Category Archives: God

Trading earth’s cross for heaven’s crown

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Dear Lisa,

Woman.  It is the most breathtakingly STUNNING day here today.  A rough start with the rain and wind this a.m. but now….oh.  My.  Not a cloud in the sky.  Nice wind.  Hovering on the 70’s….just barely.  I can’t think of a better day to celebrate you.

Somehow I managed to make it through with 3 tissues.  Your humongous family, your beautiful girls and your brave and valiant husband filing in just made my heart ache.  In the same breath, my heart was filled with joy at the sheer numbers present.  You seriously made an impression on a lot of people, an indelible print on their hearts.  Way cool.  What a blessing to call you friend.

Your faith and courage in your fight with Ovarian cancer could not help but to spill over on to everyone you came in contact with.  Sharing that faith just came natural and so did encouraging your students and friends to live life to the fullest.  Embrace every day and when you introduced Brendan (and our family) to the story of Nick Vujicic your genuineness and love of God became that much more real.

Thank you for your friendship.  It was a true blessing to know you.

A few words from today that I KNOW you’d be shaking your head “YES” to:

  • You traded earth’s cross for Heaven’s crown.  WOW!  I just love that.  You are free.  You are free.
  • When we let go of fear we step out and grow in faith.  Like taking off without training wheels for the first time.  May we ALL be propelled to grow in faith by crushing fear with the same German stubborness you had.
  • Fight the GOOD fight.  Life is busy and we get pulled in so many directions.  May we all focus on those priorities of living this life and fighting the GOOD fight.
  • Life is hard.  So many people, situations and choices constantly turning us sideways; faith is what guides us through.  A beacon of hope.  You stayed focused on that faith in God’s plan to the very end.  I can think of no better race that was run.

Rest in peace, my friend.  Until we meet again!

XOXO

Tracy

The bluest of blues. Sky today.

The bluest of blues. Sky today.

Good, bad, ugly and a conference!!

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I’ve been MIA and so very hit or miss lately….life, ya know?  Sorry.  I’m preaching to the choir, I know.

It looks like our weekends are slowing down a leeeeeeetle bit here to a more manageable busy-ness which is good and gives me hope to recharge and reboot and refresh and all that because I needs me some down-time, people!  Wahhhhh, cry me a river, I know.  We are all busy.  So.  I am done complaining about that.

Here’s a few things my mind is juggling lately, good bad and ugly.  Ok.  NOT the really ugly, because I’ve already sent THAT email to a few people and I’m just not ready to go live with that.  Yet.  It is brewing though.  It will probably be a total **it-storm when it happens, I’ll say that.  Intrigued?  Well, guess you’ll have to keep checking back in.  wink-wink-wink

Goodnesssssss……all over the place.  The busy-ness has been good stuff.  Kids music stuff, going to All-county for two kiddos 2 weekends in a row.  A certain almost-12 year old birthday coming up and a trip to Plato’s closet to feed her shopping desires and birthday gift!!  Last minute visit from an old friend from Tally in town with her daughter’s volleyball tourney.  (I didn’t get to visit with her but Hubby did and it does a soul good to have some quality friend time!)  A coming visit from Hubby’s Alaskan cousin this weekend for the night.  A total nut and very fun!!  A great AA dinner party meeting Hubby’s AA friends.  Always nice to put names with faces.  Even nicer to hear the inspirational stories coming out of these people.  My dear friend may (HOPEFULLY) be doing Apologetics classes for middle and high schoolers.  Y’all she is DANGEROUSLY on fire and the most AMAZING teacher EVERRRRRR.  I am completely committed to bugging her to YouTube the classes because this is something the Church needs…this area is so lacking.  So offer up a prayer for her would ya?  This cookie dough pie made by our 16 yo.  Oh.  MY.  Deliciousness.  **one special note:  USE the blender/food processor for the beans.  Makes allllllllll the difference in the world.  Hubby and I are planning on renewing our vows this year.  The big 2-0!  Point of contention:  our audience.  Our church generally does this in front of the general Mass.  All several HUNDREDS of people.  Hubby is in favor of this venue.  This gives me absolute palpitations and anxiety I cannot describe.  I’m all for the quiet chapel route.  Also, I know I will be bawling and this is not a good look for me.  Let’s face it, half of our marriage was the “for worse” part and having come through that……..Phew!  Good stuff, but man, oh, man……what a ride!!!

Badness:  (I know, not a word, but in keeping with the theme)…..I didn’t get a job I applied for.  Again.  I DO have promises of other positions in the next few months, so we shall see….but disappointment, I’m really over you.  Really.  16 yo broke his foot skateboarding.  Not super bad, but definitely waylaid the skating for a while.  Good stuff is coming out of that, though…..the ole stepping back and getting a bird’s eye view of friends, new likes and maturing.  Colds.  Several have blown through this house.  5 of 6 of us have had the flu shot, so holding steady there…… lastly, a friend of mine (son’s 5th grade teacher and the best EVER! and not just because she reads my blog) is suffering mightily these past couple years with a recurrence in her ovarian cancer.  The past few months have been tremendously brutal.  It’s heartbreaking and I’m so sad for her suffering and for her family and mad. Mad that the prayers I pray for her don’t fix anything.  Mad that the dinner I’ll take her family won’t fix anything.  Mad that God allows this.  Mad.  Mad.  Mad.  And this is so definitely going on my list of conversations God and I will have in heaven.  Because I just don’t see the purpose of it.  At all.

And on that total bummer note:  let me offer up some fun times for you….There is going to be a little conference in Austin, TX this summer.  A weekend of Catholic gal fun!!  All the deets are here……  my pocketbook can’t swing this, but maybe yours can and I think it would absolutely be worth every second!!!!

Go on and have a super day.  Providing you aren’t snowed in for the umpteenth time this winter.  We’ll be scooting through the day in the humid 80s here…..  tough.  tough life it is.

Blessings!!

Saint Nick was Olive

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snatched the image from HERE

snatched the image from HERE

There’s a big debate on a newscaster who said that Santa Claus is white….yes, you can merely imagine the uproar over that one, because I’m suuuuuuuuure she had no idea that making a statement like that would start ANY racist discussions at all.  I’m certain.  Right?  Besides, she said she was making a joke and people should lighten up, however…..the comment sure lit up the interwebz.

I am about to make a statement, however, that IS most likely true:  Saint Nicholas was most probably olive, not so white.  Born in the region of the southern coast of Turkey, he would most likely be olive-skinned.  Logistically and realistically speaking.  You can read more about him HERE.  Since Santa Claus’ origin is often tied to St.Nick, it’s odd he’d be “white”, however….SC=fictional, St. Nicholas=real, feel free to make your own judgement.

Also, here’s another newsbreaker:  Jesus Christ was of Middle Eastern descent, which would make him mocha/brown.  Gasp.  All we have to do is  look at  people born in the Middle East, typically they aren’t Nordic looking.  Ammiright?  Again, another odd idea that he’d be the only white man in a sea of not so white people.

While we are on the subject, let’s explore a few other  characters:

Easter Bunny:  unknown color of fur, would it change the basket of chocolate if we knew?

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Tooth Fairy:  unknown color of wings/outfit/hair, etc, does it change the reward per tooth if we had a color scheme?

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Great Pumpkin:  we can only assume orange, but in light of all these odd suggestions, I just don’t know.

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In summary, does color REALLY matter?  It shouldn’t.  If it does, maybe we are focused on the wrong things.  As for me,  when I pray, I’m praying to the PERSON, not to the color.   His promises surpass race, shouldn’t our responses to Him do likewise?

As for all the fictional folk everyone’s worried about, let’s remember; they aren’t real.  This fighting over skin color of someone who is fictional?  Well, that’s just weird.

Jeremiah 29:11  “For I know the plans I have for you”,  says the Lord, “They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Christmas Cookies and a Christmas Message

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Cookie monster heaven

Cookie monster heaven

Every year (almost) for the past 11(?) years, my former roommate, her mother-in-law and 2 sisters-in-law host a cookie exchange at Christmas.  Although we only live about 30 minutes-ish from each other, this is our ONE time of year we get to visit and catch up.  Ah, this busy life.  Anyway, this cookie exchange is THE cookie exchange of cookie exchanges.

My roomie and I. We glow.

My roomie and I. We glow.

These ladies start in the summer with preparations, menus, taste testing and I believe—-even some cooking and freezing.   Come December, they each invite scores of lady friends across the social circles of high school, church, work, neighbors and so on.  It’s a FULL HOUSE and often many reunions are taking place.

Holy COW!!

Holy COW!!

Aside from the cookie swapping, there is a massive spread of various hors d’oeuvres, tea, water and coffee and prior to the number calling and cookie picking they do a little something as a reminder of the reason we celebrate Christmas:  Jesus Christ.  One year, there was a Worship dancer from Hawaii (a high school friend of one of the gals) who did a traditional Hawaiian dance to a wonderful contemporary Christian song, other years have been stories and small skits.  Among this large and varied group, the message is clear:  this get-together is a fellowship ministry for women sharing life with Christ as the centerpiece of this gathering.

The tale of the Three Trees. A must have for Advent and Christmas reading!!

The tale of the Three Trees. A must have for Advent and Christmas reading!!

Every year the family looks forward to the various cookies and recipes I bring home and I look forward to the time with my friend and her family and running into new and old friends.  Next year, they’ll take a year off, however, my friend and I have already pencilled it in the calendar for dinner the first week of December 2014!!

Step out of the box.

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Originally sent as a private message, however, I felt led to share because we ALL need to remember the marvels the Lord has done.  Especially when we might not particularly be “feeling the love”  right this second.
From today’s readings:
Psalm 105: 16-17
When the LORD called down a famine on the land
and ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
Bottom line:  It seemed pretty crappy what Joseph had to endure and yet GOD USED IT.  He used the poor choices of his brothers driven by jealousy.  HE became THEIR saviour, in a sense.  God allowed it and yet had an even bigger plan in store for Joseph AND his brothers, even though, to our eyes, they were not worthy.  HE, GOD, made them worthy.  You are worthy.  I am worthy.  WE are worthy of these amazing gifts we receive on a daily basis.  Our jobs, health, kids, marriage, family.  Even beyond that.  We put our “plan” in a tidy little box, but God’s plan for us is so much bigger.  Squash those thoughts from haunting you.  Step out of the past.  Step back from the future.  Today is what matters.  There is NOTHING man can do to us that God will not allow and USE for HIS and OUR good.  We only need to look back and see we have always been firmly in the palm of HIs hand.
Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
Indeed.