Happy Thanksgiving!

What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had!  This year was supposed to be the "small" year, where many of my siblings and their families go to the "in-laws" houses.  So...Dan and I offered to host the remaining siblings as well as Dan's family.  Well, the gathering was a little larger than expected, and so our first Thanksgiving sat 24 people!  Dan's family tradition is to grill their turkey, and ours is to roast one, so we did both!  Luckily Carolyn was "on call" next door to help me with the turkey preparation...I had never made a turkey before.  Once we got 'em all thawed out, it was smooth sailing.  

We went to Mass at Assumption with Carolyn and the family, and Fr. Joe Kempf gave the most awesome homily.  He talked about how as parents, we always want to document our children's firsts...first word, first step, first haircut, etc.  Many of us put these "firsts" into a book of Firsts.  He went onto question..."What would we do if we had a book of "lasts"?"  How would we act toward one another if we knew this would be our last Thanksgiving with a loved one, or the last time your pre-teen did not feel embarrassed by snuggling with you...Or if you knew it would be the last time you would celebrate Mass?  How would we behave if we knew so many of the things we experienced would be our last?   This homily really hit home with me... I feel so blessed having my mom and dad still around, and even better, I get to see them almost everyday!  And even though my siblings may cause me stress (some more than others ;->), there is no place on earth I would rather be! Even though the meal preparation was a little hectic (with feeding 24 people), I really tried to stay calm and really, truly enjoy the moments of the day.

And it was such a good time.  We talked.  We played cards.  We drank wine.  We played Rockband and the Wii.  It was a wonderful blessing to have our families together.  And for that, I was truly Thankful!

Surrender

Wow...so it's been over a month since I've posted anything on this site.  I've been struggling with some health issues lately.  Due to recurrent sinus infections and a nagging cough, I asked my doctor for a chest xray.  The xray was abnormal, and so my doctor ordered a CT scan of my lungs.  The scan showed 2 enlarged lymph nodes, as well as a "mass", which she determined was most likely just my thymus.  Needless to say, I was freaking out.  She gave me several options of how I wanted to proceed, and I chose to have some bloodwork done, as well as to meet with a cardiothoracic specialist (which my doctor felt might be overboard right now, but was fully supportive of...)  The bloodwork was all negative (Praise God), and I met with the specialist.  As my doctor suspected, the specialist does not want to do anything right now.  He ordered another CT scan for 3 months from now.  He said that the risks involved in a biopsy outweigh the chance that this is anything to be concerned about.  Uggh!  So now I wait...  Everyone I talk to tells me to hand this over to the Lord...My response, "That's what I always tell OTHER people who are having difficulties!!"  It's not so easy when it's me!  

But, that is what I have decided to do... Surrender!  Surrender my worries, surrender the uncertainty, surrender the fear.  I am trying my best to submit to His will.  I know He loves me and wants the best for me!  He will never let me fall below His resting arms.  I will remain steady and peaceful (as best I can).  I feel the prayers of all those around me, and it is a truly wonderful feeling!

My ACTS retreat is this weekend.  Thirty women, including myself, have spent 13 weeks preparing for this retreat.  Our theme for the retreat is "Come, Share your Master's Joy!"  I pray that the women who attend this retreat will be touched by the Holy Spirit, and will share in His Joy!