Yay!

Good news! Chuck will be traveling home tomorrow! He has a long day, so please pray for patience and strength for him! He will need to be at the airport by about 8:00 in the morning California time, and he will not get to Houghton until about midnight Eastern time. Then he has the hour drive home. Prayers for his safety are greatly appreciated, too!

And I'd also like to wish my dear Mother-In-Love a very happy birthday. We all love you and miss you very much, and your card is in the mail. ;-)

God bless!

Sigh...

I miss him already.

I tried going back to sleep after Chuck left this morning, but I just couldn't. Now it is after 7:00 and I'm at the computer wondering: Why do the kids sleep later when I get up earlier? And when does it get light here???

Please pray for safe travel for Chuck today; he should make it to Texas sometime in the mid-afternoon.

God bless!

Please Say a Quick Prayer

Chuck is flying home tomorrow: from Abilene to Dallas, from Dallas to Minneapolis, from Minneapolis to Houghton... then driving home from there. (I think that's it...) Please say a prayer for him to travel safely and that they do not loose his luggage in Dallas!

It is going to be quite a shock for him to leave Texas where it is still "t-shirt weather" and come home to about six inches of snow on the ground and sub-freezing temperatures!

Food for the Poor

I still remember that visiting priest very clearly, and I still hear almost every word of his sad story although I do not remember his name. We were living in South Carolina at the time, and he was a missionary priest visiting to raise funds and awareness for the group Food for the Poor.

He described the crushing poverty of the families he worked for. He told us about the children who would spend their days climbing around barefoot at the dump, digging through the garbage to find junk they could maybe sell or even food they could take home for their families. His words have stuck with me all these years.

Since then we have been pretty faithful donors to Food for the Poor. Today we received their quarterly mailing and read the story of a 4-year-old boy who came into the nutrition clinic weighing only 12 pounds. That's about half as much as Mary weighs. The pictures were absolutely heartbreaking- so difficult to understand why, in such a rich and beautiful world as ours is, there are people starving to death at the rate of thousands a day. The selfish heart might say it is because there are too many people. I think an open heart would say it is because "I" am not loving them enough.

We have decided to add an Our Father to our meal-time prayer for all those who are hungry. It still doesn't feel like enough, but it is something we can do. Maybe some of you would like to do this, too. Through our "blanket" of prayer I believe we can make a difference for those who have inadequate shelter, and perhaps we can spiritually feed those who have no food.

Thank you, Sweetie!

First, my darling pointed out that I failed to mention that yesterday was not our wedding anniversary. We can't claim credit for being married 15 years yet- it's only been 13 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days. Yesterday was the anniversary of the day he took me to the park and asked me to be his girlfriend. (I am quite certain that he already had marriage in mind, but it was all of two more months before he first brought that up, LOL!)

Second, my darling sent me a bouquet of 15 red roses yesterday. He's such a romantic, and that makes me one very blessed wife.

On a side note, some friends of ours are on the road to the UP and in serious need of prayer for protection. Please say a prayer for them right now! God knows who they are.

God bless!

The Elections

Like everyone I know, I have been concerned about the outcome of the elections. Of even more concern, in my opinion, is the state of our very culture. I was talking to Chuck about it last night over the phone, as he watched the debate on TV. I told him I'd been "thinking about" (more like "planning") a novena for God to guide the hearts and consciences of all Americans on election day. Today in my e-mail I received a link to this quote from the Little Flower, St. Therese:

"My whole strength lies in prayer and sacrifice. They can move hearts far better than words."

I have made a personal resolution that I will abstain from further political discussions. This will be very easy for me, in my particular circumstances! I am also planning to begin the Novena for Faithful Citizenship (link is to a pdf file) tomorrow. Beginning tomorrow there is time for two novenas. Talk is cheap, but prayer and sacrifice demonstrate the type of faith that can move mountians!

If you are not familiar with a novena, it is simply nine days of prayer. Why nine days? Because that is how long the Apostles prayed while waiting in Jerusalem after the Ascension of Christ until Pentecost. It is not a magic formula; it is not superstitiously expecting God to grant our wish if we say all the prayers just right. Rather, the nine days demonstrate our sincerety and perseverence in prayer. It also provides time for our hearts to conform to God's will in that particular matter. You don't have to be Catholic to pray a novena!

I would encourage everyone to pray between now and the elections. There is not a particular candidate I want to pray into (or even out of) office. I just pray that whatever happens, God will have mercy on our country and allow us to turn back to Him with all our hearts!

God bless!

Friday, 10-10

We're having more trouble with the van. I thought for sure the kids and I would be stranded at the library this afternoon. But, God is merciful, the van started after a few more tries, and we made it home. We have already arranged to get a new radiator (part should be in on Monday or Tuesday) but now it seems we may have a problem with the feul pump as well. If it doesn't seem too silly, please say a prayer for our van. I really hope that the string of necessary repairs will come to an end, and that we can get a few more years of reliable service out of it!

Meanwhile it is absolutely gorgeous outside. We are definitely in full fall color out there. The view of the ridge and the hills was just breathtaking. Some of the trees are so red they appear to be on fire- others are so brightly golden it almost hurts your eyes to look at them. The weekend is supposed to be perfect. I just love fall! It is truly my favorite time of year.

All is well, God is good, and I love you all...

Happy Birthday, Daniel

When you read this, please pray with me for Daniel. May he be blessed today and in the coming years! Happy Birthday, Pumpkin! (As always, I promise pictures will be up later!)

Life Chain is Tomorrow (10-5)

from the official website:

LIFE CHAIN is a peaceful and prayerful public witness of pro-life Americans standing for one hour praying for our nation and for an end of abortion. It is a visual statement of solidarity by the Christian community that abortion kills children and that the Church supports the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception.

If you cannot stand, bring a chair and sit. If you cannot give one hour, give as much time as you have. If you cannot get to the site in your community, offer your prayers at home. If there is no site in your community, prayerfully consider starting one. But please, do what you can.

Happy Birthday, Mary Mae!

Today we are celebrating Mary's first birthday!

I'll put pictures up soon... in the meantime, please pray for God's blessings on our little girl, today and always!

God bless!

A change of plans

Rather than getting back to normal today, we were getting ready to head to Minnesota. Chuck is working in Worthington, which is "only" about nine hours away. We are going to leave first thing in the morning and stay through the weekend, heading back on Monday. Please pray for safe travel for us!

God bless!

A Special Request

When we were living in Prattville, we had the special privilege of getting to know the Dominican Sisters who live at the Monastery of St. Jude in Marbury, Alabama. We loved to attend Mass or Adoration at their chapel. One of the Sisters has written to the older children regularly, even since our move, and we are all grateful for their continued prayers and friendship.

I'm mentioning this (and providing the above link to their website) because I recently received a letter from them that they are in financial need. The letter explains that they have been hit with many maintenance bills this year, and one of their buildings is in serious need of repair. I am hoping that by sharing this on my blog, some of you might be able to consider making a donation to them. Their address is provided on the website. If you cannot donate, please offer prayers for their needs, including for vocations to their beautiful order. Thank you, and God reward you!

Chuck made it home safely and in perfect time yesterday. I think I have shared how often it seems there are delays, cancellations, all sorts of problems when he is on his way home. Just part of the game when you travel frequently, I guess. Well, he had a good trip home yesterday, and is looking forward to spending the next two weeks at home where he belongs. Which reminds me of another prayer request- my family will be coming UP for a visit next week, so please pray for safe travel for them.

God bless!

Well...

The sensor was replaced this morning, but the van still won't start. I won't find out anything else until tomorrow afternoon. I'm asking for prayers this time... please pray that whatever is wrong is something simple and not too expensive! Thank you!

Memorial Day

Pray for our troops. Pray for peace!

Sick Kids

It's the dread of every mother- one or more kids throwing up. Our day started off well enough- we went to Mass this morning and everyone seemed fine. But both Thomas and Daniel were sick this afternoon.

Naturally, that leads to paranoia among the non-sick family members, including myself. It really makes me think twice about what to feed everyone else for dinner. Definitely not anything with carrots. Or macaroni. You just never know.

Please pray that everyone sleeps well tonight and that we have no further sickies.

God bless!

Christ is risen!

He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

Thank you for your prayers. Chuck made it home extremely early on Saturday. We were able to go to the vigil Mass yesterday. This is the first time we've ever gone to the vigil with the children. Mass was beautiful!

May the risen Christ bless each of us and our families with His promise of light and peace.

God bless!

Prayer Request

Here it is the Tuesday before Easter and we do not know yet when Chuck will make it home. He's been in California for more than seven weeks now, and I am asking you to please say a heartfelt prayer for us. Thank you.

God bless!

A Day of Prayer

Today we are watching live coverage of the March for Life on EWTN.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Prayer Request

I have an urgent prayer request for my midwife, Karen K. To say it plainly, she is dying. I do not know all the details, but I spoke with her partner and daughter-in-law last night. The doctors are sending her home from the hospital and they expect her to only live a few more days. I can't imagine what a horrible shock this is for her and her family. Please pray for a miraculous healing if it is God's will. If it is not His will to heal her, pray for a peaceful death for her and strength for her family.

We've been having problems with our phone lines- probably for a long time- but didn't realize it until Chuck was out of town again. When he is home we almost never get phone calls. Hopefully it will be fixed soon, but in the meantime, I usually cannot receive calls at home at all, or if they come through the connection is very bad. It really is miraculous that the call regarding Karen came through almost perfectly. My ability to call out is iffy, and my DSL cuts in and out without warning, so if nobody hears from me for a while don't worry! Somebody from the phone company is supposed to come out today to at least see where the problem is, but who knows how long it will take to actually fix. In the meantime, everybody stay safe and enjoy your summer!

God bless!

Down to One, and Prayer Request

Well, we lost another lamb yesterday. Molly died, and I have no idea why. She was completely fine at my last check Saturday evening, and Sunday morning she was dead. So, we are down to one little ram lamb, Spot. And I worry that we might lose him, too, if he doesn't perk up and start eating more.

Our friends, the Appells, are in desperate need of prayers for their little baby, Abby. She is hospitalized again after she stopped breathing. This precious family has been through so much. Please offer your prayers for Abby and the whole family.

God bless!