Catholics
Comments
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Msphil-I have know idea who you are-------?????????? Tell me when I posted to you or where,,, Duh --no clue, post the link, so if it's something I need to deal with , otherwise you are a figment of your own imagination.
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Misphil-you were on the" preparing to be bald thread"----i did not post to you ----- My post was to Mis- Marie, So why have you followed me here-------???? and so vehemently
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Misphil----condolences regardining your mother , checked your home page to see, where we might be connected, It was the "preparing to be bald " thread. I didn't post to you , but your other posts about your mom just dying, so sorry for your loss. Our Moms are everything to us. Join our novena Namaste sheila
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Novena Day 3? I am losing count. Namaste.
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Yes, Novena Day 3 it is!
Thanks I'll check out the Google translator and let you know what I find!0 -
Lovemyfamily, wonderful news.
Diamond Girl thank you for the prayer.
Prayers please for my friends son, Bobby, a teen suffering from mental illness.
Today I looked at my mom and could actually see the cancerous nodes by her clavicle. I have been crying all night. Prayers that her cancer will go into remission and I ask for your prayers that I can accept Gods will.
Lord God please bless all on this thread, hear their cries for help, give them courage and strength to face their challenges, knowing You are always beside them. Relieve the suffering of those afflicted with illness, especially those with cancer. Thank You for the treatments You have given us and please continue to bless us with even more and effective treatments. We are not worthy of all of the blessings You have bestowed upon us but we ask that, although so unworthy, You keep us in Your care. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen0 -
I ran the San Rocco prayer through the Google translator. Some of the translations it returned were quite hilarious. The best part was the last line..I typed "mails" instead of "malis" and the transation asked for freedom from so many emails...now that I can relate to)!
I think I've fixed it up below. It's a lovely prayer:
To a humanity tormented by so many evils, San Rocco bring hopes of a better future.
Pilgrim of charity, remain a symbol of brotherly love. And all people look to San Rocco and pray, confident of his protection and his graces.
People near and far gather around the healer to ask God, through his intercession, for freedom from so many evils. AmenHave a great weekend everyone!
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Thank you, Michelle, for the prayer. Interesting to hear about all these saints. Prayers for you for good health. Blessings, mary
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Novena day 4 and of course prayers for your friend's son and your mother. I have two sons who have had problems with depression, and understand the pain involved. It will get better. Teenage years are so hard for some. I really hope your mother's cancer will go into remission. We have had wonderful prayers answered on Novenas. Please let us know how she is doing. God bless.
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Thank you, Kay. Glad to hear that your sons have risen above and beyond depression. So much pressure on kids today. Thanks for continuing prayers for mom. I will keep you and your family in mine. I, too, continue with the Novena. Have a peaceful weekend. Namaste my friend. Mary
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To All and especially mkkjd60 : I know at times we feel so helpless, you can just watch in the sideline and can't really do anything. I was at that stage when my mom went into paliative care, and that memory is still fresh. I hope the prayers below will give you some solace. God Bless you all!
I have 2 prayers below:
(1)
Listen to the words of the Book of Lamentations:
My soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is;
I tell myself my future is lost, all that I hoped for from the Lord.
But I will call this to mind, as my reason to have hope:
The favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent;
They are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness.
My portion is the Lord, says my soul; therefore I will hope in Him.
(2) Prayer:
If I react to bad news in fear or panic, dear Lord, it just adds to the problem. Of course, even though I know this, sometimes what I hear just takes me by surprise. So please help me look to you when bad tidings come. Help me be still as you show me how to respond in faith. May faith win the day right now as I stand my ground, trusting in you against any danger. (From: The RIght prayers for every need).
Michello13: the San Rocco prayer is great, thanks for posting. I hope you didn't find it too difficult to use translate.google.com
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Diamond girl, what beautiful prayers! Thank you so much for them. As I read them, I truly exhaled and let them fill me with the Holy Spirit. What a gift! Blessings to you always, Mary
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mkkjd60 (Mary), you are very welcome
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Diamond Girl... a beautiful prayer I will refer to this one alot! thank you so much for posting
Maria
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Thanks DiamondGirl. Beautiful!
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Day 5
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Hello everyone. I'm back from the retreat! Wow! wow wow! The theme of the retreat was John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid."
I was diagnosed a year ago this last week....The peace I have now I understand comes from a love so great so powerful, that no one in this world can give to me. Last year I left everything in God's hands. Today I gladly and humbly accept His gift of peace, and say thank you.
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would love to hear more about the retreat, sagina. sounds wonderful! I am looking for a retreat.
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Gina, your post was so uplifting. I know that I need to more intently pursue that peace that only God offers. My many moments of fear during my moms cancer, especially after her stage iv dx, would be calmed if only I could let go and give over completely to Him. Why can't I stop the worry and depression? It's because I still lack the peace that I can only find thru God. I must continue to struggle to be in His light. Thanks. Mary
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The ACTS retreat originated in San Antonio at the very parish that invited me to go. They started them in 1987, and they have been traveling since. ACTS is Adoration, Community, Theology, and Service. The following is from the ACTS mission website.
"An ACTS retreat is a Catholic lay retreat presented by fellow parishioners. Talks and activities during the retreat focus on Adoration, Community, Theology, and Service. Holy Scripture and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church are the guides for the retreats.
The retreat takes on the traditions and atmosphere of the parish community sponsoring it. The retreat facilitates the attainment of a new or deeper relationship with the Lord through: Adoration - the call by, acceptance of, and response to God; Community - the love and caring of each other; Theology - the study of God through scripture and the Catholic Faith; Service - to God and his people."
My personal experiences were amazing - first of all my friend who is a parishioner, texted me that a spot was open and paid for would I like to go - I asked for the day off, no prob, no texted her back with a yes. Looked at calendar realized it was my anniversary one year - of dx.
I meet my roommate - she is a BC survivor from 1998, and oh, wait, in this city of one million people and hundreds of MO, we have the SAME MO.
We all spent time in discussion, prayed together, sang together, and interesting activities were planned. The ACTS retreats have been essentially the same since 1987, so to keep your first retreat full of wonder like I was, I won't go into detail about the activities - but they were moving, humbling, and thought provoking. Time wasn't an issue for us, that was the first step in giving it up - no watches or cells, it was a good thing.
The nuns that own the retreat center did all the cooking, home cooking...the music was great and for a second I didn't want to return to the "real" world, where the bad words lurk, where the hatred seethes, and where people forget they are in the presence of God always.
I love this thread so much. I want to surround myself with people just like me, trying my best to pray, love the Lord and each other, and truly learn to leave it in the Hands of the Lord. What we can not change, we can only pray about any way. Jesus dying on the cross for us is the greatest pain and sacrifice that ever will be made, so what is there we can't handle? We all surprise ourselves daily with strength that is bestowed upon us.
Mary, check your archdiocese for a an ACTS retreat. It's just the breath of air we all need.
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Gina, it sounds like the retreat was amazing. I checked the website and it doesn't appear to be offered in Canada.
Has anyone here done the Alpha course? It is offered at our parish and everyone I know who has done it has said it is life-changing. I haven't found the time to do it yet because I'm too busy shuttling my kids to all their various activities. My plan at this point is to attend the spring session after skating season is done!
Mary, it is difficult to let go and put yourself in God's hands. I think I mentioned on this thread once before that on the Sunday after my diagnosis when I went to Mass, I felt like the Gospel reading and the homily were speaking directly to me. That gave me a lot of peace and comfort and I decided I needed to let go of the anxiety and leave the outcome in God's hands. I prayed for strength to cope with my treatments. God has answered my prayers and I have been able to cope quite well so far.0 -
Gina - I was on retreat this weekend too! Our SFO group (those that could) met at the San Damiano Spiritual Life Center here in the Arlington diocese. We met on Friday evening and stayed until late Saturday afternoon. It was lead by the Administrator of the center, a Third Order Franciscan named Fr. Sam. None of us wanted to leave!! Skip and I were one of two couples and the rest were women from our fraternity. It was kind of funny... both Skip and the other man, our leader, are musicians so Father asked them to do the music for Mass on Saturday so they were not sitting in the pews with the rest of us gals. There was a mini-day retreat also going on for a confirmation group from a local church - a group of freshmen high schoolers. We SFO ladies sat on the left side of the chapel and the high schoolers sat on the right side. After Mass, we went to our respective meeting rooms to have lunch. One of the women with us heard some boys talking and said, "I've never seen so many nuns before!" LOL!!
Retreats are so wonderful. We also have a Cistercian Monastery outside of town and I've been there several times for self-guided silent retreats. Those are wonderful too.
Mary, I'm sorry you are struggling with your Mom's cancer. Many of us have walked in your shoes. You said "Why can't I stop the worry and depression? It's because I still lack the peace that I can only find thru God." I'm not sure if that's 100% true, as only you and God know your relationship, but grief like that is very difficult, if not impossible, to overcome with peace. Look at our Blessed Mother ... her heart-breaking sorrows! She was not spared. Out of our grief comes compassion. When my Mom was dying of a brain tumor (she was a breast cancer survivor for over 20 years), I was such a basket case that I had to have a mild anti-depressant and once we found the one that helped me, I was able to walk on. I stayed on it for about a year and then went off with my doctor's help. Just remember that all of this will one day be a memory and that you will come through it a better person *because* of your faith in God. We are here for you, sister!
You know what Father told me to do this weekend, and it really helped? When I was alone or almost alone in chapel, I was to go up to the altar and place my hand on the altar and look at the Crucifix or the Blessed Sacrament and give to Jesus everything I was worried or concerned about. And that's what I did. I reverently went up to the altar and told Jesus that I wanted Him to take my specific worries... . Then I walked away, leaving them with Him. Father said, if ever I feel the need to take them back, then picture myself going back up to the altar and taking them back from Jesus... you can't do it. :-)
I offered prayers to my BC sisters this weekend. Sheila, I especially thought of you and your bean. I hope all is going well for you.
Pax et bonum!
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Theresa what a wonderful story and there in the end you think of me, I'm smiling, and the tears wanted to come , but only the smile, I would have to say your prayer or that of many has worked b/c you know I have leaked(cried) allot. Bless you for you kindness, Huggs
Gina, your retreat spurs me on too, there has been a brochure sitting on the shelf for a year. I was surprised my church sent it only a few months after Greg died. I didn't feel ready, then when I did something inside said not yet. Then Bean comes along.
I haven't been doing my job as librarian . Transferring prayers to the archives. I will get back to it, but with all the prayers I will have much transferring to do.Michello -------glad you came and stayed, bless you. I'm part Canadian. The Canadians love the cold weather and snow and outdoor cold events as we much as dislike it. I know you had a slow start this year b/c a cousin was belaboring they couldn't get out to slush? That's if I understand correctly is snow shoeing. Another two cousins be-cried lacking of good skiing.
Mary-----so sorry about Mom, Theresa's so right. Perhaps a wee bit of something will help. One of the biggest revelations in the last 4 months for me was, that I was reliving my husbands death in our bedroom each night. To avoid that I'd stay up each night to absolute point of exhaustion----not healthy. Secondly, guilt----I couldn't make it better. We wife's, daughters and mothers spend our lives fixing things and I couldn't fix it. Once I realized those two things on the same night, it's helped. Once we know something , it's easier to let it go. I still have a couple three rarely 4 versus every night. I can function better b/c sleep is so rejuvenating. Then Bean came along, must admit back in somewhat the same pattern, but know why. That's the difference from what I said earlier. Guilt ---we have this overwhelming need to fix it, but when it's time, we must give into the Lord's will, that it is time.. Love your mom well and talk as much as you can, record her voice. I inadvertently found two old voice mails on my cell from Greg. Just everyday stuff, but it gives me great comfort to here the sound of his voice. Almost erased them without listening. My Spirit stopped me. I had erased an unknown number without listening b/c I just learned how. Then the last 3 ---2 of Greg----Dh were 1 year + old,1 of steve. I had this unusual complusion to listen, to the last 3.
I would like to thank Racy again for bringing us all closer. She brought us a gift and back to our care for each other. Bless her pilgrimage that should be completed today or tomorrow, We are praying to a woman , that I still don't know quite much about. Which is interesting, since we knew so much about the people of our other novena's. I do so hope Racy stays with us too.
Remember along time ago we used to talk about our quiet friends. They watch ,but didn't post, I so much wish they would post. Look what a few have done in gathering with us. Namaste sheila
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Hello Ladies
I know that some of you receive Herceptin so that's why I'm posting this on here (I have also posted this on the thread "Herceptin Side Effects Poll ")
I was wondering if any of you had experienced a similar SE as myself. I got dose #14 of Herceptin on 6 Oct. Over this past while (some months) I have had a small swelling on my left index finger, at the last joint just before the finger nail. Over this past few weeks it has started to increase in size. Seems like a fluid in it which then solidifys. My GP took blood sample and the results all came back normal except for one which was slightly high and is an indication of Gout ! ! (obviously from my high lifestyle lol) However he said that if it was Gout I should be experiencing pain which I am not. He is sending result onto my Onc for comment. GP also organised an X-Ray to check if there is any bone damage - haven't had the results of that yet.
I have heard of some people experiencing pain in their joints as a SE of the Herceptin. Would be interested to hear if any of you have had similar experience.
Gina and Theresa you both seemed to have had wonderful experiences.
take care all
Frank
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22 minutes ago, edited 5 minutes ago by sas-schatzi sas-schatziwrote: Transferred this here a bit out of selfish reasons---------you know me well. The stories about DH and DM I had to bring to family. L&H& P's This was from another thread that I promised to take her initials off.
I checked your birth age-----1970 yes. Please at some point spend an afternoon with your MIL. She might have some fun ways to show you how to use scarves. Late50-70's scarves were part of the fashion attire. It was different if you were a southern bell or hippy. If you have a closeness with her, even if you don't. It may be a great afternoon b/c she' going to tell you stories that her husband hasn't even heard. Have a baby sitter if children ,and kids taken care of into the evening by hubby or babysitter if you decided to imbibe together and a couple good bottles of wine/whatever. You have an opportunity. She cared enough about the scarves.
MY MIL-----, she would have never done anything so kind.
So, until you have an afternoon with just you two , you will never know her intent. Once you know her intent--------you could have a grand friendship- bonded. Conversely, she could really piss you off. But until all is said and done you won't know. It could be an afternoon that grows to a deep love for her, or dislike. Take the risk------if it ends in great love for her , just think you may have missed it. If you end up disliking, her well same thing ----you know. But to have missed the first would be a travesty.
I could do no thing right for MIL, SIL'S could do no wrong. One her DD.
My DH I know had a totally different and healthier love for my MOM than his own MOM, but LOL, They bonded over sports. She said she would watch American football with him, if he watched baseball, golf, and hockey with her. Duh was he in heaven. Then they agreed to watch Nascar.--------When she moved up north with my twin and stayed with her. My DH said I miss my Gertie. WHY? "I have know one to watch sports with". I tried, but had to have a book in hand.
I felt his words were such attribute to there relationship----------always has made me glad. The memory now is even more special.
Hope you don't mind I'm going to transfer a copy to the Catholic thread, Many there have a history of Us----DH AND ME------we also tell lots of stories about our moms on the thread. Once transferred I will take out your initials , but leave in age, so as to give a time context Namaste sheila
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Frank I'm still up ---the rest are asleep----I have no clue, but as they awake I'm sure someone will have an answer for you, In the mean time since he put a needle in it. Take 1part bleach to 9 parts water and soak for ten minutes. Then rinse with plain water well and soap. If you get a tingling to the area , repeat as necessary up to 3 x's then report to doctor. Any unusual redness swelling or drainage report right away. The first bleach soak though should take care of it. Any hesitancy about doing this without talking to your traveling nurse or doc ----the obvious answer is don't.-------No gardening, dirt etc Namaste sheila
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Ladies, just checking in to confirm I am in Sydney where it's Tuesday night. Tomorrow I go to the Mary Mackillop shrine and chapel and mass is at 1pm.
I have been saying the novena and my intentions are for all members of the BCO community, that they will face their illness with hope and courage, that their treatments will be effective and they will be healed in body, mind and spirit.
I also pray that our doctors and other health professionals who treat us are inspired with knowledge and compassion needed to effectively treat us. I pray too for family and friends who support us. May God bless them for their selflessness and kindness.
I pray for the moderators who manage this site and for all who contribute, both medical experts and members who share their knowledge and support other members with compassion in the forums. May they be blessed for providing such a necessary service and continue to be inspired in this work and form of ministry.
I pray for the medical researchers who are striving to develop better treatments and to find a cure for this disease, and for those patients who participate in research trials. May a cure soon be found for this disease.
Lastly, I pray for the special intentions of members who have posted prayer requests on the Catholic threads. May God grant their prayers and strengthen our faith so that we can continue to do His will and bring others to know Him by our words and actions.
I will remember all the above tomorrow at the chapel and during the mass.
I will post again when I get home.
Through the intercession of St Mary Mackillop, (Australia's first saint canonised 17 October 2010), may God bless us all.0 -
Amen.
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Sweet Sisters,
I ask for your prayers for my daughter, Camille, who is "on holiday in Turkey." Her flight landed safely without incident earlier this morning. I am not at all comfortable with the fact that she chose Turkey as a place to vacation! The young..... what are they thinking? Sometimes, the smarter they are, the less sense they seem to have!
I appreciate all your prayers for her continued safety while in a country where Americans are not all that welcome! All of you continue to be in my prayers daily.
Hugs and Prayers,
Sandy
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Thank you so much Racy! You have really brought a blessing to this thread.
Frank, you know we're both on Herceptin. You have had more txs than me. I will be getting #8 tomorrow (at least that's what I think it is). I have had joint pain recently, not with the first doses. And I know it's from Herceptin because right now that is all I am on., My fingers, my toes and my knees. Some days my knees were so bad I had to crawl up the steps. Right now it's not that bad at all. It seems to follow the pattern of the se's from my chemo. First couple of days after tx, no problems, then they hit and stay for a week or more, then a few days before the next treatment, they subside. Recently I got lymphedema, so I am not sure if the swelling is from that or the Herceptin. I think the lymphedema though. Fingers, hand and forearm are swollen, but they're improving a lot with treatment.
Shiela, nice to hear about your Greg's and mom's relationship. I had a bad relationship with my MIL for a lot of years, but it is much better now. Not since the cancer, before that. Not sure what changed it. It is great to have those feelings and memories.
Novena for everyone's intentions. Namaste.
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