28 December 2019

Christmas 2019: All of the Because.

Firstly, I want to say Happy Christmas, everyone. :) I hope that things have been well for you all, that time with loved ones was joyful and fun! You know… It’s been years since I’ve celebrated Christmas on purpose. ...

22 December 2019

Fourth Sunday of Advent: PEACE...

Fourth week of Advent. Already. Wow, Reader, where’s the time going, you know? So… I wanted to try to tackle this week’s readings without a repeat of last Wednesday’s statement about the Gospel. It’s the same Gospel this week, which...

18 December 2019

Third Wednesday of Advent: JOY

Recently, someone I care very much about like my own flesh and blood was put through some unnecessary things by family. Now, ‘family’ … I want to explore that word a little. Family, as we are typically...

15 December 2019

Third Sunday of Advent: JOY!


DISCLAIMER:  So, Reader, I'm a touch behind, but this week has been a pretty hectic one for me!  I'm gettin' this all caught up.  :)  Thank you for your patience!
Moving on!

Here we are, Reader. Already the Third Week of Advent. This month seems to be racing by, doesn’t it?

As I was reading the Scripture passages for today, a couple of things came to mind. In Isaiah, he talks about restoration. A mental image flashed in my mind, about as winter’s time ends and springtime starts to come around, and as we slowly come around and start seeing warmer weather, it’s really no different than what we’re waiting for and preparing for our Beloved Lord’s Grand Arrival!

Nemo dat quod non habet.

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been taking apart the Readings for the First and Second Sundays and Wednesdays of Advent and sharing my thoughts with you on here. Today, Reader, I am going to take a small break and address something...

12 December 2019

Second Wednesday of Advent 2019 (a little late, but I explain why. read on!)



Pause. That word… We throw it around a lot, don’t we? ‘Honey, pause the film, please, I want to go grab some water.’ ‘Pause here, I want to expand on this a little bit to clarify a few things that are happening in this chunk of text.’ ‘It’s too bad we don’t have a pause button for the kids so they can settle down for a few minutes!’

Pause. It’s true, life doesn’t come with such a thing, does it… And yet… it kind of does. We just don’t acknowledge that it does.

08 December 2019

Second Sunday of Advent 2019

Here we are, Reader, the beginning of the second week of Advent. By my count, Christmas is just a little over two weeks away. Crazy how time flies, no? This week, we learn about John the Baptist preaching in the desert. He...

04 December 2019

First Wednesday of Advent 2019

Hm. You know … I’ve been writing reflections for a little while now. In my parish, I’ve done them for the weekly bulletins for the months of July and November, and I’ll be writing them again in March. So, while my eye isn’t...

02 December 2019

1st Sunday of Advent 2019

Happy first day of Advent, Reader! You know… I could sit and write about each and every one of the readings for today. I could probably write volumes about each verse. But, for the sake of time and not boring you to tears, I won’t do...

01 December 2019

Holiday Season is herrrrrrre...

Advent is upon us. But, what is Advent? Not unlike the season of Lent, Advent is a time of preparation. This year, for me, is worlds different than any other time I’ve celebrated Christmas – voluntarily...

Thankful... Grateful... Blessed... LOVED.

It’s begun. Holiday Season 2019 is upon us. Already. Where did the time go!? A few days...

11 October 2019

For the Feast of a little baby Saint...

As I sit here, it’s 21 years since my oldest daughter (my second baby) went Home. Normally, I’m a sobbing, quiet mess. This year… This year is worlds different. In a word: Love. I’ve been tremendously fortunate to have friends...

07 October 2019

For the Love of a Sister...

Recently, I was told about a nun that I know. She is dying, and I cannot go to visit her, because she is not in my city. She’s about two hours or so south of me. She is called Sister Marie. ...

01 October 2019

A Mother's Love is Eternal...

Welcome, October! You have been waited for with anticipation. Leaves changing, crisper (though not in my state, sadly, not yet!) temperatures… Apple picking, cider, horror flicks (if that’s your thing…), gearing up for Halloween and passing out candy for the littles.

October, with you, you also bring a state of remembrance. One in four women have experienced the loss of a baby – whether it’s through a miscarriage or a too-soon-death of a baby who’s born. October, you are a double-edged sword for me. I have two babies who were born this month, one dancing in Heaven.

30 September 2019

Today is full of promise.

In a little while, a new journey will begin for me. Someone I have a meeting with came highly recommended to help me with some things I’ve been fighting for many, many years. This morning, during prayers, it hit me: We come into...

17 September 2019

Candor.

Have you ever wondered what you would be like if your circumstances growing up were different? I’m completely serious. What if you weren’t bullied in school (or at home)? Would you still be the you that you are now? Growing up,...

05 September 2019

My Brain Goblins Ran Amok.

Ah, September, we meet again.

I don't really know how to explain it, but September and I are not really cool.  We're more... frienemies.  Stressing on the 'enemies' part of that word.  ;)

This year will be eight years - eight!) since my mental breakdown happened.  The last day I saw my little dog I had before I got Emily.  The ball that got rolling when I ended up moving back to Ohio.

I am a thought-hoarder.  For y'all who aren't familiar with the show 'Hoarders,' check out one episode. Just one.  Trust and believe, if you transpose whatever  the client on that episode's hoarding for thoughts, well, then you've got my brain pretty much right there on your screen.  I'm not even joking.

This year, I'm facing something I've taken a lot of time circling around, poking at it randomly with a stick, even attempted to set it ablaze a few times (only to have the fire put out by rains of depression and woe.  Gee thanks, brain.  Thanks a lot!  +grumble+).  This year, though... It's different in a few ways, but the one that I'm willing to discuss in this article...:


22 July 2019

The Divine Spark

Have you ever just went for a walk out in nature, just to explore your surroundings? Unencumbered by phone or other technological devices, except for maybe a camera? And as you’re out on this walk, have you ever just taken in your surroundings, not so much just being aware of, ‘I’m on a sidewalk. Oh, here comes someone, I need to step aside so we don’t crash into each other!’ But really just paused your thoughts and really appreciated the beauty around you? Have you ever stopped and pondered where that beauty comes from, really appreciated just being alive? Back in 2009, I went on a retreat with some friends down near Ash Cave (that’s where I took this photo, during the time my then-roommate and I were out on a nature hike). As a writer and someone who loves to play around with cameras, I tend to see things a bit ... differently, you could say, than someone who is, say, an architect or someone who likes to refurbish old vehicles to their former glory. But it all boils down to one thing: Creativity. We all, each of us, has something to offer the world in terms of art.

Art isn’t limited to just painting, or just writing, or just building. It’s so many things, and the question came up during a conversation: do we stop to wonder where that creativity came from?

Given we’re all created in the image and likeness of God, it stands to reason that He’d extend that desire to create things into us, too, when He created us. In Jeremiah, it says, ‘Before I created you in the womb, I knew you.’ That’s heavy, isn’t it? Stop and look at a tree sometime, or even just appreciate a simple dandelion (before you pluck it from your garden). Each little thing we take for granted that’s around us, we should stop and take it in. Appreciate the intricacy of the details of the colours, the designs. There’s no happenstance reason for it being there. It had to come from Somewhere, right? God gave us something He didn’t give the animals or even the other plants: the ability to notice the beauty of our surroundings. There’s something oddly beautiful about seeing old buildings or even a cluster of weeds in the dirt straining toward the sun. Our Lord is a Creative, Himself. He loves to make things so much, He shared that part of Himself with us. I once read a quote, ‘Our talent is a gift from God. What we do with that talent is our gift back to Him.’ (Anonymous)

God didn’t just look at a list of specifications for each of us that He wanted to include in terms of what we’d look like or enjoy in our free time. He thought more about the intricate details of our personalities, too. He thought of the music we’d enjoy if we’d play an instrument, our favourite colours, all of it. God wanted to include as much of Himself in creating us as He knew our finite little minds could handle. So, one of those things was that creativity that He, Himself, possesses. One of the coolest things about our relatability with the Almighty is the ability to take a few bits of seemingly odds and ends and making something elaborate with it. For example a hank of yarn and a couple of knitting needles. Or some fabric, thread, and a machine with a needle. Within minutes (or depending on the project, hours, days), you’ve taken something in your mind and brought it into fruition.


Next time you’re out with your family, or even by yourself, stop and breathe in your surroundings. Take in everything. The birds chirping, the trees, the animals, even the insects (yes, even the irritating ones). Take it all in and whisper a prayer of thanksgiving to our Father for all He’s given us, and for the talents you, yourself possess, because He’s the Author of all that we are and have.

10 July 2019

Whoa.

Monday morning, I had a really interesting thought come to my mind. I woke up at one point, and so vividly I could reach out and touch Him, I saw Jesus on the Crucifix. It just dominated my thoughts for several minutes, and left me just laying there contemplating what the Crucifix meant, why it happened, and not just a, 'Oh, look! There's Jesus, He died for me on the Cross because I'm a sinner.' No. There's much, much more to it than that.

25 June 2019

We must pray for our priests.

I'm weird.  I love being Catholic.  I love the fact that my Jesus wants so desperately to be with me, He went to all the lengths necessary to do so.  I love that He also gave a way for me to be with Him, too, this side of Heaven.  I'm grateful He gave the sacrament of Confession so that we could connect each Mass.  A friend said that 'Sin isn't dirt on one's soul, and people need to stop seeing it as such.  Sin is a WOUND.'  My friend is one of the wisest people I know and I really look up to this person quite a bit.  It's why I enjoy talking with and spending time with them so much.  I learn a lot each time.  I continue to learn things and I'm given a listening ear when I'm trying to process something I don't understand quite fully or something that I don't like but need to because it's necessary for my salvation.


03 June 2019

The Pros and Cons of Technology

Recently, my nephew (he’s in his mid-20s) and I were out adventuring around town (we ended up at Walmart, which seems always the ‘it’ place for my friends and me to end up when we’re bored haha), and on our way back, we were listening to music and we were talking about technology.


02 June 2019

Self-improvement - what I'd like to work on...

Now,  I don't want this to come across as one of those 'self-help-y' posts, but ... I mean, let's be honest here.  I have two idea banks, and I couldn't decide on something to write about.  What's a writer to do?  Well, I grabbed a decent-sized handful of ideas I'd written on popsicle sticks and closed my eyes, shuffled them about and... this one was the one I grabbed.  So, here we are.

Bear with me.


01 June 2019

Life isn't about having what we want, but appreciating what we already have!

I saw something earlier in my e-mail that prompted me to write this article.

The subject? It was about appreciating what we have. That gave me pause and I thought, 'Hm. I do that. I wonder how many others do, too?'

09 May 2019

It's Mental Health Awareness Month... Let's discuss being mindful in our vernacular!

It’s already May. Can you believe it, reader? That means the year’s half over already. It also means that this is Mental Health Awareness Month. Nothing short of ironic that my patron saint’s feast day is on the 15th. :)

Anyway.

07 May 2019

My friend got ordained as a Transitory Deacon Friday night.

My friend finally got his Call to Holy Orders a few weeks ago after much prayers, hard work, blood, sweat, tears, and copious amounts of loss of sleep trying to get the proverbial raccoons lined up for their pizza crusts.

This person is one of very few that I call 'friend,' and it was an honour to be able to see him be brought forward for our Bishop to lay hands on him and formally hand him the authority that comes with the office of Deacon.


07 April 2019

A somber day...

This afternoon, I found out some pretty devastating news about a friend...  He passed away at 4.15 this morning, Eastern Time.  Only 41 years old.  Below is the letter I wrote, as a feeble way to cope with this tremendous loss.  For the sake of privacy, I've omitted the person's name.

25 March 2019

A couple big announcements...

Heyyyy, so I wanted to address some things I've been rolling around in my hands for some weeks now.

So, at the first of it all, I've been gearing up for school to start.  Not only that, I've been learning the guitar (and getting better, surprisingly enough), and I've been challenged to learn a new song.  And boy, is it a challenge!  Bring it on, I say!

The really big stuff I'm looking forward to, however, are outside of school and the guitar:


The Rite of Election!

Well, well, what have we here?  Another post!  Things have been absolutely CRAZY busy around here for me.  Lots of exciting things happened and are currently happening, though.

Let's see...

04 March 2019

Several Songs That Remind Me of My Youth

Ah, music.  It has the capacity to make us laugh, cry, think.  It has the ability to invoke so many memories, even after a long time has passed. In the movies, it can cause a warning that says, 'Hey, something's coming up that you need to brace yourself, viewer, because it's big!' or it has the ability to further the comedic experience in a scene.

Recently, I was sitting here just listening to music on my Spotify and came across some interesting tunes that brought back a lot of crazy memories from the time of when those songs were popular on the radio.

One thing I have always loved about Spotify is how they have these different playlists that they come up with, 'Time Machine' type playlists.  Here are ten songs (in completely random order) that I've found on Spotify I've long ago forgotten that still manage to invoke memories from childhood and early adulthood for me (and for the sake of playability and the fact that not everyone uses Spotify, I'll use YouTube):


25 February 2019

Seven things I'd Tell My Younger Self

Dear younger Rea,

I want to say a few things to you in hopes that you will be able to heal and move forward as you deserve to be able to do.

Ready?


23 February 2019

Proud Dog Momma Moment to End a Long Day...

Today was a long, long day.  Lots of conversations were had, mostly somber, but a few were full of a lot of laughs and shenanigans (thanks, Wanda and Gordie, for those!).  It never will cease to amaze me how well in tune we pet owners are in touch with our pets, and vice versa.

Today, as I said, was long.  The best parts of the day, really, were hanging out with two of my favourite people:  Wanda and Gordon (at different times).  I'm sitting here watching BuzzFeed Unsolved:  True Crime on Hulu.


22 January 2019

Comfort - not just something physical!

Hey, so I want to talk about comfort.  It comes in so many different forms, as we're all aware, and as a species, doesn't matter if it's animal, human, or even plant, comfort is a thing we all yearn for.

My dog, she's most comfortable wherever I am that she can touch me.  If we're sitting on the couch watching a movie, she's right next to me, right at my hip, usually under her blanket (she's a Dachshund, and Dachshunds are known burrow-dogs).  My cats, they're fairly comfortable wherever they decide to be.  Sometimes on my lap, sometimes on the back of the couch, my bed, wherever they feel like being that they know is within their permissible boundaries to be.

Personally, I'm comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt, barefoot, running around in the sunshine.  If it's cold, I'm happiest indoors, of course.  If I HAVE to go out, then I want a silly hat and usually, I can get by with a hoodie.

But, I didn't decide to write this about physical comfort.  No.  I want to talk about comfort that goes deeper than the surface.

14 January 2019

Random actual update. :)

Happy New Year, y'all!  I hope you had as great a time welcoming the new year as much as I did.  Welcome, 2019!  You were anticipated!


The Blonde Chef - Mexican dinner time.

And on this episode of 'The Blonde Chef,' we find yours truly has decided to make some burritos for dinner.  The meat browned, drained, and stirred into the beans, frying pan soaking in soap, bean-meat mix moved over to the burner that the meat was just browned upon...  Forgot that the burner had been shut off, because leaving an unattended, still-active burner... not wise.  Especially when there's cats afoot!  Randomly stirring the meat-bean mix, making sure that it doesn't scorch... not able to figure out WHY I can't smell anything cooking by now...  AND WHEN I GO INTO THE KITCHEN TO CHECK WHAT'S WHAT... I FIND THE BURNER'S OFF!  +shakes fist+  I quit.  

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