Serving alongside my sister…

Today I… Wanted to reflect about an amazing weekend I had serving/volunteering at our church retreat. It’s been soooo long since I’ve had the pleasure of volunteering to do anything. I used to be all about it! Anyway this past weekend my sister and I were able to do just that. Our church had one of their many confirmation retreats for the youth (high school age) and I was able to serve with her as a chaperone. It basically consisted of me setting up chairs for certain activities, passing out baby wipes when the teens made masks, and simply being present to witness the transformation of young people discovering God for the first time.

It was really refreshing to be able to witness some of the youth completely moved by some of the talks and skits. It honestly made me reflect about my own personal journey and where I was when I first found God.

The theme for the weekend was “The Lost are Found.” The highlight, for me, was being able to serve with my sister and see her in her element. She is an amazing singer and she sang with the band during the pinnacle part of the weekend, Eucharistic Adoration. Every time she sings, I cry.

It is honestly inspiring to serve with her and all of these amazing young adults who sacrifice an entire weekend of their time to do this. I struggled and I even got to go home at night! A lot of them have full time jobs and have exhausting weeks at work and then still have the energy to do retreats.. Without using any technology! Boggles my mind! Anywho.. Great weekend. I thank God for the opportunity and for an amazing husband who watched our daughter while I was gone. Woo!

Good Friday…Easter is almost here!

Painting by my sister

Image of the Cross by source

Well today is a very solemn day for us..religious folks. It is the day we remember Jesus’ death and suffering on the cross. My sister made this painting for our nursery and I thought it was so reflective of the mood for today. I wanted to post pictures from our baby shower last weekend, but it doesn’t seem fitting. I also wanted to post another DIY recipe, but that didn’t seem appropriate either. So…I thought I’d just take this time to reflect.  I was talking to my mother-in-law the other day (via text) and she congratulated me on making it to maternity leave! What a great feeling it was! And I responded humorously, “So…what now?” And, she replied, “This is the calm before the storm. Just relax and enjoy it.” I thought, she is so right!

I feel really blessed as of late. There are so many things going on with my close friends, complications with their pregnancies, friends losing their jobs, friend who are severely ill, etc. Even though I had a miscarriage before this one, I’m honestly so blessed to have made it this far! No matter what happens…I’m always thinking daily that at least it was further than the last one. I also have so many amazing people in my life who have supported me along the way! I have a mother who is ready to just jump in and help out with the baby, a mother-in-law (who I love and adore AND I get along with) who is also willing to drive far just to help, and friends/family who’ve been faithfully praying for me this entire pregnancy. I mean, what more can a woman ask for?

To top it all off, I have God who is always taking care of me, giving me strength through all the discomforts and providing me with the necessary tools AND shaping me to be the best mom I can possibly be. I mean, this IS the calm before the storm, but I’ve never been so excited and felt more prepared for the “STORM!” I don’t know, maybe I’m just pumped up right now because I spent the day praying a lot, going to Church, and went to a much-needed confession. Either way, today was the perfect day to reflect. I hope it was for you too.

The Father said today, “It is such a testament to me to see all of you present here today. It is unsettling to know the amount of people who really take  Easter or “Spring” break for granted.  Many people think, “Hooray! No work or a week off of school!” But, do they truly understand the cost which had to happen to give us this week off? “But, YOU, being here shows me that YOU do understand. You know what this weekend is all about.” Amen. Amen!

I don’t know, it just reassured me and I was so glad I chose to spend the day this way.

I hope all of you have a blessed Easter and I’m excited to share so much more with you and bring you along the journey with me. Thanks for continuing to follow this blog. I know my life isn’t all that exciting and interesting, but you still motivate me more than you might know. 🙂

Love,

Melinda

The Art of Palm Weaving

TodayI…reflected on Palm Sunday. Well, today I realized that I have a lot to be thankful for. One thing I love about my faith is that we have so many amazing traditions. The changing of the colors from violet (Lent) to red (Palm Sunday), the blessing of the palms, making crosses out of the palm leaves, the preparation for Holy week and for Christ’s death and resurrection…I love it all. At mass today at St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in Lomita, we celebrated Palm Sunday. You can read more about Palm Sunday here. We read about the Lord’s Passion and the priest talked about how there are many excellent portrayals of this powerful event in movies, artwork, etc. However, none of those could accurately capture what it must have been like to be an actual witness of Jesus’s death like his disciples and his mother Mary were. He said, “It must have been something SO powerful that they HAD to tell people about it!” Then I thought about the times when I watched a great movie or visited a beautiful place…I could not wait to tell all my friends about it. The disciples who were witnesses of His death dedicated their lives to sharing His story…because they were probably SO moved! And…what good would it do to keep your passions to yourself? None, whatsoever! For this reason, I am so thankful for life and all it has to offer.

My crafty side started to kick in when I left Mass.  I started to think about what sort of things people can make out of palms…here’s what I found:

Palm leaf shoes

Handmade fruits

Palm baskets

Palm cross

Palm creatures

Crown of Thorns

Palm decorative cone

Rose buds

Palm flowers in vase

Palm Basket

Palm bowls (From dailydanny.com)

Palm hat by Kekoa Kaapu

People are so creative!! For How-To Steps on Making a Palm Cross, click here. Or watch this YouTube video below:

TodayI…Celebrated a 1st Birthday!

Last weekend, little Pao Pao turned 1! Life goes by so fast. My cousin Risha prepared a “Super Hero” themed party, which was so adorable that I had to post about it. Kids birthdays seem like a hassle to prepare and set up, but in the end it always works out. K ids are such a gift to celebrate. I honestly don’t know how my cousins do it with 3 kids all under 4, but praise God for life and family!

My first Photoshop creation. Hooray!

Garlands are so fun to make!

Good job on the cake Risha! I was impressed!

All the kids wore super hero capes! So fun. I wish I was a kid again.

And what’s a party without desserts galore?!?

To My Family: Thank you cousins for always inspiring me. How you show love to each other and to those around you is a great testament of God’s unfailing love. Also, I know it’s been an incredible journey for you guys and you’ve never lost faith. Risha, every time I ask you how you are doing, you always embrace suffering and say “Praise God.” When I hear you say that, I say to myself, “I need to say that more.” I admire your patience and strength. Cousin Jay, by far, the best cousin and Confirmation sponsor ever! I know we don’t talk as often as we used to, but your example and witness speaks more to me than  you can imagine! If you guys ever need anything, you know who to call!