To Texas and Beyond!

The last couple of days have been QUITE an odyssey. 

I left Ohio and Franciscan yesterday around 7:00 am. I wanted to get an early start so that I could make a 5:00 mass in Nashville. Driving went really well! So well that when I got into Nashville and found the church I was an hour early! Then I looked at my phone and I realized that I hadn't taken the time change into account and I was actually 2 hours early....

That was just too much time to spend sitting around, so I decided to get back on the road and see if I could find a church further on. 

My hotel was in Jackson, Tennessee, and I guess I hadn't really looked at reviews of the hotel. I pulled in around 6:00 and went to check in. The smell in the lobby grabbed me immediately. Water. The place must have flooded recently. Everything was really dirty and in disrepair. I have had this experience in the past with this particular chain, and I guess I just thought....well I don't know what I was thinking. Anyway, the guy behind the counter finally came to check me in, and he was a bit surly. I went to my room and it was on the ground floor, which always gives me pause, at the back of the building, and it wasn't very clean either. The whole place just seemed like a bad dream. I called Tim and we were talking about it. I still felt like I should drive a bit further, because it was only 6. While we were talking I took off my shoes, and I realized that the floor was actually damp. That did it. That's not even healthy. So Tim, God Bless him, looked at his account on Hilton, and found that there was ONE room near Little Rock, which was just the perfect distance, and while it was a bit spendy, we decided that it was more than worth it. We just put the new tires on the car and waking up to no wheels OR tires would have been a very real possibility, so it was decided.  

I got back on the road and drove until around 10:15, which was just perfect! I was just getting tired, but I wasn't exhausted. The place was just so wonderful. Clean, 3rd floor, and a wonderful bed. I hit the sack straight away and then woke up around 5:30. I got my shower and then did my prayers, and God gave me this beautiful gift! 

I then went online to find a church and I found an 8:00 mass just 20 minutes away, and in the right direction! I checked out and got back on the road and found this beautiful place:

Mass was wonderful! I was so grateful to be able to go!! After Mass I gassed up and headed for Texas! 

It was a blessed day. Beautiful weather except for a few rain squalls. I drove past the towns of 

And

And then got to Laura's house around 7:00. They aren't here yet, but I am packing and doing laundry. Can't wait for tomorrow morning!!

Time to Be Sent

I can't believe these amazing two weeks are over! It seems like I just got here in one way, but it has been such a truly grace filled time and I am just brimming with the beauty of all that we have learned, all that we will take with us, and the very special people I have met.

God has held us here in this special place, and now it is time to go out into the world to use what He has given. I am excited! I can't wait to dive into the reading and the videos that we will be using to deepen our learning. I have done two practicums in which I have directed, and I have a pretty good understanding of what happens when God sits down with two people and leads the conversation. It is so so good.

I am leaving early in the morning to head for Texas, with a stop in Tennessee tomorrow night.  I am planning to go to Mass in Nashville, and I will take pictures! 

Such Full Days

 It has been a very busy few days and I haven't had time to do any blogging, but today we have a day off so I want to get some pictures up and take advantage of a little quiet. Salea and I went with some of the other people to a Greek Festival. It was really neat!

I can't believe I only have two days left! Time has really flown and I am just amazed at this place the God has brought me to! Not just the beautiful campus, but the place in my heart. 

He is speaking to me in so many amazing and beautiful ways. I really am looking forward to walking with other people on their journeys with God. Not showing them, but accompanying them as they discover His love and desire for them. What an honor!

Here are some pictures of what we have been up to over the last few days.

This deer was browsing behind the building a couple of days ago.

The is the Crucifix icon in the Chapel on campus.

Lunch at the Greek Festival

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Steubenville

Some of our people

Me, Sister Magdalena and Lynn

The Rosary Circle

Franciscan Sisters TOR of Penance of the Sorrowful Mother

 What a very special Sunday this has been so far! We were so blessed to be invited to visit the Mother House of the community of the sisters that are joining us here at the School of Spiritual Direction!

They live about 15 minutes away in Toronto, Ohio. 

Today the weather was so beautiful and the countryside is just gorgeous. 

The sisters told us the story of how they were able to purchase land and build this amazing place!

I am just going to let the pictures speak for themselves.

Graces and Blessings Galore

 This has been the most graced week in a long time.

Jesus is so present to me in every aspect of my time here. Or maybe I should say that I am more present to him. I have just been soaking up the classes, the time in Adoration, the masses and the new friendships! My heart is so full of so much grace!! I am learning so much about how to become a Spiritual Director for individuals, which is the goal, but I am learning so much about myself as well! Praise God!

Back to School!

Well, the Holy Spirit had it all arranged. I am sitting in a dorm, at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, learning so many beautiful things about the ministry of Spiritual Direction. I am just letting God lead. 

I have met so many amazing people, from all over the country, and from all walks of life! Many religious sisters, deacons, priests, and lay people. The course work is similar in format to the courses at the Theology of the Body Institute. The content is quite different of course! 

This is a place that I didn't expect to find myself, but I am learning that the places that I don't expect are the places where I most belong. I love this life when God is driving! 

Happy Birthday John!

 Today is John's 23rd birthday! I am so proud of him. He is working hard and making his way in the world, and it is exciting to watch. I am so looking forward to what this year will bring!

I am ready to leave tomorrow. I got a lot done today, went to Mass, Fr Dale gave me a wonderful Blessing, we came home and John and Sarah came by and we had a nice visit. 

I brought Cora home for a little visit, and she showed off all the smart things that she can do.

 

I am looking forward to school! I can't wait to see what the Holy Spirit has in store. It is so exciting! I need to let myself soak up all that He wants to give me, and to let things at home happen as they will. These guys are more than capable of keeping themselves in food and clean clothes, and I know that the Lord wants me there. When things start to pile up in life, as I am getting ready to pursue something for God, I know that it is just obstacles being thrown up because someone doesn't want me to be able to get what God wants to give. 

I will try to keep blogging all of this as I go along.

Getting Ready

 Today was bittersweet.

This morning was Eric's funeral. It was very hard to see what his family is going through, Fr Dale gave a beautiful homily and I pray that it was a message that many of the people there will be able to take with them. My heart is breaking for April and Paul and the rest of the family. How they can say good-bye to that beautiful boy is just unimaginable. 

Today is the feast of the Sacred Heart. I love this feast so much. It has been such a part of me and so many things have come about through this special devotion. I went to Adoration tonight and it was so beautiful to be there with Jesus. I always love sitting in His presence and knowing that His heart is so close, but today it is extra special. 

I have spent the rest of the day getting ready to leave on Sunday. I hadn't even looked at the clothes that I needed to pack. I went to Walmart and got a few things, including a little Keurig coffee maker to use in my room at the college. I can handle anything if I have my coffee. 

I also baked a cake for John's birthday and took it up to him. He is having a party tonight and there will be a few people. We spent some time visiting and then came home. 

I have to pull together the stuff for Lilly's review tomorrow. Paula said that she can do that. That has to be done before I leave as well. A lot of stuff that I hadn't thought of! 

I am grilling chicken to freeze for Brendan, and then I am going to hop over and see Cora for a little bit. 

School's Out!

 Some days just fly by and it is amazing that we are able to keep track of all that we need to do and accomplish!

I had Cora and her sister for two days and THAT was a handful. I was trying to keep them from having accidents in the house, so I was spending a LOT of time running them outside. They are both very adventurous, and so every potty break would turn into playtime, with them getting up to all sorts of nonsense. I took them back home yesterday, and there was a lot of chaos going on, not to mention that Danielle has a concussion and she really wasn't feeling well. I had to leave Cora there, because I had so much to do here to get ready to go to Ohio on Sunday. I went back over to their house this morning, and things were much more under control. I do want to get Cora to come here for a while tonight. 

Today I got laundry caught up, washed all the floors, dusted, shopped and got Lilly's portfolio review form filled out. I have to schedule a review soon! Then all she has left to do is some math lessons, but that's her mom's piece of it. I really needed to be done before heading out for a month!

Tomorrow I have a very sad funeral to attend, for Eric Ishak. I just can't believe that he is gone so young. It's going to be a very difficult couple of days. 

Friday I need to look over all my stuff and make sure that I have everything that I need to pack up for a month! I miss Maggie so much, but I am glad that she doesn't have to see me packing. She always hated that. 

I will head down to Adoration soon, but I don't think that I can stay for Mass. I have to fix dinner, because Brendan will be home. 

Paul and I need to look at education loans. 

A Busy Few Days!

 Wow! What a difference a few days makes! 

I haven't blogged for a few days and there is so much to catch up on! 

Andrew and Lucy flew in on Saturday for a work trip for Andrew, and a short vacation for Lucy. I went and picked her up at a park and ride down near Baltimore, and brought her home. We got in pretty late, but it was fun to talk on the way home. 

Sunday we made the drive up to New York City, with Nina and Lilly, and did a short tour. We were walking the whole way, and it was 94 degrees, so we didn't get to do a lot of the things that we had planned. It was just too hot to walk fast all day. We did go out for a nice lunch in "almost Chinatown", and we walked and shopped along 5th avenue. That was fun. We got plenty of loot for the folks back home. Then we got back on the ferry and headed back home. 

Lilly's "Clay Pot" Rice Bowl

The city was not nearly as much fun as I remembered. There was trash everywhere, all over the sidewalks, even in the nicer areas, and there were a lot of people sleeping all over the place. There were few police to be seen, and I think people just feel free to do whatever. Which means that I doubt that I will go back any time soon. It was so nice to get back to the green of our little town, and our family.

Today Lucy and I went up to Lancaster county and visited the Amish markets. We saw the fields and the men plowing, we talked to very nice people, and we ate some good food! I shopped for a lot of Tim's birthday stuff and we had a lot of fun driving along and talking. She's a smart, sweet kid!

I got burgers and sausages and we grilled a birthday dinner. I also made a cake and, oh yeah, we puppy sat all afternoon. That was quite a circus. The guys had friends over, and Andrew came for dinner, cake and to stay over night so that they can drive to the airport in the morning. We had a great dinner, with lots of animated conversation. 

I ended up keeping Cora and Zona, and will take them back to Danielle's tomorrow sometime. They are going to sleep over here. They have been very good, and there have been no accidents so far! Hope that carries through tomorrow. 

I am going to miss Mass I think so that I can say goodbye to Lucy and Andrew and have the pups here for the morning. I want to have a quiet morning with them. They can be crated part of the time so that I can get a few things done. 

The Hardest Thing

 It's going to be a middle-of-the-week day today. It's the beginning of a new month, with so much promise, and some sadness, in it.

The weather is nice, hopefully the cold has left us for the summer. It is supposed to be in the upper 70s today and into the 80s by the end of the week. 

We are having to do the hardest thing in a very long time. Tomorrow we will be saying goodbye to our sweet Maggie. She has lived a wonderful, full and loving life. It really couldn't have been better. Now she is really having a hard time, and pain is pretty much constant for her now. 

She has filled this blog with so many lovely images, and she has filled our life and our home with love and a heart that is as big and golden as she is. I can't imagine her not being here, but I also can't imagine seeing her going further and further down this road where her life just keeps getting smaller and smaller. So we will say goodbye while she can still walk and do what she needs to do. I have never wanted her to have to go through a terrible time of losing all the faculties and control that she has. She already falls and needs help getting up. She really doesn't move around if she doesn't have to, and without her medication we wouldn't have had her this long. We made the decision now because the upcoming month would have been a tough one for her even if she felt good. She would have had to go to the groomer for a bath and trim, and that as become truly an ordeal for her. It takes her a day to recover, and it's a full day process. That just isn't fair. I am leaving for an extended period of time, and she is always kind of unhappy while I am away. I really don't want her to see me packing, because that is always hard for her. I also wouldn't want her to go into a crisis, or have a serious downturn while I am gone. Her decline has been steady so far and it's not going to stop, but if she begins to go downhill rapidly, I would be really sorry not to be here. The vet had said at the end of last summer, "let's see if we can get her through the winter." and we did. She has had a good run. 

I am blogging this today, because I am going to be a mess tomorrow. I have loved this girl, and I can't imagine the house without her.