Youthful Heroes

Henry and I finished our set of saint dolls.  We enjoyed the process so much that we wanted to paint more.  I never knew this would be so calming.  It is really a cleansing experience to meditate on the lives of the saints and pray for the same virtues in my life.  God please hear my plea for grace to be a good wife and mom!

So...I found some wooden pegs that are about half the size of the ones we obtained for this project.  They make the perfect size for the youthful saints I want my children to learn about and aspire to live like.  There are a lot of bad "heroes" in today's world.  I would love for my children to learn to be more at peace and full of the grace that can be obtained from living a life with God.

Here are a few of the saints we found and a little about their lives:

St. Dymphna...Patron of those suffering for nervous and mental afflictions...her father became mentally unstable when his wife died.  He waned to replace his wife with his 15-year old daughter and when she refused he drew his sword and struck off her head.  Dymphna received the crown of martyrdom in defense of her purity about the year 620.




St Olivia of Palermo...in the 9th century, she was only 13 years old when Muslims raided her village.  They allowed her to live in a cave until they found out she was converting the Muslims to the true faith through miraculous cures.  She was tortured and martyred for the faith.

Blessed Imelda...This patroness of fervent first communion lived during the 1300s.  She had piety beyond her years and begged to receive the Eucharist at an early age but was refused her request.  When she was 11 years old, she was living with a group of nuns and once again asked to receive Jesus in the Eucharist.  One day after Mass, she was so focused on the Tabernacle that the nuns left her in prayer.  A nun went back to check on her and found a sacred host floating above Imelda's head.  She quickly called a priest who administered the sacrament to Imelda.  It is said that she was in such ecstasy from the experience that she died a happy death at that moment.

St. Dominic Savio...born in the 1840's, his only desire was not to commit a sin.  He was given the special grace to love the Lord without doubt and helped other boys to feel the same way.  Dominic is the patron saint of choir boys (He was said to have sung like an angel.) and of the falsely accused (once accused of being disobedient and did not tell on the ones who had committed the act.).  He died from an illness without fear and joy in his heart to meet the Lord.


St. Maria Goretti...a youth in the late 1800s...she remained true to her vow of purity even when a young boy from her village tried to compromise her vow.  He stabbed her to death...she lived for several hours after the attack but insisted on forgiving him of his sin.  She was very concerned for his soul and begged her family and others around her deathbed to help him to know the true faith so he could be with her in paradise.  She was only 11 years old at the time of her death.  Her attacker did convert and asked for forgiveness...he lived out his life at a monastery.

St Agatha..at a very young age she dedicated herself to the service of God.  She refused marriage and the suitor turned her in as a Christian.  She was sent to prison and forced to work in a brothel...when this did not cause her to change her mind, she was tortured.  She died in the year 251 and she is the protector against the outbreak of fire and the patroness of bellmakers (Both of these due to her assistance during the eruption of Mt Etna during her imprisonment.).

Sts. Jacinta and Francisco Marto...two of the children from Fatima who witnessed the Marian apparitions (in 1917).  The visions they received were later witnessed by thousands of people; however, the children struggled with those in authority questioning their resolve to tell of these visions.  This brother and sister pair died within a year of each other due to disease (foretold to them in their visions).  Their cousin Lucia lived for several years after their deaths (dying in 2005) and held many secret messages that have now all been revealed.

St Tarsicius...from the early Church history (third century), he was carrying the Eucharist to prisoners when he was attacked.  He refused to allow the Eucharist to be taken.  He is the patron saint of altar servers and first communicants.

There are many other youthful saints and I hope to make more of these dolls to share the youthful example of grace given to those of us at all ages of life.

SIDE NOTE:

While I was painting these youthful saints, Henry decided to paint hobbits and a dwarf from the Lord of the Rings.  He also painted the fifth doctor on the fly when he heard his uncle was coming to visit!  He is having a lot of fun.

Trust

I did something a little different this weekend...I did something for myself.

What does this have to do with trust?...you might ask.

Believe me...leaving my family for three day (actually ended up being four by the time you count in my regular day of volunteer work I did on Monday) to fend for themselves.

I had to give up my control of the household and TRUST that all would be OK.

This was HUGE for me...but I did it and the house did not fall apart.

So what did I do for three days?

I am now a certifiable (not certified as I need to actually have some case studies first) postpartum doula!  I have learned and shared my own experiences with others in a setting that allowed for growth.  I was with women of like minds who want to care for women during pregnancy, birth and postpartum to ensure the mother is cared for during her special time.

We were asked at the time, what it meant to us to be a doula.  For my own attempt, I felt called to write this post.  I include it in the realm of trust as there is so much more to being a doula than just allowing a woman to assist a mother after a birth.  There is a degree of trust that plays into the relationship that is formed between doula and mother-client.

As a postpartum doula, I will try to nurture the mother during one of the most special times of her life.  She must trust that I am not going to be intrusive or take over her role as mother.  She will need to walk the fine line of acknowledging my experience without feeling like she does not have any knowledge to share.  Incorporating the joy of the moment with the realization that she is vulnerable to this new role she is living.  I, in turn, need to be sensitive to her insecurities and guide her on her journey.

I will work to educate the new mother, as well as those who will continue to support her, as the need arises.  This means I will be available to assess her situation and refer her to outside sources as needed.  This would include other professional caregivers that I have gathered as resources for her care of self and baby.  This means she will need to trust me in as she learns this new role.  At a time when she might be vulnerable, she will have to ask for help.  She will need to trust that I am keeping her situation confidential.  She will also need to trust that I have the professional resources to help her.

She must also trust that I seek only to ensure that she has all the tools necessary to be successful and confident in her role as mother.  I have no desire to take over her role or make all her decisions for her.  As we were told in our class, "We are working ourselves out of job!"  We leave after our time with the new mother and child (and family), trusting that we have given the mother-client the trust in herself to be the best mother she can be.

As for the instruction, I just enjoyed being with these women who have strength through their experiences.  I was joyful in learning from the variety of experience shared.  And, I felt blessed to know that I could share from my own experiences.  Most of all, I feel confident that I can share my knowledge with other women in their mothering journey.

A big thank you to all the women in the class who trusted the group enough to share their personal stories.  Also, I was so thankful to Jesse for making her way to Texas from Oregon to share her expansive knowledge with us.  She also did an amazing job of facilitating the workshop so we felt safe in our sharing with others.  I look forward to working with all these women in the future!

This trust can carry over to other realms as well.  Specifically to my recent blog theme, I know that there are many times when it would be nice to have an experienced mentor in my faith journey.  I liken the role of a doula to the duties of a spiritual director.  It seems funny that I have worked to fulfill both of these roles through certification.  Although it will not always be the case, I can see these two roles intertwining.  Building the trust of clients in both situations is important as it builds a relationship upon trust to share without judgment.  The idea also is to guide not advise in both situations.  Ultimately, the decision of the client is theirs...we are only there to assist.  The client must trust that we are benevolent in our assistance.

Obedience

We are taught from an early age to obey our parents.  With children ranging from 2 to 22 years old in my house, I see the stages of this at all levels.  And let us not forget the adults!

"Honor thy father and thy mother..." (Exodus 20:12a)


It is such an important commandment that a promise is attached to it...

"...so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12b)

Of course this is about the parents but it also goes a step further if we realize that the importance of this commandment is to honor authority.  The idea of being obedient is the first step in this authority. This obedience begins at a young age and we learn from our parents.  This continues into adulthood as we expand that obedience to those in charge of various situations in our lives.  Ultimately, the obedience relates to the obedience we have in our morality, which should lead us to obedience to God.

We have recently had to deal with disobedience that caused destruction to our home.  I won't name names, but it was very frustrating experience because the child made matters worse by not want to take responsibility for the results.  This has become a growing concern in our home and quite frustrating.

This reminds me to go back to my blog post on patience!  I know things happen and there will be rebellious behavior and disobedience, but to not take responsibility is not an option...if you know you have done something wrong (and even if you do not think it is wrong) at least stand up and face the consequences.

I always like to use the story of the two sons who are asked to be obedient found in the Gospel of Matthew 21:23-32.  The first son is asked to do the task and refuses but then does the work anyway.  When the second son is asked to do a task, he agrees to be obedient and then does not follow through with the task.

As an adult, this often happens when caring for a parent.  In fact, this just happened to me.  My mother called and asked if I could help her put up a new light fixture.  It was not a complicated job and she knew I had done it before in my house.  I told her that I would try to do the job but I could not get to her house in the near future.  I really was putting her off because I knew that she had sons who could do the task who also came to her house weekly.  Why couldn't they do the job?

However, after I got off the phone, I could really sense the need to do this task for her.  She had asked me...why was I not being obedient?  So, I gathered up the children and we made a day trip to see my mom and help her with her light.  I was so glad I did this and she was so thankful as well.  The best part was being able to go see her and talk with her...so different than talking on the phone.  I realize that sometimes it is not the task at hand so much as being present.

Do we make ourselves present to God?  Do we take the step closer to Him to enrich our relationship?
I go back to my destructive child...it was not even the fact that he broke the garage door...very expensive fix...but it was the fact that our relationship is broken...he took away from our trust by his disobedient choice to not be responsible.

I must be merciful as he will hopefully turn his decision around and accept his responsibility.   I hope I am ready to be patient with him and do this...I feel that I must as I know that God has done this for me.

Service

This Lent it seems that my desire to find focus is found in various themes.  Today I felt a strong desire to understand service to others.  Did you know the Bible has over 70 verses that relate to a servant's heart?  Check out the link by clicking the words!  My favorite verses are:

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:3-5)

and my all time favorite:

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

So maybe it was fitting that our home school group arranged for us to visit a police station for a tour today.  What better example of providing service, even at the risk of their own lives!  We braved the cold weather (Who are we to complain since it was only a short stint of freezing temperatures and no snow or ice?!) and headed to the station.

We were met by a female officer who has been on the force for almost 20 years.  Officer Beverly looked gruff but she was ready to meet with the children and share her tales.  No question was too absurd as she remained patient with children from 2-18 years old (along with the moms and one dad...thank you Michael for joining us!).  I said later that she did such a great job because she was able to keep it interesting for the older children without getting the younger ones to scared!  She talked about her belt of tools that included taser, pepper spray, ASP baton, flashlight and glock pistol.  She shared stories of being out on patrol and using her tools.  Thankfully, she has never had to use her gun on patrol and has never been shot.  The boys especially enjoyed seeing the demonstration of the taser gun (no one was hurt in this demonstration!).  She also took us on a tour of the police department, which included her patrol vehicle, the booking area, the holding cells and the various offices.

Later in the day, Michael took the children on a different service oriented experience.  I talk about our wonderful library all the time.  These ladies at our library also provide us service without fault each week (well every day!) and we might take for granted all they do for us.  We cannot imagine showing up the library and not having them there for our needs.  They go out of their way to make our experience the best it can be.  They provide us books, of course.  However, they also go to great lengths to provide an atmosphere ripe for learning and enjoyment.  Our library brings us special programs on a regular basis.  We know that if we need to find something to past the time, the library is just a short way away and we are never disappointed!

On this particular visit, the library provided bird houses for the families to paint.  Each month we are given a family book to read and activities related to the book are provided throughout the month.  This month the book was The Year of the Book.   A great read introduced to us by our library!  Zaira and the boys really enjoyed painting their birdhouse together.  Our youth librarian stayed late to ensure everyone had what they needed for this project.  She gave up her own time to make this happen!  She always has a smile on her face and eager to help the children in any way.  We will go back tot he library tomorrow and she will be there again to read to the pre-schoolers and teach them about the letters of the alphabet.  We love our librarians and so thankful for them all!

As I look back on the day, I realize that we are all given opportunity to have a servant's heart.  Do we take the time to find that way that God has placed in our path?

Right now Henry and I are working on creating our saint dolls.  This is a perfect example of being a servant.  I am so thankful that our new friend Jenny has organized this project.  We are able to provide 48 saints to each family participating.  What a wonderful service to others!  We are giving our time and talent to create these dolls.  We will be sharing with all the families (from across the country!) and this will be a gift that will shared with others as well.  I know that our dolls will be used to teach and share about the saints for a long time to come.  Most of all, our little ones will be able to play with these dolls and learn through play.

Believe it or not (I hardly can myself!)...I have completed my little saints today!  I am so excited to have them all in a row together.  I just need to put a clear coat on them to be ready to share with others.  Henry is close behind me and will have his done tomorrow!  We were so motivated by the experience that we created two more dolls for our collection...a Sacred Heart of Jesus and an Immaculate Heart of Mary!  We hope to add others to the collection as well...we need to order more dolls.

Mother Teresa and Maximilian Kolbe are perfect examples of a servant's heart.  Mother Teresa gave all her to the poor and dying of India.  She was willing to care for the "untouchables" in a society that wanted to ignore their existence.  She gathered support and formed a new order of nuns who would also dedicate their lives to this service.  Mother Teresa truly cared for the least of this world.  Maximilian Kolbe had a desire to spread the truth in a world of corruption.  He was willing to risk his life for this truth.  He, in fact, gave up his life and was entered into the worst of prisons under Nazi care...Auschwitz concentration camp.  He then gave up his life to save a man from death.  He gave the ultimate gift of service to save the life of another.  How is this possible to give so much for others?  What gave these saints and others the courage to serve others?  What must we look for in order to have a servant's heart?  We must ask for the grace from God!  We are nothing without HIM!
I also wish to have a servant's heart....to give of myself for others.  Creating in me that desire and the ability to give of myself daily...for family...friends...strangers.  Amen!

For one day, I wanted to be standing before God and hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." (Matthew 25:23)

Sacrifice

Many devotionals of Lent discuss the idea of sacrifice.

I know that this is important as Jesus sacrificed all for us on Good Friday.  He showed that the benefit far out reached any pain or suffering that the sacrifice caused when he was resurrected on Easter Sunday!

The same is true of our own sacrifices.  Part of a true sacrifice is not desiring any thin in return and not being prideful in the action.

Today, I placed myself in the shoes of Jesus.  I have sacrificed my time in the effort to help women in difficult crisis pregnancies.  I give one day from my "weekend" to counsel with women who are struggling.  I enjoy this time talking with the women and assisting them in any way I can.

However, sometimes...no matter how much sacrifice...I am not in control (This goes back to that patience and trust in God's plan.)  It is the decision of the woman to choose.  It is hard to see a woman choose to end a pregnancy.  There is a feeling of sadness...regret...wondering if I did all that I could to assist her.

I suppose Jesus feels this way when He has given everything and we avoid his grace.  He is also saddened.  He has to watch us sin and turn away from that sacrifice.

It hurts...I will not forget the face...the hardened heart to my words of encouragement to choose life.

I only have the words..."the situation is taken care of" running through my mind.

I can only beg God to wipe the memory from my mind...tell me what to do for the next time...regroup and be ready for the next time.  AND...most of all pray that the woman finds healing.  I know that she is numbed of this pain at this time.  I pray that she will have someone to turn to when she is in need.

Then I felt a desire to go out in the cold and place myself before the clinic that she probably went to for "help."  I prayed at the Planned Parenthood for two hours...begging God in prayer to turn the women away.  Asking all around to "be silent no more."  I actually began humming a song that was not familiar to me as I prayed and felt a calm over me...then the words came to me that I do not recall fully now that I am home.  But the idea was to save us from the harm of abortion and our sins of all kinds.  I felt the theme of sacrifice of ourselves in order to profess the truth of abortion...to be silent no more when babies and women are hurting.  We must find a way to help them and help them turn away.  I guess it was just meant for that moment because when my time at prayer was complete, I could not remember the words.

May God bless those who are hurting that they may find healing.  May God bless all those who stand in prayer before the abortion clinics so they do not mind the sacrifice, regardless if it comes in the form of bad weather, personal affliction, illness, etc.

As I continue to work on my saint dolls, I cannot forget that Mother Teresa was always prepared to hear God's message.  She was willing to sacrifice...to share love...to be patient.  I pray that I can learn from her example.

Today I finally tried to paint a face...but not on my Mother Teresa dolls.  I created a Immaculate Heart of Mary doll (as I had an extra peg doll).  I think she turned out nice.  Henry is going to match this with a Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Now I am convinced I can finish this project soon.  So exciting to see the transformation of the little wooden pegs into saints!

Be Still

I have struggled with patience most of my life...I just have a hard time gaining this virtue...I pray for it daily and I know that is my own fault that I do not seem to obtain this grace.

Is it because I want to control my surroundings...my future?  Or is it because I have trust issues?  I try to give myself over to God's will...I try to trust in God's plan.  And yet...I struggle.

I do not have patience with myself to change...it is very evident as I try to lose weight...live healthier...be a better person.  I want the change to happen NOW!  Why cannot I not see the effects of my attempts immediately?

I do not have patience with those around me...why can they not do the "right" thing?  I hold this high standard for myself as well as others.

I know this is not a good thing and yet I cannot seem to change.

This Lent...I am trying to give myself over to God in this aspect of my life.  I am trying to BE patient as I seek to BECOME patient!

This Sunday I heard the song that will become my theme as I work through this transformation...

"Be Still"

Be still and know that I'm with you

Be still and know that I am here

Be still and know that I'm with you

Be still, be still, and know

When darkness comes upon you

And covers you with fear and shame

Be still and know that I'm with you

And I will say your name

If terror falls upon your bed

And sleep no longer comes

Remember all the words I said

Be still, be still, and know

And when you go through the valley

And the shadow comes down from the hill

If morning never comes to be

Be still, be still, be still

If you forget the way to go

And lose where you came from

If no one is standing beside you

Be still and know I am

Be still and know that I'm with you

Be still and know I am

I ask that God work through me and transform me into the person He wants me to be.  I will try to be still as he works his miracle in me.


As I wait, I know that he is already testing me.  I had to patiently await for my dear friend to arrive for a visit on Saturday.  I had to wait longer than I expected but I remained calm...reminding myself...as I told the children...that my friend and her children would arrive at the right time for them.  We could wait without worry or strain on our desires.  She did come and we had a great time.

I also listened to a VERY scientific explanation of the beautifully simple healing qualities of essential oils.  I was so blessed to have such an expert in my home to assure me that these oils can help my family.  I just do not think my brain could fully grasp all that was being said about them.  However, I do love knowing that there are such experts who are assisting me on my new journey into oil therapy and healing.

I also had to wait patiently as the paint dried on my little saints.  Zaira now calls these little dolls her babies.  Imagine her surprise when she finds out that they are not 50 duplicate dolls but a heavenly array of various saints for her to enjoy on Easter morning!  I am coming to the time when the easy part is coming to an end.  I will need to start working on the details tomorrow...faces...hands...rosary.  I can do this!  I have not an artistic bone in my body but with God's grace...and the patience only HE can provide...I will make these little Mother Teresa dolls to be enjoyed by all.

A Close Call

When we journey into Lent, it is not hard to ponder death.  The ultimate end to our Lenten journey is, after all, the death of the Savior.  However, how many of us actually ponder our own end during this time?

This morning I woke up concerned about my family.  The older boys were going to an ice skating event for the local teens.  I just felt this foreboding that one of them was going to be hurt.  However, we made it through the experience without incident.  And I was relieved.

We then rushed home for a quick bite to eat before heading out again.  That awful feeling still in the back of my mind.  I brushed it off as just a tired feeling from the rush of the day.  We were heading to a fun night at the botanical gardens.  We were to run around with our flashlights and learn about plants and animals related to night.  In fact, Sean was meeting up with some of his 4H friends to set up an insect booth.


We arrived early and help SEan get situated.  We were in a prefect spot...an enclosed area for the younger ones to explore within view.  We were even close to the bathrooms!  What a great deal!

Then I heard Brendan crying out, "She fell in the water?"  There was a small lily pond no bigger than a garden tub in the area.  I really had not though much of it because it was not that big.  Even as I ran over to it, I was thinking...what a mess we are going to have!  I can honestly tell you that I was more annoyed than anything else...UNTIL I arrived and saw her just sinking out of sight!

It was all so surreal...it was not real!  All I saw was her little face going deeper into the water.  Then my next thought was...why is she not standing up?  It was not deep but I can only imagine that she was confused.

All of this in just a split second...and then I reached in and pulled her out by the foot!  I literally grabbed her foot and pulled her up in the air before placing her down on the ground.  I am not a strong woman and even though Zaira is not that large...I do not think I could have picked her up the way I did without outward strength.  I just wanted her out of that water!

I was so thankful to hear her choking cough and gasp for air!  I grabbed her into my arms and was so thankful she was OK.  Then I grabbed up Brendan also and thanked him for calling me so quickly.

A close call...just like that it happened!  I am so thankful it was over as quickly.

Life is precious...my reminder of how life can be taken so suddenly.  I thank her guardian angels for protecting her from what could have been.

We did continue with the events of the day...feel free to read about it on Sean's blog later this weekend.  Michael arrived some time after and he took the children around the event as well.  Maybe I can get him to guest blog about this.  I just stayed in a daze the rest of the night.  I helped at the booth as needed and pondered this gift of life that we have been given.  No pictures obviously but as any mother can tell...the picture in my mind will long be remembered.

Also not much done on my little saint doll project, although they do seem to be multiplying around my desk.