Through it All, God is With Us

Hello out there! I hope you are all doing well - It is a beautiful, sun shiny day here in San Angelo. I was looking back through my blog posts. This post will be number 462. I began my blog on a Saturday morning on March 22, 2014. This Monday will be the 7th Anniversary of, "Stories from My Heart." Looking back I've noticed that there were  months when I wrote numerous stories. Lately, my story writing has been hit and miss. Sometimes I have so much to say I don't know where to start. Other times I am too tired to put my thoughts together. So I decided that today I would just sit down and write whatever popped into my mind. This phrase - And through it all - Life goes on. 

A simple phrase with so much truth. I am thankful for many things. My faith in God is what keeps me going. This Lent, like all the ones before it, is different. If we look back on our lives, nothing is ever the same. Hopefully we learn and grow and become better and stronger people because of the trials and tribulations, the good and the bad, the joy and the sorrow that come with everyday life. My strength comes from my faith in God. I am blessed to be married to someone who believes as I do. Prayer is essential in our lives. As I looked back over my Lenten journeys I realized that in most of the years before, I planned what I was going to do ahead of time. When I chose simple things, like not putting cream in my morning coffee, etc. I followed through because that was easy. As I grew older and also grew in my faith I realized that the Lenten journey should be about making a change that will last. I also found out that sometimes God chooses the journey for us. In 2019 Jim was going through radiation because of thyroid cancer and I was going to physical therapy for my left leg because of a wreck we had been in a couple of months before. We prayed together, we encouraged each other, and thanked God for each and every day. Last year, I found out on Ash Wednesday, that I was going to need radiation therapy because of a small cancerous area they had removed from my breast. I went into the doctor's office with all the reasons why I didn't need radiation - I had prayed and prayed about this. The doctor looked at me like I had lost my mind and firmly told me that I did need radiation and called and made the appointment for me. The corona virus pandemic became a real reality within the next couple of weeks. Jim is self-employed and his work was non-existent at the same time I was going to daily radiation. We prayed together, we encouraged each other, and thanked God for each and every day. This year I didn't give up anything. I've chosen a different path. It hasn't been easy because I've asked God to show me the ways I need to change. To let me know when I need to do something in a different way. It has been very humbling for me as my eyes have been opened to my many faults. God has blessed me with the grace I need to accept the ways in which I need to change. It hasn't been easy but the daily readings from my, "Magnificat" and much prayer have been a big help. I was at the noon Mass a couple of weeks ago and I just stared at the Crucifix and prayed:

 "O' my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need of Thy Mercy. Amen."

I'm not fond of change. I get comfortable with things and then something happens and everything is different! Most of the time, I realize the change was necessary and ends up being a good thing. Sometimes it doesn't end up being a good thing but I've learned to accept that also. I am definitely growing during this Lenten journey. "Let go and let God take care of it!" That has not been an easy thing for me to do in the past. Wanting to be in control is something that God pointed out to me. Needless to say, I wasn't happy about that. "But what about?" "Are You sure?" "Are You listening?" "I don't think You understand....." Some of my replies as I've prayed. The great thing is, I have been letting go and letting God take care of things. "Jesus, I trust in you!" I really do trust in You! I started praying the Serenity Prayer about a month before Ash Wednesday. It truly is a wonderful prayer. God is in control - He always has been. I'm listening more and I'm learning new things.

God grant me the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change,

the COURAGE to change the things I can

and the WISDOM to know the difference.

If you've read my blog posts/stories over the years you know that I've been busy. Promoting adoption as a life option and sharing the pro-life message is so important to me. But taking care of my family comes first. I chose marriage as my vocation and I love being a wife, mother, and grandmother. Taking care of our families is vital. Late last spring, about three weeks after my last radiation treatment, we found out that one of our granddaughters was diagnosed with leukemia. The corona virus was raging and the world had stopped. Don't go here, don't go there, wear a mask, wash your hands, don't see your grandchildren, etc. I'll never forget that phone call from my daughter-in-law. It was about 4:40 pm on a Tuesday afternoon and she said that they had to leave right then and drive our granddaughter to a children's hospital four hours away. A friend was driving them because our son was at work two hours away from them in the opposite direction. They have four other children whose ages ranged from five through fourteen at that time. They lived forty-five minutes away. I said, "Tell the kids to pack, I'm on my way." Jim said that he would start calling our other children and the rest of the family and get the prayers going. I cried and prayed as I drove to pick up our grandkids. I spoke to our son who was frantic and driving towards the children's hospital at least five and a half hours away from where he was. I'm so thankful for their friend who drove our daughter-in-law and granddaughter to the hospital and stayed until our son arrived. I'm so thankful for their friend who came and stayed with the kids until I could get there. We loaded up their suitcases and headed to our home. We prayed the rosary and I knew that I had to keep it together for them. When we got here, our daughter and son-in-law were in the kitchen with Jim. They had gone and bought a bunch of groceries and picked up a bucket of chicken. We fed the kids and got everyone ready for bed. Our daughter and son-in-law left and went home to their children. Jim and I stayed up and discussed the situation - our plan of action. We knew that the kids would be with us at least six - eight weeks, their animals would need to be picked up and brought to our home. Our granddaughter was at the children's hospital for thirteen weeks. Our grandchildren stayed with us during this time. Our son's job requires traveling and he stayed with us when he was working close by. He and our daughter-in-law would switch out at the hospital over the weekend. She would drive home and we would take the kids to be with her on the weekends. Our granddaughter is doing well - her journey with leukemia is not over but she is such a fighter and so upbeat. She turned seven last summer - God is so awesome - the cards and gifts that poured in for her were unbelievable. The power of prayer! The gift of prayer! The meals that were delivered to us, the groceries, the snacks, the gas cards - God's angels right here on earth took care of our family. Our daughter, son-in-law, and their three girls, (three more of our precious grandchildren) were such a help all summer long. Even though the corona virus cases were rising, we were careful, but we continued to do things as a family because - "Through it all - life goes on" and we all prayed so hard. God knew we needed each other and He blessed Jim and I with the strength we needed to take care of our grandchildren. 

This past fall I made the decision to step away from my pro-life work, and other things I was involved in because Jim and I are still needed to help out sometimes. Our son and his family moved two hours away to be closer to his work. Jim and I take turns going to help out when our granddaughter has treatments that require them to be there for a couple of days. Sometimes we know in advance when we will be needed to help out and other times it is the night before. God has given me the peace I needed to let go of the things I was involved with - opening my eyes to the journey that lies ahead. I pray for God to, "Make straight my path." But I know that "Through it all"  the pot holes, curves, hills and sometimes mountains along the way, He is with us. God is with us! I pray that your Lenten journey is guided  by God - knowing that after Good Friday we celebrate Easter Sunday. 

Blessings to you and yours!

Bye for now, Sharla