Monthly Archives: May 2012

Memorial Day 2012

Artwork Credit: @ImpeachtheIdiot on Twitter

PRAYER FOR A DYING COMRADE

We pray that this comrade’s heart may not be troubled. His strength is going, and he has suffered a great deal, but he is not afraid. Grant that his sins be forgiven by Thee, and that all trials are past for him.
May he not worry about his family, which he loves dearly. He dies believing in Thee, as he has lived, believing in Thee. May Thy face and the happiness of eternal life shine splendidly before his eyes.

COMMEMORATION OF THE DEAD

Remember, O Lord, Thy servants, (name them), who have gone before us with the sign of faith and rest in the sleep of peace.

To these, O Lord, and to all who rest in Christ, grant, we pray Thee, a place of refreshment, of light,
and of peace. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Safety of Our Soldiers

Almighty and Eternal God,those who take refuge in You will be glad and forever will shout for joy.
Protect these soldiers as they discharge their duties. Protect them with the shield of your strength and keep them safe from all evil and harm.
May the power of Your Love enable them to return home in safety, that with all who love them, they may ever praise You for Your loving care.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

For Courage in the Time of Battle

O Prince of Peace, we humbly ask Your protection for all our men and women in military service. Give them unflinching courage to defend with honor, dignity and devotion the rights of all who are imperiled by injustice and evil.
Be their Rock, their Shield, and their Stronghold and let them draw their strength from You.
For You are God forever and ever, Amen.

Posted by Emma
Memorial Day 2012

I never met my grandfather, my mother’s father. He gave his life for his country and for freedom at the end of WWII. My grandmother was home with two young boys and an infant, my mother.

Yes, I am young and people always wonder how I had a grandfather in WWII. I am adopted. I was chosen by my Dad and Mom late in life. My birth mother wanted to abort me but a woman praying the Rosary outside of Planned Parenthood convinced her not to have an abortion. that woman became my Mom.

My birth mother said, “Ok so if you don’t want me to have an abortion, you adopt my baby.” My Mom said, “Yes, I will.” From that day my Mom let my birth mother live with her and my Dad and my soon-to be brothers and sisters. I came into the world wanted and loved. My birth mother grew to love me I am told and wanted to stay with the family. My Mom and Dad said yes. I grew up until 4 years old with Mom and Dad and my birth mother.

At four years old my birth mother died in a car accident.I have never been sad because I learned that she chose to live her life as a good Catholic those last few years. I know she is probably in Purgatory experiencing the preparation for Heaven. We pray for her everyday.

She died at the hospital after receiving Extreme Unction with my Mom and Dad at her side. None of her blood family and relatives would come. I was the only one. I remember, even though I was so young at the look of love in her eyes when she looked at Mom and Dad.

She gave her life for me. She knew her family would turn their back on her but she chose life. She was going to pick me up that day from pre-school when a drunk driver went through a red light and crashed into her.

I am not sad. I know she will go to Heaven one day because she chose life and then lived as a good Catholic, changing her life. The greatest memory my Mom and Dad have of her is the day she held me in my Baptismal gown as my godmother. She had given up her parental rights to my Mom and Dad so they could adopt me. She then could be my godmother. What a blessing my life has been!

I know it seems I am off the track with this story but not really. My grandfather died in WWII for all of us to have the freedom to be the best we can be in order to serve God and to serve our blessed nation. Without his sacrifice, we would not be free. Similarly, without my mother’s sacrifice of letting Mom and Dad adopt me, I would not be alive to be free as our Declaration of Independence and Constitution guarantee all citizens of the greatest country in the world.

Thank you to all those in the Armed Forces from the Revolutionary War to Afghanistan who have died for our freedom. I pray I can be the best I can be to show the gratitude for your ultimate sacrifice.

“Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them.”

Posted by Emma
May 28, 2012

Just a short post to thank everyone for their prayers for Sofia. Her battle with Heart failure is a daily one but this last time was really tough.

Sofia has been listening to the Doctor but recovery has been alot slower than usual. Unfortunately, I havent been available to keep posting on the blog and that’s why the long silence.

My cousin Jenny and myself have been interns for Always CatholicBlog and we treasure what Sofia has both allowed and encouraged us to do. Jenny hasn’t been posting lately as she has taken a job out of state and has had her days filled with work and moving. She will be back this summer.

I had to take a leave of absence from my first year in college to take care of my grandmother who has suffered a stroke. I have taken Incomplete’s in my classes and will be spending the summer finishing up the work to get my credits.

My grandmother is doing much better now and has decided to move to an assisted living apartment so she can better enjoy life. The assisted living is ten blocks from our home so we can spend time with her much more as her home was 20 miles away! God is so good!

I was not able to blog as my Grandma did not have Internet. Truthfully taking care of her took many hours a day so I wouldn’t have been able to blog much anyway.

I am grateful for the honor of taking care of her as we spent so much time together.We prayed together, spoke about how we loved the Faith and the Church and most of all she shared stories of her life with me. What a woman. So many things she did that modern women think they are only capable of doing.

The one thing that was truly a miracle was that the stroke did not seriously affect my Grandmother’s speech. the doctors were very surprised at that but they recognize my Grandmother’s great faith and weren’t surprised.

I learned that communication is one of the most important gifts given to us by our Father in Heaven. Lately, we have used technology to communicate, but I learned that speaking and sharing our beliefs and our deepest thoughts with family friends is really what counts.

I am not dismissing technology, it has so many good points. Medical advances, education, etc. Social media, however, is a two-edged sword. So many good things can come from it, yet so much evil is done throughout social media.

I pray that one day we realize all gifts come from God and that it is what we do with those gifts which determines how we live our lives.

Please continue to pray for Sofia as we hope to have her back shortly. Also please pray for my Grandmother, Jane Emma, (yes, named after Jane Austen and Emma from
Austen’s novel. I, in turn was named after my grandmother in honor of Austen’s character Emma. My family has had a love for Austen as it is said that one of my ancestors knew her family.) as she continues on her life journey.

Happy Memorial Day to all as we celebrate the lives given for our freedom. This country is exceptional (no matter what certain political figures say) because of our Godly roots which beckon us to lay down our lives for our friends.

It truly is the “home of the free and the land of the brave”.

God Bless all of you,

Emma