On Vacation

Just a note to let you know that I will be away on vacation for a couple of weeks. It is a tough thing to have to do but someone has to do it! Thanks for reading my rambling - I hope I have helped someone in some small way. If I made you smile then my job here has been complete. As always Love, Hugs and prayers!

Sunday go to meeting outfits - - - - -

It is Sunday morning and I am not at church! Not going to church on Sunday morning is something I will never get use to not matter how long I am Catholic. Tom had mass last night – for Catholic’s Saturday night mass counts for Sunday, so if you go on Saturday night you don’t have to go on Sunday. Tom has mass tonight so I will go then also. BUT not going to church on Sunday equates in my previously protestant mind as a sin.

Getting up and getting ready for church on Sunday morning was a production when I was a kid. Mother spent hours on Saturday getting her “outfit” ready. I have seen her spend an entire week working on a new “Sunday go to meeting” dress. My Mother was always a dresser. I know that many of you that know me will find that hard to believe since jeans and a T-shirt are my dress clothes. This is not in any sense of the word my Mom’s fault, she tried. You see she spent equally as much time on my “outfit”. She would go into town whit her sketch pad in hand and draw a picture of the dress she wanted to make for me, come home and cut a pattern then make the exact dress. For me every minute spent trying on those dresses was torture. It seemed that Mom always choose to call me in to try one of them on when I was right in the middle of a great adventure.

Sunday morning would come and we would get all gussied up. Picture if you will a little girl that rather be in the woods with her dog putting on a frilly dress. Then there were the crinolines, many many crinolines. Do you remember the one that your Mom would stretch out flat on a table and spray with starch? I would have to wear so many that my dress would stand straight out. This would call for a pair of panties with ruffles on them, just in case. Then there was the ruffled socks, ruffled gloves and to top the whole thing off there was that dang hat. I hated Sunday “outfits” and would often pitch a fit of my own about having to wear them. It was to no avail because you did not miss Sunday morning church and you were not going to go looking like a heathen. Dad knew how I felt and would always give me one of those knowing looks but he did not dare cross Mother on this issue.

Then we would all pile in the 1950 Ford pickup, the boys would ride in the bed of the truck. Back then riding in the back of a pickup truck was considered a rite of passage. You had to be at least 4 or 5; I was allowed to ride in the bed of the truck but not on Sunday. There was a whole list of things I could not do while I had my Sunday “outfit” on. Most of them had something to do with behaving like a lady and not the tom boy that I was. Man I hated Sunday “outfits”.

The only thing worse than putting on that Sunday outfit and going to church was being told that the preacher was coming for “Sunday Dinner”. This meant that I would be in the monkey suit all day! If I got wind early enough that the Preacher was coming to our house I would beg one of my friends to let me go home with them. This did not work very often because Mother insisted that I be home when the Preacher came. This was long before GameBoys were invented and we did not have a TV so I had to sit for hours in this get up.

To this day the back of my neck itches when I wake up on Sunday remembering all those “Sunday Outfits”. Yes, Mother was a dresser. She set the standard by which all the other ladies at church tried to achieve. I am sorry to admit she never succeeded in turning me into the frilly little girl or woman that she hoped for. I hope that I made her proud in other ways because I never came up to her mark with it came to the way I dressed.

Thank you Lord for a Mother that not only cared about how she looked but also tried to dress me equally as nice. And Lord when I see Mom in heaven for the first time could you make sure I am dressed in a real frilly “Sunday outfit”, but I sure hope you will not make we wear it throughout eternity.

I believe - - - - - -

1. · Birth Certificates show we were born Death Certificates show that we died and pictures show we lived!
   · I believe -. . . That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
   · I believe - That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
   · I believe - . That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
   · I believe - . That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
   · I believe - . That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
   · I believe - . That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
   · I believe - . That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
   · I believe - . That you can keep going long after you think you can't.
   · I believe - . That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
   · I believe - . That either you control your attitude or it controls you.
   · I believe - .. That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
   · I believe - . That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
   · I believe - That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
   · I believe - . That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
   · I believe - . That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
   · I believe - . That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
   · I believe - . That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
   · I believe - . That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
   · I believe - . That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become .
   · I believe - . That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life. Forever!!
   · I believe - . Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
   · I believe - . That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.
   · I believe - . That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.
   · I believe - . That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
   · I believe - . That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.
   · I believe - that it is easier to make a living than it is to make a live.
   · I believe – that life may not be the party we hope for BUT life is too short not to dance!
   · I believe – that if God has brought us to it He will bring us through it.
   · I believe – that God loves me
   

What do you believe?

What I have learned being a Deacon's wife - - -

When Tom first began his journey through the Deaconate program I was worried that I would not be qualified to help him in his ministry. Oh, I had been involved in different ministries at church pretty much all my life but Tom being ordained seemed to kick everything up a notch. Tom has a degree in theology and spent five years in formation before becoming a Deacon. He has forgotten more about the Bible and the Church than I will ever be able to learn. The one thing I knew for sure was that I never want to say the wrong thing and embarrass Tom and I never wanted to be the cause of someone having misinformation about the church. I also knew that there was no way I would ever obtain the knowledge that Tom possess. So, what to do? Pray!
Every time I was asked to speak at a retreat or teach a class I PRAYED. I prepared to the best of my ability, made my notes, ran my copies and so on. In the end I knew that I would have to depend to the Holy Spirit to get me through.
I have learned that if I was ask a question that I did not feel comfortable answering it was no shame for me to say “Let me get with Father or Tom and I will get back to you”. I always made sure to make a note and get the answer then get back to them. People can handle a truthful “I don’t know” better than they can an answers that beats around the bush and never really addresses their issue. Some people will not like your answer no matter how biblical or doctorial based it is. I have had a couple of people go to Father and tell him what I said in class and his answer has always been “Well, isn’t that strange that is exactly what the church teaches”. Then he takes the time to explain a bit more – bottom line they still don’t like the answer.
I have learned that often time’s people will ask me questions that they would never ask my husband or the Priest. Some are cradle Catholics and do not want the Priest to know they did not already know. Some people are just not comfortable approaching a “man of the cloth”.
I have learned that if someone is in need of money or food they are more apt to approach me. They have learned that I am a soft touch!
I have learned that if there is no toilet paper in the bathroom they will come and find me. Same goes for wine, wafers, candles or alter servers.
I have learned that there is a lot of things I can do to serve God, Church and my husband do not need a college education.
I have learned that they Holy Spirit is always there when I call and guides my words quite often
I have learned that: God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Let me eat COMFORT FOOD!

I have been in the same business for about a hundred years – wait it just feels like it! As long as I have been thumping and bumping around I had to do something today that I have never gotten use to doing. I had to terminate someone employment. This was not just anybody; it was someone I cared a great deal about. They have been with the company for 7 years; I have watched their children grow up. I have watched them develop into a strong self sufficient person. Or, so I thought.
I pride myself on being a good judge of charter and my judgment about this person has not changed. This person is bright, intelligent, one of the hardest people I have every met and has a smile that will light up a room. What happened you ask? Short answer – personal problems that were bigger than their work abilities. Problems that I had tried to counsel them about many times.
Sometimes my kindness is mistaken for weakness and when this happens I have to do what is best for the man that signs my check. It still does not make the process any easier. At times I am in awe that I have been given the ability to strip someone of their livelihood. No one has the right to do this, but everyday a decision has to be made many times all over the world. Today was my day to decide that I cannot save everyone because some people do not want to be saved or do not have the ability to save themselves.
I try to treat everyone that I work with respectfully and with the same courtesy that I want in the work place. The sad truth is that most of us have to work, I am no exception. My thought has always been – We are all adults, we all have a job to do lets “get’r done”. I do not need to remind anyone that I am the “boss”. When I have to play the “boss card” it is not a good day for me.
I have eaten 2 lbs. of chocolate, drank a liter of coke and still have a pint of Ben and Jerry’s to go. Soon my sorrow will be drowned. I will not be able to get in any of my clothes tomorrow and all this sugar will make me swell up like a blow fish – but for tonight I need comfort food because someone I care about is hurting. I am wise enough to know that this is because of their actions not mine, but that does not help tonight.
My prayer is that over the pasted few years I have given this person the abilities to move forward in this profession when the time comes. I will continue to lift them up in prayer every day.

So, your husband wants to be a Deacon

So, your husband wants to be a Deacon and all that is going through you head is “Run Forest Run”. Don’t feel like you are the only one that has ever had this feeling! When Tom decided he wanted to be a Deacon I took one look at the other Deacon’s wives that I said to myself “Self you will never make it, those women are way too pious, they will never accept you”. While some Deacon’s wives certainly act as though their name is Rev. Mrs. Deacon, but most of them are just like me. They are trying to figure out where they fit into their husband’s new found calling. If they have been a Deacon’s wife for awhile most have settled into the role and feel comfortable with their “lot” in life. Then there is me! I am not your average 60 year old Grandmother. Someone once remarked to Tom that I had no trouble thinking outside the box and Tom replied “she never knew there was a box”.
I enjoy life as much if not more than anyone I know. Laughter is a big part of my life and I love nothing more than making others smile. My hair is gray and I ware it in pretty much in a crew cut (the shorter the better). For the most part I do not wear makeup and I have several tattoos. Talk about worrying that you would not fit in – I am a poster child for not fitting in! I made a decision when Tom started the process that I would not let the fact that he was a Deacon change me. I am happy to report that to date I am still “me”.
What I have learned through the process is that most folks could care less how I look they are more concerned about how I will treat them. Now don’t get me wrong I would never attend Mass dressed improperly and I can cover my “art work” if I feel it will not be understood. I do not feel that I am selling out to the “establishment” I am being respectful to my husband and his position. My Mom use to ask “What do you think God will say when you get to heaven about those tattoos”. My answer – Don’t think He will much care about my outward appearance, and I was sure banking on a new body.
If you husband had dropped the bomb and you are still trying to decide where he got this idea – chances are that he heard that small still calling from the Holy Spirit. Relax – if God has brought him to it God will bring both of you through it. Spend time in prayer. Talk with your husband express your fears and concerns. Talk to a Deacon’s wife – one that doesn’t look too stiff. Send me an email; I will help if I can.
The one thing I am certain of is that your husband cannot make it through formation let alone perform his duties as a Deacon if he does not have your total support.
My prayer is that God will grant you a special portion of His grace as you move through this decrement period.

God's wife?

God's Wife?A little boy about 10 years old was standing before a shoe store on Broadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold.

A lady approached the boy and said, "My little fellow, why are you looking so earnestly in that window?""I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes," was the boy's reply.

The lady took him by the hand and went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought themto her.She took the little fellow to the back of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his feet and dried them with a towel. By this time the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes, and tying up the remaining pairs of socks, gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, "No doubt, my little fellow, you feel more comfortable now?"

As she turned to go, the astonished lad caught her by the hand, and looking up in her face, with tears in his eyes, answered the question with these words,

"Are you God's Wife?"