Tough like a Tractor

This reflection comes from an incident which happened sometime back when it was raining heavily. That nice evening while it was pouring we made a visit to a JY family and just near their house the road was being repaired, layered with mud. I soon discovered that the car was just sliding through the mud and by God's grace managed to just stop in front of their house. It wouldn't move an inch, the tires half sunk in mud. We went to visit  them but ended up staying there overnight!

I was quite taken aback by something I saw while struggling with my car. One man was driving a tractor through the knee deep mud like a hero. It was just a cakewalk for the tractor while the car  was stuck in the mud. I wished I had  a tractor! 

This taught me about the Gift of Fortitude - the need to be Tough like a Tractor in the muddy situations of life. As the saying goes 'when the going gets tough the tough gets going' and we know it is a Gift of the Holy spirit. This imagery has reminded me many times I need to be tough like a tractor.

Lets pray with St. Thomas Aquinas "Grant me the gift of fortitude so that I may overcome courageously all the assaults of the devil, and all the dangers of this world which threaten the salvation of my soul".

"Let not your heart be disturbed, Do not fear that sickness,nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is my Mother?Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything." (Words of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego).Happy New Year!