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Saturday, September 16, 2017

Letters to Heaven: Bringing Love into Our Homes

"It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start." 
St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

September 4, 2016


Dear Jesus:

Today we have a new saint in the Catholic Church. Well, at least officially because a saint she has always been. What an honor to have been born while she was still alive. What an honor to have lived over 30 years while she was here on earth, even though I really didn't get to know her until after she died. She said: "I will be able to do more after I die." It's true. In the past 20 years she has spread so many graces through her books, her movies, her quotes, and the legacy she left behind through the Sisters of Charity. I watched the mass on TV. I was in Rome just two weeks ago, but unfortunately, I couldn't stay for the canonization. Today, I offer the pain of my broken wrist for all that are suffering. St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.


Jesus, I have not written to You in three months. I have a lot to share, even though You know it all. The week of Memorial Day, You gave me the gift of spending one week with all my kids and Rafe. We went to New Orleans and Seaside to attend Philip and Alex's wedding.


After the wedding, Rafi and Emily flew directly to New York, but they returned ten days later to Miami to attend my dad's funeral. My dad passed away on June 14th. He was ready to go to his heavenly home. Thank You for giving us three additional years with him. Since his health began to deteriorate in 2013, You began to prepare us for his eternal rest. Thank You also for giving Rafi the opportunity to see him alive one last time. Since he saw how bad his grandpa was doing, it made saying "good-bye" a little easier.

In August, Rafe and I went to Italy. It was an amazing trip. We planned the shell of the trip in less than three weeks. I say the shell because we made a lot of changes on the go. But I felt that You were the one leading us so all the changes were for the better. Thank You for leading us to Italy. It was a blessed and unexpected vacation.



While we were in Italy, Rafi and Emily got engaged. We knew it was going to happen but it was still very exciting. Rafi went out of his way to plan an amazing surprise for Emily. He planned a scavenger hunt at the New York Met Museum, their favorite place to go on the weekends. At the end of the scavenger hunt, Rafi knelt in front of her and proposed. He was very nervous through the whole planning process, but everything turned out perfect. They are in Europe right now and they are so happy. Please, Jesus, keep them safe.



Chabeli is moving with Daniel at the end of the month. They already found an apartment, and they are in the process of buying furniture. They are very happy. Please, Jesus, bless them and if they are meant to be together for the long haul, allow them to get along and live in harmony.


Alex's return to UConn went seamlessly. I flew up with him to help him get settled, and we got to spend a weekend together. He spent the summer working at Zuma and Sons. He enjoyed it, he stayed busy, he got to practice his Spanish, and he made great friends in the adult world. I'm so grateful to Lupe and Carlos for giving him this opportunity. It was exactly what he needed after the tough year he's had. One week before we left to Italy, he crashed his car on the turnpike. Thank You, Jesus, for protecting him, as well as the other two drivers. It was his fault. He hit someone from behind who in turn hit someone else. His car was a total loss. We are now in the process of finding him a safe car that he can buy in Connecticut. Please, help us find the right used car for him that will last him until he completes his college education.


And last but not least, I felt two days ago, and I fractured my wrist. It looks like I will need surgery, even though I still have not seen an orthopedic surgeon who will have the final word. I'm upset because I have been so careful for the past three years not to fall again, and it was such a stupid fall. I was taking Penny out for her walk, and You know how desperate she gets. We were at the beach apartment where we had planned to spend Labor Day weekend. They were doing remodeling in the hallways. Penny was pulling me, and I tripped on a temporary threshold between the carpet and the marble floors. I felt on top of my hand on the marble floor. I knew right away that I had fractured it. I also hit my head and scraped my knee. I got dizzy and nauseous but I managed to call Rafe who had gone to Publix. He came back, and took me all the way to Baptist where they confirmed what I already knew. It's a bad break. My bone is in pieces. But You are the healer. If You want to heal me so I won't need surgery, You can do so. However, if You choose not to, that is fine too. There are many who need your healing gift more than me. So I offer the pain, suffering, and inconvenience for all those that are dealing with a terminal illness or something worst than me. And I accept your will with love, dignity, and a smile on my face.

St. Mother Teresa, pray for us. Jesus, have mercy on us.

I love You, Jesus!!!





September 16, 2017

Dear Jesus:

Last year was a pretty tough year, sprinkled with many blessings. I lost my dad, which still brings pain to my heart because I miss him tremendously. I ended up having surgery for my wrist plus three months of therapy. I am thankful, though, that my wrist healed completely. Even though I have a permanent foreign object that looks like a razor inside my wrist, I have full mobility. Thank You, Jesus, for holding my hand through the worst of it, and for minimizing the amount of pain that I had to endure.

But in the midst of tremendous pain, we also received many blessings. Our two vacations, first with the kids to NOLA and Seaside, and then by ourselves to Italy, were two amazing gifts. Rafi and Emily's engagement was another tremendous blessing. Chabeli and Daniel continue to be blissfully happy. And Alex survived a serious car crash without injuries, and completed a great semester at UConn.

This year has been a really good year, and for that, I am on my knees thanking You. The worst thing that has happened this year is dumb Irma who came to ruin our trip to Europe. I was supposed to be in Budapest today. Instead, I'm here in Miami. But in spite of that, I am thankful because I have electricity, while many still don't. I am thankful because my house survived the hurricane without damage, while there are many that are still in shelters, and have not been able to return to their homes. I am thankful most of all because my family was safe during the storm. If it is your will, I will be in Budapest two weeks from today. I have to trust that for reasons I will never know, You did not want us to go on our trip this week. I'm not happy that I had to rearrange everything, but I trust that You are in charge, and therefore, You know the reason why this had to happen.

In life, we always need to look at the positive side of everything. Even though nobody likes hurricanes, they tend to bring out the best in people. Irma gave us the opportunity to spend time together as a family. In our case, we left on a very unexpected family hurrication. Others didn't go away, but they were able to spend time together playing board games or just talking to each other. Irma gave us the opportunity to disconnect from our electronic devices, and forced us to spend time together. It's sad that it takes a hurricane to remind us what truly matters.

As St. Mother Teresa said, we need to "bring love into our homes for this is where our love for each other must start." I hope it won't take another hurricane to get us to spend time together talking, laughing, playing, and loving each other.

I love You, Jesus!!!

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