In remembering that I had not posted anything in some time, I started searching my brain for something to write about. After way too much thought and a lot of writer's block, I realized that I need more reflection time in my life. Apart from a hectic schedule, I fill a lot of my free time with social activities, music, media and other distractions. I rarely take time apart from it all, to contemplate and reflect on my day and journey through life.
Quiet time would allow me to let go of extra stress and focus in on important matters such as my spirituality. It would give God a chance to speak to me, and help me to open my heart to the peace of Christ. It would let me clear my mind of extra clutter, and grow as a person. It would help to prepare my soul for Christ, especially during this Advent season. I know that squeezing in a daily reflection will be a challenge, but leading a life of contemplation is something that I need to improve in, and is no doubt a source of grace for all of us. Please pray for me as I attempt to grow in this area!
Anybody have any helpful suggestions of ways to encourage contemplation in a busy schedule?
People are unreasonable, illogical, and self centered, LOVE THEM ANYWAY. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives, DO GOOD ANYWAY. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies, SUCCEED ANYWAY. The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow, DO GOOD ANYWAY. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable, BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY. What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight, BUILD ANYWAY. People really need help but may attack you if you help them, HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth, GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU'VE GOT ANYWAY. (From Mother Teresa's home for children, Shishu Bhavan in Calcutta)
A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said:
'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 yr. old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together.'
So the doctor said: 'Ok and what do you want me to do?'
She said: 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this.'
The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: 'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.'
She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.
Then he continued: 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care of 2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.
The lady was horrified and said: 'No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!
'I agree', the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be ok with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.
The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point.
He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb. The crime is the same!
If you or someone you know has had an abortion, there are many wonderful resources to help you through the trauma healing process.
St. Thérèse Relic Makes Space Flight NEW CANEY, Texas, NOV. 20, 2008 (Zenit.org).- St. Thérèse wrote that she wanted to be a missionary on every continent simultaneously and reach the most remote islands -- now her dream has extended to space flight.The Carmelite community of New Caney, Texas, enjoys the friendship of Colonel Ron Garan, who was on the May 31-June 14 Discovery shuttle mission.Before heading into space, Garan had called the women religious to request their prayer for the voyage, and he told them he could take some small item into space on behalf of the community.The sisters reported that the words of St. Thérèse came to mind: "I have the vocation of an apostle. I would like to travel over the whole earth to preach your name and to plant your glorious cross on infidel soil. But oh, my beloved, one mission would not be enough for me, I would want to preach the Gospel on all five continents simultaneously and even to the most remote isles. I would be a missionary, not for a few years but from the beginning of creation until the consummation of the ages." The Carmelites gave the astronaut a relic of St. Thérèse for his flight.Now, they report, she has traveled 5,735,643 miles around the earth for 14 days at 17,057 miles an hour. Meanwhile, the sisters commended the world to her intercession.
Each year I seem to have a habit of putting a lot of thought into Lenten sacrifices in preparation for Easter, but during Advent I fill my time with shopping, baking, final exams ect. Although geared for families, this post has some great ideas for Advent activities to prepare us for Christmas.
You will never look at cards the same way again It was quiet that day, the guns and the mortars, and land mines for some reason hadn't been heard. The young soldier knew it was Sunday, the holiest day of the week. As he was sitting there, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them out across his bunk. Just then an army sergeant came in and said, 'Why aren't you with the rest of the platoon?' The soldier replied, 'I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the Lord' The sergeant said, 'Looks to me like you're going to play cards.The soldier said, 'No, sir.You see, since we are not allowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in this country,I've decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards. The sergeant asked in disbelief, 'How will you do that?' 'You see the Ace, Sergeant? It reminds me that there is only one God. The Two represents the two parts of the Bible, Old and New Testaments The Three represents the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. The Four stands for the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Five is for the five virgins there were ten but only five of them were glorified. The Six is for the six days it took God to create the Heavens and Earth. The Seven is for the day God rested after making His Creation. The Eight is for the family of Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives -- the eight people God spared from the flood that destroyed the Earth. The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy.. He cleansed ten, but nine never thanked Him. The Ten represents the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone. The Jack is a reminder of Satan, one of God's first angels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the joker of eternal hell. The Queen stands for the Virgin Mary. The King stands for Jesus, for he is the King of all kings. When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total, one for every day of the year. There are a total of 52 cards in a deck; each is a week - 52 weeks in a year. The four suits represent the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Each suit has thirteen cards -- there are exactly thirteen weeks in a quarter . So when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for. 'The sergeant just stood there.After a minute, with tears in his eyes and pain in his heart, he said, 'Soldier, can I borrow that deck of cards?'
Madrid, Nov 12, 2008 / 09:21 pm (CNA).- The Spanish daily “La Razon” has published an article on the pro-life conversion of a former “champion of abortion.” Stojan Adasevic, who performed 48,000 abortions, sometimes up to 35 per day, is now the most important pro-life leader in Serbia, after 26 years as the most renowned abortion doctor in the country.
“The medical textbooks of the Communist regime said abortion was simply the removal of a blob of tissue,” the newspaper reported. “Ultrasounds allowing the fetus to be seen did not arrive until the 80s, but they did not change his opinion. Nevertheless, he began to have nightmares.”
In describing his conversion, Adasevic “dreamed about a beautiful field full of children and young people who were playing and laughing, from 4 to 24 years of age, but who ran away from him in fear. A man dressed in a black and white habit stared at him in silence. The dream was repeated each night and he would wake up in a cold sweat. One night he asked the man in black and white who he was. ‘My name is Thomas Aquinas,’ the man in his dream responded. Adasevic, educated in communist schools, had never heard of the Dominican genius saint. He didn’t recognize the name”
“Why don’t you ask me who these children are?” St. Thomas asked Adasevic in his dream.
“They are the ones you killed with your abortions,’ St. Thomas told him.
“Adasevic awoke in amazement and decided not to perform any more abortions,” the article stated.
“That same day a cousin came to the hospital with his four months-pregnant girlfriend, who wanted to get her ninth abortion—something quite frequent in the countries of the Soviet bloc. The doctor agreed. Instead of removing the fetus piece by piece, he decided to chop it up and remove it as a mass. However, the baby’s heart came out still beating. Adasevic realized then that he had killed a human being,”
After this experience, Adasevic “told the hospital he would no longer perform abortions. Never before had a doctor in Communist Yugoslavia refused to do so. They cut his salary in half, fired his daughter from her job, and did not allow his son to enter the university.”
After years of pressure and on the verge of giving up, he had another dream about St. Thomas.
“You are my good friend, keep going,’ the man in black and white told him. Adasevic became involved in the pro-life movement and was able to get Yugoslav television to air the film ‘The Silent Scream,’ by Doctor Bernard Nathanson, two times.”
Adasevic has told his story in magazines and newspapers throughout Eastern Europe. He has returned to the Orthodox faith of his childhood and has studied the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas.
“Influenced by Aristotle, Thomas wrote that human life begins forty days after fertilization,” Adasevic wrote in one article. La Razon commented that Adasevic “suggests that perhaps the saint wanted to make amends for that error.” Today the Serbian doctor continues to fight for the lives of the unborn.
My mother in law is such a great example of a strong, Catholic woman who is not afraid to be faithful to the Church. I am so thankful for her! On our weekly call to hubby's parents, he was lamenting that some days it's so hard to be hopeful about our crazy crazy world of ours. She made an excellent comment : all we can do is pray for conversion and live out our Catholic faith as perfectly as possible. So there!
This is a great, easy, quick recipe I tried recently. We picked up some steamed rice for it since we were bringing it to my in-laws house and Leo came out with fried rice as well. I knew that meant he doubted my meal and we were all pleasantly surprised as it was delicious!
Ingredients
2 Cups Instant Brown Rice
1/4 Cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar
2 Tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons apricot preserves (I used orange marmalade which was good)
2 Tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 lb. Chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tsp. finely grated or minced ginger
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
6 cups bite-size pieces of vegetables, such as snow peas, broccoli, & bell peppers (I used frozen stir fry veggie medley to save time and it lasts in freezer to save shopping)
1 5 oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained (These were already in frozen mix)
Directions
Prepare rice according to package directions.
Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch & apricot preserves in a small bown. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken & cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink on the outside and just starting to brown in spots, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, & ginger to the pan & cook, stirring, until fragrant (20-30 seconds).
Add broth & bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Add vegetables, reduce heat to a simmer, cover & cook until the vegetables are tender-crisp (4-6 min.) Stir in the water chestnuts & chicken.
Whisk the reserved sauce & add to the pan. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened & the chicken heated through, about one min. Serve with rice & enjoy!
Since Mina has been recognizing people and communicating more frequently in the last few weeks, it's been so fun to watch her interact with people. One day this week, Leo, Mitch, Anna and I were eating lunch and there was a man with dementia sitting at a table next to us. He started speaking to her and she smiled. He sounded crazy to us saying, "I'm going to recruit that boy for my football team, he's going to be strong." To Mina, he was a person, with eyes that she could look into and a mouth to bring a smile to.
Mina now recognizes us and those she spends time with as familiar faces, but everyone else in the world, she loves because they're a person like her. It doesn't matter what they look like, if their mind is fading, or if they're Dustin Hoffman (who Mina met yesterday in an elevator at LAX). She smiles at them just the same. I just noticed this in her and thought it was such a beautiful reminder, of how we should all love like these innocent children.
If you haven't been - GO!!!!! There's one less than a mile from my house that I've been ignoring so Baby and I took a trip to see if we could find her a Christmas dress. Dude, they had so many Carter's clothes half price or less! Plus they have gear and sheets and such cute hats. So yeah I'm really excited and you should check them out (And Ross and TJMaxx and Home Goods while you're at it)
Today I left some dishes dirty, The bed got made around two-thirty; The diapers soaked a little longer, Their odor grew a little stronger, The crumbs I spilled the day before Were staring at me from the floor; The fingerprints on the wall I guess will still be there next fall; The dirt streaks on the window panes Will still be there next time it rains. "For shame, oh lazy one," you say, "And just what did you do today?" I nursed a baby till she slept; I held a toddler while she wept. I played a game of hide-and-seek. I squeezed a toy so it would squeak; I pulled a sled, I sang a song. I taught a child what's right and wrong. What did I do the whole day through? Not much that shows, iI guess it's true. Unless you think that what I've done Might be important to someone With bright blue eyes and soft blonde hair, If that is true, I 've done my share.
Now that Prop 8 has passed the real drama has begun. In this last week the No on Prop 8 supporters have protested and filed law suits. They can disagree with my support of Prop 8 all they want but I would like to challenge them in their behavior of doing so. They have protested outside of Mormon churches with signs that are ridiculously rude. What happened to the tolerance they preached about while campaigning? Just a few days ago some no on Prop 8 people threw poop on the front doors of a Catholic Church in West Hollywood. What happened to "Stop the Hate"? At a rally in West Hollywood the No on Prop 8 people were throwing around the N word blaming African American's for the passing of Prop 8. What happened to "civil rights"? I am starting to realize that tolerance, stopping the hate, and equal rights all apply as long as you do not hold Christian beliefs. I hope and pray that they take a good look at their behavior and realize this is not the way to accomplish anything. In the mean time, I welcome the persecution. Our Lord said "Blessed are those who suffer persecution for my sake, theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
When Leo and I bought our CRV last year, our model came with free XM radio for a month, that we subscribed too after since we liked it. It was nice on my long commute to and from nursing school. While on those commutes, I would get tired of flipping through music and found E! news radio. I began to love listening to "news" of celebrities, who was dating who, wearing what, going where. I then started TIVOing E! News daily. I would just have it on while doing work around the house, and in my car, I'd listen to the radio. Since I've had Meeners, I don't think I've seen one half-hour show straight through, but I've played my TIVO's episodes here and there. It's not something that's ever ruled my life, and if I didn't see a minute of it for a week, I didn't think about it, but it was something I enjoyed watching and listening to.
Last week, Sirius and XM radios merged. E! News radio was not part of the new lineup of channels, so my link to the latest Hollywood trends and gossip was gone, particularly because I rarely watch tv now. When this happened, my first thought was, that's sad, but so good for my soul!
You girls know me, and you know, I've generally been up on my pop-culture, but I'm known amongst friends for knowing what's going on in Hollywood. I could tell you everyone JLo's been married to but I can't name all 12 apostles or even list the books of the Bible. I've been poisoning my mind and soul with not only gossip, but bad influences. I can't be so sure that I won't be influenced by certain styles to dress immodestly, or think a certain way. I know recently when they showed Jessica Alba in a bikini with her "body back" just 4 months after giving birth, I compared my own body with hers. This is so unimportant and I'm filling my head with this junk. My body housed life for 9 months and it's not going to ever be the same, nor should it be.
The gossip, I always knew deep down was wrong. If it's not ok to talk about people I know and judge them, why would it be ok for celebrities. Somehow, because they're in the media that gives us the right to know their personal business and then judge them on that? No, but it took me a while to actually put this into practice.
I didn't have this realization and flood of grace to finally open my eyes until last night while driving to the abbey, so when I got home from Irvine today, and looked at my Tivo, I knew what I had to do. I deleted 2 episodes and cancelled my season pass. As small a thing as it is, I'm ashamed to say, it's going to be tough for me to resist the urge to turn it on, but right now, the interest isn't there. Praise God.
I don't know if any of you girls have the same temptation but it's just junk. We should be filling our minds with what the Lord thinks of us and all of His good news, not what the world values. I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner, but I'll just thank God for opening my eyes and heart to it now.
Hey everyone. So apparently there's been an issue at a local Albertsons. Please read on and send an email to the email address that I have provided if possible. The more people that let them know that the manager's actions were unacceptable the better!
Subject: Albertsons El Camino Real at La Costa Carlsbad CA
I am writing to you about the management at the Albertson's store located in Carlsbad CA at El Camino Real and La Costa Avenue .
I am a patron of this store and have been shopping there every week for the past four years. Today the store manager, Alan, made a decision that makes it impossible for me to ever shop in that store again.
The Knights of Columbus were conducting a fund raiser for The Mentally Challenged. The funds raised for these adults stay in our community and all the proceeds from the three day fund raiser are given to this organization, the Arc of North County. I realize that Albertsons and their competition hire mentally challenged adults and I have shopped at Albertsons in part because of this policy.
The Knights of Columbus had obtained permission from store management to conduct the fund raiser in front of the store on El Camino. Friday's fund raiser went well but on Saturday several customers confronted the Knights and complained to Alan, the store manager, about the Knights presence in front of the store. These people were upset because the Knights of Columbus had supported Yes on Prop 8. The fund raiser being conducted had nothing to do with politics. However, the store manager decided that he didn't want to have complaints and told the Knights that being in front of his store was a privilege and they were to leave immediately.
This was not a political rally. The Knights were not making a political statement and they were not harassing any Albertson customers. Your store manager made the situation political by evicting the fund raisers and interjecting politics. This is a country where people have freedom of speech and I respect that, however, can you explain how supporting Prop 8 has anything to do with raising funds for the adults in our community who are mentally challenged? The Knights inability to fund raise at this location for the next two days will seriously impact the amount of funds given to these people.
I feel that Alan made a poor decision and does not support your corporate policy concerning mentally challenged adults. I would like a response to my complaint other than this was a privilege and he was denying this privilege because four customers complained.
This incident has motivated me to inform my fellow church members, my neighbors who shop at Albertsons, and the Mormon churches in the area so they can decide if they will continue to support your store at La Costa and El Camino after this politicized decision. I would hope that the your company hired store manager who could think logically and respond to complaints from customers with facts. The Knights were not acting politically and denying the fund raiser only hurts adults in our community who need help.
Thank you California, Arizona and Florida for defending the sacred union of marriage. Every time the issue of same-sex marriage comes to the voters we defend marriage as it is defined by our creator. Although this is a sad day in many ways, I am extremely proud of the work we are doing to protect marriage. California we have proved that we are not all liberals here. God's beautiful gift of marriage will not be offended. Liberal judges WILL NOT take away our voice.
On a day when an American, an African-American achieved his dream of becoming president, a day that seemed inconceivable 30 years ago when his ancestors were being persecuted for their color, we see the lives of so many being persecuted to an extent that they are deemed unworthy of life. This man, who claims to stand for a better American, for change, refuses to make a change to allow these defenseless people to take a breath in this world. Our nation has elected a radically liberal man to lead our country. There are tears in the crowd as he takes the stage to persuade our country that he will make it better. They cry tears of joy in their ignorance and apathy as Leo and I cry tears of sadness at the direction our country is taking.
We have lost this chance of overturning Roe vs. Wade. There are numerous other securities in jeopardy, but the biggest of these is life. It is a sad, sad day for our country.
The good news is...it is only one battle lost. We've read the end of the book. We know who wins this war.
So here's to you Mr. President. Sit in your oval office and enjoy your moments of fleeting bliss because in the end, this nation too will fall. A greater one will exist and does exist eternally. We'll pray that someday, your heart will turn and you too can embrace the fullness of truth.
The Church fathers faced evil Roman emperors doing more evil tasks than our president. They stood strong even unto their deaths. The Lord may not be asking for our martyrdoms at this time, but He is asking for our prayers, for our evangelism, and for our sacrifice on a daily basis. Now is the time the Lord can raise up great saints in the face of great evil. There is no reason we all can't be saints.
Let this day remind us to strive each day to live Holy lives, to hold up the roof for those who can't bear as much weight. Let us run to the Eucharist, humble ourselves before our Blessed Mother, beg the intercession of the saints, love like we've never loved before, and thank God for the opportunities for graces and our ability to fulfill our purpose to know and love Him no matter who our president is.
I am sure that many young adults can relate to hectic and overwhelming daily schedules. Between being in escrow for a home, working 2 jobs and being pregnant, while my husband is juggling work, grad school and taking care of his exhausted wife, life for the past couple of months has been absolutely nuts in our novice household. We've tried to cut out some social activities, but even so, it seems as though we don't have time for LIFE right now, nevermind cooking and cleaning the apartment.
Does anybody have any suggestions for quick and budget-friendly meal ideas? Our take-out bill is getting out of control. I would greatly appreciate any organization/time-saving tips that might help us out until things cool down a bit!! Also, any suggestions for keeping up our prayer/spiritual life...Sadly it seems like that this always one of the firsts to get put on the back-burner!!
Ever-faithful God, we consecrate the 2008 U.S. presidential election and our entire nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Loving Mother, Patroness and Protectress of the Americas.
We ask that You take our Nation into Your Loving Care, reach into the hearts of the electorate, and give them the strength and enlightenment to know your Will, and to exercise Your Will in their vote. Abba, Father, Thy Will Be Done!
