A milestone!

Nathan finished his Altar Server training a few weeks ago.  Today marked his first opportunity to serve our parish!  I am so proud of him!  He did an excellent job of leading the other servers during Stations of the Cross and ringing the bells during Benediction!  I am on cloud nine tonight!

Saying the Altar Server prayer after getting dressed.

They caught me peeking at them!

The rookies (Nathan and his friend Matthew)

I don't think I've ever been so proud!

He isn't a baby anymore.

Thank you for letting me share this very special event with you!  I feel so very blessed today!

Fr. Corapi....

....needs our prayers!

Saint Michael the Archangel,

defend us in battle.

Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;

and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -

by the Divine Power of God -

cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,

who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

7 Quick Takes Friday (Volume 3)

I realize that Friday is almost over.....but here are my quick takes for the week!

-1-

We celebrate our "Family Movie Night" on Fridays.  Sometimes we go to Redbox, sometimes we watch a movie that I've ordered from Pius Media, or sometimes, we just watch a movie from our own personal library.  Tonight, I told the kids to pick one from the cupboard.  I'm not surprised at their choice...."Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone".  I can't tell you how many times we've watched these movies!  So much so that Olivia walks around speaking in a British accent half the time!  I kid you not!  Her favorite phrase (in her best Hermione Granger voice) is, "It's just outrageous! I've looked it up, they simply caun't expel you. It's completely unfaar!"  I'd like to start branching out with our movie watching....perhaps getting away from our trusty old favorites and see something new!

-2-

Speaking of new movies, I saw this trailer on Facebook yesterday and for some reason, it looks interesting to me.....

   I've always been a fan of sci-fi and this seems to fit the bill.  Of course, this would NOT be for the kids.

-3-

A swarm of little pesky moths have invaded the pantry.  I really don't like bugs...of any kind, really.  I guess I know what I'm doing this weekend....cleaning out the pantry....with BLEACH!

-4-

You're never going to believe this!  I've actually decided to NOT check any luggage on my Rome trip!  Today I bought this carry on set (Great price on Overstock.com!) It's the exact dimensions of what is allowed for carry on baggage.  Last time, Delta lost our luggage and we couldn't change clothes for 3 days!

We also have a very short connection in Atlanta and this way, I don't have to wonder whether or not the luggage made it on the plane.  Now that the luggage situation is decided, I have to work on getting my Verizon cell phone to work in Italy.  Any suggestions?

-5-

It was almost 90 degrees today in my back yard!  That's HOT!  Tomorrow, I'm taking the kids to their Aunt Fran's house to swim.  It's that time of year...sunscreen and new bathing suits!  Although I prefer the fall and winter months, it will be nice to enjoy the warmth of the sun and playing in the pool!

-6-

When Lent is over, I plan on making this wonderful Chocolate Kahlua Cake recipe that I found over at bakedbree!

-7-

I can't think of anything for #7!   I'm obviously going through a "dry" period where I don't feel like writing and I don't have much to say.  Hopefully I'll feel more in the mood for blogging over the weekend!

Visit Jen at Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!

EWTN Schedule

I was reading my EWTN newsletter for April and I saw a few things that are coming up that I wanted to share:

Sister Faustina:  The Promise of Mercy
Explore the life of Blessed Sister Faustina to whom Our Lord gave the the devotion to His Divine Mercy, asking her to promulgate it throughout the world. (30 minutes)
Airs April 1st at 3am & 6:30pm

Faustyna
Explore the life of St. Faustina, the great apostle of Divine Mercy. (90 minutes. Polish & English subtitles)
Airs April 27 at 1pm & April 30 at 8pm

Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: A Catholic Worldview
Joseph Pearce uncovers the Catholicism found in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. (60 min)
Airs April 4 at 10pm, April 6 at 1pm & April 8 at 5am

A Tiny Piece of Heaven
Explore the lives and faith of a community of believers in the small coastal town of Magadan, Siberia, which
at one time was a slave labor camp. (30 min)
Airs April 14 at 3am & 6:30pm

JPII and the Sick:  The Value of Suffering
Take a journey with Pope John Paul II around the world as he reaches out with the love of Christ to the sick and suffering, calling us, as Jesus did, to do the same. (30 min)
Airs April 15 at 3am & 6:30pm

Love is a Choice
A glimpse into the life of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, through interviews with those who knew here, as well
as excerpts from several letters she exchanged with her husband. (60 min)
Airs April 27 at 2am, April 29 at 10pm and April 30 at 2pm

You can see the schedule of other specials on EWTN for the month of April by clicking HERE!

Spring has sprung!

We played hookey from school yesterday!  I had a case of the blahs and I just wanted to be outside!  We did finish a book about George Washington that I've been reading aloud, and so, I called that "school"!  For the rest of the day, we played outside in the beautiful spring weather.

The PERFECT temp!

Dogwood tree with hanging Spanish moss



The flowers are gorgeous!



This is what happens to LETTUCE when you forget to harvest it for almost two weeks!

The azaleas are blooming!

UPDATE!

Thank you all for your prayers, comments and emails!  Here's what I know....

1.  My brother-in-law made it home.  It's not clear how he got there.  Some of the trains were working while others were totally destroyed.  His home did not see any of the water from the tsunami!  However, he said just about everything he owned was on the floor from the shaking.  He said it will take some time to clean up.
There are rolling blackouts and curfews.  I beg you for your continued prayers for the entire country of Japan!  This tragedy is getting worse everyday.  I think it will be some time before we can truly grasp the devastation that this has caused the entire world. 

2.  My friend suffering from stage 4 melanoma is stable at the moment.  The steroids are doing their job reducing the swelling.  His wife is generously keeping us updated on a Caringbridge site.  He has already had the gamma knife radiation procedure and I think the plan now is to give him regular radiation.  I'm not an expert on brain cancer, but I think the idea behind giving him the radiation is to try to shrink the tumors....or at the very least, keep them from growing.  If you can, please remember Adam and his family in your prayers.

3.  My lymph node is still swollen and still painful, although a lot less than before.  I told myself that if it wasn't better by today, I would call the doctor.  It's a tad bit better, so I'm going to just take it day by day.  Honestly, I just didn't feel like dealing with the doctor today.  I didn't have it in me.

I've got over 1000 (again) posts in my Google Reader....I'm probably going to have to start deleting.  If I haven't commented much...it's just because there has been so much going on around here...here's a peek into my life....

Along with the above 3 things that I've been dealing with....we've managed to get the kids re-enrolled in our parish school for next year.  This is a very sore subject right now and it's something I can barely talk (or write) about without bursting into tears!  In addition to that, Dan has signed us up for Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University!  This class is every Monday for 13 weeks!  There is a lot of reading and homework to do.  And lastly, my trip to Rome for the Beatification of Pope John Paul II is just 46 days away!  I have lots to do.  Since Delta is notorious for losing our luggage.....I'm going to try to fit everything into one carry on!  This will take much creativity and strategic planning.  In looking at our flight information, we may not have much time in New York for exchanging money so I will order the Euros from my bank before hand.

In addition to ALL of that....I'm still trying to live out these Lenten days in a reflective way while still being true to my commitments.  Our family gave up T.V and it has been a challenge...especially in light of the events in Japan.  We've tried to get as much information as we could about things going on near where my brother in law lives, but unfortunately, we have resorted to watching some news coverage.

I blew off school today.  Instead, we spent lots of time outside (around 72 degrees) and we finished up our George Washington read aloud!  A friend loaned us a DVD about St. John Bosco....we will watch this as the week moves forward.

Thank you for praying and for continuing to visit me here at Be Not Afraid!

Prayers please...

I'm sorry that I haven't been around much lately but it's been quite crazy in my neck of the woods.  As soon as things slow down, I'll be back with full updates.  In the mean time I have 3 special prayer requests...

1.  Please pray for my brother-in-law, Ken (Dan's sister's husband), who lives in Japan.  He was at work when the earthquake happened and he is now in an evacuation shelter.  Their home is very near the coast and no one knows if it is still there or not.  His cell phone battery is dead and he didn't have his charger with him so he can't really communicate with us right now.  His mother is in a hospital and as far as we know, there wasn't much damage there.  He has siblings who live about a block from the beach.  We are also very concerned about this nuclear power plant.  This is bad, really bad. 

2.  Please also pray for a friend of mine who is suffering from Stage 4 Melanoma that is now in his brain.  He was doing well for awhile and the tumors were "stable".  However, last night we were informed that he has 9 new tumors and he is in much pain.  Please pray for his family and his doctors.  Outside of a miracle, he isn't going to make it through this.  He is 46.

3.  I also ask for a few prayers for myself.  I have a swollen (and very painful) lymph node on the right side of my neck...right underneath my jaw bone.  I don't feel flu-ish.  I don't have a tooth ache or ear ache.  My throat is not sore.  I don't know what could be causing this.  Swollen lymph nodes make me VERY nervous.
My recent PET scan was clear so I'm trying not to worry.

Thank you so much for your prayers.....see you soon.

Ash Wednesday

Father in Heaven,

the light of your truth bestows sight

to the darkness of sinful eyes.

May this season of repentance

bring us the blessing of Your forgiveness

and the gift of Your light.

Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Plans for Lent

There has been so much going on in my neck of the woods lately that I'm just now slowing down enough to think about Lent. I'm so ready for this season! I have a longing to turn my focus inward. Dan and I got up early this morning (4:45am) to say our novena to St. Joseph and to pray the rosary. We then had a few minutes to drink our first cup of coffee and TALK without interruptions!


I was also able to do some blog reading (something I haven't had much time to do lately.....which is why I have over 700 posts unread in Google Reader!). In my reading this morning, I came across a wonderful post by Tiffany from Family at the Foot of the Cross. She has come up with a terrific way to countdown the days of Lent! This was very creative and I'm seriously thinking of doing this!

I had a 7 Quick Takes post in the works, but in a moment of "need more coffee" delirium, I clicked the wrong thing and it's gone! I'm not sure I have the energy to retype it.

On deck for the weekend....all three kids have dentist appointments tomorrow (Sat) at 8:00am! There should be some law about doctor/dentist appointments for that early in the morning...on a weekend (and no, I did NOT schedule these, my wonderful husband did)!

See you soon!

Gas Prices

I'm sure this is happening all over the country but I had to post about what I've seen over the last 4 days here in Jacksonville.  This is the price fluctuation for one gas station in our area for unleaded.

Monday:  $3.31 per gallon
Tuesday:  $3.39 per gallon
Wednesday:  $3.45 per gallon
Thursday:  $3.49 per gallon

That's 18 cents in FOUR DAYS!  Libya produces less than 2% of  the worlds supply and all of that goes to China and Europe.  Why oh why can't we just drill for our own oil?

Litany of the Graces of the Cross

Response:  Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

We adore you, O Christ, when we do not get our own way.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, in the midst of day-to-day aggravations, frustrations, and annoyances.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, when we live deprived of recognition or gratitude.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, when dealing with others who exalt themselves and demean us.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, in the face of worry, anxiety, and fear.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, when we forgive others and show them mercy, especially when it hurts.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, in the face of others' thoughtlessness.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, in confronting our daily inner rebellion.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, in refusing to give in to vanity and self-importance.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, in always thinking about others first and putting them first.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, when others take us for granted.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, when suffering the agony of depression.   Rs

We adore you, O Christ, in our inability to make sense out of life or to have things follow our plans, especially when we're trying so hard to be good.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, in rejecting self-assertion and self satisfaction.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, in the midst of the oppressiveness of life - its futility, drudgery, pointlessness, and tedium.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, in letting go of the order and control we crave.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, when accosted by the unfairness of seeing the wicked succeed.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, despite the world's contradiction, humiliation, and derision.   Rs

We adore you, O Christ, by refusing to live according to our feelings.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, when we are under-appreciated.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, when our egoism and willfulness flare up.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, when we are persecuted for your sake.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, as we live by love and no lesser motive.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, in finding peace in the total surrender of self.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, in accepting that God works in the ways we least expect.  Rs

We adore you, O Christ, as we search for self worth only in God's love for us and nothing else.  Rs

Our Father......

Compiled by Father Peter John Cameron, O.P.