Thoughts Along the Journey

One year ago today, a tragic, horrible incident took place at a typical high school in a typical suburban town.  We hear of these shootings on the news far too often.  We grieve and shake our heads, as we wonder "Why?" and then we pray. However, this unimaginable episode was not "just another news story" for my family.  The young woman who was shot was not just a face in the news.  Claire Davis was my cousin's daughter.  She was young, beautiful, and in love with life.  In his misery, another student's anger cost Claire her life.  It was not only heartbreaking for the Davis family, but also for his family. December 13, 2013, will be forever etched in our minds as the day we lost a shining light. Please continue to pray for her parents, brother, grandparents, friends, and relatives.  No school shooting will ever again be "just another" to us. Ceremony Will Mark One Year Since Arapahoe High Shooting « CBS Denver

Dear readers, I have never done anything like this before.  However, the Holy Spirit is directing me to pass this information along. The mom mentioned in this article is a dear friend of mine, who is in desperate need of help NOW. Let us show our Christian love and the spirit of Christ by doing all we can to help them. God bless you all! ~Joni Help for a Friend Posted on Dec 9, 2014 by  Michelle Pendergrass  in  lessons  |  0 comments Update: Over 20% funded in just one hour! You guys are AMAZING!!! Let’s do this!! Friends, I need your help. I believe in connecting people and I think I’m good at it. I wouldn’t put this out there if I doubted the legitimacy of this– I know deep in my heart that this is an intense and immediate need. I’m going to give you a short version of a long story, but enough that you’ll understand why I want to do what I can to help, which includes asking you to help me help this family. So in the spirit of this...

I guess you could call this my "coming out" post, in a sense.  Because I have been struggling with something for many years, and have finally decided to go public with it all.  I am not prefacing my article this way to poke fun at anyone.  It is simply the best way I know to introduce a decision that has made a big impact on my life.  It is a controversial issue among some in the Catholic Church.  Rest assured, though, I am very sure of the path I have chosen, for I was guided there by the Holy Spirit. Ready? Holding your breath? I wore a veil to Mass last Sunday, which was the first Sunday of Advent. This is where you gasp and say to yourself, "You know, Joni had already gone pretty far off the deep end when she became Catholic.  But now?  Now she's trying to take us back to the time of women held under the tyranny of men.  Doesn't she know Vatican II liberated us from all that?  Poor, poor Joni!" Okay, maybe that's a bit overboard...