Children's Conversations

Brendan: "Boys are better than girls."
Catherine: "They are not."

Brendan: "Yes, they are. Boys become men and get married. Then they become fathers and fathers are the head of the house."

My little boy still needs to learn that the heart is as important as the head. Maybe, I will have him read The Privilege of Being a Woman when he is in college.

Bernadette (talking about some toy rabbits): "Mine are in Heaven and yours are in Purgatory. Or if you really want, yours can be in Heaven and mine can be in Purgatory."

In Memory of Pope John Paul II

My brother just sent me this tribute to Pope John Paul II: We Remember His Holiness Pope John Paul II: May 18, 1920 - April 2, 2005.

Please Pray

My dad is at his doctor's appointment. I won't know anything more until tomorrow morning.

Prayer to Saint Peregrine*
O great St. Peregrine, you have been called "The Mighty," "The Wonder-Worker," because of the numerous miracles which you have obtained from God for those who have had recourse to you.
For so many years you bore in your own flesh this cancerous disease that destroys the very fibre of our being, and who had recourse to the source of all grace when the power of man could do no more. You were favoured with the vision of Jesus coming down from His Cross to heal your affliction. Ask of God and Our Lady, the cure of the sick whom we entrust to you.

(Pause here and silently recall the names of the sick for whom you are praying)

Aided in this way by your powerful intercession, we shall sing to God, now and for all eternity, a song of gratitude for His great goodness and mercy.
Amen.

*The St. Peregrine Novena is from EWTN. I could not find my holy card with the same or a similar novena at the time I wrote this.

Spring

The weather was beautiful, so I decided to take advantage of it. Before leaving for ballet, I piled the bikes, a trike and a stroller in the van. While their sister danced, Catherine and Brendan rode their bikes in a nearby empty parking lot. Theresa impressed me by riding her tricycle back and forth across the parking lot. I had thought that I would push Patrick in the stroller, but he had other ideas. He pushed the stroller around the parking lot, watching his brother and oldest sister race. At the beginning of each race, Catherine yelled, "Go." Pretty soon, our dear little boy decided it would be more fun to run around the lot and yell, "Go, go, go." He is now sound asleep and I believe he and his sisters and brother will sleep well tonight. Thank you dear God for blessing us with such a wonderful day!

It Doesn't Rain, but it Pours

The title is a saying my mom used to use and today I learned why. In the backyard, we have a tree that is falling down (the roots are partially out of the ground and it is leaning terribly). We are trying to decide if we should try to save it or take it down. Saving the tree would cost more than taking it down, but it provides us with a lot of privacy. That sums up our first dilemma.
Now, let me move on to our second dilemma. I started the dishwasher tonight. It filled up with water and then stopped. It doesn't work anymore. Ironically, my husband wanted to get me a dishwasher for Christmas, but I did not want one. Ugh, now we have a dishwasher full of water and dirty dishes.
Thank you God for giving us a greater appreciation for upright trees. Thank you God for giving us an opportunity to get a new dishwasher. Finally, thank you God for showing me why I should have listened to my husband.

"Exploring Scotland with Martha Morse"

Last year, I wrote a mini-review of Melissa Wiley's books for Saint Joseph Catholic Homeschool Group. This morning, I found that Melissa has a wonderful Martha Morse unit study on her blog. My children and I may just need to reread Wiley's books this summer, so that we can put this study of Scotland to good use.

The Triduum

I am so excited. Yesterday, I learned that our parish will be celebrating the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday) with Masses and services in Latin (Novus Ordo). Our parish is Polish and usually the Masses surrounding this special time of year are in Polish. I am looking forward to standing room only, as I expect most of the Polish and American parishioners will be in attendance.

Standing room only will provide me with a lot of company because I am rarely able to remain in the pew with our active and talkative little boy.

Being Thankful

Dear God,

Please help me to be thankful for the roof over our heads and not long to live somewhere else, especially when we find a beer bottle smashed in our driveway. Thank You for all that You have given us.

Chemotherapy

On April 5, my dad will learn more about his chemotherapy treatment. Please continue to pray for him. May Mary wrap her mantle around my dear father.