Feeling a Bit Blue! (Wink, Wink)

After over 3 years of blogging, I've reached a big milestone today:

THIS IS MY 1,000th POST!

Holy mackerel, that's a lot of yakking away over the world wide web!

And what better way to celebrate than by telling you what I found out today at the gender reveal party for my middle son and his wife's October baby?

The icing inside the cupcakes was blue, so...

IT'S A BOY !!

It was a win-win situation, obviously; either way, this was going to be great news.  But I'm over the [blue] moon, because I have the softest of soft spots for baby boys (and little boys, and grown-up boys).  Cowabunga, this is awesome--our first grandson is on the way!  The Pearl name will live on!

TBA: Our Newest Grandchild's Gender!

As you may already know, my third son and his wife Preciosa, a couple of starry-eyed newlyweds who were just married on December 7 of last year, are expecting their first child.  It's due in mid-October.

At their recent sonogram, the doctor was able to tell the sex of the baby (who is healthy and on track, thank God).  I'm flying down to VA tomorrow morning so that I can attend a "gender reveal" party on Saturday morning, to be held in honor of the newest little seed Pearl on the family string.

My husband and I had only sons, five of them.  And all three of our grandchildren--twins about to turn three and their 15-month-old sibling--are girls (our oldest son's daughters).  We're anxious to find out what this one is going to be: another sweet little bundle of sugar and spice and everything nice, or one of those energetic little chaps made up of snakes and snails and puppy dog tails.  So what's your prediction? Pink or blue?  Another little girl, or our first grandson?

In my suitcase, I'll be carrying a gender-neutral blanket that I made for the baby.  But I'm also bringing a little seersucker suit that I made for my oldest son back in 1983.  He outgrew it before the event for which I made it; but it was worn a few years later by the first-time daddy, when he was about a year old.  He looked mighty dapper in it, and I assume his boy will do the same.  And for a wee lassie, I made a jumper out of material that celebrates the first-time mommy's alma mater, FSU.  This fabric was actually originally used to make a tablecloth for the couple's rehearsal dinner (less than six months ago!), so there's all kinds of sentimental value stitched up in that little garment.

I'll be sure to let you know which of these little outfits I'll be packing back up to bring home with me (to be given at a later date, I'm sure!).  In the meantime, let me know your guess!

And keep me in your prayers, if you would.  Sometimes that old fear of flying bugaboo (which I start to believe I've conquered) comes back to bite me--and I don't want to feel stressed, when this trip should be nothing but joyful.  Thanks in advance!

Memorial Day Remembrance

Almost 31 years ago, I posed with two of my favorite military men.  Camera-shy as always, I turned away just as the flash went off.

That's my husband in the Navy dress whites.  He was an aviator who flew jets (A-7's and F-18's) on and off of aircraft carriers; so yes, he was indeed THE MAN.

I can't explain the little mark under my guy's right eye.  This is an Ice Age
 snapshot, from August 1983, and the quality isn't the best.

See that "baby bump" there?  That's our firstborn son, who was due to make his appearance about two months after this picture was snapped.

Little could I have imagined back then that the sweet little blond creature who made me a mommy for the first time would one day grow up to be a military man and an aviator, like his old man.  A husband in the service was one thing; a baby boy was quite another.

But that little boy grew up.  And his mommy got used to the idea that she wouldn't be able to keep him home forever in a bubble-wrap cocoon.  And he just recently ended his own military career, as an officer in the US Army, after spending the past eight years on active duty.  He was a pilot who flew those great big Chinook helicopters; and as such he was sent on deployment for a year in Iraq, and then with only a year in between stints, a year in Afghanistan.

But the two men in the photo above are far from the only members of my family who have served, are serving, or will one day serve in the armed forces.  The extended Pearl family has represented every branch of the military, with the exception of the Marine Corps, and they have served honorably and well.  My husband's dad started the tradition by serving as a Naval aviator back in the 50's, and it is utterly astounding how many of his kids and grandkids have followed in his footsteps.  The Pearls are a family that lives and breathes the motto engraved over one of the doors of the Sacred Heart Basilica out at the University of Notre Dame: GOD, COUNTRY, NOTRE DAME.  (Actually, make that GOD, FAMILY, COUNTRY, NOTRE DAME.  There we go, that's it.  That's our motto.)

Just among our own sons, we still have three in the Army: one on active duty, one in the Reserves, and our baby, who is currently an Army ROTC cadet--and whom we just dropped off at the airport this morning, so that he could spend 3 weeks doing a voluntary Army internship at Fort Bliss, followed by a 4-week required leadership course at Fort Knox.  He still has a year of college left before he will be commissioned, and already he is a brave and loyal soldier.

God bless the US military, the greatest fighting force in the world.  Where would we be without the courage of our men and women in uniform and the sacrifices they are willing to make on our behalf? Today, we remember all of these great patriots, but particularly those who made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives in the defense of their country.

God bless America!  (And my family...and Notre Dame...)

Here Come the H's!

The H pages are done.  HOORAY and HALLELUJIAH!  I'm so happy--happier than a little kid eating birthday cake!

 

This illustration of "Henry" eating cake is the last one I'm going to use in this ABC Book that's actually a copy of an old drawing from 1993 (when I started a book for my youngest son but never finished it).  From here on out, I won't be hampered by trying to reproduce existing artwork; I always find it easier to start from square one.

I thought he was cuter the first time around.  But he didn't have a name back then.  Now he's Henry...because H is for Henry.

Okay then, have a great weekend, dear readers.

Catholic Writer's Award! (My Nominations)

You might have noticed this lovely new icon on the side bar of my blog.

You see, I was nominated for an award--what a lovely surprise!--by Nancy Shuman, who blogs at The Breadbox Letters, It's Only Write, and The Cloistered Heart.  If you haven't discovered Nancy yet, you should check out her beautiful Catholic sites.  Her posts at The Breadbox Letters are short and sweet; they include snippets of poetry, quotes by saints, Bible verses, and all sorts of inspirational words, along with pieces of stunningly gorgeous famous works of art that just happen to look like they were painted to go along with the text Nancy has chosen.  Even if you're in a hurry, you can stop by for a quick read and find yourself feeling incredibly inspired and uplifted.  (I know I always feel that way.)  Nancy is also the author of a book called The Cloistered Heart.

If you don't know her already and you want to learn more about Melanie Jean Juneau (the administrator of the Association of Catholic Women Bloggers) and the details of this new blogging award she has created,  just click here.

So, now on to the "rules":

THIS AWARD HAS NO STRINGS ATTACHED
NO RULES,
NO OBLIGATIONS
A SIMPLE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF GREAT CATHOLIC WRITING WHICH BRINGS JOY, TRUTH, FREEDOM OR  ENCOURAGEMENT TO OTHERS
IT CAN BE SOMEONE WHO WRITES ABOUT
PRAYER
THEIR STRUGGLES AND PAIN. BRINGING HOPE TO OTHERS
LIFE IN GOD
FAITH STORIES THAT MAKE YOU LAUGH
PASS THIS AWARD ON TO A FELLOW CATHOLIC WRITER OR TWO
POST THE RECIPIENT’S NAME AND BLOG IF APPLICABLE, AWARD TITLE, LOGO WITH A SIMPLE LINK BACK TO


http://melaniejeanjuneau.wordpress.com/
Put it in your own sidebar!

Thank you, Nancy, for nominating my little String of Pearls for this wonderful award!!!

Now I want to nominate two bloggers I've "known" for a while now and who inspire me, especially because they are so young--a good three decades and then some younger than I--and yet are already so far ahead of where I was at their age, faith-wise.  They are just the sort of gals a mother of all sons would choose to fix up with her boys (mine are mostly taken now--but the baby's still available!).  But aside from that, they are great writers and their blogs are well worth checking out.

Sarah Therese at Cherishing Everyday Beauty (formerly Footprints on My Heart)
Sarah exudes sweetness, thoughtfulness, generosity, and devotion to the Faith in her writing; and her Saturday series, "Our Friends, the Saints" (with guest posts by other Catholic bloggers) is a real winner.

Iris at Country Girl's Daybook
Iris is a deeply faithful young person, and also often a real hoot.  She does killer movie reviews.  She'll make you think, she'll make you laugh--and when you stop by her blog, you will often get to enjoy the fruits of her passion for photography.

I'd also like to nominate Erica at Boys, Books, and Balls
Erica is busy raising and homeschooling three sons.  She's also a lover of books, knits like nobody's business, and crafts beautiful handmade jewelry.  I have "known" her for quite some time, and Erica deserves this award because she's not only an inspiring blogger, but she's also so supportive of the Catholic blogging community at large.  Plus, she's a Saint (literally!).

Okay, girls--tag, you're it!  Now you get to tag some of your favorites.  God bless you--and all the Catholic bloggers out there who are faithfully using their writing gifts as tools of evangelization!

WWRW: The Gate

It is with distinct pleasure that I highly recommend Nancy Carabio Belanger’s latest triumphant YA novel, The Gate.  I only wish it had been around when my five sons were in junior high!

I have already read this acclaimed Catholic author’s award-winning Olivia and the Little Way; this 5-star must-read is an engaging, superbly written novel that imparts some vitally important messages to impressionable young readers (and as a bonus, introduces them to Saint Therese of Lisieux, the “Little Flower,” who is a favorite saint of the author).  Olivia and the Litte Way is not just for junior high girls, however; it is a delight for adult readers as well, as I can personally attest.  I’ve been looking forward to reading its sequel, Olivia’s Gift, which sits at the top of my “to read” pile.

I am a huge fan of the Olivia series, obviously; but as a mother who raised only sons, I have often bemoaned the fact that much of the modern young adult fiction out there seems to be targeted at female readers.  So when I heard about The Gate, which stars a troubled 13-year-old boy named Joshua Lasko and a baseball-loving, crotchey senior citizen named Pietro “Pie” Leone, I simply had to put Olivia’s Gift on hold and read it right away.

The reader is introduced to Josh, a troubled 8^th grader and only child who has been a bit lost since the death of his father two years ago.  Once a happy, church-going, clean-living kid who did well in school (a former altar boy, for goodness sake!), Josh no longer really cares about anything—that is, besides the latest violent video game that he wants to buy.  Finding a way to get the money for this game, of which his mom would never approve, is his obsession; and meanwhile his grades are slipping, he’s losing his faith, and he’s heading for some serious trouble.  His mother is now a single parent who has to work long hours, and she and Josh are struggling to stay connected.

When Josh’s class takes a field trip to the senior center, to meet the elderly pen pals they are being assigned as part of a school project, Josh is thrown together with a grumpy old guy named “Pie,” who is recovering from surgery and itching to get healed up so he can go back to his normal life—whatever that might be.  Little does Josh suspect at first, but this will prove to be one of the most meaningful and significant relationships of his life.  As time goes on, Josh and Pie develop a unique friendship.  Pie teaches his young protégé about baseball, pizza-making, and most importantly, the Catholic Faith—about which he seems to know more than the average Joe.  Pie is a mentor who enters Josh’s life at a crucial time, when the boy has begun to lose sight of the difference between right and wrong and is sorely missing a father’s influence.  Once Pie enters the picture, Josh starts down a new path and he is forever changed.

If you’re a Red Sox fan (like yours truly), Pie might get on your nerves.  He’s a dyed-in-the-wool Yankees fan—but that’s my only complaint about him!  Besides that one glaring flaw in his make-up, he is one of the most lovable, memorable characters I have ever come across in fiction—YA or otherwise.  He does for young Josh what St. John Bosco did for so many troubled street boys in 19^th-century Turin, Italy.  (And bonus: Just as the Olivia books tell about St. Therese and her “Little Way,” through this book the reader will learn more about wonderful Don Bosco, to whom Pie Leone is very devoted.)

In a recent interview on CatholicFiction.net, Belanger was asked why she writes.  Her answer is the key to why her books are so needed in this day and age, when God has been all but banished from the classroom: “I write,” she answered, “because Catholic pre-teens are not being fed…I write for the young souls God loves so very much.  I write to show them the beauty of the One True Faith which is Catholicism.”

To that, all I can say is: mission accomplished!

In that same interview, when asked, “What one project do you daydream about accomplishing as a writer—your magnum opus?”, this gifted writer answered, “I am telling the truth when I say it was The Gate.”

Again, mission accomplished!  The Gate is indeed a magnum opus.  And although it's perfect for young male readers,  it's certainly not just for kids.  It'll knock your socks off, trust me.  The characters are fully-developed and unforgettable, and the plot draws the reader in from page one.  This novel is a celebration of faith, hope, charity, and love; it is a celebration of the Christian family; it is a celebration of the priestly vocation; and ultimately, it is a celebration of all that is good and true about the Holy Catholic Church. 

Now over to Jessica's with you!

 

Putting God First: an Engagement Story

I've been teasing you lately with the promise of a great proposal story, and now here it is.

On May 9, our second-oldest son got engaged to a lovely young lady whom we are thrilled to welcome as a fourth daughter.  This is a date my husband and I will never forget because it is also the birthday of my late father-in-law, a figure beloved by so many, who would be 86 if he hadn't been taken from us--way too soon--back in 2003.  Papa lived for his grandchildren, and he would have certainly approved of his grandson's choice of a mate.

Three of our other sons are married already; son #1 got married in December of 2009, son #3 in December of 2013, and son #4 in February of 2014.  Now son #2 and his bride-to-be are looking at a November 2014 wedding date.  Our firstborn pointed out recently that the oldest four in our family were born less than five years apart, and now they're going to all be married within five years of each other.  He had quite a head start on his younger brothers, but the three of them are making up for lost time by getting married in one 11-month period.   

All this is to say that life will surprise you!  Just when I thought it was a possibility that our #1 son's girls might be old enough to babysit for their Pearl cousins, because none of our other boys were dating anyone seriously yet, their uncles totally made up for lost time (and now one of them is expecting his first little one!).  My husband and I have always prayed for our sons' future wives, that they were out there and that our boys would find them sooner rather than later...and boy, have our prayers been answered.

Our three married sons met their wives on CatholicMatch.com.  And you might say that Catholic Match had a hand in this union as well, because the bride-to-be is a college friend of son #3's wife Preciosa.  She was a bridesmaid at their wedding last December, and son #2 was a groomsman for his brother.  The two of them talked at the reception, but never got around to dancing with each other.  Yet soon afterward, they began to text each other, which led to epic phone conversations, which led to visits by plane and by car between her home in VA and his here in NH.

It didn't take long for two mature 29-year-olds to realize this might be the real deal.  They saw in each other just what they'd been looking for: both are strong in their Catholic Faith and wanted to find someone with whom to share that; both are teachers; both are extremely family-oriented.  It seemed like a match made in Heaven--but to be sure, they decided to say a 54-day Rosary novena to help them discern if this was what God wanted for them.

They prayed a Rosary together every night, for 54 nights, mostly over the phone (except for on those weekends when one happened to be visiting the other).  With a beginning like that, how could God fail to bless these two kids and their relationship?  Have you ever heard of such an inspiring courtship, where two young people immediately put God's wishes for them above their own?

The novena ended, and they felt ready to move ahead, to take the next big step.  So my son began to devise a complicated plan to surprise his sweetheart with an extremely special proposal.  He told her he was flying down on Friday after school, but in reality he took a personal day on Thursday and stayed with her sister's family that night.  While she was at work on Friday, he snuck into her house and set up a scavenger hunt, with each romantic clue hand-written on antique-looking treasure map paper and sealed with red wax (and a heart stamp).

[A quick aside here: her folks asked my husband if our son got this romantic side from him, and we both had a hearty laugh.  We don't know where our boys get this tendency.  I'm beginning to suspect they're secretly on Pinterest.]

The scavenger hunt ended with a pair of pretty pearl earrings, and then my son's unsuspecting future fiancée's younger brother (who was in on the ruse) drove with her over to their church, where they had plans to take their priest friend out for a bite to eat (supposedly!).  When they arrived at the church, the priest was waiting outside with another scavenger hunt clue, and when she saw the treasure map paper again, she knew what was happening.  Inside the church, my son was waiting for her in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament (the priest had been in on the plan, too, obviously), and that's where he got down on bended knee and presented her with a diamond solitaire.

Right afterward, they prayed in front of Our Lord, and then the priest said a blessing for their marriage and sprinkled them with holy water.

I have never in all my life known anyone whose proposal occurred on a church altar in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament, but apparently it's more common in that part of VA in which the future bride lives.  It makes me want to move to this hotbed of Catholicity!  Have you ever heard of something like this?

These two kids will be getting married exactly 11 months and one day after meeting for the very first time.  But when your union starts off with a 54-day Rosary novena and a proposal in front of the Blessed Sacrament, with God at the center from the get-go, I like your odds for a long and happy marriage.