Why is it that we call the day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday" and everyone who was so busy being thankful the day before runs out to consume, consume, consume?

Do people flock to Mass on Good Friday to mourn the death of Jesus?

Doesn't this seemed wrong that we will shop and celebrate "Black Friday" and give so little thought to Good Friday; the day Our Lord died for our sins?

For me, Good Friday is more like Black Friday. I drape a black cloth in my home and outside on my porch.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that our society has turned a shopping event into something more important than the death of Jesus.

As we enter into Advent, may we all focus on the gift Our Father gave us--His Son.

As we progress through Advent, may we focus our hearts, souls, and minds on Jesus that as well come to Lent we will be able to see Good Friday as "Black Friday" and mourn for Our Lord so that on Easter Sunday we can Rejoice for the gift of the Resurrection.

Jesus died for our sins! Could we repay Him by making Him the center of our lives? Could we repay Him by working to save the unborn?

Blessed be God Forever!

Rosary!!!!!!

I am thankful for the life the God has given me.

I thankful for my husband, children, parents, brother, mother-in-law, sister-in-laws, brother-in-laws, nieces, nephews, godchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins, close friends, and all friends.

I am thankful for my blogging buddies and all my friends who are brought to me through Christ.

I am thankful I can vote.

I am thankful for the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I am thankful for the freedom to worship in the Catholic Church.

I am thankful God called me to the Catholic Church.

I am thankful that I can receive Our Lord in the Eucharist.

I am thankful that I can visit Our Lord in the Blessed Tabernacle.

I am thankful that I can teach with the little knowledge I have the faith of the Catholic Church.

I am thankful that I can freely work to save the unborn.

I am thankful that I can freely write on my blog about protecting the unborn.

I am thankful that I can help try to make the world a better place.

I am thankful that I can work to better the social justice problems in our world.

I am thankful for my relationship with the Lord.

I am thankful for all the wonderful people God has put in my path.

I am thankful for the food, clothing, shelter, and many extras the Lord has given my family.

I am thankful for my husband's job.

I am thankful for our health.

I am thankful for the love I feel each day from many people.

I am thankful for each breathe I take.

I am thankful for the birds, the trees, the grass, the flowers, the clouds, the rain, the sunshine, the parks, our schools, and our world.

I am thankful for raindrops, snow, animals, my dog (Cissy), lakes, spiders, lady bugs, grass hoppers, and much more.

I have thankful for the stars.

I am thankful for being able to be thankful.

I am thankful for all the wonder blogs I read, learn from , and grow in faith from.

I am thankful for being able to spend Thanksgiving with my parents and our friends, the other Mike and Kathy Miller (from Seneca Falls).

I am thankful I have great kids who love God and take their faith seriously.

I am thankful that I am blessed with many good things in my life.

I am thankful for the times I must bear the cross since I know that it will only help me grow closer to Our Lord.

I am thankful for being me and for being a child of God.

I am thankful that I have people come and read my blog.

I am thankful that I can once again ask all of you to help save the unborn, to pray the rosary, and to help with social justice issues in this country.

I am thankful that I can ask you to pray for President Bush as he ends his term and to pray for President-elect Obama that he have a change of heart in regards to abortion.

I am thankful that I can stand outside Planned Parenthood and pray to end abortion.

I am thankful for all those who work so hard to stop abortion.

Blessed be God Forever!

Please pray your rosary today!

JMJ

Happy 11th Birthday to my dear Joseph!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY JOSPEH!

Today we celebrate my second youngest child, Jospeh's 11th Birthday.

Joseph is a joy and a great blessing in our lives.

He always makes us stop and listen to what other possibilites there are in life.

He is a talented musician, a good athlete, a hardworking student, and a compassionate young man.

He is also serves Our Lord at the altar with his brother.

He is my shining star and today, I thank God for his presence in my life.

I love you Joseph Hevron Burke!!

God bless you on your special day!

Blessed Be God Forever!

Failure is not the final word.

Love is the final word.

And love is the most living thing of all because love is of God.

--- George Wiegel

Love is the final word and I know that as long as we unite together and love each other, we will win the battle against this culture of death.

We will have the final word and we will show the world that God is love!

God's love should motivate us to make the world a better place and to start with the unborn.

Blessed be God forever and may you know that He loves you more than you will ever know!

Here is a link to the Westchester Institute and a great article that you want to take the time to read in regards to Obama and the pro-life forces. It is a good article and you should consider signing up for their newsletters.

Thank you and say your Rosary for the pro-life movement!

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

---MLK Jr.

and I may add that means in the womb as well!!!

If we don't show justice there, then where it there justice?

God bless you and may find it in your heart to fight for justice in the womb.

From there, fight for justice for those that you fought for while in the womb.

The pro-life fight does not stop once the babies are born.

We need to help these babies grow up to know the love, support, and kindness that helped them be born.

Be the person God intended for you to be and you will help make this world an awesome place.

Blessed be God Forever!

JMJ

Pray the Rosary!

The Blessed Mother is pro-life--she had Jesus, didn't she?

Thanks for stopping by!

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does!!

--Wm. James

You make a difference in how you treat others.

You make a difference on how your live your life.

You make a difference when you stand up for the defenseless.

You make a difference when you pray.

You make a difference when you hug your children.

You make a difference when you smile at a stranger.

You make a difference when you get up each and try to make the world a better place.

You make a difference by just being in this world.

You make a difference becasue God is good and He is the creator of ALL!!!

You make a difference because you believe God is calling you to love his people.

You make a difference so why not inspire others to do the same?

Why not try to help save the unborn??

This will make a huge difference!

Blessed be God Forever!

JMJ

Don't forget to say your rosary!

Book Review: Graced and Gifted: Biblical Wisdom for the Homemakers Heart By Kimberly Hahn

Grace and Gifted:

Biblical Wisdom for the Homemakers Heart

By Kimberly Hahn

Being a book reviewer for The Catholic Company, I am blessed with being able to read Catholic material that relates to my life.

My latest book review touches the core of my heart since my vocations of motherhood and marriage are my paths to the Lord.

Kimberly Hahn reminds me that my work as a Homemaker has extraordinary grace available to me through the sacraments.

I have always thought of my vocation as Holy, but never related them to the sacraments.

God calls us to be that woman. She also shows her readers how to apply the Proverbs 31 woman's wisdom, grace, and gentleness into our own lives as well care for our families.

She also discusses the importance of Prayer, Person, Partner, Parent, and Provider and how they relate to the sacraments. I was simply amazed at how she was able to connect the mundane work that I do each and every day with the sacraments. I was felt a new sense of joy when I thought of my chores and duties at home as a fulfillment of the sacraments. This really brought about a new way of thinking for me.

Kimberly states,"It's a joy to know that even though you walk your own path, you do not walk alone." So many mothers/wives feel this way. They are walking there path and no one is there to support them. However, we do have Our Lord and the sacraments to support us.

Kimberly's book encourages to respond to our Lord with, "Yes, Lord, for you I will ..." When you realize that you are working for the Lord by taking care of your family, you have a new joy put into your work.

Kimberly writes that ordinary work gives us extraordinary grace. We need to model after the Proverbs 31 woman by caring for the practical needs of our household, work with willing hands, realize our small efforts count, and to cook with the right attitude.

She encourages her readers to say to the Lord while they are cooking, "Lord, help me to bless my family with this meal."

I asked this of the Lord the first night I made a meal after reading Kimberly's words and I have to say it made me feel peaceful while cooking for my family rather than dreading preparing the meal.

Time is a gift--these minutes will never occur again writes Kimberly. She is right about this and so we must work hard to manage our time wisely to best serve the Lord and our families. Her book gives wonderful examples and ideas on how to do this.

Kimberly's book should be a gift that each young Catholic woman receives before her wedding day. It would help her set a strong foundation for her marriage, her faith life, and for her future .

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to put Christ back as the focus of their lives and to put joy back into the task of the everyday life stuff.

This review was written as part of the The Catholic Company product review program. Visit the Catholic Company to find out more information on Kimberly Hahn's book Graced and gifted: Biblical Wisdom for the Homemakers Heart.

Dr. Seus once said,"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

He is right; unless we care a whole awful lot about defeating abortion and loving our neighbors, things will not get better.

I encourage each of you today to get out there in the trenches and fight the pro-life fight. I encourage each of you to get out there and love your neighbor.

I encourage each of you to take pray up as your weapon to defeat the evils of this world.

I encourage each of you to start your day with prayer; pray without ceasing!

Blessed Be God Forever!

JMJ

Rosary-- Our Lady is waiting to help you take up the fight. Let her be your guide!

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant!

--- Martin Luther King Jr.

So it shall be with the pro-life movement!!! We may have a temporary set-back with President elect Obama, but we are right and so we will be stronger than evil at its glory!

This urgent prayer request has come to me by my dear friend Kathy over at the Daily Grotto--

We must pray hard for a 16 year old who is seeking an abortion in the next 2 weeks. Her mother has full knowledge and seems to be supportive. It seems it is the grandmother (a devout Catholic and a friend of Kathy's) who is trying to help her young granddaughter have a change of heart.

Thank you prayer warriors! I will keep you updated on how things go. Until then, don't stop praying!

Blessed be God forever!

JMJ

Rosary!!!

Below is the link to the article in the Catholic Courier in regards to Saturday's Pro-life event!

http://www.catholiccourier.com/tmp1.cfm?nid=78&articleid=104336&cfid=6628780&cftoken=63971838