Hope Deferred ~ St. Gerard Story Part iv

Twice he had applied for admission to the Capuchin monastery at Muro. But a glance at his sunken chest and thin white hands, and the Capuchins turned him down. Candidly, they told him, he had not the health nor stamina for so strenuous a life. Perhaps he should go off into the hills to live as a hermit in seclusion and holy meditation! He tried it but his confessor firmly forbade it. So Gerard went back to his needles and tape. He understood that a man can achieve holiness in any walk of life, in the faithful discharge of his duties. If it were God’s will that he be a tailor, then he would be a good one.

And God showed evident approval. The whole countryside spoke openly of his supernatural powers. Had he not cured little Amata Giuliani! The little girl had tumbled into a vat of boiling water and for all the medications of oil and wax, the child whimpered in her mother’s arms all day. As Gerard was passing the house he heard the child and went in. “It is nothing,” he said, laying his hand on the scalded skin. Suddenly, little Amata Giuliani was smiling. The next morning all trace of the burn was gone.

Walking down a side street of Muro another day, Gerard noticed a new house abuilding. Work was at a standstill. The carpenters stood awkwardly by while the foreman ran his fingers through his hair in a helpless rage. The rafters had been sawed too short. “Pull them with ropes,” suggested the onlooker. Practical men though they were, they took the suggestion. The rafters fitted snugly from wall to wall, and work was resumed.

Let the Bucks Begin Rollin' In!

Sunday night Sophia [aka 'the six year old'] was terrified - really, freaked out - to go to sleep. She was afraid she'd choke on her very loose tooth. Her very first one. I had to assure her that she would not. Whether that's true or not, I have no idea. But I just needed her to get a good night's sleep! And I needed one as well! I figured that her body would wake her up if it happened to come out during her sleep.

The next morning - - - Sophia is brushing her teeth, against her better judgment, and then I hear some scream-crying coming from her. She's on her way downstairs into the schoolroom saying: Mommy, my tooth came out!

She was a little nervous at first. Then after all the drama...she put it in a ziploc baggie and put it under her pillow. Then she was extremely thrilled!Even more so when she awoke the next morning to find a $1 bill under her pillow. There were some rumors started by the neighbor girl that the tooth fairy gives $10 for a first tooth - but we quelled those rumors immediately :o)
Of course, as is the nature with baby teeth, her other tooth is loose and ready to come out any day now. Gosh - makes me wonder how it is in homes with multiples [ie. twins, triplets, etc...]!

Let Me "Wow" You!

You Are a Hazelnut

You are very unique and distinct. You may even freak some people out. Most people don't really know how to interact with you. You get along best with anyone who is super sweet. But you really do get along with almost anyone. You just need a chance to wow them.

What Nut Are You?

H/T:Regina

I Found It!!

The card for the camera was under a pile of #$%!#@! on my desk [seems I need to step up the cussin' 'round here!!] So here are some photos...from Lent and beyond!My mom and sister: Grandpa and Joseph:John Paul and Joseph:SillyHeartTherese:Therese with her hamster, Panda:Our February Birthday Boy:This is the tent we got Joseph for his 3rd b-day. It took about one week to destroy. It actually lasted a bit longer than we anticipated...
2nd birthday cake with Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Karen:Charlie and FiaDani reading Joseph his birthday card [wonder what I said ?? *background*]I love those excited faces:

%&$*&$#$#@@!@!!

Created by OnePlusYou

Shepherd's Staff

I wasn't aware Pope Benedict changed his papal staff from this...

...to this

St. Gerard - Part III

Something to move the story along - a little short and sweet for a Saturday. And NO that's not St. Gerard in the photo. And to be quite honest - I haven't a clue who she belongs to ...
-----------------------------------------
April 6, 1747. How the years fly! Gerard was twenty-one and as yet had not found his heart’s desire. He had a fair business: at least he could support his mother. He gave he a third of all his earnings. Another third went to the poor of Muro. The rest was for Masses for the Poor Souls. As for himself . . . God would provide. Not too practical to a hard-headed businessman, but he was more than just a small town tailor. He wanted to be a saint.

His mother was driven to distraction by her son. He would not eat her meals. He was lean from fasting and penance, pale from long vigils of prayer in the nearby cathedral. But if his constitution was frail, his disposition was always on a holiday: gay as a lark, merry as a little child.

Okay, now for a question: Why did I chose this picture for this post?

The Our Father Hand!

For a little - just a little - Catholic fun, go here and getch you one of these!

[Hat tip to: Knittin' Amy]

Hmmmm -

What's the pollen count up to today? About 5 billion!!??? YUCK!

Failed

Today...we're DOWN :::my head spinning around:::

Sesame Street - Ernie and Bert - Ernie counts sheep

And you've got to rememeber this one!

Sesame Street - Grover the Waiter - Big Hamburger

Do you remember this one?

The Latch-Key

Saint Gerard - Part II

Ten years later when he was houseboy for Bishop Albini at Lacedonia, children went home to their mothers with all sorts of stories told them by Gerard Majella. But the townsfolk had learned about the new houseboy themselves. Everyone had tales of his kindness, his visits to the poor in the clinic, his compassion. How he bandaged the wounds of the sick and brought them leftovers from the bishop’s table. Anyone who noticed him at prayer in the cathedral knew Gerard for what he was.
But the morning they saw him running down the cathedral steps with the Bambino, they didn’t know what to say! It was the last week in December in 1743. People stopped and stared at Gerard racing down the street with the statue of the Infant from the crib. A crowd followed after him. He paid no attention. On he ran to the public well.
What happened? What’s the matter?” Someone explained how His Lordship had gone for his morning walk, and the house-boy had locked the door and come down to the well for water: but as he leaned down to haul up the bucket, the bishop’s key had dropped into the well.
Gerard had by now tied a rope around the Bambino, and was lowering it gently into the well. “Gesu, Gesu Bambino” he prayed aloud, “find me my key. It’s the key to His Lordship’s house . . . and he’ll be back in half an hour . . .” Bystanders craned their necks to peer into the well. Others shook their heads and walked off. Some smiled a little smugly at the antics of the frightened houseboy. But when he pulled up the rope from the well and the dripping statue of the Infant came into view, there in Bambino’s tiny hand was the Bishop’s key.
In June of 1744, Bishop Albini died at Lacedonia and Gerard returned to his hometown of Muro. He had been apprenticed to a master-tailor before going to Lacedonia to work for the bishop and knew the trade quite well. Now after a short apprenticeship with a second tailor, he set up his own business in his mother’s house.
There’s magic in an established name. And the sign “Majella the Tailor” hanging over the shop brought many of his father’s old customers to the door. His growing reputation for faultless workmanship won him patrons from all walks of life. His prices were always fair. He was scrupulously honest. From the poor, he took no payment at all.
One day, a man came in with some goods for a suit. Gerard spread it on the table, and laid his tape measure along its length. “Mmmmm!” He shook his head. The cloth was much too short. The poor man could not hide his chagrin, as he had no money for more. “It is nothing,” said Gerard, running his fingers along the edge of the cloth. He measured it once more. Three yards . . . four . . . five! More than enough for a fine substantial suit! As a matter of fact, when the garment was finished, the man received a good extra piece of material. The cloth had grown longer under Gerard’s miraculous touch.

A+

Joseph scored a 100% today in PottyTraining1o1! Not his first time scoring a 100, mind you, however accuracy has been up and down. Today was good :o)

Now if only I could find the memory card for the camera....

A Pretty Lady

Kayla, Dani and I were chatting a bit in the kitchen while cleaning up after dinner last night. We were mostly talking about names for babies/children [no - no reason :o) - just girls being girls discussing girly things] - so which ones we liked/disliked. "Do you like the name Gerard?" one of them asked. Me, with a scrunched up face while bobbing my head from side to side, as if I couldn't make up my mind - "Well, I don't like the name so much, but I LOVE St. Gerard? [looking to Kayla] You know, he's an amazing saint. They say that he performed more miracles than all the other saints together!" Kayla, in amazement, "Really!!?". I proceeded to tell her one of the miracles. "Hey, maybe you should post something on your blog about him?"

So per Kayla's request, here is the first part in a little mini-series that I'm going to do on Saint Gerard. There's so much and so many wonderful miracles attributed to him that I couldn't put it all in one post - for your sake! Plus, now I already have something for tomorrow...SWEET!!

So without further ado - Part I of Saint Gerard Majella

He was born in the South of Italy in a small town called Muro on the sixth of April. It was in the year 1726. His father, Domenico, was a tailor. His mother, Benedetta, had already borne three daughters. Gerard was the youngest – the only son. They were an ordinary hard-working Italian family. Pious too. Donna Benedetta often brought her three youngest to Mass with her at the shrine of Our Lady of Graces at nearby Capotignano. And, like thousands of other small boys, then and now, Gerard was all eyes for the strange new things he saw. Not quite four, he was too young to know what was going on. But he did know this: he liked the “pretty lady with the baby.”
“Mama, Mama, see what I got from the little boy.” In his hand he clutched a small roll of bread. Nobody paid him a bit of attention as he chattered about a pretty lady and her baby who had given him the bread. Small boys love to make up stories! But the next day he brought back another white roll, and again the next day, and the next. His mother decided to investigate. Next morning she followed her son. Off he ran the two miles to Capotignano, making straight for the chapel. Benedetta followed. It was then she saw who his playmate was – the Christ-Child himself. The statue of Our Lady of Graces had come to life. The infant climbed down from his Mother’s arms to romp with Gerard. A bewildered Benedetta ran home to Muro. At mealtime, little Gerard came back with another roll of bread.
In after life this childhood attraction for the “pretty lady with the baby” ran over into a love for all children and their mothers. This can be seen in the most cursory glance at his life. There are so many wonders wrought for little children . . . and for mothers. The “Mother’s Saint” has earned even greater claim to the title in the nineteen decades since his death.
[www.saintgerard.com - his story]

E-Mail Funnies -

EVER WONDER ....

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin ?
Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?
Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?
Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes?
Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
And if flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

Not Forgetting...

...about my little sister. I might as well post a little somethin' here for her.

Hmmm...

Oh! I know - we used your line today at the eye doctor!

"So we'll just play it by ear? Or should I say "eye"?" [insert laughter here]

Thank you - we've been cracking up about that one a lot today!

At Last -

BTW - Ella is on the list of music in honor of Chris and Nina. It was their "last" dance of the night.


Okay, Chris - you should definitely feel more loved now!

Far Side: Take Two -

Okay - the Far Side comic for you, Chris, really should've been something like this:

...it's not like you're a pilot, right?

And for those of you who'd like to donate money for MS research - Chris is participating in a bike ride from Houston to Austin, TX which benefits MS. Click here for the link and rider name in order to donate. I believe he can receive donations - under his rider name - through May.

And finally - there will be no x-ray viewed here - of Joseph's arm, that is. Paul either left the disk at the office yesterday or the doctor lifted it :o)

Birthday Wishes!

To my brother

Chris!!!

Happy Birthday!

The world is a much better place because of you!

This one is for you:

We Love You Chris!!

Sticks and Stones -

AND dressers!


My poor little Joseph. He broke his arm Saturday morning. *But* we didn't find out until Monday morning!!! -------

Paul was getting ready to take John Paul and Joseph to the "Man Store" [aka, Home Depot] Saturday morning. John Paul exclaimed to Joseph that they were going - so Joseph excitedly climbed the dresser for some socks.

We just heard a crash and a scream.

Paul took him to the local Doc-in-a-Box where they took x-rays and told him it was not broken - that it was just bruised. Paul called me and told me the good news. I was so relieved! Until Monday morning.

A call from a doctor at the local Doc-in-a-Box prompted us [Paul] to take him back in. The doctor - after reviewing the x-rays - said it looked like he did indeed have a fracture.

In the meantime, I had to take Dani up for her first day of testing. I called Paul and he told me that it was broken after all.

Imagine how awful I felt after he had to walk, run, jump around with a broken arm all weekend. He was in so much pain! When the doctor called to see how he was doing I just told him how he was still in so much pain. He couldn't even rub his hands together while washing them.

I'm going to try to post the x-ray on here, but just wait 'til you see it! Any layperson 5+, could identify the break. I couldn't believe, especially after seeing it, that they had missed that the first time around.

Anyway...he got his cast on this morning. He sure is a trooper, according to Paul, about all this medical care! They didn't need to set it. I'll take a picture of him and post it as soon as he wakes up from his nap.

Some moms from the homeschool group gave me a warning of informing him of the "removing of the cast" so he won't freak out when they bring this SAW out to use on his arm. I told Paul this morning that "they don't know Joseph". Even if we didn't tell him anything, he'd LOVE the fact that something dangerous was in his vicinity. LOL - he really would!

From the Shoe ~

"The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe... Had So Many Children She Didn't Know What to Do"

John Paul - soon to be 5 in June [and very cute btw] - was with me while going to pick up Kayla today.

John Paul was telling me how he zipped his jacked up all by himself...

Me: Wow, John Paul, that is so cool. You are such a big boy. I can't believe you're almost five. You need to stop growing. You're making me feel old.

John Paul: [like he' s been waiting 4.5+ yrs for me to say these exact words] You are old.

After my hurt and disbelief at his words [:o)] he proceeded to tell me that I am old because I'm his mommy. Oh, that really helped - let me tell ya.

I concede. I am old. Logically, I believe this. Physically, I know this. In my dreams, I deny this!! LOL.

It's funny. The older you get the older the age becomes that is old in your mind [having just reread that, it didn't come out the way I wanted it to...but you know what I mean]. Like 80? That is sooo young to me now! Okay...so I'm exaggerating just a bit. All of you on the cusp of 40 know where my mind is on this. Denial.

Thanks, John Paul. You made me realize how young I really am today! *But* being this old with this many young ones truly makes me feel young at times! I hope to gain more insight from these youngsters in the future.