Motherload of Mary Garden info

I was rambling about, checking out blogs this morning when I found this incredibly informative post on Mary Gardens.

Stef at ...and these Thy gifts... offers a free downloadable spreadsheet offering:

Information on each flower, i.e., by Latin name.

Ordering link.

Type (Annual, Perennial or Biennial).

Common Name.

Religious Name.

Height.

Spacing required.

Sun Exposure required.

Color.

Water requirement and more.

Wow!

I know it's not quite Mary-Garden-planting season, but you may want to bookmark and tuck it away for next spring.

Less worry, more prayer

Last weekend we held our big yard sale, and before it got underway, I was nervous.

The weather was awful. At 8 a.m. it was overcast and 80 degrees with 75% humidity. We had placed an ad in the paper and put up signs in the area, but I was still anxious. What if nobody came? What would we do with all this junk? We had put so much effort and prep into this, would it all be for nothing?

After a couple of minutes of mental sweating, it dawned on me: "I should pray." So I asked God to bless this yard sale. It sounds silly asking for such a thing as I type this out, but I asked Him to please deliver some people who would want to buy our stuff. We weren't looking to make a ton of money, we just really wanted this stuff out of our house.

And did God deliver, we sold nearly everything!

The next day, Sunday, I was anxious again. I had a freelance project I needed to finish over the next few days. I was stressing, wanting to get it done but nervous to start for fear I wouldn't do a good job. Money's tight around here and I wanted to make this client happy so I would get other jobs in the future.

I automatically fretted, then realized, "I should pray." I prayed again, asking the Holy Spirit to be with me, remove my fear and grant me the grace and smarts to get this project done on time. So far, so good. The project is going well and I should have it done on time.

Whenever I get anxious, my first reaction is rarely "Pray." It should be, I know. It always seems I mentally put myself through the ringer and then realize, "You should pray over this." But I find I am getting better. I'm realizing quicker than normal: "Stop worrying, start praying!" I'm putting myself through less mental anguish and instead offering my situation up to God and His will.

I think about the saying "Worry is a lack of faith," and realize I need less worry and more faith. Slowly but surely, I am getting there.

Meeting Our Lady

My husband and I volunteer for Catholic Engaged Encounter, so last Friday night we stopped by a local Marian retreat house to help register couples, get things settled, etc., for the upcoming weekend.

One of the best things about volunteering for EE is you can bring your children with you to nearly any event. Everyone brings their children, so there are always plenty of playmates and other Moms and Dads to watch the kids if you have to leave them for a bit. Plus, the retreat house is huge and the kids run up and down the hallways and chase each other, ensuring an easy bedtime at home!

Friday night I was chasing my 20-month-old down the hallway. She stopped in front of a large Mary statue and said, "What's 'dat?"

"That's Mary," I replied.

"Mare," she repeated in her best attempt to pronounce 'Mary'.

My daughter ran back down the hall and into a conference room, where there was a large Our Lady of Fatima statue. My little girl walked over, pointed and said, "Mare!"

I was pretty psyched.

About an hour later we passed the same staute and I asked my daughter, "Who's that?" My daughter looked at me, like, "Huh?"

So it was a short-but-impressive feat...

Offering it up...for sale

Our new son will - sooner than we like - be out of his bassinet and need his own crib (and bedroom), which means it's time for big changes here.

My husband's home office is now occupying our son's future room, which means it's finally time to turn the furnished basement from a storage space into half-office/half-playroom. Then we can move the baby's crib and furniture into the old office and decorate it like a nursery.

For the past month we've been decluttering and amassing a garage full of "treasures" to sell at the yard sale, which is going on as I type. My dear husband is outside braving this hazy, hot and humid Saturday morning, manning the sale while I stay inside manning the children (our sitter fell through, otherwise I'd be out there, too).

As I walk by the window I notice the once-full tables are showing more table top and less stuff (thank goodness). And, interestingly, I'm not sorry to see any of it go. We've had yard sales before and I've always put out a few items I've been on the fence about, ones I hoped wouldn't sell so I could keep them (FYI - they always sold!). But not this time. There's nice stuff out there, but we don't have the room and I don't use it, so it goes. And that's a great feeling!

I cleaned out my closet and that yielded, get this, 13 trash bags of clothes to donate. And it's not a gigantic, walk-in closet. I donated easily 85% of my "wardrobe." And, mind you, they were clothes I didn't wear but held onto for...I don't know. Most of it were clothes that used to fit and are now, shall we say, a pipe dream. ;-) Why do we hold onto this stuff?

But I've found that along with the decluttering of the house comes a decluttering of my head. I know this isn't a new concept, but it's lovely and liberating.

I love reading about religious life and the fact most priests, brothers and sisters - especially those in certain Orders - have few possessions. For most it's their habit/robe and a breviary. It's a simple life, and by "simple" I definitely don't mean "easy." I mean "simple" as in "uncomplicated" or "streamlined." I really envy that.

We're not down to robe-and-a-breviary time here, but we're getting closer to having only what we need and use. And that is pretty cool.

Cool moment at church

I'm being blessed with many lovely experiences at Mass these days (outside the obvious Eucharistic summit of the Mass, that is).

Sunday I watched the processional and saw the lector, as usual, holding the Gospel high about her head. Her arms were fully extended skyward and a little forward so the large red book embossed with the shiny gold cross literally led the way.

Our lectors are different at each Mass, and that morning the lector at my Mass was a woman I recognized "from the pews" and many church events. She's obviously very faithful and active in our parish.

This woman always carries a small oxygen tank hung over her shoulder like a pocketbook, with plastic tubing extending from the tank, over the back of her ears and into her nostrils. The woman is not old, in her 50s I'd guess, and I've never seen her without her tank.

But what struck me Sunday morning was the beautiful picture of this woman, on oxygen, mightily holding the Word of God above her head and following it. Despite whatever medical challenges she lives with, they don't stop her - she obviously lives and follows - literally - the Word of God. It was a very powerful scene.

Rosary Rally Time!

I love praying the Rosary with a group.

I rarely get the opportunity these days, but one is coming up and I'm determined not to miss it:

TFP's Public Square Rosary Campaign is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 13, the 90th anniversary of the apparitions at Fatima, specifically, The Miracle of The Sun.

The group has Rosary captains in every state and is hoping that 1,000 public rallies will be held throughout the U.S. that day:

"Is it not time to look for supernatural solutions to our nation’s problems? Is it not time for the Fatima message to be proclaimed far and wide? Is it not time for Americans to pray publicly for the future of the nation?"

I contacted the captain for this area and there will be a rally close by. I intend to be there. Can you make yours?

Click here to find the Rosary captain for your area!

The TFP also has a host of good resources:

How to Pray the Rosary

The Power of the Rosary

11 Reasons to Pray the Public Square Rosary

'Jesus is no crank'

I often feel bad about getting distracted when praying, be it "regular" daily prayers, the Rosary or anything else.

I try to concentrate as best I can, I really do, but usually my mind takes a little sidetrip somewhere else. I don't beat myself up about it, but I do feel discouraged when it happens.

So you can imagine how I felt while reading the following passage from a biography of Venerable Solanus Casey, "Thank God Ahead of Time: The Life and Spirituality of Solanus Casey":

"Do such distractons please the Good God? For myself, I do not think that they do. Rather, I would answer, as I have occasionally now and then to assure scrupulous souls: 'No, Jesus is no crank. He knows that we are not angels, but poor sinners.' "

That passage just cracked me up - and made me feel a lot better. It exemplifies one of the reasons I love and admire Fr. Solanus so much - his ability to get his point across in human, easy-to-understand terms. And, of course, good old 20th century slang.

Gentle woman

I had a pretty amazing experience at Mass last night.

Father gave an excellent homily on Mary and I was enjoying Mass very much because it was a Marian feast day. Not that I don't normally enjoy Mass, but you know what I mean, right? I just love Mary and those feast days are special.

Anyway, after Communion I sat in the pew holding my son, listening to the Communion hymn, "Hail Mary: Gentle Woman." I've heard this many times before. I don't know why it got to me this time, but it did. The singer had a beautiful voice, the sun was setting and the last rays of the day made the stained glass windows glow softly. It was quiet, powerful and intimate, much like Mary if you think about it

I was really listening to the lyrics, thinking about Our Lady, her extraordinary faith and sacrifices and now, with the Assumption, her reward. Tears streamed down my cheeks, which I tried to hide lest anyone think I was nuts.

I think about Mary every day. I pray to her every day. But I don't always feel the depth of her, if that makes sense. I don't always consider and appreciate her truly awesome being, her works and her love for us. I feel blessed that the Holy Spirit allowed me to be moved that way.

Gentle woman, quiet light,
morning star so strong and bright,
gentle mother, peaceful dove,
teach us wisdom, teach us love.
Oh teach us love.

God does it again

Yesterday Jen wrote a terrific post on the Liturgy of the Hours.

For nearly two years I've wanted to start praying the Morning and Evening prayers of the Church, but I haven't been able to figure out how to do it. I have a book on how to pray LOTH, but I'm one of those people who also needs to be walked through something (and take notes) before I really get it.

I read Jen's post and got amped to attempt LOTH again, but quickly remembered "I really think I need someone to show me, too."

About two hours later I picked up the newsletter from the Marian Community in Medway, Mass. They sponsored Fr. Corapi's appearance last weekend and gave out copies of their newsletter to everyone who attended. I hadn't had a chance to read it until then, so I started leafing through it, reading the descriptions of their conferences, retreats and classes they offer. What did I immediately spot?

How To Pray The Liturgy of the Hours: 10 a.m.-Noon, Oct. 24. $10

Amazing! I'm going to see if my husband can work at home that morning so I can take the class.

Corapi report

I had a great time at the Fr. Corapi conference this weekend.

There were about 3,000 people in attendance and they came from everywhere, it seems. I met and talked with people who journeyed from Connecticut, New Hampshire and even Brooklyn, N.Y. Given this is Father Corapi's last year of public conferences and preaching tours, the fact he drew folks from all over New England and beyond isn't surprising.

Saturday started with praise music, then the Rosary. There's something about praying the Rosary with a group, not to mention a few thousand people. It's so powerful. Given my "domestic responsibilities," I don't have the opportunity to pray the Rosary with a group often. I really appreciate it when I can.

After, Father came on stage and preached on Easy Prayer for Hard Times. His bottom line?

"If you come away with nothing else this weekend, know this: Pray the Rosary!"

He also encouraged folks to pray simple prayers, like the Jesus Prayer, the Divine Mercy Chaplet and other popular devotionals. The more we pray, he said, the closer we get to God and the more powerful our prayers are. He also encouraged the crowd to be like The Little Flower and pray to our Father like a child.

During lunch break I got in line to meet Father. I met him at last spring's Boston Catholic Women Conference. I told him how his Power of the Rosary talk changed my life. I gave him a Rosary I made for him and asked him to bless Rosaries for me and my daughter. He kindly did.

Today I returned with a Rosary for my son, as well as my son given he's 7 weeks old and nursing. We're a pair - where he goes, I go and vice versa. He did very well during the talks, sleeping, eating and staring at the lights, and I loved exposing him to such grace and faithful people.

Oh, something I didn't realize: If you want to be a rock star, take your infant to a Catholic conference. People could not have been nicer to me. They held doors, assisted my with the stroller on stairs and made so many nice comments and conversation. One woman even came up to me and thanked me for "bringing an infant today".

We waited in line for about an hour to meet Father. I wanted to thank him for coming and ask him to bless my son's Rosary -and my son! By the time we got to the front of the line, it was time for my son to eat again. He was hungry and crying. I was hoping to present a sleeping angel to Fr. Corapi, but what can you do? :-)

I thanked Father for his visit and once again told him how The Power of The Rosary changed my life. He blessed my son's Rosary and I asked if he would also give my son a blessing. I held my cradled, crying son out for him. Father put his hand on my son's head and silently blessed him. The minute he started the blessing, my son stopped crying! I got the chills, it was amazing. When my son is hungry, little short of nursing stops him from crying.

It'll be wonderful to tell my son, when he's older, about the history of his Rosary and the time he was blessed by a very holy priest.

A weekend with Father Corapi

Tomorrow and Saturday I'm headed to see Fr. John Corapi as he speaks on "The Truth Shall Set You Free".

I can't wait!

I first "discovered" Fr. Corapi back in July 2005 via the Rosary Army Podcast, episode 17, "Pray It, Don't Say It" (still my favorite episode and available free via iTunes). RA founder Greg Willits was discussing tools for really praying the Rosary, as well as other Rosary resources. One he mentioned off-hand was Fr. Corapi's talk The Power of the Rosary. I bought it and quickly got hooked on the Rosary - and Father's no-nonsense style. (The talk is also sometimes shown on EWTN if you can catch it.)

I started watching Father's talks on EWTN when I could, and when I heard he was going to be speaking to the Boston Catholic Women's Conference in March 2006, I was there. He was wonderful. His no-nonsense style is fantastic and he makes you feel great to be Catholic - something you unfortunately don't often get in my neck of the woods here in Massachusetts. After his talk I got in line to meet him. I gave him a Rosary I made him and he also blessed one I made for myself and another for my daughter. Lovely reminders of that wonderful day.

I appreciate Father Corapi because of his background - he may be the most famous Catholic "revert" going today. He stopped attending Church after he left home, eventually became a millionaire, then a drug addict, lost it all and was homeless before he literally - and spiritually - returned home. I sinned a-plenty in my wayward days (not quite as dramatically as Father, though!) and really felt buoyed by his story. If John Corapi could go from serious sinner to the modern-day Fulton Sheen, there's hope for me to live a more virtuous life, too! Father's story is available free on CD from The Mary Foundation.

This is Father Corapi's last year of speaking tours. After traveling millions (literally) of miles to talk over the past decade plus, he's "retiring" from the road to write books. I look forward to that, but I will miss the opportunities to see him speak.

I've had the tickets for this weekend's event since December and I cannot wait to see Father. I'll report on what he has to say. Whatever it is, it will be powerful!

It's August!

It's hot and humid, the dog days of summer, my least favorite time of the year.

Why am I excited?

Because I can finally use my Catholic Woman's Daily Planner! I ordered it months ago and it's been sitting here, taunting me as it runs August-July.

It's great and well worth the money, combining the daily to-dos and to-gos with the Heavenly to-prays. It also contains many Catholic prayers and info, all in one easy package. Very cool.

(shouts across the blogosphere: Jen, are you using yours yet?)

Walk the walk and talk the talk

We're making plans for our son's baptism, so a call to our church's Baptism coordinator was made.

She explained the procedure and the requirements: The Godparents must be practicing Catholics and provide a note from their priest attesting that they added Mass regularly. The Coordinator seemed kinda nervous to mention that, and I assured her that I understood (it is Canon Law, after all) and it would not be an issue for us.

"Good," she said, relieved. "Some people get upset. They ask people that don't fit that criteria and then get upset we won't baptize their child."

I don't want to sound snobby, but why do people who don't practice the faith want their child baptized if they're never going to darken a church door until it's time for 1st grade CCD? I honestly would love to know. Is it because baptism is "tradition"? What one is "supposed to do"? Is it to appease Grandma and Grandpa? Is this another after-effect of bad '70s catechesis?

I have so many family and friends who fall into this category, but I don't want to put them on the spot and ask them or appear holier-than-thou.

Case in point: My friend was baptized Catholic, but is not practicing. She's had both her children baptized Catholic. Her daughter was baptized last week in one of the traditional monthly ceremonies on a Sunday afternoon. She didn't want her child baptized during a Mass because then it was "more about the Mass" and less about her daughter's baptism. Gah!

I just wish we could turn all those baptized Catholics into practicing Catholics - and that starts with Mom and Dad.

SAHM = Metal Mama

Being a mom, especially a full-time SAHM mom, is forging me in the fires of holiness. I don't want to sound holier-than-thou - or overly dramatic - but being at home with my children full-time is making me exercise virtues to an extent to which I never experienced before:

Faith: That I will be given the graces to raise two of God's children in His way.

Hope: That I will do His will (and a good job).

Love: That I can be a conduit for God's love for His (my) children.

And last, but not least, patience! (I know that's not one of the cardinal virtues, but it is for me!)

In the office, if I asked a co-worker to hand me a cup, s/he would. If I ask my 19-month-old daughter, it's either a grinning "No! No! No! Noooooo!" or she runs full-tilt in the opposite direction giggling. It may be funny once, but 36 times in a row, it can get frustrating.

I feel like every day I'm a piece of metal forged in those fires of holiness, pounded by my own limitations, imperfections and life's challenges. Sparks fly and I can get red-hot, but in the process I am shaped into God's design little by little, day by day.

I feel like the days with my children are making me stronger in these virtues. I love more easily. I have a bit more patience. I pray with faith harder than ever before.

Mother Angelica once said: "We're all called to be saints." I always thought that was a neat saying, not quite applicable to my everyday life. I get it now.

Rest in Peace, Karen Marie

The Catholic blogging community lost a lovely soul yesterday as Karen Marie Knapp died in her sleep. Mark Shea has details at his blog.

Karen Marie's blog, From the Anchor Hold, was a well-written source of great information and thoughtful analysis on Catholicism. Karen Marie suffered from a chronic illness and limited mobility, yet she took the gifts she had and used them to honor Christ and His mother by making thousands of all-twine knotted Rosaries for Rosary Army and many in her area.

As Rosary Army blogger Maria Johnson noted in her remembrance of Karen Marie:

"On the contrary, she accepted her hardships and ploughed on as best she could. Certainly, sharing this aspect of her life was also a teaching moment, for we learned how to live with adversity through her example. I chuckled to learn that the only time she complained in the hospital was when they told her she couldn't burn the ends of the rosaries because of the oxygen tanks. You go, girl! I imagine she was indignant."

I knew of Karen Marie through the Rosary Army forums. She was always willing to help new knotters and spread the infectious love of the hobby.

Please consider including her in your prayers today. Thank you.

Sunday Night (Not Quite) Live

If you missed Vinny Flynn's appearance on Sunday Night Live with Fr. Groeschel last week, the audio version is available free, via podcast, at iTunes or EWTN Multimedia.

I just watched the episode on Tivo and, wow, it's great. And Fr. Groeschel mentioned Fr. Solanus (Father Groeschel knew Fr. Solanus)!