I'm a Catholic homeschooling mama of seven kids. Four are adults now, and living at various stages of life out of the house. Two of my adult daughters are getting married this year. Here's where I'll be hanging out my laundry, gaining perspective, and, down the road, have something to remember all the wooshing days.

Monday, July 27, 2015

Feline Saves Young Woman's Life


As predicted, by yours truly - this young woman is being nursed back to health with the aid of a small mammal.  Her brother says, "I am defenceless against the power of your cuteness."

A boy and his Delphi.  


Monday, July 20, 2015

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Better an' Better


She gets to come home soon.  Home  to our house, where we'll nurse her back to health and pamper her and expose her to the likes of these:


How can you not get better?  Did you know that petting a cat reduces heart disease?  Of couse, Breann doesn't HAVE heart disease, but I betcha petting kittens does some good things for infectious diseases and disorders of the large intestine, too.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

My Life is Many Things...

Dull is not one of them.

Lord, I get down on my knees and beg you for a little boredom.

My eldest daughter wound up in hospital.  Twice in the last three weeks.  Recovering from mono, she now has been diagnosed with colitis and C. diff.  We got a bulk discount on pathogens.

That's pretty bad.

But that is not all.  No.  That is not all.

She's in the hospital eight hours away by ferry and car from where we live.  In fact, from where she lives, too.  What WAS she thinking?

The best laid plans o' mice and men gang aft agley.

My plans, however, fortunately include caring for my children, adult or otherwise, near or far, a little sick or quite a lot - I just didn't think it would be happening this week.

It's disconcerting being back in a hospital.  I know that overraction is natural, I just lost my Mom.  There have been a couple of moments of fighting back terror; of talking myself out of letting my imagination get the better of me.  Of reliving events from my raw and very recent past.

Most of my short time here has been watching her sleep.  Sleep is good.  I'd like some of that.  

Friday, July 3, 2015

Gasp!

I was thinking this morning...gosh.  Lucy and Ian's wedding is coming up really soon.  It must be in less than ninety days by now (there is a wedding day countdown on their website).  So, rather than count on the calendar, because that is really hard, I just checked out that useful countdown tool.
Seventy-one days!

Gasp!  That's like, seventy - only one more - (a quote from my son).

It's not time to panic yet, though, Scout.  But it is time for mama to shop for a dress.  The two days before Mary's wedding WAS cutting it pretty fine.  And shopping for a dress for your daughter's wedding IS pretty fun.  Oh, sure I could wear the same dress, but where's the fun in that?

So here are some questions that go through my head when thinking about my daughter getting married.

Have I prepared her well for married life?
Did I give good example in faith, commitment, friendship, communication?
Was I enough...was mothering enough?

Well, here's the bad news.  No.  I have not done all these things perfectly.  Many times I have not even done them well.  But the good example, the preparation, the formation...these were (and still are) the goal.
And that matters.  It matters because, falling short as often as I do...I know where I would like to be.  And so does she.  And we'll get there.

The good news?  Grace abounds.
Where I've fallen short, grace abounds.

"Grace is favour, free and undeserved..."  (CCC 1996)