Champaign-Urbana Deaf Catholic Ministry

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!!!

As I'm writing this, the sun has decided to come out on a chilly Thanksgiving Day.  It's so good to take some time to sit and think about the things for which we are thankful.  God is so good to us!  He gives us everything that we need - even if we don't always see that.  This year, I am thankful for many things.

First, I'm thankful for my health, the fact that I have a job, a house, a car, and food on my table.  So many people do not have these things, right here in the US. I'm thankful that the job comes with people that I enjoy working with - which is good because we are together a lot! 

I am thankful for my family.  We don't get together nearly as much as I think we'd all like.  Our recent family Thanksgiving was very nice and gave me my favorite picture of the year:  my mother with my youngest nephew, Oliver.  We had the "wisest" of the family with the youngest - and it turned out beautifully.  I am also thankful for the lovely way that my mother plays with her grandkids and great-grandkids.  It's so wonderful to see how uninhibited she is as she is playing - she's not afraid to be silly.  I need to be reminded of that more.

I am thankful for my four-legged family, Molly.  She is now 4 3/4 years old and I can't imagine life without her.  She acts as my backup (sometimes primary) alarm clock, makes sure I don't dawdle on our walks, showers me with love and plenty and plenty of licks ("kisses").  She also gives me many hugs when she brings her paws up to my chest - and always lets me know when someone is coming to the door, or to the neighbor's door!  She's a great companion as I travel for work.  I'm also very grateful for the great help that my twin sister gives me with Molly.  Without her help, I would not be able to have Molly and do all the travel that I do for work. 

I am thankful for the many men and women who serve our country - both in the armed forces and as police officers, fire personnel, paramedics, and other first responders.  They put their lives on the line every day to help each and every one of us.  They work 24/7, 365 days a year, including all the holidays we like to be home taking it easy, and I've personally benefited from their help.  So - I am thankful for all that they do. 

I am thankful for our medical care professionals - doctors, nurses, techs, and different therapists (physical, occupational, etc).  This has been a year of several challenges - and God has continually reminded me that HE is the one in control, not me.  I am sure some of those health care professionals have felt at times like I'm a thorn in their side - but I am very grateful for their kindness, skill and generosity in sharing their many gifts with me and others who need them. 

I am thankful for the many spiritual guides that God has placed in my life, from parish priests who recognize that the parish is about helping people become more like the people of God, to religious who teach me about different ways of approaching God, to the "ordinary" men and women who aren't so ordinary and share their lives and faith with me.  I'm not always immediately thankful for their messages - but as I look back in my life, I realize that those were messages that I needed to hear. 

Finally - and last is definitely not least! - I'm thankful beyond words for the great gift that God has been in my life; for his Son Jesus Christ who suffered, died on the cross, and rose so that all of us could have eternal life; and for the Spirit that is sent to inspire and lead us until Christ comes again.  I would not be the person I am without God and I am thankful for His patience with my stumblings, guiding words in times of darkness, and shared joy in times of light.  May He lead me ever more closely to His light and His presence!

My wish for each person that reads this is for a Thanksgiving - and a year - that is filled with a grateful heart.  And now, in the words of an Irish blessing,

May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.

God bless each of you and angels watch over you! 

Thanksgiving and Advent

This weekend, I went home to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family.  Before that, I hosted some Deaf friends at my home on Thanksgiving Day.  I enjoy both of these traditions - "Deaf Thanksgiving" for those who do not have other plans, and "Family Thanksgiving", with my family.  One of the things we discussed was the things we are thankful for.  These are some of the things I'm thankful for:

1.  God is wonderful and plans many miracles.  This summer, I was in Italy on a Deaf pilgrimage with 73 other people.  The last day of the pilgrimage was the awesome Mass at St. Peter's Basilica and the Social afterwards at the Divino Amore conference center outside Rome.  (Here is the webpage that talks about the trip:  Pilgrimage Page) Recently, Father Joe Mulcrone shared a story from that day with me.  Towards the end of the day, he slipped away to the "old church" at the top of a hill to give thanks to God for the trip.  The church is beautiful and he was there for a few minutes.  As he came out of the church, he saw some other people that had been at the social and Signed to them to go inside the church, that it was beautiful.  He also noticed some other people over to the side watching him very intently.  They weren't with the "pilgrimage groups".  They seemed to be looking at him very strongly and he had a feeling, so he went over and asked them in Italian if they were Deaf.  They were!  Father Joe realized that they had no idea that 1,000 other Deaf people were at the bottom of the hill, so he told them to follow him.  They were a little unsure at first, but followed him down a little winding path.  At the end of the path, Thanks be to God, there was a group of Italian Deaf that was with one of the pilgrimage groups.  The group that came with Father Joe was very surprised to see all of these Deaf people - and the Italians were thrilled to see some other Deaf people!  When we left an hour or so later, they were still in a small cafe', sharing stories.  The thing I love about this story is that Father Joe had to be paying attention to what was going on around him.   God wants to use us to create "everyday miracles" but we have to pay attention to what's going on around us.  Who knows?  Maybe tomorrow will be your chance to be a miracle for someone else. 

2.  God gives us many blessings.  I have many blessings in my life.  I have my family, friends who I can share many things with and count on.  I have a good job, a home, and food on my table.  One of my best blessings right now is my Pointer puppy, Molly.  She's always happy to see me and always wants to  do things with me.  She also keeps me humble, and teaches me to really pay attention to what I'm doing with her.  She watches both what I say and what I do - and pays more attention to what I do!  Actions speak louder than words with her.  It's the same with God - He listens to what we say to Him but also watches closely to what we do.  Do our actions match what we say?  

3.  God gives me His presence.  There have been times in my life when I have really, truly, felt the Presence of God.  Once, I was in church at Mass and it was almost as if I felt His arms wrapped around me saying "Welcome Home".  More often, it's simply when I go outside at night and see the stars.  They are so awesome and beautiful, they always make me say "Thank you" to God. 

4.  God gives me his Peace.  God gave each of us a marvelous gift - the gift of His Son, Jesus.  Jesus came to teach us about God, to save us from sin, and to show us how we were to live.  At every Mass, we are reminded that Jesus shares peace with us and we share peace with each other. 

5.  God gives us a chance to get ready for Him.  Today, we started a new church year with the season of Advent.  We are waiting for the coming of Jesus, and waiting for the coming of Christmas. 

My Thanksgiving and Advent wish to you is a Blessed Advent, filled with the anticipation that Christ will come again, and filled with the knowledge that Christ is also here with us now, in the hearts and minds of those that we love and meet everyday.