Happy Feast of St. Margaret Mary!

"His Sacred Heart will do everything for me if I let him.  
He shall will, he shall love, he shall desire for me 
and make up for all my faults."  

~St. Margaret Mary~

Today is the Feast of St. Margaret Mary, a hidden and humble nun from France, who God chose to reveal the tender and powerful devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary in the 17th century when the Jansenist heresy was widespread, especially throughout France.  It was a heresy that focused on predestination and perfectionism to a fault--that we needed to be perfect in order to earn God's approval and salvation.  It was a heresy that poisoned much of the Catholic theology of that time-period.  This heresy made people feel so ashamed that they constantly felt that they were disappointing God, often to the point were they would not even receive Holy Communion out of a feeling of unworthiness.  It made people look at God as a harsh judge who was ready to punish them at the slightest mistake.  Of all the heresies over the centuries, this one perhaps wounded Jesus' heart the most because it turned people away from His love and mercy--the very love and mercy He died on the cross to lavish upon us!  Here is a great excerpt from the book "Consoling the Heart of Jesus" by Fr. Michael Gaitley, that captures the story of St. Margaret Mary so well:

"From his sorrow at being so misunderstood and abandoned, Jesus looked for someone who would take pity on his aching Heart.  From the tabernacle, he cast his gaze out on all of France, searching for a true friend on whom he could unburden some of his heartache and through whom he might finally convince people to believe in his tender love and mercy.  Eventually, he found such a friend:  a little nun named Sr. Margaret Mary.  To this blessed soul, Jesus released an ocean of anguish as he disclosed his Divine Heart.  Appearing on the Cross, he said to her in a voice full of sadness and grief:

Behold this Heart, this heart so deeply in love with men, it spared no means of proof--exhausting itself until it was utterly spent in order to testify to its love!  In return, I have received from the greater part only ingratitude...  This hurts me more than everything I suffered in my passion.  Even a little love from them in return and I should regard all that I have done for them as next to nothing, and look for a way of doing still more.  But no; all my eager efforts for their welfare meet with nothing but coldness and dislike.  Do me the kindness, then--you, at least--of making up for all their ingratitude, as far as you can."  (emphasis mine)

Wow, how beautiful that Jesus asked St. Margaret Mary to console His sorrowing heart... And He asks this of you and me, as well!  Yes, we (sinners though we are) can somehow make up for the ingratitude that Jesus receives from most of the world by simply loving Him and being grateful to Him for His love and mercy!  You, at least, and me can be the ones that quench His thirst for love and remove some of the bitter sorrow from His heart!  Just like Margaret Mary did!  That's what we have in common with this great saint!  We can do this in so many little ways:

1. Go visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament so that He will not be alone, and just tell Him that you love Him and enjoy spending time with Him
2. Make small sacrifices throughout the day to tell Jesus thank you for the sacrifice He made for you (give up an extra cup of coffee, hold your tongue and smile when someone irritates you, clean a toilet or two joyfully :)...etc)
3. Make an effort to receive the Eucharist more than once a week to show your love for Him and your gratitude for the gift of receiving His Heart (literally) in the Eucharist
4. At 3:00pm (the hour Jesus died on the cross), stop for a moment to thank Jesus for His sacrifice, to express your love, and, if you have time, say a Chaplet of Divine Mercy
5. Buy a picture of the Sacred Heart and each time you gaze at it, hear Him saying to you:  "Behold this Heart that loved so much, yet is so little loved."  And then reassure Him that He is loved by you...you, at least...and me!  

...the possibilities are endless!

Back to School

I haven't even posted our summer pictures yet, and here we are a month into the school year already!  Life just never slows down, does it?  But I thought I'd go out of order this time and share these school photos and request some prayers before I backtrack and blog about our summer adventures.

Here is our crew of boys on the front porch on the first day of school.  They requested a porch photo instead of the embarrassment of taking their picture at school in front of all their classmates... :}  It's not the best photo, but it sure captures my crazy crew and shows how each of them are growing and have their own unique personality:

• On the top step there's Joseph who just turned 17 and is entering his Junior year.  He is starting to ponder college options and hopes to find one with a baseball team :)  In this photo he is sporting a sweet 80s style mullet, but sadly the school asked him to cut it after the first week because it did not meet the dress code.  He is still mourning the loss, but it won't be long and he will have the freedom in college to grow his hair long again.
• Then there's Michael wearing an A's baseball cap who already wishes there was less homework so that he could watch more MLB or practice baseball with his brother.  He is 15 and in the throws of puberty (I keep wondering when the grumpy stage will end...please, Lord, make it soon!) :}  He must have grown 3 inches this summer because he is taller than his older brother now and starting to lift weights every day so that he can play for Legion baseball again this Spring.  He just started Driver's Ed, so we will soon have 2 teenage drivers at our house!!!  He is a sophomore this year, with only 3 other kids in his class--how crazy is that!?
• And then there's Dominic wearing his studious glasses and sitting beside his cello.  He is 12 years old and in the 6th grade this year. This boy has a brain that astounds me.  Super smart, mathematical, and musical.  He has so many gifts, but also so many crosses to carry right now.  This school year has been a very rocky start for him.  He is still learning to manage his panic attacks and healed so much over the summer.  But one of his classmates has been bullying him, which has made the panic attacks come back to the surface.  Please help me to pray for the virtue of kindness to grow in his classroom, and for strength and perseverance for Dominic as he learns to stand up for himself, forgive, and keep his panic attacks under control all at the same time.  It will be hard, but I am confident he can handle it with the help of God's grace.  
• Nathanael, our 7 year old, is in the 2nd grade and loving every minute of it.  He keeps a constant smile which looks so sweet on his freckled face.  He is growing into a young little man before my eyes though, and I am so happy that he will get to receive Jesus in 1st Communion this year.  It won't be long and he will be altar serving with his 3 older brothers!
• And last but not least is our little Isaiah who was big enough to start Kindergarten this year!  He was so happy and ready to go.  No tears on the first day of school.  He loves his teacher, loves learning, loves recess, loves his classmates, and loves coming home to show off all that he did at school every day.  I miss him like crazy, but his smile when he comes home keeps my heart filled with joy.  I still cannot believe that ALL FIVE OF MY KIDS ARE IN SCHOOL!  This is a strange new chapter in my life, and I am keeping my days filled with numerous projects and volunteering to keep me busy and to keep me from getting too lonely :}

Please keep all of my boys in your prayers for a happy, holy, and healthy school year!  Thank you!!!

Isaiah, my big Kindergartener!

Happy Feast Day of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta!

Here are 2 great quotes from St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta to help you choose JOY  and LOVE today!  :) 

For more great quotes, you can find her top 20 quotes here:  https://www.goalcast.com/2017/04/10/top-20-most-inspiring-mother-teresa-quotes/

"Joy is a net of love by which you catch souls."

"Spread love everywhere you go.  Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."

~St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta~

The Summer of Baseball

As you may have noticed, I haven't spent much time blogging this summer.  And that is because I've been at baseball games the majority of the time.  Joseph and Michael were both selected to be on American Legion baseball teams this year, which was quite an honor, and they were SOOOO happy and proud.  But it kept our family SOOOO busy because each of the boys was on a different team, with different practice times, different game times, and many of the games were out of town, which often resulted in my husband and I traveling different directions to watch our boys plays.  It was crazy but fun for the whole family.  Baseball is the big-boys' passion, and the little boys enjoyed chasing after fouls balls and receiving a prize from the concession stands. :)

It was exciting to watch the boys play at a higher competitive level than ever before and improve their skills.  Both boys also had to learn how to deal with disappointments along the way too, which was no fun, but I'm sure it helped them grow in Godly character! :)  Michael's major disappointment was injuring his right hand middle finger at the beginning of the season.  It was an injury called "mallet finger" or "baseball finger" where the tendon that straightens the finger gets damaged.  In order for it to heal properly he had to wear a finger splint for 8 weeks.  Despite the annoying splint, Michael somehow managed to have one of the best batting averages on the team and was the starting 2nd baseman most of the time.  Joseph's challenge was learning to deal with the reality of being a small fish in a big pond this year.  There were 18 young men on his team, many of whom played Legion ball last year and had done traveling All-Star teams the previous years.  About half of his teammates were pitchers, so Joseph didn't get to pitch quite as often as he would have liked, but he still enjoyed every single minute of his season whether he was cheering on his teammates from the dugout, pitching from the mound, batting, or playing left field.  Both boys and their teams had a great season, with more wins than losses, and our boys are already eager for next season (mom and dad are still recovering)!  :} We were super proud of our boys, but we were also a bit grateful when the season was over so that we could get back to normal family life and do some other fun things before summer was over.

Here are some great photos of our boys in baseball action!  I was super thankful that a few of the other parents had amazing cameras and high-powered telephoto lenses, and I was able to download them off of Facebook.  It's the only thing I've ever used Facebook for!  :)

I'll start with photos of Michael...

He only got to pitch a few games before he injured his finger,

but honestly, he loves playing in the in-field more anyway.

And now photos of Joseph:

And now we wait for next year... :)  While we wait, Paul and the boys have plans to build a batting cage in our extra garage so that they can practice in the off season.  I sure love my baseball-loving boys, and I hope they always give glory to God in their sport, grow in virtue while they grow in skills, and have fun no matter if they win or lose. 

Two Special Summer Visits

Whew, this summer has been crazy busy---mostly with baseball, but that's a post for another day.  In the midst of the craziness we were blessed to have two special visits from family:  Maria's parents and also Paul's mom and step-dad.  Both sets of visitors were such a blessing.  They helped cart kids in different directions to baseball games, enjoyed some of Montana's great outdoors, and created special memories of simple pleasures like playing cards together in the evening .  We are so grateful that God has given us such loving, fun, holy, and generous parents/grandparents!  God is so good!

Me with my amazing mom and dad.

It is so hard to live so far away from them, 

but thankfully we get to see them a few times a year.

(and that makes it bearable) :}

Grandma Theresa and Grandpa Pat with their MT grandkids!

A couple of weeks after my parents left, Paul's mom and step-dad came for a visit.  Paul's mom was a huge part of the reason we were able to buy our gorgeous house and property, so our hearts will be filled with gratitude to her forever and a day!

Paul and his lovely momma in our lovely backyard.

Grandma Jean and Grandpa Dick with their grandkids.

And here's a new family picture.

Hard to believe our kids are so big, but the picture is proof.

Thank you, Jesus, for all the summer blessings you've given us!

Our hearts overflow with gratitude!

Stressed...but very Blessed

Summer is here!  Does that make anyone else want to dance for joy?!  This year, I'm pretty sure I was ready for summer more than any other year.  To be perfectly honest, this past school year was the...most...stressful...one...eeevverrrr---for a litany of reasons:

My teenagers had a tough teacher that made their year miserable,
               but by God's grace we got through it.
All of the boys got a horrible case of the hand, foot, and mouth virus,
               but by God's grace we got through it.
My husband and I had a mini marriage crisis this Fall,
               but by God's grace we got through it.
Spring rains and snowmelt caused natural springs and flooding in our backyard (and our basement),
               but by God's grace we got through it.
Dominic got a  rare bone infection in his knee and spent a stressful week in the hospital,
               but by God's grace we got through it.
Dominic's hospital trauma ushered us onto a path we never imagined---the path of panic attacks,
               but we are trusting in God's grace to get us through this day by day.

It would take me pages to elaborate on each item in that litany, but I'm sure you get the jist of it from those few lines.  Our family has been carrying some crosses, but there have been so many blessings along the way.  God has been with us each and every step--consoling us, and helping us carry the crosses He chose for us...crosses that we trust are making us holier, teaching us lessons we may have never learned otherwise, and turning the trials into blessings that someday we will praise Him for when we look back with hindsight and clearer understanding.  Actually, we praise Him now, because we know He is good and is doing something good even though we don't quite understand it yet.

Still, I would like to ask sincerely for prayers.  We are still going through some very difficult times with Dominic's panic attacks.  We are trying everything we can think of to quicken his healing:  counseling, neurofeedback, occupational therapy, probiotics, yogurt, kefir, inositol supplements, neurotransmitter testing, essential oils, breathing techniques, countless rosaries and chaplets...  I do think he is getting better each week, but the progress is slower than we imagined.  He is having fewer panic attack than he did during the school year, but they are still there...and our whole family lives in apprehension of when the next one will hit.  They are sudden.  They are scary---for Dominic and also for anyone who is around to witness them.  He has at least one per week, and it is affecting his lifestyle.  I can't send him to church camp.  I can't send him to someone's house for a playdate.  I don't know if I can send him to school next year.  So please help us pray for quick and miraculous healing, and also for guidance for my husband and I as we navigate this new road that we previously knew nothing about.  It has been very humbling.  We have made some mistakes.  But God's mercies are new every morning and we do trust that He will work all of this for good in His perfect timing.  We welcome any advice and all the prayers you can send our way!

And I will leave you with some "praise pictures."  The last 12 months have been very hard, but I still have been noticing blessings all around me.  This Summer has been especially full of the blessings of nature that have been like healing balm to my cracked and weary heart.  May the beauty and colors bring joy to your heart too!

I planted tulips last Fall and it was so beautiful to see them bloom this Summer---the first flashes of color in our backyard.  Tulips are special to me because they remind me of my mother and her mother who also loved tulips.

This picture shows the natural springs flowing from the ground in our backyard.

Thankfully, we were able to divert most of the spring water into our pond,

but some of it caused minor flooding in our yard and in our basement.

Pink Bleeding Hearts remind me of the Sacred Heart of Jesus...

White Bleeding Hearts remind me of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

We were blessed to watch these baby robins grow day by day in their nest on our backyard gate.  

I cannot believe how quickly they grew from skin and fuzz to feathers and flight!

The mix of struggle and beauty that I find myself in reminds me of the beautiful old hymn, "How Can I keep from Singing."  (Which, ironically, our son Dominic loves and can play by ear on both the piano and the cello).  If' you've never heard it, I highly recommend listening to it on YouTube, sung by Catholic artist Audrey Assad.  Here is the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li2hddmy63U.  Or, you can just read the beautiful lyrics that are both poetic and true:

My life flows on in endless song;

Above earth's lamentation,

I hear the sweet, tho' far-off hymn

That hails a new creation;

Thro' all the tumult and the strife

I hear the music ringing;

It finds an echo in my soul—

How can I keep from singing?

What tho' my joys and comforts die?

The Lord my Saviour liveth;

What tho' the darkness gather round?

Songs in the night he giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm

While to that refuge clinging;

Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,

How can I keep from singing?

I lift my eyes; the cloud grows thin;

I see the blue above it;

And day by day this pathway smooths,

Since first I learned to love it,

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,

A fountain ever springing;

All things are mine since I am his—

How can I keep from singing?