A blessed Feast Day to you! St. Joseph is very dear to our family, particularly to Brian. Here is a beautiful Prayer for Fathers from Pope John XXIII.
St. Joseph, guardian of Jesus and chaste husband of Mary, you passed your life in loving fulfillment of duty. You supported the holy family of Nazareth with the work of your hands. Kindly protect those who trustingly come to you. You know their aspirations, their hardships, their hopes. They look to you because they know you will understand and protect them. You, too, knew trial, labor and weariness. But amid the worries of material life your soul was full of deep peace and sang out in true joy through intimacy with God’s Son entrusted to you and with Mary, his tender Mother. Assure those you protect that they do not labor alone. Teach them to find Jesus near them and to watch over him faithfully as you have done.
Category Archives: family life
3/19/04 – St. Joseph Prayer
3/19/04 – Bella Stands Her Ground
Hey guys. Hope you are all doing well. I should have slept in this morning because I got to bed late and am tired, but I woke at 6:30 am and was wide awake so I figured I’d let Bella sleep in and I’d get some work done. It’s been a busy week although yesterday was fun since I went to the beach with some other moms and their kids. We had a great time although my face is a little burnt – I don’t think I put enough sun screen. ugh.
Bella had fun too and it was a nice little lesson for her to learn to share her sand toys with the other kids and get along with others. Being an only child at the moment she is still learning the finer points of “the world doesn’t revolve around me.” She’s not mean about it but just needs gentle coaxing and reminding that she has 2 shovels and can certainly share one of them or that baby Joe can sit in her beach chair for awhile.
Although there was one moment when one of the sweet 7 yr old boys “John” was playing around with Bella and sort of tickling her. She thought it was funny at first but after a minute or two wanted him to stop and pushed his hands away. He kept on, but before I could say something to him, she bit his finger as he poked her. I had her say “sorry” and asked John not to tickle her anymore. There was no harm done and they were soon laughing and playing again.
However, I have to confess that later I was inwardly proud of my baby girl for defending herself against unwanted “attention” and hoped she’d remember that 10 – 15 years from now. Not saying she should bite a guy, mind you, but have her limits and know how to defend them. I, in the meantime, will be on closer watch!
1/7/04 – Women of the Third Millennium
I came across a website called Women of the Third Millennium The site states:
“Women of the Third Millennium (WTTM) is a lay organization that promotes the dignity, vocation, and mission of women and men through retreats, talks, articles, and books. WTTM was co-founded in 1996 by Katrina Zeno and Zoe Romanowsky in response to Pope John Paul II’s call to develop a new feminism. Since that time, WTTM has expanded its vision to reach out to both single and married people.
WTTM draws primarily on the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and Pope John Paul II’s ‘theology of the body.’We seek to awaken in each person the meaning and purpose of life – to live in the image and likeness of God through a sincere gift of self. We take the Trinity as our model of fruitful, self-donating love. We embrace the Eucharist as the Real Presence of Christ, Mary as the spouse of the Spirit, and chastity as the foundation of virtuous living. It is our hope that WTTM will inspire others to live their unique vocation and become artisans of a culture of life and a civilization of love. ”
9/11/03 – We will never forget…
When I was younger I used to always wonder why people would ask “Where were you when Kennedy died?” I didn’t get what the big deal was. Now when someone asks me “Where were you on 9/11?” I understand perfectly what they were talking about. On 9/11 I was no where near NY. I was living in Pacific Grove, CA with Brian. I was almost 8 months pregnant with Bella. I woke up to kiss Brian goodbye for work and he told me I had better check the news because he saw online that there was news of a terrorist attack.
When I turned on the TV, I first thought a single terrorist flew his own plane into the Twin Towers. Then a realized a regular commercial flight with innocent people on board were made into human bombs. And not just one flight – many of them. I kept thinking that the Twin Tower workers probably never saw it coming but the people on the plane were aware and watching it unfold. I was dumbstruck until all I could do was sob. (Even now its hard to hold back the tears when I think about it.) I don’t think I ever got off the couch that day as I watched and cried. Brian came home and eventually made me turn off the TV so I’d stop thinking about it.
I remember at one point someone told me that it was a shame that I was bringing a baby into a world such as this. For a moment I thought she was right but as I came to my senses I thought – no! This child of mine is a sign of hope! It is a breathe of joy and peace in the midst of evil and darkness.
Two weeks later Bella was born a month premature. (I always wondered if my stress at that time had something to do with it.) Weighing only 3lb, 12 oz she was tiny but had a feisty, fighting spirit and came out fine. My beautiful little Isabella Rose Marie. She was my proof that no matter how troubling things may look or how small and insignificant we may feel, with God, you can find a purpose, a means, and always hope.
8/1/03 – friday five: mornings edition
First day of August? Incredible! The summer will be over before you know it! Although the way the weather has been lately, I think we’re going to have an early autumn. I’m keeping this post short since I’ve got a lot to do around the house. But here’s one question for you moms of toddlers out there – how do you keep your kids from climbing the furniture? Bella is climbing everything – from chairs to the kitchen table. It’s gotten to the point where I have tipped all the kitchen chairs over so she can’t use then as ladders but this is so inconvenient (not to mention sloppy looking). She has her own mini table and chairs but lately she’s been using those as ladders as well. She’ll climb anything that will hold her and I don’t know what to do! I’d be happy for any advice! Thanks so much. Have a great weekend! love, b.
the friday five
1. What time do you wake up on weekday mornings?If I went to bed by midnight, 7am. If up later, then by 8am. (I’m a night owl and it’s hard for me to get to bed early.)
2. Do you sleep in on the weekends? How late? On Saturday I’ll sleep in until 8:30 unless we have an early outing planned. Sundays I wake up earlier to go to 8am Mass.
3. Aside from waking up, what is the first thing you do in the morning?Say my morning prayers.
4. How long does it take to get ready for your day?About half an hour to an hour (depending if I showered the night before or not.)
5. When possible, what is your favorite place to go for breakfast? A little cafe in Carmel called Em Le’s. They have the most delicious breakfasts there! We used to go there all the time but we go less frequently with Bella, although she’s getting better and better at restaurants! Hey, if the locals can bring their dogs I can certainly bring my baby!