My oldest son's birthday:

April 15, 2014
My son loves Christ with his whole heart, soul, and mind...so when he and I attended 6:30am mass together I couldn't of picked out more perfect readings for him!

Reading 1 is 49:1-6

Hear me, O islands,
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
Yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
That Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Responsorial Psalm ps 71:1-2, 3-4a, 5ab-6ab, 15 and 17

R. I will sing of your salvation.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.



 My dear Josh, Dad and I are so proud of you. You are a great son!!! (horrible baby-but a great son!)We know God has great plans for you and you have already shared Christ with so many people!!!

I love you forever, I like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

My baby boy is 22!!!

I LOVE YOU FOREVER, I LIKE YOU FOR ALWAYS,
AS LONG AS I'M LIVING MY BABY YOU'LL BE!!!

MY BABY BOY is 22!!!

YEP...THAT IS HOW OLD I WAS WHEN I GAVE BIRTH TO HIM...

Kinda a weird situation when the big kids get big...

with babz

with Sweet Baboo

with your godson

with hunter

graduation from high school

with Lizzie

God parents and great big siblings

always willing to play with the little kids

the boys

Ray Ray joins the team!!!

I love you Josh, thanks for being so special and helpful...I know God has great plans for you!!! 

Keep the faith and keep sharing HIS love where ever you go!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

I Love you forever, I Like you for always, as long as Im living my mommy you'll be!

This is gonna be a difficult Mother's Day. My mom died on Feb 15th and I miss her terribly. The following was given to me for Mother's Day from my 20 year old son.

MOTHER'S DAY 3 YEARS AGO

MY SEVEN SONS (kolbe in womb)

MY 12 BLESSINGS AND My wonderful husband who helped God make them!!!

by Joshua on Saturday, 07 May 2011 at 12:21

Dear mom,

Thank-you for the best 20 years of life a son could ask for. I am who I am today because of you...for better or for worse. haha, kidding, for better of course. Everyone tells me that my mom is amazing and still so young and beautiful...and a Saint and that she is their role model and super-hero; and that is all true but really you are the best mom in the world because you love all 12 of us with total and complete self giving. There is nothing you could ever do to love us more. You bring the definition of sanctity down to earth. You are an amazing example to every woman of fidelity and love to our awesome dad. Thank you so much for being us the light of the Catholic faith in both word and practice. Thank you for always being there, forever and always....



I Love you forever, I Like you for always, as long as I'm living my mommy you'll be



A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan



All mothers are working mothers. ~Author Unknown



Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever. ~Author Unknown

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

No longer a teenager...

What a looker, oh and Josh is in the picture too.

Go Terps!!!

Blue Steel

Hollister Model?

Passion Play

Stuebenville Trip

Organizing the Pantry

High School Graduation

What a great day...we love you so much. I know it has been a crazy year of transition for you. You have definitely made the best out of it. We are so proud of you. Thanks for trusting in our decisions and believing that God's Will will be done. Keep the faith and stay close to Christ!!!

Thy Will Be Done!!! +JMJ+

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY...

My oldest son Br. Joshua in the seminary...oh how I miss him. He is in charge of the pantry...soda anyone?

Thanks to Jo for taking this picture for me!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY...

Eight of my 11 soon to be twelve kids having chicken fights in Boompa's pool...

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

My Baby Joshy turns 18 today!!!

My Dearest Joshua,

Happy 18th birthday!!! We are so proud of you and the sacrifices you are making to seek the will of God. We miss you so much and can't wait to see you in nine days!!! (hey, whose counting?)

Your 16 year old brother wants to remind you that you can date now that you are 18...Dad says ok on the tattoo and buying cigarettes...I on the other hand say keep on praying for your momma!!!

Even thou you cried for the first two years of your life...you turned out to be a wonderful son and brother!!!

We know God has great plans for you and know we are praying for you!!!

Please lift up a prayer for my son as he discerns his vocation and seeks the wisdom from above!!!

Say it with me: "I LOVE YOU FOREVER, I LIKE YOU FOR ALWAYS, AS LONG AS I'M LIVING MY JOSHY YOU'LL BE!!!"

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

My two oldest sons...

MY heart could burst at this picture!!! Nothing can make me happier than seeing these two and their sweet smiles!!! Thank you God for my children, please bless and protect them with purity, wisdom, and self control!!! I consecrate them to You and ask You to guide all of us to do Your Holy Will!!!

THY WILL BE DONE!!!+JMJ+

IMITATION OF CHRIST: Meditation of the day...

The Ninth Chapter
All Things should be Referred to God as their Last End

The Voice of Christ (part two)

From Me the small and the great, the poor and the rich draw the water of life as from a living fountain, and they who serve Me willingly and freely shall receive grace upon grace. He who wishes to glory in things apart from Me, however, or to delight in some good as his own, shall not be grounded in true joy or gladdened in his heart, but shall be burdened and distressed in many ways. Hence you ought not to attribute any good to yourself or ascribe virtue to any man, but give all to God without Whom man has nothing.

I have given all things. I will that all be returned to Me again, and I exact most strictly a return of thanks. This is the truth by which vainglory is put to flight.

Where heavenly grace and true charity enter in, there neither envy nor narrowness of heart nor self-love will have place. Divine love conquers all and enlarges the powers of the soul.

If you are truly wise, you will rejoice only in Me, because no one is good except God alone, Who is to be praised above all things and above all to be blessed.

***Divine love conquers all and enlarges the powers of the soul. Oh yea...now I remember!!!

Jedi Knight!!!

My baby finally got his childhood wish to be a Jedi Knight!!!

Vocations: from a mother's heart...

Why does this have to be so stinking hard!!!

I have been trying to keep busy and not think of my feelings on Monday when I dropped my oldest son off at the airport. Things went so fast-I didn't have time to really break down. The typical craziness of our family life, the car breaking down, trying to figure out how I was going to get the daily tasks done...all consumed my head.

So, it has been the last couple of days that I have begged God for an answer of why this has to be so hard? I know my son is happy...I have never seen him so content with a decision. (He hates to make decisions!!!).

I keep hearing in my head something a holy priest said (he thinks I hate him for this homely-although it has been a constant use of my morning meditations and holy hours) said, "LOVE BURNS!!! It explodes, it expands, it grows..." This is why grace comes from suffering!!! This is why I feel closer now to my son than I ever have before. This is why people, who would never understand a vocation at this age...after seeing him, finally understand, accept, and realize this isn't as crazy as it sounds.

But, my mother's heart is on fire with...love/sorrow. Our Lady of Sorrows has been one of my patrons for years...now I know why!!!

Then God sent me many consolations of people and friends who have suffered way more than me...my neighbor's son who left for war, thoughts of mothers throughout the ages whose children have been taken from them...through sickness, death, war, and other tragedies. Not to mention the hundreds of saint stories I have read to my children over the years of the young boys and girls who have given their lives for Christ. I also remember the look on the mother's face in the movie The Chronicles of Narnia when she left her children at the train station...for their good.

I know he is preparing for his future vocation. Whatever vocation that may be…just giving God his best…I can try to do the same. I can finally act on all those many years of offering my children to the Heavenly Father to HIS service…I can walk the walk.

So consolation as it may be…my prayers for him and all my children has been…Thy will be done Lord!!! This is such a small act of suffering on my part. Seeing the formation and blessings my son and our family has received from this small yes…so I continue to pray…Thy will be done…and continue to cry, like any mom would do.

We give you thanks for all your gifts, almighty God, living and reigning now and forever...

Thy will be done!!!+JMJ+

I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE SPECIFIC...

All morning I have been pondering something I thought of at daily mass. At my wonderful parish for years we have been (as well as in our family) praying for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. In that prayer it says to send us vocations.

As I have struggled this year through the vocation choice of my 17 year old, (although I am very proud of him and believe he is doing God's will) I realized the mistakes that I have made all these years!!!

I just wasn't specific enough to God!!! When my son was in my womb and I prayed for Thy Will To Be Done with this precious life; I consecrated him to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary, and then he was baptized as: priest, prophet, and king. Also, what was I thinking to give him examples like St. Dominic Savio, St. Therese of Liuseux, John Bosco, and many other holy saints as friends and examples!!!

In the prayer we say at mass and at home...I should of said, "send us vocations Lord...as long as they are comfortable to me"...It is so clear now that I should of been more specific...how about this: send us vocations to the priesthood...as long as they don't leave the country, have to be over: say...23 years of age...OK, I think that sounds less painful...

Or maybe this... "Lord, please have my children do your will and fulfill their vocation, as long as it means: being a diocesan priest who lives in my town, visits me often, and calls me daily. That sounds better.

How about I keep going Lord...and if they get married, please have them marry the spouse I pick out for them, buy the house next to me, give me many holy grandchildren, want to visit me often, and call me daily. (it is all about me anyway, right?)

Since I already have your attention Lord...how about a husband who never gets upset with me, cleans the house, does the laundry and dishes, makes the bed, never misunderstands me, walks around the house singing my praises. (I don't think it is possible for him to do more than he already does for me)

OK, just a little more since we are on the topic Lord...how about the rest of my kids...I would like holy, smart, healthy, obedient, happy children. Ones who pray always, beg to go to mass and say the rosary, are so smart we never need to do school (and just can play all day), never get sick, say "yes mother dear who I love and adore" always, and never argue or fight.

Then there is me Lord...can I have uninterrupted prayer time each morning, be about 20lbs lighter, not need any sleep, like to clean my house, never yell at my kids, always do what my husband wants, be a great mother to my teenagers, and keep my mouth shut!

Did I forget anything...if so Lord...I am sure you know, and I mean it when I say...Thy will be done...

OK, just kidding Lord...I remember now...It is called picking up our cross; and that is why we need faith!!!

Isn't it funny how we think we can tell God what to do?

I DO MEAN IT (NOT LIKE IT) WHEN I SAY THY WILL BE DONE!!!

Feast of Aloysius Gonzaga

A letter from St Aloysius Gonzaga to his mother
God's mercies shall be my song for ever
May the comfort and grace of the Holy Spirit be yours for ever, most honoured lady. Your letter found me lingering still in this region of the dead, but now I must rouse myself to make my way on to heaven at last and to praise God for ever in the land of the living; indeed I had hoped that before this time my journey there would have been over. If charity, as Saint Paul says, means to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who are glad, then, dearest mother, you shall rejoice exceedingly that God in his grace and his love for you is showing me the path to true happiness, and assuring me that I shall never lose him.The divine goodness, most honoured lady, is a fathomless and shoreless ocean, and I confess that when I plunge my mind into thought of this it is carried away by the immensity and feels quite lost and bewildered there. In return for my short and feeble labours, God is calling me to eternal rest; his voice from heaven invites me to the infinite bliss I have sought so languidly, and promises me this reward for the tears I have so seldom shed.Take care above all things, most honoured lady, not to insult God’s boundless loving kindness; you would certainly do this if you mourned as dead one living face to face with God, one whose prayers can bring you in your troubles more powerful aid than they ever could on earth. And our parting will not be for long; we shall see each other again in heaven; we shall be united with our Saviour; there we shall praise him with heart and soul, sing of his mercies for ever, and enjoy eternal happiness. When he takes away what he once lent us, his purpose is to store our treasure elsewhere more safely and bestow on us those very blessings that we ourselves would most choose to have.I write all this with the one desire that you and all my family may consider my departure a joy and favour and that you especially may speed with a mother’s blessing my passage across the waters till I reach the shore to which all hopes belong. I write the more willingly because I have no clearer way of expressing the love and respect I owe you as your son.

For those of us who have children considering a VOCATION this may give you comfort.

My Joshy turns 17...

Picture of Joshua with his baby brother and Godson Eric... PRAYER OF ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA (ONE OF JOSHUA'S FAVORITE PRAYERS)

Lord Jesus Christ, Take all my freedom. My memory, my understanding and my will. All that I have and cherish You have given me. I surrender it all to be guided by your will. Your grace and your love are wealth enough for me. Give me these, Lord Jesus, and I ask for nothing more.

My oldest son Joshua turns 17 today...it seems like yesterday when I was 15 days late and drinking Castor oil...I do not suggest this...especially when you try to dilute it with orange juice. If you do take it, contact your midwife, doctor, or a plumber before digesting. Follow it with a strong drink, not vodka, but strong juice or soda, do not try to mix them, it make for a larger amount of consumption.

I became pregnant when my oldest was six months old who was just nursing and I was 22. (oh to be young again)

I was really excited about this delivery, my first home birth!!! I contacted my midwife to say things were starting and my husband and I were off to mass and we would meet her at our home in an hour or so. I also contacted my nurse, my sister, and a friend who would be watching our (at the time) Christian Bookstore for us. As we got dressed...it happened. The Castor oil kicked, punched, and knocked me out...my legs started to shake uncontrollable and I was having contractions as well as my bowels emptying. My husband contacted everyone to say come here and quick. When they got here things went fast and all I remember is my sister, husband, and a friend holding my up so the midwife could pull out my son who I had just delivered his head...not the body yet. Well with much help, he came out. Since I didn't see the delivery, you will have to check out my funnier, and handsome husband's post for the gory details.

Joshua was the first of many home deliveries, none as fast or shaky. He was our fussiest baby and I am sure he had some type of food allergy that we never found. When I got pregnant with the next baby people were shocked that we must have been serious with this pro life stuff because Joshua was one of the fussiest babies they had seen. Joshua grew to be one of the easiest going, pleasant, crowd pleaser we have.

He is planning on attending the seminary in the fall and we are very proud of this decision and will miss him very much.

God Bless you Joshua, we love you sweetie. +JMJ+