Because We Care

I found it interesting that we were able to talk to many Veterans today and thank them for their service...AND almost every Veteran said the same thing..."Why are you doing this?"  Our simple answer..."Because we care."

I think we are in a time when we find the "old" Veteran is now of the age who fought during the Vietnam era.  So sad to think that these men and women were ridiculed and demoralized to a point of (what seemed) no return.  AND...although it would seem that we can not go back in time...on this 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War...we can at least move forward by thanking these heroes who gave of themselves as they were asked...gave of their youth and some their lives and dreams in spite of what the nation thought of their service...they gave just like all other veterans have given over our long history as a nation.

It is that simple thanks that brought tears to many a strong soldier today.  It was a simple act of a child giving a small gift and saying thanks that brought tears to my own eyes.

I have said many times over the last few weeks...it was God sense that brought this about today.  As we were packing up our last of the house this week, I came upon a box of Christmas ornaments.  I purchased them a few years back to give to soldiers but it never happened.  I almost missed the opportunity in my haste to get the job done...I packed them in a bigger box.  Then...over the weekend I remembered them and hunted all the packed boxes until the ornaments were found!  YAY!!!!

 Then I talked to the boys about the ornaments and asked if they would be willing to give them out to the Veterans.  Of course, they said yes...although some were more shy than others!....Brendan being the most excited about it!  It was a great experience.  The biggest part of the experience was seeing how touched the Veterans were when we told them they were a special gift for just being Veterans...no strings attached...no cost....just a way for us to show we care!

This was after watching an amazing USO-type show performed by local talent and sponsored by the Huntington ISD...we go every year and it always is a great honor to attend.  I think every one would agree the best part was watching our very special USO talent (who actually performed with USO tours back in the day!)...David Gordon...and local homeschooler Timothy Dow perform together!  I wish I had been able to get it on video!  We were also deeply touched by the special tribute given to a dear friend who passed away this last year...Mr. Dan Stanberry.  He will always remain one of our favorite veterans!

After this event, we rushed over to see the ceremony at the VFW...we missed it by just a few minutes!  We were so upset!  But we were able to give out a few more ornaments to the veterans who remained.  We saw some of our favorite veterans from Michael's post...and remind them to stay in touch as we prepare to move.  Just as we were about to leave, one of the women came out with her hands full of balloons..."Wait!  Wait!  We forgot to release the balloons in honor of the Veterans!"  So we got to be a part of a special balloon release in honor of the Vietnam Veterans!  I guess it pays to be late sometimes!

An awesome day...the only thing that would have made it better is to have Michael with us!  He had to be at work in San Antonio but we talked to him...we will be back with him by the end of the week!

Early Turkey Dinner

Another great day...this time enjoying a turkey dinner fundraiser at our church.  We are going to miss these amazing friends who have been such a joy in our lives over the last six years!

We picked a great way to go as everyone was gathered together in one spot and we could give hugs and farewells (but not good-byes as we will hopefully stay in touch!).

Great food and good conversation.  Everyone wanted to know our plans and about the new house.

We were so happy to hear that there are plans to build a new fellowship hall.  We promised to come back for the dedication and the first big meal shared by all.

We also invite anyone who comes to San Antonio to stop by and see us.

We can not imagine not going to our little church in the woods!  I do not even like to think about how much we will miss them all!

You Gotta Love a Parade...

...especially when it is to honor the Veterans!

We had such a fun time watching the Veterans pass by, along with fire trucks, antique cars, various floats and marching bands...

Giving to Others

Recently, I have been having a discussion with another Christian friend about 'earning our way to Heaven.'  A misconception placed upon Catholics.  I really think it has a lot to do with perception of our faith that is inaccurate in some cases and deceiving in others...but it is a good conversation to have.  I do not mind being questioned about my faith...it gives rise to better understanding on my part and others.  Although I do not have time today to go into details about this concept of becoming a Christian and WANTING to do good deeds, I felt like what happened to our family yesterday is an example of what Michael and I do in our lives BECAUSE we are Christians and how we teach our children to do the same.  Maybe once this move is over, I can sit down and give a better explanation to my friend and share with all of you also.

So...to tell about yesterday we have to go back a year...most of you long timers know about our family project from last Christmas...you will need to read my blog posts from last December and January.  The main idea is that we chose to honor the 27 victims of Newtown and make memorial quilts.  Our original intent was to send these quilts to the families but they were given gifts abound and asked that the quilts be given to a local charity.

We chose to give these quilts to Buckner Place (a place for women to better themselves and go to college and raise their children).  We have worked with this group before and they are always so pleased to receive any assistance.  It was just a natural choice for us to bless these women and their children once again.

We actually took the quilts to the director in September but when we arrived with our story she insisted that we share our experience with the women.  One thing led to another and we were also sharing with the local newspaper and TV news (not by our choice but a surprise when we arrived!).  I agreed because I think the story is important to share.  Once again, a demonstration of what I spoke of last week...we are just ordinary people doing extraordinary things with the grace of God.  We are not quilters but we became quilters for this project...a large feat for a family but we feel blessed to be a part of something so special.

We did not do this project to receive praise.  We did not do this project to gain points to enter into Heaven.  We did this because we are Christians and are told to show God's love as Jesus did as He walked this earth.  We do it because we want to share love to others.

Somehow this has been transferred into our desire to earn our way to Heaven?!?!  I have never done anything with that intent...I do not understand why anyone would think that way.

No one knows the heart of another.  I have spoken of this before...upon our death, Jesus will judge our lives...no one on earth can do that...good or bad...the ultimate decision on our lives in eternity falls to Jesus.

I can do good deeds all my life but if I am only doing it to glorify myself and have not accepted that it is the blood of Jesus saving me from damnation, then it was all for nothing.  It does not matter if you are Baptist Christian...Lutheran Christian...Catholic Christian or any other form...it all comes down to the same.  If only we would stop arguing over the way we say this and just accept each other...not judge...but give in love and share our faith joyfully.

That is what our family tried to do yesterday and every day we are given opportunity.  It starts in our family and carries on to the world...however that world looks in our lives...in a little town in East Texas or beyond...giving back to others.  Praise be to God we have been blessed to know this joy and give beyond what we ever could have imagined possible...to the families in Newtown and the women here.  Praise and glory always going back to God!

We're Back!

After a fun two weeks of learning about the ins and outs of San Antonio (or at least a good start), we are back at the old house trying to get it cleaned up to show fro sale.

We found out real quick that it was not going to be easy!  We arrived home mid-afternoon to find an electric pole down in the driveway.  We made it past by squeezing along side the pond and got everyone situated as I called the plethora of numbers to find the right company to report the downed line.  Normally this would not be an issue as we have a full house generator.  However, I forgot to turn the generator off before we left and the half full propane tank was wiped out after the first couple of days after the storm last week that most likely took the pole out.

Once we got through to the right company the men were out in short order and yet it still took about 7 hours to get us back out of the dark.  It does make me appreciate the electricity and also the hard work these men do for us.  I can vouch for them...they worked non-stop in the effort to help us get power.

Also the woman who helped me had a good attitude.  She told me to be thankful that we had no food in fridge and our power bill would be less this month!  Very true...good perspective.

In the mean time, we had to get creative...I was a little upset that we were not able to get the grill on to the moving truck a couple of weeks ago (my fault...I forgot to mention it to them), but it turned out to be a good thing for us.  Also, I had stopped at the store along the trip back and bought hot dogs...a easy meal to fix on the grill.  AND...most important...we had the charcoal and lighter fluid...AND Amanda thought to pack a lighter at the last minute for no apparent reason.  Are all of these things coincidence...I think not...I like to call it God sense...He knew what we would need.  All was well and the children went to sleep without to much effort with the lights out...even the girls who normally stay up until all hours of the night.

So...I was left awake to watch the progress and clean up in the dark...by candle light.  It was not exactly how I planned to start this trip but it worked!

Our 'troubles' did not end there...This morning the girls woke up early to begin their trip to my cousin (Karen) to have a fun costume making session.  That was the plan...but Amanda's car had sat without use for so long that the battery was dead.  No jumper cables so I had to head into town to find a store open.  They finally go on the road and discovered her inspection sticker was out of date.  So they had an extra stop but were still ahead of schedule due to their early start!  God sense!

Also, I discovered that the same pole that went down was also our telephone line (although still connected) and needs to be changed out.  Hopefully, we can get that taken care of before the electric company comes to take the old pole or we lose the phone line.

Now the boys are working hard to clean each room.  The plan is to clean a room and set up a small amount of furniture to show size.  When a room is complete, we will close the door and move to the next.  We hope to have it all done and live in the downstairs until we leave at the end of the month.  We will see how that works for us!

A lot to complete along with some other fun projects....I look forward to telling all about the fun as it comes up over the next few days.  Hopefully, we have had all the mishaps in the last 24 hours so we can enjoy the next few days!

Why Not Me?

Happy All Saints Day!  I love this feast day!  It gives me hope that one day...I will be a saint in heaven.  As nice as it is to celebrate the saints feasts throughout the year and these stories are quite inspiring, this feast day is different.  We take the time today to remember that we are all called to be saints at our baptism.  I like to think of those of us here as saints-in-training.  We do our best to follow God's will during our time here so we can be among those countless numbers in white robes that John wrote about in Revelation:

"I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted aloud, ‘Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’" (Revelation 7)

As I sat listening to the deacon proclaim this message, I thought...those are the ones I want to be numbered among!  What an amazing day that will be!  And then he talked to us about how we are all called to be in that group...and he gave a message about our lives being fit to God's will.  He mentioned that St. Augustine once said...after reading about the ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives following the will of God...Why not me?

This made me stop and think that this is what I ask myself.  Why not me?  I need to stop the excuses of what my life is like each day and find a way to follow God's will...even during the hard times...maybe going so far to say ESPECIALLY in the hard times!

Now...as for how we celebrate this feast day in our home...

Normally, I would have set up a party (at church or home) to invite family and friends... parishioners...to celebrate with dressing up as a favorite saint.  But...since we have only been here a couple of weeks, we found ourselves doing this alone this year.  BUT...that was not going to stop us...and there are enough of us to have a party!...we decided to have our own celebration. (SIDENOTE:  I did speak to the priest after Mass and told him I would love to sponsor a party for the parish next year!)

I gathered the children this morning and told them that they should choose a saint and be creative (We did in fact bring dress up clothes in our assortment of items during the move!  Thank you God for this discovery earlier this week!) in making a costume.

They did an amazing job!  Here is what we learned today:

Amanda was an impoverished version of St. Clare.  She gave up a life of luxury against the wishes of her family to serve God.  Amanda says she hopes that she has learned to trust God in her life.



Katy chose to dress as the fourth arch angel (traditionally known as Uriel) who is known as the angel of wisdom but he is also known as the one who checked the doors of homes throughout Egypt for lamb’s blood (representing faithfulness to God) during Passover, while a deadly plague struck first-born children as a judgment for sin but spared the children of faithful families.  Katy learned that it is best to trust in God's will and be a messenger to the wisdom of God.

Sean dressed up as St. Jean Marie Vianney...who even as a child loved to teach the other children about prayer and the catechism...he grew up to be a priest who would help others repent of their deepest sins.  Sean said he wanted to help teach others about God.

Henry donned the clothing of Maximilian Kolbe and learned that he was a priest who was arrested for giving out literature about the faith during the Nazi persecution and died in place of another man who had a family.  Henry learned that he should be brave in difficult  times.

Edward dressed as St. Francis of Assisi...who founded a new order of religious after a life of luxury and war...he helped to rebuild the Church.  He hopes that he can use this example to be more helpful to the Church.

Brendan was the amazing St. Padre Pio who was a saint of our day who was forced to persevere through the judgment of others even within his own order.  He was given the gift of knowing the sins of even the most hardened heart to help seek conversion.  Brendan says he hopes to be as cool a saint when others read about him one day!  Still needing to work on humility I think!  LOL!

Zaira was little Rose of Lima who taught that humility and trust in God are key in all circumstances.  From even a young age she cared for even the smallest of creatures not even wishing to swat a fly.  She also kept herself in her self-made hermitage.  Many would come to her asking to pray for their needs.  We can learn to trust in God so meekly.

I dressed as Martha who spent more time in the kitchen preparing for the feast offered to Jesus and complained to him that Mary did not help enough!  I often need to remember to take time to enjoy the feast instead of the preparation!

After costumes were made, we were reminded of the list that Jesus gives for those who follow in God's ways...the eight Beatitudes found in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5...I had the children learn these verses to hopefully recite to Michael this evening when he is home from work...we will also center our family game time around these verses.

The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12)

• Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
• Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
• Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.
• Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
• Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
• Blesses are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God.
• Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• Blessed are you when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven.

Family Time

We had a great day yesterday with my brother (Christopher...AKA Uncle Bubbles) and his family...wife Angie, his two girls, Clare and Anna, and his in-laws, Jim and Girdy.   They are all visiting from Colorado and we have not seen them in three years.

We woke up EXTRA early to beat the morning rush and watch for water on roads (as there was massive flooding the night before) but we did not succeed.  I guess everyone was concerned about the weather and road conditions because we were all on the road together.  A one hour road trip took us two hours and it was raining!

BUT...it was worth the extra hour to get to see them!  We even beat them to my mom's house where we were all meeting to enjoy breakfast together!  Awesome!  We got to open the door and give the first hugs!

AND...our little unsocial baby...Zaira...surprised us all by going right to Uncle Bubbles as well as Clare and Anna...it must be the hair because she finally found someone who looked like her in our family!  LOL!  Well...not Christopher so much...it would be the lack of hair for him!  LOL!

After an amazing breakfast of biscuits and gravy (by request from Clare and Anna), we all agreed a trip to the Alamo and the River Walk was in order...so we were able to head that way under clear skies....no surprise for those of us from Texas...it was a beautiful day!

We went around in circles a few times to enjoy the Alamo and our search for the perfect spot to go to the River Walk, but it was worth it as Christopher also introduced us to Shiloh's...a place to enjoy freshly made root beer!  The children all sat along the rail in bar stools to enjoy all they could drink!

Then we found the place on the River Walk to ride the boat that gave a historical tour of the area.  Our family had just done this tour so we agreed to take pictures from the side and wait for them to return.  I was not sure how the boys and Zaira would handle this but they had a blast...first being there to wave at their cousins from the arch and then watching the other boats go by...and Henry taking pictures of the wildlife...then their boat passed to go down the shorter fork in the river so the boys followed them.  The boatman (dressed like Waldo) decided to give the boys a run for their money and the boys beat the boat!  That was a good way to wear them down!  I spent the time with an impromptu photo shoot with Zaira with the river as the backdrop...so much fun!

Then we began the search for the Market to have lunch (via our car)...which turned out to be the end of our day with the cousins as half of my crew fell asleep in our search!  I decided to head home for the remainder of their San Antonio adventure.  I had hoped they would drop by our new home to see us but time was short and my mom said she could not remember how to get to the house.  Too bad as they passed right by us on their way back to her house!

I later found that they returned in time to dress in their costumes and run around her neighborhood for the night.  While we spent our evening at Mass to prepare for today's feast day....a little difference in style for the day so I guess it was a good way to part ways.  Of course it also meant explaining to the boys why Amanda and Katy decided to dress up...but it was a good teaching experience.

And...although the girls did dress up in 'awful' costumes...they were beautiful in their own way and spent the evening nor trick or treating...but instead meeting the neighbors...both greeting them at our house and also walking the neighborhood.  I suppose it was a good way to introduce themselves.

We did have one lone trick-or-treater mistake our living room lights for a porch light and ring our doorbell...we wished them a good night and sent the little one on her way!  

It was a good day for all!  Hoping we can meet up with my brother again before they head back to Colorado...they have a full schedule so we will see!