This is the Day...This is the Day that the Lord has made...that the Lord has made. Let us Rejoice! Let us Rejoice and be Glad in it...and Be Glad in it! This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! This is the day. This is the day that the Lord has made!!!!

The song of my heart today. Make perfect sense to me being that today is my Papaw's bday! Happy Bday Papaw! I love you in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!

A Good Word -

My new favorite verse that I hate to love:

"Don't run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters. As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them; if you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line - mature, complete and wanting nothing. If you don't have all the wisdom needed for this journey, then all you have to do is ask God for it, and God, who is never stingy when it comes to wisdom, will grant all that you need. He gives lavishly and never scolds you for asking." (The Voice translation)

Merry Christmas, Indeed!

In all my years I doubt Ill ever forget this Christmas. We loved every minute with our loved ones and enjoyed our conversations with out of town family! The time has been rich! We've really been blessed!

On Sunday afternoon Michael and I returned to our apartment having been gone for 3.5 days to find that our home had been burglarized! We walked in like normal and all of a sudden realized that our window was broken and that our stuff was gone & moved. It literally looked like a scene from CSI. It was a feeling Id like to forget, to say the least! It's been a day and I still cant shake it! Yes, stuff was stolen but the biggest thing in my heart is that our space had been violated. I am so thankful that we were not home and that our pups were not there either. Im so thankful that we have renters insurance and Im so thankful that we have had the help and cooperation of everyone involved. The policeman God sent to help us had a St. Michael the Archangel prayer card in his booklet that he put our information into. That was consoling in itself.

The bigger picture is that I am grateful but still a bit shaken up. We're having an alarm system installed on Wednesday and I'm not going back without my Sofie or Michael. Im just not that brave yet although chances are they will not come back to our house again...I dont care! Im praying for this to be an easy process with paperwork & with the insurance people. Im also praying for the conversion of the robbers. I hope they saw our crucifixes and our St. Maximillian Kolbe icon & our prayer cards all over the place... :)

Thanks for the prayers....Let the House Hunting begin :)

My Most Thankfuls....:)

Jesus. My Catholic Faith. My Husband. My Parents. My Family. My Job. Michael's Job. My Sisters & {best} Friends. My Health. My Drive. My Business. God's Mercy & Forgiveness. My Prayer Partners. Health Insurance. Laughter. Good Food. Sofie. Sye. ... These are a few of my "Most Thankfuls" for this year.


I am so blessed and I am so appreciative that 2009 has been such a memorable year. It has been one of challenge and of triumph. Of Growth and of Humility. 2009 held the majority of my first year as a married woman. It also carried my heart in it's first year without my Papaw. I will never look back at this year as ordinary...it was definitely extraordinary.


My biggest thanks goes to those the God that Created me:


Thank you for allowing me to serve you and to be a member of the greatest family a girl could ask for. I am forever humbled by your choice for me.
Thank you for the most amazing man that you brought into my life during a time were I was ready for it to just be me & You, Lord. You caught my heart off guard with this one...and I'm forever grateful. He's definitely worth the wait! :)
Thank you for allowing me to have real sisters although biologically I have zero. You designed these ladies' hearts for mine and mine for theirs. Although we're all in different stages of life, You make it work beautifully. These sisters shower me with love and truth. You're all up in that, I know!


All day today this song has been playing in my head:

I'm Forever Grateful

You did not wait for me
to draw near to You
But You clothed Yourself
with frail humanity
You did not wait for me
to cry out to You
But You let me hear Your Voice
calling me

And I'm Forever Grateful to You
I'm Forever Grateful for The Cross
I'm Forever Grateful to You
That You came to seek and save the lost

(repeat all)

That You came to seek and save the lost

"Don't Worry, Girl! I Gotcha Covered"

That's how I felt today. Today was one of those days where I woke up with one idea of how the typical Monday would go and it really went in the total opposite direction - Praise be to God!


Ive never had any sort of mouth pain or issue other than a very traumatic car accident that caused my front tooth to begin to die. Over the past 10+ years Ive been very careful with this tooth and even got a new crown on it for our wedding last year. I'm very mindful of what I eat, chew, chomp and grind. I'm conscious of this front tooth every day and up until this point, all has been A-OK!


I woke up on Saturday with an achy mouth and slight throbbing. I had a Mary Kay party scheduled so nothing was standing in my way! I was distracted by my tooth but not consumed. At 4am in the morning on Sunday, I BECAME CONSUMED with the pain in my mouth. I woke up like "a cat on a tin roof" just like in the movies...ya know!? Where they sit STRAIGHT UP in bed and have this pained look on their face? I'm sure I looked just like that. My tooth hurt when I closed my mouth. I was maneuvering my lips as though I had braces (when ppl lift their lips up and over their front teeth so to not cut their lips on the braces?). It was miserable. I chose to stick it out and had some great moments of calm and some incredible moments of pain! Finally, at dinner last night with Tula, I called and left a message on my dentist's phone asking for a call back on Monday (today) morning.


Today I woke up feeling much better, had slept well (8hours! - which never happens!), and really felt as though this Monday had nothin' on me! I had spent a productive hour and a half at home prior to leaving for the office and that always sets a great tone for me. On my way to work the dentist calls and says, "Ragan, you need to come in immediately! Can you come now?" "Umm...Yes, Ma'am. Sure. Ill be there in 30 minutes or so". (we live in Houston, remember....30 minutes is your minimum drive time from one place to another...usually it's longer!) So, I make all the needed phone calls and am on my way north to the dentist's office. Once Im there and checked in Im taken to the back where an Xray is taken and Im asked to recount the weekend's events...what led up to me leaving the message on the dentist's voicemail, etc. After a few minutes with the hygenist trying to distract me with "Dancing with the Stars" conversation, Dr. Jones comes into the room and recommends that I visit an Endodontist. "A who?" I ask. An Endodontist. He'll be able to tell us more. O, ok! No big deal is the vibe Im getting...No biggie...A second opinion. OK, cool. I can deal with opinions. Not a worry.


So, an appointment is made within minutes for me to meet with Mr. Endodontist TODAY at 1pm. Im thankful for my General Dentist's help and I move on. I head back to work. As soon as I arrive I visit with my coworkers and as soon as they hear the word "ENDODONTIST" the words ROOT CANAL come toward me. ROOT CANAL?????? No one said anything about a ROOT CANAL. What exactly does that mean? What do they do? Is it painful? I can feel the anxiety & fear rising up in me. "Calm Down. Ive taken care of it all" is what my heart "hears". So, I listen that "voice" and I move on.


I arrive at 1pm at the Endodontist's office (beautiful office, btw!) and Im greeted by a precious woman with great hair and of course, BEAUTIFUL Teeth. (They all have perfect teeth and teeth related offices!) I am enjoying the company of the receptionists so much as I wait my turn to visit with the doctor. Then I over hear one of the ladies behind the counter speaking to a patient on the phone "Well, Ma'am...Did your crown break before or after you left the office?"...My heart starts to beat a little faster than normal..."yes, Ma'am well a Root Canal is when we numb the area above and around the needed tooth and we go in and clean out the root canal associated with that tooth or teeth." Then the sweet lady on the phone must be listing off her symptoms which included sensitivity to hot and cold, excruciating pain, and on/off throbbing. my heart was bouncing in my chest and my stomach felt like jello. SO, in that moment I had what I call a "come to Jesus meeting". It went like this:


DearEST Jesus - I believe you can do ANYTHING. I need you to do something BIG! RIGHT! NOW! Heal my tooth, God. PUH-LEASE! Please dont let me hurl in this office. Thank you. +Amen.


Almost immediately I "heard", "Do not be afraid. It's already handled".


My name was called and I went to my exam room where I was met by the sweetest girl with great lipgloss on! She listened intently and took notes. She XRAYed my tooth again but this time included the neighboring teeth in the picture. She then showed me what my tooth's root was SUPPOSED to look like and sadly enough I had to admit that my tooth was not looking too good. We then went through the options and then she said the doctor would come to talk with me about what he suggested in a moment. In what felt like 2 seconds later the kindest, gentlest doctor came into the small room and explained why a ROOT CANAL was necessary. And honestly, yall, I think Id have bought whatever he was sellin'. He was so great! I think I almost WANTED a Root Canal by the time he was done talking with me. I took his advice and agreed to the procedure. He said "GREAT! Ill be right back and we'll get started!"
WHAT!??!!?? Right now, as in TODAY!? Right now, TODAY!? I wasnt ready for that. I guess I thought that Id make an appointment for a week or 2 away and that would be all. TODAY was not in my plan.


I called Michael at work, called Tula and chatted with my parents. I was crying by the time I got off the phone with them b/c I realized that I was just plain scared!! I sat on the toilet (seat down...no other chair in the bathroom) and just went before the Lord in my heart and said "I believe that You've planned this day out for me and You're taking the best care of me! I need Your consolation and Your peace!" I wiped my tears and walked out of the bathroom and said "OK, Lets do it!"


...to say the least it was a lot of build up to wrap it up like this. The Root Canal was super easy and simple. It was like so many other things Ive experienced with myself. THE BUILD UP IS HUGE (anxiety, distrust, fear, etc.) but the reality was that it was SO NOT worth the drama. The Lord prepped me and walked with me all day through this new and somewhat scary experience. Once I let go and didnt look back, it was simple.


after the RC i went back to work with little to no pain (no pain meds) and I felt so happy and excited that the pain was out and over with...


God, YOU ARE SO GOOD...remind me of today's lessons next time I forget. I love you!

My First Daybook Entry {9.14.09}

For Today...  Monday, September 14th, 2009

Outside my window...  it all looks cloudy

I am thinking... I can't wait to go home and see Michael!  I missed him so much today.

I am thankful for... the goodness of the people I work with at Schumacher Group!  So many special people!

From the kitchen... Tonight is family night, hosted at the Savedra Apartment.  We're having baked chicken, roasted asparagus, potato salad and my personal fave: a red, white & blue salad.

I am wearing... a purple shirt with my new favorite brown skirt from Target.  No accessories today.  It's Monday, remember?

I am creating... my first Daybook entry!

I am going...   to the grocery store after work then to Bed, Bath & Beyond to pick up my driver's license.

I am reading... Mary Kay Ash's Auto Biography and really loving it!

I am hoping... I can clean the bathrooms before my parents and Tula come to dinner!

I am hearing... my coworkers chat about schedules.

Around the house...   It feels great to have my home office situated!  Now, all I need is more space :)

One of my favorite things... a good song on the radio to jam to!

A few plans for the rest of the week: work, family night, dinner with new friends, Mary Kay weekly meeting, Grease with Tula, Date Night, and a relaxing weekend

Love,

St Maximilian Kolbe, Pray for Us

Maximilian was born in 1894 in Poland and became a Franciscan. He contracted tuberculosis and, though he recovered, he remained frail all his life. Before his ordination as a priest, Maximilian founded the Immaculata Movement devoted to Our Lady. After receiving a doctorate in theology, he spread the Movement through a magazine entitled "The Knight of the Immaculata" and helped form a community of 800 men, the largest in the world.

Maximilian went to Japan where he built a comparable monastery and then on to India where he furthered the Movement. In 1936 he returned home because of ill health. After the Nazi invasion in 1939, he was imprisoned and released for a time. But in 1941 he was arrested again and sent to the concentration camp at Auschwitz.

On July 31, 1941, in reprisal for one prisoner's escape, ten men were chosen to die. Father Kolbe offered himself in place of a young husband and father. And he was the last to die, enduring two weeks of starvation, thirst, and neglect. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1982. His feast day is August 14th. 

--

When Michael and I were planning our wedding last year, we felt it to be very important to pursue a relationship with a Saint and choose him or her to be our family's Patron.  We read through many bios of Saints and asked the Lord to show us who a good fit was.  Michael and I both really appreciated the connection and devotion that St Maximillian had with Our Blessed Mother, Mary.  Ive always been a buddy of St Max Kolbe because of my interest in the persecution of the Jews in the time of the concentration camps.  St Max was probably the first Saint I really connected with so I was really excited that Michael and I chose St Max to be our family's patron! 

Today, we celebrate you, St Max!  Thank you for being our friend, our intercessor and one of our examples of how to love and serve God, even unto death.  St Max Kolbe, pray for us!  We love you!