Sunday, May 10, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
7 Quick Takes Friday Vol 22
Here it is again, 7 Quick Takes Friday courtesy of Conversion Diary!
Sometimes, I have to admit, Friday comes around a little too fast. I have good ideas for these quick takes, but if I don't write them down, I never remember them. Of course, you might be wondering why I don't just skip a week if I can't remember what I was going to say? Well, unfortunately my anal personality would find it VERY difficult to skip a week! Oh well, a quick prayer to the Holy Spirit to see what I can come up with...
Remember the lady from the US Census office that showed up at my front door with her little hand held computer? Well, it turns out that people just like her will be appearing at EVERY door in America before the end of July 2009. It seems that that nifty little thing in her hand was actually a GPS and every door in America will be GPS marked. Read this article if you want more details! It is quite interesting.
If you live in the country, you know that when you say neighbor it could conceivably mean anyone within a two mile radius. Well, the other day we had a "neighbor" whose barn caught on fire. From the size of the fire you would have thought it was the whole house. Fortunately for them, the house was not damaged. Mr. 4 yo was very intrigued by this occurrence. He informed us that our other "neighbor's" cows had told him earlier that the barn was going to catch on fire today! He then proceeded to come up with various theories as to how it caught on fire. Quite an imagination the little one has!
No Emily update this week. The end of this week marks the half way point. Emily really is incredible. She is midway through her chemo and radiation and she sent her mother along with her father on his business trip! Hopefully they are having some much needed relaxation and not TOO much worry! I'll let you know next week how she is doing.
Recently my Mom and Dad celebrated their 45th Anniversary. We were back at their house when my Dad brought out my mom's wedding dress. Unlike modern brides, hers was rolled into a ball and put in a black plastic bag. The girls were very excited to try it on. Unfortunately, my mom weighed all of about 95 pounds when she got married so only Ms. 13 yo fit in the dress. Not too bad after 45 years of sitting in a plastic bag (the dress that is :)
I, on the other hand, had my dress professionally preserved. The girls were originally thinking they'd like to wait until our 25th Anniversary to open it up and try it on (assuming that it is really inside that box that has been sitting around all these years :) but after trying on Grandma's, they aren't sure they want to wait that long. Fortunately for them, I weighed more than 95 pounds.
We also celebrated an Anniversary this month. Isn't this a nice table decoration?
Notice the card on your right. It has three additional circles. How very touching of them to do that! They also made us two heart-shaped pineapple upside down cakes (because one is just NOT enough!).
DH and I even got to go out for lunch together! Very nice day all the way around. Thanks, kids!
All this reminiscing recently about weddings got us to talking about weddings that might take place in the future. While discussing possible future wedding parties , Ms. 17 yo realized that many of the friends she named off are considering religious vocations. We realized then that she had two options: 1. Get married soon, before they all enter convents or 2. Have the various habits be her bridesmaid's gown theme. Anyone not in a convent could pick a complimentary colored dress. Now that would be interesting!
Have a great weekend and
1.
Sometimes, I have to admit, Friday comes around a little too fast. I have good ideas for these quick takes, but if I don't write them down, I never remember them. Of course, you might be wondering why I don't just skip a week if I can't remember what I was going to say? Well, unfortunately my anal personality would find it VERY difficult to skip a week! Oh well, a quick prayer to the Holy Spirit to see what I can come up with...
2.
Remember the lady from the US Census office that showed up at my front door with her little hand held computer? Well, it turns out that people just like her will be appearing at EVERY door in America before the end of July 2009. It seems that that nifty little thing in her hand was actually a GPS and every door in America will be GPS marked. Read this article if you want more details! It is quite interesting.
3.
If you live in the country, you know that when you say neighbor it could conceivably mean anyone within a two mile radius. Well, the other day we had a "neighbor" whose barn caught on fire. From the size of the fire you would have thought it was the whole house. Fortunately for them, the house was not damaged. Mr. 4 yo was very intrigued by this occurrence. He informed us that our other "neighbor's" cows had told him earlier that the barn was going to catch on fire today! He then proceeded to come up with various theories as to how it caught on fire. Quite an imagination the little one has!
4.
No Emily update this week. The end of this week marks the half way point. Emily really is incredible. She is midway through her chemo and radiation and she sent her mother along with her father on his business trip! Hopefully they are having some much needed relaxation and not TOO much worry! I'll let you know next week how she is doing.
5.
Recently my Mom and Dad celebrated their 45th Anniversary. We were back at their house when my Dad brought out my mom's wedding dress. Unlike modern brides, hers was rolled into a ball and put in a black plastic bag. The girls were very excited to try it on. Unfortunately, my mom weighed all of about 95 pounds when she got married so only Ms. 13 yo fit in the dress. Not too bad after 45 years of sitting in a plastic bag (the dress that is :)
I, on the other hand, had my dress professionally preserved. The girls were originally thinking they'd like to wait until our 25th Anniversary to open it up and try it on (assuming that it is really inside that box that has been sitting around all these years :) but after trying on Grandma's, they aren't sure they want to wait that long. Fortunately for them, I weighed more than 95 pounds.
6.
We also celebrated an Anniversary this month. Isn't this a nice table decoration?
Notice the card on your right. It has three additional circles. How very touching of them to do that! They also made us two heart-shaped pineapple upside down cakes (because one is just NOT enough!).
DH and I even got to go out for lunch together! Very nice day all the way around. Thanks, kids!7.
All this reminiscing recently about weddings got us to talking about weddings that might take place in the future. While discussing possible future wedding parties , Ms. 17 yo realized that many of the friends she named off are considering religious vocations. We realized then that she had two options: 1. Get married soon, before they all enter convents or 2. Have the various habits be her bridesmaid's gown theme. Anyone not in a convent could pick a complimentary colored dress. Now that would be interesting!
Have a great weekend and
Thursday, May 7, 2009
May, the Month of Mary
As you may know, May is the month of Mary, our Blessed Mother. JMJ over at Totus Tuus is hosting a Something about Mary blogging month. Yesterday on her blog she had this incredibly cool video about...well, I won't spoil the surprise. Check it out!
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Additional Information on Naming Babies
Yesterday some very thoughtful people told me about a way to memorialize those babies who have died before birth. There is a church in New York City that has a shrine to the unborn. The babies' names are entered into their Book of Life and once a month a Mass is said for all of these precious little souls. Here is what their website says:
Often children who have died before birth have no grave or headstone, and sometimes not even a name. At The Church of The Holy Innocents, we invite you to name your child(ren) and to have the opportunity to have your baby's name inscribed in our "BOOK OF LIFE".This is so nice! I signed up our three children right away. Since I was very excited to receive this information, I wanted to post it here in the event that other people might not know about this wonderful opportunity.
Here, a candle is always lit in their memory. All day long people stop to pray. On the first Monday of every month, our 12:15pm Mass is celebrated in honor of these children and for the comfort of their families.
We pray that you will find peace in knowing that your child(ren) will be remembered at the Shrine and honored by all who pray here.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Our Three Littlest Angels
You might remember the book I've been talking about called Get Us Out of Here!!" - Maria Simma Speaks with Nicky Eltz
. At one point Maria talks about pre-born babies that die either through miscarriage, being stillborn or abortion. She talks about how important it is for these babies to be named so that they can be "entered" into the Book of Life. She suggests even having a Requiem Mass said for them.
I have known many people who have had miscarriages, usually early on, who have done these things. They've named their babies and some have even had a Mass said for them. I have had two miscarriages for sure and one I'm pretty sure about (they were all very early on), but having never been catechized in any of this, we did nothing about it. Of course we were very upset at the time, but after awhile my husband and I didn't think very often about the babies we had lost.
Now, fast forward a few years. We have seven children, but for the last number of years we've always felt like we were missing someone. For example, it would be dinner time and either my husband or I would ask, "Is everyone here? Are you sure? It doesn't seem like there are enough kids here." I can't tell you how many times we've been through this! After reading this section in the book, I began to wonder whether it was because we had never named our babies. Were they trying to make their presence known, begging us to give them a name and a place in the family? We talked about this one night when Ms 17 yo happened to be in the room. "Oh," she said, "I named two of those babies already." Seems a friend had told her about this some time ago, so she took it upon herself to give two of her siblings names.
The first baby, who would have been older than her, she named Joshua. The second baby, which came between Ms 13 yo and Ms 10 yo, she named Melanie. My husband and I pondered all of this for a day or two and I brought it up to him again. We both agreed that they should have middle names and that there should be a name for the third one we both are pretty sure we lost. So, after some discussion, we officially named our other three children: Joshua Michael, Melanie Ann and Caleb Andrew.
I have to say that since we did that I have actually bonded with these three children. I feel connected to them and feel much peace knowing that we have three intercessors in Heaven for us. I am excited for their siblings; that there are three more for them to get to "know". And since then, we have not had the feeling that anyone has been missing! God is so good, isn't He?
. At one point Maria talks about pre-born babies that die either through miscarriage, being stillborn or abortion. She talks about how important it is for these babies to be named so that they can be "entered" into the Book of Life. She suggests even having a Requiem Mass said for them.I have known many people who have had miscarriages, usually early on, who have done these things. They've named their babies and some have even had a Mass said for them. I have had two miscarriages for sure and one I'm pretty sure about (they were all very early on), but having never been catechized in any of this, we did nothing about it. Of course we were very upset at the time, but after awhile my husband and I didn't think very often about the babies we had lost.
Now, fast forward a few years. We have seven children, but for the last number of years we've always felt like we were missing someone. For example, it would be dinner time and either my husband or I would ask, "Is everyone here? Are you sure? It doesn't seem like there are enough kids here." I can't tell you how many times we've been through this! After reading this section in the book, I began to wonder whether it was because we had never named our babies. Were they trying to make their presence known, begging us to give them a name and a place in the family? We talked about this one night when Ms 17 yo happened to be in the room. "Oh," she said, "I named two of those babies already." Seems a friend had told her about this some time ago, so she took it upon herself to give two of her siblings names.
The first baby, who would have been older than her, she named Joshua. The second baby, which came between Ms 13 yo and Ms 10 yo, she named Melanie. My husband and I pondered all of this for a day or two and I brought it up to him again. We both agreed that they should have middle names and that there should be a name for the third one we both are pretty sure we lost. So, after some discussion, we officially named our other three children: Joshua Michael, Melanie Ann and Caleb Andrew.
I have to say that since we did that I have actually bonded with these three children. I feel connected to them and feel much peace knowing that we have three intercessors in Heaven for us. I am excited for their siblings; that there are three more for them to get to "know". And since then, we have not had the feeling that anyone has been missing! God is so good, isn't He?
Monday, May 4, 2009
Staying in the Church
We were at a First Holy Communion Mass yesterday when the priest, a Monsignor, begged the parents to please bring these children to Mass every week. He told them that the more consistently kids go to church when they are young, the more likely they will be to stay in the Church when they are older. Makes sense, right?
It got me thinking about the two times in my life that I could have very easily walked away from the Catholic Church. The first time was once I got to college; it didn't take long for me to stop going to Mass on Sunday. But, God intervened and He sent me my future husband, who, despite also being away at college, was still actually going to Mass. Of course, I started going again more to spend time with him than with Him, (BTW that was one time I was glad people held hands during the Our Father ;) but God was patient with me. It wasn't long before I became more serious about both of them.
The second time was after we were married for a few years. We had two small girls and yet we were still searching for something. We were pretty convinced that the Catholic church wasn't what we were looking for. We still were attending Mass fairly regularly, but it just wasn't interesting enough. I was doing my student teaching with three teachers, two of whom were very vocal Bible Christians. They had what I thought I was looking for. Fortunately, God intervened again, this time smacking me upside the head with a good dose of the Holy Spirit. After that, there was no turning back.
What I got to thinking about was whether those two events would have had the same impact on me if I had not grown up faithfully going to Mass? Even though I was a completely ignorant Catholic, and I really didn't know God at all, was the small opening that He squeezed through there as a result of all my childhood Masses? Of course, we can never really know what "would have happened if..." but I am thankful that God never gave up on me, and that my parents took me to Mass every week all those years. It makes me have hope that, in the event one of my children strays from the Church, God will intervene and grab them back, too, before it's too late.
It got me thinking about the two times in my life that I could have very easily walked away from the Catholic Church. The first time was once I got to college; it didn't take long for me to stop going to Mass on Sunday. But, God intervened and He sent me my future husband, who, despite also being away at college, was still actually going to Mass. Of course, I started going again more to spend time with him than with Him, (BTW that was one time I was glad people held hands during the Our Father ;) but God was patient with me. It wasn't long before I became more serious about both of them.
The second time was after we were married for a few years. We had two small girls and yet we were still searching for something. We were pretty convinced that the Catholic church wasn't what we were looking for. We still were attending Mass fairly regularly, but it just wasn't interesting enough. I was doing my student teaching with three teachers, two of whom were very vocal Bible Christians. They had what I thought I was looking for. Fortunately, God intervened again, this time smacking me upside the head with a good dose of the Holy Spirit. After that, there was no turning back.
What I got to thinking about was whether those two events would have had the same impact on me if I had not grown up faithfully going to Mass? Even though I was a completely ignorant Catholic, and I really didn't know God at all, was the small opening that He squeezed through there as a result of all my childhood Masses? Of course, we can never really know what "would have happened if..." but I am thankful that God never gave up on me, and that my parents took me to Mass every week all those years. It makes me have hope that, in the event one of my children strays from the Church, God will intervene and grab them back, too, before it's too late.
Friday, May 1, 2009
7 Quick Takes Friday Vol 21
Welcome to 7 Quick Takes Friday courtesy of Conversion Diary!
Happy St. Joseph the Worker feast day to you all. We love St. Joseph. He has been the patron saint of our business for the past 11 years and has really pulled us through some hard times. This is a big day of celebration. I think a nice dessert is in order!
For those of you following Emily's progress, things are going status quo this week. She is getting very tired of all of it. As her mom said, the weeks are very long and the weekends are way too short. The doctor wants her to start walking 30 minutes a day to keep her energy up. Please continue to pray for her.
Yesterday Ms 13 yo made the comment that we must have moved to Ireland: very lush green grass, cloudy with rain almost every day and temperatures around 60 degrees. Here is the view out our window now! Well, that is, if in fact we HAD moved to Ireland ;)
4.
I am still getting used to the male student mind when it comes to math. I, as you know, am not a male. Up to this point I have had no male students. Now comes along Mr 8 yo. Yesterday we were in Sam's Club when he noticed the people in front of us had 3 (yes 3) big tubs of bubble gum. Each container had 340 pieces of gum in it. "Wow," he said, "that's 840 pieces of gum!" Okay, what I want to know is, how did he figure that out that fast with NO piece of paper or a calculator? All of my other children wouldn't have even attempted to figure that out without at least a piece of paper and pencil! They hate math so they've never put forth much extra effort. He continues to amaze me with how easy it all seems to come to him so far compared to his sisters! You go, boy!
*Note* - I now realize that the math listed above is incorrect. Please see the comments for further info! (I'm surprised I haven't heard from my husband yet! He might revoke my teaching license after this one :)
5.
I received an email yesterday from a friend who had just found out about a young girl who is scheduled to have an abortion tomorrow (Saturday). Please say a prayer that she will not go through with this!
This is a long one, so I thought it was worthy of two quick take spots. Hope you enjoy it:
Three things in life that once gone, never come back:
1. Time
2. Words
3. Opportunity
Three things in life that can destroy a person:
1. Anger
2. Pride
3. Unforgiveness
Three things that you should never lose:
1. Hope
2. Peace
3. Honesty
Three things in life that are most valuable:
1. Love
2. Family and Friends
3. Kindness
Three things in life that are never certain:
1. Fortune
2. Success
3. Dreams
Three things that make a person:
1. Commitment
2. Sincerity
3. Hard work
Three things that are constant:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
1.
Happy St. Joseph the Worker feast day to you all. We love St. Joseph. He has been the patron saint of our business for the past 11 years and has really pulled us through some hard times. This is a big day of celebration. I think a nice dessert is in order!
2.
For those of you following Emily's progress, things are going status quo this week. She is getting very tired of all of it. As her mom said, the weeks are very long and the weekends are way too short. The doctor wants her to start walking 30 minutes a day to keep her energy up. Please continue to pray for her.
3.
Yesterday Ms 13 yo made the comment that we must have moved to Ireland: very lush green grass, cloudy with rain almost every day and temperatures around 60 degrees. Here is the view out our window now! Well, that is, if in fact we HAD moved to Ireland ;)
4.I am still getting used to the male student mind when it comes to math. I, as you know, am not a male. Up to this point I have had no male students. Now comes along Mr 8 yo. Yesterday we were in Sam's Club when he noticed the people in front of us had 3 (yes 3) big tubs of bubble gum. Each container had 340 pieces of gum in it. "Wow," he said, "that's 840 pieces of gum!" Okay, what I want to know is, how did he figure that out that fast with NO piece of paper or a calculator? All of my other children wouldn't have even attempted to figure that out without at least a piece of paper and pencil! They hate math so they've never put forth much extra effort. He continues to amaze me with how easy it all seems to come to him so far compared to his sisters! You go, boy!
*Note* - I now realize that the math listed above is incorrect. Please see the comments for further info! (I'm surprised I haven't heard from my husband yet! He might revoke my teaching license after this one :)
5.
I received an email yesterday from a friend who had just found out about a young girl who is scheduled to have an abortion tomorrow (Saturday). Please say a prayer that she will not go through with this!
6 & 7.
This is a long one, so I thought it was worthy of two quick take spots. Hope you enjoy it:
Three things in life that once gone, never come back:
1. Time
2. Words
3. Opportunity
Three things in life that can destroy a person:
1. Anger
2. Pride
3. Unforgiveness
Three things that you should never lose:
1. Hope
2. Peace
3. Honesty
Three things in life that are most valuable:
1. Love
2. Family and Friends
3. Kindness
Three things in life that are never certain:
1. Fortune
2. Success
3. Dreams
Three things that make a person:
1. Commitment
2. Sincerity
3. Hard work
Three things that are constant:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)