Empty with Dan Haseltine Matt Hammitt (Music Inspired by The Story) from worshiphousemedia on GodTube.

Dying for love of Christ isn't necessarily an old idea. Pictured below, is the blood from any one of the 21 martyrs attending a Coptic church in Egypt from this past January.

I cannot love a soul which is stained with sin; but when it repents, there is no limit to My generosity toward it.  My mercy embraces and justifies it.  With My Mercy, I pursue sinners along all their paths, and My Heart rejoices when they return to Me.  I forget the bitterness with which they fed My Heart and rejoice at their return…”

Jesus to Sr.Faustina

I've started going back to the YMCA to exercise since my kids have have returned to school and I saw my friend Stacie who was working at the front desk.  I said to her, "HI Stacie, how are you honey!?" "I haven't seen you for a while!" Her personality is always very serious and she never cracks a smile - which  makes me laugh. She said  "I'm good,"  but then she became excited and said very quickly in her usual monotone, "I've lost 18 pounds!" I said, "That's terrific, good job, how did you do it?" She said, "I exercised." I said, "Well, point to the machine you used, that's the one for me!" "It's not here, she said, I go to "Curves."

Alrighty then.

My  friend George attends the parish across town and he always likes to tell me about whats going with the Knights of Columbus. He's a proud member of the K of C and he gets particularly excited when it's Lent as he goes on to describe how he participates in their annual fish fry. George is my grocery sacker, and we chat at least once a week and have done so for many years.

Last week I bought two carts of groceries and George said he would help me to   load them into my car. I said, "It's okay, I know you have other things to do, I can do it," but he insisted, and because I was feeling my age, I relented. I parked my car in the drive-thru lane and he began to move my things but as I got out to help him, he insisted, very sweetly, "You get back in the car, I will do it, besides your going to have to put it all away."  Yeah, your right George, and I should bring you home with me, your very helpful.

Ah, thanks George, your the best!

Then when I was leaving another store, a group of special needs people began to exit their bus. Their leader was a very handsome young man who was making playful walking gestures with his hands and trying to engage the older teens and young adults with his humor. I glanced at him and shot him a smile of approval as he laughed with embarrassment when he noticed that I had been watching him act silly.  Naturally I considered him to be very saintly and felt love at first sight for this man who was apparently as gorgeous on the inside as he was on the outside.

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* "An estimated 92 percent of all women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome choose to terminate their pregnancies, according to research reviewed by Dr.Brian Skotko, a pediatric geneticist at Children's Hospital Boston."

*Source- ABC news -Susan Donaldson James

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92 percent of these women don't know what they're missing and the world is worse off without these people.

The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily
do not rob the little violet of it’s scent nor the daisy of its simple charm.
If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness."

— St. Thérèse de Lisieux

This is Grace, Belinda's daughter.  Mom said I could make a "post."  I have decided to tell you about the life of St. Therese of Liseux. She was the one  who people call, "the little flower." They called her this because she compared life on Earth to Heaven. I love the little stories she tells about life. Here are a few...

 When she was a little girl, she asked her sister, "why do some people receive more grace than others?" Her sister got out two glasses. One was big and the other little, she then proceeded to fill the glasses until they reached their capacity. Her sister then asked, "which one is more full?" Therese answered, "they are both equally full." This is comparable to how God gives us grace. We are only given as much as we can take. Even if it seems that others have more grace than us, we should be happy because we have as much as we need. Just as in the prayer of humility, the last line states, "May others become holier than I, provided I become as holy as I should. Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it." St. Therese understood this. That is why she's my favorite saint.

 She said that in God's garden of life, we are all like flowers. Some of us are roses, others are lilies. There are big flowers that stand out and the little flowers that nobody seems to notice. We are each a flower. She asked, "How would the garden be if all of the lilies wanted to be roses? We should be content with what flower we are, in real life the amount of grace is given in what we can take. If we are a rose we may require more water than the lilies. The lilies must be happy being a lilly because they can't pretend to be roses. Some of us must be content in only being a lilly while others should do their best in being a rose."

You can listen to or read her autobiograpy here. :)
http://www.storyofasoul.com/

Have a great day!

Mass was crowded  so I had to sit in the opposite pew across the isle from my blog administrator. I love it when he winks  at me but who could tell if he was winking with his eye swollen shut? I winked back at him anyway and after mass he said the man sitting beside him thought I was winking at him. Maybe I was. Actually I was thinking about Padre Pio because I had the privilege of sitting next to a man who had served mass for Saint Pio.
I thought, "I should  ask this man that if he would happen to die before me, if he could please tell Padre Pio thank you for all of his intersessions and prayers on our behalf and then give Padre a hug for me, I'm so grateful." But because my pew pal is frail  and has trouble walking, I thought I 'd better leave him alone to go about his business.  I'd hate to be the cause of a fall or maybe my comment -about the dying part, might insult him. I walked away sad because I didn't get to speak with him, though God must have told Pio what I was thinking  because later that evening Gracie handed a gift to me and  said, "Our deacon gave this to me and told me to give it to my mom."  It was a rosary in a box with Padre Pio's photo on top," It was the picture of Padre giving a blessing. 

 I'm gonna wink at God, do you think he'll notice? I love it when he winks back at me.

Dear God, check inside the Japanese lunch box, third drawer from the top but try and guess what's in it first. Maybe you could act surprised.

 “When pain overwhelms my soul, and the horizon darkens like night, and the heart is torn with the torment of suffering, Jesus Crucified, You are my strength.  When the soul, dimmed with pain, exerts itself in battle without respite, and the heart is in agony and torment, Jesus Crucified, you are the hope of my salvation.” 

 - Sr. Faustina

Have you ever wondered if God keeps some of the things you've made on his  refrigerator?

Here's whats on my fridge.

Our daughter Grace is working on a set of drawings for our Priest at his request, but this is only a rough sketch.

My gym buddy- Stacy and I talked about Christmas and family this morning while I exercised,.. well, she did most of the talking , I simply tried to breath as she told me about how much she loves her nephews and how exciting it will be to fly to Arizona to see them after the holidays. She told me all about the boys and that apparently one of them goes to speech class because he's  artistic.

I love Stacy because every time I visit with her, she acts like shes' glad to see me and she makes me feel special , little does she know.... it's actually the other way around.

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Please consider saying a prayer and or offering something up for our mentally disabled population. They suffer a great deal from the real world and in ways which you can't understand until you live with a person who has some of these issues. These kids know they don't fit and that the real world doesn't appreciate them for who they are and we parents can't take their pain away.  They stand with Christ on the front line, in this battle for our salvation - simply by their existence, as I have come to understand that your fate is decided then and there by the way you treat these people- the least of Gods children.

****

Medical ethicist Ronald Green argues that parents have an obligation to avoid 'genetic harm' to their offspring, and Claire Rayner, then a patron of the Downs Syndrome Association, defended testing and abortion saying "The hard facts are that it is costly in terms of human effort, compassion, energy, and finite resources such as money, to care for individuals with handicaps... People who are not yet parents should ask themselves if they have the right to inflict such burdens on others, however willing they are themselves to take their share of the burden in the beginning."

Source



90% of down syndrome babies are aborted.

The little elf who was really a troll.

I'm hanging around outside of the ginger bread house where St.Nicholas was entertaining  little angels and as I'm  pulling up the rear in the Santa line, (which I might add ,at one point was as bad as the D.M.V.)    I'm  listening to parents rehearse with their children about what they're  going to say to Santa and what they want for Christmas, when suddenly a crusty old woman wearing an embellished grandma Christmas sweater -a  Elf Nazi, starts yelling at the  parents and their children and says's to all of us, "Santa is done and he isn't seeing anymore children now!"  "It's time for him to go because he has lots of things to do at the North Pole!" ( As I'm thinking ,"Well the laundry is done , he might have a sink full of dishes but they can wait" ;) and so I said to her in my special little way, "No,  he can spend as much time here as he needs to, he really doesn't have anything else he could be doing right now,  he's not  done." Then the grandma elf  became an indignant angrier elf, and said, "OH, YES HE IS!"  "He's tired and he needs to get back to the North Pole!"  "We don't want him to get worn out because he wont want to come back again next year. I said, "No, he can sit there for as long as it takes, it's really no trouble at all,  I know Santa wants to see all of the children in line." I'm positive he does!  (Poor Santa, I didn't even consider that  he might need a bathroom break or perhaps he was hungry,  he rarely complains and besides I had a broken cookie  in my pocket, which for him , always makes everything better!) But the little elf  continued , "SANTA NEEDS TO GET BACK TO THE NORTH POLE! and so  then I put my left arm  around the  antiquated troll, and hugged her tightly so she would feel comfort and restraint which  has always been the method I've  used  for little people who refuse reason. It gives the offender a moment to collect their thoughts , feel security and emotional support and  yet wonder if I'm going to hurt them or not. She replied to me- in her thin, whiny, voice, "We've been here since six o'clock this morning and we're tired and if we push Santa he wont want to come back next year! I said, "I understand,  I'm so sorry,"  And I really was, I don't want anyone to suffer, honestly I don't, but all the while I'm thinking, "Suck it up, - children come first." As I assured her that Santa would - positively be back again next year - I will make him  I promise ;) The woman finally relented and said, "Well, after these kids in line  go through it's over!  No more new kids!" and so I smiled at her, nodded my head and reluctantly agreed.

***

After the last child had left, Santa asked me, "Is the fire truck still out in front and  waiting for me? Have they left without me?  I said, "No, Santa, they're still waiting for you , and I have a broken cookie in my pocket just for you." and my Santa/  blog administrator/ activity director said, "Well nobody threw up, or wet on me this year." I said, "Well that's a - win-win  for both of us!

 -You don't think Santa is the one who would  actually have to clean that now do you?

It's such a privileged and a blessing to be a part of this Catholic family.

I love being Catholic - I love it , as I had wanted to be a Catholic since I was a small child.

In 18 days I will get to view a relic of Padre Pio at  Mass and I will blog about it with photos.

God bless all of my readers who have spent part of their lives with me goofing around on our computers but more importantly praying for each me and  for each other while spiritually supporting one another.You've  been so kind and I've learned a lot from many of you. You have been such a blessing to me.

 - "The communion of saints."

My 5 things that bring me joy post - in no particular order.

1) When I receive a large package of pristine view master reels in the mail with MY name on the box!

(Whether I'm five or fifty years old - it doesn't  matter - sad but true.)

2) The cool things our children create bring me enormous joy, from their homemade soaps, makeups and cheeses to their paintings, drawings and sculptures made from fabric or clay. I also love their building projects and movies projects - which you will one day pay to see : )

3) I love it when my children -sensing my insecurities, hug me and tell me that they love me and think that I'm a good mom or when they mail a card that says's the same thing and it's addressed to "Mom Benson" on the outside of the envelope.

4) I love it when a mentally challenged kid is excited to see you even though you know you suck, and   it's crystal clear to everyone who knows you- knows that you do indeed suck, yet this kid acts like your somebody special and  he or she is really glad to see you -and they mean it.

5) I love it when my husband walks into the room and even though I know I suck, and it's crystal clear to everyone who knows me, knows that I do indeed suck, yet this man acts like I'm somebody special and he's really glad to see me -and he means it.

A few months ago I was doing something  for the poor and the boss of the organization came over to me and yelled at me because I brought the "items" in on the wrong day and it wasn't the "items" he had wanted me to bring in and as I bent over to put the items on the shelf all crest fallen and crushed a poor woman stood next  to me and said, " Thank you for helping us poor people, we appreciate it." I was so overwhelmed with joy I nearly kissed her on the face.

Gracie posts

The divine replicator.

I dreamt I was walking down a quiet paved road and there was a Catholic church on one side of the road and a large home on the other. I thought to myself, " I'd like to visit the church but first I'll go and view the home across the street."  I was told by someone in the dream that I was touring mother Cabrini's home for children and that this was where she had lived and cared for the children. (I don't know if there is such a place but I will google it after my post so that  I dont taint my poor memory.)  As I was being escorted through the old empty building we walked into each of the rooms and I was told a little bit about some of the children who had been under the watchful care of Mother Cabrini and her assistant care givers. Many of the children lived wonderful productive lives after they had left -  a living testament to Mother Cabrini and the spiritual direction and love she had provided for those children.

One little boy had loved bomber planes and carried a picture of a plane that he had treasured but for some reason it was left behind.  The sisters had encouraged the boy and this had effected his life in some sort of a dramatic way but I wasn't told how.

As I walked past Mothers room, I saw a Nun wearing a full habit whose back was turned to me and she was looking at a picture on the wall that read.... "I love my Nona." which made me smile because then I realized that Mother was Italian and that she took pride in being Italian.  In room after room where the children had stayed there had been stories of spiritual successes -you know moral people who went on to live exemplary christian lives after their stay. It felt as though it had been a happy place but has since fallen into deep disrepair and whether it's spiritual, simply physical or perhaps both, was not stated.

I was struck by the enormous love Mother Cabrini's had for the children. Her great love was uncontainable, it felt almost tangible and I was overwhelmed and inspired by it. I was told that it was Christ who gave Mother this great love and that it is Christ who replicates it  over and over again in his souls  and as it takes root it becomes unstoppable and it continues to replicate on and on forever.

Here's the house I  googled -Sacred Heart Orphan Asylum or the Sacred Heart Orphanage. I dreamt that there were serious issues with the floors and that the porch needs repair but there's also a door that doesn't lock properly and I dreamt that if that door's not fixed someone could get hurt and the door gave me anxiety. 

(Someone has been hurt and Mother is not happy with whats been going on over there.)

Death doesn't seem to stop some people and Mother Cabrini is on it.

*Disclaimer- This blog does not have church approval and neither do I. 

I prayed for over a year every time I drove past my neighbors empty house while we waited to see who God would send as their replacement. My prayers payed off big time because our new neighbors are wonderful.  (Sometimes they send me/us high quality snacks. I love snacks!)  So far so good and Holly doesn't hate me yet. (Way to go Belinda!!)

I laughed this morning when I saw her husband throw their duck into the water trying to coax it to swim. Can you imagine - ducks afraid of the water! hahaha   Please God help my neighbors to tolerate me.
 

Here's a recent home video of our new neighbors from the big city.

* Disclaimer -Holly's not ditsy and she's a superb cook . She's  embraced her new country life with enthusiasm and grace. ( Watch your step Holly, learn to look for snakes, mice, duck crap and dead things.)

BTW - Holly, I'm a morning person. I'm up around 5:30 and in bed around 8:00 if I'm lucky enough to make that happen. I'll call you tomorrow morning around 5:15 to check on you ;-)

Some people you just shouldn't mess with

because they have God's ear.

The mentally challenged, the orphaned and the widows.

God gives his complete attention to these people and it's not wise to cross them.