John Cardinal O'Connor, the Angels and Me

Lately, I've been thinking about my Mom and Dad, who I lost in 1994 and 1989 respectively. The holidays, and particularly this year, loss and solitude is weighing heavily on not only my heart, but so many others too.

But, this post isn't about loss or loneliness, it's about hope and angels and someone always having your back.

I have to start this story from the beginning, which was way back in 1994 when my Mom was ill and bedridden. In May of that year our church was having a dedication and John Cardinal O'Connor, who was the Archbishop of New York at the time, was coming to bless the new altar. My Mom had wanted to go in the worst way, but it just wasn't physically possible for her to do that. My brother was going to be at that Mass though with his family. After the service my brother managed to talk to Cardinal O'Connor and tell him about our Mom and how sad she was that she couldn't be there. Cardinal O'Connor asked for her phone number and promised my brother that he would call her once he was on his way in the car.

As they say, timing is everything... I lived in an apartment next door to my Mom and just happened to be walking over to her house when my brother excitedly pulled up and he and his family piled out of the car with him yelling, "Mare get in the house quick! Mom's getting a phone call!" I had no clue what was happening but of course we all ran into the house as the phone was ringing. Mom picked up the receiver and the moment she heard the Cardinal's voice,  her tears started to flow. We will never know everything that he said to her but I do know that he promised to pray for her at the Mass the next day. He wouldn't mention her name, but she would know that it was her specifically that he was praying for. 

My Mother was raised as a Lutheran. As a matter of fact, her grandfather was a Pastor. She converted to Catholicism to marry my Dad. Growing up, we were raised to pray the rosary as a family, attend Mass weekly and say grace at every meal. My Dad used to do Eucharistic Adoration on the first Fridays of the months, so we were all raised in the faith.  After my Dad passed away I went to Mass with her on occasion. I had Tom at the time so sometimes we had other commitments so we couldn't go with her but the times I did go it seems that she was always in tears by the end. If I was there I would sit there and hold her hand for as long as she needed, but it always just killed me to think of all the people, and priests, that might be just passing her by when I wasn't there. When she got too ill to go, she watched the Mass, from St. Patrick's Cathedral, daily on the t.v. She had a devotion to Mary too and used a one-decade crystal rosary that I had given her to say her daily prayers on. That little rosary would go on to spur me to a rejuvenation of my own faith after she was gone, as I have written about in another post.

After the telephone call, I wrote a thank you note to Cardinal O'Connor but I also mentioned to him my concerns about her spiritual support, or rather lack of it, from our parish. I also wrote about my own struggles with dealing with her illness and just my life in general. I was gob-smacked when I received a response from him. Even more humbling, was the personal note that he added at the bottom, 

"I hope to be able to visit your mother personally on the occasion of the very first opportunity I have. Please tell her I did offer Mass for her in St. Patrick's Cathedral."

Something else happened around that time though. Somehow I found the incredible strength to get through this very difficult time and I could actually feel the presence of some very large angels around me. I believe that it was the prayers and Masses that Cardinal O'Connor offered for my family and I that carried us through those dark months. I could literally feel them beside me and behind me, every day and all day for months. Their presence was so strong, I felt like other people should be able to see them with me, towering over my petite frame.  

I know for a fact that my Mother had angels surrounding her as well. She spoke about them being in her room and protecting her from the other fallen ones that were there too.

Prayer is a very powerful aid, very powerful indeed. I even know the exact day that they left me. At the time I lived literally around the corner from town and had walked up to the pharmacy. When I was in there I met a man, Mr. DePonte, who I've known since I was a little girl. Mr. DePonte had an amazing baritone voice and sang with our church choir. He sang solo at my Mom's funeral Mass. When I met him in the pharmacy he looked a little down-trodden but I went over to him and thanked him for his amazing performance and complimented him on his voice. It was like the sun shone again when he heard my words. He left the pharmacy with a smile on his face. I distinctly remember when I was walking home I felt suddenly elated. I felt like the angels were patting me on the back and saying you did good!  You will be fine! Our work is done here. In an instant, I didn't feel them anymore, but they had gotten me through my Mom's birthday, which was in mid-October.  

It was truly a blessing to have Cardinal O'Connor in my life over those few months. One person's prayers and support can make such a huge difference in a person's life. I thank God that the spirit moved my brother to say something to him when he had the opportunity. I thank God that the Cardinal was not only a man of word but one of action as well. He gave me the incredible strength to go on and my Mother the peace that she needed in order to let go of us and to move on. 

Over the months I wrote a few more times to him to keep him current on the situation. He responded every time I wrote to him, though it took a few weeks.

The Cardinal added a note to our last correspondence that said, 

"I am so grateful for having met her, if only by phone." 

I just wanted you all to know that you are never alone. Your Guardian Angel is ALWAYS with you. Jesus, is ALWAYS with you. Prayers do work. Pray for someone today that they may feel your love. After all, prayer is the greatest gift of love.

Peace to you all.

Mare

 

 

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday, April 28, 2019~

Happy Divine Mercy Feast Day! Check your parish for celebrations and confessions starting at 3:00 PM today. Have a blessed and beautiful day!

The Church of Holy Child, Staten Island, will have a celebratory gathering with song, The Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and prayers beginning at 3:00 PM in the forum. You will then move into the church at 3:30 for Confessions, readings from St. Faustina's Diary, testimonials, veneration of the Blessed Sacrament, adoration of the image of Jesus, the Divine Mercy and Mass at 5:30 PM.

Join us for this special Feast Day and God bless you.

"The Feast of Mercy emerged from my very depths of tenderness. It is my desire that it solemnly be celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the fount of My Mercy." Jesus

 "I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet." Diary 699  

When God Said Ha!, Ha, Ha, Ha

I'm odd. Not odd like you want to run and hide yourself or your wallet from me odd. I'm just funny, ha, ha odd. Things strike me funny that might not necessarily make someone else laugh, but they do make me laugh. I think that God enjoys a laugh once in a while too sometimes. I don't think He sits there and orchestrates every little thing that happens in people's lives. There is one instance, however, where I think that He had a twinkle in His eye and saw an opportunity that He just couldn't resist.....

It happened on a frigid Christmas Eve night back in the late 90's. One of our local parishes used to have a live nativity in the barn right next to the rectory. On that night, I drove there straight from work. It was a very cold day but when the sun went down, and the wind whipped up, it got quite blustery outside, so I dashed from my car, down the steps and into the barn. There were a few people inside, but because of the cold they bustled away and left me in there alone. The inside is set up so that when you step through the door you walk into an area that has waist-high shelves with bales of hay underneath them. They are against the three walls~ behind you, to your left and in front of you. To your right,  the wall is about 15' away and that is where the animals graze. A 3' fence keeps them in that enclosure and that juts out of the larger barn doors and down the driveway so that the animals have some space to roam. On a cold night like this, though, they were nestled under the stage area, on which the nativity scene was, and huddled around the interior of the barn, rather than outside. Standing in there, looking at the nativity, feeling the air, being engulfed by the silence, is an amazing experience. I stood there for a few moments just breathing in the smell of the hay and letting the stress of the work day evaporate from me. 

It was while I was standing there that I noticed several pieces of mail sitting on the shelf right in front of me. One of them was opened and the letter was just lying there for me to see. It was from a large chain store giving them a discount. I pushed the envelopes around with my gloved finger and there were quite a few of them, but, there was one envelope, unopened, that I could clearly see the address from and well, that one really intrigued me...

I just stood there and looked at it. While standing there I shifted my weight from one leg to the other and cocked my head. My finger reaching up to stroke my chin while I contemplated why they were there in the first place. I had that little niggling nagging going on in my head. Open it, it said. Nobody will know it was you, it said. On the other hand I had another little voice saying, it's none of your business. Leave it alone. Don't touch it. Decisions, decisions. I was so engrossed in my own thoughts that everything around me became unfocused and my fingers now lingered over the mail and my fingertips pushed it around again.  I was probably standing there for a full 3 minutes and finally, just as my hand was closing around that one envelope, a sound EXPLODED in my ear...

MAAAAARRREEEE!!! MAAAAARRRREEEE! 

I almost shot out of my high heeled shoes. Standing next to me, with his head hung over the fence, was the largest freaking goat I had ever seen. I was so engrossed, I never saw it coming. 

Of course, instantaneously I knew that I was about to do something wrong, so I looked up and said, "well played, God. I get it." I scampered out of there like the place was on fire.

When I was leaving, I scooped the mail up in my hands and rang the doorbell of the rectory. It was safely deposited into the hands of the priest that answered the door. Of course, I roared with laughter all the way home, after the shock wore off. In fact, it still makes me laugh all of these years later and I do love to share it too as I am doing here.

I think it was one time that God did say HA to me. How else would the goat know my name? Just kidding folks! Get it? KIDding. Okay, I'll stop now. 

True story and one that I think will put a smile on your face. Have a fabulous week and give someone else a smile. There seems to be a LOT of people that need one these days.

Peace
Mare

No, this is not my "friend". My friend retired from acting in the early 2000's.

Pray Internally........ Live Externally

That is my favorite new motto, which came to me yesterday during Mass. It seems odd that this would come to me during a community prayer meet, but such is life. You just never know where or when you will be inspired.

God loves when we come together in a communal celebration of worship and thank Him for all the good things in life. Many times our community is what sustains us. You can see that phenomenon often after tragedy strikes or even daily by the donated food that lines the pantries across our nation. Yesterday we had one of our visiting priests, who used to be a part of our community, get up and thank us for our past support of his parish in Nigeria. It was our community that provided the funds for his parish to build their own place of worship. This is the second church that we have built in Nigeria and both were done so through our financial support. We have also built a school, in the last few years, and provided the books and computers and other items necessary for a good education in today's world. That is certainly the beautiful side of humanity and is the definition of living externally. It is giving to others what you have of your excess, or better yet, doing without so that you can enhance someone else's life. A sacrifice is the most beautiful act that you can do for another and so much more rewarding. You do not have to build schools and churches in a far off country to live externally; there are things much closer to home that you can do. It is as simple as acknowledging your neighbor. 

After all, it is the simple things that mean so much, a smile, a gesture, a friendly touch...

Get out of your own head and small little world and treat others the way that you want to be treated. Hold the door for the next person coming out behind you; take your neighbor's garbage can in; be kind to cashiers and the others in line; lay off the horn ~ that will not make traffic move quicker. For God's sake SMILE. It's true, a smile does not cost you anything. It can, however, be priceless for the one receiving it as well. You cannot change the world, but, you can change the way that you interact with all of the people in it, particularly those that come in contact with you. You don't live in a bubble, therefore, what you do does have an affect on people. Make it a positive one.

BTW, keep your good actions to yourself for your good acts are between you and God and nobody else.

As for praying internally, well I'll leave that part of my motto to the big guns. Nobody said it better than Our Lord in Matthew 6:5-15:

 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
    but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’

14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Have a blessed week. Peace,

Mare

The Divine Mercy Chaplet

I have been contemplating this prayer for a few weeks now and how powerful it is and the implications of saying it daily. I do try to say it daily, but let's face it, somedays I forget; somedays I am annoyed at something or someone and say eh, no, not praying today; and some I just have the best intentions but run out of steam and nod off in the middle of it. Most of the time I do say it, though, and it is part of my daily ritual just as taking a shower and having my morning cup of tea are.

A little history of the Divine Mercy Chaplet ~
From 1931 to 1938 Our Lord appeared to a Polish Sister by the name of Maria Faustina Kowalska.  Our Lord appeared to her many times during those years and told her of his Divine Mercy and that all should approach Him and ask Him for it. Anyone who approaches Him will be spared the fires of hell if they turn to Him during their life or at the moment of their death. The Chaplet is said to increase your own devotion to Christ and it is said in the presence of the dying so that He can be the just judge and grant them mercy at the moment of death. There are basically three things to remember about the chaplet:

1. You should ask for His Mercy. Jesus wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly.  He wants us to repent of our sins and ask Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world. 
2. You should be merciful to others. Jesus wants us to receive His mercy. He wants us to extend our love and mercy to others, through forgiveness, just as He does for us. 
3. You should have complete trust in Jesus. Jesus wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Him, the more graces we will receive. 


The revelations, devotions, Feast day, image and graces were all written, by her, prior to her death in 1938. Jesus told her to record all that He had given her and the devotion of the faithful commenced just prior to her death. The notes are referred to as her Diary btw.

The chaplet is said daily at 3:00 P.M. If you cannot say the entire chaplet, which takes 7-8 minutes, you can say, "Jesus, I trust in you" at that hour and then the chaplet when you have time. Here is the Chaplet, which is on our Prayer Page at the website as well, so you can see the "rosary" prayers mentioned. It IS said on a standard rosary. http://www.gloryglorygifts.com/the-prayer-page.html.

THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET

​1. Make the Sign of the Cross - In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. Our Father (see rosary)
3. Hail Mary (see rosary)
4. The Apostle's Creed (see rosary)
5. The Eternal Father
Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
6. On the Ten Small Beads of Each Decade
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
7. Repeat for the remaining decades
Saying the "Eternal Father" (6) on the "Our Father" bead and then 10 "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion" (7) on the following "Hail Mary" beads.
8. Conclude with Holy God (Repeat three times)
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
9. Optional Closing Prayer
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

So, getting back to my thoughts. Jesus requested that we say the Chaplet daily for ALL of those that are going to die the day that you say it. Those who do perpetual adoration are asked to say it for ALL those that will die during the week. It occurred to me after the Orlando shootings that I had said the prayer for ALL those that died in that tragedy. That is a pretty heavy responsibility when you think about it. Jesus heard my prayer (and every other person that said it that day) for every one of those people before they ever stepped foot into that club. Do you see where this is heading? Yup, I prayed for the patrons, workers and I even prayed for the shooter. I will be honest, at first I was horrified when I realized that but since I have calmed down it has occurred to me that Jesus did say to love my enemy. Pray for my enemy for what reward is there in loving your friends and family - even the tax collectors do that (okay so I paraphrased Jesus). That is exactly what Jesus told St. Faustina when he appeared to her ~ that the Divine Mercy Chaplet is to be said for the most hardened of hearts. IF he cried out to Jesus in the last moment he could be saved. He didn't though, so my guess (though I'm not supposed to do this) is that he isn't with Jesus in paradise. 

We are living in a very messed up world that seems to be growing worse each day. I do take a small amount of comfort in knowing that Jesus heard many prayers for those that lost their lives in Dallas, Nice and Turkey this past week. May His divine mercy rest on those of the faithfully departed that we have lost and on those that we are yet to lose.

I implore  you to start saying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy today. Increase your own devotion to Christ and pray for all humanity. The Chaplet can lead many lives to Him, even at the hour of their death. Your prayer, of this chaplet, can save a soul and that is a pretty awesome thing.

God bless, and peace

Mare

BTW: Maria Faustina Kowalska was made a saint by the Catholic Church in 2000. Pope John Paul II called her the first Saint of the new millennium.

Does God Answer Our Prayers?

Well, I think He answers my prayers, SOMETIMES.  AT Times I don't like the answer; sometimes I feel like He isn't listening. The truth of the matter is that God hears all of our prayers.

Admittedly, many days I feel very close to him and it is often on days that I least expect to find any kind of peace or solace that I experience it. I live with a chronic, often very painful, syndrome that is basically a ticking time bomb in my body. I know that it is fatal but we are all dying so that thought really doesn't bother me. After all, you do have to die in order to be with our Lord and hold his hand or be held in his embrace. Truly, I long for that day however I wouldn't do anything to speed the process along; I have too many things I want to accomplish here before that happens. There are days, though, that I am wracked with so much pain that I have curled up into my bed and under the covers. On those days I have cried out to him to relieve the pain and yes, with the help of things like Advil and warmth the pain is alleviated.

Almost a decade ago I met a man. The moment our eyes met it was like the world stopped and I got hit by a lightning bolt at the same time. We got very friendly very fast and when I was with him, even if there were hundreds of people in the room with us, it was like we were the only two people standing there. I can't even count how many nights I tossed and turned and wrote in my journal all because of him. The first few years it was agony and ecstasy as any new relationship is. You know how it is, you think of your love night and day and can't wait to see them, even if it is just a glimpse of their smile. You don't have to go anywhere or do anything special, just being with them is special enough and you want to spend all of your free time with them. The only problem was that there wasn't any sunsets and rainbows in our future. There wasn't even any dates or stolen kisses in the present. I was gob-smacked, over the moon, crazy in love with a man that was totally and completely off the market and there was no way that was going to change either. It was sheer torture. Now I'm a reasonably level-headed gal. I do not give into flights of fancy and my feet are pretty grounded in reality but the man just overwhelmed me with emotion. After a few years of intensity I finally dropped to my knees in my bedroom one night and prayed fervently that God would lift this burden from my heart. He did just that and He also knocked me on my butt for a few years too. When I saw the man a  year or so later my heart still leaped, I can't lie, but at least I was able to talk to him without blushing wildly like a school girl. God answered my prayer yet I also got the opportunity to distance myself from things so that a clearer head could prevail. He is such an awesome God for doing that for me. It does show me, though, that even if you are truly, madly, deeply in love with someone that doesn't mean that you are meant to be together. It isn't a fun part of life yet it is a fact of life (and no he was not a married man, not in the traditional way anyway).

It is mentioned in the Bible that God does not answer all prayer. John 9:31 states, "We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will." Well, since we are all sinners, I am certainly flawed as you have read, does this mean that only a select few receive his response to our prayer? Seems so. I guess, if you are living a life that is rife with mortal sin don't expect to be hearing from Him anytime soon. You must have a penitent heart, turn your life to Him, and live in the graces that He has given you. If it is His will and in your best interest He will heed and answer your prayers. It takes courage and hard work to follow in His footsteps in this day and age. That is why the sacrament of Confession is such a beautiful thing. I find comfort and solace in knowing that I can unburden myself of my sins weekly, if need be, and then go on living my life with and for Christ.

There is a beautiful prayer, The Divine Mercy Chaplet, that can and should be said daily, though it is for the dying. Jesus said that ALL should say this prayer daily. This prayer is one of penitence that asks God to forgive all of your sins. It is said on a rosary. In the interest of space I will provide you with a link to our Prayer Page on the website. The link is above. This is said at 3:00 P.M., which is the holy hour. Another great habit to get into is to meditate on your sins before bed and then say an Act of Contrition. That is on our Prayer Page as well. Another wonderful prayer is The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows. Also on that Page. That is said while you meditate on your sins and Mother Mary's sorrows. They are special beads that are available. Contact us for availability. The link is at the top of this blog.  Divine Mercy, Divine Child of Jesus, Rosary for Life, the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows and a Chaplet to St. Benedict are some that are available at the moment. 

I can promise you, if you put God first in your life, He will put you first as well. Have a great week.

Mare

Small Acts of Kindness

Isn't it lovely when someone does something for you that is quite unexpected? As you know, the Northeast of the U.S. was clobbered last week with a major snowstorm. Of course, my little island got hammered and we got over 2 feet of snow. What you do not know is that I am a disabled American. My disability, which is from a rare disease, does not stop me from running my business or living a full life but it does have its limitations. There are a few things that I know I will never do, like scale Mount Everest, go bungie jumping, run a marathon or shovel snow but hey, I can live with that. Tom was going to do (shovel that is) it when he got his butt in gear and had his coffee. To our surprise it was already almost done when he looked out of our window while putting on his coat. Our neighbor, and his lady friend, had already conquered the snow on our walkway. I was blown away, to say the least. This was a pretty monumental task that he had accomplished but it was his act of kindness that I am in awe of. It seems very few people nowadays actually think of others instead of just themselves, but he did just that. Although I baked him a batch of maple/brown sugar/oatmeal cookies to thank him, he has no idea just how much the clearing of my sidewalk meant to me.

I used to work with a man, John Amodio, that used to say that it was the simple things that meant so much. The one thing he did, which I used to just love, was to hand write notes of thanks to people. Not such a big deal you say? Well, he was the President of a NYC bank, so yeah, it was a pretty big deal. All these years later I still write notes to people, whether through email or by hand not just because of John, but because my Mamma taught me to do it long before he did. Not only is it a small act of kindness and gratitude too; it is the correct thing to do.

Life is made up of little things don't you think? St. Therese of Lisieux offered up her little acts to God all day long. We can all learn from her. Even just looking behind you when you walk through a door, to make sure it doesn't get slammed into someone's face, is an act of kindness. A small act of kindness is akin to being Christ-like. It is putting someone else before you. What a beautiful thing to do.

Have a beautiful day.

Mare

Keep CHRIST in Christmas

Crikey, here we go again. Another mall has consumers up in arms because there isn't a Christmas tree  but a small "holiday" tree or Santa is being placed at the end of the long hall to the left of the water fountain on the lower section of the mall near the parking garage. Don't even get me started on the nativity displays which are nowhere to be found. They have been reduced to diorama, shoe box size, or not displayed at all because someone was offended. Who could possibly be offended by a jolly, chubmeister that likes to shower kiddies with presents, but whose ideal probably arose from the legends of St. Nicholas?

What about the Christmas tree? it's origin is linked to the Christians of Germany in the 16th century. They bought them into their homes to decorate with candles for Christmas. Sure, they were used way before the 16th century by the pagans but the German Christians started the Christmas tree tradition.

The nativity, huh, well God only knows when that tradition was started but I think that if I was a betting woman I could pretty much win by a landslide if I said that it was started by the Christians to remind us of why we celebrate Christmas. The first to be recorded historically was one that St. Francis of Assisi created in front of a cave in Greccio, Italy in 1223. He created it because he was sick and tired of the greed and materialism that was rampant in Italy at the time. Can you imagine that today? Greed and Materialism during Christmas? I can't imagine that. HA!  Greed has been around since the very beginning. (Too bad Eve just had to have that darn apple.) I bet materialism started with her too (sorry Eve). I'm naked? I need fig leaves! I need more fig leaves, and more to match the season change. I need a satchel from a sow's ear to carry my apples in.... and on an on...

It makes me wonder just who these offended people are? Hmmm, let us ponder this.

Are they the Muslims? Umm, I don't think so. The vast majority of them are just ordinary people trying to live ordinary lives in a complicated world

Is it the Jewish people? I don't think it is them either. They are too busy at this time of year trying to find blue & white Hanukkah decorations, which are more elusive than the nativity scenes

The Buddhists, Hindus, Taos, Shintus, Wiccans, Sikhs? Nah, they are all pretty passive folks.

So who does that leave? Is it.... wait for it.... those that do not believe in God? Could it be those that do not believe in The Christ, His birth, and the celebrations and traditions surrounding it that are offended by all the hoopla of the season? Ding! Ding! Winner, Winner, Chicken dinner!

Seriously folks, DO NOT go softly into the night. Stand up and fight! CHRIST IS CHRISTMAS.
Christ is the light of the world. Christ is the greatest gift of all. Christ is the love that abounds during this time of joy. Christ is that baby in the manger and the King of Kings. Put up those Christmas trees. Sing those wonderful carols at the top of your lungs. Give presents to those you love. Say Merry Christmas to people you know and meet. Fight for Christmas and all that it stands for before it becomes just another day of sales at your local mall. "God bless us, every one."* Let us stand together as Christians.



Peace,

Mare


*Excerpt from Charles Dickens, "A Christmas Carol"

Puddles

Here is a little Villanelle I came up with six years ago after 28 days of rain in May though it fits quite nicely into this years weather pattern as well.

Puddles

What is in a drop of rain?

Falling hard or misting dew

puddles causing much disdain

Tapping on the window pane

in the sky not a hint of blue

What is in a drop of rain?

The forecast is the same refrain

so I dream about a rendezvous

Puddles causing much disdain

Days are becoming most mundane

we could share a kiss or two

What is in a drop of rain?

When will this stormy weather wane

with sunbeams bright and shining through?

What is in a drop of rain?

puddles causing much disdain