Praise the Lord!

Well, I finally got a call Friday afternoon.  I will be moving on October 1.  It will be just about four years to the day that I have been temporarily living with my parents.  Things are looking pretty good.  The Lord has been answering some of my prayers and I can't wait to serve Him again tomorrow morning at Mass.  

I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year with my children coming to visit our new apartment.  It will be a very different experience for all three of us.  Our last Christmas together in our own place was pretty rough and it was in the house that we had lived in as a family for about eight years.

God, thank you for these blessings in my life.  Please continue to bless my family and those we care most about.

Impatiently...Patiently Waiting

Waiting to hear about an apartment that you really like is a frustration best put in God's hands.  I know that whatever happens will be for the best, but the waiting is difficult.  Many have asked me what I've heard, and I am left just saying "nothing yet."  It's hard to maintain a calm exterior when inside you're all jittery.

God, Grant me the grace to accept the things I cannot change, the strength to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  Amen!

Keeping Fingers Crossed

This afternoon, I am going to meet with the owner of an apartment complex very close to where I live now.  They happen to have one apartment available and I really want to get in there.  I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but it is looking very promising.  I really need prayers.

You know, sometimes when you start to think things are hopeless, God just reminds you that He is still watching over you.  I could use all the prayers I can get right now.

Lord, help me to make the right decisions to pick the right place to live.

Absence...Explained!

To anybody out there still reading this, I'm sure you've been wondering, "What happened."

Recently, my son decided that he didn't want to come visit me.  I was devastated!  It was all I could do at times to put on a smile.  I spent the last two months with my daughter, making the most of the time that we had together this summer.  When I dropped her off, I had a brief, but promising conversation with my son.  I know that he is getting older, and it is difficult for a teenager to understand the importance of spending time with his father, but my biggest fear is that he will regret not spending time with me while he is still young.

I have had a quite distant relationship with my own father for many years.  A lot of that is my own fault, and I don't want the same for my son.  Many of my prayers are for the continued softening of my son's heart that he may see how much I love and care for him.  Lord, help him to see that I do more for him than he knows.

Silence!

Those who know me best have got some insight into why I have been out of touch for a while.  I won't get into details publicly, but I have had some personal struggles lately.  Only a few years ago, the same situation would have devastated me beyond all compare.  Now that I have found my Jesus again, these things can affect me, but not devastate me.

God is my compass to find my way out of the darkness.  The devil is always throwing out lines that we all tend to latch on to without knowing that we've been hooked.  The Holy Spirit is our salvation if we will only allow ourselves to be saved.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful, and lead us to everlasting light.  Amen

Habemus Papam!

I was on the edge of my seat this afternoon at work, along with the rest of the world!  As much as I wanted to see white smoke I really wasn't expecting to see it today.  What an exciting day for us as Catholics!  Even for the rest of the world, this day is truly glorious.  Pope Francis has already impressed me greatly with his display of humility when stepping out onto the balcony in St. Peter's Basilica wearing the simple white cassock of his new office.  Then, before giving us a blessing, he asked us to pray that the Lord might bless him...and he bowed his head while we prayed.

He is ready to lead us if we allow ourselves to be led!  I look forward to the future and am so happy to have such a great new shepherd.

Viva Pope Francis!

Holy Snow!

Well, it's been a couple of crazy days!  I took the day off work yesterday so that I could attend Fr. Ron's funeral and we ended up with one heck of a snow storm.  We got approximately a foot of snow in just a couple of hours.  Growing up in the north east part of the country we got snow like that every year but here in the mid-west, where we haven't really gotten much snow for a couple years, that was crazy.

Inevitably, the funeral was postponed and I was moved to take a second day off work.  When I arrived at the church for the funeral, I was elated to find that the pastor there had no objection to my serving as long as the MC was okay with it.  He happened to be another priest that I am coming to know and so I was able to say farewell to Fr. Ron in the only way that I see as fitting.

Our God is an Awesome God who never ceases to amaze me.  I should not doubt that God wants us to be happy, but I always manage to be surprised when my desire lines up with His plans.  Thank you for a fitting way to say good-bye to my friend.

Fr Ron

Well, it's been an interesting week!  Starting with assisting with a confirmation retreat for the eighth graders at our parish, followed by the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, and then Friday I received word in the morning that one of the priests that I had just served with on Sunday, passed away.  I will be taking a vacation day from work later this week to attend the funeral of Fr. Ron Cornish.

I have never been to a funeral for a priest.  I guess that is probably a result of a great deal of moving around and straying from my faith.  Now that I have found such a firm foundation in the Catholic Church, I have been not only meeting new priests, but getting to know them and serving with them.  I knew it was a long shot, but I was still a bit disappointed to be told that I wouldn't be able to serve at the funeral.

I know that God brought me here to Kansas City for a reason, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to serve with this wonderful and holy man.  With the ages and health of so many priests lately deteriorating, it is so important that we not only support young men with vocations to the priesthood, but encourage more of them to consider a vocation to the priesthood.  If serving daily in my local parish is the extent of the liturgical work that the Lord is calling me to, I will be content in knowing that my life was a success if just one young man is encouraged by my being there.

Fair Well Fr. Ron!  I hope, as your last words to me said, I will "See Ya" in Heaven someday.

Eternal rest, grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.  May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

Finding the way!

It interesting the way the Lord chooses to speak to each of us in different ways!  I have spent many hours in Adoration, but have struggled with finding the right way to "listen."  I have tried kneeling in silence, but was constantly distracted by my own thoughts.  I have tried just talking with God, but as much as I run my mouth, how do I expect Him to get a word in.  I've tried reading, but really how can you concentrate on reading and hears what He has to say at the same time.

Last night I sat down with Jesus, and started to write a letter to God.  By the time I finished writing, I could feel a response in my head.  I think I just needed to find a way to get my thoughts out and allow me to really LISTEN.

Lord let me continue to seek and to follow you in everything I say and do!

Fighting Despair

Learning lessons can be difficult for us sometimes.  We can get so caught up in the routine of life, that even the occasional stuff has its patterns.  I didn't really realize how much it affects me when I have my children for a short time and take them back to their mother, until it was recently pointed out that every time I take them back I go back into a state of despair.

The reality is that I get so physically drained and bummed that the devil reaches up and tries to pull me down and keep me there.  Maintaining an awareness of the devil's dirty tricks is a big help in fighting them, but we can't fight him on our own.  He attacks when we are at our weakest, and that is why it is so important to persevere in our prayer life.  Stick to the habits that we develop when we are closer to God, even when we are having times that we just "don't feel it," so that God can shield us from the devil.

Lord lift up all those who are struggling with difficult circumstances.  Those who are following your path and those who have fallen or never found you.  Wrap them in your loving arms and help them to know that we love them, even those who have wronged us.~Amen

Physical and Spiritual Health

I recently came to a realization that with everything that has been going on in my life, I have been gaining quite a bit of weight!  It has been mentioned by a person or two that feels they know me well enough to say so.  When I decided to start doing something about it, I stepped on the scale to get a base starting point.  Could that be right?  Could I have really let myself get 80 pounds overweight?

This really does bring me back to the point of striving for balance in my life.  God wants our praise and love, but physical fitness is important too.  We shouldn't be neglecting our own health.  Now, I'm not saying that I couldn't do with cutting back on the snacks, but all of my attention has been focused on everything but diet and exercise.

Right now, I have been going through a couple of rough weeks of sickness, fatigue, and borderline depression.  To an extent I have even been neglecting my prayer life.  In an effort to reestablish some balance and peace in my life, I am starting to focus some on losing weight.  Now that I have brought some new routines in, its time to filter in the things I have been doing and try to make everything balance out.  I know it will only work if I allow Him to take the wheel back.

Happy 2013

With the celebrations of Christmas and New Year's and all the driving to transport my children from their mothers to here and back again, it has been an exhausting but incredible month.  

Here at the start of a new year, its time that many of us examine our lives, and make resolutions to "do this," or "stop that."  I have decided this year to do this by resolving to eat healthier and get back to exercising.  Over the last year, I have become increasingly aware of the amount of weight I have gained since the need for bicycle commuting was made nil.  With the help of my Lord, I expect to be back to riding my bicycle routinely a minimum of 5 miles a day by late April.

The time constraints of my schedule (not to mention the addition of 45 pounds)have changed my situation for riding to work every day.  I refuse to give up serving at daily Mass just to get out the door a couple minutes earlier, so I need to get myself back in shape so that the time required to travel 3 miles on bicycle fits the schedule.  This is going to take training, dedication, and a lot of prayer.

Please pray with me:  Heavenly Father, we offer every part of our days to your service.  Help us to accomplish our goals to keep ourselves healthy enough to continue all the things you have in store for us.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.