Welcome to Dymphna's Diary

Although I am not Catholic, I find it interesting that "Dymphna" is the patron saint of those who suffer from clinical depression and other mental illnesses. Considering the purpose of this site is to offer inspiration and spiritual guidance to my readers, I felt it was only right I chose her namesake for the title.

In 2010, this site was set up to pass along personal information about how depression has affected my life and the lives of my family. Since then, it has EVOLVED. In 2011, I attempted to present posts that were INSPIRATIONAL to you, my readers. In 2012, I went even deeper with personal stories from people across the United States via touching videos, songs, and interviews. My hope was to show each of you that even when you feel that you are in a situation that no one else could understand, you are not alone. Through it all, my comments have remained to be my personal opinions and spiritual reflections. I will continue to occasionally post information that I feel is beneficial in removing the stigma of mental illness, but regardless I feel blessed to have been given this platform to spread God's love and compassion for ALL people. I wouldn't be where I am today without the strength I receive daily from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My hope is that this blog will help you find some comfort in your life. It most certainly is helping me find comfort in mine.

I want to make it perfectly clear, though, that when I make generalizations regarding mental illness, I am NOT giving advice to anyone. I'm just passing along information that I have found helpful in my life. I'm writing about MY PERSONAL experiences and thoughts. Mental illness affects everyone differently and your situation may not be reflective of mine.


Thursday, December 6, 2012

The Candy Cane


Let's continue with some Advent traditions...


The True Story

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness,
so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols
for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. He began with a stick of
pure white, hard candy: white to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless
nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the Foundation of the
Church and firmness of the promises of God.

The candy maker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the precious
name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior. It could also represent the
staff of the Good Shepherd with which He reaches down into the ditches of the
world to lift out the fallen lambs who like all sheep have gone astray. Thinking
that the candy was somewhat plain, the candy maker stained it with red stripes.
He used three small stripes for the blood shed by Christ on the cross. So that
we could have the promise of eternal life.





SCRIPTURES FOR THE MEANING OF THE CANDY CANE



Hard Candy - Reminds us that Jesus is like a "ROCK", strong and dependable
Psalm 31:3

Peppermint Flavor - Is like the gift of spices from the wise men.
Matthew 2:11

White Candy - Stands for Jesus as the holy, sinless Son of God
1 John 1:7

Cane - Is like a staff used by shepherds in caring for sheep.
Jesus is our "Good Shepherd".
John 10: 1-18, 27-30

The Letter J. - Is for the name of Jesus, our Savior.
Matthew 1: 21

The Color Red - Is for God's love that sent Jesus,
and for Jesus' love in giving His life for us on the cross.
John 3: 16 and Revelation 1:5

The Stripes - Reminds us of Jesus' suffering - His crown of thorns,
the wounds in His hands and feet, and the cross on which He died.
John 19: 1-30


 http://justforkidsmagazine.com/candycanelegend.html

No comments:

Post a Comment