Ron's Continuing Saga...

Norman Rockwell

Ron leaves on his great adventure on Sunday to Tucson, AZ (Super Bowl Sunday is in Phoenix) for the Rock and Mineral Show. He's taking some of his specimens to see if he can successfully merchandise them (is that the right terminology?). At any rate, he's as excited as a kid in a candy store.

As a result he is flying out of INDY, so we trek north tomorrow evening after work. We'll see the kids and grandkids and send Grandpa off on his journey. I have to admit I'm excited for him, too. He'll get to visit friends and get to chat with people who share the same interests he has in his meteorites.

I'll be home again Sunday afternoon. Until then God Bless.

OH!!! Why the picture...Well, I thought to myself, this is the most snow I've seen this year and don't those kids look like they are having a grand time.

~~~~~~

Thanks be to God!

With Gratitude...

Kathleen at Daily Grotto and Kaila at Ego me bene-With me all is well both surprised me and humbled me by nominating me for this award. Thank you so very much. It is grand when a gift like this is received. Better yet is the opportunity to give it away. I will do my best to gather 10 people. If you have received it before please accept it with my sincere thanks for all the pleasure you have given me.

The rules:

By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you have to award it to 10 more people whose blogs you find Excellent Award worthy. You can give it to as many people as you want-even those that have received it already, but please award at least 10 people.

1. Beyond Horizon3
2. From Where I Write
3. A Crocus in the Valley
4. This I Do
5. Mommy of Four
6. Musings
7. Poetry, Prayer, and Praise
8. What I Choose Today
9. Unexpected Journey
10. Contemplative Haven, asylum for your refugee soul

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Thanks be to God!

I Really Must Catch Up...

I was tagged for this MEME by Kathleen at Daily Grotto a week ago. I have some catching up to do...So here goes!

1. Were you Named after anyone? Yes, my Great Grandmother, Catherine Leadon and St. Catherine of Siena (and baptized at St. Catherine of Siena Church) .

2. When was the last time you cried? When I viewed 99 Balloons at Sailing by Starlight.

3. Do you like your handwriting? Yes, but I like my daughter Laura's better and she can do calligraphy, as well.

4. What is your favorite lunch meat? Chicken salad, plain or with bread.

5. Do you have kids? 2 daughters and 3 sons.

6. I you were another person would you be friends with you? Absolutely

7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yes, I can get away with it in fun.

8. Do you still have your tonsils? NO

9. Would you bungee jump? No...nothing could entice me to do so...

10. What is your favorite cereal? Frosted Mini Wheats.

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Yes

12. Do you think you are strong? Not really, then only courage I ever seem to have is when bolstered by the Holy Spirit...I'm a real "scaredy cat".

13. What is your favorite ice cream? Peppermint, and it's only seasonal.

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? Their smile (whether they have one or not)

15. Red or Pink? Pink. I never got to wear it until I had gray hair (had red hair, blue eyes and freckles as a child but mainly the red hair!)

16. What is the least favorite thing you like about yourself. My tend to nag. Still it is a mother's job isn't it. (It is so hard sometimes to "butt out"!)

17. Who do you miss the most? My dad's Aunt Ida. She was a wonderful cook and a smile and a laugh that could brighten and entire room!

18. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Brown

19. What was the last thing you ate? A Stromboli last noc for dinner.

20. What are you listening to right now? The Best of Andrea Bocelli

21. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Blue or Green

22. Favorite smell? Tulips, mountain pine trees, Honey Suckle, baking brownies, spaghetti sauce and vanilla.

23. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Marianne

24. Favorite sports to watch? Live basketball, baseball, football...but I try not to watch much...I get too emotionally involved, especially if the Broncos are playing.

25. Hair color? Gray

26. Eye color? Blue

27. Do you wear contact? No, glasses.

28. Favorite food? Spaghetti with meat sauce, "funky" chicken...a family recipe.

29. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings.

30. Last movie you watched? The Sting (on DVD)

31. What color shirt are you wearing? Tan

32. Summer or winter? Spring and Fall...Oh, those weren't the choices. I guess either, one is too hot and the other too cold.

33. Hugs or kisses? Hugs

34. Favorite Dessert? Chocolate cheese cake.

35. What book are you reading now? Rediscovering Catholicism by Matthew Kelly, et. al.

36. What is on your mouse pad? I don't used a mouse pad.

37. What did you watch on TV last night? Mansfield Park on Masterpiece Classic...was very good.

38. Favorite sounds? "The Sounds of Silence"...

39. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles

40. What is the farthest you have been from home? Mundesley, England on the North Sea. A lovely village.

41. Do you have a special talent? If talking too much is a talent then I am truly gifted!

42. Where were you born? Denver, Colorado

Now I must tag others...in hopes that they have not already been tagged. Here goes...

This I Do

Unexpected Journey

La Dolce Vita: The Sweet Life with Three Sons

Mommy of Four

Musings

cascadingwaters

Or as Kathleen would say anyone who wishes to do it...Please let me know so I can read your answers. And if you have already been tagged let me know so I can read yours too.

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!!!And for all this fun!!!

~!Thanks Be to God!~

THANK YOU

Well, it is with sincerity that I say "thank you" to all who prayed for me while I was giving my RCIA presentation. God has called, and these men and women have said, "Yes" to the Call to enter the Church. They appear sincere in their faith and grateful for those who are on the journey with them. And so it is with all those who in this process everywhere. I pray that the Spirit will guide those who instruct and that He will continue to be with those who inquire.

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For all who have entered my life and support they have given me, I say, thanks be to God.

RCIA

Dear friends, Sunday is the day of my RCIA presentation of the Healing Sacraments. If you could send up a prayer that I be a TRUE instrument of the Holy Spirit and that His voice is the one they hear and it is his Love that is shared.

The Spirit really is a true friend. One I have come to rely on for some time. Thanks to my dad, who said he didn't start his day without a word with Him, I think it is now second nature to me.

I really was having trouble with organizing the "Breaking Open the Word" portion of the presentation, but after my son, David, and I prayed together it just seemed to come together. Thanks be to God and David's phone call.

So the work is done on the presentation. Now the work starts with me. "Just Pray," Mom says, "the rest comes together." So I think with an army of prayers I should do okay.

!!!!~~~~~~~!!!!

For you all who give so generously, I say,
THANKS BE TO GOD!

Right to Life IX

Montgomery Falls
Quebec, 2003

Day Nine
Meditating on the Gift of Life

Prayer
Father of life, may the mysteries of our Redemption stir us to contemplate with wonder the invincible hope which is our in the Gospel of Life.

A Reading form the book of Revelation 22:1-5
An angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like the crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of its street. On either side of the river grew the tree of life that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the tree serve a medicine for the nations. Nothing accursed will be found anymore. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it , and his servants will worship him. Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun. for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever and ever.

(silent reflection)

Prayer
God of all creation, may men and women of every time and place proclaim the Gospel of Life: a Gospel of God's love for us, a Gospel of human dignity.

A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI*
[The] Eucharist is far more than just a meal; it has cost a death to provide it, and the majesty of death is present in it. Whenever we hold it, we should be filled with reverence in the face of this mystery, with awe in the face of this mysterious death that becomes a present reality in our midst...Death is the ultimate question...Only when this question is answered can men truly celebrate and be free. The Christmas feast, the Eucharist, plumbs the very depths of death. It is not just a matter of pious discourse and entertainment, of some kind of religious beautification, spreading, a pious gloss on the world; it plumbs the very depths of existence, which it calls death, and strikes out an upward path to life, the life that overcomes death.

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, God is Near Us: The Eucharist, the Heart of Life, p. 44

~~~~~~~

Spiritual Adoption prayer

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I love you very much. I beg you to
spare the life of ( Baby' s name) the unborn baby that I have
spiritually adopted who is in danger of abortion."
- Prayer of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen-
~*~*~*~*~*~

I have added this prayer that was first displayed by Kathy at Daily Grotto. It is an example of what to say when you desire to pray for a child you do not know and will never know, yet one who needs your prayers. I will be praying for "Matthew Thomas". I had decided that as soon as I read Kathy's plea.

And as God would have it, I had made the commitment to pray for "MT". Then my son, David, called to tell me he and his wife were going to the Dr. that day. Kelly is with child. This will be their 5th and I will be a grandmother once again. And so it is with joy I will be praying for two wee ones now. "Matthew Thomas" who I beg will be spared and another who will be loved and nurtured and cherished. God Is GOOD...all the time!

~~~~~~~
I truly say,
Thanks be to God!

Right to Life VI

Day Six

Preaching the Gospel of Life in Every Moment

Prayer
Father of life, from the beginning of each day and into the night, teach me the sacred value of every human life from its very beginning until its end in you.

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans 14: 7-9, 10c-12
No one lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord and If we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written: "as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall give praise to God." So then each of us shall give an accounting of himself to God.

(silent reflection)

Prayer
God of all creation, infuse in the minds and hearts of all who serve us in government, the academy and the healing sciences the right of every
human being to the respect of their God-given lives.

A Reflection by Pope John Paul II*
For the Christian, [the commandment "You shall no kill"] involves an absolute imperative to respect, love and promote the life of every brother and sister, in accordance with the requirements of God's bountiful love in Jesus Christ. "He laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1John 3:16)...It resounds in the moral conscience of everyone as an irrepressible echo of the original covenant of God the Creator with mankind. It can be recognized by everyone through the light of reason and it can be observed thanks to the mysterious working of the spirit who, blowing where he wills (cf. John 3:8), comes to and involves every person living in this world. It is therefore a service of love which we are all committed to ensure to our neighbor, that his or her life may be always defended and promoted especially when it is weak or threatened

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

* Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, no. 77

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Today we are invited to pray for LIFE. Give thanks for LIFE. Bear witness to LIFE. This is the time to reflect on all those hugs, giggles, tears and pain.
If you can visit our Lord in the tabernacle. Spend REAL time with him.

And in so doing say,
"Thanks be to God."

+++++++

Right to Life VIII

Pieta, Shrine of Sainte-Anne de Beaupre
Quebec, 2003

Day Eight
Consecrated to the Sacredness of Life by Christ

Prayer
Father of life, in every moment of the day remind me of the incomparable value of every human person.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to John 3:16-18
For God so love the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

(silent reflection)

Prayer
God of all creation, as by his birth, Christ united himself with us, so by the way we live our lives, may we witness the boundless love of the one who so loved the world that he gave his only Son.

A reflection of Pope Benedict XVI*
[The] words [of Pope John Paul II]...constantly echo in my ears: "Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ!..." Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that he might take something away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom? And once again the Pope said: No, if we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation...Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything.

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

*Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, Mass for the Inauguration of his Pontificate, April 24, 2005.

~~~~~~~

"No, if we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide." I can only imagine what it is like to stand in front of David's Pieta. I only know that standing in front of the Pieta at the Shrine of Ste. Anne I could only be filled with sorrow for the mother who held her lifeless son in her arms and gratitude to God our Father for his Son. I cannot truly empathize with her loss. I really have never experienced loss as devastating as this was, but because Our Lady was the mother of God...Oh! I cannot put what I want to say into words. They escape ME!!! Indeed, there are times when words are useless and one must only be quiet!! And so it is for me today. LIFE is GOOD!!!

~~~

In gratitude for quiet reflection, I say,
Thanks be to God!!!

Right to Life VII

Mt. Rushmore, 2007

Day Seven
Remembering Our Forefathers

Prayer
Father of life, help this nation to hear the voice of our forefathers: and to believe that God has truly given us the right to life, to liberty, and to the pursuit of happiness.

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles 17: 26-28
[God] made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. For "In him we live and move and have our being..."

(silent reflection)

Prayer
God of all creation, make every one of your children a defender and promoter of the right to life.

A Reflection by Pope John Paul II*
[The] Gospel gave a new meaning to the concept of native land [patria]. In its original sense, it means what we have inherited from our fathers and mothers on earth. The inheritance we receive from Christ orientates the patrimony of human native lands and cultures toward the eternal homeland. Christ says: "I came from the Father and have come into the world; again I am leaving the world and going to the Father" (John 16:28). Christ's departure to go to the Father introduces a new homeland into human history. Sometimes we speak of the "heavenly home," or "eternal home: These expression indicate what has been accomplished in the history of man and the history of nations through Christ's coming into the world and through his leaving this world to go to the Father.

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

*Pope John Paul II, Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium, pp. 62f.

~~~~~~~

There are so many songs we have as a nation that give rise to patriotism. There are also many more songs, I would contend, that should give rise to Christian Patriotism. I'm also thinking there are songs of gratitude that must be sung, as well, for this precious life we have been given. "Now Thank We All Our God" is one I am humming now...A grand and glorious song of thanksgiving, I'm thinking!

~~~~~~~
For all who join in this chorus, I say
Thanks Be to God!

Right to Life V

Photography by Jerry Harpur

Day Five
Resting Only in Your Truth

Prayer
Father of life, help me to bring every longing to the infinite fulfillment of every heart's expectations.

A Reading from Saint Paul's Letter to the Romans 2:14-15
For it is not those who hear the law who are just in the sight of God; rather, those who observe the law will be justified. For when the Gentiles who do no have the law by nature observe the prescription of the law, they are a law for themselves even though they do not have the law. They show that the demands of the law are written in their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even defend them on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge people's hidden works through Christ Jesus.

(silent reflection)

Prayer
God of all creation, when I am afraid, weak, or uncertain, open my mind to your truth and goodness, that reading your work written on my heart, I might learn to treasure the life of every man.

A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVII*
an "adult" faith is not a faith that follows the trends of fashion and the latest novelty; a mature adult faith is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ. It is this friendship that opens us up to all that is good and gives us a criterion by which to distinguish the true from the false, and deceit from truth...We must develop this adult faith; we must guide the flock of Christ to this faith. And it is this faith-only faith-that creates unity and is fulfilled in love...on this theme, St. Paul offers us some beautiful words as a fundamental formula for Christian existence, in contrast to the continual ups and downs of those who, like children, are tossed about by the waves: make truth in love. Truth and love merge in Christ. To the extent that we draw near to Christ, in our own lives too, Truth and love are blended. Love without truth would be blind; truth without love would be like " a clanging cymbal" (1Cor 13-1).

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

*Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Homily, Mass for the Election of the Pope, 18 April 2005

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I would ask for prayers for all those who this day may be traveling to Washington, DC to participate in the Right to Life march that their journey might be safe and all return home safe and sound. I pray this for all who represent St. John the Baptist Church and all churches that have members of this one family in Christ participating.

I would also ask for prayers for Christian Unity. For as Fr. Joe reminded us, this week is the Prayer for Christian Unity week. Needless to say this is a week in which we must all pray incessantly and with determination.

And so I interject this reflection by Pope John Paul II:

Unity, penance, prayer.

In the school of the Apostle of the Gentiles we can gain consciousness that we are all in need of conversion.

There is no Christian without penance.

"There is no true ecumenicism without interior conversion"

"Who are you to pass judgement on another..."(Romans 13:4). Let us rather recognize our faults together. This holds good as well for the grace of unity: "All have sinned." We ought to see and say this in all seriousness and draw our conclusions...

Jesus Christ is the salvation of us all..."We are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1) and among ourselves...we believe and together profess all that...

All our gratitude for what remains in common to us and unites us must not blind us to what still divides us...We are called to go forth together, in dialogue of truth and love, to full unity of the faith...We must not leave anything untried. We must do everything to unite ourselves. We owe this to God and to the world...

The will of Christ and the signs of the times urges to common testimony of the increasing fullness of truth and love...The tasks awaiting us are great and grave..."The Spirit helps us in
our weakness" (Romans 8:26).

~*~*~*~*~
And for the privilege to live in a nation in which I can pray without reprisal I say,
Thanks be to God.