Have you ever been in the discerning mode (prayer and looking for practical-not necessarily miraculous-signs) and were just about convinced you understood God's will for you at the moment, when BAM! something happens to make you think you have it all backwards.
Personally, when this happens to me-and it has been happening a lot lately-I take it as a sure sign I am not praying hard enough.
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I was diagnosed with diabetes last week. I have suspected it since mid-December but decided to enjoy my Christmas feasting and confirm the self-diagnosis after most the partying had died down. Diabetes runs in the family on my mother's side-but it is controllable (my mother is a testament to that) with diet and exercise (and medication).
I am not too concerned overall. The whole thing just consumes you at first with all the blood sugar testing (several times a day right now), what I can I eat/what I can't, 3 trips to the doctor last week (this for a guy who hasn't been in many years), etc. etc.
I am still in the experimental and "get it under control" stages, but if I play my cards right, by summer (or at least Thanksgiving) I shouldn't miss anything too much (in moderation of course). Until then I am off Guinness (and all other beer - as if the other beer even mattered).
Just in time for Lent. Does it count if you're not allowed to eat/drink it anyway?
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Speaking of Lent, I notice that all the other publishers/online booksellers are sending me emails about their books for Lent. So I suppose that we should be making our pitch too. So here goes:
By far, the best Lenten reading we have is Witnesses to the Holy Mass. The best thing I can say about it has already been said:
“Witnesses is an extraordinary book about love and sacrifice for the Eucharist! Reading it will inspire a greater devotion to the Catholic faith, especially the Mass. Once I began reading, I couldn’t put it down. Once I finished, I couldn¹t wait to share it with others… Having read the book, I feel a greater desire to defend my faith even unto death. Thank you!" - Dede Laugesen, Director, Holy Baby! DVDs and President, The Rosary Project-
"The gripping stories recounted will inspire not only a devotion to these saints, but also a renewed passion for the holy Mass that these holy men and women shed their blood to preserve." - The Catholic Answer-March/April 2005
And, if you find you need some cheering on the Sundays during Lent this year, try Giving Up Stealing for Lent and other family stories. (I have read a few of these aloud to the kids-a few I haven't). It is a fun book, but not without it's lessons.
The Maddens of Baltimore will surprise you, comfort you, make you laugh until you cry, and make you cry until you laugh again! From games of “pitch” to petty thievery, from over zealous confessions to exacerbating obedience, there is truly never a dull moment!
These are true stories about a real family, as told by the youngest brother. They are much more than just a collection of humor. Together, they weave a tapestry about family life-the way it should be lived and enjoyed. The virtues and the vices, the laughter and the frustration, the happiness and the mourning, the prosperity and the poverty: the family is the first school of love.
Oremus pro invicem!
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