This post from Maria Stops Abortion sums up exactly how I felt when I read about the 'tragic' abortion 'mix-up' in Australia. There's no doubt there is a huge tragedy here. The parents and clinicians involved are suffering greatly and need lots of support and prayers. But how messed-up (actually feel like using a much stronger description) is our society that the media fails to see how aborting the so-called 'sick' child would be just as much a tragedy? And what about the 'healthy' children that are aborted deliberately every day? Presumably their deaths wouldn't be considered tragic by the media either? The fact is, abortion is always a tragedy, whether intentional or not.

I don't normally blog about these things, I try to keep things positive and avoid posting when I am angry or sad. I know though that we need to speak up about these things. And this evening I was so stunned by the way this was reported and the language used I couldn't contain it.

Tuesday

I suppose there are some good things about the evenings getting ever shorter. I love the twinkly light from the candle on my sinkside shrine. At last week's Mission I picked up a little prayer card to St Martha only to discover there is a devotion to her on Tuesdays.
So today I added her Novena prayer to that of St Anthony whose Tuesday devotions are better known.
So far today has been very busy, zooming from school to Playschool to class in town to Lee to playschool to school to playschool again. May not have been the best day to start a new crochet class, but it worked out ok and now we are home again cosy and safe with the night drawing in around us.

I have a chatty little chappy riding shotgun with me today. He decided he'd like to sit there in the booster seat instead of his usual seat in the back. And why not? It's a small little thing that means a lot to a 'tomato-staked' child who needs lots of attention at the moment. All the better to spot exciting things like doggies, rainbows and 'ambulips'.

Kilkenny castle from the bridge over the river Nore.

Kilkenny stroll

Tootling about with lollies in hand

Lollies in the sunshine

November is a very important month for the Holy Souls. Until the 8th November we can gain a special grace (plenary indulgence) for the poor souls in purgatory if the following guidelines are followed:

1) To visit a cemetery and say any prayer for the deceased (the person does not need to actually be buried in that particular cemetery).
2) To be in the state of grace when the work is accomplished.
3) To go to confession.
4) To pray for the Holy Father (an Our Father and Hail Mary, as well as the Creed or the Glory Be, are the traditional prayers).
5) To receive communion devoutly.
6) To be free from all attachment to sin (even venial sin).
Note: Communion should be received on the day or near the day in which the visit to the cemetery is made. Confession may be made several days before or after (and one confession suffices for multiple indulgences [but communion must be received for each plenary indulgence]).
Finally: Only one plenary indulgence may be gained each day (excepting in the case of the moment of death, when a second may be acquired).

You can read more about it here.

This lovely image is from the fab Happy Saints website. They also have a lovely group picture for yesterday's feast of All Saints. See how many saints you can recognise.

...and the REALLY important news...

is that the Little Toot is walking!! Properly! Hooray!

Happy Saints Day!

We had a full and happy day today to celebrate All Saints' Day. First Roo tried on the wings we made yesterday for his St Michael costume and ran around the house in them. Really they are magnificent, but I can't take the credit for them. I found an excellent how-to on MakerMama's blog that even I could follow. And Roo enjoyed helping with the cutting out. He is really proud of his wings! I'll try and post a picture of them soon.

Next the lads and I went to Mass in the Abbey. I don't think I've been in sole charge of all three of them at Mass before and I was a bit nervous as to how I would manage them. (Usually Lee is there too, of course and even then it's hard work.) But actually it was fine. Poonch refrained from singing Bob the Builder during the Proclamation of Faith, or shouting 'No!' at the top of his voice during the sermon. Toot fell asleep in the sling and Roo followed the Mass quietly in his little Picture Missal while wondering why the priest was wearing white today. Nothing gets past him. Post-Mass Chupa Chups lollies were a well-deserved treat.

It was a beautiful day. The sun shone as if the Saints were all smiling down from Heaven, so instead of going straight home, we visited the graveyard next to the church, Poonch clutching two handsful (handfuls?) of leaves. That's his thing at the moments. Leaves. The muddier the better.

When we got home the older lads went in and out of character as an archangel and a fireman (that is Poonch wore his Fireman Sam hat a lot). Toot decided to give his acclaimed lion suit a rest for today so it would be clean for visiting our lovely friend tomorrow. After putting about three days' worth of washing out (contented sigh) we made Rice Krispie marshmallow cakes and swords, apparently the weapon of choice for archangels these days, after the Rosary of course. My word, melted marshmallow must be the stickiest thing known to man. I wonder if they could find some industrial use for it. It also has a spooooooky cobwebby quality that makes it very appropriate for this time of year. We ate them along with a little Victoria sandwich I made with strawberry jam and cream after dinner.

In other news, Toot used a spoon by himself today, happily scooping up Baked Beans with great accuracy. And Lee dressed up as St Leonard. No. I made that last one up. He does an impression of St Leonard most days anyway.

Good news and weathering the storms

It's been an uppy-downy few days in the Little Hare household. Actually, more downy-uppy. Three days ago was one of those days from Hell that starts off with little irritations that just multiply and snowball all day as more frustrations join them and then towards the end of the day some actual disasters decide to pop along for good measure.

Since then it's been much better. The following day dawned bright and clear. I had an 'early' appointment in the hospital to find out the results from the operation I had last month. After the now-traditional long wait, (well, you'd miss it if they didn't do it to you, wouldn't you?) I was called into the room where the consultant was joined by two student doctors, one with a beard that couldn't hide his sweet innocent young face. Then I was told something definitely worth waiting for, namely, 'it's only good news.' Yippee! No sign of cancer! My scar had its photo taken and I glided out of the hospital on a cloud. Outside, the sky never seemed bluer, the sun shone and I made interior vows to change my ways and always be cheerful and kind and patient... until the needle veered off the record when a phone call from Lee brought me back to reality.

On the way back to the car I called into the Hospital chapel and found a little prayer card to Fr Patrick Peyton, aka the Rosary Priest from Co. Mayo. There was a prayer for his beatification on the prayer card, so I started praying it for the latest crisis. Fr Peyton was born in Co. Mayo, (where we spent a very happy week earlier this year) but he became famous all over the world and coined the phrase, 'the family that prays together, stays together'.

...

And we're off!

Well it was a bit of a palaver- the arrival of colder weather always makes leaving the house a big production- but we are all toastied up and off for a walk/snooze in the very fresh air.

A sunny start to the day here. Cold though, a real nip in the air now. Boots and cosy coat weather.

On this day in 2008, the parents of St Thérèse, Louis and Zélie Martin, were declared Blessed. They are the first spouses in the history of the Church to be proposed for sainthood as a couple and an example to all of us who choose married life.

Here is the prayer for their canonisation:

Prayer for the Canonisation of Louis and Zélie Martin and to obtain favours through their intercession:

God Our Father, I thank You for having given us Blessed Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Therese. United and faithful in marriage, they have left us an example of Christian living and evangelical virtue. In raising a large family through trials, suffering and bereavement, they put their trust in You and always sought Your will.

Deign, Lord, to make known your will in their regard and grant the favour I ask, in the hope that the father and mother of St. Therese of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face, may soon be canonised and thereby held up to the Universal Church as model for the families of our time. Through Christ Our Lord, Amen

(Here mention your request)

The 'Great' Southern Greenway?

We had endured a long and car-bound journey yesterday which resulted in disrupted sleep and a couple of crotchety youngsters this morning. So a walk in the fresh air was just the (railway) ticket this afternoon. Roo cycled and Poonch walked much of the way along the disused railway which apart from us and two dog walkers was still abandoned today in spite of the bright autumn sunshine.

This restored walkway/cycle track is perhaps a well-kept secret. Today was our first time to walk there, but we spent a half- afternoon looking for the start of the trail earlier this Summer. All there was to mark it was a pixie-sized sign with GSG hand-written on it on the grass verge opposite. Not sure why it isn't better sign-posted. Maybe it is a work in progress as it would be great if it could be as good as its Northern counterpart in Mayo. I have a feeling though that even if the will was there, the funds probably aren't anymore.

In a way though, it was nice to have it all to ourselves. (Especially when I was pedalling Roo's pint-sized bike like a mad thing.)

On a more positive note, I was pleased to come across some parenting tips from the Little Flower's mum Zélie, via Twitter.

She started praying for their holiness from the time she was pregnant. I especially love the prayer she taught them to say each morning:

My God, I give You my heart; please accept it that no creature, but You alone, my good Jesus, may possess it.

Sad tidings from the Abbey

I don't listen to the radio much these days at home (there's enough going on trying to listen to three little boys' goings-on). So in the car this morning, I was stunned when I heard the lead story on the 10am news... Very sad and shocking news from Holycross Abbey. The relic of the True Cross was stolen in broad daylight yesterday by some hoodlums driving a red VW Touareg. The Abbey is very close to my heart. My Mum goes to Mass every day there and Lee and I were married there by the lovely Fr Tom Breen, who spoke on the news tonight of his feelings of devastation at the theft. You can read more about it here.

Mellow Fruitfulness

This morning was bright and hopeful-looking so after pegging out some washing and 'sploring (aka digging in mud and examining minicreatures) Poonch and I took a stroll across the road with Granny's dog.
This used to be a daily occurrence, but has slipped down the agenda since Roo started school. Sadly we never picked any blackberries this year. Not one, never mind make jam. But we had a good look at all the colourful berries and other offerings of this marvellous season like the little musher-room above. I think St Francis would have approved.
It is lovely spending this time with our little middle piggy. He seemed a bit lost when his big bro first spread his wings but is definitely happier in himself this past few days.

Wheeeee!

Love this time of year for lots of reasons. One of them is the number of great Saints' days. Today is the wonderful Thérèse of Lisieux, who is very close to my heart. Then there's Sts Francis, Faustina and a couple of days ago, the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Padre Pio's around this time too.

The weather hasn't lived up to what we'd been promised, but we did get a leetle sun one day this week. The little Toot and I took advantage of it while his older brothers snoozed. Off to the swing where he whooshed and went whee to his heart's content. He gets such a kick out of it. Look at his little tooty feet revelling in the warmth!