Tag: faith

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Day 1 in STL – 2022

This morning, Shecklet #4 and I went on a walk in search of decent coffee. Hotel coffee leaves much to be desired. I never thought of my self as a coffee snob, but the longer I drink it, the more particular I become. Perhaps that’s because I don’t like strong coffee and I miss my daily cup from the Keurig.

Our journey took us down the “Historic Main Street” of St. Charles, MO. The temps were pleasant (much nicer than back home) and it was a bit muggy from having rained overnight. After several blocks, we found a cute coffee shop where I ordered a vanilla latte and then we headed back to our hotel.

Our friend, (Shecklet #3’s Godfather) who is in STL for the Christmas season, met us at Immaculata Catholic Church and said Mass for our family and our friends, who were also in STL for the week. The church was beautiful. (Photo credit below goes to Shecklet #2 who asked to take photos of it after Mass.)

After Mass, we gathered in the rectory for lunch. Msgr. Gardin was kind enough to open his kitchen and dining room to our group. Fr. J. and Jake grilled steaks and burgers and Fr. J. prepared sea bass and sides. It was wonderful to get to share a meal with this great group! Sometimes God does show you why things don’t work out like you originally planned.

After lunch, Jake took the teenagers and tweens to the mall to see a movie – Avatar 2 in 3D. I went with our friends to the other side of the river (Troy, IL,) for a few hours. Before returning to MO, we drove down the highly-decorated street of our friend’s brother. The houses in the cul-de-sac go all-out and even have lights choreographed to music on a radio station. It is quite the sight!

After the movie ended, our group went to The Hill in search of a restaurant. We ended up at an authentic pizza place. Shecklet #2 said the pizza was some of the best he’s ever had. For dessert, we crossed the street and had gelato. Yum!

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Christmas 2022

Our plans for Christmas break changed from road trip to homebound thanks to snow, sub-zero wind chills, and poor road conditions.

We had originally planned on traveling to STL on 12/23 to visit Shecklet #3’s godfather, then on to GA to visit family, and finally to FL to visit friends. On 12/21, the house was minimally decorated for Christmas, I was caught up on laundry, and we had minimal items left in the fridge.

If you’re wondering why there is an “M” on the tree on the right, Shecklet #4 asked if we could get an ornament for the baby we lost between Shecklet #2 and Shecklet #3. (I had a very early miscarriage in August of 2009.) We never named the baby until #4 started referring to him as the “microscopic baby.” That turned into the formal name, Mike. So the “M” on the tree is in honor of our other little saint in heaven, Mike.

School ended up being cancelled for Shecklet #2 on 12/22, so we we considered getting on the road a day early. However, IA looked like this:

We made the adult decision to stay safe and not risk the stress or potential car trouble while in a “towing not recommended” zone. Our cancelled plans meant we were able to play games as a family, decorate sugar cookies, and shovel lots of snow.

We were also able to attend Christmas Eve Mass at our parish.

Jake shopped for heavy appetizers earlier in the day for our after-mass Christmas Eve meal.

Christmas morning we opened gifts and relaxed for a few hours. Shecklet #1 assembled his LEGO set, we hung Shecklet #4’s new cork board, and Shecklet #3 got to work figuring out classic rock melodies on her guitar. Shecklet #2 had to wait to try his new goggles.

We headed to Jake’s parents house around 3pm for dinner and opening gifts. The Shecklets enjoyed getting to see their cousins.

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PPFL Banquet 2022

We were invited to attend the 2002 Prenatal Partners for Life banquet this evening. Mary Kellett contacted us to see if we were available to use three of the tickets purchased by a group who was no longer able to attend and wanted to offer them to someone else. We were able to take Shecklet #3 with us. It was her first “fancy” dinner.

During the presentation part of the event, we heard the story of a family who lost their little girl due to a chromosome defect. They were blessed to have a few days with her prior to her passing. It turned out that the little girl is the sweet baby who is buried next to Astrid. I ran into her mom while exiting the restroom and introduced myself. She told me that it is her MIL who will leave flowers at Astrid’s grave when she visits her granddaughter. I have often wondered who is behind the heart-warming gesture – now I know.

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Our citizenship is in heaven

12:20am on Palm Sunday 2022, my godmother and aunt, Deb, took her final breath here on earth and joined her loved ones in heaven – including our sweet Astrid.

My SIL was one of a handful of people who knew that my aunt was in her last days and had been praying for her and our family. After telling Bri of Deb’s passing, she shared the verse from Philippians that clearly God keeps putting in my life.

It’s the same verse we put on Astrid’s marker and that I wrote on our sanctuary floor not once, but twice.

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Saying goodbye

I made a trip to Duluth today to spend time with my Aunt Deb who was placed on hospice on this past Monday. The drive was gloomy and wet, which fit the heaviness of the reason behind my visit.

Once at the hospital, I was able to spend about five hours beside Deb’s hospital bed. For most of the afternoon, she rested peacefully. Toward the end of my stay, she began getting restless. The nurses who cared for her were kind and worked to get her comfortable again by administering enough pain meds to calm her down.

Cancer is a horrible disease. It has taken a vibrant, sharp, kind, and confident woman from her friends and family. Her presence in our lives will be missed tremendously.

Before I left, I whispered to my aunt that I loved her and asked her to hug my sweet Astrid when she gets to heaven. I know she will be welcomed by a host of family and friends who are waiting for her when it is her time to pass from this life to the next.

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Father/Daughter Dance 2022

The Handmaidens of the Lord group that Shecklet #3 is part of planned and hosted a father/daughter dance for the 3-12th grade young ladies and their dads/father figures. Shecklets #3 & #4 accompanied their dad to the event. Shecklet #3 also invited a friend of hers from school to bring her dad too, which she did.

Shecklet #1 was asked to be the DJ for the event and was definitely in his element. He did a great job keeping the music going – because you can’t have a dance without music!

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Bible in a Year

I did it! I’m a few days in to 2022, but I did it. I finished listening to the Bible in a Year podcast from Fr. Mike Schmitz.

I’m 44 and this is the first time in my life I have gone through the entire Bible. I learned SO much and am extremely grateful to have been able to learn more about God’s word and my faith.

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PPFL – Astrid’s Story

Prenatal Partners for Life was a huge support to us during our pregnancy with Astrid as well as the time after her death. Mary, the founder of PPFL, asked if I would write about our time with Astrid for her to use in their fall newsletter. I was honored to be able to share about the short life of our little girl and the impact she continues to have on all of us.

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Off to camp!

Extreme Faith Camp 2021! Watch out, here comes this quartet!

There are seven boys signed up to attend camp at Trout Lake Camp from our parish. Just seven! And these four make up over half of that number! (In comparison, there are 18 girls going – that’s over a 2:1 ratio.) There are other parishes joining ours for the week, but due to covid, they will be limiting the amount of crossover between groups.

I hope this week is full of fun, growing in friendship, and deepening of faith for all of the kids, but especially these young men. See you on Friday, guys!