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.

I have never felt entitled or special because I have help with housekeeping. Mike decided early in our marriage that I needed help with keeping our house up. This is a service for which I will forever be grateful because of my busy schedule. Believe me finding good help is not an easy task.

The Valley Home

Our first housekeeper, when we lived in the San Fernando Valley,  came highly recommended by some of Mike’s co-workers. She was a complainer who would not hold back on letting us know how she felt. Once when Mike put a special coating on the tile in the master shower, she told us that she was not going to be responsible if anything happened to the tile. Needless to say she quietly faded away; either I asked her not to return or she just stopped showing up.

Our Orange Dwelling

We have been living in our current home in Orange for almost 40 years. The first lady that I hired would often bring her destructive son with her; he was a terror and ran around the house like a wild horse. He thought it was fun to jump from five steps on to the floor, screaming bloody murder. I had asked her not to bring the little barbarian, but she did not have anyone to watch the minion so she had to quit. I hired someone from my parish but on the first day of work she broke two Lladros statues (expensive porcelain figurines). I paid her and she never set foot in my house again. Throughout the years many of my beautiful Lladro´ figurines were damaged or destroyed.

Then came the first long- term housekeeper. I loved her, she was wonderful, and we became friends. She shared with me that her son was getting married, so I offered to take her to purchase a mother-of-the-bride dress. She looked beautiful in it! Then something went wrong; she stopped showing up. She had been working for us for over nine years, so this came as a surprise to me. She asked for a raise, and we complied.  Again she stopped showing up. I had no idea that she was upset. During a telephone conversation, which was her exit interview, she said, “I’m never going to clean your house again, you have the dirtiest house I have ever cleaned!” I was so baffled: first because she insulted my clean house, and second, because I had no idea what really went wrong. I played her last words in my head for years. I will never know the real reason why she was so angry.

Warning Signs

Then came my new housekeeper.  I was over the moon with her! Young, sweet and thorough, it was a match made in heaven…or so I thought. She too worked for us for years, but slowly we started to notice that she was like a tornado cleaning the house. The sparkle and clean smell that once filled our house was gone. I have a shadow box in my downstairs bathroom where I display small collective artifacts. I noticed that a miniature hand blown Christmas tree with ornaments was missing. I asked her if she broke it. “No, Señora, why would I break things and not tell you?” she answered. The following week she had a personal matter to take care of, so I cleaned my house. As I was sweeping behind the toilet, I found a piece of charred glass from one of the ornaments. Did she lie to me? To avoid having her break things around the house, I started to clean my bathrooms. At first this seemed normal to me but to her it was a gift! Now she could leave even earlier. I trusted her and would often run errands while she cleaned. I was always witnessing to her about God and how she should go back to Mass. I felt like I was making headway when she shared with me that her children wanted to go to Mass. When she had a special prayer intention, I’d pray for her needs. I gave her so many holy objects that I had purchased from overseas.

Now It’s Personal

One day when I got back from an errand, she said, “Señora, whenever you want to get rid of your shoes, give them to me. I tried on your shoes and we are the same size.” Out of the kindness of my heart, I did give her several pairs of shoes along with many other items. I continued to witness to her about God. I showed her a Bible that was signed by Saint Teresa of Calcutta and a special rosary with a first-class relic. The following week these two items were missing. I have always kept them in a special spot, but now they were gone. I asked her if she had seen them, “No, Señora, I don’t know what you did with them.” A few weeks later the items mysteriously reappeared. Again, I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

Because I was sending a message to my friend in Spain, I needed a little help with the translation. When she came from upstairs to help, she smelled so clean. “Oh my gosh! What lotion are you wearing? It smells so good!” “Oh, Señora, it’s yours. I tried some of it.” “You mean the lotion that I save for special occasions? Please don’t touch my stuff!!” I had had enough, but it does not end there. I took prescribed medication that required me to cut the pills in quarters. I kept the pills in the container that’s used for cutting the pills. When I went to take my pill, the container was empty! I found my pills in the trash. Again, “Señora, I did not throw the pills away, etc.” She opened the container that I had wrapped in a rubber band, but when they spilled out, she tossed them in the trash!

I was saddened by my decision to tell her not to return. Through our friendship I had created a dysfunctional relationship that in the end was damaging to both of us. I would never badmouth her with others because she is a hard worker and a likable person. Part of the problem, which I’m responsible for, was sharing too much personal information with her. Nonetheless, she still holds a special place in my heart.

New Housekeepers

Since June Mike and I have decided to clean our own home. All the complaining about our bathroom being too small has now turned into a blessing. So far, now not only do we both have plenty of time to clean, we do it with love.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray for every person that You have brought in and out of our lives. May You bless them and, if I am responsible for any offensive actions, please forgive me. Amen.