Thursday, February 15

ASH WEDNESDAY/VALENTINES DAY

ASH WEDNESDAY/VALENTINES DAY
I miss our Gracie Ann so much
(St. Valentines Cards set up for our little sweeties....trying to keep our house a place of peace and somewhat joyful)



My heart is absolutely unrecognizable in it's brokenness
(for St. Valentines Day, Jeremy bought me this teddy bear, and dressed it in some of our Sweet Gracie Ann's memories)
In only one hour we get to go and see our Sweet Gracie Ann for the first time since her death.  She will be all dressed up for her funeral Mass, which will take place tomorrow, and we will get to make sure that everything is just so.
My heart is filled with so much anxiety, as I cannot wait to see my perfect little baby, but I am so very afraid of what my heart will feel as my eyes first gaze upon her tiny cold face


My dear friend Larisa sent me this prayer (below) today and it just pierced to the depths of my soul, as it describes exactly what I am feeling.  
As Jeremy and I are totally broken inside and out, we are still able to breathe only because Jesus has filled us with His beautiful abundance of Grace.
He will never forsake us.....Ever

A Prayer for Those Who Carry A Cross
Oh my God, we thank you for this cross You have allowed us to carry. Please give us the strength and faith to persevere so that we may bring glory to Your Name while withstanding the burden of its weight. Thank You for offering us a share in Your Suffering. We know that You have always been, are now, and ever will be, at our side every step of the way. Thank You  also for every “Simon of Cyrene” that You have sent to help us bear this cross.
We have prayed so often that this thorn in our flesh would be removed but we trust that Your Grace is sufficient. Change our hearts’ troubled cry of “How long, O Lord?”...... into words of trust: “However long, O Lord”. May we seek only to do Your will and to unite our sufferings with Your Passion. Help us to not get lost in our own self concerns, but may we find in these trials, a way to greater virtue, a call to prayer, and a path to trust in You alone. Permit as not to waste our pain, but to make of the struggles, a sacrificial offering for others.
Lord, when we are weary and we fall, exhausted under the weight of this cross, please give us the courage to press on as You did. Lord Jesus, we embrace with love our cross, as a share in Your Own. By Your Grace, may we carry it all the way to the vision of Your Glory. We abandon ourselves totally to Your Will. Jesus Christ, we trust in You.
Amen
We love You so much my Dear Father,
Thank you for loving us so much as to entrust us with such a beautiful cross.
We will always continue to praise You for all of the opportunities that You give us to grow stronger in our faith and virtue as we grow closer to You
We promise to Honor and Glorify You today, tomorrow, and forever until we take our very last breath.
love,
kerry ann and jeremy