Random Photos of a Snowy Saturday

The beautiful flowers my sister sent.  Such a contrast between their springlike
glow and the cloudy snowy day going on in the background behind them!

Remembering our good friend, St. John Bosco, on his feast day today, asking for
his intercession. He's been one of our constant go-to intercessors through 27 years
of child raising.  It is his Salesion method that we depend on for counsel.
Some posts on Don Bosco here.

Dan and I spent the morning braving the cold and
snow to take care of a little shopping..  He did really well,
considering he's still not up to full strength, but is wiped out
now and taking some time to rest and recover.

Check out Cathy, my Barber's Apprentice.  I figure
after 25 years of cutting the boys' hair, it's high time someone learned to
do it besides me.  Cathy is a very able student, too!  Yay for me!  :)
Incidentally,  after watching the process here throughout their childhoods,
 After seeing it done for so many years at home, Frater Philip moved away
 and started cutting hair for the seminarians and Dominic knows how
 to do the job, as well, sometimes helping out at the seminary or boarding
school.  Just think of all the money that very first hair-cutting kit has saved over the years!

June says, "I am not going to smile while I'm standing here
doing bills."   I don't blame her.  

Theresa on the piano, of course.  Playing the theme from
"Somewhere in Time" here I think.  Look behind her against
the yellow wall; see the skeleton of the Nativity Scene/  While
Dan and I were shopping, Dominic and the kids took down
and packed away the majority of the pieces.  They left
up part of the main structure, though, with the idea that we
might want to do something fun with it.  (They kind of know
me, don't they?)

Best thing to do on a cold snowy Saturday afternoon?
Read a book!  While munching on cold fish sticks!
(You're a nut, Anna!)

Some people use long slow afternoons to wreck their closets.
(Trying to look cute doesn't help your case, William, dear.)

On tap for later:  fixing a broken ceramic village thing-a-majig.  Also have
out all the necessary "ingredients" to do this project -- but not sure when we'll
get to it...  maybe this afternoon, maybe tomorrow.  I'll post pictures
when we actually get it all done.

So, there ya go.  For posterity: what we've been doing today -- everybody, that is, except Gabe.  A snowy Saturday doesn't call for sedentary occupations if  you're a ten-year-old boy! No, if you're Gabe, you brush off the itchy remnants of your haircut, arm yourself with a camera and a warm coat, and take Penny for a little hike.  Wet and cold?  All the better!  But it'll be a warm cozy walk for you if you'd like to come.  Wanna put on your snow boots and join Gabe on his rounds?

And here we are, home again!  Did you enjoy the walk?  Come on in and warm up!  There's cocoa on the stove waiting for us!

Themes on a Meme

H/T:  Darla from Wendy's Wellness Warriors

A Little Vacation:  Taking the night "off" for a night "in" with Dan this evening.  The kids are planning to watch Revenge of the Sith, and once you've seen that movie, well... eh.  You've seen it.   So, Dan and I have made other plans.  I'm going to bake some brie to have with some crudites, and we're going snuggle in and watch a nice boring British period drama. I figured now would be a good time to  subject treat my dear long-suffering husband to a little gentle (ahem) culture.  Something he can snooze to.  The perfect antidote to a recuperating spouse and his tired out wife.

The Gift of Friend(s):  I've been very grateful for the 500+  close personal friends I've recently made on a Catholic women's dieting site, sponsored by Wendy of the Cukierski Apostolate.  Not only have I been able to adopt a healthier eating regimen (which I think helped me get through our recent family emergency without crashing!), but the ladies on the site have been amazingly encouraging, prayerful -- and so funny!  I find  "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me..."  especially when He sends me a few hundred hilarious friends to keep my spirits up!

The wisdom and spiritual grounding of this diverse group of women has been a true gift!  But, dear old friends have been especially golden to me lately, too.  It's been so wonderful to have heard from our Sister friends recently, sending prayers and uplifting thoughts.  My friend, Holly, prayed a novena for us ((Hugs, Holly!)), and my sweet sister (my oldest and dearest friend) sent flowers and chocolate. (You know just what I like, Nina!)  But, I need to send a special shout out to my friend, Ann K., whose wisdom, understanding and kindness get me through some days.  God bless all Faith-Filled Friends!

But now, last of all  I have to say...  In light of recent events, wherein all of us here really did learn what our priorities are, I probably have no business bringing up personal irritations.  But, the fact is that life - bumps in the road, bug guts on the windshield -- really does still go on -- and after two weeks where I spent every waking hour cooped up in the hospital with Dan, removed from normal life, I'm quite ready (just for normalcy's sake, if nothing else) to share...

Things that Get my Knickers in a Knot:

1)  That living in a house with five women and two small boys, all-told, I have to explain to my husband why we're always running out of toilet paper.

2)  Puzzles that sit 3/4 finished with lots of promises but no progress.  (I'm seriously considering seeing if anyone even notices if I just put it away.  Hmmm...  I'll get back with you on this.)

3) That the lint filter on my dryer has suddenly gone missing... (What the heck?)

4)  That the lid to our cookie jar is broken and nobody has any idea how it happened.  (Really?   Somebody knows; just come clean and get it over with before you go to Confession and Father has to tell you to do it!  Sheesh!)

5) That there are only four days left until the Feast of the Purification, and we have no excuse to leave the Nativity scene up -- or little baby Jesus at the feet of the Blessed Mother.  It's my responsibility as a mom to explain to the children that it won't be special at Christmas if we leave it up all year...  But, I think I may miss it all more than anybody.  ==sigh==  Only ten more months to plan a new Nativity scene... 

6) That this life I live right now, this blessed life, with my big kids safely started in fruitful lives, my youngest children around me and my husband by my side, will necessarily change.  That the children will grow up and move on, as they should, and Dan and I will grow older and eventually be separated from one another by the Hand of God, and these days in our little country house will be a memory, a blog post that we reminisce upon. I know it's inevitable.  And God is so good to give us every single moment -- toward a better eternity, but I wish I could just keep this time right now forever, it is so engraved on my heart as precious.

These days will pass, though. Fiat! We  know we can look forward to meeting one another again, all together (God willing!) before the Face of God in heaven -- where all the joys of today will seem ridiculous in comparison.  But, I still think that, even in Heaven, I would look back on the bit of heaven we have here right now as part of the happiness of my eternity. The wholesome laughter, the mundane but vital work of every  day, the sacrifices of the harder times will go with us to our salvation.  So, you see, these days really are a bit of heaven. I'll miss them.

A Bit of the Journey

Eleven days ago,  shortly after lunch on Tuesday the 13th of January, I received a cryptic text from Dan telling me something was really wrong--  and not to try to reach him because he couldn't talk, but that he was calling an ambulance. What?! My heart stopped, but I grabbed my shoes and my purse, left Theresa to babysit, and jumped in the car headed for Omaha. That was at about 3:00 in the afternoon; by 7 p.m., Dan was on the operating table having a perforated esophagus surgically repaired.

No small surgery, either.  It took two hours to fix the one inch tear and clean out the resultant debris from his chest cavity. Then, because his throat was (as you would imagine) swollen from the procedure and all the trauma in general, the breathing tube they'd placed for the surgery remained for a week of the time he was in the I.C.U., waiting for the swelling to go down. He also had an N.G. tube for clearing his stomach of acids that could have a detrimental effect on the repaired esophagus.

I wore Dan's ring next to mine.

Because of the threat of infection, they started Dan almost immediately on serious antibiotics (three at a time) and a saline drip to keep him hydrated, all feeding into his system through I.V.s. and he had a host of monitors on his chest and a blood pressure cuff on his arm to monitor his vital functions.  In addition to the dreaded foley catheter, he had three tubes snaking through his chest cavity to drain excess fluid out through hoses attached into his side. And to top it all off, his arms were strapped down to the sides of his bed for fear that he would inadvertently (or otherwise) pull out any of the aforementioned tubes or wires. You could hardly see his face behind all those tubes and his hands were so swollen, they gave me his wedding ring to hold onto.

In the I.C.U.

I held onto it.  And to him -- for eight day in the I.C.U. and another three in recovery.  And now  that we're home, I'm still hanging on.  It's been quite a ride, this detour portion of our life journey.  See there? I had to stop myself from calling this a detour.  You'd thing that would describe these crazy frightening days in the hospital, fearing for the life of my husband, but, I'm thinking about the meaning of the word and it hasn't been that at all.  Webster defines a detour as "a long or roundabout route taken to avoid something -- or a visit along the way."  Well.  Let me tell you, these last couple of weeks have definitely not had the character of a "visit" of any kind  (unless you count the bazillions of nurses and doctors we've met).  And while this ordeal has definitely been (and will continue to be) long and tiring, it feels more as if we've been on a very straight route, right up a steep path, than a zigzag roundabout to avoid something.  Does that make sense?

It's hard to explain, but let me try: Our normal life has definitely been disrupted (no kidding!), but it feels as if normal life up until now has been an unfocused wandering meander and the last few days have been a steep and direct climb to a goal -- with the hand of God leading the way.  We've been hanging on tight and not looking down, let me tell you.  In the intensive care unit of a hospital, which is a tight-rope of life and death, you do well to not meander aimlessly.  I'm grateful that through my zone out and freak out phases, God and His Mother still had me by the hand (or the scruff of the neck) -- and I knew I was never alone; He was so near I couldn't help but have my thoughts always swirl back to God.  And love.  And life. And how the first two which can seem so elusive are infinite, but that last one -- the most immediate and tangible one -- is so perversely fleeting and fragile. All the little niggling concerns of the every day just seem stupid when you sense St. Peter standing nearby with his hand on the Pearly Gate.

In times like this, you find out that the love we have for another --  the bone-melting love I have for Dan, the dear love and care of our friends and family, the blessing and support of our pastors -- is the only thing to depend upon, because it's all wrapped up in the love of God -- which in the end is all we've got.  And all we need.  The road map and the destination.

Dan with his ring back where it belongs.

So, anyway... Dan's home now.  Getting around rather gingerly still, with a very careful diet, and a renewed respect for his health.  We all just look at him.  There he is, the laugh wrinkles a the corners of his eyes, the way he says, "Would you mind doing me a little favor?" the wonderful sound of his snoring next to me at night.  =sigh= Life is pretty O.K. That drip in the washing machine; no big deal.  The less-than-par house we live in; piffle. The bills, the debt, the price of gas, American politics, society's woes in general: eh.  God's got it and we're on His team, so it's all good.  And Dan is home.

*For anyone who doesn't know, Dan's surgery was necessary due to a perforated esophagus.  Apparently, the years he's suffered from acid reflux caused deterioration in his food pipe, and in a bad twist of Murphy's law or something he choked on a piece of meat in exactly the wrong place, causing a tear.  One of the most dangerous results of this kind of (quite rare) injury is the "backwash" of stomach acid, food, and blood into the chest cavity; infection and pneumonia were a fear from the beginning.  We believe it was due to the prayers offered for Dan all over the world that he came through far better than anyone imagined, and was released from the hospital way earlier than the doctors expected.  We're truly blessed and very grateful!  The surgery Dan underwent has a 20% fatality rate, as opposed to open-heart surgery, which only has 3%.  So.  Truly. Thank-you so much, prayer warriors!

Sharon is a retired nurse and
was absolutely invaluable!

* Most special thanks, though, to Dan's Mom, Sharon, who flew from California to be here and was the night-shift angel for us (she loves her little boy!) * Also, our special appreciation to Dominic for taking care of the house and children while we were gone (keeping up morale and making life interesting).  * Hugs and love to our amazing little-big girls who carried on the daily routine in spit spot order. * And a shout out to Gabe and William, too, who were so good the whole time (even though they both got a stomach bug!) We love you all so much! What would we ever do without you?

"Yes, they're all mine."

On the Feast of the Holy Family

Consecration of the Family to the Holy Family

O Jesus, our most loving Redeemer, Who having come to enlighten the world with Your teaching and example, willed to pass the greater part of Your life humbly and in subjection to Mary and Joseph in the poor home of Nazareth, thus sanctifying the Family that was to be an example for all Christian families, graciously take to Yourself our family as it dedicates and consecrates itself to You this day. Defend us, guard us, and establish among us Your holy fear, true peace, and harmony in Christian love; in order that by conforming ourselves to the divine pattern of Your family all of us without exception may be able to attain to eternal happiness.

Mary, dear Mother of Jesus and our Mother, by your kindly intercession make this our humble offering acceptable in the sight of Jesus, and obtain for us His graces and blessings.

O Saint Joseph, most holy Guardian of Jesus and Mary, help us by your prayers in all our spiritual and temporal necessities; that so we may be enabled to praise our divine Savior Jesus, together with Mary and you for all eternity."

* Perfect reading for the feast today and through the week, the book The Family for Families by Fr. Francis L. Filas, SJ

It used to be free online, but I can't find it any more...  :(  But it can be found here.  A bit pricey, but worth the read!

* Blog post from a while back, with thoughts on the feast day -- and the story of how Mary and St. Joseph were not the only ones who ever left behind -- can be found here. 

* Mindfulness of the Holy Family and how we can make our families holy --  in blog some posts this week!

Problem Solving 101: William-style

Good Grief, William? How many doughnuts did you eat after Mass this morning?

"What?" he asks as if everything is perfectly normal.

"William?" we ask through half-covered smiles, "Why are you so FAT?" 

"Oh, that. These pants didn't fit, so I stuffed them. Now they fit."

(People falling down laughing at this point, running for their cameras...)

Inside the pants:  one long scarf, one pair of Minion pajama pants, and one super hero cape.

Perfect get-up for sledding.  Padding all around and his pants won't fall off.

Crazy kid. 

A Quiet Evening at Home

Seasons to savor.  Even when they're not really so quiet.



Entertainment compliments of Theresa and Dominic.

The Epiphany Blessing

Father Gronenthal, a priest friend of long-standing and one of our parish cornerstones, was able to come over to our house last night and do the Epiphany Blessing of the Home.  Most years, our option has been for Dan to do it -- which has always been fine...  But having Father over with all the official sacramentals -- and the proper and beautiful prayers of the Church in Latin (followed by his re-reading in English) prayed by a good priest, who is also a friend...  Well, we feel as if our house is triply blessed! (P=Priest; A=All)

Here's the text of the prayers of the Epiphany Blessing in English:

P	Peace be to this house.
A	And to all who dwell herein.
P	From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.
During the Magnificat, the room is sprinkled with holy water and incensed.
A	My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For He hath regarded the humility of His handmaiden. For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is His Name. And His Mercy is from generation unto generations upon them that fear Him. He hath shewed might in His arm, He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel, His servant, being mindful of His mercy. As He spoke to our Fathers, Abraham and His seed forever.

In the small round containter, Father brought real frankincense and myrrh to burn
in the thurible!  It smelled amazing!  Very exotic.

Dominic was home and acted as thurifer for Father.

After this is completed:
A	From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.
P	Our Father Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and  forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead and lead us not into temptation,
A	But deliver us from evil.
P	All they from Saba shall come
A	Bringing gold and frankincense.
P	O Lord, hear my prayer.
A	And let my cry come unto Thee.
P	Let us pray. O God, who by the guidance of a star didst on this day manifest Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we who know Thee by faith may also attain the vision of Thy glorious majesty. Through Christ our Lord.
A	Amen. P Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee-- Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary. A And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light and kings in the splendor of thy rising, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee. P Let us pray. Bless, O Lord God almighty, this home, that in it there may be health, purity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness and mercy, the fulfillment of Thy law, the thanksgiving to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. And may this blessing remain upon this home and upon all who dwell herein. Through Christ our Lord. A Amen. After the prayers of the blessing are recited, walk through the house and bless each room by sprinkling with Epiphany water and incensing it.

Father "incensed"  all the rooms of our home with the frankincense and myrrh, starting here in the living room.

 Taking the blessed chalk, Father first wrote the initials of the three Wise Men, connected with Crosses, over the inside of our front door (on the lintel, if possible). Then he wrote the year, breaking up the numbers and the year so that they fall on both sides like so:

20  C+M+B  15

with the "20 "being the millennium and century, the "C" standing for the first Wise Man, Caspar (Sometimes the priest will write "G" for Gaspar), the "M" standing for Melchior, the "B" standing for Balthasar, and the "15" standing for the decade and year. (If it's 2021, it will read: 20 C+M+B 21) It is also popularly believed that the Kings' initials may also stand for "Christus mansionem benedicat" ("Christ bless this house").

Father next added the initials of the Three Kings, interspersed with the digits of the year.
You can see here that he had a rather awkward angle to reach the lintel of our front
door, as our jigsaw puzzle table happens to be in front of this door for the duration
of the winter...  But Father is a good sport.  After he climbed down, he laughed and
said, "That piece you'll be missing when you finish the puzzle, will probably be on
the bottom of my shoe."  (gglggl)

Here he is adding the same emblem of the Kings over the chief entrance of our home, coming
into the kitchen from the mudroom.  (A little easier reach here!)

And finally, incensing and blessing (with holy water) the Summer Kitchen.

Next, he added the King's emblem above the lintel of the  Summer Kitchen.
See the close-up below.  The white chalk shows up best against the grey cedar!
(I don't think he noticed he was standing right under the mistletoe -- and we didn't
dare say anything about it.  ;) I expect the Blessed Mother kissed the top of the
head of this good and faithful servant, though.  I can just imagine that she would!

After the blessing, we sat down to a nice visit and a good dinner of stuffed cabbage with Father.  A wonderful time was had by all!  And the devils are most likely having fits.  No way they're getting in this house with all the blessings it's gotten in the last couple of months!  Many thanks to Fr. Gronenthal for coming so far out of his way to do the Epiphany Blessing for us!  (It's an hour's drive from the Church to our house...)  And to Fr. Borja, as well, for the blessing he did a couple months ago.  We are truly and well blessed!

"Whatcha Doin', Girls?"

L-R: Penny, Cathy, and Anna
Out the kitchen window today:

"Don't know where you're going, but I'm with ya, wherever it is."

"What are these things, anyway? They don't smell good.  Why did you bring them up here?"

"Oh, OK.  Leaving them there.  Let's go, then.  Up the hill.  I'm with ya, girls."

"!"

"What the...?"