Lord give me strength!

Ok, here's a bit of family history...

I'm a divorced mom of 4. The dad was abusive and I left with the shirt on my back and a suitcase for the kids. We've been seperated now for 3 years, and the divorce & anullement finally happened last fall. He still tries to control me via the children/anything having to do with the children.

Today, 3 days before the start of summer vacation, he sends me an e-mail saying that we should send the kids to day camp which according to him would be cheaper than the $3.5k daycare will cost for the summer. At this point all daycares are filled with school children, and summer day camps are bursting at the seems.

Lord give me the strength I need to deal with this man, one of your children. Give me the words that I need so that these children you have put in my care will have their needs met. Give me the patience I lack so that I may not be bothered or stressed by this issue. Lord you have said that if a parent would not deny their child a request, how much more would our Father in Heaven be willing to help us. You have said that widows and children have a special place in your heart. I may not be a widow as such, but I am alone to raise these children - so I cry out to you for them. I ask you to listen to my prayer.

Thank You my Lord! I know that you have answered my prayer and that this will be resolved soon. Amen! Amen! Your glory shines in the face of children. Thank you for giving us the joy of them!

I waaaaaaant...

Aaah yes! The familiar sound of commercialism! It starts very young. Imagine my 5 year old cut her "crocks" to shreds because they weren't real "crocks" with the crocodile pictures on them... She figured that if she cut them, I would have to by her new "crocks".

Sorry dear... You'll have to make due with your sneakers for a while.

Father's day

Today is father's day...

Father, you send us so many blessings,
from the green mountains and the rivers blue,
to the trees and flowers of so many colours and hue.

Abba, you give us so much love,
from your care and attention so true,
to the freedom to live and to love You.

Papa, you show us such mercy,
our daring and brazeness can turn us away from You,
our inattention and foolhardiness make us forget You,
but through Jesus your son comes our salvation,
and so for this, we Thank Thee.


Happy Father's day to all the father's out there.

Lectio Divina

A simple prayer. One that I practiced regularly only a few years ago. The biggest part of this prayer is being present to the Word of God. To take a few moments of the day and read a short passage. Then a few moments to meditate on the Word that we have just read. We continue with Oratio - where we let our hearts speak to God, inspired by the Word that we have just read and the meditation we've just had. We finish with a contemplation. Taking a few moments to be present to God in the Word He has given us. What could be better?

I am weak though. Distractions abound and exhaustion overtakes me and the next thing I know, it has been seven years since I took the time to partake in this precious gift. I need to remind myself of the peace and the rest that I found in this 20 minute exercise.

How do I start this blog?

Well, I'm roman catholic. I'm also a mom. There are so many blessings in both of these things. I thought I would start this blog to discuss, think and ponder over only a few of the blessings that come from the roman catholic church and from being a mom. Time slips away so quickly, my first baby is already a pre-teen. My last baby will be starting school in the fall. Each day the children try my patience. Each day I find some grace to make it through. How many days have passed since my first baby has been born? How many graces have I accepted thankfully - yet I have forgotten about? So I'll start this simple blog to help remind me of some of these daily miracles.

Today has been simple enough. Mass this morning. The extra blessing of adoration for but a few moments at the end of mass. I wish that I could say that my children were darlings throughout the mass. The oldest two were a little distracted by the books, while the youngest two were distracted by each other. Yet here we were as a family, in The presence of our Lord and Saviour. As I knelt after the Eucharist, praying as I usually do - with my eyes closed, my heart soared and I started praying quietly in tongues. Then I heard my priest saying that we would have a few moments of adoration. Oh saving grace! How can I thank thee for the miracle of salvation? The Eucharist isn't just a symbol or a remembrance... It is the sharing of THE body and blood of Christ. The choir softly starts to sing "I exalt thee, I exalt thee, I exalt thee oh Lord!" My heart and lips sing the song with full meaning. Words fail to exclaim the song in my spirit as I adore my Lord. Yet these words are simple and carry my spirit towards my God. The church is reverently quiet, safe for the soft singing from the hearts in the congregation. Then as quickly as it started, my heart wanted to cry out. I opened my eyes to find that the priest has taken the Body of my God from the monstrance and is placing it into the tabernacle.

My miracle was simply that. I got a moment to meet my Lord, adore Him and exalt Him joyfully and heartily. Distractions may come and may go, yet the Lord Jesus is still present to us throughout. Will we still recognize Him in the rush of our daily lives?