The Art of Remembering: My Younger Brother

Charlie in 5th grade

up front and grinning brightly

happy and friendly

the photo at the left

my brother, cousin and me

blessing those two on All Souls Day

sharing the sweet souls of my brother

and my cousin

with Rebecca's

The Art of Remembering

Weekend Reflections: Tiny Car

photos taken evening 

before the Easter Vigil

at my parish church

teeny vehicle

 smartly adorned by silver

and luscious cherry

sharing with James'

Weekend Reflections

Signs, Signs: Garden Ministry

inspired sign touting

parish garden ministry

and those volunteers

sharing with

Lesley's 

Signs, Signs

Mondays with Mary: Easter Vigil

The dark prior to

the Light of our risen Christ,

Mary’s faithful Son.

Hallelujah,

He is risen! 

sharing

with Hettienne's

Mondays with Mary

Weekend Reflections: In Church

Quiet, prayerful space,

fosters peaceful communion 

with our blessed Lord.

linking to

James'  winsome

Weekend Reflections #231

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

Prayer for Joe Spado

My Haiku Dedication to Joe Spado:

Dear God, welcome Joe,

with Your loving open arms

and the kiss of peace. 

Receive, Lord, in tranquility and peace, 

the soul of your servant, Joe Spado, 

who has departed out of this present life to be with you.  

Give him the life that knows no age, 

the good things that do not pass away; 

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

~Adapted from Saint Ignatius Loyola~

I knew Joe only from his blog Round Circle: 

The Truth Is Spoken Here.

However, what I learned from reading 

his posts was that he was a deeply caring man 

who endured physical pain, 

with more than a modicum of humor,

as one can tell from his own profile:

Spadoman

I'm a Renaisance Man. I've been a lot of places and done a lot of things. I tell stories, sometimes, when I'm in the mood or especially when someone asks me. I don't want to believe I have an ego problem, but I admit I have an ego. All I really desire is when you hear that I have passed, I hope you can say, "Too bad, he was a nice guy."

Those of us who followed his blog

will miss him.

And I know from experience

the severe ache, even physical in nature,

of losing a mate.

Yet, I do not presume to know exactly

what his widow and family are experiencing now.

But I do want them to know 

that many of us are praying for them 

and for their husband/father, grandfather’s soul.

God bless you, Joe.

linking to

Rebecca's 

Haiku My Heart

Shadow Shot Sunday 2: Church Front

afternoon visit
provides a meal for my sight
feeding with shadows

more Shadow Shot Sunday 2
hosted by
the delightful Gemma Wiseman

Mornings with Mary: St. Mary Aglow

St. Mary aglow,

the sun accents her glory

with fall's comeliness

recently, a friend asked me,

"don't you think St. Mary (the edifice, 

not the parish members)  is cold?"

note: St. Mary's stone interior
 has very dark wood on the upper walls,

and its ceilings are HIGH,

up in the nose bleed height.

I pondered only for a short while

and replied that when I first

came to this parish, I did think of the church

in that way, especially compared

to my former parish of St. Lawrence.

St. Lawrence 

but as I grew to know and love 

the members, 

the church's stone and dark wood
took on warmth.
I would say that one will
feel warmth in any group
if one becomes involved.

linking to
the luminous Rebecca
at
Mornings with Mary

Postcards from Paradise: Massage Lesson

Having been recently certified to teach others
how to massage their infants,
Aunt Chrissie hones her technique
by teaching her niece Charley
how to massage her month old baby
Leannah.

could tiny baby
Leannah be cheering here?
answer, possibly!

lots more going on
besides a soothing massage,
boosting muscle strength...

Go here to view more benefits of
massaging babies.

more Postcards from Paradise

hosted by the gracious

Rebecca

Carpe Diem's Tan Renga Challenge Month #X

Atreyee’s "The Soul Drenched in Love"

the Soul drenched in love

seeks nothing- gives everything

finds Buddha within

(c) Atreyee

wandering, my spirit spreads its wings 

struggling to reach eternity

sharing with trepidation

to Carpe Diem's Haiku

An aside: like the butterfly emerging, 
I am taking a risk with writing tan rengas.
As a first grade teacher,
I knew the importance of making
my classroom safe so that students
would risk being wrong.
It's so much easier to teach a concept
than it is to practice it.

Haiku My Heart: All Souls Day 2013

Today's All Souls Day,
Dia de los Muertos,
honoring the dead

No matter the name we use,
we remember our dearly loved dead
with prayer.Our three Catholic parishes,
St. Mary, St. Lawrence
and St. Francis,
came together for Mass
at Elm Ridge Funeral Home's
chapel to honor
and pray for all our beloved dead.

After Mass, we walked to the grave site
of St. Mary's much-loved former pastor,
Father William Grady.
Father Dudzinski, current pastor,
led us in prayer.

birthday bouquet
placed by my husband's sister
September 26, 2013

my husband's grave stone

Near Father Grady's place of repose
are the gravestones of two friends
of my husband and me.
In addition to their being friends,
I had the fortune to teach
two daughters and one son of the Greens;
and the three Schmaltz sons.
Both men were honorable examples
of outstanding Catholic husbands, fathers and friends.
Indeed their families and friends miss them.

Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord, 
and let perpetual light shine upon them. 
May the souls of the faithful departed 
through the mercy of God rest in peace. 
Amen.

blessedly linked

to Rebecca's

Haiku My Heart