“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” — Isaiah 55:6

I woke up on the morning of my 30th birthday to discover that my once blush-pink lips had faded into the rest of my face. From that day forward, lipstick became a quiet necessity. By 40, my hair had begun its slow metamorphosis into a dull, ashen gray. At first, I plucked out the unwanted strands one by one — a small act of defiance — until the battle grew too vast to win, and surrendering felt like conceding a piece of my youth. I still remember the first time I reached for a box of hair color, never imagining it would be the beginning of what has since become an endless, if familiar, labor.

We moved to Orange County in the early eighties, and the only person I knew who exercised regularly was my husband, Mike. He ran up and down hills and back home again — our streets weren’t yet dotted with 24 Hour Fitness centers, and personal trainers were virtually nonexistent. As a young mother, my days were consumed with raising children, tending to the household, and working part-time in our family business. Exercise was rarely on the list. I didn’t think it needed to be — a mistake I would come to understand in time.

Something was quietly happening in my body that my mind had failed to register. Five pounds a year doesn’t sound like much — until it’s five pounds for eight years. By 50, my weight had begun its slow migration, and my first instinct was denial. I’d purchase clothes a size smaller, convinced that the right motivation would follow. It never quite did. Eventually, the realization settled in: what had begun as a gradual shift had quietly gathered speed. I collected the unworn clothes — tags still attached — and gave them all away.

At 60, pretty much all hell broke loose. I had a cancer scare — but thanks be to God, no cancer. I was also diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, though on a trip to France, I was healed in the Grotto of Lourdes.

My teeth became a huge issue that required bone grafting. Bone grafting is a procedure in which an oral surgeon saws into your jawbone, lifts it up, and places a piece of animal bone inside to stimulate new growth. In my case, pig bone was used. I simply could not live with the idea of being part pig, so the grafting did not work for me — or so I told myself. I never actually read the list of side effects beforehand, but Mike did. He looked up from the paperwork and asked, “Are you sure you want to do this? It says fingers could start growing on the side of your face.” That kind of thing never scared me. I just wanted my teeth fixed.

Of course, my family had other ideas. Remember the movie Austin Powers and the character Mike Myers played? They took great delight in quoting him — pinkie raised to the corner of the mouth — declaring, “One million dollars!” I did not find that nearly as funny as they did.

My oral surgeon is the best in Orange County — her clients include the players of the Anaheim Ducks. She was completely dumbfounded and told me I was her first failed case. After spending a small fortune, the specialist decided she wanted to give it another shot. More pork in my mouth, and again, failure. Mike was so upset that he insisted on coming with me to the follow-up visit. Honestly, we could have purchased a nice small vehicle for what we spent. Following her evaluation, the specialist suggested that I first get braces to correct an underlying problem — and she offered to foot that bill as well. Two more years were added to this dental odyssey, and there I was with a cheesy 12-year-old smile. And for the rest of my life, I must wear a retainer at night.

But it was not over yet. After the braces, we still had to deal with the missing teeth — yet another specialist and another enormous expense. I now have German molars. Yes, made in Germany.

From my teeth, the health concerns shifted to my feet. This Thursday I will have a procedure to alleviate my hammer toe. Trusting God that this will work — otherwise, surgery will be needed. The hammer toe causes severely dry feet, and I tried every home remedy imaginable, including rubbing Vicks on my feet. All that did was collect debris, and naturally my daughter Sonja looked down one day and asked me why I had leaves on my toes. Now the foot and ankle specialist is telling me that three toenails must be removed entirely in order to correct all the damage caused by the dreaded hammer toe.

My oral surgeon is the best in Orange County, and her clients include the members of the Anaheim Ducks. She was dumbfounded and told me that I was her first failed case. After we spent ton of money, the specialist decided that she wanted to give it another shot. Again, more pork in my mouth and again, failure. Mike was so upset that he decided to go with me to the follow-up visit. We honestly could have purchased a nice small vehicle for the expense that we were put through. The specialist’s observation led her to suggest that I get braces to correct another problem first; she said that she would foot the bill as well. Two more years were added and there I was with a cheesy 12-year-old smile, and for  the rest of my life I must wear retainer at night. It was not over yet because after the braces, we had to deal with the missing teeth, yet another specialist and another huge expense. I now have German molars, yes, they were made in Germany.

Within the last ten years, exercise has become a regular part of life — working on gaining muscle tone, if for no other reason than to hold up this frame. For years the focus was on the spiritual, and peace has been attained. The spirit has been striving to know God more deeply, but the body had been lacking attention.

These health issues come with age, and as a fully-fledged senior, entering this era of life was not done kicking and screaming — probably because the limping got in the way. There are no grand illusions about what has been missed by serving God. It is through this rocky path that wisdom has taken hold, not only of the mind but also of the heart. Prayer comes more naturally now than argument. Opinions and values are kept close, offered only when asked. This is the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, who wisely said, “Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” The importance of Godly wisdom cannot be overstated, especially as we grow older. We must learn to allow the wisdom of God to rule our lives. The world insists that everyone’s opinion matters — but for the most part, they do not. That is precisely why we find ourselves in the great mess we are in today. The real truth is there for the asking, and yet we cannot seem to grasp it.

My own health problems are minuscule compared to those of my sisters in Christ. My sweet friend Glenda, suffering with advanced lupus, fights for every breath. My precious sister Carol is battling stage four cancer with extraordinary courage. And my dear friend Jane recently lost her beautiful daughter Elizabeth. These three women are my examples of wisdom seasoned with grace. They are in my prayers daily.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.” — James 1:5

Within the last ten years I have incorporated exercise on a regular basis and am working on gaining muscle tone, if for any reason to hold up my frame. For years I have worked on spiritual and have attained peace. My spirit has been striving to learn more of God, but my body has been lacking attention.

When I need prayer I call a few dedicated prayer warriors to come alongside me, and many times I ask the intercession of saints to help my cause. There is a misconception about Catholics that we pray to saints; we do not. What we do is ask for their intercession. St. Faustina is one of my favorite saints. I would like to share  her story, and will do my best to open your hearts to this holy saint. St. Faustina was canonized on April 30, 2000 in Rome, and she  is to the history of the Catholic Church most influential in the teaching of Divine Mercy; this was her calling.

We were in Rome and were privileged to witness St. Fautina’s canonization. Our team arrived in Turin to visit the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, at that time there was an exposition of the Holy Shroud of Turin. Mike (my husband) was meeting us there. From there we went to Rome, and the ride took almost the entire day but the view was scenic and bountiful to my eyes. I wanted to stop and stroll the streets of Genoa, but it was not to be, we had an assignment in Rome.

We settled in Rome at our usual hotel, Mike and I and the rest of the team had tickets to the audience with Pope John Paul II the following day. We had no idea that a canonization was to take place that day. I knew very little of  St. Faustina and was elated to be part of this great celebration. As we sat, a huge picture of St. Faustina was rolled down above St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome. This was not a planned occurrence but rather God ordained, I knew then that I would have a special attachment with this humble servant of God.

Rome was bustling with these nuns with usually big headpieces, which resembled the ones used on the Flying Nun (old television program).These nuns were from Poland, and belong to The Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, St. Faustina’s order. They were there to celebrate the canonization as well. We took our seats and witnessed this event; I was more curious and wanted to learn more about St. Faustina. It would be two years later that we made a pilgrimage to Krakow, Poland.

St. Faustina had regular visitations from Jesus. Her encounters were filled with intimate conversation and instruction as Jesus chose her to be his spokesperson to spread his Divine Mercy. St. Faustina was given a vision of our Lord and was asked to have a picture of Jesus painted. This was not any ordinary painting but one of Divine Mercy. From her diary, these are the words Jesus spoke to her: “Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over its enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I myself will defend it as My own glory.” Along with this image came the prayer to the Divine Mercy, which is to be prayed at the 3:00 hour. The 3:00 hour is the hour at which our Lord died on the cross. There are many graces that come with this prayer; in Jesus’s words: “I remind you, My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; at  that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world- mercy triumphed over justice.” This simple prayer is to be prayed on Rosary beads. The prayer is to appease the wrath of God and goes as follows: “Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and the whole world.” This prayer is needed more than ever today; imagine that our Lord teaching this to St. Faustina with the intention of the whole world understanding his Divine Mercy.

In 2002 we visited Poland on a pilgrimage to the Divine Mercy. We were given great favor at one of the services held in the Chapel. Our team was invited to sit at the altar, where we sang the Divine Mercy song to the congregation. I remember the feeling of disbelief  to be part of  a choir and for it to take place where Jesus spoke to the young saint. To the left side of the altar hanging was the original painting that Jesus commissioned St. Faustina to paint. I could not believe that I was there and participating in that manner, and a sense of humility filled my heart.

The first Sunday after Easter is dedicated  to celebrate Divine Mercy. We were there to celebrate with the locals of Krakow. To accommodate the  thousands of people, an outdoor Mass was held. I was with a group of eight  friends but because the mayhem of people, we were quickly separated to only four. When it came to communion time it appeared that the villagers were going to trample us. As the crowd tightened toward the priest giving communion, I felt hard pushing and there was no room for escape. My foot had been run over by a stroller which held a red faced baby with chubby cheeks. When we received the Eucharist, we were in danger of a stampede by the villagers. In a panic I pretended to throw up. Holding one hand to my mouth, I made a distinguished universal barf sound, and just like God parted the Red Sea for Moses, he did it for us as we ran out of harm’s way.

I am just giving a small abstract about the life of this holy saint, who has made a huge difference in my prayer life. I pray that you will experience drawing closer to our Lord with the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Do not allow the enemy to rob you of this prayer because you do not believe in saints, but rather understand that Jesus used St. Faustina to bring the message of Divine Mercy to the world. Remember many are called but few are chosen (Mt 22:14).

Dear Friends the Lord is warning us to come together as a country and pray. On September 7, 2017, Mexico was hit with a 8.1- magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast, and this quake is the largest recorded earthquake in that area in a century.

Hurricane Harvey, which devoured a large part of southeastern Texas and continued eastward, destroyed billions of dollars of property and took the lives over 70 people.  Now we are faced with Irma, She is coming with a vengeance to scare us straight. The meaning of name Harvey is “battle worthy” but the name Irma means “whole, universe, war goddess.” How are these names picked? The names are determined by the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva (WMO). There are six separate list of names for Atlantic Ocean storms which are rotated annually. I believe that God has a big hand on these names. We need to pay attention to the signs and stop all the bickering and get on our knees as a nation and pray. These storms are nonpartisan, and do not respect property or human life. They are diabolical with an assignment to steal, to kill and to destroy (John 10:10). This is apocalyptic, and we need to pay attention to what is happening around us. This is how God speaks to a stubborn nation- do not harden your hearts, He is in control!

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked way; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7:14