The Calm After The Storm

 ”Heads up we just got hit with a tornado!” This was the message that popped up on my phone two weeks ago. The message was from a close relative. Tornado?!  Are you serious?  I looked outside and saw some clouds but nothing alarming at my house.
 The tornado had blown powerfully across the lake throwing his kayaks, iron table and chairs, umbrella and gazebo into the air before dropping them into the lake.  Fortunately, and most importantly, my relative and his family were not injured. The destruction took only a few minutes, trying to repair the damage took much longer. 
 I received another text from him just the other day. This is what he told me. "I had noticed that the lake was calm during my lunch hour. I decided to test the paddle board that was damaged in the tornado to see if the patch I used would hold water.  While paddling I tried looking once again for part of my gazebo’s missing roof."  (He had been searching for it for the past two weeks. The neighbor’s had told him they had seen it fly 200 feet into the air. ) "Feeling frustrated I just said out loud,  'Grandma I don't remember which saint you pray to when you lose something, but if you could please help me out here I'm still missing my piece of roof from my gazebo.'  I was just about to give up when I felt I should look a little further out.  I couldn't believe it when I suddenly saw my missing piece of roof more than 60 feet from the shore and in 8 feet of water. I smiled and said, 'Thank you Grandma!'  
 I asked him if I could share his story because it really touched me.  Not just because we got to feel my Grandma's love again, but it is good to be reminded how much God cares and loves each one of us.  God allows those who loved us during their lifetime to continue loving us from heaven.  He allows the saints in heaven to intercede on our behalf whether they are a recognized saint of the Catholic Church or our own saintly loved one.  Our God is beyond amazing! 
  I hope this story encourages you to pray to your loved ones that have passed.  I hope you still make them a part of your life.  I also hope the next time you pray the Creed you smile as you say, “ I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.  Amen.”  God showers us with miracles big and small to remind us how beautiful and true our faith really is. Those who follow Christ do have everlasting life.

-Susan

Bucket List

  Last week I found my daughters discussing their bucket lists for the summer. With 2020 being a year of so many cancelled events, they were determined to fill their summer days with fun memories.  Nothing extravagant, just small moments that sparked joy. This got me thinking...could we try to apply this same attitude to our prayer life. Instead of looking for some huge soul changing event to happen, what if we just concentrated on finding little moments that brought joy to our lives. 
 I would like to challenge everyone to make a bucket list of prayer opportunities.  Do something new and different.  Have a summer of adventure with God. You might discover that prayer doesn’t always have to be serious, it just needs to be genuine.  Here are a few things on my summer bucket list. I hope they inspire you to make your own.

-Susan                      

                                      

                                                               

His Healing Touch

  Sometimes when I'm reading the Bible I take for granted how amazing each story really is.  There have been times when I have breezed through a chapter a little too quickly because the story was very familiar.  I may have taken for granted how the glory of Jesus is being revealed.  Last week, however, I was stopped in my tracks while praying the third Luminous mystery-The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God.  On that particular day, I was meditating on how Jesus came to heal us. I called to mind some of the stories of Jesus' healings.  Many people were healed almost instantly when Jesus touched them.  But how?  Of course Jesus is God and nothing is impossible for Him, and His healing was as much spiritual as it was physical, but it got me thinking... there is a lot involved in healing a body.
  Working in a hospital, I am well aware of the number of tests that are often needed to make an accurate diagnosis for a patient.  Bloodwork, X-Rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, MRIs, EKGs, heart monitors, and the list goes on and on. Then once a diagnosis is made, the process of healing the ailment can be even more elaborate and involve surgery, rehabilitation, radiation, chemotherapy, medication, IV antibiotics, etc. Healing is often complicated, and it often takes a team of doctors to get a patient back on the road to recovery.  The major organs depend on all neurons, cells and platelets to be healthy and in balance.
  When Jesus' healing hand touched a person, He probably healed countless imbalances of numerous systems.  Jesus had a very intimate knowledge of each and every person that came to Him.  He didn't stop to study and evaluate the person. He didn't ask for a medical history.  He didn't need to, because He knew each person down to the smallest neuron and atom.  He knew the strengths and weaknesses of each person in that crowd. How incredible is that?!  
  As I continued to pray the Rosary, I imagined Jesus reaching His hand out to touch me.  I wondered what part of me Jesus would think needs healing the most?  I allowed myself some time to get caught up in the glory of God's goodness.  My Lord and Savior knows me-every thought, every pain, every atom and every neuron, and He loves me and wants me to be healed. That is truly miraculous!

-Susan