Earnest

"Alexander, you need to close the baby gate"

"Yeth, we don't want our baby to get all dead"

12 Years Ago

12 years ago, I was preparing myself for entering into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.  I had absolutely no idea of the graces that were to be available to me.  I still don't, although I have an inkling.  I just knew that I'd be able to receive the Eucharist.  That Christ would give Himself to me in the most humble of ways.  Even now it amazes me that He comes to me at every Mass.  And as I grow in my faith I know that communion unites me with the saints in Heaven and my brothers and sisters throughout the world.  

12 years ago I little knew what God had planned for me and my husband who joined the Church at the same time.  We didn't know that we'd find ourselves parents to 5 wonderful children.  We didn't know how much we would grow or how much more room for growth there would be.

Thank you Jesus for all of the blessings you've given us.  Create in us grateful hearts.

Suffer? Not Well.

Today is Holy Saturday.  We await our Risen Lord with hope and anticipatory joy.  But still I contemplate His sorrow and my contribution to it.  Or more accurately, my lack of contribution.  My weakness when it comes to suffering.  How do we teach our children to suffer well, when we are so awful at it?  Yesterday's Good Friday service resembled an Olympic event and I did not unite the suffering of missing most of the spoken words of the Passion with my Lord's.  I just drew my sorrow close and felt sorry myself.  For the flu that will not go away, I feel sorry for myself.  Lord, pull me close to you, I give you my sorrow, help me live in joy the suffering you are offering me.  May I see it as the gift it is.

Blessings

God is good all the time.  Even when we disagree about what is good and we can't see the gift.  In the midst of dirty diapers, screaming children, a faltering, uncertain economy He is there and we just need to exercise the muscle of Faith.

Amazing!

I am amazed, awestruck and left marvelling at a God who allows me to cocreate with him. A God who loves us so much that He plans us from the beginning of time and gives each of us a mission. An integral part of my mission involves embracing these beautiful babies, first in my womb and then my arms. Here I am again with this beautiful child, entrusted to me, so that I can teach him to serve, know and love His God.
This little child is so perfect, so small and helpless and I can only marvel at the complexity of how he came to be. I marvel, too, at how he will develop into his own person, unique and unrepeatable. The universe will never be teh same. Welcome little Mark Joshua Paul.

Rite of Passage

Yesterday there was a funeral Mass for a lady in our parish. She has battled cancer for a long time. I didn't know her well, only to say "hello" in passing or ask how her grandchildren were. As long as she was able to she brought them to Mass with her and any church related activities. She was a beautiful example of knowing the value of a soul.
I dithered about attending her Mass as I didn't know her family at all and I've been raised with the idea that that's why we attend - to support the family. But then I was enlightened to know that it's an act of Mercy to attend. To pray for her soul. And those of the souls in Purgatory.
"May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen"

The Password Society

It has been a long time since I posted. This was not deliberate. It's taken me that long to crack my password. There's just too many in our world and I cannot keep them straight and we are constantly warned not to write them down. What's a girl to do?