Grieving Hearts

My heart goes out to the families and friends of the four students who recently lost their lives at the University of Idaho. 

Words cannot take away the pain.

Sympathy cannot undo what happened. 

Sorrow and loss remain.

Grief begins.

The emptiness lingers. 

There is a hole in each grieving heart.

And deep in that empty hole, Jesus is there.

Even when we don't feel His presence.

He is there.

"There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already borne for us, and does not now bear with us." St. Pope John Paul II     

Jesus is weeping with you.   

He is saying, "You are not alone."

Allow Him to sit with you and grieve with you. 

He is our hope.

 

Prayer for times of Grieving

Lord Jesus Christ, You suffered the loss

of Your beloved foster-father, St. Joseph;

You wept at the death of Your friend Lazarus; 

and from Your Cross You beheld the grief of Your Mother, Mary.

Look upon me in my grief, and touch my wounded heart.

Welcome all my deceased loved ones into Your kingdom,

and help me to surrender them to Your merciful love.

Grant me peace in the midst of distress, courage in the

midst of loss, and hope in the midst of sorrow. 

Fill me with the strength I need just to make it through another day.

Help me to remember that You will never abandon me,

that You will never forget me, and that You will see me

through this time of suffering and trial.

I offer You my tears, and I give You my

wounded heart; receive them gently. 

Amen.

30th Birthday

 I debated on writing a blog today. 

Today would have been my sister Jennifer’s 30th birthday. 

I can’t help but think of what life would be like if Jenny was here. 

It wouldn’t be easy or fair to wish for such things. Yet, sometimes I do. 

I started reading a book titled, Chiara Corbella Petrilllo A Witness to Joy. 

I started this book yesterday and what I read today confirmed my decision to blog. 

Chiara and her husband Enrico were newlyweds when they found out they were expecting a baby. 

"With the passing of time she began to feel strange: "as if this child was not mine, as if it was not for me."" 

Enrico was having a cyst removed when Chiara went to her second ultrasound appointment. 

The baby girl was moving but something was wrong. The baby was diagnosed with anencephaly. Baby Maria did not have a skull. The doctor wished he had seen the ultrasound sooner to abort the pregnancy. 

Chiara knew and saw her baby moving and abortion was not an option. 

She left the appointment and cried in her mother's arms. 

Chiara didn't know how she was going to tell her husband the heartbreaking news. 

Chiara cried out to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. 

"She saw herself in the Virgin Mary, in her same situation: A special pregnancy, a Son who would die before her eyes, the weight of telling Joseph, who did not yet know anything."  

The Lord had a plan although, she could not ask to understand what that plan was. 

"She and Enrico had so wanted to be parents in a group home. They had asked God to accept their desire of caring for mistreated and unloved children. "And now the Lord has responded to us," Chiara wrote. "He has given us a truly noble task; the care of a marvelous creature that many others would have hated and thrown away, left forgotten in a waste basket in some hospital."" 

Chiara was sad for the life of her child.  

She had to trust God and allow herself to be guided like Mary.

"This baby was not for them. The two embraced and cried together." 

"I had considered the possibility of accepting an unhealthy baby, but not that of accompanying a baby to Heaven." Enrico 

That's where I stopped reading as tears filled my eyes.

I thought of my mom, dad and Jennifer. 

Thank you Mom and Dad for accompanying Jenny on earth into heaven. 

Thank you for loving Jeniffer and showing us how to love her too. 

Today we sent balloons to heaven to celebrate Jennifer Rose's 30th birthday. 

Balloons were sent from Cottonwood, Idaho - Bismarck, North Dakota - Aurora, Colorado and New York, New York. All different time zones wishing Jennifer our love and gratitude for her life.

The baby may not have been for Chiara and Enrico but the baby was a gift that opened their hearts . 

Jenny, please continue to help us open our hearts. 

Happy birthday, sis! 

Below is a bonus picture of me and Jenny 

Shore Lodge

I spent this past weekend with my cousins in McCall, Idaho.

Back in August, on my birthday, Mike, Courtney and Atticus surprised me with a reservation for Shore Lodge. 

This was my first Shore Lodge experience.

I was "shore" to love it! 

Last Friday before checking in we went shopping and to lunch at My Father's Place. 

There was a little bit of snow on the ground and that made it all the more magical. 

McCall is beautiful this time of year. '

We enjoyed dinner at one of the restaurants in the Lodge. 

We loved the heated pool, hot tubs and view of the lake!  

So did Atticus! 

Atticus also had fun climbing on my luggage suitcase and jumping off again and again. 

There was a big bonfire outside by the pool area to roast s'mores. 

Since it's practically almost Christmas... We watched, 

A Christmas Story.

One of my favorite Christmas movies of all time. 

Are you shocked? 

My parents had booked a massage for me to enjoy as part of my birthday present. 

It was amazing and very relaxing. 

The day of my massage also happened to be Blessed Chiara Luce Badano's Feast Day. 

It was a trip I am "shore" to remember with people I love.