God willing and the creek don't rise!........

Never before have I understood this phrase to the depth that I have this past week and a half. 

We live in South Carolina, inland from Myrtle Beach. 11 days ago, we made the decision to evacuate with seven of our children to the mountains of NC to escape the possible devastation of Hurricane Matthew.

We had to make the call -  that it wasn't worth the risk.  I learned many years ago while living in WNY to detach myself from stuff when I had the hard lesson of losing a bunch of my most important stuff to a flooded basement. "stuff is stuff" was God's lesson to me during that time, and I have clung to that over the years as I became less and less attached to things of this world. 

But our children - God's most precious gifts to my husband and me - were not to be risked. We took down precious pictures from the walls and packed them away just in case... The stray cats who have adopted us were provided with many feeding stations outside, and the mama and her kittens were left plenty of provisions inside. The dogs and the tortoise came with us, and we left. Not knowing what would be there to greet us upon our return a week later. 

The next few days were full of anxious moments as we checked in as much as we could via the spotty internet connections available to us up in the mountains. We worried about our oldest daughter who chose to stay behind in North Myrtle Beach. As reports came in we were quite concerned at one point that there may not be much left of our home when we got back. I remember on Saturday night as I lay there awake in the middle of the night and the storm was raging back in SC, begging God to take my home and spare my daughter. 

Then there was a period of peace.. Yes the storm had ravaged our area. Yes, there would be lots of destruction. Yes, there will be flooding. But our kids would be ok, and that was enough. 

As it turned out, our house was indeed spared. Many around us were not. Trees were down everywhere, power lines down, telephone poles down, roads washed away, or closed because they had been turned into lakes. Our power had been off long enough to render everything in our fridge and freezer spoiled, but hey, I wanted to clean our the fridge anyway, (boy was it pretty nasty) and I am so thankful we can afford to restock our groceries. 

A week later there are still people without power, still people who lost everything, still trees down being cleaned up - and yes - the creeks are still rising!!! Just this morning it took my college age kids an hour and a half to make their usual 25 minute trip to school due to the flooded roads and detours. More areas are still being evacuated due to rising flood waters. 

Thank you, God, for the reminder that we need to depend on You. That You will provide for our needs. That You will keep us safe, and comfort us in our hour of need. You calmed this mother's heart a hundred times that night, and I am again reminded how much You love Your sons and daughters. 

Our area will recover, flood waters will receed (eventually), and life will get back to "normal". Retreats will be rescheduled, speaking engagements will be rescheduled. But for now, we will navigate this new terrain one day at a time. I pray that you are all safe and sound, and I will ask that you pray for those who are still suffering so greatly from this storm. 

I hope to see you soon! God willing and the creek don't rise!

On the Road again....

Hello! I'm heading to Buffalo, NY for the weekend to celebrate the marriage of my niece, and to lend a hand in the registration process for MOM's groups in WNY. I hope to gather enough information there to bring back with me to SC to start MOM's groups here! I'll be at St Leo's Catholic church in Amherst, NY to sing the 4:30 Mass on August 27th. I look forward to seeing some old friends, and making some new ones. 

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

When I get back we will be getting ready for the MOM's retreat at Saint James Catholic Church in Conway, SC on October 8th from 9-4.  Please pray for all the mothers preparing to attend this retreat. I'll post registration information as soon as it's ready. 

Pray for me and know that I will be praying for you!! 

Sometimes we just need a good AS kicking..

Yes! I thank Him daily for his AS kickings. 

This pearl of wisdom was dropped on me by the Holy Spirit a year or so ago, and it's time to share it with the rest of you battle weary people. When I find myself falling into some old bad habits, I have found that Jesus is right there to deliver a well placed AS kicking. It always sets me back on track. 

You know, like a good swat from your parent - sometimes that's all it takes to snap us out of it. 

So when I get frustrated with the world, or find myself in a rut, or feel the loneliness of trying to raise Catholic kids in a sick, secular world, there He is:

Love one another AS I have loved you!  ~ John 13:34

Be perfect AS your Heavenly Father is perfect! ~ Matthew 5:48

As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance.                                                                           But just be holy AS He who called you is holy! ~ 1Peter 1:15

Be merciful, just AS your Father is merciful! ~ Luke 6:36

Wives, submit to your husbands AS to the Lord! ~ Ephesians 5:24

(and to be fair) Husbands, love your wives AS Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her! ~ Ephesians 5:25

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just AS Christ has forgiven you! ~ Ephesians 4:32

See? now take it like a warrior and move forward! Onward and upward. Pray for me and know that I pray for you daily!!!

In His Peace, Laura

Taking the leap! Well, the limp, anyway...,..,

Hello! Well, It's been a long journey but I am finally on the "interweb". No, I'm not trying to become a famous blogger or anything, but I am taking advantage of the blogging application on my new squarespace account to keep in touch with my new friends around the country now and then. 

This past moth has brought many blessings and challenges, not the least of which was blowing out my knee walking - yes! walking - while we were up in Maine a couple of weeks ago. So, I gimp around now in my brace, awaiting my MRI. Dr says it's a torn meniscus, and homeopaths say I can heal this naturally, so we'll see. I can't stand not being able to go at my usual pace, so I have plenty to offer up!! God is so good. 

Check out the site! It's still a work in progress, but I'll get there (with the patient training of my kids)

God bless you and Mary keep you!!!

Laura

Mothers of Mercy Retreat 3-18-16

I had the privilege of attending the Mothers of Mercy retreat at Christ the King seminary in East Aurora, NY on March 18th as their keynote speaker/singer. What an incredible blessing it was to be a part of such an uplifting and spiritually nourishing event. I met so many beautiful women that day. I wish I could have talked to each one of them for a while. 

Mothers - you are amazing! You have found favor with God! Let Him fill you with His mercy and love so you can be conduits of that mercy and love to everyone around you. 

Offer Him your weakness, your exhaustion, your frustration, your loneliness and your stress. He will take it and let you feel his presence in those moments so you can experience more joy and comfort and encouragement and support through your vocation. He loves you so much. 

I will add some more pictures of the event here. God bless all of you who attended. I hope to see you again someday soon. 

I am currently working on recording the Mothers of Mercy Rosary Meditations I wrote for the event which we prayed at the end. Check back at the end of May. 

Sacred Heart Academy 3-17-16

On Saint Patrick's Day, 2016, I was able to visit my High School, The Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart, in Amherst, NY. I was in town as the keynote speaker/singer for a retreat at the Seminary in East Aurora the following day, and everyone at Sacred Heart was so welcoming. It was such a pleasure to share my Stations of the Cross with the student body on that cold Thursday morning. I hope I was able to reach a few of the girls and/or faculty with a personal experience of the Stations. Thank you Sister Mara! Thank you Susan Daniels!