I plan, God laughs

 “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

My plan for this Memorial Day long weekend: New York. God’s plan: Miami. I was supposed to be in New York enjoying my grandsons. But on Thursday morning, God sent my plans flying out the window. And I’m grateful.

We reserved flights to go to New York on Thursday morning at 9 am. Unfortunately, my hubby failed to check his calendar. He had his yearly cardiologist checkup for the same morning at 7:30 am. He tried to change the appointment, but nothing was available until December. My hubby has a heart condition that requires him to be monitored by the cardiologist annually, therefore he decided, with good reason, that waiting until December was not a good option. Therefore, we changed the flight until noon, even though it cost us substantially more than the original flight.

He left for his doctor’s appointment while I finished packing. As I was heading out to the bakery, to purchase the obligatory “pastelitos and croquetas” that we must always take with us to New York, my hubby called me: “The doctor wants me to cancel our trip and head instead to the Emergency Room.” My hubby has the “bad” habit to always pull my leg, therefore, I didn’t believe him. I thought this was his typical “I’m going to get you” and then when I panic, “Got you… Just kidding,” typical joke. Unfortunately, this time, he was serious.

The electrocardiogram showed that he had a complete “blockage.” I thought it was his arteries, but apparently, they use the same term for an electrical heart blockage. In his case, it was severe: third degree. “Electrical signals do not go from your atria to your ventricles at all with this type. There is a complete failure of electrical conduction. This can result in no pulse or a very slow pulse if a back up heart rate is present” John Hopkins Medicine.

Instead of heading to the bakery, I drove to the doctor’s office to pick him up. They would not even allow him to drive for fear that he would faint. The strange thing is that he was completely asymptomatic. 

At this point, the “twilight zone” experience began. We arrived to the emergency room, where he was taken to a room immediately. They ran labs and a chest X-ray. Shortly thereafter, a doctor came. He took a look at his EKG and the monitor, and all he would say is “Interesting… the heart doesn’t seem to be acting as bad as the EKG shows.” They repeated the EKG, and it showed the same abnormalities, thus, he was transferred to ICU. At this point, they were talking about putting a pacemaker on his heart. The procedure was scheduled for the following morning.

No more than thirty minutes passed after we arrived at ICU, when his room was filled with doctors. The main doctor looked so young that he reminded me of Doogie Howser. But once he opened his mouth, I knew who was in charge. He said that he didn’t think that my hubby needed a pacemaker after all because he was asymptomatic. He was currently taking a heart med to lower his heart rate. According to the doctor, reducing the dosage to half would suffice for now. They ordered more tests, but all of them could be done outpatient. Therefore, he was free to go home. I was like: “What in the world is going on?” It took longer to discharge him from ICU than it took to actually be in ICU.

I still don’t understand what transpired to keep us from going to New York, but obviously, God didn’t want us to go. Would it have been dangerous for my hubby to travel this weekend? Possibly. And if that’s the case, then I’m forever grateful that God held us back. But I have a feeling that we will never know, at least not on this side of heaven, the real reason why He wanted to keep us in Miami this weekend. I will add it to my list of questions to ask when I arrive to Heaven (if I make it).

In the meantime, I’m at the beach, next to my hubby, who is still feeling perfectly fine, and enjoying a very hot Miami day. I spoke to my 2-year-old grandson a little while ago. He told me about his morning at the zoo. Would I have liked to be there with him? Definitely. But I trust God completely that this is where He needed me to be. And I thank Him for always looking out for us, even if I don’t fully understand His plans.

Copyright © 2024 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

Papa Joseph, lead me to your Son

 “When we receive Holy Communion, let us consider that Jesus comes to us as a little baby, and then let us pray that St. Joseph helps us welcome him, as when he held him in his arms.”— St. Joseph Marello

I did it. I finished my 33-day journey and I consecrated myself to St. Joseph. In the past year, I have consecrated myself to our Blessed Mother, to the Holy Eucharist and to St. Joseph. It’s the perfect trifecta. I am now consecrated to the entire Holy Family. An honor that I cannot take for granted.

Getting to know Papa Joseph on this journey has been truly amazing. Papa Joseph was more than a stepfather to Jesus. He was His earthly father who taught Him how to be a Good Man, a Hard Worker, an Obedient Son and who helped to prepare Him for His mission. Papa Joseph never took any credit. He always stayed in the background giving all the attention to our Blessed Mother and His Son. But what an important role he played in their life. God chose him specifically for the mission to protect and guide Jesus and Mama Mary. He protected them in Bethlehem, in Egypt, in Nazareth and in Jerusalem. He was not around physically for Jesus’ Passion, Death and Resurrection, but I have no doubt that he was very present spiritually. I know that he has a very special place in Heaven next to his Son. And I am sure, that just like our Blessed Mother, he was assumed into heaven body and soul, which is the reason why his earthly body has never been found. 

Now that I have gotten to know Papa Joseph better, my love for the Eucharist has grown exponentially. It’s like Papa Joseph wants to lead me to His Son. There is a beautiful statue of St. Joseph at Church of the Little Flower, where I did my consecration and where I’ve been attending mass almost daily. Every time I look towards St. Joseph, I feel like he’s telling me, don’t look at me, keep your eyes on the Eucharist. 

I have also been visiting the Adoration Chapel as often as I’m able to, but I had never noticed that it had a name. This week I discovered that it’s called St. Joseph’s Adoration Chapel. I was touched to the core when I saw the name. Papa Joseph certainly wants me to adore His Son. And yes, just like in the main Church, there is a beautiful statue of St. Joseph in the chapel. But he doesn’t want me to look at him. He wants me to keep my eyes on the Eucharist. 

Papa Joseph also reminds me of my own stepfather who played such an important role in my formation, both spiritual and intellectual. Just like St. Joseph, my dad was a quiet man, very humble, who stayed away from the limelight and who adored both my mom and me. I am the woman I am today because of him. He also always knew that he was not my real father and never allowed me to forget who my real father was, even though I was separated from him for 25 years. St. Joseph also knew that God was Jesus’ real father, and he always took a step back to allow God to be the One to lead. 

In the process of consecrating myself to St. Joseph, I also got to know a pretty amazing priest. Father Donald H. Calloway is the priest that guided me and a group of fellow pilgrims on our consecration. He wrote the book: “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of our Spiritual Father.” He also accompanies the books with videos that he recorded back in 2020 when he led a live consecration. And in addition to doing the Consecration, I read Father Calloway’s conversion story in his book “No Turning Back.” It was like reading a mini-version of St. Augustine’s conversion story. His mother was another St. Monica who never gave up in praying for her son. My favorite part of the book is when Father Calloway realizes, the first time he attended mass at the age of 20, that the “little white circle” that the priest was holding was Jesus:

“I knew immediately that this was Holy Communion — that this was the Blessed Sacrament, and I was in the presence of God. I understood God is so in love with mankind that He comes and makes Himself present in extreme humility — in what looks to be a little piece of bread. Except it’s not bread anymore. It’s a miracle. It’s Jesus!”

It is an honor to have gotten to know Papa Joseph through the eyes of Father Calloway, and to be consecrated to this humble man and to his Holy Family. Now, I know that I have another father in heaven that loves me, protects me, and guides me. Papa Joseph, lead me to your Son. 

Copyright © 2024 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.