Remembering our Veterans

Today is not just another day.  Looking around, it seems like it, however.  Many schools are open; people going about their regular routines.  Do they realize that it is due to the sacrifices of those who have worn our nation's uniform that they can go about their daily lives freely and without fear?  Do they realize that the principles upon which this nation was founded have been defended and fought for over the last 224 years? 

If you are lucky enough to know a veteran, thank him or her not just today, but everyday.

I received the poem below in an email newsletter today from Fr. John Corapi.  It spoke volumes to me, not only as a soldier's wife, but as a patriot and as an American.  I am proud beyond words of the veterans in my life. Their example has inspired me to be a better person, a better American. May God bless them always and the great nation they protect!





THE FINAL INSPECTION - AUTHOR UNKNOWN




The Soldier stood and faced God,

Which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining,

Just as brightly as his brass..



Step forward now, Soldier,

How shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek?

To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,

No, Lord, I guess I ain't.

Because those of us who carry guns,

Can't always be a saint.



I've had to work most Sundays,

And at times my talk was tough.

And sometimes I've been violent,

Because the world is awfully rough.



But, I never took a penny,

That wasn't mine to keep...

Though I worked a lot of overtime,

When the bills got just too steep.



And I never passed a cry for help,

Though at times I shook with fear..

And sometimes, God, forgive me,

I've wept unmanly tears.



I know I don't deserve a place,

Among the people here.

They never wanted me around,

Except to calm their fears



If you've a place for me here, Lord,

It needn't be so grand.

I never expected or had too much,

But if you don't, I'll understand.



There was a silence all around the throne,

Where the saints had often trod.

As the Soldier waited quietly,

For the judgment of his God.



Step forward now, you Soldier,

You've borne your burdens well.

Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,

You've done your time in Hell.'



Author Unknown~

Below is a picture of my husband when he was serving in Iraq 7 years ago.

Happy All Hallow's Eve (Halloween)

It is quite difficult these days to find a costume for even young children that is not demonic or right from the pages of an illicit magazine.  But, they are certainly out there.  In the case of our one son who wanted to be a pumpkin (wow, imagine that!  An 11 year old kid who wants to be a pumpkin and not a vampire or ghoul!), I made the costume myself.  Not to be overly prideful, I think it came out pretty darn good.  :-)  It didn't take much in the way of materials and just took a couple of hours in sewing time.  It was something I gladly did and would do a hundred times, as it is our deepest of convictions that our children will be dressed modestly and never in something demonic or that would open their minds to the occult.

So, we had the airline pilot, the pumpkin, the elephant and the Zsu Zsu pet.  :-)  And much to their delight (and my pride.  I know, there goes that pride again!  lol), they got compliments at almost every single house we visited. 

It so often comes back to the Gandhi quote I read about a year and a half ago that had a profound impact on me: "Be the change you wish to see." 

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween and a joyous All Saints' Day.  I will post pics later of our All Saints' Day gathering with some friends.  God bless!

Flashback: May 8th, Kiddo #3's 1st Holy Communion

I can't believe that it has been almost 6 months since Kiddo #3 made his 1st Holy Communion.  I diligently posted dozens of pictures on Facebook, but realized that there are family/friends who choose not to be part of that social network, so I thought I should post a few on here, as well.  :-)

It was a special day for so many reasons.  First and foremost, of course, was the reception of the Sacrament for our sweet 3rd child.  Secondly, was the involvement of our family in the Mass.  Not many children are lucky enough to have their grandfather assist at the Mass, read the Gospel and actually give you your 1st Holy Communion.  Kiddo #3 was blessed with these very things.  In addition, our oldest son, who had just become an altar server a week before, was altar server at his brother's Mass and was awesome at every task.  (It is funny, though, to look at these photos because kiddo #1 has already grown several inches since then.  He is now taller and weighs more than I did on my wedding day!  lol)  My husband and I were chosen to carry up some of the banners the children made with their names on them.  And, last but not least, kiddo #3 himself was chosen to bring up some of the gifts.  What a special day for him all around!

We are truly blessed to have the reception of 3 Sacraments in our home this year.  Kiddo #3 made his First Penance and First Communion and Kiddo #1 will be receiving his Confirmation next month.  Next year will be the same, but with kiddos #2 and #4.  Wow.  :-)  I continually pray that I, through my support, prayers, teaching and example, have helped prepare my children to the best of my ability and that we, as a family, grow ever closer to the Lord.

Flashback: Columbus Day

"I am a most noteworthy sinner, but I have cried out to the Lord for grace and mercy, and they have covered me completely.  I have made it my whole purpose to enjoy His marvelous Presence." -- Christopher Columbus

For Columbus day, the kiddos and I mapped the journey, spoke of the hardships the crews endured and the great discovery that lead to a new world and many new nations, including our own.

After we studied replicas of the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, we endeavored to make our own.

Flashback: Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi

"Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."

"Start by doing what's necessary, then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."

"True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice."

These are the words of St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast day we celebrated on October 4th.  A good and holy man, St. Francis rejected a life of wealth and comfort to embrace the poverty of Christ.  He was graced by God with many gifts, one being the ability to communicate with animals.  Another was the stigmata of Christ Himself.  Whenever you decorate for Christmas this year and put up your family's Nativity set, (creche), think of St. Francis, who made the first one, wanting people to draw ever closer to the Child Jesus and the Miracle of that first Christmas.  He began the order of the Franciscans, which thrives to this day.

For the feast day, my children and I each made our own "St. Francis" as we thought about his saintly qualities and how we can try to emulate them in our own lives.

A visit to the Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel

On Friday, the kiddos and I went to visit the shrine of St. Katharine Drexel.  What an incredible experience! 

The property is massive and beautifully well-kept.  The buildings, many of which Mother Katharine had built herself, are majestic.

Upon entering the room with her artifacts, the kiddos were in awe.  To see all of her personal belongings, photographs and even the altar from which she received her First Holy Communion, was not only like walking back in time, but there was such a feeling of tranquility, almost like we were walking alongside her and her incredible example of holiness and goodness toward others.

When we entered the room with her crypt, I was moved, not only from what was the obvious, but by my kiddo's reverence.  They reached out and touched the crypt with their heads bowed and offered quiet prayer.  One of them even wrote several prayer intentions.  The sisters promise to pray for all of the intentions of those who visit the shrine.  Many who are not Catholic think that we pray to the Saints or worship them.  This is not the case at all.  We simply are asking these good and holy people, who certainly have found favor with God, to pray *for* us.  Just as we would ask each other to pray for us, we ask them to pray.

The chapel was majestic, not in a "Cathedral" type way, but more in its simplicity.  Most of it is wooden and much is decorated with Native American or African American artifacts, as Mother Katharine did a great deal to help them in this country. 

Again, the children were most respectful and we offered prayers to Our Eucharistic Lord together.  We were privileged that there were relics of St. Katharine placed out that we could touch and although encased, a relic of the True Cross that was given to St. Katharine from a Cardinal.  Truly being an opportunity of a lifetime, being able to touch that and seeing my children touch it filled me with a sense of joy that cannot be expressed in words.  My heart was full.

The director of the shrine, Sister Pat, was so welcoming and kind.  Once in the mission center, she gave each of my children their own copy of St. Katharine's biography written for kids.  In her kindness, she also gave them snacks and drinks.  Her hospitality meant so much.  I had written to her the previous day and told her of our intention to visit the shrine.  I also shared my daughter's story with her.  Sister took pictures of the kiddos and I in addition to my daughter in front of a lovely statue of St. Katharine.  She asked my permission to include them and my daughter's story on the shrine's website and at the crypt itself.  I was floored, honored and again moved beyond words.  It would be an amazing privilege.

What is this "story?"  Most of you already know it.  When my husband was shipped to Iraq, I was only a few weeks along with our daughter.  Our sons were very little.  It, of course, was a scary and uncertain time and I truly believe that it was my "3 F's"- faith, family and friends that sustained me during that year.  When I finally learned through an ultrasound that our daughter was indeed a girl, I shared that information with my husband the minute he called.  He knew the ultrasound was that day and waited hours in line for a phone.  What to name her?  We had had all boys.  We hadn't ever even had to consider a girl's name.  My husband really liked the name Katharine, but there were so many spellings of it.  How could we ever decide between them? 

He suggested that since I was born and raised in Philadelphia, that we use the spelling of St. Katharine, a native Philadelphian herself.  It was decided.  :-)  I immediately went to the Catholic shop and purchased prayer cards with the saint's image on them and put them away for safe-keeping.  Many months later, after a difficult c-section delivery (which my husband, praise God, got to be a part of, via the telephone connection patched in by the kind hospital staff), I took out those prayer cards and began to stuff them in the birth announcements.  Imagine my surprise and shock when I saw that my daughter and her namesake shared the same birthday.  I knew from that moment that it was indeed Providential about the choice of her name and how we were going to spell it.

The visit ended with a few purchases in the gift shop and a final kindness.  The gift shop employee gave me two prayer cards with relics of St. Katharine on them to have for our family.  She touched me with them and said a prayer.  I again felt a chill go through me as the goosebumps rose on my flesh.  I tried to repeat the same to my children before we left.  So many prayers for them filled my head and heart at that moment.

When my children all thanked me and my oldest told me that it was the "best surprise," I knew that I had done something right.  Just maybe, with God's Grace, we will someday come close to being worthy of the blessings bestowed upon us, not only that day at the shrine, but in life.  St. Katharine Drexel, pray for us.  Lord Jesus, have mercy on us.

http://www.katharinedrexel.org/shrine.html

September 11 and "The Stairwell"

This day brings back so many memories, reopens wounds that never seem to heal.  What in some ways seems a lifetime ago, in others, only yesterday...

I was 6 months pregnant with our 3rd child.  I had just returned from dropping off our oldest, who was almost 3 1/2 at his first day of preschool.  He was so proud!  The 2 year old and I were just settling down to watch an episode of Sesame Street together when the phone rang.  My life, as did all of yours, changed at that very moment.  My dad had called and told me to turn on theTV.  At work, he had seen on his computer what many were thinking was a freak accident with the first tower being hit. 

No one could have imagined what was going to take place.  I turned on the set and saw the 2nd plane hit live.  I will never forget those images as long as I live.  Seeing it all happen unedited and unexpectedly; hearing the screams of even the newscasters seeing many fall to their deaths still haunts me today.  I phoned everyone, probably as some subconscious defense mechanism to know that they were all ok.  I even awoke my family out west so they would know what was going on.  My dad, working for a university and my mom, working for the government, were both evacuated.  My mom wanted to come be with the kids and I.  She made it out on the last train out of the city before they, too, were shut down.  It took my dad a couple of hours to drive the short distance from his job to our home.  My husband, continued to work, fulfilling the slogan that the "mail must go on," but he and I just knew that this changed everything, as well, with him being in the military.

The eerie silence filled the skies those next few days.  I was comforted, somehow, by putting candles out on my porch and seeing the street fill with flags.   That was in the few minutes that I didn't spend in front of the television.  I probably didn't sleep for a week.  I couldn't. 

I felt the call to my generation, the call that my grandparents' generation answered with valor, bravery and courage, whether on the battlefield or the homefront.  I remember my grandmother's stories about where she was when Pearl Harbor was hit.  They shared them with each other as we are sharing now.  That call would culminate in my husband's deployment to Iraq a year and half later.

Perhaps I have always felt it.  Maybe being born and raised in the city where our nation was born influenced me, as did coming of age during the Reagan Revolution and then becoming an American history teacher.  I have always had a deep love for my country, one that permeates my very being.  My father served this great nation, as my husband has, and continues to do.  I have studied and taught the morals and values upon which this nation was founded and espouse them.  The Judeo-Christian heritage of this great land is one to be proud of, one that inspired the founders, and has continued to inspire countless nations and peoples over the last 200+ years.  Much sacrifice has been made for us to have the freedoms we so take for granted.  Each generation is called and must sacrifice for this "great experiment in liberty" to continue.  We, as a nation, did rise to the challenge, taking the black eye, but coming together and unifying as one people to mourn, comfort and yes, fight the foe.  Even more inspiring was how many turned to God.

It is natural to turn to the Lord during times of trouble and I'm sure His presence comforted many.  We all questioned "why" as even my oldest asked me today.  He seemed to understand that God never wills "bad people" to hurt others; that isn't possible.  But, yes He allows it due to the gift He gave us called free will; He will always bring good out of evil, however.  That is little solace, sometimes, when there is immeasureable grief.  We do have to admit, however, that our spirits were lifted by the good we saw come out of the tragedy-- the unity, outpouring of love and support, the willingness to help and pray for others.  I have always believed that people's true colors are brightest during the toughest of times.

The video below was posted today on a dear friend's blog.  It touched me deeply.  It depicts, to images of that day, a letter written to us from God Himself about the events and about our lives.  I thought it so very appropriate to share.  God bless America and the servicemen and women who serve her.


The Stairwell