Blessings of Autumn to You!

 Here we are at the end of October and I just ordered some last minute candy for the little munchkins that will be heading here on Friday. Other than that, I don't celebrate Halloween anymore as the secular occasion that it is. I leave my festive lights and celebratory decor for the real holiday on December 25th. Though, I do love to see the little ones in their costumes. That doesn't mean that I don't celebrate all Hallows Eve though. I do, with a Mass and extra prayers, as well as All Saints Day which is November 1st and a holy day of obligation in the Catholic Church. Every soul that is in heaven is celebrated on that day, and I mean ALL, and I believe I know many that have attained that glorious place with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and all those that have gone before us. What a glorious day to remember them all. All Souls Day, which is November 2nd, is another day of prayer and remembrance. Don't forget to celebrate both of those days and all those that we know and love that are no longer with us.

I have been having many health problems lately and have been putting the ebay store on vacation mode.  (The website is always open for business, but has mostly sterling products available.) Even though the store is on vacation mode, we usually leave it so that you can still purchase items. Thank God, Tom has been filling my shoes and taking care of the orders for me, as well as the other administrative things that go along with running a business. The reason why we put it on vacation mode is because ebay has strict guidelines that we must stick to, like our handling and shipping time, and the time away mode gives us a bit of breathing room. Items still ship, just a little slower and emails may not be answered right away, but it still works well and we haven't gotten any complaints about it. I would love to say that it won't happen again, but that's just not how life works, so I expect we will continue to do that until at least the end of the year.

We have an amazing collection that is being added to the ebay store and that is Art Deco framing! All of them have 8" x 10" pictures with 11 1/4" x 13 1/4" art deco frames. They are all gorgeous pictures and are made in Italy. Prices currently starting at $65.99 with free shipping! Here's one of our beautiful Sacred Heart of Jesus prints.

 

You can find all our pictures, plaques and icons at our ebay store at: https://www.ebay.com/str/gloryglorygifts/Pictures-Icons/_i.html?store_cat=50747474013. 

Just a reminder, we have many forms of payment available at our ebay store, now including Venmo!! Start your holiday shopping now and give faith based gifts this year.

Have an incredible day, in the Lord and a fabulous Autumn!

Peace,

Mare

Karma Baby, Karma

While I was sitting in the adoration chapel on Sunday I must have looked like a fool. I was sitting there, all alone, with a big Cheshire-cat smile on my face and my eyes all lit up. I looked like I had just heard the grandest joke. In reality, I thought of a joke (of sorts) that had been played on me and frankly I found it amusing to say the least.

I was thinking of young me.. The clueless young me that used to have two pet peeves. People that knew or met me always thought I was such a nice young thing. Not necessarily pretty, but I guess attractive in my own way. At the time I was 99 pounds soaking wet at 5'5" and thought I was all that and a bag of chips after applying my make up and doing my hair just so. I had a very nasty cruel streak, though, that I hid from the world. I used to see people that were heavier than me (which was a large part of the population - given my aversion to food) and I would say to the person I was with, "please shoot me if I ever get that fat." Sloppy dressers bothered me too. I used to think I will never let myself "go" like that. Ha! What a foolish, judgmental, jerk.

My other pet peeve was those that I referred to as the stupid people. Of course, I was a rocket scientist (not), but people that just didn't seem to grasp something I was saying to them or teaching them just irritated me to no end. (See, I was not a nice person, at all. Okay, maybe I will cut myself a little slack here because teenagers and young 20 somethings tend to think the world revolves around them anyway.)

Then a few things happened.

1) I grew up

2) I grew out

My older fat self would slap some sense into that judgmental little snot.

In my mid-30's I had my first symptom to a rare disease. I was actually sick at the time with whooping cough (of all things) and was in bed for 3 weeks, knocked out cold from codeine. I didn't eat, and barely moved and when I had emerged from bed 3 weeks later I was 30 pounds heavier. That was my introduction to Cushing's syndrome. The average weight gain of this disease is 100 lbs. You can lose the weight if you go into remission but it doesn't seem that it is, or was, God's plan to have me do so. I now look like I ate my young 99 pound self, and then some. Well played, God.  Now I have 99 lb. know it alls asking me if I would like a fork for my family meal that I have picked up from Boston Market. Uh no, it is for my family and we have utensils at home. That certainly is karma don't you think?

As for the stupid people? Yup, I'm one of them too. This morning I poured myself a cup of tea, let it steep, and then stood there wondering if I had put the 2 sugar substitutes into it or not. I could easily see myself as one of those people that walks around looking for their glasses when they are perched on top of their head. Better yet, someone that puts their coffee on top of the car, while they fumble with their keys, and then drive off with the coffee on the roof. My Mother used to call these moments mentalpause, but throw in the little brain banging on the concrete in January of this year and you come up with an entirely new bundle of fun. Karma, baby, karma.

So why was I smiling? Was it because karma had bitten me in the arse over the years and I have realized that it has? Nope. I was smiling because God has given me all of this time to live my life and do it right. Every single day that I wake up and get out of bed I offer up my joys and sorrows, works and suffering to Him and then get to the business of spreading His word. I was smiling because I was filled with love and gratitude for our heavenly Father for the inspirations and sorrows He has given me that has made me the person that I am today.

As I sit here writing this, looking schleppy and fat and wondering just where that typo was that I just saw and have to fix, I think - Father, thank you for your patience with me. Yup. My face once again has the Cheshire-cat smile.

Have a peaceful week.

Mare

New Items for Autumn, 2015

I cannot believe it is already mid-October. It seems like it was just yesterday I was sitting outside soaking up the sun on the lounge chair. Wait, it was just today actually. It is gorgeous here on our little island today. It is in the low 70's, the sky is blue and the sun is hot. I am not ready to give up my Summer weather yet, especially after the miserable Winter that I had earlier this year, but nobody asked me. Autumn is here and Winter is just behind it. Which is a good thing. That means that we have new items for Autumn as well as new Keep Christ in Christmas magnets for the season after that. Just click on the photos to see the products enlarged.

For starters, we have some new bracelets and sets to offer you. We have a gorgeous pearl and Bohemian crystal Miraculous Medal set that are $35.00 USD each. Colors available are white with clear crystals and white with sapphire-colored crystals:

We also have a new wrap bracelet that is made of cherry-colored wood with gold separator beads and a Murano-style, heart shaped glass bead bracelet. They are $3.00 and $7.50 respectively.

 ALL of these beautiful bracelets can be found on our Rosary & Prayer Bracelet page at: http://www.gloryglorygifts.com/rosary---prayer-bracelets.html. Just make sure to scroll down!

We have a new ladder rosary as well. Comes in a velvet box and it is a beautiful light sapphire color. Only $25.00. You can find that at our Rosary Bead page at http://www.gloryglorygifts.com/5-decade-rosaries.html. They are very beautiful in person!

Also new for Autumn 2015 are two new designs for car magnets. Let us all KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS and start spreading the word now~~

Our magnets are an affordable $3.25 this year and are ready for you to purchase them and spread the news! You can find the new designs on our Auto Rosaries, Statues and Magnets Page at http://www.gloryglorygifts.com/auto-rosaries--statues-and-magnets-1.html.

That's it for now. We look forward to your visit at GloryGloryGifts.com. Have a peaceful and beautiful week, wherever you may be.

Mare

Goodbye and God Speed, Ellie

I had a trip to yesteryear when I was so young and naive,
  but now that I'm old and looking back
      it is nearer than previously perceived


Yesterday I went to a wake for an old neighbor of mine. I very much have a problem attending wakes and funerals, even as a woman with a devout faith. It isn't that I fear seeing the deceased nor contemplating my own demise. I have a hard time watching people in pain like those that are grieving. Yesterday was different, though. While I was sitting there amidst the women that I grew up with I was reminded of the Thornton Wilder play, "Our Town," which is actually a personal favorite of mine.

The first thing that struck me was the strength and gratitude of Ellie's daughters, Maureen, Susan, Janet and Carolyn. It was funny but all of them said two things that resonated with me throughout the afternoon. The first was that Ellie, after 22 years, was once again with her husband, Frank, for Christmas. Before Frank had died, all those years ago, I used to sit at their kitchen table and watch them talk to each other. They were always smiling and the love was just so evident in their eyes as they looked at each other. They were my friends' parents, but in a way they were my parents too. (I should mention that I was a permanent fixture at their house for much of my childhood and teens.)

The other thing they all remembered was my parents taking their evening sabbatical, as they called it, around the neighborhood. All of the girls remembered them walking hand in hand down the paved streets of Annadale. They did it every evening after dinner. Every one of Ellie's daughters, as well as my other childhood friends, mentioned not only that but how caring and kind my parents were. Yup. They were. In a way, my parents were my friends' parents too. We all knew that if our own were not home that we could go to Ellie and Frank, Peggy and Ray or Loretta and Bill and that we would be safe and cared for. In turn, my friends could come to Evelyn and Joe. All of them are gone now except for Loretta. I saw her for the first time in a very long time yesterday. The way that she greeted me felt like I was coming home. I haven't felt that way since my own mom hugged me in her arms over 20 years ago.

Throughout the afternoon the one thing that resonated with all of my childhood friends and I was that we were truly blessed to have grown up with the people that we did. Those wonderful couples raised hard-working, respectable kids that have grown and passed on those principles to their own children. Those same homes that once belonged to Evelyn and Joe, Peggy and Ray and Ellie and Frank now house their children and even their adult grand children. The neighborhood hasn't changed much in appearance, well maybe a little bit, but the love of the greatest generation is still alive and well in the next generations. As a neighborhood we shared our joys and our sorrows and lived each day for our families and each other. We were truly blessed to have grown up in our little town of Annadale, surrounded by an incredible bond of the love, caring and loyalty of our neighbors.  It is something sorely lacking in so many neighborhoods today, including my "new" one.

As the last echoes of my childhood drift in my memory I'm struck by the fact that those same memories that I cherish are the same ones that my friends have. My bucolic, safe neighborhood of my childhood will always be not only a memory but a part of the woman that I have become.

Thanks Ellie. You will be missed as all people that emanate and embody love are. You were a treasure. Say hi to Frank for me.

Peace,

Mare

The Eucharist and the Dove

Some of you, particularly if you are more seasoned readers of this blog, or of the Facebook page, may already know about what I considered to be miracles on Christmas a few years ago. Last year I created a rather inadequate video that was loaded onto Youtube. I do wish to once again share this experience, and the photos, including one that has never been shown before of (one of) the Eucharist photos still clearly in the camera. It is my intent by showing these photos that people can see the dinky little camera that captured both events and that the photos that I printed were not doctored nor tampered with in any way. The photos are real and, I believe, meant to be shared at this time. With the state of the world, the economies and the religious wars unfolding I believe it is imperative that people return to the love of Jesus and prayer, veneration of the Blessed Sacrament and return to pious behavior while in church. If these photos help one person to open their eyes and hearts, I will feel fulfilled.

First I will load the photos and then the description of events on that day. God bless and have a beautiful week.

Mare

BTW, all photos are copyrighted as of 2012 my Marianne E. Hare
You may share them as long as you include the copright information and story of the photos. I actually encourage you to do so.

First Photo with Flash - Although the flash went off you can see the dark host behind it

Second photo with macro on (oops)

Enlargement of third photo on correct setting

Third photo on correct setting

Cloud Photo over Holy Child Church at 3:00 PM, Christmas Day

Cloud photo - still in the camera (reverse image)

Third picture of the Eucharist - still in the camera - note the darkened Eucharist
(Again, reverse image)

The story behind the photos as written down and provided to my Pastor, priests and the Cardinal of NYC:

"I normally have Adoration on Sundays from 12:00 to 2:00 pm.  On Christmas Day 2011, which fell on a Sunday, I had switched my hours from 12-2 to 1 to 3 instead so that the women that normally do those hours could celebrate the holiday with their family. I was also making dinner for my family, but we were not eating until later and they had to travel so there was no problem for me to move my hours back.

I bought my camera with me. It is a simple Polaroid digital, 5 mega pixel camera, with a memory disk. The reason why I bought the camera with me is because I wanted to take a photo of the Nativity in the church to put on my blog and on my website.

I arrived at the Adoration Chapel around 1:00 PM and the woman that I relieved left, so I was alone. While alone shortly after 1 it was as if someone whispered in my ear, take a picture of the monstrance and the Host. The feeling was overwhelming. So I took out the camera, stood up, and snapped the first shot. I noticed that the flash went off so I turned it off. I then snapped another without the flash and realized that the camera was on macro (for close up).  I then switched the camera to normal and took a third photo, only this time I was a little further away to try and get the flowers and angels in too. I then put the camera back into my pocketbook and was joined by another adorer shortly after that.  As it was Christmas there were a few people in and out of the Chapel after the mass and it was actually lovely. There was a lot of love in there that day, with many kisses and hugs and well wishes for a beautiful Christmas. After the 12:30 mass Angela L came in and wished me a Merry Christmas and we spoke briefly about babies and the blessings of the day. She talked about her granddaughter and I spoke about my great niece. I also told her about a couple I had been praying for that wanted to start a family. I told her I expected that she would be pregnant in the Spring. She asked me to pray for a couple in Holy Child that was trying to start a family. I agreed to do so. Before she left she said to me you watch – today you will be blessed with a Christmas Miracle.

Just after 3:00  pm I left the Chapel and took my pictures of the nativity. (They came out beautiful). When I left the church and was walking down the ramp I was met by THE MOST INCREDIBLE cloud display that I have ever seen. It seemed to span from one end of the sky to the other. When first looking at it - it looked like a dove to me. (I see a man in the photo though when not enlarged). I cannot begin to describe how HUGE this was and how beautiful! Unfortunately the pictures just do not do it justice. But, you can get an idea of how big it was by the buildings on the bottom of the screen. Of course I took pictures of that and thought WOW, Angela was right, that was amazing and my soul was so lifted that I practically skipped all the way home smiling.

When I got home I started dinner and then (since I had time) put the memory disk into the computer and downloaded the photos. It is about this time that I almost fell off my chair. In the 2^nd and 3^rd photos of the Host I see two distinctly different faces. The descriptions of what I see are on the backs of the photos I have given you here. In the 2^nd I can clearly see the face of Jesus and in the 3^rd I see a person looking left.  The 1^st I took where the flash went off blurs out the face, but I can see it behind the flash. I have not included it here as you mostly just see the flash in the center.

I am humbled, and feel incredibly blessed to have had this experience. I believe it was a gift from God meant just for me. The Host and monstrance did not look any different to me on Christmas Day then it did any other day, but I will add that my hours there were unlike any I have ever experienced there before and I have been doing hours of Adoration regularly since 2008 and sporadically for years before. When people were not there and I was saying my prayers I felt almost as if I was in a trance and I do remember that at one point when I was finishing the rosary that it took me over an hour and a half to say it, when it normally takes about 20 minutes.  It was as if every word was measured and meditated upon. I cannot explain it any better than that. I remember speaking to Angela, I remember David coming in, (shortly after I took the photos) but I do not remember anything else about those hours.

When I saw the photos on the computer screen I showed them to those living with me. Every one of us see something in the Host, even the Agnostic and the Atheist!

Although I have shared the pictures with people on Facebook and the blog, I have not shared the experience with anyone. I wish I could YELL FROM THE ROOFTOPS the good news but instead I share them with just a few that will appreciate the goodness of God and his many gifts. Feel free to share these photos and the story with others in your life as well.

God Bless You for being a part of the Holy Child Family!

Love,

Marianne Hare

P.S. –

 The couple that I told Angela about did get pregnant in the Spring of 2012. Their boys were born prematurely in the Summer and celebrated their 3rd birthday this year. Even though I agreed to pray for the couple that she asked prayers for, I know that God has other plans for them."

**Some of the description relates to specifics provided to the clergy with their photos.

Love Thy B(l)eeping Neighbor?

Seriously? Why not have us do something easier, like birthing an elephant?

The last few weeks I have been driving around more than usual. As I posted a while ago my partner, Tom, has decided to go back into the food industry. As we only have the one car I drive him to and from his job. Suddenly I feel as if I am thrust back into the days of yore when I was chauffeuring him around as a kid to his activities – basketball, Boy Scouts, school, etc. The later years, before he had a license I drove him to and from work. Of course, on occasion, now I make deliveries for our Staten Island customers - as our delivery person is now working in the food industry. It seems like ages ago that I have driven around here, but as in any suburban area, weekdays are quieter and weekends are insane.  I have been driving  - just not when, it seems, every other Staten Islander is on the road.

Over the weekend I had not one, not two, but THREE incidents that left my heart pumping as well as my fist. ALL of the incidents were caused by the same thing (mercy me) I was doing the speed limit. How inconsiderate of me to do so. As I chugged along at the speed limit and would approach the stop light, which Staten Island is chock full of by the way, I saw the first of the impatient drivers, that cut me off and gave me the one finger salute. She was sitting there waiting for the light to change.  It happened a few times and I tell you I don’t know what I was thinking but the first time I approached the light and saw her there I waved at her. She sped off when the light turned green, again flipping a finger and red faced and you guessed it - we met again at the next light. Again I waved.  It was at this point I thought to myself are you trying to get yourself killed or maimed fool? Luckily the 3^rd light was the charm. She got caught in a turning lane and I chugged along going straight with one final wave just to annoy the heck out of her.  

The other two flew around me at a different intersection. I was in the lane going straight, again at a light. I had a small silver car in the lane next to me, which was for making a right-hand turn and a large black SUV behind me.  When the light changed the silver car sped up and whipped around me cutting me off with the driver spitting at me!! Next thing I know the SUV is careening around my left hand side in what looked like hot pursuit of the silver car. I thought to myself, oh this will be good! That has to be a cop! Nope. The SUV tailgated the small silver car, that finally made a left, and then the SUV sped away.

This all happened in the course of one day. When I dropped Tom off and was on my way home I met pinhead no. 1 and when I was going to pick him up I met no.’s 2 and 3.  Needless to say when I arrived home with him I was not a happy camper. Normally I have a lead foot. Tom will concur with that assessment, but at the moment we are in need of new brakes so I will admit I have turned into my mother when driving. I might get impatient when our car is in tip-top shape and I get behind someone going slower than the speed limit, however, spitting at someone or flipping them off is not something that would even occur to me.  Whatever happened to putting on a signal and just changing lanes?  What is happening to people? Including me.

This morning I was thinking to myself I would love to have a conversation with Jesus about this. I have a pretty good idea on how the conversation would proceed though. I am 99.9% sure it would go something like this:

“I am supposed to love those pinheads that cut me off?”

Yes.

“Why?”

Because you are to love one another as I love YOU. It is the greatest commandment

“You love those pinheads?”

Yes, just as I love you.

“But that is so hard to do, I’m only human you know. You are God”

Yes and I was human when I walked this earth. I taught you how to love as a human and even wrote it down for you, through the prophets, to refer to.

I taught you patience, compassion and forgiveness. Now it is your turn to do as you have learned from Me. Read my guidebook for a refresher, it is called The Bible.

Besides, it was not nice of you to taunt that woman by waving at her. You are not without sin. Maybe you need to learn a little more patience and humility for yourself and stop judging the others on the road. After all, I know all of their hearts and souls; you do not.

“Well those pinheads did not have to cut me off.  What a bunch of jerks! They could have killed me you know."

I made sure that they didn't. I am with you always.

In my eyes you are all the same. I love each of you equally. No Master is greater than their servant….and by the way stop calling them pinheads and jerks. That is not nice either. You have quite the temper and remind me of my beloved Peter. Forgive those that have offended you.

“I am starting to hate people when I drive. I don’t like that feeling”

Then pray for strength for yourself when you are behind the wheel or for the others, or better yet – walk, as I did.

God give me strength, it is almost time to pick up his nibs from work again. May I not be the pinhead today.

Peace,

Mare 

9/11 Remembrance - Angel*s Circle, Staten Island

This is a poem I wrote years ago about a place here in Staten Island called Angel*s Circle. It is a place where we Islanders can go and sit and just be........

missing our loved ones, but knowing they are in a better place than we are. God bless all those lost in the attacks on 9/11/2001 and in Benghazi last year and those left behind. We were blessed to have known them while they were here.

The Circle

The circle of angels beckoned to me
to visit the loved one I lost on that day
the circle was filled with prayers and esprit
as I lovingly lay down a poem and bouquet

Everyone silent as they moved through the paths
lips moving in prayer as they looked at each face
their family and friends all lost in the wrath
now nestled in heaven and filled with God*s grace

We feel all our hearts are together as one
teardrops giving emotions away
a plethora of grief in unison
for the loved ones we lost on that September day

In a most beautiful garden of spirit and light
where we gather to remember those that we love
is where suddenly my soul is filled with delight
as a Monarch flutters down from the heavens above

The only one I have seen in this Summertime
the butterfly floats to a rose that*s cerise
a gift from the heavens, both serene and divine
and I know that my loved one is home and at peace

Copyright 2004
Marianne E. Hare

So many friends and neighbors and members of our community

My beloved cousin, firefighter Eric T. Olsen

Isn*t just beautiful?

God bless America!

Yes, Angel Circle is located in a traffic median in the Grasmere section of S.I. It is a triangular piece on Fingerboard Road and Hylan Boulevard.

Goodbye My Little Friends

Either I have gone deaf or the 17 year cicadas are returning to the underground from which they came. Personally I think I am the only person that found comfort in the noise of their mating rituals; the incessant and very loud humming buzz. It was as if an old friend came to visit me.  It sounds weird right? Tom seems to be a chip off the old block too. He said that he did not mind the sound either. There are certain sounds and smells that bring me right back to my childhood. They say that the sense of smell is one of the strongest when it comes to memories but I think that sound is right behind that.

Although not too old at the time, I do remember my first experience with the cicadas back in 1962 when Staten Island was predominantly woods in my town. The sound was deafening back then and the cicadas, which are a pretty formidable size at about an inch, covered the ground and hung on the trees for dear life. You could not walk a foot without stepping on them. Behind our house was a small farm that Mr. Haynes owned. He had ducks, chickens and a tremendous lot filled with all sorts of plantings. I can still see the ducks waddling with their bellies scraping on the ground because they were just so full of the delectable cicadas. That is when I learned from my mom, God bless her soul, that bugs were protein. Yuck mom, I will take your word for it.

This year, though, the sound bought me back to that simpler time and filled my heart with peace believe it or not. It was a time when my little island was not yet connected to Brooklyn and before the housing boom that now has created chaos and jammed streets filled with cars. I remember fondly the Memorial Day Parade in our town that drew the whole town and the local groups like the school bands, Boy and Girl Scouts, and the kids would decorate their bikes with red, white and blue streamers. A ceremony would be held in the town circle where the names would be read of those from our town that gave their lives for their country. While the head mucky mucks would give their speeches we kids would be trying our hardest to finish the ice cream cones that were in our hands before they melted right down to the elbow of the arm it was being held in. We, as a nation, were proud to be Americans.

It was a wonderful time where we, as kids, would play in the woods and climb trees, collect shells, colored glass and driftwood that had washed up on our beaches and where sitting under a tree during the hot Summer days reading your books for school (that were on that list) was a chore. (You know, THAT reading list.) The older I get the more I appreciate life back then. My parents did a very good job of giving me a childhood that was shielded by the Cuban Missile Crisis, The Cold War and The Vietnam War, though by age ten the ugliness of life started to seep into that bucolic life.

I wonder what it will be like when the cicadas return in 2030. I wonder if I will still be here and what my life will be like. I wonder if I will still have the religious freedoms that I have today or if they too will be buried underground. More and more every year Christmas is becoming a secular holiday where people like my neighbor, a Russian Jew, puts up a tree and decorations so his kid does not feel left out. If Thanksgiving, a NATIONAL holiday has people dashing out to stores for bargains right after sitting down to dinner, what will Christmas be like? How will our holiest of days, Easter, be treated? I read some sad facts just this morning. Only 5% of Christians have read the Bible, cover to cover. The average Catholic spends only 5 minutes a day in prayer. Last year 100,000 Christians were persecuted for their religious beliefs worldwide. What kind of America will the cicadas find in 2030? I guess it is time for the Christians to step up to the plate and start hitting some home runs for Jesus. That, at least, would be a step in the right direction.

Peace,
Mare 

Storms and Solace

For once, I am speechless. Mark your calendars; it is surely a day for the record books. Let me start by saying thank you God for sparing my family and friends and keeping us all safe during Hurricane Sandy and the subsequent Nor*easter. Yes, some of our family and friends lost all of their belongings and some their homes, but things can be rebuilt and restored to some degree of normalcy; people are irreplaceable. My heart breaks for all those that lost loved ones. You have been in my thoughts and prayers since the storm first hit and the first casualty was reported.

While the world was watching what was going on in Staten Island we, though in the midst of it all, knew virtually nothing. I know how high the water reached some of our south shore communities from our first venture out the day after to check on friends and a relative who live near the shoreline (otherwise known as flood section A). I know how stubborn some people were in not evacuating or being unable to and knew that life and death situations were happening less than a mile away and all around the island. I also knew as the winds bent trees to the ground and snapped 100 year old oaks like twigs that we were in serious trouble when I saw my first big gust attack my neighbor*s tree, while I was washing the dishes and facing the window. The storm left me with an emptiness inside. Our electric went out the night of the storm, along with cellphone reception, internet, and landline telephone service. We also lost part of our roof and a tree in the backyard was damaged. Thank God, we were one of the lucky ones that still had gas and were able to cook on our stove top the slowly defrosting items from the fridge and freezer, so we had food. We also had hot water because of the gas. We lived by candlelight at night and broke out the board games. We went to bed early and woke up early and spent the days with our neighbors standing outside and talking. That is how we got our information, along with my little transistor radio, a relic from my teen years. It was eerie to listen to radio stations that had no information as they too were cut off from news suppliers and operating on generators. It was humbling to live without electric as so many all over the world do. But most of all it was very unsettling to me to know that the adoration chapel was closed for 2 full weeks (you know how I love my adoration chapel) and that evening and early morning masses could not be held because of the darkness. Candles just light so much.

Being a small community though, something beautiful started to happen right after the first storm hit. We started to help each other. Strangers from all over the country came here to help us get back up and operating. Because of that we had our electric back in 5 days, the cellphones in 6 and the internet and telephone in 8. We JUST got gas into our car, which sat idle for a week due to the crisis. What little we had initially though was enough for us to check on the well being of our friends. Unfortunately it was not enough to get us to a gas station. Thanks to the help of one of Tom*s friends we finally got enough in the tank to move the car.

Thank God for the National Guard that has been helping out from before the storm even hit, the Army is here and recently Homeland Security is here as well. The amount of people volunteering at the shelters and helping homeowners clean out, eat, and stay warm is overwhelming. FEMA stopped by our home the other day to check on us, though they deserted us like a sinking ship when the Nor*easter blew into town, they did return. We are not quite sure what the Red Cross is doing, but if cars are swept away those most affected are not going to be visiting them wherever they have set up shop (that applies to FEMA too). People are still suffering. Many are displaced. Many are still without electric and heat not only here but in our neighboring boroughs as well.

As a community, Staten Islanders are healing. We are burying our dead, digging out the homes that can be salvaged, feeding, clothing, and housing those people most severely affected and praying that those still without electric and heat get it back soon. Even though I never take my blessings for granted, these few weeks have taught even me a few lessons about the human spirit. Even though we are the forgotten borough of NYC I am very proud of my fellow Islanders and their response to the needs of their neighbors. Also, I am very thankful to all of the first responders and all those that travelled great distances to help us. On a lighter note, I learned that prayer by candlelight and without the background noises of electric made me feel closer to God. I also learned that I can live without the internet, television and yes, even lights for long periods of time and that I expect going forward I will be paying Con Edison much less in bills from this valuable lesson. I learned once again that my son, Tom, is just an absolutely awesome guy to be with any time - even in crisis mode. Most of all it taught me that the majority of people are good of heart and willing to help others less fortunate.

May God bless Staten Island and the United States of America, for we are truly united.

Mare

CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO SEE THEM ENLARGED.

Boat from the Raritan Bay, which is now in a parking lot off Sharrotts Road 

Just one of the homes affected by the storm

Look at the roots of that thing! Same house as above, just another closer angle

Boats from a local marina piled up on neighboring streets left some road unpassable

One of the homes that was hit with the 10 foot water surge, belongs to a friend of the family 

The main road in our town (Annadale Road) blocked off by downed trees and power lines

God is Awesome

Yup. No two ways about it. God is Awesome. A good friend of mine from Nigeria, Fr. Basil, always has us say God is good all the time and All the time God is good when he says the Mass. God is good and as often as we go about our daily lives and do not realize or think that he is with us in all that we do and say sometimes he just has a way of subtly reminding us.

Long ago and far away, before I was a revert to Catholicism (not that I was ever that far away from it) I remember reading that there are signs in life that show you that you are on your correct life path. I am pretty sure it is some type of new age thing and I probably read it during that phase of my life when I dabbled in it for a moment or two.  Sometimes I do still question my existence, just like every other person on the planet does at one point or another (actually existence is the wrong word to use for this ponderance; I think vocation may be a better one for it). Yesterday my co-adorer and I were bad girls again, bad, bad, bad but we did not start it. The woman that comes in to check on the fresh flowers in front of the altar started it by asking us for some donations to ship supplies to Fr. Basil*s parish in Nigeria. But Diane and I got into a discussion afterward about our vocations in this life. It is the vocation of the flower lady to come into the Perpetual Adoration Chapel every week to make sure the flowers are fresh and beautiful for our Lord, and that the room is clean and the candles burning well. Diane (also a revert) is pretty close to what we refer to as a Savant when it comes to the Mystics of the Church. She has read everything there is to know about their lives, their visions, the messages and she is definitely a fount of information for all things where mystical saints are concerned. She and I talk often on the phone about all types of things but have not spoken over the last few weeks so that is where our chatting came from yesterday.

Our last conversation, about 2 weeks ago though, freaked her out a little. We were talking about (I believe) her job, which is in an office. Out of the blue I asked her about her scapular that she wore and what her daily devotion was while wearing it. I am pretty sure it was at this point I could hear her mouth drop open because I heard the uncertainty in her voice as she asked me why I had asked her that? How did I know that she was wearing one? Well obviously I can see it outlined on her back through a white blouse or sometimes the cords on her neck. But she still could not believe that I had asked her that question. It seems that she had been praying recently, very recently, for God to show her the way to grow closer to His Mother Mary. Diane just bought the scapular and put it on her neck and did not know that when you wear one you are supposed to do certain prayers or a rosary every single day (the full five-decades of the rosary). She was speechless, but God worked through me to teach her how to become closer to his Mother, through the daily rosary. She still shook her head yesterday and said I could not believe you asked me that. Now Diane has a new vocation and she loves it and she is growing closer to Mary with each prayer that she utters and with each bead that flows through her fingertips.

My vocation? Well,  I hope and pray that I am doing it well, because this is a big part of it, writing these words. Meeting those that may or may not come to church at the flea markets and fairs and sharing these beautiful products with them. Hearing their life experiences and sometimes even comforting them when they break down and relate extremely personal details of their lives. Praying daily and often and telling others to do the same. Listening. Sharing. Caring. The website, its Prayer Page and Our Community Page, our Facebook Page and this humble blog all created by me for you with just my aging brain and fingers and A LOT of inspiration and guidance by the Holy Spirit. Glory Glory Gifts is more than a vocation to me; it is my life and my joy to share Jesus with every person that I meet whether it be on-line, on the phone or in person.

If you ever wonder if your vocation in life is taking you on the right path, here is a beautiful prayer that St. Theresa taught us. It is perfect for any person to say, not just those that believe in the saints. 

May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.

A perfect prayer and thought for any person regardless of faith to contemplate every single day.

Peace,

Mare  

Love Thy Neighbor -

easier said than done sometimes, especially in this day and age. I have to admit it; I have been very nostalgic over the last few days. That is one of the tricks that growing older can play on you. Youth seems clearer to you sometimes than yesterday does. Lately I have been missing the old days when Tom was just a wee boy running around the neighborhood lawns with his friends and I would sit on the front steps with my neighbors and just chat about all sorts of things. Back then you did not think twice about asking your neighbor to babysit and of course you would reciprocate any time they needed help as well. We laughed together, we mourned together, and as a community we grew our children together.

Thinking back even further to the days on Staten Island, before the bridge, and even after, when I was still a child. I never, never, ever heard my parents talk about any of our neighbors unless it was to say that they were doing something with them or something of the sort. We were a very tight knit neighborhood and supported each other through all the challenges that life gave us. My parents taught me a valuable lesson about looking out for each other.

That feeling remained with me when I moved into this neighborhood 17 years ago. I used to have an older Italian woman living next door. Our backyards did not have a fence between them so very often I would sit in mine and she in hers and we would chat. My yard was all grass at the time so  I would help her weed her little piece of  Italy. She had a beautiful little yard with fruit trees lining a brick walk and grapevines covering an open trellis above her patio. Assorted flowers dotted her landscape as well. I used to love the smells wafting from her kitchen too or waking to the sounds of the operas that she had playing on her CD player. Often times I would wake to the opera music early in the morning and I just knew that she had her canvas set up and was painting in the yard. She often did that. In the front of the houses was our garden. When I first moved in it was half grass (my side) and half bushes and flowers (hers). After one season I thought this looks so stupid, so I ripped up the grass, mirrored her side on my own and then infused more flowers onto both sides. Many a Spring, Summer and even Autumn when we were experiencing an Indian Summer we would sit out there and weed the garden and just chat. Those moments are ones that I still cherish. Mary moved away when she got sick and never had the heart to say goodbye to me but that is okay. It would have broken my heart to say goodbye.  She is now with God, having passed away a few years after her move,  and I am sure tending to an incredible garden in paradise while listening to an incredible choir.

On the other side was a family with two kids. That family was loud and boisterous, but what I call good people. Of course the neighborhood was brimming with kids. Many of them used to come and sit with me and help me in the garden. They would then come and show their parents what they had planted and sometimes I would give them a plant of their own to put in their bedroom. Grace used to play with the kids too. She would often frolic on my neighbors grass with the kids laughing with glee because she was kissing their faces. Gosh I loved this neighborhood and all of my neighbors.

Lately? It has become a struggle to live here. Neighborhoods change, people move, life goes on. I miss the small town U.S.A. that I grew up in. I miss the caring and compassion of years gone by. I am finding it incredibly difficult to love my neighbor when they are standing in front of my home gossiping about people (including me). My crime? The guy next door got some poison ivy in HIS yard. My response? Yank it out; just like I yanked it out of my yard two months ago. Ivy happens and spreads. Get over it. This same guy? Stole my snow shovel during the Christmas blizzard a few years ago and then lent it out to the guy next to him. He also stole  my weed whacker and a 500 foot extension cord a few Summers ago. This year? He called the health department on us. They arrived, looked at the backyard and said what is this guys problem? There is nothing out there. Case closed.  Some neighbors are just not very neighborly.

Jesus gave us a very tall order -

You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect - Matthew 5:43-48.*

To be honest, I am struggling with it at the moment. I do not know if it is because I am tired and not feeling well or what but my pollyanna, rose colored glasses, the glass is always half full outlook on life is wearing around the edges. The only thing that I can do is arm myself with a rosary and meditate with an open heart and often. Not only will I pray for strength for myself I will also pray for my neighbor. Most of all I will forgive him and move on. That is what Jesus would want me to do and as hard as it is to do, it is the proper thing to do anyway. Just let it all go. That is the only way that healing can begin. Regardless of what we do Jesus loves each and every one of us. If we are to follow in his footsteps we must do the same.

Have a peaceful week,

Mare

Yesterday, I Heard the Voice of an Angel

No kidding! Yesterday I was up very early, well for me anyway, and had my morning routine done by 9:00 am so I decided to go to mass earlier rather than later and attended the 9:30. Did you ever have one of those moments when something just elated you so much that you had to smile? Well I had one of those moments yesterday.

From where I was sitting I could not see the angel. I could not tell you if it was a boy or a girl, or their age. But what I can tell you is they might have been pint-sized in stature but certainly not in devotion. There was an adult choir singing at the mass, front and center of the church, but the angel had them beat  by a mile and sang every song as if it was being sung from the tip of his/her toes to the top of their head. The little angels somewhat squeaky voice  sang every single song and said every prayer clearly and crisply and with such innocence it was hard not to smile. I could just imagine the little finger pointing at each word as it was enunciated. It was just beautiful and uplifting and poignant.

Perhaps that is what Jesus meant when he said -

Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven - Matthew 18:3 King James Bible

When was the last time you attended service and sang the loudest (or even sang) and recited the prayers and thought of the meaning behind each word and understood or, at the very least, contemplated it?  I will admit I am not perfect either. On occasion I too have been known to mouth words to songs or not sing along as I did yesterday because I did not have them in front of me. We should all approach the church and the altar of God as brilliantly as that small child did yesterday. What an incredible service that would be.

If that beautiful little voice elated me to a new height I cannot even begin to fathom how it elated our blessed Lord Jesus, to whom he/she was singing and praying. All of us could learn from the little angel. Leave all the things of this world outside when you enter your church. Listen to the scriptures; do not just read them in the book. Close the book and listen to the words being read and those being preached. Sing the songs, even if you sometimes sound like a croaking toad as I often do. Approach the Eucharist with the reverence and grace that it deserves, regardless if you believe it is His actual body and blood or a reminder of His sacrifice. Keep the Sabbath holy. Attending mass on Sundays is a wonderful way for a family to spend a day. It is true - the family that prays together, stays together. I am not sure if services are mandatory for many of the Christian faiths, I suppose it is, however I do know it is for a Catholic. Nothing has changed in their doctrine since its inception. Sunday mass is mandatory and to not attend (sans illness or inability such as there are no churches in your area) is considered a MORTAL sin. That is a major no-no.

Let us all find time to be with our Lord here on earth and have the same passion for Him as the little angel.  He deserves nothing less than our undivided attention and our un-ending devotion. I have often said if you cannot find one hour a week to spend with Him, well then how do you expect to spend an eternity with Him? Let us all approach the altar of Our Lord with the same zeal, devotion and innocence as the little angel.  Have a blessed week.

Peace!
Mare

I AM Turning Into My Mother

I really did not expect it to happen, ever, but it is true - I am turning into my mother. You  probably noticed it before I had - given some of my postings here, but it crept up on me slowly, tentatively like a cat about to pounce on its prey. Neither the cats prey nor I saw it coming until yesterday. My mom was a naturalist and loved all Gods creatures, great and small. She used to guide tours and teach school kids at a local conservation center named High Rock. She had an awesome, rocking, HUGE garden in our backyard with brick walkways and sections for flowers, herbs, vegetables and even corn one year! She would much rather have been in that garden, at her beloved Garden Club meeting or in High Rock then cooped up in a house cooking and cleaning. Oh yes, I am definitely her daughter.

I grew up in Staten Island  when it was rural. The man behind us had a small farm, complete with chickens and a coop. You will often hear the native islanders from the early 1960s and prior aka before the bridge grumbling about how the island was ruined once that darn bridge went up. Truly what ruined it was the politicians and the government that just let building ensue willy nilly without a thought to our infrastructure and our sadly inadequate roadways and transportation.  Still in many areas of the island today you need a car to get around even though we probably have at this point about half a million residents crammed onto this island, that is just under 14 miles long and a little over 7 miles wide. That is it. When I was little we played outside all day, every day, after school or all Summer long. We played in the woods, collected shells and magic glass at the beach and made snow forts and ice skated on frozen ponds in the Winter.

We are part of New York City, but you would never know it; Mayor Bloomberg forgets that we are here, the local news channels and weather people do as well. I think I may be the ONLY person in the borough, aside from my Aunt Barbara, who rode the 69th Street ferry for the last ride and then was one of the first cars over the Verrazano. Aunt Barbara and her husband Uncle Taube brought me along for the ride that day, way back on November 21, 1964 when I was 7. I do not really remember it but I will take her word for it. What was really cool, though, was when the bridge turned 25 they closed the top off to vehicles so that we could walk across it so Tom and I did just that. He was 6 at the time.  I wonder what they will do for the 50th?

Just like my mom I crave to be near nature and beauty, except for spiders that is. Yesterday I did weed the front patch next to the car port, but it was glorious just to be outside. After that I moved into the backyard with the dogs and brought my rosary beads along for my daily prayers. Not a butterfly in sight but there was a clear-winged dragonfly with black tips on each wing whizzing around. Funny, but a number of times it landed on my hand that was holding the rosary. You know that just made my day. While I was sitting there I also noticed that my first rose of the season has bloomed and I found a four-leaf clover! Lucky me.

Each season has its own beauty. Every day has its own special moments too. My suggestion to you? Take your rosary into your backyard, or someplace quiet outdoors and just listen, breath, meditate and reconnect with God and all of his glorious gifts. It uplifts the soul and that weariness that you sometimes carry around with you will dissipate into the breeze leaving you with a sense of renewal.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Mare