New Blog Site

I've held onto this website for a very long time! Many memories of my life are strewn about this site. Now I have decided to switch to one I've used for almost two years as an author for Elizabeth Ministry International.

If you'd like to continue to follow my Diary, you are welcome to do so here

The Dance

The leaves how they danced

To the merry tune
Of wind blowin' through the trees.

I sit and listen
As I watch them play
And enjoy the peaceful breeze.

How they twirl and twist,
How they intertwine
How they shiver and shake!

The leaves how they danced
On that glorious day
That our amazing God did make!

I Do

06-16-06

Those two simple words. 

I. Do.

To the woman who has suffered silently behind these two meaningful words, I am with you. To the woman who struggles to keep it all together, in the hope that God will always provide a way to stand on top of the obstacles within the vow you’ve taken: To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, through good times and bad, till death do you part, I am with you. To the woman who has a husband who strives to be his best self, yet somehow always discovers new stumbling blocks, I am with you.

I do, because I am living it.

Fourteen years ago, on a cold December evening, my younger self would never have guessed that she would be searching for answers to early andropause, chronic gout, eosinophilic esophagitis and what the heck autoimmune disease even means, and food allergies to see if all were symptoms of a more severe root cause for her future husband. 

(Shane & me, the day before our wedding, 6-15-06.)

Here I am, 10 years of marriage, four beautiful children, and a whole mess of medical problems that both Shane & I, along with a plethora of doctors over a span of 13 years of research, cannot seem to figure out.

My husband is amazing; he is my rock and the head of our domestic church….but time has come again that I am the stronghold. I love him unconditionally, and he is my absolute best friend. I am desperate to find out what is going on in his handsome body. 

Let’s take a flashback to when our troubles began….2003. 

We were dating, and loving every minute we got to spend together! A new budding romance; we were both head over heels in love with each other. Shane had me rush him to the er one night and he was diagnosed with GERD. 

That was his first bout of much trouble. 

We learned that this was chronic acid reflux and he was prescribed medicine that, in time, we’d realize would do much more damage than we were told.

 Fast forward a few years. I started diving into the world of alternatative medicine, holistic approaches, and living a more natural and simplistic lifestyle.

Shane stopped taking the reflux medications around the time of our wedding in 2006. We then began changing our bad habits after the birth of our first son in 2007. 

Every year since I’ve known this man he has spent time in a hospital or doctor’s offices for odd reasons. The first few years it was for GERD, then Gout (a form of arthritis), ulcers, pneumonia, and finally his esophagus. That’s when things started to get very rocky.

2011

How I loathe to even look at those numbers. 2011. The Lord was carrying me that year through the sand. He had to. He sent His lovely Mother, my heavenly mother, The Virgin Mary, to be with me as I was with child during that most difficult year of my life. 

It started after a car accident in December of 2010.

January came; Shane was distant. Unloving. Apathetic.

February rolled in. I was four months pregnant with our third child. Will was almost 4 and Aiden had just turned 2. We were in store for a roller coaster of instability from the head of our household, and not ready for what God was going to use our family for in His Divine plan.

Shane became more isolated. He didn’t want to talk to his friends, family, or coworkers. He complained about everything. He yelled so much during these months. He acted like he hated us. We felt as though he did. The boys and I were on eggshells when he walked in the door. I tried so hard to be loving to him. Have you ever endured this? Truly, it’s so hard to be loving to someone when you feel that love is not reciprocated. 

I prayed that Jesus could give me the grace to love my husband again. I asked Him to love Shane for me, so that I could work on loving and forgiving him. 

April 2011. This, I believe, was the worst month. However, I also reached a level of intimacy with Jesus that I believe I had to endure the suffering here on earth in order to achieve this heightened spirituality. 

(Our growing family April 2011; no one knew the struggles we had behind closed doors. The sadness and the tears hidden behind these four smiles)

Shane got very sick. He ended up in the hospital for a couple days, test after test, ruling out Crones Disease, Celiac Disease, and other common (and not so common) GI issues. He had endoscopies and colonoscopies and had biopsies taken of everything. 

I feared that his diagnosis would be cancer. I made my focus to pray that I could let go of my worries. 

That was so hard. But God always provides a way to stand on top of our trials. This was when I became an Elizabeth Minister. I thank the Lord for providing the friendships and sisterhood of those that entered my life at that time. They were instruments in keeping me focused on Christ during the most difficult year of my life.

Fast forward to November, and he was officially diagnosed with Low Testosterone. We thought with a diagnosis, our life would begin again.

We were wrong.

Stay tuned for the second half of my journey…..

Trust

WE MADE IT!

Unbelievably so, through much surrender and prayer, we traveled 750 miles through the Midwest, alongside the Smokies and up and down the Blue Ridge Mountains. Gorgeous views, beautiful weather...I mean seriously, even when it rains it is just nicer here in South Carolina! I may be on a vacation mindset, or maybe a honeymoon mentality, but this is just such an incredible journey God has gifted our family! We are so grateful!

So, if you haven't read the beginning of this adventure, you can do so here to see how this crazy leap of faith had begun.

Anyhow, here's an update!

May 2016 was a monumental month for us. God has moved such a huge mountain and we feel so blessed! We officially relocated from Illinois to South Carolina and it felt amazing! We had such blessings along the way...so many of our family and friends helped us load a 26' moving truck, prayed for us, and encouraged us in spite of it sounding so crazy! We had no jobs lined up. My husband had been applying to many places with no interviews in sight. Instead of waiting, we decided to pack up and go.

God's will be done.

Mr. Faithful did an amazing job driving this humongous truck through the mountains, in the rain, and narrow lanes. I'm so proud of my husband, he truly is the priest of our domestic church.

Our entire 3 bedroom, 2 full bath home in one 26' truck, along with my precious cargo - my knight in shining armor husband and one of my sons. Driving through rainy Blue Ridge Mountains.

So, here's a recap of the whirlwind...We got this truck on a Saturday, loaded it up, said our goodbyes Sunday, left Monday morning and stayed at a hotel in Kentucky (halfway point). Then, Tuesday morning driving again until we reached our new home in South Carolina. 

But wait, there's more!

Tuesday we unloaded what we could. Wednesday, we were on the road again...another 5 hour drive to my brother and his family in North Carolina! They were so generous to gift us space to put our furniture while we figure things out during this transition time and while we live with my parents. So, spend the night and head back Thursday, luckily and thankfully without that huge truck! 

Then, Friday morning came.

My husband had a job interview Friday. Remember, we had no jobs lined up the week before. My hubby walked in, and about 15 minutes later, was offered a great paying job!!! Praise God for providing for us in all ways, all the time!!! He should start sometime this week!! Oh, the BEST part about this amazing job?! He will only work 3 days a week, and the remainder he will FINALLY be able to spend time with his family! After 23 years of busting his butt working 50-65 hours a week with nothing to show for it but more debt, my husband will be providing the way he had always intended to for his loved ones! Praise God for answering his prayer to provide!!!

So, want to know why we feel all of this was God's will for our family? Well, first of all none of this would have happened without that simple prayer between my husband and me back in December, but also here's God's humor (in my opinion of course)....the name of the company Shane will be working for is...TRUST. I do not think that is a coincidence at all. I believe this is another affirmation that God has gifted us to let us know we are on His path, that we are doing this right...and righteously. We have continued to try our hardest to stay at the foot of the cross and do feel this is exactly what God intended us to do.

One more piece of amazement....

Today was the first day at Mass at my parents' parish, our parish now! They had Franciscan Friars whom stated that today was their last day at the parish as they were being transferred somewhere else. Upon hearing this news, they also announced the new priest is a young 42 year old, vibrant and fun, from Poland and he studied the priesthood in Rome! He begins at this parish in two weeks. My husband and I looked at each other and both pondered on this news. Then, one Friar added the San Domino Crucifix - which happens to be the exact same one our old parish in Illinois used - will be leaving with the Franciscans. 

I immediately thanked God because I knew in my heart that with the San Domino Crucifix leaving that parish, it was our closure, the ending of a long chapter of our family's life, and the beginning of a new adventure with a new, young, vibrant priest.

You have got to see the signs God gives you. They are everywhere! You just have to take the proverbial veil off and open your ears, eyes, and heart. He offers this to everyone...but it's up to us to be receptive. Will you heed His call for you and your family, no matter the cost?

More to follow as our Faithful Family Adventure unveils...you don't want to miss what's next!!

Faithful Family Adventures

Want to get a glimpse into our life? I want to tell a tale of timing, a story of surrender, a ballad of belief, a history of hope.

It all unfolded with a simple prayer between my husband and me. Advent had begun and Mr. Faithful and I wanted to create a deeper intimacy with each other after a time of spiritual dryness in our home. We started reading our friend's first published book, Couples Advent Devotional and the proverbial veil was lifted.

Each prayer gave us more clarity. It was time to move. For many years, we both had been called to "move" but over these years the Holy Spirit had been guiding us to move spiritually, individually, within our vocation of marriage, to move with homeschooling in different ways...I could go on. God has been calling us to move in many different ways. But December 2015, He had called us to move out of our home.

Unfortunately, we had to discuss how to get out of our home financially. After research and discussions with a realtor and our lender, we had to begin the short sale process. This was humbling for us both, but we felt a supernatural peace that we know God graced us with. We prayed for discernment multiple times a day. We have remained in this prayerful state and know this is God's will for our family.

Full trust in the Lord is so very important. We remain faithful and devoted to Jesus Christ.

Last year, my parents relocated to South Carolina. We decided we needed to relocate ourselves. God wants us out of Illinois, and we want out as well! However, we wanted to be sure this was God's will and not just our own selfish desire to be close to my parents and other family.

We have devoted time to pray individually and together daily throughout this whole process. It has been a whirlwind of a few months, but as the new year has created new beginnings for us, we realize that God has been preparing us for this move longer than we had known.

To hear God, you must truly listen and not be distracted!

Looking back, I am certain our Heavenly Father had been trying to tell us to move for a while. My Faithful Family was so busy that we became distracted with our schedule to actually sit and listen like good little children.

Sometimes, God has to slap us down in order to really get us to hear Him.

My family had something happening every single day. If we were at home, I was busy with at least one ministry or volunteer position or my new Usborne business. Mr. Faithful and I would be two ships passing each evening. Our family was being pulled apart with all the work we thought was good for us.

Then, illness came. Five out of the six of us were diagnosed with pneumonia in November. We had to cancel every single event. We missed many appointments and stayed home just being with each other. Pondering on this time now, it was the perfect way God could reach us to let us know it was truly time to move. The devil is tricky. He gets the good faithful ones by keeping us distracted and busy with work we think we need to do in order to be good Christians. You can read more of my thoughts on this here.

In this short time since December, not only has our life been turned around, but my sister and her husband has too! Within a month and a half, they both were offered jobs in Colorado, accepted, put their home up for sale, sold within 48 hours, and relocated! God is calling my family out of Illinois for a reason, I truly believe this. God's will be done for my whole Faithful Family!

We have everything underway to move in two weeks. In that short time, we will be relocating and living with my parents until we find our next home...which we know will be a farm. After all this praying, and many signs over the past few years, through the intercession of MANY saints, we are called to be as self-sustaining as possible. We are meant to farm!

So, if you'd like to see our new adventure unfold as we search for our Faithful Family Farm, stay tuned.....God's will be done!

Breaking Through the Looking Glass

Last month I attended my first silent retreat. It was the beginning of Lent 2016...the beginning of a new awakening in my soul. I'd like to highlight some of what I learned in the silence.

The crisp breeze of an early February morning; a rooster sounded off in the distance. I took a breath of the cool, clean, farmland air. I was ready to start my first full day of this retreat. I walked through the forest to the simple, yet beautiful, chapel to say good morning to Jesus. As I adored the Blessed Sacrament, I began to cry. I realized how I allowed my life to become so hectic and loud. The devil is tricky in this way...he enjoys seeing us busy and distracted because we become easy targets to be plucked away from Jesus in subtle, yet deadly ways. I had not even known I was becoming the older brother in the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).

Between our silence in Adoration, Liturgy of the Hours with the Brothers of Saint John, and solitude, we learned so much from a wonderful woman, Sister Marie, who focused our retreat on the parable of the lost son. I improved my knowledge of this parable even after hearing it countless times before!

Sometimes I need to take a step back, take a breath of fresh air, and realize that I am still such an infant on my faith journey. How about you?

I brought a book I'd purchased at the 2015 Feminine Genius Conference that I honestly planned to read and be done with by now, a year later. Funny how the Holy Spirit works on perfect timing for everything, even down to a simple book and the perfect time to read it.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

I read the whole book while in solitude that weekend. I highly recommend it to increase your love life...but not in the sense that society portrays. My Vocation is Love: St. Therese's Way to Total Trust, by Jean Lafrance.

The Littleflower has always been with me in my life. She chose me long before I realized she had deemed me as one of her little sisters! I am so grateful for her little way. Through her help this year, I have really been able to break through another obstacle to come closer to Jesus Christ. That obstacle is me.

My soul, she says, desires only this science...I understand so clearly that only love can make us pleasing to God, and this love is the only good I ardently desire. Jesus is pleased to show me the road that leads to this divine furnace, and this is the road of the surrender of the little child who sleeps without fear in its father's arms... (St. Therese discovers the road to abandonment).

This tells me I must break through the allegorical looking glass. This tells me I must look beyond what others see. I need to abandon myself, realize I am absolutely nothing, and cling to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. For without His Love for me, I wouldn't exist. I must die to myself for love of Him. This, my friends, is not as easy as it sounds. Yes, we love our families, our friends, some can even love those who persecute or violate them; yet, how many times have we failed to show true love to thy neighbor, through our thoughts, words, or actions (or lack thereof)?

I am finding myself having such strong desire to listen to Him even more so than I did before. As I participated at Mass recently, He spoke to me through this scripture to continue on the path to abandonment just as St. Therese did. Maybe this will strike you as it did me to let go of material things and simplify my life and schedule...

Brothers and sisters: I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. ... (Philippians 3:8-11).

During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, we must strive to be humble like the prodigal son; we must be obedient like the older brother; we must be merciful and loving like their father. (Luke 15:11-32). We should strive to rejoice in finding that lost coin (Luke 15:8-10) through dying to our selfish desires and abandoning all of the rubbish. Cling to Jesus, just as a little child sleeps so comfortably in its father's loving arms because we should want to be that one lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7) He drapes over His shoulders to bring back Home.

Blah blah blah...

I cannot believe how few and far between I've written on this blog site. I need to more. I know I need to, for myself!! I so enjoy reading my past articles. Why don't I make this time?! Sometimes I wonder how life has gone this fast. Yet, when I sit a pray my rosary for 20 minutes, I seem to GAIN time. How is this possible while I am running myself ragged with my four little faithfuls, homecshooling, leading Elizabeth Ministry, now involved in CRHP, being secretary of the community board, parish commissions leader, parish council woman, all the marriage ministry work Mr. Faithful and I do together...and now, I have decided to become self-employed and am an Educational Consultant with Usborne Books & More. Wow...my fingers hurt from typing so much ha!!

My new goal is to make my Usborne business such a success that I can become our family's main income source. It may sound crazy, far fetched, or impossible, but I am determined to save my husband's health. It's a long-term goal obviously, and I'm writing here and now, on Sunday, October 25, 2015, that I will succeed at my new found business...and I will save my husband!!!

Anyway, blah blah blah I'm just mumbling - and it feels great! I need to just ramble on with my blog so that I remember these things and can look back on them!! I love myself enough to do this!! :)

Who's That Knocking?

It has been an incredibly long time since I've given myself an opportunity to sit down and write. Last post was from March yikes!!!

The Lord sometimes waits for us to make a choice. Other times, He doesn't and He needs us to get moving! We, His children, really need to be open to hearing our Heavenly Father and obeying His desires, not our own. 

Keeping this short and sweet. Things are happening here in my faithful home. We are currently trying to better our lifestyle in multiple ways....through where we get our food (we have a newly found love for our local organic farmers!), through our finances (finally creating a budget and started a savings!!), through our family time and how we spend it together, and other opportunities that draw us closer to Christ and keep us at the Foot of Jesus' Cross.

So grateful for God's mercy and also for the daily crosses I bear. Sometimes it's difficult to look past the monotony of daily life as a stay at home mother of four children, but boy, when God knocks, it's hard to be stressed and frustrated!! Praise God in all circumstances and shout for joy that He has such special jobs for all of us!!

He is knocking, will you answer?

Make it a faithful day!!

Still Alive!

Realized in the midst of homeschooling, being a referee to my 3 Faithful Boys, poopie diapers and spit up that I haven't had a chance to sit down and finish the 2nd part of my birth story!!! Please be patient with me....on top of all I normally do, God is requesting I speak for my parish (which is my worst fear!!) so been working on writing my speech!!!

Say prayers for me and I'm always praying for you faithful ones!!!

And as always, make it a faithful day!!!

Xoxo

An Incredible Journey: My Birth Story

Have you ever had an experience that you just want to share with the world? As a mother, I know each one of us who have experienced birth in any way want to shout it from the mountaintops!! So, without further ado, here is my fourth birth story. It was amazing, incredible, spiritual, scary and exciting all at once!

I started feeling slight contractions Friday, 15 minutes apart and lasting about a minute each. I thought I was in early labor! I was so excited as Saturday was my due date!

I decided to walk Saturday. My parents graciously took Faithful Boys with them for the day and Mr. Faithful and I took two awesome nature walks throughout the day. It was very much needed for the two of us as husband and wife. We were able to talk, reminisce and share our dreams of what our unborn baby would look like, if baby was a boy or girl, how the boys would react when he or she is here. It was truly a wonderful day! My contractions started coming slightly closer but still not strong at all. I was so impatient at this point...I wanted to have this baby!!!!

Here I am last Saturday (Nov 9th) before our walk.

Sunday we went to Mass. I was miserable. I decided to offer my Mass and day up for God's will to be done. I asked for patience and understanding, for comfort and joy during these last days of my pregnancy. Thanks be to God, He answered my prayers!!

Monday very early morning I was awakened by strong contractions, still only 10-15 minutes apart. I became excited thinking it was the day!! I immediately thanked the Lord for this day, and said out loud before getting out of bed "Your will be done." It was the best thing I could've said on this day.

I felt at peace. I knew Heavenly Father answered my cries for joy and comfort. I was no longer anxious or impatient for baby to arrive. I felt great knowing it was God's timing and not my own. I ignored my contractions and went about my morning. Fed the boys breakfast, started school with the older boys and just relaxed as much as I could.

By 10:00am I called Mr. Faithful and asked him to come pick the boys and me up and take us to my Mom's. This way we'd be closer to the hospital and Mr. Faithful could go back to work for a little longer. 

I spent the rest of this Monday totally relaxed. I sat on Mom's couch meditating, breathing if I needed to and watching my boys. I prayed many Hail Mary's too. I wasn't in pain, my contractions stayed at about 8-10 minutes apart from about 1:00-3:30. By that time I called my sister, who happens to be a labor & delivery nurse, to come to check me to see if I'd be ready to head to the hospital anytime soon. Mr. Faithful got there around the same time as my sister. It was about 4:45pm.

So, she checked me and my bag was bulging! She couldn't get an accurate dilation due to her feeling that my water may break. Even though my contractions were 6-7 minutes apart and I wasn't in pain or feeling that the contractions were that strong, we decided at this point to head to the hospital. 

And so my incredible journey began....

By the time we were about two miles down the road my contractions jumped to 4 minutes apart. They were getting MUCH stronger and in between the main ones, I'd get small intense contractions as well. We had a 30 minute drive to the hospital; we thought for sure we had time.

We were about 10 minutes away from the hospital when I text everyone to pray for a good delivery and that baby was coming today! It was just about 5:40pm Monday. 

Mr. Faithful had a special route planned so we avoided the railroad and the downtown area....for those who know me or live in Illinois, we delivered at Good Sam in Downers Grove. Well, my husband in all the excitement, FORGOT. And guess what? Yep, you probably guessed right....we got stuck in traffic and by a train!!!!!!

At this point I was panting. I was crying and sobbing to Mr. Faithful, "Why did you go this way?!?" As I said that, he (as calmly as he could) said, "Just breathe sweetheart. Calm down. I've got the driving, you concentrate on relaxing." Then we BuMpEd over the tracks. I think I yelled that my water was going to break. 

As he drove, Mr. Faithful was trying to honor what is asked of him while I was in labor...to pray. I don't think I have ever heard him recite all our prayers kind of intertwined and like a super fast auctioneer...."Hail Mary full of grace and lead us not into temptation St. Michael defend us in battle..." You get the point...it was hilarious!!!!

He finally approached the entrance and at that point I moaned. Being through 3 previous births, my awesome hubby knew to head to the ER. We pulled up...we walked in. He helped the person there sit me down in a wheelchair and then said he'd be right back - he went to get the van out of the way of the doors.

At this point I yelled, "This baby's coming!!!!!" I knew at any moment my water was going to break. I had my eyes closed and was so focused on trying to keep everything in tact till they got me up to OB. 

Ya....that didn't happen.

I heard the ER staff yelling, "We need OB down here NOW!!!"

They were wheeling me to the nearest ER room. As they did they hit a bump....and - POP! 

Water broke - and as soon as that happened I felt the baby's head in between my legs......in my pants!!!!!!

I screamed I think the loudest I've ever screamed, "The water broke - baby's head is OUT!!!!!!! GET THESE PANTS OFF OF ME!!!!!!!!" They at this point had my arms and legs spread like a starfish....one at my right arm tugging at my coat...one at my left trying to get a hep lock in...and one on either leg pulling my shoes off - all the while I'm lifted fully in the air and they are trying to get me on the bed. No one was listening to me and I couldn't get out of their grasp!!! I yelled what I feel was like 20 times "Get these pants off!! My baby's out!!!! Baby is in my pants!!!!!!" 

They FINALLY got the dumb pants down and I hear the doctor say, "Baby's head is out."

No duh!!!!!

At this point my poor husband comes in...looks at me, drawn and quartered....looks down and sees our child's head...turns as white as a sheet and puts his hands to his head. The TWELVE ER staff members pushed him to the side as it was MASS CHAOS!!!! 

They told me to push...I never needed to. I moved my legs ever so slightly and the baby just slid out ha ha!! No pain at all...it was wonderful yet the scariest experience of our lives!!!!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After almost 7 years of boys, a little girl!!! We are proud parents of three boys and a beautiful sweet GIRL!!!!!!

God's will be done!!!!! Praise You Heavenly Father!!!!!!!

I have more to add to this story so stay tuned for the next addition of my incredible journey!!!!

Reflected in His image

As I approach childbirth, I am reflecting more on my Savior, Jesus Christ. If you don't know me personally, I pray at least one rosary a day. Yesterday, as I prayed and meditated on the Sorrowful Mysteries, Mama Mary revealed to me how we women are truly a mirror of His image! 

Praise God for allowing the Heavenly Queen to visit me and guide me to her Son's Sacred Heart! I now know how we are reflected in His image as women...a true femininity that is wholesome and loving in a way only God can reveal to us through His Holy Spirit!! 

If you are pregnant and want to try this, I highly suggest trying new forms of meditation to keep your focus on Jesus through childbirth. 

Here's my take - Mr. Faithful will be reciting the mysteries with my reflection as well, then I plan to pray with him each decade as well as I can. I hope this brings me comfort and helps me focus on Jesus rather than the pains of labor.

The First Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden

Heavenly Father, You created woman in Your image uniquely during childbirth. Mirrored in Jesus' suffering, we ask that You reveal to this woman how much You love her during her pain and suffering.

Like Jesus' agony in the garden, she knows fully well what she will undergo as this labor progresses. Help her through with Your mercy and love.

(Recite 1st decade)

The Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar

Sweet Jesus, You accepted Your Father's will in spite of knowing the pain You would endure. The hurtful blows were unbearable, yet You were strong enough to take these waves of horrific pain through Your trust and love of Your Father.

Give this woman the strength to withstand the waves of contractions especially when they feel unbearable. Help her to know and trust in You, Jesus, that these waves are but a small sacrifice for God's greater glory.

(Recite 2nd decade)

The Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns

Although nothing could compare to Jesus' crowning with thorns, as this woman feels her precious child crowning, help her to remember Jesus' pain as she feels the "ring of fire" and help her to offer this pain as a sacrifice and mortification for what our Lord endured. 

(Recite 3rd decade)

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross

Jesus, Your cross was so heavy to carry. You carried the sins of the world on Your shoulders. Thank You, sweet Jesus, for taking this burden. As this laboring woman feels the heavy pains of her child entering the world, help her to be humbled and silent. Help her to know this is all for Jesus Christ.

(Recite 4th decade)

The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: The Crucifixion 

For love of us, dear Jesus, You gave Your last precious breath on that cross. We thank You for carrying this woman through childbirth. Help her to reflect on the death of her pain and continue in thanksgiving for Your unending mercy. 

___________________________________

I also plan to use an amazing litany that a fellow blogger wrote. Here's My Feminine Mind's link:

http://www.myfemininemind.com/2012/11/birth-resources.html?m=1

She's a fellow Elizabeth Minister and an amazing writer! My husband will be reciting each saint while I focus on the "pray for us" parts. ;)

I have come to a place in my spirituality and my love for Christ that I want this labor to be all for Him. I plan to receive the Eucharist and pray pray pray!!! I'm blessed to have Mr. Faithful by my side as my partner and he is fully on board with my wishes for what I hope to be my best birth. 

All for God, I offer myself and my child. I pray for a healthy precious child of God and I promise to raise him or her to fall in love with Christ just as my other children are. 

Thank You, sweet Jesus, for Your unending love for me!!

On Fire Yet So Tired

Have you ever felt so on fire with something dear to your heart yet so exhausted that you think you may just sleep the rest of your life away? Hmmmm, I don't know if that's even possible but this is how I feel lately. Being 38 weeks pregnant, caring for my three handsome boys, homeschooling and ministry work has started to take its toll on me. 

Yet amidst my tired and achy body I am on fire for Elizabeth Ministry work! If you've followed me, you know I lead this ministry at my parish. It's an amazingly beautiful ministry and I am so grateful to Jesus & Mary for guiding me to it. 

I've had so many spurts of spontaneous brainstorms of what we could do, how we could help parishioners, and what we can do differently to make the ministry really shine. Oh the possibilities!!!

So, while my body makes me rest before labor & delivery, I must keep these brainstorms as a day dream....until next year. ;)

Make it a faithful day!!!

Home Stretch!

So here we are, within the last weeks of pregnancy 4! As of today we are only 20 days till the due date. How fast time flies!!!  Our Lady has been with me these last few months (noticeably so) just like she stayed with Elizabeth for her last trimester before giving birth to John the Baptist. As an Elizabeth Minister, this passage from the gospel of Luke is one of my favorites. I can just image how elated Elizabeth must have been to see her young cousin, and the first to understand how important Mary was as she carried our Savior in her virginal womb...Jesus' first tabernacle!!!

I am so excited to go through labor and experience the awesome miracle that God grants us!!! It is truly a gift and not a right to birth a child. So many don't understand the difference. Life is a precious gift given to each of us by our Heavenly Father! Thank You Christ Jesus for this incredible gift!!!!

So our three Faithful Boys really think this one is a girl. This whole pregnancy they all have said "She" and "Her" and "Sister" hmmmm I wonder if they are right?? We have not found out, same as each one. Mr. Faithful & I adore surprises and what better surprise than the gift of a son or daughter ?!?!!

Boy or girl this time? You decide! (This pic was taken at 35 weeks gestation!!)
Make it a faithful day!!

Back to {Home} School

Today was our official first day of the school year! It kicked off with a wonderful devotion to Jesus and Mary given by my three precious little boys, a morning offering and many prayer reviews. What better way to start the day than with prayer?! We are teaching 1st grade and preschool this year and boy, if the first day is a precursor for what this year will be we will have a blast!! I love how children LOVE to learn! I am blessed to have Mary's guidance as a mother; I'm definitely learning patience with this but it's totally worth it!!!

Are you happy with your child's schooling? Have you looked into options if you're not yet at the point of starting school?

Mr. Faithful and I have made a lot of dumb mistakes in our lives. This is one choice we KNOW we did right in making!!

St. Therese, the Littleflower, patroness of Little Ways Academy (our homeschool), please pray for us!!!

Happy 2013-2014 school year!! May all your children be blessed with however you choose to school your babes!!!!

Living Grace

Boy it's been a very long time since my last post! I slipped away from blogging and became consumed with the craziness of everyday life. Diving deeper into my faith and intimacy with my lover, Jesus Christ; becoming more of a trinity with my earthly lover, Mr. Faithful, and our Savior; homeschooling, quitting my job as a swim instructor, getting more active at my parish and lastly, becoming pregnant with baby # 4!

First and foremost, what a fabulous gift we've been given!! My husband and I are so blessed to introduce yet another miracle into this world!! We have fully accepted God's will for our marriage and family. Jesus, we trust in You!! Our newest addition will be born into this world sometime mid November!

Our first year of homeschooling was a HUGE success!! My son passed kindergarten with flying colors and I couldn't be more proud of him!! We have decided as a family that we will continue next school year, so we will have a 1st grader and a kindergartner here at home attending Little Ways Academy. Mr. Faithful and I are excited to attend our very first homeschool conference this summer.

Mr. Faithful and I have become more intimate with our prayer life. Wow how amazing it is to share an intimacy with my husband and share this with Jesus Christ! We are truly honoring our blessed sacrament of marriage and are always trying to fulfill our promise to God within our marriage. This is real marriage, this is what God has intended for us! Praise You God!!! We recently celebrated our 7th anniversary and couldn't be more joy filled in this life God's granted us together!

Along with our shared intimacy within our home, we both have become even more active in our parish. We absolutely feel driven to serve the Catholic Church and love our family there!

It's amazing how different life can be once you fully accept Jesus into your life. The trials and tribulations, the anxiety and stress all seem to fade once you set your eyes on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. If only some of my family and friends knew what they are missing!!! Sure the obstacles are still there, the lack of finances and the bills, the screaming kids and frustrations, they're all still there...but they just don't seem as detrimental or stress filled as before. All I say when I'm feeling overwhelmed is, "Jesus, I trust in You." or I say a Hail Mary and ask her to place her patient heart in me. It truly works!!

I'm happy to live gracefully and joy filled in Jesus & Mary's loving arms so that my children will have nice thick and strong Catholic roots. I pray everyday that the Holy Spirit lead them, Mary holds their precious hands to guide them to her Son and that they each discover their vocations and follow that path!!

Make your life a faithful one!!

Beacon of Light

Off in the distance
I see such a light;
It's raining, pouring
With no end in sight.

The darkness
It swallows
Some people up whole.
Follow the glow.

Follow that glow!
That shimmering light.
It may seem sometimes
As no end in sight.

But be as it may
The path we each choose,
With Christ as our Savior,
We have nothing to lose.

The Beacon of Light -
The reason we breathe!
Give up the dark
To Jesus, bequeath!

For our futures,
No one will know
But right now,
These seeds we shall sow...

To raise up our children
Good and righteous
Show them that Beacon
Have them follow the brightness!

Faithful Mama 2012
Dedicated to the courageous children and their parents in Newtown, CT. I read a story of a 1st grader who protected his peers, guided them to safety, then was murdered. These beautiful babies are now in the arms of Jesus. What a tragedy it was but they now are all in Paradise. I grieve right along with these parents, grandparents and other family who've lost a loved one from tragedy. My prayers are with you all as a mother, sister, daughter, wife, aunt, friend and minister. Xoxo

Love Is a Psalm

Our love is a Psalm,
Much more than a song.
It is music to God's ears.

Undying love,
Unfailing trust,
To our Father up above.

Our love is a Psalm.
It is poetry,
It is patient, kind.

Our love will shine
Through the darkest of days
I'm so glad that you're mine.

And we are united as one for Him.

Our love, a vocation
It conquers tribulation.
Our love is a Psalm.

I love you dear,
Always and forever.

*Cleaning my husband's desk I found this poem I wrote him for our anniversary this year. Thought I'd post just to keep it on my blog since sometimes we lose papers. ;)

Faithful Mama written 6-16-12

I love you, Mr. Faithful and am so blessed that we have such a great vocation in the marriage covenant. Thanks be to God!!!

Adventures in Homeschooling: Are We Prepared?

We are T minus 5 days before our very first official day of kindergarten!
Are we ready? Am I ready?!?!

I think so. We decided to enroll oldest Faithful Boy (5.5 years old) into Seton Home Study, a Catholic kindergarten curriculum.

I've been reading and preparing his lessons and am LOVING the choice we made.
I know Mr. Faithful & I have been filled with the Holy Spirit; we chose to follow God's will for our family.

First page of the paperwork just happened to be about the life of St. Therese of Lisieux. If you have never read my blog, this woman is my patron saint. 

http://faithfulmamadiary.blogspot.com/2012/05/invoke-spirit-invade-my-heart.html?m=1 

I knew then that she helped us choose the perfect curriculum for our Faithful Family!!
The more I read the more at peace I am. No matter what kind of looks I get when I say, "He is in kindergarten, we homeschool." No matter how many people ask, "How is this going to work with the other two when you try to teach him?" 

I have TOTAL trust in my Heavenly Father that we will be successful this first year of homeschool.
Faithful Boys and I decided the name for our school is LITTLE WAYS ACADEMY; our school's patron saint is The Littleflower, St. Therese of Liseiux. Ironically her feast day is October 1st, which will be our very first day of school. 

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!

We are on the right path to Christ, and Mr. Faithful and I feel we are raising our boys exactly how Jesus wants, to draw all of us closer to God. 

Share your school stories, inform others there IS a choice in schools for your children. Stand up for real choice!! But, most importantly, FOLLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT!!! 

If you would have told me I'd be a homeschool mom just two years ago I'd have laughed in your face and told you you're crazy. Homeschool families are weirdos who's kids aren't well socialized. How can anyone learn anything outside a real classroom? 

*chuckling at my old ignorant self*

With God ANYTHING is possible. Without Him, nothing.

If you or someone you know are contemplating alternative schooling, please do your research. If you have that small voice or feeling inside you, that is God. Please heed His calling for you and your family. 

In Christ, Faithful Mama xoxo

Modern Day Crucifixion

Our faith is being tested. Satan and his evil army are simply able to twist and turn around easy targets and rip souls apart, hurt feelings, and separate Christians with a snap of their fingers (or with their pride, jealousy, or any other sin).

So many poor souls lost. Some have no idea they are.

I know that some people that read this do not share my beliefs...but you know what? That's OK! 

I am Faithful Mama. I am a devout Roman Catholic. You may be Baptist, Muslim, Non denominational, Mormon, agnostic, etc. For me...I was baptized as an infant into the Catholic Church. I was raised in the faith as my parents (thanks be to God) provided the spiritual nourishment to give me the strong roots I have today. I did fall away as I had my doubts (I call them my "dark ages"). I was called back home as I search for answers.

I know now that I am exactly where I need to be. Catholic Church is home on this earth.

But, who am I to say it's your home? 

I am no one.

You are better than me.

I know my faults. I am a sinner. However, through Reconciliation, I am forgiven by Christ Himself! (for scripture of this sacrament please read 2 Cor 5:11-21; John 20:19-23; Luke 10:13-16). I don't need to prove myself to anyone but Him. He is what matters most!

All the sacraments are a beautiful gift from God, yet so many quickly dismiss them.

Catholicism is my home!

May not be for you. Where has the Holy Spirit led you? Ask yourself. It's nice to assist others in their journey, but there is a fine line so do be careful how you tread on it. The devil is tricky and we all need to keep our focus on Jesus Christ; be aware of present evil in the most unsuspecting places. There are times when the Holy Spirit will use you as His instrument (what an honor!!) and when that happens, it's absolutely beautiful!!

I would never push my beliefs on anyone. I only share what I learn. Take it how you will. If you get offended, maybe you need to reevaluate your own beliefs.

I love learning of others' faith. I think it's remarkable that many of us are similar in how we treat others, yet, different beliefs. I feel like that is proof that our Heavenly Father has our goal in this world written on our hearts. God loves all His creations even if we deny Him. God wants all of us to be with Him. Some will never accept Him. So unfortunate for them; they have no idea what joy they are missing!!

Jesus has told us to love our enemies (Luke 6:27-36) and also not to judge others (Luke 6:37-42). 

I love everyone, even those that crucify me.

I try to be the best Christian I can be for my God.

That's all anyone of us can do, right?

If you have any questions about the Catholic faith, our beliefs, or why we do believe in what we do, please check out these sites before you assume you know:

http://www.catholic.org/

http://www.ewtn.com/

http://www.catholicapologetics.org/

Many have rallied against Catholicism. Most of those anti Catholics have no idea what we are all about. Sadly, some are fallen Catholics whom have been misguided and taught incorrectly. 

Peace in Catholicism. Peace in Christ!

Have a faithful day!!

Top Priorities

Wow it's been a while since I've written! Paper and pen, my how I've missed you!

The Faithful Family has been on a path to enlightenment; a journey to gaining wisdom; a road that's more clearly paved for our walk home.

The Holy Spirit is hard at work through us.

I've learned more about the mystery of our faith; Faithful Children have gained their own intimacies with Christ; Mr. Faithful is on his own personal journey to what I feel is a new birth in Jesus Christ. We are praying more as a family (and we thought we prayed a lot before!) we sit down and bless one another with Holy Water, we are learning more of sacramentals, we are raising our little men to be strong warriors for our God. It is a wonderful journey, yet difficult at times.

When we are so filled with love and faith for Christ, the evil one wants to tear us down even more so.

We've had plenty of obstacles over the last couple months. We trust in Jesus and show more devotion to Him at those difficult times. We will pick up our rosaries and pray.

It's easy to be apathetic. It's easy to just get by without thinking of God, praying for others, living a secular life. It's easy to point fingers at others for our failings. It's easy to be selfish. The hard part is to let go. The hard part of letting go of all the stress is realizing life is not about us. Life is about love. Love for Christ.

Love always. Pray constantly. Live for God and no one else.

Make your day a faithful one.

Peace in Christ.