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The Blessing Box

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One of our family Thanksgiving traditions is the Blessing Box. The concept is simple. As family members arrive, they take a moment to write down on a colorful strip of paper the one thing they are most thankful for from the past year. These written blessings are placed in the Blessing Box. Just before dinner, the collected strips are distributed randomly among the guests. We circle around in anticipation of the sharing and begin with “May the blessings of one be the blessings of all.” Then we take turns reading what is on each slip. When the circle of sharing is complete, we say the meal prayer.

We were blessed with Elmo, “blankies”, and school when the children were younger. As the years go by, our blessings are becoming more profound and sentimental. Each year, these collected blessings are placed in scrapbooks. The scrapbooks have become part of the Thanksgiving tradition as well. It is fun to look back on pictures of dearly departed family members and their blessings written in their handwriting. These little nuggets of history begin “remember when” conversations that knit our family tighter together, and when we do have guests join us, they become part of our story too.

Posted by Jill Fischer

The Beauty of Prayer

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I spend a lot of time in prayer. It is woven through the fabric of my day. The beauty of prayer - when you are quiet and listening to the stirrings of your soul - is that you will hear the voice of those you pray to and with. That is why I love going to Adoration. It is a quiet spot in my week to just "be" before the Lord. I love it when I am actually able to adore alone. That is some powerful stuff - to be alone with the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. That quiet time can exhaust me of the need to talk and move me into listening mode. In listening, God reveals His plan. I feel I've become a good listener. I'm a good listener, but I am not patient. I’ve learned that God does answer in His own time and in His way - the best way.

I spend a lot of time in prayer. Always have. Always will. I won't ever make a decision without it. God is my best friend. He never steers me wrong.

Circle of Love

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Every now and then I am struck with how totally awesome our Church is. When I reflect upon the Communion of Saints, I can't help but think this concept is genius! First introduced in the Book of Maccabees in the Old Testament, our faith tradition has since built upon a rich tradition that can bring such peace and hope for all the living and those who are dying. The Saints, those canonized by the Church, and the saints, the faithful departed, create a full circle of love through intercessory prayer. The Saints will have your back, you only need to ask. How lovely that our Church honors this family
and roots it in our creed. Knowing that at any time you can shout out to a loved one or an icon of faith and bring them close to work with you and beside you to gain the graces to stand strong through any situation is AMAZING! We are truly never alone between
our angels and our Saints/saints not to mention through our Blessed Mother and our Holy Trinity. With all that love and support, how can we not have love, joy, hope, and peace. One need only pray and believe.

But wait, there's more. While they are there to help us, we are also here to help them. An often forgotten teaching of the Catholic faith is the belief in purgatory. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a "purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven," which is experienced by those "who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified" (CCC 1030).  How can we help our departed loved ones? Prayer! When we offer up Mass or our prayers for them, we assist them in gaining the glory of heaven. They in turn are praying for us. The full circle of love!

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