"Live Today Well" by St. Francis de Sales

10 Hints for Living in the Present Moment according to St. Francis de Sales

1. Don't let the past drag you down. Develop short memories

Once we ask God for forgiveness, accept it, then Let go and trust. We can't second guess
past choices or past actions. In regard to past hurt and disappointment, especially from
family and friends, we have to develop short memories and move on. Francis de Sales
advice to us is to "live today well". He encourages us to be grateful for where we are, not
where we were! De Sales philosophy is quite simple. He doesn't want us to awaken near the
end of our life and say: "What a wonderful life I've had. I only wish I had realized it sooner".

Conclusion: Realize your life today

2. Don't fear the future

For many people, the future is a menacing beast ready to pounce and devour. For St. Francis
de Sales, tommorrow is another day to call "today". Taking care of today is the best
preparation for tommorrow. If we are in God's presence today, we will stay there as
tommorrow arrives. Francis de Sales suggest: "Think only of today and when tommorrow
comes, it too will be today and we will think about it"

Conclusion: Live today well !

3. Be a doer and not a worrier. Don't let boredom reign in your life

We often spend too much time worrying about what can go wrong? As a result, we hesitate
making choices about moving on. We live life within the phrase "What if? " We say, "what if
it rains...? " What if I fail " ... ? "What if it doesn't work out ....? " Others wait for special
moments: "I'll do that when the kids graduate." or " I'll wait until I get promoted " or "as
soon as the mortgage is paid off ... then I'll do it "

St. Francis de Sales invites us to see the hand of God in all creation. He ask us to see
possibilities rather than impossibilities. Francis de Sales wrote: " If you want to recover lost
time, do your best in the time that still remains"

Conclusion: Just do it!

4. Be appreciative. Show gratitude often

Salesian Spirituality invites our prayer life to center on gratitude. I will give you an example,
when my nephew Kai came home from china in April 2006, he could not speak due to his
clept lip and palate. His clept lip had been repaired in China but he still had an open palate
which would not allow him to speak properly. After he had surgery for his palate, he then
began speech therapy and he has come along way since. He can now say certain words, but
one imparticular thing that I remember is when I went to the hospital to pick up my sister
and him after his surgery, as we were leaving the hospital and getting in the car, his mom
said to him "Kai we are going home " and he looked at me and said the word "Home". In just
a short time of his palate being repaired he had already began to say a simple word. His
speech is becoming better and he now says more words. He is working his way towards a
marvelous gift for speaking. It's an ordinary thing, but it is still a minor miracle of growth.
Little moments like these are great moments to thank God. When we are grateful for the
little things around us, then the ordinary becomes extraordinary. De Sales stated " All that
we have and all that we are come from God"

Conclusion: Count your blessings daily

5. Overlook flaws. See the big picture

We know that life is a journey. We also realize that our journey is as important as our
destination. When we make a mistake along the way, it doesn't cancel our gifts or life's
accomplishments. It is just a mistake within the context of our entire journey.
St. Francis De Sales encourages" "This life is short, but it is valuable, for by means of it we
are able to gain eternal life"

Conclusion: Give people a second chance

6. Pick a virtue you need now, and practice it

We need to practice different virtues at different stages of our journey. Sometimes it's
patience dealing with elderly parents. Other times it's good listening for friends struggling
with a strained relationship. Still other times it's trust of teenagers as they grow and test us.
Francis de Sales calls these "little virtues". De Sales says: "These are the little, unattractive
and inconspicuous, ones to be exercised in our daily lives, in our homes, in our places of
employment, with friends and with strangers, any time and all times-these are the virtues
for us".

Conclusion: Look for one small way to improve

7. Look to faith for answers when all else fails

It's wonderful and encouraging remembering that the answer to life's two basic questions,
"who and I " ? and "Where am I going " ? is contained in the phrase, "We are all children of
God." Francis De Sales sees it this way: "Having called you to this life, God will strengthen
you with grace to do what is required for God's glory and for your own welfare and
happiness, provided you walk in faithful observance" .

Conclusion: No one makes it alone !

8. Bury the hatchet about your past. Start over again.

In life, we don't always end up where we'd like. We didn't win the lottery. We didn't become
vice president of the company. We even missed the home with the white picket fence. Our
dream didn't happen. Yet, we have some things, but not others. When St. Jane de Chantal's
widowhood shattered her dreams, Francis de Sales told her to get another dream. Later she
said, how she did it ! She wrote " We strive for that loving union of hearts which brings about
a holy peace and the kind of blessing we desire to have in the house of God and his holy
mother" .

Conclusion: Be forgiving of yourself !

9. Get some fresh air

We can't make progress in holiness by sitting on the couch. We have to get up and meet life
where it greets us. Often we have to change our surroundings, get some fresh aire or new
opinions and different view points. Whatever it takes, we need to breath in fresh air to bring
in newness and blow away the staleness. Francis De Sales liked freshness too. He said: "Don't
despair over your shortcomings, Start over each day. You make spiritual progress by
continually beginning again and again".

Conclusion: Stay open to new ideas !

10. Laugh at yourself

We need to find more opportunities to laugh, especially at ourselves. Often we take
ourselves too seriously, and too many things personally. This happens because we can't
seperate who we are from what we do. We need to keep them disconnected. If we can see
humor in any failures or mistake, we can heal more quickly. Francis de Sales also liked to
laugh. He remarked: "If you make a mistake, laugh at yourself and try again. If an action or
decision doesn't seem good and it looks as if you made a mistake, you should not blame
yourself, but rather humble yourself and laugh at yourself."

Conclusion: Use humor to amuse


Hope these hints for living in the present moment give you something to think about the same way it gave me something to think about.

Blessings and hugs to all during this holiday season