by pattyptakkogutek | Dec 8, 2015 | inspiration
With the Season to be jolly, comes the season of shoulds: I should bake cookies for the neighborhood Christmas cookie exchange. I should write a personal note on each holiday card. I should entertain more family and friends. I should decorate my mantels like I saw in...
by pattyptakkogutek | Dec 1, 2015 | inspiration
Building on the Season of Gratitude, it’s time to move into the Season of Joy. But with the hustle, hurry and flurry of this season, singing carols, preparing for parties and making travel plans there come certain expectations, tensions and added anxiety. It’s easy to...
by pattyptakkogutek | Nov 23, 2015 | inspiration
At this special time we pause and reflect looking around and realizing just how blest we are with all that surrounds us. Family, friends and a wonderful repast to enjoy it all with, we truly need to be thankful. If your at a loss for words this Thanksgiving, here is a...
by pattyptakkogutek | Nov 17, 2015 | inspiration
“Tis the month for gratitude. As we prepare for my favorite holiday I offer two specific ways to ready ourselves, spiritually and physically for the celebration. Get your mind, heart, and soul ready for the Thanksgiving holiday by using my Stream of Gratitude Prayer....
by pattyptakkogutek | Nov 10, 2015 | inspiration
‘Tis the season for Gratitude. Gratitude changes everything. Gratitude is a powerful tool, turning any ordinary Thursday into Thanksgiving. I heard it before I saw it. The weathered car, chugging with the engine that sounded like it was missing on a few cylinders,...
by pattyptakkogutek | Nov 4, 2015 | inspiration
Can a single book really turn your life in a completely different direction? Could the writing contained in a single volume topple a belief system that had been taught, preached and ingrained for fifty years? I didn’t think so either, until it happened to me. Having...
by pattyptakkogutek | Oct 27, 2015 | inspiration
“What do you mean, no butter?” I quizzed our prideful waiter who boasted that this renowned restaurant did not provide butter, but prides itself in serving three of the finest qualities of olive oil! “What kind of joint is this?” I wondered considering the lack of...
by pattyptakkogutek | Oct 20, 2015 | inspiration
Can anything really be perfect? Well it is! All of creation is bursting with the Creator’s love. It’s up to us to discover how this “perfect” is in all the “imperfection” that we see. Even if you just look at the letters of the word, “imperfection”, you will find the...
by pattyptakkogutek | Oct 13, 2015 | inspiration
Although closely assigned in the dictionary, grateful and grating, don’t be mistaken. These are two similar words with two very opposite meanings and energies, creating two polar diverse life outcomes. My friend and fellow author, John Brubaker, wrote a blog post...
by pattyptakkogutek | Sep 30, 2015 | inspiration
Are you a member of AAA, Angelic Awareness Association? Are you aware of all the angelic activity that is constantly going on around you? Sometimes we breeze through our days without a thought about these special creatures. Angels are all around us, all the time, in...
by pattyptakkogutek | Sep 29, 2015 | inspiration
Calling Pinehurst Golf Resort in North Carolina, I was greeted with a cheery, almost lilting, “Good Morning, it’s another glorious day at Pinehurst!” (Not just beautiful, but glorious). I couldn’t help but smile feeling a lighter sense to my call. Here I was...
by pattyptakkogutek | Sep 22, 2015 | inspiration
With many Catholics and non-Catholics alike thinking that the world is going in the wrong direction, maybe it’s time to bring in the marines! Pope Francis may be just what the doctor ordered as a member of the Jesuit community. The Jesuit order of priests and brothers...
by pattyptakkogutek | Sep 15, 2015 | inspiration
Did you know that we are in the “Days of Awe”? I recently learned that the ten days between the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called “Days of Awe” – Yamim Noraim (Days of Repentance) In my research I’ve discovered that these special days are...
by pattyptakkogutek | Sep 8, 2015 | inspiration
“Can You Hear Me Now?” over and over asks God. We get so concerned about God responding and answering our prayers that we sometimes forget that God has some important things to say to us. God uses a soft-spoken approach. He speaks in the language of the soul – through...
by pattyptakkogutek | Sep 1, 2015 | inspiration
Sometimes we just have to give in – surrender to something or someone bigger than us. The disastrous fires in the Northwest have provoked this feeling of helplessness and sometime hopelessness in my prayer life. Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana are experiencing...
