Fever, Chills, and St. Valentine

Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God,
that we who solemnize the festival of blessed Valentine, thy martyr,
may, by his intercession, be delivered from all the evils that threaten us
Through Christ Our Lord. Amen

Now here in Japan Valentine's Day is celebrated a little differently: on February 14th women and girls give candy and cards to the special men in their life (just like in America anyone from a sweetheart/husband to a father or good friend). Now don't get too excited boys! The next month on March 14th (called "White Day") the men return the favor and give gifts to the women.

Now the fever and chills are not associated with the day! But I came down with a bit of a virus (the reason Im posting at 4 in the morning) and as I lay there in bed shivering violently for a good amount of time I recalled hearing my mother say when I was younger, whenever she herself was sick, "You miss your mother the most when you are sick-no one takes care of you like her!" And since I had a lovely mother who was always there growing up, I didn't really understand that saying. Then, I moved away and I caught myself thinking tonight, "Gee I really wish Mom were here." (deep i know but forgive me, i was 103 degrees ;) ) And the more I thought about it the more I realized that it wasn't because I wanted her to wait on me-I was an independent brat of sorts growing up and I would always say something like "No, no I got it." when she offered to get me anything. So it wasn't that aspect of it, really, it was the knowledge that at any point in the day you could call out and she would come quickly and help you-the knowledge that she loved me so much that she would do whatever it took to make me feel better. Now, who does that remind you of? For me I realized that Jesus operates in the same way He is always there just waiting for us to call on Him so that He can assist us with all our needs.....

Happy St Valentine's Day!

So True

"Sometimes the only way the good Lord can get into some hearts is to break them. "
— Fulton J. Sheen

Wasting Life, Cherry Blossoms and Lent

 I haven't written in soo long! And there is so much I want to write about!
I have been on a Bishop Fulton Sheen kick lately-by far my favorite speaker ever, I have been listening to his various talks nightly for a couple weeks now and this one talk has been on my mind the most:



there is two more parts to that video, but what a beautiful thought-to waste your life-to pour it all out for the Lord! May He help me put it into action!

Cherry Blossom Festival is a week long fair in celebration of the coming of Spring here in Okinawa-the day we went I was recovering from wisdom teeth removal surgery just 24 hours previous and it was bitterly cold (go figure). But, regardless, it was well worth the hike up the mountainside to see the flowers, all along the streets at the foot of this mountain are vendors and game stands. At the top there was a snowland with trucked in ice for the children to play in-the were having a ball-jumping up and down, shouting and grinning from ear to ear when it "snowed" It both warmed my heart to see them so gleeful and it made me miss the snowy mountains of Vermont just a lil more. ..

 Lent is fast approaching! I have started pre-Lenten reading: The Five People You Meet in Heaven which is surprisingly a very interesting book and a quick read as well which is sometimes almost a necessity with work and physical training these days. I was promised a Lent devotional from my lovely mother-she takes the time to accumulate Holy cards, articles, prayers, and quotations and puts them in books for us-I keep everyone that she has made for me. They are not only incredible they provide a little excitement each day of Lent-you never know what tomorrows entry will say!

Oh, I know I have more to write about but at the moment nothing springs to mind, which should teach me to keep this blog updated!