Sunday Blessings to You and Yours!

Hello out there! I hope you all are having an awesome day!
We went to Mass this morning - always a blessing!
I am going to share some of the scriptures I've read over the past couple of days.
"But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not
speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things
that are coming." John 16:13
In my Magnificat (Daily Scriptures), the following is the Psalm for today.
The response is, "Your words, Lord, are Spirit and Life."
Psalm 19: The Law of the Lord
The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul;
the decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.
R: Your words, Lord, are Spirit and Life
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
the command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye.
R: Your words, Lord, are Spirit and Life
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just.
R: Your words, Lord, are Spirit and Life
They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold;
sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb.
R: Your words, Lord, are Spirit and Life


Rejoice and be glad always! Take some time to rest today!


The picture I am sharing today is from the cover of my Magnificat (July edition).
This picture really touched me. A mother praying with her children before bed,
holding her youngest daughter's hands together, teaching her how to pray. The older
daughter is kneeling with her head slightly bowed and her hands together. I can
see that the mother is tired after a long day but she takes the time to pray with her
children because she knows how important it is. Our children and grandchildren need
us to pray with them and for them.

Blessings to you and yours,

Bye for now, Sharla

Straw Hats or Sombreros; Mama Mary, St. Anthony of Padua and St. Francis of Assisi

Hello out there - I hope you are doing well and staying cool in this hot summer weather!
I took some pictures yesterday morning that I'm going to share after I tell the story
that goes with them.
We have three statues in our front yard. They were given to me as Mother's Day presents,
one statue at a time for three years in a row. The St. Anthony, Mother Mary, and
St. Francis statues are strategically located in our yard. I can see the statue of Mother
Mary when I look out my kitchen window. The statue of St. Francis is by the bird
bath (Patron Saint of animals). My St. Anthony statue is closest to the front door.
There is a  long story about St. Anthony and our home but I won't go into that today.
I love seeing these statues and when I water my plants and fill up the bird bath I'm
always singing and praying.
Sometimes the birds are not very respectful when they "do their business" and we try
to keep the "bird poop" off of the statues. My husband thinks of the craziest or maybe
the most creative ideas. I came home one day  last summer and noticed that there were
straw sombreros on my statues. I couldn't get used to the sight of my saints wearing
those hats. Jim explained that it kept them clean and cool. The wind blew the hats off
and I put them up in the garage thinking, "Well, that took care of that!"
Monday night I noticed that my statues were once again adorned with straw hats, but
now they have a piece of leather attached and they fit snugly under the chins of my
statues. Yesterday morning Jim left really early and after I took the trash out I looked
at the statues and decided that maybe the sombreros aren't so bad after all-at least for
the summer.

Mama Mary

St. Anthony and Baby Jesus

St. Francis of Assisi
and my feather duster plants.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks!



Blessings to you and yours!
Bye for now, Sharla

  

The Back Porch - Country Songs, Barbecue, and Laughter!

Hello out there! I hope y'all are doing well! I was really tired when I went to bed
last night but I wanted to read the scriptures for the day from my Magnificat. If I
was still reading them first thing in the morning...I wouldn't have just read the
Gospel! My eyes (kind of ) popped open as I read the following scripture:
Matthew 7:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in
sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you
will know them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from
thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears
bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good
fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown
into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them."
That reading from the Gospel of Matthew is so easy to understand. It has stayed
with me all day. I pray that I will always bear good fruit and that God will guide
me back to the right path if I start to wither like a plant that needs water!
Lately I have not had time to blog on a regular basis. There is no way to catch
up on everything that has happened so I'm just going to start fresh!
I went on an ACTS Retreat two weeks ago. It was an excellent spiritual retreat
and I really needed it. I'm thankful for the team of ladies who worked so hard
to make the retreat special. I'm also thankful for the priest and deacon who
were involved. I missed my husband. We're not away from each other very often
and when we are we still talk on the phone. We were not allowed to have our
phones at this retreat which really helps you focus but it was hard not being able
to call and Jim and say, "You won't believe what happened!" Guess what we did."
"I miss you, love you, etc!" I survived and he did too. Last Saturday night we
sat on the back porch and listened to the radio and watched our assorted animals;
our dog and cat, the sheep and their bouncy lambs, and a big fat hen chasing a
really big grasshopper. The sunset was breathtaking and it was so nice to sit and
visit. I sang along with the songs which always makes Jim laugh.
Speaking of Jim, he just informed me that he has fired up the barbecue pit. I'm
going to grab the pork chops and take them outside for him to cook. I'll
probably have a glass of my cheap wine over ice and sing along to some old
country songs! Spend time with your loved ones and make some awesome
memories - every day is a gift!
                                                                         Blessings to you and yours!
                                                                                    Bye for now, Sharla

Come, Holy Spirit, Fill our Hearts!

Good morning out there! It has been almost three weeks since my last post! A busy
time of year for everyone. I woke up about 3:30 am and could not go back to sleep.
I have several things to share with y'all and I'm still trying to decide if I should write
one really long post or several different posts. I'll just jump right in and see what
happens. That's usually how it works - I think I'm going to write about this or that and
The Holy Spirit has other ideas!


Speaking of The Holy Spirit - This past Sunday was Pentecost! I have the perfect
picture to share!

Come, Holy Spirit,

fill the hearts of your faithful.

And kindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.

And you will renew the face of the earth.

Lord,

by the light of the Holy Spirit

you have taught the hearts of your faithful.

In the same Spirit help us to relish what is right

and always rejoice in your consolation.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

I am going to attend an ACTS Retreat this weekend. I am really excited about this!

I have to tell you...I never thought I would go on one of these retreats. Not because I

didn't want to or because I didn't think I needed to - I just didn't feel like I would ever

be able to. One of my closest friends told me that I would know when the time was

right. The time is right - I need this retreat and that's kind of a hard thing for me to admit.

I just go and go and right now I know that I have to stop for just a couple of days and

be still and listen. I'm praying to be filled with the Holy Spirit, just like the picture above.

I'm praying for the ACTS Team who have worked so hard to put this together and I'm

praying for all the other ladies who will be there with me.

 Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts!

Blessings to you and yours!

Bye for now, Sharla

 



The Power of Prayer

Good morning out there!
It rained last night. The sun is shining bright this morning and the birds are singing.
Please pray for those who have been affected by the tornados and storms.
I was working on the "Respect Life Corner" information I submit for our parish bulletin
and I found this prayer from Saint John Paul II.

"A great prayer for life is urgently needed,

 a prayer which will rise up throughout the world.

Through special initiatives and in daily prayer,

may an impassioned plea rise to God,

the Creator and lover of life,

from every Christian community,

from every group and association,

 from every family and from the heart of every believer."

  Saint John Paul ll

Saint John Paul II, please pray for us!

Please pray for all babies, born and unborn!

Please pray for families!

Blessings to you and yours!

Bye for now, Sharla

My First Letter was Published Almost Twenty Years Ago

Hello out there! Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms, grandmothers, aunts, and
Godmothers! I hope your day is full of blessings upon blessings!
As you know, if you've read my blog posts - my stories, I am always trying to find
new ways to share my pro-life - pro-adoption - pro-family message.
Yesterday afternoon I pulled a file out of my file cabinet. The file is labeled,
"Sharla's Articles." I also found a large yellow folder with more of "Sharla's Articles."
My plan has been to put all of my newspaper articles, responses I've received, letters
and what not into a three ring binder. I actually bought a binder quite a while back -
I can't find it now! I will purchase another one. Everything will be in a chronological
order, beginning with my very first letter that was published in our local newspaper.
I spent the afternoon cutting out articles and taping them to notebook paper. I had
several articles that I had laminated last year. I placed everything in chronological
order and began to read the articles. I knew that I had written several items for the
newspaper but it wasn't until I had a stack sitting before me that I fully realized just
how long I have been speaking out. It was really emotional for me to re-read all
of them. I felt the same emotions welling up inside me with each story I wrote. I write
from my heart but I also know what I'm talking about. I do research and double check
statistics, procedures, prices, etc. and everything that goes into my stories.
I was asked to be a Guest Columnist when I submitted my first letter to the newspaper
back in August of 1999, almost twenty years ago. The following is what happened,
that prompted me to write a, "Letter to the Editor."
There was a syndicated political cartoon that was titled, "The pro-life cycle." I still
remember it. I still see it - this won't be exact, but pretty close.
A pregnant woman is trying to go into an abortion facility and a minister/preacher is
standing in front of her. Next picture - the mom has the baby and the pictures portray
the baby growing up to be mean and awful. The last picture is of the baby all grown
up and he kills the minister/preacher. Then he ends up in the electric chair.
The following is my response. It was published on Saturday, August 21, 1999.

Well, that was my first article. George W. Bush was the Governor of Texas then. I
read an article in the newspaper where he talked about making adoption easier, etc.
I sent him a letter thanking him for speaking about adoption. I included a copy of
the above letter I wrote. He wrote back to me and I have a signed letter from him
when he was Governor. It will go behind this article in my notebook. His letter to
me was dated December 21, 1999.
My book will be full of articles I've written, letters and cards I've received.
This notebook will be a reminder that I've never given up and also motivate me
when I wonder if anyone is listening.
Sometimes people will say, "What can I do?"
Write letters, send letters, be a voice for the most vulnerable among us.
That is what you can do!
                                                                            Blessings to you and yours!
                                                                                     Sharla
Oh, by the way I have a website now -

www.sharlaque.com   And yes, there is a story that goes along with the "Que" -
I'll share it in my next post!

Faith, Families, and Fathers

Hello out there! The weather has been up and down today; sometimes cloudy, other
times sunny, and then we had rain and some really booming thunder. Right now it is
a little cloudy and there is a cool breeze in the air.


We go to the noon Mass at our parish on Fridays. The peace I feel when I walk
into the cathedral is amazing. Going to Mass is always a blessing. Today was extra
special. When I walked into the cathedral I could see my husband and our son sitting
side by side. Our son was in town today and he and Jim rode to Mass together. I sat
down next to them and just a few minutes later our daughter, son-in-law, and their
three daughters arrived. Lots of hugs and quiet (kind of) whispers of hello and then
everyone settled down. The two youngest were showing their uncle the toys they had
in their purse. I love it when our children and grandchildren are with us at Mass.
This past Sunday, our son and all five of his children were with us. Sometimes it
is just Jim and I because our daughter and her family go to an earlier Mass and
our son and his family go to a different parish but I love it when we are together.
The point I want to make is how important it is to go to church together as a family.
The following picture is taped to the front of my refrigerator. Look at the picture and
the story that goes with it is below.



Going to our son's First Holy Communion - 1992
We didn't have a cell phone back then (did anyone?) so I had our camera and took this
picture.
I absolutely love this picture - Jim and our children crossing the street to get to our
parish, Sacred Heart Cathedral. I think the reason this picture means so much to me
is because of the symbolism - Jim is leading our family to church - to God.
The following scriptures are from a bible Jim received from his parents as a Christmas
gift the year we were married: Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible
Train a boy in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not swerve from it.
Proverbs 22:6  
(different translation: Teach children how they should live, and they
will remember it all their life.  Holy Bible Catholic Edition)
Fathers, do not anger your children. Bring them up with the training and
instruction befitting the Lord.   
Ephesians 6:4


I received my May issue of the Magnificat and the picture really touched my heart.
It is a beautiful picture of St. Joseph and Jesus as a young child.

Saint Joseph with the Christ Child
Painted by Sebastian Martinez in 1650
Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain

Saint Joseph, pray for us!

Saint Joseph, pray for families!

      

Blessings to you and yours,

Bye for now, Sharla