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This article, When you get it right and when you don’t had me thinking that I need to start noticing the blessed moments of my life more.

So…here are just a few that are still fresh on my mind.

I must have done something right…
*when we walk into a store and my 10 year old son reaches out for the door and says “here mom, let me get that for you” and the other patrons smile as they walk by.

I must have done something right…
*when my 11 year old daughter reaches for my hand as we leave the store, and we walk hand in hand until we reach the car.

I must have done something right…
*when I make an incredibly simple breakfast and my daughter says ‘oh, this is delicious”.

I must have done something right…
*when my son makes coffee for me and serves it to me while I’m sitting at my favorite spot in the house! reading Facebook. 🙂

A day set aside for love…seems a bit redundant to those whose life mission is to love…like a day set apart for breathing. And if you’re feeling a teensy bit grumpy as I was this morning, then all the sugary sentiments might even seem a tad over the top. But then I got an invite from my sweet children. They had been planning this day for weeks. Their excitement was contagious and allowed me to get a glimpse at pure joy, and it sucked me in.

“Self-knowledge opens to us the reality of the mystery and ugliness of sin as well as to the mystery and beauty of grace. Teresa envisioned the human soul as a castle containing many rooms. Outside the castle there was darkness and fearsome reptiles and creatures trying to impede our way into the castle. The key to the entry of the castle is prayer and reflection.

Once inside we become aware of light emanating from the deepest center, that innermost room, where dwells the Glory of God. However, some of these fearsome creatures manage to squeeze in with us, for they are the temptations, the bad habits, the patterns of sin that accompany us and although the Light continues to stream from the center of the castle, we still experience darkness for that which accompanies us into the castle blocks the light trying to reach us.

There is much work to be done in the first room. We wage a daily battle between the person we wish to be, the person we really are and the person God created us to be. To come to self-knowledge we must be very willing to be honest and this requires humility. What am I really like? How do others see me? Do I spend my time trying to be someone I am not? Do I feel guilty being who I am? How much of the false values of the world around me have I absorbed?”

my daughter has two dolls that bring two very special women together. One had been given to my mom by my sisters (you have to know my family for this to make sense…lol). As soon as my mom got it, she named it ‘Luisinha’…after her niece. I had kept it after my mom passed away, and many years later when I had my daughter and she was old enough to play with it, it became hers. The other was a special gift from my sweet cousin, the original Luisinha. It had been a gift from my mom to her when she was a little girl…and having no little girls of her own, she thought my daughter would like it. We asked Luisa at the time what her doll’s name was, but she had never named her…hmmm. Well it’s been a while since the receipt of this special gift. Today, my daughter comes to me and tells me that she finally has a name for her doll. Guess what she named it? Ha. I gotta tell you that she knew nothing of this whole connection that I’m describing here. So are you ready? She named her ‘Maria’…my mom’s name. So now, Maria and Luisinha, stand side by side entertaining my daughter and bringing her great pleasure.

I know that they belong to the Communion of Saints and are therefore always with me, but sometimes you just miss someone with “skin on” as the little ditto goes.

I miss talking to my mom everyday, especially whenever there was something new or exciting going on in my life…she was my biggest cheer leader. I miss showing off a new hair cut, or a new outfit to her…she made me feel so beautiful…she even thought my feet were cute…lol (only a mother). She pushed me to be my best and always had the best advice. She taught me about prayer(especially the rosary), how to love God, how to love others passionately in words and in deed. She taught me about self-respect. That anger can be rigteous. To be quick to forgive. She taught me the priceless treasure of family, the sanctity of our home. The importance of appreciating beauty and of having fun. She also taught me how to suffer joyfully and ultimately how to die gracefully. That life is precious until the very last breath is drawn.

I miss my dad everyday! I miss talking to him about politics and current events. I miss travelling with him and discovering new territories (LOL…new streets, towns…we were never lost…just discovering new places). I miss how much I, and my kids were loved by him. I miss his singing and his sense of humor. He taught me to go with the flow and to not get too ruffled by exterior stuff. He taught me the importance of interceding for our loved ones. He taught me what to look for in a husband and father for my children. At a time when so many men were hanging out at clubs and bars, he taught me that a man that put his family first is top notch. He taught me how to offer up my suffering. He taught me the importance and beauty of the later years of life. He taught me about selflessness.

I just hope that I have learned my lessons well…