Basement Bliss

April 10^th marked one year that I have been working at Donaldson. While I still believe it is what God wanted me to do, and a lot of good has come of it, I do feel my spiritual life has suffered. No more prayer groups. No more Bible studies. No more daily Mass. I try, but I am tired, and I recall something Dr. Stevenson once said: If you aren’t moving toward God, you’re moving away from Him. There is no holding pattern.

And then the basement flooded. A pipe to the outside froze, then melted, and a two-inch hole in a pipe flowed water into our basement.

Of course miracles abounded. The pipe was just above my desk where I had three computers; not one got damaged. And we ended up with a new ceiling, paint, and carpet, mostly thanks to State Farm. I could go on, but that’s not the point to this story.

All our basement stuff; furniture, books, papers, toys, everything, was packed into boxes by the cleaning company and put into a pod on our driveway for almost two months. This week they brought all the stuff back in, and every night I go through a few boxes, trying my best to give away or throw away as much as I can. Note I love books. Probably at least 50 of the 100+ boxes of stuff have books in them. So I am sorting out, keeping what I really think I will read and giving away the rest. With this many books, I don’t have time to sift through them all… but of course, for some reason, as I’m sorting through, a little black book catches my attention. I don’t ever recall seeing this book before. The book is called “Little Pieces of Light…Darkness & Personal Growth” by Joyce Rupp, O.S.M. I’m not generally a fan of this author, but I riffle through and see one page is earmarked, and I even before I read, I feel God has a message for me. Here is the prayer that graced the page:

O God,

After all the time we’ve spent together,

I never thought it would come to this –

An immense chasm carved between us,

Holding the empty echoes of my prayer.

All that remains of my worn out cries

Is a tiny voice that longs for you.

Where are you, God, when I need you most?

Why won’t you fix my life for me?

I need you to get me out of this darkness.

I demand that you give me extended bliss.

But my demands and my desires go unheeded

And all I hear is a tender Voice

Whispering repeatedly: “I am with you.”

That’s what is so cool about God: He loves us even when we move away from Him. He is always ready to forgive and accept us right where we’re at, no matter what, no matter where. 

Even in a messy basement, there is bliss.

Eternal Bliss - With a Kiss

I've been noticing license plates lately, maybe because I've been driving so much with this new job. So the other morning I'm driving into work, and in my mind I'm once again debating with myself whether suffering is necessary to gain eternal life. I had just read in a book how there is another way - ETERNAL BLISS - by simply choosing the path of happiness. I say "simply", but it's not as easy as it looks.

So, I see in front of me a car with the letters EBX. Then in the lane to the right, right next to the other, another car with the exact same letters: EBX. Well! That has to be a sign from God. Into my head pops: ETERNAL BLISS FOREVER. (Yes I know it was an X and not an F. That did kind of bother me.)

So I felt pretty good about that, like God was saying, "Quit worrying about it. Love yourself, love life, and choosing bliss will get you there."

Then, to top it off, I get to work, park, and as I'm walking through the parking lot, what do I see? Another car with the plates with the letters EBX. What do you think the chances are of that happening?

But that pesky X was still bugging me. I wasn't 100% sure what God was saying with the X. So - what do I do anytime I don't know something? Google it! Into the search engine I typed "What does X stand for". YES! X is the symbol for a kiss! As in XOXO.

So - what's the lesson? Suffering? Okay. Happiness? That's okay, too. I'm not even sure which one is easier. But I do know either one, given for God, will lead us to Eternal Bliss - with a kiss.

The Rosaries

I’m sure many of you know this story, but it bears repeating.

I went to Medjugorje in 1999, after both my mom and dad had passed away. One of the things on my mind at the time was, “Are Mom and Dad in heaven?” and I got my answer when I got home, when I discovered the links on both my mom and my dad’s rosaries had turned gold, a common phenomenon that has occurred to people in conjunction with Medjugorje. (If you don't know anything about Medjugorje, it's an apparition site of the Blessed Mother. Google it if you're curious.)

When I used to drive the kids out to school at Saints Peter and Paul, we would say a decade of the rosary in the mornings on the way. After Kathleen and Jacob moved on to different schools and it was just me and Andrew (and of course baby Peter), we didn’t do it anymore. One day in 2001, Andrew, 4th grade, said, “Mom, I want to start saying the rosary on the way to school again like we used to.” A proud parent moment until he continued: “I want my rosary to turn gold like yours did so I can take it to a jewelry shop and sell it and get a lot of money.” After a lengthy lecture on “That’s not why we pray, etc,” I told him he could ask Mary for a sign, but with that attitude I didn't think he would get one! So Andrew brought his rosary that I had gotten him in Medjugorje into the car and every morning we would pray a decade on the way to school.

We did this for awhile… until December 21, 2001. I specifically remember the date because it was the last day of school, a Friday, before Christmas break. Andrew was leading our prayer, and all of a sudden, he says, “Wait a minute… wait a minute… uh… wait a minute..” I kept asking what was wrong, but he seemed flabbergasted. “Uh… my rosary is all messed up!”

His rosary, which had been perfectly fine the last time we used it, with the typical 10 beads and one Our Father bead 5 times around, was now “all messed up!” Six beads, then 16 beads, then 8, etc. All the beads were still there, they just were not connected in the same way anymore! Amazing! Of course we knew right away that the Blessed Mother was telling Andrew: “I hear you. I love you. Thanks for praying. Here is your sign – but I’m NOT going to turn your rosary gold!” What a loving Mother she is. And what a sense of humor she has - Andrew wanted the rosary to be of value, and she changed it into a rosary that was essentially of no MONETARY value, but one of great SPIRITUAL value!

I’ve been saying the Memorare a lot lately. In case you don’t know it, here it is: Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O virgin of Virgins, my mother. To you do I come, before you do I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen

May the Blessed Mother wrap you in her holy mantle today.

Stalk your bliss

Dear Beloved Friends and Family!

From Andrew:

I want to thank you for your support of my ministry on the Catholic National Evangelization Team in Australia. I made my fundraising goal thanks to you. I arrived safely in Brisbane after 40 hours and 4 different planes rides. Lots of waiting in airports but totally worth it. I have already started training and my first host family is really great. Please continue to pray for me, and you can be sure I will be keeping all of you in my prayers as well. It is a real blessing to have my amazing family and great friends to count on. I know the next 10 months will be a life-changing experience for me.

I want to tell you about what happened just before Andrew left; I will keep it as short as possible!

Andrew’s flight was scheduled to leave January 3. On December 30^th, he got this email from NET:

Hi Andrew,

Unfortunately I have some bad news. I have heard nothing about your visa.

I called their office and was told to expect to wait two weeks.

Their office is now closed until 3rd January when I believe you are supposed to fly. Therefore, I don't think you are going to be able to fly out at this time as you cannot fly when you don't have your visa. This means you will need to change your flights.

I would recommend not buying the new ticket until you have heard that your visa has been granted. I know this will be very disappointing, but unfortunately we don't have a choice. This is the reality of travelling overseas.

You can imagine that Andrew was very disappointed. We decided to just wait and see (for what I’m not sure) and pray about it. Finally, on January 2 we decided we better do something in addition to praying. I tried to get a hold of the travel agent several times and couldn’t; tried Virgin Airlines but they said only the travel agent could make a change; tried the number I got from Virgin Airlines on the student travel agency where the ticket was actually purchased; they said I could go ahead and cancel it but to buy a new ticket would be $1000 more than what I already paid, so I just left it as-is. He also said the next time he could fly with the student rate was January 22! I was really praying and asking God what we should do!!!

I just couldn’t imagine what to do. I knew it would all work out but it was just so disappointing for Andrew – he had been preparing all this time, and yes, as the NET lady said, he would get there sooner or later and that was the important part. But….

All of a sudden it popped into my head: Isn’t it already January 3^rd in Australia? I checked online- -yes, it is! SO, there was a possibility that they would be able to grant his visa ‘today’, which is ‘tomorrow’ in Australia! We tried to find a phone number to call the visa office in Australia  to see if we could expedite it, but the only numbers they had were local; it said you needed to BE in Australia to call. (I don’t know how that makes sense but whatever!)

The airline had told me that once it was three hours before the flight, they could make changes to the ticket and we wouldn’t have to go through the travel agent. We decided to just pray and wait it out. My brother Ken in California (thank God for awesome family!) with no hesitation offered to take Andrew in until his visa came through, so Andrew decided to go ahead and fly to Los Angeles and hope and pray for it to be granted, and if it wasn’t, his uncle Ken would pick him up.

Ten p.m. in  Minnesota. Andrew is scheduled to leave at 6:15 a.m., in 8 hours. This email comes in from NET:

I can’t believe it. Andrew’s visa has come through! What great news. So he doesn’t need to change his flight. He is all good to go! It’s times like these that I’m reminded just how faithful God is.

Amazing! God wants to remind us that HE IS IN CHARGE. We were thinking everything was fine and we were praying like he was already there. Thank you, LORD, for the little nudges that keep us close to You!

As I look back, IF I would have gotten a hold of the travel agent, IF Virgin Airlines would have let me cancel the flight, IF the student travel agency would have had a different flight… I think God just wanted us to trust – yet I WASN’T trusting – I tried all these alternatives – but when they all fell through, THEN I trusted, because any other option just didn’t feel right. I don’t know, as you can see I am still learning and processing the whole event!

The cartoon above reminded me of Andrew. It even looks like him (minus the cigarette). I think Andrew is stalking his bliss right now… and is that so bad? What is bliss except that peace from God which surpasses all understanding, that inner confidence that we are doing the right thing? It may not be easy, but it is our path. So follow your bliss … or go ahead and stalk it!

Waiting Room Bliss

In addition to traveling, I also love waiting rooms for the same reason. Generally there are some good magazines, sometimes you get free cookies, and all you can do is sit, think, and relax. Last Monday I had the best waiting room experience ever.

I was at Dent Kraft in Plymouth having a dent removed which Kathleen created by opening the mailbox too close to the van and banging the mailbox door on the van door. This is the second time I’d been to Dent Kraft, the first time a kid at football slammed his door into the side of the van. I had gotten two estimates, one for $450 and another for over $700. Then the guy who hit my car told me about Dent Kraft. I LOVE DENT KRAFT! I don’t know how he did it, but he got rid of a huge dent with a paintless dent removal technique for a mere $125. And you can’t see where it was. AMAZING. And while I waited! It took about an hour. (Yes, this is a blatant advertisement for Dent Kraft. Check them out at www.dentkraftpdr.com)

As I was waiting, the owner, Don Kavanagh, came into the waiting room and asked me if I had seen the Today show that morning. It was about a boy, now 11, who had a near death experience when he was four. We ended up chatting about the important things in life, the stuff I love to talk about. Turned out I knew his mom from church and we were right on the same page on just about everything. Talking to Don lifted my spirits and made me feel good all day. Truly a gift from God. One thing he said was reiterated by Sarah in the comments: Forgive, forgive, forgive! It is the answer to everything.

When my car was all finished and I was ready to go, I stuck out my hand to shake Don’s. He said, “Are you kidding me!” and he enveloped me in a hug that felt really good.

What is to learn from this experience? 1. If you have some dings in your car, go see Don. 2. Take every possible opportunity you can to hug, even a relative stranger. 3. God brings you to people and people to you, just when you need them. 4. Take Don’s (and Sarah's) advice: Forgive. It’s the only way to go.

Here’s wishing all the dings and dents in your life can be taken care of by Don, at Dent Kraft.

Wedded Bliss

My latest bliss sighting was in the last Newsweek: “The secret to newlywed bliss? Irrational optimism about your spouse.” The little snippet went on to say that the marriages where the partners look at each other through rose-colored glasses were happier compared to those who went in with clearer eyes. Why? It’s attributed to “the vast powers of the human heart over the human brain.”

This positive attitude can be extended to anything. I was talking to my sister who has had perennial leaks in the roof of her building. One day as she was going down the stairs a drop fell right on her head. Instead of cursing the leak, she said “Holy water!” and thought of her blessings from God.

This came today from one of my other sisters: A crusty old man walks into the local Catholic church and says to the secretary, "I would like to join this damn church." The astonished woman replies, "I beg your pardon, Sir. I must have misunderstood you. What did you say?" "Listen up, damn it. I said I want to join this damn church!" "I'm very sorry sir, but that kind of language is not tolerated in this  church." The secretary leaves her desk and goes into the priest's study to  inform him of her situation. The priest agrees that the secretary does not have to listen to that  foul language. They both return to her office and the priest asks the old geezer, "Sir, what seems to be the problem here?" "There is no damn problem," the man says. "I just won 20 million dollars in the damn lottery and I want to join this damn church to get rid of some of this damn money." "I see," said the priest. "And is this damn woman is giving you a hard time?”

Everything is a gift from God, even what we consider the ‘bad’ stuff. Today at the post office my eye was drawn to a card that said “It helps to remember that hidden within every obstacle is a treasure to behold.” It’s all part of the lesson on our way to enlightenment, bliss, heaven, whatever you want to call it. Let’s use those vast powers of the human heart for good. For love.

So tomorrow, before you face the day, be sure to put on your rose-colored glasses.