Multitude Monday- 51. My Grandma and her devout faith

I went to my Grandmothers last night. It is always an amazing experience to be in her presence. She is the Godliest woman I have ever met. She is COMPLETELY devoted to the Lord. Her life revolves around serving Him. I have fond memories of summer visits to church and listening to my Grandma sing off-key. Afterwards she would say: "Joyful noise is music to the Lord." That pretty much sums up my Grandma. Sing as if no one is listening. God will hear. Willow hasn't been feeling well so Chris and I divided Masses. I let time get away from me and the only option became 8:00 mass at TU. After Mass, I was close to her house. Guilt set in. I haven't been so good about stopping by. So I popped in for a few minutes. We played around on the computer for a little bit...Facebook, Smilebox, and Miss Momma to name a few places. It is amazing to me how easy it is to stay connected to people now, if you are even the least bit motivated. When we were almost done my Godly Grandma showed me a favorite e-mail she had just received from my Aunt Judy. I HAD to share this.

Five Finger Prayer

1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a 'sweet duty.'

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger - the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, 'The least shall be the greatest among you.' Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

At the end was the best part it said:  "Don't tell God how big your storm is, Tell the storm how big your God is!!!!!"

Thanks, Grandma!

Small Successes

It has been so long since I have done this.  This Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany in my "Domestic Church" has been full of small successes.

1.  I am beautifying my home.  I know that we are renting but it gives me peace.  I am a very creative person.  I have spent many, many days painting, hanging pictures, and organizing rooms.  Very happy so far.

2.  Willow's therapy has been AMAZING.

3.  We kept Christmas simple and focused on Christ.

4.  I am "purging" my home of clutter.  It's a process.

5.  I finally got my toddler out of my "Marriage Bed."  I have a very, very happy husband.

6.  We are eating together as a family more.  With Willow, this is no small feat.

7.  I am attempting to start a Cottage Buisiness from my home.  It is something I have been praying about for years.  More on that later...

8.  My daughter Tiana and I have started an evening routine of praying the Rosary.  This is bearing much fruit.  I am starting to get "Rosary Addiction."

Multitude Monday

42.  The proverbs 31 woman and her virtues I have been trying to pursue my whole married life.
43.  The women in my life that led me by example.
44.  My Grandma
45.  Fond memories from childhood.
46.  My brothers and sister.
47.  My Dad is a Veterinarian.  It is a cool way to grow up.  It taught me how important it is to love your job. He is the only person I know that doesn't want to retire and doesn't care when the stock market is in the toilet!
48. Blogging
49. My Dad's sense of humor.  It made me marry someone who makes me laugh. 
50. My mother's love of books and learning. 

Un-friended

My Best Friend of 20+ years is leery of on-line social networking. She actually thinks it is impersonal and weird (Hmmmm).  She says too much time is spent "Twittering, Facebooking, and blogging." Therefore, we don't have time for what is really important... relationships. What we need to be doing is spending quality time with our family, friends, and in prayer with the Lord. I agree that technology really does infringe upon family time. TV, the internet, and video games eat up much of the time that parents used to play ball in the back yard, read, or allow their children to "just" play. My entire childhood I was outside exploring. So I did see her point. She is a smart cookie. Good advice from a very good friend. But I scoffed a little bit. I really enjoy blogging and I feel that it has enriched my life. There is a tremendous amount of junk on the internet but there is also so much good. I learn so much from the other Mom's blogs and "Google University" has saved me more than once. Last year, I joined Facebook. It has been neat to find old friends but I don't like to pursue friendships on-line. One of my favorite blogs is by an incredible woman named Elizabeth Foss. She is married to her High School sweetheart and mother of nine amazing kids. She Homeschools and is an excellent educator and prolific writer. She is also a cancer survivor and one of the most devout Catholic women I have ever heard of. One of her recent blogs was about the fact she had just been "un-friended" on Facebook. Who in the world would NOT want a woman like that on their friend list? I would love to have her on mine! Well, it just happened. Today I came home from a wonderful church service and a good day with my family. We spent the afternoon with my In-Laws. I checked my e-mail and hopped on Facebook and there it was...I was un-friended. By a close friend, I thought. I keep friends for a very long time. They have been my life-line through many of the toughest times of my life. When one ends it is hard on me. I think Elizabeth Foss' article articulates this phenomenon of "un-friending" better than I could. I am actually thinking of closing my account. I rarely check it and anybody who really wants to talk to me calls me. Lesson learned.

A Happy New Year

Last night, we had the pleasure of having our good friends the Sartorius' over. Jennifer is one of my closest friends. Between the two of us we have 9 kids!!!  We met through church and grew closer after I attended Cursillo, a retreat weekend. She started hosting prayer circles in her home. She is the most kind, nonjudgmental woman I know. A Godly woman and true friend. God had a greater plan in our friendship...our two daughters are kindred spirits. Out of all of Tiana's friends Catherine has something special in common with her. It is something that has been passed down from her amazing mother. It is her love for the Lord and her devout faith. Tiana, like her mother, has problems getting to sleep at night. We remedied this by praying the Rosary. I climbed the stairs last night to check on the kids and start the Rosary with her so she could get to sleep.  I peeked into the room.  I saw the girls cuddled up in their bed. I heard a familiar prayer... "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen." I went into the room and finished with them and tucked them into bed. Thanking God for my devout friend and her children.

I am praying a special prayer for you today to Mary the Mother of God.  Have a blessed day.