Macile's Thoughts on Life and God

JUDGE NOT; LESS YOU BE JUDGED

2009-08-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

My hard and intense anger … as I watched Senator Ted Kennedy take communion … was not at the senator. It was at the cameraman and (if given permission) at that person also; to be in a Sunday Mass … in the middle of a segment on some news show … just to get that action on tape … and show it … over and over and over; as happened for several weeks, on and off.
I know that only a mortal sin, not repented, can send us to h??l. But as I learned in catechism … there are 3 rules to committing a mortal sin.
First, you must have the knowledge that the action is a mortal sin.
Second, you must not care that your are sinning and putting more nails into our LORD, Jesus Christ … and may be leading others to commit the same sin. (That makes two sins; slander being the second)
And … THIRD … YOU DO NOT CARE WHAT THE MAGISTERIAM SAYS … YOU DO AS YOU PLEASE … NO MATTER WHAT THE CASE MAY BE … BECAUSE YOU ‘WANT TO DO IT’.
As I watched last night and today … and all the accolades to his memory and to his memorable public life … I came to the conclusion … HE HAD HIS BELIEF; PRO-CHOICE AND PRO-WOMEN’S RIGHTS.
Now let me say here, my husband goes to Mass on Saturday morning. That is a whole ‘nuther story, but I debated with several folks … ‘leave him alone; he is tete’ dur (hard headed) and you will not change his mind’. I remember at a Sunday morning mass, I man that I did not especially like but tolerated his word exchanges with me, to do as Jesus said ‘love thy neighbor’. This man … when he asked me ‘where is your side kick’ … I answered ‘he only goes to Mass on Saturday morning’. To my shocking surprise … he said ‘well, at least he goes sometimes’. That was the same words I used to quiet those who scolded HL often. And some just kept on; and on; and on … one being a priest and one being a religious brother. He continues to do as he pleases … and to me … because he believes … if you can go on Saturday night; why not morning.
Hearing all the things said about the senator, he had to be a very likable person. Funny things; pleasant memories; sad occasions; fighting for his country in the military and then in Congress for 47 years … still a senator at his death. Even Republicans spoke highly of him.
I have seen a bumper sticker that read ‘you cannot be Catholic and pro-choice’.
SOOOOOO … what if he felt deep in his heart, mind and soul … that women had so little rights that every man … young, old, rich, poor; hard working or lazy; even criminals have rights.
So what if he felt in his heart, mind and soul … that abortion was a woman’s right. I have no doubt in my mind that his mama would not approve of that … but then, who am I to say that is correct.
Sooooo, as the nation mourns the passing of yet another Kennedy icon and patriarch … I ponder over and prayed much for his soul … in the past few days.
I know little about Vicki; she did live in Crowley, LA (although I am not sure she was born there) and her father was a well known judge.
I know more about her now; not just from the things said about her … but JUST BY THE FACT … THAT SHE INSISTED THAT JOAN (TED’S FIRST WIFE) AND MOTHER OF SOME OF HIS CHILDREN … COME TO THE SERVICE. I saw several blondes that favored her, but none had their names flashed on screen.
So … judge not … that ye shall not be judged. I think that is from the Old Testament; but do not quote me on that. I recognize lots of scripture but cannot pin point it … when I really need to.
I wish Vicki a long and loving life … with her children, his children and all the extended family. Jean is the only child of Rose and Joe left. And so many of their children had dramatic and horrific deaths. At least, Ted died … knowing for over a year, that the brain cancer would eventually ‘do him in’ … but it is my understanding that he was pleasant to the end. Not that he did not fight … a valiant fight … for with his wealth … he could afford the best of medical care.
The priest that led the Mass said ‘it was a privilege to be with him and Vicki in these last days.
May his soul rest in peace; and may our Father God, our Sweet Jesus and the Holy Spirit … the Blessed Holy Trinity … and the communion of saints … welcome him into his Heavenly home.

I HAVE BEEN THINKING AGAIN; OHE, MY

2009-08-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Yep, with feeling so bad; only thing on this old body that gets regular exercise is these typing fingers ... unless I have to go into another room for something ... like make a sandwich or cook some egg beaters (like today) for breakfast for the next week or so. It says 15 servings ... so that should make it that long. And sometimes, I even sit in my kitchen rolling chair and sweep and/or mop.

SOME OF MY THINKING ... HAS BEEN ... PUT YOUR DAILY WHOOOOOOOES IN THE BLOG ... THEN IF SOMEONE IS INTERESTED ... THEY CAN ALL READ IT HERE INSTEAD OF ... MY HAVING TO SEND MULTIPLE NOTES. NOW, I WILL SEND A NOTE FOR THIS ONE; AND MAYBE THE NEXT ONE ... BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE ALL THE NEWS YET FROM THE MEDICAL TESTS. **BUT FROM THEN ON, YOU WILL HAVE TO COMMIT TO FOLLOW AND GET THE AUTO-NOTE OR JUST COME OVER HERE WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE IT.**

To start out, my FBS has been quite good for the past 4 months and Dr was 'proud of your kidney function numbers' in April. HUH???? I knew they do a liver function every April ... but 'kidney' ... from blood work; huh.
WELL, this time when the phone call came, it was 'fbs and ac1 are much better' ... yep, figgered that. 'But Dr has set you up for a kidney ultrasound for tomorrow (WED) at 1pm'. I DO NOT THINK SO. I seldom leave the house (even since after that 8am mass when the Rav was like an oven ... so am watching Mass on EWTN every day). And that beautiful rendition of Divine Mercy Chaplet (3pm EDT). And then the Rosary for Life.
I did not say anything to Carla, but kept thinking; no way. So called the hospital and they could fit me in on Thursday at 9am. Good; went to write it on medical appointments calendar; and told HL what I was doing. NOPE! His nurse practiciner for urology clinic had called; he had an 8:30 appointment. SOOOO, called back Jennifer ... and she said 'sure, no problem; that is Friday, 9pm.'
Now ... not getting off subject (promise, will connect below) ... I have 3 chairs that I sit in mostly; rolling and swiveling desk chair that I am now in. Then there is the recliner; just rocks and swevels; and then there is the nightmare chair ... an armless old desk chair that I use at the table and am afraid of ... so I brace it against the cabinet and sit, then pull myself to the table, about 18 inches.
About 3 weeks ago, this chair I am in ... moved as I started to sit ... and I fell on my knees (neither are good, but not in tooooooo much pain, I managed to pull myself up on a desk which I fell near. HL was not at home.
When I saw the dr on Tuesday, he explained that a lot of things could have made the change in the kidney function test since April; probably the most responsible was ... heat exhaustion. Besides that one Mass at 8am ... I went to a funeral of a dear friend ... and parked in the shade. Then to Kroger, for my b/p med ... that I had one left in the bottle. And then home to pack in ice. Don't ask; it ain't prrrruuuttttyyyy; but it works

And I had taken my lasix on Monday as usual, before the blood work; and I told him about the two bad heat exhaustion cases. So many things could be going on; he patted my knee and said 'not to worry; we will get to the bottom of this.'
The heat exhaustion cases ... probably 15 or 20 since August 2008, which put me in ER for a 4 hour IV drip of saline solution to re-hydrate me ... and since, I just took lukewarm to cool showers and then drank a ton of water.

OK! So to tie in the third chair; recliner that rocks and swivels. I seldom swivel; so just do not pay it any mind. Wednesday, I was supposed to be sitting down to do the Rosary ... and ... Whooooooooppppps!!! Swilved; the chair went one way (north) and I went the other (southeast) and against the table next to my recliner. Must have made quite a noise (me or the bump; or both) because HL came a running. By then, I was sitting up and trying to pull myself up on the long couch; no wheels; no swivels; no rocking; just steady old friendly couch.
HL had a fit; 'what happened' and wanted to call son-in-law from next door. I was almost on my knee by then, but had some pain; but I knew he had no business trying to help me. Help me, anyway, he did; and what was best for him. Pushing me on the right shoulder as I was on my left knee and trying to pull myself up by holding on to the back of the couch.
We got it done. And he wanted me to go to the ER. I had no new pain ... so decided to just rub it with pain reliver and take two Aleve. I even forgot to say my nightly prayers (sorry, Jesus and BVM) and we both went to bed.
Boy, was I glad that I did not have to leave the house the next morning; and in fact, went back to be about an hour after taking my meds and eating. I do not take noon meds ... so HL just peaked in on me a couple of times ... and I slept until almost supper time. >>>I thought ... there goes the night's rest.<<<
I ate my supper after sitting in a lukewarm shower for quite a while and took my meds and went to bed. I think I even beat HL with the snoring.
Thursday, was real sore ... and had a bruse about the size of my thumb on my right side by my rib. Again, glad that I had no place to go. After breakfast, back to bed. Now, if you know me well, you know ... I rather rest in my recliner than go to bed during the day because if I do sleep, I usually cannot sleep most of the night. But a new med to help me sleep ... got a workout that night.
Friday, got to the hospital for the ultrasound about 50 minutes early. I had brought my walker with the seat ... just in case there were not empty seats. When I realized that it was 12 minutes to 9 (my appointment time) and at least two folks that came in after me ... were called ... I ask 'why was I being passed by'. They did not figure that out ... but I was called next. When I rose from my walker chair ... my legs were asleep (first clue; had not felt that, sitting down.) Again, they crumbled under me ... but HL and a post was near by ... as well as the lady that was going to admit me ... so I just slumped a little; they put my walker in the walking position; and off we went ... about 5 feet. ;-}
Got admitted; got the test done; got back in the cool Rav that HL had seen to ... was not a 500 degree oven ... and home and right to bed.
By now, I am getting tired of all this ... falling; almost falling; going to bed during the day; getting up 5 or more times during the night (they told me to drink a lot of water). So I am just praying ... that lack of liquids is my problem; and I may have to be put on a different blood pressure med. I told one lady that if I am this unstable, what will it be WHEN I GET OLD. She looked at me ... funny; 'cause she had already seen on my wrist band that I am nearly 73.
Pray for me and HL. He is doing dishes right now; because I cannot ... and ... I JUST CANNOT SEEM TO TEACH HIM TO COOK IN THE MICROWAVE. I DO MY BACON AND HAMBURGER PATTIES THERE ... AND WEINERS WHEN I HAVE THEM ... NOT OFTEN; and all the TV dinners and pot pies. The only thing that I eat that cannot be cooked there is Eggbeaters; and I cook a pot full that lasts for several days. Don't ask about veggies; that is a whole 'nuther story. Yuck!!
Merci for listening and for the prayers. Am praying for all of you also.
DIEU TE BENISSE!!! GOD BLESS!!! Je t'aime, me

I HAVE BEEN THINKING A LOT LATELY ...

2009-04-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

And … that is much safer for folks that are around me a lot; me putting my brain in gear before I start spouting nonsense/gibberish/anger/etc.

When a couple of weeks ago, Thelma (HL’s sis-in-law) who was like a sister to me for over 50 years … was found dead one morning … I was numb. It seemed … even at the viewing … where she looked like she was sleeping … it was sur-real.

If you know me on the praying lists or spiritual discussion groups, you know I was having many health issues since August 2008. I was going to see Ricki who was still in the Care Center in DeQuincy … and sometimes I would cook some of his favorite foods. While in LSU/Shreveport … he ate very little ‘real food’ … although jello and pudding did go down OK. He had a tube in his throat for over 3 months … during all those surgeries he had … trying to get rid of the MRSA bacteria AND his throat was more than sore.

When I would go to DeQuincy alone; he would ask me to stay until he had to leave the room to do therapy of some kind. I did so … thanking our Sweet Jesus for his life and my being able to spend so much time with him … but …

When I would get in the RAV … it was like an oven. I suffered (in just one week) 2 bouts of heat exhaustion; the first put me in the ER for a few hours, getting an IV drip to re-hydrate me. The second one … I recognized the symptoms … and packed in ice after a cold shower … and drank lots of water.

Just before Thelma died … I started having body jerks in my torso and shoulders; no pain, just jerks that woke me up … and kept me up; sometimes walking the floor, just not to get back in bed … to jerk some more. And then my hands would shake all day.

Thelma and my cousin, Jessie Mae in Redmond WA told me that my body was finally telling my mind … to get some much needed rest. Yeah, right, I thought.

It got so bad that I did go to the doctor; smart young man … and right away … said ‘well, you had a lot of stress in the past few years … and your body is telling you to slow down’. WHAT; Thelma and JM were right. Of course, we pray a lot … but even the Cajun Traiteur prayers did not seem to help. Doc said ‘take a diazepam every night about an hour before you go to bed’. I DID; AND HAD 4 GREAT AND RESTFUL NIGHTS … and then they found Thelma dead.

My night that day … was bad, I thought; and I took another pill … because it had been over 8 hours … and allowed. I got up late … on the day of the viewing, finding out that we could go to the funeral home around 5 pm. So I rested some … here in front of the computer … and some in the living room; then took a shower to get ready to leave the house. HL told me ‘I do not want to go’. That was a shock.

But the next thing he told me … was more than a shock; it was a shocker.

Our local paper will put the name of a person in a square … with age and funeral home in charge. Well, Ms. Mobile phone lady friend called HL for the schedule of events … WHEN SHE COULD HAVE READ IT IN THE PAPER THE NEXT DAY.

When he told me that … I could not speak for a few seconds. Then I said ‘I certainly hope you told her that was none of her business (Thelma and her daughter, Shirley did not like this woman for what she had put me through for 3 years of talking to HL … every day and sometimes … more than once.) He told me he gave her the event times.

Here is where my mouth spouted (well, kinda shouted) words without my brain even being involved. ‘If she shows up while I am there, I will try to remove her from the building (said a little less than a shout) … (and him interrupting with … ‘not your business’) … (I went on … louder) … I will try to remover her from the building … quietly. If she refuses … you will see … not World War 3 nor 4 … but 5 and 6 combined’. And then I headed out the back door.

He said ‘I thought you did not feel like driving’ … and I reminded him that once I got on the highway in front of our house … it was a straight shot … about 4 miles to the edge of town and the funeral home. He said ‘wait; let me get dressed’.

We stayed about 45 minutes … and I wanted to stay for the rosary. He kept grunting and changing the position he was sitting in … so I finally agreed to leave. The next morning … we could be there from 8 am to noon … and then the church at 1 pm.

He would not go to the funeral home; and did not want to go to the cemetery.

Again, I thought … for him … because of his pain, I would do it his way.

That night between the viewing and funeral … my body was constantly jerking. Walking around … sitting in my recliner … up, down; up, down; nothing seemed to work … so when it was time for me to take another pill, I did … but it took over 2 hours to stop the jerking and let me get some sleep.

Now all this time … until yesterday … I blamed that really bad night on HL and his lady friend talking on the phone. She had been told a couple of years ago to stop calling … but she kept on. She was married to a cousin of mine … but he had died. But several close relatives in his family had died after him … and she called with the news … knowing that we get the local paper … and did not need her to give us any of the information.

But today … after the sudden idea popped into my mind; I realized … actually about
2 am … that it was not the phone call; it was the time I missed with my family … Thelma’s children, daughter-in-law, grandchildren … and even great-grandchildren.

That time can never be brought back to me. I mourn for my dear sister … who had a hard life … and I am sure she is with our Sweet Jesus or well on her way. But I also mourn for the missing … minutes; hours; days … that I will never be able to claim again.

My health has steadily improved since that time; even my fasting blood sugar readings have been good … and I am driving again. I thank every one who prayed for me … and know that is the largest part of my getting well. Doc did his part; but JESUS IS THE GREAT HEALER. This blog entry has brought me peace in my mind and heart. I hope to never get into that kind of health issue again.

I do want to say to our daughter … Faye (Sissy to many of you) and her daughter, Annie … who were there for me … and I found out a couple of days ago that Annie was afraid I was having a mental breakdown. Ohe, my sweet and Darling granddaughter … your prayers are always precious to me … knowing that … at one time … you found it hard to pray … and wanted to take all the blame for Jesus on the cross.

When our little Layla gets… here (sometime around June 25) we will again … be the 4 ladies on the road. Annie used to call us that when my mother was alive and we traveled to see her… or she was here … and then we did a lot of visiting.

Je t’aime … and DIEU TE BENISSE!!! GOD BLESS!!! Merci for your prayers. Macile

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Still reading it over and over ... and

2008-08-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, I did; read it over and over; and since most of my blog entries are ad-lib, I have not changed a thing. Sometimes, I wish I had said something differently ... but then ... it would be planned ... calculated ... perfect English (instead of some Cajun slang thrown in) ... and as I told one person years ago ... I like writing like I talk ... it is just 'more me' that way.

Ricki ordered those small McD hamburgers again toda ... and really enjoyed them and the fries. I ... on the other hand ... ate his roast beef (so tender ... it could have just been inhaled, almost. And I love those school house buns. Yep, I made a small sandwich ... but ate the cornbread dressing also. Then just the protein ... well, the tomato and pickle too ... of my grilled chicken (half of a half of a breast ... yep, not a repeated ... really was a half of half of a breast ;-)

HL was not feeling good at all ... so I drove; and we only stayed about an hour. But Ricki is so much more clear headed now ... and everything we talk about makes a lot of sense. We were just filling in the blanks for him for the first few days in DeQuincy.

I often prayed that he not remember some of the things they did to him ... and did not do for him as he asked ... and ... GOD IS GOOD ... ALWAYS; AND IN ALL WAYS. He does ask if certain things really happened ... or did he dream it ... and most of it is real, although maybe a bit cloudy ... and we answer all his questions truthly. Would not want him to believe that those memories are fantasy. We wish we could help other folks in that ICU who are not being treated right ... physically. One thing is ... the medical treatments are the best to be had ... if the staff 'of the day' is in the mood to work with the patient. Certain nurses were so dedicated ... and others were so lazy and unconcerned. I always say 'if you do not like sick folks, do not go into the medical field' ... and ... 'if you do not like kids, do not become a teacher'.

My vertigo is better so I will be heading off to Mass in a few. Hope all of you had a pleasant and peaceful weekend ... and ... >>>unhappy that I am not in Kansas City today ... but ... IN GOD'S TIME; I am sure Sissy and I will get there eventually.

Je t'aime ... and ... DIEU TE BENISSE!!! GOD BLESS!!! Macile JESUS, I trust in YOU!!!

I am gonna try to write with my heart today ... but

2008-07-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

the visit to see Ricki and bring him some home cooked food ... is just so new in my mind, I may not get this done. I have so many things that I want to say; but to me ... it sounds like I am trying to second guess GOD ... or even take control.

The saying 'let go and let GOD' is one motto that I try to live by; but fail so often ... it puts me to wandering ... 'why say it, if you are not going to do it'. An awesome lady that I know (and finally got to meet in June) ... mostly closes her blog entries with ... 'striving to be perfect; knowing that will only come as we reach our heavenly home with Jesus'. Now, do not quote me; it does not seem to be 'just right' as she says it ... but that sentence relays her feelings, I do believe.

There are so many feelings around Ricki; like only driving 30 minutes or so ... and Voila ... there he is. He is right next to an outside door ... and so we do not have to go through the front ... and all the activities going on; and it is a long walk for both HL and me.

My first impression of the building (and the shape it is in) was 'a smelly old nursing home' ... and 'how can they help him here, when that huge and clean hospital could not'? But that changed as soon as we met the Director of Nursing, the Wound Care Nursing director, and a few of the aids that are helping ... getting him cleaned up and the wounds treated and new banadages put on.

That is a good and gracious bunch of folks. They (when in the room with him and working on him) have him and only him on their minds. And he assured us, when none of them were listening ... 'they are so much more kinder and caring than at LSU'. Praise GOD!

And they are ... changing the dressing and putting on more anti-biotic cream on the wound near his tailbone ... TWICE A DAY; and his chest ... ONCE A DAY. AWESOME!!! LSU did them each ... once a week. Ohe, GOD ... why??? Again searching for answers ... rather than praying with 'an attitude of gratitude' that he is now is such good hands.

And he just called; worried about how hard this 'going almost every day' is for his dad and me; not only physically but emotionally. Like I told him; 'it may sink in later ... but right now, we are just so elated to have him close by'; and he thrives on company. Riley was there today with Trudy and ... she and her pawpaw ... got to play.

I am going to put this aside for now. And I may even edit ... or ... delete ... later when things fix better in my heart and mind. DIEU TE BENISSE!!!

A LONG TIME BETWEEN ENTRIES

2008-07-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

I did not realize it has been that long (April 16, it says) but our lives have been in such an uproar ... between HL's pain management; Ricki (still in ICU in Shreveport ... and that is a hard trip ... Sissy and I make in one day ... when HL is with us ... we stayed 3 ... each of the 2 times); Sissy trying to get all the laborers in line to finish the house ... and she and I went to the wedding in CA of my deceased sister's granddaughter. All that has been like a whirlwind.
Soooo ... just keep reading ... and visit the pages of my friends who blog also, mostly spiritually; and I will try to get back on schedule soon.
Funny thing is ... I have been reading and commenting on the blogs of those friends (mostly members of the stjames224 group) and so it feels like I have STILL been talking to all of you.
Merci for the prayers ... and come back soooooon.

UNCALLED FOR; AMBULANCE AND COP CARS

2008-04-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

About a couple of months ago in the daytime, HL came toward the house from our pond ... which is only about 9 acres away ... but with a couple of curves and plenty of weeds, you cannot see the house until you are about 4 acres closer. As he rounded the last curve, he saw an ambulance at our front door, with the lights going ... but no siren and rushed to see what was going on. >>>It was when I had vertigo so bad.<<<
Two EMTs were in the cab, doing paper work on a clipboard. Our front door was closed, but from my computer room, I cannot see the driveway, much less who was at the front door. However, they assured them that they had NOT knocked yet. ***Good thing it was not an urgent 911 call.*** So then he had to go to the back door; maybe a minute more than if the front door was unlocked. He came in, slamming the door and hollering for me.
Imagine his surprise when I was looking into the kitchen ... and he can see me after about 4 or 5 steps toward the sink. I could not 'figger' out what all the hallow-ba-looooo was.
Well, I was on line; so no one could have used my internet line to dial out. They were satisfied with seeing me ... and knowing there was no emergency. But they claimed the call came from 3187 ... and that was impossible, we assured them
Now, on Monday night (4/15; around 1:30 am); BAM, BAM, BAM ... AND ... it was NOT Emeril. HL said 'be quiet' and took his pistol and went into the living room. BAM, BAM AND BAMBAMMMMM. They were determined to wake someone.
He said 'who is it?' and as the voice came back 'sheriff dept' ... I saw one of them step up on the bottom step and could see his patch on his shirt sleeve. I could also see the legs of one of them on the porch. I told HL that ... so he opened the door slightly, with his pistol hanging down at his side, but where it could be seen. Needless to say, he was being cautious; but still, wanted to be ready if the voice outside was lying. >>>They could have prevented all that anxiety by having their whirling lights on ... but only had on their headlights and there were 3 guys ... each in their own car. 'What is the emergency' was from the guy on the porch.
HL said 'I do not know what you are talking about.' About that time, someone saw the gun in his hand at the same time that he realized the uniforms and the cars were real.
The guy on the porch said 'I do not blame you; I would not have opened my door without my gun in hand.' They chatted a bit; 'do you have a computer' ... and I explained ... a laptop that I always turn off ... and since I get into several bank accounts (all with the padlock; but I am still leary about this new fangled gadgets) I always unplug the phone line. ;-) Yep, I do.
Sooooooooo your guess is as good as mine. We still do not know why or how that phone call was made. HL thinks it was our address but in Westlake (70669 instead of our 70663 because we get their mail and they get ours). Sissy and I think it was one of the many computers under the communication tower. Will probably never know. But if it happens again, I am going to be a lotttttttt more curious ... and ask a lot of questions.
For now; GOD IS GOOD ... ALWAYS; AND IN ALL WAYS. (Yes, we both thought it was bad news about Ricki or one of his boys [Daniel works nights] ... we praise our Sweet Jesus ... that it was just a glitizzzzz in some machine. DIEU TE BENISSE!!!

Ricki is stable; but no where near release

2008-04-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

Merci for all the prayers for our son, Ricki who is stable but not getting any better ... and for all of those who do not know ... a six day hospital stay for a triple by-pass has extended to a month and 4 days. (Surgery 3/11 ... and he now has a staph infection ... had two more surgeries and is his chest is laid open so they can clean the bacteria out a couple of times a day.) Any and all prayers are deeply appreciated. And I can be reached on this website ...
macilehooperlejeune. com DIEU TE BENISSE!!! Cajun Sissy Macile

I AM SUCH A ... WEIRD ... COWARD

2008-04-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

HL left just before the Mass came on EWTN. I thought; watch it and let it take you out of yourself and the 'why, me/us/our family' mode. Praying always helps. NOPE!
Ricki came back from surgery around 3 am; held back because a 13 year old had a farm accident and they were trying to save his arm. Pray for him and his family.
At 10:30 this morning, R was resting ... still knocked out ... so he could get some strength back into his tired body. And he will probably have to go on dialysis.
I just got off the phone with Trudy; he is resting, in isolation and wanting her beside him every time he wakes up. They cannot sedate him too much; his b/p falls too low. And we know what could happen. His dr give the worst case secernio because he says if he sugar-coats the facts and then the patient almost dies or does die ... the family is hurt worse. I believe that and so does Trudy. We want to know the worst that can happen ... and then pray for better outcome. As if GOD does not already know how we love Ricki and want him well and home.
So Mama (me) is looking for strength of mind and soul; and >>>that will happen as I read the reading of the Mass along with the lector ... and listen to the sermon. NOPE!!!
I have always feared ... (get this now) ... the 23rd Psalm. ***The Lord is my Shepherd***. What's to fear? THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH; HE is our Shepherd; He will steer (herd) us right ... as long as we are willing to follow the TRUTH.
But I always associate it with sympathy cards. When my mom had her thyroids removed ... I was writing to our troops in Vietnam. I went to see her about an hour after learning that one of my favorite guys had been killed. And there on her table beside her bed ... a beautiful get well card ... with ... yep; the 23rd Psalm.
Father Dominic said Mass; and what a homily. (Pay attention, Dean; he could be your big brother ... so take care of your hair. ;-) He said >>>Jesus is the Main Shepherd; Pope next in line (although part of the flock); then Bishops, priests ... on down the line (all part of the flock; but leaders also; even us ... who have no title except laity); we should lead all we meet to the Truth; always evangelizing.<<<
Take heed; my kith and kin; and new readers. 'Much is expected to whom much is given.' I keep saying 'Jesus, I trust in YOU'. When will I start to believe and act upon that; and show some 'gratitude'. DIEU TE BENISSE!!!

RICKI NEEDS A LOT MORE PRAYERS

2008-04-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

'Be specific' Sissy always says. Soooo, Sweet Jesus and Blessed Mother Mary, Undoer of Knots ... please make this the last knot that needs your attention. Help his stomac heal; his kidneys to start functioning normally; and get rid of this infection so he can come home to all of us that miss him so much; especially little Riley. FOR THIS AND ALL OUR OTHER PRAYERS, WE PLEAD THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS; REIGN DOWN ON OUR SON ... IN THE NAME OF CHRIST JESUS ... OUR FATHER AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, FOREVER AND EVER, AMEN. DIEU TE BENISSE!!!

SOMETHING IS WRONG

2008-04-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

AND ... I am not afraid that it has anything to do with Ricki; I turned that over to GOD several days ago. I just have this wierd feeling today. Yes, I prayed and prayed. NOW ... Sweet Jesus and Blessed Mother Mary, Undoer of Knots ... bring my heart and soul back in line with both of you; and St. Dymphna ... clear my mind of these thoughts (am sure old red leggs is laughing out loud .... 'got cha' he is saying). NOPE ... gonna beat this one ... with the help of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta; St. Therese; St. Teresa; St. Rita of Cascia ... and St. Jude ... yes, I was a hopeless case until I prayed. DIEU TE BENISSE!!!

RICKI; ME; PRAYING

2008-04-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

After Trudy called me while we were at the eye dr office, I started saying Hail Marys … with Mary, Undoer of Knots … please take care of him. And, of course, there were plenty of please to JESUS, in your Divine Mercy.
Six hours later, I was standing next to our fridge, where there is space on the counter between the microwave, toaster and toaster oven. I was making me a bologna sandwich for supper.
And like a loud bull horn in a riot … I almost heard (out loud, but only in my mind) … Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, please help.
That was all of my prayer. Less than 2 hours later, Trudy called. The cardiac surgeon came by with his senior surgery resident. He announced … ‘no surgery’. Ricki and Trudy were stunned.
‘NO need (right now) for surgery; your fever is down; your cultures are getting better and better’. >>>Of course, I cried out in joy. Trudy’s voice was also shaky; and HL was wiping tears from his cheeks. Ohe, Sweet Jesus; merci beaucoup plus et plus.<<< And merci for your praying also.
DIEU TE BENISSE!!! GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU!!!

Me; and myspace; and why

2008-03-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, when Sissy made me a myspace page without telling me (she wanted to surprise me) ... so I could keep up with the goings on in her life (she was still moving around a lot) ... and with Annie, Damian, Joe, Daniel, Rachel and other friends, I really thought it was a waste of her precious little time ... energy ... and when in soooooooo much pain, she could have been resting.
JESUS and Our Father, GOD ... and the Holy Spirit ... have amazing ways to enrich our lives. Some folks thinks that computers are 'evil'.
But since owning mine (I have had four at one time; two which still work) I have had so much joy and spiritual pleasure using them. I initially bought a used one to type and save the Newsletters for Cajuns with Diabetes. It cost me $140 and even came with a printer. Then Mama ... after seeing a laptop that MJ brought home with him on a 4 day weekend ... thought I needed one of those. Ohe, my; what a change.
This one I am using today is called #4; and it can even burn CDs and DVDs. I bought it when my annuity matured ... using some of the interest money. MJ and Ricki both kept saying, 'buy something for yourself, instead of giving away your money'. Of course, MJ believes in tithing and knows that I do also. GOD should always come first in our opinions ... not from leftovers.
The main reason that I am writing this today ... is that I am sooooo grateful for things that our Sweet Jesus, HIS Blessed Mother and Our Father GOD does in my life. I am so lucky to have all of you in my life ... and now ... MERCI TO DJ, I HAVE A COUPLE OF AWESOME 'FRIENDS' ON MYSPACE.
St. Benedict is DJ's third name ... and the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of his friends. I just tried to send a message to Father Corapi. Did you know he is ill??? But with his myspace page ... you can write to him, even if he has not been on lately.
I have watched his teaching on EWTN for a long time. And he is some teacher; just like is ... Father Benedict Groeschell and Mother Angelica ... ohe, and Father Mitch Pacwa. Well, lots more ... some regulars and some 'once in a while' like Fr. Staub. If you have not seen these folks, go to ... ewtn.com and click on schedule ... and watch some real 'reality' shows that will enrich your life.
May our Sweet Jesus and His Blessed Mother keep their arms around all of us!!! DIEU TE BENISSE!!! GOD BLESS!!! ;*-}
Je t'aime, DIEU TE BENISSE!!! GOD BLESS!!! Macile Hooper LeJeune,
a little old Cajun lady, 17 miles east of Orange, TX ... in Cajun country. Macile's Thoughts on Life and God Get Macile Hooper LeJeune's Prayer Team praying for you today - Submit a Prayer Request and other ... Prayer Requests at MichaelLeJeune.com St Louis MO Business Consulting Services for Small to Medium Size Companies

Ricki needs more prayers; though not urgent

2008-03-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

On Friday (was that just yesterday) ... no, on Thursday ... the drs said he could come home. He and Trudy spoke up almost at the same time, same words 'but' ... he had not walked for 17 days. The only time he was out of the bed was a couple of days after the surgery; put into a chair by 4 biggggg orderlies. >>>His surgeon was not pleased that the PT had not been walking him up and down the hall.<<<

Soooo they started doing that right then. A few steps ... (he claimed it was more steps back to the bed than away from it; tired out, he was). But they did a lot of that all afternoon. Then Trudy went to her aunt's house to get some much needed sleep. (In CCU, they started letting her stay with him, and even sit on the bed, once they took the tube out of his throat. That gave him a chance to EAT ... and so the IV drip antibotic and the feeding tube were gone.)

Friday morning when she got back to the hospital, things were not right. He wanted to go to the bathroom and since his bed rails were down and no one would answer his bell ringing, he went by himself. And his incision started ozzzzzing drops of blood. They did an echo gram ... and ... found his breast bone was not coming together like it should.

Yep, another surgery called for; but just an opening of the incision and ... they will tightly wire his breast bone together ... instead of the staples they had used. I am not sure, but some of them must have moved. This is a non-emergency surgery; and as we called friend and family for prayers ... we found out it happens to most Diabetics. But we are still praying.

Please join us ... and as Michael says ... pray with 'an attitude of gratitude' as we believe that our Father GOD, Sweet Jesus, and Blessed Mother Mary will intercede and that the Holy Spirit will guide the hands of the surgeon and his staff. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU.

HE IS RISEN; ALLELUIA; ALLELUIA; ALLELUIA

2008-03-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

Ohe, yes; on this bright sunshiny Louisiana spring day ... HIS hand is in all creations; trees blooming, bird singing, folks in their finest, singing ... singing ... singing ALLELUIA.
HL and I ... both ... made it through ALL the mass. ALLELUIA!!!
The altar was full of spring flowers; daffodils, daizys, narcissis; a bright aray of yellow, white and green. Spring has really sprung; and all is right in our world ... ALMOST.
Ricki is still in CCU ... but doing much better; awake a lot and responding to words and touch. He is trying to tell Trudy something ... but his hands are toooooo weak to hold the pen.
Our prayers today ... is that he makes his wishes known. It may be some trivial thing to all of us ... but it is so important to him ... that when Trudy and family are MADE to leave, he gets much agitated. Ohe, Sweet Jesus; help him make them understand ... so he can rest ... knowing his wishes will be fulfilled. DIEU TE BENISSE!!! GOD BLESS!!! ALL OF YOU; MERCI FOR THE PRAYERS ... AND HAVE A JOYOUS AND HOLY EASTER.

THE DEATH OF HER ... SON ... AND

2008-03-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

In this holiest of HOLY WEEKS … in the Christian calendar … with tomorrow commenting the death of OUR SWEET JESUS, I can sympathize more with our Blessed Mother … than ever before. Before … I would think, ‘what would it be like’ to lose one of our children.
If you know us personally, you know … that our first born, a son, Ricki Joseph recently had heart by-pass surgery. He did well, surgery went faster that originally thought; he was off the respirator and in a chair by the third day. Then something happened. He was having panic attacks (nurse said) … and the more he had, he had much more. Finally they sedated him because someone noticed that they were fewer and farther between while he was asleep. They put him back on the ventilator.
Then he developed fluid in his lungs (they thought) … which actually was in his lung sacks. And he was building up mucus and could not cough it up because of the ventilator tube in his throat. They started pumping it out.
Then came the scare on Tuesday of this week. Things were not looking up anymore; just down and down and down; except his temperature. And someone (hospital staff) told the family ‘we have done all we can; now it is up to his will to live’. Sooooooo, no problem; he really wants to live.
And live he did. >>>Was Tuesday … only 2 days away. All the prayers in his behalf … did not get him up and walking around; but GOD did hear … and GOD did say ‘yes’. >>>Again someone (hospital staff) decided his sedation med was ‘maybe’ causing some of the problem.
Yesterday morning … his wife and sons … found a much better situation … and his fever was down from 102 … to 98.7. Gosh; he is normal.
Of course, we are all praising GOD, the Father; HIS SON; and our Blesssed Mother … with an army of saints … and saying ‘merci beaucoup plus et plus’ … over and over. DIEU TE BENISSE!!! GOD BLESS!!!
JESUS … I TRUST IN YOU; HE IS RISEN!!! Well, on Sunday.

PRAISING THE LORD; NO ... TO ME; BUT

2008-03-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

HL had a dr appt this morning ... and I was tooooo dizzy to drive. I had prayed most of the night that I could go ... so he could get a 'big' pain shot. With the negative answer to my prayer ... I found out as HL started to leave ... it really was not NO; just not my way. >>>He had been buzzing around all morning, but I had not asked him about pain ... because to me, it seemed he did not hurt.<<< Soooooooooo, as I apologized for not being able to go ... he said 'no matter; I feel good (it was a med check) and do not need a shot'.
YEP, PRAISE THE LORD; AMEN; ALLELUIA.
***I do not know how to drag and drop ... another website ... but ... Christine started a novena to St. Joseph this morning. AWESOME; and for fathers, husbands and ... yep ... carpentars (I pleaded for Sissy's house to be finished soon and under budget.) Christine's webpage is ... a widow's walk ... and the link is at the top of my page. Take a look; at all the links up there. All are by such spirit filled ladies from the stjames group. Great Lent reading.
DIEU TE BENISSE!!!

DID YOU EVER WONDER ... WHY ME, LORD???

2008-03-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

I was sitting, my head hung low, asking 'why me' ... 'for so long' ... and it came to me; almost as a whisper ... instead of just a thought.
I must confess ... that I have never had the 'reverant devotion' to the Mass and Eucharist ... that I see in so many folks. We have one man that goes to 10:30 Mass every Sunday. He lives with his aged mother (she attends also) and a grandson they are raising (he attends also and is a server as is his granddad). This man kneels on both knees with his head bowed, before entering the pew. His hands are always ... palms together and straight up; none of this half way for him. He is a member of a group of men, that say a 'spiritual' rosary at funerals. They pray; sing; reflect on scriptual; sing; pray ... and end with 'Gentle Woman'. It is an amazing and awesome service to attend.
Now, for me. The past few days, I have been almost 'normal' in the late afternoon. Just wobbly but no dizzzzzzieness ... and with some energy.
But today ... is a day ... that Dr. S told me to wean myself off the patch. 'It is only a temporary thing; not meant to wear forever'. Ooooooooopss!!! Could it be a subliminal suggestion? It has been about 2 hours, and I am slightly dizzy, more nauseated ... and almost crying.
I am thinking ... this 'cross' as Esther said 'is probably some lesson I should learn'. Yep, bet Jesus wants me to have more reverant devotion to HIM in the sacrement of Eucharist. I am not even thinking (ohe, yes, I am) of how much fun ... old red legs ... is having with me. >>>GO AWAY, DEVIL/SATAN/EVIL ONE<<< Now, say it out loud. That is what Sissy does.
Well, HL just shouted 'dinner is served' ... he barbarqued and even made the potato salad. Yucks, just thinking about it makes me ... ??????? Am going to try though to keep some of it down. He is trying hard to keep normal in all of this.
DIEU TE BENISSE!!! PRAY FOR ME. Merci. xxxooo

WHEN WILL IT END; IN GOD'S TIME

2008-03-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

I know in my heart that when HE is ready, I will be well. I am the most ... impatient patient that I know. Well, I guess after HL. But he expects ... when he sees a dr today; tomorrow will be ... back to normal. But since Dr. S said ... 'try this for 5 days; and if you are not better ... take 1/2 of a valium at night.' I hope we do not have to do an MRI ... nor go out of town for a specialist. But this seems to just drag on and on. Well, not really. Remember, I did have some good days on the patch ... before I got on the Bactrim. Yep, he took me off that ... because the cyst incision was healing nicely (he said) ;-)
And yes, I know that it may take a few days to get all of the Bactrim out of my system. I actually felt almost well ... Tuesday and yesterday ... just in time for bed.
Soooooooooooo am praying ... and Sissy is treating me ... and I have such a prayer warrior group of kith and kin ... that I know in my head ... when HE is ready. But ... just want to say 'HURRY UP, SWEET JESUS'. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Merci to all of you who are praying. DIEU TE BENISSE!!!

Keeping it all straight; need data file %-p

2008-02-25T09:58:00.000-08:00

Last night and some this morning, I kept thinking ... go to my aol blog ... and add some things about eating right (for a Diabetic ... trying to lose weight and get the FBS at an acceptable level). Well, I went there a couple of time, between reading mail and other blogs ... and just could not find what I was looking for. DUH!!! Need my brain cleaned, especially memory area.
I started putting that stuff on this site ... so I can repost it on CCC when we get it up and running. NOW ... for the confession of the weekend.
I was doing fine; blood sugar just a little high (135 or less) for over 2 weeks now, and soooooo, decided to eat that half banana, a couple of the huge strawberries we bought during the week, and of course, that went into the bowl holding the 'no sugar added' butter/pecan ice cream. Then I remembered the 'light' cool whip and the choc shell ... going to waste on the table.
NOW ... the first mistake I made ... was to whip up this concoction; and second was eating it in the middle of the afternoon. But ... it was Sunday; my 'over eat' day so my body would not think it is in 'hibernation' and adjust my metabiliosm. Soooooooooo, this morning, my FBS was 215.
Ohhhhhhhe, my; ohe, my; Never ... in the 22 years of testing first thing in the morning ... did I have a reading like that. Soooooooooooo, gonna put that # on the fridge in large red letters ... and try to get my tired body and brain to stop looking for excuses ... and just 'git it done' as one of our grandsons like to say. DIEU TE BENISSE!!!

I DON WANNAAAAAA!!!

2008-02-19T07:13:00.000-08:00

Did you happen to catch the EWTN mass yesterday? I watch it at 6pm (CDT) and do not get back on line after that. BUT ... a visiting priest ... Father John Kennedy (yep) from Austrialia was speaking of what happened when the Friar (probably Fr. Joseph) asked him to preach. It was at supper, day before yesterday ... and that meant 'I do not have time to write'... but after the first refusal ... he was asked again (coaxed, he said) and again he refused. He did not say how many times ... but over and over; and they even said 'Just think, your mom in Austrialia could see you and see you are fine and healthy'. Was that blackmail?? He was grinning.
I speak of this ... because so many of us, lately, have talked about our 'dark night of the soul' and how there are times when we just ... DO NOT ... want to pray. He was eloquent ... and sooooo convincing ... and I said 'ALLELUIA'.
His words were 'the more you do not want to do something that GOD wants you to do ... but you go on and do it ... the more meaning your suffering has'.
Our homily on Sunday was much the same; 'in GOD's own time; in GOD's own way'.
As Lee Anne said 'doing it GOD's way ... even when we think we know more than HE'.
Jesus said 'pray with a joyful heart' ... but that does not say that if you do not have a joyful heart ... your prayers are less effective. In fact as Fr. Kennedy said 'give until it hurts; as our Blessed Mother gave at the foot of the cross. She, for sure ... did not have a joyful heart at that time ... nor did she, most of her life, seeing as how she knew from the beginning ... what her precious SON would have to go through to save our souls.
Soooooooooo, DJ, Leslie, Esther, me and me and me ... pray anyway ... and reap the rewards for yourself ... and others (Love your neighbor). I am going to try to continue using an 'attitude of gratitude' in all my spiritual life ... and let GOD know (as if HE does not already) ... I am aiming for perfection ... knowing it will come ... in my next stage of life.
DIEU TE BENISSE!!!

Trying to learn how to put new links in my list

2008-02-16T09:25:00.000-08:00

Widow's Walk OK ... so that is Christine MaggieO's blog. But I want it in the list of blogs or sites on the side of my blog. Let's see. Publish ... and ... ???

Just once, Lord; just once

2008-02-14T06:43:00.000-08:00

As I was watching Fr. Pacwac last night, bemoaning in my mind ... how tired I was, it came to me 'just once, I would like to stay in bed beyond daybreak'. NOT because I am sick (remember last 2 weeks, I would NOT stay in bed) ... and certainly not because I am dead.
NOPE, got toooooo much work to do. Of course, I bet, when we die, we will not be tired again.
Yesterday was a big day for me after over 3 weeks of not doing much except stablizing my head against a high back desk chair (where I am now) or ... stablizing my head against a high back recliner in the living room.
At the table this morning (HL seldom eats the same time as me, but did today) ... he said 'why am I so tired. I spent plenty of time in bed resting and sleeping.' He has a TV in the bedroom and a bed that you can raise the head. So most days, at 6pm when the Mass is on EWTN, he goes in there and stays until the next morning. ;-) (That gives me 2 or 3 hours in the living room ... watching what I like.)
Soooooo, where does this leave us. Someone told me once, that the more you exercise, the less tired you are. Soooooo as soon as I am 'good to go' with this head of mine (which is lotzzzz better today) ... am going to try to start my walk-a-robic exercise again. That helps keep my FBS under control and there are other health benefits also.
Ya'll have a nice day. DIEU TE BENISSE!!! GOD BLESS!!!

Another week; progress??? Ugh!!!

2008-02-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, again; I am whining. Weighed today even though I 'snuck up on the scale yesterday' because I always weigh on Saturday. Another 3 pounds lost; but is that really progress ... after the way I have been nauseated all week. Yesterday, the vertigo was more worse than any other day this week. Soooooo crackers and milk and a boiled egg ... was the menu of the day. I made myself an scrambled eggbeater sandwich on raisin bread ... and just the smell of that bread ... led me to put it in a plastic ziploc bag and store in fridge.
Sooooooooo ... this morning ... decided to eat half of it. HL still wants to go eat at that 'Cajun buffet' ... and if I can stand up ... I will.
Sooooooooooo ... on with the day. A little housework ... turn on the washer ... get dressed ... and Ooooooooops!!! Rush back into the bathroom to upchuck. My stomach has been threatening to do that all week, but a cold wet rag on my neck had prevented it.
Now the question is ... DO I HAVE TO COUNT THAT HALF OF SANDWICH ... AS FOOD THAT I HAVE HAD TODAY??? AND WHAT ABOUT THE DRAMAMINE??? SHOULD I TAKE MORE???? NOPE, NOT GOING TO DO THAT.
So I sit here at this machine and am shaking inside and out. HL is back from Mass ... and freezing. %---{ Why run the central heat ... while he is gone, if I am overly warm?
The washer just finished the rinse spin ... but will wait a while before attempting to stand up. Now ... do not fret; as HL says 'get to the dr' ... and I remind him that I have been having vertigo since the late 60s; and no dr has ever prescribed anything except Antivert ... an expensive brand name chemical that translates to ... YEP; Dramamine.
Stay tuned for an update; and ... YA'LL HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND!!!
DIEU TE BENISSE!!!

To eat or not to eat; do not starve your vital organs; YUCKS!!!

2008-01-12T13:17:00.000-08:00

I have been 'fat' most of my life. But since I am having several health issues that would more than likely be solved if I would lose a hundred pounds, I had a talk with myself ... and said ... do it ... one day at a time.
#1: the NutriSystem offer I got in the mail was touted as 'less than $10 a day'. Ohe, my lands; HL and I together do not eat half that much in a month.
#2: I got a 'challenge' from Slim Fast in an email. Too much sugar, I find.
#3: We bought a new frost free freezer ... and you would not believe all the veggies that I found under that ice in the old one. I can eat on that for months without even going to the store. :-)
Soooooooooo, here it is ... January 12 ... and I am still trying to 'figger' out ... just what I will do with myself at meal time. Let's have a banana split and think about it. Well, yeah; a half of a banana, strawberry ice cream (low fat), butter pecan ice cream (low fat with no added sugar) ... a dab of chocolate shell ... and to top it off ... light and sugar cream whipped topping. There goes my Sunday dessert.
I should have remembered that my motto for a long time was ... 'if I crave something, wait a day, and most of the time, that craving will go away'. Oooooooops!
I was told by a dr in Tennessee once ... a long time ago ... do not diet on the weekend, because your bodies metabolism will shut down because it thinks it is winter time ... and hibernate like an old Grizzly bear. ;-) That is why when you first start a weight lost program, you lose a lot and then hit a 'plateau'. But I only cheat (more food, with Diabetes exchanges in mind) on Sunday at noon ... and on grocery buying day ... so it is spread apart. Some folks cannot stop eating wrong if they start. A lady I know does not eat all day, (dr's orders) because once she starts, she keeps on keeping on until bedtime. I think she needs some willpower training. That is sad. Leslie, an e-pal extraordinare of mine ... talked about not being able to eat lettuce, so salads were just not 'salad'. Sissy and I cannot eat iceberg lettuce; and do you know, some restaurants charge extra for Romaine or Spinach. %--p And there are always other greens. I love raw mustard greens, turnip greens, radish greens; etc. And when I had a tooth ache one day, I remember that a sis-in-law used to grind her radish in a salad blender. I even do that with cucumbers with the skin on; all that fiber is good for you. And I cook apple and oranges with the skin on.
Leslie mentioned in her blog that she is a 'sloth' when it comes to food.
Just to make sure I knew what 'sloth' was ... I looked it up. Yep, Leslie is not a sloth; no way. Geeeezh, she drives 2 hours one way to get to work and back. Sooooooo she is not a sloth ... and sometimes that drive is harder than the work she does ... especially in severe weather. Definition ... disinclination to work (she is NOT that) ... or exert oneself (NOT) or ... lazy (definitely NOT); >>>AND<<< NOT ... a slow-moving, tree-dwelling South American mammal who hangs upside down from a tree branch. *giggle* NOT!!!
So ... now a question ... if we are full of sloth about food ... must we add gluttony to our list of things to confess? I think not; because if you are lazy about eating, then you probably tend to eat less, just foods with higher calories, if handy.
Is that what you meant, ma cherie?
HL sometimes does not know what he wants to eat for lunch until breakfast is over for an hour or two. I like to plan my meals WAY ahead of time; like when I am making a grocery list. And if the ingredients are frozen, I sometime take them out of the freezer and defrost them over night in the fridge.
I tend to under eat most days ... (and there is a weight loss support company in LA (CA) THAT TOLD MY COUSIN ... that is worst than overeating) ... because ... not only do you not lose, you do not get your needs met ... so fasting for long periods ... will cause your body to eat itself; and it eats muscle as well as fat). >>>I actually had a silent heart attack ... while living on a 500 calories or less ... per day ... for 8 months. Ohe, I lost weight ... but ... was so malnourished that I landed in the hospital for several days. Since I was dehydrated, they gave me IV drip, and put me back on my feet. Then I got pregnant and gained back that weight and more. And me, at 39 and counting, should have known better. %--p
MJ is working on the Cajun Country Card website ... and I hope to have it up and running soon. But so I can post this on my ... aol ... blog, I will close for now, and hope to report a good weight loss and a smooth system to my eating ... on that site.
Je t'aime and DIEU TE BENISSE! GOD BLESS! Macile

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR; THIS IS WHAT JESUS WAS THINKING OF

2007-12-15T12:57:00.000-08:00

On the NBC Nightly News on Friday, December 14, 2007 … the Making a Difference segment … brought tears of joy to my eyes. I hope it effected most folks like that also.
A man, wrongly accused of a crime many years ago, was proven innocent by DNA testing; and he was awarded a large sum of money … over $300,000. And THEN … what did he do?
He started a foundation to help other inmates, whether proven innocent and released … or released when their time was served. And … how is he helping them?
He visits the prison (s) [not sure if more than one, or which, probably near where he lives] … AND … he finds out who is getting out soon; what they want to do with their lives; and then finds them the training and/or job that closest matches their dream.
NOW, folks … that is what Jesus was talking about … when he said ‘love your neighbor’. And we can all do that. BUT this man … went way beyond what most folks would do.
It was such a pleasure to watch some of the folks that he had helped. One man, a chef (not a fast food cook, but a chef) went on saying, over and over, ‘I would not have made a good life if it were not for him'. That man was working in a nice restaurant, with high white hat and all. ;-)
The man the story was about … had no time for revenge, not even for the prosecutor, saying … ‘he was doing his job with the evidence that was made available at that time. It was 20 years … in the coming to truth and justice, but he seemed to believe … ‘it was GOD’s plan’.
How awesome if more of us lived each day believing that no matter what problems befall us … GOD does have a plan. When we work through our troubles and suffering, we are stronger … and can help others … as they need some human … talking them through their hills and valleys.
As our son, MJ would say ‘pray … but pray with an ‘attitude of gratitude’ and ‘trust in the Lord’ that he will get around to the positive answer … when and if we are ready to accept it.
Je t’aime and … DIEU TE BENISSE!!!

A HOLY OF HOLY DAYS; OF OBLIGATION

2007-12-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

(I began writing this on Dec. 7, 2007) Did I say I have been busy?
TOMMOROW IS THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION … ANNIVERSARY … OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY BEING CONCIEVED IN THE WOMB OF ST. ANNE.
That is how Mother Angelica started her program, this week on Tuesday, which was actually December 4, 2007. It was a rerun of a program done on December 7, 1998 (I think). Which ever it was, I was soooooooooo pleased to watch that program and hope a lot of folks saw it both times.
As she mentioned, lots of folks think this is the announcement to Mary … by the archangel, Gabriel … that she had been chosen to be the human mother of the Son of GOD. Boy, as Mother said ‘that would have been even more of a miracle; gestation lasting less than 20 days’. ;-)
I THINK … one reason for that … is the Annunciation story is read as the Gospel of this day.
I have often wondered ‘why’. It should (and probably is) be read on March 25, 9 months before Christmas day. But then, who am I to tell the Magistarum what to do … and how to do it.
In talking about this subject … of course, Mother talked about Anne and Joachim … and their joy in being given a child. The gospels also talk about … Elizabeth and Zachary; starting from the beginning of the story of the conception of John, the Baptist … in their old age. To quote from a website … ewtn.com/Mary and Elizabeth/library … One day, while Zachary was serving in the temple, the Angel Gabriel appeared at the right of the altar, and announced that a son would be born to Elizabeth. It was in the sixth month of her pregnancy that the Virgin Mary came to visit her—a touching and beautiful scene pictured by many great artists. The Angel Gabriel, having lately announced to Mary the destiny that awaited her, also told her that her kinswoman Elizabeth was with child. The Virgin Mary, eager to share in Elizabeth's happiness and to confide that she too would bear a child, traveled down the dusty road from Nazareth. On Mary's arrival, she was amazed when Elizabeth, having foreseen knowledge, greeted her as "mother of my Lord." Elizabeth's salutation was in these words: "Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And how have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished."
Mother talked about Zachary telling the archangel all the reasons that he was wrong. At the end of his objections, Gabriel struck him mute, according to the wishes of GOD, the Father. He would not speak again until his son was born and named John, as instructed by Gabriel.
I often wondered if Mary spent the whole three months with Elizabeth and was there when John was actually born. She lived a great distance away, which made it reasonable that she would do that.
Of course, since she was newly pregnant when she went to Elizabeth, she would be no where near her own delivery date, when he was born.
Many folks talk about the ‘worship’ of Catholics … where the Blessed Mother is concerned. A friend of mine wrote recently in her blog … ‘Did you know that one of the earliest known prayers to Our Lady comes from the THIRD CENTURY? Now, let's put this into perspective, historically - the third century spans the year 200 a.d. to 299 a.d. approximately. Our Lord was crucified and rose again in the year 33 a.d. (approximately), correct? That means that this prayer was being used by the ONLY CHURCH anywhere from 167 years to 266 years after that monumental event.
Now, after getting this type of historical perspective straight in our minds it is easy to see why the argument that Catholics 'worship' Mary or that it was some sort of manifestation of the phenomenon in the Middle Ages of a corrupt Church hierarchy can be easily refuted. We do not 'worship' her...we love her. Our attitude is, if she was good enough for Jesus she is good enough for us. Here is the prayer: "We flee to your protection, O virgin Mother of God. Despise not our prayers in our need, but you, who alone are pure and blessed, deliver us from all danger."
Leslie goes on to say that the Blessed Mother is one of the main reasons that she came back to the Catholic Church. And not only … did she come back, she came back full force; RICA teacher, daily adoration of the Eucharist when possible, Mass lotzzzzz, during the week; and teaching a lot of folks what the Church means to her, including her niece, Jillian … and her nephews, Ryan and Stephen.
Soooooooooo, give this some thought, folks. And remember, September 8 is Blessed Mother Mary’s birthday. Je t’aime and DIEU TE BENISSE!!!!

ME; WATCH A MOVIE; THAT I HAD SEEN; NAW!

2007-12-02T14:39:00.000-08:00

I JUST SPENT THE MOST RELAXING AND LOVELY AFTERNOON, IN OUR LIVING ROOM, ALONE … AND YES, WATCHED … ‘HOPE FLOATS’.
In 1998, I went home with Mama when her radiation in Lake Charles was over.
She and Juanita had come for her 80th birthday party. Don and Pat also came if for a few days. After a couple of weeks, Juanita went home; and Mama stayed … supposedly until February. >>>BUT GOD CHANGED HER SCHEDULE.<<<
That was one of the most precious gifts that GOD gave me; not counting our children, grandchildren and now our two awesome great-granddaughters.
On New Year’s Eve, one of our sons-in-law was the MC for a huge bash at the casino in Kinder. They even gave us a hotel room free, so that we would not have to drive home in the middle of the night (more like 2 am, when the party was over).
We had a good time … and all was OK; or so it seemed. As it turns out, Mama (who usually walked faster than any of us) was walking slowly and huffing/puffing … and white as a ghost … going down to breakfast.
To cut this short, for those of you who do not know the story … her breast cancer had returned as 16 tumors in her bronchial tubes, the largest as big as a lemon.
Fast forward to April 1; after radiation for 12 weeks here, I was going home with her so she could do chemo and ‘be sick in my own house’ she kept saying.
My return ticket was for June 15, after Pumpkin’ (Yvonne, Juanita’s granddaughter) graduated. Fast forward again … through all the good times we had, BECAUSE MAMA DID NOT NEED CHEMO … but HL insisted I stay anyway since I was already there. No sweat; there was so much to keep us busy.
Juanita loved movies. Mama and I did not want to go … until we found out that Harry Conick, Jr. was the male lead. >>>HE IS FROM … NU OILNS … YOU KNOW<<<
Yep, the one in Southwest Louisiana. ;-)
So, to the movie we went. Mama sat between us and we like the movie from the beginning … which really was sad … but just sat quietly and watched it unfold.
Somewhere along, when Gena Rowlands, Sandra Bullock’s mother … was showing signs of health problems, that she hid from her daughters and husband, I realized that Mama was holding my hand. I reached over for a kiss on the cheek, squeezing her hand as she squeezed mine, and Juanita was doing the same thing, at the same time. I guess (although I am not sure at this moment) … that Mama had made the first move and we were just reacting at the same time because of her action.
If you are reading this, not believing from the beginning … that I watched a movie that I had seen before … you are correct. Not only that, I am seldom in the living room by myself … and then … not until 5 pm, when it is time for the local news and my last meal of the day. Today surprised me … most of all. But it was soooooo nice … to not be working in this room. I know, I impose my own schedules … but it seems if I skip a few hours, I fall so far behind that it is hard to catch up.
Sooooooooooo, I give glory to our Father, GOD … for giving me this peaceful time … and the memories to go with it. To all of you …
STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES …
AND … SING GLORY TO GOD. DIEU TE BENISSSE! Macile

A Family Divided: Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman (Bounty Hunter)

2007-11-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

The only reason that I know who this man is … is because when he was arrested in Mexico and then cleared of all charges … it was all over the national news. That was some time back in time.
It was mentioned then, that he had a show all his own, on A & E and that it was so popular … it had recently become the number one series on that network. Kinda any other ‘Cop’ show; I do not watch any of them.
If you know anything about me, before today, you know that I watch EWTN, almost exclusively except for NBC Nightly News and local news each night. I try to watch the Mass each day at 6 pm, except Sunday. That is the time slot of Sunday Night Live with Father Benedict Groeschel. The programming on EWTN from 7 pm to 8 pm … Monday through Friday … is my kind of pleasure and joy. Sometime it is serious, but lots of times, it is also funny enough to make me laugh out loud, not just smile gleefully. Each host is a ‘star’ in their own right … for me.
But for some reason, I do not watch EWTN on Saturday night. (Maybe I will check the schedule and see why.) So yesterday, I watched Geraldo on FoxNews when I found out that the whole show would NOT be about ‘OJ’. It was about Drew Perterson and his families. I will not even try to talk about that man and his deceased wives.
But since I do not like war stories, at 8 pm, looked around, ending up with Larry King and Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman. I had seen some of his story on a couple of other ‘news’ shows this week, so stayed there. I got in on the beginning, this time.
This is a pitiful story, if even only a small part of it is true. Sons against father is predicted in scripture. And … these sons … sold out for ’30 pieces for silver’. Now, hear this well. I am still naïve, as someone told me long ago … and it is not just because I never worked with the public at large. I just trust folks unless they hurt me or mine.
The gist of this story is the ‘N’ word; much as the rapper (I forget his name) and the Don Imus mess. Of course, Mr. Imus knew he was on the air … and he did not use the ‘N’ word; just a rather common term for ladies of color … used by the black community … but taboo for any other race. That was part of Mr. Chapman's problem. He hangs with other races; and considers himself ... 'a brother from a different mother' ... to quote him.
Mr. Chapman, on the other hand, was on the phone with one of his sons. Seems that son or someone else had a recorder going. That may have been illegal, but as Mr. Chapman told Larry King, that is not even the point of his hurt. He was telling his son, Tucker ‘you know that I use language not accepted by all, and if you bring this girl into our home and business, she may hear things that are not for public display’. Well, he said more than that, but I do not want to go into the whole story. If you do not know it … and are interested, I am sure you can find it on line.
Mr. Chapman’s oldest son was on the King show at the end; admitting that he also ‘sold’ his story of being the son of ‘Dog’ right after he got out of prison. I think he said ‘I was 21; knew ‘Dog’ was my biological dad; but we had never met’. But when the supermarket scandal sheet offered him money … he took it; told lies; they knew he was telling lies; and they printed it any way. (They paid for the lie detector test.)
Now the ‘Tucker’ story is different, in a way. The scandal mongers had been offering him money for months … and he finally got hungry. This taping, by the way, was way back around the first of the year. But the story hit the airwaves just recently. Could they have been checking the facts for the truth? NAW! They had another motive, I am guessing. Like ...
So why did they wait? More honey for the money; ‘Dog’ has progressively become more and more popular. Hit him while at the top; why bother if he is not a ‘media/series/TV’ MegaStar. That is where the money is. Printing stories that 'sells' is their motive.
The purpose of all this ‘talk’ by me … is to ask ‘why’ would sons do that to their father. ‘Money’ was the answer for the son sitting next to him on the King show. HOW SAD!!!
And even though I know a lot of dis-functional families … money is not usually what tears them apart. Now … the control issue; that is a whole ‘nuther story. This touched me deeply; more so than I could have imagined.
The show ended (like another one I saw) with Mr. Chapman’s pastor and spiritual director chiming. That man is black. And he has known Mr. Chapman for quiet some time. They are working on this problem; had been for several years … and … (not a quote) the preacher said ‘He is coming along; never talks like that in front of me and my congregation’. And ‘he is sincere; I know that in my heart’. And I feel that also.
Well, Mr. Chapman has shed tears, every time I have seen him (three or four partial shows) and seems sincere to me. One of the ‘cam questions’ was really just a comment by a small white girl saying ‘GOD forgives everyone who makes mistakes. Even I … make mistakes. GOD forgives you for your mistake. We should all forgive others.) And again, that is not a direct quote, because I was not taking notes and am relying on my memory.
Forgiveness is what Jesus is all about. Forgiveness of ourselves; forgiveness of others; and a sincere promise on out part … not to repeat that mistake. Jesus, I trust in YOU. DIEU TE BENISSE!!! GOD BLESS!!!

A change in my heart; an attitude of gratitude

2007-11-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

If I REALLLLY am busy, it used to REALLLLLLY get my damper up ... if anything surprisingly put a stop to that happening; not that I REALLLLLY like working that much; I just like plans to stay as I made them; not change several times, especially by someone else making new plans.
Just over an hour ago, we got home from getting HL an pain shot. That used to REALLLLLLY make me frustrated; if he had not brought it on by doing somethings that he knew he should not be doing. NOW ... if he had been misbehaving (going against doctor's orders) my temper would flare so much inside of me ... that I am surprised that my nose did not glow like Rudolph's.
>>>I was taught by a nice lady ... when I was working for her dad on a weekly newspaper ... not to use certain words toooooo often ... but ... REALLLLLY;<<<
That was the only word that would work here, and get the point across.
Since our son, MJ wrote his book and talked about an 'attitude of gratitude' when praying about problems ... yours or others ... my temper does not get the best of me often. That is probably not what MJ had in mind when writing about it, but sometimes ... a small change in thinking can REALLLLLLY change your whole outlook on life; thus changing your life.
Try it; you will probably find, just like I did, that it only makes for a better way of doing things. Sil vous plait!! Please!!! Just a test. And then report to me. ;-)
Je t'aime and DIEU TE BENISSE!!!

Our Crucifix in not ... just another cross

2007-11-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

At a recent funeral of a dear cousin, the person standing at the podium, introduced himself as the pastor of the Vincent Settlement Baptist Church. He was short of statue and looked in his mid-50s. But he was standing tall ... as he started to talk.
In his introduction, he remarked that 'I do not know Mr. Hooper, although I was told by relatives that he had attended our church when he was younger.'
Mr. Hooper, in his retirement, had a brother who belongs to the Assembly of God denomination ... and at times, has been pastor of several churches in this area. He now attends the new one in Sulphur, where the old Kroger used to be. But he is not the pastor there; just helping when needed.
I did not ask that Mr. Hooper if the deceased attended that church. He had been quite sickly for over 5 months; and I am not aware of much of his activities during that time. >>>There is really no excuse; although I used the illness of my husband and our oldest daughter ... as a reason to stay close to home ... not knowing how ill my cousin was.
This man at the podium was talking about our 'asking' our Father, GOD for favors; even for the healing of extremely ill friends and relatives.
That led him into ... 'even Jesus, in the garden, asked our Father ... for relief of his burden and cross'. Ohe, yes ... this man made it clear that Jesus knew his destiny. But what he was leading up to ... was ... if Jesus ... in his divinity ... could ask for relief from our Father ... why did we, as lowly human beings ... although created to be with GOD ... think that we ... do not need any help ... not even from HIM. And he started to slowly sink ... toward the floor.
As he said ... 'Jesus, on his knees ... asked our Father ... for relief'. He sank a little lower; still talking ... 'if HE could ask ... why NOT should we'. He raised his voice ... and again ... sank lower; 'why NOT, my friends and fellow mourners ... should we NOT ask ... our Father ... on our knees when we are in need'.
He went on and on about our needing our Father ... and then he stood straight. 'Yes, we have legs to stand on. But in our greatest need ... as today, we NEED to ask our Father ... on our knees ... to take Mr. Hooper home to his eternal rest in the arms of our Jesus ... and we NEED to ask our Father ... on our knees ... to take our tears and turn them into good. Good for us; good for our fellow mourners; good for the whole world of brothers and sisters'.
Now, let me say here ... I am not quoting exactly; because it was a couple of months ago. And his talking was much longer than I have recited. AND ...
Yes, I am sure some of you are saying to yourself ... 'When is she going to get to the title of this writing. RIGHT NOW!!! Whew, thought I would not, huh?
***I look up at the Crucifix in our church, every Sunday ... as I enter ... and say 'good morning, Jesus'. Yes, that is after I have said my morning prayers at home. But this is different. I am looking up at the face of our GOD, Son and Savior.*** >>>BUT ... today was different.<<<
And remember, I was at that funeral ... over 2 months ago. And I have not missed a Sunday ... and even went during the week a couple of time ... to Mass ... so have seen this magnificent huge Crucifix on many occasions.
BUT ... TODAY WAS DIFFERENT!!! I was praying for a special intention; trying to plead with Jesus and his Blessed Mother Mary ... Mother of the Church; Queen of Peace; Queen of Heaven and earth. I was pleading for peace ... peace in our family; peace in this house; peace in the world.
I put my head down, thinking of all the marvelous things GOD has done in the lives of my family over the past year. Many good things have come to us; physical health; financial blessings; and TODAY ... a new baby girl.
&&&WELCOME, MyLeeJo ... sweet baby ... so lucky to be born to a mother and father who wanted her so much and love each other.
BUT no ... great-grandmother is not satisfied. Two of our four children do not attend any church service. And one of them is the granddad of MyLeeJo and Riley.
Sooooooooo, there I was praying ... praying ... praying ... for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren ... to come to the Altar of Jesus.
That is what this is ... all about. The gospel today was ... 'ask and you shall receive'. That so did hit home. Here I was ... asking, begging, pleading ... before Mass, without knowing what the readings were; for our children to not only pray, but to attend Mass.
And I looked up ... into the face of Our Lord and Savior on the cross. That Crucifix has been right where it is ... for many years. BUT ... TODAY ... I noticed ... HIS head is held high ... HIS eyes are open ... HE is looking upward ... as though he is pleading 'Let this cup pass'. NO, HE did that in the garden ... before even ... the WAY OF THE CROSS.
Of course, I know; that is what this is all about. How many Crucifixes have you seen in your life. Are they not of the 'dead' Jesus? Is not HIS head ... always ... resting on HIS shoulder? Is not ... HIS eyes always closed?
I CHECKED AGAIN; rosaries that I have. Yes, HIS head is down and HIS eyes are closed. Now I am so enthralled with this Crucifix ... I can just see myself ... visiting the other Catholic Churches around the area.
Am I dreaming??? No, I gazed at that face ... over and over ... even as I got nearer to receive the Body and Blood of our Sweet Jesus. Something has happened to me today. On the inside; in my heart, soul and mind. I am joyful as I have never been before. Tears of joy are filling my eyes. And there is a fullness is in my chest. I cannot hear or feel my heart beating ... so that fulness has to be in ... my soul. After all, I attend Mass at this Catholic Church every Sunday if I am in town. Why was today so different?
WHAT happened today? WHY was it so different? WILL is always be this way now. HOW can it be explained? Maybe it should not be explained ... but I have a questioning nature. Be sure, I will explore further. (Original post on July 30; today is November 3; I still have not received the explanation in my mind that I want ... but no longer need. I just say ... 'Jesus, I trust in YOU' ... and let him work in me to praise and glorify HIS name.
I full well know that this writing has ended up being much longer than I intended; but I just let my fingers flow with my mind in charge. I even went back and added ... because the buttons allowed me to 'edit'. ;-)
To all of you who read it to this point, Merci Beaucoup Plusse' ... and ... DIEU TE BENISSE!!! GOD BLESS!!! You, yours; and ... me and mine.
PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD!!!! Alleluia!!!
Que le Bon-Dieu vous bénisse ... May God bless all of you, Macile

Writers write when mood hits ;-)

2007-10-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

And right now, I should (probably) doing some houseword; but ... with HL out of the house this morning, I got a lot more done than intended.
When he is in the living room, watching TV ... I stay pretty much in this computer room. And no, I have not moved many piles in the past 2 days. But I will get to it; really I will. Why, I have almost a half day left to today. ;-)
We are getting ready for a visit from CA of my sister's grandson. He has never been able to visit here before, so this is an exciting event for Sissy, Annie and me. And we will cram a lot into those 9 days; well, 8 days ... 'cause he is coming in way after dark on the 15th of Nov.
Have you been praying for our troops. With all that forest burning in CA ... and now, this morning, I saw some in Hawaii ... the war has not been as big a deal for the mainline media. But it is still going on; still killing; still trying to negotiate peace; still, still, still.
Now, do not put words in my mouth. I am not against fighting for freedom; but I am against all killing, even if it is a government. Yep, I am against the death penalty in all cases. I KNOW lots of folks would argue with me; but even ... for the senseless killing of police and fire men and women. I will not go into my reasoning on that ... but if you want to challenge me, go ahead .... but be ready for on heck of a debate. I did not intend to get into this when I started writing. >>>BUT WHILE YOU ARE PRAYING FOR OUR TROOPS ... PRAY FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS ALSO. It was awesome to see those 8 come out of those silver cocoons; and all survived. If only folks would get out when warned ... their jobs would be much easier.
Gonna shut up for now and go do some more standing work; my ice pack is getting warm ... so that is my clue to move around. DIEU TE BENISSE!!!

Is it really Saturday already again?

2007-10-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

That is hard to believe; why, just yesterday ... we were leaving St. Charles Retreat Center after a rip-roaring time with Fr. Whitney, Gwen, almost 50 other guest ... and ... JESUS, JESUS, JESUS. What an awesome way to live. Soooooooooo close to the chapel and tabernacle and the Real Presence ... you can walk. >>>I should have been a nun.<<< ;-)
Well, I thought about it. But then ... along came HL. And those crystal blue eyes are still as clear as ever. It is everything else about him ... and me ... that has changed.
I have grown in my faith much and more since we met at that little country church. We saw each other for months before he spoke to me. He was going steady and I was 'playing the field' after the first love of my life (much older man) ran away and got married to a stranger. Well, stranger to me.
So here I set at this machine, pressing my head against a pillow ... 'cause I have vertigo today. And boy, did I have some cleaning plans. This room seems never to get it's share of the 'move around' from one pile to another. But ... before the dizzies moved in ... I did get some basic housework done; 3 sinks ... and the living room floor. %-P
Sooooooooo how was your week??? Actually ours was full of shrimp and crabs; and the best part of that ... was Sissy got to come over and help us eat them. HL headed and bagged shrimp on 3 separate days; with only one trip to the dr for a pain shot. Today he is peeling Sissy's pecans (on halves) because she cannot bend down nor crack them. Her back and hands hurt tooooo much. But HL has a pecan picker-upper (?? duh) and his hands are about the only thing on his body besides his nose that never hurts.
I have been hoping for some new folks to be requesting prayers ... so if you are a regular on cajunspray@aol.com ... or ... stjames224 ... please pass this around ... so we can get a reallllllllllllly large prayer chain going.
REMEMBER ... to pray for our troops every day; and for our government leaders, whether you approve of them or not (I get so frustrated with most of them) ... and for our religious leaders also. We pray that the war in Iraq and Afganistan end soon; and our troops can be in a safe zone; if they cannot come home.
Je t'aime and ... DIEU TE BENISSE!!! GOD BLESS!!! me

I started to say 'good morning' but

2007-10-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

then I noticed the time (12:24) at the bottom of my screen; well, I almost made it. ;-}
I am going to try to not get lazy about this venture because it means so much to me. Maybe ... Monday, Wednesday, Friday; and now that I said it out loud as I typed it ... that is a commitment to others besides myself.
My views will change, as I grow in my love of GOD in the Holy Trinity, Christ, HIS Blessed Mother, and my neighbors. I find I have moved up in a lot of ways since I joined the ... stjames discussion group ... several years ago. Those gals and guys (most converts or reverts to the Catholic Church) are sooooo knowledge, it takes little effort to LEARN, LEARN, AND LOVE LEARNING. It is a pleasure opening those emails each day.
They are fam-mil-liii-ieeeeee ... and we love each other in so many way; and respect each other's views and opinions; and support each other in times of prayer, work, joy, sorrow, and the high and lows of our everyday lives.
I also have a praying list that I created and monitor. I receive the prayer request; copy and paste the important parts of those emails into another note, with only first name of the person needing the prayers, and send all the morning's request in one note. If I get an URGENT request during the day, by phone or email ... I send another note. Send requests to ... cajunspray@aol.com ... or you can call me if you are local to my area. (I made the rule not to give out last names nor email addresses; and so far, I have abided by that. I pray that continues.) You can request prayers for yourself or for others. >>>I DO ASK, THAT YOU ... NOT ... pull bad news from the web ... and send those stories. I delete them without opening if I can tell by the symbol what it is; and if I open one and it has a website for furthur info ... I then delete that.<<<>
And since I have always believed that ... GOD knows our prayer requests long before we pray ... HE can save someone today ... because you will pray years from now.
May our Sweet Jesus and HIS Blessed Mother Mary hold you in their arms and protect you and yours for years to come. DIEU TE BENISSE!!! GOD BLESS!!! Macile

This is a test ;*-}

2007-10-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am following the instructions in an email from MJ ... and it seems to be working quite fine. I am pushing the clock ... of my feeding schedule. I try to eat supper while I watch the evening news; and some folks think that is 'multiple tasking' ... (me) ... just do not want to waste any time ... just staring at the 'boob tube'.
I want to say 'up front' that the test I did a couple of days ago ... (I found out) was just a comment on what MJ wrote. Soooooooooo be patient with me. We have a lot going on in our lives and it will probably be next week before I get a lot of time to study.
Sissy's lot is empty (well, the front is, at least) since they moved the old house in pieces; and so far as I know right now ... FEMA has not moved the camper back so the electric company can put her power back on. >>>Finally some good things happening to her; YOU SHOULD SEE THAT HOTEL SUITE!!! WOW!!!
She and I will be 'out of town' sorta next weekend; Friday (from afternoon); all day Saturday; and until after Mass and lunch on Sunday. We will actually be in Moss Bluff which has a Lake Charles mailing address ... at the St. Charles Retreat Center. ;-)
The first oil lease money came in ... soooooo ... in gratitude to our Father, GOD ... using some of it to 'go be with HIM' for some serious spiritual time. Ohe, yeah; with Father Whitney and his sister, Gwen ... gonna have a good time while learning.
Je t'aime for now; and remember ... we love and cherish all of you. DIEU TE BENISSE!!!

Welcome to Macile's Blog

2007-10-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

This is the first post in my new blog. I hope you all enjoy all of my notes.