The Passion

I watch this movie every lent. Yesterday as the kids and I did the stations of the cross I yearned to watch it again. Every time I watch it, I get something different from it. The first time at the Theatre, I had such a headache from crying and it was SO profound. It still is. It puts you right there. I have read the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich and I truly believe it is how it happened. Such detail. Mel Gibson might not be a Roman Catholic, but his movie is truly Catholic. Last night, at the end when Mary is staring you down, I usually feel her sorrow at that time, but this time, I felt like she was saying to me "what are you going to do?" It all goes back to Jesus dying on the cross, for us. What are we going to do? Try harder to work towards that goal of being a saint. Try to fast more, or try to fast on things period. Pray more. What things in my life need changing?

My favorite parts, are:
-The Agony in the garden, showing Jesus actually sweating drops of blood. (an actual medical condition, caused by extreme agony, distress)
-Mary sensing where her son is, prostrating down to the ground, Him below chained up. If you have never prostrated like this in Adoration, it is very humbling, very powerful.
-Mary, running to help her Son, who has fallen. Don't all us mothers do that? (after waiting to see if they cry and are actually hurt!) Jesus' words to her, "See, I make all things new."
-Veronica and her wonderful act of charity, showing His Holy Face on her veil.
-Simon, finally "getting it" that this is Jesus, our Lord. We don't always want to do what God asks of us, but when we do, the graces flow.
-Jesus, showing the last supper (the first Mass) and immediately after showing Him lifting up the bread and saying "This is My Body" showing His precious Body being lifted on the cross.
Jesus, showing the last supper, lifting the chalice, saying "This is my Blood" immediately showing His Precious Blood dropping, pouring onto the ground. How powerful that is, how Catholic that is. How blessed we are to have this Fullness.
-The good thief, Jesus' words to him. "This day you shall be with me in Paradise." How powerful, we have this opportunity every moment of our life to choose Him so we will have this opportunity at our death, to feel complete sorrow for our sins, like the good thief.
-How Mary STOOD at the cross, she did not despair, she did not fall down and lose it, she stood at His feet.
-"It is Accomplished" Those words are so powerful. "Into Your Hands I commend My Spirit" So powerful.
-Cassius, piercing our Lords side, the instant purification of him, the instant baptism, the instant conversion. It reminds me of Divine Mercy, the Image, how Jesus' Blood and Water is reaching out to us, all of us. It just reminds me just of the power of our Lords blood and Water.
-The end, All things new. The hope at the end.

I could probably write a ton more. I love that it is only the Passion. I know Mel Gibson was criticized on it not showing more of Jesus' life. But it IS titled The Passion of The Christ. So that is what the movie is about.

Lord, help me to not forget to sacrifice little things, to offer little things for all You have done for me. Help me to know what You want me to do. Help me not to forget what this lent is about.

Smoothies

I am not a breakfast person, at all. Especially now that I have given up Diet Coke for lent, what's to look forward to? Well, I found a great smoothie! It does not replace the caffene I am craving, but it is delicious and tastes like I am cheating on my diet! I found the recipe in the Best Life Diet book by Bob Greene. Here's the recipe:

1 cup frozen mixed berries (I use the frozen berry mix from Sam's Club)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 container of Yoplait Harvest Peach yogurt (6oz container)
1 banana

mix and enjoy!
Double if sharing! (It would be 5 Weight Watcher points, if interested)

Another low-calorie smoothie is:

Diet 7-up
Frozen Strawberries
Sweet and Low, if desired to taste

mix and enjoy! (Delicious in the Summer or for company, it can make a lot and everyone is amazed at how good so few ingredients can taste.)

Do you have a favorite smoothie?

Friendships

My good friend, Sarah, was able to come visit on Friday night. She lives a couple hours away and stayed the night. Her 3 children were with daddy so it was only half crazy here until my children went to bed. We enjoyed a cup of tea on the couch and lots of catching up. We could have talked the whole night, if Sarah, poor thing, wasn't coming down with a cold. It was SO nice. I felt so good that night and the next day. If you are reading this, Please say a prayer for her, she recently lost her mother and is kind of living on a prayer right now. Oh, how my heart aches for her.

It got me thinking about friendships. I am very blessed with many friends. Many close friends. They all meet different needs I guess, I hope both ways. I have to say Sarah, Lisa, Christine and Kerry are all friends I'd call my closest. The ones I'd say I could trust with anything, they get me. They understand me. I understand them. (I hope) We think the same things about pretty much everything important. We are all different ages, I am 38. Some are around my age, some quite a bit younger and some quite a bit older. We have the same faith. That is what links us, keeps us close at heart. I love these women as if they were my sisters.

Then there are friends like Bonnie, who I see maybe once a year, if I am so blessed, and we both have such a yearning to have the time to spend, to have tea on the couch and talk all night. I love her too, as if she were my sister.

There are new friends, neighbors. (we just moved here in the fall) Like Jeanne, who I feel a connection with, I love to see her, she brightens a room with her non judging smile. A friendship that I see such potential for. I love her as if she were my sister, already.

There are new "blog friends", they are real, but to explain them to someone, well, they just don't get it! There's Margaret, Nerm, Kristin, Melissa, Cheryl and so many more (sorry, I don't know how to link you in my post yet!--anyone, help?) We seem to share the same faith, there is such a connection, such an instant friendship, yet I've only met one of you!! And probably will never meet the rest of you. I love you like sisters, and pray only the best for you.

There are homeschool friends,too many to name, old neighbors, Nicki & Melissa, who are so much more than just old neighbors, childhood friends, Denise, old work friends, prayer group friends and church friends.

What would I do without all of you? I love you all. I love you all like my sisters. We are sisters in Christ and will be forever. You are such a part of what I do, what I think, how I pray.

I thank You, God, for my friendships, old and new and the ones I haven't met yet. Please bless all of them and continually draw them close to You.

What I have been doing

Painting, painting, painting. 3 nights until 2:30am and one night until 4:30am and I am done, for now!! When you have 4 children ages 7 and under, the best time to paint is after 9pm. I love seeing their faces in the morning after it is finished. They are almost as excited as I am! We moved to this home last September and now after painting a bathroom, the hallway, part of the entry, the dining room and kitchen, they finally feel like ours!! I love painting. Rooms, that is. I also painted the girls' room pink, a very bright pink, back in October, but it is already scratched and scuffed in many places. Next to paint, is the entry way, the living room, my husbands office and our bedroom. Did I mention I love painting? I love to change things. Rooms, myself. I am constantly working on things within myself. Hopefully for the better. The hard thing is I am never done with myself. Maybe that is why I like changing rooms, I can actually finish something. A sense of accomplishment.

Lord, help me to work on changing those things You want to change in me. Help me to see those things that need changing. Lord, make me a saint!

To Picture Or Not To Picture

That is the question. After posting pictures of the children, and thinking about it for a few days, we've (my husband) decided to not post pictures of them. It is a hard thing, is it dangerous? Does it put them at risk for any wierdo to do something? I guess, I've used the motto quite often "when in doubt, don't!" Maybe after knowing more facts, talking with people, maybe we will do it again, I don't know.

I do know, I personally like the blogs with pictures. I am a visual person. I buy bright colorful books for school. We do bright art projects. I have painted my house cheery colors. I am drawn to pictures and colorful things. SO, does that mean no one will like my blog? Does it matter? Who am I doing this blog for? Myself? Others? I guess, a little of both.

Maybe this blog is not a scrapbook, maybe it's a journal. Maybe it will change as our lives change.

Maybe it will bore anyone who comes here. Maybe that does not matter. Maybe it does.

Pride. Pride. Pride.

These are things I guess I need to think and pray about.

God help me. Help me to know what is right for my husband, my children. Help me Lord to always do your will, not mine.

Fancy Nancy Reading

These are wonderful books! We have had the first Fancy Nancy book for about a year and never tire of reading it. The illustrations are so fun to look at. After a trip to Sam's Club this weekend, in an effort to keep my girls occupied so I could shop, I could not get these next 2 Fancy Nancy books out of their hands! We have read them several times and they are wonderful. I do think there is a little bit of Nancy in every little girl.

Speaking of Sam's Club, do you ever feel like a bobble head when you bring your children with shopping? Constantly looking around to make sure they are following or holding on?

High Tech Pride

My wonderful husband taught me tonight how to post pictures and I feel so high tech, or maybe I feel so low tech, since I did not have a clue until now! I am very slow at it too! I have realized I do not have any pictures of just me. There are a couple with the kids, but I look so frazzled, curly, frizzy hair, bags under my eyes. How vain I am!! That is not what this is about!! I now need to learn how to unload my pictures off my digital camera. (my husband usually does this) I will get snapping! See how low tech I am?

I think I will have a new sin to confess, pride. A new kind of pride to me. Maybe this blog will be humbling and help me to work on those things I did not know existed in me?

(The picture is of my old garden, we've moved, but it helps me get through winter to look at green, lush pictures of things growing!)

A Refreshing Day

Today I was at a Catholic Women's conference called "Love Makes Everything Possible". I have gone for the last 5 or 6 years. What better way to start your day than with a rosary, confession and Holy Mass? All 4 talks were wonderful and the day was ended with Adoration and Divine Mercy!

Throughout the day I couldn't help but think about all the fathers home with their children, completing us. Helping us to better ourselves, to work toward our goal of becoming saints.
I will be praying for all these wonderful men in our lives and offering my weekend Masses for them, especially my own husband.

My 5 year old, Ballerina Rosie, asked daddy "Why does Mommy always go to conferences?" Which is quite funny since I only go once a year! I have to admit it does feel good to be missed!
my children were waiting at the door for me with big hugs and kisses! They were anxious to tell me all about playing tag, hide and seek and playing outside in the snow with Daddy!

What a refreshing day. It was so wonderful to see so many friends there. I cannot take the smile off my face tonight as I can feel the grace all around me!

Why am I doing this?

I know I said I would never have a blog...well, my good friend Christine started one and I started thinking, maybe it would be a great thing to do for my children, my husband. Something they can have forever. Something they can look back on and read, look at pictures, remember childhood things that we forget!

With 4 small children at this time in my life, there is not much time for scrapbooking to keep track of things, maybe in this day and age, blogging is the new scrapbooking!

Jamie