6th Day of Christmas: Nativity

 On the sixth day of Christmas,

23 years ago,

my daughter gave to me

a blessed granddaughter 

named Charley Marie.

Happy Birthday, Charley Marie!

Haiku My Heart: Family Christmas Gathering

My home is small in size,

but it radiated BIG love today.

Hugs were shared  

as each member of my family

traipsed in, their arms full of gifts,

and big grins on their faces.

I love it when they are all here

and the rooms "shrink" 

to a coziness that

I miss when there are only my cats and me.

blessed is my life

            with a family who shares

           their love and presence 

linking lovingly

to 

Haiku My Heart

Joy to the World!

Christmas Eve at St. Mary Catholic Church in Muncie, Indiana

 Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare him room,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Give thanks for Mary's "yes" to the angel of God.

Rejoice for the birth of our Lord!

From my heart,

I wish each of you the Savior's 

love and peace for you and your family.

Nonnie

Christmas 2004: Our Last Christmas Together

my husband Charles

  Not known to us,

this was to be our last Christmas.

Would we have done anything differently?

I think not.

We celebrated Christmas with all the bells and whistles,

shiny ornaments on the tree, 

lots of them homemade by family; 

many were gifts from my students over the years.

Tons of gifts stacked beneath the tree for all our loved ones.

Of course, the genuine celebration of Christmas began

with Christmas Eve Mass.  

When Charles and I were much younger,

the children and I went to midnight Mass.  

But as the years flew by, 

my energy didn’t last long enough for that. 

Beginning with the new millennium, 

our Christmas started with opening gifts on Christmas Eve, 

then our going to 5:30 p.m. Mass. 

From there, our children and their families headed for home.

I hope that I’m not seeming maudlin sharing this, 

but it seems that no matter how much time has passed 

since my husband died, 

that warm memories of our special times together 

creep to the forefront of my brain.  

Nonnie

Postcards from Paradise: Eucharistic Adoration

Heavenly Father, 

increase our faith in the Real Presence 

of Your Son Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. 

We are obliged to adore Him, 

to give Him thanks and to make reparation for sins.

We need your peace in our hearts and among nations.

We need conversion from our sins 

and the mercy of Your forgiveness.  

May we obtain this through prayer 

and our union with the Eucharistic Lord.

Our parish has Eucharistic Adoration

each second Sunday of the month

and on the fourth Thursday of each month.

The latter is through

S.E.E.D.

Seeking Evangelization through Eucharistic Devotion.

Father Keane had been slated

as the S.E.E.D. speaker for December.

In his stead, 

the Eucharistic Adoration

 was dedicated to him and for his soul.

linking to 

our gracious hostess Rebecca

at Postcards from Paradise

Signs, Signs: Signs of Christmas Past

“When we recall Christmas past, 
we usually find that the simplest things 
give off the greatest glow of happiness.”
~Bob Hope~

Truman Capote Suite

                                                    

linking to:

Lesley's Signs, Signs

and

Kaylene's Quotography

“Oh, Mary, did you not find a room for your Son?  

Here it is.  

I offer it to you in this heart of mine.  

It is cold and unworthy, truly.  

But are you not the Mother of God, 

the Almighty through grace, 

the Dispenser of all gifts?  

Do change this heart of mine and make it yours.”

~Blessed Bartolo Longo~

note: I bought this exquisite prayer card 

from Lisa DiNunzio.  On the reverse side is

the Mother of Mercy prayer, but I

chose to use the prayer from 

the daily meditation to which 

I subscribe from Franciscan Media.

Quotography: Charles Dickens Quote

"I will honor Christmas in my heart,

and try to keep it all the year."

~Charles Dickens~

linking to 
Quotography

December, 2013 Issue of Magnificat

To pay tribute to those little angels who were victims 

of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012, 

  please read the article in the December 2013 issue of Magnificat.

The article can be read on Skyview, which is found here.

It touched my heart and brought me to tears.

And please say a prayer for the students' families.

A Virgin A Day: Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe

God of power and mercy,
you blessed the Americas at Tepeyac
with the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe.
May her prayers help all men and women
to accept each other as brothers and sisters. 
Through your justice present in our hearts 
may Your peace reign in the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, 
for ever and ever.


The image of Mary presented here
shows a close resemblance
to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
I thought that this image
came from here, 
but when I returned to the site,
I was unable to find it.
If any of you are familiar
with this icon,
please enlighten me.
Thank you.

our last day of
A Virgin A Day
hosted by the inimitable
Rebecca
thank you, dear Rebecca!

Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe

A Virgin A Day: My Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

image found here

Trying to modify my attitude

while changing the date once again

for the Christmas gathering of my family.

Thoughts of “Why am I always the one 

who needs to accommodate others’ plans? 

Why can’t we have a tradition set in stone 

so I don’t go through this each year?”

Frustration layers upon resentment 

till I just want to go to bed 

and stay there till the onset of the new year.

Then I gaze upon your face, sweet Mother, 

and I ponder your long journey to Bethlehem

while being heavily laden with your divine Babe.

Your Immaculate Heart overcame

any questions concerning the reason

for this journey of 80 miles,

just to be counted for the greedy King 

and his tax-filled purse.

I ask your intercession now, Holy Mother, 

to help me remember that there are 12 days of Christmas,

not just the eve of Christmas and your birthday on the 25th, 

and to ask your Son to send me the grace

in order that our family’s Christmas get-together

will be filled with thoughts 

of the reason for the celebration-

Jesus’ birth and our gratitude for your “yes.”

A Virgin A Day: Traveling Icon

Information about where 

the Black Madonna is traveling

can be found here.

The reason for this traveling

is in support of life and family

under the support of

Our Lady of Czestochowa.

Details can be found here.

Prayer for Life

~Blessed Pope John Paul II~

Evangelium Vitae (105)

O Mary, bright dawn of the new world, 

Mother of the living, 

to you do we entrust the vast numbers of babies 

not allowed to be born, 

of the poor whose lives are made difficult, 

of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, 

of the elderly and the sick 

killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy.

Grant that all who believe in your Son 

may proclaim the Gosper of life 

with honesty and love to the people of our time.  

Obtain for them the grace 

to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new, 

the joy of celebrating it with gratitude 

throughout their lives, 

and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely, 

in order to build, 

together with all people of good will, 

a civilization of truth and love, to the praise 

and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life.

linking with the love 

of Our Lady

to Rebecca's

A Virgin A Day

A Virgin A Day: Prayer to St. Anne

image from here

Prayer to St. Anne

Good St. Anne, you were especially favored by God

 to be the mother of the most holy Virgin Mary, 

the Mother of our Savior.  

By your power with your most pure daughter

 and with her divine Son, 

kindly obtain for us the grace and the favor we  now seek.  

Please secure for us also forgiveness of our past sins, 

the strength to perform faithfully our daily duties 

and the help we need to persevere 

in the love of Jesus and Mary.

Amen.

an aside note: My journey continues with learning

more about my faith and our Blessed Mother.  

Of course, I knew that

St. Anne was the mother of Mary,

but I had not encountered prayers to her.

continuing devotion 

to the Blessed Virgin

at Rebecca's

A Virgin A Day

A Virgin A Day: The Immaculate Conception

 

image found here

SUB TUUM PRAESIDIUM

WE FLY TO THY PROTECTION

We fly to thy protection,

O holy Mother of God;

despise not our petitions

in our necessities,

but deliver us always

from all dangers,

O glorious and blessed Virgin.

Amen

You are all beautiful Mary,

and there is not stain or original sin.

linking to Rebecca's

A Virgin A Day

with other devotees of Mary

A Virgin A Day: Mother of Perpetual Help

Mother of Perpetual Help, 

you have been blessed and favored by God. 

You became not only the Mother of the Redeemer, 

but Mother of the redeemed as well. 

We come to you today as your loving children. 

Watch over us and take care of us. 

As you held the child Jesus in your loving arms, 

so take us in your arms. 

Be a mother ready at every moment to help us. 

For God who is mighty has done great things for you, 

and God's mercy is from age to age 

on those who love God. 

Intercede for us, dear Mother, 

in obtaining pardon for our sins, 

love for Jesus, 

final perseverance, 

and the grace always to call upon you, 

Mother of Perpetual Help. 

linking to 

devotees of Mary,

at Rebecca's

A Virgin A Day