Be encouraged!

A nice woman approached me at the vigil I posted here last, and gave me a card with this paragraph on it. She had seen me going around snapping pictures, and for whatever reason, felt she needed to share this with me.

It is nice to receive encouragement.

I was watching this video-




--and Mr. D'Souza shared an Indian saying at about 13:25--"After crossing the mountains -- more mountains." He was talking about how it is easy for conservatives to grow weary.

Galatians 6:9 says this-

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

In my very humble opinion, Barack Obama would not be president today if people had not "given up" to the media blitz for Obama, if the faithful Christians of America had done their own homework, rather than letting themselves be led by headlines and weak pastoral statements about "conscience" fromt he American Bishops. (for those of us who are Catholic). There are plenty now who are taking a much clearer stance.

"You need to think and pray very carefully about your vote, because a vote for a candidate who promotes actions or behaviors that are intrinsically evil and gravely sinful makes you morally complicit and places the eternal salvation of your own soul in serious jeopardy."-Bishop Thomas Paprocki

 Now, folks, we have no excuse. Let's not be lazy. Don't simply " hope for the best." Don't be taken in by the Obama-Media. Don't let polls discourage you. Consider that there may be some who would try to dishearten conservative voters with smears against Gov. Romney. I think he will do well in the debates, but even if he doesn't, or (this is likely) that you and I think he does well, but the media proclaims him as losing--don't be swayed. Remember your children and grandchildren, who may have to live under whatever the Unconcerned-about-Reelection-Obama dishes out. (shudder.)

Unborn babies cannot do anything unless we rise up to help them. Re-electing this man is tantamount to a death sentence for untold numbers of the unborn. It is an invitation to an even more rapid decline of the values that helped shape America. Before anyone feels the need to react to these statements, no, I don't expect abortions to stop on a dime on January 22, 2013. Or that Roe v Wade will overturn immediately. But I DO know that Obamacare will go, which will spark businesses and restore religious freedom to those opposed to the mandate. Oh, and relieve many American doctors. Maybe even the March for Life on January 25, 2013, will actually be acknowledged. Maybe even the number topping a quarter of a million marchers will even be reported accurately. Hey, a girl can dream!

"It is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres. The seriousness of these threats needs to be clearly appreciated at every level of ecclesial life. Of particular concern are certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion." -- Pope Benedict XVI



Glenn beck held a telephone conference on Tuesday night (Sept. 25), explicitly for Catholics. He urged us to get on our knees for our country. There is a recording of the half-hour call on the net somewhere, but I couldn't remember where I saw it, and couldn't locate it today. I usually am kind of freaked out by him, but I am glad I tuned in.


So, friends, I encourage you! Do not give up! Let's fight the good fight every day, wherever our footsteps take us. Everything belongs to God. Let's live in the times we are born, as people that recognize that and are willing to live as His children, acknowledging Him in all we do and say.

~God Bless You~

+JMJ+

Kelly

What a Pro Life Vigil really looks like

One week ago today, Bob and I went to our usual gathering of Helper's of God's Precious Children, praying outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Center City. On that day, the Pro Life Union joined us and after we did our prayer vigil, we processed to the Cathedral for mass. (It's a pretty decent walk. Props to all who did it!)

Here are a few moments I thought were so lovely. Especially since we are so often maligned and misrepresented, I wanted to show the real tone of our presence.

 

                                                                                            

And here are a few of the beautiful basilica--

I also would ask for your prayers for my family. Several of my kids are going through some rough times.

+JMJ+

God Bless!
Kelly

a strong message

 I appreciate his common sense clarity.

I do not hate you

I feel I must say this, or suffer the consequences in some form, whether it be an ulcer or the regret of being silent when I should not be.

Being a Catholic, Conservative, and (usually) Republican in Philadelphia is not a comfortable thing. But being maligned, misrepresented, and (to give benefit of the doubt where applicable), misunderstood, has been tough. I have lost some dear friends. Now, I am not whining, because I understand that to do one's best to follow Christ is to at times incur all of those things. But as the Presidential campaign heats up, and the verbal bombs are lobbed from one camp to another, I want to say a few things.

Bashing the Catholics and conservatives has become a pop culture badge of honor. It's so hip to slap labels on us. Depending on their origin, it goes from unintelligent,  "shiny objects" (DWS), to, racists, bigots, greedy wealth-hoarders, or war mongers. And don't forget hate-filled.

While I could very easily counter every one of those un-thought out labels, what I mainly want to clarify is this.

 I am your fellow human being.  

I may not agree with you on everything.

 I may not completely understand you.  

    But I do not hate you.

The political movers and shakers, mainly on the left, have found a few buzz words that are very effective and have plied them freely via every media vehicle available. It was so effective that even some people, in 2008, who identified themselves as Catholics or conservatives or what have you, suddenly felt that not to vote for Barack Obama was to embody all those labels, especially the H word.

I think that to fundamentally disagree with someone should not mean giving up your voice entirely in favor of dodging the difficult discussions. 

Sadly, some real hateful speech flies pretty freely in our direction. It is accepted and  popular now. I could, again, name names and specifics, but I am choosing not to go there right now. It's all a matter of record.

Disagreement     ≠        Hate

 


I have the responsibility to speak the truth at all times, with humility, and in love. As I had to explain to one of my daughters the other day, truly loving someone means NEVER lying to them to smooth things over. ALL my kids know that I love them to the ends of the earth and back again. For example, I will not lie and say that unmarried cohabitation is really okay. I will share my own heartbreak and failures at having tried that. But I will keep right on loving them if they make that choice. I will love their boyfriends/girlfriends. I will take them shopping, laugh, cry, joke, and be here for them.  There is no hate in the equation.

There is fear that some choices can lead in a direction that could possibly drag them ultimately to hell. I will work at living, loving, and praying them away from that end. I lay awake last night praying this:

Listen, I am not the author of Truth or the Universe. I am bound to love and serve the Savior who loves and saved me.  But He loved and died for the whole world. He does not hate anyone.

There are many, many great people, some great thinkers of history, who have died for love of Christ. I submit to any that would brush off all believers with easy, lazy reasoning, to do some objective research. Read the Early Church Fathers, who lived with Jesus or those that knew Him. Pray and ask God to help you really understand. Don't be so immersed in the pop culture, make-it-up-as-they-go-along, media icons. Don't do what we are so oft accused of -- following blindly. Think and reason for yourself, and let Him reveal Himself to you.

Demonizing people of faith, as frail and flawed as we may be, is no way to go about moving "forward" in this country.

I will support Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan because I believe they will do better for ALL of us. Do I endorse every single thing they promote? No! And I will take every opportunity to communicate that, if hopefully, they win the election. 

I will not apologize for my beliefs. But if you, dear reader, believe that I would hate you for yours, you would be wrong.  I have lived and experienced the following verse.

"For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."  

Luke 7:47 

God Bless you~

+JMJ+

Kelly

of kitties and rosaries

 

Our newest family member, Mr. Tumnus!

Or just Tumnus, as I lazily call him. He is the new baby, behaves very much like a human baby/toddler and loving to be held and petted. He has the evening active/crazy period that babies often do, racing around and occasionally having humorous clumsy moments, like leaning backwards and rolling off whatever he was laying on, or running so fast he bumps into things,  and mewing for our attention. He is not terribly aloof, quite well behaved and full of personality. He is somewhere around 14 weeks. He romps around like your usual kitten, plays with his little toys but he has one big favorite...paper. If one of us is holding a book, magazine, letter from the mail, paper towel ---watch out, because Tumnus believes all the paper in the house is his domain, and he will do his best to snatch it from our very hands. And he has. Then he will run around with it, and if very lucky, we will have left him a brown grocery bag to go into with his spoils, so he can be in paper heaven. If the book or magazine is too large to grab, he will make do with gnawing on the corners.

He also likes to sleep on shoes.

He really is a sweet kitty, doing his very best to be a model citizen (or should I say kitt-i-zen? --.no, I probably shouldn't...).  He went straight to scratching post and litter box, and eats the dry food we give him. 

On another note, I have remembered, because of the grace of God, that He is my lifeline in every situation. And here is the tangible gift He sent for us to hang on to-

 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:12-13

 

 Peace to all who came by here today-

+JMJ+

Kelly

Bob's at it again! come and vote!

.http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/205246/voteable_entries/55468015






Hi Everybody!

Bob is auditioning to enter the Van Cliburn Amateur Piano Competition..This stage requires votes from the public. The winner gets to enter the contest free of charge. Otherwise, he can still enter, but for a fee. If he is chosen, he will compete in Texas in May of 2015. It's a pretty big deal!


If you would be so kind as to listen and vote for him, we would be so grateful. He is working really hard at something he loves. It would mean a lot to compete on that level.

Voting can be as much as once a day (once every 24 hours to be exact) until August 10.

If you would like to leave a comment on the voting page, we welcome them! If you want us to know it's you, please leave your name in the comment. Bob tries to respond to each one personally. 


Thanks for your kind support!

snowed under in July and a birthday party

Here are some pictures from a fun thing, my son Ben's 17th birthday.

This was the Birthday Hat, and the Birthday Shirt. Rachael made the shirt. It has some significance to a show and video game. We went with  video game as the theme. The hat was just because. One year he wore a clown tie. It hung in the coat closet pictured, and for a long time it stuck out the side, giving the impression we had a clown trapped in our closet.

So happy Dan could make it. We all miss him!
He gave Ben a new drum throne, a really nice one with a tractor style seat. His old one had broken and he was using an old kitchen chair.

Here he is opening it.

 the old style Nintendo controller cake. The Cake Boss can rest easy.

 So this was what they mostly did. You know, just to keep with the theme. We had about fifteen or so people. It was a nice day, I think Ben had fun.






It took me pretty much a full week to recover from the prep and carrying out of this, though. Sometimes I wonder why I am so easily worn out. Other times, I am pretty sure it is a stress reaction. For me, they come way after the event(s). Sort of a chickens-coming-home-to-roost effect. I can function pretty well in the moment of a crisis, and be fairly clear headed. But later, all the residual exhaustion gangs up, hunts me down, and ambushes me when I least expect it. Yes, I have a lot on my mind presently, ( I won't list it out here, I might scare myself)  but it seems it is all I can do to get through the day, and that sometimes, just barely.

Guess it is time to regroup. Again. I want to go back to daily mass. Now that I am not in school, I hope to be able to. Getting up early, once something I did easily and enjoyed, is now difficult and far from enjoyable. Some combo of stress, middle age and all its accompanying changes, and my old cross, depression are OUT TO GET ME. Oh and maybe a touch of paranoia. Haha.

Nothing God can't handle. Praying He will soon do just that!