Catholic Singles

The Best Laid Plans
BY: MARK ANTHONY ROSOLOWSKI

How often have you hears the statement, "The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray", the often misquoted "The best laid schemes of mice and men. Go often askew ... aft agley", which is from "Of Mice and Men" a novella written by John Steinbeck.

I often wonder if Steinbeck, had any idea just how popular that quote would become, even when misquoted. One has to think, did Steinbeck, have an insight on life, or was he just making a statement that he found to be true. What motivated Steinbeck to use that phrase, worded in such a way that all can relate to it? How do we all put that into our everyday lives so aptly that even the misquote fits?

It is a simple answer; it is because that statement is TRUE. How often have we made plans for a Saturday outing to wake up that morning and find the pouring rain? The plans are washed away with the rain. We never think to have a back up plan, a contingency plan, a plan of what to do if something happens; we just assume that all will be perfect.

Many of us, me included make our life plans that way, even when we know that it is foolhardy at the least. The plans and dreams that we make that we believe in are often shattered by misfortune, a misstep or a devastating event.

We make safe plans, realistic plans, and plans of our dreams that we can be sure in, then something happens and we must reverse our steps, reorganize and make new plans. My plan was to work at my job till I was 55, retire, my wife and I would move to Corpus Christi, Texas. With my pension from the hospital, her money we would find a place to live, I would get a job and we would live out our lives on Padre Island, a place we fell in love with years ago.

That was not to be, her death and my illness ended that dream, so now I sit back, rethink and make new plans, asking God for His guidance. When I am given an answer I often ignore it at first, but lucky for us God keeps putting His answer in front of us. He gives us the answer; He shows us what we are to do. All we have to do is listening and heed to His Will.

Not being able to work was frustrating, I prayed to God for His guidance, to please show me the way I was suppose to go. The answer came to me and believe it or not, it was Catholic Singles, Blog.

Many years ago, I wrote numerous stories, just little things that I wanted to tell people, maybe to touch their lives, give a little insight, to touch them, these were usually destroyed with no one reading them but me, I was not good enough.

Then I tried the blog, I tentatively posted one, I did not think anyone would read it, but they did and most liked what I had to say. Being in the spotlight was never my way; I never had the courage to let people read those thoughts. But then, you reached into me, reached out to me and gave me the courage and faith in myself to go on and attempt a dream.

Nothing may come of this dream, but I am following it, a new plan and this dream belongs to all of you. Those of you that have encouraged me to try, to share what I have inside of me, to use the gift that God has given me, to be unafraid.

For some reason the words thank you seem inadequate for giving me the courage and the strength to try and to go out and expose my thoughts to others. Maybe one thing I say will touch one person, give them hope, and remind them of God. If that happens then I have used God’s gift as He intended.