Blessings

Facebook is not always a blessing in my life, but at times, it is. Before moving to the promised land of Montana last summer, we lived for 13 years in the Omaha area in Nebraska. I have lived there more than any other place. I love the people there. They are just so kind and look out for each other. On Friday, several large tornadoes hit the Omaha area. People in Elkhorn, Bennington Lake, Waverly, and Eppley Airport were all hit HARD. The F-2 and F-3 tornadoes then marched across the river and hit Iowa. I have to say, blessings. How could this be a blessing? Several neighborhoods were completely flattened. The tornadoes, which typically happen in the darkness of night, happened in the middle of the day. People were at work…kids were at school. People just weren’t really home. No one was killed or seriously injured. What a blessing! The community is coming together to help one another in ways you just can’t even imagine. There are so many angels working in the faces of the citizens of the Midwest right now. I am in awe of the stories coming from friends there. Blessings. It reminds me of the quote from today. (I get a quote of the day via email, which is one of the best things I ever opted into!) The quote is from Albert Einstein. “Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” Love it!

Another Facebook thank you….those memories it sends you each day. Today it sent me photos from 10 years ago…which happened to be Easter weekend when we lived in Bellevue, Nebraska. Tim was finishing up his last month of his senior year and had a fresh set of stitches on his cheek bone from the opening rugby weekend match. He was the lector that Sunday, with his stitches and shiner. Lily was in the 3rd grade and adorable. Joe was a freshman at the University of Central Missouri, and he brought home his girlfriend of 2 months to meet his parents. Her name was Michelle Schneidler and she would later become Michelle Messina. I remember Joe and Tim throwing the rugby ball around in the front yard while Michelle and I sat and talked on the front steps for hours. Joe knew this was the test. I was pretty honest with him when there were people he associated with that I didn’t respect or like. He never made friend choices because of what I said, but he always asked my opinion. I loved her immediately. I love her still. Joe gave me so many wonderful gifts, but he gave me this beautiful daughter-in-law to love. It was one of the most wonderful things. I feel like she has been a part of our family for more than a decade. I know that perhaps life will bless her with another love, and I hope she knows she will always be loved by our family and be considered a Messina. I miss her, being so far away now. Thankfully, her little sister-in-law lives in the same town! Here are some photos from that Easter Sunday, 10 years ago:

Today, after Mass, I presented my priest with the Maltese cross I wear everyday. It is a fireman’s badge with Joe’s FF number on it. He had commented on it a couple of months ago…what a lovely cross it was. I never really thought of it as a cross, but as a badge. But it is a Maltese cross, and so I asked one of my favorite priests, our Fr. Sean Raftis, to bless it today. I told him the story of my Joe. He said some of the nicest, kindest words about Joe…even though he had never met him. He didn’t simply just bless the cross I am never without, but talked about the thanksgiving for a man who led a life of service to others. It was such a blessing to me. Here are photos of the cross I always wear: