My Saint 2015

On the first day of the year, late into the afternoon I finally sat down to see which Saint wanted to pick me this year. I have been using Jennifer Fulwiler's Saint Generator for a few years now and I have not been very good with always keeping up with my saint or asking their intercession.

This I year I told myself it would be different. I am going to remember to celebrate his/her Feast Day (I did remember to do that last year) and I would ask their intercession in every circumstance.

I sat and I prayed as instructed before I pressed that little button. I do not remember the prayer exactly but I did ask for a Saint that would really help me to grow closer to God and would be very helpful to me in my life this year. I took a deep breathe and pressed the button.

He is also the patron of married couples, cabinet makers and linen traders

The saint who is the patron of married couples picked the girl who is single but would love to be married. I had a few minutes of hmmm.

St Joachim...... I have a deep love for his daughter and his Grandson. I pray a yearly novena to his wife but I don't think I ever really paid much attention to him.

Joachim in Hebrew means "God prepares" or "God will establish".
He is the husband of St Anne
The father of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The grandfather of Jesus Christ
He is the patron saint of fathers, grandfathers, grandparents, married couples, cabinet makers and linen traders.
He shares a Feast Day with his wife, July 26

I can speculate a lot about why this saint picked me and believe me I have, although I think it's safe to say I will not be going into the linen trade soon, he could have picked me for any reason. God could be using him to prepare me for anything and I want to be open to that.

St Joachim pray for me.

Prayer to Saint Joachim

O great and glorious Patriarch, Saint Joachim, what joy is mine when I consider that thou wast chosen among all God's holy ones to assist in the fulfilment of the mysteries of God, and to enrich our earth with the great Mother of God, Mary most holy!

By this singular privilege, thou hast become most powerful with both the Mother and her Son, so as to be able to obtain for us the graces that are needful to us; with great confidence I have recourse to thy mighty protection and I commend to thee all my needs and those of my family, both spiritual and temporal; and especially do I entrust to thy keeping the particular favour that I desire and look for from thy fatherly intercession.

And since thou wast a perfect pattern of the interior life, obtain for me the grace of interior recollection and a spirit of detachment from the transitory goods of this life, together with a lively and enduring love for Jesus and Mary. Obtain for me in like manner a sincere devotion and obedience to Holy Church and the sovereign pontiff who rules over her: to the end that I may live and die in faith and hope and perfect charity, ever invoking the holy names of Jesus and Mary, and may I thus be saved. Amen.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

On my trip to Mexico a few years ago one of the most obvious things to me was the number of tourist knick knacks that bore the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Why not after all the story is remarkable and even more remarkable is the millions converted because of it.

Don't know the story.

Juan Diego, a Mexican from the 1500's, had encountered Our Lady on a number of occasions on his walk to and from his home to the Catholic Mission. She wanted him to get the bishop to build a church, not that Juan Diego was rich and influential, he was a simple man. The bishop didn't go for it. Then on the faithful day of December 12, 1531 his uncle was very sick and JD needed to get help quickly. In order not to be slowed on this obviously important mission Juan Diego decided to use another route. Our Lady was pretty, the mother of God, definitely someone you want to make time for but his uncle was sick she would definitely understand that he needed to avoid her just this one time. No. She found him.

Our Lady told JD that his uncle had been cured and asked him to go back to the place where they had first met. You know the one he was avoiding on this particular day. There on the frozen ground he found roses and not just any old roses, roses that were not native to Mexico. Miracles of miracles right, roses on the frozen ground in the middle of winter and non-native roses in the bargain.

That was just the opening act of the miracle. JD gathered the roses in his tilma, Our Lady arranged them (a woman's touch is so important) and rushed to show this wonderful miracle to the bishop. Those beautiful roses should be more that enough proof to the bishop. However when Juan Diego opened his tilma to show the flowers to the bishop the main event really happened. As the flowers fell away an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was imprinted on the cloth.

The bishop was amazed, I'm not even sure he paid all that much though to the flowers, God after all is an amazing artist. The Basilica of Guadalupe was built, millions were converted. Mary once again lead many to her Son.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the unborn so for her Feast Day I leave you with a prayer.

A Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Virgin of Guadalupe,

Patroness of unborn children,

we implore your intercession

for every child at risk of abortion.

Help expectant parents to welcome from God

the priceless gift of their child's life.

Console parents who have lost that gift through abortion,

and lead them to forgivenss and healing

through the Divine Mercy of your Son.

Teach us to cherish

and to care for family and friends

until God calls them home.

Help us to never see others as burdens.

Guide our public officials

to defend each and every human life through just laws.

Inspire us all to bring our faith into public life,

to speak for those who have no voice.

We ask this in the name of your Son,

Jesus Christ, who is Love and Mercy itself.

Amen

An Advent Prayer

I LOVE Advent. It is my absolute favourite Liturgical Season. It may be because it's colour is purple but I don't feel quite the same way about Lent. It is a season of waiting and I hate waiting but I love Advent so I learn to joyfully wait. I think that may be it, for a season I learn to wait with joy and almost perfect patience. I learn to wait with anticipation and not anxiety. To wait with hope and not dread or despair.

So as we begin this wonderful Liturgical season I offer this prayer that was given to me a couple years ago.

Advent Prayer

Come, long-expected Jesus.
Excite in me a wonder at the wisdom
and power of Your Father and ours.
Receive my prayer as part of my
service of the Lord who enlists me in
God's own work of justice.

Come, long-expected Jesus.
Excite in me a hunger for peace: peace
in the world, peace in my home, peace
in myself.

Come, long-expected Jesus.
Excite in me a joy responsive to the
Father's joy. I seek His will so I can
serve with gladness, singing and love.

Come, long-expected Jesus.
Excite in me the joy and love and peace
it is right to bring to the manger of my
Lord.

Raise in me, too,
sober reverence for the God who acted
there, hearty gratitude for the life begun
there, and spirited resolution to serve
the Father and Son.

I pray in the name of Jesus Christ,
whose advent I hail. Amen

Not Alone Series: Praying At Home

How do you pray at home? Do you have a special place in your house? How do you make that area special? Comfy chair? Prayer cards? What suggestions do you have to make a home altar? If you don't do this, in what ways can you begin?

I'm more of an evening prayer person since mornings except for Saturday my mornings are all about getting out the door for work. In my room I have a little corner (away from my bed, falling asleep is not allowed) where I usually pray. It's close to the door which has a crucifix over it, a bible, some prayer cards and books, a candle and a pen should I choose to journal. My journal is transitory.

My living is where I get my quiet mornings (my sister is not a morning person). Again there is a crucifix over the door, images of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart plus a few other images. Saturday mornings especially this is my favourite spot for praying, journalling and reading my bible.

At my kitchen sink. I grew up with my grandmother praying and singing hymns while doing chores and I never thought I would but I sometimes find myself praying while doing dishes.

Do you have a special spot to pray at home? How do you make that area special? Leave a comment and visit Jen for the link-up

Not Alone Series: Feeling Down

What ways do you run to implore the Lord's help when you are struggling? Do you always spend time in Adoration? Do you dive into the bible? Automatically go to Confession? Could you be better? And what about those times when things are good and you are joyous? Do you still give the Lord your time?

"Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

I try. I really, really try. I'm not perfect at it but I try really hard and sometimes get it right.

Daily Mass, great for starting the workday. My job consists of 10 people asking for different things at the same time on top of regular deadlines and another 10 coming in right after for yet more things. Patience was not my go to virtue but since I've started going to Daily Mass I've noticed a change in my attitude. Patience is still not a perfect virtue but I'v learnt to take a deep breath and call on the Lord more often.

Adoration. I love Adoration and I'm getting good at getting there every week. I've picked a date and a time unless it's a life and death emergency I tell most people that I'm busy. Last year I thought about weekly Adoration but didn't see how I could fit it in. Now I try to get there more than once for the week if I can. Sometimes all I do is sit and many times that is all I need, an hour or so sitting with Jesus.

Bible. Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. I've read the whole thing at least once. I've pulled out verses that really touched me at the time and written some down, underlined others. I hate writing in books, really really do but my bibles are underlined, highlighted and scribbled all over. I just go out and buy a new one (different version) when I need more space. I have four so far but really only use two most of the time. In times of struggle I have my go to verses written all over the place and if I sort of remember one that I don't really know it I google the part that I remember and usually find the full verse. I repeat it to myself, I think about it, I pray it, I hold on to it to get me through.

Music. Sometimes I don't even want to think because even that is too hard so I just put on some christian music really loud and let it play. When I feel like singing along I know I'm feeling better. Surrounding myself with positive words and messages is so much better for me than the music I used to listen to, to match my mood.

I'm constantly learning new ways to run to the Lord when I'm struggling and the best time to learn them is in the good times so I'm working on doing these things all the time.

How do you handle your struggles? Do you remember the Lord in the good times? Leave a comment and visit Morgan for the link-up to see what everyone else is saying.

33 Days To Morning Glory

I'm finally doing it!!!!!

Earlier this year when Joan invited a few of us to do the Marian Consecration with her and I really wanted to join her. I have been thinking and praying about it for a while but it was just not the right time for me.

However as the year continued Marian Feast days came and went but I was either swamped or I forgot. There was the added wrinkle of not being able to get the book "33 Days to Morning Glory". The e-book version was always available but I wanted the actual book. Even amazon kept running out, at least when I was checking.

I finally picked January 1st as my Consecration date and that I would get the e-book if I had to. Then some time in August I was talking about it with a couple friends they were talking about the book by Montfort but I mentioned 33 Days, so one of them sent me an email a little while about a group's 33 Days starting today, November 5th for a Consecration date of December 8th. She also gifted me with the book "33 Days to Morning Glory".

God sometimes has to knock me on the head a few times but this time I got it really quickly this time around. I am now planning for a Consecration date of December 8th and I started my 33 day journey today.

Please pray for me as I dedicated myself to this retreat with the "intensity and zeal of a Celtic warrior".

Not Alone Series: Rosary and Single Life

October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary, so we wanted to honor Mary and reflect on her help during this time of singleness. How have you called on her intercession before? What is your relationship with our Blessed Mother like? If you don't know much about Mary or the Rosary, is there something keeping you from getting to know her?

I pray the Rosary everyday, I have for the last five years.

Before that Mary has always been an integral part of my life even when I wasn't paying attention. My mother shares Mary's birthday, September 8. I was baptised at a Marian church, the Cathedral of the Immaculate conception. Attended the school for that church and made my First Communion there. Confirmed at a different Marian church the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. My great-grandmother Mary had a strong devotion to Mary and both of them lead me back to Jesus and my Faith.

I was going to church but not really there and a challenge to pray one decade of the Rosary quickly lead to praying a full mystery daily. What I love is that Mary does not point to herself but to her Beloved Son. In her Magnificat she proclaims "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour". At the wedding feast at Cana she tells us "do whatever He tells you", nothing after that.

Mary is not spoken a lot of in the bible so I have been reading up on her as much as I can.

Just a few of the books I have

It's a journey, I seek her intercession but I also seek to emulate her. Her courage, her Faith, her steadfastness. Seriously if someone told me a sword would pierce my heart also I would be tears and searching for that contract to verify the fine print cause I don't think I signed up for the pain. Our Blessed Mother took the pain and sorrow right along with the Joy and Glory of being the mother of God.

I can just imagine her speaking to  Jesus on my behalf saying to Him similarly to when she said "They have no wine", "she has no husband", "she needs a new car" "that problem is too overwhelming". She doesn't whine or complain but simply states each request and trusts Him to do the what is best.

What is your relationship with Mary? Don't have one, why?

Visit Jen for the link-up and see what everyone else has to say.

NASavannah

Savannah was nothing that I was expecting but much better than I could ever have expected!!!!

I was a little nervous as I got on my first plane to begin my trip to Savannah. I can be very quiet and reserved when surrounded by strangers and well with the exception of Jen I had never met anyone else before. We had interacted by email, twitter, facebook and of course our blogs but I was about to spend a whole weekend with people I had simply met online.

My journey to Savannah was great, I got upgraded to first class on my flight into New Jersey. Does that not say a great time ahead?

Savannah/Hilton Head airport has a staff that is super friendly and helpful. I don't see a lot of payphones at home (read: can't remember the last time I saw one) I don't know why I was expecting to see them in Savannah but hey. I asked one of the ladies at the information desk to point me to the pay phone so I could just let Jen know where I was. They were both really sweet they helped me make my call right from the desk all without laughing in my face for thinking payphones still exist.

I did some people watching while I waited for Jen to pick me up all the while thinking "yes it's finally happening". I was in Savannah, it was Friday and I was just a few short hours away from meeting everyone!!!!!!!

Jen and I got to the house first, it was a little surreal to realise that this was really happening. We did a little mini tour, dropped our bags upstairs and then I was banned to the downstairs while Jen worked on a surprise upstairs. I didn't mind, I got a chance to myself to just take it all in and take a couple pictures.

Beth Anne came not long after. We checked out the chicken coop and Jen saw an egg and wanted to get a closer look. I think one of the chickens tried to stop the paparazzi moment and another just wanted to get out.

The bodyguard

The escape artists

                                                               

Got it!!!!

Going in for the shot

The others were running a little late so we just hung out. Jen finished up with her surprise and we got a very mini sneak peak in that it was just there to torture us :). We could look in or touch but Jen hung the totes (our surprise) in the hall but I was just so excited for everyone else to get there. Tweets and 'grams were posted, texts were sent and finally we were all together.

I was not quiet or reserved, in all the excitement I was just happy to see and meet everyone. Hugs, hellos and introductions were just going around. As I type this I wonder what the neighbours were thinking all these crazy women all happy and excited on the sidewalk. I think "10 passenger van Dave" was hopeful.

We let the long travellers get some precious A/C while we checked out our totes, discussed our adventures in getting to Savannah and decided what to do for dinner.

Stop on the totes for a minute. Jen and Morgan did an amazing job on these things. I wasn't expecting anything and it was so sweet of them to even think of doing this for us.

The design was done by Rakhi from Pitter Patter Diaries and Rakstar Designs and I love it. Inside we had a lovely bracelet from Cindy over at The Veil of Chastity, it was super sweet of her to think of us. It's beautiful and the verse from Prv 3:5 is just perfect. Cindy, thank you for being such a great inspiration and encouragement to us. There were some other goodies that were in the bags as well, Jen and Morgan are having a giveaway for an extra bag that so  check them out for your chance to win.

Back to Savannah.....

We had a dinner at this great hole-in-the-wall BBQ place. We had mostly all met less than 2 hours and there we were having dinner, talking and laughing like old friends. It was amazing.

Our group split in two for a little while as a few of us went to the grocery store. I have never had such an luxurious experience at the supermarket, gotta be a southern thing. Seriously we need to live closer to each other.

The most luxurious supermarket in all of Savannah

Back at the house we played balderdash and talked and ate M&Ms. The imagination on these people, I don't think I've laughed like that in a while. I have to get that game.

Sharing the bathroom and getting ready for bed felt perfectly natural. Talking to Rachel while brushing my teeth, scooting over to give Joan some counter space. It was hard to believe we had just met that evening. I felt totally at ease and relaxed.

Saturday we had tentatively decided the night before we would check out the beach but I think that would have requires us to leave the house before 1 p.m. No, we didn't oversleep. We talked. Around 7 we all started coming down grabbing coffee and breakfast, just filing into the living room. No plan, no outline we just started talking to each other, everyone just fit in and joined in as they come in. At some point we said we should get ready to go out yet somehow we ended up talking even more this time in Jen and Morgan's room. It was awesome!!!!!

We finally headed out, had lunch and enjoyed the riverfront and downtown. It was great exploring Savannah, goofing off and having fun.

All of us on the Historic Steps

Joan and I

The Waving Girl

Rachel

Morgan and Jen

Later we went to Vigil Mass at the Cathedral of St John. It was really special to attend Mass with everyone.

We got kicked out of the church for a wedding, unfortunately we didn't get to see the bride. We had to hightail it out of there before the rain came down. We were able to take refuge in a little coffee/wine shop. I loved our time there, no one would believe that we had only met in person the day before. One of the highlights of the trip for me. Of course we talked some more, we laughed, it was the most natural thing, friends just hanging out waiting out the rain.

At the suggestion of one or a couple of the coffee shop guys we went to Chive for a seafood dinner. Live music, great atmosphere and yummy food. The company of course was top notch. I'll just say we enjoyed a walk back to the parking garage the long way.

We got back home, talked some more and prayed our St Anne novena before bed.

Sunday, the last day, a sad day. We had to leave by 10 but we still had breakfast and some small talk. Morgan made us breakfast from the eggs our chickens laid. We had six of them.

Goodbyes are sad. We raced to get everything cleaned up and packed so we could leave on time. We took a few last minute pictures and hugged goodbye. We prayed the St Anne novena out in the driveway. We hugged each other goodbye again before heading off in different directions.

Jen, Joan and I were headed to Florida where Joan and I would spend an extra night before heading home. It was sad saying goodbye to everyone else but it was nice that we got that extra time together.

We did a little tourist thing stopping off at Peach World. It was a learning experience the things you can make with peaches. We stopped off at Cracker Barrel for lunch, my first time and it was delicious. We also rocked out in the car to some 80's music, some Whitney Houston and some more modern hits. Of course we talked some more. I could talk to these girls forever.

We hit up the beach on Monday morning. Joan tried paddle boarding, so brave. Joan and I had Chick-Fil-A for the first time for lunch before heading to the airport where we had to say yet another sad goodbye to Jen.

Luckily Joan and I were in the same terminal so we got to stay and hang out until Joan's flight.

Even as I was excited for this trip and really looking forward to it I really didn't know what to expect but this was exactly what I needed. I loved the conversations I had with these girls. I loved meeting them and really getting to know them beyond their blogs and Mary Grace who does not blog.

Since the beginning I have loved the community that NAS has given me, now to meet people in person, spend the weekend with them, have them share their hearts with me and to share my heart with them. It was a truly blessed and priceless weekend. I love how comfortable it all felt. How easy and natural it was. How real and genuine friendships were made.

Thank you Jen and Morgan for organising this, for getting us all together. Thank you Joan, Katie, Beth Anne, Rachel and Mary Grace for coming and making this the great weekend that it was. Thank you for the laughs, the conversations and being there to pray with.

You guys who couldn't make it you were missed, we thought of you and I look forward to meeting you all sometime.

Check out the experiences of all who made it to Savannah. Visit Jen for the link-up.