Pondering Pages/Compassionate Fire

In deep gratitude to Lara at Holy Mothering for coming up with this wonderful Pondering Pages idea!

My wonderful friend Kathy at the Salzmann Library has done it again! I only have to walk in the library door and there she is with a new book that she is holding for me! I don't know how she knows what I will like...she must be a kindred spirit!

"Compassionate Fire: The Letters of Thomas Merton and Catherine de Hueck Doherty" edited by Robert Wild, is fantastic! I love to read the letters of saints and holy people, maybe because I love to write letters myself (well, usually by e-mail!)and only hope that one day I will be considered a saint and a holy person. I could really relate to Catherine's letters to Thomas, they were so loving and sweet! So, all of the quotes that I want to share from this book are from her. Catherine de Hueck Doherty was a Russian immigrant who established 'Friendship House' which, much like the Catholic Worker, was an organization which helped the poor. She and Thomas Merton worked together briefly at the Friendship House in Harlem before he entered Gethsemane Abbey.

So, here are some of the wonderful words that she wrote to this holy man...

"A saint is a well-rounded person, ready and able to do what God wants him to do. Never separate sainthood from ordinary living. For after all, what is it fundamentally but doing everyday things extremely well."

"I meditate best in writing."

"God who fashioned you, uses you to help others. And at the same time it is as if He allowed you the greatest gift, the lifting of the veil that separates us normally from Him. You have felt that haven't you, each time you meet someone that talks to you about God? Never mind if it is for or against Him, for he whoever bothers about God in one way or another is hearing the baying of the hound of heaven."

"Contemplation to me is so very simple. It goes on all the time "inside" of me, because of love. It cannot be stopped because it is like a hunger, a fire, that burns inside of one. Once you have passionately fallen in love with God, contemplation becomes the very essence of you, while you go about the Father's business. Nothing interferes with it because it can't. Love unites with the Beloved thru it. It goes on amidst the noise of cities, the chaotic brouhas of lecture tours, the whirlwind of places, the swish of auto tires on thruways. In the slums, in the fine parlors, it is always there for it is just simply and naturally the "being one with God" inside oneself. You see, He wants it, you wanted it, and there it is."

Finally, after Thomas Merton's death, she wrote a letter to the Abbott at Gethsemane and said "Father Louis, in some strange mysterious way I never quite understood, was in part my spiritual son."

Observations of Gratitude

While taking a midday walk, I noticed something so sweet and natural that it’s simplicity caused me to take notice.

A father was walking downtown with three small boys. They caught my eye because the boys were dressed in matching baseball hats and jackets. They all looked so clean-cut and wholesome. One of the boys looked up at his dad and said, “Thank you Dad.” For what he was thanking him, I don’t know. What I do know is that gratitude is contagious, because one of the other boys quickly followed suit with a thank you to his father. I smiled at the realization that good manners are still very much in vogue and that as much as society tries to portray the youth of today as spoiled and ungrateful, there are many gentle children in this world who are quite capable of displaying a thankful heart.

Next, I saw a mother and her toddler. The mother was leaning down to hand a beautiful autumn leaf to her son. In her, I saw gratitude for the lovely, seasonal gifts of God, and I saw her eagerness to share this wonder with her child. It was a simple act with significant meaning.

This world is a beautiful place, with beautiful people. We are blessed again and again by the love of our glorious Father. And when we take a few minutes to show our appreciation for His many gifts, the world becomes even more beautiful.

Thank you God, for your many blessings, and thank you for your many beautiful people who know a good thing when they see it, and aren’t afraid to show their gratitude.
Amen.

Praise!/Vocations and Respect Life Sunday

Join Jennifer at My Chocolate Heart in a weekly celebration of Gratitude to God for the many blessings He bestows upon us!

1. Praise God for young men who are willing to step out of the stereotypical box of teenager as hooligan and show their true selves as sons of God willing to give their all to serve the Church. Have you seen "A Vocation to be a Priest" yet? If not, please check it out! These amazing teenagers have united to put forth an outstanding website where they can share their love for the Lord, their unique call to the Catholic Priesthood and encourage others to do the same. Let's give these boys our support and encouragement as they listen to the voice of God calling them to lifelong service in the vocation of Priesthood! Here is their new press release link and a link to their "call stories". My son John has added his call story to their page as well.

2. My husband Paul, our son John and I had the great honor to attend our Archdiocese's Rector's Dinner this past Friday. Over 500 people were in attendance to show their support through prayer and finances to continue the education of the 36 fine Seminarians studying in our Archdiocese. Praise God for our Seminary and it's fabulous Rector, our Seminarians aspiring to holiness and all of the good people who love and support them.

3. Today is Respect Life Sunday and my family and I will participate in a local life chain. Later, I plan to visit my homebound neighbor and friend to show my love for her and hopefully decrease her loneliness just a bit. For more ideas of unique ways to celebrate this special day, visit Esther at A Catholic Mom in Hawaii. Praise God for all those who choose and support all life from conception to natural death.

4. Praise God for my awesome, loving husband who has put up with me for 18 years and who has blessed me with his love through thick and thin.

5. Praise God for the wonderful support of the blogging community. In my sheltered life I never imagined I could feel so connected to so many wonderful people around the world!

For what are you most thankful today?

Conversations From the Backseat/United in Spirit

Mary: "Mom, do you hear me when I pray to you?"
Me: "Do you mean when you pray for me?"
Mary: "No, to you. When I am in school and I feel sad or worried, I pray to you. Can you hear me?"
Me: "I guess I do. Every once in a while, I think of you and your smile, and then I smile too. Or I'll glance at your picture on my desk and just feel a wave of love for you, and I'll ask God to bless you. That must be when you are praying to me, so I would say, yes, I do hear you when you pray to me."

Glancing in the rear-view mirror, I see a sweet little girl with a big smile on her face and I realize that she needs the intercession of her mother even if her mother is not a saint.

United in Spirit

Can you hear me
thinking of you?
Can you feel my arms
longing to hold you?
Are you warmed
by my heart loving you?
Do my prayers
lift you up?

I can’t be with you
in body
but I am with you
in spirit.
Always.

Saturday Evening Blog Post

Joining with host Elizabeth Esther in the Saturday Evening Blog Post...I'm sharing Crushed Grapes, an early September post. Why don't you stop on over at her blog and join in!

Cortlands, Gingersnaps and Dad

I just returned from the grocery store where I was delighted to find the autumnal treat of crisp, sweet and juicy Cortland apples. To me, Cortland apples are not just a healthy treat, they are a memory of love. They were my dad's favorite apple. Just before he became too ill to go out walking, my children and I took him to an apple farm. There we picked several bushels of Cortland apples. My dad, who was usually very quiet even when he was pleased, thanked me for the outing and wondered how in the world I had ever found that out of the way apple orchard. When he became homebound, I would bring him bags of those Cortlands from the grocery store and set a shiny apple and a knife in front of him at the table and just watch him delight in peeling and quartering his favorite apple. Tonite, when I found those apples in the store, I was overcome with nostalgia and love for my dad who has passed away over three years ago. I couldn't wait until I got home to eat one, and peel and cut it like he did. Instead, I immediately bit into it and enjoyed memories of my dad with every bite, all the way home. Recalling the memories of those apples led me to remember another food that was a favorite of my dad's, gingersnap cookies, which is also a food that feels like autumn...

Gingersnaps

Crisp
Spicy
Aromatic
Delicious

These are the traditional joys
of gingersnap cookies.
But to me, gingersnaps offer so much more
than these sensory attributes.

Gingersnaps are a memory of love.
They remind me of my Dad
who loved gingersnaps more than any other cookie.

That rich molasses flavor
hooked him
and he was in love.
There was nothing he loved better
than dunking them in his coffee.

When he was feeling generous
he would buy a bag or two
for my family and I to enjoy.

When I was feeling generous
I would spend an afternoon
baking them from scratch
for him to enjoy.

When my children were small,
their favorite job
was rolling the balls of gingersnap dough
in the dish of sugar
and flattening them with the bottom of a glass.

Whenever I see gingersnaps in the store
or even better
smell gingersnaps
baking in the oven
I am immediately
transported back to another time,
a time when I could share love
with my dad
Through a gingersnap cookie.

A Rose From Heaven

"I shall spend my heaven doing good on earth. After death I will let fall a shower of roses." St. Therese of Lisieux


St. Therese of Lisieux has always been one of my favorite saints, as I'm sure is the case for many people. What's not to love about this sweet, devoted and brilliant young girl? I had been in the habit of praying to her daily for most of my life. My favorite prayer in her honor is so simple and easy, that I'd often repeat it throughout the day...

St. Therese, the little flower
please pick me a rose from the heavenly garden
and send it to me with a message of love.
Ask God to grant me the favor I thee implore
and tell Him I will love Him each day more and more.
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.

I'd often hear stories of people receiving roses out of nowhere, or smelling the scent of roses, if their prayer was about to be answered. I had never had that experience myself until recently.

Last year, on October 1st, the feast of St. Therese, I decided to teach this prayer to my children while driving to Mass. Then I didn't give another thought to St. Therese or the prayer as I continued on my busy day.

Later that day, on my lunch break, I went outside for a walk in the busy downtown streets. I had been looking for signs of God's love and presence in my life, but really wasn't thinking about it at that time. It was raining out so most of my thoughts were about keeping dry. I was holding an umbrella and had my face towards the ground and I was walking at a very brisk pace. Then, there at my feet, I saw a beautiful pink rose! It was the kind you find growing in a garden. There were no gardens nearby, only cement and buildings. There were no people nearby who might have dropped it. The only explanation for this rose was that it came from heaven as a sign of God's love for me. It was a little blessing from my favorite saint!

I took that rose home, pressed it dry, and framed it with a holy card of St. Therese and her beautiful prayer. Each day I am reminded of God's love for this special saint, and for me.

Happy Feast Day of St. Therese, The Little Flower!