Today is Marianne's Birthday!!!

Must share with you one of those "God Moments". I've already shared this with Marianne, but wanted to share with all anyway. The last week was one of joy and anxiety. Joy because Jimmy came from Atlanta to visit. We had a really good visit with dinner at Rafferty's with the Laura, Roy and the Kids and then our lunch on Wednesday. Anxiety because Ron was so sick with a fever and body aches that have lasted nearly 8 days (yesterday, I think the fever finally was gone.). He's never sick and so when he is I get anxious. Ron is on the mend and all seems well today. Enough explanation!

SO, this morning after Mass, Joe, a dear gentleman who is an "institution" at St. John's, came to me and asked where my youngest daughter was. I told him Marianne's not here as often because she has moved to INDY. He simply said, "You know, I miss her." Then we hugged. He had no way of knowing how truly wonderful that gift was to me. It made me fully aware, and allowed me to recognize in this humble man that God holds us all...in our joy, anxiety, and others of this Holy Family we have in the name of Jesus Christ!! And on her birthday, too!!! What a gift.

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Thanks be to God!!!!

The Evolution of the Our Father.

Wow!!! When I was working on my presentation for those in RCIA Inquiry Wednesday evening I found this "treasure" in the Catholic Source Book regarding the earliest English translations of the Bible to date. The book does comparisons of the "Our Father" and it is really interesting to see it evolve. My how we have grown. Just had to share it with you...(If you double click on the page it will enlarge it so you can read it.)

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Thanks be to God!!!

Saints Among Us.

I was visiting Sr. Julie's blog this a.m. She was sharing her reflections on her reading of the life of St. Teresa of Avila. It is interesting how their lives were no different than mine. There was a time when I was in third or fourth grade that I had these grand ideas about martyrdom, but that is all the were...ideas. I never quite took any step to seek out the reality. Here is an excerpt of Sr. Julie's entry.

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"In Chapter 1 Teresa writes of her childhood. She tells of a time when she was 7 and her brother was 11. After having read the lives of the saints, they decided that martyrdom was the quickest and easiest way to get to heaven.

We settled to go together to the country of the Moors, begging our way for the love of God, that we might be there beheaded; and our Lord, I believe, had given us courage enough, even at so tender an age, if we could have found the means to proceed; but our greatest difficulty seemed to be our father and mother.

The footnotes indicate that the two children set out on their journey but shortly after leaving they were met by one of their uncles who brought them back to their mother. Teresa herself says that she really wasn’t motivated by love of God but by the thought of quickly getting to heaven to enjoy the wonderful things she had read about!"

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I remember, and often reflect on, the lives of saints. In my family, when an example of strength, truth, or an example of obedience was called for my father always guided us through a brief history of the said example. St. Catherine of Sienna and St. Francis of Assisi were often guides to me. As a child, as now, I am in awe at the Spirit and how He could change the most turbulent, seemingly sinful life into one of grace and love. I fear that since Vatican II the examples of the saints as a treasure for growth in our lives and our children have been lost to Spiderman, Superman, et. al. Mom would read books to us before bed at night about the saints, with an occasional “Winnie the Pooh”. Then came television and things seemed to change in the things the family did together. I fear my children suffered as outside influences guided us and other families in other pursuits. A real tragedy. And that I truly regret.

What I do not regret is that family is still important to my children. And because we are family, I can be sure that theirs will, in many ways, reflect the work of God and our Savior in them. I see this everyday in every way!!!

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Thanks be to God!

District Band Contest...

Waiting for the Memorial Band to perform, Neil, Ainsley and Lindsey did some art work of their own.

Much to my chagrin, my attempt at taking movies of the Memorial High School's performance at the District Band Contest Saturday was not very good. I had never used my digital camera to take extensive movies before and so did not set it up very well. There is another chance, though for me to redeem myself as the band did advance to regional competition in INDY in two weeks. In the meantime I will see if I can perfect the skill and maybe get better pictures to share with you.

We had a great time at any rate. We took Ainsley and Lindsey with us and they were a joy. They seemed to really enjoy all the band performances and Ainsley even gave a "YaHoo!" after Memorial completed its competition.

A funny aside of the afternoon came when Ainsley was standing next to me watching another of the bands perform when she broke into song herself. She had heard the song early that day before we came to pick them up for the trip...she was singing, "Bye, bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry..." Her rendition was really very good, even if it was out of context from the band performing. She was singing it again as we left Wendy's after dinner. She said, "This is my favorite song today." Was so glad we got to share in it.

OH!! When I told the girls we needed to be still for a few minutes while I read the map so we wouldn't get lost. Lindsey said, "You mean like Grandpa did on the way to MT?" Laugh!!!!! Oh my goodness. Didn't think they would remember that but I guess Grandpa now has a legacy, at least two of his grandchildren will never forget.

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Thanks Be To God!!!

Women Who Influenced Who I Am

"The Lady from Dublin"
Sketched by Wiliam Breault, S.J.

Though I can give most of the credit for this to my mother, The Aunts, and Pat, for who I am. I realized that I have overlooked a few who had a relevant impact on my life. I have not reflected of late on the religious women who also shaped who I am. It has only come to mind when I read a response on Catherine McAuley, who founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin on Sister Julie's blog.

My life has been visited by women in the religious life through the Sisters of St. Joseph, who taught me in 1st and 2nd grade at St. Mary's School. Then, the Sisters of Loretto for my religious education there after. But the greatest impact has come from two communities. The Sisters of Providence, in the person Sr. Dorothy Rasche whose ministry has been to the poor and those in prison. She has been a model of perseverance and quiet listening with a touch of gentle persistence.

The other community is the Sisters of Mercy. For three years of my life they taught, nurtured, and gave example to me. The school of nursing was place where the purpose, first of all, was to teach the students to care for the sick and dying. But in that education, you became immersed in the work of Christ. No one says to you "You are doing Christ's work." It is understood. Compassion, sensitivity, and love are the focus of the education. The skill could be learned. But for many of us the others had to be acquired. The innate value of human life was stressed above all. "God made us, we have value."

And so it is that I'd would personally like to thank Sr. Julie. Because of her Blog "A Nun's Life" (see The Blarney Corner) that I have been called to reflect on the wealth I have gained by these women who have touched my life.

I must also share with you a short story about how I came to find the book about Catherine McAuley's life. While on retreat at St. Meinrad last February I went into a small library on our floor and found the book The Lady from Dublin by William Breault, S.J. Knowing I could not have time to read it there I was able to find it on, yes, Amazon.com. It's a short biography of her life and sthe trip the author takes in Dublin tracing her history. His sketches are also grand. Let me know if you wish to borrow it. Catherine was a grand lady.

Share, if you would, stories of women who have had an impact on your life as you grew and matured.

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For all the Ladies in my life I say,
Thanks be to God!!!

Peace in the Family

Caught this picture before I left for work on Friday morning. Thought it was funny because I never see Sam and Duchess together much less in the same room. Funny, too, because when I'm gone all day long, they just might be spending more time together than I think they do. They must not like each other, you know, the cat-and-dog thing. Well, here they are and there is peace in the family.

Wow! I'm grateful for family. It is my ever present treasure. That gift from God that keeps me connected to Him. Yep! Reflecting on all in the family and the differences He has brought to this "community" by their membership in it, I can only be grateful endlessly for these blessings.

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Thanks BE to GOD!!!

It's That Time of the Year...

IT'S FALL! And...


For the first time in YEARS Ron and I went to a Marching Band Invitational. My how times have changed. The last time we were at a marching band event was when Wes was a sophomore in high school. I guess that would be in 1989? It was a lot of work then...but, my, it seems with the addition of sound systems, et. al. the work is multiplied.

I must tell you that I was in awe of the talent and skill of those who marched. I was struck, too, by the dedication of those who planned, choreographed, and worked (maybe "toiled" is a better word) so that the performances were presented with beauty and grace. I personally know from working with the North Knox band that this is not an easy task and though it all appears to work out front, without those behind the scenes, mainly family and friends, it just won't work. And to think that this is not the work of a few weeks, but the work of all for the entire year! For as one year ends, plans for next year have already begun. Whew!!!

I think Psalm 98 speaks to this. It is clear that there is value in "Sing[ing] a new song to the Lord" and each time, whether we are aware of it of not, we should be glad of the opportunities to witness His work again in all things. Yesterday I was able to see it and today I can rejoice in the memory.

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth,
break into song, sing praise.
Sing praise to the Lord with the harp;
with the harp and melodious song,
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
shout with joy to the King, the Lord.
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell there.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with joy,
Before the Lord who comes...

Psalm 98:3-8

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Thanks be to God!!

One Simple Offering...

From A Catholic Woman's Book of Days, by Amy Welborn.

"Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh."
~Luke 6:21~
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Those images will never leave us. We sat, stunned in front of our televisions, seeing the unthinkable happen over and over again in the footage replayed and the images were seared into our souls.

One plane, then another. Still more. Buildings in flames, then, unbelievably, collapsing. A hell of flames and choking dust and debris. Worst of all, bodies falling. Our imaginations not allowing us to stop picturing the mothers clutching their babies, teachers holding fast to their young students; nor could we stop hearing the brave calls home with last words of love.

To believe that one day all this weeping could ever be overwhelmed by joy would require answering a radical and some might say bizarre, promise.

Jesus knows the weeping. And nevertheless, he promises.

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Lord, today we pray for all victims of violence over the past year. We pray for peace.

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Thanks be to God.

As luck would have it...

Friday noc as we were traveling to INDY my Camry stopped running. Yep, on I-70 at 9:00 p.m. with a puff of smoke and a head of steam we came to a stop along the side of the highway. I have to boast a little about our insurance company, USAA. They were right on top of it. We had a tow truck there in about 45 minutes and Wes picked us up at Ron's (AAA-rated) Repair shop. Of course, the shop was not open on Saturday so we rented a car to get home. It's not my Camry, but it did get us home.

Well, Ron spoke to someone at Ron's and he told Ron that the water pump went our and so the engine had to be replaced. So, the Camry is getting a new engine and I am going to have to do some savings adjustments as we will be dipping into our "Ireland Trip" fund to pay for it. But, the good news is that the engine comes with a 100,000 miles warranty. We have gotten such good results from the shops we have had USAA refer us to that I feel certain that this one is no different. I'd like to say we were in good hands with USAA.

GOD is GOOD...all the time. And you can call it the "luck of the Irish" if you like.

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Thanks be to God!!!

The Finished Product

It is beautiful. Do you remember how awful it looked in the beginning? Well, here it is all done. Ron has worked diligently with the help of Roy to make the room look so lovely. Thanks to Laura. We had the pictures hung with her eye for structure and continuity. Today though Ron and Roy are putting in the treads for the stairs. This is much more precise then I thought it would be and of course, unlike yesterday when the weather temperature was glorious, it is hotter than Hades here today...I am so grateful for all that Ron has done. He not only removed all the wallpaper, but also painted the walls and ceiling as well. He was the one that put up all the new baseboards and moldings around all the doors...all the way down the hall. And the fruits of his labors are so beautiful. Please note all the pictures are not yet on the piano. That will require some arranging on my part.

Thanks be to God!!