61°F NNE3mph SR0530(0430) SS2046(1946)

Morning Offering given

Village peaceful

Coffee bold

Today
Read Zechariah 7
RIAY Day 190: returning to the Visitation
St. Augustine Zhao & companions‘ joy show us that fidelity to Jesus frees us.
Meditations for Each Day pg. 271, “Vanity is a form of theft.”

Good Morning!
The SUV is in the shop this morning, I’m using a loaner till it’s ready to go. I’ve got a pick-up and drop-off today with the rest of the day for the personal to do list.

Know you are prayed for.

65°F WSW5mph SR0529(0429) SS2046(1946)

Morning Offering given

Village still sleepy

Coffee good

Today:
Read Zechariah 6
RIAY Day 189: Beginning Our Meditations
Happy Belated Birthday to Hazel P and Happy Birthday to Jim H
Sts. Prisca & Aquila _{remind us of the need to have “church” and thus, God’s presence, within our homes.}
The Apostolate of Holy Motherhood, pg. 98, _{“Tend to Your Duties with Love and in Patience”}
Meditations for Each Day, pg. 270, _{“Falling into Sin”}

Morning! Headed to bed early last evening, which means I was up way early this morning. Copy work is completed and ready to deliver. Bank deposits need collecting and delivery. Laundry needs to be completed. The floors need cleaning. SUV to be delivered to Clucker’s late afternoon for replacement of coils. This will be a labor-only trip as coils were replaced less than a year ago. The man will replace the cabin filter himself and change the oil.

Can we spend a moment in prayer for the loss of life in Texas and those who suffered loss of loved ones. As well as giving thanks to all those who helped. Should we not also refrain from taking away from those who lost their lives by praising those who helped? I know it is a tendency of ours to think of the good as much as possible, but in doing so, we lessen the opportunity to offer up redemptive suffering.

May we also take the time to understand the deportations and holding facility arrangements? If someone is seeking asylum, they must fill out the necessary paperwork to initiate the process. Remaining here without doing that is BREAKING THE LAW. For those who came to this country with no intent of becoming a citizen, and knowing if they did apply, they would be denied due to their crime/gang entanglements, are BREAKING THE LAW. As a Christian nation, we are required to feed, clothe, and house those who come illegally, but we are not required to do that in luxury or to the detriment of our citizens.

While I’m on my soapbox, I may as well add that President Trump has nearly completed all of his campaign promises despite opposition from the other side. In doing those things, he has uncovered much fraud and wrongdoing from years past. I find it amazing that those in opposition cannot see this. But perhaps it is more in the WILL NOT SEE than in the cannot.

Know you are prayed for.

64⁰F ESE@4mph SR0528(0428) SS2047(1947)

Morning Offering given

Village peaceful

No coffee

Off to baby run, more later

UPDATE

Car to mechanic tomorrow not firing on 2 and 3… coils.

Only workshop girls to take home then done for the day till tomorrow at 5

I’m going to get lunch and a nap.

69°F NNE7mph SR0528(0428) SS2047(1947)

Morning Offering given

Village peaceful and damp from rain once again

Coffee strong and bold

Today:
Anniversary greetings, a day late, to Richard & Kaylee
Birthday greetings to Kathy F, Siobhan F, make it a good one
St. Maria Goretti _{demonstrates how important it is for us to both forgive and to pray for other to forgive}
Read, Zechariah 6
RIAY Day 187: God is Never Undone

Friday night I took some friends home to Il, turned around returned home, arriving home about 6am and promptly falling asleep for most of the day. Hence the poor entry here last evening, the memory loss for my eldest’s anniversary, the missing out on a nephew from TX visit, and helping “the man” plant flowers.
The engine light is on in the SUV, solid not flashing, but I suspect another broken coil so will stop at Cluckers tomorrow and set up maintenance.
Because I avoided so many deer and strange people on the way to my friends’ home…(2am) just N of Savanah SB on 84 a vehicle was stopped with flashers in the NB lane. As I slowed and drew near I could see it was a black sports car (think pontiac Solstice like) and a male driver (who was also dressed in black) who as I neared tried to jump infront of my car and then thought better of it and returned to his vehicle. Less than 2 miles (2:30am) from the friend’s there was a 50 something couple, dressed in white jumpsuits carrying flashlights and white bags walking across the road and into the ditch, hunting for something… I took another route home, invoking help from St. Francis to protect his animals from me and me from them. Alas it was not to be, a doe tried to make a mad dash across N78 at 3AM just North of Mt. Carroll but south of Center St on N78. She crashed into my driver’s door. When I got stopped to check, there was no damage to my vehicle, it must have hit just right and the dent popped out as she slid down the side. Thank you St Francis may your deer be undamaged as well.
We did manage to get ourselves cleaned up and to Mass at 4pm in Sacred Heart. The new paint and flooring is beautiful. Very calming and serene. Selfish as I am, I do however wish they would have thought to raise the pews 3″. They are not comfortable to sit in for people over 5″7 with bad knees and it would have been great to make the pews 6″ further apart but that would have ment removing some pews. Vain, I know, but it will also mean that I will continue to attend Mass else where instead of across the road. Convience is not worth a week of hip/knee pain.

Today I am wishing all of my children would come home for one weekend F-S and help us finish up these time consuming projects. We hate to admit that at our ages we may not be able to do it on our own anylonger. It may just be that we are not asking them to do this. Or, perhaps it is a hope that they would recognize we need the help that keeps us quiet. Aging is not pleasent. Asking for help is worse. We have always been so independent it is hard to recognize we are slowing down. Nuff said on that.

Know you are prayed for.

72⁰F NNW6mph

Home 6am to sleep long night

Mass at 4

67°F SSW11mph SR0526(0426) SS2048(1948)

Morning Offering given

Village wet and overcast, good sleeping-in weather

Coffee good

Today:
• We remember our ancestor, Anna Edwards, who passed in the late 1800’s; may she rest in peace.
• St Elizabeth of Portugal, _{taught us gentleness and patiences are the weapons with which true Christian warriors win souls.}
• Read Zechariah 5
• RIAY Day 185: Proclaiming Christ
• Meditations for Each Day pg 265 _{“A man who loves God above all things can fairly be called wise…If anyone adopts his own ego or some created good as his goal in life, he is not wise because he has upset the proper scale of values…Only if we love God above all things, even above ourselves, can we really be said to love ourselves.”}

Good Morning!
Independence Day 2025…249 years of freedom. Never perfect but always striving. Somedays we succeed and sometimes we fail. Our greatness is in recognition, reform, and repair. It hurts.

In 1792, the first bishop of the United States, Bishop John Carroll, consecrated the nation to Mary under the title Immaculate Conception, and in 1846, the bishops unanimously chose Mary under that title as the patroness of the nation1. The Act of Consecration of the United States to the Immaculate Heart of Mary acknowledges Mary as the fairest of God’s daughters and places the country in her hands.

ACT OF CONSECRATION OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE
IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

Most Holy Trinity: Our Father in heaven, who chose Mary as the
fairest of your daughters; Holy Spirit, who chose Mary as your
Spouse; God of Son, who chose Mary as your Mother; in union with
Mary, we adore your majesty and acknowledge your supreme,
eternal dominion and authority.
Most Holy Trinity, we put the United States of America into the hands
of Mary Immaculate in order that she may present the country to you.
Through her we wish to thank for you the great resources of this land
and for the freedom, which as been its heritage. Through the
intercession of Mary, have mercy on the Catholic Church in America.
Grant us peace. Have mercy on our president and all the officers of
our government. Grant us a fruitful economy born of justice and
charity. Have mercy on capital and industry and labor. Protect the
family life of the nation. Guard the precious gift of many religious
vocations. Through the intercession of our Mother, have mercy on the
sick, the poor, the tempted, sinners – on all who are in need.
Mary, Immaculate Virgin, our Mother, Patroness of our land, we
praise you and honor you and give our country and ourselves to our
sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart
of Mary, pierced by the sword of sorrow prophesied by Simeon, save
us from degeneration, disaster and war. Protect us from all harm. O
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, who bore the sufferings of
your Son in the depths of your heart, be our advocate. Pray for us,
that acting always according to your will and the will of your divine
Son, we may live and die pleasing to God.
Amen.

Know you are prayed for.

63°F SSW6mph SR0526(0426) SS2048(1948)

Morning Offering given

Village filled with bird song

Coffee excellent

Today
• St. Thomas, whose skepticism was rewarded with proof of Jesus’ resurrection, helps us face our doubts.
• Read Zechariah 5
• RIAY Day 184: Beyond the Tomb
• The Apostolate of Holy Motherhood, pg 96. _{The world now needs respect for motherhood and children. This will help to offset the tremendous evil which has destroyed so many families. The Apostolate of Holy Motherhood i Catholic Families will bloom like a rose in Heaven.}
• Meditations for Each Day, pg 264. _{We may often have been amongst the last sheep which are separated from the flock of Jesus Christ. We found, perhaps, the poisoned pastures of error and vice and strayed from the path of truth and goodness.}
• Meredith Hinds in Substack…_{‘Thank you, my God, for all my past. I firmly believe you can draw good out of everything I have lived through. I want to have no regrets, and I resolve today to begin from zero, with exactly the same trust as if all my past history were made up of nothing but faithfulness and holiness.’} “ _{Fr. Jacques Phillipe’s Interior Freedom}

The man will leave for IL at noon today and be home tonight by midnight. 90% of my day will be here at the house getting ready for the 4th. Yesterday the pad for the grill was finished. Today I will clean the patio and ready it for the 4th. Of course, there is always the normal everyday pick-up and clean-up to accomplish. Hope to do some prep work for the food. This week has not been what was planned for it.

Know you are prayed for.

60°F W6mph SR0525(0425) SS2048(1948)

Morning Offering given

Jesus take me as I am
Summon out what I should be
Set your seal upon my heart
Holy Spirit dwell in me

Village silent with heavy dew

Coffee bold and rich

Today
• Belated birthday greetings to Zookeeper
• My pray day for Catholic Motherhood
• St Pernardino Realino gave good example of unsurpassing kindness to all and peace-making among those who were divided
• Read Zechariah 4, think about the tree and the lamps
• RIAY Day 183: Love Poured Out
• The Apostolate of Holy Motherhood pg 94 _{“I will remove all influence from your life which is not of Me if you allow Me to do so. This requires complete trust in Me that all that happens to you is from Me and allowed for the purpose of bringing you closer to Me…”}
• Meditations for Each Day pg 262 _{” the (tabernacle) lamp burns night and day in the Presence of Jesus and burns itself out for Him. For what do we wear out our lives? In useless and unnecessary projects, perhaps for worldly reasons, for the satisfaction of our own ego or of our passions?”}

Ran across this question yesterday…
“Has anyone in history besides Jesus come close to fulfilling Old Testament messianic prophecies?”

Know you are prayed for.

57°F NW8mph SR0525(0425) SS2048(1948)

Morning Offering given

Village peaceful

Coffee good

Today
•St. Aaron inspires us to speak fearlessly of God’s majesty.
•Read Zechariah 3, making note of the verses that strike you.
•RIAY Day 182: Shared Sacrifice
•The Apostolate of Holy Motherhood, pg 94. _{“I wish for you to come to Me in all your necessities. Continue to try and think only of Me during your prayers, blocking out all distractions of your daily life.”}
•Meditations for Each Day, pg. 261 Moments of Silence. _{“Such is the speed of modern life that many people forget God and do not even pause to think about themselves. Action is everything. There is no time for reflection, no time for prayer. Life has become mechanical and superficial, for nobody has the time nor the inclination to think about spiritual matters.”}

This photo was taken yesterday by my son.  The fog had started rolling in. I’m struck by the peacefulness. Reminds me of the scripture “He leads me beside still waters. He refreshes and restores my soul.“

Yesterday, the trellis was put up to make the patio more private. The trumpet vine moved, all plants were planted, flowerbed weeding was begun, tree limb snipping finished, and pavers were delivered. Today, a doctor’s phone call and a drive with a woman to the midwife for a check-up. Then I will be home.

Know you are prayed for.

64°F WNW8mph SR0524(0424) SS2049(1949)

Morning Offering given

Village soggy and peaceful

Coffee good

Today
• Read Zechariah 3, note the verses that speak to you.
• RIAY Day 181: Grace Amid Thorns
• St. Bertrand shows us the necessity of cultivating and nurturing people just as we might cultivate a garden
• Remembering the Birthdays of: Patti M, Jim C, & Jim H, may they rest in peace.
• Meditations for Each Day pg 30…_{Meditate on the ardent love of God, cast aside your coldness and indifference, and ask St. Paul to set us on fire with divine charity.}
Well, the electricity just went out. No issues at all during the storms of the past week, and today it goes out. Hopefully, it is a short outage. Good thing I charged the laptop. Not that I will be able to post, as the internet is gone as well. Which brings me to dependence on electricity. If someone sabotaged the electrical structure of the USA, who would be able to function? We have become so dependent on it that most things would shut down. Now, by the looks of things, it may just be our house that is out; where is that generator? Good thing the man is home, the village guy is on the way now. This, of course, means there will be no remodel work done until it comes back on. That was simple, changed the fuse on the pole, workmen are gone. We’re back in business

Know you are prayed for.