Giving Thanks

Goodies from a Thanksgiving past

If it weren't for those mighty strong early British settlers and the Native Americans who helped them survive that first winter, we wouldn't have this glorious holiday.  My ancestors came to this country from England and Ireland not long after the original flock of Pilgrims, so I have always had a soft spot in my heart for this day.  My relatives lived and died for this country and the promise it brought.  I am thankful to them for their strength and tenacity.

It is difficult to imagine life back then and the perils they encountered.  We have become so comfortable in our wealth and common comforts, that it would be unconscionable to think of sleeping outside in the elements or afraid of closing our eyes at night for fear of an attack from a band of foreign peoples.  How long would we last if we had to hunt down our food - or grow it from seed...all of it?   What if we had to build our homes just from things we could find growing around us? How would we stay warm when the temperatures dipped towards freezing or below?

I think of the women of that time and I can't help but be in awe of them.  We women have more on our plates than men when it comes to "adventuring".  I can not imagine being pregnant and giving birth at that time in our nation's history.  How many women on those original ships were pregnant?  How many women survived and gave birth to healthy children?  That actually seems like a miracle when you consider how the odds were stacked against them.

Yes, this nation was founded on strength, tenacity, sheer will, and faith.  Faith was the glue that bound those early settlers.  Their prayers during that first winter were heard and they prayed in thanksgiving over that large meal they shared with their Native American friends.

This Thanksgiving, my family and I will pray and thank God for all of the blessings He has bestowed upon us.  I can't imagine being any richer.  I am thankful for so many things this year: the Church, my husband, my children, our health, our home, our friends, and our extended family.  I am also thankful for all of you who stop by to take a peak at this blog.  This has really been a blessing in my life to be able to finally put all of my sometimes incongruent thoughts "down on paper".  My husband has been telling me for twenty years to write, so this is my start.  I have really been enjoying maintaining this blog, as well as getting to see the numbers of people who read it and the countries from which they hail.  I wish all of you a blessed Thanksgiving filled with love, health, and full bellies.  May God bless each and every one of you!

Duggars say YES to Twenty!

Okay, I'm feeling a definite need to respond to people's comments about the Duggars being pregnant with their twentieth child.  My comment is, "Congratulations!  I'm so happy for them!"  This family is an example to us all on how to keep our eyes on the Lord.  Their priorities are straight...God and family.  And God is blessing them richly.

I have seen comments like, "they are disgusting" and "they are irresponsible."  Really?  Since when was having children disgusting?  Since when did it become irresponsible for a husband and wife who are madly in love with each other to have a large family?  The Duggars are doing just fine.  They feed, clothe, bathe, love, and provide a beautiful home for their children.  They are raising every single one of them without financial assistance from the government so they are not a burden to society at large.  They homeschool all of their children, so they are actually paying into the public school system but not taking from it in any way.  They instill strong Christian principles into all of their children.  They attend Church every weekend, even hosting their entire church in their own home on occasion.  They are stewards to the community at large by helping in soup kitchens, rebuilding people's homes after storms, etc.  They also make sure that every single one of their children can play an instrument or two - I believe their main instrument of choice is the violin.  Hmmmm, irresponsible?  disgusting?  I'm not really seeing what is so disgusting or irresponsible about them.

Is it that people think they might have a child with a disability now that Michelle is 45?  Is that really up to you to decide?  (I'm sorry to make this analogy but it reminds me of when so many people said they wouldn't vote for John McCain because he would probably die while in office from his skin cancer.  Guess what?  He's still very well alive.)  God sends his children to us with all types of imperfections all the time.  They are still God's children and made in His image.  They are supposed to be here.  They are not mistakes.  That attitude makes me ill.  Someone said to me today, "I don't mean to be selfish, but I wouldn't want one with problems."  Really?  REALLY?  Guess what?  All children will have problems at one time or another.  They're just all different and sometimes they don't manifest until much later.  It may be as simple as having trouble in school socially, or it may be at the other end of the spectrum such as having cerebral palsy.  All children are children of God made in His image, and all children are blessings.

I'm happy for the Duggars.  They are an inspiration to me as I deal with my daily struggles with my measly four - compared to their nineteen!  I will pray for them and their newest twentieth addition on the way.  I will pray that some people in our culture who would otherwise despise everything they represent begin to see the beauty that is in the Duggar family.  They are anything but disgusting or irresponsible.  I can think of many other adjectives to describe them and those two would not be there.  I wish them well.

p.s.  For anyone who does not know who the Duggars are, they are a large family who has a show on The Learning Channel.  You can see all about them here:  The Duggar Family

As Halloween Approaches, Keep Your Eyes on the Lord

Growing up in and around the occult, I was acutely aware that evil lurked among us.  I'm not really sure why I knew that since the occult was kind of "my norm".  Perhaps God was speaking to me at a very young age and warning me of the potential door openings with this type of behavior.  I would like to think so...and I feel fortunate that I heard Him.

It wasn't  until I entered the Catholic faith and began doing research, that I realized just how many doors it can open.  As I looked back at familial situations and relationships, I realized there were dark forces at hand.  I'm sure there are people you have known that just don't feel trustworthy or there have been situations that you felt were being controlled by someone with a black heart. Your instincts were probably right.

I think these forces can have a role in someone's life if that person takes his/her eyes off of God and lives for the secular/material world.  Those forces can have a role in someone's life if that person even dabbles in the occult...just a little bit.  All of those seemingly harmless things like astrology, numerology, psychics, tarot cards, etc. are not actually harmless.  They are a door you don't want to open.

If you keep your eyes on God and work for the glory of God in all you do and with all your heart, mind, and soul, the darkness can not invade.  It will shrink because you are living in the light.  When it's night and you accidentally turn on a bright light, you are temporarily blinded are you not?  It is just so bright and then everything in the room is very clear.  God is just like that.  You will be able to clearly see the choices you need to make, roads you may have to take.  It can only be done correctly in the light.

I'm wondering how many of you are living for the glory of God?  Are you working for His glory?  Are you evangelizing?  Are you role-modeling?  Are you being a good friend, wife, husband, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin, daughter, son, grandmother, or grandfather?  God calls each of us in different directions, but the right direction is always lit by His light.  Follow his path.  Listen intently, and He will not steer you wrong.  It is when we veer off the "Glory of God" road that we get into trouble.

There is a battle going on all around us for souls.  I often wonder if it's a bit like pulling back a sheer curtain to see EXACTLY what's on the other side.  I almost feel it's that close...just a sheer curtain.  Be mindful of all your actions and thoughts - especially during this time of year.  Halloween is not by any stretch of the imagination a Christian holiday!  Be prayerful.  Keep your eyes on the Lord.  Do all things for the Glory of God and in the name of Jesus Christ!  St. Michael the Archangel defend us in battle!

Pro-Life Video for Sanctity of Life Sunday | The Miracle of Life

This is such a beautiful video. It just speaks volumes in such a short amount of time and with profound beauty. Babies are a GIFT FROM GOD! They are BLESSINGS! Enjoy!!!

Pro-Life Video for Sanctity of Life Sunday | The Miracle of Life

Here's to Saying YES to LIFE!!!

In the early years of my marriage, I had thought that I would work in the pro-life arena at some point in the future.  I wasn't ready then.  I wasn't even sure I was 100% pro-life (you know, what about the whole rape issue?  or incest?).  Over time, fifteen years to be exact, my heart softened, my eyes were opened, and my ears heard God's calling.  Last year at this time is when I officially joined the pro-life movement as my parish's respect life coordinator.  I don't do anything unless I'm certain, and of this I was certain.

This is how the story goes...
Last September (2010) I was on facebook and noticed that Fr. Mitch Pacwa and Johnette Benkovic would be appearing together in Nebraska, I believe it was, for a pro-life something or other.  I commented on the posting something to the effect of "please please please come down here to South Florida!" I received a very nice email the next day from Fr. Mitch's marketing person inviting me to Florida's statewide Respect Life conference in October.  I sat in front of the computer speechless.  I sat and stared at the computer because I had said that when the time was right for me to get involved, God would let me know.  Well, I had just received a formal invitation.  I ran to tell my husband and he smiled and said, "you always said God would let you know when the time was right."

I had just attended my parish's women's Emmaus retreat in August, so I decided to send out an invitation to the women for the Respect Life Conference in October.  I received a beautiful email from one of the women saying that she had been officially in charge of the Respect Life ministry at our parish for several years, but had been unable to do anything with it other than her adoration group because of personal time constraints.  I didn't even know we had a ministry at church - never saw anything in the bulletins regarding pro-life work.  That had always bothered me, actually.  She asked if I would consider being the new coordinator for the parish.  I laughed as if I was being tickled.  It was just too perfect...one invitation after another.  She said she had been praying for three years for a young mother to step forward and take over.  Too perfect!  I laughed, called her, and exuberantly said, "YES!" (with the pastor's approval of course)

Not long after, I was told that our parish had already volunteered itself as the host parish for the annual Walk for Life which would be occurring in January...and I was now in charge of it!  Well, at five months pregnant with our fourth child, I can tell you that it seemed like a daunting task.  It ended up being an amazingly beautiful morning with a mass, exposition of the Holy Eucharist, adoration for those who did not want to or could not walk, the walk (the pathway decorated with pink and blue balloons and color signs with photographs of a baby's growth in utero), procession with the Holy Eucharist, and Benediction.  It humbled me for sure.

There was a dark moment in November, however, when I became discouraged and thought it would be a disaster.  I had been praying about it for a week and was losing hope in its success.  One night, I sat down at our computer to fix a printer problem.  Long story short, I had to download software from the internet to fix the problem.  It was midnight and sitting in front of the computer, staring at the screen waiting for the download, I fell asleep three different times.  When the download was done, it prompted me to print something to see if it was working.  I went into my documents and looked for something short to print.  I couldn't see the actual words as the icons were too small, but I saw a page with what looked like one sentence on it.  I actually laughed out loud, in my exhaustion stupor, at the idiot who would save a one sentence document.  Anyway, it would be used to my advantage that night.  I hit print, sat down and closed my eyes again.  I opened them again about fifteen minutes later (another short nap), pulled out the paper and read the sentence.  It read, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (I later found out this had been one of my oldest son's school projects from two years prior.)

I fell back in my chair and stared at that paper reading it over and over...as it was the same message I had received in my Emmaus retreat a few months earlier.  I swear!  On the last day of the retreat, we picked our seat.  Each seat had a placemat facedown. We were asked to turn it over and read the scripture passage.  This had been mine.  I had been feeling unjustly persecuted by my family at the time of my retreat and it brought me to tears.  As I sat there that night in front of my computer with my printout in my hand with the same scripture passage, I was overwhelmed with God's mercy and love.  I had been feeling so overwhelmed with the planning of the walk and not getting much help as my ministry was a ministry of one.  God does work in mysterious ways, but sometimes He is like a 2x4 to the head.  Jesus would be with me on that walk, planning and all.

Mary had led me to Jesus during my conversion to Catholicism, Mary had led me to motherhood all those years ago in my early teaching days with the Carmelite sisters, my motherhood led me to the road to Emmaus where I finally encountered Christ face to face.  He had always been there.  He was now reassuring me He would continue to be here.  I would persevere for Him, for God's kingdom...for God's children.  Here's to saying YES to LIFE!!!

Here are some photos from the fruits of that labor...the Walk for Life January 2011:

Respect Life Month and Being Called to Be Faithful, Not Successful

I've been wanting to write about Respect Life month, but have been finding it difficult to sit myself down to do this.  I know why.  I'm frustrated with the small amount of support on this topic from "the higher ups".  I don't know why this topic can be so taboo for even priests.  Without families and children, the Church will cease to exist.  They should be the champions for life.  They should be professing it everyday.  They should be encouraging our Catholic families every way they can.  I don't feel it.  On Respect Life Sunday last week, not one homily at my parish had anything to do with the topic.  Missed opportunity?  To quote Sarah Palin, "You betcha!"

Could I have done more to ready my parish for Respect Life month?  Absolutely.  For example, I found out late about the Life Chain many parishes participate in each year.  Perhaps our little parish can be a part of that next year.  I will have to begin promoting it in September.  Perhaps we can have our own Walk for Life and not have to go to another parish for it?  We'll see.  We were the hosting parish this past January, but this upcoming January's walk will be at a different parish.  Perhaps next year I would be allowed to speak for a minute at all the masses about Respect Life month - especially since it isn't even mentioned in the homilies.  The bulletin inserts from the USCCB that should have gone into all the bulletins this month, won't be there.  It was decided they would be better off as a packet at the back of the Church on a small table for those who are interested to pick up.  sigh...

I know I'm not called to be successful.  I'm called to be faithful.  I am trying.  I trust in God's plan.  I know that this is where I'm supposed to be right now.  I know this is where my parish is supposed to be right now.  Good things will spring from this, and God will show me the way.  God will show our parish the way.  Perhaps these are all just growing pains.  I will continue to plug along and champion for life whenever and wherever.  If you are involved in your parish's respect life ministry I'd love to hear your ideas.

He Loves You Anyway

This is by far my favorite song right now...

Have you found that in times of stress, it is easier to sin?  Have you found that in times of stress, you may snap at your spouse, your children, parents, siblings, friends, coworkers, or just simply the cashier at the grocery store?  In times of stress, have you found that you begin to dislike your own life situations and want someone else's?  Have you envied another or been jealous...especially in those times of stress? Have you even lied - maybe just to save your own hide?  In times of stress, have you stolen because you didn't think you could pay for it on your own?  Have you cheated your way through anything?  In times of stress, have you felt so alone or sad or dejected that you actually consciously begin walking backwards away from God's presence...His grace...His everyday miracles...His love?

Stress in our lives can cause us to behave irrationally and counter to God's teachings.  The amazing thing is that God sent His Son to earth to die on the cross for our sins.  God loves all of His creation that much.  If you are feeling the effects from stress, remember that God will never give you a cross that is too heavy for you to carry.  He made our shoulders broad so that we could carry that cross.  If you have found yourself in a particularly sinful state, you might want to speak with a priest.  Christ is waiting for you.  He loves you and is waiting for your repentance.  You are not alone in your sins.  We are all sinners just wading through the murky waters of life.  Let Christ help you.  And know that He loves you anyway.

"I am the thorn in your crown, but you love me anyway.
I am the sweat from your brow, but you love me anyway.
I am the nail in your wrist, but you love me anyway.
I am Judas' kiss, but you love me anyway.

...but you love me anyway. It's like nothing in life that I've ever known."   ~Sidewalk Prophets

Healing Mass for Women to Honor Our Lady of Sorrows

I've been praying about the Respect Life ministry at my Church.  It is a ministry of two - a friend of mine and me.  It is also a fledgling. There really haven't been any pro-life activities there in the past, so I don't have much guidance and I sometimes get frustrated because I don't know where it's going.  I find myself frequently reminding myself, "I'm not in control, I'm not in control, I'm not in control," and "it's on His timetable not mine."

I had been feeling like I wanted the ministry to go in the direction of helping women.  I just felt very strongly that there a lot of hurting women out there who need consoling, help, and our prayers.  I was thinking mostly about post-abortive women.  I think there are more of them out there than we know.  It generally isn't something women talk about, but I, for one, know three women close to me who have had abortions, so there must be countless others.  I'm sure there are many women sitting in mass each week who live with the pain of a past abortion, and we as a Church community need to help.  

The start of the school year and the first round of viruses just about knocked me down (thus the hiatus from blogging and tweeting), and I haven't had the time to devote to the ministry.  All I knew was that Respect Life month was coming up in October, I'll be including pro-life material in the weekly Church bulletins in October, and beyond that I wanted to get on with my plan to help the women in our parish in some way.  I didn't know how, but that was the plan!

Two weeks ago, our resident retired priest asked if he could get involved with my ministry.  He said he felt a calling to help women - that we have problems and sorrows particular only to women.  Ummm, what?  I wanted to look up at the ceiling of my Church and say, "Thank you God!"  Boy, someone heard me on that prayer.  Anyway, he called me a couple days later and said he had an idea for a healing mass for women on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Sorrows (Sept. 15th).  I thought it was such a beautiful idea and I of course said yes and that I would help him however he needed it.  I immediately thought of the song, "Hail Mary; Gentle Woman."  Our music director rarely plays it, but my former parish did and I really miss singing it.  I almost requested it the week prior, but decided to completely leave the entire mass in God's hands.  I knew it would be exactly what it was supposed to be, not what I wanted it to be.  Lo and behold, our music director played the song as we went up for Communion.  It was such a wonderful surprise.

Long story short, the mass was tonight and it was beautiful.  The lights in the Church were low, the music was beautiful, our priest was personable and humble, and I could tell many women were feeling our Lord's arms around them.  Before the Eucharist, each woman was invited to come up to the altar with a small votive candle, light it from the large candle in front of the altar, and then place it in either the candelabras to the sides of the altar or on a small table in front of the altar with a picture of Mary smiling at Jesus. Once everyone had placed their candles, those were the only lights in the Church...just beautiful.

Even though I was sort of "working" I was trying so hard to be present in the mass as well.  I thought I would be bringing to the altar the many trials I go through on a daily basis just being a mother...and then I found myself grieving for my two babies I lost in utero.  Even though I had grieved for them many times in the past, I had never laid them in God's arms in my mind.  I lit my candle for my two babies I never got to hold, and I set my candle before Mary.  I handed my babies to Mary and placed them in Her care for all eternity.  I could never understand the pain She went through losing Jesus the way She did but I know She understands my loss.

God is mysterious and awesome.  He always seems to surprise me, and yet be a solid rock on which I can stand.  This was a beautiful evening filled with God's healing power.  It seemed as if many women walked away healed.  I hope some of them did.  As for me, I went to help my priest, to help women in our parish, and I walked away with closure over losing my two babies.  I left my pain at the foot of the Cross, and I left my babies in Mary's arms.

Thoughts on Hurricanes

Living through Hurricane Andrew was an experience I don't really want to repeat, but one that brought about several lessons.  First, prepare, prepare, prepare.  Secondly, don't hold on (emotionally) to material possessions because they truly become dust in the wind.  Lastly, after the storm passes, the sun will come out and the weather will be balmy and beautiful (at least for a day).

As Hurricane Irene made its way scarily close to us on Thursday, the weather was horrible.  We were pretty much shut in the house all day because the squalls were so unpredictable and came with inordinate amounts of rain and wind.  Even though I needed to go to the grocery store, I decided to stay in with the kids and pull out something from the freezer for dinner.  Luckily, I had made spaghetti sauce last week and frozen the leftovers.  The day was long being shut in, but I thought about the day after Andrew and particularly Wilma.  I remember the weather being so windy and sunny.  It was more like an early spring day.  Our summers are so hot, humid, and usually still that the wind and cooler weather is like a little gift amidst the chaos in the aftermath.

So, I was thinking what the weather would be like on Friday.  Lo and behold, I woke up Friday morning to one of the most glorious South Florida skies I have ever seen.  The sky was blue blue blue and with very few clouds.  The breezes were strong and the temps were below 90 - definitely a gift in the middle of August!  I made sure I spent as much time as I could outside with the kids on Friday.   It was so unusually beautiful for our time of year that it made me think of how all that big blue beautiful sky was there all along under that rain - it's just easy to forget when you can't see much beyond the end of your car in the sheets of rain.

In our lives, we endure many storms.  It's difficult to see beyond them or our way out sometimes, but God is always there.  He is always with us, like the blue sky.  This time of year, it is easy to get bogged down under the pressures of daily family life with the advent of the new school year.  There are a million responsibilities and it's easy to forget to breathe and remember what's important in life.  The things that matter are the things that matter to God.  It's not whether your kids have straight A's or if they're the best ball player or ballerina.  What matters are your relationships with your family - your children and your husband or wife.  Our lives are really made up of a lot of little storms with a few hurricanes thrown in.  Our faith gets us through these storms.  It's the faith in knowing that God's mercy is always there and that the calm is usually just around the corner.  God has a plan for each of us and we are called to be faithful.

The three lessons I learned from Hurricane Andrew apply to our everyday lives.  First, prepare: prepare your family for a life with Christ.  Your only goal as a parent is to get your children to heaven.  Secondly, don't worry about the trinkets and knick-knacks.  They become dust in a hurricane and prove that God's love and mercy is always stronger than any problem we might be hanging on to.  And lastly, as a sunny sky is almost always inevitable after a storm, so it is in your life.  Walk with Christ always - even in your storms - and you will find love and mercy.

I pray tonight for the citizens of North Carolina and on up the Eastern Seaboard.  May they all have minimal damage from Hurricane Irene, and may they see God's love and mercy even amidst this storm.

Have Kids and Dance with Them Like There's No Tomorrow!

Tonight, my husband came home from work and told me a story about something he saw today.  Two "twenty-somethings" (a man and woman) were comparing pictures on their cell phones of their adorable, sweet....wait for it.........dogs.   Apparently, their dogs had outfits, and cute poses, and fur "just so", and they were clearly VERY loved - or spoiled - however you want to look at it.  Anyway, my husband said to them, "Man, you guys have got to have some kids."  He said the look of disgust that came over their faces was quite a sight.  They looked like he had just poured a drink in their lap, when all he did was mention the idea of having a child. The woman even said, "Kids?  No way.  I am NOT having kids.  You can't put kids in kennels."

And there you have it, folks.  This is how many of our twenty-somethings feel about God's greatest gift to them.  So much of the time, we think we can do things our way and on our terms and on our timetables, only to be "schooled" by God.  We think we can even tell God a thing or two.  The one time, He actually asks us for our help in His creation, we turn our backs on Him.  I hate to say this, but that woman is the prime example of so many who build portfolios and travel visas in their twenties and thirties only to find themselves lonely and depressed as they approach forty.

Of course, we have the pill to thank for our (ahem) liberation and the ability to work ourselves into the ground in pursuit of the latest designer handbag, pair of shoes, toy dog, or whatever.  Things will never make one happy - NEVER.  They are unfulfilling.  It's like a sugar rush.  You get so happy to have that bag of m&m's at 3pm, only to feel horrible at 4pm...longing for the meal.  Children are your offspring.  They are God's greatest gift to us.  They fulfill our lives in ways we could never comprehend before having them - like a wonderful homecooked meal (that takes time and effort) compared to the vending machine candy.  They are more than dressing them up in cute outfits and photographing them to show our colleagues and friends.  They are most definitely all about sleepless nights, messy houses, dirty clothes, diapers, impromptu artwork on the walls, runny noses, fevers, tummy aches, sibling rivalries, spitting contests, wrestling, repeated questions, lots of arm folding and eye rolling, but they are also about sloppy kisses all over your face, out-of-the-blue hugs and kisses and i love yous, homemade cards, hand holding, wearing beloved hand-me-downs, bubbly bubble baths, craft making, artwork proudly displayed on the fridge, jammie time, silly toddler words and catchphrases you'll remember for a lifetime, anytime snuggles, tiny hands caressing your face, a baby's gaze into your eyes, a teenager's "thank you", storybook reading, family vacations (that are torture at the time, but you wouldn't trade those funny memories for anything), lots of dancing (especially to Barry White), and the greatest most unconditional love you could ever know.  Our time on this earth is so limited and so precious.  If you have children, hug and kiss them a LOT.  Also, teach them how to be good parents - how to love children the way YOU love THEM.  We have to stop this pervasive negative attitude towards "family".  The time is right now.  You can never regain yesterday.