We Will Never Forget

Saw this on Facebook today and wanted to pass it along.  Good things to remember!

Remembering all those who lost their lives and all those affected by the tragic attacks 18 years ago on
Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon them. 

May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.

God bless you!

Mary Renee

Trip to Pittsburgh

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend! 😊

This weekend we made a trip to Pittsburgh, PA to visit with family.  It was a fun time and we got to do some site seeing.  One of my favorite sites was the Cathedral of Learning.  There you can see what classrooms around the world look like.  Many people go there to read and study (I know I would if I lived close by!).  Even though we didn't get to see everything, (some of the rooms were closed and the kids started getting fussy) it was a beautiful place to visit.  For more information about the Cathedral of Learning you can visit:
https://www.nationalityrooms.pitt.edu/about/cathedral-learning.

While in Pittsburgh, we also enjoyed a fun carousel ride, and enjoyed eating at a burger place called Burgatory. I'd say the food was heavenly. 😜

We also drove by the Tree of Life Synagogue that was attacked on October 27, 2018.  I'd just like to remind everyone to continue to pray for the 11 victims and their families and friends.

Finally, we got to go to the Saturday Vigil Mass at St. Paul Cathedral.  What a beautiful Cathedral! I wish so much that all Catholic Churches looked more like it! 🧡

Pictures of St. Paul Cathedral below are from their website.  http://stpaulpgh.org

It was a great weekend and I'm looking forward to the next family trip we take!

God bless you!

Mary Renee

Children are Blessings

I am sharing another one today because I will be unable to post anything over the weekend.

Another one by Mother Teresa! 🧡

God bless you!

Mary Renee

St. Teresa of Calcutta

Happy Feast Day of St. Teresa of Calcutta! 

(I hope to improve the quality of these eventually.)

God bless you!

 Mary Renee

I'm Back and Blessed

Hi there! I'm back! I know, it's been since 2015. 😳

Well, so many wonderful things have happened in my life since I've been here.  God has truly blessed me! 🧡

To quickly catch you up on all that's been going on:

On April 9, 2015, I bumped into and old acquaintance at a Theology On Tap event for young adults.
After a wonderful couple of months of going to my young adult Catholic group together, we decided to discern the Sacrament of Marriage on July 1, 2015.   We were engaged on December 30, 2015 and Married on October 1, 2016 (the feast day of St. Therese of Lisieux).

Our daughter was born August of 2017 and our son was born exactly 17 months later (to the hour 😄) January of 2019.

Being a wife and mother has been my greatest adventure and has brought so much fulfillment to my life.  Even though there are plenty of challenging days, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Photo credits to Jemily Photography 🧡

As busy as my life can be now, I still want to keep up with my blog.  As of now, my blog will mostly consist of a daily quote of encouragement and an occasional life update or whatever's on my mind (hopefully weekly at least).

God bless you!

Mary Renee

You Never Know How You'll Encounter God

Hello everyone!

I was cleaning out my email inbox today and came across this.  This short story has probably been around for a while, but I thought I'd share it anyway.

You Never Know How You'll Encounter God

 A United States Marine was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist.

One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, 'God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform.. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes.'

The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, 'Here I am God. I'm still waiting.'

It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold. The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence.

The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, 'What the heck is the matter with you? Why did you do that?'

The Marine calmly replied, 'God was too busy today protecting American soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff and act like an idiot.  So, He sent me.'

God bless you!

 ~ littleromanJMJ

Prayer for Peace in the Middle East

God of mercy and compassion,

of grace and reconciliation, 

pour Your power upon all Your children in the Middle East: 

Jews, Muslims and Christians, Palestinians and Israelis. 

Let hatred be turned into love, 

fear to trust, despair to hope, 

oppression to freedom, occupation to liberation, 

that violent encounters may be replaced by loving embraces, 

and peace and justice could be experienced by all. 

Amen. 

The Reverend Said Ailabouni 

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Chicago, IL

Rest In Peace Robin Williams

Honestly, I never felt so heartbroken over a celebrity death than when Robin Williams passed away (8/11/2014).  He truly was one of the greatest!  Some of my favorite movies he played in were, Jumanji, Night at the Museum, and he was great as Genie in Aladdin.  Rest in peace Robin Williams.  

Let's remember to pray for those suffering from depression.

O Christ Jesus,
when all is darkness
and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love, and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust
in Your protecting love
and strengthening power,
so that nothing may frighten or worry us,
for, living close to You,
we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will through all things.

By Saint Ignatius of Loyola 

National Friendship Day

Happy National Friendship Day!  

Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter;

whoever finds one finds a treasure.

Faithful friends are beyond price,

no amount can balance their worth.

Faithful friends are life-saving medicine;

those who fear God will find them.

~ Sirach 6:14-16

Florida Pictures!

Here are the Florida pictures as promised. Enjoy!

God bless you!

~ littleromanJMJ