Miracle Moments

"Dear Children! In this time of grace, when nature also prepares to give the most beautiful colors of the year,I call you, little children, to open your hearts to God the Creator, for Him to transform and mould you in His image, so that all the good which has fallen asleep in your hearts may awaken to a new life and a longing towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call." February 25, 2010 Message of Mary Queen of Peace, Medjugorje If you believe that the Blessed Mother is appearing in Medjugorje, then believe she has come for a serious reason. If you believe this, then allow your conversion to unfold, through the changes within you. As St. Peter advised, 'For this very reason do your best to add goodness to your faith; to your goodness, add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add endurance; to your endurance add godliness; to your godliness add brotherly affection; and to your brotherly affection add Love. These are the qual...

I'm like a magnet for the nuts of the world. Those emotional misfits who never seem to fit in. Even in college I'd have lots of guy and gal friends who were a little too smart, a little too weird and a little too needy. Somehow I felt their woundedness and wanted to rescue them, even at my own peril. Somehow, they felt my vulnerability and zeroed in on me. Not anymore. My radar is right on target and my boundaries are clearly defined. Rescuing those who refuse to help themselves is a waste of time and a dangerous proposition...Sapping energy, enthusiasm and sometimes our lives. It is important to be generous, compassionate and open to helping others. But it is more important to know our limitations. A sensitive heart needs an equally strong brain. Fusing the two helps us make smart, God centered decisions. Women are often ripe for being taken advantage of. Predators and people who cash in on our vulnerabilities, our needs and our good will-come at us like cruise miss...

Sunday night I came under demonic attack. So-last night Zachary and I sprinkled Holy water in our house. I haven't experienced this particular kind of attack in a few years...Which means I must be doing something powerful for God and I'm probably about to do something even bigger. Oh sure evil has come at me in many ways through many people-subtly, sourly and cynically. I've pretty much blown it off, concentrating on getting spiritually stronger. The harassment has been more of a nuisance, a heart breaker and a thorn in my side. But what I experienced Sunday night is a relentless, ugly force that tried desperately to silence me. That's why I'm sharing this with you. A few minutes after I fell asleep I began struggling with a force that felt as though it was trying to enter into and overcome me. I tried to scream my son Ben's name, but my mouth became physically twisted and distorted. In desperation I fought harder, until I snapped awake to my own voice, cry...

"He that endureth to the end, shall be saved." God Calling God keeps telling me to endure. In big ways and in little ones. He keeps sending me words of encouragement and signs of his strength. I keep trusting his promise-by holding him near. Praying without patience, pushing our will without restraint, pulls the plug on what God is carefully putting into place. We mess things up at exactly the moment when God is about to make the miracle. Enduring 'til the end of a long hard journey is a sign of true discipleship. Putting our worries and our difficulties in the hands of the Divine...Believing to the end that a power greater than our own is resolving our needs...Never giving in to the human urge to take matters into our own hands...Enduring with faith and hope, Love and laughter...Those are all signs that God and man are synergized in a spiritual union that will unlock the mysterious treasures of our divinity, while resolving the conflicts of our humanity. God always g...

I heard a preacher say this week, you can tell how big a Christian is, by how far they are willing to go to do the right thing. That's something to think about. Sometimes we run into one roadblock after another and we wonder if God has placed the obstacle in our way, or if we simply need to persevere and push on. I think we know in our gut-the answer. Pushing ahead may be tough, a little scary and even costly...But the best decisions, the greatest victories are born out of the most difficult challenges. I usually go over the obstacle, around it and often through it...And I always find that in the end, the goal is met with an eye opening, awesome victory. So, keep your eye on the goal and get going, even when the going gets rough!

Mardi Gras came and went and I did not catch one parade or one bead. The only beads I clutched were the rosary beads I pray during my morning jog around the park. Lent began today with ashes on the forehead and forty days of fasting...I'm abstaining from my favorite-Smucker's Goober Grape/Strawberry. In case you haven't feasted upon this delectable delight...It's soft peanut butter swirled with jelly. I decided to throw in my other tasty discovery, "Peanut Butter and Company"-White Chocolate Wonderful...Then I decided to add all peanut butter. No shades of grey, no cheating for the next month-not even on Sundays. Some say Sundays are for R and R-but as I told Jacob, whose giving up ice cream-we're hardliners...Falling off the wagon for even one day-tempts the taste buds, distorts the will and makes the return ride a little more difficult. Zachary, who is on "Mardi Gras" vacation gave up video games...No small feat for an 11 year old...Ben stopped...

"Simplify, simplify." Henry David Thoreau What does that really mean? I think it begins with the mind. My mind can be a convoluted terrain if I allow it. Too much thinking, lots of fleeting thoughts, future fantasies...all the stuff that we let loose in our consciousness leads to brain overload. Combine that with all the junk, and I mean junk, that we load into our surroundings...Collectibles, cars, clothes and the building blocks that we think defines our success and we set ourselves up for complicated confusion. To simplify one's life begins with a peaceful mindset. Simple serenity inspired in the silence of soulful surrender. Taking the time to allow the spirit of God to connect with our spirit...Allowing inspiration to replace aspiration...Letting God give us the supernatural gifts that will fill our lives with every thing we really need...So that we can let go of the things we don't need. The brightest modern day example, is the Austrian millionaire who is g...

Sometimes I feel left behind. I felt that way today, following Ben's doctor's appointment. His weight was down, last week it was up, the week before it was down and the week before it stayed stable. I never know what to expect...and so as we ride the roller coaster of uncertainty, I just get worn out carrying the weight of responsibility, all by my lonesome. That's when I have to remind myself that I am not alone. God is with me, strengthening me, inspiring me and carrying me through the challenges. Of course I already know that, but sometimes I just don't feel it...So I march on over to the Adoration Chapel and sit in the silence, so that God can reach right in and deliver his wisdom, patience and unconditional Love. I always feel better. That's also when I am reminded of all the Loving support from my family and friends and the gift of faith that has kept me fully centered and completely sane, under the most insane circumstances. I'm grateful I know what to do...

I really don't know what happened to global warming. It's freezing cold again here in New Orleans. Tonight's Mardi Gras parades have been called off and school is canceled on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, as people are hunkering down for sleet and an estimated six inches of snow. This is the longest running winter cold that I can remember since moving here too many winters ago. I used to pray for cold weather...for Thanksgiving and Christmas, New Years and any other winter day. Now it seems like we're never going to thaw out. Go figure! Rising heating costs are creating a hardship for families, but I can't imagine how hard the freeze is on homeless families who don't know where to turn. Mother nature is certainly in charge and she is absolutely letting us know it. The way I figure it-This is her last winter hurrah before she switches gears on us, simmering down and sending a sizzling dose of heat and humidity that will send us running indoors for...

Perseverance pays off. The New Orleans Saints win their first Super Bowl, Mitch Landrieu wins the New Orleans's mayor's race and 11 year old Zachary wins a coveted spot on the JPRD basketball team! Perseverance, perfect timing, personal pride in their abilities and faith in a higher power put these people exactly where they were destined to be. "Pray for me mom." Those were Zack's parting words each day as he hustled into the gym...for tryouts...It paid off...as he edged out several hundred would be basketball stars. Saint's quarterback Drew Brees gave God full credit for his team's divine destiny...playing in and winning their first ever Super Bowl...and Mayor-elect Landrieu thanked God for all the gifts he's received....after a first primary, landslide victory that placed him as the city's first white mayor in three decades. It also seems three times was a charm for Landrieu who had run unsuccessfully for mayor twice before. So once again, the mo...

When you're feeling wiped out, worn out and woefully weak...Rest in God. Go to the place that puts you in the Loving arms of your God and rest there. Silently soak in the peaceful energy that is waiting to restore you, re-direct you and re-align your will with the Divine will. For me-that is often the Adoration Chapel. In the presence of the living Christ, in the solitude of his healing presence, I am calmed and carried to a new sense of surrender and trust, that is not of this world but the next. My son Zack and I went there last night just before dinner...I meditated, he studied and prayed...Watching him, on his knees, hands clasped...silently communing with God...is a mom's most peaceful moment. Frenzied activities, chasing the almighty dollar, worrying about the future...kids and homework, bills and bad memories-those worries slip away when God is given a chance to intervene. When the nerves are gnawing, because the needs are never ending...Slow down, sit down and let the G...

What a difference a day makes. Overcast, dreary and cool. The kind of day that makes you want to stay inside, wrapped in a blanket, eating comfort food on the couch. Not tonight. The All star's are heating up the basketball courts for round two of the playoffs. My dribbling champ Zachary scored 12 points off the backboard last night, stealing the ball straight to victory. I Love basketball. Fast paced and full of quick surprises, it's the kind of sport where quick thinking and real skill still counts. I've been doing my share of in house coaching..."Get in their faces, block them and don't hesitate!" Of course, I don't know if it's me or Zack's natural talent, but he's getting better and faster and more focused as the games go on. I'm also getting more excited. Last night a man yelled, "Sit down I can't see!" I guess I jumped up cheering one too many times. Anyway, it's a great sport...and lagniappe-for this mom-is that by...

It's a gorgeous late afternoon here in New Orleans. One of those brisk and sunny days when the sunshine seems to smile down upon-us while the breeze caresses our soul. I call it California weather, because my memories of California include lots of sunshine, little to no humidity and the breathtaking scenery...Valleys and mountains, rugged cliffs and miles of ocean stretching as far as the eye can see. If you just take a few moments to be still, silently soaking in the gift that is nature, you will feel the presence of God...That eternal creator who has crafted the most miraculous landscapes-just for us. My home sits at the end of a street, surrounded by trees and bushes and lots of open land. Sitting in my den or my kitchen is like sitting in a park...A rare feeling in the middle of the city. Sometimes, as I sit on my couch, the sun slips through the window, brightly and boldly beckoning me...as if calling me to look-and there in the exact same spot every single time, I can sometim...

I sat in a 12 step meeting this weekend and I heard the fear and the pain. Debilitating emotions that often leave us stuck in one place. The two go hand and hand, because there's usually some kind of pain behind the fear. Life is full of pain...Sometimes it hurts a little, sometimes a lot...But there's always healing, if we allow it. In fact, it is through the healing, that we find our personal power...and the purpose of our lives...which usually catapults us to a place of peaceful serenity. It's important to do whatever it takes to heal...To move on from the wounds of this life, so that the wonders of the next can grace us with the gift of wisdom that comes from being tested by fire. I've worked through tons of fear and pain..and it hasn't been easy...but it's certainly been liberating. I'm not finished-I don't think you ever resolve everything completely...But through the process of the healing, I've learned that God is even closer than we think......