Memorialize the Present

Memorial Day is the day we take time to honor those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country (for our USA friends that is) and gave their lives so that we could and can remain a free country. We probably all know someone who has served and we might even know someone who has died in the line of duty. All of these people had dreams beyond the battlefields, but they put them aside for the good of the country they loved. 

We hope you’ll remember this today and have an attitude of thanksgiving and gratitude. No country is perfect, but we have been blessed with so much.

Emily had her own Memorial Day traditions that she shared in this post.

She always cherished the little moments and valued people in her life. Even rereading Jane Austin books every summer and getting to dip her toes in the pool (her nieces share her affinity below) were what she considered worth a mention. 

Emily’s nieces sharing her love of the pool!

How many of us can truly say we are living? Some of us wake up and choose to take on the world loudly, some quietly one moment at a time, and some of us are physically awake, but bare minimum for the definition of “living”. 

We hope as you read Emily’s former post you gain a renewed drive to be present in the ordinary moments in life. Life is short; we all know it, but we tend to push it out of our minds in exchange of desire for the big moments. But truly, tomorrow is never guaranteed so please start memorializing the time you have with your family and friends, enjoy each other’s company in the moment, and don’t stop making good memories. 

So teach us to number our days, That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
- Psalm 90:12

Happy Mother’s Day to all Mothers and Godmothers!

Emily’s baptism, on May 9, 1982, was an extra special gift as it fell on Mother’s Day, which her parents were thrilled to celebrate for the first time.

Pictured: Baby Emily on her baptism day with her parents.

Even though Emily’s dream to become a mother was never realized, she delighted in being a Godmother and Aunt. As you can see in the following photos, she adored when she got to spend time with them and that poured over into her blog more times than we can count.

Pictured: Emily with her godchildren and nieces. From left to right: Ryan, Patty, Maddie, and Hailey

We want to leave you this post from Pope John Paul II to ponder this Mother’s Day.

“ When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home. ”  - John 19:26-27

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Pick up a copy of Emily’s book, “Living Memento Mori”:
Amazon
Ave Marie Press
Seton Shrine