Lest you think I am remotely related to Martha Stewart, these kits are available at Costco for well under $10. I did not handcraft gingerbread houses yesterday. I simply opened some boxes, cut open some icing packets, made a little more icing, and took pictures of happy and very busy children.
It's still a good thing, right;-)?
I was coming here tonight to tell you about my bad day. The short version is simply:
I've been hurt by several people I thought were friends and it about crushed me early, early this morning.
Patrick made the state ODP team (good news except that they practice in Richmond every weekend and the people we usually carpool with didn't make the team--have I mentioned how much I dislike driving? I dislike it even more when it's two hours away and likely to be cold).
And so my dear friends, I called Christian and Patrick and the three of us reached way in and pulled that stroller, covered in muck, out of the trash truck. It wasn't pretty. And then I had a very pleasant talk with Customer Service.
By this time, it was nearly noon. I locked myself in my room and called a friend and totally fell apart. I wanted to crawl under the covers and stay there. She suggested gingerbread houses, St. Nicholas crafts, and Dawn's gingerbread cake. And she came over and made it all happen. Before I began to blog it all, I stopped by to visit Heather and read this poem.
And I was transported back seventeen years to a young mother who was bald. Her throat was so burned by radiation that she couldn't even swallow water. Her young husband was tired and worn and worried and her toddler knew all too well the waiting area at the hospital. But it would soon be Christmas and with Christmas would come the end of this treatment. With Christmas would come hope that they could begin life again with a rare and precious perspective. They would know that even the bad days are golden gifts of precious time. They would know that delayed parcels, flat tires, twisted, filthy strollers, and even shattered friendships cannot rob us of the awareness that time is a treasure and life is very, very good. 
They would know that in the blink of an X-ray, a phone call from a doctor can shatter peace and threaten life as we know it. They would promise never, ever to lose sight of the gift of joy. And time. And life itself.That young mother was me and my life is forever imprinted with gift of cancer.
It is no coincidence that it was Heather who shared the words of another young cancer patient. Nor is it a coincidence that it was the mother of a cancer survivor who filled the afternoon with fun and the house with the smell of chocolate gingerbread. Sometimes, we live through experiences that teach us invaluable lessons. While we never, ever want to learn those lessons that way again, we can appreciate the treasure of the lesson and we can honor its message.Even--especially--on the bad days.
Gratitude check:
Tonight, dear Lord, as I sink into the comfort of the evening, I thank you especially for (14) a brand new box of Saintly Soaps, herbal tea, and a very hot bath. (15)I thank you for children who delight in the feast of their patron, despite the chaos and the disappointment of the grownup world. (16)I thank you for the lessons of cancer and the gift of perspective and (17) for friends who understand perfectly both the gift and the perspective. (18) And I thank you for tomorrow and the hope and promise of a new day, filled with You.
I'm grateful to Cheryl for awarding Real Learning the Emmanuel Award. When I read Cheryl's post, I found two new blogs, Catholic Wife and Mother (who awarded Cheryl) and A View from the Pews, who originated the award. This is the award description: In a consumer society it is a blessing to read blogs where the writer's
main focus is God. Where they express their love for their faith so
visibly and joyfully.In a cynical world it is refreshing to see so many
blogs which are generous, giving, who care about others and demonstrate
what being a Christian is about, loving God and loving our
neighbor.Through their faith, lives and spirituality, they bring God to
us, they in essence make God visible, 'God with us.'.
Cheryl, I'm glad my spot in cyberspace does that for you--that's truly all I pray this blog will be.
Awards like these are a great way to be introduced to new blogs. I'm going to direct your attention to the blogroll down my righthand sidebar.All of the blogs listed in the blogroll fit the award description. And my how the roll has grown! If you haven't clicked through recently, do go brew yourself a cup of Christmas cheer and settle in for a little fresh inspiration. There are so many good women writing great things there. I'm very grateful for their inspiration.
Don't ever put something as foolish as this:
...but I think we can gather and prepare enough to do great things thisweek, assuming we don't have the flat tires, fevers, and spilled paint
of last week...
in print because, well, you know what they say about assuming. All we need to do is spill more paint and we'll have a perfect re-do of last week. I am talking to myself again, reminding myself that it's not about control and my plans are good, but God's are always better. I'm also thanking my lucky stars for (11)a neighbor who lets me borrow her minivan to run to ballet and (12)a husband who will take my grocery list and ensure that we won't starve this week. Oh, and AAA. (13)I'm grateful for AAA.
Yes! Another novena. This one is my favorite novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Her feast is December 12th. Isn't the beginning of Advent rich? In our family, we are praying the Novena before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and we will add this one, too.I find that candles lit for the novenas help to capture the children's attention and these prayers are not so very long. My children seem very happy to be drawn into the season of feasts. So, there will be overlapping novenas. The St. Andrew Prayer in Anticipation of Christmas (on the righthand sidebar) will be prayed throughout Advent, drawing us every day into the very hour and moment of Christ's birth. It's the beginning of the liturgical year and a beautiful time of preparation in the Church. I find these particular prayers to be especially beneficial in creating a spirit of intention in our home. What does God intend for us? How does He intend us to direct our thoughts? To spend our time.I am particularly grateful for the deliberate attention to Mary, the Mother of God. I have written before about the way that I use the word "ladylike." It is my dearest desire to be so like Our Lady that I, too, carry Christ within my very being. Novenas in honor Our Lady draw us closer to her spirit and help us to infuse our souls with her sweetness. I do so love this one!
Dearest Lady of Guadalupe, fruitful Mother of holiness, teach me your
ways of gentleness and strength. Hear my humble prayer offered with
heartfelt confidence to beg this favor......
O
Mary, conceived without sin, I come to your throne of grace to share
the fervent devotion of your faithful Mexican children who call to you
under the glorious Aztec title of Guadalupe. Obtain for me a lively
faith to do your Son’s holy will always: May His will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
O
Mary, whose Immaculate Heart was pierced by seven swords of grief, help
me to walk valiantly amid the sharp thorns strewn across my pathway.
Obtain for me the strength to be a true imitator of you. This I ask
you, my dear Mother.
Dearest
Mother of Guadalupe, I beg you for a fortified will to imitate your
divine Son’s charity, to always seek the good of others in need. Grant
me this, I humbly ask of you.
O
most holy Mother, I beg you to obtain for me pardon of all my sins,
abundant graces to serve your Son more faithfully from now on, and
lastly, the grace to praise Him with you forever in heaven.
Mary,
Mother of vocations, multiply priestly vocations and fill the earth
with religious houses which will be light and warmth for the world,
safety in stormy nights. Beg your Son to send us many priests and
religious. This we ask of you, O Mother.
O
Lady of Guadalupe, we beg you that parents live a holy life and educate
their children in a Christian manner; that children obey and follow the
directions of their parents; that all members of the family pray and
worship together. This we ask of you, O Mother.
With
my heart full of the most sincere veneration, I prostrate myself before
you, O Mother, to ask you to obtain for me the grace to fulfill the
duties of my state in life with faithfulness and constancy.
O
God, You have been pleased to bestow upon us unceasing favors by having
placed us under the special protection of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.
Grant us, your humble servants, who rejoice in honoring her today upon
earth, the happiness of seeing her face to face in heaven.I'm Elizabeth. I'm a happy wife and the mother of nine children. I grab grace with both hands and write to encourage myself and others to seize and nurture the joy of every day. I blog here with my daughter, Mary Beth, a wholehearted young lady on the brink of adulthood.
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