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Welcome to all my friends
Let us spread devotion to Our Lady
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- Name: Anita
- Member Since: 1/14/2006
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
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Magnificat - My little miracle born on 5th July
I can think of no better comment or prayer that would express my joy
at the birth of my baby son Francis Liam ( who was born on 5th July 2010 at 12.32 pm )
than to echo the words of Mary in the Gospel of Saint Luke.
MAGNIFICAT ( THE CANTICLE OF MARY)
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen
Saturday, 13 February 2010
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My little Miracle !!!!!!!!!
It is a while since I posted on xanga and I think I walked away from this blog because it was beginning to be a place where I shared and exposed the pain of infertility and my blog had become so dominated by my infertility and reflected the deep personal struggle within me.
My last blog here "a Fishing expedition " in April 2007 was about keeping faith and admiring the faith and belief of those who truly believe Miracles can and do happen through prayer..... I remember my closing remark on that blog..... "just a thought, wouldn't it be great if Mike and I could share in catching that prize fish together !!! "
well, I am so so overjoyed and happy to be posting this entry on the blog and to share my good news. Following all the previous entries in the blog which catalogue a faith journey and indeed a struggle... this is indeed a great place to stop, reflect , celebrate, and give thanks and praise for how wonderful and good God is.
last year, I won a pilgrimage to Fatima when I bought a ticket in a raffle in support of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in Dublin (I used to go for adoration there while I waited for the train home from work). Though I tried to give the tickets away to Mike and I even lost my passport the day before the flight, Our Lady still watched over me and made sure I was on that flight to Fatima in Portugal last October. - The pilgrimage to Fatima was truly a wonderful and a beautiful experience.
Just after Christmas, I did a pregnancy test and I found out I was pregnant - I am now 18 weeks pregnant , I had my first scan two weeks ago in the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital in Belfast and I am sharing a picture of my miracle with everyone
..... there is one beautiful and very lively baby and the baby is due on 13 July according to doctors .
( I believe 13 July is an anniversary of one of our Ladys Apparitions in Fatima - when She urged people to pray the rosary more - NICE DATE !)
I was told 5 years ago that I was infertile and that my options were IVF or nothing ... well, I chose nothing.. but ... Nothing is impossible to God !!! - God has healed my infertility and has given us a wonderful blessing and gift and my husband and I are both celebrating with joy our miracle baby.
Everything is well - baby was very active in the first scan waving its arms and sucking its thumb and kicking !!! - I think the baby even smiled for the camera !! .... next scan is on 04 March
Praise and Thanks be to God for this wonderful miracle !
Sunday, 29 April 2007
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A Fishing Expedition....
well...during the week , I was feeling a little down and I came online on my computer. When I did, Mike messaged me....so I started the conversation with.. Well, Mike.. how are you today ?..... he said " I am sitting here on the boat casting my net out into the deep "... I think Mike had stolen that phrase from last Sundays Gospel.
I met Mike about 5 months before this... I was in a catholic room online.. It was a busy room and Mike came into the room saying that he was depressed and asking for peoples prayer...Nobody really responded.. Everyone was caught up in the debate topic of the hour.. that was the first and the only time that I have seen Mike in a catholic room.Anyway, that first time, I met Mike, I messaged him and told him I would pray for him in the rosary....About a month later I seen him online again and I contacted him and asked him how he was.. he was surprised that I remembered him but i reminded him that he was in my nightly prayers. Well after that, Mike and I became friends .. I began to realise his pain and his suffering.. Mike is 47 years old, he has cancer and fibromyalgia... he has been sick every day for the past 7 years.. he has finished his chemotherapy and is awaiting his test results now.. During this time, Mike lost his career and he is not working .. he longs to be fit and well and to be working. he has 2 children in college and has financial troubles. Mike comes online a lot now to check on financial investments he makes in stocks and shares.
Also during this period of illness, Mike has not only gone to mass regularly, he has put on Life in the Spirit Seminars with his friends, attended the mens study group at the local catholic church, has started and attended a charismatic prayer group, started and taught lessons at an apologetic Catholic Group, taught RCIA Programs, taught confirmation classes and been involved in the Right to Life Campaign
so, Every day or two, I now get a message from Mike asking me if I am still praying for him in the rosary.. if he is having a bad day, he will ask me if I am sure we are praying for him !!!...he will send me messages during the day and when I come home from work, there is a message on my computer from Mike saying "I feel that God does not love me , he does not hear my prayers - Are you sure that you are praying for me?" "Do you still pray the rosary?" "Did you pray the rosary today?"
well...there are times when I am so in awe of Mikes belief in the rosary and of his faith.....I have invited him to come and pray rosary online with me.... thinking , you are asking me to pray for you ?? .. just look at your amazing faith and belief !!!!. but he says he is not ready...I believe God brought Mike into my life to show me the importance of praying the rosary and exactly what those prayers mean that I say everynight for people that I do not know.... the strange thing is... that somehow all of those people make their way into my heart. When we lose someone in the rosary that we pray for, I generally feel sad and I always think of them as being united with us in prayer in heaven... some of these people , I have never met or even spoken to but they have touched me.. and they are all part of my rosary family.
well.. lets go back to Mike sitting on the boat casting his net out into the deep.. Mike is amazing to me because he keeps casting that net out.. he is pacing up and down the boat !! and impatient but he still keeps putting the net out... he believes that he is in the right spot to catch the prize fish.. in short, Mike has faith !!!..Someone has obviously told Mike that this is the spot to catch the prize fish. Mike really does believe that he will catch his fish. he is spending his time anticipating his catch. Mike keeps eyeing up my bright new shining fishing rod (the rosary).. he thinks it would be ideal to catch the fish...
On the other hand, I, at times am sitting on the boat beside Mike holding that bright and shiny fishing rod and I keep looking at all of the other boats on the other side of the lake... It is sunny over there and people have been catching fish there all day... As the day wears on, I am getting more and more frustrated watching others catch fish..I am looking at Mike and thinking why does he keep coming back to this same spot ? why does he really believe that the prize fish is here ? and what does he know that I don't know ?... well, fishing is hungry work and as the hunger kicks in, the frustration increases with me . .. I feel like reeling in the line and pulling in my empty net and heading for dry land hungry.... After all, I can always go and buy some fish at the fast food shop on the way home.
well, I dont really have an ending to this story yet...God alone knows the ending to this story.Mike and I are both still on that boat. I do believe God brought Mike into my life... Usually Mike shows up when I do feel kinda low.... and he normally has some word of wisdom that he brings up by chance which uplifts me and it normally is based in some way around scripture... so I guess I am trying to find what Mike is telling me.....maybe Mike is telling me to have faith and Believe !!!.
Just a thought!!!.. wouldn't it be great if I lent Mike my bright and shiny fishing rod and he and I could share in pulling in that prize fish together !!!!!
Anyway,.. God Bless Everyone
love
Anita
Saturday, 21 April 2007
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Lent, the Cross and Easter
Doubts keep coming back into my mind on my decision not to go for ivf in obedience with the church catechism ... the catechism teaching on this is that infertile couples should unite their sufferings to the cross of Christ
I know that I have dropped the cross that I am meant to carry.I have dropped it with an almighty big bang. I have walked around it and looked at it and felt sorry for myself.. I have even repeatedly kicked it but there is no use kicking it. It wastes too much energy kicking it and it only ends up hurting me. I know I cant run away from it ..from my infertility.... so I have no choice but to pick it up again. I have seen in the stations of the cross how Christ embraced his cross in an act of love so now, I guess I now need to find a way to embrace and carry this cross..It does not sit comfortably on my shoulders.. and I guess I am scared that by embracing it and maybe losing that feeling of discomfort, that I will accept it and stop that longing... The longing that I feel, the discomfort that I feel , i dont really want to lose.....so I guess I dont want my cross to be a bed of roses .. i still need to feel the thorns amongst those roses..
Strangely, now, too is also a time when I am trying to understand what the message of Easter and the resurrection is....maybe, because i have observed Lent so badly .. I am trying to find the risen Christ and I guess I am trying to understand why I am struggling so much !!!
