Today I went to Notre Dame to pick up my son. As usual, we visited the grotto where I lit two candles. One I lit for my good friend Mary, her family, and their intentions. The other I lit for the anonymous critic of Notre Dame who has been posting comments on my blog, and for his/her intentions.

Labels: grotto, Notre Dame

Labels: Catholic universities, Notre Dame, prejudice

Labels: Notre Dame, Our Lady

Deb from UKOK's Place has tagged me for the "8 Things About Me Meme."


Here are the rules:


“Here are the rules: Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.”


1. I bite my nails (as in fingernails). I tend to be an anxious person and have suffered from anxiety disorders in the past. I received excellent treatment from the University of Michigan Anxiety Disorders Clinic and I highly recommend them. Since their treatment it has ceased to be an issue in my life. (Although I still bite my nails.)

2. I lived in Japan for a year with a Japanese family. It was a wonderfully enriching experience.

3. I'm only five feet tall.

4. I am a terrible housekeeper and I am not good at getting rid of things. (I realize the two are connected....I'm working on it.)

5. I was born in Orange, New Jersey, lived in Fort Wayne, IN for 8 years growing up, and then moved to Michigan. As a child I was terrified of tornadoes, having had several close calls.

6. I am not good at any sport. I never played anything well growing up, always preferring to read.

7. I belong to a Catholic charismatic parish and have been involved with the charismatic renewal since 1987, I believe.

8. I was once in my youthful foolishness a very liberal democrat!!

OK. I tag:

Esther at A Catholic Mom in Hawaii.

James at A Catholic Teen's Thoughts.

Kate at Heart Speaks to Heart

Michelle at Rosetta Stone

The Kitchen Madonna

Angie at Many Little Blessings

Florida Wife at Waiting for the Gift of Children

And Amy Caroline at Knit Together in Love

Labels: family, graduation, Notre Dame

How did they guess what I wanted for Mother's Day??? LOL An apron from Kitchen Madonna!!

My mom has been gone for three years now, having suffered from Alzheimer's for over ten years before her passing.

My one consolation is that now, at least, she knows me and her grandchildren again.

Once when my mom was well advanced in her disease and in a nursing home she told me, "I just want to go home and be a mom." I knew exactly what she meant. She wanted to be back "with the apron on." I know all you moms know just what I mean.

My mother was a good mother who would do anything for her family. She was always there for us. And she adored her grandchildren. She couldn't say enough good things about them. They were all beautiful, and "extremely intelligent," etc. I always had to laugh. They could do no wrong in her eyes. I'd try to get them to pick things up before we left her house. She would let them make forts out of the cushions on her couch and chairs. She's say, "Oh just leave it. It will give me the pleasure of knowing they were here."

Mom, we all miss you a whole lot. Please pray for us. (like a minute could pass in heaven without her thinking to do that. ) Thanks for being my mom.

I have been tagged by Aldara from Catholic Mommyhood to do this ten things about me meme.

1. I lived in Japan for a year.

2. I lived with chronic hepatitis C, contracted from a blood transfusion, for 20 years before being successfully treated with interferon and ribavirin. The virus is now undetectable. Yea!

3. My great grandfather immigrated to this country from France to be the personal chef of one of the Vanderbilts.

4. My mother's heritage is 100%Irish.

5. I like to garden.

6. I like to write.

7. I like to debate matters of truth and morality.

8. I am now the proud mother of one college graduate.

9. I do not feel old enough (or mature enough) to be in my fifties.

10. I do not enjoy exercise (except for gardening and walking-- nothing too strenuous:-)


I tag James and anyone else who is looking for something to write about.

I have been tagged by Aldara from Catholic Mommyhood to do this ten things about me meme.

1. I lived in Japan for a year.

2. I lived with chronic hepatitis C, contracted from a blood transfusion, for 20 years before being successfully treated with interferon and ribavirin. The virus is now undetectable. Yea!

3. My great grandfather immigrated to this country from France to be the personal chef of one of the Vanderbilts.

4. My mother's heritage is 100%Irish.

5. I like to garden.

6. I like to write.

7. I like to debate matters of truth and morality.

8. I am now the proud mother of one college graduate.

9. I do not feel old enough (or mature enough) to be in my fifties.

10. I do not enjoy exercise (except for gardening and walking-- nothing too strenuous:-)


I tag James and anyone else who is looking for something to write about.

Labels: priesthood, vocations

Here is the May Crowning we had at school. The second graders wore their First Communion outfits. It was a lovely day. Aren't they adorable. They looked like a classroom full of angels.

Labels: Mary, May Crowning, worship of Mary

Well, once again I am building a blogroll. Kate did kindly tell me how to transfer my whole feedlist to a blogroll but I decided to do it one by one since there are sites on my feedlist that are not among my favorite blogs, but are just ones I like to check in on from time to time. You know what I mean?

So, know that I am not nearly finished. (I wasn't finished before I deleted it either....) Hope you're enjoying what is in Michigan a simply gorgeous day!

This is the actual statue at our church as she looked on Saturday. Isn't she gorgeous? My wonderful friend Mary O. sent me this picture from our May Crowning. Mary hand carried the crown back from Hawaii where she was visiting. It is just exquisite in real life. The morning sun was shining on her though the windows and the whole experience was really rather mystical.

Our church is only a few years old but it has the feel of a traditional Catholic church. It is a charismatic parish and the members are very faithful to the magisterium We have a wonderful unity. There was talk of eventually turning these windows behind Mary into stained glass windows, but some of us really love the warm natural light they provide too. Mary looks very lovely in front of them.

For those of you who may be reading this who are not Catholic, please know that when I refer to the statue as 'she' I know I am talking about she who the statue represents. There is no worship of the statue here, nor worship of Mary either, for that matter. We honor her because she is the mother of Our Lord and because she leads us to Him. Just as at the wedding at Cana she is always telling us, "Do whatever he tells you."

Labels: Mary, May Crowning

I have not posted in several days because of preparations for our parish May Crowning.

It was lovely. Nothing quite went as planned and yet it was still lovely. There several hundred people there. Dearest Jeanne brought 12 dozen roses for the procession!!It was just beautiful.

The crown was the loveliest May Crowning crown I have ever seen. It was made from flowers brought back by sweet Mary from Hawaii!!! Just gorgeous.

My son John played the keyboard and our wonderful music minister did a terrific job leading, in spite of some confusion.

We sang Immaculate Mary in procession. We crowned her to the traditional May Crowning hymn, Bring Flowers of the Rarest. And concluded with Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above.

The Mass immediately before the Crowning had a strong Marian focus-- the readings and the homily were all about Mary. Our pastor and two deacons led the crowning. This was the first parish sponsored May Crowning we've ever had. The presence of the clergy and the instruction they gave made it clear that it is their desire to put our parish under Mary's mantle. It was very inspiring, very moving.

I hope to post pictures when I receive some.

I just accidentally erased my entire blogroll-- the one I've been working on for days and days, adding everybody's addresses one by one....I don't know how or if it's possible to retrieve it. Is there a way to just make my bloglines feeds my blogroll? All in one step? I can't believe I did this.

Our parish is having a parish mission this week. The speakers are from Renewal Ministries: Ralph Martin, Peter Herbeck, and Sister Ann Shields. I will be writing more about their message soon. For now, just have to get some things done so I can go to it!

May we all live in the power of the Risen Christ every day! Even while cleaning toilets and doing laundry!!

"Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to heaven. There are others: innocence, but that is for little children; penance, but we are afraid of it; generous endurance of trials of life, but when they come we weep and ask to be spared. The surest, easiest, shortest way is the Eucharist."

Saint Pius X

We so underestimate the power of the Eucharist!!!!