Helen, Marianela, Sarah, and I have been part of the same Bible study club for over 15 years. We had other members like Leslie but due to busy schedules, and new babies, we are now four. We are E.P.H.O.D. an acronym, for Eucharist Prayers of Holiness, Obedience and Divinity. Ephod was the holy breastplate that Aaron, the High Priest, wore when he went into the Holy of Holies (Exodus 28:6-14).

I am the teacher but each of us has an equally important role in our group. Helen is the reader because she is the best lector in the group, and her Catholic primary education really shines. Helen is also the matriarch of the group and a great example of being a gracious wife. I have learned many life learning lessons from my best friend Helen. Marianela, the rock of the group, is the quiet, private warrior for God, you can rest assured if you have asked her for prayer, she will pray until the Lord releases her from doing so. Sarah is the youngest of the group and is on fire for the Lord. She has a special gift of compassion and she and her husband Jason are always the couple that people look to for direction and prayer.

St. Norbert Church’s program for Adopt a Family for Christmas is always a venture that our Bible study group participates in. I had already selected a family of six for us to share. The following Sunday an announcement was made that there were still 42 families that needed sponsors. While Mike waited for me in the car,  I got in line to adopt another family. I almost got out of line twice because I did not want to add to our already busy schedule. Our Bible study meets on Wednesday and all the gifts were due to be turned in on Saturday of the same week. This was the same week of the homeless ministry too, I felt apprehensive as I presented the idea to the ladies. Marianela must have seen the distress in my eyes, because without giving it a second thought she said, “I’ll take the family of six.” Not only did she purchase gifts but gifts cards as well; benevolence like this comes from the heart. Helen, Sarah, and I were responsible for the second family. It was pure joy to take my grandchildren to pick out  gifts for a five-year-old girl named Janelly. The boys helped pick out two games and Maddie picked out an outfit. Helen went all out for the eight-year-old boy, purchasing two outfits and toys. Sarah has a teenager in her family, so she is familiar with what a sixteen-year-old needs, and she donated a generous amount of make-up plus clothing. We all pitched in for a gift card for groceries as well.

The Tamale Party was a great success, with Helen taking the well deserved title of  “Best Tamales in the World.” Hands down, she makes the best, and as much as we try, she always comes clean to claim her title. I picked several new judges this time around, but the best tamale still won. Father Bruce, from our parish, was the guest judge, and he sees me at daily Mass but I guess that doesn’t count because he didn’t pick my tamales.

Congratulations to Helen! You are a winner in many other areas of your life and much to my chagrin a better tamale maker!

How do people end up on Skid Row? For years I have asked many of the occupants this question. Studies validate the fact that a large portion of population of the homeless are mentally inept to function in a normal environment. Drugs are the coping antidote, and we all know that it leads to addiction. The Devil is rampant on Skid Row, people not starving for food, but for a purpose of finding who they are. Sadly, when you end up here, you believe that this is your lot in life. There are plenty of programs that offer help, but when you fall deep into the abyss of helplessness, you believe the lie. When we pray for the people on Skid Row it is always to remind them that even in the most desperate of situations, God is in there, in the midst of them.

This week we were welcomed with great affirmation, with many of the homeless wanting prayer. Through the deplorable conditions, the rubble of trash, rises a small ray of hope. If we just reach one hurting soul, to pull him or her out of his or her desperation, it is well worth the effort, because as St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “if there is breath, there is life.”

God always protects us and uses us as his instruments of love. If your senses can get through all the jungle of smells, flies and unfathomable conditions, then you will make a difference in others people’s lives on Skid Row.

The streets that we normally walk were completely impassable due to tents and other debris, so we changed our route and headed west toward San Julian Park. As we walked down Wall Street we discovered an amazing sight. Hollywood Mobile Grooming set up several vehicles offering free dog grooming services  for the homeless people’s pets. In the past years there has been a great increase in population of dogs as companions for the homeless. The pet owners  formed a line with their anxious Heinz 57 variety, of either Chihuahua mix or pit bull mix, with the dogs having a spa day. A dog changes the heart of a homeless person by offering unconditional love, and adds a sense of responsibility. Great is your reward Hollywood Mobile Grooming, thank you for providing wonderful services.

This was a busy week. I had two of grandkids staying with us since Thursday, which means cooking, packing lunches, and driving kids to and from school. At first Mike (husband) said he was going to help, but early on in the week he was invited to a business golf tournament in Phoenix, and that was the end of that. I was a one woman show, but with the grace of God all went well. Maddie and Will and their friends even helped with making the sandwiches.

I am part of a team of dedicated servants of Christ. Jane, Robert, John and Gary we are regulars with this ministry, and together we share the love of Christ to those who want to hear, and to those that do not, a silent prayer is said on their behalf.

This is the first week of Advent, so we are to reflect deeply inward in our spirit and ask God to guide us into this holy season of Christmas. Please join us in taking a few minutes of your day to pray for Karen, who is suffering from advanced lupus; and for Derrick, Derrick, and Raymond. They too are seeking God.

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

On our first Christmas I got the idea that I would make my own tree ornaments. I am not very good at this type of stuff, but through the years one ornament survived. It is the most unattractive of all ornaments, in fact my five-year-old grandson could have done a better job. This ornament symbolizes our marriage. Every year I carefully bubble wrap the ornament and every year I pull it out and hang it next to ornaments of more beauty. The simple handmade addition to the tree will always hold this special meaning. It is fragile and some of glitter always ends up on my hands, reminding me of how something so meaningless to others is so valued in my heart.

With 46 years of marriage under my belt, I can truly say that we are a testament of what a marriage is about. I could have never succeeded in anything in my life without God. We fight for what God  has brought together. From my marital experience I have learned a lot. One lesson is that a woman must know her role in the family. If you treat your mate like a king you will in turn be treated like a queen. The man too must know his role as a provider or else the marriage is not on a solid foundation.

It was not always like this in our marriage, because I was hellbent on being a feminist. I wanted my equal rights, and believed that if I did not stand up for my convictions I would fall into the cracks of a man’s world. This caused an unnatural imbalance in our marriage. I attended a class of hard knocks, sat in the front row and learned my proper role as a wife. I became submissive, not in a weak sense  but in a loving manner. My marriage grew stronger and stronger because of the rules that God had laid down in the Bible thousands of years ago. By no means is my marriage perfect, but we fix things that are broken.

In my late  thirties I did attend a class at a local church on how to become a “fascinating woman.” This was a mini seminar that at first I struggled with because I thought I knew everything about life. These classes helped me to become more intuitive in my mannerism as a woman. The redirection from the classes facilitated my life with Godly order.

I was gradually changing, I started to thank Mike for the things that he naturally did for me. Mike washes my car every other week and gasses it up. I always took this for granted, but I started calling Mike and thanking him for doing this, and I really meant it. I was changing and becoming more appreciative of all that he did for me. He, in return, would speak to me in a more loving and kind way. We have always loved each other, but not always appreciated what we did for each another. Mike is that guy that wants to take care of his family and I like being cared for, as it feels safe.

Even in this stage in our marriage we experience trials, but none that God can’t repair.  Just like I protect that special ornament by keeping it safe, so our marriage need that same gentle touch; that’s how our family deals with marriage.

My organizational chart reads: God first, followed by husband, and then children, I am not listed on this corporate graph because I am a intricate part of everyone I love.

We all have a free will, so choose God and your path will be straight.