Making wine

Massachusetts

The Veiled Connection

Hubby was home today, so it gave me the perfect opportunity to sneak away to church by myself. I worry that this may be a bit selfish, but I think The Lord is trying to teach me to be aware of my own needs. Anyway...that's neither here nor there...the real purpose of me writing this is for me to document the amazing blessings that God sees fit to bestow upon me. 

As I sat at Mass fully enraptured by all the beauty that surrounds me, Fr. David mentions that today we will be remembering the three shepherd children of Fatima along with today's Saints...St. Sebastian (and I know there was one other, that I can't remember at the moment). Being Portuguese, I grew up with a special affinity for the shepherd children and it has only grown stronger since my visit to Fatima last September...so this really grabbed my heart. Then at Communion time he asked a couple of the older ladies there to bring up the gifts...I heard him call out their names...Maria and Ana. I have seen the one that he called Maria there pretty regularly. I was pretty sure that she was Portuguese...she wears the typical Portuguese widower garb...all black...and she veils. We have often locked eyes and smiled...sharing that special connection that veiled women feel with each other...but have never had the opportunity to actually meet. At that moment, I had a strong feeling that it needed to change. 

Right after Mass as I walked towards the back of the church...I see her kneeling in prayer and we lock eyes again. I  think I became possessed by my mom at that moment...lol....she was your typical extrovert and never met a stranger that she couldn't talk to. Lol. So I addressed the woman in black and asked her if she was Portuguese...why yes...and our conversation took off from there...in my beautiful mother tongue that gets tucked away into the recesses of my soul until yearly encounters with my sisters or elderly relatives necessitate it's revival. I miss it! God knew that...of course...He did!

On the drive home as I ponder this connection among the veiled...those who Our Lady has especially called...for some purpose that is yet hidden to me. I remember another incident during Adoration at St. Joe's chapel. A special lady...a total stranger... that saw me unravel in tears during one of my dark episodes and asked me if she could pray with me. I said yes...thank Your Lord and Our Blessed Mother for granting me that moment of acceptance and humility so that they could work through it. My new friend then asked me why I veiled, I told her about how the Blessed Mother had asked me to. She went on to say that she had felt the call too...but she had been able to put it off so far by listening to one excuse or another.

 Then another veiled woman came to mind...the new woman that showed up at my Carmelite meeting this weekend....I didn't have a chance to talk to her, but someone later told me that she was from Stoneham. From Stoneham? That's interesting how the veiling 'movement' is progressing...I don't know anyone else that veils around here...

Then like a curtain lifting...Oh my sweet Jesus! Could it be? She looked so familiar. 

Loving Without Counting the Cost

I've been reading a lot about the love languages lately and it made me ponder something. What happens when those closest to us have love languages that are different from our own? For example mine is 'words of affirmation', my husband's is 'acts of service', my son's is 'physical touch' and my daughter's  is 'quality time'.  This particular love language however is not one of my main ones....I'm too frazzled...too easily distracted. But because it is my daughter's love language I need to make more of an effort. That is what true love does anyway...goes through the cross...dying to self in order to love more effectively. 

We are not called to go out searching for the perfect people to love...but to love our 'neighbor'...those that God has put into our lives, regardless of how inconvenient or uncomfortable that may be at times.

That reminds me of the following story...

A man spoke with the Lord about heaven and hell. The Lord said to the man, "Come, I will show you hell."
They entered a room where a group of people sat around a huge pot of stew. Everyone was famished, desperate and starving. Each held a spoon that reached the pot, but each spoon had a handle so much longer than their own arm that it could not be used to get the stew into their own mouths. The suffering was terrible.
"Come, now I will show you heaven," the Lord said after a while. They entered another room, identical to the first -- the pot of stew, the group of people, the same long-handled spoons. But there everyone was happy and well-nourished. "I don't understand," said the man. "Why are they happy here when they were miserable in the other room and everything was the same?"
The Lord smiled, "Ah, it is simple," he said. "Here they have learned to feed each other."


I think that our love languages are our "spoons". We may be tempted to get fixated on getting ourselves fed with it...but the real objective is to feed others. Once that is taking place, I think we will be greatly surprised at how satiated we feel. Either because The Lord has fed us Himself, or He has sent others unto our path to do so. 

So go ahead use your own love language, it is a gift from God to be used as your particular ministry...but don't shy away from loving in ways that may seem foreign to you either...it is these that will help you to grow and mature in The Lord.

Love Language

My love language is 'words of affirmation'. Having lived all of my life with people who show love in other ways (I'm pretty sure that my mom's was 'acts of service' and my hubby's is the same) has left me somewhat depleted in this area and quite hungry for it. I know, I know...the point is to be able to love OTHERS in their own love language. As in, Lord grant that I not so much seek to be loved as to love...I get it...really I do...but still...

The heart wants what it wants.

Let's just say that I have spent a very good portion of my life feeling unloved, unattractive and unappreciated. There have been other contributors aside from mismatched love languages of course...loss of loved ones that lead to anxiety and episodes of depression being a big one.

Anyway, this past week while doing the Undoer of Knots Novena, I specifically brought this to The Lord. My answer was that it isn't that I'm not being loved...it's just that something is interfering with my reception of it...I wasn't tuned in to the right frequency if you will. I was trying to pick up 'vibes' from here and there and everywhere. It all sounded jibberish because they are all speaking their own love languages. There is only one frequency that is perfectly in tune with my needs, and that is the Lord's. 

However we still have to do the tuning in...that comes through relationship. Putting the time in to speak AND to listen to Him! He never disappoints! And if you listen carefully, you might hear Him speaking the words that were spoken at last Sunday's Mass, about you...'this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased'. And if words of affirmation are your love language too...your love tank might just threaten to over flow.

http://www.5lovelanguages.com

Thinking Ahead

This past year has been amazing for Essy D Photography.  It was such an honor to be requested to photograph such meaningful events like Baptisms and birthday parties. The networking events were such a blast too, I had the opportunity to meet and photograph so many wonderful and caring people.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with R J Desanctis Entertainment who put it all together. I would love to be able to continue to do all that this year, and then some.

The next step on my plan of action is to set up a home studio, so that I can be able to provide photoshoots for family portraits and headshots. I am taking steps towards that already, and it should be completed within the next month or so...

Commissioned

Yesterday for a while, I had the song "I'm coming out" stuck in my head. I wasn't sure why, but I've had The Lord use a particular song in the past in just such a way, so that I knew enough to at least give it some credence and just go with it. I had just finished a Novena to Mary the Undoer of Knots, and it was the day prior to the Baptism of the Lord so I was particularly on fire. So I listened and was inspired to put a slide show together. As I saw it unfold, it was speaking more and more to me about my photography business. Then the thought occurred to me that my EssyD Photography would be one year old soon, I was thinking that it was the 23rd or so, and that the slideshow would be a good way to commemorate. I looked for my business certificate in order to verify the date and for some reason couldn't locate it, my husband volunteered to look through his desk and within a few minutes presented it to me. I looked at it and nearly fell over, the date on it was exactly one year ago to the day...January 11th, 2013. God is good indeed.

So...my take on this...is that He is giving me the go ahead to proceed as planned. To step further out in faith, that He's got it covered and that it will be used for His purposes. 

So speak Lord, for Your servant is listening.