I prayed the rosary tonight.
It has been awhile.
I don't know why I don't do
it more often.
Tonight as I said the rosary
I dedicated it to a couple I know.
A couple that means so much to my life.
A couple that is going thru so much.
Never would I have dreamt what is
happening between them.
I feel such a mixture of emotions.
Sad, anger, fear, disappointment,
helplessness, shock.
The rosary was for them.
How I love them both so very much
and how so badly I wish, I PRAY,
that I could take back time
and take back stupid, ignorant
mistakes. Or better yet very bad
choices.
But I can't and so I sit on the sidelines
with a hurting heart and I pray.
I sit on the sidelines knowing that no
matter how I feel, what they are feeling
is so much more, so much worse.

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are
crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers
him from them all" (Psalm 34:18-22)

We all have our Crosses to bear” is such a common statement when we have challenges to face in our lives. Some Crosses are small and are just a little trial we have to endure and some are enormous. Sometimes we are challenged far beyond what we believe we can handle. One of Webster’s Dictionary’s definitions of Cross is “Any affliction that causes great suffering”, and it goes on to speak about Christian usage and that it involves bearing this Cross.

If we see our Crosses as a tool or instrument to help us focus on what is the goal in our life then they are more than destructive but constructive in our lives. Any race, challenge, fortitude, conviction and resolution are tools that assist us greatly. Often times in life we feel alone and overwhelmed; ready to give up, ready to turn numb, and then if we only turn our eyes towards Christ everything changes. These tools clarify our quest for our life with Jesus.

Christ suffered on the Cross, and by doing so; we are never again alone in anything we suffer; in any Cross we would bear. When the Cross on our backs gets heavy enough to break us, we can look to Christ and He helps us bear it.
(http://www.holytrinitymaine.org/index_files/Page1038.htm)

My new tatoo----

Guess what woke me up at 5:37 a.m.???
Earthquake!
I haven't experienced an earthquake since
I was about 9 years old.
What a trip!
The epicenter was near Olney, Illinois.
I felt the whole house trembling.
At first I thought I was dreaming
and then I realized I wasn't.
I wasn't scared. But now that
reality has set in......Wow!
5.4 on Richter scale.

****UPDATE****
CNN) -- People nearly 900 miles away felt a magnitude-5.2 earthquake that shook southern Illinois early Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.


Rubble lies in the street Friday in Louisville, Kentucky, after part of a cornice fell off a building.

There were no immediate reports of major damage after the predawn quake, which struck at 4:36 a.m. (5:36 a.m. ET).

However, some minor damage was seen in the region.

In Mount Carmel, Illinois, a porch collapsed, briefly trapping a woman in her home, The Associated Press reported. She wasn't hurt and was freed quickly.

Debris fell on a sidewalk and shattered in Louisville, Kentucky, after part of a cornice fell off a brick building, according to footage from the city's CNN affiliate WHAS-TV. Watch as the quake sends bricks tumbling »

The epicenter of the earthquake -- the strongest in the region in 40 years -- was about seven miles below ground and 38 miles north-northwest of Evansville, Indiana, the USGS said.

Nearly 10,000 people had sent reports of shaking to the USGS Web site by 9 a.m. ET.
(I WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE!!!!!)

April 15: Arrives in Washington, D.C.

April 16: On the pope's 81st birthday, he'll get an official welcome with President Bush at the White House in the morning. And, he'll meet with U.S. bishops at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

April 17: He'll have a mass at Nationals Stadium and meet with Catholic University of America presidents and diocesan heads of education from around the USA. Inter-religious event at the John Paul II Cultural Center.

April 18: On his third anniversary of his election as pope, he'll arrive in New York, address the United Nations, and speak at ecumenical event at a local parish.

April 19: Mass with priests, deacons, and members of religious orders at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Rally with seminarians and thousands of youth at St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers.

April 20: Visit to Ground Zero. Mass at Yankee Stadium.


10 Things You Didn't Know About Pope Benedict XVI
By Bobbie Kyle Sauer US NEWS & WORLD REPORTS

1) The future Pope Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger, was born in Marktl am Inn, a Bavarian village, on April 16, 1927. The pope was born on Holy Saturday and was baptized that same day. He is one of Josef and Maria Ratzinger's three children. The pope has a brother, Georg. His sister, Maria, is deceased.


2) When the pope was 5, he met a cardinal visiting his town. According to his brother, the young boy came home that day and told his father that he wanted to be a cardinal.

3) After the pope's father retired in 1937, the Ratzingers moved to Traunstein, a town in Bavaria. The pope spent a majority of his childhood in Traunstein, where the family lived in a farmhouse built in the 18th century.

4) Growing up, the pope wasn't interested in sports but loved music and reading. He took piano lessons as a child and still plays today. The pope enjoys playing Mozart and Bach.

5) Along with Jay-Z, David Beckham, and Barack Obama, Pope Benedict XVI was named by Esquire magazine in 2007 as one of the best-dressed men in the world. The magazine named him "Accessorizer of the Year."

6) Vatican Radio gave the pope an iPod nano in 2006 when the radio station celebrated its 75th birthday.

7) The German Army drafted Ratzinger in 1943, but, because of an infected finger, he never learned to shoot. He deserted the Army near the end of the war.

8) Ratzinger entered the seminary at age 12. His studies were put on hold when he was drafted, but he continued them after the war. On June 29, 1951, he was ordained on the same day his brother was.

9) The pope has been seen wearing red loafers. Some speculated that the shoes were Prada; others say they were made by the pope's own cobbler. He has also been photographed wearing Serengeti sunglasses.

10) The Marktl Am Inn house where the pope was born is open to the public. It features exhibits about the pope and his family.

Ok so I am a bit bored and a bit lazy
I decided to Google
What to do when bored?
You know what one suggestion was?

"Creating and maintaining a blog is good to do if you are bored."

Ha!

From the dictionary INSPIRATION
Main Entry: in·spi·ra·tion
Pronunciation: \ˌin(t)-spə-ˈrā-shən, -(ˌ)spi-\
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 a: a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation b: the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions c: the act of influencing or suggesting opinions
2: the act of drawing in; specifically : the drawing of air into the lungs
3 a: the quality or state of being inspired b: something that is inspired
4: an inspiring agent or influence
5: Randy Pausch

Stability results were low which suggests you are very worrying, insecure, emotional, and anxious.

Orderliness results were moderately high which suggests you are, at times, overly organized, reliable, neat, and hard working at the expense of flexibility, efficiency, spontaneity, and fun.

Extraversion results were high which suggests you are overly talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting at the expense too often of developing your own individual interests and internally based identity

I smelled the scent of freshly cut grass today.
I had my windows rolled down, the sunroof open.
Hello sunshine!
It has been awesome here for the last three days.
I actually put on shorts.
Sunday I sat on a patio at a local Mexican
restaurant and drank a couple margaritas.
I basked in the sun.
Yesterday I went to the opening day of our
local semi-pro baseball team. What a perfect
day for opening day!
Lately I have been waking to the cheerful
chirping of the birds outside.
(It may be cheerful sounding but tho it's
a sweet sound it doesn't help me to be a nice
person as I awaken too early!!)
The grass is green. Dandelions are poking up to
manys dismay.
Trees are blooming. Spring has sprung.
I feel a bounce in my step despite all
the rain we just came out of and will soon
return.
I am going to say it again...I want to live
where it is late spring and summer year round.

"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is.
And when you've got it, you want
- oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want,
but it just fairly makes your heart ache,
you want it so!" ~Mark Twain

"All life is beautiful. All humans are beautiful.
Only behavior makes one ugly."
Jeffrey C. Keene II