tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82141432402640329512024-03-13T21:09:44.770-04:00Made for HeavenJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-23989370447390128542019-01-24T22:01:00.000-05:002019-01-24T22:01:36.434-05:00March for Life 2019<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday, New York governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill legalizing abortion up to birth.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This past weekend was the March for Life in Washington D.C. Hundreds of thousands were in attendance, but the only media coverage was due to a situation that developed after the actual march. A group of Catholic school students who attended were waiting by the Lincoln Memorial when they were harassed extensively by one group and then approached by a second group. The resulting "confrontation" was recorded and photographed by many. The initial headlines led to much anger and hostility and even threats toward the students. A thorough viewing of the videos confirms that the students did nothing wrong. Some of those who rushed to judgment apologized. Many did not.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">As in so many media firestorms in recent years, the truth no longer seems to matter.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Several years ago, I wrote about the horrors of abortion. Nothing about the horrors has changed. The truth of abortion remains the same. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Abortion is the deliberate, unjustified killing of a human child. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The only reason this is legal is the <i>location</i> of the child---the womb of his mother. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">How can this be? How can it be logical that, in one building, doctors endeavor to save the life of a baby born at 26 weeks while in a nearby building, another "doctor" is busy deliberately killing a 32 week enwombed baby? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Why not simply deliver the baby? What have we become?</span></span><br />
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<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-43538987143266440832014-05-22T20:52:00.000-04:002014-05-22T20:52:01.413-04:00Cloudy with a chance of rainI see that I have done it again.<br />
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I have avoided writing for almost a year.<br />
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In many ways, not much has happened...which for us means no one died and we didn't have a baby. <br />
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For me, though, it was a year of shadows, little wisps of thoughts and memories drawing me inward. <br />
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First, and most obviously, this was Joshua's third year. He sometimes looks so much like Gabriel and he is the same size. There are times when I hold him close, close my eyes, and try to remember holding Gabriel. I rub his back, run my fingers through his hair, and kiss the soft neck. Then I tell him what a lucky mommy I am to have such a sweet boy as him. Sometimes I take his hand and place it over my heart and tell him slowly that mommy loves her Joshua. I am so grateful for him and for all the children. <br />
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This year we celebrated Nathaniel's Confirmation and Cecilia's First Communion. I was ever aware of the fact that because Gabriel was between them, he had missed both sacraments. It is, of course, true that he has risen above both and is in heaven. That knowledge only softens the glaring truth of his absence. <br />
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The First Communion was particularly difficult. Gabriel was older than Cecilia. This was the first event of Cecilia's that we had missed for Gabriel. As choir members, Brianna, Nathan, and I were at both services. For this I was thankful. It gave me a chance at the first one to shake off some of the poignant thoughts that had been haunting me so I could better enjoy Cecilia's. <br />
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It was beautiful.<br />
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She was beautiful. <br />
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The absence of Gabriel and my parents (her Godparents) made the day bittersweet. At her brothers' and sister's First Communion, Nana had really enjoyed helping them get ready. She had made a slip to go under the dress and add volume. She gave me my veil so my daughters could wear it. Brianna's curls in her picture? Yep. That was Nana. I could always count on her to help me make it just right.<br />
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I really missed having her here. We had a little sewing emergency that she could have taken care of very easily. Fortunately, a homeschool friend is very good and was able to help us. Thank you, Carrie.<br />
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It is so easy to get swept away by thoughts of what it would be like if they were still with us and to get bogged down by the shadows of what might have been. It has become second nature to mask the sadness that bubbles perpetually beneath the surface. <br />
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Our lives have moved on from all the tragedy and trauma. Still, in the midst of sunshine, it always seems cloudy.<br />
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Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-60205488004908796792013-06-18T19:49:00.000-04:002013-06-18T19:49:42.806-04:00Mommy, I want a horse cakeNevermind that we have a puppy cake pan, a heart cake pan, a castle cake pan, a bunny cake pan....<br />
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I had a request for a horse cake from my dear little Cecilia for her seventh birthday (which she would share with her little brother since his is 2 days earlier).<br />
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A quick google search for ideas included many odd looking horse heads, some cakes made with specially molded horse pans, and some rectangle cakes featuring a horse in a field of some sort.<br />
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I decided to ask which she preferred. She looked at the various pictures and declared that she wanted a horse in a field...with a LAKE.<br />
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So I thought and brainstormed...and brainstormed some more.<br />
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I know! She'd be getting a cowboy and his cow-family and a bunch of horses for her doll-city. I could figure out a way to put one or more on the cake!<br />
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I made a large, but thin cake. You cake people know what this is called--quarter sheet? I also made the heart cake...which I cut up for hills.<br />
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We frosted and sprinkled and sprinkled and sprinkled.<br />
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Then we set up the table and began placement of gifts. Cecilia was whisked away for this part.<br />
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Success is a HAPPY birthday girl!!<br />
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They had a great time doing this. Maybe other moms whose dear daughters ask for a horse cake can benefit from our brainicanes.<br />
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Happy birthdays to all.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-27010962662052697262013-04-16T23:17:00.001-04:002013-04-16T23:22:14.401-04:00Like Sheep Led to the Slaughter"Products of conception" <br />
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That is the phrase used by some literature to de-humanize a new unborn human. For the record, you and I are both products of conception as well.<br />
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These are products of conception. They are quite obviously human. The first picture is toward the end of the first trimester--probably 10-12 weeks. The abortion procedures literally TEAR these babies apart. They do not magically die at the start of the abortion so that all the "dr" has to do is remove them. In the "suction" procedure used in the first four months, the baby is suctioned (like a vacuum) out. Since the baby is usually larger than the instrument-at four months he is about the size of an avocado-- he is necessarily ripped apart. The abortion shown on ultrasound in "The Silent Scream" was a suction abortion. The baby clearly thrashes about trying, unsuccessfully, to escape the instrument. To suggest that he does not feel his slaughter is insanity.<br />
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Once the baby is too large for the "suction" abortion, a "dilation and evacuation" is done. In this procedure, "contents of the uterus are scraped and suctioned out and larger pieces are removed with forceps." What this means is that the baby (yes, the baby is the "larger pieces") is tugged apart with forceps---limb from limb. That the yanking apart of a baby is considered good health care is one of the most sickening things I know. God help us. God have mercy on us. I think Sodom has nothing on us.<br />
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If the baby is approaching the third trimester or in the third trimester (viable by the way), he is too large to be pulled apart and removed piece-meal. At this point, the cervix must be dilated. The "dr" uses forceps to grasp the legs of the baby to deliver him most of the way. Then, with his body born but his head in the birth canal, the "dr" makes an incision at the base of the skull and inserts an instrument to suction out his brain, collapsing the skull and making his head easier to remove.<br />
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Yes, the baby, is literally inches from BIRTH, at which point he would have graduated from legally killable blob to legally protected patient/person.<br />
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All of this, unbelievably, is completely legal.<br />
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So, what did Kermit Gosnell do wrong if this is legal? How is what he did to babies who had successfully emerged<i> alive</i> any different from doing it while their heads are still in the birth canal???? Is the argument really that he is guilty of being a really inept abortionist so he had to kill them after delivery?? Those few inches mean the difference between "woman's body" and baby's murder???<br />
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Gosnell's staff are now on record describing how the babies would often be delivered alive and then killed. I will not here write about his crimes. You can begin learning about them here: http://www.lifenews.com/2013/04/12/all-american-horror-story-top-10-kermit-gosnell-trial-revelations/<br />
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These procedures are, to any honest person, nothing short of murderous slaughter of innocents.<br />
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This is too important to shrug and re-plant our heads in the sand. Millions have been brutally slaughtered.<br />
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This final photo is a baby who is also undergoing a procedure. Because his mother wants him, the procedure is to help, not murder, him.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you are pro-choice, please at least know what it is you champion</span>.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-19666561442415392432013-04-12T22:06:00.001-04:002013-04-12T22:06:45.908-04:00The Silence of the LambsI remember the physical pain of my first miscarriage. <br />
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I had never been pregnant before and we did not even know I was pregnant. We were flying up to Michigan and the pain, particularly in flight, was nearly unbearable. A doctor in Michigan ordered the tests and confirmed both the pregnancy and the miscarriage at the same time. I was probably only six weeks along (four gestational weeks). <br />
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I can remember feeling emotionally numb about it. I didn't feel pregnant. I didn't feel like a mom. Those thoughts didn't even occur to me. I only felt a lot of pain.<br />
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I had three children before I had another miscarriage. This time, I was an experienced mom. As soon as we had a positive test, we were excited. The hcg tests were good. It was at the early ultrasound to determine gestational age that we found out we actually had a blighted ovum. I was so saddened by the news. Four months later, we were pregnant with Gabriel.<br />
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The friends I have who have miscarried all felt a great loss. It was not a tumor or blob whose heart had stopped. They had lost their children. The loss of pre-born children is barely recognized in our society. It is a mostly silent loss, leaving the parents feeling lonely and helpless. They suffer the agony of unrealized hopes and dreams.<br />
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My heart breaks for all the young mothers out there who have been sold an evil, terrible, devious lie. They have been told that the precious life growing inside their wombs is little more than an inconvenient tumor. They are presented with a relatively easy "solution" for their unfortunate condition. The truth is deliberately withheld. Abortion proponents have resisted legislation which would require waiting periods, informed consent, parental consent, ultrasounds, etc. It is well known that the majority of women planning abortion change their minds after seeing the "blob" (baby) on an ultrasound.<br />
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Safe? Legal? Rare? That they don't want women to know the truth of abortion says otherwise.<br />
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How many women, believing the lie, have consented to having the "products of pregnancy" removed only to find out weeks or months (years?) later the truth of abortion? How many women see pro-life or abortion literature and, realizing that the "product" that was so unceremoniously suctioned out was, in fact, a small but fully formed baby complete with fingers and toes, experience profound traumatic shock?<br />
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I know many pro-life people who would scoff at that. They would hasten to condemn the women. It is true that many women know exactly what they are doing. Still, there are those who do not. The scars from such a trauma must be agony. These are women who not only suffered loss, but are burdened with the guilt of having unwittingly "chosen" the killing of their children. If grief from miscarriage is silent and lonely, how much more terrible must their grief laden with guilt be?<br />
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We <i><b>must</b></i> pray for an end to this evil that has penetrated, no, infected our society.<br />
<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-52609343256561461552013-03-11T14:59:00.002-04:002013-03-11T15:00:47.869-04:00My Sweet Boy<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For my soul has been freed from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. Ps 116:8</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Mt 19:14</span></span><br />
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Our lives are but a single breath, </div>
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we flower and we fade, </div>
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yet all our days are in your hands, </div>
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so we return in love what love has made. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">---"Eye has not seen"</span></div>
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Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-43877851413388642932013-03-06T17:07:00.001-05:002013-03-06T17:07:30.337-05:00Seven yearsTomorrow is March seventh. Seven years ago my precious gift went home to his Father.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbnbacof49xAV4OX7tvVNVzIiqNHwUOjrbg2qxeFM56ijWclprJa5i4YyaiOQTtRKDijuMLuzBN5EQRvVgJEBHNYWlPUXG-MDdp3SjgURg5AwS2BUUKxJ9o-EofK478b930j7NKHPtpk/s1600/Jesus+and+Gabriel+in+heaven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbnbacof49xAV4OX7tvVNVzIiqNHwUOjrbg2qxeFM56ijWclprJa5i4YyaiOQTtRKDijuMLuzBN5EQRvVgJEBHNYWlPUXG-MDdp3SjgURg5AwS2BUUKxJ9o-EofK478b930j7NKHPtpk/s320/Jesus+and+Gabriel+in+heaven.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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I'm not sure time heals<b><i> all</i></b> wounds. Sure, time allows for the erecting of a wall to cushion the pain. What was, at first, agonizing and gut-wrenching turns into chronic burning with occasional stinging before becoming the ever-present dull ache.<br />
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One can certainly go about every day life with the dull ache, and we have. Since Gabriel's death, much has happened. His sister was born three months later. Another sister was born almost three years later followed by a brother two years after that. <br />
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We've had several losses as well. Both of my grandmothers, an aunt, and both of my parents died during those seven years. <br />
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Parenting and teaching the children is a full-time blessing. Still, from time to time I allow myself to revisit the other side of the wall. I struggle to picture Gabriel with us at the park, playing and wrestling with his brothers and sisters. I feel the sting of his absence during the holidays. At the beginning of Lent, I can picture clearly his last Ash Wednesday Mass during which he played a tiny six inch guitar during all the songs.<br />
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I remember. <br />
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Vividly.<br />
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He felt so perfect in my arms. With his head resting on my left shoulder, I'd kiss his soft neck and hold him close.<br />
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I don't know when, but I'll hold him again. Happy re-birth day, sweet son.<br />
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<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-66577601454693672472012-11-14T12:21:00.000-05:002012-11-14T12:21:24.931-05:00So close, and yet so far away...At Mass last week, I was sitting with Joshua in the chapel which doubles as a cry room. He had a low fever and was teething. It had been a long night. As usual, he nursed to sleep and then turned his sleeping face upward. <br />
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My goodness, he was stunning. Low grade fevers give little children a soft rosiness to their cheeks. His lips were rosy as well. His blonde wispy bangs were feathered across his forehead. He was a near perfect image of his big brother, Gabriel. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gabriel sleeping</td></tr>
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I just gazed upon him, drinking in his precious face and remembering holding a similar face so close six years ago. It took my breath away. The last time I held Gabriel he was lifeless and pale. This boy in my arms was warm and full of life.<br />
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I wasn't alone in my observation. A friend and fellow parishioner who has known us long enough to know Gabriel saw me carry Joshua up to receive the Eucharist. The look on her face as she gestured toward Joshua told me she noticed the resemblance. That someone else noticed warmed my heart.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua in May</td></tr>
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Long after you lose a child and the painful sting of the trauma has subsided, the scarred hole in your life remains. Worried that they will upset you, family and friends avoid mention of your child. <br />
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Though they mean well, this avoidance only causes further sadness. <br />
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It is a rare and joyful treasure to speak of the child that died or to see that he is remembered.<br />
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We sometimes forget that only the body dies. The soul lives on. Gabriel's body died that day. His soul did not die. Gabriel lives. <br />
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That Joshua is so like him is, at times, bittersweet, but what a gift. He is up to all of Gabriel's old tricks like banging away on the computer keyboard, getting into cabinets, and pulling tapes off the shelf. He even talks like Gabriel. He is his brother's brother. <br />
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It'll be Gabriel's birthday next week. He would be a big beautiful blonde nine year old boy. <br />
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Instead, he is a saint. I am honored to be his mommy.<br />
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<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-5842538182026469252012-10-26T11:30:00.001-04:002012-10-26T11:30:45.505-04:00For Greater GloryWe just watched "For Greater Glory" about the persecution of Catholics in Mexico in the 1920's.<br />
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Throughout the film, several holy deaths are portrayed. <br />
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To me, the portrayal of young Jose was very inspiring. Jose was a young boy who, having witnessed the execution of his priest, decided to join the Cristeros. He was later captured by the government and tortured. At his death, he again repeated, "Viva Cristo Rey!" <br />
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I hope my faith is that strong.<br />
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http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=7826<br />
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Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-33329009737188814232012-08-17T19:39:00.003-04:002019-01-24T22:39:24.652-05:00Embracing Your CrossAll Christians are familiar with and occasionally mention this Biblical quote, "Take up your cross."<br />
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Here is the full quote from Jesus (Luke 9: 23-24):<br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>And he said to all, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it."</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: black;">What does this mean? We say it. We should know what it means.</span><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">It is not simply a matter of fatalistic suffering.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">The cross is an instrument of immense suffering resulting in death. To take up our crosses daily is to die, daily, to our very selves. It is to accept pain, suffering, and death to be as much a part of God's plan for our salvation as comfort, peace, and life.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">We humans think everything should be rosy. We think that "goodness" and "suffering" are mutually exclusive. "If it feels good, do it," is our motto. "Pursuit of happiness" is our sacrament.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">It is natural for us to feel this way. We were created, ultimately, for heaven. Our hearts long for their heavenly home which is perfect. In fact, even our earthly home was, originally, a beautiful garden. To accept pain and death seems unnatural. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><i>So what happened?</i></span> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">Through the sin of our first parents, suffering and death entered humanity (Gen 3: 17-19; Rom 5:12). </span></span></span><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">We are fallen. This must have shocked God, who created us to enjoy perfect love in heaven. How was He to allow us, fallen and sinful, into heaven, where nothing unclean can enter? That darned Eve ruined everything...</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: white;">John 3:16</span></span></span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: "georgia";"> <i>For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: black;">This is, perhaps, the most well known verse in Scripture. God's plan, known to Him from the very beginning, included His incarnation, torture, and death. Through the greatest evil, Deicide, God brings forth our greatest good, salvation. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: black;">This wasn't a simple legal transaction. Christ was not simply our scapegoat, taking on our iniquities before execution. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: black;">Jesus demonstrated, for us, perfect love and humble obedience. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: black;">The sin of Adam and Eve was not a result of God's bias against apples. They gave in to pride and disobedience. They bought the lies of the adversary and put their will before God's will. They disobeyed the one simple rule God gave them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia";">In stark contrast, Jesus was <span style="color: #a64d79;"><i style="color: #c27ba0;">"obedient unto death, even death on a cross.</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #a64d79;"><i style="color: #c27ba0;"><span style="font-family: "georgia";">" Phil 2:8</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: black;">This was no simple instruction like you can eat anything except<i> that </i>fruit. This was the ultimate act of obedience and love. God's plan was brutal torture and death. Jesus even prayed,<i><span style="color: #c27ba0;"> <span style="color: #a64d79;">"</span></span></i></span></span><span style="color: #a64d79;"><i><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: "georgia";">My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, <b>not as I will, but as thou wilt</b>." Mt 26:39</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: black;">Jesus humbly accepted the will of the Father. We <b>must </b>do the same. We must trust that God's plan is perfect. We must trust when He promises, "All things work for good for those who love God."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: black;">We must embrace our crosses, humbly accepting God's plan in our lives.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia";">Rejoice</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: black;">In Col 1:24 Paul states, </span></span> <span style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>"Now I rejoice in my suffering for your sake, and in
my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the
sake of His body, that is, the Church...."</i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="color: black;">We can join our sufferings and pains to Christ's infinite sacrifice on the cross. Through Christ, they become redemptive. For this, we can rejoice.</span></span><br />
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Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-80607942834673137712012-08-13T13:33:00.000-04:002012-08-13T14:49:11.191-04:00GOOD Grief -- Part OneI have decided to tackle a most important topic. I might take several posts to say all I want to say about it. The information available to people in the midst of it is limited to countless sources all saying the same thing.<br />
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In our society, death is both pursued for the greater good (euthanasia and abortion) and avoided like the plague. Death has become something we think we can control. It has become very clinical. At the same time, society has moved away from healthy spirituality.<br />
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The fact is, we can turn off machines (or on as the case may be), but we still do not control death. Reports of near death experiences that defy simple explanation should give pause to those who deny life after death. It is a great irony that an event that can cause the greatest turmoil is treated as no big deal. We see death all the time in movies and television. It is generally treated as inconsequential (unless the movie has grief as a theme). Yet, when confronted personally and individually with death, we find that it is of enormous consequence. The self help books offer little comfort.<br />
<br />
Having been there several times under various circumstances, I would like to offer an alternative view. The topic about which I am writing is grief - specifically grief following the death of a loved one.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Grief</i></span></div>
<br />
It is mysterious.<br />
<br />
It is lonely.<br />
<br />
It is inevitable. <br />
<br />
Almost all people will have cause to grieve at some point in their lives. It is one of the most profound, yet misunderstood processes in all of humanity. It is not a simple matter of sadness, even substantial sadness. Grief effects the griever on all fronts and in ways not evident even to the griever.<br />
<br />
<br />
To the griever,<br />
<br />
Take care of yourself. Your life, as you knew it, has ended. By the time you emerge from grief, you will find that you are a different person. This is not to be taken lightly. Be gentle with yourself. Seek spiritual guidance. This is important because death is our first real encounter with non-earthly life. Until we experience the death of a loved one, death is not really real to us. Now we must face it and all it means. Without theologically sound spiritual guidance we can be left confused and empty.<br />
<br />
People will try to help you. Let them. It is a work of mercy and is good for their soul to help you. Tell them what you need and let them do it. It is good for your soul as well.<br />
<br />
People will sometimes say the wrong thing. Please realize that they are hopelessly ignorant and cannot help themselves. They do not know what to say so they are relying on things they've heard or read. They genuinely want to comfort you, but genuinely have no idea what they are doing. Don't let it eat at you that they are clueless. Unless and until people allow death back in to the conversation, the ignorance will persist.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #a64d79;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>GOOD Grief?</i></span></div>
<br />
How can something so very terrible be good?<br />
<br />
The night before I buried by beautiful little boy, I could not sleep. Dale and I had left home and traveled to Alabama where Gabriel was to be buried in the family plot. We were staying at my uncle's house. It was the middle of the night and I didn't want to wake Dale, so I went and sat in the bathroom for a few minutes to think.<br />
<br />
And think.<br />
<br />
And think.<br />
<br />
After some time I decided that God wouldn't leave us out in the cold on this. He talks about everything else at great length in the Bible. Surely He would advise people on death and grief.<br />
<br />
I wandered around in the dark in a strange house looking for a Bible until I found one.<br />
<br />
Then I started to search. I was right. God says a lot to us through the Bible.<br />
<br />
In 1 Samuel 12 we find the story of King David losing his baby: <br />
<br />
<div style="color: #674ea7;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">
<i>And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it
became sick. David therefore besought God for the child; and David
fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the ground. And the elders
of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground; but he
would not, nor did he eat food with them. On the seventh day the
child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child
was dead; for they said, "Behold, while the child was yet alive, we
spoke to him, and he did not listen to us; how then can we say to him
the child is dead? He may do himself some harm." But when David saw
that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the
child was dead; and David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?"
They said, "He is dead." Then David arose from the earth, and washed,
and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the
house of the LORD, and worshipped; he then went to his own house; and
when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. Then his
servants said to him, "What is this thing that you have done? You fasted
and wept for the child while it was alive; but when the child died, you
arose and ate food." He said, "While the child was still alive, I
fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows whether the LORD will be
gracious to me, that the child may live?' But now he is dead; why
should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he
will not return to me."
</i></span></div>
<br />
This line in 1 Thess. 4 remains with me: <span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Georgia;"> <i style="color: #674ea7;">But we would not have you ignorant, brethren,
concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do
who have no hope.</i></span><br />
<br />
Jesus then blessed me: <i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Blessed are those who mourn, they shall be comforted.</span> </i> Mt 5.<br />
<br />
Wow. I could stop right there. As one who mourns, I am blessed. Still, I have to remember to "not grieve as the unbelievers who have no hope."<br />
<br />
We have hope. What does that mean?<br />
<br />
I know that Gabriel is where he was created to be and where I yearn to be. If this is so, and I truly believe it, is this not cause for joy, in spite of and in the midst of my grief?<br />
<br />
<br />
Next: <span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #7f6000;">Embracing Your Cross</span></i></span><br />
<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-48118257640711566572012-07-30T11:38:00.000-04:002012-07-30T11:38:18.038-04:00Our children are not our ownIt was a beautiful day. A new friend and co-worker of Dale's had invited us over for swimming and burgers. After we arrived, I took a few minutes to get the little ones ready to swim. They had not really been swimming in Maryland, so this was new to them--and having little people in a pool was new to me.<br />
<br />
Dale was blowing up the "wings" for the boys to wear and Brianna was waiting in the kitchen. I (five months pregnant) decided to make one last bathroom visit before getting wet. I headed for the bathroom, then, for no obvious reason, turned back toward the kitchen and pool.<br />
<br />
I turned back just in time to see that Brianna had gone ahead of us out the sliding door and was trying to climb on the large, inflatable killer whale in the pool. She hadn't been swimming before and didn't realize the danger of climbing on such a toy mid-pool. She, as the oldest, was sure of herself and had no reason to think that she shouldn't try out this nifty toy.<br />
<br />
The bathroom had to wait. (obviously)<br />
<br />
Much coughing and sputtering ensued. <br />
<br />
This was the first of many pool incidents that would happen in the following years, almost all of which occurred with parents near or in the pool...and almost all of which only resulted in much coughing and sputtering. Had I not turned back, this incident would have had an entirely different ending.<br />
<br />
That same summer, in the community pool where we were renting, I was playing around with Nathan (three years old at the time). I was still pregnant. Dale was getting the others ready. We were in the shallow end with Nathan holding the edge. I turned to retrieve a toy from the bottom-which only takes seconds. When I turned back around, Nathan was already a few feet from the edge and was standing on the bottom -- with his head almost completely submerged. He wasn't splashing or fighting or panicking in any way. He just stood there.<br />
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<br />
Two years later, with everyone swimming in the pool except me (inside making dinner), but including Dale, Gabriel (now almost 2) fell in the deep end. Nathan saw and alerted Dale. Gabriel was just below the surface, face up, with his hands shaking above the surface. Dale screamed his name, alerting me. I ran out and grabbed him from Dale. We sat for about ten minutes letting him cough up what seemed like cups of water into a towel. Then, because I had recently read about secondary drowning, we took him to the ER to get checked out. <br />
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<br />
This incident scared him enough that he stayed away from the pool. Unfortunately, the pool runs about 2/3 the length of the house and is only about 2 1/2 feet from the house, leaving little room to go by.<br />
<br />
As you know, just a short six months later, Gabriel drowned. No one had been swimming. People had been going in and out the back door grilling burgers and playing. Everyone came in to eat. Everyone except Gabriel. The details of that evening will be forever etched in my memory.<br />
<br />
At the wake, I noticed a bruise on his forehead and bridge of his nose. I was puzzled until I remembered seeing a 2 foot or so length of 2x4 floating in the pool. We figure that he saw us go in, followed, tripped, hit his head on the wood he was holding, and fell in. He was scared of the pool.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Life, though strong, is fragile</span></i></div>
<br />
Just like that, in an instant, life as we knew it died. It died with my precious son. Happy family of six became bereaved family of five. To be hit by a truck would not have been more shocking. As a science-minded individual, I was intrigued by the way that such a mental/psychological trauma can manifest physically. We found that we could not eat, and were not hungry. Sleep became nearly impossible, but we were getting a little by the end of the week. Hunger returned by the weekend.<br />
<br />
I was six months pregnant with our fifth when Gabriel died. The first four had all been over 7 pounds with Gabriel being over eight. Three months later, tiny 6 pound Cecilia was born. She wasn't early, just skinny. Even though our diet had gotten back to normal, she suffered in the womb from our grief.<br />
<br />
Physical reactions to certain cues persisted rather strongly for a long time, then became more mild. Some have described this as PTSD. I don't know.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>God was there</b></span></i></div>
<br />
When a child dies, people always wonder, "How could God let this happen? Where was He?"<br />
<br />
God knows everything that has ever and will ever happen. It is all part of His plan. <br />
<br />
Every breath.<br />
<br />
Every heartbeat.<br />
<br />
He knew every bit of it even as He was forming Adam out of clay. He knew as He formed Gabriel in the womb that he would die March 7, 2006. <br />
<br />
In the years leading up to that moment, God had been preparing us, strengthening our faith, enriching our knowledge with His Word. As I struggled to revive my baby, I cried out to Him. As the emergency workers were working on Gabriel, scripture verses poured in to my mind, the most notable being, "Let this cup pass from me...not my will but Thine be done." This is not the thought of a mother whose child might already be dead. God was holding me close and whispering to me.<br />
<br />
God was carrying me into the spiritual deep end. He did not abandon me there, but showed me that He had already taught me to swim. What a wonderful Father He is. My spiritual brothers and sisters, the saints, now including my perfect son, were praying for me. With their help and God's grace I progressed very quickly from wound to scar. Of course, scars can hurt for life. This one does.<br />
<br />
Gabriel was God's child. He always was. The reading on the day he was baptized was from the first chapter of Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." In two short years, his earthly work was done. <br />
<br />
God had a few more things to say. The day Gabriel died, the reading for Mass was Isaiah 55: 10-11. This is a beautiful verse. The favorite song of the choir I was in was based on it. In it, God says, "For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not
return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and
fruitful, giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return
to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it." The passage, and the song, continue: "Yes, in joy you shall depart, in peace you shall be brought back; Mountains and hills shall break out in song before you."<br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">In Joy you shall depart </span></i></div>
<br />
This is how the song, "This is My Word" finishes :<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #674ea7;">
<i>And you will go out in Joy, and be led forth in peace</i></div>
<div style="color: #674ea7;">
<i>And the hills will break before you into song.</i></div>
<div style="color: #674ea7;">
<i>So be faithful brave and true, for I will go before you, </i></div>
<div style="color: #674ea7;">
<i>And when your earthly journey here is done, </i></div>
<div style="color: #674ea7;">
<i>I'll say, "Well done."</i></div>
<br />
The significance of this was not lost on me, in spite of my traumatic loss. I had the great and undeserved honor of being the mother of a saint. My precious son had eternally arrived. He is home.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Life continues</span></i></div>
<br />
What brought this all to mind this week? It's summer and we're swimming. So far, we've had a couple scares, both with people in the pool. Such is life with pools and little ones. They're learning the basics, but things still happen. The older children are getting a crash course in spotting trouble. They are learning that drowning is visually very calm and silent. There is no yelling or splashing. Unless you see it, you'll miss it and the child will die. <br />
<br />
Dale wanted to fill the pool with dirt after Gabriel drowned. I did as well. Still, with ponds and beaches and pools all around us, learning to swim may yet prove to be valuable. So we carry on.<br />
<br />
Life is fragile. We are not our own. Our children are not our own. We are God's. His plan is for our salvation. "All things work to good," Paul tells us. God already knows our "itinerary" for our "journey home." <br />
<br />
"Our hearts ache for home."<br />
-- Nicol Sponberg<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q58QOVAG6AQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q58QOVAG6AQ</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-16698998828355673542012-07-27T09:13:00.001-04:002012-07-27T09:17:00.378-04:00Kids say the darndest thingsI truly hope that every parent out there experiences joy on a daily basis. These little people with which God has gifted us can be an endless source of mirth.<br />
<br />
There have been countless examples over the years, but I'll just mention a few here.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #b45f06;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Pizzalms</span></i></div>
<br />
My oldest reads her Bible more often than many. One day, she was telling me about some verses. I asked what book she was reading.<br />
<br />
She responded, "Pizzalms."<br />
<br />
"Uh, WHAT?"<br />
<br />
"Pizzalms. The book Pizzalms."<br />
<br />
Then, it dawned on me. She was reading Psalms. I started laughing. Hard. Something about that just tickled my brain.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Birds don't wear panties</i></span></div>
<br />
That's probably self explanatory, right?<br />
<br />
Well, Cecilia (then 4) was running around the house naked. It was morning and she had not yet dressed for the day. I called out to her to put on some panties...several times...as she ran around naked. After several minutes she picked up two of those padded knee mats for gardening and waved one in each hand.<br />
<br />
"Look, mommy, I'm a bird!" she declared as she ran around flapping her arms...still naked.<br />
<br />
"Cecilia, go get some panties."<br />
<br />
*a minute later...<br />
<br />
"Cecilia, GO GET SOME PANTIES!"<br />
<br />
"Mommy, birds don't wear panties!"<br />
<br />
Can't argue with that logic.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: magenta;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Dizzy</span></i></div>
<br />
Running around naked (again-sensing a trend, no?). Cecilia (then three) was running around in circles until breathless.<br />
<br />
When she stopped, she held out her arms and wobbled a bit as she exclaimed, "Whew, I'm so dizzy."<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #e69138;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Can I cut up some mango?</span></i></div>
<br />
Just a few days ago, Nathan (12) came to me to ask if he could cut up some mango. It was almost dinner, so I took a few seconds to decide on an answer. He looked down at his nice white shirt, and, assuming I was delaying answering out of concern for his shirt, ripped it off.<br />
<br />
"NOW can I cut up some mango?"<br />
<br />
I couldn't help myself. I started to chuckle. I glanced over at Dale. He was laughing as well. To anyone watching, it looked as if our son had just stripped for mango.<br />
<br />
Then, puzzled and still waiting for an answer from his amused mom, he "rested" his hands on his head. His three year old sister began poking him in the hip, causing him to shimmy his hips around.<br />
<br />
Yep. He stripped off his shirt and was now shimmying his hips with his hands on his head.<br />
<br />
"WELL? CAN I?"<br />
<br />
Oh, dear. We were laughing so hard now. Tears were rolling. The poor child had no clue what was so dang funny.<br />
<br />
"Yes. YES! Please go cut up some mango."<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #a64d79;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>DANG!</i></span></div>
<br />
Last summer, my mother-in-law stayed with us for a few weeks to help while we awaited the arrival of baby Joshua. <br />
<br />
One night, she was bathing Cecilia and Bella. Cecilia was observing that her butt was bigger than Bella's butt. Grandma told her that was because Cecilia was older than Bella.<br />
<br />
Then Grandma told Cecilia how old<i> she</i> was. Cecilia glanced toward Grandma's backside and said, emphatically, "DANG!" <br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #b45f06;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Bubbles</i></span></div>
<br />
In our house, passing gas is called making bubbles. Somehow, it's less offensive when it is cute. Last year, Bella (then 2) had not yet figured out the difference between a "bubble" and a "poopoo" but she knew that big people did that in the potty.<br />
<br />
Grandma knew about "bubble" but not that Bella thought it meant poop. Soooo, when she and Bella were out and Grandma confided to little Bella that she had "bubbled," she was a little taken aback by the look of alarm and dismay on Bella's face.<br />
<br />
We got a good laugh later when we explained to Grandma that Bella thought that she had pooped in her pants.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I could go on and on and on. What all these stories have in common is that they are commonplace. These are not set up moments of hilarity. They are embedded in the fabric of life. You just have to notice them.<br />
<br />
And since we are made in His image I am sure of one thing.<br />
<br />
God Laughs.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-87454554676963365062012-07-17T10:18:00.002-04:002012-08-02T15:44:57.918-04:00Can you say "Hiatus?"Last post was almost 2 years ago. At that time, we found out we were expecting our seventh child. We had new preparations to consider--preparations that aren't necessary for just one or two children.<br />
<br />
We are the proud owners of a huge, white 15 passenger van! We drove up to the Atlanta area for a family wedding and had a fun time with my sister and her family while camping.<br />
<br />
From Thanksgiving until Easter, we enjoyed the company of my in-laws. They now spend half the year in upper Michigan and the other half just north of Orlando, visiting us frequently.<br />
<br />
As June approached (the month of baby's arrival) we made arrangements for Grandma to stay with us for a few weeks. Our plan was for her to arrive a couple days before the due date. Commence snickering.<br />
<br />
Most of my babies were induced a week late. The last two before this one were very punctual and arrived naturally on their due date. We decided to provide "Murphy" (law anyone?) with plenty of opportunities. The company picnic was scheduled on the due date---and was an hour away in the summer heat in Miami. We had a great time at the picnic, hoping the entire time that we'd have to make a hasty retreat due to labor. Murphy chuckled.<br />
<br />
We did other outings for the next 12 days--unsuccessfully.<br />
<br />
Finally, my OB reminded me that she'd be leaving the country for a week. She'd be leaving in two days -- which was my 2 week overdue mark. Panic! Let's just say that she hand delivered an invitation for him to come out. hehehe.<br />
<br />
He was born the next day! My OB got to attend her first home-birth. It was awesome!<br />
<br />
Fast forward a year. Joshua just turned one. He is a very well loved little boy. He adores his brothers and sisters, especially Brianna (15-little mommy) and Nathan (12 and loves playing with him).<br />
<br />
People always look shocked when they find out how large our family is. Other parents comment that they could never handle it. What they don't consider is that the hardest part is the first several years when there are two adults with several little people. Now, we are more like four adults with several little people. That makes a HUGE difference. <br />
<br />
I hope that the moms and dads out there love their children and experience joy and laughter with them every day.<br />
<br />
I know we do.<br />
<br />
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<br />Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-38527684805375907692010-09-10T09:14:00.002-04:002010-09-10T11:27:23.216-04:00Book of the week (or month)I am reading "The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life" by Fr. Charles Arminjon. This book was originally published in 1881 and reading it was considered by St. Therese to be "one of the greatest graces of my life."<br /><br />As I read through it, I will post things that really strike me.<br /><br />For instance, in the forward, Fr. Arminjon writes:<br /><br />"It has seemed to us that one of the saddest fruits of rationalism, the fatal error and great plague of our century, the pestilential source from which our revolutions and social disasters arise, is the absence of the sense of the supernatural and the profound neglect of the great truths of the future life. The earth is afflicted with a dreadful desolation, because the majority of men, fascinated by the lure of fleeting pleasures, and absorbed in their worldly interests and the care of their material affairs, no longer fix their thoughts on the principal considerations of the Faith, and stubbornly refuse to recollect within themselves...<br /><br />"The two causes of this terrifying indifference and profound universal lethargy are, obviously, ignorance and the unrestrained love of sensual pleasures that, by darkening the interior eye of the human soul, bring all its aspirations down to the narrow level of the present life...<br /><br />***This was published in 1881---wow.<br /><br /><br />In the first chapter, titled, "The Necessity of Judgment" he writes:<br /><br />"The materialistic, atheistic science of our century...persists in regarding the order and perfection of the universe merely as the result of chance. According to this false science, the present universe will always subsist, or, if it becomes progressively better, this will be solely through the effect of man's genius.<br /><br />"...<span style="font-weight: bold;">man, with the aid of science, will one day attain the pinnacle of his sovereignty. He will conquer time and space, make himself wings in order to propel himself toward the stars, and explore the wonders of the constellations</span>... Nature, completely subdued by his genius, will then open like the horn of plenty upon a new humanity, pouring forth the fullness of desirable goods.<br /><br />***emphasis mine. Humanity has now done this...<br /><br />Fr. believes such a worldview is folly. He thinks that, "Just as the world had its youth, so there will come a time when the world will have its twilight, when it will hasten toward its evening and decline."<br /><br />As Christians, we believe that when the world ends there will be a "new heavens and a new earth." While Scripture does not tell us the day or hour, it does provide some clues--"signs".<br /><br />Some of the signs are vague and have been occurring to a greater or lesser degree throughout history, like earthquakes, flooding, large storms, large fires, etc.<br /><br />However, there are some distinctive signs which are to precede the end of the world.<br /><br />"The first of the events foreshadowing the end of time is the one to which the Savior refers in Matthew 24:14, when He says, "This good news of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a witness to all the nations. Only after that will the end come." The second of these signs will be the appearance of the man of sin, the Antichrist. The third: the conversion of the Jewish people, who will adore the Lord Jesus and recognize Him as the promised Messiah. Until then, says St. Paul, "Let no man deceive you my any means...as if the day of the lord were at hand."<br /><br /><br /><br />The book then goes into these signs, judgment, and eschatology (last things).<br /><br />Looking at these signs, I realize that technology has now made the first two possible. Technology has also made possible some of the foretold acts of the Antichrist--like some sort of implanted "mark" that will be required to buy or sell goods.<br /><br /><br />So, what do we do? There was a time when I was younger that I would be filled with dread after reading these passages. Now I simply pray that I play the role God has given me to the best of my ability with the help of His grace. If we trust Him when He promised in Isaiah that "All things work to good for those who love the Lord," than we have nothing to fear.<br /><br />Jesus compared the "end of the world" to labor pains. They come on slowly, build up to a hard and fast (and painful) labor, and end in new life.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-55935261333874491732010-08-27T12:03:00.004-04:002010-08-27T12:59:26.288-04:00Times have changed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2g9c56gtHtCWwKs0xVOfgzbjiSozFBIq0GaSpSK4RR4u3svqRVnKgPZr0xJ5UQAbFB4GcPh3n7cUwNssG0yNSncmhXiWMOGXGzNNHVjlh2l466GcsnAVh_21QKZ8KE0kCFeTAgUSa6gk/s1600/camp+bridge.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 232px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2g9c56gtHtCWwKs0xVOfgzbjiSozFBIq0GaSpSK4RR4u3svqRVnKgPZr0xJ5UQAbFB4GcPh3n7cUwNssG0yNSncmhXiWMOGXGzNNHVjlh2l466GcsnAVh_21QKZ8KE0kCFeTAgUSa6gk/s320/camp+bridge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510133782107018290" border="0" /></a><br />When I was just eight years old, I went to Girl Scout camp for the first time. I was a little homesick and got eat up a bit by mosquitoes, but it was a generally good experience. I went a few more times in the following years and had a wonderful time. I learned so much there.<br /><br />During college I decided to go back to camp--this time as a camp counselor. Now, camp counseling is not a summer job one takes for the money. I think we were paid around $800 for the whole summer. Even then, that was mere pocket change.<br /><br />Being a camp counselor was one of the most adventurous, fantastic, and challenging things I've ever done. I absolutely loved my childhood camp, so I applied at the SE LA Girl Scout Council. That summer, I became "Ribbit". My specialties among the campers included canoe instruction, critter and plant identification, nature trail guide, and singing camp songs.<br /><br />At the start of my third summer the director decided it was time to blaze a trail through camp to the Tangipahoa River. So, for a week before the official start of camp, we counselors, armed with bushwhackers, machetes, saws, and axes, cleared a winding path. At one spot we even had to have the camp ranger cut a tree down to serve as a "bridge" across a small waterway. For the next few days as we completed the trail, we had to cross on that tree carrying all those tools and equipment. At the end of the week we emerged on the bank of the river and set up camp for the night. The following morning we tubed down the river before officially starting camp already very sunburned.<br /><br />The photo above is the crossing where we initially had a tree. The bridge there is relatively new. The camp is Camp Whispering Pines in SE Louisiana. It is a fantastic camp.<br /><br />This sounds like a miserable week, right? It was amazing. True, it was hard, blistering work, but the memories I have from that experience I will cherish forever. The sense of accomplishment was surpassed only by the spirit of adventure present. What an experience!<br /><br />There were many other things that we did at camp that I wouldn't trade for anything.<br /><br />That is why I am so disappointed that I cannot, in good conscience, send my own children to camp (or Girl Scouts).<br /><br />There was an innocence back then that I don't see in today's children. I see it in my own because we have worked to maintain it in our home.<br /><br />Movies, television, video games, music, etc. have all changed drastically. Shows that are PG or PG-13 now would have been R back then. Once we were watching Bambi with the children. I repeat, BAMBI (for heaven's sake). For the commercial break we were treated to a public service announcement featuring teens imploring their parents to talk to them about sex. During BAMBI!! Seriously??<br /><br />Viagra, Extends (sp?), diet aid commercials, ads for horror movies or shows---it's apparently all fair game at any time of day and during any programming.<br /><br />Let's just say that now my kids know what to do when we holler to look away while diving for the remote.<br /><br />I do have acquaintances and relatives who would shake their heads and condescendingly inform us that:<br /><br />1. The kids know about it already. No they don't. We homeschool and their experiences are censored. That's our job.<br /><br />2. They will find out about it eventually and if they learn now they won't be shocked later (presumably in college). Well, heck. Someone may introduce them to drugs later. Maybe I should inject just a smidge now. Someone may introduce cigarettes later so I should let them smoke one a day now. Someone may get them addicted to porn later so I should buy them each a pin-up now. I am certain they will get drunk in college so I should get them drunk occasionally now so they know what to expect!!!??? I could go on. The fact that Planned Parenthood addresses Girl Scout events is also rather disturbing IMHO.<br /><br />*HUMBLE OPINION ALERT*<br /><br />I believe that it is my job to foster the natural innocence in my children. It is also my job to inform them, at an appropriate age, of any potential "sins" they may encounter and to teach them that true friends do not encourage their friends to gravely sin. It is my job to instruct them on the nature of sin--its effects and consequences. I completely disagree that the probability of "sin exposure" necessitates "early sin education/experience".<br /><br />Give me a break. God save us from ourselves.Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8214143240264032951.post-56804394428665106422010-08-26T09:22:00.006-04:002010-08-26T10:08:47.275-04:00Painting the canvas<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I took a class on painting in college. The professor told us that sometimes we will have a hard time putting brush to canvas because it is so white. There might, at times, be a strong sense of "I don't want to mess it up." Her solution was to start any project by just painting the entire canvas whatever light color we wanted. Seeing an already painted canvas would be less, um, intimidating.<br /><br />This post is me painting my canvas. Several people have said they wished I had a blog. I thought, "Seriously? Who would ever want to read what I would write?"<br /><br />No matter. I'll just write what seems important at the time, hoping that God shows the way.<br /><br />On seeing this post my friends (and relatives) will probably think, "What? She has time to paint?"<br /><br />hahaha<br /><br />I haven't painted anything since that class, though the large "final" painting I did in that class is hung prominently over our front door. I really enjoyed painting. I'll pick it up again in the future...when there aren't several little people thrilled at the prospect of getting their little hands full of gooey paint and personalizing our house and furniture. We do have one piece of furniture which has been artfully decorated (scribbled upon) with a Sharpie. We will keep it as is. It is one of our few pieces of "art by Gabe."<br /><br />Who is Gabe? He is my fourth child. We had him for twenty seven months and loved every bit of it.<br /><br />Yesterday was the second anniversary of my mother's death. I remember thinking several years ago that I would always want her around to share life with. I would briefly contemplate that the time would come when she would be very old and frail and not enjoy the kids as much. Then she called one day in late 2006 with the news of a diagnosis. Those thoughts came immediately to mind and I convinced myself that all could still be well. Less than two years later and after much surgery and treatment, she died at a relatively young age. She'll never have to get old.<br /><br />I know that it is only her body that has died. I know that she is now far more alive than ever before and knows a joy we can't even fathom. That is our promise. Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those that love Him.<br /><br />I look around and see all that </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >has</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> entered into the heart of man. Mankind is brilliant, artistic, creative, and endlessly imaginative. God has made us so--in His image and likeness. We have come up with everything from Velcro to super duper crazy insane roller coasters to recliners, video cameras, Ripstiks, and sippy cups. Iron Chef shows that our culinary creativity sometimes crosses the line...fish ice cream?<br /><br />Yet God promises that we still have not conceived what He has prepared for us. Oh, how I wish my mom (or son or dad or sister....) could just send me a little note telling me just a fraction of what it's like.<br /><br />The darkest of our hours, the death of a loved one, is the most amazing and joyfully bright for the loved one. We are made for heaven.<br /></span><br /><br /></span></span>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13030281923404947935noreply@blogger.com0