Sunday, January 31, 2010

+The Greatest of these is LOVE+

From the second reading at mass today: (see meditation at the bottom)
1 Cor 12:31—13:13 or 13:4-13

Brothers and sisters:
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.
But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in human and angelic tongues,
but do not have love,
I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy,
and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
if I have all faith so as to move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast,
but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, it is not pompous,
It is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing;
if tongues, they will cease;
if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,
think as a child, reason as a child;
when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
At present I know partially;
then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.

One of my very holy mentors as a young bride taught me this:
(just insert your name where Love is)


Sam is patient, Sam is kind.
Sam is not jealous, Sam is not pompous,
Sam is not inflated, Sam is not rude,
Sam does not seek her own interests,
Sam is not quick-tempered, Sam does not brood over injury,
Sam does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.
Sam bears all things, Sam believes all things,
Sam hopes all things, Sam endures all things.
Sam never fails.

Oh, how I wish it was true...what a good meditation to try to strive for.

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Saturday, January 30, 2010

MOM IN LABOR:

Start praying for her!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Things my daddy used to say:

Don't you wonder where the things your ancestors say come from? Well since this blogs main purpose is to keep a record for my kids of our family, I thought I would record some of the funny things my daddy used to say. Like this comment: "deader than kelsey's nuts!" He usually said this in regards to our family "automobile".

Or as he says:



Well, I found this at this cool site here that has sayings and where they came from:

[Q] Where does the expression deader than Kelsey’s nuts come from and what does it mean?

[A] I’m told it’s an expression that former US President Richard Nixon was rather fond of using. Like other Americans before and since, he meant by it that something was unquestionably and permanently defunct. You might hear somebody say “The battery’s deader than Kelsey’s nuts”, or “His chances of surviving the election are deader than Kelsey’s nuts”.

That takes care of the meaning, but who or what was Kelsey and what was so special about those nuts? He turns out to have been a real person, John Kelsey, one of the pioneers of car manufacture in the USA. With the encouragement of Henry Ford, he set up the Kelsey Wheel Company in 1910. By 1913 this was based in Windsor, Ontario, just across the river from Detroit. To start with, he manufactured the wooden wheels that were then state of the art, but later moved into making wire-spoke wheels and later steel wheels. As Kelsey-Hayes Canada Ltd, the company still exists.

The saying refers to the proverbially secure attachment provided by the nuts and bolts on the wheels that Kelsey’s company made. In the view of the public, nothing could be fixed more tightly. And the obvious anatomical innuendos in those nuts made the saying just a little naughty. Though some examples are recorded from the 1930s, the phrase began to become more widely known in the 1950s. Early on, it appeared as “tighter than Kelsey’s nuts” to mean a person who was stingy or mean, and is also recorded in the form “as safe as Kelsey’s nuts”, meaning very safe.

By the early 1960s, it had evolved away from these fairly obvious formations to the imaginative and metaphorical phrase still used today. It would appear to have been a close parallel to — perhaps borrowed from — the much older as dead as a doornail.

Let me know some of your funny sayings.

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

I MUST NOT BE MENT TO EXERCSE TODAY:

I am trying to exercise again. The baby is four months old and I know it is time. So this morning I got ready to workout early before all the little darlings woke up.

It went a little like this:
6am: get on running shoes
6:05: get water bottle
6:08 get on treadmill
6:09 turn on treadmill
6:10 adjust speed
6:11 treadmill turns off
6:12 check to see if I blew out the power
6:13 all looks fine, try again and again to fix problem
6:14 go to TV to look for my exercise DVD-of course can't find it
6:15 try to find exercise show on cable-can't get TV to work
6:16 google exercise online, to try to find online workouts-can't find any
6:17 keep looking online...
6:20 baby wakes up
6:21 nurse the baby and blog about not getting to exercise...
6:36 exhausted by my morning...ready to go back to bed!!!

7:40AM update: husband woke up and tried to fix treadmill...no avail...tried to work TV, finally got it to work. Found FitTV and found bollywood workout. What a joke!!! I exercised with them for 10 minutes. I felt like I was being taught how to seduce a man by Salome...the woman were wearing no shoes, flared pants, lots of bracelets, lots of makeup, their long, brown, curled, hair down flowing on their shoulders, a shirt with only one sleeve, golden belts, and a gem on the middle of their heads. It was hysterical!!! So my two year old and I did it and laughed alot. My husband watched and decided it was kinda like a mating dance!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Update to Thursday's post about women in dilemma

God is Good!!! My friend spoke with her Wednesday night following the Mom's night out, she was in much better spirits, sounding quite confident that she wouldn't go through with the abortion. She was so moved to hear about all the prayers and support coming her way.

My friend spent the day with her yesterday and it was such a blessing. The ladies at the Pregnancy Clinic got them in for a sonogram. Ironically, they had an 11:00am appointment (the time her abortion was supposed to be) and a 12:00 so my friend picked her up at 11 and they went to the noon appointment.

The sonogram was a wonderful experience. The most moving part for her was finding out the due date which happens to be the birthday of her daughter - September 3rd! So crazy!! Please keep up the prayers. The situation will remain fragile as long as she continues living where she is now - zero positive support. She is so wounded and desperately needs to be in a supportive community. My friend offered to have her come live with her, but we'll see what happens - she is so afraid of "putting anyone out" for her sake.

I'll let you know how things develop! Please keep praying!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Thursday, January 28, 2010

A Young woman in a dilemma:

A young woman was scheduled to have an abortion at 11 AM today-(Thurs), but is now on her was to a sonogram appointment instead. My friend said that the young women is much more open to options other than abortion, but is fragile and may change her mind.

THY WILL BE DONE!!!+JMJ+

Watch this amazing young man:



THY WILL BE DONE!!!+JMJ+

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Happy Birthday to my 17 year old+++

TACO ANYONE???
DUMB & DUMBER

I love you and am so proud of you as you turn into a man. Keep the faith and stay close to our Lord always.

Thy Will Be Done+JMJ+

Mom in labor:

go here an pray+++

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Prayers for Haiti:

JUST GOT THIS SENT TO ME...pass it on+

Lord, I just want to say THANK YOU, because this morning I woke up and knew
where my children were. Because this morning my home was still standing,
because this morning I am not crying because my husband, my child, my
brother or sister needs to be buried out from underneath a pile of concrete,
because this morning I was able to drink a glass of water, because this
morning I was able to turn on the light, because this morning I was able to
take a shower, because this morning I was not planning a funeral, but most
of all I thank you this morning because I still have life and a voice to
cry out for the people of Haiti. Lord I cry out to you, the one that makes
the impossible, possible, the one that turns darkness in to light, I cry out
that you give those mothers strength, that you give them
peace that surpasses all understanding, that you may open the streets so
that help can come, that you may provide doctors, nurses, food, water, and
all that they need in a blink of an eye. For all those that have lost family
members, give them peace, give them hope, give them courage to continue to
go on! Protect the children and shield them with your power.
I pray all this in the name of Jesus!!!
To all my friends please continue to forward this so that we can pray
together for the people in Haiti.
We here are truly blessed!!!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Monday, January 25, 2010

Movie Review Monday:





This is one of those movies that if you have big kids and little kids...it will work. A good elementary age movie, but enough action to keep the big guys engaged. Probably not the perfect movie for little guys due to the "bad guys" and a death. Don't want to spoil it to those who haven't seen it. Look here for spoiler.

If you have a four year old boy around...watch out and they may tell others when asked what their name is, "my friends call me little puppet!". To this day our eight year old goes by Puppet!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Sunday, January 24, 2010

I always try to listen to the POPE:

Pope to priests: Go forth and blog

By ARIEL DAVID

The Associated Press
Saturday, January 23, 2010; 7:33 AM

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI has a new commandment for priests struggling to get their message across: Go forth and blog.

The pope, whose own presence on the Web has heavily grown in recent years, urged priests on Saturday to use all multimedia tools at their disposal to preach the Gospel and engage in dialogue with people of other religions and cultures.

And just using e-mail or surfing the Web is often not enough: Priests should use cutting-edge technologies to express themselves and lead their communities, Benedict said in a message released by the Vatican.

"The spread of multimedia communications and its rich 'menu of options' might make us think it sufficient simply to be present on the Web," but priests are "challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources," he said.

The message, prepared for the World Day of Communications, suggests such possibilities as images, videos, animated features, blogs, and Web sites.

Benedict said young priests should become familiar with new media while still in seminary, though he stressed that the use of new technologies must reflect theological and spiritual principles.

"Priests present in the world of digital communications should be less notable for their media savvy than for their priestly heart, their closeness to Christ," he said.

The 82-year-old pope has often been wary of new media, warning about what he has called the tendency of entertainment media, in particular, to trivialize sex and promote violence, while lamenting that the endless stream of news can make people insensitive to tragedies.

But Benedict has also praised new ways of communicating as a "gift to humanity" when used to foster friendship and understanding.

The Vatican has tried hard to keep up to speed with the rapidly changing field.

Last year it opened a YouTube channel as well as a portal dedicated to the pope. The Pope2You site gives news on the pontiff's trips and speeches and features a Facebook application that allows users to send postcards with photos of Benedict and excerpts from his messages to their friends.

Many priests and top prelates already interact with the faithful online. One of Benedict's advisers, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the archbishop of Naples, has his own Facebook profile and so does Cardinal Roger Mahony, archbishop of Los Angeles.

In Saturday's message - titled "The priest and pastoral ministry in a digital world: new media at the service of the Word" - Benedict urged special care in contacts with other cultures and beliefs.

A presence on the Web, "precisely because it brings us into contact with the followers of other religions, nonbelievers and people of every culture, requires sensitivity to those who do not believe, the disheartened and those who have a deep, unarticulated desire for enduring truth and the absolute," he said.

Monsignor Claudio Maria Celli, who heads the Vatican's social communications office, said that Benedict's words aimed to encourage reflection in the church on the positive uses of new media.

"That doesn't mean that (every priest) must open a blog or a Web site. It means that the church and the faithful must engage in this ministry in a digital world," Celli told reporters. "At some point, a balance will be found."

Celli, 68, said that young priests would have no trouble following the pope's message, but, he joked, "those who have a certain age will struggle a bit more."

Friday, January 22, 2010

Pray for this mom please:

Just got word from a facebook friend...Please pray for this mom to have a healthy pregnancy.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

I AM SO MAD!!!

As you may have read here we went to Ocean City Fenwick last weekend. I am so mad that why we were away the maid never showed up:) I have been trying to catch up on laundry all week!!! Only about 20 loads left and I may be able to walk in my laundry room AGAIN.

update: for all those who thought I was serious...I was just kidding+

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Imitation of Christ: meditation of the day-

BOOK FOUR:
AN INVITATION TO HOLY COMMUNION

The Voice of Christ


COME to Me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Matt. 11:28.

The bread which I will give is My Flesh, for the life of the world. John 6:52.


Take you and eat: this is My Body, which shall be delivered for you. Do this for the commemoration of Me. 1 Cor. 11:24.

He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me, and I in him. John 6:57.

The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. John 6:64.

To find the complete book on line click here. Or buy it go here.

No matter how strange it is or hard to believe...I do believe Lord. You give me strength when I am week and wisdom when I have none. Please continue to send me the grace I need to be the best wife and mother I can.

Thy will be done!!! +JMJ+

Monday, January 18, 2010

One of the BEST weekends ever!!!

For Christmas we wanted a gift that made a memory and not add to our very cluttered house. With seven winter birthday's gifts are a plenty. I laugh when I think back to a student at my old high school, who asked me when I went to talk at Career Day about being a "stay at home mom", if my kids got Christmas presents. HA!!! If they only knew...so this year my husband's brother and dad gave us a trip to Ocean City. We stayed at Fenwick Inn for a great $50 bucks a room. WE got three rooms for two nights.

It started out Friday morning when we went to 9am mass.

Then we picked up our oldest daughter and headed to Bethany Beach to pick out our beach house for the summer. We found one in about 2o min. and called to reserve our week.

We then headed to OC and played on the beach. It was so fun seeing the little guys run and jump in the sand. The teenagers lasted about 15min and decided to take the baby in the car.

2:00pm off to the hotel and to get settled. Then to the indoor pool and hot tub!!! Later get settled and dressed to go to Outback for dinner with the entire family!!! Thank God for gift cards. The kids are so excited to get to go to this "fancy" restaurant. All the kids order their food and the thirteen year old asks dad if she can get lobster tails and pay the difference:)

6:30pm back to hotel for a quick swim, charades, a visit from the generous uncle, and clone wars. Then to bed...what a great day!!!

Saturday morning:

The kids find the arcade in the hotel and the amazing vending machines...something they just dreamt about. Cereal in cups and back to the pool. We then meet the generous uncle, grandma, and the my husband's sister, husband, and four kids!!! (yeah, the cousins are here)

1pm Generous Uncle takes us to miniature golfing!!!


2:30pm Generous Uncle takes us to the Carousel Hotel for Ice skating. (most of my kids enjoy their first time ever ice skating!!!)


4:30pm back to hotel to get settled and wait for family friends.

6pm pizza party at Generous Uncle's friends deli. (he closed down to public just for us)

7:30pm to Generous Uncle's neighborhood club house for football playoff game party. (more food-ugh)

9:30pm back to hotel to try to get the little guys asleep. The bigger kids get to go to the pool with cousins and family friends.

10:30 Off to sleep, what a great day!!! To put it as my nephew said..."this is the best day of my life!"

Just when I thought this trip was too good to be true...2:30am my wonderful two year old wakes up and wouldn't go back to sleep till about 4:30.

8:30am wake up and Rob goes running. Then we all get up and clear out room to get ready to check out and get to 10am mass.

10am mass...just happen to bump into old friends at church who offer us their house for next winter Christmas trip...yeah!!!

11:15am brunch at the Clarion. Rainy day but our breakfast with reservations for 27 people with the view of the water and beach is wonderful. Such care from the waitress' is so terrific and kind.

1pm head home in the rain.

Thanks be to God for an amazing trip+

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Just in case you haven't seen these videos...

Until I figure how to turn off blog music turn the off button on the bottom+++



THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

A palindrome...



This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20-year old. The contest was titled "u @ 50" by AARP. This video won second place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause. So simple and yet so brilliant. Take a minute and watch it.

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Raising Boys #4 : Necessary Space

Fr. Michael Siney, LC



WOW!!! What an amazing mom Father Mike have!!!

This one is so tricky for me...I am a control freak, a nag, and want to be involved with everything my kids do, say, or think.

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Raising Boys #3: Unity and Justice



Thank you Father Mike for reminding parents the importance of being in Unity and Just.

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

TOY REVIEW TUESDAY:

I know this really isn't a toy, but my kids use their cd/tape player all the time!!!


BUY ONE OF THESE cool cd/tape players and keep your kids entertained for hours!!! As I mentioned here, we listen to ADVENTURES IN ODYSSEY and lots of cd/s and tapes from the library!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

PRAY:

P-----pray
U----until
S----something
H ----happens


THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Monday, January 11, 2010

Movie Review Monday:


No big thrillers around here. We did watch The Astronauts Wife. It wasn't that good, but it did have a surprise ending.


We watched a TV version but I think there are some scenes that could be questionable in the real movie.


THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

HOW THE LADY BUG GOT ITS NAME...




About fifteen years ago I got a call from my mother in love. She was watching Jeopardy on TV and said to me, "Do you know what the Lady Bug is named after?" Since I didn't she shared the story of how the Ladybug was named after OUR LADY!!! We were so excited and instantly were fans of the Ladybug. Two of my daughters had Ladybug birthday parties and our main bathroom is decorated with the Ladybug theme. I love to tell young kids the story too!!!

Found these stories online.

HOW THE LADYBUG GOT ITS NAME:

Legends vary about how the Ladybug came to be named, but the most common (and enduring) is this: In Europe, during the Middle Ages, swarms of insects were destroying the crops. The farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help. Soon thereafter the Ladybugs came, devouring the plant-destroying pests and saving the crops! The farmers called these beautiful insects "The Beetles of Our Lady", and - over time - they eventually became popularly known as "Lady Beetles". The red wings were said to represent the Virgin's cloak and the black spots were symbolic of both her joys and her sorrows.

Why are they called ladybugs?

The most popular story of how the ladybug got its name comes from the Middle Ages. In Europe swarms and swarms of insects were ruining crops everywhere. Farmers started praying to the Virgin Mary hoping she could help the crisis.



Soon, ladybugs showed up and started eating all of the insects and helped to protect the crops. The farmers called them Beetles of our Lady, because they believed the Virgin Mary had sent them to help. Eventually the name was reduced to Lady Beetles then Ladybugs. The red shell represented her cloak and the spots were symbols of her joy and sorrows.

Try here.

Go Here too.

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Raising Boys #2:

Raising Boys 2: Reasonable Expectations




(Hit Pause at bottom of blog to stop the blog music)


Character and effort...wow, I hope I can raise my boys by following these simple suggestions!!!

Dear Lord, you know I love you and my boys. Please help me to have realistic expectations for them. Forgive me when I fail. Give me the wisdom I need to be the best mom I can be!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Saturday, January 9, 2010

RAISING BOYS #1:

I will be posting a series of short (1-2min) videos by a very holy priest friend of mine , Father Michael Sliney, LC, on Raising Boys.

Tips on Raising Boys, #1: Stable marriages


I remember after being married for a couple of years and realizing that Marriage is a sacrament and Parenting isn't. It was a huge difference in my marriage. My husband first!!! Even thou it seemed like the kids needed me more, I had to get my priorities in line!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Friday, January 8, 2010

NEVER PEEL POTATOES AGAIN!!!

We love mashed potatoes in this house!!! We have them at least a couple times a month. We use between 5-10 lbs. I have the kids (4 and up) peel them, they do a great job...usually small casualties. So when I saw this video from this blog and I was so excited!!!



I tried the method on the video...it worked, but not as easy as it seemed. Then I just tried not peeling them added some crushed garlic and lots of milk and butter...they were great. Thicker and healthier too!!! I will never peel again!!!

THAT IS THE BEST TIP I CAN GIVE YOU!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Thursday, January 7, 2010

BABY'S FIRST CHRISTMAS:

MY FIRST THUMB SUCKER!!!???
THE LOVES OF MY LIFE!!!

MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM JESUS!!!
I got my Christmas wish...did you?

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Small Success Thursday:

It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that.
FOR MORE SUCCESSES CLICK HERE.


1. made banana bread with ALL those rotten bananas in my frig

2. cleaned the pantry out

3. said the rosary as a family last night

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

RECIPES FOR LARGE FAMILIES:

Don't know about you but I am not that great at math and when I make any food around here I have to double or at least triple any recipe!!!

I just found this recipe site!!!

When you find a recipe you like you push the calculate button and it changes all the ingredients in it for the number of people you will serve!!!

A MOM with a big family must of figured that out!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

We Three Kings...




Love the Feast of Epiphany!!! We celebrate it with the Church on the closest Sunday and on the real feast Jan. 6th.

I will always remember the closing of the Holy Doors in 2001. That night my dear daddy went to be with the Lord. God rest his soul. Nine years, Dear Old Dad and boy do we miss you!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Easy BANANA BREAD:

FOUND HERE: (of course we tripled it)
Ingredients
• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
Method
No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Guest Blogger: Today's Gospel Meditation-

From my friend Cheryl:

In today's Gospel from Mark, Jesus walks on the water, after just having fed the five thousand... I have also included Matthew's account below...

As I read these passages, something struck me... The disciples were crossing the sea ahead of Jesus, and were struggling against the wind and the sea... The passage says that "Jesus meant to pass by them." This struck me because I never realized that He was still behind them... that he had not crossed yet. So His plan was to pass them by. I had to ask, why?? Why not just join them?? Where was He going??

Time and again, when Jesus exercised His power over the sea, He was revealing that He was God. It is no accident that much of Jesus's ministry takes place on the shores of the sea. To the people of the time, who were historically desert dwellers, the sea was alien and threatening. Throughout the Bible, the sea represented danger, the wrath of God, chaos or evil... and only God had power over it. So, perhaps when Jesus saw that His friends were faultering, not just with the sea, but what it represented, he reached out. Remember His comment to Peter, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" Remember, too, that Jesus made his disciples get into the boat. Again and again, He showed them that the Kingdom of God was at hand. He was God... and He had power over evil.

As for today... Although Jesus has gone on ahead of us to prepare a place for us... at any time He can reach out to calm our storms... whether in the wee hours when we can't sleep ("fourth watch" was between 3 and 6am), or anytime we are struggling... Jesus is just a reach away from helping us through our storms. He is there. Be not afraid.

Incidentally, Gennesaret, the place where Jesus guided them that night, was the most lush, fertile, garden spot in the region.

Peace today and always... With love ~ Cheryl


Gospel
Mk 6:45-52
After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied,
Jesus made his disciples get into the boat
and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd.
And when he had taken leave of them,
he went off to the mountain to pray.
When it was evening,
the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore.
Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing,
for the wind was against them.
About the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
He meant to pass by them.
But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”
He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.
They were completely astounded.
They had not understood the incident of the loaves.
On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.

Gospel
Matthew's account...
7 Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.
23
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone.
24
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
25
During the fourth watch of the night, 8 he came toward them, walking on the sea.
26
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. "It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear.
27
At once (Jesus) spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; 9 do not be afraid."
28
Peter said to him in reply, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."
29
He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
30
But when he saw how (strong) the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
31
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, 10 why did you doubt?"
32
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
33
11 Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God."
34
After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
35
When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him all those who were sick
36
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

TOY REVIEW TUESDAY:

What my kids got for Christmas:

1. Snuggie's:I got my oldest a real "snuggie" from Toys R Us...about $15-cheap material, but works. The others came from BJ's for $10 were made by Bershire and have a pocket. They are way warmer than the others and have a cool pocket. They all love them!!! (BTW...our house is freezing so they use them all the time)

2. Water bottles: Everyone got their own color with hook tops to hook to bikes and backpacks. Some fancy and some with initials on them. So far so good and I am sure in the spring they will even be more helpful when sports and hotter weather come.

3. Flashlights: Even dad got a deluxe one. They little girls got tinkerbell and princess ones. They big kids got their favorite color and the middle ones got cool ones to hook on their backpacks.

Hope you got good stuff for Christmas...want to share what you got? Love good, non cluttering ideas!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Monday, January 4, 2010

MEDITATION: IMITATION OF CHRIST-

The Fifty-Ninth Chapter:

All Hope and Trust Are to Be Fixed In God Alone (part two)

The Disciple

In You, therefore, O Lord God, I place all my hope and my refuge. On You I cast all my troubles and anguish, because whatever I have outside of You I find to be weak and unstable. It will not serve me to have many friends, nor will powerful helpers be able to assist me, nor prudent advisers to give useful answers, nor the books of learned men to console, nor any precious substance to win my freedom, nor any place, secret and beautiful though it be, to shelter me, if You Yourself do not assist, comfort, console, instruct, and guard me. For all things which seem to be for our peace and happiness are nothing when You are absent, and truly confer no happiness.

You, indeed, are the fountain of all good, the height of life, the depth of all that can be spoken. To trust in You above all things is the strongest comfort of Your servants.

My God, the Father of mercies, to You I look, in You I trust. Bless and sanctify my soul with heavenly benediction, so that it may become Your holy dwelling and the seat of Your eternal glory. And in this temple of Your dignity let nothing be found that might offend Your majesty. In Your great goodness, and in the multitude of Your mercies, look upon me and listen to the prayer of Your poor servant exiled from You in the region of the shadow of death. Protect and preserve the soul of Your poor servant among the many dangers of this corruptible life, and direct him by Your accompanying grace, through the ways of peace, to the land of everlasting light.

Perfect prayer and aspiration for the New Year!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!!+JMJ+