Twas the Month before Christmas

*Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*Why the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a 'Holiday'.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday!*

Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet during the holidays a
MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christ is 'The Reason' for the Christ-mas Season!

Treasure all you possess

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: 'I am blind, please help.' There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by.
He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat.
He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words.
He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up.
A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.
That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were.
The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, 'Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?'

The man said, 'I only wrote the truth.
I said what you said, but in a different way.'
What he had written was: 'Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.'
Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?

Of course both signs told people the boy was blind.
But the first sign simply said the boy was blind.
The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind.
Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

~~~~~
Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.

Invite others towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets.
When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile.
Face your past without regret.
Handle your present with confidence.
Prepare for the future without fear.
Keep the faith and drop the fear.
Great men say, 'Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness....
In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience.'

The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling...
And even more beautiful is knowing that you are the reason behind it.

Two Indian Dessert Recipes I want to try

Friday after Thanksgiving, we went to an Indian Buffet Lunch with Fr. Gaspar. The Tandori & Masala are yummy, But the desserts! Here are two found on the internet. I think I will try them out!

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Gaajar Halwa (Carrot Pudding)

Ingredients:
1 kg (just over 2 pounds) of fresh grated carrots
2 tins (400 gms each) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup full-cream milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup ghee
200 gms khoya (thickened milk)
75 gms raisins/sultanas
75 gms almonds blanched and slivered
75 gms pistachios slivered

Preparation:
Mix the carrots, condensed milk, milk and sugar in a large pan and cook on a medium flame till all the milk thickens and reduces.
Add the khoya and ghee to the carrot-milk mix and fry till the carrots turn a to dark orange color.
Add the dried raisins, almonds and pistachios, mix well and turn off fire.
Allow the halwa to cool slightly and serve in bowls with a dollop of vanilla icecream each.

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RICE PUDDING ~ Kheer (Payasam in the south, Payesh in the east)

Ingredients:
2 litres full-cream milk
1 can (400 gms) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup Basmati rice
50 gms almonds blanched and slivered
50 gms raisins
A few strands of saffron
Rose petals to garnish (optional)
Preparation:
Wash the rice well and soak for half an hour in enough water to cover it fully.
Put the milk, condensed milk and sugar in a deep, thick-bottomed pan and boil. When the milk comes to a boil, add the rice and simmer. Cook till the milk thickens and reduces to half its original volume.
Add the almonds, raisins and cardamom and cook for 5 more minutes.
Turn off the fire and add the saffron. Stir well.
Allow the kheer to cool, then chill.
Serve cold garnished with rose petals.