An Adventure

 

This week!! Oh my goodness!! 

So many blessings and so much really amazing food for my mind and soul. 

I am back at Black Rock Retreat Center on another Theology of the Body Adventure! This one is pure gift. I mean, they have all been amazing, but this one is so close to my heart. It is all based around the writings of JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis, Poets for the Kingdom. It is better than I could have imagined. 

There is the content that we learn in the classroom. The minds of these two men have impacted not just people all over the world, but also the mind of society. I need time to unpack all of this. 

This morning I walked out into the fields to watch the Sunrise. 

Tonight we had Adoration and I was able to see the Son in The Blessed Sacrament. 

It's been a week of unveiling. So much is revealed between the heart and Heaven. 

I love it here, but like the Apostles on Mt Tabor, I can't stay on the mountain. There is work to do and only so much time. 

Like Bilbo and Frodo, I am a little uncertain of what will happen when I step out onto the road, but I know that my Lord will show me the way to go. 

Grateful

 Well, October has been full of surprises! 

There have been lots of things happening here in Texas and I have had opportunities that I couldn't have imagined! 

The beginning of the month brought the feast of St Francis of Assisi. I think most parishes have a blessing of the animals on that day, and Sts Peter and Paul in New Braunfels is no exception. Core and I got there about 15 minutes early and there was already a huge turnout. There were dogs of every size, and a few cats in carriers, a couple of birds too. Fr Steven brought his huge Pitbull, which he calls a "pigbull", who weighs about 110 pounds. Cora enjoyed making friends human and canine. 

A week or so later I got to go up to the Cookes and then go with the "girls" up to drop Lucy off at a friends so that she could get ready to go to Homecoming for Valor. She looked so pretty! Claire and Molly wanted to give her a good send off. It was nice to see her with her friend getting all dolled up. 

Weather wise October was pretty hot and dry. I don't think we had any rain for a few months. It has rained a bit off and on for the past few days. The sunsets are just gorgeous though!

So Paul, Tim and I are huge Formula 1 fans. We follow the drivers, teams and try to watch all the races each season. One of the races each year takes place right here in Texas, at the Circuit of the Americas near Austin. It is a huge event for the area. Apparently it pretty much takes over the Austin hotels and the airport. I had no idea how big it was. I was planning to drive by on the highway that passes it and just get a look at the venue, but one night I was looking at ticket prices and the ones for the Friday practice weren't actually that bad! I was telling Tim about it and he said "Oh, you should just go." I thought about it for awhile, and I thought well, I'm here, and this may be my chance, but I didn't want to go alone. So I asked Laura if the boys would want to go. She said, of course they would! And she was all about it as well! So I got four seats for the Friday practice and qualifying and a parking pass. Now I have never even been to the venue, and there is a pretty steep learning curve when it comes to attending an event there, especially the biggest one of the year. I won't go into all the lessons learned, but the biggest take-away is that God is good, and most people are too. The things that I had to struggle through were not small, but there was always someone sent my way to help.

The day ended up being super hot. Almost 100 degrees, and there is very little shade out there. The track is in the middle of the Texas grasslands. We found a parking spot after a little creative driving, and a blessed soul named Joy offered her perfect spot right as we pulled into the lot. I told her I would pray for her intentions, and I have been! 

Then it was time for the mile long walk from Lot R to the track. It's a long way. The boys are troopers though. We were only able to bring one bottle of water in, and that was gone pretty quick. We looked around for a bit and then went to watch the Practice session. As it turned out there was only one, and only one qualifying. That wasn't until 4:00, so we had time to look around and enjoy the county fair atmosphere in the blazing heat. The boys liked the NASA tent, and they got burgers and fries for lunch. I won't even share what those cost. I went up into some of the other stands and was able to see some of the other corners. Our seats were on Turn 19, which, it turns out is actually a great place to watch from. 

It was a great day. We left hot, sweaty and exhausted, which only added to the adventure. On Sunday I got to watch the race in the air-conditioned comfort of my family room, and my guy Max came from his grid position of 6 to win! So now I have been to a Formula 1 event! That's a definite bucket list item. 

On another note I have been doing a bit of work here and there on the yard. It is going slowly, mainly because the next big project is going to be to get a truck and take out the hedge under the window. I won't want to do too much to the yard that I will have to work around. In the back I am still waiting for enough rain and cooler weather to make it possible to plant some things and give them a fighting chance. I will put in a couple of trees and some rose bushes. I'll probably wait until I get back from MD in the middle of November, so that I can make sure they get enough water.

Dad is on his way down. He should be here before Halloween. He'll stay with Laura and Andrew while I am gone, and then come back here when I get back. He should be here until after Christmas! I have been living alone in this big house....I can't wait for Tim to come in December, and Paul and Madi will be here too! And Brendan for a few days. It will be nice to have a houseful! 

What God Has Done

 It has been such an amazing year so far! 

God has just been moving in our family and in our lives in so many amazing ways!

In my last post I had just finished my courses at Franciscan and I was following the course that has seemed to be set for us all along. In prayer, we had been receiving so many messages that it was time to move on from our very special community in Maryland, and go to Texas. For so many reasons, political and personal. I will miss all of my loves in that place, but Jesus wants a change. 

So, I was waiting to see where He would put us. I knew that the parish would be St. Peter and Paul, and I knew that the house would be within 10 minutes of the Church. So I had asked Laura and Andrew to look at a couple of houses with our Realtor, and on Friday, July 15th, they went to New Braunfels to see them. They were very much unimpressed with the ones that I had identified, but there was one more that had just popped up on the radar, at a very good price. So they went over to 136 Field Ridge, to have a look. They texted me while they were there, and they were very happy with it. 

The realtor said that it was an excellent deal for the price, and that we should make an offer ASAP. Wow. What a ride that was. She was sending us the paperwork on our phones. We were actually having dinner with Fr Henry that night and we needed to do the signing as soon as we could, because there was another offer that had come in. So I am trying to visit and navigate texts, and I ended up going into the restroom and just signing everything. Tim was still at the table, and I know that he really wanted to read through everything and take his time, but he had heard from Jesus as well, and so he went ahead and signed. That was really pretty amazing of him. He has given everything up to the Holy Spirit, and through it all has been able to do things from a distance that would have been very difficult without his deep faith. I am so blessed to have a husband who trusts God so deeply. 

It then became apparent that I was going to have to leave immediately for Texas. 

I needed to look at the house and we had to have it inspected by the end of that week. We also agreed to a very quick closing. I got my stuff together, saw Brendan and Nina and Lilly, and some friends, and left on Monday the 17th, with my travel buddy, Cora. I got to Kyle on Tuesday night, and the boys' bedroom was waiting for me. As always, the Cookes are so gracious, and those boys slept on the floor of the girls room for several weeks. 

I was able to walk through the house on Wednesday, and I was so pleased. It was just what I had been looking for, and the neighborhood is so quiet and removed from all the chaos. 

New Braunfels is growing in leaps and bounds and a lot of the neighborhoods are a going concern. This one is super peaceful. The neighbors are wonderful. 

So, we agreed that this was THE HOUSE that the Lord had been leading us to. There have been so many signs. Over and over. Going to mass. The readings each day. So many times, in prayer, Jesus just washing me with peace and purpose. I woke up one morning at Laura's and I realized that I was waking up in a state where abortion isn't the law of the state. This is the first state that I have lived in where I could say that. The parish is so wonderful. It has daily mass twice a day, and Adoration all day every day! They also have a list of spiritual directors that I hope to get on eventually. It is a huge parish, with a lot of things going on. I already feel very much at home. 

So there were all the details to get figured out. Home insurance, auto insurance, would the landlady in Havre de Grace let us out of our lease early, setting up the utilities, and then arranging for the things that needed to be done to get the house in better shape to last a long time. 

The inspector found a few issues. The AC hadn't been maintained real well, and the summer has been horribly hot so the system needed a serious look. Also there were a few spots on the roof that needed attention. The driveway was all washed out underneath, and a lot of the soil had pulled away from the foundation, so we needed gutters before the rains came again. I think that one of the things that has been the most clarifying in all of this has been the number of people here who have been there just when we needed them, to do what needs to be done. The lack of obstacles and this feeling of "rightness" can only come from God. There has been so little disturbance on my heart this whole time. Whenever we find something that we need to overcome, God puts the right person in front of us. We were able to buy the house with just enough left over to make the repairs, and purchase the furniture that we needed because we had to get rid of so much back in Maryland. Not too much, just enough, as always. The one thing that looked like a pretty serous obstacle to this particular house, are the property taxes. Texas has no state income tax, but the property taxes are horrendous. Still, we knew that this was the house, we would find a way to deal with that. Low and behold, Texas has just revamped it's property tax law and there is relief on the way. This year. 

Then there was the question of how to move all our stuff from Maryland to Texas. I had looked into movers, and between the cost and the lack of trusting their quotes, I was stumped. We had given away as much as we could possibly give away, but there was still a LOT! So Andrew offered to drive a 26 foot U-Haul halfway across the country to get it all here. Wow. That's a huge offer. He had just taken a new job, and had time off coming to him. He had points so that he could fly up, and we had friends to help us load. I found two young guys to help with the heavy stuff. Tim picked Andrew up at the airport on Thursday, they picked up the truck on Friday, and we all spent the morning packing everything up. It was amazing. It all fit. 

Saturday we headed out at 6:00am. 

Andrew drove that truck like a champ. Like he had been driving trucks all his life. We didn't caravan because his GPS took him a different way. But we met up on the drive in Tennessee. And it was a good thing, because we hit a rainstorm and I lost my windshield wiper. We had to pull off the highway and find an Autozone, and I paid a princely sum for a new one. Then we headed to the Days Inn in Holladay. It's not fancy, but it worked for that night, plus Cora was with me. The next morning it was on to Texas! We made good time, but got separated again about 3/4 of the way down. I ran into a wicked storm, and a lot of traffic, and then a guy in a white pick-up was "hunting" action on the highway, and picked me out to harass. It could have been a dangerous situation, because he was obviously up to no good, but the Lord kept His angels close to me, and I was literally taken out of danger. That is probably one of the most amazing experiences that I have had with God's protection. And in all of the things that happened on that trip, I felt completely held. Like the danger was there, but I could just feel that it would be fine. 

 I think that understanding of Grace and His love is probably one of the most important things that I have learned through this whole experience. There are so many areas in this life that I pray about and I have offered to Him. And I have confidence that when He says "It's going to be fine", He really means it. 

As I drove the rest of the way, I prayed and sang, and it was wonderful. Then, as I got to this new city, and came over the hill where the whole place is laid out, it was just getting to sunset, and as I looked over the city, the clouds had opened up over it and the rays of sun were shining down. There was a huge flag flying and the whole view was just golden. I know that was just for me, in that moment. He was saying "Welcome home! Do you like it?" So amazing!

Monday morning Laura came to the house and we unloaded that truck! Just the two of us! 

Andrew came back to help move the heavier furniture and to return the truck. 

And the miracles continue. For one thing, I can't get the tax break without my Texas driver's license. They say that you have to have an appointment, but those are scheduled out three or more months. So someone told me that you can just show up at the DMV and hope to get into one of the extra slots. It's a gamble, but I had time, so on Monday morning I gave it a shot. I took the green binder, which has every possible piece of identification I have. I lined up outside, and the person that works there came out and gave us all clipboards and applications, which seemed very hopeful. Then they started letting us in, four at a time, before they even opened! After a brief stint on "the bench" I was called back to do the business I had come for! I was able to be out of the office by nine, and I even passed the vision test without my glasses! I am so grateful!! I should be getting the hard copy in the mail in a couple of weeks. I came right home and applied for the Homestead exemption. I hope it is possible to get it for this year's taxes. They are steep! I went to mass at noon that day. What a gift to have two options!

This week I am working on getting things done. I have gotten the books unpacked and into bookcases, and I have pretty much finished the ground floor move-in.

I need to start reading and writing for TOB. I need an accountability partner for that. I keep putting it off. 

So life here is very good. I am very blessed, and I look forward to serving God here, in whatever way He chooses!

Catching Up

 

Well. It has been a while and a LOT has happened!!! 

Our family is bigger, and there are new horizons to be explored! 

At the end of May I finished up my course work for Franciscan. There were some pretty big hurdles, like Fr Henry, who has been my supervisor, fell and sustained a really bad break to his femur. That was a terrible couple of months for him. He was in the hospital and rehab for quite a while. Praise God, he came home and has mended very well! He is getting around and is back to most of his activities! I am so glad. 

We got my paperwork squared away and I was able to finish with a couple of weeks to spare. I have been directing 8 people, and it is such a blessing and a privilege. 

Paul came home from school, and stayed here so that he could work for a while before heading down to Louisiana for the wedding. He was able to save up some for expenses. The plan was for him to drive to Houma the week before the wedding, and since his car is getting on in years, I decided to leave early and head down with him. I got us a hotel in Chattanooga, and the car took to the road like a champ! She made it the whole way without an issue! 

I was able to get an Airbnb home at a really good rate from one of the friends of the family. What a blessing! It was right on the Bayou and very quiet. Perfect for our needs. Paul and the groomsmen stayed there for several nights, and Laura and Andrew came in on the Thursday before the wedding. It was so much fun to share that time with the kids, and Paul and Madi. Very exciting! Madi's family is so wonderful! So hospitable and gracious. 

The guys went down to New Orleans for the bachelor party and had a great time! The girls had a fun evening as well! Madi's grandparents hosted the rehearsal dinner, and the food was amazing! A Cajun feast! We felt so welcome and part of the family. 

On Saturday we all spent the morning getting ready, and headed to the church around noon. 

Madi was tucked away where Paul couldn't see her, and it was very special. Many of her bridesmaids are in her household at school, and they were able to have some beautiful prayer time before the wedding. What a gift! The priest who officiated is such a holy man, and God was certainly overseeing every detail. 

Once we were all inside we waited for the wedding party who lined up at the back of the church because it was about 97 degrees outside. Paul seated us. I was just so full of joy for him. He looked so handsome in his tux. The procession was lovely and I was really kind of stunned when I saw Lucy walking down the aisle with Patrick, Madi's brother. Wow. She is so grown up and beautiful. No little girl anymore. She got her license on the way to Louisiana! 

Then it was time for the beautiful bride! Oh my! Seeing her come down the aisle and seeing the look on Paul's face when he saw her. It was one of those moments that a mom just never wants to forget. 

The ceremony was so beautiful. The Mass was very solemn, and the readings were some of my favorites! The story of Sarah and Tobias, and the Wedding at Cana. 

The vows were said and the rings were exchanged and Paul and Madi were proclaimed Mr and Mrs Merkel. A new family! This is life! 

We then headed to the hall for the reception and it was all so beautiful! Madi and Paul did a wonderful job planning everything, and everyone enjoyed fantastic food, dancing and being together. Andrew made a friend. Madi's little cousin, Henry, took such a liking to him that he held him almost the whole time! Paul and Madi danced to  La Vie en Rose, by Louis Armstrong and Paul and I danced with Madi and her dad to "Butterfly Kisses". He had been waiting her whole life to dance to that at her wedding. So many Blessings!

The happy couple was headed to New Orleans for the night, and the next morning the went to mass and ran into Suzanne and her Mom! What a surprise! She saw Madi's jacket, which has "Mrs. Merkel" on the back, a gift from her Maid of Honor, and caught up with them outside. God is so good. 

The honeymoon was in Tennessee, and that same morning I hit the road for the trip to Ohio to finish my last year of the School of Spiritual Direction! 

What a grace-filled two weeks it was. It is truly a mountain-top experience, being there with all the wonderful people in my class and the staff who are really more like friends by this time. We had our course work and practicums to do, and we also did so many special things. Rosary walks, mass in the Chapel, Holy hours every night. It's really more of a retreat. 

On Saturday, July 2nd, I was commissioned. I am now a fully certified Spiritual Director, by the Grace of God, and only by His Grace. 

 This vocation is such a precious gift. I still can't get over the way God has worked in my life over really the course of it. I look back and I can see how He has been preparing me from the beginning. Since I was first called to the mission of SD, I have been thanking Him for His many gifts that make this something that I can do for Him. It is not work, it is truly just sitting at His feet, with another person, and listening. He speaks into every moment. It is pure gift. 

And now it is time for some big changes. God has sent my youngest off into life with a beautiful wife, I have finished school, not learning certainly, that will be forever, but school. And the next chapter is opening. We have been called away from Maryland and we will be moving to Texas!

We have been looking at houses, and I will head down there next week to work on that. While I was at Steubenville, the Lord gave me His word on where to look. "Find the church with the most Adoration times." Check. Sts Peter and Paul Catholic Church in New Braunfels has Adoration almost every day. "The house will be within 10 minutes of the church." So, that's where we are looking. He will provide, as He always does. It know it will be a huge change to leave Maryland and all the people that we have here, but this isn't pioneer times. I'm pretty comfortable with hitting the road, and I will be back here often I am sure. 

I am continuing to pursue certification at the Theology of the Body Institute, and surely God has something in mind for all of this. It is all so exciting!! 

I will post an update when we find "the house".