#highschool – Tattoos, Motorcycles, Beer, Bourbon and Faith

Cafeterias, A la carte, and Catholicism

I remember, as a child, going to Mehlman’s Cafeteria with my grandparents. Any time we went out to eat with them, we went to a cafeteria. I remember there being a Young’s Cafeteria too. And they all seemed to be located south or east of where we lived. But my grandparents loved eating at cafeterias.

As I got older and more sophisticated (insert sarcasm here), dining at a cafeteria reminded me of being in school. I spent the beginning of my high school career eating the chef salad in the cafe (as we affectionately called it) , but never any of the entrees offered. And never ever would I eat the hot ham and cheese sandwich, simply because I had biology right before lunch my sophomore year. I could never eat the hot ham and cheese sandwich after dissecting the fetal pigs we worked on in class. In fact, it was that same year that I moved away from the chef salad (because of the ham), and just drank coffee at lunch and played euchre. And all because I had choices. I was free to choose, no salad, just coffee – black.

But my grandparents, they loved a good cafeteria. This was also something that my Dad came to appreciate. So when Lenora’s opened locally as a cafeteria in the old movie theater back in the 1990’s, it was a big deal, at least to my Dad it was. Still, at this point, over 25 years ago, I did not see the big deal about cafeterias. But as I am getting older, I can appreciate their appeal.

Cafeterias provide options, selection, choices, from a variety of entrees, soups, side dishes, and desserts. I mean at a really good cafeteria; the options are seemingly endless. Who doesn’t like choices? Who doesn’t like really deciding for themselves? You get to pick whatever you want! You want two or even three desserts, you can get them. On a high protein low carb diet, load up on the various meat offerings. Trying out vegetarianism, you can go that route too! Its like the al a carte menu in fine dining establishments, but you don’t get the sticker shock because you’re not going to pay $10 for a dish of peas.

I have chosen Catholicism as my religion. But being Catholic is not an al a carte menu. There are no cafeteria options. I will admit, early in my faith, I thought that it was. I thought I could pick and choose what I wanted to believe about Catholicism, how I wanted to practice Catholicism, and still be Catholic…still be a good Catholic. This included attending mass on my terms, not recognizing confession as necessary, thinking that premarital sex was no big deal, and even at one point thinking that it is a woman’s right to choose. But it doesn’t work that way. Catholicism is an all or nothing proposition. You don’t get to pick and choose what you like, what sounds good, what is easy, what works for you and be “your” kind of Catholic. You have to go all in with God.

So yes, I have a hard time with people who claim to be Catholic and be pro-choice. No, you cannot be both. Not possible. Quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in paragraph 2270, it begins – “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.” This is not something you can pick and choose. If you are Catholic, you cannot be pro-choice. Period.

And yes, I know this is a controversial topic, but if you are Catholic it is not up for debate. It is stated in black and white in the Catechism. There are no exceptions, no buts or what ifs. If you are Catholic, and if you claim to be a devout Catholic, as so many of our elected officials tout, you cannot be pro-choice. Period.

Does my stance or belief make me any better than someone who claims to be Catholic but also is pro-choice? Absolutely not. We are all sinners, we are all broken, we all struggle. Trust me when I say I have fallen or gotten lost more times than I can count. But there have been people there to help me back up or point me in the right direction, particularly when I was sorely misguided. But that is what we are supposed to do, help each other, guide each other, pray for each other. We are supposed to be helping one another get to heaven. Maybe, just maybe, this reflection will help somebody get back up, get on the right path, get to heaven. Maybe.

So today, don’t treat your relationship with God like a visit to the cafeteria, picking and choosing how you will serve and honor Him. Go all in. It’s demanding, it’s difficult, it’s vulnerable, it’s challenging, and sometimes it goes against what society tells us is acceptable. That’s where the trust comes in and that’s where is gets even harder and even more beautiful. So believe me when I say it’s worth it. And today please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.

You Don’t Surprise God by Your Weaknesses.

Holy Week was a lot different this year. With the shelter in place order in effect, all non-essential businesses closed, and no live services being offered; things have been really different. To be honest, the first time I fully participated in Holy Week was in 2019. It was in Connecticut. My husband and I went to visit a friend during the Easter break. He had never been there, and I had not seen my friend Rose in a while.

While I had been embracing my faith and diving deeper into it, I had never participated in the Easter Triduum. That all changed last year. Rose took us to the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday and the celebration of the Lord’s Passion and veneration of the cross on Good Friday. It was an amazing experience and I had been looking forward to celebrating the Easter Triduum this year.

But in mid-March, life as we know it, changed. Everything closed down, everything was cancelled. When they stopped religious services, my heart sank. Fortunately, our Diocese began providing several outlets for daily mass. Most of the local parishes are celebrating virtual mass and Fr. Michael Gossett, our own high school chaplain, celebrates mass daily on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Our high school campus ministry efforts (in conjunction with our high school chaplain) have gone really gone the distance in providing avenues for both students and staff to stay connected with one another and share our faith. Aside from daily mass, there are Ms. McManus Mondays which is a time of prayer, reflection, discussion, and music with Molly McManus, the Campus Minister as well as Fr. Gossett Fridays which is a time of discussion, prayer and reflection with Fr. Michael. While those sessions are primarily for the students, faculty and staff typically join in as well. They have also led virtual Stations of the Cross during Lent which involved students and staff and had a virtual Holy Hour complete with music and reflection.

Wednesday Adoration in the chapel at CCHS

Even with all of these outlets, sometimes it is difficult to make time for God, to practice your faith, to pray; because, well, things are different. There are days that I don’t even get dressed until after lunch. When you are working from home, you can work in your pajamas. And while I have attended virtual daily mass with Fr. Gossett every day of the “shut down” (usually in pajamas); I have gotten out of the habit of praying morning prayer and of reading the daily reflections. It just wasn’t as convenient anymore, so I gradually stopped doing it. I know that might not make sense, if anything you would think that one has more time for prayer during this pandemic. But I am a creature of habit and I pray morning prayer and read the reflections before mass, while I am sitting in the chapel or church. It was difficult to take that time or make that space for prayer when attending mass remotely.

I have been reading quite a bit during our shelter in place.

Each day I told myself, I will start again tomorrow. And each day I would fail. I was embarrassed by weakness and my lack of commitment to pray in the morning before mass. Then on Wednesday evening, April 8^th, I tuned into the virtual Holy Hour. It was during that Holy Hour, which was led by Ms. Molly McManus, I had a revelation. As she began the Holy Hour she said, “You don’t surprise God by your weaknesses.” I don’t think she has any idea just how much I needed to hear that.

I had been feeling guilty about my lack of commitment, my lack of resolve, my ability to carve out space in the morning for prayer, about my overall weakness. I had been wondering just what God thought about all of that, was He disappointed, or angry, or upset, or frustrated. And then Molly (Ms. McManus) said that phrase, “You don’t surprise God by your weaknesses.” And I realized that God already knows all of my weaknesses, that He is not surprised, or disappointed, or angry, or upset, or frustrated. Jesus died for me and you and as Fr. Michael reminds us often, Jesus would do it all again just for me (or just for you) if it was necessary. Nothing surprises Him; and nothing changes His love for us. That is pretty amazing!

Moonlight behind the new fence my husband has constructed during the pandemic.

So today, don’t worry about surprising God, because you can’t. Be thankful for all of the good that has come out of the “different” in which we currently live. And please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.

Praise You in this Storm

I attended the Casting Crowns show in Wheeling, WV on Saturday March 7, 2020 with my husband. It was my first Christian concert.

We kind of decided last minute to attend. I had marked the event as “interested” on Facebook a couple of months earlier but never committed to purchase tickets. Then on Friday February 28th, we made the decision to go. We also made the decision to purchase the VIP tickets, having no real idea of what the VIP tickets included.

Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived and were ushered into a Q&A session and were able to sit right in the front row. I enjoyed how the band shared their stories, interacted with audience, and encouraged people to share how the band’s music or a particular song has influenced them.

A lot of people shared, and it was wonderful to hear their stories. I am not one for publicly sharing those types of things, so I declined to participate. But I am pretty good at sharing things in writing, and I have been reflecting on that show and that entire evening. (Matthew West was the opening act and he was very inspiring as well)

If you have read any of my previous posts, you likely know that I was born and raised Catholic, having attended Catholic grade school, high school and college. I have spent most of my career working for Catholic organization. However, I was not really a practicing Catholic. In fact, I had fallen away from organized religion in the later part of my high school career. In college, my beliefs and practices really didn’t matter. Although I attended a small Catholic college, it was quite liberal and there was no real emphasis on faith.

A few years after graduation, I was hired by a Catholic university. So, I faked it. I pretended to be a practicing Catholic; I would periodically attend a Sunday service just so people would see me. I would feign involvement in conferences and events and attend retreats and workshops. I did it, but I didn’t really enjoy it and I didn’t really believe it. It was all a facade. I lived like that for the better part of 25 years.

Jump ahead to December 2015, I was offered a job with a community of religious sisters. It was the first time in my life I really felt that God was calling me to something. And I truly could not explain it because I did not have any kind of relationship with Him. But I accepted it. Accepting that position eventually changed my life, not just my prayer life and faith life, but everything. It changed my relationship with God.

Now don’t get me wrong, it didn’t happen all at once. It wasn’t like flipping a switch. It was gradual, over the course of a few years. And it was little things that helped to bring me back, that helped me find my way back to God, back to prayer, back to my faith. And I honestly loved my job with those sisters.

So, when I lost my job in May of 2019, I was a little blindsided. I really didn’t see it coming, and I could not understand why God would do such a thing right at that moment. I was unemployed. I don’t think I have even been unemployed. That is when I first heard the song Praise You in This Storm.

I asked Alexa to play praise and worship music and this was the first song that came on. It just struck me immediately. I think I may have cried (please don’t tell anybody). I had no idea what God was doing in my life, but He knew. I just needed to trust Him.

The entire year of 2019 was challenging. My father had passed away in 2018. At the beginning of 2019, a good friend from college died after a short bout with glioblastoma. It was surprising to say the least. And it left me wondering “why?” Then I began going through a series of tests for heart and breathing issues which the doctors could not understand. My blood pressure and resting heart were extremely elevated, and I was constantly short of breath. The tests spanned several months and included EKG’s, cardiac stress tests, cardiac catheterization, CT scans, etc. You name it, they did it. Everything was normal, my heart was in excellent condition and blood oxygen was at 100%. Then I got a call that there were some concerns with the CT scan, not with regard to my heart, but to some “spots” that had shown up in my right lung and right breast. I began seeing a pulmonologist (who said it was nothing to be concerned about) and I was ordered to have another mammogram.

By this time, it was October. I had recently had a mammogram in late April which revealed nothing remarkable. They wanted another one, just to be safe. I was diagnosed with breast cancer on November 6th. The song Praise You in This Storm took on a whole new meaning.

I am finding that in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it as taken on yet another new meaning. We are dealing with chaos and uncertainty. There is concern and even worry, but the Bible tells us; “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for al that he has done.” Philippians 4:6.

I am currently reading The Fifth Mountain by Paul Coehlo (as well as a few other books) and this passage struck me:

“Everything will happen as was written by the Lord. There are moments when tribulations occur in our lives, and we cannot avoid them. But they are for some reason.”
“What Reason?”
“That is the question we cannot answer before or even during the trials. Only when we have overcome them do we understand why they were there.”
The Fifth Mountain, Paul Coelho

That is where we are right now. So today, Praise God, even (or maybe especially) during this crazy storm, these unsettling times and this unsure future. He is in control and He has a greater plan. He is waiting for us to turn to Him, to put our trust and our faith in Him; we have shut Him out for far too long. “Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and rich in kindness; and he relents from doing harm.” Joel 2:13.

Please pray for all of those who are working to battle this pandemic, those who are serving the ones who are afflicted with the virus, and those who are battling the virus as well as their families. And please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.

Be Still and Know that I am God

On Thursday March 5th, I got up early, packed my husband’s lunch and headed into work. I didn’t attend the 7am morning mass at Holy Rosary because I was going to attend the 7:15am mass at the high school. I got into my office around 6:30am, checked my email, ran a couple of metric reports, checked my tasks for the day, and made some preparations for a 10 o’clock meeting. At 5 minutes til 7, I grabbed my prayer and reflection books and headed to the chapel. I was slightly surprised when I entered, because the lights were not on, but the window was opened. I didn’t think much of it as I settled into the pew and began reading the daily reflections.

The chapel at the high school and the window that was opened on that Thursday morning.

The darkness and the stillness of the chapel was peaceful. It was lit only by dimmed spotlights lights on the tabernacle and candlelight. It was so quiet, the only sound being the window shades gently rustling together in the cool morning breeze. I don’t ever recall the window being opened when it was so chilly outside particularly then when there was no one in the chapel, but the window was opened that morning. The sounds of the shades tapping together was mesmerizing. As I sat listening to it, I realized that it was now after 7:15am and there was nobody else in the chapel. There were no students. There was no staff. There was no priest. There was no morning mass. There was just God.

Now I am not sure what made me think that there would be mass at the high school on a Thursday morning, because typically there is not. Mass is celebrated on Monday and Wednesday mornings throughout the school year. And just this semester they added a Tuesday morning mass, thanks to a priest who volunteered to be the celebrant each week. But for some reason, on this particular week, I thought there was a Thursday mass. So firmly I believed this that I had told a family attending mass on Tuesday that I would see them on Thursday, because I was attending a different mass the following morning. They smiled and said “see you then”, without batting an eye. Now I am wondering if they thought that I was perhaps crazy. And I haven’t actually seen them since that Tuesday morning mass.

Normally when I miss morning mass, my entire day is thrown off, but not on this day. There was a calmness and tranquility about that morning that I can’t explain. It was almost like God just wanted me to spend some time alone with Him in that chapel. And I think it was something that I needed, that time alone with God, without anybody else, with the quiet atmosphere and the glow of the flickering candles, with the open window and mesmeric flapping of the blinds. Although I was alone in that chapel, I wasn’t alone, God was right there with me and I could just be. I always seemed to have a difficult time living out Psalm 46:10 “be still and know that I am God.” Or just resting in the Lord. That morning, I finally realized exactly what that meant.

My day didn’t fall apart because I didn’t begin it in the way I had intended. Of course, the first thoughts that ran through my head – as I had a conversation with myself – was “Wait, there’s no mass? I just missed morning mass. How could I make such a mistake?” But then I realized, that time in the chapel by myself was remarkable. If anything, I think it may have been exactly what I needed; stillness, quietness, darkness, peacefulness, some unexpected time to myself with God, in the chapel at my high school.

I have spent more time in that chapel in the last 9 months than I ever did in my entire high school career. In fact, I am pretty sure I never set foot in that chapel when I was a student. I was far too cool for that. Yeah, right.

It’s is amazing how your perspectives change as you grow older, how your faith can evolve if you open yourself up to God, how your relationship with God changes if you allow it. Your priorities shift, things that were once significant are not any longer and new things take over as being important. Usually those new things aren’t things at all but rather people and relationships and experiences. I guess that is metanoia, or ongoing conversion. It is pretty amazing.

What else is pretty amazing is that God really does know exactly what you need when you need it. If you stop for a moment, breathe and “be still”, you may actually feel those priorities shift if you just give Him a little time and a little space to work in your life. Missing mass Thursday morning was no accident. When I realized that mass was not going to be celebrated I thought I had made a mistake. But I didn’t. I was supposed to be in that chapel alone with God in that very moment. I needed it and God knew I needed it.

So today take those little mistakes, mess-ups, accidents, or missteps and see what God is trying to tell you or show you. Maybe He is saying slow down, relax, don’t worry, or maybe He is just asking you to spend some uninterrupted time with Him. What a great thing to do during your Lenten Journey! And today, please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.

Living the Dream

Surprisingly, to others and to myself, I am in a good place right now. You would think that someone facing cancer and a mastectomy in less than two weeks, along with the uncertainty of knowing the extent of the cancer or the treatment plan, might be in a dark, soulless, sad place. I’m not. I am happy, I am at ease, I am content. I am not scared, I am not worried, I am not anxious. In a word, I am peaceful.

When I think about it, I mean really think about it, I am as surprised as anybody by my mental and emotional state. I mean, shouldn’t I be stressed? Shouldn’t I be frazzled? Shouldn’t I be dismayed? Shouldn’t I be nervous? Maybe I should be, but I’m not.

And then I saw a quote shared by a friend on Facebook that read, “You can’t break a woman that seeks her happiness from God.” It really struck me. You see, God and I weren’t really close friends until about two and a half years ago. I mean I believed in God, but I didn’t really have a relationship with Him outside of attending the obligatory Sunday service. And even that didn’t happen with much regularity. I was pretty closed off to God. He was some far distant being that I really didn’t understand and I was pretty certain He did not really know me.

Inspired by my work with the Franciscan Sisters, TOR; I decided I would give a relationship with God a chance. I mean, I was working for these women who had these incredible relationships with God, but I really didn’t. They were happy, joyful, peaceful. I was not. The difference, God was a part of their lives; God was not a part of mine.

So I began attending Sunday mass regularly, then a couple of masses during the week. At first it was sporadic, but then it grew into attending the daily mass. I would skip Saturday, because I thought I needed to sleep in. Yes, lame, I know. Then one Saturday, I was awake early, so I went to mass. Over the course of a few months, it developed into a daily habit…attending mass. I know that habit developed because of the influence of the sisters.

I have been attending daily mass for just over two years. Now on the days, that I do not go to mass, there is a little bit of an emptiness. I miss it. It affects the rest of my day. Fortunately, the days that I miss are few and far between because daily mass is a priority for me. And while I no longer work for the sisters, I still try to attend mass at the monastery at least once a week.

Most of my mornings begin with mass at the high school or at Holy Rosary (the church is right across the street from the school and they have a 7:00am mass Tuesday-Friday). But today I decided to attend 8:00am morning mass at my own parish, Holy Family. I knew the pastor would hear my confession this morning, and I wanted to get right with the Lord before surgery.

There was a reason I was at that mass. Aside from receiving the sacrament of reconciliation and seeing some people whom I have not seen in a while, Monsignor’s homily spoke directly to me. It was based on the responsorial psalm, and the theme – trust in the Lord, do not fear. He asked the congregation, “Do you trust in God? If you do, you will not be afraid.” It was in that moment that I realized that I truly do trust in God to handle this whole cancer thing for me, because I am not afraid. I am at peace. I am happy. Overall, my life is great and I am living the dream. I’m just living the dream with a little bit of cancer.

Yes, there are moments when doubt and fear creep in. There are moments when the uncertainty overwhelms me. I would be lying if said that didn’t happen. It does, but not often. Generally, I am good. No, scratch that, I am great! I got this, because God has got this.

So I will heed the advice contained in Psalm 56, “In God I trust, I shall not fear”. The verse that really touched me, 10B-11: “Now I know that God is with me. In God, in whose promise I glory, in God I trust without fear; what can flesh do against me?” That mass, that homily, that verse reinforced for me that you truly “can’t break a woman that seeks her happiness from God.” A little cancer can’t break me.

So today, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6. Trust in God and don’t let anything break you. Please pray from me and I will continue to pray for you.

It's Not What You're Losing, It Is What You Gain In The Process

Inevitably when I am meeting with or visiting people, the first thing they ask me is; “How are you feeling?” I truly appreciate their care and concern and completely understand why they are asking. I mean I do have cancer, right? So technically, I’m sick. I probably shouldn’t be feeling all that well. But surprisingly, I feel fantastic. I’m working out, eating well and generally just enjoying life. I don’t feel sick, I don’t feel tired, I’m not in pain; I really do feel great! In fact, when I tell people that I feel great, I add the disclaimer that if they didn’t tell me I had cancer I would have never known. I mean, I don’t feel like I have cancer, if that makes sense.

But the stark reality that I do have cancer hit home this week. I had my pre-op appointments yesterday. And while I have shared that I have breast cancer pretty freely, I haven’t really shared what my treatment plan looks like. It looks like this – I have to have a unilateral mastectomy. When I think about it, it’s a lot to process. So for the most part I just don’t think about it. I focus on the good, I focus on the blessings, I focus on the miracles; I focus on all of things that I have gained during this journey with cancer. I try not to think about or concentrate on what I am losing. Basically, I’m losing one of the girls.

When we first made the decision to move forward with the mastectomy, it was a little overwhelming. I felt nauseous for days. But like everything, as time passes you learn to deal with it; you learn accept it. But as the impending surgery approaches, I am feeling those things all over again. There are dozens of thoughts rushing through my mind. And some concern about what happens afterwards. The pre-op appointments made it real. For so long it was one of those things that was going to happen eventually. Well, eventually is upon me.

But I will press on, trying to push the fear that sometimes creeps up out of my mind, not thinking about the negative aspects of cancer. I will focus on all the blessings that this diagnosis has brought about in my life.

I have gotten spend more time with my brother and his wife who have hosted me on each trip to Columbus for appointments, etc. They have made me feel comfortable and welcome. I was worried about intruding into the lives, but they always make me feel like the want me there.

I have spent a lot more time in Columbus which has been really cool. At one point in my life I did called Columbus, Ohio home. So to be back, although a lot has changed, has been wonderful.

The Columbus Crew who have made my visits to Columbus so fun

I reconnected with my best friend from high school. We picked up where we had left off ten years ago. Not that we intended to lose touch, but life got in the way. But it has been like no time had passed at all and she has been there for me when I needed her most.

I have reconnected with many other old friends with whom I had lost touch over time. They have reached out. We’ve met for coffee, grabbed lunch, exchanged texts or just talked on the phone. They will never know how much their presence and support has meant to me.

I have been shown love, kindness and support from people whom I don’t even know. And the prayers, well let’s just say I know that people are praying for me because I really am at peace with all of this. I can only attribute that peace to God’s grace and the prayers that have been offered on my behalf.

It’s funny how tragedy and adversity can bring people together and draw out the best in one another. That is a blessing – in fact that is multiple blessings all wrapped up in one. I am grateful for all of the good that transpired in the midst of this diagnosis and will focus on that as I approach surgery.

We have all lost something, probably many things, over the course of our lives. Today, focus not on what you could lose, but look at all you have gained. Please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.

High School

I work for the local Catholic schools and my office is located in the high school building, my Alma Mater. One afternoon, after several hours on the computer, I decided to take a walk around the school. It was surreal to be in my high school, wandering the halls.

I walked to the art room where I spent most of free time when I was in high school. I was an artist back in the day. I loved to draw and paint. I spent every free moment in that room, usually painting. The art teacher, Mr. Cockman, let me spend all the time I wanted in there. (In fact, when I entered college, I entered as an Art Studio major. I ended up with a degree in Economics, but that is a story for another time.) I strolled down the hall past the rooms where I took Economics with Coach Ferrare and History with Coach Bahen. I peeked in the biology lab where Mrs. Mihalyo had us dissect fetal pigs. I had biology lab right before lunch, so the days that ham and cheese sandwiches were on the menu were the days I didn’t eat. And it took a long time before I could eat the chef salad again (which was a favorite) because of the julienne ham on top. The home economics room where Mrs. Gasser taught us how to sew and cook is now a science lab. And the tower where I had religion class with Fr. McGuire is now used for ministry (which is really cool). Fr. Orsini’s classroom has been converted into offices for the junior high administration. And my office is adjacent to the Principal’s office. While a lot of things have changed, it still feels like the high school that I attended back in the late 1980’s.

I absolutely hated high school. While it wasn’t horrible, it was not a fantastically fun time for me. I was neither part of the cool crowd, nor was I considered an outcast. I really just kind of did my own thing (something I still do to this day). I really didn’t care what anyone thought and was kind of a non-conformist. That really has been the way I have lived my entire life. And as I look back, it really wasn’t so bad. I made some really good friends, and because the school is so small, everybody knew and still knows everybody else. It is its own little community. And the graduates identify as Crusaders even decades after they have graduated. We reminisce about CCHS traditions and experiences and hold those memories in high regard.

They say you can’t go home, but, yes, you actually can. It may not be the same as you remember it, but you can go back. And you can remember what you choose to remember the way you want to remember it. It reminds me of a quote from the television show, This Is Us, that says – “there is no such thing as a long time ago, there’s only the memories that mean something and the memories that don’t.” Hopefully you can smile when you think back because those memories mean something.

They say that God heals the heart before the miracle occurs. There is profound truth in that, which I now realize as I think about my journey over these past few years. I don’t think I need to explain that if you have read any of my other reflections posted on Facebook. I can definitely say that has occurred in this circumstance. What is God healing in your heart and what miracle will come of it? Please pray for me as I continue to pray for you.