Thank You

There have been so many dreams that were of coming to America, the land of opportunity, the place of a new start, a new beginning.....   William Penn was deeded land here, encouraged each person to attend their own choice of worship, even set up the King's church known as Christ's Church in Philadelphia.  The pilgrims arrived, populations grew, taxes were imposed on the colonists.... and our history of standing up for our freedoms were planted, though not spoken openly at the time.  At the Tea Party they were standing together in defiance of injustice.    Injustice then..... injustice now!

From that time, Washington lead those who were willing to stand for our freedom....so many died.  Yet, the final outcome was realized, establishing our United States.   From Washington's presidency to the current one we, as a nation have weathered storms of trial, of sacrifice, of standing up for what is right, and always resulting in some personal loss. 

Our men and women have served and continued to serve in the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Coast Guard, the Marines, and the Special Forces.  This Memorial Day we, as a nation, will have family celebrations around the pool or at the beach...while others will apply their prosthetic limbs or get into their wheelchairs to join family or friends.  To many, this Memorial Day is another day off from work. To others, it is a day to remember, to salute, and to be thankful that we still have men and women willing to put themselves in service to our country.  To these brave ones, I say thank you and hold you in my prayers.
To our POWs, I pray for your return and answers....  May God bless all of you and your families.

Reconciliation

In the quiet....near the Most Blessed Sacrament... I find my peace in the priest's words of forgiveness.  The moments are short, yet, last what seems to be a long time.  Sitting before the tabernacle I am bathed in the sweetness that comes from this beautiful Sacrament of Reconciliation.

I have difficulty with my physical decline, my limited mobility and deteriorating strength.  Since I can unite all of this to Jesus' cross and His suffering, I sit in a silence, listening with my heart to His peace.  There is no desire from me to seek a physical healing, as I have something to offer my Lord to save souls.  There are others whose needs are greater than my own....so, I won't ask. 

Thank you, Most Holy Trinity, on the eve of the Feast of Pentecost for loving this world and wanting to save us from ourselves.  Glory be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now and forever shall be world without end. Amen.

The 1st Amendment of the Bill of RIghts

James Madison did not believe that rights needed protecting, until his campaign for election to the House of Representatives against James Monroe. After he won, Madison reviewed proposals in 1789, that had been gathered at various state conventions. The idea was to have these proposals safely added to the Constitution and not to affect the critical decisions that had been taken in Philadelphia. It was through Madison's strong insistence, accompanied by Roger Sherman's argument to have the amendments as separate articles, that Congress sent to the States a set of twelve amendments. Finally, at the end of 1791, ten amendments were ratified. Did you know that both Rhode Island and North Carolina initially rejected the Constitution? ...any way.....

James Madison's speech of June 8,1789, "....if all power is subject to abuse, then it is possible the abuse of powers of the General Government may be guarded against in a more secure manner than is now done... We have in this way something to gain, and if we proceed with caution, nothing to lose. ...I do wish to see a door opened to consider, so far as to incorporate those provisions for the security of rights... ". Specifically relating to Religion, Madison spoke, "The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established, nor shall the full and equal rights of conscience be in any manner, or on any pretext, infringed."

Roger Sherman drafted the amendments in July, 1789. "The people have certain natural rights which are retained by them when they enter into society, Such are the rights of conscience in matters of religion; of acquiring property, and of pursuing happiness and safety... Of these rights therefore they Shall not be deprived by the government of the United States." On August 24, 1789, Congress resolved, "... Congress shall make no law establishing religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, nor shall the rights of Conscience be infringed." On September 14, 1789 the Senate proposed, "Article the Third: Congress shall make no law establishing articles of faith, or a mode of worship, or prohibiting the free exercise of religion, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

On September 28, 1789 Speaker of the House of Representatives, Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, recorded the "Articles in addition to, and amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislature of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution." Finally the Bill of Rights, as Ratified by the States, on December 15,1791 shows "Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceable to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Why point out the hard work and time it took to give us the Bill of Rights? It is because people would have the lazy Americans think that religion has no right to exist in our everyday lives by quoting "separation of Church and State" which is not present in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. Protestants, Christians, and Jews are all having our rights denied. Gaining more presence is the push coming from the Muslim faith and the Atheist faith (to believe there is no God or Creator is a practice of faith). The Bill of Rights' clearly states in the first Amendment "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
PROHIBITING the free exercise thereof...."

So, to the school who suspended a young teen for wearing his own Rosary around his neck as he was departing from school, have your read the Constitution and Bill of Rights lately? There is no policy at the school that mandates students from wearing religious articles or clothing. If that did exist, no Orthodox male child would wear a head covering, no Muslim child could carry a prayer rug or head covering, and no other child could wear a necklace with a medal or even a cross. It is time for America to display our faith as we desire, instead of letting these non believing individuals walk all over the (OUR) Bill of Rights.

DiagnosingTheProblem

We sat intently as the neurologist asked questions, comparing history and medications as well as interventions already attempted. Pain management was not my concern, and he understood that. Figuring out why I needed my cane to ambulate, and was there a cause... The labs were ordered, and an MRI of brain and cervical spine will provide insight, with an EMG to follow.

Isn't it amazing that the medical community has advanced knowledge of the human body? To discover the cause, to receive a diagnosis, to get a prognosis .... all of these I have been seeking for a long time. The neurologist told me to keep walking with the cane...as my ataxia demands it, so I won't fall... with the neuropathy of each leg.

No matter what we discover in the very end, the cement that keeps us together will hold fast as Gus and I meet the next challenge.

Tomorrow feels like a heavy weight on my neck...finally getting to see a doctor who could give me a diagnosis to my problems of walking and falling... Lord, let me be patient with whatever the outcome is.........

Weight

What a crazy day in work... so was yesterday. Those who I encountered were short sighted and very impatient. What complaints!!! I wanted to eat anything sweet that wasn't nailed down, and succeeded alittle...while I reexamined what triggered my sweet tooth.

My former years were filled with poor decisions resulting in poor choices as a result of triggers that launched frequently. The only time I had control in my life over my dietary intake was in the year after my father's death in 1993. The help came from Jenny Craig. I will find her books and start over.

Bev

This morning I was informed about a friend's recent death....totally unexpected and very unanticipated. Bev was younger than me, making me even more upset... "We know neither the day nor the hour" has been recited again and again...it's quite true.

When I graduated high school in '65, Viet Nam drew so many of our graduates with the first casualty returning in a body bag. He was laid out in his Marine attire in an open coffin. Not until last year did I finally get to the "Wall" replica that tours the country to see his name. He was the first of many deaths Viet Nam would claim.

As I age, I have come to accept death as a part of life...and the older I become, the more I anticipate death's arrival....except for Bev. Her cheerfulness, her infectious laugh, and eagerness to lend a hand...these are the gifts she freely shared with everyone. I miss you, my friend.

MothersDay

As of midnight, it will be Mother's Day. Through the years I would send a flower arrangement to my mother in thanks for my birthday. At my age there is no longer the person "mother" to send anything in thanks.... For myself, over the years I have been the "mom" to several four legged "children", the two latest ones are both golden retrievers. There won't be any flowers or gifts, yet, both shower me with amusement each and every day and neither want to be separated from me.

Tomorrow at mass I will thank Jesus for sharing His Mother with us. At the foot of His cross, Mary stood with John as Jesus gave her to us... To follow in that direction and to follow the footsteps of Mary especially while doing the Stations of the Cross gives me the greatest joy and happiness. To honor the Blessed Mother, a showering of roses would be appropriate....the roses of her rosary specifically.

Happy Mother's Day, Blessed Mother!!!

Years ago I composed a simple song...and did dedicate it to my mother. Here are the words:

"Lord, I thank you for my mother. A perfect part of you she is to me.
Lord, I thank you for my mother. A helping hand that's helping me.
Thank you for loving me, dear Father, in a woman so fair. She give her love away.
Lord, thank you for my mother. Thank you for loving me this way."

Happy Mother's Day in Heaven, mom!

62

It's official....now I'm 62.... and when I look in the mirror, my image doesn't reflect the person I feel inside.... so I ask "Who are you?"

Perhaps we are to celebrate our birthdays so we can remember both the Good, the Not So Great, and disasters we have experienced. In the end, I believe that we should have more Good and Not So Great events and memories than our life-time disasters. The earliest memory is of my mother calling me her Mother's Day present and the long fingers I had. Mom and I unfortunately did not develop a close relationship until a few years before her death...when she saw me as me and we accepted each other as we are.

Being one of five children, I observed my mother as she gave her love to each of us in the ways she knew best...through her presence, through her being availability, through her cooking and baking, and through her example of giving to other family and friends. Yet, I failed to recognize the many attempts she made to be close to me, because I resented how much time she spent with my sister, who was two years older than me. I never really had my mother totally to myself....something that I craved....until my forties. Funny how I am the most like her, with sewing, crocheting, cooking, baking, and being present to others, mostly my husband. This memory is a Not So Great one.... finally at the end becoming a Great One.

So, today I thank God for this day, and will spend some time with the Blessed Sacrament for that Private Time with God, in thankfulness for my Birthday and my parents who celebrated me with their lives. With much thankfulness for my husband, I will enjoy the day as I spend it with him and our four legged children. There will be phone calls from my siblings, and my brother, Tom, sent beautiful flowers.

Heavenly Father, you have blessed my life in so many ways. Thank you for Your continued love and graces. Jesus, my Redeemer and Lord, thank you for dying and rising from the dead, and Your Ascension into Heaven, and for the beautiful Sacraments of the Catholic Church, especially Reconciliation and for Holy Eucharist.
Holy Spirit, thank you for your continued wisdom and guidance in my life. Please continue to move me out of the way, so that people may see You and not me in my remaining days on Earth. I love you, Blessed Trinity, and I thank you for loving me in the past and in my future.

LOVE

Ever love someone with total unconditional love? Ever been changed by it? This year my husband and I are celebrating 15 years together. People inquire of others who's marriages are 35 years or more, "what's the secret?" The answers are being blind and deaf to each others faults...or having a sense of humor...or just saying "yes,dear" ...and others remark still being in love with the person on the inside and accepting the natural changes on the outside.

There was a struggle in the early years, not of power, but of communication. Once he understood that he didn't need to fix everything and just listen, once I understood that men need to provide and protect, and after many hours of taking the time to listen to each other as well as speak from the heart...that is when our marriage began to bloom. The respect for each other and the lover for each other was there....and one more thing occurred: he gave me a sense of humor.

In the last 15 years, we have grown together...learning to be present and love each other unconditionally. The cement of our marriage is and will always be our faith, both of us are Roman Catholic. The ability to share our love of the Holy Trinity and the Catholic Church with each other has carried us through the difficult times when we did not clearly understand the other, but were willing to learn to try our best.

Somewhere in the future we will be separated by death. Yet, each moment that the one who survives attends Holy Mass and receives the Body and Blood of Christ we will be united, as one, through the Catholic Church. This is the perfect example of unconditional love.... and at this time in our journey we are moving ever closer to achieving it.