Miracle Moments

Advent is a time of preparation and reflection. An opportunity to really think about the coming of Christ into our lives. It is also a time for us to bring votive offerings to the altar...our hopes and dreams, our challenges and our fears. On Friday December 10TH you are invited to participate in an Advent Day of Renewal and Eucharistic Healing Service at St. Francis Xavier Church on Metairie Rd. Fr. Jose Lavastida, the rector at Notre Dame Seminary, will say Mass at 9:00a.m. and his homily will focus on the role of the Blessed Mother in our lives. I will be sharing my personal testimony of my miraculous deliverance from the demonic darkness of alcoholism into the light of Christ's healing Love. Catholic Theologian Judy Landrieu Klein will tell her husband's riveting near death experience and the illumination of his soul. The two of us will also share the amazing story of how God used our son's drug addictions to reunite us in a ministry aimed at healing women, famili...

I have so much to be thankful for on this special day. It would take me all the way through tomorrow to write down how fully I appreciate the gifts in my life. We've been in the kitchen all morning, cooking like the expert chefs you see on TV. I don't take credit for any of the fancy footwork, because I'm so used to throwing things together in ten minutes, I forgot the deeply satisfying feeling of chopping, cutting and mixing natural ingredients. My God it smells amazing! Ben of course is designing this delectable feast. He knows his stuff and the stuffing we put together promises to be the best yet. Homemade cornbread and crawfish tails mixed into a seasoned array of oil and butter. We made our famous "pink stuff" which my mom used to whip up thanks to my aunt who gave her the recipe many moons ago. Cranberries, pineapple, pecans, cool whip, marshmallows and sugar-Wow! But it's the turkey that is so amazing. Ben rubbed it down with his personal mixture...

My middle son Ben turned seventeen today...But honestly, it doesn't seem like he's that old. He's just such a wonderful kid that I have to think about the fact that he's a Junior in High School....It's the age that usually makes a mom cringe with worry...Yet with Ben...It's different. He's the quintessential middle child. Conscientious, dependable, smart, deeply sensitive-yet amazingly confident. Ben has faced more challenges than any child should have to deal with. Some pretty serious parental and family issues...and then anorexia. Somehow though, he's still a straight A student with a 4.4 average...He works after school, socializes with friends and is now the chef Du jour in our home. Ben can and does-cook up some of the most amazing dishes that come from his growing repertoire of recipes. In fact- he's such a good cook that now I'm a little intimidated! Imagine that! I can't imagine our home without Ben...He's the anchor that holds...

I always have a lot to say, but I haven't been saying it lately in this blog. Instead I've been undergoing deep contemplative prayer and preparation-and that quite frankly, has zapped me. There's something about moving closer to God that draws me further away from my own thoughts and opinions. It's as though I need the distance to hear the Lord more clearly and more succinctly. It seems like the quieter I become, the more intensely I can hear his voice. For the past several weeks I have been participating in an Ignatian Prayer series for women, "Lord Teach Me to Pray." There are three twelve week programs and I am enrolled in the first one which is "Praying Christian Virtues." It's fascinating and really rewarding reading the daily scripture assignment, meditating and then journaling the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It's amazing how every single week, the assigned virtue has had a direct impact on my life. Christian faith, humility,...