Heavy Crosses

AMDG

Hi everyone! I have been incredibly busy! The house I was renting, & lived in for more than 8 years, was being sold, so I had to move. We loved this house - low utilities, big yard, safe neighborhood, plenty of room for my children to ride their bikes..... But alas, it was time to let go. I looked around for another place, and found one, but there were some things to work through. I prayed to God that if this was the place for us, then to please let all the things work out. They did, but my stubborn self had trouble accepting this - I think mostly because I just didn't want to move (even though I knew I had no choice). This place costs more to rent, as well as utilities. But that was the way it was with all of the places I looked at. This one is in a good part of town, and very near my grandmother - this will allow me to help her more (actually, this will allow HER to allow US to help her more. She hates to bother us, but now with us so close, she has no excuse!) So I took the plunge, putting all of my trust in God.

The packing a moving was an incredibly stressful time for me. Thanks be to God for my mother, who helped me to pack up a 3-bedroom house. Thanks be to God for my Grandmother who paid for the movers (someone my mom knows, who moved the heavy items) & fed us all. Thanks be to God for my family who helped to move the other items (especially my son & nephews, ages 13 & under, who worked as hard as the adults! And my sister who made sure they did!). Thanks be to God for my sister-in-law who got the kitchen in order. Thanks be to God for my brother who was on active duty when I moved, but is now back & will be coming this week to help me make the place as energy efficient as possible. Thanks be to God for nice neighbors with children. Thanks be to God for all of my friends who could not be here physically, but prayed for me. Thanks be to God for His Blessed Mother, who had me wrapped in her mantle. Thanks be to God for all of his angels & saints, who's intercession I sought.

God has given me some heavy crosses to carry recently. I have not always carried them very well. Despite this, I tried to remember to offer it up for others (there is always someone with a heavier cross than the one you carry). I know God gives us these crosses because he loves us. In the midst of all of this, I had a really hard time understanding that. But, now I see it. These crosses make us better people. Just trust in Our Lord - one of the easiest, and hardest, things to do.

I know there will be more crosses (one I have now, & may be with me for awhile). But when I doubt again, will someone please smack me with the holy 2-by-4?!?!?!?!

J+M+J

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If I lived in North Carolina, I would be voting for him! Mr. Robinson, you ROCK!

AACCKKK! I have a TEENAGER!!!!!!

My son turned 13 yesterday! I will let the picture say it all -

And an apology to all of my dear friends - many of whom I have not returned emails to (if I got them, as I am having email issues too). I had a garage/yard/tag sale to get rid of A LOT of things - unfortunately, there were another 148 sales the same weekend! Oh well, I still got rid of a lot (what didn't sell we gave away - and there was A LOT left, enough for another 1-2 sales! LOL!) SO I was very busy leading up to the sale, & after as we boxed everything up to give away.

Now, I am still incredibly busy (and stressed) with moving! By myself, I have to pack up a 3-bedroom house. Oh, did I mention we are still doing school? So I have that to do too. (We homeschool, and we took some time off during the year, which requires us to do some work in the summer.)

One more thing, our diocese had a beautiful Corpus Christi procession last Sunday. The media was there, & my children thought it was "cool" we were on the news (though you had to look closely & not blink). See pictures & read about it here - http://www.kansascitycatholic.blogspot.com/

Our parish had theirs on the actual day of the feast - Thursday, June 15th. You can see pictures here, click "news and photos" on the left - http://www.oldstpatrick.org/

Your Birth Month is February

Peaceful and harmonious, you seek the gentle side of life. Your warmth and consideration touches many. Your soul reflects: Purity, modesty, and faithfulness Your gemstone: Amethyst Your flower: Iris Your colors: Purple, yellow, and light blue

What Does Your Birth Month Mean?

TOOOO Funny!

I found this on another blog, American Girl in Italy (fun blog, by the way). It is hilarious! It is about 6 minutes long, but not 6 minutes wasted. My children & I watched it together (unfortunately, it is rare these days to find something we can all watch together). This comedian did a montage of MANY dances - and he does them well! My children thought the they were "hilarious" - dances I once thought were cool, - LOL! My son was convinced it was some sort of special effect & they just put his (comedian's) head on there. Anyway, enjoy some good, clean fun!

Comedian Justin Laipply - "The Evolution of Dance"



:)

God Bless His Excellency, Bishop Finn

Recently, the "National Catholic Reporter" had our Bishop (Bishop Finn) & diocese (Kansas City- Saint Joseph, Missouri) as it's cover story. To say the article had "half truths, misquotes and huge omissions" (as a friend said best), would be an understatement. Here is my quick point of view, that of a busy, single, Catholic mom.

Here is the article -
Extreme makeover: the diocese

And here are my comments -

Dismissed the chancellor, a layman with 21 years of experience in the diocese, and the vice chancellor, a religious woman stationed in the diocese for nearly 40 years and the chief of pastoral planning for the diocese since 1990, and replaced them with a priest chancellor.

I did not know the chancellor (a layman by the way), but I heard he was NOT trad friendly in the least! Our current chancellor came to speak to our parish (Old Saint Patrick Roman Catholic Oratory, which has the Traditional Latin Mass offered by a priest from the Institute of Christ the King.) He told a story where he was asked to help say the Latin Mass (years ago). He agreed, but before he could start the training, the then chancellor found out and told him to "STOP IT!" At this point in the story, Father spread his arms out wide & said, "And now *I* am the the chancellor!" LOL!

As for the naked nun (as in she did not wear a habit), I saw her once. It was at a funeral for a priest. I saw my then priest talking to her, & I asked someone I knew who that striking woman was (very well dressed - expensively dressed, hair & makeup perfect, perfume, looked like a socialite). I about fell out of my chair when I heard it was Sister so-and-so!

Ordered the editor of the diocesan newspaper to immediately cease publishing columns by Notre Dame theologian Fr. Richard McBrien

Well, we all know THAT is a good thing!

Announced that he would review all front page stories, opinion pieces, columns and editorials before publication.

Bishop Finn was the editor of the paper in Saint Louis before he came here. So it is natural for him to do this.

The Vocation Office went from a part-time priest vocation director to a full-time priest vocation director with a part-time priest assistant and additional support from the head of the newly established Office for Consecrated Life.

Oh my goodness! We don't want this to happen! There might actually be too many priests!!!!! (insert major sarcasm here!)

A separate Respect Life Office was established to handle pro-life issues and battle stem-cell research.

Another disgusting thing - protecting life! (sarcasm again)

Finn upgraded a Latin Mass community, which has been meeting in a city parish, to a parish in its own right and appointed himself pastor. ( See accompanying story.) Later, he asked the parish that the Latin Mass community will be leaving
to donate $250,000 of the estimated $1.5 million the Latin group needs to renovate the old church Finn gave them.

What this author fails to tell, is ---well, it is not my place to say; suffice it to say there is much more to this than the author is saying--- For example - The fact that Rome has been asking the Bishops for years (the two previous Bishops), to pull the Latin Mass Society out of Our Lady of Sorrows & give them their own parish; requests made by our current & previous Holy Fathers. Bishop Finn is being obedient. And that The Oratory we are moving to has always had the Bishop as it's pastor. Let me say here that I am extremely grateful to the parish, Our Lady of Sorrows, for sharing their church with us! It is a beautiful parish - almost as beautiful as it's parishioners!

A lack of respect -- some say total disregard -- for what has been developed in he diocese during the past half-century was one of the foremost complaints among many in the diocese upset to find highly regarded structures and programs gone.

Maybe that is because what was developed was more about "touchy feely, let's all be buddies" than it was about God and the Church. Yes, I like friends, but I sure hope if I am headed down the wrong path, my friends would tell me. Not like it has been - so politically correct, let's not upset anyone even if they are obviously in the wrong. What Bishop Finn has been doing is bringing the diocese back in line with all of the Church's current teachings, not just the ones that are the most politically correct!

I know there may be some protestants who may be reading this & not really understanding it all, & unfortunately, there are probably some Catholics too. Yes, Canon Law allows the use of lay members (and a necessity with the unfortunate priest & religious shortage), but that use has been abused. Yes, I do attend the Traditional Latin Mass, but I am not anti-Vatican II. I have not thoroughly studied V II, but it is my understanding that the intention was good, but that things were not explained well (or they were explained, but people choose not to hear it.) I recognize the Novus Ordo Mass as a valid Mass (though, unfortunately, many are made illicit by abuses). I prefer the Latin Mass, the same way some people prefer the Novus Ordo Mass. I appreciate all of the hard work Bishop Finn has been doing, going against the flow, not succumbing to peer pressure, but enforcing what has been Church teachings all along, what is in Canon Law. Is he perfect? No, nor do I think he wants to be thought of as perfect. And I am sure he makes no decision lightly, but through a lot of prayer. For myself, I will continue to pray for him, and support him.

I enjoyed this blog concerning the article - "Extreme Diocesan Makeover" (no, not my blog - far too eloquent to be my blog), and its comments.

AMDG - J+M+J

I MUST be tired!

Have you ever done this? I brewed some coffee. I like a little sugar in my coffee. So I pull the sugar container off the shelf. There's already a teaspoon that I keep in the sugar, so I used that to put the sugar in my coffee. Oh no! I had pulled down the coffee grounds, & put a whole coffee scoop in my cup of coffee! Now, sometimes I like strong coffee, but this is not how I like it! LOL! Ok, you drink coffee to wake up, but what wakes you up enough so you can make the coffee?!?!?!