The Juice Lady

Have you ever known an Italian mother? You know the kind that you see in the movies where they take insult when you can't possibly eat another bite of food from your plate? The kind that give you second helpings and then thirds before you can say, "STOP!"?

Apparently the volunteers who take the juice cart around... are all Italian.

"Would you like some juice dear?"
"No thank you. Not right now."
"Would you like a cookie?"
"No, really. They look wonderful but I am quite allergic to eggs and so I think I will pass on the cookies."
"How about some tea? Do you drink tea with cream or sugar?"
"No. If I were to have a cup of tea, I would prefer to take it with neither. But I won't be having a cup of tea this morning. I had some before I came. In fact, there is still some in the cup (as I hold up the insulated mug that MJ sent with me that morning)."
"Oh, that must be cold by now my dear. How about we fill it up for you again?"
"It's just fine."
"We have different kinds of ju..."
"No."
"I could check the ingred..."
"No."

The worst part is that they have their tail between their legs when they walk to the next poor person who is going to need to fight them off. Although, this morning I had to laugh. It was a particularily unfun treatment and I was having difficulty retaining anything in my stomach when the Juice Lady came 'round. The older woman who was laying on the bed next to mine, after Juice Lady left, leaned over and said, "it makes them leave faster if you threaten them with a cane. Next time, use mine!"

But, at the end of the day, thank God for the Juice Lady and the Crazy Cane Lady. The Juice Lady keeps me on my toes. In fact, I need to start plotting polite ways of saying "no" tomorrow...

In Christ Alone

http://www.gettymusic.com/lyrics.asp?id=88

It feels like a red sort of hour.

I attended the closing Eucharist at the Women's Cursillo weekend and it was more than what I was expecting. Truth be told, I went so that I could see my Bishop celebrate a Eucharistic feast (I was beside myself that it was a special feast day)... in my "home" parish in St. Albert. The RC Church that I grew up in. That aspect of the evening was amazing. I don't think I stopped smiling the whole Eucharistic prayer.

Then, You are my All in All was sung. I started tearing up. Sometimes we are just not in a place to hear the words, "Jesus, you are my All in All.... you are the strength for me when I am weak, that it is when I fall down that my Jesus picks me back up again."

However, then the song... "In Christ Alone" was sung.

The friend and support I attended the service with took my arm into hers and wouldn't let me fall. She held me up on my feet when my legs didn't have the strength to do so on their own.

Coming back to "MJ's" house, the rest of the evening was lovely... and a wonderful distraction - that was, until, "MJ" gave me a hug goodnight and I crumbled once again.

I guess the really "grace of God" thing in all of this is that it is not just in Christ alone that we find our strength to keep going, it is not in Christ alone that we can find hope and place all our fears - it is also in the presence of angels.

Angels whose work is (I believe), in the name of Christ... but truly become the hands and feet of Christ in the world. They hold your hand when you are biting your lip from crying, they lock their arm in yours and catch you from falling, they dry your tears, warm up "hugging bags", offer to pray with you, annoint you, listen to the screams, cries, fears, and worries. They even tell you that you can wake them up in any hour of the night or watch any of their 230 DVD's, or tell you goofy stories at the most crushing times.

And, on their angelic wings, they pick you up and carry you along until your feet are under you once again.

Women of Strength

A strong woman works out everyday to keep her body in shape,

But a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.

A strong woman isn't afraid of anything, but a woman of strength shows her courage in the midst of fear.

A strong woman won't let anyone or anything get the best of her, but a woman of strength gives her best to everyone and everything.

A strong woman makes mistakes and tries her hardest to avoid doing the same in the future, but a woman of strength realizes that lifes mistakes can also be God's gracious blessings and capitalizes on them.

A strong woman walks sure footedly, a woman of strength knows that God and God's angels will catch her when she falls.

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face; a woman of strength wears grace.

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey,

But a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.