Happy Wednesday!

Hi everyone,

Smile, you're now over the half way mark for your work week.  Well, that is if you work a Monday through Friday work week.  As for me, one day is pretty much like another.  I haven't worked for the past thirteen years.  I was put on disability eleven years ago after ending up in the hospital, close to death.  I now live every day of my life with Chronic Congestive Heart Failure, but I am definitely not complaining.  I give thanks to God every day that I wake up.  He has truly blessed me many, many times over and for this I am so grateful.

Can you believe that tomorrow is June 1st. already.  Where did the month of May go to?  It certainly moved along quite fast, didn't it?   Do you have any plans already made for the summer?  The only plans I have would be to stay indoors most of the time, as I can't be outside in the heat and humidity because of my heart failure.  But, I'm okay with that.  I can always find something to do in the creative line. 

My Sister, Carol, has been visiting PA for the past five weeks and I've so enjoyed her visiting me many times each week.  She and I, along with a few other lady friends, spent four days last week in Ocean City, MD.  I truly enjoyed spending all those hours with her.  With my illness, I never know if this will be the last time I will see her or not.  She usually comes up about once a year for four to six weeks.  I am just blessed to have had this time with her, as she'll be returning home to NC in a few days

She and I both agree, and I'm sure that our Brother would agree also, that we had a wonderful childhood and loving, caring Parents.  What more could we have asked for?  As far as I'm concerned, we had the best childhood and children could want.  Don't get me wrong, my Parents had very little money, but my Dad worked a full time and a part time job to keep us going.  When my brother started school, Mom went to work full time, in a sewing factory, to help out. 

The three of us kids were raised with good values, morals, ethics, manners and a strong faith in God.  We were truly blessed in that way.  They saved money to put all three of us through Catholic Schools, which even then, wasn't cheap by any means.  But it was important to the both of them, even though my Dad wasn't even a Catholic. 

I am so thankful to Mom and Dad for all they gave me.  Not just the things I mentioned above, but for the ability not to loose faith in my own abilities, and my everlasting faith in God.  I love them so much and I pray that someday I'll be with them in heaven.

I do hope that you all had a good childhood, also.  It's so important to a child to be raised by God fearing parents who teach their child right from wrong.  I tried to raise my three daughters that exact same way and from where I stand, I did just that!  I am so proud of my girls and I see that they raised their sons that exact same way.  I hope Mom and Dad are looking down on all of us and smiling for the good job they did as Parents.

I hope the rest of your week goes well.  Be safe and trust in the Lord. always.
Susan

Give thanks always!

Happy Memorial Day!

I just want to post a few quick words to all those in this country, who are currently, or who in the past, fought for our United States of America at some point in their lives.  I thank you sincerely for serving in our military, trying to help to make this United States of America and safe and better place to live and to help those in other countries have a safe place to live.

I especially thank the families of those soldiers who fought and died during any of those times.  They certainly are heroes in my mind.

So, to all of you out there, who were or are still in the military, have a wonderful day and I'm thankful for each and every one of you!  May God continue protecting each of you, and may He surround Himself with all those who have died and are now with Him!

Susan

How's Your Tuesday going?

Hi all,

I don't k  now how the weather is where you are, but it's very cloudy and rainy here in South Central PA.  Days like this make me just want to take a little nap,  I won't do that, because I have some things to do yet this afternoon.

I've been working on my little security blankets for children who are in hospitals, for an extended period of time.  My heart goes out to every one of them.  I can't imagine how frightened they must be, every day, especially with all the medical procedures they need to go through.  I now have sixty-two blankets finished.  I'll just keep on hand-sewing until later in the year.  My Sister, Carol, has been visiting here in PA, and she's been coming in to spend time with me three or four days a week.  I taught her how to make the blankets and helped her with a few other projects.  She's doing good!

My Sister has lived in North Carolina for many, many years now.  So, I really don't get to see her very often.  Since she is now alone, she drives up to PA about once a year.  She stays with my brother and his wife while she's here.  But, I treasure the days she comes in and spends this time with me.  She enjoys it because I teach her how to do creative things, which I am only too happy to do.  We spent some time talking about how things where when we were children.  We both agree on the fact that we had an awesome childhood.  My parents didn't have much money and my Dad worked a full time and a part time job to make ends meet.  Also, our Mother worked full time, at a local sewing factory when my younger Brother started school.  I love reminiscing with Carol about our childhood.  We both agree that our good values, morals and ethics came from Mom and Dad.  We're so happy to have had them for our parents.

As a Mom, I tried very hard to raise my three daughters with the very same principles that my Parent's raised me with.  I couldn't be any more prouder of my Daughters then I am.  You see, they raised their Sons, my six Grandsons, with those very same morals, principles, values and ethics as their Grandparents raised me.  I am so proud of my Daughters and my Grandsons.

With the way things are in the world today, people need to get back to those morals, values and ethics and move away form the permissiveness that exists with children in today's world.  It seems to me that many of today's children have a sense of entitlement, but they don't.  It's that simple.  We all have to live and work in this world to make it a good place to live.  The work is hard and no one is entitled to say, "You owe me," to their parents.  Every  human being, no matter who you are, has responsibilities, at least they should have.  If the parents don't teach responsibility to their children, the child doesn't grow up being a responsible adult.  It just angers me to hear a teenager yell at their parents, "You  Owe Me!"  NO they do not.  A parent's job is to raise their children to be a responsible adult, after that, they owe them nothing.  Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being there for your adult children and helping them, as long as they are being responsible.  But, they don't owe them that.  So, teach your children to be responsible from the time they're very young and you won't have that problem when they grow up.  It's that simple.

I hope your week goes well and you enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.  Please remember the meaning for celebrating Memorial Day and give thanks to all our service woman and men, present and past.
Susan

Book Sale!

Hi all,

Just a quick note to let you all know that the following novels will be offered at the special price of
$ .99 starting on May 17, Wednesday, through May 22, next Monday.

1.  Sassy with a Capital "S"
2.  Crafty Cruise with a Capital "C"
3.  Train-Trekking with a Capital "T"

All three of these are usually sold at $3.99, but will be offered for this reduced price during the above mentioned days.  They are all for electronic reading only, which can be done with all most any electronic device.  Each of these books have a separate page on my blog, if you care to see what they're about before purchasing an electronic copy of them. 

Thanks much,
Susan

Today is Mother's Day!

Hi everyone,

First, I'd like to wish each Mom, Grandma and Great Grandma out there, a very happy Mother's Day to all of you. 

As for me, I had a very nice Mother's Day.  I spoke to all three of my daughters on the phone for awhile, which always pleases me.  My husband brought me flowers for Mother's Day, which was very nice of him.

Then, while praying the Mass this morning, Father Wilder had such a moving sermon, that it brought tears to my eyes.  He started his sermon speaking about crossword puzzles and saying how one clue leads to another.  After finding the first clue you can usually find another one from that one.  Then he went on to say that crossword puzzles are sort of like being a Mom.  He says that God blessed Mothers with the ability to do so many things at the same time because when you have children, that is so necessary.  He said that she can be carrying three bags of groceries when she's encountered by one of her children who is crying or hurt, and she immediately has the power to also embrace her child while still carrying those groceries.  He went on to say how strong Moms are and all the compassion and empathy they have for not only their children, but for everyone. 

I had to wipe my tears three times during his sermon.  My children, three daughters, are all grown up with adult men of their own now.  But, my pride in them only enhances as each year goes by.  I know that as a Mom, I did the very best I could when I was raising them, which is what they did for their sons.  Of course, for a Mom, you will always be in "Mom" mode, until the day God takes us home. 

My daughters are still my little girls, even though they're adults.  I still worry about them and their families and I suppose I always will. 

I hope all you Moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day today.  Also, I hope that your children stepped up to let you know just how much you mean to them.  We don't do what we do for the thanks, we do it because it's our job as Moms. 

Be safe and give praise and thanks to God for the children He blessed you with.

Susan

Hi Folks!

Happy Tuesday to each of you!  How have you been doing?  I hope you're all well and busy, but not too busy to take a few minutes for yourself each day.  Having time alone is very important.  We all need to just stop, be still and quiet for a few minutes each day.

It's surprising how many people keep themselves so busy on purpose.  They don't want to have the time to truly stop and think about how they could improve their lives, in one way or another.  They let unhappiness and problems overshadow their lives. 

We all have so very much to be thankful for, every day.  Waking up to enjoy another day with your family is a blessing, which is mostly taken for granted every day.  Having enough food to eat is a blessing.  No you may not like everything that you are given to eat, but it does keep your stomach full and that's a blessing.  If you have enough money to pay your bills and a home to live in, that's a blessing.  No, it may not be the home you'd like, and you may not have a lot of the things you would like to have, but you are blessed, anyway. 

This world would be a better place in which to live if we all just accepted what we do have and stopped always wanted more.  I've said this before and it is good to repeat it:  Happiness doesn't come from exterior things or money.  It comes from inside yourself! 

So, knowing that, you need to take time to be alone and thank God for all the many blessings in your life.  Remember:  things could always be worse.  So, just count your blessing!
Susan

Today is May 1, 2017.

Hi folks,

I can't believe that today is May the first already.  It seems like we just celebrated Christmas and New Years Day.  Where does the time go?  The older I get, the faster the time flies. 

For all of you who live in PA, we are having some very bad storms coming through this evening and during the overnight hours.  There are tornado warnings out for a lot of the cities and towns.  Please be careful and if the weather turns bad, please take cover in a safe place. 

I understand, according to the news reports, that storms did a lot of damage throughout parts of Pennsylvania today.  Please pray for these folks who lost everything, including their homes.  I ask God to stay with them and help them to recover from today's losses.

I assume, if you follow my posts regularly, that you have already read about Jesus' Divine Mercy.  It started with a young girl by the name of Maria Faustina.  She had a great desire to become a nun, starting when she was a very young child.  After finally fulfilling her desire to become a nun, Jesus started appearing to her and telling her things/  He instructed her to write everything down so she wouldn't forget anything.  So, she started keeping a diary, recording everything that Jesus spoke to her about.  Jesus wanted Faustina to tell people about His Divine Mercy, which He wanted to give, freely, to each of us.

I first discovered about St. Faustina (she was declared a Saint a few years ago by the Catholic Church), about seven or eight years ago.  I purchased her diary and I started to learn everything I possibly could about Jesus' Divine Mercy.  I will tell you frankly, that it has changed my life. 

St. Faustina taught us how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which was instructed by Jesus.  I try very hard to pray the Chaplet every single day, during the three o'clock hour, which is considered to be the hour when Jesus finally died while handing on the cross.  It only takes about twelve to fifteen minutes to pray the chaplet. 

One reason why I pray the Chaplet daily is because Jesus told St. Faustina that if a person lives a good Christian life and prays the chaplet everyday, He will intercede upon their death and take them directly to heaven.  They will not have to make any amends for any sins they've committed during their lives.  I believe this because Jesus, Himself said it!

I try my very best to live the life of a good and faithful Christian woman.  I am a Catholic and I will always remain a Catholic, that is my religion.  I have a very strong faith in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 

I can sit quietly, when I'm alone, and look back over my last 68 years and I can plainly see all the times that God was right by my side, always.  Considering that I was born with a heart defect and will soon turn 69 years old, say it all!  How about you?  As we grow older, death enters our minds more quickly and more often.  Make sure you are in good standing with God.  Now is the time to make any changes you need to make, if you want eternal happiness with Our Lord.  I do!  How about you?

I hope your week goes well and that you stay safe.
Susan 

This is the Divine Mercy Image.  Sorry it's not a good picture.