Feeding Jesus, Part 2

I was thinking about our friend whom we fed a while back and I couldn’t get this picture out of my head. He was truly hungry. The only time I have seen an individual attack a package of french fries (they were on top, the burger underneath, I’d assume) was when observing a teenager.

Teenagers are growing mightily in most cases and seem to require quite a bit of food. I’ve heard boys require more than girls, but since I have only girls, I’ll have to take their word for it! This poor man, who I’d guess was in his 30’s or 40’s, attacked that meal as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

And that, my friends, is why I fed Jesus. He was hungry. Now if Jesus were in your path, you would help him, right? Well, as the people that didn’t see him in the Bible said, and I’m paraphrasing here, “When did we see you, Lord, and not help?” “Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me.” Walk with the Lord. Walk in kindness. Treat others how you would like to be treated. What a wonderful world this would be if we all did!

Feeding Jesus

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I realize that I have been, for the past several Saturdays, been writing about the apparitions of Our Lady, Mary, the mother of God. However, this Saturday, I find myself drawn to tell you the story of our encounter with Jesus.

As children #’s 2, 3, 4, and I were entering a resale shop this afternoon, I noticed a man sitting on the sidewalk in front of the store. I didn’t pay much attention, as I was having an adventure of my own as child #2 pushed my wheelchair over bumps and dips in the pavement. (I still have not recovered enough to walk with my crutches such a long way!) We did our shopping and upon exiting the shop, the seated man asked for food or change. I make it a rule to not give money, as there is so much that can go wrong in what the person chooses to buy. However, I can’t stand to see someone go hungry. The kids felt really bad for him, as did I. They wanted to do something. I said, “Don’t worry. I got this.”

I then headed up the street to a fast food place to get him a warm meal. It was a bit chilly today and he was sitting on the cold sidewalk! I wish I had put the blankets that I had purchased for this exact purchase in the car, but I hadn’t yet. I could, however, provide the man with a little dignity in the form of a hot meal.

When we pulled up next to him in the parking lot, I asked child #3 to deliver the meal to him. She is my special needs child, who suffers so greatly from many mental problems. I wanted her to see first hand, how her compassion and kindness could change someone’s life. She did. Mission accomplished.

We may not have a lot of money, but God has always provided us with a place to live and food to eat. Never have my children gone to bed hungry. Thank you, Jesus, for putting him in our path so that we could show him compassion. Pass the kindness on! God bless you.

Things You Didn’t Know I Did To Stay Busy While I Recuperate

A couch. Mine doesn’t look like this, but you get the idea!

So, I have been recovering from a broken leg for about two months now. The break seems to be healing well, but the other side of my leg up by my knee is in quite a bit of pain. I’m undergoing physical therapy and working on my exercises everyday. We’ll see.

So, what have I been doing? When you spend as much time as I have on a living room couch, you might think it would be so relaxing and fun. It was for about the first two days. Then I became restless. I watched so much TV and movies as to want to just turn it off. So, I turned to reading books that I hadn’t had time to read yet. It was great, but also grew old.

What to do? I decided, after I had recovered a bit, to paint. I had a few unfinished wooden pieces to paint and a large flower pot that I had started but never completed. It was a farm scene with two horses, a barn, trees, etc. It started out all brown. Then child #3 had painted one of the horses, some of the grass, and bushes. I finished it up, she painted the second horse, and we were done. Now, we just have to put a finish on it, fill it with dirt, and plant some flowers. Yay!

What else have I been up to? I have been communicating with my friends, sewing, praying, and basically doing anything to keep busy. It was awesome when I could finally hop outside on my crutches! The weather was amazing. My kids have been nice enough to bring me flowers and put them in a water-filled vase for me. A little bit of Spring inside my four boring walls!

Now that I am out for physical therapy it is exciting to leave the house! My big treat!

I’m excited to start getting back to life! I have been able to sleep in my own bed again, instead of on the couch, which is so wonderful! I missed it. Couch sleeping is great so that I can get to the bathroom easier. However, sleeping in my own bed is so fantastic! It’s the small things that make the biggest difference!

Apparitions: Our Lady of Mount Carmel

The Brown Scapular

First, where is Mount Carmel? I don’t know about you, but in all the times I’ve heard of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, I never knew where it was. So, I did what everyone does: I Googled it! Turns out it’s in Israel! Who knew? It is in a mountainous region where Catholic hermits, under the Carmelite tradition, lived, worked and prayed.

It was to St. Simon Stock, Prior General, that Mary appeared in 1251. He had been praying for the Virgin Mary to bless his order with a singular privilege. To him she gave the Brown Scapular. It has two approximately 1.5 inch by 1 inch wool felt pieces on the ends of two pieces of cord, thus making a sort of small apron that one wears around his neck, with one felt piece in front and one in back. The Carmelites who wear this Scapular, and do the work and prayers associated with it will be saved, according to what Our Lady told St. Simon.

Later, the Brown Scapular became a popular sacramental. Now, they are even cast as medals to be blessed and worn around the neck or in a becoming manner, such as a bracelet. This was decreed by Pope Pius X in 1910. In fact, I have one that I never take off.

A Metal Scapular

So, what is required to be saved while wearing the Scapular? Well, here is the list that I followed. Remember that you must do these for five months in a row and wear your Scapular at all times.

  1. You must attend Mass on the First Saturday (or Sunday if that’s all your Church has, as our tiny village Church does!)
  2. You must receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation prior to Mass (and do your penance!)
  3. You must receive Holy Communion
  4. You must pray the Rosary
  5. You must keep Our Lady company by spending an hour meditating on the Mysteries of the Rosary with her.

So, get your scapular medals, get them blessed, and start doing the work! Our Lord awaits!

A Dairy Vacation

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As many of you know, I swore off dairy several months ago. It was making me not feel my best. So, out it went. My beloved chocolate ice cream, cream cheese, sharp cheddar, and a variety of other lovely treats.

However, when I was in a car accident earlier this Spring, and my leg was broken, I had to rethink my dairy fast. I wanted my leg to heal as quickly as possible, since I am the sole driver in my family and the only way we knew to get to the grocery store! I live in an area that is rather remote, and does not have the option of delivery. I learned quickly who my friends were! These were the people who would run to the store for me, after I had put in an order, pick it up at the store’s appointed time, and drop it off at my door. I can’t thank them enough!

But, I digress. What I was talking about was dairy. I learned quickly that I couldn’t do much for myself except hop on my crutches to the bathroom and back to the couch. This was extremely frustrating for me, as I am usually much more on the go! Gone was making dinner for my kiddos! Gone were the shopping trips to the grocery store or even just the pharmacy! Gone was the ability to even take a simple shower on my own! It was a humbling experience.

So, I decided to give up on giving up dairy for a while. At first it was because the pain relievers that were prescribed (and believe me when I tell you that I desperately needed them as the pain was intense!!!) bound me up. I was like, oh no you don’t! So, I started eating dairy to counteract that response. It worked. As an added benefit, I could also now eat Greek yogurt, which has a lot of protein (needed to rebuild bones) as well as calcium. It became my go-to breakfast/snack/whatever. I think it worked! My leg feels much stronger now. I am still not allowed to put weight on it and my muscles have atrophied something fierce (though I do have PT to reverse that!) but the pain is all but gone and I can do the exercises pretty easily.

On the upside of my injury, I have found more time (sometimes too much!) to think, to pray, to hand-sew some projects that I would have been hard-pressed to find the time for in the past. I am working to catalog all of our movies so that we have an adult list and a kid list and can find what we want to watch with ease. I have been able to take time to talk with my children that are still at home and really listen to their wants and needs. Truly, that is a blessing. I think, if we truly look, we can find the blessings in everything. God bless you and keep looking for those silver linings!