This is the very perfection of a man,

to find out his own imperfections.

–St. Augustine

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Saintly Wisdom

"There is a certain simplicity of heart which is the perfection of all perfections.  This is found when our soul fixes her glance solely upon God." 

-St. Francis De Sales

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To All Brave Mothers

"We would like to pay homage to all brave mothers who dedicate themselves to their own family without reserve, who suffer in giving birth to their children and who are ready to make any effort, to face any sacrifice, in order to pass on to them the best of themselves... How hard they have to fight against difficulties and danger!  How frequently they are called to face genuine 'wolves' determined to snatch and scatter the flock!  And these heroic mothers do not always find support in their surroundings.  On the contrary, the cultural models frequently promoted and broadcast by the media do not encourage motherhood.  In the name of progress and modernity, the values of fidelity, chastity, sacrifice, in which a host of Christian wives and mothers have distinguished themselves, are presented as obsolete.  As a result, a woman who is determined to be consistent in her principles often feels deeply alone, alone in her love which she cannot betray, and to which she must remain faithful.  Her guiding principle is Christ, who has revealed the love which the Father bestows on us.  A woman who believes in Christ finds a powerful support precisely in this love that bears everything..."

-Pope John Paul II

On the beautification of St. Gianna Beretta Molla

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Saintly Wisdom

Nothing can bring greater happiness than doing God's will for the love of God.  

-Blessed Miguel Pro

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Like the EAGLE I choose to soar to the highest heights for a view unknown by the vast majority of others. I do not choose to be a common person. It is my right to be uncommon. I seek opportunity, not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having a government look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia. I will not trade my freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid,; to think and act for myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say: This, with God's help, I have done!

Excerpt from Scoopified Magazine Spring 2009

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Saintly Wisdom

"There is no peace outside of God's Will."

-St. Alphonsus Liguori

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Mr. Brenner

At my high school (and Chantal's and Applejacs') there was a government teacher/track coach: Mr. Brenner. He always seemed just a little rough around the edges, but he had 3 grown daughters and I'm pretty sure he was a giant softy inside.

I graduated from high school 6 years ago and I still find myself repeating his words almost every day: "Nothing of value is easily earned."

Want to have a relationship with God? It's going to be a struggle that sometimes feels like a one way street. It will take time out of your day and changing your behaviors and attitudes. In the end it's worth it, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy.

Those first 6 weeks with a new baby when all you do is feed and change diapers on very little sleep is pure boot camp while you earn their trust.

Even having the privilege of owning a home is hard work. My husband literally gives his life to earn money to keep a roof over our head and both of us work hard to maintain it and keep it relatively clean (don't even ask if it's tidy!).

Anyways, I guess my point is, when you are struggling with something you can try repeating this mantra and inviting God to help you. :)

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For all you moms out there...

"Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love" - Mildred B. Vermont

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Saintly Wisdom, fo

"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway."~ Mother Teresa

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Have Patience

"Have patience with all that is unsolved in your heart...try to love the questions themselves, do not look for answers...they cannot be given to you, it is a question of experiencing the answers..."

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Great thought from Mass homily today

"The furthest distance possible is the distance between the human head and the human heart."

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Happy Mother's Day

"The eternal mystery of generation, which is in God himself, the one and Triune God (cf. Eph 3:14-15), is reflected in the woman's motherhood and in the man's fatherhood.  Human parenthood is something shared by both the man and the woman.  Even if the woman, out of love for her husband, says:  'I have given you a child,' her words also mean: 'This is our child.' Although both of them together are parents of their child, the woman's motherhood constitutes a special 'part' in this shared parenthood, and the most demanding part.  Parenthood- even though it belongs to both- is realized much more fully in the woman, especially in the prenatal period.  It is the woman who 'pays' directly for this shared generation, which literally absorbs her energies of her body and soul.  It is therefore that the man be fully aware that in their shared parenthood he owes a special debt to the woman.  No program of 'equal rights' between women and men is valid unless it takes this fact fully into account."

Mulieris Dignitatem, Pope John Paul II

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Quotes {I} Love

This is me ... I am who I am ... nothing more ... nothing less.
(ok ... in recent years, a bit 'more' than I'd like ... but I'm working on that !)

I love being me.
I love being a the daughter of Jim and Kathy
( you may see them comment as 'Sabba and Nanny' and 'Kath' )
I love that who I am is so much because of who they are.

I have two great quotes from them that I want to share.

One from my a facebook status my Dad posted ...

"After dinner, we read together for a while, basking in the glow of an evening well spent and sharing thoughts, feelings, laughter, warmth, appreciation for one another and our appreciation of the love of one who loves us more than we can ever comprehend. Finally, I spent a marvelous time with my son on the back patio, braving the cold and continuing our conversation, enjoying our time together and sharing our hearts with one another, our appreciation, our lives, our love. How long? Who knows? Thirty minutes? An hour? Time is meaningless. On Shabbat, we have a taste of eternity. That time together ... "

And one from an email my Mom sent me ...
It's a small quote from a big conversation we had
back and forth but you'll get the picture ...

"One gets tired sometimes, but life is for LIVING, and for sharing, seeing, trying, tasting, helping……..you get the picture! It’s part of the dance ………."

Yeah.
They are special people.

Extraordinarily so ...

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Truth

"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, it is the realization of how much you already have. " ~annonymous~

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but cannot explain

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Simple Days at Home

There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children.
One is roots; the other, wings.
~ Hodding Carter ~

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Straight Out Of Camera ~ Pink

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.

~ Claude Monet ~

~~

Visit Melody for more Straight Out of Camera shots.

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{en francais}

was feeling a bit crafty today

made this little sign to go on the door of my pantry

it says

"Tout est question d'equilibre !"

know what it means ?

no ?

come back tomorrow and i'll tell you ...

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{soul}

You don’t have a soul.

You are a soul.

You have a body.

~ C.S. Lewis ~

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{cherish}

a small reminder


my baby girl loves her daddy
pictured here holding his hand on a fishing expedition
with him and uncle eddie

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