HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!

Sixteen candles today for Benjamin!
And what a year it's been-for Ben!

Sixteen sounds so simple and innocent...but for this soulful kid it has been the most revolutionary of rides. Hospitalization, recovery and back to reading, writing and arithmetic...It's enough to paralyze most people, but Ben is still going strong!

I marvel at Ben's tenacity...His grades are great...his attitude amazing and he's working hard to maintain the monumental strides he's made...against all the odds.

I'm just grateful Ben is alive and kicking...excited about getting his permanent drivers license and morphing back into the wonderful world of being a teen.

From the beginning there has never been a dull moment with Ben...I almost lost him-in the early weeks of pregnancy...Low on progesterone, I laid in bed for a week, bleeding profusely, praying unceasingly...willing him to live...Today-my will and his-are just as strong as ever!

Ben's a lot like me-he doesn't like to give up...or give in...But he's learning to surrender in trust to God...while making the necessary changes for a healthy, happy and more peaceful life.

Some sixteen year olds are trouble-Ben is simply a joy and a luminous gift...One of the bright candles in our family whose flame never ceases to brighten our days.

I don't know how his life's story will pan out...but I believe he is going to surprise us all-because there's something significant about Ben-all sixteen years of him!

COMMUNITA CENACOLO

It is an awe inspiring vision, to see the purification of a young man's spirit...to watch the light return to his eyes and to see the shadow of despair miraculously lifted. It is an act of God and it is a tremendous gift to this grateful mom.

My oldest son Johnny is on a spiritual journey...carried by the cross through the darkness and into the light. For the past six months he has been living in Communita Cenacolo, Our Lady of Hope, in St. Augustine Florida. It is an oasis of Love, lead by the Holy Spirit, carried in the heart of Mary, straight into the arms of her son.

Johnny entered the community a couple days after his 24Th birthday and this weekend his brothers and I were allowed to visit him, for the first time since his departure. As we talked, wonderful words of wisdom flowed from his lips...letting us know that something deep within had begun changing...An evolution of the soul, a transformation of the mind...an awakening to the many wonders of the world beyond, that are pulsating right here in our midst.

Our visit filled me with a sense of peace and joy-and a deep admiration for my beautiful son who has found the courage to embrace this experience with an open mind, a willing spirit and a Loving heart. It is this anointed journey that will lead him to the fullness of truth while revealing the unique destiny that God has designed exclusively for his life.

I have always believed that many are called but few are chosen...to walk this world guided by the eyes of faith, so that the blind might see. At Communita Cenacolo I clearly saw the providential hand of God, giving these young men empowering, unconditional Love-which has overpowered every personal difficulty, struggle or failure they may have faced. Their lives are divine examples of the living faith that is abundantly available to every person, sinner or saint...A childlike faith that renews, restores and re-defines the meaning of their lives.

I am so very blessed to have my son among the chosen few, who themselves have chosen, a radical-yet authentic way of life... A unique life that promises to reveal to each one of them-the mystery and the true intimacy-of divine Love.

FINAL FAREWELL!

We buried my friend George today. Placed his human body in the ground, laid to rest his time here on earth, honored the eternal imprint of his life.

Crossing over to the other side is the continuation of our destiny-designed exclusively by a deity that Loves us, unconditionally. It is true-no one knows the hour or the day-the circumstances or the why. We do know that somewhere-somehow-our final departure from the land of the living, to the paradise of peace-has been planned, long before we entered the womb. Our lives have been carefully crafted, Lovingly cultivated and breathed into existence, by the power of God...who also carries us home, in the palm of his hand, to his heavenly embrace.

As I listened to the farewells today...I heard the words of Love from the friends of one whose life can only be described as-unpredictably robust...And I felt, George watching-weighing in on every word, wanting to speak his mind-wishing he could let everyone know that God-really is in charge.

Death is really the beginning of new life, with all the freedoms and none of the follies. It is that state of being where past, present and future are eternally bound.

My friend George now knows true freedom and the wisdom and the wonder of the world beyond, where he is resting in peace and reveling in God's glory!

GOOD BYE GEORGE ACKEL!

My friend George Ackel died suddenly yesterday. Complications following a medical procedure took his life, leaving everyone stunned.

George was a larger than life kind of guy. A big, burly bear of a man...loud and opinionated, he growled at the slightest provocation, intimidating most people, inadvertently scaring others. But behind that tough, gruff exterior rested a gentle teddy bear, with a big heart and deeply rooted loyalties.

George called me several days ago, asking for prayers as he shared the shocking news. One doctor told him he may have throat cancer, while another diagnosed a blockage of the heart. Within a few days, a second opinion made him believe he didn't have cancer, but he wouldn't know for sure until he underwent an exploratory procedure. We talked often, as he rode the emotional roller coaster that left him more stressed than ever. Yet-somehow, he remained stoic and strong and hopefully optimistic.

I got the phone call about George's passing-as I drove out of town to a meeting tied to Medjugorje. The timing struck me, because 20 years before while I was also out of town, giving a talk on Medjugorje, I received a phone call telling me George's dad had dropped dead of a heart attack. Yesterday's phone call felt like deja vu.

Life is precious...here today, over tomorrow...gone without warning. Loved ones cross over to the world beyond-before we are ready...and too often, long before we expect them to.

So get in touch and stay in touch, say you're sorry, show your gratitude...and thank your lucky stars that your Loved ones have made it through another day.

Those of us who knew and Loved George will miss his energy and the indelible imprint of his life which kept everyone talking. That robust soul-who I am confident, is stirring things up on the other side of eternity and causing the powers that be to wonder, "What was the sudden rush?!"

SURVIVING FAILURE!

"This thing we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down."
Mary Pickford

A young mom tonight shared she fell off the wagon last night...Couldn't handle the pressures and resentments and the loss of her husband's job-so she scoured the pantry and found something to make herself feel better. A few hours later, the high wore off and the uncomfortable feelings returned...along with an additional feeling of failure.

But from where I sat, she looked like a winner. She could have stayed DOWN...drowned her sorrows even further, instead-she picked herself up and pushed through the day one step at a time, until tonight when she admitted her flaws and her failure. She found the strength to make the one choice that would make all the difference in her tomorrows. Sometimes we have to stumble-just to see how far we've come.

And as Maya Angelou so eloquently put it, "We can dream, fail and still survive."

So face your failures, fast forward...and never give up!

CONFESSIONS OF FATHER JOE BENSON

As we sat in silence, meditating...I nudged my friend Terri, "What do we have to complain about?!" I whispered. There he hung, pain stricken, vulnerable in his nakedness, sharp thorns cutting into his head, pleading eyes fixed on the heavens. What I thought, on God's green earth, do I have to complain about?!

That's probably why they do it...place the life like crucifix dead center-above the altar, just above the Blessed Sacrament, right where you can't miss it...just to remind us-things could be worse, but they're destined to get better-if we keep our eyes focused-on the solution.

Another friend-likes to remind me-he's not on the cross anymore...So why do we keep him there? Every one's got an opinion, but to tell you the truth, I need to be reminded of the sacrifice...and every painful moment in between. Puts my problems in perspective...helps me see clearly...gives me strength to proceed.

We went to first Friday adoration in the upper ninth ward...at my new favorite prayer haven, Blessed Francis Seelos Church...The pastor, Fr. Joe Benson, heard confessions. Honestly-that drove me there...Face to face absolution from this gifted priest, who somehow sees straight into your soul, and says exactly what you need to hear.

Looking me in the eyes he asked, "Why do you doubt yourself?" I fumbled with my answer, but he didn't buy it...So he asked again, "Why do you doubt yourself?" It's a great question.

Why do we doubt ourselves when we have all the Love and support, all the strength and security, all the confidence and the courage we need-from the God who became man-to show us his unconditional Love and forgiveness, by dying in pain so we could have an eternity of peace, with the prince of peace?!

Disease or divorce, disappointments or disasters, stuff happens-to everyone-sometimes repeatedly...How we respond is our decision. How we are changed is our greatest challenge.

Fr. Benson very gently reminded me of God's confidence in me, while urging me to reciprocate by being still, immersing myself in his gentle power and placing my trust in his guiding grace....He suggested I spend time with the divine, inside the chapel...wrapped in his heavenly embrace...Because when we open our hearts in prayer, God takes the lead, making our prayers complete. And believe it or not, it doesn't seem to matter what's going on in our lives, before we know it, in the midst of our trials, we begin radiating an infectious Love, joy and peace.

GOD'S HEALING LOVE!

We pray today, for the dead, the victims of the shocking mass slaying at Fort Hood Texas...And we shake our heads at the senseless, insanity that drove the gunman to murder innocent people.

I wonder at the intense interior isolation, desperation and hopelessness...that triggered the bizarre behavior...from a psychiatrist-no less. A doctor trained to treat mentally ill people...schooled in the solutions to complex mental health issues...Someone who knew how to make healthy choices...and what he should do when darkness and despair threatened to drive him mad.

When a human being snaps, losing all sense of the value of life-their life and the lives of others...It is an extreme example of the numbness that comes when that person is separated from their higher power. There may be other factors, but there is always a shift in consciousness from the will of the divine which has destined us for good, not for evil. The shift may be gradual, may be affected by chemical imbalances, trauma or disease...but the separation from God happens nonetheless-opening the door to a spirit of anger, hatred and yes-even death.

So be vigilant, steadfast in your faith-and fervent in your prayers...Open your heart to the possibility of healing, so that the light of truth will protect you from the lies that wreck our lives and lead us away from God and his unconditional, healing Love.