Nick Recommends...

Book of the Week:  Joseph's Way - The Call To Fatherly Greatness.
I received this for my first Father's Day.  It has been giving some good daily inspirations and advice on how to be a father, modeling after historical fathers Abraham and Joseph.  I'm in the 50 range of 80 days, but it is good for the light reader, just a few pages a day.









Music of the Week:  Glen Hansard - Rhythm and Repose.   You may well remember him from that movie, Once.  Also a founding member of The Frames and The Swell Season, Glen is a very talented Irish singer/songwriter.  Catchy tunes, and excellent story-telling.  Enjoy.



Movie of the Week:
Guardians of the Galaxy.  I very much enjoy the Marvel movies, as enjoyed the comic books as a kid.  This one was no exception, and has it's little tie-ins to the rest of the 'Marvel Cinematic Universe.'  It has a good mix of Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and Marvel humor.  Fun time at the movies.

A Beautiful Life With NaPro Technology

For as long as I remember I've wanted a baby.  Before I understood the difference between male & female (all cats were girls & all dogs were boys, as far as I knew), before I knew what marriage was, and well before a true understanding of motherhood.  I just wanted a baby.  My favorite 'toys' were always my baby dolls, and I say 'toys' because in my mind they were very real (except for the time when I threw one doll across the room because her gown was wet - we'll assume I had a grasp on pretending by that point).  One of my earliest memories is of playing in my driveway and pretending that someone had dropped off a baby and because I found it I got to keep it.  I have no idea where I came up with the notion of a baby being given up, but what joy I felt upon the (pretend) realization that I now had a baby to hold and care for!   

The only time in my life when I thought that maybe I didn't want children (or rather, that my deep desire for children was meant for a purpose other than typical motherhood) was when, for a brief time, I considered entering into religious life, and even with that, the only life I could imagine entailed working in an orphanage, surrounded by babies & children.  When Nick & I started dating again after a 3 year hiatus, I immediately knew that God was leading me to marriage and being the mother of Nick's children.  Life was beautiful.  

Now let's back up several years.  From the beginning, I've always had extremely painful menstrual cramps, and in high school my doctor put me on birth control.  I DID NOT want to take them, and we even tried a pain reliever prescription first, but they only worked if you knew several days ahead of time when you would start, and since I had irregular cycles, they did me no good.  So, 'The Pill' seemed to be the only other option (and as a 15 year old, how was I supposed to know any different?).  I convinced myself that as long as I wasn't having sex, to use the pill for pain relief was morally O.K.  I knew that I'd get off of it by the time I got married and that I'd just deal with the pain then (side note: the pain subsided only a little while on the pill, just enough for me to function with the help of lots of ibuprofin).   

Well, I did get off of it several months prior to our wedding and we took a class on the Sympto-Thermal Method of natural family planning.  We started trying to get pregnant about 5-6 months after our wedding, but as the months went on, we weren't pregnant and the pain got increasingly worse.  At least twice in the first year of our marriage the pain was so intense that I had to go to my OBGYN for emergency exams.  In November of that year (2011) I had a laparoscopy during which she removed some endometriosis.  She recommended that we get pregnant by the following January.  Sounded easy enough.  Except that the pain never really got better, and by our anniversary in February we still weren't pregnant.  

I started to look into the negative effects of birth control.  It was kind of difficult to find a trusted source that could give me more than just 'decreased libido' as the main negative effect.  One quick-reference article: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resources/life-and-family/sexuality-contraception/what-a-woman-should-know-about-contraceptives/
For the life of me I cannot find the article that I read that spoke about the relational side effects, in which a woman's ability to choose a suitable mate is affected due to the lack of hormonal fluctuations, as well as more information on how it decreases your fertility.  At any rate, I was overwhelmed and infuriated at what I learned, and I encourage you to do your own research if you haven't already done so.

When Fr. Andrew Merrick, the priest that married us, asked when we were gonna have a baby and we told him we were having trouble getting pregnant, he immediately recommended we contact Dr. Robert Chasuk, who is the only doctor in our area who practices NaPro Technology.  I went home and looked that up and was instantly intrigued.  The success rates were way higher than those of IVF and artificial insemination (which were never options for us due to our religious beliefs).  We made an appointment in March and began our NaPro journey.

http://naprotechnology.com/ 

Dr. Chasuk had us learn the Creighton Model of natural family planning, which helps identify problems better than the Sympto-Thermal method.  We did a series of lab work to look at my hormone levels, and the results mirrored my charts - low estrogen as well as low progesterone.  He started me on estradiol and hCG shots to help boost my levels.  (Nick became quite the expert shot-giver!)  I was to go once a month for lab work so he could monitor my levels.  We were told to avoid getting pregnant until the levels were high enough.  The week of my birthday that year Dr. Chasuk called with my results and said that we could start trying!  We were so excited.  Nick even bought me a pregnancy companion book for Catholic mothers for my birthday.  It will always be one of his sweetest gestures (and there are PLENTY of those!).  

After a few more months of trying, I was put on Letrozole, a medication to facilitate normal, healthy ovulation.  Several months of good hormone levels went by, but still no pregnancy.  

We were nearing the 2 year mark of trying, and I was growing weary.  Why would God plant that deep desire for children in my soul and then make it seem impossible to attain?  I knew that many couples try much longer, and so my weariness would turn into guilt sometimes because I knew my life was full of blessings in so many other areas, namely my wonderful marriage.  But then I would think of how the majority of our marriage was wrapped up in trying to have a baby, and I would be reminded that the intimacy and good communication that we enjoy is due greatly to our journey through natural family planning.  I also knew that, since NaPro was relatively unheard of, maybe He was using us to spread the word (which is one main reason I'm writing this).  

Dr. Chasuk then recommended that I undergo surgery by a NaPro trained surgeon.  There are only a handful of their surgeons across the country and the closest to us, Dr. Karges, is in Houston.  I had the surgery in July of 2013.  She did a laparoscopy, hysteroscopy and hysterosalpingogram.  The NaPro technique is very detailed and thorough, with great focus on preserving the woman's fertility.  To give you an idea, the first surgery I had here in Baton Rouge lasted less than 30 minutes; the surgery in Houston lasted over 3 hours.  Dr. Karges removed endometriosis, small cysts, and scar tissue left over from the previous surgery.  She also found some bacteria in my uterus for which I was put on multiple rounds of antibiotics.  Due to recovery time and the need to avoid getting pregnant while on those meds, it was two cycles later until we could start trying again.  I continued on all the other medication and had my blood tested monthly as usual, but now under Dr. Karges' care.  (And no, I didn't have to go to Houston for any of this; my blood was drawn here, over-nighted to the lab she uses in New Jersey, and then her nurse would call me once they had the results.)

Those next few cycles were emotional roller coasters, met with pure excitement and followed by extreme disappointment.  After all, I had heard of a couple getting pregnant the very next cycle after the woman had the same surgery in Houston - when was it going to be our turn??  In October I asked the nurse why we weren't pregnant yet, and she said that Dr. Karges had seen it take up to 18 months for couples to get pregnant after the surgery.  That calmed my fears, but also put a damper on my spirit.  If only I could know if it was EVER going to happen, then I would know if I should hold on to hope or not.  But that deep desire would not go away, and I just knew that it came from God, and that if He gave it to me I should not give up on Him.

In December, just a few days after my fertile phase, I came down with the worst sinus infection of my life.  I was absolutely miserable, and I was disappointed because I knew there was no way my body would let me get pregnant while under such a stressful situation.  (Just in case you didn't know this, your body can inhibit you from becoming pregnant if it senses that you're too weak or stressed to handle it.)  So, on the 28th, a day or 2 after I had expected to start my next cycle, I began to wonder.  When I still hadn't started on the 29th, and not even the slightest cramping had begun, we weren't sure what to think, knowing I had never gone that long but afraid to make an assumption.  (And just in case you're wondering, I couldn't take an at-home pregnancy test because the hCG shots I was on would always result in a false-positive, so I'd have to have a blood test.)  

The next day was a Monday, and I was still very sick so I stayed home.  I emailed my chart to the nurse and asked if I could be pregnant.  She called and said that if I felt well enough to get to the lab for the blood draw she could have the results the next day.  Of course I mustered the strength to get to the lab that day, but unfortunately I missed the Fed-Ex pickup time for that day.  It wasn't shipped until the next day, but because of the New Year's holiday, the lab wouldn't have my results until Thursday.  However, due to the major snow storm that hit the Northeast, all flights were grounded, so the lab still didn't have my blood by Friday.  The nurse told me that Dr. Karges said the hCG from the shots should be out of my system and asked me to take an at-home test, because if it showed positive she wanted to start me on oral progesterone just-in-case, until my lab results came back.  So I did, and I didn't even have time to flush the toilet before it showed positive.  So I started the progesterone pills.  Of course, because of the test & because I still had not started my next cycle it was hard to think it could be anything else, but as I'm sure most of you know, it's a natural defense mechanism to not let your hopes get up until something is a sure thing.  Needless to say, the first week of the new year was TORTURE.  

On Monday the 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany, the nurse called me at work.  When she said that Dr. Karges had written CONGRATULATIONS across my chart, I was flooded with joy.  I was crying so much when I called Nick that he couldn't understand what I was saying and at first he thought that I was giving him bad news.  Poor thing. :-)

I'm now on progesterone shots, which Nick has become an expert in giving, as well.

It has been 3 1/2 weeks since I learned for sure that we were pregnant, and I'm not sure it's sunk in all the way yet.  It's very difficult to get your mind to switch from dreaming of something for so long to accepting it as reality.  We are both so, very, over-the-moon excited!  And after looking at it on my bookshelf for over a year, I've finally begun reading that book from my dear, sweet husband.  Life is beautiful.

Becca

P.S. - Read below Fr. Andrew's response to the good news.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is what I call a true Advent and Christmas experience!!!!! Really, your Advent was just a little longer than you would have liked, but all the time, the Lord was preparing you and Nick to be the father and mother He so desires. Now as "a child is born unto us," you begin a "new advent" a new "presence that while present to us now will continue to unfold and blossom" - in your womb of all places!!!!

Sing with Mary her Magnificat!!!!!!! 

Amen. 

Fr. Andrew

Book Recommendation, and then some...

http://dynamiccatholic.com/four-signs-of-a-dynamic-catholic/

I cannot say enough good things about his book.  Just find it.  Read it.  And you'll see what I'm talking about. Every parish needs this, or something like it.



Have you not seen this? Come on! This is a great film, with great music, too.  An emotional story with an array of characters that will make you tear up, and if you don't, get your eyes checked.  Two more words on this:  Martin. Sheen.



This began as a set of 4 that was given to us, and after the first book, I was hooked!  We are on the sixth novel so-far, with a seventh set for next year, AND a movie adaptation scheduled for early next year.  Told from a first-person point of view, these books are a superb combination of humor, action, sci-fi, horror, and wittiness.  I highly recommend this read.  I never thought I'd like Dean Koontz, but I was way wrong, AND he's a Catholic! Nice!  See also:  Forever Odd, Brother Odd, Odd Hours, Odd Apocalypse, and Deeply Odd.



Alter Bridge (Fortress) = Excellence in Music.  Good enough equation?  Should be.  I've been a guitar player for 13+ years, and I've been a fan of these guys for about 10 of those.  The musicianship here is top notch.  It'll be burning up my speakers for a while.  [Caution:  Heavy rock music not for those with heart conditions.]

And Becca recommends:



Jaime has a beautiful voice that she puts to work for the Lord.  This is not her first album, and I definitely plan to get some of her older stuff.  This album highlights the pro-life message and also has a song about a woman struggling with infertility, two issues very near to my heart.  I had the pleasure of meeting her in person a few months ago and we talked for quite a while.  She is very nice and is very dedicated to what God is calling her to do through her music.  Please check her out!

Love,
Nick and Becca

 

Bread and Wine. Why?

Undoubtedly, it's been quite a while since either of us have been writing.  But we have been busy, teaching 8th grade CCD (the new title PSR just doesn't work with my brain) and helping out with RCIA at our local parish.  I even gave the presentation on Baptism.  I hope I wasn't too boring...

Anyways, I had some thoughts that I'd like to share that occurred to me during the last class, which was on the Eucharist.  I asked myself, why bread and wine as the two used to become the Precious Body and Blood?  God has a good reason for everything he does, He is the Ultimate Good.

So as I was listening to the presentation I was pondering the reasons, and here's what I came up with:

Bread:  -Grown up from the earth as wheat, a symbol of God the Creator.

-Harvested, and made into dough, the work of human hands, symbolizing the work that God the Son Incarnate would do as a man

-Baked using fire, symbolizing the cleansing and inspiring fire of the Holy Spirit

(And now that I think of it, bread is made in that order, and that is the order in which God revealed Himself to man.  Cool.)

Wine:  -A fruit of the Earth, like wheat, symbolizing God the creator
-Harvested, and pressed, again showing the labor of humanity, and Christ in His humanity
-And barreled or bottled and stored, for long periods of time until wine is produced, symbolizing Patience, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit

And these are only my personal thoughts that occurred that night, which led me to research even more, coming across these two great articles at Catholic Answers.

http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/why-wheat-bread

http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/why-grape-wine

And I'm sure there are many other reasons as to why; there are many examples in the life of Jesus in which He either uses, speaks of, or makes a miracle out of either of these two consumables.

But even better from that night, and wonderfully enough my thoughts on the bread and wine were geared towards the Trinity, there was a surprise visitor from out of state.  He was the priest from the parish in Syracuse, NY that had closed down, and from which our parish was buying the contents to fill our new church building.  And wouldn't you know it, it was Holy Trinity Catholic Church?  Of course it was, and he told use great details about his old parish.  He was born and raised there, and eventually became the pastor.  He assured us that he couldn't have been happier that all of the items were going to be used for what they were made for, the worship of God.

I knew all of these statues, and altars, and all the things they've presented to us that will go in the church were very sacred items, from an old parish and I was glad they would be used.  But to hear a story behind it, to see the face of the priest who's known the place all his life, it just added an even more rich and beautiful origin than we could have imagined.  It was quite a blessing to hear him speak so lovingly about it.

Later in the talk, before the visiting priest gave his story, some were discussing Eucharistic miracles, and from a previous post, here's one that I've heard many times:

http://sheldensense.blogspot.com/2012/03/having-doubts.html
And the link straight to YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PJ8BORx1p8

Take care,
~Nick

Go ahead, run with scissors.

Recently I came across a cartoon meme, depicting a doctor holding in one hand a newborn by one of his feet, and in the other holding a branding iron (think cattle branding).  On a medical tray next to the doctor were several other branding irons.  
Each iron had a different head, symbols that represented different religions.  
In good anti-Christian fashion, the head of the iron in the doctor's hand was an ichthys (the fish symbol).  The caption of the meme was something like 'Let your children decide for themselves' (I tried to find the meme to let you see it for yourself, but after being bombarded with one extreme pro-choice meme after another, I could stomach the search no longer).  

Upon seeing this mockery, I was disgusted.  

I assume that most people who read our blog are Christians and that I'm preaching to the choir, but for those of you who are not, I'd like to give you some food for thought.

Let's define LOVE.  We are supposed to love our children, right?  Right.  
Love is desiring the greatest good for another.  Desire the greatest good, you say? Hmmm...

That means that parents should desire their children to eat healthy food.  Parents should desire their children to communicate & share with others.  Parents should desire their children to take baths.  Parents should desire their children to not get run over by cars.  You get the idea.

How do children do all of these things?  They decide for themselves.  
Oh, wait, that's wrong.  They are taught by their parents. 

A parent should also desire their children to know (at least basic) truths.  
The Earth is round.  Daylight comes from the sun.  No matter how far you run while wearing a cape, gravity will keep you on the ground.

Christians hold many truths which we know will lead us to eternal life with God in His Kingdom.  For us, this is the greatest good.  And so, we teach our children as much as we can about Jesus and how to live the Christian life.  Not because we desire our children to not think for themselves, but because we desire them to choose to follow Christ.  Because we desire them to go to Heaven.  

Parents know that there will come a day when their children will choose for themselves what to believe.  No one can force someone to be a Christian.  But if parents teach their children about the faith, and they still eventually reject it, at least they will know to what, or to whom, they are saying no.

Do you?


God Bless you,
Becca

Miracle!

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/baby-declared-dead-comes-back-to-life-after-being-placed-on-chapel-altar

Up the Trail, Without a Map...

Sometimes, God asks us to walk a path, that to our eyes, may not have a destination.  He asks for a total abandonment of self, and surrender to Him.  His eyes will be our eyes, His heart our map, His love and brilliance to light up our path.

Of course, this makes us nervous.  And maybe in my case inclusive of a little Divine Humor, since I earned a degree in geography, it's only fitting to take away the 'map' I believe I had to get me there (and even with that one, 'there' wasn't exactly clear).

I think he wants me to relinquish my map, my eyes, and my sense of direction, and think of only one direction: to Him.  I must let go of what I think I know, and let the One who knows me better than anyone take over.  Which, when you put it that way, His way will obviously be better.   I must continue to surrender myself to His Will, take the steps into the unknown, not even looking to where my feet are landing, and keep my gaze fixed on Christ.  But making that part of a daily routine is a trial in itself.

So in that last month or so of job hunting, I've done my best not to worry, and mostly succeeded.  In doing that I've shown myself that when you do surrender your will and pray about it, then there is no room for worry.  In fact, just the opposite.  I've been filled with joy and wonder in this whole discernment situation, wondering to where God will lead me.  What could it be that is better for me than what I could imagine?  I have no clue.  But I trust that "God works for the good of those who love him".  So in this way, it's all taken care of; it's all sorted out.  When I keep this at the forefront of my mind, worry and fear cannot come in.

Don't get me wrong, I have been avidly pursuing another job.  But I've left myself open to the workings of the Spirit, and not just applying for ones that I think I may be able to do or in a chosen field.  This is a great adventure of life, when you are following the narrow path, and the only map is the light of the Gospel.

Maybe I'll be a carpenter from now on.  I did build this in a little 'down time'.

I have discovered a love for woodwork.  I just wish I had more knowledge of technique to build different kinds of things like bookshelves and other furniture.  Mostly I just make it up as I go.  And since I've used recycled woods, it's a lot like a puzzle when you can only use certain pieces.

This period of unemployment has also brought me the extra time I needed for 're-alignment' of my priorities.  Namely, putting God first.  I have had much more time for prayer, daily rosaries, some morning masses, and a lot of time in the adoration chapel.  And all of these in turn is filling me with more joy, more peace.  I'm thankful for this, because I need this much more than I need a job.  

And God knows I need a job, He's God.  He knows all the things I need to take care of my family and my home, He's quite aware, omniscient if you will.  So if I know He knows, why should I worry.  What good does that do? None. 

 A job allows you to take care of your life here, but essentially you were given that by the Lord, and if the time has come for Him to give you a better one, or a different one, you need to be open to that and hop to it.  God is continually seeking us out.  But if we occupy all of our time seeking everything we 'think' we need in this world, we will miss the train that's rolling on to the next one (Heaven, in case I confused anyone).

So really, now that I think about it, I've always been on this 'trail'.  We are all on it.  But now I understand, that I don't need a map.  Because I know where it all leads.

Pray for me, I'll be praying for you.

~Nick