Outside my window…it is sunny and a bit nippy out there.  We are looking forward to temps in the mid-50′s this week with lows dipping down into the 30′s.  Typical fall weather.  The cold air seems to enhance the brilliance of the colors out there.  The snow storm that came up the coast didn’t touch us in the least.  Nary a flake fell in this neck of the woods.  Praise God we were spared!

I am thinking…about lists.  Lists of things to do now that this semester has ended and I am free to resume my role as wife and mother full time.  I look forward to cooking, cleaning, and sewing.  Not to say that those activities took a hiatus during my semester but they were severly truncated.  I have been up since shortly after 6 and already the whole downstairs is clean and there are two loads of laundry done.  Layn and I decided to take a coffee break while Melissa finishes cleaning the downstairs bathroom. (wasn’t on my list this morning)

I am thankful for…a husband who knows that I do my best and is willing to accept a B or even a C in one of my courses.

From the kitchen…there are going to be great things happening.  German Potato Salad  is going to be made from the potatoes that were cooked last night.  I think I will bread and fry the boneless, skinless chicken that I got out yesterday and make a spinach salad to go with everything.  Doug cooked and peeled a pumpkin for me yesterday so I plan on making pumpkin bread and muffins.  That is good for a start.

I am wearing…blue sweats and a blue tee shirt. 

I am creating…satisfaction.

I am going…to work my tail off and then take an hour to go to the pool this afternoon.

I am hoping…that all this manic activity will induce sleep tonight.

I am hearing…Layn going down for his first nap.  Both washers and dryers are going and the coffee pot is putting forth its second offering of black energy.

One of my favorite things…the good time that we had last night.  Doug, MK, and I bowled with the Wii last night.  Lots of laughing and smiling and general good time being had by all.  Afterward we said the rosary together then watched an episode of NCIS and went to bed.  I love family togetherness.

Around the house…we have everything whipped into shape and now it is time to settle into the routine for the rest of the day.  Matthew has to go help the neighbor put away her summer furniture, MK is doing barn chores, and all is peaceful.  There is a definite air of contentment around here.

A few plans for the rest of the week…the usual chores and errands plus I have to get Doug and I ready for our trip to NC.  One week from today we fly off to watch Ryan graduate.

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you…

He’s got that devilish grin going on.

Go ahead and overdose on some.

your loving daughter.

it will be shortly.  It is mornings like this that remind me of the lyrics to a James Taylor song: “The frost is on the pumpkin and the hay is in the barn”

The people that live in the higher elevations around here got snow yesterday. When I was coming out of town last night I saw vehicles with significant amounts of the white stuff on them.  I guess the jig is up and we are shortly going to have to pay the piper.  Well, all I can say is, bring it on.

Dear friends, I have copied and pasted this from a friend’s blog. Please pray for this most worthy intention, if you are so inclined.  Our young people are so much in need of spiritual guidence in this world today.  Thank you.

Special Novena Intention to St. John Bosco

Labels: Prayers, Saints

The following letter is from our son’s pastor, a priest our family feels honored to know (especially Gabey who shares a name-patron, and any of our our boys who’ve enjoyed his company at Boys’ Camp):

Dear Friends in Christ,

Praised be Jesus and Mary!

Could I ask your help in praying for a special intention? The prayers for this novena, which will start today, are at the end of this email. The reason for it is as follows.

In 1847 St. John Bosco wrote a book of prayers and spiritual advice for youth called The Companion of Youth. It was his best-seller so to say. During his lifetime it went through 122 printings and three editions (The first had 352 pages and the 3rd had grown to 520 pages). Each printing was about 50,000 copies.
In his Memoirs of the Oratory St. John Bosco speaks of this book as follows: “Another need showed up: a prayer book suitable for the times. There is no shortage of prayer books which have been put together by excellent people and are available to everyone. But, on the whole, these books were written for educated people, for adults, and most of them could be used by Catholics, Jews, or Protestants. Seeing how insidious heresy was spreading quietly every day, I undertook to compile a book suitable for the young, adapted to their religious ideas, based on the Bible, and setting out the foundations of the Catholic religion clearly and concisely. This was The Companion of Youth.”

In 1851 St. John Bosco added another section called “Fundamentals of the Catholic Religion”. It had been published earlier as a separate pamphlet. Speaking of this pamphlet he said: “Its aim was to put Catholics on the alert lest they let themselves be caught in the nets of the heretics. Its distribution was extraordinary; in two years it sold more than two hundred thousand copies. This pleased the good, but it enraged the Protestants, who had begun to think that they had the field of evangelization all to themselves.” He also wrote to a friend: “If you get involved in these booklets you’re sacrificing any support you might have from La Gazzetta del Popolo [a violently anti-Catholic newspaper], and maybe from others. This booklet, tiny as it is, is a nuisance to them, and they would just love to burn any copies they can get hold of.”

The book was translated into English for the first time in 1938, then again in 1955. Later revised or incomplete translations were published by the Salesians after they had become very liberal. These included changes in the Mass. Neither the old and complete translations, nor the new are in print, except for some small excerpts in another work. They are almost impossible to obtain (the Salesian publishers in NY did not even have a copy of the 1938 edition in their archives).

I obtained a copy of the 1938 edition to scan and have compared it with the 101st Italian printing (3rd edition, the most complete one published by St. John Bosco). It is a complete and accurate translation. The only omission is the Vespers of Our Lady, Vespers for the whole year, and the Office of the Dead. These were left out in order to keep the size small and because they can be obtained from many other prayer books.

There are so many of our youth today who could benefit from this book, if we could only get it in their hands. Unfortunately, due to a change in copyright law in 1996, the book is still in copyright (owned probably by the Salesians). Could you join me and a couple hundred others to whom this email is being sent in praying this novena from today, October 27th to November 4th to get permission to republish this work?

The prayers below are selected from several novena prayers to St. John Bosco which were added to the 1938 edition of The Companion of Youth. Could you pray at least one of them each day of the novena? Thank you in advance, and may God reward you abundantly for this act of zeal for the souls of the young!

In Jesus and Mary,

Fr. Gabriel


Novena prayers for permission to reprint St. John Bosco’s book, The Companion of Youth: prayers and spiritual advice for the youth.

O glorious St John Bosco, by that great love which thou didst bear towards Youth, of which thou didst make thyself Father and Teacher, and by the heroic sacrifices thou didst bear for its salvation, obtain for us, that we also may love with a holy and generous love this chosen portion of the Heart of Jesus and that in every child we may see the adorable person of our Divine Savior.

Glory be to the Father, etc.

O glorious St John Bosco, who didst love the virtue of purity with a love of predilection, and who didst inculcate it by word, writing, and example, obtain that we too, enamored of so indispensable a virtue, may practice it constantly and diffuse it by every means in our power.

Glory be to the Father, etc.

O glorious St John Bosco, who wert ever so compassionate towards human miseries, look down upon us, so greatly in need of thine aid; pray that the maternal blessings of Mary, Help of Christians may descend upon us and upon our families ; obtain for us all the spiritual and temporal favors of which we stand in need ; intercede for us in life and in death, so that we, too, eternally may sing the Divine mercies in Paradise.

Glory be to the Father, etc.

Prayer to Mary, Help of Christians

Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin, Help of Christians, we consecrate ourselves entirely to Thee and we promise always to labor for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls. We pray Thee to turn thine eyes of pity on the Church, priests and missionaries; on our relatives and benefactors; on the youth confided to our care; on poor sinners and the dying, and on all the souls in Purgatory. Teach us, O most tender Mother, to copy in ourselves the virtues of St. John Bosco, particularly his angelic modesty, profound humility and ardent charity.
Grant also, O Mary, Help of Christians, that through thy powerful intercession we may be victorious over the enemies of our souls in life and in death, so that with Saint John Bosco we may be gathered round Thee in thy home in heaven. Amen.

Ejaculation: Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us. (300 days indulgence.)


PS:  Also our family is adding the intention to this novena of the spiritual well-being of all our young people, but especially our sons, that prayer being the mission of St. John Bosco’s life. (We like to “Pile On” in our novenas…

you blessed and holy

cloud of witnesses

look down upon me

and upon my beloved

those who are close

and those far

those remembered

and those long forgotten

Beg Our Lord for His grace

to forgive and bless

to amend and strengthen

to stand firm

and to fight

And when the time is right

grace to look into his light

and follow him home.

I would have put a window right there too. 

If I squint my eyes a bit and not look too closely

That is my grandson I see but it could be

any one of my sons on any day gone by.

If I listen closely but don’t try too hard to hear

high pitched voices come back to me

“Here comes daddy on the 424!”

“No, I think he’s driving the 656!”

They could all tell the tractor by its unique sound

I never could.

If I had built this house

I would put that window right there

looking out onto the shop,

with a glimpse of the barn,

in touch with all the action.

Perfect for a little boy who loves his dad.

This may be true of mother’s but let me amend it for grandmothers and add with a smile (not always sincere, that would be pushing it.)

Layn and I drove into town to take Uncle Matt to work.  I decided that we both could use some strenuous exercise to help exorcise our colds.  We spent a lovely half hour paddling around in the pool (water temp. 85).  Then we went out to WalMart to do some much needed shopping.  I dislike WalMart and shopping with everything that is in me so it really has to be necessary for me to drive out there.  We did the store in record time and to treat Layn for being a good boy I bought a highly priced pumpkin to carve (into chunks to cook down for pies). 

We had no sooner gotten out of the parking lot and onto the highway when I heard what sounded like a quiet cough from the back seat. When I look in the rearview there was Layn with vomit all over the front of himself.  This is where the smile comes in.  This grandma will change the yuckiest diaper.  I will shovel manure from just about any animal on the farm.  I have been shoulder deep in pigs countless times helping them to deliver their piglets but I don’t do vomit!  I pulled over, got out and wiped him up with the only thing that I had available, the wet towel from our pool bag. 

We haven’t been home more than 30 minutes when the phone rings and it is Matthew sounding terrible.  Can he have a ride home, he feels sick.  Here goes round two of the stomach bug.  Thank God for good neighbors.  I called Suzanne our neighbor one door up and asked if she would come and sit with Layn so he doesn’t have to be wakened from his nap.  She volunteered to go get Matthew at work.  So here I sit thinking about vomit and the conversation that my dad and I had this morning.  Okay Lord, I have committed some sins in my life and I need to atone, bring it on.