Spring Day Daybook

Outside my window

We had a beautiful winter and spring has been lovely, so far, too. We've had a few rainy days here and there, but for the most part our afternoons have been clear and sunny. The children have been taking advantage of the weather, running outside to play as soon as they are finished with their lessons for the day.

I am wearing

a red shirt, a black skirt, and my Opal Maltese flexi clip. The clip is March's flexi of the month, and it is one of my favorites. The history behind the Maltese Cross can be found here and here.

In the kitchen
We will be making Kimberlee's delicious spinach lasagna again for dinner tonight. It is a favorite in our house. Last time, we added a few sliced carrots to the recipe. We might do the same today.

I am hearing
a shower running, children pouring breakfast, and more.

We are praying for

my dad. My youngest sister just returned from visiting him. He returned from the hospital with new/additional medicines to take a couple of days prior to her arrival. My sister called last night and shared that the medicines are definitely working. She said that the improvement from when she arrived to when she left was amazing. Please keep my dad in your prayers.

We are learning

The children are working hard on trying to finish their lessons each day, and the younger ones are motivated by being able to play outside when they are finished. Some subjects are close to being completed for the year.

Our two oldest girls are taking driver's ed at the local high school. They have been learning to drive in our jolly green giant (a.k.a. our big van). My husband and I have been busy trying to find something smaller for them to drive. In the process, we are learning how to avoid car-selling scams when looking for a used car. If you live locally and know of a reliable, inexpensive, used car, please let us know. 

I am reading

The School of Jesus Crucified: The Lessons of Calvary in Daily Catholic Life by Fr. Ignatius of the Side of Jesus, Passionist. The daily meditations are perfect for Lent.

We are listening to

various sermons on Romans 10:17 - Faith Comes by Hearing.

It's hard to believe
that our little boy is already 1.

Presents

As usual, I have been keeping my eyes open for birthday and Christmas presents for my children. Shopping for presents year round keeps gift giving stress free for me. I was happy to find this set for 20% off. Our youngest daughter enjoys playing with her Calico Critters and should be thrilled to get these. I know that her brothers and sisters think that it is really cute.

Plans for the weekend

My husband and I might be looking at a used car or two. Theresa will continue to make pysanky for her friends. The children are hoping to make Easter cookies to give to friends. I need to make sure that everyone has clean, pressed clothes to wear during Holy Week, for the Easter Vigil, and Easter morning Masses. Thankfully, our parish will have Solemn High Masses all week long.

Rest in Peace, Kim

It is with a heavy heart that I share that Kim died this morning. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for her.

May Kim rest in peace and may perpetual light shine upon her. I will always remember Kim's smiling face, sense of humor, zeal for life, and sharp wit. May Our Blessed Mother keep Kim's husband and their children close to her Immaculate Heart!

I love you, Kim!

Urgent Prayer Request for Kim

Last night, my friend, Christine emailed me to let me know that our friend, Kim, has really been struggling lately and that it looks like Kim might not live much longer. We are asking Fr. Kenneth Walker to please intercede for Kim. Today, Christine sent the following email to our homeschool group:

As you know, we’ve been specially requesting prayers for Kim this past year as she struggled with her rare, rare form of cancer that is currently active on her brain. It has reached a dire pitch this past week as she has been unable to eat, has constant intense headache, cannot leave the couch.  It now takes her a day just to write a few lines of a letter to her children.  She was admitted to a hospital yesterday and because they are medically at the end of the rope, she has agreed to an experimental treatment.  So, on Monday she will have another surgery on her head to remove more "real estate" and then two radiation nodes will be implanted.   

Naturally, Brian and Kim have turned their thoughts toward the probability of death and all these "last things."  

Dear Lord, we ask for a miracle and the complete, permanent healing of Kim.  Please place your mantel of protection, love, serenity, joy, wisdom, consolation around the Carroll family:  Kim, Brian, Caisey, Rebecca, Anna, and John Paul.   

Father Kenneth Walker, we ask you specially to pray for her.  St. Joseph, pray for her. Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for her.  St. Paul, pray for her.  St. Pope John Paul, pray for her. Blessed Mother Teresa, pray for her.  St. Louis de Montfort, pray for her.  St. Maximillian Kolbe, pray for her.  St. Peregrine, pray for her.  

In your kindness, please join us in praying for Kim.

August 1, Day of Prayer for Christians persecuted in Iraq, Syria and the Middle East

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is asking all of its apostolates around the world to dedicate Friday, August 1 to a day of prayer and penance for the Christians who are suffering terrible persecution in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East.
Please see their website for more information.

Please Pray

Please pray for my friend Kim. Kim will be having brain surgery tomorrow, July 7. Her surgery was originally scheduled for the 14th of this month; however, after an MRI, doctors decided that it would be best to move the surgery up a week.

Kim in 2008

Update via a mutual friend: Thank you to everyone who is praying for Kim. The good news is that the doctors removed necrotic tissue which relieved pressure on Kim's brain. Kim is coherent. Cancer cells were found on the membrane of her brain. Please continue to pray for Kim.

Prayers Needed

It was with great sadness that I read on Rorate Caeli this morning that Fr. Kenneth Walker, FSSP had been shot and killed, and that Fr. Joesph Terra, FSSP is in critical condition after an attack by armed burglars. Our assitant pastor mentioned Fr. Walker and his family when he came for dinner on Pentecost Sunday.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Fr. Kenneth Walker, FSSP. Also, please pray for the complete recovery of Fr. Joseph Terra, FSSP. May Our Blessed Mother, the Mother of Mercy, bring comfort to the families and parishioners of these holy priests. 

Please see the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter's prayer request.

Lenten Daybook

Outside my window, the sky is blue. "The sun is shining. The tank is clean." "The tank is clean!"" Theresa cleaned Brendan's fish tank for him and I just couldn't help quoting from Finding Nemo. The children want to be outside, especially Kieran.

Mr. Mischief

In the kitchen Theresa keeps asking me when we are going to start making pysanky. I don't know when or if we will do so this year, but I do know that I am thinking about our Easter menu.

3 1/2 weeks old

I am thankful for my husband and children who have been such an enormous help since Kilian was born, making meals, doing laundry, going grocery shopping, and more. I am now able to do these things, but it took me a while.

I love them!

I am hearing Theresa and Brendan quizzing Finnian on his First Holy Communion questions. He is preparing to receive his First Holy Communion in May and is blessed to be participating in a wonderful class in our parish. The teacher, Mrs. Marshall, is very good with the children and Finnian enjoys sharing what he has learned from her. Yesterday, Fr. S. visited the class and talked to the children. Finnian was very excited to tell us about his visit and what he told the class.

I am praying for Kim C., Theresa P., and Sue H. These three mothers are all fighting cancer. Kim has been given a huge cross. After defeating breast cancer, she found she had an inoperable tumor. She received chemotherapy and, a few months ago, her PET scan showed that she was well. Recently, a "baby" brain tumor was found.  She has asked that people pray to St. Joseph for her. I am praying for a miracle for Kim, if it be God's will. Theresa's cancer has gone to her bones and, if it be God's will, she needs a miracle. Sue will be starting chemotherapy soon for breast cancer. I am also praying for another friend and her family.

In the learning rooms Catherine has been doing dissections and some of her siblings have been enjoying observing, encouraging, and helping. One of the things that I like about homeschooling is the shared interest and learning among my children.

Earthworm Dissection

I am pondering how truly blessed my husband and I are. I am so thankful that God has entrusted us with nine children, and I pray that they all become great saints and bring greater glory to God.

We are blessed

My older sister took most of the photos above. She has a heart of gold. My brother-in-law and she brought all of our children, plus their oldest and youngest daughters, to the hospital the day that Kilian was born. They also treated our children to a special lunch and dinner that day.

Extended family

One of my younger sisters visited the day after Kilian was born, bringing her youngest daughter with her. Thankfully, they were in town for a volleyball tournament. My sister's daughters/my nieces take after their mom and are all gifted athletes.

I am reading The 12 Steps to Holiness and Salvation by St. Alphonsus Liguori. The book focuses on a different virtue each month: faith, hope, love of God, etc. Thank you, Gwen, for recommending this great book. I am also reading The School of Jesus Crucified: The Lessons of Calvary in Daily Catholic Life by Fr. Ignatius of the Side of Jesus, Passionist. The book makes for good Lenten reading, but would be beneficial to read anytime of year.  It is broken into thirty-one meditations on Christ's Passion and plenty of suggestions for living a holy life.

This Lent, I also read two books by Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen,  A Brief Life of Christ and The Cross and the Beatitudes. Ven. Sheen wrote the first book two years before he wrote Life of Christ. The Cross and the Beatitudes takes Our Lord's seven last words and juxtaposes them with the seven Beatitudes, showing us how Christ embraced the beatitudes as he was dying on the cross and how we can live them. If you live in the same county as me, our library system has several copies of this book. It is well worth reading. 

I was happy to read Fr. Skeris' The Beloved Beatitudes in Seton Magazine. The article complemented Ven. Sheen's book nicely.

I have been listening to the Lenten Mission linked below that was given by Fr. Isaac Mary Relyea's on the Four Last Things (H/T goes to Tracy for making me aware of this mission).

• Prelude to the Mission
• On Death
• On Judgement
• On Hell
• On Heaven

Father urges his listeners to make a good confession, to love Our Blessed Mother, to desire Heaven, and more. It is a great mission.

picture taken from The Catechism in Pictures

I also listened to the 2008 Lenten Mission, Signs of this Time. This Mission is worth listening to again and again. I was happy to hear one of the priests recommend reading and rereading Uniformity with God's Will. This, in my opinion, is a must read little booklet for all Catholics.

Prior to Lent, I listened to and relistened to this excellent sermon, Growing in Virtue by Small, Sustained Mortifications.

Plans for this week 

• Lessons
• Violin practice for one of my children
• Choir practice and/or classes for my 6 oldest children
• Cleaning
• Stations of the Cross
• Mass

A picture thought

Sleeping like a baby
5 weeks old

Prayers for My Father

Please pray for my dad. He will be having surgery at 1:00 a.m. Pacific time to remove a cancerous tumor and his ear where the tumor is growing. The surgery is more complicated than usual because my father is on blood thinner. Please pray that everything goes well. We had a wonderful conversation with my dad last night and the children enjoyed listening to him sing to them. I hope that he will be singing to them again soon.

May Our Blessed Mother wrap her mantle around my father!

Update: Thank you to those of you who prayed for my dad. His surgery went well and he is recovering.

Prayers Needed

A very good friend from college, Avi, just sent the prayer request below:

I haven't had a chance to let you know yet, but my dad was diagnosed last Thursday with liver cancer up at OHSU and was waiting for more information. He was back in Bend when his tumor on his liver ruptured, causing severe pain and internal bleeding. St. Charles hospital airlifted him up to OHSU, where he is doing fine now. He is going to have (non-emergency) surgery today! Please keep him in your prayers.

Please keep Avi's dad and her whole family in your prayers.

Poor Souls Novena

I received this from a friend whose sister, Helen, died yesterday morning.  Please join me in praying this novena, and in praying for the repose of Helen's soul and my friend's entire family.

Today is the day to start your Poor Souls (in purgatory) novena (9 days before Christmas): Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great that the following prayer would release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was extended to include living sinners, which would alleviate the indebtedness accrued to them during their lives. Please remember my sister, Helen, deceased, in this prayer:

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the World today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home and within my family, Amen."

Prayer Request

Please pray for a friend's son that he is safe and that he contacts his family soon.

Thank you.

Photos of My Niece and Prayers

My youngest niece, Julie Valerie Marie, was born on August 8 and baptized on August 22, the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Photos were a little longer than expected in coming because my brother almost died on the Feast of the Assumption.

On August 15, he went to the hospital because he was experiencing no feeling in one of his arms.  The doctors decided to do a spinal tap.  During the spinal tap, they hit a nerve which caused fluid to build up around my brother's brain.  His wife called their priest and he came to give my brother the last rites.  My brother said that as he received the sacrament, he felt a warmth come over him and he prayed that he would be well enough to go to his daughter's baptism on August 22.  He was unable to walk and had severe headaches, but by the time Saturday morning, the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, rolled around he could walk.  He still can't feel his one arm, and he has lost sensation in one side of his face, but I am so thankful that he is still alive.  I can't help thinking that our Blessed Mother interceded for him.  He and his wife were married on the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary several years ago, he went to the hospital on the Feast of the Assumption, and he left the hospital on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Thank you, God, for answering his family's prayers.

Please pray that the doctors can figure out what is wrong with him and that he is able to feel his arm and one side of his face again.

Travel Prayers

Please say a prayer for my eldest son (who is still very young) and my eldest sister. They will be leaving in a couple of days to visit my dad for three weeks.

My sister has a "heart of gold" and is always willing to help others. She and my son are the only two going and she has promised to take extra good care of him and my dad. She will be celebrating her wedding anniversary and her birthday while she is away, without her husband and three daughters.

Please pray that they arrive and return safely.

Mrs. Murphy Prayer Request Update

+Thy Kingdom Come!+

Dear Fellow Catholic Homeschoolers:

Thank you for your prayers for Mrs. Murphy and the Murphy family! Mrs. Murphy got some preliminary results, the first surgery did not get all the cancer cells, and so she will have to go in for another surgery. Please continue to pray that all the cancer cells are removed from her body. She will undergo chemo and radiation therapy soon because...........she gave birth last night to the twins! They were born both just over 3 lbs each. As I understand it, L is breathing on her own and S is on a ventilator. They were 30 weeks gestation. Please pray for their health and for them to grow stronger every day.

The Murphy family is basically without a home until they arrive in Texas, all their belongings left for Texas yesterday. They will remain here temporarily, maybe up to 10 weeks, until the babies can travel. Please pray for the Murphy family to receive housing that will meet their needs. They do have 4 young girls (in addition to the twins...yes, 6 girls total!) and this transition time will be difficult, even under the best of circumstances.

Thank you again for your prayers and for everyone’s care and concern. I will do my best to give an update, understandably, Mrs. Murphy will not be able to email for a while. :)

In Christ,
Sue

Prayer Request Update

I received the email below a couple of days ago. Please continue to pray for Mrs. Murphy and her twins.

Thank you all for your prayers for Mrs. Murphy and the Murphy family.

Mrs. Murphy’s surgery went fine yesterday. The babies are also fine, but the stress from the surgery did cause her to contract and dilate 1 cm. Your continued prayers are appreciated as the movers arrive tomorrow and they will be transitioning into lodging this week. Please also pray that the lymph nodes will be clear of the cancer and she will tolerate the chemotherapy and radiation therapy well. May she not have a reoccurrence of the cancer and most importantly, may those babies be carried to term and arrive healthy and strong! Pray that the health care team in Texas will be compassionate towards her and her family, and provide the care that she needs in a timely manner.

Thank you for your prayers, support and nice emails for Mrs. Murphy.

In Christ,
Sue

Prayers Needed for Mrs. Murphy

Please pray for Mrs. Murphy of Mrs. Murphy's Methods. I just received the email below from a member of our local homeschool group.

Dear fellow Catholic Homeschoolers,

One of our homeschool moms, was just diagnosed with Breast Cancer, invasive ductal carcinoma. She is 29 weeks pregnant with twins and the pregnancy is causing the cancer to grow more quickly. She will be going in for surgery this weekend and your urgent prayer is needed for a successful removal of all the cancer cells. I’d also like to request prayer for the surgical team to be guided by the Holy Spirit during the surgery. She will have radiation therapy after the babies are delivered but she does have some enlarged lymph nodes, and so the doctors are anticipating that she will also have to have chemotherapy. She may have to start the chemotherapy as early as next week, so please also pray for the health of the babies both during the surgery and during any treatment.

As some of you may already know, the Murphy family is moving to Texas next weekend with the military. A speedy recovery from the surgery is important so please pray for [Mrs. Murphy] to heal quickly and without complications.

If you would like to start the below novena for [Mrs. Murphy] and the Murphy Family, and you are able to start it today with me, it will end on Saturday, the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In addition, we are asking for the intercession of Lucille Kuchar (mother of 18) for [Mrs. Murphy] to have a miraculous healing from the cancer.

In Christ,
Sue

Novena Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
O Most Blessed Mother, heart of love, heart of mercy, ever listening, caring, consoling, hear our prayer. As your children, we implore your intercession with Jesus your Son. Receive with understanding and compassion the petitions we place before you today, especially [Mrs. Murphy] and the Murphy Family as [Mrs. Murphy] receives treatment for Breast Cancer.

We are comforted in knowing your heart is ever open to those who ask for your prayer. We trust to your gentle care and intercession, those whom we love and who are sick or lonely or hurting. Help all of us, Holy Mother, to bear our burdens in this life until we may share eternal life and peace with God forever.
Amen.

Requiescat in pace Lori Baron

I received a phone message a little while ago letting me know that Lori Baron has entered into eternal life. May Perpetual Light shine upon her and may she rest in peace. May our Blessed Mother wrap her mantle around Lori's husband and her 14 children.

Urgent Prayers needed for Lori Baron

The email below was sent at 1:28. Please pray for Lori and her family.

Dearest All,

I just recieved word from Katherine Eames who asked me to pass this onto you. Laura Baron, mother of 14, Catholic homeschooling family, (who did the Byzantine trivia challenge at our homeshooling conference this year) is in ICU suffering severe bleeding after a fall this morning. She has been at St. Joseph's hospital in Tacoma due to recurrent cancer and has very low blood counts. The bleeding in her brain is not able to be stopped and she is in a coma. Fr. is on the way to annoint her as she is not expected to live more than a few hours.
Please pray for her and her beloved family.

God Bless you dear ones,
Catherine Sauvage

Prayers for My Dad

Please pray for my dad. He has been in the ICU for three days due to cardiomyopathy. He has had arrhythmias since receiving chemotherapy a couple of years ago, but this is the first time that he has had an extended hospital stay. Please pray that I am also able to get a passport soon, so that I can go and see him. I have not done so in 4 years.

Jesus, I trust in You!

Requiescat in Pace

Thank you to everyone who was praying for my mother-in-law. She died on Thursday, March 26, around 2:15. Although she was in the hospital, it still came as a surprise. Thankfully, a priest heard her confession on March 23 and she received the last rites shortly before she entered into eternal life. Please pray for the repose of her soul. Mom, Nanny, friend, you will be missed. I love you!