2) This has got to be a super-depressing blog to read. I know I wouldn't want to read it if I were still happily married and trying to make a place for myself in the catholic wife-and-mom blogosphere. But I can't seem to find a way over to the "widow" blogs without losing what I was looking for in the "Catholic" blogs and child raising blogs, so I don't really know where to go. Looking for a widowed catholic mom with kids still at home blogosphere seems a bit too......limited I guess. There is no such thing apparently anyhow. So for now I have no idea where I fit in.
3) SO let's change the subject.......Amtrak Trains! How many have ever ridden one any distance, like, overnight somewhere or further? When I was little, we took the train from Union Pacific Station in Los Angeles across from Olvera Street to Beaumont, Texas to visit my aunt Bessie. She was really my great aunt and was like a grandma to me, and I loved that cool as all get out train ride. I always read every word of the brochures, and we got a bedroom and there was a neat blue nightlight above my bunk, and the rails would sing you to sleep. And the next day as we went through El Paso, we went past a big mountain that looked like an Indian chief lying down--Cochise, I think it was called. Union station itself was a beautiful landmark of art deco design that really made you feel like you were getting ready to go somewhere BIG! And the train in those days (60's and 70's) had not only a dining room but also an "automat" car where everything was dispensed from vending machines (corned beef hash, I remember particularly) and they had all kinds of neat stuff.
| Amtrak Automat car |
| Bedroom on train |
| Interior of lobby of Union Station--you KNOW you are going somewhere major when you enter here! |
5) Russian Nesting Dolls--how can you not love them? My faves are the ones that have jillions of tinier and tinier ones inside til they are so tiny you can hardly believe it. My middle son got me a lovely owl one for my birthday this year.
6) I can't read anymore. So many books and my brain doesn't work any more to read them. It's just.....broken somehow. I can't think anymore. My husband took my brain as well as my heart when he went. I really should donate them to the church library.
7) Which reminds me.....I need to go try and find two books I am missing from there. I got a call today about it. Oh, the guilt.
Kerry, I came across your blog from the Shower of Roses blog, and first of all, let me just offer my prayers for you and your family. It sounds like your path is very difficult right now, but I pray that God will strengthen you to walk this road with Him beside you. You might find soothing these prayers for those departed:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-i1ESIRKdA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2WMhaogDsI
Here's the translation.
May angels lead you into paradise; upon your arrival, may the martyrs receive you and lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem. May the ranks of angels receive you, and with Lazarus, once a poor man, may you have eternal rest.
Much beautiful sacred music has been written to pray for those who have died and those who mourn them. If you search on YouTube, you can find recordings of many different Requiems, most of which are Catholic and based on the texts of the Latin Requiem mass which was the mass of the dead for hundreds of years in Church history. I recommend searching for requiems by the following composers:
Mozart, Faure, Verdi, Lloyd Weber.
You may also find these help bring you peace:
Healer of My Soul by John Michael Talbot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amEntTOmwMA
Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRMz8fKkG2g
Pie jesu by Andrew Lloyd Weber http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UYDHkLbWgg from his Requiem
Kind Jesus, Who takes away the sins of the world, Grant them rest.
Lamb of God, Who take away the sins of the world, Grant them rest everlasting.
Requiem: 4th mvmt by Brahms (not a Catholic Requiem, but a Protestant one, based on various parts of Scripture)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT44z0GwF1U
How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yea, even faints for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh cries out for the living God.
Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will always be praising thee.
Ave verum corpus by Mozart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX6z79mz4BY
Hail, true Body, born of the Virgin Mary, truly suffered, sacrificed on the cross for man, whose pierced side flowed with water and blood: May it be for us a foretaste in the trial of death.
I hope this brings you a tiny bit of consolation in your grief!
Oh thank you so much. My husband was a pianist and loved classical music--in fact, we had "Moonlight Sonata" played at his funeral Mass. He always enjoyed the lovely classical pieces when he accompanied me to Mass. Oh I miss him so deeply, I wish I could do a better job of leaning on the Lord for comfort. Thank you so much for visiting my blog and for your kind, sweet post.
DeleteYou're welcome! That's so nice your husband was a classical pianist--I am too. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers in this very difficult time for you.
ReplyDeleteP.S. On second thought, not all movements of the above requiems are soothing--some are dramatic, so if you want to stick to soothing, you may want not want to listen to the complete requiems above, just the movements to which I sent you YouTube links. Hope that my living the liturgical year ideas in my comments on another of your posts are useful to you too!
DeleteOh I must have missed that one! I'll go read it now--and thank you for the warnings about the requiems.
ReplyDeleteI know of 2 other newly widowed with kids still in the house Catholic blogs :(
ReplyDeletetherelunctantwidow.com and amywelborn.wordpress.com
praying for you- and frozen food is just FINE!!! next year, add a salad
Thanks you so much!
ReplyDelete