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SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!

Published on October 20, 2015October 20, 2015 by Dawn Marie4 Comments

“SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!”

No seriously, would SOMEONE please “SHUT the front door?!?!?!!”

I remember shouting this, as if it were just yesterday, exactly one year ago. It was moving day into our New Home, North Star, and I needed to dash off (once again) to go get yet another car load of items from the home we were about to let go of.

My hands were full, the warm autumn sun had brought the bees outside to try to collect the last of the pollen they could find, and I could not manage to close the door behind me as I was exiting. I knew if it remained open a few bees would welcome the idea to take up residence in our new abode along with us!

I summoned twice, to no avail, so my third & final plea turned into a shout and although I meant it to sound URGENT it probably did end up sounding ANGRY, (which tends to mistakenly happen when the soft tone of my voice tries to be taken seriously!) I am so glad God understands my heart! And then it happened…

Yes, the door was finally closed (by a nearby helper who obviously didn’t hear me either because his final words before he shut the door were “Who left the door open??“) But it was what I saw next as I walked toward my car parked at the edge of the curb that made me drop everything I was holding,

IT WAS MY FAVORITE TEACHER IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!

There she was waving at me while shouting, “Hello, Neighbor!”

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! I now lived by Mrs. B!!

(And who knew we both enjoyed shouting???)

Words cannot explain how much I adore her! She was, and continues to be, one of the women I have looked up to and admired as a “Strong-Thinking-Woman.” Besides my god-mother, I had not met another like her! And she took such a kind, personal, interest in me back then, that it helped me to find courage & belief in myself I never may have found without her.

And she was to be one of my new neighbors!

So many wonderful surprises like this have continued throughout this first year at North Star.

We love our new home (and have heard those who purchased our former home feel the same about True North!)

God has a wonderful way of surprising us in life. When we trust in His guidance great grace is given. We are grateful for all the many ways we have experienced this in our relocation.

Today Cuppycake & I will be taking a drive together and I am sure it will feel reminiscent of a drive we took just a year ago. It feels good to be looking out the front window as we drive…and yet I’m grateful for the rear-view one too; as we take stock & appreciate what has led us to this new road we are now on, still led by Christ. And I’m sure before we walk toward the car & pull away we will be certain to…

“Shut the front door!”

hugs n’ blessings to everyone enjoying surprises in their life!

He Came! I saw! He went.

Published on September 29, 2015September 29, 2015 by Dawn Marie9 Comments

We came as pilgrims to see our Holy Father.

And just like the 5,000 who followed You, O Lord, in the desert…we came with dirty, dusty feet; tight muscles & tired shoulders; parched mouths & grumbling stomaches; to be united with all those around us by the Vicar of Christ, Holy Father Pope Francis.

My New Mexico Friends! — My Mexican Friends!

Sr. Shashi from India — Sr. Shashai from India

Friends made outside of St. John's! — Friends made outside of St. John’s!

Would we crowd together with this many for a concert?

Probably not.

Would we walk as many steps and wait so patiently for hours for a sporting event?

Doubtful.

Would we do this all over again in a heart beat for You?

Absolutely!

And we know 1.5 million people would say “Absolutely!” too.

hugs n’ blessings to all of you who were there that day, dusty feet & all!

(A day which has been reported to have been the largest single event in the history of the United States of America!)

Sunday's drive to Mass! — Sunday’s drive to Mass!

the Whole Wide World!

Published on September 26, 2015September 26, 2015 by Dawn Marie8 Comments

I’ve known about the World Meeting of Families for months. I’ve prepared to go for the past couple of weeks. But it wasn’t until today that it hit me…the Whole Wide World had been invited!!

Not just our bus of pilgrims, not just our diocese, not just Pennsylvanian’s but they really meant…the Whole Wide World was invited!

AND THEY CAME!

Not just me, not just our bus, not just the faithful in Pennsylvania but literally tens of thousands of others from…the Whole Wide World! (And they are predicting the city of Philadelphia will have approximately 1.5 million people on its streets beginning tomorrow.)

This great epiphany came as I stood amongst a sea of other Catholics during the final Mass this morning for the World Meeting of Families held in the Grand Hall of the Philadelphia Convention Center. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, presided; as well as, being joined on the altar by a plethara of other fellow Bishops and priests. It was magical and breathtaking and you could feel the commitment of faith from those around you!

Then at the moment Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia said,

“At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say…”

It hit me! That’s when I looked to my left to grab the hand of a Vietnamese woman and then to my right to have my hand held firmly by a Mexican man. Here I was in the middle of two different Countries and the three of us were reciting Our Father’s Prayer, as a part of…the Whole Wide World.

The tears that fell from that holy moment only helped to brighten my view now on all the others who were in the room. A cuban couple in front of me. Koreans behind & to the left. Nigerians to my far right. And fellow Americans directly behind. I believe we all felt this immense connection of being a part of something much bigger than us all. We were family, familia, One Catholic and Apolstolic faith! We were but a small part of a faith that is entrenched in…the Whole Wide World.

How fitting it was that this clarity came under the recitation of Our Father’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer the entire Church says every single day at every Mass and it is part of the Communion Rite. Jesus taught The Lord’s Prayer to his disciples when they asked how to pray (cf. Mt 6:9-13, Lk 11:2-4) and it signifies our communion with God and the fellowship we share with one another. In this prayer, the people join their voices to pray for the coming of God’s kingdom and to ask God to provide for our needs, forgive our sins, and bring us to the joy of heaven.

And peope in the Whole Wide World are invited to profess this!

Won’t you join us too?

these hugs n’ blessings are sent to the far corners of the world today!

ps- Papa Francis arrives tomorrow in Philadelphia and…the Whole Wide World can hardly wait!