A Mechanic, a patriot, and Dodge

They say that death comes in threes, sometimes. Well, lately this has come to pass near and dear to the Pillars. Suddenly, without notice, a life is gone, a huge void in our daily routine is presented to us and without a cure, pain ensues. Time heals all wounds, they also say, but how much time, when will it stop and is there something we can take in the meantime? To get close to a person runs a risk, set up house on a street and let the kids play with the other children, to say yes to bringing home a pet, to care for it, and cuddle with it during thunderstorms, arguments, or just plain days that didn't go quite right opens up a risk that getting close will have to end some time and that will undoubtedly be painful.

About six weeks ago, one of our dear neighbors lost his fight to survive cancer, it was devastating. Neighbors, family, and church members rallied around this special family as they said "goodbye" to a good man, who worked hard, was a good daddy to their 5 kids, and saved my knight and I many a time fixing whatever ailed our vehicles. At the visitation, we found out that it just wasn't us who got preferential treatment...it seemed that the entire city came out to pay their respects for this quiet, gentle spirit, who made his living in a garage.

On Friday, another gentle spirit was called home, this time rather unexpectedly. Rachel was to be a grandmother for the first time in October, looking forward to holding her grandchild soon was nearly all she talked about. There was another thing that occupied her mind, and that was being a staunch Republican, pro-life, conservative, and very much against what is happening in Washington, DC these days. We were on the same wave length in the political world. I didn't get to know her until very recently when I met her at the state convention in June and what a pleasure it had been learning from her and realizing that she was a product of a complete line of die-hard Republicans that couldn't sit still for long. She will truly be missed in our community.

This morning we lost our dear little friend and resident "make yourself at home" guy, Dodge. My knight is beside himself today, running through the steps he should have taken, the questions he should have asked, the money we should have spent, and the number he should have dialed. No matter, our little dachshund, Dodge has passed. He had this before about 4 years ago, it's a syndrome called HGE, but the vets won't tell you what it is because there is no definitive way to rule for it. Everyone knows about it and even the lady that we adopted Dodge from told me we should have called her as she had some drug that she gives her doxie that is prone to this condition....who would have thought?

Let me tell you about Dodge, he was the house greeter, official "make yourself at home" guy. He warmed your lap, kissed your hands, and made sure the cats didn't get too fat by rationing their food intake (when mom and dad weren't looking). He barked at the neighbors on their porch, the blond, single, Irish Setter next door and was the highlight of many a little boy at campgrounds after finding out Dodge only had one eye. Yes, he was expensive, there were a few situations where we had to drop about 2 -4 hundred dollars on him to keep him healthy, but he was worth every penny. He was afraid of thunderstorms, but loved to sing with our fiddle playing daughter. Everyone seemed to like him and most definitely he liked everyone he met. We will sorely miss our dear 'black tank," Dodge. Not sure if all dogs do go to Heaven, but in our case, we hope he's waiting for us at Heaven's gate in St. Peter's lap as his new best friend.

A prayer request like no other!

Remember that war I talked about several months ago waging in my neighborhood? Well, we are still in the throes and Cindy needs our prayers like mad! Another blogger friend of Cindy's sent out a request for prayer and fasting from the blogging world and what a reply she has received! Linny put out a call for all to fast for Cindy this Monday, July 27th for as many of the meals as possible. Cindy is hitting a rough spot right now losing her strength and balance due to her cancer spreading.

God chooses, it is always His control, so I know that He can make miracles happen. I am praying for a miracle...a miracle!

GOD, I AM ASKING YOU FOR A MIRACLE!! DO YOU HEAR ME?? WE NEED A MIRACLE NOW....I BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS, HEAL THE BLIND, CLEANSE THE LEPERS, I BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN CREATE OUR WORLD, THE BIRDS, SKY, THE AMAZING HUMAN BODY AND ABOVE ALL, YOU GAVE US THE GIFT OF LOVE.

I LOVE YOU, LORD, SO VERY MUCH AND I KNOW THAT YOU CAN MOVE THIS MOUNTAIN....AND RIGHT ABOUT NOW......CINDY IS THE PERFECT RECIPIENT FOR ALL OF US TO BEHOLD.

I BELIEVE, I TRUST, I HOPE IN YOU, LORD.

Please join me in fasting for Cindy and her lovely family on Monday. Check out her blog at Faithfulpromises, she is a brave, trusting, and godly lady and Howard, her loving husband and friend, could use this miracle more than ever.

Anti-Catholic Administration

Here is something everyone should be very AWARE. Please watch.

YEAR OF THE PRIEST 2009-2010

Fr. Edward had a great homily today concerning the Word and the relationship with the year of the Priest. Basically, he calls for us to continue to pray for them all through the week and not just on Sunday morning at a Mass. "You may think we priests have it easy, an easy into Heaven, but that couldn't be more further from the truth. We will be judged more harshly then you perhaps in how we ministered to you." I never thought about that before, as he said, I thought that both priests and their mothers had a fasttrack to Heaven when their time came.

Perhaps to go further, we must pray for the families of young boys, that they have the courage and wisdom to show their support of the religious life. Encouraging their boys to listen and heed God's calling. To be open as a family to this way of life should be the way of all families or we will continue to have a shortage of priests. That's where the priesthood begins.

My Pro-Life Conversion story

The Catholic Church has always been strict in it's stand on social justice. Studying Catholic Social Teachings last year I realized the most central of all the teachings, the one that ranks the highest is life. So many Catholics are pro-choice nowadays and are not aware of the real ramifications of what abortion does to our society and the world. Murder is murder which is ending a human life no matter age or stage of existence.

To see the pictures of abortion is horrific at the very least, but to dare go further into the act and see the legs, arms, tiny eyeballs mixed in with blood, skin, and other obvious body parts is condemnable. What was this before it was abruptly pulled apart limb from trunk from head to it's end? How is this procedure done by a caring, knowledgeable medical professional? How do these people sleep at night, much less feel innocent of murder in this matter-of-fact attitude?

But I wasn't so aware of all these details years ago as a young college student. My mother had told me when I was about 16 or so that if I ever had an abortion, she'd disown me and she was very serious. There were other mothers that gladly paid for their daughter's abortion to save family embarrassment. My mother was not one of them, believe me.. Later in college I stood on a balcony over looking a abortion clinic and watched a pro-lifer yelling, using a bullhorn, at a woman as she made her way to the front door of the clinic. How it angered me to see that and how sorry I felt for the poor woman in the position she was in to begin with and then to be yelled at to boot. I vowed right then and there that if that is what pro- life meant, I wanted nothing to do with it. This and the murders of doctors, nurses, and the Birmingham clinic bombing happened during that time helped feed my detachment. My mother also told me once that there was no reason at all to have an abortion, not even rape. I had to think about that for long time. She said that it wasn't the child's fault and it shouldn't be punished for it by being aborted. That one part of abortion I just couldn't wrap my brain around for many, many years. True, I thought put that way, but still it was very hard to fully grasp, until about a year ago.

Now for my conversion story. Years ago as a real estate agent, I took in as seminars and classes as I could. One very important lesson we were taught was if you don't list you don't last. Meaning, if you don't get people to hire you to sell their property by listing, just selling other agents' listings, soon you will just poop out and run out of buyers. This lesson talks about the human element of real estate, if you take care of the people, caring for their needs in purchasing property, the money will come. Being good with people will build your business. If our society would be good to the persons of our society, no matter how old or what stage of life they are in, the rest of the problems will take care of themselves.

After reading Roe vs Wade's legal document and then comparing it to the 'Freedom of Choice Act" documentation, the light bulb went on in my heart. The word, viable, is used as defining the worth of the baby within the womb and the elderly or ill person in bed. Viable, when and at what point of health, is a human being worth keeping and cared for. Wow, someone other than God is given the authority to decide in all this documentation. How can this be?

Then I asked myself this question, "At what point were any of my children not viable to me during my pregnancy?" I know that there was no stage of pregnancy that these children were not viable, but then I must also realize that this is true for any and all pregnancies. It doesn't matter how they came to be, what does matter is that they are viable and they deserve the respect and care needed to allow them health, happiness, and to persue liberty, and justice...... for all.

A prayer request: the Mission Trip of our parish

Our oldest daughter will be going on the mission trip for the first time this summer. She is so excited and so are we. They will be serving the community in Pittsburg, PA for a week. This is one of the largest parish mission trips in our nation with 140 students and adults strong. Their patron saint is St. Theresa of Calcutta, who tells us all to "give God permission" to work through us. This is what is on the mission trip t-shirts all the mission trip attendees received yesterday at the commissioning Mass.

Please say a prayer for them as they make preparations and travel this Saturday to PA to work/pray/and play together as a parish family. They will be keeping a blog for us to keep up with them and all their activities.

Many thanks!

Book Review: Magnificat, May 2009

Magnificat, Vol. 11, No. 3. May 2009

Another The Catholic Company book Review has been a true pleasure and learning experience…as usual! As an official reviewer for them, I got excited when the call came out for takers of several copies of the May issue of the Magnificat, so I clicked YES without even thinking twice.

This issue, while being true to the Marian month, also honored the people of China. With May 24^th being the annual Day of Prayer for the Church in China, Magnificat delivered a wonderful issue about the saints from this region in the “Saints of today and yesterday.” There are so many saints now thanks for Pope John Paul II (The great) that it was refreshing to learn about saints that aren’t so common like Saint Aemilianus, Bishop (6^th century) who was said to have lived to be 100. Blessed John of Saint Dominic Martinez, priest, Religious and Martyr (1619) who was brave enough to enter Japan with another priest and was imprisoned, dying there under harsh treatment and deprivations. Saint Augustine Yi Kwang-Hon, martyr (1786-1839), a native Korean, he was married with a son, but still refused to renounce his faith unto death. Saint Peter Van Van Doan, Martyr (1780-1857) from Vietnam, served as a lay catechist, he lived to be about 77 during several waves of anti-Catholic repression and was finally beheaded on May 25, 1857.

Meditation of the Day is another feature that I looked forward to each morning. One in particular brought me to tears:

An S.A.S. Soldier’s Prayer

I bring this prayer to You, Lord,

For you alone can give

What one cannot demand from oneself.

Give me, Lord, what You have left over,

Give me what no one ever asks You for.

I don’t ask You for rest,

Or quiet,

Whether of soul or body;

I don’t ask You for wealth

Nor for success, nor even health perhaps.

That sort of thing You get asked for so much

That You can’t have any of it left.

Give me, Lord, what you have left over,

Give me what no one wants from You.

I want insecurity, strife,

And I want You to give me these

Once and for all.

So that I can be sure of having them always,

Since I shall not always have the courage

To ask You for them.

Give me, Lord, what You have left over.

Give me what others want nothing to do with.

But give me courage too,

And strength and faith;

For You alone can give

What one cannot demand from oneself.

Lieutenant Andre Zirnheld (+1941)

Who served in WWII with the British S.A.S. He was killed in action in Libya, this prayer was found on his body when they found him.

Anyway, along with these regular features is the format that closely relates to the Liturgy of the Hours with canticles, Hymns, and antiphons for each day. Morning prayers and evening prayers, daily Mass readings, and the canticles of Mary and Zechariah are conveniently located on the back cover along with the Canticle of Simeon and the Te Deum. If only the actual Liturgy of the Hours could be written so easily!

All in all, this is a true blessing to your daily prayer routine, in deed! I still leaf through this issue for prayers, meditations, and saint information. You can obtain your copy or subscription through The Catholic Company after reading this glowing review.

The liturgy of the Hours

Excited to finally purchase my very own Liturgy of the Hours prayer book and guide thanks to our parish pastor's generous invitation for bulk buying for a cheaper price. I picked up my prize the other day and dove into it wholeheartily....to my dismay it is as it was years ago when I wondered how folks can pray this complicated prayer.....confusing.