Our little "Soup Kitchen"

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!  I hope you all are beaming with the love of Christ in your hearts.  My first thought Christmas Morning was "Awe, He is finally here!".  All of the anticipation, expectation of the season can get the best of us but to know on Christmas morning that none of the shopping and craziness of the season matters anymore....the only thing that matters now is that baby Jesus was born to a poor family in Bethlehem.....and because of His Mother's "Yes" and His birth, we will live forever more.  

I have missed writing on this blog, but have enjoyed a quiet journey of growing our fourth child in my womb.  I am now seven months pregnant and my last trimester is always the hardest.  I am digging deep within and praying for strength to get through the next two months.  With each pain in my legs and stab in my back, I lift up prayers.  In the middle of the night when all I want to do is sleep because my body hurts so much, I rise with strength from the Lord to tend to the child crying out for me.  Each day has been a challenge of caring for three small children and another in my womb.  But with each day, I feel I have grown closer to the Lord.  I have cried out in pure exhaustion and have wondered why in the world we decided to be open to another baby.....all of the normal feelings a mother has through the suffering of caring for her flock.  In prayer this morning, I feel the Holy Spirit placed on my heart that this home and family is my "soup kitchen".  I pictured faithful people scooping up bowls of soup for the hungry and poor and then pictured me in constant (and I mean constant) service to my husband and children.  There is no need for we mothers to think we have to be out in the community serving others, our perfect service for the Lord is within our homes.  

The more I become closer to Jesus and desire nothing else but His holy will for my life, I realize that the road of His holy will is not easy.  We are reminded this Christmas Season of the hard road that Mary and Joseph had in following His will.  Aslo in the Passion, we see the hardest of roads taken by Christ Himself to follow God's holy will.  We live in a society where everyone is looking for a life of luxury and the easy way out, but I can almost guarantee you this life is not what Christ desires for us.  Sure, He wants us to be happy and live a good life but we are told in scripture that through suffering and hard times is where we grow the most in our Faith and where Jesus is closest to us. So no matter where you are in your life's journey, in the desert or in the rolling wheat fields, know that you are exactly where you are suppose to be at this very moment.  Also, the persecution we receive in following God's will can be hard to take.  I am so tired of the comments that come my way almost daily. "You are crazy! , Another, one? Seriously?" , "I have known you pregnant more than not pregant!", "Have  you lost your mind?", "Are these all yours?", "Don't you know how to prevent this from happening?"....and the jabs keep on a comin'!  My thought is that I only have four! These poor women who have 4+ children, I can't imagine what people have the nerve to say to them.  It is so sad we live in such a anti-life society.  Serving God and His kingdom can be hard to say the least, but know the reward is abundant after this short life on earth. It is through our service here on earth that merits our rewards in Heaven.

Off to take care of my flock!  Blessings to you all this Christmas Season and New Year! 

Feast Day Celebration and Blessing of Our Family Business

Clint's homemade pies were delicious.  We also had ham, roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans and rolls.  Why do people have everything catered these days?  Because it is easy....everyone is always looking for the easy way out.  Preparing food for others is one of the key ingredients to a blissful servants heart....a natural high from Heaven.  These simple ways of happiness are slowly being deminshed.  God is a simple God....the key to happiness is simple!

Deacon Pat with his helper, Ben. Maybe he'll be a priest someday! :) Ben loved holding the Holy Water!

Blessing of the bakers hands.  The work they do with their hands providing such sacred food, such as bread, is holy. Clint, my husband, is the third one from the left.

Mine and my sister's kids in front of the "alter".

Deacon Pat blessing the offices.

Blessing of the ovens.

The kids feasting on cokes and pie! :)

St. Elizabeth of Hungary- Patron Saint of Bread Bakers.  A daughter of a King who devoted her life to giving bread to the poor.

Blessing of the baker began outside. When then proceeded throughout the bakery where he blessed each room as well as the baking equipment.

Yesterday at our bakery we celebrated the Feast Day of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, the patron saint of bread bakers. We also had our Parish Deacon come and bless the bakery. What a wonderful day it was! Clint and I had so much fun preparing all of the food and sharing in this celebration with our employees, family and friends. The graces we received from this were astonishing. Things Clint had been worried about for the past three weeks happened to work themselves out and we got leads on two large accounts all after the blessing of the bakery! This is proof that all we have to do is ask for help and graces and Heaven will provide.

Our employees are mainly Hispanic. These people are Christ for me.  Their faith and devotion is so inspiring.They put together the most beautiful alter with flowers, candles and pictures of Jesus, the Blessed Mother and St. Elizabeth of Hungary. I cried when I saw it.....it was so beautiful and humbling. Employees who were off work yesterday, came and brought flowers for the alter and also eager to receive a blessing. We live in a world where speaking of religion in the workplace is considered a lawsuit threat. My theory is, if we can't share our faith values in the business God has provided for us, then what is it worth? We are to work for the Kingdom of God and sharing our faith and showing our dependence on prayers and intercession from Heaven is working for the Kingdom. You will see in one of the pictures where Deacon Pat blessed the hands of the bakers. I realized after seeing this picture that this might have been the only blessing some of the employees have ever received. It was also neat to see our children along with our nieces and nephews be able to participate in this ancient old tradition.  To see us sharing our faith with others is important for our children.  I can only imagine in the past how many families celebrated feast days and had their businesses blessed...mainly because faith was all they had. Why do people not do this anymore?  Are they too good?  Do they think they really don't "need" any special blessing and graces upon their work environment and employees?  Are they afraid of offending someone? All Clint and I have had the past seven years of being self-employed is our faith....nothing else.  There were many times that only God's hand saved our business.  Every morning I pray for our business and ask St. Elizabeth to pray for us and intercede for us and also special blessings over our employees.  Because of our dependence on faith, we feel it is necessary for a blessing over our business and employees.  This is not our business, but God's bakery. 

I feel it is time we start sharing our beliefs....whether it is politically correct or not.  Satan has slowly silenced us in this type of thinking....not wanting to "offend" anyone or push our beliefs on anyone.  NONSENSE!  If we can't share our faith in the workplace, then what are we working for? You might be surprised how well received and appreciated people might be once you start sharing your faith more.  And someday when you get to Heaven, you will meet that one person (or several) whose direction of  life was changed all because you stepped out in faith and spoke out.  It might have been that one blessing of hands that was an unseen ticket to heaven.

Hope you all are well! Blessings to you on this Thursday!

Our Short Life on Earth.....could end tomorrow. What would you change about your life?

ALL SOULS DAY
First Reading today Wisdom 3:1-9
"In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction, and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace." Wisdom 3:2-3

Today we are reminded in the book of wisdom that the greatest day of our life is the day we die.  We look at death as scary or unfortunate when in all actuality it is the beginning of our life. A friend of mine yesterday was delivering a meal to a young family who lost her husband/father at the age of 37 last week.  He died in his sleep of an anurism.  She said it was such reality of death when she pulled up to see his car parked in the driveway, his keys on the table and his shoes by the door.  She was reminded that when you leave this world you take nothing.....absolutely nothing.  Even though we all know this, it is a good reminder from time to time of what this life is truly for.  We run around day after day chasing our tails....worried about silly things and putting our thoughts towards things that truly DON"T matter in life.  Lately I have been consumed with the children's bedrooms.....where this new baby will sleep, what frilly bedding I am going to get my girls, ya-da,ya-da, ya-da.  Even though it is fun to think of these things and decorate our homes, etc., it is crucial that we continue to not dwell on these silly mind-blowing things of the world and keep a clear perspective.  This morning as I said my prayers, I thought to myself....."what truly matters in life?  If I knew I was to die tomorrow, what are the things I would change about my life as of right now?"  This is a brilliant question to ask yourself periodically to keep things in perspective and to discern God's Will for you and your family.  Lately, I have been really focused on praying for God's Will for our lives.  His Will is so much more than we can even ask for or dream of, yet, we tend to not let go of fear and choose our will instead. 

I just returned from a wonderful weekend at my family's ranch.  I am convinced that all that matters in life is being with family and perserving faith and heritage.  However, as much as I want to pack up tomorrow and move back to the land my family has been living on for the past 100 years, I am reminded that we are at the perfect place at the perfect time right now in God's design.  I am reminded that we think we are strictly here for our business and to make a living, but in Heaven's eyes it is a much different design.  We might be at the place we are right now in our lives for the 10 year old little girl across the street who is living with her Grandma because her mom was thrown into jail.  She knows nothing about Jesus or family life and we might be her only glimpse of hope at this moment in her life. Or we might be at the place we are right now because one employee gets a glimpse of the cross and picture of the Blessed Mother hanging in our bakery and yearns to come to know Jesus.  We don't know.....but all we do know is that life is short and if we are living for the things of the world, we might as well just pack up and go "home" now.  This is worthless living.  But if we are living for the Kingdom and seeing each and every day as value for Heaven's sake, then we are doing our job we came here to do on earth.  To live for Jesus and Jesus alone. 

So whereever you are in your life right now, take an evaluation.  What are you and your husband truly living for?  The next big break, raise, promotion, million dollar ticket?  Or are you living how and where God has truly called you to live?  If you knew you had two months to live, how would you change the direction of your life?  I am going to ponder on that one today.......
On another note, what beautiful intercessors we have in Heaven.....all of our loved ones who have gone before us.  Let us remember our dear loved ones today and all they did for us and taught us. Learn from them!  Also, GO VOTE!  This election is crucial in the state of our  nation.  It is our duty as a christian to vote today for the sake of our nation and our families.  Repulicans are in the light and Democrats are clearly taking a path of darkness.  VOTE FOR THE LIGHT.....the only hope we have for our Nation.

Medjugorje:
The Blessed Mother gives messages for the World on the 2nd and 25th of each month.  These messages are to bring our world back to her son.....this is the reason for her appartions.  These messages are for all faiths and religions.

Today's message, November 2, 2010:
“Dear children! With Motherly perseverance and love I am bringing you the light of life to destroy the darkness of death in you. Do not reject me, my children. Stop and look within yourselves and see how sinful you are. Be aware of your sins and pray for forgiveness. My children, you do not desire to accept that you are weak and little, but you can be strong and great by doing God’s will. Give me your cleansed hearts that I may illuminate them with the light of life, my Son. Thank You.”

The Less Glamorous, the more Holy!

Gospel Reading today Luke 13:22-30
"Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

If you were in line to meet God with hundreds of others, where do you believe you would fall in place.  Towards the front or the back?  Say you were next to a woman from NYC who was outfitted straight from Barney's with a very high paying job, a high rise in Manhattan and a vacation home in Paris.  She had children but had her beloved "Nanny" who took care of them most of the time.  Then you were next to a mother who lived a very simple humble life.  She worked day in and day out to care for her family, exhausted by the end of the day.  She worked tirelessly for the sake of others and didn't yearn to feed her soul with the things of the world but with the things from above.  She focused her days on changing diapers, sweeping floors, doing dishes, putting up laundry, taking kids to school or schooling them herself, taking a loaf of bread to the neighbors and preparing meals to feed her flock.  She would sit for a few moments throughout the day to recharge her batteries through prayer, simple prayers...such as "Lord, give me strength to do my best this day to serve my family." Then on the otherside, you have a single mother who works two jobs to provide her children with food, shelter and clothing.  She doesn't have an ounce of energy left at the end of the day after providing and caring for her family and home.  She falls to her knees at night and begs the Lord to somehow provide with her little income.  All through the day, she is lifting up "cries of the poor and hopeless" while trying to raise good children in this corrupt world.   


No matter where you fall in line, the most important thing to remember is that we have ONE audience that we should be working for.  Some choose to work for the audience of society while others work for the audience of Heaven.  And the women who provide the basic needs for their family, they can't even think about what audience they are working for...they are just trying to survive.  However, their works are being lifted to the highest calling...taking care of the family.  The ones who choose to work for society, family is put on the back burner.  This is a very dangerous choice, for family is the vital cell of society.  If the family is put on the back burner, so is Heaven and the souls that are to be prepared for eternal life.  Lately, I have been thinking alot about hard work.  Hard work is from God.  Doesn't feel so good when you fall into bed at night after putting in a day of honest, hard work?  This is being lost in today's society.  The goal of most people is how much less can I work for more pay?  This is one of the MANY downfalls of our society in the current times.  No body want to work hard!  Women are leaving the home and their children in the care of others because it is just too hard!  College graduates refuse to take minimum wage jobs to slowly work their way up because they "de-serve" a high paying career, bi golly!  No body wants to do the nitty-gritty, "no-frills" work when in all actuality that is where the keys are to the Kingdom of God.  It is in the tough, hard work, no praise, exhausting duties that our salvation depends on.  So, therefore moms, roll up your sleeves, get tough and embrace the "hard as hell" work that we do day in and day out.  Don't look for thumbs up and pats on the back because the only audience that matters clearly see every move you make.  And when you are standing in that line someday, are you going to be rewarded for the frilly days of life or the dog days of life? Look to the women of the past and how hard they worked and find encouragement through their lives.  Most days they worked hard to put food on the table.....from gathering eggs, to catching a chicken to kill and prepare for supper that night (my grandmother did this!), to washing clothes by hand, to cleaning their homes THEMSELVES, to raising kids.  They were tough and you didn't hear any whines and cries from them.  They did what they had to do.


So today, take a look around at what you do daily and see where you fall into line.  Are you searching for the easy way out or are you rolling up your sleeves and doing as society sees as the "dirty work"of homemaking/child rearing.  It is not glamorous by no means but rejoice that it is not glamorous....that means you are climbing the "Corporate Ladder" of Heaven.  The less glamorous, the more Holy!


Blessings to you this Wednesday!

THE KEY TO HAPPINESS.....

Today's First Reading Ephesians 4:7-16
"So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ." Ephesians 4:14-15

I loved this reading this morning and had to write a quick meditation.  I have a quiet home for the moment but on my way to a soccer game! My question for you this morning is do you feel "tossed to and fro"? I am witnessing it more and more .....mothers that are tossed to and fro from what Christ calls us to do and what the world coveys we "need" to do.  Speaking the truth and acting on truth is getting harder and harder in today's society.  With each day through prayer and conversation with God, I see it clearer and clearer.  We mothers/women have to be strong, get tough and answer the call.  We have to step down from this "ME" mentality and give ourselves as Christ calls us to do.  The key to happiness is quite simple.  While people are lost, being tossed to and fro, searching for the meaning of true happiness, the answer is so simple.  SERVING OTHERS is truly the key to happiness.  While so many are out serving themselves and saying "what is in it for me", going to counselors, seeking materialism, this little secret is in their midst and they don't even know it.  When a person digs deep, rolls up her sleeves, does the "dirty work" as we mothers do daily, and serves others gently and lovingly, all of the sudden the weight of the world is lifted. You start to have a skip in your step and you start to smile a little more.  What is this feeling I have inside of me that feels so good?  It is Heaven's JOY, love and grace descending upon you for all the good works you are providing for others.  God is a simple God and desires for us a simple and humble life.  It is our world that has made trying to find the key to happiness so complicated.  It is the mother tucked inside the walls of her home constantly serving her family, picking up things around the house, cleaning the messes and creating a loving and cheerful environment for her family ....it is this very place where the Angels want to dwell.  Where Heaven descends and transforms the ordinary into extraordinary.  It is this very place where the souls are developed for Eternity and a mothers heart grow in her conversion.  Miracles take place in these simple places where a heart serves endlessly for the Kingdom of God.

So my advice to all mothers this morning who are weary and tired of carrying the heavy loads of toddlers, the home and the same old, same old......you are in the very place where Angels dwell!  You are not missing out on the ones who are searching for happiness while being "tossed to and fro" in the crowds of Nordstroms or the group of women who think they "de-serve" (can't stand that word) a girls day at the Spa sipping on champagne and being served.  Yes that is all fun and great but it is NOT the key to happiness as the world tells us.  Rest in knowing you are exactly where you are suppose to be in God's plan.  Why would a person want anything else then Heaven's design?  True happiness is right in your midst so get a new attitude (I  have to tell myself this weekly) and embrace the servant's heart that dwells inside of you.....when you do this you will feel the giant hug of Jesus and feel a feeling you have never felt before......a dose of "happy medicine" from Heaven!

Feast Day of the Archangels!

FEAST DAY OF THE ARCHANGELS!
First Reading today in Mass: Revelation 12:7-12
"Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven."

Goodness, it has been way too long since I have written.  I miss reflecting and writing on the daily gospel dearly; however, I still don't have my own computer!  Life has been just trying to keep our heads above water....with our own growing business, three little ones and another on the way.  I know you ALL understand what I am talking about. :)

Today is the Feast of Day of the Archangels!  What wonderful intercessors we have in these powerful, strong armed Angels of Heaven.  I ask for St. Michael's help daily to defend my family and our home against the evil one.  My son, Benjamin, loves to talk about St. Michael's sword and how tough he is.  I have already been teaching my children about the difference between light and dark and how they should always strive to walk in the light. It is important for we mothers in today's society to become educated and aware of the Spiritual Warfare that goes on.  The constant battle, not between flesh and blood, but between good and evil.  Souls are at stake....our children's souls and we have to do everything we can to defend them in this battle.  Thanks to our Archangels, we have the most powerful intercessors fighting for our families! A wonderful resource to become educated on Spiritual Warefare is Father John Corapi. 

Off to take care of my little ones.  Hope you all have a blessed day!

Cuddles and Kisses from God....we are children too!

Gospel Reading today Luke 15:1-32
"I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants. And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." Luke 15:18-20

Lately I feel like I have been in a spiritual wilderness.  This verse brings such refreshment to me.  As I am so tired and grouchy, pregnant with my fourth and chasing three little ones, I admit that I haven't been on top of my game of motherhood/wifehood.  Last week I was maybe the worst mother on the planet and I fell to my knees in tears before the dishwasher.  I asked God, "and you think I am cut out for this?  Well, let me just tell you....you have chosen the wrong person!" ( I love that we sometimes think we know best! :) I think sometimes during our spiritual pilgrimage on earth, there are times we might feel distant from God.  One of the fruits from this, I believe, is that it makes us yearn for God's presence even more and it is a good thing when we realize that we are wondering lost in the dark.  We realize that all we need is God and nothing else.  He brings us the peace, joy and self-fullment that the world can not give to us.  I am so excited to receive spiritual nourishment from Heaven this morning in Mass.  What a gift we have in the Eucharist.  Not knowing what is going to happen in our crazy world in this lifetime, I am so comforted to know that if all I have is the Eucharist, than I have everything I need.

I am so happy to know that even though we are all sinners and fall from time to time, we have a loving God who will run to us with compassion and a kiss the moment we repent of our sins.  This sounds familiar in motherhood as well.  These little souls are so forgiving.  The moment I ask for forgiveness or put myself in the naughty corner for acting up, they embrace me with a kiss and say, "it's okay mama!"  And we do the same as mothers, the moment our child says they are sorry, we kiss them and forgive them and move on with the day.  Forgiveness is also such a gift.  What would our hearts and this world be like without it.  Forgiveness brings such freedom of the heart.

Through quiet prayer time this morning and reading the gospel today, I already feel embraced by Our Loving Shepherd.  He cuddles us and kisses us, just as we do to our little ones.  We are not alone on our walk of motherhood.  He gently picks us back up and leads us back to Him. Rejoice today in our loving and merciful God!  We can learn a great lesson from the gospel reading today....being forgiving of ourselves and of others.  None of us are perfect and we are all going to stray and fall to our knees but lift your eyes to Heaven and be thankful, for when we repent, all of Heaven rejoices! 
Have a blessed Sabbath.

Mothers Speaking with Authority By Our Actions

Gospel Reading today Luke 4:31-47
"He was teaching on the Sabbath and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority." Luke 31-32

The part of the gospel "speaking with authority" stuck out to me today when I read the scripture.  I tend to be "too nice" at times and do not speak up for the truth; however,  I am working on this.  I have a dear friend/spiritual mentor who is in her forties and has six children.  She is a very wise and knowledgeable woman.  She has taught me to speak truth.  She is originally from Ohio and she said we Texans can sometimes be just too niiiiice.  We tend to tell people what they want to hear instead of what they should be told.  Jesus spoke with authority, so therefore, we disciples should speak with authority for what we believe in.  As one of the Saints said (I can't remember who it is...) "Use words if necessary", meaning that speak truth by our actions,not words. Our society has gotten too lax and should be held accountable for things that are just not right.

Instead of nodding our heads in agreement with what everyone is doing, we should plant the seed in their mind that "hey, maybe that isn't okay".  We are called not to be judgemental, but we are also called to stand up for truth.  Changing society and the way it thinks start within the family.  If we take a stand and not follow the "standard", then others will start re-thinking the choices they are making.  For one, families being scattered in all different directions all weekend tied up with activities is not healthy in my opinion.  What happened to the old-fashion Sundays of going to church, sitting down to eat a meal as a family and resting.  Now families are scattered in all different directions.....one child playing basketball here, the other playing baseball there....the father is at one game and the mother is at the other.  This is not "keeping holy the Lord's day", which is one of the ten commandments.  Slowly but surely society and the ways of the world is eating away family time.  Everyone else is doing it, so should we.  Life continues to get more complicated.  Jesus and His blessed mother calls us to live a simple life.  What does that entail?  I am constantly asking myself this question as we are bombarded with activities and being "on the go".  One of the ways in keeping life simple, I believe, is the family staying intact.  To stop the nonsense of being stressed trying to get everyone to certain places and just saying NO!  I don't know about you all, but I didn't start sports and cheerleading until 7th grade. I didn't go to school until Kindergarten.  Life was simple.  I spent summers playing make believe, barbies, and out in the fields making wheat gum during Harvest.  My mom was in the kitchen cooking for our family and taking care of the home.  She wasn't consumed with entertainment for us.  She had work to do.  Now mothers are constantly enrolling their children in all kinds of activities, thinking it will help them be better, have more confidence, become more intelligent.  My opinion, all this will do is not let the child be a child.  We have got to get back to the mentality of keeping life simple. The best place for a soul to take beautiful form is in the home.  For the more scattered our families are, especially the mothers, the more weak we become and let havoc enter our homes and our hearts.  Who do you think is behind this?  Take a wild guess!?!

So today, as we end the month of August and look to the Fall, try keeping a simple minded heart with what is ahead.  Don't think your child needs to be in every activity.  Less is more.  Children truly are the happiest when the family is together, living a simple life and enjoying each other's presence.  As mothers, we can speak with authority by our actions. We can stand up for living a simple life and start by standing up for one of the ten commandments-Keep holy the Lord's day.

Blessings to you this Monday!

Keeping Our Hearts Picked Up along with the toys.....

Today's Gospel reading Mathew 24:42-51
"Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming." Mathew 24:42

What if a friend you haven't seen in forever, or your mother, or a perspective buyer of your home was to show up at your door step unexpected.  What if you did not know the day or hour they were to come.  I would be a stress case for sure!  I am one of these who likes to have my house pristine when I have a visitor. (one of these days I am going to get over that....)  I like to have candles going, coffee brewed, music playing and for sure toys picked up.  However, you should see my house daily around 3:00 PM.  I love to see my children use their imagination and play till their hearts are content. Therefore, one might find around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, tents and forts built in the middle of the living room, baskets stacked up that were made into little houses, legos upon legos put perfectly together by these precious minds.  It is a zoo!  As I sip and drink my afternoon coffee and say some prayers, I love listening to their conversations and make believe world.  I,however, would be mortified if someone that has never been to my home knocked on my door to see my home in such a disarray.  I take pride and joy in my little home and would never want anyone to think I don't properly care for my home.  But the most important thing is to know in my heart that I care for my home properly but I also let my children be children and play.  Too many families are scattered in all different directions and overscheduled.  Too many children are in school at such early ages and don't have the luxury of playing peaceful as a child in their home.  So the person who arrived at my door would just have to either walk away or embrace the love and happiness this humble abode.  They don't need to know that by 6:00 everything is put back into its place, dinner is on the table and mom is plum worn out.  The only person that needs to see this is Our Lord. 

So the moral of this story is.....no eyes matter but Jesus' eyes.  He is the one we should be living for every minute of the day.  If he showed  up at my door step around 3:00 in the afternoon, I truly hope and believe He would tell me "Well done, My good and faithful servant.  Enter into my Kingdom."  For He knows my heart and my heart is to serve He and my family and this house alone.....nothing else in this world. He doesn't care about having a pristine home at all times and the way the "surface looks".  He cares about what is in the heart.  He wants us to have a pristine and beautiful heart. He doesn't want to find us mothers looking perfectly outside the home and playing the "one-up game" with our neighbor of who has the bigger home and fancier car and more perfect life.  He wants to find us on our knees hugging the child in "mourning" when they get hurt, folding the huge pile of laundry that clothe the naked, feeding mac and cheese to the "hungry" and giving sippy cups of water to the "thirsty". Giving hugs to the "pure of heart" and being the "peacemakers" of sibling rivalry. He wants us showing "mercy" to the little one who breaks your favorite piece of china.  He wants to embrace us as we are "poor in spirit" facing another day of a sick child.  And finally He brings great joy to see our "humility" in the work we do as mothers and blesses us when we receive "persecution" from the world.

There you have it....the Beatitudes all wrapped up in the Vocation of Motherhood.  Jesus tells us through this work, we will inherit the Kingdom of God.  As mothers, we are wealthy in Gods eyes by the work we do.  Nothing else in the world matters.  So today, as the toys are scattered and your home seems a bit unpeaceful at the moment, rest in the arms of Jesus.  For His work is happening right before your eyes.  Souls are being formed for Eternity through the forts, and legos and baby dolls......The formation of your children's souls that will live forever happen inside the walls of your home.  What more could we ask for as mothers than to witness the Kingdom of God as hand?  So forget about impressing the unexpected guest.  For the only one we need to live to impress is Jesus.  He sees our homes when they are perfectly picked up and clean.  The question is.....how does He see your heart?

Blessings to you this Thursday!  I will be getting a new computer soon.  I miss writing daily.

The World Can Wait, Your Family Can't!

Gospel Reading today Mathew 19:23-30
"But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first."  Mathew 19:39

This morning as I watched the sun rise and was meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary (the Passion of Christ) tears streamed down my face.  To think of what Jesus went through for us and to see our disgusting soceity and how so many have forgotten what Christ did for our sake.  Mothers are killing babies inside their wombs, couples are disregarding the sacrement of marriage and the holiness of two bodies becoming one, people are living for the things of this world by obsessing about possessions and status, parents are disregarding their most important job on earth....raising children....the greatest gift given to them by God himself.  Me, me, me...."What is in it for me?" is the question this society is constantly asking. Where has society gone wrong?  I once heard it said that Satan's work is slow rotting.  He has slowly rotten away the very core of society. 

I truly believe we are living in very urgent times.  It is up to our generation to change hearts and minds back to Christ.  It starts in the heart of the home.  Mothers, by giving our lives to our family and focused on the most important job at hand, raising disciples for Christ, is truly or greatest work we can do for the Kingdom. By fathers loving their wives and working diligently and hard to provide for the family can help witness to our children strong work ethic and devotion to family.  For husbands and wives to be open to life and not be selfish in their thinking..."with two we can travel and have more finances available"....ya da ya da ya da...the lies of Satan of why we shouldn't be open to more life.  Nothing else is eternal that we do on earth.....the ONLY tangible work that is eternal is giving life.  Children are the greatest gift we have on earth.  Anymore, a family is considered CRAZY if they have more than three.  You can't even imagine the comments I have already received by being pregant with my fourth.  This is so sad to me.  I even received a "joking card" from my sister-in-law saying that we were white trash.  As humerous as she thought it was, this is how society views bringing more life into the world.  We are so excited for our fourth but it is so disappointing how I have already felt the stings of satan through this anti-life world.

We mothers have to realize the power we have from God in saving this corrupt world.  Through our daily work of shaping and molding souls for eternity and the mundane tasks of keeping our homes orderly and holy will help the whole world turn around.  By offering prayers up throughout the day...simple prayers, one liners can help in the Master Plan of this world.  Pope John Paul said, "The family is the vital cell of society".....what more do we need to know about the importance of marriage, motherhood, and homemaking? Satan is sly and smart...he knows what he is doing.  He took women out of the home to create chaos and havoc in society by luring them into worldy success and fullfillment.  Now, parents aren't around body or mind when their children are at home.  The women are stressed, running around trying to be all and do all....bring in a salary, cook, care for the home....in turn this leaves the heart of the family frazzled and stressed.  And we all know when mama is stressed and frazzled, the home and family are the same.

So today, ignore this noisy society that states, "What do you do? Oh, you JUST stay at home?" And if you have a career, try finding balance. Always keep centered in your mind that your family and home are the MOST important tasks at hand.  Get rid of distractions!  All of the extra phone calls, emails, outside influence, activites....get rid of them!  Just tell people you don't have any extra time in this season of your life.  Your plate is full trying to balance work, home and family.  If you seem out of touch with friends, they will understand.  If they don't, you don't need them as friends anyway!  I feel overwhelmed at the time being strictly giving my whole mind and body  to my husband, three toddlers and a little one in my womb on top of caring for our home.  I am not worried about anything outside this task.  Friends who I don't talk to for awhile will just have to understand.  Emails that go un-answered....sorry! :) The outside world can wait, my family can't. 

Okay, off to have a cup of coffee with my sweet husband.  Have a blessed Tuesday!

Feast Day of Assumption of Our Lady

Tomorrow, Sunday the 15th, we will celebrate the Assumption of Our Lady, body and soul, into heaven.  Jesus preserved his mother's body from the corruption of death, for it was the temple of his conception and the crowning glory of the human race. What a beatutiful celebration in honor of Our Dear Blessed Mother, I wanted to share with you all Marija Lunetti's talk she gave on August 11th.  Marija is the visionary that I had the honor to be with in Medjugorje.  She is one of the six visionaries that have been having apparitions with Mary for 29 years.  Marija sees Our Lady every day at 6:40 pm (our time).  She fed our group breakfast on her back porch and has the most amazing, holy, humble presence I have ever witnessed.  She is no doubt a future Saint of our church.  We were with her twice in her private chapel during her appartions.  It was unlike anything I will ever experience in my lifetime. After one of the apparitions while walking back to St. James Church, I witnessed the miracle of the sun with several other pilgrims.  This is where the sun dances and spins and pulsates reds, blues, oranges.  It was unbelievable!  Here is her talk from the 11th.  I especially loved what she said about being a mother of four boys.  Celebrate and doing something extra special with your family in honor of the Assumption......fix a yummy dinner and place a beautiful bouquet of roses in the middle of the table and share with your children the story of the Assumption.

This was copied off http://www.mej.com/

Marija, the Medjugorje visionary, during a recent apparition of Our Lady. Marija receives the 25th message from Our Lady and often shares her testimony to pilgrims. Marija gives practical advice for all those seeking to encounter Our Lady

Today, August 11, 2010, the Medjugorje visionary Marija Lunetti gave a talk to pilgrims in Medjugorje. She encouraged them to follow Our Lady’s messages of prayer, conversion, and fasting. Marija gave practical advice for all pilgrims visiting Medjugorje. This is the testimony she gave:


“I want to bring Our Lady’s messages closer to you through this testimony. How many are here in Medjugorje for the first time? Please raise your hands. I see that probably more than 80% are visiting Medjugorje for the first time. Welcome from the bottom of my heart. Our Lady said we are Her hope.

“I want you all to be touched by Our Lady, and I want Her to lead you as She has been leading us these 29 years. My suggestion to you, and especially to those of you here for the first time, is to not look at anybody or to be attached to anybody. Use this prayer time wisely.
Marija, the Medjugorje visionary, during a recent apparition of Our Lady. Marija receives the 25th message from Our Lady and often shares her testimony to pilgrims. Marija gives practical advice for all those seeking to encounter Our Lady.
“Thank God we pilgrims have so many places here to go to pray: Apparition Mountain, Cross Mountain, the Adoration Chapel and the Church. Many mornings, when I go to Apparition Mountain, I meet many pilgrims at the site of the first apparitions. There is a sign posted calling for silence, but there is much noise. I ask them to be quiet and remind them that this is a quiet place of prayer, but many times this is in vain. I tell them that if they feel the need to pray aloud that they should go behind a bush, so as not to disturb other pilgrims.


“To answer Our Lady’s call to live Her messages, we do not have to become priests or missionaries in Africa. We need to become good examples in our own neighborhoods. In the beginning, when Our Lady invited us to prayer, it was hard, but eventually it became a joy for us. By following Our Lady, we simply fell in love with prayer. When Our Lady asked us to pray more, we happily did that. Our Lady asked for all the Mysteries of the Rosary to be prayed everyday. We responded, even though everyday and all day long pilgrims would be at our houses. One day my mother said that our house was no longer ours, but it resembled a railway station with pilgrims constantly coming and going. Since we didn’t lock our doors, pilgrims would go on into the house. Many early mornings, Italian pilgrims would come and knock on our door and would proceed to go in without an invitation. At 10:00 a.m., German pilgrims would come and my father would tell them it was mealtime. These people would quietly stay outside and pray the rosary. Oh well, Our Lady wanted me to marry an Italian, and I did.


“Again, I tell you to find a time and place for prayer. Do not look to others, but begin yourself to pray. Our Lady first chose Apparition Mountain, a rugged mountain to call us to come and pray. This was a problem for Father Jozo, the pastor at the time. He would ask why Our Lady didn’t appear in the Church. He said that the living Jesus was present there. He could not understand why the throngs of people would choose to go to such a rugged, thorny mountain day and night to pray. Trust me; this is because the mountain, every thorn, every rock, and every bush have been blessed by the presence of Our Lady, because Our Lady chose that place to meet us, and to talk to us and to pray with us.



“She chose us, the six visionaries to witness Her presence and to show us that She is the Mother of God. On the third day of the apparitions, Vicka’s grandmother gave us Holy Water and told us to sprinkle it toward the apparition. She told us to say to Our Lady,that if you are from God stay, but leave if you are not from God! Our Lady smiled and said, ‘I am the Blessed Virgin Mary and I am the Queen of Peace.’
“Only in God can we find peace, and that is why Our Lady invites us to pray. She says that every prayer we pray with the heart is close to God. That is also why She invites us to pray more. Early on, Our Lady asked that prayer groups should be started. She stressed that the first prayer group should begin in our families, and then begin them in our parishes. She told us to open our family Bible and read Holy Scripture. Our prayer group was a mix of young people and adults.


“The evening prayer program here in Medjugorje was Our Lady’s desire. Our Lady always invites us to take with seriousness Her messages regarding conversion. She tells us to put God in the first place in our lives. She invites us to desire the presence of God in our families and live prayer. Remember, God created us in His Image, and without God, we cannot have joy and happiness. Our Lady invites us to be open to prayer.


“The first prayer that we prayed with Our Lady was The Creed, 7 Our Fathers, 7 Hail Mary’s, and 7 Glory Be’s. Our Lady does not pray the Hail Mary with us, but looks at us and smiles. We still pray this today after Holy Mass, kneeling, giving thanks to Our Lady for staying with us these many years. The dearest prayer to Our Lady is the Rosary, and She invites us to pray the whole Rosary everyday. In Medjugorje, before Croatian Mass, two mysteries of the Rosary are prayed to prepare our hearts for the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.


“Our Lady began by giving a message every Thursday to help the village toward conversion. She invited us to personal prayer. She asked for one hour of personal prayer and later asked for three hours of prayer. You can see pictures of the six of us kneeling in the Church during the early days of the apparitions. It was hard because we were not used to that. When we protested to Our Lady, She just smiled and asked us if we would sacrifice for a friend that may come to visit us. Would we be willing to prepare for the visit through hard work? She said She wanted Jesus to become our greatest friend, and no sacrifice was too great for Him. Our Lady told us to spend more time with Him so He could become our greatest friend. Slowly we got used to sacrifice.


“Today, I am married with four boys. My prayer times now are during my work, such as today, when preparing lunch I prayed a Rosary. We can pray during our work, cleaning house, taking the kids to school. I was in Mexico giving a testimony, and I was speaking to a Cardinal and a Bishop about this same thing. The Bishop said he remembered his own mother doing the very same thing. She prayed in this way during her whole life. She was the mother of twelve children and he said they never lacked for anything, but learned to pray at her knee. He said his mother would prepare meals for a blind neighbor. I repeat to you that Our Lady does not need us all to go to Africa to become missionaries but to live love in our own homes.
“Once I spoke with another Bishop regarding how society takes and discards things with little or no thought. Also, I think many do the same with people. Our Lady wants to show us that each one of us is important, and we are not to choose this culture of death such as abortion and euthanasia. The elderly are told not to suffer, but to end their life through euthanasia. Society terms it “sweet death.” I heard of a person in Italy that was being starved to death by her family. She went into a coma, and the family thought she had died. A visiting nun saw that she was alive and asked if she could care for her. This is the culture that we live in today.


“Our Lady invites us to fast on bread and water every Wednesday and Friday. She tells us that with prayer and fasting even wars can be stopped. My first experience with fasting was joyful. My mother jokingly said she was the happiest, because she did not have to cook, and the kitchen stayed clean. My father was practical and said the money saved from food expenses would be put aside and given to the poor. I want to encourage all of you to fast. Through fasting, evil spirits can be dispelled. Bad habits, like cursing, can be overcome. I knew a bus driver that cursed with every other word. I told him to stop cursing people and to start saying ‘God Bless You.’ This little thing helped bring him to conversion. Now, when he sees angry people out of his bus window, he yells out ‘God Bless You!’ He says they usually smile and this brings him asure.

“Thank God for giving us Our Lady, our Mother these 29 years. You must convert and change your lives. Take Our Lady to your families and homes and pray. Our Lady says to take a pathway to prayer which will lead to love, which will lead to forgiveness and healing.
“Tonight, I will see Our Lady, and I will ask our Lady to intercede for you. Our Lady’s simple words invite us to change our lives. She begins with ‘Dear Children’ and ends with, ‘Thank you for having responded to my call.’ I pray Our Lady will say this same thing to us in Heaven. God bless you.

Today's Gospel Reading: John 15:4-10
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5

My sweet friend is being Jesus for me today.  I am 9 1/2 weeks pregnant (we are super excited!) and dog tired.  She invited the kids and I over to swim today and I guess she noticed I needed a nap since I could barely talk I was so tired.  So she kept the two older ones, along with her four (God  bless her), and Anna Claire and I came home and took a nap.  Oh, sweet Jesus, thank you!  So, while I am waiting for Anna Claire to wake up, I thought I would abide in God and give back to Him by writing this afternoon. 

This gospel reading is so beautiful, simple, and timeless.  Lately, all I am trying to do is abide in God through being newly pregnant and chasing three rowdy toddlers.  Thankfully my bad attitude has lifted.  The cure for the BA is early morning prayer.  I was falling behind...back into bed and waking up with my children.....cause for disasterous days! I have to MAKE myself get up 45 minutes to an hour early before my children to drink a cup of coffee and be with God.  It has made all the difference in the world with my days.  I have been reading alot about redemptive suffering.  I don't know if other religions preach on this, but what a gift we have in this message within the Catholic Church.  Basically, if we souls on earth lift up our sufferings as a form of prayer, this can benefit others.  Maybe a wayward brother, a sick child, or someone you don't even know can benefit by you lifting up your suffering as a form of prayer.  This outlook has changed my life.  Now as I tend to children crying out in the middle of the night with leg cramps, a scared two year old, a thirsty three year old (I am usually up 2-3 times every night), I lift this up in prayer for the salvation of my family or the salvation of the world.  I am very concerned for a close loved at the moment who is lost and broken and I am praying for His conversion.  So through my redemptive suffering of morning sickness, tiredness, screaming children, I am lifting up these little sufferings as a form of prayer for him.  In the Catholic church, we are told these forms of prayer are VERY powerful. 

God opened my eyes and heart to redemptive suffering beautifully in Medjugorje.  I was praying so hard for my son's hearing loss to be healed and I had a light bulb moment from Heaven.  He's the lucky one.  The souls on earth that suffer have tremendous power in helping the salvation of the world if they lift their suffering up in prayer.  Our world looks at the ones who suffer as "poor them" but in all actuality, they are the ones who are blessed.  For they share in the cross of Christ.  I realized through my son's suffering of a hearing impairment on earth could be my very ticket to Heaven.  Watching your child suffer in any shape or form is heart wrenching.  But what we have to do as mothers is start looking at these crosses as blessings.  I can't wait to teach Ben that his hearing loss, when lifted up in prayer, can help save the world.  Lost souls who do not know Jesus can benifit through his lack of hearing!  The ones who suffer are the very soldiers for Heaven. Powerful! 

So with this pregnancy, I have almost found joy in the gags through the grocery store because I am lifting the suffering up for the greater good of humanity.  I have also come to the conclusion that motherhood in general is a cross.  We carry the cross of constant wants, whines, cries, fights, nags.....I like to say they are whips and lashes on my frazzled soul.  But when we patiently endure these times of small children with love, we are experiencing redemptive suffering.  Through these day in and day out trenches of motherhood....giving ourselves constantly to these little souls, we can help save countless souls in this world.  We can lift these little sufferings up for the salvation of our family.  Powerful, powerful prayers being constantly lifted to Heaven. So ladies, your days of this life just got REAL important. God chooses we mothers for so much of His greatest work on earth.  We are the disciples of the modern day times.  Not only constantly bringing our families to Jesus but people we don't even know might have a chance for Heaven all through our mundane days of motherhood when lifted up as a prayer.

Gotta go rescue my friend....my "Jesus" of the day!  Blessings to you this Wednesday!

Life is short.....live for the things above!

Sunday's Gospel Reading Luke 12:13-21
".....And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, `Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Luke 12:19-21

Sunday's readings were all so powerful.  I had tears in my eyes as I heard the first & second readings along with the gospel readings.  They were all geared towards living for the things above and not the things of this world.  This message is always music to my ears but at the same time it is so hard to do.  Each and every day to focus on the what is most important in life......things that will last forever (your husband and children) and not the things that will parish away.  The priests homily was so powerful.  He said the famous line we have all heard....."you don't see a u-haul attached to a hurst."  So what are we living this life for?  So many of us are chasing our tails.....trying to accumulate weatlth and store up riches to live the good life.  People are beating the pavement every day trying to get rich.  Fathers are putting more time into their work instead of their families.  Mothers are leaving their children in the care of another in order to have extra material goods and the "life" they always dreamed of.  In the end, what really matters?  Yes, we all want to live our dreams but what are the "bones" of our dreams?  Are they living for what God desires of us or living to achieve earthly happiness? 

I will share with you my greatest dream.  I long to live in a white farm house on several acres with tall lavender lining a white picket fence.  I dream of chickens walking around the yard, a cow to milk, horses to ride, wheat fields dancing in the wind and the only sound at night is the song of the lone windmill and a few coyotes crying from time to time.  A sky full of stars and a moon so bright that you don't need a flash light.  A little chapel down the dirt road where I can go every day to say my prayers and where my children and I can say the divine mercy chaplet everyday at 3:00.  A place where I can look out my kitchen window and take a deep breath and feel the presence of God through the bountiful nature before me.  A slice of Heaven where my children can learn strong work ethic, which is a dying virtue. A simple life. I have to believe this is what God desires for me but the time is not now. It is virtually impossible, mainly b/c our business is smack dab in the middle of one of the largest cities in Texas.  I have to live in the moment and be happy where He has placed me.  But I am not going to give up this dream. I will continue to pray for it but will rest in knowing I only desire what God desires for me.  If being in the city is where I can do His greatest work, than I will pout and be grouchy about it from time to time but will be at peace knowing He is in control of my life.

I think it is almost easier to not be consumed with the things of the world when you are removed from it.  However, when you are surrounded by it and everyone is chasing this endless dead-end cycle, it is easy to get caught up in the middle of it.  As mothers, as hard as it is, we have to keep focused on the finished product.  When ourselves, our husband and children reach the greatest day of our life.....our death.  What is it going to take to get us all there safe and sound?  My guess is keeping life simple around the home and geared towards the things above.  To not give in to all of the "things" our world says we need to be happy.  By going against the grain of society and not letting our children do and have what the world says is okay.....cell phones at the age of 6, ipods, no work ethic, tv's in their rooms, letting them watch unfiltered tv, dressing what is in style of short skirts and low cut tops, being consumed with what everyone else has.....and the list goes on and on.....

Whatever your dreams are, take an evaluation.  Do you think they are dreams that God desires for you or what you desire to acquire earthly happiness.  Do they consist of living for the standards of this world or the standards of Heaven?  A little something to ponder about today during this hot, non-excitement kind of day.  I am a huge dreamer but sometimes it can tend to make me not happy with what I have at the moment.  I have to remind myself that God is the driver of my life, not me.  In the end, I will be so happy He took the wheel instead of me.

I wanted to share with you some pictures of my family and I at the cemetery on Memorial Day. I love the cemetery! Call me crazy, but I find such peace and stillness there. Some days when I am having a stressful days and the kids are fighting in the car, I will wheel into the cemetery....wheels screeching, kids screaming and my blood pressure about to burst! Ahhh, all of the sudden my life is re-directed to what is most important and I feel angels surrounding me. I once heard it said, "if you are trying to make a big decision in your life, then go to a cemetery." Somehow being in the cemetery, life is put back into perspective. My family is very close to our ancestors. I call on them all of the time to pray for me and help me. In my prayer room, there is a picture of my grand parents, great grandmother and great aunt standing in front of the church where I grew up and was married in. It is a reminder to me the gift of passing down the faith. I am so thankful to them everyday for my faith. On memorial day, we picnicked in front of the gravestones of the loved ones who had gone before us. We felt so close to them as we laughed and cried. And I am sure all of Hansford County thought we were plain nuts!

The boys playing guns.....looked like a scene from the old west.

The kids all painted rocks to place at Aunt Mary's grave.

Daddy pointing to Clementine where she gets her name.....our beloved Great Aunt "Teteen"

Picnic with our "Communion of Saints"

Blessings to you this Wednesday!

Sowing the Seeds of Holiness

Tuesday's gospel reading Mathew 13:36-43
"The good seed is the people who belong to the Kingdom; the weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One; and the enemy who sowed the weeds is the Devil." Mathew 13:38-39

I accidently read tomorrow's gospel reading first this morning and wanted to quickly share with you what came to my heart.  Today is the Feast Day of Jesus' Grandparents, St. Joachim & Anne. What immediately comes to my mind this day is holiness in the family.  How do we achieve holiness?  This should be our greatest concern every single day of our lives as a mother and wife. "To be Holy is to be a reflection of God, to possess the characteristics of the divine, especially love.  In holiness, love illuminates the whole person; it becomes a living dynamism or engergy within us." Father Richard Beyer 

We have two beautiful models of Holy Families to look to; Mary's parents Joachim & Anne as well as Mary and Joseph.  Each family did not have fine things.  They were very poor and lived in small homes. However, what they did have was LOVE.  Today so many think our children need so much or need to be educated at the age of two, so they send them to school.  (Mainly because it gives the mother a break but she is making herself feel better thinking her child is learning so much.)  The education will come.  The buddies and birthday parties will come.  Right now, however, all your child really will ever needs growing up is abundance in love.  If your family has a wealth of love under your roof than you are very rich.  Your children have all they need.....a loving Father and Mother.  If they witness the respect the mother has for the Father and vice versa, they are receiving a beautiful education in their midst of respect for one another.  If they are well disciplined by their mother throughout the day and Father by night, then they are receiving the greatest education within the home.  A holy family is not one that boasts of their successes and plays the "one up game" with the Jones'. A holy family is humble, modest and joyful.  They beam of God's love through love for one another and their neighbor.  You see this holy family at mass each sunday praising God for all of the blessings that has been bestowed on them and praying fervently for their children's future.  A holy family's greatest prayer is not that their children will acheive great success in the world, but they will never abandon the Christian faith.  For if a person has faith, they have everything. Wisdom, happiness, love, joy, peace. This is the wealth we should be chasing.

So today, who is sowing the seeds of your family?  This world and keeping up with its standards or is God the sower of your seeds.  It is so hard to keep focused but by keeping focused your family will reep an abundant harvest.  Don't let this world choke you and your children but let each and every one of you sprout good seeds and shine like the sun to those around you.  "Love is a net to catch souls". -Mother Teresa  Let your love of holiness be the net to catch others (including your children) souls for the Kingdom.

Blessings to you this Monday.

Finding Peace and Joy in the Mundane Days of Motherhood

Gospel reading in Today's Catholic Mass all around the world: John 20:1-2, 11-18
"Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." John 20:21

Jesus tells His disciples twice, "Peace be with you",  in this reading as He greeted them on that late Sunday evening after His ressurection.  This is a reminder that God desires for us to have Peace.  Why so many in our world today live such unpeaceful lives?  So many mothers are scattered in so many different directions that their children sense the unpeacefulness in their mother's heart and in turn there is not peace in the home.  I know this because I have lived it.  The times I have had too much on my plate, I became unpeaceful, stressed, and grouchy and the outcome was very unpeaceful children, husband and home.  God does not want this for us....especially we mothers who are raising the next generation disciples.  Our world is tainted with unpeacefulness through instant messaging....emails, texts, phone.  How can a person have peace in their heart when the first thing they do in the morning is check their phone or computer?  Or immediately turn on the TV to watch the news?  Or even for us mothers who get up in the morning with our children?  I don't know about you, but I become a real grouch if the first thing I do in the morning is start with the noise of the day.  Too many of us are ignoring the vitality of prayer.  This is the ONLY fuel that will help us discern God's will for us that very day and bring us true joy.

Lately, I have had a hard time with these dog days of summer.  In central Texas, I don't mean to complain, but it is just plain miserable outside!  After coming down off the high from my trip, I am having a hard time embracing the mundane....yearning for something to look forward to.  Therefore, I have been calling upon the Holy Spirit to fill my heart with joy and to let God's Will be done this very day.  I am reminding myself that nothing is important except this very day in front of me.  Nothing else matters than the breaths of my children and being present to them and being joyful when my husband walks in the door.  Everything in my midst is a gift from God and I am focusing on being thankful, peaceful and content this very moment, this very day.  I think it is so challenging at these mundane moments of our lives with nothing "exciting" goin on.  These are the tests of our faith.  Are we going to be down in the dumps and mope around or our we going to lift our eyes to Heaven, be thankful and joyful for our families admist the boring (I can stand that word!), uneventful, hot, dreadful days of mid-summer?  Finding peace and happiness in the cuddles, the giggles, the whines and cries is what our Lord is calling us mothers to do.  To show our children and husband joy from the Lord in the uneventful days of this life.  This is why there is no peace in today's society.....people are constantly looking and yearning for the next big "high" of an interesting email, new piece of furniture, juicy post on facebook (can't stand facebook...sorry for my friends who love it!!), new home, new car, spa treatment....and the list goes on.  I know all of this because I am guilty of it!  This is why mothers yearn to be outside the home and chasing success in a job, fundraisers, you name they want to be a part of because it gets them out of the mundane of motherhood/homemaking.  But in the midst of the mundane is where you see Christ and the every day blessings that have been given to you.  If we are so busy being busy and unpeaceful all of these little precious moments will never be revealed to us.  It is in the mundane, where you can learn the Peace of Christ.  I am going to embrace this hot July day with nothing going on with joy.  I am going to sing in my heart, "Veni, Sancte Spiritus" (come Holy Spirit in latin) while children are fighting over a toy and I want to run away!  Just as Jesus told the disciples, "As my Father has sent me, so I send you."  He is sending us mothers into these mundane days of motherhood to be Christ for our children.  As we sit at the feet of our children and read books, play trucks or change diapers, we are sitting at the feet of Christ.  We are being a "Mary" instead of a "Martha"....finding peace and joy at the feet of Jesus instead of being busy with other things.  There will be days ahead that will be more exciting and fun and we can relish in those moments and be thankful.  But we are also called to be thankful in the unexciting moments of motherhood as well.

Whoo, I feel better after writing this out because I have been really struggling lately.  Yearning for something exciting to happen.  Hoping when my sister calls, she has something juicy to tell me or yearning for a change in my life!  Guilty, guilty, guilty of this nonsense of humanity. 

Peace be with you today.  Peace, Peace, Peace.  Pray for peace in these dog days of summer and you shall receive. Veni, Sancte Spiritus! The Holy Spirit is all we need to dwell in our hearts.....if we have this, we have everything.  When we call upon the Holy Spirit, we are calling on God's will to be done in our lives.  I once heard it said, "If you want the most exiciting, unexpected ride of your life, focus on nothing else than God's Will and in return you will have a life you never dreamed of or imagined!  Therefore, on this exciting road of God's Will (not yours), there will be the straight road with no scenery at times, but hold on because there are amazing views and fun and exciting twists and turns ahead!

Blessings to you this Thursday.

Watering Our Soul for a Good Harvest....

I just returned from our very first early mother's prayer group.  A handful of us mothers are meeting in the gardens of our Parish at 5:30 AM twice a month to consecrate our families, parish and nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary.  What a beautiful and spiritual morning it was.....my soul is refreshed!  Now back to the grind....  It is hard after having such a peaceful and beautiful encounter with Heaven, as I just did, to come back in to the daily grind of motherhood.  However, I already feel the graces from Heaven trinkling down upon me to help me get through yet another dog day of summer with restless kids.

In today's gospel, Jesus tells us a parable comparing the different types of soil.  I can't help but think of the state of the family in today's society.  How many mothers and fathers are truly living and yearning to have good soil to raise up fruitful children? Here is an archive from my blog on this subject.  I don't have much time to write so here is a meditation from several months ago....

"Some seeds fell in good soil, and the plants had thirty grains, others sixty, and other one hundred." Mathew 13:1-13

The question I ask myself and you today is "What kind of soil are we?" Are our seeds (our children) having to grow in shallow soil, dry soil, soil with thorn bushes, or good soil? What makes for good and bad soil? Shallow soil doesn't have deep rooted faith to help the seeds grow...dry soil shows the seeds their unhappiness and doesn't give the seeds hope to live and be joyful to the Lord....soil with thorn bushes is choked by materialism and greed and teaches the seeds to always yearn for more. But good soil means to be in daily prayer, to yearn for holiness. Good soil distinguishes the difference between life on earth and life in heaven and radiates with joy and love for the Lord even in disappointment and hard times. The most important task of good soil is to give their life for their seeds (the family) and to help the seeds grow and bear much fruit.

So today, whatever is keeping your soil from growing seeds of goodness and love, then get your rake and shovel and get to work. (This goes for me especially!) Pull up those nasty weeds that are covering the good soil....rake up the old leaves that are smothering the fresh soil, and water and nuture this good soil with prayers and joy for the Lord. In turn, your little seeds will sprout and grow higher and higher towards Heaven's gates!

Blessings to you this Wednesday!

"LIVE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING BUT ME."- Jesus

Gospel Reading today Mathew 11:28-30
"For the yoke I will give you is easy and the load I put on you is light." Mathew 11:30

I have never noticed until this morning the pictures in my bible that are above this verse.  There is a sketched figure of a man carrying a heavy box, another with a cane, another man bent down with his hand on his head in distress and then a woman with three children around her feet and carrying another.  One little one is reaching up at her mother to hold her but the mother is carrying the baby.  There are so many times I am holding Anna Claire and Clementine wants to be held as well.  So what do I do?  I pick up Clementine and hold one on each hip for a few minutes.  I am small in stature and this isn't easy, but we mothers will go to great lengths to carry our heavy loads.  This is one of my most favorite verses in the bible.  As I was meditating on this verse this morning in prayer, I was thinking that the load of motherhood that God gives us is not light.....it is quite heavy.  Children constantly "needing" something from us all through the day.....the whines, the cries, the exhaustion of no sleep, the ever flowing things to be picked up, dishes to be done, and the list goes on of the heavy load that we mothers have.  However, it dawned on me that WE are the ones that make the load heavier than it is suppose to be.  We have so many distractions and we put SO many other duties and things on our plate that we are the ones that make it stressful and heavy to carry.  Since my computer has strangely vanished from my home, I notice my load is lighter.  Since I don't pile all kinds of camps, activities, play dates on my schedule, I notice my load is lighter.  In all honestly, if we soley focus on the load that the Lord gives us in caring for our husband, children and our home, the load is manageable.  Is it easy, no?  But nothing that is worth anything in life is easy to obtain.  Growing a child in your womb is not easy but the outcome is beautiul.  Growing your own business is not easy, but the outcome of the Lord's Will is awesome.  Pretty much anything the Lord asks of us is not easy, but He helps us each and every moment with the tasks given to us to help us carry the Load.  It is we humans, especially in today's society, that make the load so much heavier. 

So today, start simplifing your life.  Get rid of all of the distractions that are keeping you from your "load" at the moment.  You will find a much more peaceful and tranqil heart.  God says he is "gentle and humble" in spirit.  He is not asking you to have such a heavy load but live a gentle, humble and simple life.  Our Blessed Mother is constantly telling us this in her messages of Medjugorje for the past 29 years. She says:
"If you want to be very happy, live a simple, humble life, pray a great deal, do not delve into your problems, but let yourselves be guided by God."  She is our Heavenly Mother always gently guiding us closer to her Son.  She is clearly tellling us to not complicate our lives but live only for Jesus. I will share with you a message I believe that was placed on my heart from Our Lord Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration in Medjugorje.  "Live like no one is watching but Me."  That is my new motto!  I am not hear to please anyone outside my domestic cathedral (my home).  I am here to only please God first, my husband second and children third....the rest is just bonus and in God's timing, not my own complicated timing. "Charity begins at Home."-Mother Theresa.

I do love not having a computer in my home but I also terribly miss writing daily for Jesus.  I am still in the works on getting a new computer, but taking my time because I am actually relishing in the peace.
Blessings to you all this Thursday!  Keep on being warriors for your family.  By being warriors for your family,  you are warriors for this Nation.  For we are the ones raising the next generation.  Please ad our country and our soldiers in your daily prayers.  The state of our Nation is crucial and it is up to the prayer warriors of our nation to make things change.  "Pray, Pray, Pray" as Our Lady of Heaven says frequently!

Medjugorje

This picture was taken on top of Apparition Hill where the Blessed Mother first started apearing to the six visionaries.  The village of Medjugorje from this view was breathtaking.  Climbing the hill was very difficult as you can see the path (below) was very rocky.  Many people climbing where elderly or half crippled.

This was a picture at the international Mass that

took place every evening outside of St. James church.  Thousands of people of different faiths, hundreds of priests, beautiful music and the Holy Spirit so present that tears would stream down my eyes.  I am crying just thinking about it now. It was truly a "CATHOLIC" (which means universal) mass.This place is truly Heaven on earth.

The "Medjugorje Girls"

Michele (far left) had just found out she was pregnant with her fourth a week before we left for our trip!   My sister Holly, a homeschool mother of three, Christy is a mother of four boys and there there is me. What an amazing group of women.....we are so blessed to know one another and share in the same Faith and love and passion for motherhood.  We will forever be bonded after experiencing this life-changing event together.

 Cross mountain....took us 4 hours to climb the third day.  It was amazing! The last day we were there, Holly and Christy climbed Cross mountain again.  Holly is a runner and ran up the very rocky mountain.  This is the two of them in prayer after they arrived to the top.

We definitely had some fun too!  Below are a few evenings we cut loose a little bit.  Everything in moderation ofcourse! :)

 .....we celebrated an amazing day with a cold one! (and man did it taste good!)

Celebrating Christy's birthday outside our hotel overlooking the vineyards & mountains with a glass (or few) of the local wine.