Tuesday, May 30, 2017

The Lord is My Shepherd

Hello out there! I wanted to share some scriptures and quotes with y'all on
this beautiful evening.


......he has become man
to make it possible
for us to love
as he loved us.
He makes himself
the hungry one,
the naked one,
the homeless one,
the sick one,
the one in prison,
the lonely one,
the unwanted one,
and he says:
You did it to me.
St. Mother Teresa


As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness,
humility, meekness, and patience. (Colossians 3:12)


Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands;
serve the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
Know that the Lord is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him;
bless his name for he is good:
the Lord, whose kindness
endures forever, and his
faithfulness, to all generations.
(Psalm 100:1-5)

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





Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Everyone Has A Story To Tell

Hello out there! It is almost midnight, the wind is blowing and lightning is flashing
across the sky. It is raining hard right now. I fixed a cup of herbal, sleepy-time tea
and decided to try and catch y'all up to date on the events of the past ten days or so.
On Saturday, May 13th I was at Eggemeyer's General Store for about 4 hours for
a book signing. I really enjoyed visiting with people as they walked by. Eggemeyer's
is a really neat store; they have nic nacs, books, clothes, candles, home made fudge,
smoked hams, jams, jellies, toys, candy that you won't find at other stores and a whole
lot more! I didn't sell very many books that day but I did get to hear a bunch of heart-
warming stories. I enjoyed listening to each story and there were a couple of stories
that brought tears to my eyes. It was a wonderful reminder to me that many times I
need to listen more and talk less. Everyone has a story to tell and I'm so glad that I
was blessed to hear the stories they wanted to share.
Sunday, May 14th was Mother's Day. My sons, daughter, and grandchildren called to
wish me a Happy Mother's Day, and several of my nieces and nephews sent me a text.
Jim took me out to eat breakfast at our favorite little Mexican Restaurant and then we
went to buy some vegetable plants and a few flowers. We came home, changed clothes
and worked in our flower/vegetable garden. The weather was perfect and we had
such a nice time. I filled up our concrete bird bath (the one my youngest grandson
thought was a Holy Water Font when he was younger). This bird bath is right by our
statue of St. Francis. Further out in the yard, beneath the smaller oak tree we have a
round rubber tub that sits on the ground and we keep it filled with water also. I call
it the "Red Neck Bird Bath". The birds love it - I guess because it is a little bit deeper
and they can really splash around in that one. We watered our trees and pulled weeds
and moved some of our potted plants around. We went to Mass that evening and
picked up some hamburgers on the way home. It was a wonderful way to spend the
day. Last week was a busy one; helped out at the Sack Lunch Ministry, watched both
of our grandson's last baseball games of the season, laundry, book work, etc. Oh, and
we also had the Parish Family Picnic out at the park on Wednesday evening - a
fun family event!
Jim and I traveled out of town on Friday. We went to be with our granddaughter
as she made her First Holy Communion on Saturday, May 20th. She looked precious
and so pretty in her sweet, white dress. She and our other granddaughter stayed at
the hotel with us and we had a great time. This is the fourth year in a row we have
been blessed to celebrate First Holy Communions with our grandchildren.
Our third oldest grandchild will turn eleven tomorrow. In 2005 Jim and I were blessed
with the news that all three of our children were going to be parents. 2006 was just the
beginning of many busy months and years to come. Our first grandchild, our grandson
was born in January. Our second grandchild, our granddaughter was born in March.
And our third grandchild, another granddaughter was born in May of 2006. Just
imagine, three grandchildren born within four months of each other. We have been
blessed with seven more grandchildren since then.
Life - Our lives are full of life! Ten blessings from God - they are each a unique and
special gift to us. Some days we are tired - but we are always very thankful!
Thank you for reading the stories on my blog. I know that you have some awesome
stories too! When I look at my stat section I place my hand over the map where the
countries are colored in. This map tells me how many people read my blog and shows
me the countries where you are from. It doesn't list cities, just the countries. I say a
prayer for all of you as my hand covers the map. I pray that you and your families
are well. I pray that you are safe. I pray that my stories bring a smile to your lips and
maybe laughter and joy to your hearts. May God bless each and every one of you.
May God bless our whole world. When I see the map I thank God for all of you.
Take care of your families and reach out to one another. And remember - you are
never alone - God is always with you and He loves you very much!
                                                                  Blessings to you and yours!
                                                                                   Bye for now, Sharla







Friday, May 19, 2017

Radio Program-The Good Fight with Barbara McGuigan

Hello, hello, and good morning out there!

 Saturday, May 27, 2017 from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Central/Standard Time
I will be on the radio program, The Good Fight with Barbara McGuigan -
EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network!


I wanted to share this very exciting news with all of you and invite you to listen to the
following radio broadcast - I have been invited to talk about adoption and my book,
"Adopted and Blessed: Words from my heart" on the two-hour live radio broadcast -
"The Good Fight" with Barbara McGuigan. I am so thankful for this
wonderful opportunity to promote adoption as a loving life option, and talk about my
faith in God and my family. (I realize that many of you may not be able to listen in
but I wanted to let all of you know if you wanted to tune in for a short while)
We will be taking phone calls the second hour (from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.)!


By the way.....91.5 FM is the radio station for San Angelo, TX (and surrounding areas)
and 1180 AM is the station for Odessa, TX and Midland, TX and if you have
satellite radio - Sirius XM channel 130
I will post some more radio station channels for other areas next week!


Have a wonderfully blessed week with your loved ones! Hug your spouse and
hug your kids! Put down all electronic devices for a little while - eat at the dinner
table and talk, talk, and talk! Family time is so important - cherish the time you
have together!









Saturday, May 13, 2017

The One Hundred Year Anniversary - Our Blessed Mother Mary and the Three Shepherd Children from Fatima, Portugal

Hello out there! I actually sat down today and put pen to paper and wrote out my
story the old fashioned way. The only problem is.......I will have to type it out for
y'all tomorrow!
I wanted to share something really quick with y'all before the day is over.
Today is the one hundred year anniversary of when the three shepherd children
saw the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal. The following is what was in our local
newspaper under the, "Today in history" -
1917: "Three shepherd children, Lucia de Jesus dos Santos and two of her cousins,
Jacinta and Francisco Marto, reported seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary near
Fatima, Potugal; it was the first of six such apparitions that the children claimed to
have witnessed." (San Angelo Standard-Times)


In honor of this very special anniversary - I am going to post the Joyful Mysteries
of the Rosary with the pro-life intentions added.
 It doesn't matter whether you are Catholic or not, the scripture is from the Bible,
 and the intentions that follows are pro-life, as Christians, this is for us all.
Whoever wrote the intentions for the Pro-Life Rosary sure put their heart into it.

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."

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. 

As a Catholic, I pray one "Our Father", "Ten Hail Marys", one
"Glory be to the Father", and one "O My Jesus" prayer after each intention.
 For the Pro-Life Rosary we add "Jesus, protect and save the unborn."
The "Hail, Holy Queen" prayer is prayed at the very end and then make
the "Sign of the Cross."


The following are a list of the prayers:
The Sign of the CrossIn the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in
Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died,
and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from
the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the
Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Our Father
Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and
lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for
us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Glory Be To The Father
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Hail, Holy Queen
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope,
to thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our
sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears; turn, then, most gracious
Advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us, and after this, our exile, show unto us
the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises
of Christ.


                                                                Blessings to you and yours!
                                                                                Bye for now, Sharla







Friday, May 12, 2017

Happy Mother's Day Weekend!

Hello out there! The sun is streaming into my office window. This window faces the
west and I am able to see the most beautiful sunsets! This is such a special weekend!
To all the moms out there - May you be blessed with thanksgiving and love this
weekend and every day throughout the whole year.

Monday, May 8, 2017

Cheap Wine on Ice, Old Country Music, and Dancing on the Back Porch

Hello, hello to all of you out there! I have been blessed with so much joy this
weekend. A birthday party, a baby shower, and a faith based painting party at
a friend's house was only part of my Saturday! The really special part of
my day was Saturday night when I got home...............
Jim and I will be married thirty-four years in June. We have really been looking
back lately, reminiscing. We spent yesterday morning together before all of my
other activities took place. We prayed the rosary together, went and voted, and
then we went out to eat breakfast at our favorite little Mexican restaurant. Jim had
a small job to take care of in the courtyard at our parish so I tagged along. While
he worked, I watered all the potted plants. We came home and I quickly got ready
because I was already late to our great-niece's birthday party. Jim happily stayed
home to work in the yard! I enjoyed spending time with all of our family and
seeing all of the precious children from the toddlers to the late teens!
I went straight from the birthday party to the baby shower and had a wonderful
time visiting with everyone there as well. I dropped by a benefit bake sale on
the way home. I dashed in the door, said hi to Jim, washed a few dishes, said
goodbye to Jim, took out the trash and headed to the paint party on the other
side of town. The party was held at one of my friend's homes and was a faith
filled environment, each one of us painting a picture we chose. I really enjoyed
the evening. I will post my picture at the bottom. I left her home at 8:10 p.m.
and called Jim and told him that I was on my way home. He asked me to stop
and pick up some chicken. It was nine o'clock by the time I walked in the door.
I put the chicken on the bar and walked out onto our back porch. Jim had the
radio station turned to a Country and Western channel that plays the "oldies but
goldies" songs on Saturday nights. I looked at all the work he had done and just
shook my head. A good song came on and we two-stepped around our small back
porch, both of us wearing flip-flops! I came inside, put ice in a wine glass and
poured some wine over it. Llano Blush, $6.95 a bottle, is my favorite wine. I know
that if you are a real wine connoisseur you are probably appalled that not only do
I drink such cheap wine, but I water it down with ice! Oh well, what can I say?
That is how I like it. Jim was drinking a Lone Start beer, and I'm sure that beer
connoisseurs are not impressed either! He loved my painting! He is going to
make a frame for it out of some old fence posts and we are going to hang it on
the back porch. We sat on the porch with our two dogs and one of our cats close
by. We could see the sheep in the field next to our yard. We talked about the
old times, we laughed and we danced every time one of our favorite songs
was played. We listened to songs by Willie Nelson, John Anderson, Johnny Cash,
Shania Twain, George Strait, Dolly Parton and a bunch more. We should have
recorded me singing along with Johnny Cash and John Anderson, my Texas
Twang came out loud and proud. I started humming the tune to a song I
remembered and started singing some of the words/lyrics that sounded right.
Jim laughed because I was making up the words and he told me that I was thinking
about an old rock and roll song from a long time ago. Before we knew it, more than
two hours had passed and it was 11:30 p.m. We came inside, ate a little bit of the
chicken and watched part of a crazy show on television. We both fell asleep on the
couch and woke up about 1:00 a.m. and went to bed. On Sunday morning that song
was still stuck in my head so I tried to find it on YouTube and finally came across
it. My lyrics were kind of right. Anyway, I ran outside and got Jim and he
followed me into my office and I played the song. It was sung by the band, Edison
Lighthouse and was popular in the late sixties, early seventies and the title is.........
"Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" and it just has a great beat. Please
don't tell me the lyrics really mean something awful, just let me believe that it really
is what it sounds like, a guy who is in love with a girl who doesn't have any
money, her clothes fit kind of funny, and her hair is long and wild. That song is
stuck in my head now and I'm going to have to listen to some more John Anderson
and start singing, "Her momma was in the kitchen cuttin chicken up to fry" again.
Now for those of you who know me, I know you can just hear me singing with
my Texas Twang at the top of my lungs - Jim was laughing really hard at that point!
I also like the lyrics from Shania Twain that go, "Even when I'm ugly he still better
love me" and from Johnny Cash, "I hear the train a coming!"
Jim and I had such a good time Saturday night. Just the two of us (and our assorted
animals) sitting on the back porch, listening to some old songs, dancing and
laughing, and just being downright thankful that God brought the two of us together!
May you be blessed with love and laughter this week! Go out and make some
great memories with your loved ones!
                                                                                     Bye for now, Sharla







Thursday, May 4, 2017

Daily Blessings - Quality Time, Broken Down Trucks, Burritos, and Baseball - It's All Good!

Hello out there! What an awesome day! I was blessed to spend time with my
daughter - a wonderful Mother's Day treat! I was blessed to spend time with
my husband and son - a busy, working afternoon! I made meat and bean burritos
with grated cheese on top, iced lemonade and chips on the side for five of my
grandchildren. Three generations, Jim, our son, and our oldest grandson went to
work on our son's broken down truck which was located about fifteen miles out
of town. I fixed them burritos to go and fed our other grandchildren. I loaded them
up and took them to our youngest grandson's baseball game. The oldest sister of
the three girls is such a big helper! She helped me get the snacks together and
buckle everyone in their seat belts. I played with the girls and then would run
and watch my grandson bat, cheer him on, and then run back to the girls. The game
ended, we handed out snacks, loaded everyone back up in the truck, and received
the good news - they fixed the truck and would meet us half way. We gave thanks
to the Lord, so thankful they were able to fix the truck. Back at home once more,
Jim and I settled down to watch a little television and had a bite to eat.
Our days are busy and we've learned to go with the flow.
Enjoy each moment and be thankful for each day. Hugs and laughter, quiet times
and peace - Be thankful for God's blessings and have sweet dreams!


                                                              Good night my friends!
                                                                                  God bless you all!
                                                                                 

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

A Quick Hello - Hoping Your Day is Full of Goodness and Light!


 Hello out there! Every now and then a scripture almost jumps off the pages and
catches my attention. I love this one -
"Your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written
in your book before one of them came to be."
                                                              Psalm 139:16


                                  


I hope y'all are praying the rosary! Today is Wednesday - The Glorious Mysteries
(Maybe this will help to get you started!)


The First Glorious Mystery is The Resurrection -
"Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised;
He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him." (Mark 16:6)



I hope y'all have a wonderfully blessed week! I have a bunch of things to share with
y'all but that will have to wait until tomorrow!


                                                                                   Bye for now, Sharla