Franny’s Poor Angel!

It is taught by the Catholic Church that we all are given a guardian angel the moment we are conceived in the womb and created by

Our Lord.  Hebrews 1:14: “What are the angels then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by Him to help those who are to receive salvation.”  Since it is God’s plan that we are all called to be with Him in eternity, it stands to reason that we all are given this angel as a guide throughout life.

According to the book, Get Us Out of Here, by Nicky Eltz, some of us have more than one angel.  Eltz spent quite a bit of time interviewing Marie Simms, an Austrian Mystic.  Marie claimed to have been visited by poor souls in Purgatory for much of her life. (She died in 2004)  The book is fascinating.  According to Marie all of us have at least one angel.  Doctors and Religious have two guardian angels.  These angels stay with us on earth and in Purgatory until we make it into Heaven.

When I read Marie’s testimony of Doctors having two angels; I immediately thought of my sister-in-law who is a Doctor.  I called her mom and told her that her daughter had two guardian angels.  She was not surprised and said she had known that for quite some time.  When asked to explain, she told me that when my sister-in-law was very little she told her mother that she had two angels.  She even knew their names, Meredith and David!

I too was not surprised.  I have always heard that little children often times can see and sometimes communicate with guardian angels.  In rare cases adults, such as Padre Pio, have also had the ability to communicate with an angel.

That got me wondering about my sister, Franny’s, angel.

I am ten years older than Franny, so I witnessed her grow up.  At a very young age, Franny had a very real but very imagined friend.  I would sit on my bed doing homework and listen to her have very involved conversations with this invisible girl – I cannot remember her name.  It got to the point where I asked my mother if something was wrong with Franny “in the head.”  My mother told me lots of kids have imaginary friends and she would grow out of it.  I remember thinking that my mother had to be wrong.  There was no way any “normal” child could have such lengthy discussions with an imaginary friend.

Now I wonder if that could possibly have been her angel.

Now let me tell you about Franny.  She was accident prone, a free-spirit, and definitely T-R-O-U-B-L-E!  I have always felt sorry for my parents for the stress raising Franny must have caused; but now that I think about it, her angel must need a serious vacation!

I witnessed her guardian angel in action.  She could barely walk and was standing beside the kitchen cabinet one day while my mom was fixing dinner.  I was sitting on the floor trying to get her attention.  Suddenly my mom dropped a knife.  I had a clear view of a knife barreling straight down, sharp side down, heading for my sister Franny’s head.  All of this occurred in the blink of an eye.  I clearly witnessed the knife make a sharp left turn and fall on the floor beside my sister.  I was shocked.  I knew enough about physics to know that nothing could have made the knife turn like that.  I jumped up and quickly told my mother what I had just witnessed.  My mom saw God’s Hand in everything and she just shrugged her shoulders and said, “Must have been her guardian angel.”  I thought there was no other explanation.

By the time Franny was two she had made multiple trips to the emergency room.  There was a burn from a floor furnace, stiches on the lips from a fall while climbing on a high chair…

My favorite story of all is the quarter.  At the age of seven, Franny was home from school due to having pneumonia.  I guess she was bored and decided to fling a quarter in the air and try to catch it with her mouth.  She was really good at this.  In fact she was so good that the quarter eventually went straight down into her throat!  I was in my room and could hear a huge commotion in the kitchen.  When I entered I saw my dad holding Franny upside down while hitting her back.  Franny was red and choking.  My mother – the nurse- was frantic and screaming.  My dad yelled at my mom to grab the car keys. (The hospital was only about two miles away).  My frantic mother yelled that she did not know where her keys were and ran into her room to find them.  I could see my car keys.  I grabbed them and my dad and I took off for the hospital.  My dad was driving and Franny was sitting on my lap.  Lo and behold, as soon as she was upright again, she swallowed that quarter.

We drove up to the emergency room and my dad instructed me to take my sister inside and inform the nurse that she has pneumonia and had swallowed a quarter.  I was mortified and asked him why he was not going in.  He calmly stated that he left in such a hurry, he did not put any shoes on his feet.  I brought my sister who was breathing but still sobbing, into the emergency room.  My dad left to get shoes.

I told the nurse what happened.  She began filling out paperwork.  She looked at Franny crying and asked her what was wrong.  Franny told her that her back was hurting.  The nurse said, “That is probably from the pneumonia, honey.”  Franny immediately set her straight, “No, it hurts because my dad was hitting it!”  Again, I was mortified.  The nurse just laughed.  She took Franny get an X-ray.

At that moment a mad woman came barreling in the emergency room driveway in a red station wagon.  I knew the car and I knew the woman – it was mother!  Poor thing, she had no idea if her child was alive or dead!  She walked in just in time to see Franny coming out of X-ray and then a clear picture of a shiny quarter already settled in her stomach.

That quarter stayed in Franny for six months.  When scans showed it could not be passed and was in danger of blocking her intestines, it had to be surgically removed.   My mom called it her thousand dollar quarter!

Over the years there have been many more Franny tales and adventures.  She is married now and has two beautiful children.  Of course she still makes trips to the emergency room, recently breaking her foot!

I just have to laugh and say “Franny’s Poor Angel!”

 

C’est Bon,

Love,

Sherry

 

Jesus’ Angel

Luke 1:26 “In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. He had a message for a girl promised in marriage to a man named Joseph who was  a descendant of King David. The girl’s name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, “Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!”.”

Before God created man, He created the heavens and all things visible and “invisible”.  The angels were in existence long before man walked the earth.  Throughout the Bible the angels are seen as messengers and protectors.  They adore, glorify and praise the Creator.  These angels play a vital role in the journey of mankind.  As Catholics, we believe people are given a guardian angel from the moment of conception.  An angel to help protect and guide us on our journey back home to our Lord.

When the Word became flesh and Jesus was conceived in the womb of His mother, Mary, I can only believe that He would have had a very special Guardian Angel.  For that matter, I believe His mother would also have had a very special Angel to guard and protect her due to her special calling in life.

We know that Mary was approached by the Archangel Gabriel with the message that she was chosen to carry the Messiah.  I would love to believe that Mary’s special Guardian Angel was the Angel Gabriel.  One of only four Archangels, Gabriel was close to our Lord and would have stayed close by the Word made flesh.

I believe that Jesus had a very special Guardian Archangel as well.  The Archangel, Michael, is known to be the leader of God’s angels.  St. Michael is normally depicted in armor, fighting off Satan and his demons.  Never has there been such a temptation of man by the devil as when Jesus and His followers were tempted.  God would never have sent His Son to this earth to be lower than the angels for a time, without the proper protector.  This protector must have been St. Michael.

I believe Jesus, in His divinity, could see the angels.  He must have had a close relationship with both His mother’s angel, Gabriel and His own, Michael.  As revealed in the painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, these angels not only watched over mother and Son, they prepared them for what was to come.

The nativity story is full of angels.  From the announcement to Mary to the announcement to the shepherds; mankind relies on these heavenly beings to steer us in the right direction and lead us to our Savior.

Luke 2:13 “Suddenly a great army of heaven’s angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom He is pleased!”.”

This Christmas we thank God for the gift of His Son.  We also should thank Him for the gift of our angel and all angels who watch over us and protect us.

C’est Bon

Love,

Sherry

 

 

 

Lady of the Acadians

August 15th is the Feast Day of The Assumption of the Virgin Mary.  It is a day which celebrates Mary being assumed body and soul into Heaven at the end of her life.

Based on very early church writings and on the writings of mystics, such as Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, it is believed that the apostles traveled to be with Mary at her deathbed; some of them even transported on white clouds from the towns they had been preaching.  St. Thomas was not present for Mary’s death.  Upon Thomas’ arrival, Mary’s tomb was reopened. It was found empty except for her grave cloths.  Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich describes Mary’s assumption in great detail.  She saw Mary’s soul lifted up to heaven in a bright light where it was met by her Son, Jesus.  Her soul then follows her Son back to her tomb where it is joined with her transfigured body.  She then ascends body and soul with her Son to the heavenly Jerusalem.

Catholics believe Mary’s assumption was a Divine Gift for her role as the Mother of God.  By her example of following God’s Will and living a life without sin, we are shown a promise of the gift that is waiting for all of us on that last day.

Our Lady of the Assumption holds a special place in my heart, since she is the patron saint of all Acadians.  August 15th is National Acadian Day and has been celebrated since 1881.  In Canada it is known as the Fete Nationale.  Businesses close on this day in parts of New Brunswick, Canada.

There was much debate in Canada over the date on which to have a National Day to recognize the Acadians.   Abbot Marcel-Francois Richard influenced the decision for August 15th with his eloquent speech: “…in fact it seems to me that a people who, for over a century of hardships and persecutions, was able to preserve its religion, language, customs, and autonomy, must have acquired enough importance to affirm its existence in a solemn way; and this could not be accomplished better than by being able to celebrate its own national holiday…It is important to stress that we are not descendants of Canada, but of France…We must choose a holiday that reminds us of our origin…Louis XIII vowed to give his empire to the Blessed Virgin and he wanted the Assumption to be the kingdom’s national holiday…he sent colonist to take over Acadia…it is true that the national devotion of the Acadians is their devotion to Mary.”  Thus, the convention chose August 15th, Feast of the Assumption, as the national holiday of the Acadians.  It was ratified by the Vatican on January 19, 1938 and Saint Pope John Paul the Great proclaimed Our Lady of the Assumption to be the patron saint of Acadians, where ever they may live.

An Acadian flag was established at the 2nd Acadian Convention in 1884 at Prince Edward Island.  It is a French Flag, tricolor – blue, white, and red. There is a gold star at the top left. The star represents the Virgin Mary, their patron saint.

A “Cajun” Acadian flag was designed at the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1965 in honor of the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the Acadians in Louisiana.  The tricolor flag has three symbols.  The first is a gold castle on the red, which represents the Spanish kingdom who allowed the Acadians to settle in the area.  The silver fleur-de-lis on the blue, represents the French heritage. The gold star on the white represents the Virgin Mary.  The flag became the official “Cajun” flag for the Acadiana area in 1974.

Cajun people’s love for Mary is very evident as you drive around Cajun Country.  Statues of our heavenly mother are proudly displayed in front of many homes, churches and public places.  She is the new Eve, the “woman clothed in the sun”, and the new Ark of the Covenant.  We love our patron saint!

Happy Feast Day Mother Mary!

C’est Bon!

Love,

Sherry

 

Nurses Heal the Soul

Friday is my mother’s birthday.  She is in her seventies and a retired nurse.  Nursing is in her blood, heart, and soul.

My mother left nursing to be a stay at home mom with her first born, which was me.  Although she was not at a hospital or in a nurse’s uniform, she had plenty of opportunities over the next eighteen years with her four daughters to put her nursing experience into practice, until the day when she would return to the career she loved.

I loved being sick!  Upon being diagnosed with an ailment, we girls would be ordered by our very own “nurse” to put on our pajamas and go straight to bed.  The pampering would begin.  Our mother brought us soup and crackers on a bed tray.  She took our temperature every hour and poured our baths for us.  She brought us our medicine and changed our bed sheets.  At the time I thought every sick child in the world received the same treatment I received from my mother.  She never complained.  She was patient, gentle, and kind.  Whatever we asked for while sick; she was happy to accommodate.  What a gift!

As our nurse, she tended to our physical needs.  As our mother, she tended to our souls.  She made sure we attended mass every Sunday.  We witnessed how important prayer, the rosary and Bible were to her daily life.  She shared stories from the Bible about Jesus and our mother Mary as well as bearing witness to the Saints and their intercession for us.

Once I was married with my own children, I realized the sacrifice my mother made to leave the job she loved and to care for us so tenderly when we were at our worst!    I am so happy that she did return as a labor and delivery nurse when her children were all of school age.  She made quite a difference in the lives of many patients and their little ones.  Good mothers must make the best nurses!

Nurses, however, do not make the best patients!

We had a scare this past week when mom had to be admitted to the local hospital for tests on her heart.  She had not been feeling well for a long time.  It was a bit of a struggle to get her to admit she needed to be admitted to the hospital.  Once a care-giver, always a care-giver.  She is not comfortable with receiving care and being the patient.  The Lord gave her plenty of warning signs and she finally listened.  She now has been diagnosed and is receiving the correct treatment.

Having been in the company of plenty of doctors over the years, my mother understands that the one True Great Physician and Healer is the Lord.  Our God does use people and situations to have His Will known.  We are all His creations and He has a plan for each of us.  It is a blessing when we are given the insight into what our Lord has planned for us.

We all have God-given gifts.  My mother was given the gift of lovingly being able to take care of the sick. That was her calling and she obeyed.   My earliest memories are of my mother daily making trips to her mother’s house where she would give her insulin and check on her health.  I can always remember her caring for elderly neighbors and family members.    She has taken the gift God gave her and given it to others.  Even though she is now retired, she is always there for a sick friend or family member.

Mom,

Thank you  for your loving care.  You have been  a great role model for your girls.  We are all better mothers because of you!  It must make you very proud that one of your daughters has followed in your footsteps and is following God’s call to also be a nurse – to help heal souls!

Enjoy your birthday.  Take it easy and rest.  If you need some loving care, I’ve been taught by the best!  I will be there, as will all your daughters.  You’ve had fifty years of caring for your family – it’s time you were treated to some pampering!

C’est Bon

Love,

Sherry

 

 

 

 

 

Handcrafted Prayers

Rosary (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

  The Rosary House in New Iberia, Louisiana has been family owned since 1946.  The store features handcrafted rosaries, statues, Bibles, artwork, holy cards, and so on.  It is located at 200 Ann Street and there is a candle manufacturing facility across the street.  The founder, Robert Minvielle, saw a need for the Rosary House in this largely catholic populated area.

It is a favorite shopping spot of mine.  A baby is getting baptized – I go shop at the Rosary House.  A wedding – I shop at the Rosary House….

I know many people have questions about the Rosary.  They point to the fact that it is not found in the Bible.  They are wrong.  The rosary is centered on the mysteries of the life of Jesus Christ.  It is a prayer that invites us to look at Jesus through the eyes of the disciples and His mother.  The rosary consists of the prayers “Hail Mary”, which comes directly from Scripture, the “Our Father”, which appears twice in the Bible, and the “Glory Be”, which also appears twice in the Bible.

When we pray the rosary we are not praying to Mary, but through Mary and with Mary to Jesus Christ.  While praying the rosary, we meditate on the life of Jesus through the four mysteries of the rosary.

It is the most beautiful and powerful prayer that exist.  The rosary was a gift to all of mankind by our loving mother.  She intended it to be a prayer weapon for all people of all faiths.

For an indepth study of the power and meaning of this handcrafted prayer, I recommend “The Rosary” by Immaculee Ilibagiza, author of “Left to Tell”.  Her story of survival of the Rwanda genocide is an unbelievable account of evil and the power of forgiveness.

If you ever get down to south Louisiana, I recommend you stop by the Rosary House.  It is a spiritual adventure!

C’est Bon

Love,

Sherry