Faith and Heartbreak

With the death of our friends daughter...it brings back the knife-blade feeling of losing our sweet Sanjay all over again. My heart aches for Peter and Becky and their family. We miss you, Beth, and we miss you too, Sanjay!

 

I love the Rule of Life of Elizabeth Gerads and would like to share it with you, these were available on small cards at her wake tonight:

Code of Amiability

To be amiable, as the Mother of God is amiable, one must radiate a strong sweetness -one that will bring a smile to the lips of another and invite confidence...

What are the ten commandments of the Code?

The Code of Amiability obliges one:
1. To smile until a kindly smile forms readily on one's lips.
2. To repress a sign of impatience at the very start.
3. To add a word of benevolence when giving orders.
4. To reply positively when asked to do a favor.
5 To lend a helping hand to the unfortunate.
6. To please those toward whom one feels repugnance.
7. To study and satisfy the taste of those with whom one lives.
8. To respect everyone.
9. To avoid complaining.
10. To correct (if one must) with kindness.

These are the dispositions which union with the amiable Virgin will place in our heart.
One of  Beth's favorite songs...it will be sung at her funeral tomorrow. A beautiful song for a beautiful girl who dedicated her life to God. We just returned from her wake...heart-wrenching and lovely at the same time. Fr. Beck spoke and lead the Rosary...he was very consoling. -Venerable Teresita Quevedo (1930-1950)

Palestrina - Sicut Cervus

youtu.be

Performer: Voices of Ascension, Dennis Keene CD: Beyond Chant - Mysteries of the Renaissance Composer: Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da (1525-1594)

Do You Have a Home Altar?

A central part of our Living room is our family's Home Altar. We have religious art, statues, prayer books, candles, holy cards, rosaries, and our family's certificate stating we are consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on display. We also have a photo, holy card, and hand-print of our precious son, who passed from this life on February 25th, 2011. I often place my hand over Lego Boy's hand print and ask for his special intercession, and tell him how much we all miss him!

 This is the room where we gather for prayer, and it makes it a little easier to keep our thoughts on God and Heaven. It is a peaceful spot, if a bit cluttered at times!

 

 

This is a photo of our Home Altar

It is in our Living room place between two bookcases...

 

This is a photo of Lego Boy at Eucharistic Crusade.

This is Lego Boy's Hand print from the Hospital (2nd class relic?) holding a

rosary made by a little boy in our Catholic Home School group.

 

No Home Altar is complete without Holy Water!

 

Our Sacred Heart Statue is a focal point.

 

We also keep rosaries on our altar...This particular is one was used by Hubby's Great Aunt!

Does your family have a Home Altar? Please join the link up so we can share pictures of  our Home Altars...I am looking forward to sharing our prayer spaces!

PS Can anyone tutor me in how to host a link up to this post? I haven't a clue! LOL...

Here is the Linky for the Bog Hop: Open until September 30th
 http://www.linkytools.com/picturecaption_linky_include.aspx?id=153755


http://trinityacres.blogspot.com/2012/07/our-home-altar.html  

http://www.sueelviswrites.com/2012/07/family-altar.html

 

 

 

 

 



Independence Day!

 We celebrated the Independence of the United States of America...how much longer will we be the land of the free and the home of the brave?

 

 Our traditional Flag Cake was made this year by Recipe Boy and Drama Queen...with some help from Grandma! Yum!

Our good friends came over to spend the day and the children put on a "Circus" for the entertainment of all...



 



We all gathered at our usual spot for the Fireworks Display.



 

 

Enjoying the second largest Fireworks Display in the state!

...Happy 4th of July!

Family Reunion

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our family made a trip to Colorado for a family reunion on Hubby's Father's side of the family. It was a blazingly hot day (104!) so it was nice that the gathering was at a reservoir! We had a huge shaded pavillion to ourselves, great food, and water to swim in. It was actually quite comfortable, dry heat with a breeze, so in the shade of the pavillion and in the water it was great!



Friday Felines

 

 

 

 

Meet the new barn kittens...Phineas and Ferb.

 

              Wonder how long they will be "Barn" cats?

                  

 Falling asleep on Hubby out on the porch.

 The are already beloved members of the Clan...

 

Bye, now!

 

 

20 years...The Sacrament of Marriage

Twenty years ago Hubby and I made our vows before God to be faithful and to love one another. This is a Sacrament that cannot be broken, it is a tie that will always bind us in this life, it is serious! Love is a choice, and I would not have it any other way. We have made many sacrifices for one another, we have made mistakes, and we have grieved over the most painful loss of our lives, the death of our youngest son. Had we not married we could have avoided all of these inconveniences and sorrows...but we never would have experienced the joys! I would not give up the joys for anything, we are blessed. The love of God lives on through our marriage, our promises to one another. Thank you, God, for bringing Hubby and I together, for making us a family. I pray we grow stronger in Faith together, and that we have at least another 20 years!

Time Passes

I know that it has been quite some time since I posted. There is so much I don't know how to say! We are trudging along and keeping busy. Our Parish started Theater Group and we volunteered our barn for practices. ALL SUMMER LONG! Wonder Knitter played the part of Sabina ( Maid Marian's Handmaid) in Robyn Hood, that play they put on. I was really proud of the group...a bunch of amateurs learning a Shakespearean type language and all of the little things that have to be done to put on a play.

We raised more chickens this summer, about 10 new layers and 20 meat chickens, which we butchered a month ago.

We went camping for a few days with friends up near Duluth, MN... at Gooseberry Falls. It was lovely!

We had a family vacation at Wisconsin Dells, it was nice to get away, but we missed having our Boy with us...my heart aches every day, I tie it into Our Lady's suffering at the foot of the cross.

 Nothing is quite as bright as it once was, without Lego Boy to be a part of it. He would be turning 11 on Sunday, October 9th. I teared up, yesterday, at Shopko...spying some little gifts that I know he would have enjoyed. Do you know, I find myself  often grieving the MOST while shopping??? I never would have guessed that...