7 Quick Takes Friday Vol 20

Hello and welcome to Friday! Check out Conversion Diary for more fun.

1.

Emily update - Emily is doing okay. Some medicine they gave her to control the nausea is helping a bit. The doctor said things are looking better in her mouth. She is such an inspiration to us all in the way that she is fighting for her life and yet keeping herself at peace. I just wanted to share a portion of an email that her mother sent out on Monday:

I usually end with a funny comment but I wanted to take a minute and share my feelings from this weekend. Divine mercy was incredible. I wish we could celebrate this feast everyday. I Prayed for Emily all thru mass. I talked to Jesus and realized, although we have a long road ahead of us, I definitely felt a renewed sense of purpose after this weekend. Emily is suffering for all of us. We are blessed to be a part of it. Jesus chose Emily's heart to take refuge in. He has given her a mission. How lucky for all of us that we get to share in this mission. Everytime you write, pray, think, or talk about Emily you become a part of our lives. So many of you have written to us. Sent her gifts. Prayed. Shared these updates with others.

I believe we are changed by Emily. She is changing us each day she fights. Is she fighting for her life or ours?? Emily's cancer has become a gift of love. Bringing so many of us together. Friends reunited and new friends being made.

I just get to hold her and believe.

Please continue to pray for this amazing girl and her family!

2.

We borrowed the Star Wars Trilogy from my dad this past weekend. After all, I was anxious to show my kids one of the coolest movies from my growing up days. Well, after the first 1/2 hour my husband and I couldn't stop laughing. Movies have come a long way in 30 years, haven't they? My favorite part was when Luke, Leia and Han were caught in the garbage compactor and it's supposed to be a very tense moment. It was then that I realized that there was NO MUSIC. What a huge difference some good, dramatic music makes on a scene. Go back and watch that part and see if you agree.

3.

Speaking of Star Wars, while we were watching it, my husband made a comment that resulted in this: We imagined that about 20 years after Star Wars, a group of movie-making people were sitting around talking about how Star Wars was such a huge hit. Maybe, they said, we should make a movie just like it but in another venue. Outer Space has already been done, so how about..............Pirates. Yeah, that's it, and we'll have people just like in Star Wars, you know, we'll have someone named Cap'n Jack Sparrow for Han Solo, Will Turner will be just like Luke and Elizabeth can play Princess Leia. And then for the villain, instead of Darth Vader on a ship, we'll make him a slimy-looking guy called Davey Jones. The only place they deviated was in not making Davey Jones Will's father. Quite frankly, I think the "Pirates" Trilogy far surpasses Star Wars. Maybe next they'll make three more movies telling us how Jack and Davey Jones got to be the Pirates they are????

4.

Remember the census lady from last week? Well, since then I've had people tell me that maybe that hand-held little computer she had was really trying to tap into our computer or grab our IP address. Something to keep in mind in case a census worker tries to get too close to your house!

5.

This weekend is the monthly Miles Christi Evening/Day of Recollection. If you live in the Chicagoland area and are looking for a wonderful, spiritual experience, come check it out.

6.

As I mentioned the other day, I've started reading another book called "Get Us Out of Here!!" It is actually a book compiled from a series of interviews with a woman named Maria Simma who was privileged to be visited by the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Assuming you believe that what she says is true, there are some very profound things in this book. Even if she was a complete hoax, reading this book will get you thinking about these souls who really do depend on our prayers and sacrifices to get them out of Purgatory and into Heaven. Hopefully it will also get you praying for them and offering up works of love for them. This is another book I highly recommend.

7.

Every once in awhile I would stop and read a section out loud to my family (although at this point I think four of us are trying to read it at the same time). In this little section, the author asks Maria, based on what she has learned from the Holy Souls, what are the gravest sins for children (say ages 6 to 12) to commit? Her response was, "Disobedience and rudeness against the parents are the two worst ones." I read that section with much seriousness to my kids, just waiting for them to fall at my feet and promise that they would never disobey again...(I can hope, can't I???) Oh well, have a very blessed weekend!