Mother’s Day is a wonderful holiday, a day to celebrate our moms. As a mother myself, it’s special to me. However, when you no longer have a mother to celebrate with, this day becomes bittersweet. I lost my mom 33 years ago and each Mother’s Day since has been hard. The pain of loss does not go away–yes, it diminishes, but there is a big hole in your life when the woman who gave you that life is no longer in it. No one else in your life will ever love you like your mom-no one.

Today I want to honor my brave and beautiful mom even though she is not here with us. This is my story of losing my mom. When my mother died, I was only 30 years old. Here is my story of my journey through grief.

 

Losing Mom

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Call it a random Monday post–here is my simple recipe for apple pie that always gets compliments. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients

5-6 large apples (I use whatever I have handy, usually a mix of types)

Prepared pie crust (I’m lazy about this, but if you want to make your own, feel free!)

Sugar

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Butter

Milk or cream

Directions

Peel and slice the apples, then toss with approximately 1/2 cup flour to coat. Add 3/4 cup of sugar, sprinkle in some cinnamon (whatever looks good to you) and a dash of nutmeg. Place in prepared crust, dot with several dabs of butter. Cover with top crust, brush top crust with milk/cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream if desired!

It’s that simple from my amazing grace filled life!

Doubting Thomas

In the readings at Mass this last Sunday, we heard the story of doubting Thomas. Thomas said he would only believe in Christ’s resurrection when he could see the holes in the Lord’s hands and side for himself. When he finally gets to see, and proclaims his belief, Jesus replies “you believe because you see, but how blessed are those who do not see and still believe. “

Christ Among Us

I have always taken comfort in this verse, as we in this time do not have the chance to see him. But this Sunday when I heard this story for the 200^th time, it suddenly dawned on me—we DO see Him! We see him in everyone we lay eyes on: family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and strangers. We are all part of the Body of Christ so when we see each other, we are seeing Christ. An Aha moment if I’ve ever had one. He left us to each other to remind us of Him and teaches us through His actions about how to treat each other.

Grace

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Have you ever said, “you can never have too much _______?” Sometimes there are things in our world and life that just speak to us and that we can’t seem to get enough of. Shoes, stuffed animals, baskets, candles, books –so many wonderful items in this world can catch our attention.There are only a few things that I say that about and I can tell you what they are right now!

Sweaters

As I browsed the clearance rack at my local department store, I was gravitating towards sweaters—I live in the Pacific Northwest and it is always sweater weather here! I have never met a sweater that didn’t belong in my closet, so the chance to get a new one at a clearance price was delighting me (I am easy to please!). My latest obsession is cardigans—and if they have pockets—look out! Something about a warm and cozy sweater just speaks to my comfort-craving soul. I have them in all sizes and colors and in every room of my house, just waiting to be put on at the first hint of cold air. I know how to stay warm!

Snapdragons

I LOVE snapdragons! I love my yard and have 3 flower gardens and approximately 20 pots for flowers. In the middle Continue Reading