Last Summer, I started a "Tour of Mailboxes" and frequently posted pictures of mailboxes. I love mailboxes!! I love thinking of each person and their personality and why they chose what they chose for their mailbox. A mailbox is a place where people go every day with hopeful expectation of good things, surprises or just something. It can also be a place where bills come and maybe not such nice things for some people. My kids love getting the mail, putting letters in and they daily fight over who gets to go!! 
I'm pretty sure I pictured this one last year, but it's still one of my favorites! I'm not walking as much as last year (not walking much at all actually) so I haven't gotten as many pictures of unique mailboxes.
My all time favorite mailboxes are the viney ones, with Clematis or Morning Glories climbing up and around.
This one, too, was pictured last year, but it's right down the road and it's so beautiful!
Here's our mailbox the way it looks right now. Our Morning Glories are just starting to climb and hopefully by August, they will be fully grown and blooming every morning! Can you tell, I'm having a hard time dead heading this year? It's hard work to bend down, in this condition!
Here's our mailbox this past January!! This is Babycakes, the kids sure got a kick out of sitting right next to the mailbox!
This is Tracy's mailbox! She is the Queen of finding great mailboxes for me, she sends me emails quite often with beautiful mailboxes, and it puts a smile on my face every time!!
Send me your mailbox picture or post it on your blog and let me know! Even Paula sent hers, and it was great!!
Click on the highlighted words (except love) and check other mailboxes!
The best things about our mailbox right now (other than the bloomin' lilies) are the four blue bird eggs in the blue bird house! Everyone enjoys peeking in and waiting for them to hatch!
ReplyDeleteI really like the mailbox with clematis, too! My mailbox is just plain right now (unless you count tall meadow grass), but maybe next year I'll have time to plant something around it.
ReplyDeleteWow! I'll admit that I've never payed that much attention to mailboxes. I'm gonna start now! Of course, I've noticed with ones with the gorgeous clematis or morning glories.
ReplyDeleteI must also admit that I would be ashamed to send you a photo of our mailbox..we've got NOTHING by it! No big deal really, except that good portions of the rest of our yard are FILLED with blooming flowers and bushes..
Maybe it's the bills that give our mailbox a bad rap and keep me from beautifying around it..or perhaps it's the way the snow would pile there in the winter! LOL!
I love pretty mailboxes! Thanks for sharing the "tour".
ReplyDeleteI love mailboxes too, but my favorite thing is receiving mail especially from family and friends.
ReplyDeleteSome of my family and friends have nicknamed me "Snail Mail Queen".
Someday when hubby and I are able to afford a house I want a pretty mailbox with morning glories ect. climbing around it.
Love,
Maria :)
Jamie, yesterday I went to the Catholic book store at the chapel here near where I grew up and I thought of you.
ReplyDeleteDo you love visiting the Catholic book stores too? Do you have the Blue Book/Pieta Book? Do you have a book called the "Mother's Manual"? I need to send you a surprise in the mail soon to encourage you in your vocation as a wife and mother.
Please continue to pray for me. I was wondering too, if I did the Consecration with you, what kind of graces are we given? Have you ever received what they call a signal grace? What exactly is that?
I think hubby and I need to pray more and together. The thing is, I keep praying novenas, the rosary, ect. for a child and every month it seems the answer is either "wait" or "no". When the answer seems to be "wait" or "no" every month, I become discouraged and stop praying for a while (I know, very bad). The thing is, every day I have this desire in my heart to pick up my rosary and pray.
One good thing I did do is be able to lose thirty pounds. I also ordered an e-book called "Miracle Pregnancies" with a five step plan on improving the chances of becoming pregnant through diet, exercise, acupuncture, and herbs. Also I printed out some scripture related to fertility and try to pray it outloud every day.
I was wondering, do you read the Bible every day? I have a Joyce Meyer Bible I like a lot. It's easy to understand.
I just feel tired of praying for something I might never be able to have. I'm also tired of talking about my endo/infertility condition. I wonder if I should just pray for God's will to be done and accept the fact that maybe (I don't know) God might want us to be a childless couple. But it's so difficult to pray this without crying. I will try though.
Maybe God wants me to encourage Catholic Moms in their vocations as Moms and wives? I would love to send you some extra books I have. I really think you would enjoy them.
Thinking of you and praying for you.
By the way, a cousin emailed me and told me that while praying for me she thought she received a thought from God that there is a baby out there waiting for Ed and me to adopt AND after we adopt, we will have a biological child. Also a woman at my work place who is Protestant prayed over me. She told me to stop talking about the endo/infertility and start talking positive. I'm trying, I'm trying!!
Also a few years ago when I was on the Catholic Singles website (where I met my husband) I became friends with this lady. Well, one day this lady emailed me out of the blue telling me not to worry about something that I was worried about (she guessed what I was worried about- I hadn't talked about it with anybody! But somehow she knew!)and she told me that she "saw" me as a mother of two little girls one day. She told me she had this "gift" and could "see" things.
I don't know. Maybe I have to trust God more, try to be more patient, and wait. My doctor told me that my body is still healing and it might take several months to be able to get pregnant.
Love,
Maria
prayrosary4life@aol.com
Oh, Maria, my heart goes out to you. I think you answered all your questions through your own comment.
ReplyDeleteI, too, feel the best thing you can do right now is to pray for God's will, whatever that is, to just fall into place, whatever that is, could mean adoption, which is a beautiful, wonderful thing. The adopted child would be "yours" and that child might be waiting for you right now.
I also know a lot of childless couples and they are wonderful people with heavy crosses, but devoted their lives to pro-life causes and accepted God's will for their lives.
Each vocation, whether married, single, priesthood, has it's crosses. Motherhood has it's crosses, as does being childless.
Never, never cease praying. It's natural to get "mad" I guess, but never stop praying, loving God, for He knows what is best for you, always.
When we faced possibly being childless after almost 3 years of infertility and a failed adoption, it was only then that I finally just said, "OK God, if you want us to be childless, Help me to accept Your will."
But not without tears, tears are a gift. If you are crying every time you pray for this, it's truly from the heart, God knows what's in your heart.
You are always in my prayers.
To answer a couple questions:
Yes, I have both the Pieta prayer book and the Mother's Manual, both my favorites...also "The Gold Book of Prayers". I struggle reading the bible, but try to, when I have a "Magnificat" subscription, it's much easier...but my subscription ran out a few months ago.
Graces: I'll have to look up Signal Graces....never been asked that and want the technical term I guess. I can't explain the graces, nothing specific, it's just a wonderful feeling, I guess maybe my faith is strengthened, maybe a peace is given, I cannot put it into words, I guess. It's just grace.
There are just a few things that I can never give up because of the Grace, The Sacraments, Divine Mercy, Divine Mercy Sunday, My yearly renewal of my Consecration, my Scapular and Miraculous Medal, devotions such as the St Bridget prayers, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Prayer of St Gertrude, and the rosary and so many other things, I guess you just need to find what things you love, like the rosary and stick with them. There is no one way to pray, we only learn to pray by praying. It's just like conversation, a conversation with God. A relationship with Him.
Catholic book stores: With 4 kiddos, our local Catholic book store is a quick stop for whatever I'm looking for and quickly out of there....too much stuff!! I love to go, but hate that I end up spending at least $30 and only come out with Scapulars!
I hope that answers some of your questions Maria, please be assured of my continued prayers for God's will in your life and for you to accept whatever that is with peace in your heart.
Jaime, thank you so much for your reply, your encouragement, and prayers! I am so blessed to have you for a friend! I wish someday we could chat on the phone, but I know you are super busy with a husband, running your home, homeschooling, and your five adorable children! Maybe someday!
ReplyDeleteMuch love and hugs to you!
Maria :)
Hi Jamie,
ReplyDeleteMissed ya too.
My mailbox is ugly because it is at the end of the driveway way way way up there with no rain. Everything up there is dry and dead.
So no pretty mailboxes around here!
Love seeing all the pictures on your blog!!!!! Fun to catch up with your life.