Sweet Jesus, help me to do your will in all things.  Guide me, direct me, lead me, so that I may never be out of your Grace.  When I turn my back and step off of the path you have chosen for me, please do whatever it takes to lead me back.  You are my God, where else would I turn.  Only you are the way to everlasting life.  Help me to serve others and love others more than I serve and love myself, especially those closest to me.  I pray that I may decrease so that you may increase.  Please forgive me when I miss opportunities to show your light, and please heal the souls of your precious people when I fail to show them your love and understanding.  You are my God.  I love you above all things.  Jesus, I trust in You. 

St. Anne's Shrine in New Orleans, LA
Photo taken by Omar Villarreal

Counting Sheep

Luke just came in and said, "I forgot how to go to sleep."

Opening his Mind

One of the greatest blessings I've received from my dabbling in the home school world, is that my mind was opened to the vast array of resources available to parents. So, to my childrens' delight, every summer I give them opportunities for Summer Enrichment! For my very energetic 9 year old son, I chose the "Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati; Journey to the Summit" and "Alvin's Secret Code." I was trying to elevate his thinking, to open his mind, to expand his horizons beyond "Calvin and Hobbes." He was less than thrilled with these selections and thought he was going to get out of reading them if he just put it off long enough. He was incorrect. School starts on Tuesday and he was told that if he didn't finish them he would get to bring them to school for reading time. To his surprise, he actually liked the story of young Blessed Pier, so I thought he would love the next book too which is a story about secret messages.

It is amazing how fast he has read a book he has little interest in. I am sure the comprehension would not be impressive. Tonight as his dad tucked him in, he said he was almost finished with the book Mom was making him read and then he can move to "Killer Pizza!" Sigh.

She is Much Smarter than Me

The other day Hannah was looking at a license plate next to us and she said, "I really don't like the number 7. "

I asked, "What is wrong with the number 7?"

Hannah replied, "Well, actually, I really don't like any of the prime numbers because they can only be divided by 1 and themselves."

"Oh," was all I could think to say.

A Faithful Friend

Sophia was telling her cousins about one of her friends from school, and she was describing her recess woes. Sophia explained that sometimes her friend says she wants to play, but then just goes away. Then she added, "But I just want her to be my friend, because she has such a cute voice. "

If there's one thing I've always told my kids, it is..."Friends are best chosen by the cuteness of their voices!"

A Wee Bit Self Critical

Hannah's Reflection on her first day of Jazz Class: I am only lacking balance and grace.

Protecting Her Turf

When you have so many siblings, you can't mince your words when protecting your Easter Stash.