Choosing Cheerfulness

"Cheerfulness is a sign of a generous and mortified person who, forgetting all things, even herself, tries to please God in all she does for souls. Cheerfulness is often a cloak which hides a life of sacrifice, continual union with God, fervor, and generosity. A person who has this cheerfulness very often reaches a great height of perfection... When I see someone sad, I always think, 'She is refusing something to Jesus.' " ~Blessed Mother Teresa

I came across this profound quote from Mother Teresa this week and it really convicted my heart (which was choosing not to be cheerful at the time). It made me wonder how many times a day I "refuse something to Jesus" by choosing to grumble in my mind or chide one of my children for some small offense. I want to give Jesus my all--my very heart--each day, but I am reminded that He wants a heart filled with love and cheer, not selfishness and complaints. I also have a deep desire to share Jesus with others, and perhaps the best way to do that is by having a genuinely cheerful heart which others are drawn to. I am committing myself anew to put on my cloak of cheerfulness each morning when I awake, so that at the end of the day I can hopefully fall asleep knowing that I have refused nothing to my Savior who gave His all for me.

Near a Year

My oh my, our baby is nearly a year old...just one more month away! At 11 months old his little personality is really starting to blossom. Within the last couple of weeks he has learned how to take a few steps (3 is the record so far, but normally he only attempts a step or two before crashing onto his bum). He has also started mimicking animal sounds; his favorites are the dog, the cat, and the cow...although they all sound sort of alike at this point. He also likes making big machine noises like trains, airplanes, and military tanks... He truly keeps me entertained all day long! He is at the adorable age that makes being a mommy so much fun and makes me almost ready to have more babies (almost!) :) This month he also popped one more tooth through, making a total of 8. And I can tell he is really working on some molars because he constantly is chewing on toys or his own fingers if he can't find anything else. Here are a few pictures of our little guy to make you grin...

You can just see the fun and mischief in his eyes!

This is a new look that we are seeing a lot of these days...it's the "fake pout" look which he uses to get about anything he wants :}

I just love his eyelashes, his dimpled chin, his tiny little lips, his spiky red hair...he is growing way too fast, but I am loving every second of it!

A Good Kind of Busy

It has been many weeks since the last time I blogged. I wanted to, and I had lots to say, but simply was too busy. But it has been a very good kind of busy. The reason for my busy-ness: the Fall 40 Days for Life campaign. Twice a year, in the spring and in the fall, I help lead a 40 Days for Life campaign in our town. My perfectionist tendencies make it a very stressful and busy time of the year for me, but I can't imagine NOT doing it. I truly feel God has called me to this life-saving ministry, and He is blessing it in ways that makes me feel so humbled and happy to be "a pencil in His hand," as Mother Teresa would say. A short, stubby, needing-to-be-sharpened-pencil is what I am, but thrilled to be used by the Maker nonetheless! :)

This particular campaign has been extra exciting because we were able to have the national directors and founders of 40 Days for Life, David Bereit and Shawn Carney, come speak at our Kick-Off Rally. I was also one of the speakers, so I was crazy-stressed-out (as in, notsleepingatnightnearlyhavingapanicattackstressedout) to share the stage with such dynamically pro-life and godly men! If you want to hear their incredible speeches at our rally, you can click on this link (http://40daysforlife.com/blog/). But BE WARNED...their words will inspire you to be more pro-actively pro-life!!! :)

I wish I could share every detail of what is on my heart regarding 40 Days for Life...what it has done for my relationship with Christ, how it is positively impacting others who are involved, every story of mothers and babies spared from the pain of abortion, the tears I've witnessed of post-abortive women who are finding healing through this ministry, the number of abortion workers who have been converted like Abby Johnson was... Speaking of Abby Johnson, she also came to Helena the day after our Kick-Off rally to speak at the Affirming the Culture of Life Conference. Wow, is that girl feisty, sassy, and just plain hilarious!!! God is using her conversion story (poignantly told in her book "unPlanned") to touch so many souls! I am thrilled that I got to meet her and spend time with her... Oh, there is just so much I want to share, but I don't know where I would begin, nor do I know if my words would ever find an end. Truly, this ministry is a never-ending story of God at work in so many hearts in so many ways. So, to spare you a novel, I guess I will just share the basics. I recently wrote an article for our Catholic Diocesan newspaper that hopefully will give you an overview of what 40 Days for Life is about, and I pray it inspires you to get involved in a 40 Days for Life campaign near you---or at the very least to unite with other pro-lifers in praying and fasting like you've never done before during the rest of the campaign! (There are 29 days left and already 109 babies have been saved in the last 11 days!!!)

Pro-lifers from around Montana were inspired to be more pro-active at the 40 Days for Life Kick-Off Rally that was held in Helena on September 29th at Memorial Park. Much of the inspiration came from the keynote speakers, David Bereit and Shawn Carney, the co-founders and national directors of the 40 Days for Life movement. It was a huge blessing to have such nationally renowned speakers to share their contagious pro-life energy with those in attendance.

Since 40 Days for Life began in 2007, over 4300 babies have been spared from abortion, 43 clinic workers have quit their jobs, and 14 abortion clinics have closed. In his keynote speech, David Bereit reminded the crowd that the Planned Parenthood in Kalispell, MT closed right after a 40 Days for Life campaign was held on their sidewalk in 2009, and he believes Helena’s Planned Parenthood could be the next clinic to close its doors for good. Shawn Carney challenged everyone to fast and pray, and to take their prayers to the places where hope, love, and mercy are needed most: abortion clinics. He explained how it is the visible presence of the prayer volunteers on the sidewalk of abortion clinics that most effectively changes mothers’ hearts at the last second to choose life. Ben Seitz, the coordinator of Helena’s 40 Days for Life campaign said, “With a peaceful, prayerful, loving witness, women coming to Planned Parenthood will see us as a sign of hope, a ray of light, in an otherwise very troubling, hopeless situation, and that they can reach out to us to find alternatives to abortion.”

40 Days for Life goes beyond reaching out to women in crisis pregnancies; the prayer volunteers strive to share Christ’s love to women who need post-abortion healing, to the employees at the clinic, and even to people driving by in their cars. That is the beauty and power of 40 Days for Life—it is not a protest movement; it is a prayer vigil that taps into God’s grace to change hearts towards truth and life.

The Kick-Off Rally concluded with a prayerful procession from Memorial Park to Helena’s Planned Parenthood where the group sang hymns and offered prayers for an end to abortion, healing for all those affected by abortion, and conversion of all those who work in the abortion industry. To learn more about 40 Days for Life or to sign up for the prayer vigil in Helena, visit:
www.40daysforlife.com/helena.

Me and my friend Cheline (the dynamic red-head duo!) at the Kick-Off rally, helping people sign up for times to pray on the vigil calendar.

Shawn Carney and David Bereit---co-founders of 40 Days for Life---truly amazing men of God who are turning our culture back into a culture of life by tapping into the gospel messages of prayer, fasting, mercy, and trust in the Lord.

David Bereit on the stage at Memorial Park.

Shawn Carney lit up the stage with his smile, his southern accent, and his passion for the precious unborn and all those affected by abortion.

Me, feeling very unworthy to be on the same stage as the two men pictured above. Thankfully, God took away all of my nervousness right before my speech and I was able to share my message of how important it is to be a visible, prayerful presence outside Planned Parenthood. I am the Vigil Coordinator of the campaign, so it is my job to help people sign up for their hours to pray. I have been doing this for the past 5 years, and I am so encouraged this campaign because more people than ever before are finding the courage to go out and pray at PP.

This is Shawn Carney, David Bereit with his wife and 2 kids, and a few other 40DFL leaders from around Montana standing outside Planned Parenthood where we sang and prayed after the Kick-Off speeches. The director of PP was waiting for us and called the police. Thankfully, we had already told the police ahead of time that we would be there, and the police told the PP director that we had the legal right to be there praying. Legal victory was ours that night, but we need to contanstly pray because a real spiritual battle is certainly underway daily!

Our Big 10s

Last week we celebrated two big 10s in our house: Joseph turned 10 years old, and Nathanael turned 10 months old! Nathanael celebrated by popping another tooth through the gums, creating a grand total of 7. He also learned to balance while standing up this month, but still has not successfully taken a step without holding onto something. His favorite activity right now is pulling up to the standing position and then walking along whatever he happens to be holding onto. There is no doubt that we will soon have an agile walker to chase around!

Joseph celebrated his birthday by inviting his best buddies over for a game of baseball across the street at the baseball diamond. These boys truly had a grand slam time! The teams were evenly matched and the birthday boy's team ended up losing by one point when the opposing team made a tremendous comeback in the 9th inning. No one even felt bad about losing because they were having such a great time.

After the exciting baseball game, the boys returned to the house to have some pizza and open presents. All the boys oohed and aahed over the cool stuff Joseph got...

One of Joseph's friends sure knew Joseph well by picking out a model airplane kit along with some artist pencils and a sketch pad.

Mom and Dad bought Joseph a ski back pack, complete with a hydration system so that he can sip on water while on the slopes or out on a hike...

One of Joseph's very talented friends did some fancy wood-burning on a wooden box. Joseph wants to use his personalized box to hold the new Swiss Army knife that he ordered with his birthday money from Grandma Theresa and Grandpa Pat. With his birthday money from Grandma Jean he bought a new burgundy-stained wooden bat and a B.B. gun. It's hard for me to believe I have a son old enough for knives and guns, but I guess 10 years old seems to be the appropriate coming-of-age time for such things. We know that Joseph is mature enough to handle these items, and it sure is neat to see him becoming an outdoorsy, survivalist-type young man just like his father :)

Nathanael wasn't too excited about the presents, but liked being near all the excitement :)

After all the presents were opened, we finished the celebration with a Dairy Queen chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream cake decorated like a baseball. A sweet ending to a very sweet day for my very sweet 10 year old boy! :) I am so blessed to have 4 boys who are all uniquely sweet and fill my life with more joy than I ever imagined possible!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...

"Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to school we go...We had some fun, but it's just begun...Hi ho, hi ho, hi ho, hi ho!"

That's the song I've been singing in the car each morning as I drive our 3 older boys to school. All the boys are off to a great start. They were ready to see their friends again and they are still at the age where homework is light and learning is an adventure! :) I feel very blessed that all my boys love school; no tears have been shed; no little arms have clung to my legs when it was time to say goodbye. There is always a part of me that questions if I am meant to be homeschooling instead, but so far all signs seem to confirm that my children are where they are supposed to be. Each year I will discern anew, but for now I am very thankful that the boys seem happy and are certainly thriving acedemically, socially, and spiritually at the schools they are at. This year Joseph is a 4th grader at St. Andrew Catholic School, and Michael is a 3rd grader. Dominic is attending pre-Kindergarten 4 afternoons a week at Our Redeemer's Lutheran preschool, which conviniently is only a few blocks down the road from his older brothers. I could have started Dominic in Kindergarten at St. Andrew's, but I felt very strongly that he still needed another year to mature socially. Academically, he is quite advanced, but in other areas he is very much still a little boy who just wants to play. And that's OK. No need to rush kids into growing up too fast, I say. :) Plus, I just love having his contageous joy at home with me as much as I possible. I don't like to imagine what next year will be like with the three older boys gone all day :(

Everyone is adjusting nicely to the school routine again. One thing that has been a huge improvement for me over last year is that I am getting up earlier in the morning. Paul and I get up together to sip coffee while we read the gospel reading of the day and an insightful devotional to help us apply the reading to our personal lives. It has been very sweet to snuggle beside my spouse on the couch and begin our day in prayer. I feel like it has drawn us so much closer to each other and also to the Lord. What a gift! Then when he heads off to work, I still have time to pray a little bit, eat breakfast, shower, get dressed, and pack lunches---all before the boys are even out of bed! This change has been revolutionary for me! I'm a happier and less stressed mommy, which hopefully creates a happier, less stressed home, spouse, and children. The previous few years, I would try to sleep in until the first child awoke me (which of course made me very grumpy), and then I always felt like I was one step behind and running around like a crazy woman to get lunches made and get us out the door on time. So needless to say, mommy's new routine has been a blessing in more ways than one! :)

The only challenge I've been dealing with so far has been adjusting Nathanael's nap schedule to blend with the school routine. We've had a few hairy days, but all in all he has been a real trooper.

Here is Dominic giving a final snuggle and goodbye to his "best friends" before heading to school.

Dominic posing at Our Redeemer's Lutheran Preschool.

Dominic loves driving to his school and seeing these 3 tall crosses greet him each day.

My three handsome school boys, ready for another year of learning!

May God bless our school year and yours too!

Thankfulness = Therapy

This week I have consciously been trying hard to look for things to be thankful for to help me get out of the "grumpy pit" I had fallen into the previous week or two :) I have learned from Ann Voskamp's book ("One Thousand Gifts") that sometimes we have to force ourselves to actively look for God's blessings... It's not that God is ever hiding Himself or withholding blessings, it's just that sometimes our selfishness and sin clouds our vision and we have to work a little harder to cleanse the lenses of our souls to see what has always been right in front of our eyes. And when we do cleanse our soul (by seeking forgiveness for our sin over and over again) and start consciously counting the blessings (over and over again until it's a habit), joy is the result. JOY. Habitual joy...wouldn't that be nice to fall into the habit of being joyful and thankful all the time? That's what we all long for, and it is always within reach no matter our circumstances when we have the eyes to see God's blessings all around us. Thankfulness is like free therapy! :)Here's just a spattering of what my eyes have seen this week to fill me with joy:

• Nathanael sleeping, sleeping, sleeping all through the night, nearly every night now...I never thought it would happen!


• Joseph immersed in art for hours


• the summer reading program at the library inspiring 3 little boys to love books


• Michael's sweet singing at church, causing sweet tears to fall by those standing near


• family tennis matches, sweating and running and laughing together


• making surprise gifts for others


• listening to three boys giggle at pictures in old photo albums


• sweet, salty, celebratory margaritas


• 2 weeks of morning devotions with my spouse, helping our devotion to each other and our Lord increase


• beautiful brown eyes under new glasses


• failed plans revealing God's better ones


• boys doing boy stuff with their daddy in the mountains


• the lulling sound of my freshly oiled sewing machine...it's like free therapy for me! :)


• Dominic's ginormous smile...more free therapy for my soul :)


• boys biffing on bikes, but no trips to the ER yet


• letting my boys cross the street to play baseball at the big baseball fields (a big step for this over-protective mother and a big boost for their wings of independence)


• Nathanael looking adorable as he speed-crawls all over the house

Beholding a Miracle?

This week a man from the Philippines named Carmelo Cortez came to visit our local prayer group. This particular prayer group was started by our local priest a few years ago who had met Carmelo and felt called to start a prayer group for Catholic families based on what God has done in Carmelo's life, so first I better share some of Carmelo's history:

Carmelo is currently 42, married, and has 6 children. But on August 15th, 1991, something happend to forever change his life. On that day the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Carmelo in the Philippines and she described herself as the Mother of the Eucharist and Grace. She was dressed in white and bathed in brilliant light. Her heart was visible with the Eucharist in the center, surrounded by 12 golden stars. Her right hand held a rosary and her left a scapular. She has appeared to Carmelo over 100 times since that first apparition, and her message is always the same: believe in Jesus, receive the Sacraments, pray for priests and the Church, pray the rosary daily, realize the miracle you receive each time you receive the Eucharist. Aside from the miraculous appearance of Mary herself, Carmelo has received other miracles from God to help bring about his own conversion and the conversion of others back to the faith. A picture of Mary and Jesus has shed real tears, miraculous physical healings have occurred when Carmelo has prayed over people (including his very own bishop who was healed of a heart condition), and rose petals that suddenly have religious images appear on them or even turn into manna.

Yes, it seems hard to believe. But I guess most miracles are. Our family was given the opportunity to meet Carmelo and attend 2 prayer services with him last week. I went to both gatherings with a lot of skepticism in my heart. I departed the gatherings with very little skepticism left. However, I still believe one has to be very careful when discerning things of the supernatural. Sure, God can do anything, but the evil one, the father of lies, also tries to mislead souls constantly. This is why the Church is always extremely careful about approving apparitions of this nature. Carmelo's bishop has given his approval of the apparitions and the messages that Our Lady has shared, but the Vatican cannot give it's official blessing upon these apparitions until they have completely stopped and a detailed investigation has been conducted. Mary continues to apear to Carmelo and various miracles are still occuring, so for now, one must prayerfully, privately discern and look at the fruits. So far I think the fruits look good...

Carmelo seems extremely humble. He shares Mary's messages very simply. And what impressed me the most was that the focus of his message was not about himself, or about Mary, or about healings, or about rose petals...it was about Jesus. He said that he doesn't know why Mary chose to appear to him, nor does he know why God is allowing such beautiful images to appear on simple rose petals, but he does know that we can all receive the greatest miracle on earth each time we go to Mass and receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. He said Mary's appearances and the images on the rose petals are all just "nice gifts"----but the Eucharist is a real miracle.

Below are some photos of our "nice gifts" which my family received at the prayer gatherings. Each of us received a rose petal with an image: Paul and Michael received an image of St. Anthony holding the child Jesus in his arms, Dominic and Joseph received an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and I received an image of Blessed Padre Pio and also the image of Jesus as a young boy. Many of our friends received images of Our Lady of Fatima, The Last Supper, St. Therese of Lisieux, or the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Some of our close friends had rose petals that even turned into manna, just like the bread that God miraculously provided for the Jews in the Old Testament! It really is unbelievable, and part of me is still a doubting Thomas, so I want to keep my focus us Christ instead of all the miracles because, like Carmelo said, I believe the miracles are simply nice gifts meant to point us to the Ultimate Gift of all...our Savior Jesus Christ.

If you're still curious, I found this YouTube clip that interviews some people and shows Carmelo speaking and giving out the roses at a prayer gathering in California:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrDF5jb82KA&feature=related