All Souls Day

Today is the day we remember, as a people of God, those "who have gone before us with the sign of Peace". My reflection today came from A Catholic Woman's Book of Days by Amy Welborn.

But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here."
~Mark 16:6~

Today we remember, mourn and pray for the faithful departed. We're not the first to do this. A couple of thousand years ago, some women watched their friend and teacher die. They saw his lifeless body carried to a tomb and see the tomb sealed with a stone, separating them from their loved one forever.

Or so they thought until three days later when they found the tomb empty and heard these words: "do not be alarmed." The words came first from the angel, and then from the teacher himself--Jesus, no longer dead but alive. No longer gone but present. The call was clear: Be not afraid for death had been conquered and is no longer the end.

So today we remember, we mourn--because we are human-- and we pray. But we do so in hope no longer afraid.

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Loving God, my the souls of the faithfully departed rest in peace.

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And for this family of God I say,
Thanks be to God!

Angelus

The Angelus

When reading "A Nun's Life" this morning she introduced me to another blogging nun. Isn't it interesting that they are still teachers but many in this media now. I love it!!! Sr. Julie interviews Sr. Anne Flanagan, Daughter of St. Paul. Drop in for a visit. It is really interesting.

II send you this offering of the Angelus. It is really beautiful and easy to pray from Sr. Anne.

I hope you like it enough to share it with others. You all have a GREAT day.

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And for you all I say,
Thanks be to God!

A Vera Bradley Weekend

This is a tale of what can happens when one experiences a faux paux. This is the 2nd Annual Keller Girls Day Out. In other words, shopping and lunch. It all started last year when I wanted to have Kellie spend time with us "bigger" girls because she is older than her other cousins and younger than the rest of us. Last year we went to the art museum (culture), had lunch and shopped. This year we eliminated the culture and went right straight to the shopping.


And so, the Vera Bradley tale begins. We had been shopping for a while and some of us were thirsty. Marianne and Annie got fruit slushes we shared. While in one of the shop, Marianne, holding her Styrofoam cup by the bottom inadvertently pushed her fingers into the cup causing a small spill...most of which ended up in her purse. Off to the bathroom she and I went to see if there was anything to be salvaged. We cleaned off the pager and keys, and the wallet was okay. Not sure how much damage has been done to the cell phone, but the purse went into the trash.

As we were walking toward another shop Marianne spied a shop with purses in it. Well, she and I succumbed and we both bought Vera Bradley bags. Later that afternoon, we went the the Vera Bradley store at Metropolis, Plainfield, IN and Laura and Kellie both got their purses there. Cannot tell you how much fun it was, and to have an excuse (?) to purchase a Vera Bradley. Well, I guess Marianne is the only one who had an excuse, but the rest of us all had sympathy for her and had to help her feel better, right? Annie is the only one who came away unscathed as she already owns one.


Well, we did indeed have lunch. We were joined at Brinkleys by Dad, Wes and Eric. We had a wonderful lunch. And you have to know that even though they are only 3 and 4, Lindsey and Ainsley are seasoned shoppers. It was such great fun. Maybe next year the "Charlotte" Kelly can join us on this great adventure.

Oh, as an aside, there seem to be no duplications in the Vera Bradley patterns chosen so there will be no mix up at family gatherings. I understand Kelly Keller has chosen a red pattern.

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And so in gratitude for his great love for us all,
I say, "Thanks be to God!!!"

Life can get so complicated...

Yesterday one of the girls in the office was a party sponsored by her husband's employer. She was riding with Jason's boss on the four-wheeler and I'm still not clear as to what happened but somehow Sarah ended up with the four-wheeler on top of her. The boss was arrested for drunken endangerment and Sarah was life lined to INDY and IU med center. Sarah went to surgery today knowing that the prognosis for her recovering the use of her legs was poor. Her spirits were high I am told but Jason is not handling any of this very well. You see I forgot to tell you...They had just returned from their honeymoon in Hawaii last weekend and they have only been married for two weeks. Who could have known what turmoil their live could be sent into when we wittnessed their marriage. I ask everyone to pray for the entire family!!! There are so many emotions that one feels at a time like this. Only God can calm the sea, and bring them safely to shore.

And so,Sarah is in surgery even as I post this. Pray heartily!!!

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Thank you and Thanks be to God!