Forgiveness
Life From Death
Today as I continued to listen to the podcast about the O Antiphons based on the hymn “O come O come Emmanuel” I payed attention to the lyrics of the fourth verse: O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem,unto your own and rescue them!From depths of hell your people save,and give them victory o’er the […]
Intense Forgiveness
Today I heard an incredible story about forgiveness told by Jeanne Bishop. Many years ago, right before Easter, she saw her sister and husband who shared the good news that they were expecting their first child. Sadly, the couple went home to an intruder in the house who killed them all. A while later, they […]
Led By Faith
Today I started reading the book, “Led by Faith, Rising from the Ashes of the Rwanda Genocide”. It is a story about Immaculée Ilibagiza who survived the Rwanda genocide by hiding in a pastor’s tiny bathroom with 7 other starving women for 91 terrifying days. Her first book was called, “Left to Tell” in which […]
Kind to Myself
As I was listening to the radio today, I heard an introduction to the song, “Kind to Myself”, by Tenth Avenue North. The singer explained that we are so quick to put ourselves down and get frustrated with our own behavior. However, God sees through all that and loves us the way we are. This […]
Remembering Time With Mom
Today as I was going through things on my computer, I came across a video that I made with my mom several years ago. A flood of emotions rushed over, into, and out of me. First, I was sad and missed her tremendously. As I watched, I realized how much she suffered and for such […]
Jubilee Year of Hope
Today I read an article in the Word Among us about the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope that was proclaimed by Pope Francis. The history of a jubilee year goes back thousands of years to the Old Testament. Leviticus 25:8-55 describes a jubilee year to be celebrated every 50 years. Simply put, it was a […]
Cleansing
Today my parish made the Sacrament of Confession available almost all day. So I went. It’s always a bittersweet experience, but feels cleansing. Afterwards I went to Mass with my priest friend. I was happy to catch up with him a bit. Then I had my appointment with my counselor. She does a great job […]
Knew My Struggles
It’s been a rough week. Yesterday I met with a counselor who has been helping me work through my challenges of caregiving and grieving. As I thought about my dad and as I do my best to care for my mom, there are many ways that I wish I could do better – be a […]
Begin Again
The other day I heard a reflection about our ability to begin again. Every night we have the opportunity to review our day and hand it all to God in prayer, asking forgiveness for our wrongs. At the wakening of each new day, we are able to start fresh and live the day for what […]
Viaticum
We were blessed to have the new priest from our parish come over to the house today. He was young, soft spoken, gentle, and caring. He talked with my mother for some time and asked her what she thought Heaven would be like. She said she pictured it as full of clouds with an organ […]