threats or promises

My Dr. called from the hosp. Sat. morning, she had checked on my lab work, and called to tell me i was very sick. She told me to stay in bed and drink....gatorade, cranberry juice and water...no dr. pepper, that probably lets out margaritas too, but i didn't have the nerve to ask....

I feel a little better today, i just get so tired , so fast...i am going to follow orders this time, as she threatened to stick me in the hospital because i am so sick...she and i both know i am not going...the hospital is full of sick people....she said i don't take care of myself....

I did remind her it is a little hard to focus on yourself when you have a 3 year old with the flu, and a 22 month old as entertaining as my Alexandra....then you just start adding in the other children, and things really get out of hand....rest is not something that comes easy for mommies...

i really hate this gatorade....i would much rather drink the banned dr. pepper....

no rest for the weary

It is only 11:00 here, and i am ready for bed. It is so cold and windy, i had to turn the heater on. Alexandra has been going at full speed since Connor woke her at 6:30, that in my book is a major offense.

My kidney infection hasn't cleared, and i know i am running a fever,but an annonymous boy broke my digital thermometer, and the old mercury one said my temp. was 106??? I know that is wrong....I am going to get a stack of books, and see if i can convince my daughter to sit at read them with me...

Heres dreaming of socks, warm sweats, feather pillows, and my comforter....the reality will be somewhat different....At least Ashley is supposed to bring us lunch from the little store...maybe she'll bring chocolate

only a moment

I only turned my back for a moment, honest, it was just long enough to walk from the laundry room to my hamper, and back, and in that short amount of time my dear Alexandra dumped her drink inside the washing machine on top of her clothes....

I am going to hide in my closet and drink Dr. Pepper and eat copious amounts of chocolate....

all in the name of Jesus?

Our little community has been divided the past month over the actions taken by 1 family, at this years See you at the flag pole prayer ...This well known and respected woman in our community attended the prayer service which is supposed to be non-denominational, and student led...

Afterwards, her daughter passed out 3 pamphlets to all the school students attending the function, which was on school grounds. These pamphlets were outrageous. One was anti-religon. Any organized religon was the wrong religon. Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Judaism, and Islam were all mocked by characatures of their faith. The 2nd pamphlet was you only know Jesus, if you know Jesus, the way we say you should know Jesus, otherwise you need to repent or you are going to Hell...The last pamphlet was a mockery of a catholic priest, and distorted and misrepresented catholic teaching to such an offensive degree i will not name the organization. The end of the story shows the catholic priest repenting of all his lies and evil ways and leaving with the bible believing missionary to learn all about Jesus.....

My 17 year old daughter came home from school with these 3 pamphlets, and several friends all of them were very upset by the content...while the other students were not catholic, many of them have attended church with us over the years, and were angry at the mockery made of catholic belief...I asked my daughter if she wanted me to call the school, and go see the superintendent...she told me Mama, i am an adult in the church, a confirmed catholic, and i will go see the superintendant and tell him how i feel, and how this affects me, and my siblings .

I did suggest that Ashley seek guidance from Fr. Adrian, as i was certain he had seen this type of thing before. He told her, welcome to the persecuted church... and encouraged her to speak to the superintendant about this matter...

The school received many, many complaints regarding these pamphlets, most of them from other christians. There are only 4 catholic families in our area, and we are definitely in the minority. My children, are the only catholic children in the school, but we are not supposed to feel targeted by these pamphlets...

The Superintendant called me after the school board meeting, and let me know what action they are going to take...it has been assumed by many in the community, that i led the protest, however, i wasn't involved, it was my daughter. The prayer service is now on probation, and all the local churches will be notified by letter, from the school board that no pamphlets will be passed out on school grounds, and if it happens again they will ban the service...

The woman responsible is furious that i would find any of this offensive, that i would take something important away from the children, that i would involve the school, and she only wants the children to know Jesus, and she lived in Italy, and all the catholics she knew, didn't know Jesus.

What she fails to realize is that she brought the school officials in when she had her daughter pass out the pamphlets at school. She has not been placed in a postion of authority by God to determine who knows Jesus and who doesn't. Any catholic and many christians would find the pamphlets offensive, because they were intended to be offensive!!!!!

My children have heard a variety of comments the past month. The most common, is from students who have no religous affiliation, the unchurched shall we say, they say, I don't know what i believe, but i am a christian, at least i am not a catholic....

One of Ashleys' classmates begged her not to read them, because she said they were full of lies, another boy ripped his up, and said i have known you since pre-k, and i know these are not what you believe...there are many students however, that don't know anything about what catholic christians believe, and will accept the pamphlets as true because the cartoon said so...

This church has many opportunities for evangelization in the community, and if they wanted to just reach the students about Jesus, why the anti-catholic rhetoric? My family and I did not feel like they were just reaching out to the community, the lady wrote and told me that she holds me and my children in the highest regard and loves all of us, but, we do not feel loved, or accepted.

I have been invited to learn about theBible, and attend womens Bible study at the church that purchased the pamphlets. I have written to decline the invitation, not that i would not find a Bible study on Proverbs 31, and Titus 2 beneficial, but i could not pretend to be in communion or fellowship with women who felt the material was appropriate and acceptable...

I am hurt, I am angry, but I am not the one who decides who is a christian, and who isn't. I am not the authority that decides who knows Jesus, and who really doesn't. I am a sinner, I sin, I am of the belief that tomorrow is always another chance to turn your eyes toward the lord, and brush yourself off ...God didn't put me here decide who is a believer and who is not living like they are supposed to. I will live my vocation to the best of my ability , and with Gods' help i will receive the Grace I need to presevere...

I still owe her a reply to the 2 letters she sent me, but I am waiting until the children are over the flu, i have slept more than an hour or so, and until my hair stops standing straight up....I want to respond in a calm, christian manner, not how my human ,irish-catholic flesh would be tempted to respond with ire and sarcasm...

Lord, Jesus Christ, son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner....

fall break

Fall Break is officially over, and everyone is back to school. The weather is cool and crisp, and the leaves are changing. We have been checking the trees for pecans, and i think it is going to be a spotty year for pecans.

We had planned an outing , but due to the interuption of the flu, all outings were cancelled. We did make it to the grocery store, the dr.s office, and the pharmacy, be still my heart....i am so glad the children are all on the mend...Nicole still has a cold, Christian is having sinus problems, and Alexandra, well Alexandra is just a whirlwind...

Kyle and Timmi have been engaged for over a year now, and we met with her parents and the lovebirds, to hear the wedding plans. Her mother is very excited about planning a wedding, and they have a lot of ideas...

They have set the date for June 18,2010, Timmi wants a small outdoor ceremony, and she and Kyle would like to use the Mission grounds with the reception at the church hall. Fr. Adrian said weddings were to take place in the church, and so they are looking for a compromise of taking their vows earlier in the evening, in the church with the families present, and then repeating the vows and nuptual blessing on the mission grounds at twi-light.

I know where Fr. Adrian is coming from, and yet, i understand Kyle and Timmi wanting to use the old Mission grounds, it would be a beautiful setting for an outdoor wedding...I hope they are able to find a compromise....The church view of marriage as a sacrament, means it needs to take place in the church, but i am optimistic that Kyle and Timmis' idea is doable.

Timmis' Mom asked me if i thought it would be agreeable to Fr. Adrian, and i said it seems like a reasonable compromise to me, but i learned a long time ago, not to even pretend to know or understand what priests think, because like all men, we don't think alike,and priests don't really live in this world, their whole vocation is getting us to live our vocations, and look toward heaven, so they do live with a different perspective on life.

As a wife, and mother, i try to live my vocation, but i will admit to having myself distracted by one foot in the dirty laundry, dishes, dust, and cooking, the other distraction lots of children, lately, lots of sick children, my prayer life has been, " oh lord, get me through this, and keep me vertical...not very deep....

Fr. Phillip told me, every dirty diaper, and runny nose, dirty dish, etc. is a sacrifice, and in many ways a prayer...it is living a vocation of service, i hope he is right, and this all counts as prayer otherwise, i am seriously behind....

update

We are in the trenches with the flu battle. Ashley has had a terrible time , but she got up today for the first time in days, she was out of bed. Connor is showing signs of improvement. Jonathan and Sean Patrick are feeling so much better i have been tempted to lasso them, and tie them to a chair. Between the fighting, and running laps through the house, i am completely mental.

The flu got Ben yesterday, and he insisted he had never had the flu in his life, i told him, there is always a first time...

Kyle is on fall break as are the children, and he picked up Nicole and Christian who aren't sick and took them to Timmis'. The tami-flu seems to have helped as 4 of us have not come down with it.

To be frank, i would rather deal with 9 sick children, than 1 sick husband....and so, we pray for healing, and patience, and probably forgiveness for all the things we have thought in the past week, even if we didn't actually say them.

faster than the speed of light

The rumor mill in our little town was working overtime once again. A few months ago, i went to the health department. I saw 4 different women i was acquainted with, and i guess a few who knew me, that i didn't know..

Tiffiany ran into one of the women at school who inquired about my health as she hadn't seen me in months, and wanted to know my due date, if we knew the sex of the baby yet, the usual thing. Tiff told her Mom isn't pregnant, and the lady replied, yes she is, i saw her at the health department.

Andrew, Tiffiany and Ashley decided an intervention was in order, and Andrew would talk to Dad, and the girls would talk to me, they all knew i had been very sick over the summer, but didn't believe i would hide something like a new baby from them.

Ben and I both, assured them i am not now pregnant, nor was i pregnant when they saw me. I start showing 5 minutes after i conceive, it is not something i could hide. I assured them, i would tell them first if there was anything to tell. I guess people just expect me to be pregnant because i usually am...