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Road of Hope Last
week some exciting news came out about a man I definitely feel will one day be
canonized as a saint: Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan. It has been announced that this amazing priest is being considered for sainthood. I first read about this man in A Priest Forever: Nine Signs of Hope and Renewal. Later, I read the book he wrote to his people
during his 13 years in prison, nine of which he spent in solitary confinement, The Road of Hope: A Gospel from Prison and watched the DVD about his life also called Road of Hope. I am still blown away by his tremendous faith, hope, and joy in the midst of terrible conditions and awful treatment.
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Men of Courage There are a number
of male family members and friends I have seen suffer terribly as a result of
varying illnesses, injuries, and life-threatening conditions. I hope and pray that if ever faced with any
of the challenges they have faced, I may have the grace to be as brave,
courageous, determined, good humored, and full of faith that the men (and
women) in my life have exhibited. I’m
praying especially for my Godfather and his family as he goes through more
cancer treatment, as well as my uncle whose health is declining.
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French, Fun, &
Photos Speaking French, funny stories, rollercoasters, West African music
and dance, an assortment of photos, video clips, and discussions made Wednesday
evening quite enjoyable. My youngest
sister is in town for a couple weeks, and I hadn’t seen her since my mom and I
went up to Ohio back in April to see her performances.
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Take a Bite Outta Crime The girls have been
very interested in paper products. There
wasn’t actually enough left of the newspaper article Sophie took a bite out of left to determine what section it came from,
but I’m guessing that she would crack down hard on crimes such as robbery,
assault, and battery if given the chance after being in the company of her two very assertive sisters.
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Keeping it Fresh Opening a package of
crackers that were starting to go stale, my sister said she didn’t mind
them. I told her that she should have
known they were stale since there wasn’t FRESH written on the side in black
permanent marker. Writing FRESH in black
marker was a trick a household member had for identifying the cereal purchased
most recently that was least likely to be stale. Rather than throw the stale cereal out, this
individual helpfully marked the new box as FRESH.
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Toe-Up The girls have a special affection for dairy
products, as is often the case with little ones their ages. Yesterday, after eating some of the shredded
cheese I gave them at lunchtime, Sophie was walking around. I looked over at one point, and she’d plopped
down on the floor to pick out a tiny clump of cheese that had gotten caught between
her toes. Naturally, her first
inclination was to pop it in her mouth.
She certainly gives new meaning to the term toe-cheese. I remember when “my little guys” were
pre-verbal (still members of the bare piggy brigade), and one of them had this
unique laugh he did specifically when he saw and wanted something made with
milk. To read more about adventures in
nanny land, check out My Nanny Diary.
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Carmel or
Bust! It still hasn’t completely sunken in that one of my very close
friends, a dear sister in Christ is leaving Richmond this Sunday and doesn’t
plan to return ever again. This evening we’re
having a farewell/adieu pizza party for Michele Morris before she leaves. Soon she’ll be flying to the West Coast to
enter a cloistered monastery called Sisters by the Sea in Carmel,
California. Please pray for Michele, her
family, and the many who love and will miss her dearly during this time of
transition. Michele has always had a
fondness for Harley Davidson motorcycles, so this graphic of a nun on a motorcycle is the one she asked me
to put on her business cards when she was traveling around performing her play “Teresita.” 
