Grateful
Consecrated Virgin
A friend of mine shared her faith story with me today. I knew some of it, but not how the whole thing came about. She was raised in a family that didn’t practice any faith, but also didn’t discourage her and her siblings to explore their options. The town she grew up in was heavily […]
Such Generosity
I was telling my brother all about my trip today and updated him on the family members I visited. I thought about how each person lives their lives in an ordinary way, yet are caring, supportive, and making a difference in the lives of those around them. One cousin is a devout Catholic and has […]
Home Safe
This morning I got up early, ate the quick free breakfast at the hotel, and hit the road. I started by driving through a scenic forest and wildlife preserve that I wanted to see. The views were stunning and the windy road included a couple of super narrow 1 car tunnels, which were very fun […]
Heavenly Cathedral
This morning I was blessed to attend Mass in a beautiful cathedral. It was even more ornate than I had anticipated. Marble pillars surrounded the giant altar and held the lit dome canopie. On the ceiling above was painted the Nativity with many angles and saints surrounded the scene. A huge crucifix hung on the […]
Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine
Today I was able to visit a Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. She is the patron of the Americas and it seemed particularly fitting as today is the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I didn’t actually put that together until I arrived. There was a long winding pathway up […]
Roadside Chapels
I had the opportunity to see some very interesting and unique little chapels today. There is an old Belgian community that settled and farmed the land. They would build small personal chapels to thank God for a favor, to honor a particular saint or devotion, or to remember their loved ones. I had a map […]
False Alarm
My son and his wife are expecting their first child in a couple of months. The doctors have been concerned as the baby is measuring very small, so they have been doing an ultrasound every week. The other day at the ultrasound, the doctor noticed an irregularity in the cord blood flow. This made my […]
Drawbridges
Today I went out and about with my cousin’s wife. We started out looking at all the stores near the waterfront. I’m not really a big shopper, and as we walked, I just wanted to be closer to the water. So, we made our way down. We walked along the nice sidewalks and piers. A […]
More Cousins
Today I got to spend time with more cousins. We went to a local restaurant and I was proud of myself for trying some foods that I never had before. And it was delicious. We also went to a local town fair that was small but fun. Their son met us there with his girlfriend […]
Beautiful Place
Today my cousin’s wife came with me to visit a shrine that was in my book and near their city. It was just a tiny chapel that was built to be a “beautiful place” for people to go to worship and renew their faith. There was a big building next to the little chapel, so […]
Still Finding God 