Eduardo Verastegui to speak in CT this week

Just a reminder; Eduardo Verastegui star of the film Bella, will be appearing August 11 at 7PM at Eastern Connectictut State College in Willimantic CT.
All are welcome. Eduardo will be speaking in English and Spanish. Click here to view his slideshow on his various charitable activities, including a mission trip to the Sudan.

Founder of Special Olympics: Eunice Kennedy Shriver

The Kennedy and Shriver families have gathered at the bedside of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Let's pray for this beautiful woman who began the Special Olympics in her back yard.
Let's also pray for her family to follow her noble example, especially Teddy who is approaching death as well.

The glory of a short life well lived

I was enjoying (at last) the movie "The Ultimate Gift" last night, and the injustice of a child dying before her mother was a central theme in the film. I can only imagine the pain which parents feel at the passing of a child. But much good can come from such a tragedy, as happened in the short happy life of the little saint from Seattle. Never underestimate what God can accomplish with a soul which is open to His grace.

Gloria is a little girl whose life has made a big impact across the country. Here is a quote about her father who asked her if she had "Quality of Life" something Princeton ethicist Peter Singer has made into a formul here. What rubbish! Life cannot be made into an equation, unless it is made into a commodity first. Its a gift of God. Gloria puts Princeton professors to shame in her response to her father's question.
"He heard a voice say, “quality of life.” He was confused, but went to Gloria the next day and asked if she’s had quality of life. He didn’t expect her to understand, but she immediately responded, “yes daddy!” She excitedly added that so many people have started praying because of her illness.
Doug explained that Gloria had a beautiful gift, she was able to draw people to Christ through her cancer. “She taught us all how to carry a cross. Her gift to us was her living example of her commitment to a relationship with God through constant prayer. She always said, “yes.”
Lord, please help me to remember that each day is a gift to be given back to You. Help me to say "yes" each day and speak to You often in grateful prayer.
Gloria, pray for us.
Amen

Read the entire story at CNA.

I'm a columnist at Catholic Mom

My first column is up at Catholic Mom. com. It's on my little saint, Christina and how she prayed to Our Lady for my mother's recovery from cancer. I knew it was up when I got the loveliest email from Mary Catherine Williams, saying,
"Your story which appeared in CatholicMom.com brought tears to my eyes. I know in my heart Christine was talking to Our Blessed Mother asking to intercede on your mother's behalf. I am a healthcare worker and know cancer rears its ugly head too often. I will remember your mother in my prayers.
You are blessed to have Christine. Somehow I think you already know that."
Thank you Mary Catherine and all of you who made such supportive comments with promises to pray for Mom. She is very gratefull; she says our prayers are sustaining her.

When saying "no" hurts

This Sunday, I found myself in the heartbreaking situation of bringing someone to Mass who wanted to receive communion and couldn't. Only this time, it wasn't a strayed adult living in sin, but an innocent 7 year old boy who has never been baptized. He asked to join us at Mass though his parents, our house guests, were not going, and sat dutifully at his grandmother's side, quiet as a cricket though he could see very little in the packed church besides the traditional architecture of the 100 year old building and the lifelike Stations of the Cross.
Maybe it was the solemn beauty of the Mass which held his attention. I can remember similar scenes from my childhood, seeing nothing but the backs of well-dressed people, yet the the traditional smells and bells of the Mass told me that this is a holy place. When the crowd parted for communion, I could spy the fresco of St Joseph and the child Jesus at the carpenter's bench next to the altar. It spoke volumes about fatherly love. The organ playing the hymns which shook the floor with awesome tremors told me that God was mighty. I loved going to Mass in such a beautiful church, and moved to this parish far from our home so that my daughters could experience the same reverence for the unspeakable power of the mystery of the Body and Blood of Jesus on the altar.

Perhaps he felt this love of God in the Mass, and that is why the little guy changed his mind on the communion line behind my daughter, and moved his arms from the crossed "I do not receive, just bless me"position we taught him, to the folded hands of a communicant. My sister-in-law pointed this out to me, and I make a beeline to join him in line and explain to Father that we only wanted a blessing for him.
It broke my heart to do that, this little boy is not at fault; it was his grandparents who failed to baptize his mother, who had no desire to give him any instruction in the faith. It is a sad legacy which is played out more and more in our Church. This young child's father has abandoned him and his mother is living with a boyfriend who gave her another son. No one in his home attends Mass, though his little brother was baptized last January, his parents expressed no interest in taking him to classes for Baptism. I watched as he looked on as his brother's Baptism with more than a little envy. It broke my heart.
After Mass, I brought the little boy up to the statue of St Joseph and the Child Jesus after Mass, and reminded him that he and Jesus both had foster fathers named Joseph, and he smiled. I joined him in prayer for his mother to sign him up for catechism classes. We lit a candle together, and he left the church happy for a few minutes in the playground as a reward for good behavior.

I hope that his mother will take my suggestion to heart and sign him up for catechism classes. I know that the example of this innocent child seeking the grace of God could to bring his whole family into a state of grace. This will be on my list of prayer intentions.
Please join me as we pray for all children who wonder who Jesus is and if God hears them when they pray. May their families take the time to teach them about the love of God.

Mom is home at last.

Today Mom came home after two weeks in the hospital, we are very grateful for all the prayers which made this possible. It was so great to hear her so happy on the phone; we are not visiting to help make her trasistion to home care a peaceful one. Three kids and two dogs are hard to keep quiet.
Keep the prayers coming, thank you so much.

Mom has been richly blessed

A big hug to all of you who are remembering to pray for my mother who is ill with cancer. She has been hosptialized since her birthday July 5 ,and is holding court every day with a constant flow of visitors. We have to ask people to postpone their visits to give Mom time to rest. Her visitors have included no fewer than six priests.
Mom has been annointed with the Sacrament of the Sick and received the Apostolic Blessing which carries with it a Plenary Indulgence. She is peaceful and offers up her suffering for her nurses and family. Dad is sleeping at her side in the hospital and my brother Bill the RN is a constant advisor and comfort. Rob my other brother keeps the dog company and gives Dad time to go to Mass on Sundays. I come down with the girls on the weekend to clean the house for Mom's return sometime this week.
Keep the prayers coming, God is good.

Feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel

O Most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein You are my Mother.
O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech You from the bottom of my heart to succor me in this necessity. There are none that can withstand Your power.
O show me herein You are my Mother. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.
O show me herein You are my Mother. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.
O show me herein You are my Mother. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in Your hands.
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in Your hands.
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in Your hands.
Amen

Imangine Video number 3 from Catholic Vote.org

I'm posting on Catholic Vote.org

Here is my first post at CatholicVote.org.
They have a new video up today.

Gossip and Grace

I have to share a beautiful post on this subject by Elizabeth, a friend of mine over at The Divine Gift of Motherhood.

Illuminated Ink coloring contest

Illuminated Ink has one of their fabulous coloring contests, this one for the Year of the Priest.
It's a beautiful drawing of St John Vianney, I'm tempted to print one for me!
Go to this link and print your coloring picture and the contest rules.

Move over, Lance Armstrong, for John Henry!

John Henry has this amazing video on his site, "Powered by an extra chromosome". He bowls, swims, skates, golfs better than I do. He is the person a mother with a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome should meet, cause he does everything their doctors are telling them their child won't be able to do.
Watch this and be inspired!

Guest Post: Amanda Gain of Best Buddies

Comfort is such an abstract idea that most of us assume we have the right to to feel and live in. One could say that the majority of people, especially in this country, choose the extent to which they live in comfort. The phrase "step out of your comfort zone" implies that there was some sort of comfort already in existence. So, I comfortably sailed through my high school years without having to acknowledge the group of students who seemed so incredibly different from me behind those closed doors. How was I supposed to know how to act around them? Were they fragile? Even if I wanted to offer my friendship, could they accept it? With so many unanswered questions, I just shoved the issue down deep into the back of my mind, thinking that I'd probably never need to interact with someone with a disability because it just wasn't my "thing".
Hindsight is everything. Some of the most important people in my life now are those with Down syndrome or autism. When I'm not feeling well or I just need someone to talk to, I know I can get on a bus and 10 minutes later, I can lose myself in the unlimited happiness and unconditional love of my friends at Misericordia Heart of Mercy. How did my attitude change so quickly? Experience is everything, and when I experienced my first year in the international non-profit organization, Best Buddies, everything about my life changed.
Best Buddies mission is to establish a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. All over the world, high school and college students, as well as other community members are exposed to the miraculous gift of befriending someone who's been left behind by the rest of our society. The goal of the organization is to create a world where Best Buddies does not need to exist. Ignorance is the downfall of our nation and by spreading the mission of Best Buddies, we eliminate some of the fear and hostility that comes along with the unknown.
Technology is allowing parents to have an estimate of the likelihood that their child will have a disability. I guarantee that if any of these parents could interact with a single person that I get to interact with at our events for Best Buddies, there would never even be the slightest thought of not continuing with the pregnancy. The r-word would not exist if someone who uses it regularly sat down and played a game or watched a movie with my buddy. I can't imagine my life without Best Buddies, nor can I imagine it without the presence of some of the most unique, gifted people in the world. Seeing someone for their abilities, rather than their disabilities is what Best Buddies offers, and it is what everyone deserves.

For more blog posts on Best Buddies, please visit www.bestbuddiesluc.org/blog.

In friendship,
Amanda Gain
Vice President, Membership
Loyola University Chicago

Thank you Amanda, for a thought provoking, heartfelt post. I am convinced that whoever goes outside their comfort zone and gets to know a special needs person will be rewarded beyond their expectations. Thank you, Amanda and all those who participate in Best Buddies, for making the world a more accepting place for individuals like my Christina.

My friend is the Motherhood Examiner for Long Island

You will find Elizabeth's column up here.
Go and see what this prominent Catholic Long Island mother has to say.

New study on vaccines and autism

Is there a link between aborted fetal DNS and the rise in autism spectrum disorder?

A new study is underway by Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute- the non-profit arm of AVM Biotechnology and strategic partner of Children of God for Life.

Read their June 2009 Newsletter.

My first screening in Boston

I've been to film screenings in four cities: LA, NYC, Hartford, and Boston. Boston is my favorite by far. So easy to navigate, and there is cheap pulic parking underneath Boston Common. I walked to Loew's Theatre by baseball games and lovers strolling arm in arm. After the film the Daughters of St Paul discussed the important themes with Grace Hill Media executives, and I met Pat Gohn, the podcaster.
We saw the powerful but powerful "The Stoning of Soraya M." which great direction and Jim Caviezel made worth the trip. Here is my review from my media blog Catholic Media Review:

"At its heart, this movie is a human drama filled with tension, peril and hope - but it is also a true story that I felt strongly had to be told, a story the whole world needs to know." -- Director, Cyrus NowrastehThis is the theme of the- story revealed by an Iranian-French journalist Freidoune Sahebjam (Jim Caviezel) whose car left him stranded in a remote Iranian hamlet burdened with a terrible secret. In Iran under the Ayatollah Khomeini, where fundamentalist selfish men to suppress women, and even use Islam dispose of them when they thwart their desires. Zahra (Shohreh Aghdashloo) exerts great persuasive power to interest Sahebjam in hearing the story, risking repercussions from the village mullah (Ali Pourtash) and mayor, who try to pass her off as insane. Finally, she convinces the journalist to come to her home, and record on his tape recorder the horrendous story of the stoning of her niece Soraya (Mozhan Marno) the day before.That is how the novel “The Stoning of Soraya M” on which the film is based, came to be.
Soraya is a lovely young mother of four with an abusive adulterous husband Ali (Navid Negahbam) who has his eye on second wife he can’t afford, so he asks Soraya for a divorce. In this poor village, such an arrangement would mean certain starvation, so Soraya refuses. It is in her kindness that Ali spies an opportunity, and soon he is convincing the Mullah to falsely accuse Soraya of adultery. With devastating ease, the men in the story become complicit in murder; each of them has a shameful personal reason to brutalize the innocently beautiful Soraya.
Soraya’s seraphic smile and her tender compassion combined with her aunt’s fierce loyalty are the saving graces of a vicious plot strung taught with anticipation of the impending tragedy. No spoilers here; the title of the film gives away the ending, yet the film, like “The Passion of the Christ” also produced by Steve McVeety, is worth watching for the dignity of screenwriters Cyrus and Betsy Geffen Mowrasteh’s direction, and the commanding performances by mostly unknown actors. Actress Shoreh Aghdashloo, better know to American audiences as the charming Elizabeth from “The Nativity Story”, is Zahra, the pivotal figure of the film who boldly clashes with the somewhat reasonable mayor Ibrahim as he is swept into the insane current of mob violence.Soaring cinematography, gripping performances, and the distinctive Middle Eastern style musical score of John Debney (composer for the Passion of the Christ) redeem a shameful story of deception and murder, elevating it to soul-searing enlightenment. Your heart will be rent but not destroyed by Soryaya M. The screening audience the theatre charged with renewed determination to fight such abuse of women. Soraya’s tragic story will continue to be repeated until more members of the international community rise up and take decisive action to liberate women from sexual slavery, starvation, and abuse.

Playing princess

When Mom is busy around the house, the sisters are together, and the costume trunk is opened, a wealth of multiculturalism emerges!
Hail Princess Christina of El Salvador, or is it Hawaii?!

Eduardo Verastegui is coming to CT in August

Thanks to a persistently prayerful Mexican-American nun named Sister Gabriela, the Sisters of Charity of Mary, Mother of the Church will sponsor "An Evening with Eduardo Verastegui" on uesday, August 11, 2009 at EastConn in Willimantic, CT. Eduardo is the wonderful star of the prolife movie Bella.

BE THERE!

Cathedral in the pines

The verdant arc made by the White Pines at the and the bond between father and daughter, make it easy to see God is at work in the world.

In loving memory of Thom and Marc Girard

Fr Angelos' post at Mary Victrix gives honor to the fallen knights. I only met them once at Mass as their last Encampment was ending. It has been my pleasure to get to know Jackie and Carol this year, a difficult one in many ways, yet it brought out their spiritual beauty.
You are all in my prayers.

An urgent appeal for the truth

An urgent appeal for the truth
This piece of news is a bombshell for those of us who love someone with Down syndrome. Right after we rejoiced that the Prenatally Diagnosed Condtions Awareness Act passed last October, the American College of Obstetricians, American College of Medical Genetics, and National Society of Genetic Counselors had a quiet meeting with National Down Syndrome Society and National Down syndrome Congress, at the University of South Carolina to agree on improving information given to parents expecting children with DS. Information has always been the ally of life. We are in favor of doctors and genetic counselors finally receiving some training about the positive aspects of life with Trisomy 21 as Dr Brian Skotko so eloquently expressed in this testimony before Congress at a meeting of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus last February.So far, great, right?But the document entitled "Toward Concurrence" didn't stop there. They denied the 90% abortion rate of DS children and that prenatal testing and genetic counseling were done to seek and destroy our precious children with DS. Have you ever seen it for any other reason? Then they took the absurdly unecessary step of saying that NDSS AND NSDC weren't pro-life. No kidding!I am preparing a press release to respond to these groups who have drawn a line in the sand by denying their help to unborn individuals with Trisomy 21 and their famlies (see attached).We MUST get this in front of the media. Please help me.I will do anything I can to help this reach the public before this type of poisonous lie becomes part of our nationalized health care system. Dr Jerome Lejeune, the French scientist who discovered the cause of Trisomy 21 devoted the rest of his life to find a cure for Down syndrome, for as he said, "If we don't find a cure, there won't be any left".Let honor his heroic efforts by declaring the awful truth of the holocaust of 90% of unborn babies with Down syndrome.

My birthday at the beach

Today I celebrated another year of God's gift of life.

The day began with Holy Mass continued with a well made luncheon made by my girls, and finished with the fellowship at St Mary's youth group.

In between we spent a few wonderful hours on the ocean in Rhode Island. The sun came out and warmed the girls who were chilly from the water. We had mango ice and soaked up the sun.

God is good.

My Sister Alicia May

Written by Nancy Tupper Ling
Illustrated by Shennen Bersani
Pleasant St. Press 2009
In this view into the daily life of a little girl with Down syndrome, big sister Rachel lovingly describes her six-year-old sister, Alicia May. Alicia May has endearing traits; she bursts through Rachel’s door in the morning with a sunny greeting, she gives great hugs, and she counts the dots on a ladybugs’ backs. Alicia May is good at remembering the names of the neighbors, and loves visiting Rachel’s friend Katie, however, she has temper tantrums when it’s time to leave, which Katie learns to dissipate with a bit of bargaining. Rachel is growing in courage as she learns to defend Alicia May against the cruelty of their schoolmates. She is both proud of Alicia May’s accomplishments and frustrated by her stubbornness.
Sister relationships are complex and beautiful things. When one of the sisters has special needs, the relationship may seem one sided; often the focus is on the special sister, and this is a mixed blessing. The typical sister learns to give more of herself and put up with more than most sisters do, growing emotionally beyond her peers, yet there are days when she runs short of patience for her demanding sister. “My Sister Alicia May” describes this unique relationship with a unique blend of candor and tenderness.
When I read the book to a group of older sisters of little girls with Down syndrome, there were some knowing grins when Alicia May acted up and surprised expressions when author, Nancy Tupper Ling acknowledged their ‘special ness’ as well. As a mother to an Alicia May and her two big sisters, I say it is long overdue praise for the big sisters.
This book will make those who love someone with Down syndrome alternately well up with tears and laugh as they relate to Rachel’s authentic description of her sister. Shennen Bersani’s lavish and vivid illustrations alone are worth the price of the book. Her realistic drawings of the girls portray with tenderness the unique character of our much-loved children.
This book is a must for anyone who loves children with ‘designer genes’.

Review by Leticia Velasquez
Catholic Media Review
This book is available from Pleasant Street Press

Vaccine Safety to be re-examined by CDC

My pediatrician and I were discussing vaccines. This happens every time I switch practices; I get 'the talk' about not vaccinating my children. The reason I don't is twofold; aborted fetal cell lines in vaccines, and the fact that Isabella contracted Whooping Cough from the old DTP vaccine (discontinued by the way). Christina is already delicate without risking her health to side effects of vaccines.
Here is a link to Dr William Sear's blog where he discusses a potential new study by the CDC into the claims that vaccines cause autism. I will be watching this closely.
For more information about the morality of those vaccines which use fetal cell lines go to Children of God for Life.

Feasts of the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts

I spent these days at a pro-life conference with Fr Thomas Euteneuer of Human Life International, hearing him explain the crucial role played by prayer in the battle against abortion, and with my mother who is battling cancer.

I realized once again, how dependent I am on the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

May they continue to protect and guide our family and yours.
May our dedicated prayers bring about the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart in our lifetime.


Tune into AirMaria for beautiful homilies on the Sacred and Immaculate hears from Fr Angelo and Fr Igantius at the Marian Friary of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Christina's Field Day

It was what the Irish call "a soft day" meaning gloomy cold mist all day, yet it only served to highlight the bright colors and smiles in the photos. I was so happy to be able to spend an entire day with her at school.

Don't you just love her with all the beads in front of the mirror?!

How the International Down Syndrome Coalition is changing hearts

My friend Diane from IDSC has given me permission to share from her email today. I have been blogging to save lives of babies in danger of abortion because they have Down syndrome for three years. I think I have a handle on how horrible the thinking is about our beloved children, yet Diane's email today left me breathless, and reminded me just how important our internet presence is. We willnever know how many lives we have saved until we meet in heaven. But keep up the good work, Diane, you can see that God has a lot more work for you out there.

Finally, we wanted to share a little information with you. We like to check to see what people will type in their google search engine to find us. We have been surprised to find out that many who are considering abortion are finding us. They are also exiting out of the site on the great pro life resources that we have available for them. We thought you may want to see what some of the words they type into the search engine are. I have copied these exactly as they are, and they are a small sample:

choosing to terminate a downs baby
is down syndrome incompatible with life
do children suffer from Down syndrome
parents starving baby down syndrome
ending pregnancy for down syndrome
choosing to terminate a pregnancy for down syndrome
option to terminate the life of a baby with down syndrome
life for the suffer of down syndrome
our baby has down syndrome
federal law concerning "down syndrome" (I have no clue what this would mean.)

Please continue to keep these families in your thoughts and prayers. We hope that any information we have to offere will help them as they make their decision for their child. We are so glad that the IDSC is coming up so often in search engines when they are looking for information concerning abortion of their child who happens to have Down syndrome. These words can take your breath away. Real people, needing real solutions are finding us!

Thanks to all of you helping to get the word out there, people are finding us!

Corpus Christi Procession in Chicago

NDSS new public awarenesscampaign; My Great Story

My Great Story!
My Great Story seeks to honor and celebrate the great stories of the 400,000 Americans living with Down syndrome by showcasing these stories in a beautiful online storybook.
This book will feature inspirational stories about work, school, friends, family, hobbies, travel, the NDSS Buddy Walk® program and many other things.
If you have Down syndrome, we want to hear your great story! We want to learn about your achievements, dreams, aspirations, successes, and anything else about yourself that you want to share.
If you have a great story about someone you know who has Down syndrome, tell us! We want to know how he/she has inspired you. You can tell a story about your friend, family member, colleague, student, patient, neighbor, etc
Please encourage everyone you know to get involved by passing along this email or web address below!
www.ndss.org/stories
The My Great Story website was created by York & Chapel
NDSS has taken it one step further and turned two great stories into a national public service announcement (PSA), featuring the great stories of Sujeet Desai, The Traveler and Sara Wolff, The Public Speaker, featured below.
These PSA’s will be featured in national and local media outlets across the country this fall, as well as high profile websites.
These dynamic print ads were shot by renowned photographer, Zachary Scott.
The ad creative was developed pro-bono by Pedone Media.
Click here to watch the ‘behind the scene’s’ video from the photo shoot.
Click here to read the story of Sujeet Desai, The Traveler

Mom

We are praying more intently than ever for Mom, who has widespread late stage cancer.
Please join us.

Tour of Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse WI

This is the latest site for a Friary of the Franciscans of the Immaculate.

A Meditation on Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament

There, where my dear Jesus dwells,
where He is enthroned in the tabernacle,
there I wish to be kneeling continually.
There, I wish to pray unceasingly:
Jesus, I love You deeply.
Hidden Love, I adore You.
Abandoned Love, I adore You.
Despised Love, I adore You.
Love trampled underfoot, I adore You.
Infinite Love, dying on the Cross for us, I adore You.
My dear Lord and Savior,
make it be that I am all love and expiation
toward the Most Blessed Sacrament
in the heart of Your most loving Mother Mary.
Amen.

by Maria Stang
(a woman who persevered in her faith under the cruel
Communist atheistic rule for many years and who taught and brought the faith to many,
keeping the love of the Lord in the most Blessed Sacrament alive)

The prayer of a little saint

We have been dealing with the news that my mother has an operable tumor which is most likely malignant. It has been terrifying, yet moments of grace have kept us going. Like when I hear from friends and strangers who are praying for Mom, or the look of compassion on my pastor's face when I told him. He lost his mother a few months ago.

Yesterday God gave us another moment of grace.

I was outdoors with Christina, trying to absorb the gravity of the bad news I had just received by phone: the surgeon said that Mom's tumor was probably malignant. I was trying to move beyond the paralysis of fear and find the words to pray about it. I was to pray silently as I walked around the yard, finally sitting down on the stoop in the exhaustion of grief.

Christina got up, saying "Church", and walked over to the statue of Our Lady of Grace in front of the house. She patted the statue on the shoulder, then stepped back, crouched down and made the Sign of the Cross alone for the first time. Her little hands clasped tightly, she began to pray. For five minutes, Christina mentioned all of our family members, including my mother as we do in our nighttime prayers. Her little face was a model of concentration and at one point she closed her eyes. It was obvious that she was praying, not imitating our actions, since we pray indoors and typically at her bedside. She has never seen us pray in front of this particular statue of Our Lady.

When Christina finished her prayers, she made the Sign of the Cross, and again reached out to touch the shoulder of the statue of Our Lady, and when she turned to leave, patted her head affectionately.

I immediately called Mom and Dad to tell them about the prayers of our little saint. They were moved and uplifted by this gesture of love and faith that was so unexpected. When Christina was baptized, Fr McCartney said, "sometimes I think that people with Down syndrome feel sorry for us, because we can't see what they see". Yesterday, Christina proved that she could pray with words when her mother couldn't. I know God heard us both, but I can't help feeling that the prayers of such innocent children carry a special weight with He who asked the little children to come to Him.

May Our Lady and Jesus hear and answer her heartfelt prayers for "Gramma".

Isabella is 12, Gabriela is sweet sixteen

Friday, May 29, was a whirlwind day, I was subbing at Bellas school, then we rushed home with her best friend Mary to change and go out to enjoy "Night at the Museum 2". We completed the celebration with pizza and ice cream sundaes before packing the car to drive down to visit Grandma and Grandpa.
On Saturday, we attended a Down syndrome activities day at St Anthony's High School with our Long Island friends. Afterwards I took Christina to a pro-life youth conference at Nassau Community College, where she enjoyed the food, and I tried to enjoy the speeches. We stopped at our friend's home for tea, then home for a big roast beef dinner cooked by Grandpa.

Sunday, after Mass in the parish I grew up in, St Philip Neri, Northport, I walked the girls home down Main Street, the same path I used to take to daily Mass the summers when I was a teenager. I showed them the bushes where I used to pick flowers to put in front of the Blessed Mother's statue, when I felt that I had a religious vocation at 15. Such tender memories were great to share with my girls.

We took my brother Rob's two boys out with Christina to the local farm to visit the animals, something we both did as children. Here is a photo of Bella looking pensive at the farm.

There we had some family time and a great big Baskin Robbins CHOCOLATE cake for both Bella and Gabbi who turned 16 last Tuesday. Please keep my mother Eleanor in your prayers, she is in pain and has surgery scheduled.

On June 2, after school, Gabbi invited two friends to a shopping trip to spend her gift from her grandparents and then to come home and share a meal and her birthday cake. The lively conversations lasted past midnight,


They are such beautiful, intelligent young ladies, with such vivacious senses of humor. I am truly blessed to be their mother. May God grant them a grace-filled joyful, healthy year.

Friendly Blogger Award

My friend Elizabeth at The Divine Gift of Motherhood gave me the Friendly Blogger Award. She gave me credit for helping her get started in blogging. If so, I can take a bow for helping to raise the quality of writing in the blogosphere. She is a dear friend, outstanding mother and superb writer.

Thanks, from Tigger (my sixth grade nickname for my boisterously happy personality) Too bad you can't see me sing "The Wonderful Thing about Tiggers"!

Among Women nominated for Catholic New Media Awards

My friend Pat Gohn's podcast Among Women was nominated for several categories at the Catholic New Media Awards(formerly Catholic Blog Awards). See my review here, then go vote for her!