Dear St. Therese

On this your feast day, I would like once again to offer you the work of the Little Flowers' here on earth.  Please, take it all as your own.  Watch over all of the Little Flower's around the world - the young ladies, their mothers and their families.  Watch over us as we strive to honor you and our faith.  May all of us bring light and joy to our world as we try to plant seeds of virtue that will grow into flowers of glory around the throne of God, Jesus and the Blessed Mother.

Watch over me, especially, please dear patron.  May I never do anything that would bring dishonor to your name or our beloved Church.  Continue to send down flowers of grace upon all we do as we try to bring your little way in our lives.

Please continue to pray for us.  In Jesus' name, Amen

Bogged down by blogging

Forgive my absence as I found myself bogged down by life so the blogging had to go.  Matt had to spend a week in San Diego and I do not do single parenting at all well.  Does anyone?  

I found myself praying hard for single parents who have to do it full-time.  I was only on for five days and I got to talk to Matt in the morning before he headed out to meetings and before I went to bed.

There are several saints who endured life alone while raising children.  Are any designated as patron saint of single parents??

I am back to 'normal' as Matt came home safely on Saturday.

Please tell me that I'm not the only one who doesn't feel their age!!

Today is my birthday and Talk Like a Pirate Day!, I am not sure which gives me more delight :-).

While I am not embarrassed by my age, I have reached the point where it does become an issue.  Most women my age do not have children who are 17 mos. old (not to mention 10 others).  There is also the 'oh, you're that old look'.  

You may know what I am talking about.  You meet someone someone for the first time, who is younger than you.  They may think you are closer in age because you have children the same age or belong to the same book club or activity.  Once they discover how old I am, I can perceive a slight clouding of the eyes.  Our five, ten or more years of difference can make all the difference to them.  I am now perceived to be old.

But I am not old!  Despite my age, I feel much younger and my mother will still state as she did at my marriage (I married real young) that I've 'always been a bit immature'.  I guess I just can't get my head around this age thing.

For one, I look better (according to my husband) better than I ever have due to working hard on calories in/calories out.  I am more confident in myself and my life which gives me more energy.  

But more importantly, I can only imagine the women of my mother's life at my current age.  My best friend's mom, my mom, other mom's....they were my age when I was in high school and they seemed so old back then.  And, I AM NOT OLD.

Am I the only one who feels this way?   Is my mom right and I am immature?  Or as the saying goes - you may have to get older but acting old is a choice!

To make it even better - my family (older brothers and sisters - I have 8 of those) has added the word 'forty' to our list of f-words that can never be said.   As a result we have all remained thirty-something.

So, in case you were wondering - today I am thirty-sixteen.  A fine age to be I think!  1962 was a very good year!

May the Little Flower continue to bless all the Little Flowers

How I love the woman of today's gospel!

Today's gospel from Luke which tells of the story of the woman wiping Jesus' feet w/ oil always gives me such encouragement.  How many times have I disappointed Christ, how many times "the woman in the city, who was a sinner".  How awful for her that her sins were so well-known.  We can hide ours (at least most of them in the dark of our homes and the corners of our souls), but she was known to all as a sinner.  Can you even imagine this type of life, this existence on the edge of society?  But this did not cause her enough embarrassment that she was going to let Jesus pass her by.

Don't let our sinners to cause us let Jesus pass us by.  He is waiting for us, every day in the tabernacle, awaiting our arrival to supper with Him at Mass.  Let us go, wash his feet with our hair, and let Him know of our deep love.  If possible, why not take yourself and your children to confession this weekend and show Him there your love.  How good it will feel to hear - Your sins are forgiven,  go in peace.

 

How do you eat an elephant??

One bite at a time!  

So should be our lives.  But we often forget that don't we?  Today, I had a day where I was taking more than a mouthful, barely chewing and swallowing well before I should have.  As a result, I am ending this evening w/ a bad case of spiritual indigestion.  Happily for us, God has provided His own brand of Pepto-Bismol.  Prayer.  

I shall go to bed with my children.  Wrap my rosary around my hand and hope I fall asleep before I finish.  I'll ask my guardian angel to finish it for me and help me awake tomorrow with a commitment to eat my elephant more carefully tomorrow.

Enters the Fall

I will readily admit that fall is my favorite time of year.  My affection for the season comes not only from the fact that birthday is in September but from the reality of the cooler weather.  In my battle (small skirmishes for the most part) with MS, my health is decidely better when the humidity is low along with the temps.

I also truly love the 'new beginnings' a school year offers.  New notebooks, not yet filled with any writing offer us a chance to write new stories.  New planners, not yet filled with commitments allow us to new dreams of what we will do and what will happen.

But in reality - my planner is already filled as I have offered it - through my commitment to Christ and His path - to His commitments, His plans and His work.  As a result I try to discern if what I am writing down, if my commitments and plans are His and mine in tandem or all me, all the the time.

The same is true for my notebooks.  My writing, my work is also His.  I can only hope that what I write, what I do is all Him, all the time.

I readily laugh at the irony of "Fall" as I know I will 'fall down' in both of these resolutions time and again.  We all do, we all will.  But I will strive that as I fall I will remember that I can rise again, just as the tempuratures.  I just shouldn't wait weeks or months to rise but today.  Love the fight and not the fall.  I will continue to love the season of fall and all it brings but never will I love the fall of my resolve or my sins.

 

By our fruit (flowers??) we are known...

Today's gospel - Luke 6:43-49 contains that stop you in your tracks verse - "For every tree is known by its own fruit."  One of many verses (too many to count verses!) in Scripture that make me pause.  How clearly could it be?  You will known by the fruit you produce.  I find it interesting that there is no number here - the verse is not 'known by how much fruit' - but just the its own fruit.  

I mention this because I was again confronted recently by the comment that I 'must' be holy because I am the mom of a large family.  None of my children were around when the comment was made which spared me their snorty laughs as they would beg to differ.  

Let us be clear - while we are called to be fruitful and multiply - but we all know that God's plan for each family is as unique as His plan for each fruitful plant in His beautiful creation.  A pineapple plant creates one amazing fruit while other plants such as apples and oranges produce a multitude.  But as we all know from eating fruit, there can be some real clunkers in a seemingly beautiful bowl.

The challenge then is for us to be sure to give care and regard for each fruit we are growing regardless of number.  Each one unique, requiring individual care and love.  

And while I am in no position to 'change' the Scriptures, I can't but smile and wonder about the flowers we produce as a result of our desire to all be Little Flowers.  How many seeds of faith can we sow today?   Can we leave behind some buds of love for neighbor today as we go out and about in our tasks?  Would God look down on the flowers we live and leave today and smile knowing these 'fruits' of our labors are as pleasing to Him as any fruit.

May the Little Flower bless and watch over all Little Flowers!