Prayers for comfort...

I just heard from my father that the bodies of both my cousin Philip and his son, Brandon, have been recovered from the Brazos River. He is on his way to be with his sister and brother-in-law, Philip's parents, during their time of grief. Continued prayers for the support of the family would be most appreciated. Thank you.

Please pray...

They are family. Please pray for their safe recovery.

HOUSTON (FOX 26) -

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a man and his son who were last seen on Tuesday morning before they went fishing on the Brazos River south of Freeport. Phillip Orr and his son Brandon were identified as the missing boaters, according to a statement released by the USCG. The Brazoria County Sheriff’s Department contacted Coast Guard Station Freeport at around 9:20 a.m. Tuesday to report finding an unmanned boat circling on the Brazos River north of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Please help a family in need!

Jessica is asking for help to cover the financial burden of a family who just lost their sweet little girl, Julianna.

Jessica writes:

On Sunday, July 13th, our friends lost their toddler, Julianna Snodgrass (the fourth of their five children), in a tragic accidental drowning while visiting family in California. In addition to our prayers, the family is in need of our financial help and support. Julianna was air lifted to the hospital during the attempts to resuscitate so the medical bills will be extraordinary. With the funeral expenses on top of those and all of the grief too, this family will be suffering tremendously. If you can help in any way, no matter how small, it would be greatly appreciated. Together we can at least help lighten the financial burden on their family as they grieve this tremendous loss.

Please Visit GoFundMe to Make a Donation

{Just popping in to help spread the word.}

Please pray...

For dear, sweet Jessica and her whole family as they grieve the loss of their little one.

For the FSSP priests in Phoenix, their families and their order.

And for my brother who will be remembering his anniversary tomorrow, the first one since his wife, Kari, passed away.

Kari's Birthday

“The death of a beloved is an amputation.” ― C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

 Today, my brother's sweet wife, Kari, would have been 28 years old. She left this world very young. Please offer a prayer for the repose of her soul and for the peace and comfort of the family she left behind, especially my brother and her parents, brother and niece. Grief is a process, a journey. It's not over in a day. It comes and goes. You want the world to just stop while you deal with it, but life always goes on.

“For in grief nothing "stays put." One keeps on emerging from a phase, but it always recurs. Round and round. Everything repeats. Am I going in circles, or dare I hope I am on a spiral?
But if a spiral, am I going up or down it?
How often -- will it be for always? -- how often will the vast emptiness astonish me like a complete novelty and make me say, "I never realized my loss till this moment"? The same leg is cut off time after time.” ― C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

“I thought I could describe a state; make a map of sorrow. Sorrow, however, turns out to be not a state but a process.” ― C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

We have decided to honor Kari's memory with a donation to the Education Fund of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (and also with a Mass). We plan for this to be a yearly gift. Kari was a teacher, a Texas girl through and through and she loved flowers. It's just a small little thing, this gift of ours, but I hope it will help us remember her in the years to come and what a gift she was to my brother and this world even though she was only here for a short while.

“I see people, as they approach me, trying to make up their minds whether they'll 'say something about it' or not. I hate if they do, and if they don't.” ― C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

“Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything."
― C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

Eternal rest, grant unto her O Lord and may perpetual light shine upon her.

May her soul and all the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Please pray and give if you can...

There was tragic news in the Catholic blog/FB world yesterday about two little girls who died in a car accident. Olivia and Emma Lewis passed away after being Life-flighted from the accident scene in Wyoming to Salt Lake City. Their dad is a professor at Wyoming Catholic College and is also an alum of the University of Dallas. Today, the internet world is coming together to help this grieving family not just with prayers for their peace of mind and comfort, but with financial help to assist them in covering hospital bills and funeral costs. Please donate something if you can. It won't take away their pain, but it will ease some of their burden. If you can't, please commit to praying for this young family and the incredibly hard days to come.

Prayers, please, for Brian and Kari...

I was all set to come here today and do some silly little quick takes about how slowly life is going right now, how many dried beans and lentils I'm finding stuck to the bottom of my feet (because they are Miss Cupcake's favorite playthings right now),  how the weirdest thing about having my husband laid off is that I don't know what day of the week it is. I was also hoping to give you some good news about my SIL, Kari. She's been at the rehab center this past week and has made some great strides. She was sitting in a chair, watching the news, opening her mouth, communicating with hand squeezes just the other day… lots of really wonderful stuff. But the word from my brother now is that she's back in the ER as of 3 am with a pretty serious infection (they think) and her doctors are very worried.

So, forget my inane prattle, and please, please take a minute to pray for this beautiful young lady who is fighting the fight of her life right now. And please pray for my brother too who can't bear to see the woman he loves suffer so much.


UPDATE: Her family is gathering at the hospital. Kari has pneumonia and they don't think she will be with us much longer. Please pray for peace for her and my brother and the family and all the friends who love her very much.

UPDATE #2: Kari is being moved to hospice care.

From their wedding June 2011

Update on my SIL

Please keep the prayers coming! The latest update from Kari's mom is that even though this second stroke was bigger than the one she suffered on Thanksgiving, Kari is already showing signs of recovery from it. Very slow, very small signs but good signs!

I have to admit that I don't know Kari very well. She has only been married to my brother for a couple of years and we don't live near each other. I have gotten to know her better via FB (it's the love part of that love/hate relationship I have with it). I know that Kari is a teacher who teaches high school history. She gets very excited when the new school year rolls around and I'm sure she's missing all of her students right now. She has also recommended resources for us to use in our homeschool. The fact that she's so positive about homeschooling tells me she really loves education. She also loves all things "country". She's a Texas girl through and through. And has a little niece that she adores and who clearly loves spending time with Aunt Kari. I blocked her face since she's not my child but trust me, the smiles are equally as sparkling on both these faces.

The other thing I've learned in the short time I've known her, and this is the most important thing, is that Kari is a fighter! This lovely lady has had a total of 4 major strokes in her young life not to mention arterial bypass surgery. But she's not giving up the fight, so nobody better think about counting her out! Please continue to pray for her strength and for my brother's strength too. Thank you!

Happy New Year!

Remember us, O God; 

from age to age be our comforter. 

You have given us the wonder of time, 

blessings in days and nights, seasons and years.

Bless your children at the turning of the year 

and fill the months ahead with the bright hope 

that is ours in the coming of Christ.

You are our God, living and reigning, for ever and ever. 

Amen.

Please pray...

I haven't mentioned this here out of respect for my brother's privacy, but the situation has had yet another set back and I think the prayers would help. His beautiful young wife, Kari, suffered a massive stroke on Thanksgiving morning (the third she's had in the past few years). She was taken to the hospital near my mom's house and then later was transferred to a hospital near where they live and put under the care of her doctors. Kari has a very rare disease that makes her prone to strokes.

The doctors now think she has now suffered a fourth stroke while she was recovering from the third one. She had just shown some progress in her recovery that gave them hope that she could be moved to a rehab center soon. This is yet another blow to that glimmer of hope.

Please pray for Kari's healing and for God's will to be done always. Please pray for my brother Brian's strength in persevering through this difficult time. Please pray for the doctors and nurses caring for her to have wisdom and understanding. Please pray for the family and friends who love both of them. Thank you.

{phfr} Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~ with the lovely ladies at Like Mother, Like Daughter

Please pray for Sarah and Dwija today. One mother is bringing her sons into this world and the other has already brought her son into eternal life. Bless and comfort them both, dear Lord.

{pretty}

We celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel with some yummy caramel dip and apple slices. With all the orthodontia in this house, we didn't dare risk something stickier.

{happy}

Cucpake is always happy at her color table with her "Cway-ons".

{funny}

She's a total mess! Spaghetti sauce everywhere and on top of that... and mint chocolate chip ice cream bar that she insisted she would hold all by herself! She went straight into the tub after she was done.

{real}

Photobombers: Cupcake and a puppy butt Baby UPDATE: Sarah's boys are here!

Prayers for Dwija

Please pray for Dwija and her family as they mourn the loss of their sweet little Nicholas.

Please pray...

...for Oklahoma. Right now they are reporting 2 dozen children being searched for in one of the elementary schools... recovery, not rescue. The damage is massive.

Especially for Miss Mary's SIL!

 

Prayers please...

For Grace and her family, her siblings and her parents as they contemplate hospice care for her father.

Everlasting Father, for the sake of the love which Thou didst bear to St. Joseph, whom Thou didst chose above all to occupy Thy place on earth, Have mercy on us and on those who are dying.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, etc.

Everlasting Son of God, for the sake of Thy love towards St. Joseph, who didst protect Thee so faithfully on earth, have mercy on us all and on those who are dying.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, etc.

Everlasting Divine Spirit, for the sake of Thy love toward St. Joseph, who so carefully projected Mary, Thy most holy and beloved spouse, have mercy on us and those who are dying.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, etc.

Prayers please!

For Miss Courtney and her mama! Sweet Courtney is being admitted to the hospital and needs some urgent prayers. I've been reading Mary's blog for a while now and am completely enchanted with those blonde Shirley Temple curls and in awe of that feisty mama of hers! Mary, you will have my prayers all night long.

 

Speaking of Jen Fulwiler...

She and her sweet unborn baby need some prayers right now. She was checked into the hospital yesterday with pulmonary embolisms in both lungs. Jen has written before about her clotting disorder. It's the kind of thing that makes doctor's hyperventilate. Jen is an amazingly strong woman and I'm sure she will fight her way through this like she's done before. Hopefully our prayers will be a comfort to her.

UPDATE: Jen is headed home. She's still in a serious condition but they will treat her from home.
 

Counting my blessings...

Getting ready to start celebrating a day of Thanksgiving tomorrow beginning with Mass in the morning and followed by dropping off a Thanksgiving dinner to Baby B's family! Just to let you know, she is finally able to take some food via a feeding tube and a little bit orally. She needs to take a full 2oz. orally before they will let her come home so please pray that she is inspired by this holiday feast to get busy and eat!

It's just us this year again. We thought about getting together with some family in the area, but the illness we suffered through for 2 looooong months really took a lot out of us and we're still in recovery mode. I've got cranberry salad to make today and make-ahead mashed potatoes. I'm going to splat the turkey again because it cooks a lot faster that way, I've discovered and it provids comedic entertainment for my kiddos.

Just wanted to say thank you for all your kind words over these years in this space. I've never been comfortable with calling you "my readers". I think of us all as friends sharing our talents, whatever they might be (because we all have some!), our thoughts and in a small way, our hearts. God bless you all and the families you love!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Update on Baby B.

Please keep praying for Baby B! Here is an update from our homeschool group message board:

Baby B. was born full term and her parents had no knowledge there would be any medical issues. She has Down syndrome and an imperforate anus. There is also a related kidney and bladder problem. She had many tests this morning at the children's hospital including a cardiac ultrasound and EKG.

Her mom and dad are in quite a state of shock as you can imagine. They need your prayers to help them come up to speed very quickly and make the best choices they can for little Baby B.

BTW... she does have a real name but since I don't have her mom or dad's permission to use it online, I'm calling her Baby B. St. Elizabeth Anne Seton is one of her patrons if you'd like to make a special request to her.

Urgent prayers please!

For a tiny baby girl in our homeschool group who was born yesterday via C-section and had to be transported to a children's hospital for emergency surgery.  I don't have all the details. I just know that her mom is still in the hospital the baby was delivered in recovering from the C-section and Baby B. is in a children's hospital being evaluated. I can't even imagine! Please pray for  Baby B. and mom Tammy and the rest of the family too along with the doctors and caregivers. Thank you!

UPDATE HERE!
 

Prayer Request

My brother's wife, Kari, is undergoing arterial bypass surgery this morning to correct the rare condition she has which makes her susceptible to strokes. It's a pretty serious surgery that could take between 6-8 hours minimum possibly 12 hours. Please offer a prayer for her, my brother, Brian, the surgeon and the medical staff caring for her and for the family who loves her. The recovery is going to be rough but hopefully worth it in the end.

Update: 1:08pm  First bypass done. Starting on second.

Update: 3:30pm Finishing up now.

Update: 5pm She's out of OR and my brother is going to get to see her for a bit. An 8 hour surgery! Whew!