Prayers for Rebekah

Please send prayers to the Lord for Rebekah. Most of you are familiar with her story. Please go to her webpage for the latest medical news http://www.rebekahspage.blogspot.com

This family has been through WAY too much.

My daughter and I had a pleasure of meeting Rebekah and her family last May when they were in Ohio visiting relatives. My daughter and Rebekah really hit it off - probably because my daughter remembered so well what it was like to be so ill.

Please watch over the family, dear Lord. Give them the strength and courage and calmness to face whatever comes their way. Amen.

My Little Girl

In light of what's been happening in our little family, I thought this song would be appropriate to post. Please keep us in your prayers!

The Lord's Prayer

Amazing!

In Sickness and In Health

I ask for your prayers for my youngest daughter, who has been referred to an ortho-neurologist. She's been experiencing a myriad of symptoms, and our regular PCP is quite concerned as to what could be the cause. Her appointment isn't until April 8th, and I truly hate waiting that long, but we have no choice. At least all of her blood work came back normal.

My oldest daughter remains healthy and was on the dean's list this past quarter - she earned a 4.0! What a difference a year makes! We're proud of her, and it's fun to watch her as she works towards her goal of becoming a nurse.

It's been a long winter, and I'm definitely looking forward to some nice weather. While I love the snow, I'm ready for the flowers and the warmth of spring.

I have gone through some personal changes over the past several months, too, which I will write about more in depth over the next few weeks. Through the changes which my girls have experienced recently, and watching some of my clients wrestle with horrendous internal struggles, I have been touched deeply. I am so grateful for my two vocations of being a mom and being a counselor - both of them keep me humble and in awe of God's healing power.

I pray that all is well with all of you and yours. And I wish you many Easter blessings!

He Is Risen!

A very blessed Easter to you and yours!

For God So Loved the World. . .

that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlating life." John 3:16

Happy Birthday, TP!!!!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter! Today, on the first day of spring, she will turn 20 years old.

Gone are the days of tea parties and giggles and frilly dresses and playing with Barbies (although she still has an obsession with Care Bears, hence the picture above). But now the days are filled with friends, laughter, family, college, studying, and purposeful goals in her life.

My heart strings are being pulled tight as I remember all the different stages she has gone through. And this morning, when I went into her room to wake her up and wish her a Happy Birthday, I paused and gazed at her serene and beautiful face. Her face has changed so much over the past 20 years, but it still has a radiance which shines forth God's presence within her.

Twenty years ago, another young woman became a mother and gave our daughter life. To this young woman, thank you. I pray for you each and every day, and I want to assure you that our daughter is well loved, self-confident, and STUBBORN - but those attributes will serve her well in life. She's also very kind and loving and nurturing, which will make her a great nurse and mother someday. She wonders about you and knows how much you love her, too.

So, TP, I hope that today is very special for you, as you leave your teenage years behind (whew - we made it!), and you enter your terrific twenties. Follow God's will in your life now and always, and never lose faith or hope in your dreams. You are beloved and precious. Now - go take on the world with your smile and the gifts which God has given you to share with all!

The Catholic Blog Awards

I'm humbled to say that I have been nominated for a Catholic Blog Award, under the category "Most Spiritual Blog". I'm not exactly sure who nominated me, but I have a sneaking suspicion it might be Deb (AKA Ukok). Deb, who can be found at http://catholicconvert.wordpress.com was also nominated under several categories. So was another blogging friend of mine, Jean, who is located at http://catholicfire.blogspot.com . And last but not least, another blogging friend who is also a friend in "real-life" (and a very remarkable young woman, Emily) has been nominated under the category "Smartest Catholic Blog" for her blog "Journeys of a Catholic Poster Girl. You REALLY have to check her out at http://catholicpostergirl.stblogs.com .

If you are so inclined, please visit http://www.catholicblogawards.com , register and log in, and read some wonderful blogs before casting your final votes. And you don't even have to be Catholic to vote!!!

And I'm still totally amazed that I was even considered. . . Thank you.

Sacred Interruptions and Christian Women Online

My friend, Bonnie, is issuing a 30 day challenge to "watch for God's entry into the everyday corners of your life". She is encouraging people to keep a journal for 30 days, wherein we record what happens when we look and listen and expect God to interrupt our day. Please visit her website at http://whengodstepsin.wordpress.com to read more about this. Bonnie is also the author of a book, "When God Steps In - Stories of Everyday Grace", which was recently pubished. If you recall, my story is included in that book, as is a couple of my other blogging buddies. It's a wonderful book and I highly recommend it - some of the stories in there are amazing!

On a separate note, I was unable to write my column for this month's Christian Women Online e-zine due to a multitude of reasons. I invite you to go to the website and read March's edition. It's located at http://christianwomenonline.net . You can still read past articles of mine, but this month mine is noticeably missing, and I do apologize. I appreciate Darlene's understanding of my recent set of circumstances, and it won't happen again!

Being a Catholic Mom

Being a Catholic shapes all of my decisions, but the area in which it has its' most significant role is that of being a parent.

I can remember as a child, my mother used to pray the rosary on a daily basis in hopes that one of her children would ultimately become either a nun or a priest. None of us entered into the religious vocation, so does that mean that all of my mother's prayers were for naught?


I think not. I think that mom's prayers also served a purpose of helping us choose the vocation God actually wanted for us. For me, that vocation was/is being a mom.

Over the years, I have tried to model my parenting by keeping the phrase "gentle but firm" as my mantra. I tried to imagine how Mary, the mother of Jesus, would handle certain situations, and I relied a lot on that image. Some of you may remember the miracle that TP experienced in November of 2005 when she was so deathly ill. If you don't recall, please go back through my archives (wish I knew how to link to it but I don't have a clue) to read of how I asked Mary, as one mom to another, to help me through that situation and to ask God for a miracle on my daughter's behalf. It still sends shudders up my spine each time when I think of the response to my prayers!

My youngest daughter and I were having a very serious discussion the other day. She's experiencing a deep crisis of faith right now, as I mentioned in a post a few days ago. As she was explaining how difficult it is for her to believe in our religion right now, I was thinking of how my mother used to tell me that a mother's job is to raise her kids so that they make it to heaven. So, as my daughter is telling me how she wants to "explore" other religions, I found myself getting really sad - thinking that somehow I had let her down, and let God down, by not keeping her on the "right path" to her salvation. I thought of how sad I would be if I did get to heaven, and not being able to see her eventually some day if she decided to reject God. I felt like such a failure! So, I explained to my daughter that when I was in college, I read a lot about other religions besides Christianity, and I found them to be fascinating. But, eventually I found my way back to Christ because He holds the key to my salvation. I let her know that her questionings and doubts were understandable, given what happened to her - and that reading about other religions would help her understand how they differ from ours, and might even help her to ultimately decide (like I did) that she does want to stay a Christian. I didn't chastise her, I didn't yell at her - but I may have inflicted a little bit of a guilt trip into her when I told her what my mom said to me about raising our kids so that they get to heaven (I'm great at giving guilt trips - the hallmark of a true Catholic mom!). She seemed relieved that we were able to talk and get it out in the open, and she promised me that we would have more talks about it as she went through this process. I am grateful that she will be living at home during her college years, so I will still be able to have some influence over her to a certain degree. So, I still have 5 more years of praying and encouraging, and helping her heal from the trauma she went through several years ago.

My oldest daughter went through her own rebellion for a couple of years, but is now back on track, thanks to a lot of prayers from a lot of people. The culture out there goes against the very things which we try to instill in our kids - a respect for life, a respect for our values and teachings, a respect of our traditions, and a willingness to follow God's will for our lives. This young lady had never given any of us any trouble, until she got involved with a man who was the direct opposite of all we had taught her to believe in, and he did all that he could to pull her away from our influence. Another man came along who pulled her even farther away from God and all that we held dear. Fortunately, she was able to pull herself away from these destructive and abusive grips on her, and she is now very active in her faith again.

I do not take my vocation lightly. I will always guide my girls in the way of the Lord. And that doesn't always make me the most "popular" mom around and I've been accused of being pretty old-fashioned. But God chose me to be my kids' mom for a reason - and that reason is to help them through their crises here on earth to prepare them for the joy which awaits them when they meet Him in heaven. And I am SO grateful and blessed to be their mom.