Okay,.... go out and vote today and vote like you mean it.

Don't vote stupid either because the rest of us have to pay for your mistake.

 But before you vote, ask yourself one question - W.W.J.V.F.?

Remember to cross your eyes real hard and this image will appear in "3 D"
Your looking at an old image of a new building.

I went to an estate sale last week and it was the strangest sale I'd ever been to. It was like something out of "The invasion of the body snatchers." The home was a beautiful mansion and it appeared as though there had been an unfortunate accident and the family who had lived there just disappeared. There were towels left folded in the linen closet and dishes with boxed food still sitting up on the pantry shelves. The bathroom had everything from inside of the cabinets emptied on top of the marble counter  and  blankets were lying in the sunken jacuzzi tub. The bedroom closets still had clothing in them!
I was too freaked out by the oddity of the situation and I had to leave. I can't rummage through someones drawers or closets.  It's kind of sickening.

The person in charge told me the family was in  foreclosure  downsizing - yeah sure.

Greed  has ruined is ruining us.

9/17/10

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."

Oh yeah, this is exactly why I blog.

My sins are like boomerang darts that have my name on them
 (That's because I made them.)

and when they come back to me it hurts like hell .

My sins  always come back to me and even after I leave them at the confessional. I hear them repeated through my children's mouths or I get to observe someone doing something I once had done only to relive my sorrow and remorse.
***
Psalm 103:11-12

 ¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
       so great is his love for those who fear him;
 ¹² as far as the east is from the west,
       so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Communism is bad- very, very bad.

Curly provides us with the best example of  how a dictator should jingle as they walk that way they sound exciting, jolly, generous and fun -just like Santa.....but then after you fall victim to their charms.......

(Think- Sean Penn-babbling.) it's  too late....for you , me , your spouse, your sister, your parents , your children, your dog, and your pet frog Bob (The second Bob because the first Bob died in the party bucket with the beer in the garage.)

 Ah, but at least you'll have free health care!

(The above film clip provided was a  documentation of  a Chavez planning session with his advisers - 5:14 is the best part of the documentary.)

Someones not very good at geography either.

My favorite map game.

It's time to wake the children. They love it when I play the Mulan song loud enough to make the cats vibrate.

Gosh, we worked really hard to beat back communism back in the day now didn't we?

It's shocking to see how easily it appears to be making a fashionable comeback.

Aparently freedom is like a garment and some people think you can put it on or take it off at whim

but that's not how it works, with some things in life it's all or nothing.

When our daughter Grace had finished speaking with our priest he said to her, "Go and get your brother. I wanna to talk to him" So she took the boy to Father and Father said , "Joseph, I want you to start serving at Mass, will you do it?" But Joseph said no so  Father asked again , "Well I want you to do it so will you?" ( Father has plans for the boy and thinks Joseph will become a priest but he's wrong, the boy told me he wants to be a train driver.)  Joseph reluctantly said yes but when we got into the car he began to cry and say, "I don't know how to serve, I can't do it!" What if I fall or make a fire in the church? ( The boy has anxiety issues too.) I told him I would help so when we got back home I put a lit candle on a cardboard pole and he practiced walking back and forth in our hall while entrance songs played on YouTube and yeah, there was candle wax everywhere.  Joseph did end up serving and after Mass when he got into the car he said, "I loved it, when can I do it again!?" (Naturally he loved it, everyone wants a piece of  the alter space for themselves.) I told the boy  he would be serving a lot during the summer because I 'm  going to daily mass and he will be joining me. ( I also have plans for the boy.) Rose asked her dad when would she be able to serve but he basically told her it isn't going to happen however I've got some service plans for her as well  but sadly they're not as fun but they're super important.

Pictured above; My blog administrator is on the right and our son is on the left- what you can see of him.

I give to the world the new face book theme song!

Ta da!!

( If you look closely you'll notice mother nature must have had something to do with this- She's the library lady seated and wearing the wide rim circle glasses)

*I do happen to be confused. I hope that's not a bad sign.

Under the heading of - it's just creepy - and for several reasons.

We can make this like a game...  who can find the parental errors in this photo of little Miss Cyrus.

Growing old together...... there's nothing sweeter.

A repeat post for my new porny blogger buddy. Any woman who allows herself to be photographed nude is a fool.

Sexuality is a gift that God has entrusted to you , consider for a moment how you've used this gift. Being responsible for your sexuality means much more than just putting on a condom.
Many people are rightly concerned about transmitting diseases, but our sexual responsibility goes much further than that. We are to be concerned for the emotional , spiritual and physical well being of our partner (spouse) and we are to have a respect for the dignity of the whole person and if your unwilling to do these things then your not in any position to be having sex.

Unless your in a holy sanctioned marriage where you've committed yourself to the total well being of that other person then I would say that you know very little about the true meaning of sex and you know nothing about real love. Mind you, I'm not saying anything bad about sex , I'm saying that there's a problem with you.
You might say , "well, so what", "we are all consenting adults" , but adults who consent to pornographic acts are adults who conspire to engage in "sinful pacts" with one another and what you do isn't as hidden as you might think and some of you haven't even had enough self respect to keep your sins hidden at all from other people.
Consider your legacy, will your children remember you fondly and with pride, and what will they tell their children about you? Children know about parents who view porn and who participate in sexual sins and they have little to no respect for them, and neither do your spouses , besides how can a spouse compete with porn models who've been airbrushed and photo shopped and who haven't had your children? Porn destroys marriages and families and it hurts children even if you think that they don't know - they do, I promise children always know.

Keep in mind that all that you have said and done is known by God and you have to ask yourself one question, is God a joke? I ask you to consider the love, peace and forgiveness that Jesus Christ longs to extend to you. I ask that you consider seeking redemption and a change of heart while your heart is still beating and before Christ withdraws his hand of forgiveness and redemption. No sin is to great for Jesus to forgive . He still wants you and he waits for you. We have all been sinners in some way or another and we are all running out of time. Christ sends no one to hell , but unrepentant we send ourselves to hell and then sadly Christ is heartbroken because you really are irreplaceable to him. I invite you to turn your back on your lives of sin as we have done and come and follow Christ.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

*I'm fed up with porn finding me on my computer and on my television. There's so much of it produced that it's getting nearly impossible to avoid it and I hate it.

Here's a little home video of our "fun time" activities.

My children have been home since the 17th of December.
They went to school last Tuesday but then the snow days happened.
I see no end in sight. I'm losing it, but at least I'm not this bad yet ;)

*I wonder how much the therapy for her children ended up costing her?
(I'm thinking of a word for her that rhymes with witch.)

Did anyone see those nuns in the crowd ?!?

Strategy meeting in Gotham - lucky us.

The riddler is the one that I'm most afraid of.

I don't even think that the real Antichrist was at the meeting,

only a few of his close personal friends were.

Just another conversion story, but this one means the world to me, because it's my brothers story.

My brother Bill has been a Catholic for a year now and he sent out a letter with his parish bulletin promoting the RCIA program.

**********************
I would like to share with you the journey that I have experienced in the last year and a half. I know it is just another conversion story and you have probably heard many of them, but each conversion story there will always be at least one person that it will touch their heart and soul forever. If God has chosen me to complete this task, then maybe it is you that God wants me to touch and if it is you, may we praise God forever and ever.

I have always been the quiet one that always stays to myself and doing things on my own. My thoughts on church was “I believe in God, I do not need to go to church” Church is not about believing in God, it is about fellowship and family, it is about the community support and love. I have not gotten along with my family for many years. I moved to Colorado, I got married and lived my life the best that I could.

I truly believe in my heart that we must hit rock bottom to understand the plan that God has in store for us. I came home from work on February 15th 2008 and my wife and step son up had moved out after almost 10 years of marriage. I was devastated; I truly felt that my entire world had came tumbling down on me, I was destroyed and even worse I no longer had hope. She refused to talk to me at all or attempt to fix this situation. I was abandoned by her and her family, and I did not have a place to turn.

I decided to attempt to find my sister, who I had not seen for over 18 years. So I found her on the internet and called her. We spoke almost every day for about 3 weeks, she explained how important the Catholic Church was to her, and how it has given her and her family the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity (Love), something that I desired but did not know how to obtain since this was a foreign idea to my family. My sister sent me a link from Kansas for Our Lady of Loreto, she sent a letter to Father Ed to introduce me and asked him to help me anyway that he could. She also sent a letter to Shirley (RCIA director) to try to explain my situation to her. I kept giving her excuses of why I did not need to go to church and by the grace of God, I decided to just do it, and with a little persistence from Shirley I decided that we needed to meet.

When I met Shirley, she stayed well past her time of going home, she was the most kind, caring and loving person that I have ever met at this point in my life. This really surprised me, a total stranger that she didn’t know that she was showing so much compassion to. I was lucky enough to start going to church during Holy week, I was able to see and experience many things. The more Masses that I attended the more I craved, I would leave church and go home and research on the internet. I would find answers to my questions either by my sister, Shirley or the internet. I would go to the Adoration Chapel at 2:00 in the morning so I could talk to Jesus one on one. If you have never tried this, please do, it is an incredible gift.

I began attending the weekly RCIA classes and I am happy to say that the more classes that I went to, the more my heart was changing. I was a person that wanted things, the best of everything, then the more masses that I attended, the less I desired things, and I desired the community of the Church, the fellowship, and the friends that I was making each and every time that I went to church, and I was growing because God wanted me to. My heart was changing from stone to flesh. I began caring and helping others. My parents and I were talking again. I was also informed that they had converted to the Catholic faith about 5 years ago, and that I was the last one in my immediate family to take this path, and I just kept thinking to myself may the last be first and the first be last.

I have never in my life had people that have loved me unconditionally for me, that want nothing from me except my friendship. I have the most wonderful God parents that a person could ask for. They have given me the ability to love again, the ability to see good in others and to appreciate everyone for whom and what they are. I do not know the future, I cannot see where my path will go, but thru prayer and discernment God will show me the way.

I do hope that I will always be able to help in some way the RCIA ministry, because if it was not for this group of loving and caring people. I would not be here today. If you have ever have had questions, or wanted to learn more about the Catholic faith, please come by on a Sunday, see for yourself what we learn and how we grow. Learn about your faith, research your faith, and most important embrace your faith.

During this time of learning and growing, God has been my taxi cab driver, taking me to the places that I need to go to. It is up to me to open the door and get out and do the things that I need to do. And with so many people that care, love and support you here at church, it is actually pretty easy to do. I thank God everyday for this change, and for the peace, happiness and joy that this journey has brought into my life.

I am happy to report that my sister and I actually attended Mass at Our Lady of Loreto last weekend together, the glorious circle finally came to a close. We were able to share communion together, as a family what a glorious day it was. God knew from the beginning when he started that taxi cab up over a year and a half ago, how it would turn out and which roads I would take. He knew the choices I would make and the doors that I would open or drive right on by. And every time that I needed more help when I just didn’t think I was going to make it, there was someone there at church ready to help me and guide me and lead me right back to the taxi cab to continue on with my journey.

By the grace of the God, I am Catholic, and I am proud of it and it will never be something that I will take lightly. Embrace your faith, Embrace our God and thank him everyday for the life that he has given us. I am so grateful for everything he has done for me and my family since this journey began, and I am excited for the many opportunities and challenges that God will have in store for me in my future.
God bless you and keep you forever
William Benson

* The above postcard is of St's Peter and Paul Catholic church in Booneville Missouri. It's the church that our great, great , great grandparents helped to build.

His name was Adolph Hilden and he was Born in Longerich Germany, on August 15, 1811, and immigrated to Booneville ,Missouri in the 1830's.

Before the towns parish was built , Adolph and Ursula and their three sons had Mass said in their home for their community.

( Catholic cemetery , Boonville , Missouri.)

Many of our other relatives are buried across the street in the city cemetery and also 20 minutes away in Lone Elm Missouri .

In that town they were also buried across the street from one another in the Lutheran and Baptist cemeteries.

Ursula Ueh Rheinileld , (Adolphs wife) was born on December 1805 , in Germany. Died April 4th 1879, in Boonville Missouri.

Bury me in Booneville On the CATHOLIC side of the street !!!