I'm Turning My Husband Over To Another Woman

The torment has been unbelievable,

the anger unbearable,

as I have attempted to navigate the road of hurt that has occurred in my marriage.

The lies that the prince of darkness whispers in our ears had penetrated my husband's heart and now I was buying in too.

As my screams echoed in the kitchen, it was a miracle that I could still hear a small, soft, voice cry out inside of me...What are you doing? Who is it that you are battling here?

It was a good question that begged emergency attention and prayer.

Who was it that I was really battling?

How could I have missed the real enemy? 

Maybe because he doesn't actually have horns or wear a little red suit...

Maybe because Satan disguises himself as a helpful voice to fill ourselves with more of ourselves...

Yes. It was he, the epitome of prIde, vice, and death that continued to relentlessly seek our marriage, just like he does with many others. 

Now, more than ever, it wasn't time to throw in the towel...It was time to call for backup.

It was time to turn my husband over to another woman.

Who better to oppose the real enemy in our marriage but the woman who is at enmity with the devil (Gen. 3:15) by bearing the Savior, Jesus Christ, God Himself, in her womb? 

She crushes the serpent through Christ's birth and by opposing the devil with her humility, virtue, and life.   What better woman to call on than the Mother of God, Mary, most holy.
It became clear that I needed to battle the true enemy with my prayers and not with my pride.  This mess is way too much for me to even consider trying to figure out or control.  I desperately needed help.

 

This woman...She's got this.
She's our mother. 
At the foot of the Cross, Christ entrusted Mary to all of us. (John 19:27)
Her soul magnifies the Lord. (Luke 1:46)

I place my husband into Mary's arms with perfect confidence.

I pray...
Every day, I must pray for my husband:

That he sees Mary's beauty as the perfect model for womanhood and not desire to view false images that come up empty.
That he feels the warm embrace of a woman who carried God in her arms and never feel lonely again.
That he may know the mercy of the woman who suffered her Son's murder and followed him to the cross, hence know freedom from shame.
That he accept this woman as his queen and sureness to heaven and be home.
That he breathe in her Immaculate heart full of love that gives freely and return real love to others.
That he never look away from her gorgeous gaze that reflects purity and grace and see what a real woman should be.
And most importantly...I pray that he chase after her to know her Son, Jesus, more perfectly.  Jesus, who came to give us life and hope that is beyond the Cross.
She knows that He knows.
She leads us to Him, the way, the truth, the life.

I'm turning my husband over to another woman because in doing this I am also turning over myself.
I'm done fighting the wrong enemy and strengthening my resolve to battle the real one.
We have help in this battle and we are never alone.
Regardless of what happens in my marriage or in this life, I want to be on the right team...lest I forget who wins!

+++If you can spare a prayer, please continue to keep Rod and I (and our family) in your prayers+++

A Smile Is A Curve That Sets Everything Straight

Isn't this the cutest?

Well, I just had to pass it on since I've got my smile back!

The dentist fixed my mouth so you can barely tell that I have been kicked in the teeth:) I am truly amazed.

Praise God, my appointment today was an answer to prayer...Thank you all so much!  I am truly grateful for everyone who offered a kind thought or prayer on my behalf.

From the dental x-rays, my roots do not appear severed.  This means that the prognosis is good that my teeth will be saved.  Hallelujah!

I was really hoping and praying for this.

It looks like a root canal or 2 might be in my future but all will depend on how the healing goes in these next few weeks.  I'm not out of the woods but thankful for healing, thus far.

I shall not take a smile for granted!

I will spare you the "before" photo...But this is the "after."

You probably can't see the little brace over my front teeth but it's holding everything together quite nicely.  The pain is manageable with Motrin so I am also grateful for that as well.

Thank you again for your compassion and prayers!

Thank you Jesus, Mother Mary, St. Apollonia, All the Angels and Saints for blessings received. 

Here are a few smile quotes to smile about:)

"Peace begins with a smile."

~Mother Teresa~

A smile is a language that even a baby understands.

Sometimes Life Kicks You In The Teeth...Calvary or Bust!

Well our weekend started out with ultimate peace!  We got away camping with some neighbor friends and loved having our little lakeside campground all to ourselves.  What is classified as a very busy place in the summer months was nearly empty in January.  The quiet was deafening and just what we needed to reset the compass of our souls to the simple setting of God's creation.  As I sat back and enjoyed this beautiful sunset, it felt like a little piece of heaven.  I felt like I wanted to stay here forever:) 

The littles had fun running through the trees chasing wild bunnies...They were so cute with their white cotton tails:)

And scootering the hills...

We always play fun games when we go camping that we don't always make time to do at home.  

I love this about stopping to take things back down to the basics.

Nothing like a campfire! 

Do I look relaxed???

Well... this was right before life kicked me in the teeth!  Lest I think about leaving, the Cross beckons.

The next day we headed up the hill to visit one of my husband's Fire Department friends (his crew Engineer). He had invited us to his beautiful property up on a hill so people in our group could shoot their rifles and shotguns.  Their gun range overlooks the foothill mountains and it was a gorgeous day. We aren't regular gun users, nor are we hunters, but we respect those who are.

I hadn't shot any type of rifle since my Army days so I was encouraged to participate in this day's adventure...You know, homeschooling "domestic warrior" that doesn't get out much!

Long story short, when I held the gun up to my face and fired, the kick-back from the butt of a shortened gun KICKED me square in my 2 front teeth!!!  BAM...It actually felt more like a horse just kicked me in the teeth. I was literally stunned as I realized that both teeth might be gone. 

As it turned out, one of my front teeth was barely hanging on...It had been pushed back quite a bit from the blow and was very loose and bleeding.  The other tooth was also out of place and had chipped.  

Luckily, my dentist is a personal aquaintance and she has known our family for years.  I called her cell phone right away and she agreed to meet me at her office for an emergency check.  It was a blessing that we were only about an hour from home so a dear friend in the group drove me down the hill.

The sweet dentist proceeded to push my teeth back in place to stabilize them and but a little brace across the front, which acts as sort of a splint for the weekend.  I think I was in shock because I prayed a Hail Mary and headed back up the hill right away.  Though it felt like the hill to Calvary, I was eager to be with my family again.  

We proceeded to fish and I made a spaghetti dinner before we headed home... Denial maybe?

I was glad that I made it just in time to see my daughter's first fish!

In sharing this story, I realize I run the risk of judgement for participating in a risky activity that led to a significant accident.   Yet it is my humble opinion that sometimes terrible accidents happen when we are just moving a long through life.  I have been witness to that on more than one occasion!  My oldest son suffered a terrible bike accident and skinned up half of his face when he was younger, all while being properly supervised and wearing a helmet.  Yet I don't move forward by telling my other children that they shouldn't ride bikes out of fear that they "might crash."  I believe that even the best intentions don't prevent accidents...Sometimes "stuff just happens" and life kicks us in the teeth. If everything moved a long perfectly, we would never learn a thing. 

In fact, when things move a long smoothly, or we have great things happen in our lives, our pastor refers to these as "wow moments."  During his homily today he noted that these "wow" moments aren't going to carry us through life.  It's the trials and tribulations that lead us closer to God.  So here I am, closer to God than I was yesterday...Hallelujah for that!  

I even began my morning, before Mass, feeling anxious about the possible damage that will be assessed on Monday.  It's not the end of the world to have your teeth smashed yet it was still quite traumatic.  The first Mass reading was another special grace and consolation as it began with "Brothers and Sisters: I should like you to be free of anxieties." ~1 Corinthians 7:32~ This was just what I needed to hear...Together with the homily, and the Bread of Life, I am equipped to tackle another day. 

May I kindly ask for your prayers?

Tomorrow I'll have dental x-rays to find out where to go from here...Best case is that I'll need a root canal or two on those front teeth and get to keep them.  Worst case is that I'll lose a tooth and need oral surgery and a tooth implant.

I am also praying for the intercession of St. Apollonia, who is the Patron of dental issues.  She had all of her teeth knocked out as she was persecuted for her faith.  My goodness, my injury is nothing compared to hers!

Sometimes life kicks us in the teeth but we make haste to pick up our Cross and head back up the hill.  "Calvary or Bust", I say!  Thank you so much for prayers received:)