Hide and Seek

I love you, Lord. I give you myself, use me as you see fit and let me work for you. What is it you want of me today? I'm all yours!

This is my morning prayer. But as I was thinking this morning, do I really give God my life everyday? This past week, I am realizing that I am abandoning more - so evidently I have been hiding some things from Him. I realized last week that there is one (of probably a multitude) part of my life that still needed healing. It was found through the gift of a friend. In helping her, God has helped me! Funny how that works. Maybe I haven't helped her, maybe it was more so for my good, but I have experienced another mini conversion.

As I wrote to this friend, I could sense Jesus telling me, "I thought you gave me your life. Why won't you let me in this part? Do you not trust me? What is there to hide from the all knowing God? On whose terms are you giving me your life?"

Evidently for a while, it has been on my terms. I'll give you everything except this part. It's ugly, not perfect. You wouldn't want this part of me anyway.

That is where I was wrong. Jesus wants every part of us. There is nothing we can hide. We can choose not to let Him in, consciously or subconsciously, but we can not hide it! God is too good at this game! He knows its there, and begs us to let Him notice. He wants to heal us, take the ugliness away and make it pure.

In the Gospel of John, chapter 5, we hear that Jesus was healing at the water. He noticed a man that had been ill for many years, and asked him, "Do you want to be well?" The sick man came back with excuses, "I have no one to put me in the water. When I am on my way, someone always gets there first." Jesus said to him, "Rise, pick up your mat and walk." Immediately the man became well.

Jesus knows our illnesses, weaknesses, excuses, but He still wishes to heal us, even today, with the water pouring forth from his side. His love and mercy are poured out faster than we can even think of it! Trust Him. Trust that He wants to see every part of us, most especially the parts we want to hide. He knows it is there and that is the part of us He wants most! Give it to Him, so that He may give you the Love, Peace, Strength and Courage that we so desperately need. If we truly give our lives to God, our weaknesses are our greatest asset. For it is when we are weak that Christ must work.

We need never to be alone, for He is always with us. And as someone continues to remind me, the angels and saints are cheering us on. Allow them to protect and guide you - continually bringing you back to Jesus for nourishment and healing.

Lord have mercy on us, for we know not what we do!

A Powerful Will

Spring is here! Now we're ready for Summer! It was only 35ºF, but Luke claims, "It's warm out here!" To give him some credit, the sun was shining. Maybe the buds will come up soon!

Isaiah 55:10-12

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace.

I leave you today with 2 short phrases that have meant a lot to me this past week:

"Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done!"

Detachment truly unites: "Father if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done." (Luke 22:42) Jesus surrendered His will so that God's Kingdom may open for us. Likewise, our will is always more powerful when we surrender it to our Heavenly Father! We must remember, God always gets His way! We in turn, have a choice to make: we can either surrender and work with Him, or fight against Him. "He who is not with me is against me" (Luke 11:33)

If we are to surrender, truly, we must trust!

Happy 5th Monday of Lent!

Kathryn is 14

Kathryn isn't so little anymore, she is now the BIG 14! Wow, 14 years have gone by fast. From dance and soccer to more soccer and plays, you continue to impress me. You are a fine young lady with so much to offer this world. It's exciting to watch you grow in mind and spirit. God has truly blessed us with your presence. My prayer for you, is that you may become more and more like the godly woman in Proverbs 31:

Work hard, share kindness and always keep God first in your life so that you may wear the cloak of strength and dignity. God Bless You!

Next up: Kathryn's first car! Her grandparents were kind enough to get this for her birthday. It's always good to start small! I can't believe we will be teaching her to drive. I treasure these growing up years. I love watching her independence blossom. At the same time, I'm buckled down and ready for the ride. Yes, buckled down, keeping ground on some things, yet letting go of others. I guess you can say we have moved into the navigator seat with her.

May we be guided by the Spirit and protected by the angels!

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol 1)

Let's see if I can figure this out, 7 Quick Takes Friday, that is. I got this idea from another blogger, so be sure to visit her!

--1--

Spring is here: so is soccer! We set up fields and practices have begun. You may catch me chirping this spring: sometimes beautifully, sometimes a bit aggressively, but I’m happy to join the birdies. According to my dad, they know everything! ("A little birdie told me!") At least one does. Not me!

What part of springtime are you?

--2--

Michael received the sacrament of healing, Anointing of the Sick Sunday. Fr. explained and administered this sacrament during Mass. After the explanation, Michael, 7, whispers in my ear, “Should I go up there, Mom?” I told him that was fine, and then he wanted me to go up with him. I was proud of him and his understanding of the sacrament. I also had the terrible thought go through my head, ‘let’s just ask Father to do it later, so people don’t start asking what’s going on with him.’ We went up. Maybe I was the one who should be receiving the sacrament of healing with my attitude? It was beautiful and probably more moving for his mother.

--3--

Gina (the 2 year old 28 pound princess) playing with Rudy (the 5 month old 58 pound puppy):

Gina was playing fetch with Rudy down the hallway. One time Rudy tried to take the toy out of Gina’s hand. She clonked him on the head and told him, “No!” Then, “Sit!” Next, she gave him a big hug, “You’re my best friend, Rudy!” We now know what it takes to be a friend to Gina – listen and do whatever she tells you. You’ll have a friend for life. We’ve got to work on this control thing – I mentioned to my husband that someone needs to inform her that she is not an only child. My husband piped up, “she is much more well adjusted than only child. She knows many different personalities and manipulates each and everyone to get what she wants!

--4--

Daniel: Monday, for the first time, after taking 2 weeks off school, he sat down and did his work right away without complaints. Schoolwork this day was too easy. I didn’t know what to do with my extra time. He gets to put 5 jellybeans in the jar for doing his best work this year! (he did great M,T,W-NOT Thur. O well, it was fun while it lasted!)

About the jelly beans:

We keep a jar and jelly beans in our prayer room during Lent. (Gina got into them once this season, they are ‘her’ jelly beans, ya know.) Everytime we catch the kids doing something good – helping out extra, being kind to a sibling, etc, they get to put a colorful jellybean into the jar. The white beans are set aside with me. The black jelly beans are for poor behavior. They hate getting black jelly beans. The goal is to have the jar filled by Easter. On Holy Saturday night, the white jelly beans replace the black ones as a reflection that Jesus died to take away our sins and make us white again so we can enter Heaven.

--5--

Midnight madness: NO, not basketball, though my kids do enjoy keeping track of who’s winning the games for the NCAA tournament! Luke doesn’t think he can sleep tonight due to Memphis and Duke losses yesterday. Poor boy.

Our midnight madness was a bit different. Chalk it up with the “joys” of parenting. Maybe after the fact, God was rejoicing, but definitely not during the incident: I’ll just say we had a lot of wake up calls but one not so pretty. It was one of those that I didn’t exactly handle well. One of our children was screaming, again. I went to the crying room to assess the situation. The child was on the floor, screaming. I could not calm this child with talking. I went to pick the child up and the blessing decided to pee all over and on the carpet. I too lost it, my temper that is. I was tired, I was mad. How could this child do such a thing? After aggressively taking off the wet pants through the continual screaming, the shirt came off by lifting the child slightly off the ground. I must be doing this too rough. I calmed down, made sure the blessing didn’t have to go anymore in the toilet and gently put the child back to bed with an I love you.

I too went back to bed again, and felt awful (clumped up once again). How could I have treated this child like that?

This Lent, our priest has been using Preface of Lent III for daily Mass. It has been moving for me. It was all I could think of when I got out of bed the next morning.

“…you ask us to express our thanks by self-denial. We are to master our sinfulness and conquer our pride. We are to show to those in need your goodness and mercy.”

So here I am, living it. As it said in the Magnificat that morning,

“By taking upon Himself all the shame of the nakedness and sin in Adam’s, and our place, Jesus once and for all brought it before the merciful eyes of His Father…and from this point on sinners should no longer hide; they have been reprieved from disgrace. So let them come to the light of Jesus’ cross…our own nakedness and sinfulness no longer has a reason for embarrassment or condemnation. It has become an opportunity for faith, faith that can arise even from a foolish self-confidence.”

May we have the “courage to humbly and gently gaze toward the bleeding face of the crucified Jesus” to gaze upon “the shame of Jesus who covers and hides ours.”

Yes, take courage: By God’s Mercy we are saved. How shall we thank Him?

--6--

All is well with Baby: After scheduling an ultrasound with the doctor, trying to change it because we found out the girls would have practice, and deciding to leave it alone and find a sitter for the rest of the crew; the doctor’s office called saying their machine was not working and we would have to reschedule. I called the sitter off, to only call her back a few hours later because the dr. office called back again saying they would be able to use a different machine and my appointment was back on. With all the variables, it ended up being a tricky planning day, but in the end, we got to see:

--7--

Gina: Mothering me on how to cut a pinapple. “No cut it that way. Be careful, don’t cut yourself! Be careful, Mommy! Now this piece. Are you being careful?” She then proceeded to put on Kathryn’s mascara which was left out on the island for some reason.

Where’s my ‘little’ girl?

----------

Have a great Weekend Everyone!

We will be celebrating with Kathryn. She is now old enough to get her permit to drive!

I repeat, "Where's my little girl?"

Woman, Mother, Love!

A little Monday pick-me-up from our very own, Pope Benedict XVI as he addressed an audience in Africa:

"Woman equals the order of Love. The heart of man is enlightened and he sees himself reflected in her, bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh!"

The Holy Father, quoting Mary as she spoke to Jesus at the Wedding Feast of Cana, 'They have no more wine.' He continues, "Accept Mary as your advocate. This is precisely how we see her at the wedding feast of Cana: a tender woman full of motherly care and courage; a woman who recognizes the needs of others, and wanting to help, places those needs before the Lord. If we stay close to her, we can, all men and women alike, recover that sense of serenity and deep trust that makes us feel blessed by God and undaunted in our struggle for life."

The Pope goes on to remind us that the family itself can not stand. It needs God: "The building up of the Christian family takes place in the larger church family which sustains the domestic family and holds it close to her heart giving it the assurance that it is protected: now and in the future by the Yes of the creator."

To all women, I challenge you to love and be mothers to everyone you meet. Having children of my own helps me to understand, but it is not necessary to be a "blood" mother to possess the motherly qualities gifted from God to all women. Spiritual children can also be born of your pains, gifting them with eternal life!

Who will you adopt today, to watch over, care for and love in order that their life may be enriched by Love?

Have a blessed, Back to work, Monday!

Raise your hand IF you have something to say!

A powerful video!

What will you sacrifice out of love and mercy for those caught in the lies of abortion?

Keep Doing This in Remembrance of Me

That is the title of the flyer I received this morning from two Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The door bell rings, dog barks, I’m coming down the stairs with a load of dirty laundry, Vincent decides he is done with his breakfast and starts to fuss to get out of his highchair. As I’m coming down the stairs, I peer out the window and notice two gentlemen dressed in suits. I think to myself, well, probably Morman or JW. I drop the laundry next to the door and answer it as if they were family members whom I have not seen in a while.

“Hello There!” I cheerfully state!

After their initial shock of my greeting they begin, “I’m Mark and this is Mark.”

(Great, I’ll remember their names, 2 for the price of 1, my kind of deal!)

They continue, “Have you ever been invited to Kingdom Hall?”

Not knowing what they were even talking about at first, I said with a chuckle in my voice, “I don’t think so.”

They hand me a flyer, “Well, here is you invitation. It’s pretty serious matter…(Vincent began to fuss again and I did not pay close attention to the rest of what there were saying.) It sounds like you have to get back to a little one.”

“Yes, thank you, I have a few of them in here! Have a great day!”

I close the door, take Vincent out of his seat, and change his stinky diaper. As I throw it out in the bathroom trash, I notice the shirt I am wearing: CATHOLIC / EST. 33A.D. / ORIGINAL. Hmm, how fitting, I wonder if they noticed what it said. Maybe that is why they are at my door again, because the last two that came about month ago were talking to me and I told them I am Roman Catholic and someday they will come to understand what they are missing.

I come back downstairs, and look through the flyer quick. Oh, Kingdom Hall is where they worship. I get it. They were inviting me to their service to remember Jesus’ Last Supper. I am pretty slow sometimes! I start thinking. I should have invited them to our Good Friday service (since they will be busy Holy Thursday). Maybe I need to educate myself on their history so I can reach out to them as they continue to come to me. I read on, “You are also invited to a special Bible talk entitled ‘Is there a True Religion From God’s Standpoint?" Should I go to this and see what they have to say? In the life I have been given, how does God want me to reach out these family members?

Someday I may be able to have a meaningful conversation with them…until then, I hope my being speaks louder than words. I too am a Witness!

“This is my body which will be given up for you.”

“Do this in memory of Me!”

FUNdraiser Cookies

First Batch: Should they be flat or round?

Working Hard!

Favorite Designs:

Let's Eat!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick, Pray for us and teach us to trust in God: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

From "The Breastplate of St Patrick"

"Christ shield me this day:

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every person who thinks of me, Chist in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me."

Christ is Love, and Love heals all!

Have a blessed Day!

The Fishing Trip

What a glorious day!

A fishing we will go, a fishin' we will go. Hi ho the dairy-o, a fishin we will go!

Trip #1: We arrive at the park containing Yellow Belly Pond - the gate is closed.

"Go around it Mom!" I could hear being shouted from the back of the extended van. The temptation was there, thank God I drive a bus. If we would have attempted, some serious damage would have been done! And the obvious, 'It's just wrong!' On to plan B!

Trip #2: The next lake we visit is open. Yeah! We unload: kids, dog, poles, nets...

"Um Mom, I think I left the bait at home. I know I had it."

I think to myself, I wonder if we can catch any fish without bait?

Luke pipes up, "Oh Mom, I have a fake worm somewhere in the van! Remember when I found the one in the parking lot!" (about 2 months ago)

Sure enough, he did! He cut it so 2 poles could have bait.

Lesson: "It's good I didn't take care of that yet, huh mom!" sigh...

Trip #3: Michael and Gabrielle are tending the poles. Luke goes off with a net. Gina is splashing in all the mucky mud, along with John. Vincent - not so happy. The dog isn't sure where to go - he gets the leash tangled up with Vincent. Vincent trips - splat in a mud puddle.

A fair amount of time has passed.

What have we caught so far? A root, some moss.

What have we seen? birds, geese, a muskrat, MUD.

The little troops are now getting restless. Gabrielle runs to the van. Unknowingly to me, she did bring bait with her. Kid bait! Sour gummy worms.

"Anyone who doesn't fuss can have a worm!" She states cheerfully.

Daniel takes his worm. "Mom, can I put this on a pole so I can catch some fish?"

"Sure!" It will amuse him for a while! ;)

Luke comes running back from his netting adventure with his hand around something.

"What-cha got Luke?" (it had to be better than the stringy moss we caught!)

"A little bullfrog!" he excitedly states.

Yes, it will come make a new home in our pond. I haven't mentioned yet that we run a wild animal "vacation" center in our home and backyard. Vacation for us = foster care for them.

Trip #4: We're heading home!

New to foster care: 1 bull frog and 1 tadpole.

Treasures: another fishing bucket, Refreshed Hearts

Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Spring Break

Spring Break: Day 1

3 stiches later...

Yes, there was screaming during the stitching process.

But Vincent is back on the run!

Have a blessed day!

Intimacy

So I am reading this book which spawned some good conversation yesterday!

A brief history: my husband and I have not always been intimately connected due to some of my past history. I come to find out this is also true with other couples, thus the blog:

My husband and I have never really had a "real" conversation about what I am about to write, until last night. I guess the opportunity never really presented itself - maybe I was just afraid to tell him how I had to go about things for me to change.

Yes, I had to change, I had to heal. Thus, I had to pray. I brought prayer to our bedroom, silently, until last night. A few years ago I began to relate my husband to my relationship with God. This was a key to my healing with intimacy. No, I do not consider my husband, God, but if I treat him that way, he is happy! I have a quote on my kitchen cupboard that says, "The way we treat one another is the way we treat God." If I am withholding from my husband, then I am withholding from God. If I am withholding from anyone, then I am withholding from God. (I have a lot to work on here.)

In our journey of life, we have Love (our will) and romantic love (our feelings). Imagine drawing a straight line across a sheet of paper, this is Love. Then draw another curvy line, going above and below the straight line, like a roller coaster. This curvy line represents our feelings of love. Sometimes we have them and they are great, above the straight Love line. Sometimes they are below it, because we don't feel anything. Feelings are just that, a roller coaster. We don't really have control over them. We do, however, have control over our will- and the straight Love line is an act of our will. Faith is an act of our will - there are many times I may not feel like getting up to go to church or adoration, or praying if I am not feeling the love back. But, this is when I can show God how much I really love Him; by continuing to go/pray even when I don't feel anything. This is when I have the great chance to obtain no pleasure in my intimacy with God. I can give Him a perfect gift of self, with nothing in it for me. This is what I had to do with my intimacy with my husband, before I was able to heal from my issues. I also had to remember that the marriage union is an example of Christ's union with the church (sacrificial and bringing forth life through the outpouring of blood and water -Divine Mercy), and a foreshadowing of our union with God.

It is also like being mom. I know there are times when I don't want to wipe another butt (or wall ;) -my kids have some poop issues), or put food on the table. (Sorry that came after the butt wiping) The list can go on here! I will spare you the rest. But if I continue to do these things, they become real acts of Love. If I don't feel like being a mom for a day, does that mean I don't love my kids? Of course NOT! I love them dearly, on that straight line! Despite my feelings, I still continue to care for them. Love is sacrificial - giving up of self. Look at the cross, and know that you are not alone in your sacrifices!

For me, once I changed my attitude, my husband and I were able to be together and eventually my romantic love went above the line. As we were talking last night, I know we still have some things to work on, and there will always be times when either he or I don't feel like intimacy, but that doesn't mean we don't love each other. It is however, the perfect time to give of oneself, making that sacrificial love even when there is nothing in it for me.

Jesus I trust in You!

Lenten Reflection - Potter and Clay

The song, Abba! Father has been on my mind this week.

It references God as the potter and we the people as the clay. As I think back to the great high school days, when I took ceramics, and doing a little research to touch up, I understand more fully what this song really means.

Clay: a clump of earth (Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.)

Potter: the master of the clay

Clay is a sculpting material that responds easily to touch and retains the most minute detail, even a fingerprint. The potter can change each detail as much as He likes until He is satisfied and completes the vessel. (FYI, a vessel is a hollow container.) We, too should be sculpting material, bearing the Father's imprint. We are made in His image and likeness! We are made to be filled with God’s Love; so that His Perfect Love can be poured out into the world! That is holiness.

So, let's look at the process:

In the beginning, the clay is a clump of somewhat unresponsive material. It needs 3 main things to be formed into a work of art.

Water! Water brings life to the clay - just as baptismal waters bring true life to an individual.

Kneading! Kneading eliminates the air pockets and makes the clay more pliable. Back in the day, kneading was also done by stomping over it. During the kneading process, the potter will also notice impurities, pebbles and other debris that need to be removed. These active, sometimes aggressive kneadings can be related to stresses in our life and disappointments. Sometimes we will feel stomped on, beat up, but it purifies us and teaches us to rely on our potter, God. Kneading is always for a greater good! (Look at the cross-Jesus went through the “beat up” process for our sake, not His, so that we can get to heaven! What a lesson in sacrifice.) However, purification is not always passive on our part. We as the clay must show our impurities to God so they can be removed. In relating to our faith, repentance, confessing our sins, so that the Father can remove them from us!

The Wheel! Once the clay is pliable and free from debris, the potter sets the clay on the wheel. The potter confidently presses the clay down and brings it up until it is centered on the outside and inside, at the core. Sometimes it may look center and act center on the outside, but if the core (our heart) is not centered, the clay will not respond to the direction of the potter - and in turn, it will never be made into a vessel of honor. If it is not centered, it will shift to the left or right and eventually fold on itself. It can not stand alone!

I can only imagine how many times I fold on myself and hear God saying to me, “Come on, Maria, work with Me here!” As I help my kiddos get dressed, I catch myself saying the same thing, “Work with me here! It would be so much easier if you would just work with me and not try to go your own way!” If we are centered, all the way to our core, and give up our will, we have no need to fear - God will protect us and shape us into what He desires us to be and to do for Him! He will keep us standing.

Now that we know what it takes to make a work of art; the water, kneading and being centered on the wheel, the potter must focus on the inner space. The inner chamber determines the appearance of the outer. When the pressure of the potter is successful in molding the clay the way He wishes, pressure is relieved. However, if the clay resists, the potter will take the crumpled clump of clay, and try again to mold it into the vessel He has planned.

This is true in our own lives! Challenges present themselves: maybe one is there right now, maybe you have just endured one, or maybe one is about to come - the challenge is the wheel of God, to bring us against the pressure of the Potter's hand. If we don't resist, if our will doesn't spoil the work by disobeying His laws, complaining, fearing, gossiping or feeling anger and bitterness then the pressure is relieved. He is in control, "He is the Potter, we are the clay, the work of His hands." Isaiah 64:8

The potter is in complete control of the clay! He knows what He wants it to be and look like. (Romans 9:21) We, the clay, must yield to the potters hand if we want to become something useful. We must surrender our will to His. The Potter has choices to make while molding a piece of clay. He can finish the piece if He thinks it is responding to his lead. He can reshape the piece if He goes along and feels it would be better as something else. (Jeremiah 18:4) Or, he can throw away an unresponsive piece of clay if He feels it is not going to come out the way He planned. (Isaiah 45:9) I pray that we will all respond!

The potter, once satisfied with his piece, leaves it alone for a while and lets it dry out.

The final stage involves sanding and decorating. The paint and glaze make us beautiful. They differentiate us one vessel from another. Its what makes us who we truly are.

In the end, the piece is put into the kiln to be fired. Another purification. To withstand the heat and be made shiny and beautiful (purgatory). Once complete, it is protected from any possibility of being marred or hurt (Heaven).

When we surrender our will to His, we are molded into His image and likeness, one with Him, for His imprint is upon us. When we are one with Him who created us, we too contain Love. The Father is and knows only love. He fills us, his vessels, with that Love so we can share it with others.

Where are we stuck in this cycle of clay?

Do you have the water?

Are you being kneaded?

Are you being called to surrender a piece of debris out of your life?

Are you resisting the center of the wheel with something?

Have you been set aside to dry out for a while?

Are you being sanded down?

Is He painting you to be made more beautiful?

Where ever you are, know that God continues to pick you up (literally and figuratively) and work with you. He loves you and will never abandon His work!

Today's psalm 31:5-6,14-16 reinforces this message.

"Save me Lord in your kindness."

"Into your hands I commend my spirit...Into your hands is my destiny."

Tanning for Summer

Well, the bathroom floor got mopped up last night before I hit the bed, but here are 2 of Gina's footprints of make-up tracking through my carpet. She was supposed to be getting her jammies on, and Michael came down to tell me she was playing with the tan stuff in a bottle. As I investigated, she had applied the "tan stuff" all over her body. I guess she is ready for summer! Onto the next mess...

St Dominic, help me in my daily duties - "All for the glory of God"

A friend shared another post with me, a tribute to St. Joseph. With his feast day coming up in 9 days, if you want, here is a Novena to him, the foster father of Jesus, and patron of the Universal church, the dying, fathers, social justice, families and work!

St Joseph, pray for us!

NOVENA TO ST. JOSEPH
O glorious St. Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, to thee do we raise our hearts and hands to implore thy powerful intercession in obtaining
from the benign Heart of Jesus all the helps and graces necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death, and the special favor we now implore (state your petition).
O Guardian of the Word Incarnate, we have confidence that thy prayers on our behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God. Amen.
(Then say the following seven times in honor of the seven sorrows and joys of St. Joseph.)
V. O Glorious St. Joseph! Through thy love for Jesus Christ and for the glory of His Name,
R. Hear our prayers and obtain our petitions.
V. Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
R. Assist us!

Orange Juice, Anyone?

"I spiwled my orange juice, Mommy, but I'll clean it up for you!"

(yes, it IS juice!)

St. Frances of Rome:

"It is most laudable in a maried woman to be devout, but she must never forget that she is a housewife. And sometimes she must leave God at the alter to find Him in her housekeeping."

--Butler's Lives of the Saints

HAPPY MONDAY!

Distractions?

Ever wonder if your children are a distraction at Mass?  

Usually I wonder, today, I KNEW!

Peace be with you; Peace be with you; I love you; Peace be with you...

Why is a third of the parish family chuckling quietly?

I still don't know for sure. However, I do know 2 of my children caused their laughter.

Gina was prostrate at the alter in the front row, center isle.  If John wasn't trying to drag her back to where we were sitting, I would have thought, 'oh, someone is preparing for final vows, already.' I motioned John to come back without her, then walked over to help her back to our seat.  All eyes and sounds were on us.  I smiled as I went to help her up - she however, turned into a limp doll.  Vincent in one arm, Gina dragged in the other (a little better than what John could do).  We are back in our seats.  Holding back the tears, and then holding back the chuckle myself as I assessed the damage in my mind.  

Damage:  My pride!

Thanks be to God  ;)

Raindrops on the Rooftop

I woke up this morning to raindrops on the rooftop.

What a peaceful reminder that spring is near!

"Let my teaching fall like rain

and my words descend like dew,

Like showers on new grass,

Like abundant rain on tender plants."

--Deuteronomy 32:2

Getting Started

Here we go, I am blogging.

I can't believe I just said that. Thank my father for this adventure-and sisters, they are the ones who pushed me out of the boat as I resisted. I can swim, but was still checking the temperature of the water...I enjoy writing, but struggle to make the time. I hope to keep this as a journal of life - sharing the lessons as we go.

A little motto:

Praying in the Spirit of St. Francis de Sales

Go courageously to do whatever you are called to do.

If you have fears, say to your soul:

"The Lord will provide for us."

If your weakness troubles you, cast yourself on God, and trust in Him.

The apostles were mostly unlearned fishermen,

but God gave them learning enough for the work they had to do.

Trust in Him, depend on His providence;

fear nothing.