A Letter From Therese
 
Saturday, December 1, 2007

JMJ

Praise be to God! Blessings continue and our hearts are full.

Just before our pilgrimage, we were blessed with the news that our oldest daughter and her husband, married a year ago in October, are expecting their first child... we're grandparents! Our first grandchild is due the end of March, and our prayers are of thanksgiving and hope to see and hold him. We also have had the double good news shared by our daughter and son-in-law married last June who recently announced they are expecting in July! As we enter Advent, a time of preparation and waiting, we await these new little members to our family with a special joy.

October was a special time with family. David had the great idea to go to my hometown for a long weekend to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I had not been back in years and always promised to do so - so we finally did. We visited dear friends on the way, and went to an authentic German restaurant and the beautiful St. Josephat Basilica. This was a very special trip in that I was able to visit with many aunts, uncles, cousins, my Godmother, and my sister and brother-in-law. Everyone was so generous in making time to come visit, and I was so happy to see them all. With the exception of my sister and her husband, it had been almost twenty years since I had seen most of these relatives, but it felt like it had been just yesterday!

Thanksgiving this year was wonderful as we had so much to be thankful for... our new little grandchildren on the way, our marriage of 24 years, another birthday for both David and me, and all the many blessings the year has brought us. We started the day with Mass at our parish thanking the Lord for these many blessings. While we have been given a new cross in this diagnosis and the disability it is bringing about, Our Lord keeps providing the graces we need to carry it and giving us constant new hope and happiness.

We thank God for the gift of life, and pray for healthy and safe pregnancies for our children. Thank you for your gifts of prayer and support that we continue to receive and for which we are grateful. We also pray for all of you in our family rosaries, and especially as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Our Lord during the Advent season. Every day is lived without expectation of the next, but we continue to live in peace Trusting in Our Lord and in His Mercy.

Thank you, Jesus! Jesus I Trust in You! Thy Will be Done!

~ Therese