Empty Nester Conversation #....I forget

Me: What time are the shed people coming tomorrow?

Hubby: 8 to 10.

Me: AM?

Hubby: Yes, AM.

Me: Wasn’t The Shed People a horror movie in the 80’s?

Hubby: No, it was my band. Don’t you remember? You came to our show at Paramus Middle School’s science fair.

Me: Gee, don’t know how I got that wrong.

(This actually went through several drafts which were even less funny.)

Our brand new shed installed today!

This will help on so many levels. We can now clear a lot of things out of our basement and garage, and organize them better. Mainly this will be yardwork and gardening paraphernalia. Sheds are great to have and great for resale value of a house. This one has a waterproof floor and a heavy-duty ramp. The window and skylight are important for letting light in-it can be rather dark in a shed otherwise. Of course, you can leave the door open for more light. We now have to bring shelving in and we are all set! My life just got better:)

RFK Jr. & Abortion

RFK Jr., the son of Bobby Kennedy, who was killed in Los Angeles, 1968, is campaigning for President of the United States on the Democratic ticket. The Washington Post claims he already enjoys 20% of this party’s support. He is also attracting many on the “right,” due to his centrist leanings and promise to secure our freedoms, in post-Covid America. He has straddled the fence on abortion in the past, but has now fallen decidedly against the unborn. Have a look at these 2 articles…

Robert F Kennedy Jr. Supports Abortion

The Hole in the Heart of RFK Jr.’s Extraordinary Book

Sadly, RFK Jr. is a Catholic who purportedly attends Mass daily and even wrote a children’s book on his patron saint, Francis of Assisi, in 2005. Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. would do well to contemplate the words of Holy Scripture, perhaps speaking of these very times…

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold, nor hot. I would thou wert cold, or hot. But because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold, nor hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth.”

Apocalypse 3:15

June is the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

June continues the traditional Ember Days of Summer on the First Friday and First Saturday.  The Masses of these days are beautiful to read.  Of course, First Fridays are dedicated to the Sacred Heart, so, something to think about there.  We have Trinity Sunday and the 2 feasts of Corpus Christi (or Body and Blood of Christ), in the trad and the new.  Very exciting, the back-to-back feasts of our Two Hearts are on the 16th and the 17th (the 16th being a Friday solemnity, no penance). 

Where does one start when contemplating all the devotional riches of the Sacred Heart, which Holy Church has given us?  Here is a great place to start, from The Catholic Encyclopedia:  Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  This topic is divided into 2 parts:  Doctrinal Explanations and Historical Ideas.

Have a look at the full trad calendar for June:  calefactory.org

And here is a thought to meditate on this coming month.  This came to me today when trying to take a nap and cope with my chronic pain condition.  I thought of a short poem by novelist Gunnel Beckman and changed the words to express what I was feeling.  I felt compelled to share this…

Suffering is only the thorn upon the rose

The broken key

Offering admission to Thine Heart

Saint Margaret Mary, pray for us!

Thoughts on Memorial Day, USA

As with everything it seems, these days, we Catholics must move the opposite direction of the culture.  Memorial Day is no exception.  At my hair salon the other day, everyone was talking about their impending parties over the weekend.  Someone asked me what I was doing and I said, “Nothing,” a bit embarrassed.  I admit I am far from perfect in responding to these many awkward situations that arise.  This is our lot.  This is our cross as Christians, to follow the narrow path.

A culture that has forgotten how to mourn, has forgotten how to live.

In considering how I might “celebrate” this day, my first thought was to refrain from meat.  However, our fridge is packed with meat that needs to be cooked.  So I resolved to pray the rosary and to try to live a good, disciplined day.  Thinking of my husband’s uncle Harry who died in WWII, I decided to offer the day for him and when presented with a difficulty, to say, “Do it for Harry.” 

I have become deeply devoted to the memory of Harry, after coming across an old scrapbook in my husband’s basement.  It showed little anecdotes of Harry from his boyhood.  I was fascinated.  Finally, I turned a page and there it was.  The record of his death.  I had never heard the story and was shocked and saddened.  We have visited Harry’s memorial in the family cemetery several times now.  Someone placed a flag there which is worn, but still there.  He was buried in Germany.  26 years old, close to our son’s age now.  Like the line in “Gone with the Wind,” referring to the soldiers of the Civil War, “Maybe they are all Ashley”…I think of the men and women we honor today…Maybe they are all Harry. 

As I continue to work towards a community of love, apart from a world sinking into tyranny, I wonder what Harry died for and will remember to say, “Do it for Harry.”

On this feast of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, this octave of Pentecost and this Ember Week, let us keep these dear souls and their families in prayer, along with places of war right now and of course, pray for peace. 

­­Come Holy Ghost, give the world the illumination it needs so very much at this time!

Catholic Prepper YouTube Channel / Training Class Tomorrow!

Just found this by accident. I feel God wants me to put this up because they have ONE MORE DAY of a training class. I admit I am not familiar with this content, but a superficial look is encouraging. I would think if you miss the class, videos will be posted, not sure. Most likely, these classes will be offered again. Check it out anyway!

br coalition

The above short video talks about the class and the recent occurrences in the world which should show anyone that preparing is more than reasonable, and people are feeling the stress of a world gone wrong. The massive amount of drug overdose deaths is mentioned. We now have a statistic for 2021 in the US, a staggering 100,000. The Covid agenda was certainly one aspect of this rise. I personally know 3 people who have lost young sons to this tragedy. One is a family member (a devoutly Catholic family). One a friend and one a woman I met at church. I live in New York and it is a particular problem here, for a variety of reasons. Let us pray for our dear young men and women at this confusing time. Let us support them and teach them how to cope in an ever-changing world. Let us show them the Rock, the Holy Catholic Church and our King, Jesus Christ, in Whom all our hope resides!

Are You in Idaho??? / Ideas for a Catholic Prepper Event

Modern Homesteading Conference offers two full days of practical, strategic, and proven presentations. It will be held in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on June 30th and July 1st. You’ll gain insights from individuals who have honed their techniques over many years. There will be live demonstrations to bring these concepts to life before your eyes. When it comes to pursuing a self-sufficient lifestyle and turning your homesteading dreams into reality, mere aspirations and online tutorials can only take you so far.

What: Modern Homesteading Conference

When: June 30th and July 1st

Where: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

The curated lineup of speakers have thrived in challenging northern climates. These experienced individuals understand the unique demands of short warm-weather growing seasons, enduring long winters, and two months of rain scarcity in July and August. They’ve not only managed to feed their families year-round from their homesteads, but have also extended their offerings to provide pasture-raised livestock to others. The speakers will equip you with information for: 

• Enhancing food production.

• Leveraging the benefits of herbs for personal and livestock use.

• Incorporating livestock into your homestead.

• Mastering the art of preserving food for year-round consumption.

• And much more!

Thanks to Peak Prosperity for this info. It has been copied from their email.

If you are not in Idaho or the surrounding area, and you have expertise in these topics, please consider chairing a community, diocesan or parish-based event. How do you Catholicize (I just made up that word) it? Obviously, you can come up with your own ideas. I might suggest discussing: Saint Francis, Saint Isidore the Farmer, Saint Fiacre or Saint Hildegard of Bingen…Saint Joseph was a woodworker!…the Ember Days…growing wheat and grapes for the Holy Mass (we should all have these seeds)…how to perform an emergency baptism…Biblical support for preparedness. Also, the Catholic Bug-Out Bag!

We will post it for you, of course. Gotta get the info out for the children of God and their little ones to navigate the coming days!

Another Empty Nester Conversation

Me: I don’t remember that happening, do you?

Hubby: No.

(Okay, I won’t quit my dayjob. Oh, this IS my dayjob.)

Litany of the Ascension / Novena to the Holy Ghost

A post from 2 years ago, with a pdf printable of the litany

pray it with your family ~ Ascension Blessings to all!

(You can support us by sharing ~ Thank you:)

BREAKING NEWS!

Dr. Taylor Marshall Running for President of the USA

May is the Month of Our Lady

Quick Update: Due to the aforementioned health issues, along with other things going on in my life, I will have to change my writing style here. I will have to write shorter, simpler ideas, in order to keep things going at a reasonable pace. I hope you enjoy the new format and I wish all of you blessings and everything wonderful!

Getting a late start this month, but that’s okay, because the most interesting feasts are the latter part of the month…

On the 13th we have Our Lady of Fatima, to whom this ministry is dedicated. She gives us the antidotes to our times in her Fatima requests. And she also gives us hope in promising a period of peace after a time of trial. Learning more about Fatima and Our Lady’s requests would be a wonderful way to celebrate this month dedicated to her. Try doing a search to the right-we have a lot of info here.

Saint Isidore the Farmer is on the 15th, which is also the first of the 3 Minor Rogation Days, days of prayer and penance, similar to the Ember Days. We like Saint Isidore because he was a farmer. Farming is good. People should like farmers more. We don’t have food without farmers. We should all learn how to farm. (This is how I write when I totally don’t try. Like a first grader’s homework assignment. You might have to get used to this.) But seriously, I am jesting because respect for food production and the importance of food self-reliance should be self-evident. It’s not anymore. Food is good. You die without food. Are people so gone that they need to be reminded of this?

We have Ascension Thursday on the 18th (check if it’s a Holy Day of Obligation in your Diocese) and Ascension Sunday, or whatever they’re calling it these days, on the 21st.

Pentecost, that glorious feast, is on the 28th, in both the trad and new. Come Holy Ghost! Do you have a red shirt? I don’t. I should buy one. I had one I liked once.

On the 31st, we have the Visitation (new) and the Queenship (trad) of Our Lady-a double Marian feast in this Month of Mary. This is also Ember Wednesday, the start of the Ember Days of Summer. Let us pray for the coming season to be productive and fruitful in many ways for the children of God.