This Christmas...

"May you be filled with the Wonder of Mary,

the Obedience of Joseph,

the Joy of the Angels,

the Eagerness of the Shepherds,

the Determination of the Magi,

and the Peace of the Christ Child.

May Almighty God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Bless you now and forever."

With Much Love for you!

   

"Ezzie is One!"

 

Therese Rose Whatley is one year old!!

To my sweet little Ezzie:

"Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday dear

Ezzie!

Happy Birthday to YOU!

***

Dear Ezzie,

You have me wrapped around

your tiny heart and I love you

so very much!

gigi and jabo love you as high

as the sky, precious girl!

<3

**So sorry that this post is so late 'little bit'!

"Eternal Mercy"

  O Blood and Water, which gushed forth

from the Heart of Jesus

as a fountain of Mercy,

I trust is in You!

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless

and the treasury of compassion--inexhaustible,

look kindly upon us and increase

Your mercy in us,

that in difficult moments we might not

despair nor become despondent,

but with great confidence 

submit ourselves to Your holy will,

which is Love and Mercy itself.

Amen.

**This is the closing prayer to

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

"He is Risen"

 "The Risen Christ is closer to us

than anything can ever be."

Father Ray Remke

Easter Homily

   

"The Fifth Mystery of Light"

The Institution of the Eucharist

Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks
he said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves;
for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the
fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." Then
he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks,
he broke it and gave it to them saying, "This is my body,
which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
And he did the the same with the cup after supper,
saying, "This cup that is poured
out for you
 is
the
  new
covenant
of
 my blood.

 Luke 22:17-20

"The Fourth Mystery of Light"

  The Transfiguration

...Jesus took
with him Peter,
 James and his brother John
and led them up a high mountain, by
themselves. And he was transfigured before
them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes
became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them
Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus,
"Lord, it is good that we are here; if you
 wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you,
one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking,
suddenly a bright cloud over-shadowed them, and from the cloud
 a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved with whom I am well
pleased; listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell to
the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and
 touched them saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." And when
they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
Matthew 17:1-8

"The Third Mystery of Light"

The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God 

.
.
Jesus
came to Galilee,
proclaiming the good news
of God, and saying, "The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has
come near, repent, and believe in the good
news." As Jesus passed along the sea of
Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother
Andrew casting a net into the sea--
for they were fishermen.
And Jesus said to them,
"Follow me and I
will make you fishers of men. "At
once, they left their nets and followed him.

Mark 1:14-19

 

I love this reading...I am always struck by
the way these men drop absolutely everything to follow
this man, Jesus, whom they have just met.
Imagine how their hearts must have
been stirred in that single moment of
pure trust and faith in their future with Jesus.
'At once, they left their nets and followed him.'

"The Second Mystery of Light"

  Jesus' Self-manifestation at the Wedding of Cana

Now standing there were six stone water 

jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each

holding twenty or thirty gallons.

Jesus said to them, 

"Fill the jars with water."

And they filled them to the brim.

He said to them, "Now draw some out,

and take it to the chief steward." So they took it.

When the steward had tasted the water that had 

become wine, and did not know where it came from, 

(though the servants who had drawn the water knew) the

 steward called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone 

serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after 

the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the 

good wine until now." Jesus did this, the first of his 

signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory, 

and his disciples believed in him.

John 2:6-11

 

*Thanks to BTW for being my hand model today!!
Also, the clay pot that he is holding
is from my amazing trip to
Paris, France in February of 1995.
BTW you are the best!!!

"The First Mystery of Light"

 The Baptism of Jesus

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth
of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
And just as he was coming up out of the water,
he saw the heavens torn apart and the
Spirit descending like a dove on him.
And a voice came from heaven,
"You are my Son, the Beloved;
with you I am well pleased."
Mark 1:9-11

Take a moment and reflect on the significance
Jesus' Baptism which marked the beginning of his public ministry.

****

Over the next two weeks I will be exploring
the mysteries of Our Lord through the gift of the rosary.
The "Mysteries of Light" or the "Luminous Mysteries"
 seems appropriate in this week before Holy Week
as it reflects on five well-known
stories of Christ's life beginning with his
Baptism and ending with The Last Supper.
****
Look for Biblical images in some of the Gospels quotes this week.
****

*Pope John Paul II added the
Mysteries of Light to the rosary in 2002.

His hope was for the rosary to become more fully

"a compendium of the Gospel" that reflects more fully

the many mysteries of the life of Christ.

"Lucky Seven"

 And then there were seven!!

   

**This is my 100th post!!

"Christening Benjamin Brett"

"For it was you who formed my inner parts;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works..."

Psalm 139:13-14
-The Inescapable God-

   

Dear Ben,
We pray that you will always
be covered by God's grace, love and blessings
each and every day of your life.
We love you as high as the sky!
Love,
gigi and jabo
****

Kelly decorated Ben's room with a nautical flair.
She made this bunting that hangs around
his crib...a mother's prayer which asks,
"May God Bless Benjamin"
***
*Benjamin was Baptized on March 15, 2014
by Deacon Richard Lurton
at Saint Paul's Catholic Church
in Pensacola, Florida

   Joseph Snyder, Leslie Ann Berg and
Patrick and Katie Whatley
are your Godparents

**I had the verse from Psalms in my mind for
Ben's Baptism blog. When I looked
 it up in my Bible I had it
highlighted in pink crayon and
Kelly's name was was written beside it.
She must have told me at one time
that it was her favorite. <3

"Peanuts"

   "Sometimes you lie in bed at night

and you don't have a single

thing to worry about...

...that always worries me!"

-Charlie Brown

Thanks, Andrew, for providing your
"worry face" for my blog today!
I love you ahats!!

"Abide in Love"

"May love be all I have 

when I pass into

eternity."

   

**This quote is Deacon Patrick Lappert's

wonderful paraphrase of Paul's words from Corinthians...
"And now faith, hope, and love abide,
these three;
and the greatest of these is love."
1 Corinthians 13:13
****
During Deacon Lappert's years of medical school
he did not believe in God and actually
set out to prove there was no God to one
of his peers who was very faithful to God.
In his deeply thorough and extensive research
 not only did he find God but was
converted to Catholicism.
He was ordained as a Deacon in January of this year
and is a true blessing to our church community.
His faithfulness inspires many.
****
Today is Ash Wednesday
Blessings to all as we begin our Lenten journeys.
<3

"Monday's Child is Fair of Face"

Benjamin Brett Aldridge

Precious little Ben finally made his grand arrival!

He is our seventh sweet grandchild and is the
twenty-third great-grandchild for Nanny and Papa!
We are truly blessed and feeling so
thankful for this most wonderful addition!
****
Ben, we pray that God's love and blessings
will be upon you always!
<3gigi and jabo

   

"Angel"

God above

hear our prayer

bless the children

everywhere.

 

I believe Angie has been watching over us

through our lives...

I have often wondered if it was her who whispered to Clay

that he was going to make it when he was in surgery

as a tiny baby, and was it her who was with Patrick

when he fell 10 feet from a tree, and was it her who 

safely guided our car when Todd fell asleep at the wheel

when we were traveling back to Maine,

and was it her who caused Clay to look up

just in time to keep our entire family from

hitting a tractor trailer on the side of the

road in Birmingham?

Yes, I believe it was...

Angie our Angel

May 6, 1972  - January 15, 1979



My granddaughter Katheryn Renee' Aldridge is named after
Angela Renee' and these photos are of her precious praying hands.

"Baby Grands"

 It doesn't get much better than this! 

*I am looking forward to adding Benjamin Brett 

to our next photo shoot!