WHOLLY MARY Mother of God

How does being excited about Mary really help us follow Christ?  

This question is found in the first chapter of Chris Padgett's book, WHOLLY MARY,  and he goes on to say, "the more you get excited about Our Lady, the more you'll get excited about being a saint.  And the more you grow in holiness, the more you'll want to know Our Lady."  In fact he asserts, "there are two things we find in the life of every canonized saint.  The first is the important place of the sacraments, and the second is a great love for the Blessed Mother."

We, as Catholics, know this and are raised to honor Mary but this is far from the teachings in the Protestant Churches.  So, why do we love our spiritual mother?  This book explains why the Catholic Church puts a great emphasis on Marian devotion for "Our Lady models best for us what it means to love her son."  Chris Padgett reminds us that "she is waiting for us to get to know her son better and is willing to help us."  What an amazing gift God has given us in Mary!

Chris Padgett compiles all of the information we have on Mary from Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, the Catholic Church, the saints and Marian apparitions throughout history and writes about it in his book.  His writing style is tailored to the average reader and it's concise enough to be be 129 pages long.  You do not need to be a theologian to understand this book!  This is the type of book that has so many nuggets of truth about our faith that you will want to highlight areas that resonate within you.  I read through my copy with a pencil at the ready and used it often.

This treasure trove of a book, is filled with information that will open your eyes to the role Mary has played in our eternal salvation.  If you want to know more about Mary, this is the perfect book to either introduce you to her or to get to know her better.  After reading WHOLLY MARY, I have a new appreciation and understanding of Mary and why I should be excited to know her better in order to follow her son.  I highly recommend it!

Follow this link to learn more about Chris Padgett, the Christian songwriter, musician and speaker.  You can purchase a copy of his book at The Catholic Company  This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit the The Catholic Company to find more information on WHOLLY MAY - Mother of God.  They are also a great source for a Catechism of the Catholic Church or a Catholic Bible. 


I was given a free copy of this book to review from The Catholic Company, I received no monetary compensation for my review.


May God Richly Bless You Through Mary,
noreen

Power Outage

During the power failure, we did have to go to my son's podiatrist to follow up on his ingrown toenail surgeries.  The power in that building was on and I was sickened to learn that the abortion doctor in that same building had moved ALL of his abortions scheduled from another office to that particular office that day.

A pro-life group was back out front praying for that same reason.  I stopped and told them that while they were praying outside the building, we going to pray inside the building.  I had my holy water with me and used it on the door frames inside and prayed hard.

I felt sickened and ready to cry...thinking what was probably happening on the other side of the hallway.  A young man went in and out of that office door several times and I assumed his girlfriend was in with the doctor and very well could have been having an abortion.  I prayed hard for this young man and the woman he was waiting for and for all those who had appointments that day.

God Bless~
noreen

A Terrible Storm, A Blessing

A Terrible Storm blasted through our neighborhood last week leaving the citizens of my town 

without power for 2-3 days.  

My son and I had our dog in the car for a quick trip to the pet store and gas station.  By the time my gas tank was only half filled, the lightening streaks across the sky were intimidating.  

I quickly paid the attendant and headed for the safety of home.

One look at Toby, who is not afraid of storms at all, and I knew something terrible was fast approaching.  

By the grace of God, we made it home before the pouring rain, high winds, booming thunder and mass lightening bursts.

It was all over in about 15 minutes.  

.  The power went out a few minutes into the storm and stayed out for 48-72 hours.

We opened our front door to look outside and a humongous tree branch was half laying in the middle of the street and half laying on top of my neighbor's car.  It had shattered his back windshield and dented his trunk.

We took out our flashlights as did many of our neighbors and walked up and down the blocks and saw trees ripped from the ground and huge branches laying on power lines.

Here are a few pictures from around our neighborhood. 

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To have power down for any length of time in our day and age, feels as if we've been punished. 

No TV

No computer

No phones

No light

You forget how dependent you are on electricity and seem so lost without it at first.  

We did borrow a generator to hook up to our refrigerator but we still had to throw some food items out.  Every 2 hours we had to fill it with gasoline to keep it running... and it ran VERY loudly.  I'm sure our neighbors were just thrilled but we were one of many neighbors running them.

When our lights came back on, we all shouted for joy!  That felt like a blessing!

The quiet times with my son reading by candlelight or staying up talking with my husband and son, they were blessings too.  During the storm for a brief moment, if felt as if God's protective hand had been lifted and it was chaos.  I believe God's loving hand returned... reminding us that He is in control.  

By God's grace we were ok, no one was injured, we had minor inconveniences of having no power and having to clean up the branches and sticks that lay everywhere, and I had to be creative with meals and activities for the long dark hours we were awake.  That was all alright with me!

God Bless,

noreen

Sad News for us Catholics

Many of you know Fr. Corapi from his show on EWTN or have heard him on Relevant Radio or have listened to one of his CDs from Lighthouse Catholic Media.  I've been privileged to know him and listen to him for only about a year or so.  My friend Holly talked highly of him as well as Deacon Tony from my church.  When I finally watched his show on EWTN, I was fully engaged.

He is a gifted dynamic speaker that speaks boldly of our faith and especially about Our Lady.  

He has a gift for explaining the faith that makes sense.  He doesn't waver, he speaks the truth and one could feel it.  He talked about unpopular subjects such as abortion, Our Lady, Socialism...etc.  He did not shy away from warning us about the secular way of our world and how it leads away from Christ.

Well, a couple of months back he abruptly disappeared from EWTN and after checking into it, I had learned that he was removed from all priestly duties and public speaking due to an investigation.  Santa Cruz Media had issued a statement in support of Fr. Corapi's innocence of the alleged charges.

My conclusion, he is under a spiritual attack.  He is a threat to our enemy, the father of all lies, so he then became a target... the goal to destroy his reputation as a priest and hurt the Catholic Church in the same throw.  It has certainly divided the Catholic Bishops and the faithful.  (And I have missed his shows greatly!)

I'm not interested in the politics that lead to this... if egos were involved?  

power struggle?  

What I am interested in is focusing back on God's Word.

I had been thinking about him and heard today, that Fr. Corapi had released a statement that "he was not going to be involved in public ministry as a priest any longer."  You can read about  at The Black Sheepdog his own personal blog.

This is not good news in my opinion.

Our Lady brought him to her Son many years ago so, I'm sure she's looking out for him now.  God can bring good out of any mess and I pray he does so for Fr. Corapi and those involved in his persecution.


God Bless,
noreen

Happy Father's Day & Sunday Snippets

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to wish all of my bloggy friend's husbands and dads~

A Happy Fathers Day!!!

Also, please join me today at RAnn's Sunday Snippets - A Catholic Carnival.  This is a fun place to go to read posts by some wonderful Catholic Bloggers and for us to support each other in our faith journey!

My Humbling Moment post is the one I entered and there are many more that I can't wait to catch up on.

May God Rich Bless You,

Noreen

Litany of the Holy Trinity

"In times of great need 

         in the Church and in the world, 

and when great calamities threaten - such as war, hurricane or famine - litanies should be prayed publicly and privately for the common good."

I received this in an email from The Catholic Company today and I thought I would share it. 

 We are in a time of great calamities... our nation is at war in Iraq,

 our world is at war against the unborn,

the innocence of our young is being corrupted through media, 

our adolescents and teens are bombarded with immorality,

our seniors are "the forgotten" members of our society,

millions of people around the world including America, are starving,

America has experienced more tornadoes than previous years,

we have learned of the many earthquakes happening around the world.

The list could go on and on, but you see my point.  We do need the mercy of God so I chose this Litany of the Most Holy Trinity to share with all of you.

Litany of the Most Holy Trinity

God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Father from Whom are all things, have mercy on us.
Son through Whom are all things, have mercy on us.
Holy Ghost in Whom are all things, have mercy on us.
Holy and undivided Trinity, have mercy on us...

May the Holy Trinity have Mercy on us,
noreen

4 Down, 46 More to Go

I received this email statement from Live Action and wanted to share the news!!


Statement of Live Action President Lila Rose On Planned Parenthood Defunding in NC

Contact: Anna Bettisworth, media@liveaction.org, 323.454.3304

RALEIGH, June 16--Lila Rose, president of the pro-life youth organization Live Action, issued the following statement this morning on North Carolina’s defunding of Planned Parenthood:

"North Carolina is now the fourth state this year to step up to the plate and ensure that no taxpayer dollars go towards funding the biggest abortion business in America, Planned Parenthood. This corrupt organization is responsible for killing over 332,000 defenseless unborn children each year. Planned Parenthood manipulates women to choose abortion and routinely aids and abets the sexual exploitation and trafficking of young girls. Governors of other states should take note of how Gov. Perdue's legislature has decisively rejected her veto and realize that the American people do not want to subsidize abortionists.”

Indiana, Kansas, and New Jersey have recently passed laws to prevent taxpayer funds from going to Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is challenging the Indiana law in federal court, although a federal judge has already denied the abortion business’s request for a temporary injunction.

Over the past four years, Live Action has released undercover videos revealing Planned Parenthood clinics across the country covering up the sexual abuse of children and violating mandatory reporting laws for statutory rape. In February, Live Action released new undercover footage showing 7 Planned Parenthood clinics in 4 states willing to aid and abet the commercial sex trafficking of underage girls. The videos prompted the House of Representatives to vote twice to defund Planned Parenthood of all federal taxpayer subsidies.

“North Carolina joins Indiana, Kansas, and New Jersey in standing up for the rule of law, human rights, and responsible government,” says Rose. “While we wait for Congress to defund Planned Parenthood at the federal level, responsible state governments should do their part to protect women and unborn children and end local public subsidies of this lawless abortion chain."


Four states down ~ 46 more to go!  May God richly Bless the efforts of Live Action in their pursuit to protect the unborn!!


Noreen

Mothering, a Humbling Moment

I heard this question today, what will you say when you first meet God and are asked,

What did you do to make absolutely certain your child knew Me?

God will not ask us, How many sports did your child play?  What grades did he/she get?  How good of a video gamer was he/she?  How many friends did they have?

He will want to know, did I do everything in my power to teach my child about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.


My first response, is a positive one and that's my ego talking.  Then, I start to think....really think... and I asked my son a question~ What is Pentecost?  Our most recent church celebration?

And his response is uncertain.

Sigh... I haven't done my job well and I'm viewing this as a nudge from the Holy Spirit to work on introducing my son to Him because I want him to know the third person of the Holy Trinity.  I want him to ask for the gifts of the Holy Spirit so he can grow up to be a man who's life is centered in Christ.

I'm linking up today at:  http://www.angelwingsandapronstrings.blogspot.com/with my friend Trish at L.A.C.E.

Please come and join us for Whatever is Lovely, Admirable, Cheerful and Encouraging!

May God Richly Bless You,
noreen

An Allegory

I heard this allegory that is so fitting to our world today.  "We are like frogs who are put in a pot of water, as the water is heated up, the frog does not jump out of the pot.  Instead he falls asleep and is killed."

We are the frogs in the pot of this world and we are the souls which are falling asleep and letting our society run amok.

We as Christians must stand up for God's truth,
we must follow the teachings of the church,
we must stay focused on Jesus and not be swayed.

Our Lady of Fatima warned against "diabolical disorientation" in the latter 20th Century and on.  She warned how, "We cannot and we must not stop ourselves, nor allow, as Our Lord says, the children of Darkness to be wiser than the children of Light... The Rosary is the most powerful weapon for defending ourselves on the field of battle."


Those words of "We cannot let the children of Darkness be wiser than the children of Light" jumped right out at me.  How do we become wiser?  Through prayer and fasting.


St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who predicted in the middle 1800s, “Every American would have a black box in their home through which the devil would enter.”  The TV?  Or Computer?  It could be either because both in and of itself are morally neutral, it's what we do with them that counts.  Does it keep us from devoting time in prayer?  Reading scripture?  Praying as a family?  Spending time together as a family?


 It is because the devil has succeeded in infiltrating evil under the cover of good, and the blind are beginning to guide others, as the Lord tells us in His Gospel, and souls are letting themselves be deceived... this is another message Our Lady gave to Sister Lucy.


Then, I ask myself, how can we be so easily deceived if we have the gifts of the Holy Spirit?  


I heard a priest talk about St. Thomas More and he said "it was a daily battle to stop the mutterings, which lead to negligence that separates me further from God."


We must remember the Holy Spirit is here to give us His gifts because we can do nothing on our own.


May God Richly Bless You,
noreen


Resources:

http://www.tldm.org/news5/1972.htm
http://www.tldm.org/news6/void.htm

Happy Birthday to our Catholic Church

Last night at mass our priest said these words "Happy Birthday to our church" for this is the day when the apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."  John 14:26

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.  "  Acts 2:1-4

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."  Galatians 5:22

Please join me today at RAnn's Sunday Snippets-A Catholic Carnival to meet other Catholic Bloggers to celebrate our faith!

God Bless,
Noreen

Update on My Son's Procedure

He is just fine!  Thank you for all the prayers for this worried mama!  I knew the procedure was simple yet I was uncomfortable with my son being sedated like that.  God answered our prayers and there were no complications with the anesthesia.  Thank God!

After he was awake for a little bit, he tells me,

"The last thing I remember the doctor saying is, "Don't tell your mom, it's Miller Time."  

Hmmmm....  I'm sure he meant that it was lights out for my son but did he need to reference a beer??  Anyway, it worked well for the doctor who told me my son was moving and kicking all over the place while unconscious... as if he knew deep down in his subconscious he was being stuck by needles, nail cut (by what, I don't know) and then the area cauterized.

He was sleepy and a bit loopy but doing great!

On the way in we did stop at the abortion clinic hallway to pray again.  Today I did see some activity from that doorway and I prayed hard because I saw a young man and a young woman leaving.  The woman was walking very slowly and he was holding her arm as it to help get her to the car.  I immediately jumped to the conclusion of what she'd just had done and prayed with tears in my eyes.  She may not have had an abortion but this woman was obviously in pain and needed prayer.

I felt sick to my stomach though and felt like crying.  But I was also concerned about my son being knocked out soon... it was an emotional morning.

Thank you again for all of your prayers for us!

God Bless,
noreen

A Return to the Abortion Clinic, and a Call to Prayer

We went back to the abortion clinic today with holy water and prayers.  We made the sign of the cross, using holy water, on the iron gate door and prayed quickly since we were INSIDE the building yet outside the locked iron gate, in the hallway leading to their office suites.  We were there later today so there were more people walking around yet I did not see one person enter or leave that medical center.  I know that good will come of our prayers but I'm concerned that we may face some hostility since we were on the property.  I'm sure they'd just ask us to leave but I don't want my son negatively affected by it.

My friend Holly told me about a prayer she heard on Relevant Radio to say when one is feeling scared, it is "I claim the protection of the Blood of the Lamb."  I said this prayer on our way into the building and I felt better about that.  Yet, why do I feel like what I am doing is sneaky?  Why do I feel I cannot pray in a public place?  This building has a long history of doctors who perform abortions so peaceful protesters are not uncommon but they're outside on public property.  What would happen if the doctor came out to confront me?  Could they call the police on me?   Would they?

We are going back to this same building tomorrow morning because my son has an appointment to remove two ingrown toenails.  They will sedate him for this minor procedure but I'm anxious that he will be knocked out for the procedure.  The other option was much less appealing to my son, multiple Novocain shots in each big toe.  He preferred the one IV needle prick to the multiple shots... he will still get the Novocain shots but he won't feel it since he'll be lights out.

Please pray there are no complications with the IV medication going in and that the procedure goes smoothly!

God's Blessings,
noreen

Devotional

I loved my devotional from yesterday and wanted to share it.

"I SPEAK TO YOU FROM THE DEPTHS OF YOUR BEING.  Hear Me saying soothing words of Peace, assuring you of My Love.  Do not listen to voices of accusation, for they are not from Me.   I speak to you in love-tones, lifting you up.  My Spirit convicts cleanly, without crushing words of shame.  Let the Spirit take charge of your mind, combing out tangles of deception.  Be transformed by the truth that I live within you.

The Light of My Presence is shining upon you, in benedictions of Peace.  Let My Light shine in you; don't dim it with worries or fears.  Holiness is letting Me live through you.  Since I dwell in you, you are fully equipped to be holy.  Pause before responding to people or situations, giving My Spirit space to act through you.  Hasty words and actions leave no room for Me; this is atheistic living.  I want to inhabit all your moments-gracing your thoughts, words, and behavior.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.    Romans 8:1-2


To them God has chosen to make known among the gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.   Colossians 1:27


For Reflection:  Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.    1 Corinthians 6:19


God Bless,
Noreen

Book Review

 The Power of the Sacraments by Sr. Briege McKenna

      I was given the opportunity to choose a book to review from The Catholic Company and I immediately honed in on Sister Briege McKenna's book called, The Power of the Sacraments.  I was vaguely familiar with Sister Briege's healing ministry and her own personal healing from severe and debilitating arthritis.  I had seen her as a guest on an EWTN show and was drawn to her gentle nature and this gentle yet direct approach is how she wrote this book.  Her book is written in a way that everyone can understand.

     Her introduction reminds the reader of how fortunate we are as Catholics to have the sacraments the Lord has given us.  Sr. Briege ends her introduction with an eye opening warning, she states "It is not the people who have never heard about God that I anguish over.  It is the people who hear the saving word of God and reject it.  It is the people like us who come from countries that once treasured the faith.  Our ancestors entrusted the faith to us, and we spurn it through materialism and ungodliness.  God will call us to account for this."

     Each chapter in her book focuses on a sacrament.  The chapters are only a few pages each that explains how each sacrament is a gift from God to help us on our spiritual journey.  The first chapter is about the Sacrament of Baptism.  I love this statement she made, "The sacraments are veins that flow with life.  At every stage of our spiritual journey, they bring us life.  What kind of life?  Supernatural life, the life of grace, which makes us holy.  Baptism brings us into that place where we receive this life."  This is the most precious gift we can receive because God adopts us into his family and cleanses us from original sin.

     The very first gift that Jesus gave to his disciples after the Resurrection was the power to forgive sins.  It is this gift that is available to us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Christ acting through the priests is how our sins are forgiven.  Jesus said, "I will empower you.  When people confess their sins, I will forgive them through you."  John 20:22-23

     The next sacrament given to us by Jesus was hard for the people of Jesus' time to believe, the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.  Jesus was asking them to believe with their hearts and follow his word.  He knew we would need him in this special way to strengthen our spiritual growth.  He said, "I am the bread of life.  I will give myself to you.  Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood will have life."  John 6:27-58  In the Mass, we encounter the body, blood, soul and divinity of the Risen Christ.

     Jesus also knew we would face immoral challenges, so he gave us the Sacrament of Confirmation.  This sacrament strenthens us to stand up for Christ.  We are teenagers when we make it and at this stage of our lives, we are being bombarded by immorality.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit we are confirmed and fortified to turn away from temptation and do what is right.

     The Sacrament of Marriage seals the love of two people.  By being married in the Catholic Church, we invite Jesus into our lives.  Sr. Briege states "from the first day of this sacrament, a river of graces flows out from Christ through sufferings, through good times and bad, through sickness and death."  These graces are what get us through the struggles of marriage and bring us closer to our spouse and Christ.

     This next sacrament is meant to be used while we are alive and not necessarily near death.  Jesus knew our physical bodies would get sick so He gave us the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.  This is the healing touch of Christ that the priest brings when we are ill.  Christ is present in every sacrament and when the priest anoints us, Christ assures us "I am healing you."

     The last sacrament makes it possible for us to receive every other sacrament.  It is the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Sr. Briege explains that "the sacraments are the veins in our church and the priests are the main artery doing the work of Jesus."   The priesthood is a gift from God whereby they serve at the table of the Lord, proclaiming the Word of God.

     I thoroughly enjoyed reading Sister Briege's book!  She shares a few stories of others who have benefited from the sacraments.  They are all heart warming stories of hope.  Some of the them are extreme but in all of them, the reader can see the power of God in our lives through His sacraments.

      This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company; I received no monetary compensation for my review.   Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Power of the Sacraments. They are also a great source for a Catechism of the Catholic Church or a Catholic Bible.
God's Blessings,
noreen

More Happy Mail

Yesterday, I received my order in the mail from Sarah Harkins of the The Clay Rosary Girl!  I purchased these two beautiful bracelets!  They are simply amazing!  She makes them by hand, each and every bead is made from clay.  The craftsmanship is just exquisite and lovely! 

I had my eye on the daisy cross bracelet for some time and when Sarah notified me that she had them ready in her shop, I was thrilled!  My son was nearby while I was placing my order and he recommended the black and white cross so "I could wear it to church."  It's a very striking!  I'm so happy with both!

A Lesson In Patience

I'm still experiencing commenting problems on my own blog and many others.  In fact it's been about 1 1/2 weeks now and I'm not sure that Blogger is even working on it.  I've posted questions, as have many of you, and I never get a response from someone who works for Blogger.   What's the deal Blogger??

This lack of communication and system support by Blogger is aggravating... so much so, that I'm not reading many of my blogging friend's posts because I cannot comment on the majority of them!

Has anyone heard what's happening or what's being done to fix this?

God Bless,
noreen

A Lesson in Sanctifying Grace

I've been hearing this phrase "sanctifying grace" a lot lately and I have a basic understanding of what it means but I'm feeling nudged (or as my friend Sue says, "God's whispering)  to learn more... and I'm glad I did.  

"Sanctifying grace is an abiding (habitual) or permanent grace, which we gain by baptism, and lose only by mortal sin. By Adam 's sin all mankind lost the friendship of God; that is, we are born in original sin, without sanctifying grace. Our Lord's death won back sanctifying grace for us; it is granted freely at Baptism."

The importance of this is obvious... it makes us holy and pleasing to God because we are free of mortal sin.  This is the gift God gave us in Baptism and continues to do so through the sacraments.  By sanctifying grace the Holy Spirit enters our souls to impart God's graces to us.  It strengthens us but doesn't free us from temptation to sin.  We still have an ongoing battle to resist our worldly desires and follow Christ. 

Can you imagine living life without sanctifying grace?

It sounds horrible but many of us probably are living this life.  And if we are, what happens when we die?  If we do not die in a state of grace?

The church teaches us that mortal sin, by it's very nature, kills our soul by destroying the sanctifying grace within us.  So then we must ask, what is mortal sin? 

St. Paul gave us a long list, he said  "Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-20)

Wow, when I look at this list and view the world around me, I can't help but wonder... how different our world would be if we understood and accepted this gift from the Holy Spirit and acted on it.  I'm not pointing fingers because I'm looking at myself here and thinking, how different I would be if I understood and accepted this gift... how have I offended God?  What mortal sins are on my soul that I need to confess?

My blogging friends, please pray for me that I allow the Holy Spirit to work within me so I can be the child God called me to be.


Resources:

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s1c3a2.htm#II
http://www.aculink.net/~catholic/sangrace.htm
http://www.saintaquinas.com/mortal_sin.html
God Bless,
noreen

The End of an Era

These last few weeks have been busy with my son's end of the year school activities.  This, unlike previous years, has been an emotional roller coaster.  The reason being is that this is his last year at his elementary school and he will be moving on to middle school this Fall.  He has loved his school and doesn't want to leave it.  Frankly, I wish he could spend one more year there too.  I'm not thrilled with the idea of 6th, 7th and 8th graders being together on a bus or at school.  That's another story though.

He has grown up a lot this past year and I wish it didn't feel like it was going so fast.  Here are some pictures of his last year being a 5th grader.

Scout Trek Fall of 2010



Scout Trek Fall of 2010

Webelos Outdoor Weekend Fall of 2010

Webelos Outdoor Weekend Fall of 2010

At his cousin's house



Meeting one of his favorite authors:  Rick Riordan

The unusally snowy winter of 2010-2011

A Day Trip to Starved Rock

He is officially done on Monday, June 6th and we will both walk away from a school that we've loved.  I've been a very involved mom in the classroom and PTO and have enjoyed every minute of it.   We've met wonderful teachers and prinicpals, fabulous friends and families and feel our experience their has been a blessing.  And now it is time to go.

We'll be moving on to a new era of life with a middle schooler.  The question for me is, who will I be during this time?

I'm linking up today at:  http://www.angelwingsandapronstrings.blogspot.com/ with my friend Trish at L.A.C.E.
Please come and join us for Whatever is Lovely, Admirable, Cheerful and Encouraging!

 

God Bless,

Noreen