In Honor of a Special Lady

With sadness and regret, I write today about a dear woman who passed away last Sunday.  And yet...I can not help but think...When most of us were waking up to worship the Lord, Mrs. Patricia Adams was worshiping before the Lord face to face!  I am sure it was (and is) an amazing sight indeed!  "But as it is written: 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.'" (1 Corinthians 2:9)

When I think of Ms. Pat, I picture a woman who stood with pride yet she was humble.  And she was a woman of character and wisdom, yet she would share in meekness what she had to offer.  She was caring and loving to her family and friends, and yet was willing to show that same kindness to those who were not so friendly.
Most of my experience with Ms. Pat was in relation to Pro-life activities, rosary making, and church.  She would pray a rosary each day and many of those days were in front of the Planned Parenthood clinic as she witnessed to the women who entered.  She was often treated with disrespect and plain ugliness but she would remain calm and continue to pray.  If someone tried to talk to her she was always patient and kind, yet firm in her beliefs.   She loved making rosaries...she even started group to make rosaries to send to missionaries, local churches, as well as overseas.

However, I also saw how she was a loving wife to Ed and caring mother to her children and grandchildren.  She took great pride in her family and taking care of them.

So, I was so sad to know that I would not have one more chance to see Ms. Pat.  I had gone to church last weekend and spoke to Deacon Billy and Dianna about her health.  They had told me that she was not well and was only given a short amount of time due to her lung cancer (only diagnosed just after Labor Day).  I told Dianna that I would try to visit her soon after we returned in November.  Unfortunately, she would not make it through the next day.

Once again, I come to realize how precious life is in this world.  That is where the sadness and regret comes in to play.  We put off what we should do expecting another day.  As for Ms. Pat, I cannot help but think that she would be pleased to be in heaven on a Sunday morning.  So, I try to think about her not suffering any more and enjoying a new eternal life full of glory...awaiting the full resurrection of body and soul with all of her loved ones.  She sees what we can only imagine.  Praise be to God!

As for her funeral, I was all set to go back to be with her family and friends to remember her life with them.  Then I read her obituary and realized I had a better plan.  I would honor her life best by continuing what she loved to do most....praying a Rosary to fight for the end of abortion.  The new church we are attending is participating in 40 Days for Life by pledging to stand in prayer at a Planned Parenthood in San Antonio (the largest one here) throughout the day.  So, Michael, Sean, Zaira, and I will be heading out there for the morning.  I imagine Ms. Pat will be looking down and joining in the prayers just as she always did.  I will save the hugs for the family when I return in a couple of weeks.

UPDATE:  We did indeed go to the clinic today to pray.  While there we watched as eight women (some very young!) went in to schedule their abortions for Saturday morning (yes we will return).  There was a side walk counselor there to give out information about alternatives, but only one took the pamphlet.  Two of the women looked like they were very far into their pregnancies...it was so hard to watch them go in without talking to us.   However, there was hope...as I stood at the clinic I watched eight large Monarch butterflies  (yep...same number as I saw going into clinic) fly through the parking lot and up over the building!  I pray that this sign of hope will be evident to these women in some way so they have a change of heart for LIFE!

I met a lot of amazing Pro-life members from our new parish.  I look forward to working with them as we work for the end to abortion in San Antonio.  There were many prayer warriors out with us today and I have been told that the sidewalks are filled on both sides of the street on Saturdays.

MORE UPDATES:
Just before going out to pray on Saturday...God gave me the thought to ask others to pledge to pray from where ever they were located.  I posted a message to Facebook and hoped others would join after I left.  So...We made it out to pray...spent an hour before the Lord in the front of the Blessed Sacrament and then the rest of the time at the clinic. No saves that we know of but many prayer warriors filling the sidewalks and there is always a chance for one of the women changing her mind that we do not know about at this time.

A big thanks to all of you who stopped to say a prayer today (There were about twenty in all). I think this is a good idea, so I will try to remember to send out a message each time I go so you can join me again. And if you did not see the message until it was 'too late' well say a prayer now...you never know what a simple prayer of hope will do for a woman and child. You might just save a life! God bless!