Thursday, April 30, 2015

Hymns of Praise, Joyful Mysteries, and Pro-Life Banners

Good Morning Out There! The sun is shining, the birds are singing and there is
a slight nip in the air! A gorgeous Thursday morning! I opened the curtains to let
the sun shine in and raised the windows to let the cool morning air in! I'm going
to go and fill up my coffee mug and then I will visit with y'all!
Ok, I am ready to get started! I warmed up my coffee and grabbed a big red delicious
apple, I really wanted a big fat muffin or something similar but I'm trying to eat
healthier, for today anyway!
The other day I was telling y'all about the banners I ordered. I'm very blessed to have
so many friends and fellow pro-life warriors who support spreading the pro-life
message. I'm very thankful for those who pitched in to help with the cost of the
banners. Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart!
I decided that Tuesday evening would be a good time to get together and hang up
the banners and pray the pro-life rosary. So on Monday I started calling people
and letting them know about my plans. I also posted the time and date on face book.
Little did I know that Tuesday would end up being a chilly, overcast day! I wondered
if I should change the day and decided that no, the banners would go up and those
who showed up would pray with me and it would just be ok!
I loaded my truck up with all the banners, prayer books and hand-outs. I headed to
the courtyard and right when I pulled up people started arriving! My smile was
so big, my heart was so full. Our music minister/choir director came with his wife
and he sang three beautiful songs while we hung up two of the banners. I'm so
thankful for him and how he shares his beautiful gift. He had picked out the perfect
songs, and I was not the only one with tears in my eyes. He headed off to choir practice,
and some more people arrived. We started praying the Joyful Mysteries of the Pro-Life
Rosary. We usually pray the Sorrowful Mysteries on Tuesday, but the Joyful Mysteries
seemed appropriate for the event, and also because my heart was so full of joy! People
took turns reading each mystery as we prayed. I'm going to post the Joyful Mysteries so
that you can see what I'm talking about if you have never prayed the rosary before.
First Joyful Mystery
The Annunciation
Luke 1:28
And when the angel had come to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women."
(When we pray the pro-life rosary, we add special intentions after each
 mystery/scripture.)
Mary is troubled by the angel's greeting, yet rejoices to do God's will. Let us pray
that those who are troubled by their pregnancy may have the grace to trust in
God's will.
Second Joyful Mystery
The Visitation
Luke 1:41-42
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice:
"Blest are you among women and blest is the fruit of your womb."
John the Baptist leapt for joy in his mother's womb. We pray that people may realize
that abortion is not about children who "might" come into the world, but is about
children who are already in the world, living and growing in the womb, and are
scheduled to be killed.
Third Joyful Mystery
The Birth Of Jesus
Luke 2:7
She gave birth to her first-born Son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and
laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the place where
travelers lodged.
God Himself was born as a child. The greatness of a person does not depend on size,
for the newborn King is very small. Let us pray for an end to prejudice against the tiny
babies threatened by abortion.
Fourth Joyful Mystery
The Presentation
Luke 2:22-23
When the day came to purify them according to the law of Moses, the couple brought
Him up to Jerusalem so that He could be presented to the Lord, for it is written in the
law of the  Lord, "Every first-born male shall be consecrated to the Lord."
The Child is presented in the Temple because the Child belongs to God. Children are
 not the property of their parents, nor of the government. They -and we- belong to
God Himself.
Fifth Joyful Mystery
Finding The Child Jesus in The Temple
Luke 2:46
On the third day they came upon Him in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions.
The boy Jesus was filled with wisdom, because He is God. Let us pray that all people
 may see the wisdom of His teachings about the dignity of life, and may understand that
this teaching is not an opinion, but the truth.
After each intention, we pray one "Our Father", "Ten Hail Marys",
one "Glory be to the Father",  and one "O My Jesus" prayer. For the Pro-Life Rosary
we add "Jesus, protect and save the unborn" at the end, before starting the next mystery.




-Now back to my story..... It was wonderful! Praying together is such a powerful witness,
so uplifting, so necessary! We looked at all the banners and everyone agreed that each
one was perfect! We will rotate them out every couple of weeks or so. That way people
will see a variety of beautiful, positive, thought provoking pro-life messages as they drive
or walk by the courtyard!  We visited for a while and then people helped roll up the other
banners and we loaded everything back into my truck. Overall, I counted right at 30 people,
including the kids, who came out to the courtyard to see the banners and pray on that chilly
evening. I just want you to know what a blessing that hour in the courtyard was for me. The
fellowship, the music, the prayers, and the wonderful feeling that God was right there with
us helps to keep me motivated to keep up the good fight! There are many days that I pray
and ask God to guide me in how to spread the pro-life message, if I need to do something
else? Then I spend an hour with y'all in the courtyard and I know that He is telling me
to stay the course, continue on this path, and don't ever give up!
Blessings, blessings to you and yours! Please say a little prayer for me on this journey,
and be assured that I will always be praying for each of you!
I am going to close with this scripture:
Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you. (Romans 15:7)
                                                Bye for now, Sharla

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Walking for Life, Spreading the Pro-Life Message

Hello out there! A quick post to say hello and I hope you have had a good day! My
day started out with Life Walk 2015, a fundraiser for the Pregnancy Help Center of the
Concho Valley. This was my third year to participate. I really enjoy meeting up with
all the other pro-life people, visiting and walking about a mile or so. I turned in my
sponsor sheet and the money and pledges I had collected. Praying for an end to abortion
and supporting the Pregnancy Help Center go hand in hand for me. I am very thankful
that we have somewhere for young ladies and women to go if they are in a crisis
pregnancy and they need assistance.
I ordered six pro-life banners to hang up in the courtyard where we pray for the unborn
and their families. They have arrived and I am so excited! Jim helped me open up the
large, taped up tubes they came in last  night. We spread them out all over the living
room floor and I took pictures of them. They are beautiful banners! I can't wait to hang
them up. After I took pictures, we carefully rolled them back up and put them back in
the tubes. We are going to hang them up next week. They are really large banners, and
they are weather proof! We will probably hang up two at a time and then rotate them out.


The first banner is a picture of Jesus holding a baby and smiling, the baby's hands are
touching Jesus's face. It is an absolutely beautiful picture. The words say,"Before I
formed you in the womb, I knew you." - God


The second banner is of four precious toddlers. The words say, "God saw all He had
made and it was very good!"


I'll have to tell you about the rest of the banners in my next post. My husband and son
just drove up with both trailers and they will probably need help with the gates!


Have a wonderful weekend! Blessings to you and yours!
                                                              Bye for now, Sharla

Friday, April 17, 2015

"I'll Say a Little Prayer for You!"

Good Morning out there! I have so much to say..............Where do I begin? I'll start off
with what an absolutely beautiful morning it is. I walked my husband out to his truck
as he was heading off  to work. I smiled at him as he rolled down his window, and I
sang, "I'll say a little prayer for you!" I watched him back out of the driveway and I blew
him a kiss good bye.
I wish I could say that I do that every  morning, I should do that every morning, but I
don't. This morning was different. Where do I begin?
As I've told you in my previous posts, we are self-employed. My husband is a contract
welder and I keep the books. We've been married for almost 32 years now, and we've
been self-employed for the last 25 years. Needless to say, we've seen many ups and
downs in our business, but by the Grace of God, we are still in business. Feast or
famine, boom or bust, yep that is the oilfield. Now that we are older, and our children
are grown, we can handle the ups and downs a lot easier. Thanks be to God, our home
is paid off. Jim worries about the other guys and their families. He feels bad for those
whose homes are not paid off, for those who have babies on the way. I feel his pain too.
We have been there, we know what they are going through.
I made the coffee last night and set the automatic timer so that it would be ready when
we woke up. I got up when Jim did, and I went to the kitchen and started cooking
bacon. I saw the box of Graham Crackers on the counter top and smiled. Jim has a
sweet tooth, and the chocolate chip cookies I made earlier in the week are all gone!
I sat down at the kitchen counter and started filling out invoices for the work that Jim
has done the last couple of weeks. He came in the kitchen and we checked everything
over. Today might be the last day he contracts for this company. Hours have been cut,
and there is not much to do. We know the drill, contractors are the first to go.
We reminisced about a similar Friday many years ago. On that Friday, Jim was not
self-employed, he was an employee and had been for about 8  years. I was 8 and
1/2 months pregnant with our son when Jim came home early that day. I was busy
putting away baby things that I had received at my Baby Shower just the night before.
I was surprised when I heard Jim come through the door, I'll never forget the look
on his face, the disbelief, the hurt. He explained that he had been let go, and so had many
others. It was hard, and we struggled, but we made it through. We learned to really
depend on God, and we clung together as husband and wife, and our relationship has
only grown stronger through the ups and downs.
Today is a new day, I don't know what is in store for today. I don't know if Jim will
walk through the door early, or if he will come home at the regular time. What I do
know is we will be ok. God will see us through, we will lean on Him, we have learned
that through the years, and we are stronger because of that, our faith has made us
stronger. I pray for those who have not yet learned to lean on God, I pray that their
struggles will strengthen their relationships with each other and with God.
I'm going to make some brownies for Jim today, I'll make sure they have pecans in
them because those are his favorite. The brownies will be waiting on the counter for
him whether he comes home early or at the regular time, and I'll be here waiting for
him, just like I always have.
I hope your day is full of blessings, please pray for people everywhere. Our prayers
do so much good, God is always listening. Pray for young couples, pray for all couples,
and families to learn to cling to each other and to God.
I'm going to close with this scripture:
            May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.
                                      Romans 15:13
                                                                                    Bye for now, Sharla

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

A Rainy Day, Blessing #10, and The Bells at St. Boniface

Good Morning Out There! Perfect spring weather! The sun is shining, and there
is a cool breeze in the air! I opened up the windows to let the fresh air in. I hope
you all are having a wonderful week. This is Holy Week, a week full of blessings
and miracles and mercy and love.
I have so much to share with all of you. Blessings #10, another grandchild, another
sweet baby girl was born last week! March was full of blessings for our family.
Two baby girls were born just a couple of weeks apart! Two more grand-daughters
for us to love! Let met tell you about the Saturday before Blessing #10 arrived.
It was a rainy day, kind of gloomy. The morning was cold. I headed to the court-
yard (40 Days was still going on) about 7:00 a.m. I arrived and two people were
praying. I unlocked the door to the  hallway and a sweet lady came inside to pray
while the nice man stayed outside beneath the canopy to pray. I organized the prayer
books and put out a new sign up sheet. I read my daily devotionals and waited on
the next person to arrive. I drove home and starting cooking a pot of beans that
I had let soak over night. My daughter called and asked if I was still at the court-
yard, when I told her that no, I was home she told me that she and the girls were
coming over. While I waited, I added seasoning to the beans and grated cheese
for quesadillas. The girls arrived about noon. They were ready to eat! After lunch
and some play time we all settled down to rest for a bit. My oldest grand-daughter
was resting on the couch, covered up with a patch-work quilt my grandmother had
made. My daughter was asleep on the smaller couch, her hand resting protectively
over her stomach with Blessing #10 still nestled snug inside. I sat in the rocking
chair holding my younger grand-daughter, rocking back and forth. I quietly sang
the "Hail Mary" until my grand-daughter fell asleep. As I sat there, rocking back
and forth, I felt so at peace. The lights were out and the room was cool. All my girls
were sound asleep. I could smell the aroma of simmering beans in the air. I thought
about my husband and son who were working on the bells up in the bell tower at
St. Boniface and said a prayer. It went something like this, "Dear Lord, please don't
let them fall through the floor, down the stairs, or out of the windows. They are doing
this out of the goodness of their hearts and because they love you so much, so please
keep them safe. Amen." I rocked some more, holding my little one close, and
prayed again, "Dear God, thank you for my blessings, my husband, my sons and
their wives, and their children, my grandchildren. Thank you for my daughter,
her husband, and their children, my grandchildren. Thank you for the gift of our
lives. Thank you for this quiet moment, I love you so very much. Amen."
After a little while the girls woke up, and they headed back to their home. My
husband arrived safely, and I asked him about being in the bell tower. He said
something like, piece of cake and then grinned, because it wasn't! But that's him,
he doesn't complain, he just does what needs to be done, and that is just one of
the many reasons I love him so much! He also told me that they were having
Eucharistic Adoration at the same time they were up in the bell tower. I just
thought, how awesome is that? He said they probably prayed harder when they
heard all the metal banging above their heads going on and I laughed! I told him
that I hoped no "ugly" words were said, and he replied that no cussing had taken
place, but there may have been some raised voices, to which I raised my eye-brows
and kind of grinned! I asked if he wanted to ride with me to close up the courtyard
and he said, "Not really," but he went with me anyway. The next day we both spent
a lot of time at the courtyard, praying for the babies, praying for their  mothers and
their fathers. We prayed for families everywhere, and we thanked God for our many
blessings. The 40 Days for Life campaign ended on Palm Sunday. Please continue to
pray for the unborn and their families, they need our prayers. I'm going to close with
something I wrote last summer.
                                 "Gifts from heaven, babies are
                                      Gifts from God above
                                    Protect them, love them
                                      Sing songs of joy
                                            New life, new life
                                        How precious they are!"
                                                                                            Bye for now, Sharla