This Thanksgiving we gathered with just our immediate family of ten. We each shared different stories from our past. I asked Mikos if he remembered the summers of his youth when we allowed him to attend summer camps. Sonja chimed in and said, “I did not appear in family photos until I was around four-years-old.” She went on to say that the only picture I have of her as a child was camping. Believe me, that picture is unforgettable because she was wearing a bathing suit with cowboy boots. Of course that was not a true statement because I have a lot of pictures of her, and I can prove it.

Weird Public Service Announcements

If Mikos has an incomplete baby book, you can guess how bad Sonja’s was. First of all, I can’t find it, so in a way she could be telling a half-truth. Back in the early 80’s there were a lot of public service announcements about child molestations. This type of news consumed my mind. For some unusual reason Mikos was never a concern when it came to this. But Sonja, on the other hand, was going to be protected from this evil. The commercials made me feel so uncomfortable because they warned that it could be a close friend or family member. Well, that was it for me! Sonja would remain by my side until she went away to college. Very seldom did I allow her to spend the night at a sleepover. First of all, sleepovers were unheard of in my childhood; only cousins would sleep over, never friends. When she would ask, I’d simply tell her that she was too young. When she got older, well, that, too, was a no brainer! My answer was, “You’re too old.” I drove Sonja to and from school from the time she was in kindergarten until she could drive herself.  All of the schools, elementary, middle, and high school, were less than a mile from our home. Mikos started walking to school in the seventh grade. His routine was meeting his friends at Wayne’s Liquor store to stock up on junk food before school. This didn’t bother me a bit because he was a boy!

Freedom

When Sonja turned 16 she inherited my old car. Before she got the car, it had been turned into a company car. That vehicle had been stolen and stripped, but we were able to buy it back from salvage for $700. It was not the ideal car, but to Sonja it was her ticket to freedom. My hovering over her came to a quick end. There were no cell phones during those years. So Sonja’s strategy to gain independence was to stay clear of me. The only thing left for me to do was snoop in her room to find notes to try to figure out what she was up to.

My Mother, Myself

Being raised by a single mom was the worst because we were four girls and our mother was going to make sure that we behaved like perfect ladies. Dating was so difficult because our three brothers always convinced our mother that we were up to no good. How could we be up to no good if we just stayed home? Now I see how much of my own mother’s ways were surfacing and affecting how I was raising Sonja and Mikos. My brothers did as they pleased; at times they were reckless, but there were never any real consequences for their behavior. While Mikos was living the life, poor Sonja became my obsession. Without realizing it, I had become my mother. In my eyes, even as a young married woman, my mother’s voice was always in my ear. In many ways this helped me become strong; but in other ways it was a hindrance because I could not understand who I was as a mother or a wife. I do not attribute this dysfunction to my mother, nor do I blame her. I was immature and too dependent on outside influences to guide my wayward path. Not until my late-thirties did I start to find my way to Christ. My mother was a saint who, despite all obstacles, did a wonderful job in bringing up seven children on her own. She never once received government assistance because she knew how this was frowned upon by others.

Parting My Own Red Sea

When I started my journey, I realized that my calling was uncompromising. The more I grew closer to God, the more dependent I became on Him. I quickly disrobed from the feminist garb and understood what my role was as a wife. This new demeanor brought Mike into a greater appreciation of his role as the head of our household. My knowledge of God also lead me to seek and undergo several years of therapy. I am a great proponent of this type of help but, most importantly, the therapist must be a God-fearing believer. No one in my entire family had sought the help of a therapist. Culturally this was shocking to my mother. During this time I received a great revelation from God and a new direction for my political stance. Much to my mother’s chagrin, I left the liberal Democratic party behind to seek the truth. The guilt attached to my exodus was a constant reminder of betraying my Mexican heritage; my new-found politics was a delicate matter. Culture is a difficult bridge to cross but, when you get to the other side, you can decide for yourself and not be influenced by guilt.  You do not have to remain a Democrat just because you were brought up believing that that was the best party because of your heritage.

Sonja was finally freed from my octopus-like, loving arms…but not for long. I would once again interfere in her life because I felt that it was my responsibility to find her a suitable husband. You can read about this ridiculous period of my life in a previous Blog entitled “And God Said…Mind Your Own Bees Wax.”

Praying For Our Loved Ones

I prayed for our son to get accepted into Westmont College because I felt that he needed more spiritual guidance. Mikos had applied to several secular colleges, but God had other plans. Westmont is where he met our beautiful daughter-in-law Jenny.

As I get older all that is left for me to do is to love our children and pray for them. I pray for all of my grandchildren on a daily basis. On Thanksgiving Day our granddaughter Maddie announced that she would be attending a Christian college in Arizona. This was a wonderful praise report and an answer to my prayers.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for all You have done in our lives. I give You the glory for always shedding light on all my difficult situations. I pray for those who are in the valley of decision with important matters in their lives. Guide them to make right choices, and teach them more about Your love. Amen.

I am a native Californian. I love my state but lately California has been suffering from transgressions that have caused great divide among its citizens. On the Sunday before the elections, one of our deacons shared with us during Mass the seriousness of Proposition One. He encouraged us to vote NO! This proposition, once written into the California constitution  will allow women to get an abortion up to nine months. That’s full-term, and that’s the worst part of the many proposals connected to this proposition. Never in my life would I have believed that this proposition would pass. I was so preoccupied with traveling out of state that I did not see the results until I got home five days after the election.

One God

You cannot serve God and vote in favor for this proposition.  You must realize that you are breaking one of the Ten Commandments. How can you attend a church service, praise and worship God, receive communion and not understand the ramifications of your careless actions? It is evident that many who voted in favor of this proposition were blinded by the facts, or perhaps they have no respect for human life. We all serve ONE GOD.  This God comes with a set of rules; you cannot arbitrarily pick and choose what you want or make new rules to fit your lifestyle. In God’s perfect order, His wisdom gives us peace. In California there is no peace.

The Real Facts

The Left used fear-inducing propaganda to gain the votes of the lost masses. Fear always works well with people who already have a mindset of confusion. The Left insisted that a woman would lose all her exceptions to have an abortion including the cases of rape and incest. The facts are that only 1% of abortions are due to rape and .05% are due to incest. Did we fail as Christians? Are we to blame?  No, because in the end God is in control. We who understand who God is, are in mourning because many lives will be affected by this heinous law.

The Consecrated Land

California is a consecrated state. When the Spanish priests set foot on these grounds, they made altars and built Catholic churches up and down our state. This is what Abraham did in the book of Genesis. He built an altar, consecrated the land and made a sacrifice of praise and glory to  God.

Abraham built four altars:

These past two weeks have been a blur. We’ve attended two beautiful weddings; one for our godson and the other of our nephew.

Marcus and Gianna

Marcus, our godson,  has been in our lives his entire life. We have watched him grow and develop into a fine young man. Marcus is a humble young man who has an appreciation for the finer things in life, but what sets him apart is the deep dedication and love he has for his family. This loving character is an admirable quality to possess for someone his age.

Marcus and Gianna met while they were in high school. It did not take long for his family to fall in love with her. She is sweet, but this type of sweetness comes from the heart. Her charming, sincere personality can win anyone to her loving side.

God, in His perfect arrangement, brought these two hearts together. They dated for six years and grew not only in love with each other but in love with their families; they have become one.

The First Wedding

The Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano is called ” The Jewel of California Missions.” The altar is a masterpiece of Baroque art that is hand-carved cherrywood overlaid with gold leaf. This artwork was imported from Barcelona and is over 400 years old. To walk into this Basilica is to walk into history. My shoes had rubber soles but the Spanish terra cotta tile floors amplified the sound of my steps. When the wedding procession began, the sound of the trumpet and piped organ quickly filled the room with a sense of elation. As Gianna approached the altar, all eyes were on her and her beautiful veil as she drew near to meet her handsome groom. With 250 guests witnessing, Marcus and Gianna sealed their love before God.

During the reception Marcus came and sat next to me. He  said,”I want to thank you and Mike because you have done a great job in always being there for me spiritually.” This is who Marcus is, a grateful young man who was gifted with a beautiful bride.

Rocky and Angela

My nephew Rocky  is the youngest of four sons of my sister Jo, who lives in Louisiana. Since childhood Rocky has revealed his southern charm. He openly expresses affection through physical contact; he’s a touchy-feely type of guy. Rocky can win you over with an array of facial expressions.

After Hurricane Katrina, the college that Rocky was attending was so badly damaged by water that it temporarily closed. Through a benevolent act of kindness, the California universities extended a helping hand to students who were academically displaced during Katrina. In order to not disrupt these students’ education, this program waived all out-of-state fees. Rocky took advantage of this program by attending the University of California Irvine. He moved in with us and for three months studied at UCI. During this period we developed a deeper understanding of each other. My sister Jo, is a wonderful cook, made sure he had dinner every night.  Since both of our children had already moved out, we were enjoying the empty nest; but when Rocky came along I felt obligated to cook dinner more often. This brought us even closer. Our good neighbor, who was the former mayor of Orange, arranged for Rocky to work for the Orange Public Library. I love this young man and am so elated that he found his soulmate Angela.

Rocky and Angela were introduced by mutual friends.  He proposed to Angela on their one-year anniversary. I first met Angela when she came to our wedding/anniversary last January.  I kept thinking  that he needed to marry this girl quickly! I recognized her great qualities, but we all knew she was the one because of how much she loved Rocky.  Angela is the young lady who  stole his heart with her sparkling eyes and a smile that can capture everyone’s attention.

The Second Wedding

This wedding was held in the town of Gretna, Louisiana, at St. Joseph Church, which  is located a stone’s throw away from one of the levees of the Mississippi River. St. Joseph Church was built in 1926 in Colonial Revival style with Spanish Baroque details. This beautiful church was added to the National Register of Historic Places. I was fascinated by all the beautiful stained glass and the bright designs at the nave of the church with it’s colors of blue, gold and terra cotta. As Angela moved down the aisle, the organ made the acoustics of the old church sound as if it were in stereo. Angela looked stunning and Rocky was one proud man that day. Before God and over 200 guests this beautiful couple completed their Sacrament of Marriage.

If you’re planning a wedding don’t forget to invite God, and have the ceremony celebrated in His house. These two couples will have extra blessings because the marriage was blessed by God!

New Orleans

With our entire family in tow, we visited Cafe du Monde. We all had our share of beignets and washed them down with cafe au lait. From there we walked down to Jackson Square. We visited the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. Over to the right corner I noticed a priest sitting in the confessional. I asked “Are you hearing confession?” “He answered, “Yes, please come in.” This priest had the most charming southern accent. “Y’all need to understand,” was part of what he said. I was relieved with his advice and did the penance that was asked of me. We continued our tour by walking down Bourbon Street. Our youngest grandson announced that he would wait until his kids were in high school before bringing them here. By tradition we had to have Daiquiris; mine was a delicious mango -flavored one.

We had lunch at  Parkway Poor boys, but, sadly, Will and I ordered the wrong sandwiches. After making fun of us, the rest of the family shared their meals with us. At the rehearsal dinner we had Catfish Étouffée, Jambalaya and Andouille with vegetables. We had our share of southern cooking because at the wedding we ate more tasty Cajun dishes.

My Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for these two beautiful couples that they would always have You in their lives. May the love they have for each other become  deeper, and may they grow old together. Dear Lord, put it in their hearts to attend Mass on a regular basis. May You bless them with healthy, beautiful children. Amen.