A bit of my beginning

I was raised in the most incredible Catholic environment! I never questioned my faith.... well Okay, that isn't 100% true, I once asked a sister in Catholic School to prove to me the Pope had a white phone that was a direct link to God.  Haha, she was a smart sister, she assigned me the task of investigating what infallibility meant. That was fifth grade, I really appreciated Sister Lila Marie! She wore plaid tennis shoes!

It was a wonderful life!  I had the best priest in the world, Father Oscar Ferland!  He later became Msgr. Ferland, but at my church he was Father.  He would come and take my sisters and I to the beach.  He was an incredibly holy man.  He meant the world to me, and I never wanted to disappoint him.

When I was 9 years old, I broke my back, Father Ferland introduced me to the young college students who played guitar at our church.  I was so impressed with them, I never imagined breaking my back, landing in the hospital for such a long time would grant me the blessing of meeting them, AND becoming a member of their "Sing Out" group!  Oh the joy in my heart, and the love that I was to know, and still know from these incredible people!

I'm trying to paint a picture for you, of the blessings in my life.  Not only did I have parents that lived and loved the Catholic Faith, an AWESOME saintly Godmother, (God rest her loving soul), and aunts and uncles that really genuinely cared for me, but I had priests, and sisters that really helped me to be the devout Catholic that I was. 

I was incredibly well blessed, I think down deep I knew that too.

I'll share more of the growing years here and there, (I think, since I have never written a blog...) 
One thing that is important in my story, I am the oldest child, born prematurely, in the age when there wasn't special hospitals for premature babies.  I lived, the first of many miracles that would touch my life.  I would always hold that close to my heart. 

The youngest of my three sisters was born in 1973, the same year as Roe vs. Wade.  Now it is important to understand that we lived a very sheltered life and were never exposed to things that would confound our innocent minds.  When the Supreme Court passed Roe vs. Wade, I was 16 years old, innocent and shocked to hear what it meant.  When I say shocked, I mean, totally over the top mortified to think that anyone, for one minute could think it was acceptable to kill a baby, before or after it was born!

I can remember when I was very young, my aunt came over, quite pregnant; I asked my mother, "how is that baby going to get out???" My mother's reply will forever be the most intelligent reply I have ever heard, she said, "God has given woman a womb, a special place that the baby can grow and be loved in, when it is time for the baby to be born, He will open up the womb, and the baby will be born."  Wow! I thought, (in my mind,) So there must be a zipper that shows up, and that is how the mommy knows the baby is ready to come out, when she see's the zipper!  LOL, mind you I had to be about 4 years old, however, that explanation was good enough for me until I was actually present at a birth, at 15 years old.

My mother always had great Catholic answers.  How wonderful!

One thing my mother would tell me, as I got older, confounded me, I now wish she was more specific, though I doubt it would have made to much of a difference.  She would say, "why buy the cow, if you can get the milk for free?"  Huh?  What?  Since we didn't have cows, the whole thing was lost on me.  Ah, to be young again, and realize that giving away the most sacred part of your feminity for "free" was the same as damaging your most prized possession!  God's most prized possession!