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!

Traversing Bellingham {Adventure Race}

Joseph, Tim, Judah and Eric close in on the finish line of the Bellingham Traverse.

Due to a scheduling snafu with Tim's Ski 2 Sea teammates last spring, they opted to give the Bellingham Traverse a go instead.  This multi-sport event's course supposedly follows the path of wild salmon including a few "urban challenges."  Two of the team's athletes had to drop out at the last minute, leaving Tim and Eric with the frightful prospect of trying to 2-man the 5-leg race.  Since neither of them were up for quite that much adventure racing, they recruited a few high school lads, Joseph and his buddy Judah, to join the team just in the nick of time.

Judah ran the first leg, and put up a very fine result as he handed off to Joseph after a 5.5 mile (mostly uphill run) in 41 minutes.  He raced from downtown Bellingham to Lake Padden, and kept his pace throughout.  With only a few days to train, one cannot help but wonder what kind of time Judah could put up with solid race preparation!

Joseph tackled the 6 mile single track mountain biking course, having spent a fair few hours preparing for the race on our neighborhood Galbraith Mountain trails.  The challenges along the route proved worthy of a few superb crashes, but Joseph escaped without any injuries to body or bike.  A 49 minute finish sat well with him and sent Eric off on the road bike with a few fenders to draft.

Eric's 18 miles on the road bike course were completed in a mere 54 minutes, without any sudden tube deflation or other worries of any kind.  Eric's would-be-competitor wife, Kristy, and their unborn baby (due in a few months!) spent the sunny afternoon as spectators and ice cream connoisseurs while Eric slaved away at the wheel.

A 3.4 mile trail run could have been the end of Tim -whose limited pre-race-day training barely toned the surface of his not-ready-to-race legs- but he volunteered to captain the kayak immediately following his 37 minute run.  In a superbly insufficient kayak, meant for kids to paddle on a lake, Tim fought through a 3.6 mile, choppy tour of Bellingham Bay.  Tim's 1:10 split might have been third-to-last overall, but that's not factoring in the handicap of competing in a kids' boat after nearly dying on the trail run.  He's a trooper!

The 4:19 finish time gives the team a number from which to deduct next year, if they decide to compete again as chums on the loose in the wilds of the Bellingham Traverse.

On High {Summer Backpacking Trip}

View of Mt. Baker from the steep trail to Yellow Aster Butte

Just when we thought we weren't missing Zachary too terribly, a trip with the Boy Scout troop to one of his favorite local haunts brought home 'wish you were here' feelings, and great memories of our Scouting adventures together.

A break along the hike to Yellow Aster Meadows

Hiking without Zachary in the crew intensified the reality that he's missing, although he's not really missing, since we know right where to find him.  Wonder if he's missing the mountains yet...

Mr. B at dusk

Yellow Aster Butte has been the site of many grand adventures over the years with our BSA troop.  Tales are told of the time when Mr. J hiked the strenuous grade loaded down with a 70 lb. pack, which included fresh potato pancake batter and a gallon of orange juice for breakfast on day 2 {not your average backpacking fare!}.  I remember the night I nearly froze in my tent and pulled out my emergency blanket to cover my sleeping bag in the wee hours.  I awoke to find myself covered in condensation in a soggy sleeping bag, having warmed up so well under the non-permeable layer which simply collected the warmth and let me have it right back, drip by drip.

Three years ago on this trek, Joseph and Tim experienced serious mountain weather, but this year's trip fell in the middle of the longest dry spell on record.  Sunshine and clear skies on day one made for a sweaty hike and allowed for a few brave fellows to take a dip in the glacier fed tarn.  Day two opened with cloud cover, or rather, the campers exited their tents in the morning into the clouds which socked them in.

Their descent provided an opportunity to get to know one of the park rangers a little better, as an anonymous source had complained about the noise level in the Scouts' vicinity.  Threats of a citation, a need for contact information to 'follow up' and a good finger wagging were all on the agenda for the mid-trail mandatory (surprise) meeting with the ranger.  We all know the inherent risks involved with taking a group of teenage boys into the mountains! 

Caleb, Isaac, Nate, Mr. M, Enoch, Peter, Nicholas, Nathan and Connor on the summer snow

Life Goes On {New School Year at Home}

Joseph hits the books

-1-

New room assignments took effect at home after a newly vacated bedroom provided an opportunity for Joseph and Peter to spread out.  Their bunk bed dissembled, mattresses on the floor temporarily (while plans for loft beds are in the works), the extra space and brotherly separation reinvigorated spirits at this time of family transition.  A fresh paint scheme and new carpet in Joseph's room help mark the beginning of high school and signify a dream come true in having his own room (again) after so many years of sharing with his younger brother.

Peter sits at Zac's old desk, working on pre-algebra homework.

-2-

Home school is back in session after our two week journey to and from Notre Dame.  Our home school now sports a dress code; Joseph and Peter are looking sharp during school hours.  A renewed emphasis on discipline this year also extends to keeping order in the classroom/bedroom environments.   These upgrades are due in large part to a few comments made by our first graduate about "sleeping through most of his freshman year."  His younger brothers can thank Zac for their new and improved code of conduct and environmental regulations. 

Brotherly love at Great Grandma's house

-3-

Benefiting Joseph (grade 9) in a special way, our new home school dress code gives him super incentive to complete his day's assignments without delay, thereby freeing him to change into shorts and T-shirt.  Known to linger at his desk, easily captivated by long readings (not assigned) in a history book, Joseph now feels a more urgent desire to stay on track and finish assigned work.  Peter (grade 7), greatly enjoys the moment of completion when the books are closed and the collared shirt and slacks are dispensed with for the day.

-4-

  Breaking News from our freshman at Notre Dame:

• classes are challenging, interesting and demanding
• weather is beautiful; insects are loud
• football games are extremely exciting; for standing fans only, except during half-time
• dorm's dryers hot; shrinking clothes left tumbling for full cycle

-5-

Maybe a few readers will remember our story of an eventful emergency landing on our journey home from New Hampshire when Zachary was discerning his choice of university.   It's a powerful story, and one that I have posted about in greater detail over at Discerning Daily.  Go check it out if you are interested.

-6-

The expected life span of a lawnmower parked at our house is under one year.  This could be due in large part to the fact that these machines come home from our pawn shop, where customers sometimes pawn their broken things and walk away with the money and no intent of returning to claim their goods.  This is the cost of doing business as pawnbrokers, for sure.  So, we keep replacing broken lawnmowers, one after another.  

Art and science with Nerf guns

-7-

We may issue course credit for the science of Nerf gun modification, recognizing the educational value in the ongoing series of scientific and artistic projects involved.  Youtube instructions taught the method:  dissemble, remove air restricter, upgrade springs, make minor aesthetic changes to gun's appearance, reassemble.  Shoot.  One thing we didn't see coming, Joseph getting the third degree from the clerk at the hardware store as he purchased a few cans of spray paint for his Nerf modding project. 

Go visit Jen via Camp Patton for more Quick Takes!