Time Together -- Our Precious Gift

      Although the pilgrimage was wonderful, it felt great to be home! I couldn’t wait to talk with Sarah and make plans for our visit.

     She sounded so good on the phone and wanted to know every detail of our trip…most especially the ‘special’ moments.  Our conversation then shifted: when was I coming to visit? I really wanted to leave right then and there, hop in the car and go to give her a big hug and kiss. But unfortunately, I had developed a bit of a cold the last few days of the trip and wanted to be perfectly well before spending time with Sarah. That would mean I’d have to wait and not leave right away.

Heroic Love and Sacrifice

      Spring was just around the corner, and we were quite ready to say goodbye to winter! Jonathan and I had booked our pilgrimage for the fall.  We also made arrangements to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary in September with a Mass, where we would renew our vows, followed by a reception, for family and friends. We were very excited!

     My deepest wish was that my sister Sarah would live to be present at our celebration. She had just had a reaction from one of her treatments which meant that it would have to cease. We felt troubled because the cancer had responded well to it, but that door was now closed to her. She had felt so blessed to have had minimal side effects from her treatments and had little to no symptoms from the cancer since her diagnosis 3 years ago. She was still receiving radiation and if needed, she could have chemotherapy.

Gifts from the Father

 “All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.”                                          James 1:17  

    As I rode home from my retreat, an early birthday gift from my siblings, my heart felt free! There was a sense of reclaimed hopes and dreams, which I had abandoned for some time. I was curious to see just how things would be different.

Catherine and the Hail Holy Queen

     Her name was Catherine. I did not know her, but was asked to visit and bring Jesus to her, in Holy Communion. She resided in a nursing home and dying of stomach cancer.

     Although I had visited and ministered to dying people in the past, I was taken aback when I walked into Catherine’s room. She was very frail and weak and quite emaciated from the disease.  Cancer had taken its toll, and she was, for the most part, bedridden. She spoke very softly and I needed sit close to her in order to hear. It seemed clear to me that death was not far off and that her suffering was intense.