Simply Amazing...

Ron and I are married 40 years today! Through the years we have had our ups, downs, saddness and joys, yet there is no one with whom I would rather spend my time and my life. He is my very best friend!

So it is on this morning I began my reflection from Praying With Saint Paul, edited by Father Peter John Cameron, O.P. Actually, I was reading ahead, when much to my delight I found what I was reading must have been written for just Ron and me. And it brings comfort and joy, knowing that all these years the "Light" of Christ is the beacon by which we have been guided and secure. So it is, to family and friends, I say thank you, too.

Love and Service
John Janaro

"Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ."
(Ephesians 5: 21)

This text establishes the ultimate contrast not only for most intimate human relationships (those within the family , and especially those between husband and wife) but also for all human relationships. Human beings are called to live in communion with one another with a unity that comes from God and reflects his glory. Thus human relationships witness to the mystery of God insofar as they are constituted by love. Love is simple, and yet in this life it seems to complicated even for Christians. We are commanded to "love one another" and yet this love seems like an ideal to strive for rather than an established reality among us (thus we are exhorted to "forgive one another" continually). The "new law" of life in the Spirit is, indeed, a law of love. What is the real mystery of love? The law of love is self-giving. It is affirmation of the other person in a way that made the lover transcend himself and place himself "at the disposal" of the beloved. The radical nature of love in any relationship consists in each person giving himself to the other in love, and divesting himself of self-centeredness in order to "make space" for the one who is loved. Thus each person becomes capable of giving himself fully and receiving the gift of the other person by "emptying" himself. Christian "subordination" is defined ultimately by the self-giving love of Jesus Christ. The One who created all things freely took the lowest place in order to give himself to everyone and made space withing himself for everyone. Human being find themselves in a variety of relationships that imply different kinds and different levels of "authority" and "obedience." Christian love transforms both into self-surrendering love of Jesus, in whom we discover that "to server is to reign."

Almighty God, transform all our relationships according to the pattern of Jesus ' obedience to you and to the gift of himself to us

__________________________________________________________

Thanks Be to God!!!

~~^j^~~

"Back Home Again in Indiana..."

What a trip!! We had adventure, magnificent weather, and family fun! Montana is a great place to visit! It started off a little bumpy in INDY as we were delayed for over an hour because of severe thunder storms. So, we missed our first flight to Billings. When we landed in Minneapolis Northwest Airways already had us booked on the next flight and we were up-graded to 1st class...Have never flown 1st class and probably never will again, but it was GRAND!


There is so much to tell you and so little time (I'm doing the laundry as we speak), so I thought I would share one of the unique sandwich places to which my brother, Phil, took us. Actually, he and Ron ate at the same place in Bozman the day before...Ron just had to have another sub so they took Mom and me the next day.

It is from the Pickle Barrel...

This is just 1/2 of the Cougar Sandwich and Mom and I only ate 1/3 of it...
Whew!!! But is was good!!
~~~~^^~~~

To which we all said after lunch,
"Thanks be to God!"

Off to Visit Mom...

My Mom

Will be leaving Saturday to visit Mom, Phil, Deb and Megan in MT for a few days. As a result I'm posting today as I will be busy getting organized...

I am still amazed how I am guided to appropriate offerings for this post. I am reminded of my mother and how we were taught. Many evenings while helping with the dishes. I remember her patience when she would remind us that one does not end a sentence with a preposition. (Question: "Where is the milk at?" Answer: "Behind the 'at'") Spelling was a game we would play and Scrabble, the ultimate game and time with Mom, was played with vigor and intensity.

I want to leave you with the reflection from Praying With Saint Paul, edited by Father Peter John Cameron, O.P.

A Mother's "Word-Box"

"And [Christ] gave [...] teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ, so that we may no loner be infants,tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming."
~Ephesians 4:11-14~

I had always considered by sister-in-law toe an outstanding Christian mother, lovingly attentive to the needs of her children. On day I noticed something that helped me to understand a deeper dimension of the vocation of motherhood. as her elder daughter was soon approaching school age, my sister-in-law decided to begin teaching her reading and vocabulary skills. Not willing to allow the television to do such important work, this loving and attentive mother developed her won word game (she called it the "word-box.")

In his 1988 encyclical letter Mulieris dignitatum, Pope John Paul II described the uniqueness of the vocation of the mother as one who "is filled with wonder at this mystery of life and understands with unique intuition what is happening inside her." Indeed, my sister-in-law was responding to the graces of Christ in nourishing and educating her children, ever attentive to their particular needs.

Saint Paul reminds us that Christ gives his holy one the graces to build up his Body, the Church. When we participate in the building up of the spiritual edifice which is the Church, we are preserved from the emptiness that the world offers. When parents respond to the graces of their vocation, their children grow in knowledge and love so that they can resist worldly deceptions. My sister-in-law was building up both her own family and the whole Body of Christ in knowledge and love.

~~~~~~~

Lord Jesus, giver of the gift of motherhood, grant that all mothers may respond to your wondrous graces as they care for their children.

And so, dear mothers and friends, I leave you for several days to ponder, pray, and give thanks for your gifts of motherhood. Christ has indeed blessed us with his graces in so many ways. And you have all blessed me! Indeed, I thank you!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Sorting and Cleaning...

One cannot sort and clean without being distracted by magazines once read but somehow forgotten. Such was the case of the St. Anthony Messenger, February, 2008, sitting on my desk, lo these many months. So I thumbed through it and what a surprise...

And so it is with a brain mushy from the humidity and eyes watering and itching from allergies that I send you this bit of humor! I wondered how the "little buggers" survived in the off season. (Who would have thought, mosquitoes in February? Ingenious!)

Wishing all a grand and glorious day!!!

~~~~~~~
Thanks be to God!

How do you decide who to marry...

I hope you will laugh as heartily as I did after I received this as an email...Whew!!! Kleenex anyone?


HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY? (written by kids)

-You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
-- Alan, age 10

-No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.
-- Kristen, age 10

2. WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?
Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.
-- Camille, age 10

3. HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
-- Derrick, age 8

4. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
Both don't want any more kids.
-- Lori, age 8

5. WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
-Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
-- Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)

-On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
-- Martin, age 10

6. WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
-When they're rich.
-- Pam, age 7

-The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.
- - Curt, age 7

-The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
- - Howard, age 8

7. IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
-- Anita, age 9 (bless you child )

8. HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
-- Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favorite is ..........

9. HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a dump truck .

-- Ricky, age 10

~~~~~~~^j^~~~~~~~

For children and their veritable
wealth of knowledge I say,

"Thanks be to God!"
And to my friend, Karen!