How the Years Fly

 In all honestly, I never thought I would be here. Writing a blog was never on my list of things to do in life.  Books, stories, news articles, screenplays, the greatest novel ever written, yes, those were on my to do list for life, but never a blog. 

What in the world was a blog anyway? When I began this blog, June 28 2010, (by the way, thank you Blogger for showing me my very first blog so I knew the exact date of my venture into the Blogsphere!)

An online log of me, though I am totally stumped at where the 'B' comes into play. Someone who knows let me know.  A log of course is a recording of things in life, written down so posterity or absolutely no body reads it.  

I think it was made famous by  Jean Luc Picard on Star Trek Next Gen when he began every episode with Stardate...whatever... or wait, maybe it was Captain Kirk on the original Star Trek. Whoever it was, they got people thinking. I can do that, I can write down things about my day that absolutely NOBODY will ever want to read.  And then came this thing called the Internet and now even more people can ignore my writing...

But as I digress blogging... I was reminded of my own star date, 14 years ago when I began this blog, never dreaming I would be still writing it...over 476 entries later... 

I have to admit I was inspired, but have never lived up to the woman whose blogs and books I loved for 20 years. She is a knitter and humorist and honey if you didn't know yarn and knitting could be so very funny you need to find out!  She is still the only knitting humorist out there, believe me I have searched and even tried to knit and blog like her.   She was an inspiration to me with her constant blogging about knitting and life and got me going here. 

But since my knitting is rather tepid both in skill and frequency and I work at a church it seemed the better blogging material would be how I see life intertwined with faith.  Yes I blog all over the place from the seriously serious matters of faith life to why I burned supper so you don't notice the aroma of the cat's litter box.  Maybe I am a little irreverent, but I think that is life.  I simply cannot look at life without some humor in it.  That would be scary.

So happy blog anniversary to me coming up this June.  It's like I have raised a teenager,  fourteen years of blogging about faith and fun...and well while not feeling particularly young at all times, trying to think young anyway.

Chao!

Living the Miracle Journey

 My husband and I recently sat down and rented a movie to watch the other night, it was called "The Miracle Club," a movie staring Kathy Bates, Laura Linney and Maggie Smith.  It was Maggie Smith that I wanted to see, having been a fan of hers for quite some time. I love the way she can bring humor to any situation just by the raising of her eyebrow.

But I also wanted to watch this movie out of curiosity for the premise. These women go off the France, each looking for a miracle at the Lourdes Shrine.  Who writes movies about miracles at a Catholic shrine these days?  

As it turns out, while the movie just came out in 2023, the story is over twenty years old, it's writers waiting for the right production company to produce it. I can totally understanding waiting that long to have my story produced to make sure it is done in the right way!

But after watching it I began reading reviews and one quote from a reviewer really hit me in a way that I felt about the movie.  She said, "It’s not wrong to hope for a miracle, and that hope is beautiful on its own, but life isn’t about lunging for quick fixes. It’s more rewarding to pursue forgiveness even in the face of seemingly insurmountable hurt."  (Jillian Cheney Religion Unplugged) And there was a lot of hurt between all these ladies in the movie and to me forgiveness and reconciliation was the miracle they were all unknowingly searching for. Something we sometimes take for granted in our sacrament of confession.

Many of us hope for miracles, even demand one in our own selfish pathetic ways when we have been hurt so deeply by things that happen in our lives, loved ones getting hurt or gone, dramatic health events or marriage problems.  And we pray fervently for a miracle.  Yet I have learned, as I have prayed for just such miracles in my life, that it's not in the miracle that you heal.  You begin the healing with the journey along the way and sometimes you realize you have experienced a miracle but of a different sort than what you were asking or even expecting, just like these women realized. 

The Miracle Club shows us no matter how old or young we are, how devout or disbelieving we can be, God has ways to show us what we really need, and that is reconciliation with Him and with others.  And He offers us the peace that goes with that reconciliation too.

Faith! Pass It On!

Parents teach a lot of different things, but there are some things that are more important than other things, such as teaching safety. Don't touch that hot stove you will get burned! Don't run out in the street, a car will hit you, and always say your prayers and talk to God so you get to heaven!

We forget sometimes that parents are the first teachers of the faith. It is important that parents share their faith and tell stories of God's love for us. These are the building blocks of security, love and hope in our children long after they have left home.  

Schools and even our churches cannot make up for what is missed out on at home. So teach your children about God, his love for all of us and how we should always thank him for our lives.

Faith, pass it on!