Better than the Oscars…much better!

I heard the Oscar nominations came out last week.  Yawn!  😉

How can I have time for Hollywood when the blogosphere is all abuzz with bestowing its own awards….and guess what?  A few have actually landed on my own blog!

             

I’m taking a bow:  “Thank you very much!”  And, blowing kisses to the talented and exceedingly kind bloggers who have chosen my blog for three separate awards.

To Karin at Reflections on the Sacred, Nancy at The Cloistered Heart and The Breadbox Letters,  Caroline at Bell of the Wanderer, and Anna at Bent Bow, I am indebted for the gift of The Sunshine Award.  Thank you ladies, who all bring sunshine into my life by your friendship, including my new friend Anna who super surprised me, as I didn’t even know she read my blog. Warmest hugs to all of you!

To Nancy and Anna, I additionally owe my gratitude for The Big Moment Award.

And my new friend Anna even gave me a third honor, The Semper Fidelis Award.

Now that I have thanked, and linked back to all of these wonderful bloggers who so graciously thought of me, I am supposed to tell ten things about myself that you probably don’t know yet, and then pass along these awards to blogs of my choice. I have to leave a comment telling each blogger of their award, and they have to do all of the above, plus use the award badge in their acceptance post.

Choosing worthy blogs is the easy part; ten things about me…not so easy.  But, here goes:

My first grandchild is due in May!  She’s a girl, and I am so delighted!  I saw her on 3-D ultrasound at 22 weeks, and of course, she is beautiful!

After much thought, I have settled on “gram” or “grammie” as the official moniker for my new vocation in life:  spoiling my son and daughter-in-law’s child like crazy, and bestowing copious amounts of affection on said child.  Yeah, I’m excited!

I can say the alphabet backwards, fast or slow, however you like it.  I’ve been doing this since I was eight years old, and of course, it’s not difficult, but for some unknown reason, people are impressed. Go figure!

I love animals.  I really love them, as in being totally traumatized by “Old Yeller.”  I could not watch it with my son when he wanted to see it 25 years later.  My husband started turning off the tv when I was reduced to tears on Sunday nights because Lassie got into trouble each week.  On a more positive note, I have fed, sheltered, rescued and found homes for a considerable number of cats/kittens in my lifetime.  (I love dogs too, but I’m convinced that the guardian angel of stray cats directs them straight to my house). I have mercy on all bugs except for flies and roaches, and I leave snakes in peace, if they aren’t poisonous.

I am a political junkie. Yes, I am one of those people who watch the talking heads on tv. I have to get my fix of one or two of those shows each night. My husband hates them, so they go on the DVR and I watch after he goes to bed, which brings me to my next revelation.

I am a serious night owl. I have tried all kinds of cures, but I keep reverting back to a bedtime in the range of 1:00 to 2:00 am…occasionally later.  Even when I worked or drove carpool early in the morning, I was still up until at least midnight. I think it’s genetic. My parents were the same way. One of my sisters has me beat. She easily stays up till 3:00 am or 4:00 am regularly. Luckily, (or necessarily!)t she owns her own business.

I am an introvert. I could probably be a recluse. My idea of a great party is four people. I hate small talk, and I’m terrible at it. If you met me, I would ask you tons of questions, because I hate to talk about myself. (Apparently this modesty does not extend to writing about myself…lol!)

I love to travel. The travel bug first bit me when my best friend and I took off a semester of college and worked two jobs so that we could join a summer study program in London. We spent most of our money on clothes before we left and returned home penniless, which necessitated some creative thinking, like sleeping in the playpens available in the airport (no babies seemed to have an 8 hour layover.) We wrote a book about our adventures on that trip, and it was almost published. It had reached the final editor for a decision and was “declined” for lack of sex or violence. I’m not kidding. That’s what was written on our rejection slip. Anyway, God has blessed me with many opportunities to travel to some really wonderful places throughout my life, and I hope to continue to do so for many more years.

When I was 25 and newly converted back to my Catholic faith, God introduced me to St. Therese through her autobiography, The Story of a Soul. I think He must have told her something like: “Don’t let this one out of your sight,” because, she hasn’t. She has been with me for decades now, as I’ve consumed dozens and dozens of books about her. I took her name as my own as a Secular Carmelite. I have been privileged to visit Alencon, France where she was born, and Lisieux, where she spent most of her life. One of the great blessings of my life was to be chosen as lector at a Mass in the chapel of her convent in Lisieux. I received the priceless gift of her first class relic from a man I knew only through correspondence over the Internet. Stan was a secular Franciscan, but had a deep love for Therese.   He was dying of cancer, and to my surprise, he gifted me with his precious relic. I sat on my staircase by her portrait and wept when I opened the box. Therese has been so good to me! I simply cannot wait to meet her one day. I love her so very much.

I have saved the best for last and that is Jesus, Who is my Everything. I don’t always treat Him that way, but I keep trying. How beautiful He is! I fell in love with Him when I was 25, and I don’t know how I lived before opening my poor heart to His Flaming One. All of my life, I have had an attraction to the Most Blessed Sacrament, and about 20 years ago, Jesus called me to committed Eucharistic Adoration. Those are truly the happiest and most cherished hours of my life. Whenever I cannot keep my committed hours, there is an ache in my heart. Wherever we travel, I look for churches to run into and find Jesus, and go to Mass, if possible. Much of my adoration time is spent just smiling at Jesus and thanking Him for so far exceeding all that I could ask or imagine. I truly believe that someday, if I am ever too old or too sick to visit Him again, that He will come to me…because He is that Way. He is Love.

Okay, that was ten things about me. But, I’m adding one more, and this one is something EVERYBODY already knows about me:

I can’t seem to write a short post!!!

Now, enough of me, and onto the bloggers I have chosen for these awards. Because so many of my favorite blogs have already received one or more of these awards, I’m going to whittle down my list a bit…oh so hard! I love all of the blogs I read, but I want to highlight just a few in each category.

The Sunshine Award:

The Beautiful Gate
Sue Elvis Writes
Filling My Prayer Closet
Nancy on Facebook…oops, that’s not a blog, but trust me; it’s pure sunshine!

The Best Moment Award:

The Mad-Eyed Monk
Stories of an Unschooling Family
Imprisoned in My Bones

The Semper Fidelis Award:

Bell of the Wanderer
The Breadbox Letters
Bent Bow

Congratulations, Ladies!