Wednesday, September 30, 2015

BEAUTIFUL HANDMADE ROSARIES, NEW FRIENDS, A GIFT FROM GOD!

Good Morning Out There! A quick post before I head to the courtyard! I forgot to
tell y'all about a couple of other really warm your heart kind of things that happened
last week! I shared with y'all about the baptisms of our two youngest granddaughters,
and that we went out to eat afterwards. After the second baptism, a week ago Sunday,
we went out to eat at a family owned Mexican restaurant in Ballinger, TX. My son
and his family go there after Mass quite often so they know all about our family. He
told them about the 40 Days for Life campaign. The owner and her daughter make
rosaries and they told him that they would like to make some special rosaries for me
to give away during the 40 days campaign. Right when Jim and I walked into the
restaurant we were greeted with hugs from the owner. She calls out to her daughter that
I am the one that they are making the rosaries for. She comes to greet me and says that
she will dash home and pick up the rosaries that they have already made. Plus, she wants
to make a couple of copies with information about what the different colors of beads
mean. I was just overwhelmed at their welcome. These beautiful, warm people touched
my heart in a way that I just can't describe. The daughter comes back and has
15 beautiful rosaries that they had made, and tells me that they will make more.
The beads are bright and colorful.


Pro-Life Rosary Colors represent:
WHITE - For the intentions of our Holy Father.


ORCHID- The Lord's passion and death, increase in faith, hope, and love in
all people so that all people will CHOOSE LIFE, also in reparation for
the suffering Christ endures each time an unborn baby is killed, someone is
euthanized, or whenever death overcomes life in this world.


AQUA - For the intentions of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
WHITE  - For peace in our world.


RED - In reparation for the blood spilled from every baby aborted.
WHITE - For the mothers and fathers of these little ones, that they may
receive the grace to repent.


BLACK - For the medical profession that participates in pro-death activities.
WHITE - For their conversion.


RED - All anti-life laws in the nation/world be reversed.
WHITE - Strengthening of every pro-life law.
BLUE - For new and strong pro-life laws to be enacted in our nation/world.


GREEN - Our hope for mercy, justice, truth, peace, and life will be realized.
WHITE - To end all pro-death activities through the intercession of
Mother Mary, under the titles of:
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Queen of Peace
Our Lady of Fatima
Mary, Undoer of Knots


I found out later that the owner's son has been praying for me. I can't tell you
how humbled I feel, and how very thankful I am for his prayers. My life was truly
touched that day, there is know way to describe how grateful I am for this wonderful,
faithful, pro-life family. I felt like I was given a beautiful gift from God.


I didn't expect this first story to take so long...................I really have to get to the
courtyard so I will write about the other heartwarming story later!
            Blessings to  you and yours!       Bye for now, Sharla





Friday, September 25, 2015

PRAYERS AND BLESSINGS! BLESSINGS AND PRAYERS!

Good Evening Out There! The Kick-Off Rally was great and the 40 Days
for Life Campaign has begun! This has been a wonderful week! My heart
has been so blessed by all the helping hands that pitched in to make the Kick-
Off such a success. My dear pro-life friends and family helped set up tables and
chairs. They set up the canopies, decorated with balloons, fixed and served the
hot dogs and kept the ice chests stocked with waters. Cookies and brownies
were brought by the families, and some people dropped off cookies even
though they weren't able to stay.
One of my best friends met me at HEB to buy the groceries for the rally. We had
so much fun, and you would not believe the coupons and sales that were exactly
for what we needed! Our God is an awesome God, and we saved so much money
at the store. You won't believe this, but HEB had coupons for the cutest little children's
books, many of them bible stories and we got twenty-four of them for free! We
were so excited and we were able to give each family with children a beautiful
book at the rally! The music ministry from our parish out did themselves with
praise and worship songs. They passed out song sheets and we sang along, we
also got up and did the hand motions and danced to many. The children danced
and colored the courtyard pavement with creative and thought provoking sidewalk
chalk pictures and messages. We had students from the Pro-Life Rams and the
Newman Center from the college come and join us, they seemed to have a great time.
The courtyard is in the down-town area and a couple of the homeless men stopped by
to see what was going on, we invited them to come and eat, and they did! One of them
even stayed and helped us put up the chairs and tables. An absolutely great way to start
the 40 days!
I drove up to the courtyard on Wednesday morning at about 6:50 a.m. There
were already three people praying! Everyday has been a blessing! Yesterday the
Mom's Group held their weekly meeting in the courtyard. Four beautiful young
women, one expecting her second son soon, there were two baby girls, and two
toddler boys! Listening to their laughter and squeals made me smile.
I looked out from where I was sitting and noticed a man who comes to get a lunch
from the Sack Lunch Ministry sitting on one of the benches, another man, a
parishioner was praying the rosary, the moms were visiting, the toddlers were
playing, and I just thought what a perfect picture!
I have to go and wash the dishes now. I'll keep you posted about the blessings in
the courtyard! Have a wonderful weekend and please take just a moment each
day to say a prayer for the unborn, for babies, for families everywhere!
Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14
                                                               Bye for now, Sharla

Monday, September 21, 2015

LOVE, JOY, FAMILY AND LIGHT - CELEBRATING TWO BAPTISMS

Hello Out There! What a beautiful Sunday afternoon! In the past three weeks, our
youngest granddaughters, #9 and #10 have been baptized! All ten of our grandchildren
have now been baptized in the Catholic Church. As the grandmother of these ten blessings
from God, I couldn't be happier, and their grandfather feels the same way! The kids
call us Nana and Pa, and they are all unique and precious to us.
As I've said before, we have 8 granddaughters and 2 grandsons. So the numbers I give
are when they were born.
We baptized granddaughter #10, three weeks ago after the Saturday evening Mass
at Sacred Heart in the little chapel. She looked so beautiful in her white baptism gown.
What made it even more special -  she wore the same gown her oldest sister (#3)
wore when she was baptized, also at Sacred Heart but in the big sanctuary.
I wish you could have heard the other grandkids voices as we prayed the "Our Father"
during the baptism. From the smallest to the tallest, their little voices praying
in one accord will stay in my heart forever.
We all went out to eat afterwards, our daughter, her husband and their three little girls,
including #10-the shining star of the evening, our son, his wife, their three little
girls and two sons, our only grandsons! We ate at a Mexican restaurant with several
tables pushed together. I smile when I think of all the laughing and joy that evening
held. One of my favorites moments was when we all prayed together before we
ate our meal, giving thanks to God for everything.
We baptized granddaughter #9, after the 11:00 a.m. Mass today! She was baptized
at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Olfen. She was also beautiful in her white
baptism gown. What made it even more special - she wore the same gown her
oldest sister (#4) wore when she was baptized. My heart was touched again as we
prayed in one accord, the smallest to the tallest, their sweet voices were heard.
Both baptisms were beautiful and the babies did so well. It was like they knew that
this was something special, something powerful, something that must be done.
I want to share something else that touched my heart today. Grandson #1 and
granddaughter #3 (cousins) were sitting side by side in the pew in front of my
husband and I at Mass today. They are nine years old now, and when I saw them,
I thought of a time not so long ago, when his father and her mother, sat side
by side at Mass learning to follow God to grow up in His ways.
Yes, today was a blessing, my husband and I, two of our adult children and
their families all at Mass together, celebrating another baptism, continuing to try
and follow God's ways.
We went out to eat at a different Mexican restaurant today, our large, happy family
including #9-the shining star of the day. Crowded tables blessed with food, and also
laughter, love, and thankfulness!
Blessings to you and yours!                     Bye for now, Sharla

Monday, September 14, 2015

PEACE BE WITH YOU!

Good Morning Out There! It is a beautiful morning and there is a nice cool breeze
in the air. I love the fall of the year! Jim and I were up bright and early this morning.
Actually it was still very dark outside as we got into our truck and drove to the
adoration chapel. Spending an hour in prayer and quiet devotion is such a great way
to begin the week. There is the nicest man who comes into pray sometimes when we
are there. He made some prayer booklets that include all of the daily rosaries we pray and
gave them to me. His faith is such a shining light and we are always so happy to see
him. I love this quote from Blessed Mother Teresa;
     "Keep the light of Christ always shining in your hearts.
      Only He is the Way to be trodden.
     He is the Truth we must speak out.
     He is the Love we must love."
I pray that I may also be light in the darkness of this world.
I want to close with a prayer that was given to me by a wonderful couple, and our
good friends that attend Mass with us on Sunday evenings. They gave me a beautiful
plaque with a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe on one side and the following prayer
on the other side.
                                       Our Lady of Guadalupe,
                                              Mother of Life,
              Cast your maternal gaze on your children, born and unborn.
              We are in such need of your protection. The enemies of Life
               are strong, but you are infinitely stronger, since God chose you
              to "crush the head of the serpent," the devil. As we strive to over-
              come evil we remember your words of comfort to St. Juan Diego,
              "Am I not here, who am your mother?!" Therefore, we approach
              you with great confidence.
                                               Our Lady of Guadalupe,
                                           Mother of Life, Pray for Us!
                   
I also want to add the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary:


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.


Have a wonderful day!                Blessings, Sharla









Thursday, September 3, 2015

COME! LIVE IN THE LIGHT! SHINE WITH THE JOY AND THE LOVE OF THE LORD!

Good Morning Out There! I hope you all are doing well! Just a quick post
before I start my day. It is that time of year again. I am busy planning for the
upcoming fall 40 Days for Life campaign here in San Angelo, TX. This will
be the third one that we have held in the courtyard at my parish, Sacred Heart
Cathedral. So far it is going really well. People have been calling me to sign
up and ask what they can do to help! I am so thankful for all of these dedicated
pro-life warriors! The preparations for the Kick-Off Rally that will be held on
Tuesday, September 22, 2015 are rolling right along, I am really excited about it!
The Kick-Off Rally will be from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
We will serve hot dogs, chips, drinks and desserts!
There will be music! A DJ (a young man from our parish) will start playing music
about 5:30 p.m. and will continue right on to the end!
Our choir director and members of the music ministry will bless us with their
voices and will lead us in praise and worship music!
Sidewalk chalk, balloons, fellowship and prayers; families and friends
everywhere!
I know that it will be a wonderful evening, a great way to kick-off the next
40 days.
The 40 Days for Life campaign begins on Wednesday, September 23, 2015 and
goes through Sunday, November 1, 2015.
There will be people praying in the courtyard from 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
every day. Most people sign up for a 1 hour time slot each week, some people
just drop in and pray for 15 -20 minutes or so when they are in the area. We
also have rosary groups that come and pray in the courtyard during this time.
Sometimes you will walk into the courtyard and there will be a large group of
people all praying together. Other times you will see people all spread out,
praying by themselves, reading the bible or their daily devotions. The fellowship
is awesome, and the peace and serenity that resonates in the courtyard during the
40 days is such a gift, a true blessing.
I am really looking forward to this fall 40 Days for Life campaign! There are
307 locations this time! Isn't that great? Go to the 40 Days for Life website and
find a location near you! I know that you will be blessed by the experience!
www.40daysforlife.com
If you want to keep up with what is happening at the 40 Days for Life in the
courtyard, visit our face book page - 40 Days for Life - San Angelo, TX.
I post lots of pictures and share news from that day!
I hope you all have a wonderful day. I am going to close with a verse from a
song we sang at Mass this past weekend.
The song title is: We Are Called
Come! Live in the light! Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord!
We are called to be light for the kingdom, to live in the freedom of the city of God!
(Refrain) We are called to act with justice, we are called to love tenderly, we are
called to serve one another; to walk humbly with God.
I decided that I have to share the 2nd verse too!
Come! Open your heart! Show your mercy to all those in fear! We are called
to be hope for the hopeless, so all hatred and blindness will be no more!
(Refrain) We are called to act with justice, we are called to love tenderly, we are
called to serve one another; to walk humbly with God.
I can't stop now! You have to hear the third verse, sing along!
Sing! Sing a new song! Sing of that great day when all will be one! God will
reign, and we'll walk with each other as sisters and brothers united in love!
(Refrain) We are called to act with justice, we are called to love tenderly, we are
called to serve one another; to walk humbly with God.
                         I love that song!             Bye for now, Sharla