The Journey of the Little Green Catechism Book

In May of 1980, when I was 15, my Lebanese friend Leila, a Melkite Catholic, invited me to her brother's First Holy Communion. It rekindled my own desire to be able to receive Communion. I had wanted to receive since I was about 7 years old. I told her this so she gave me the book her brother used to prepare for FHC. She told her priest about me and he said he would give me some instruction and receive me into the Church.

In any case the friendship broke up a few months later and I never saw the priest again. I was still not able to receive Holy Communion. However, I kept the book Leila had loaned me and this week I found out why.

This week I found Leila on facebook. I had attempted to contact her via snail mail about 8 years ago and she hadn't responded. However, things must have changed in her life because when I sent her a "friend request" this week she quickly responded and we picked up where we left off catching up on marriages, children, siblings, work, etc.

She mentioned that her children had gone to Catholic school and I thought "there's my opening." I asked her if she still went to church and she said she did sometimes. I told her how inviting me to her brother's FHC so long ago had impacted my life and how much fruit it had borne. I thanked her for taking me Mass with her family and teaching me about the faith. She got quite emotional when I said that.

Honestly, looking back I see she knew very little about the faith but at that time she knew more than I did. And the book she gave me - even though it was published in the 1970's - was solid. What I learned at 15 years of age about Transubstantiation, the Consecration and the Real Presence has never left me.

I feel I have a chance to continue to build trust with her and lead her to Truth. I think she has a lot of misconceptions about the Faith and I think her cultural and ethnic background has overshadowed the Truths of the Faith. She does believe in God but she's just not looking in the right place - she joined the Order of the Eastern Star, a Masonic organization for women. I didn't go all hard-core on her and tell her she needs to quit ASAP - I went all Divine Mercy on her instead (silently) until the time comes to let her know that it would be in the best interests of her eternal soul to quit.

Today might be Step One of her conversion. Or - it might not be. But that's in God's hands. I am only a little pencil in His hand - or His data entry clerk!

I am mailing the little green book that travelled hundreds of miles through 10 moves over 29 years back to Leila tomorrow. It's time to go Home.

♥♥♥

Boys in a Sugar Bowl - 13/365

Too tired to write about the little book - will do it Saturday. However, I found this delightful shot on my cousin's blog - these are 2 of his boys mirrored in a sugar bowl. I love it! Thanks, Cuz.
(BTW, we've never met - they live in New Zealand!)

♥♥♥

The little green book....

I didn't post my daily picture yesterday - just too busy. But I'll be back on later tonight with a picture and an interesting story. It's the story of a little book that travelled many miles over many years and was a....well, you'll hear the story later.

♥♥♥

Diocesan Toilet Paper!

Last night at Mass I picked up a copy of our diocesan paper. Oh boy. The only redeeming feature of the paper was my priests article on his experiences at World Youth Day. He said lots of teens came up to him asking him to bless religious articles and to hear their confessions. However....

Page 4 features an article on Human Trafficking and a photo of a nun in earrings adorns that story.

But wait...it gets worse!

Page 5 highlights a parochial school activity - making ECO-BANNERS! Wow - two stupid ideas in one! Let's hope the banners are made of recyclable material so they don't go all toxic in the dump.

But wait - there's more! This issues YuckFest has a two page spread on the Diocesan Environmental Assembly called "Pilgrims With the Earth." The talk was faciliated by the director of "Canada's Citizens for Social Justice." He's about 60 (what IS it with that age group?!) and looks a bit swishy.

I simply MUST quote a few nuggets from one of the articles. Try to keep your latest meal down..

"Leaving "Pilgrims With the Earth" my soul cried out for our sacred mother earth (heretic!).I jumped on my bicycle and at the first trail I saw my handlebars turned primarily towards the earth. (Is she writing in English?)

I needed to find a sacred spot to contemplate (try your local church, right by the Tabernacle.) I needed to be close to the earth. I rode through the fall leaves, the whistling wind, by the gurgling creek and placed my bike down (my kids wrote better prose in Grade 4.) There I sat surrounded by God's beauty.

The leaves crunched underneath me, the birds chirped and a squirrel scurried by (how freaking original!) I lay on the earth, nothing but earth and rock between me and the core of the planet, and began to digest the last two days. " (Nothing? Not even your Calvin Kleins? You were naked? Ewwww!)

Why couldn't one of Mother Nature's volcanoes have blown up right then and there and covered this newspaper with molten hot magma!!!

I'll spare you the rest. I cannot believe that A) a grown woman had written this and B) that this was actually published! When I wrote an article on abortion several years ago they edited out the whole sentence dealing with pregnancy after violent crime (I didn't call it rape - it's a family paper.) What a bunch of hypocrites.

But wait - there's still MORE!

Page 14 presents the latest offering of one of the youth groups. And I quote, "The gospel message was acted out at each mass on the second Sunday of our fall action. Six members of the parish youth group portrayed the scene described in Luke 18, helping parishioners connect the gospel message and social justice."

There is a photo of the priest sitting on his duff in the Sanctuary watching the 6 girls, also in the Sanctuary, acting this scene out.

Yes, I said the F word. With an exclamation mark after it.

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12/365

I walked home from Mass last night and when I turned the corner to my street this is what I saw. It reminded me I need to TRUST Jesus. I had prayed my heart out for the kids at Mass. I prayed the Rosary for Nikki who is still struggling. After the Rosary one of the Portugeuse ladies started singing "Ave Maria." It was hard not to cry. It reminded me that Our Blessed Mother is also looking after my children. I love it when God shows me His wonders. He is good.

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11/365

And in all the land were no women found so fair
as the daughters of Job:
and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
Job 42:15

June 1981

10/365

I didn't take this photo but I want to share it.
My uncle took it in June 1980 when Oma turned 70.
She died 10 years later. I still miss her.
She was about 5 feet tall and 4 feet around.
So cute!
And if I have ANY cooking talent
whatsoever - it comes from this lady.

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9/365

This is a carrot.
Really.

I have posted nothing but photos the past few days.
I will try to come up with something to write.
.

8/365

My silly, beautiful, wonderful nieces Laura and Lucy.

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7/365

All you Ladies know what I'm talkin' about....

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6/365

Shells and beach glass from the East Coast.

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Understanding Repeat Abortions

I am just typing up my notes as I have been asked to be the guest speaker at our annual Catholic Women's League wind-down-for-the-summer lunch. My topic is the Divine Mercy conference I recently attended I will post the text of the talk here. If I get really daring I will have someone video the talk and post it on youtube...yeah, fat chance!

Anyway, one of the things I learned at the conference is in regard to multiple abortions. Fr. Pavone even spoke about a woman who had 24 abortions. Yes, 24. That is not a typo. Twenty-four.

Almost half the abortions that occur in America are repeat abortions

WHY??

There are several factors. Pregnancy is a biorhythm (stay with me now - this is not New Age junk science.) Sleep is also a biorhythm. If you wake up in the middle of the night your body tells you to go back to sleep. Similarly many women who abort (an interruption to the biological process of pregnancy) feel the urge to get pregnant again.

Sometimes the same circumstances that caused them to abort in the first place are still present so they abort again. Sometimes the mother thinks she is unworthy of being a mother because she already aborted one child. Repeat abortions can be a sign of self-punishment.

And sometimes (this is a big one) we repeat what we don't understand in the hopes of mastering it. This explains not only repeat abortions but why abused women stay with abusers, why some women keep sleeping around looking for love, etc.

Instead of being repulsed by self-destructive behaviour ask, “How can I help you to heal?”

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5/365

Let's hope my computer stays online long enough for me to post this...!

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Oh, Taraaaaaaaa.....

Tara, I want to thank you for encouraging me to post a picture a day. One way or another these photos can be used to glorify God, encourage prayer and thank God for His mercy. There is always something to post every day as well. So thank you !

And Tara, I know you know what this yummy thing is!

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Pic-a-day 4/365

4/365

This clock came from Germany and belonged to my father. I was sitting in the living room a few days ago snapping photos of random things for the blog when I took the picture of the clock. Then I noticed the time - the Hour of Mercy. My father left the Church a long time ago and he died suddenly without ever reconciling to Her. Please pray for his soul. Thanks.

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Change the phrasing and reel them in ...

We recently had a provincial election. My friend Sally Socialist got a call from the socialist candidate asking if he could place an election sign on her lawn. She said no because she is Catholic and it would cause scandal because his party is pro-"choice." He was actually taken slightly aback when she said that. Then just before the election she received a note from him in response to a letter she had sent him about his party's stance on abortion.

His note read like an Obama speech at Notre Shame. I thought he had lifted it from his "O"-liness but Notre Shame took place after our election. Then it dawned on me - this is simply the new socialist party line. Change the phrasing to dupe people and then reel them in and get their vote. And he did get her vote. And her tears - she was so moved by the note she actually phoned me at work to read it to me!!! ARGH!

This incident has been sitting like a thorn under my rear end. I was going to write Sally an email giving her some Catholic instruction even though she has come a looooooooooong way since we first met 5 years ago. I decided to think and pray about it because I do value her friendship and wouldn't it be great if I could educate her a bit without cracking her over the head?!

So, last night I was reading my autographed copy of Fr. Pavone's book "Ending Abortion: Not Just Fighting It" and jotting down notes and coming across some wonderful information and quotes. I decided I wasn't going to write Sally the email - I was going to send a letter to the socialist candidate and send her a copy of the letter (after all - she told me what she wrote to him so that's only fair, right?!)

Today the mail came and lo and behold - a piece of socialist propaganda from our federal representative arrived. And what did this piece of toilet pap....er, brochure say? That our current conservative government is bringing women's rights back to 1950's levels. I just about snorted my chicken burger through my nose when I read that.

In any case - I am going to write this clown a letter and "cc" his provincial counterpart how every day thousands of women's voices are being wiped out by abortion. I will be publishing the letter here and would be happy to hear your comments. I will also be "cc-ing" Sally.

St. Michael, defend us in battle!

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Recipe for chicken marinade as seen in pic-a-day.

Charmoula is a marinade generally used in Moroccan, Tunisian and Algerian cooking. It is typically used to flavour seafood but I use it on chicken. My recipe calls for garlic, ginger root, cilantro leaves, parsley leaves, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, olive oil and lemon juice. For a punchier flavor I add lemon zest. You just blend the ingredients in a food processor, smear all over chicken pieces, and allow to marinate 1 - 2 hours. Then the meat is baked for about 45 minutes. Fragrant and delicious! I like to serve it with rice pilaf.

Pic-a-day 3/365

3/365

Making the marindade for last nights chicken.
Recipe to follow later.

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Pic-a-day 2/365

2/365

Cherry blossoms in my yard.
(click to enlarge!)

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I need a book recommendation

Which Flannery O'Connor book would you recommend that I read?
Thanks!

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Ask me about my family...

I got this idea from Therese's blog. She posted the names and ages of all her children and readers could ask questions about each one. It was a really sweet post! She has 7 children and I only have 2 biological ones but I do have 2 stepchildren, 2 step-grandchildren, 1 step-DIL, 1 step-SIL-to-be and 1 DIL-to-be. (Are you still with me?!) I have to change the names of a few of them due to privacy issues but please feel free to ask me questions about any of them and I will answer in my next post.

T.J. - my son who will be 26 next month
Luke - ya'll know him, he is 24 and engaged to....
Nikki - who is 24 next month

Marie - my stepdaughter who is 29 and is engaged to...
Dave - he is around 34

Guy - my stepson who is 31 and married to...
Ana-Maria - who is 30 and the mother of...
Martine - she is almost 4 and...
Nathalie - who is 18 months old

Ask away!

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Picture A Day

1/365

Tara has invited me to join her and Digi in posting a Picture-A-Day. I bet Digi can even tell me where this was taken...

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Tara - for your Grandson!

By Fr. Joseph, MIC (May 15, 2009)
Since that beautiful day on Sept. 16, 2007, in Lichen, Poland, when Fr. Stanislaus of Jesus Mary Papczynski (1631-1701) was raised to the honors of the altar, the world has been getting to know the life of the man the Marians of the Immaculate Conception call "Father Founder."

On Monday, May 18, Blessed Stanislaus will have a feast day in his name. His feast day marks the 378th anniversary of his birth. The Marians at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass., will celebrate the feast day Monday as part of the Shrine's regular daily schedule. Holy Mass will be celebrated at 7:15 a.m. and 3 p.m.

And there is more here.

Germs and Holy Communion

Before I go any further - PLEASE do not turn this into a debate about Communion in the hand VS. Communion on the tongue. This is a post about germs. Thank you.

My friend emailed me today and said that with the flu running rampant around our town (NOT the swine flu, just a mid-spring variety) she will not be receiving from the chalice. Fair enough. I am just getting over our local flu and I will also be refraining from the cup just in case I pass this nasty virus on.

However, she went on the say she felt sorry for Father having to try and avoid people's tongues while placing the Host there. She didn't think he should have to deal with that in this day and age when germs are so strong. She wondered what good is it if he gets sick or passes it on to others.

How would you address the germ factor?

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Happy Birthday, Terry!

Happy Birthday, Terry!!!!

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Blogger dishes and cocktails

Celebrity cocktails - it's one of my favorite junky things to read on the internet. For example, here is one I lifted off the internet: the Sarah Jessica Stinger - in a cocktail shaker combine two parts of the color pink, one part water of the fountain of youth (if out of stock, Botox does the trick), and three parts of any beauty product or perfume that you sponsor. Shake well and pour into a size 6 Manolo Blahnik stiletto. Drink with your girlfriends while divulging your sexual escapades.

I thought it would be fun to make up both celebrity and blogger cocktails or food dishes. For instance:

The Kate Gosselin Sour - combine one part blonde hair dye, one shrill voice and 8 little children and dump over a soon-to-be-ex husband. Oh - and add a good dose of Angostura bitters! Drink chilled with your lawyer.

The Terry (Nelson) Collins - mix equal parts oil paint, acrylic and pastels. Shake well and serve in a Lalique vase.

The Cathy Alexander - combine some crazy dreams with lake trout, bread with shotgun shells, cook over a campfire while sipping a martini.

The Crescat Casserole - skip the food and go straight for the beer!

The Larry D BBQ special - marinate hockey pucks in some beer. While they are sitting, BBQ up some T-bone steaks. Remove hockey pucks from marinade, drink beer and substitute DingDongs for the pucks so the boys have something to eat. (Pucks can be reused this winter.)

Pasta Gigli a la Adrienne- no booze here, but this dish takes 12 steps. It consists of lily shaped pasta, lots and lots of hairspray, lipstick, perfume, dangly earrings and common sense! Top with spaghetti sauce.

Tara-misu - because we soak the lady fingers in espresso! Top with mascarpone and grated chocolate. Chill in a Salt Lake City snowbank.

The Luscious Laura - a delightful combo of grit, red-eye gravy and a savory slice of ham.

The Gemlet - wipe the rim of gigantic margarita glass with lots and lots of salt. Pour in the driest vermouth you can find. Serve with a folded lace mantilla on the side as a napkin.

The Digi-dog - not to be confused with her darling Josie! - a baseball stadium hot dog (ask if she prefers Shea or Yankee) topped with sauerkraut and corned beef. Serve with a side of .45 s.

The Chris-wich - a double decker deli sandwich, combining a sprinkle of Jones Beach sand, black and white cookies, a kosher dill, and a New York steak. Serve on a TV tray while watching the news.

Five Alarm Chile Adoro - a staple at the firehouse! Place six gallons of jabanero peppers in a fireproof pot. Stir in some cheese and 10 gallons of kidney beans, 3 gallons of onions and 7 gallons of tomatoes. Garnish with a fire hose or two and have your insurance adjusters phone number on hand. Warning - nuns may need to remove their veils and wimples to eat this.

The Ward Nine - combine the cutest baby in the world with two adoring parents. Add a dash of giggles and lots of hugs. This dish is already sweetened - no need to add sugar.


Add your own dishes...!

(It's late here so I will try to add some more tomorrow.)

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Sick

I've been sick since Wednesday but I seem to be rallying around. Was it swine flu? No, but I haven't been this sick for a long, long time. Usually flus and colds bypass me. However it was nice to have the last 2 days off to catch up on my TV watching LOL!

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Convicting her

Awhile ago I read something on the internet (blog?, forum?) that explained why voting for a Pro-Life candidate, even if he had no chance of winning, was still the right way to vote. Do you think I can find it now?!???

My friend is Catholic. She has come a long way in regards to abortion since I met her. But she still voted for the socialist candidate whose party sees nothing wrong with gay "marriage", contraception and abortion. I wouldn't call her a "cafeteria" Catholic, just one who still isn't quite informed and willing to assent.

She loves the socialist party because they "look after people." You know - that hokey "social justice" nonsense - when the fact is that in Canada we have no laws restricting abortion for the full nine months of pregnancy - how is that justice?

Anyway, like I said, she has come a long way but I would love to see her go all the way. Any words of wisdom you want to pass along?

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Election results

There was an election in my province today. The results were predictable. Our riding ran a pathetic bunch of candidates. The socialist won, of course. The liberal was a 24 year old who has been going to school the last 7 years since he graduated from high school - and has never held a job. The "green" candidate - I can't even remember her name. And the conservative candidate is a an angry ex-Catholic-now-fundamentalist-Evangelical who has 12 kids and is Pro-Life and anti-gay.

The conservative candidate is a loony tune. The things he came up with in the candidates debate were laughable and pathetic. I wasn't going to vote for him even though he was the only Pro-Life candidate and I am a one-issue voter.

I thought about voting for the liberal who is still wet behind the ears (a nominal Catholic, BTW.) I emailed him a polite question asking for his stance on abortion rights and availability. He never responded.

The socialist - well, it's a given I would NEVER vote for him. And the greenie - whatever.

I was still undecided an hour before the election. Then my Catholic co-worker started needling me. Let's call him Jiminy Cricket who sings "my conscience is my guide"....(think back to Disney's Pinocchio....)

Then it hit me. I have to trust God. I have to vote Pro-Life, have to give a voice to the unborn who have been forever silenced and will never get a chance to vote. If I do right by God he will certainly outdo me in generosity and righteousness.

My candidate didn't win - no surprise. But I did.

Dr. Oz leaving Oprah

Oprah Winfrey to say goodbye to Dr. Oz

May 11, 2009, 3:05 PM EST

CHICAGO (AP) -- Oprah Winfrey's in-house medical and health expert is leaving his spot as a regular on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" for his own syndicated program.

Winfrey will bid Dr. Mehmet Oz farewell on Tuesday's episode of her talk show. His program, "The Dr. Oz Show," is to debut Sept. 14.

Oz has been featured on Winfrey's show for five years and 55 episodes. He would often offer diet tips or discuss life-threatening diseases.

Tuesday's show ends with Oz and Winfrey raising a champagne toast.

According to Oz's biography on Oprah.com, the best-selling author and heart surgeon is a surgery professor at Columbia University and directs the Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

You know why he's leaving don't you. It's his position on embryonic stem cell research. It doesn't jive with her Oliness' position.

Look at the nice video my sons made for me!

Just like old times when they still lived at home LOL!!!!

Aw, today isn't that bad...

Sorry about the pity party. Luke and Nikki called me this morning. I am sure T.J. will call later today. Nikki apologized for sending the card late - it should be here tomorrow. How could I ever be mad at her anyway?!

Blah

An orange rose for me...because no Mother's Day cards were
delivered, no flowers were sent....

*sigh*

Oh Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrry.............

Tiger Lilies - just for you!
(Wouldn't want you to feel left out or nuthin')

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Tulips for Tara

Just because I know you love them
and because I love your blog!

Fondly,
Angie

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Bl. Stanislaus Novena

The Marians of the Immaculate Conception, promotors par excellence of the Divine Mercy devotion, are reminding everyone that they are praying a Novena for the intercession of their founder Bl. Stanislaus Papczysnki starting this Saturday May 9.

For more details click HERE.

FYI - Bl. Stanislaus is the patron saint of Tara's (Loved Sinner) grandson. He is due to make his grand entrance into the world in 127 days!

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Would women admit to....

I watched a few minutes of "Journey Home" on EWTN tonight. Marcus Grodi was interviewing a man who had left a life of drugs, drinking and impure relationships with women. I wondered if they ever interview women who speak of past impure relationships? Do women even admit to that? Because honestly - there IS a double standard.

Your thoughts....?

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