1-03-2023 11:36am

Happy New Year 2023 - Testimony of Faith and the Hand of God

Christine Larkin Editor

SKYLARK'S FEATURED ARTICLE OF THE WEEK - TESTIMONY OF FAITH AND THE HAND OF GOD

Happy New Year 2023! I love the beginning of a new year. It's a time to pause, reflect, and recharge. Sometimes we need a helping hand - the hand of God.

Having faith means complete trust or confidence in someone or something. It also means a strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. What does faith mean to you? Is it something that carries you through your life? How does it show up for you?

Testimonies come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very dramatic, and in that moment, you "get it." Some are far less dramatic and have a slow build, but they are no less compelling. Some testimonies may involve great struggle and the story of how faith in God helped to get you through a difficult situation. And some testimonies may involve a few different incidents that make far more sense to the believer after they reflect upon it. Sound familiar? You may not realize you have a testimony until much later, but when you think back, you can see the hand of God working in your life.

Have you ever had something miraculous happen to you and wondered how it happened? Did it seem to come out of nowhere? Did you have a prayer answered? Have you ever met a person that you felt you knew forever? That's how faith and the hand of God work.

My testimony started back in 2011 after my mother passed away that June. Around the same time, my 10-year romantic relationship was coming to an end. I was crushed. I no longer wanted to stay in the city where I was living and working for more than 35 years. It just didn't feel the same without my lover and my mother. But the main reason was because my older brother, Kevin, who was living with my parents in Bay Shore, was now going to be alone. Our father passed away a few years earlier. Kev has Cerebral Palsy. He is an accomplished man and vehemently independent. However, he needs watching over. I wanted to be near him. A guardian Angel of sorts. So, I began to pray. One hot August evening, I stood in my living room in my Brooklyn apartment and opened my arms as if to make a cross. I said out loud, "Jesus Christ, I need your help. I need three things. I need a job on Long Island, I need a partner, and I need a home." Within weeks, I received a lead in my email from a casting site I was on for a job as a radio host in Patchogue. It was like a who's who for radio. My interview was on a stormy, rainy night that I was sure would be cancelled. But it wasn't. I was hired on the interview and started working the following week. I stayed with my brother during the week and went back to Brooklyn on the weekends. I drove my mother's old red car back and forth. I did this for one year. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it was my first prayer answered. Then, in June of 2012, I met an old classmate from high school on Facebook. He sent me a private message and asked to meet. I met him and his family in their driveway on our first date, and my second prayer was answered. We've been together for more than 10 years. But I still did not have a new place to live. I started looking in town and then one day, an apartment came available in my brother's complex. My new boyfriend and I moved in together in December of that year. My third prayer was answered. We're still here. I'm not at the radio station anymore. They went out of business. But I did get a better job. This is my testimony of how faith and the hand of God lead me to my destiny. Prayers do get answered.

Please take a moment to share your testimony in the comment section below. I would love to read it.

I want to thank my newest subscriber, Julie Caradona. I appreciate your support very much.

Buon Anno. Happy New Year!

Peace and Love,

Skylark

At 60 and Beyond, sharing testimonies of faith can help others.

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SKYLARK'S FEATURED PICK OF THE WEEK - THE SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF THE ISLAND

You don't necessarily have to be religious to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of the Island. But if you are, this is a beautiful 65 acre testimony of faith. They even have a gift shop. There's something for everyone here, and walking the grounds is an added bonus. Any time of year is a good time to visit this sacred place. For more information, visit www.ourladyoftheisland.com.

SKYLARK'S SONG OF THE WEEK - MY SWEET LORD BY GEORGE HARRISON

My sweet Lord
My Lord
Mmm, my Lord

I really want to see you
Really want to be with you
Really want to see you, Lord
But it takes so long, my Lord

My sweet Lord
My Lord
My Lord

I really want to know you
Really want to go with you
Really want to show you, Lord
But it won't take long, my Lord (Hallelujah)

My sweet Lord (Hallelujah)
My Lord (Hallelujah)
My sweet Lord (Hallelujah)

Really want to see you
Really want to see you
Really want to see you, Lord
Really want to see you, Lord
But it takes so long, my lord (Hallelujah)

My sweet Lord (Hallelujah)
My Lord (Hallelujah)
My Lord (Hallelujah)

I really want to know you (Hallelujah)
Really want to go with you (Hallelujah)
Really want to show you, Lord (Ah, ah)
But it won't take long, my Lord (Ah, ah, hallelujah)

Mm, mm, mm (Hallelujah)
My sweet Lord (Hallelujah)
My, my Lord (Hallelujah)

Mm, mm, my Lord (Hare Krishna)
My, my, my Lord (Hare Krishna)
Oh, oh my sweet Lord (Krishna Krishna)
Ooh, ooh, ooh (Hare Hare)

Now, I really want to see you (Hare Rama)
Really want to be with you (Hare Rama)
Really want to see you, Lord (Ah, ah)
But it takes so long, my Lord (Ah, ah, hallelujah)

Mm, my Lord (Hallelujah)
My, my, my Lord (Hare Krishna)
My sweet Lord (Hare Krishna)
My sweet Lord (Krishna Krishna)
My lord (Hare Hare)

Mm, mm (Gurur Brahma)
Mm, mm (Gurur Vishnu)
Mm, mm (Gurur Devo)
Mm, mm (Maheshwarah)

My sweet Lord (Guru Sakshata)
My sweet Lord (Parabrahma)
My, my, my Lord (Tasmayi Shree)
My, my, my, my Lord (Guruve namah)

My sweet Lord (Hare Rama)
(Hare Krishna)
My sweet Lord (Hare Krishna)
My sweet Lord (Krishna Krishna)
My lord (Hare Hare)

NEW FEATURE

SKYLARK'S FEATURED INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK

No one carries a sign around on their back advertising their problems, so I can't ever know what someone's life is like unless they tell me. But if an act of kindness has the ability to shift someone's bad day into a better one, then why not try to be that change?

-Jamie Hoang