Get your pencils ready

Together we sat on a Tuesday afternoon, the six of us around my table, the kids plunging into their lunches, my mother and I attempting a conversation over a cup of coffee despite the raucous nature of the kitchen, the sundry questions and quips spilling out of the mouths of my babes. Above the din, her words were not lost to my ears: A family, whose two young boys attend programs at Christian Friendliness, the organization whose food pantry my father oversaw for twenty-five years, lost everything they owned in a house fire the previous Friday.

Like any of us living at this time, a time in which images of horrific tragedies are ubiquitous, I was tempted by the demon of desensitization to not let my heart be broken just a little bit; to whisper a prayer of thanks that it was not my home, my possessions, my clothes, shoes, coats, my precious memories extinguished and left as ashes on the earth; to dismiss the suffering of this family by allowing their heartache to exist merely as casual conversation. I was unclear why my mother even mentioned the Rice family to me, this family I do not know, that I don't have any personal connection to, but she did and because she chose to tell me, something within told me to listen.

Thanks to the graciousness and generosity of my husband, our friends Doug and Kim, as well as Fr. Jon and the people of Assumption Orthodox Church and Fr. Chris and the people of St. George Orthodox Church, a trivia night fundraiser for the Rice family is tentatively scheduled for Friday, April 20th at Assumption in East Moline. And I, one harried, homeschooling homemaker who has no credentials and really no business making any sort of appeal, especially through a medium so impersonal, am going to dare to ask for your help in this public way. You see if I have gleaned anything over the course of my life, it is that people usually want to come alongside and assist those in need but often don't know how, and that often people you don't even know reach out in amazing ways when asked.

And so, forgive me, my faceless audience, but here is my appeal:

• We need sponsors willing to cover the costs of the event, allowing the Rice family to receive 100% of the proceeds
• We need people willing to put on their aprons and bake items to be sold that evening
• We need people to help us at the actual event: setting up, manning tables, collecting answer sheets, adding up points
• We need you to come, call your friends, gather a team, and be present with us
• We need you to spread the word
• We need you to pray for this family

"We are all pencils in the hand of God," Mother Teresa was fond of saying, instruments to be used by Him.  In the end, what I truly hope is that you will stop and listen for a moment and consider if you are somehow meant to participate in the life of this family.  Together, I am confident, we can work and make something beautiful for God.

PS - Please feel free to contact me at thehost55@hotmail.com if you have any questions. If you're interested in sponsoring the event, we expect about $500 in expenses and already have $150 raised.
 

Thoughts for today

"All works of love are works of peace. We do not need bombs and guns to bring peace, we need love and compassion. But we also need that deep union with God, prayer...let us understand that unless we are full of God, we cannot give that love, we cannot give that peace to others and we will not have peace in the world." -Mother Teresa

"You must be the change you want to see in the world." -Gandhi

A blessed and joyous Lenten journey to you all. And forgive me a sinner. Peace and goodness.

Small graces

Never mind that my intention of crafting homemade Valentines out of fabric scraps never became a reality; that the the butter is still softening in the mixing bowl and the Valentine sugar cookie cut outs didn't get made; that the dinner wasn't ready until after 7 PM and that every little lovely balked at the innocuous meal (their father's favorite) of saucy stuffed shells; that the gray is seeping through the roots of my hair and I am absolutely not coloring it tonight; that every pair of pants, unless they are my husband's pajama bottoms, requires a little extra effort because I keep consuming large amounts of popcorn and chocolate covered peanuts; that I keep ripping the lining of every pair of dress pants I do put on so that you may very well see fabric hanging out of the bottom of my pant leg; that our washer is not draining properly; and that every kitchen chair has at least one area of stickiness. 

Never mind all that because I have a husband so kind, so loving, that he brought me home my favorite red wine (and posted these pictures without even grimacing); a fairy for a daughter with curls so tight her head has been likened to a continuous party, a little girl who, while having a showdown with her father and me over the said saucy stuffed shells, proceeded to serenade us with several verses from "The Wheels on the Bus"; I have a son with a heart so pure that while quietly playing on the kitchen floor, he began to sing the poetic "Irish Rune of Hospitality"; I have another son with a will so strong that I hold him personally responsible for the gray seeping through my roots, a son who tonight asked so tenderly that I lay by his side and hold his hand; a son with a heart so large that while his siblings were settling into bed asked to help cut the carrots, peel the potatoes, and mince the garlic for a a pot of navy bean soup I was preparing. 

Never mind because with all my faults, my limitations, my ugliness, I am loved and am able to love in return. Happy Valentine's Day, a bit late, dear ones near and far. 

Thoughts on a sunny Wednesday

Thank you Father James for passing these on.

"Show your martyr's spirit in the daily arena of you life, in your home, with your husband, with your wife. When your husband comes home tired from work, and speaks to you without being polite, don't get angry. Show him love, tolerance, patience. If your wife has burnt the food, don't shout at her; eat it. Put a little lemon juice on it to make it more tasty, and tell her it is fine. Let love reign in your house. When you see that your spouse has wronged you, don't start shouting about how much you are in the right. It doesn't matter what is correct, but what the other person wants. Get out of the way. Deny yourself. Put the other person first. This is life-conquering death, this is soul saving martyrdom." -From Elder Aimilianos

"Often we want to be somewhere other than where we are, or even to be someone other than who we are. We tend to compare ourselves constantly with others and wonder why we are not as rich, as intelligent, as simple, as generous or as saintly as they are. Such comparisons make us feel guilty, ashamed or jealous. It is very important to realize that our vocation is hidden in where we are and who we are. We are unique human beings, each with a call to realize in life what nobody else can, and to realize it in the concrete context of the here and now. We will never find our vocations by trying to figure out whether we are better or worse than others. We are good enough to do what we are called to do. Be yourself."- Henri Nouwen

Wise as serpents and as innocent as doves

Raise my children to be wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.
Raise my children to have knowledge of good but not of sin.
Raise my children to be wise against the snares of the devil.
Raise my children to order their lives wisely, following the examples of the saints.
Raise my children, nourishing them with the milk of the hidden wisdom of God, that they may seek it all of their lives.

Raise my children to be poor in spirit, that they May inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
Raise my children to weep, that they may be comforted.
Raise my children to be meek, that they may inherit the earth.
Raise my children to hunger and thirst after righteousness, that they may be filled.
Raise my children to be merciful, that they may obtain mercy.
Raise my children to be pure in heart, that they may see God.
Raise my children to be peacemakers, that they may be called the sons of God.

Raise my children to seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.
Raise my children to walk the narrow way leading to life eternal.
Raise my children to do the will of Thy Son and God in every place.
Raise my children to long to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

Raise my children to keep vigil and pray that they may not fall into temptation.
Raise my children to be merciful so that their Father in Heaven will be merciful to them.
Raise my children in purity of childhood, for to children belongs the Kingdom of God.
Raise my children to be the least of all, that they may be great before God.
Raise my children to fulfill the Word of God, and to be partakers of the heavenly blessedness for which they came into being.
Raise my children to have good hope in the Kingdom of Heaven.

O God, Maker of all creation, Thou hast made me worthy to be the mother of a family, and through Thy goodness hast bestowed children upon me; and so I dare to say: these children are Thine... Send down to me Thy gracious help in raising my children, for the glory of Thy name. 

Bestow on me patience and strength to do Thy will. Teach me to plant in their hearts the root of true wisdom-the fear of the Lord-that all their lives they may tremble at Thy words. Open to them the understanding of Thy law. Until the end of their days let them act with the sense that Thou art everywhere present.


from Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children
Compiled By Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes