Hoping for Miracles {Healing for Owen}

Beautiful Owen

To know him is to adore him, our little three year old friend Owen...

Please pray for Owen, whose life threatening seizures are not being controlled with any combination (or dosage) of medication.  In order for Owen to be admitted for further testing and in depth brain studies, he has to be fever free for two weeks. 

Please pray for Owen's parents, Rod & Kara, who have experienced many challenges and bitter frustrations in trying to advocate for Owen.  They are truly champions for life.

Owen, age 3

 We lift up our prayers to God for Owen's healing through dear St. Pio of Pietrelcina:

Dear God, You generously blessed Your servant,
   St. Pio of Pietrelcina, with the gifts of the Spirit.
   You marked his body with the five wounds
   of Christ Crucified, as a powerful witness
   to the saving Passion and Death of Your Son.
   Endowed with the gift of discernment,
   St. Pio labored endlessly in the confessional
   for the salvation of souls.
   With reverence and intense devotion
   in the celebration of Mass,
   he invited countless men and women
   to a greater union with Jesus Christ
   in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

Through the intercession of St. Pio of Pietrelcina,
   I confidently beseech You to grant me
   the grace of a miracle of healing for Owen.    

Amen.

Chuck holds Apollo as he has a tube feeding during a summer party at Owen's house.

Apollo and Owen, two amazing little boys with totally devoted parents who need our prayers.

Praying for a Miracle {Healing for Apollo}

Please pray right now and often for a miracle of healing for Apollo XIV.  

We are asking Blessed Mother Teresa (our living sister in the communion of saints in heaven) for her intercessory prayers for Apollo.  Please join us.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, 

you allowed the thirsting love of Jesus on the Cross to become a living flame within you,

and so became the light of His love to all.

Obtain from the Heart of Jesus a miracle of healing for Apollo.

Teach me to allow Jesus to penetrate and possess my whole being so completely that my life, too, may radiate His light and love to others.

Amen.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Cause of Our Joy, pray for me.

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, pray for me.

Offer fasts or other acts of charity if you are able.

Miracles are real.

Let us ask our Lord to send a miracle of healing to Apollo, should it be His holy will.

Surprise Sight for Sore Eyes {Zachary Visits}

Answered prayers!

Our universal Church's opening prayer for Sunday Mass (plus daily Masses and morning and evening prayers last week) really inspired me to pray BIG:

Almighty ever-living God,
who in the abundance of your kindness
surpass the merits and the desires of those who entreat you,
pour out your mercy upon us
to pardon what conscience dreads
and to give what prayer does not dare to ask.

I do not make a habit of praying for exceptional consolations, but this powerful prayer moved me to ask God for the grace of seeing Zachary.  His first semester at Notre Dame halfway over, with eight weeks' count-down until his visit home for Christmas break, I asked for the grace of bi-location, just to SEE Zachary for an instant.

A pretty far-fetched prayer, yes, but certainly falls within the "dare not ask" category, don't you agree?

Back at home for fall break, our Irishman

God answered my prayers with a tremendous gift, and a huge surprise (which did not involve bi-location).  My sweet husband, Tim, arranged flights for Zachary and brought him home for six days' break. They conspired together and secretly coordinated Zachary's arrival to coincide with my second Sunday Carmelite meeting in Stanwood.  Tim snapped a shot of the look on my face when I saw Zachary walk into the living room yesterday, but it's far too embarrassing out-of-focus to post on the blog.

Inclined toward Sunday Mass after Zac's covert travels (which started with his 4AM bus ride from Notre Dame to a Chicago airport) we attended Church together with our local Newman Catholic Campus Ministry at WWU.  Some of Zac's favorite friends worship at the Sunday Mass said by our priest, Father Altenhofen, on Sunday nights. What a great way to begin our week together, praising God for his many gifts, most especially for giving us His Son, truly present in the Holy Eucharist.

Thank you, God!

Costco Victory {Under an Hour; No Injuries}

Run over by the cart: a small price to pay for a quick exit from Costco

Our local Costco is famous, or infamous depending on which side of the US/Canada border you're from.  Truth be told, the place is almost always a madhouse, and though I used to make casual visits to the giant mart without much pre-planning or serious psychological preparation, those days are long gone.

These days, our pantry has to be lacking a long list of staples before I will make the formidable journey to the center of the civilized shopping world- the Bellingham Costco.  No more quick stops for bagels and bread or the cheap cooked chicken for an easy dinner fix.

Today and Peter and I braved the place just after the lunch hour had passed, and I delighted at the fact that we hit 5 green lights in a row heading north on Guide Meridian.  A traffic feat like that is worthy of celebration, especially in light of what we expected to encounter once we entered the C-zone.  Unbelievably, I coasted through the parking lot and into the very first (non handicapped) parking spot. 

A surprise beyond all telling, the place was almost vacant (comparably speaking) and I didn't suffer any cart collisions or curses from distraught shoppers.  The cooked chickens were sold out, but I managed to get in and out of the milk room without any traffic!  This was THE DAY to go to Costco~ no lines at check out, easy access to the exit and a pleasant parking lot.    

Note to self:  next time, bring THE SHOPPING LIST!