7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 3)

1. Fourth week of Lent, everyone! Easter is almost upon us. It's time to gear up for the Triduum and Holy Week and get ready to receive the waterfall of graces Christ wants to pour out over us! What have you learned over Lent? What has God been showing you guys? I'm working on a few posts that go into a little bit more of my own journey and I'm excited to see what God's been doing in your lives as well! (All three of you that read this, haha!)

2. I somehow stumbled onto this video this week and I'm glad I did. This nun, in case you didn't recognize her scooting around Brangelina on the red carpet at this year's Oscars, was in a few movies with The Elvis Presley back in the day. She's pretty much the only nun who's ever smooched Elvis! She is also the subject of the documentary, "God is the Bigger Elvis," (I agree, weird title) which was up for an Oscar this year. She has a really incredible story and is cute as a button, to boot! (Okay, I'll stop sounding like a "Golden Girl" now...)

3. In other news, I still haven't heard back about my PCOS test results. My doctor likes to send me letters--yes, actual snail mail letters--with test results so I guess we'll just wait and see. This week, though, has been pretty rough on the health front. My mother suffers from chronic daily migraines which sometimes get extremely severe. This week was one of those times. It is really hard to watch someone you love so much suffering so. But God is merciful and she finally received some emergency, very strong, pain meds so we didn't have to go the ER. 

4. Dealing with a mom who is, in some ways, disabled, at least in the sense that there are a lot of normal things she can't do because of the effects of 15 years of varying levels of daily pain and medicines, is always a trial. More so for her, obviously. But I like to call it our 'little school of suffering', where God has been patiently teaching us how to suffer. One of the many things it's taught me is to have a deeper compassion for others, and a greater value for human life. This week was World Down Syndrome Day. I've been shocked and horrified to learn that 84-91% of babies diagnosed prenatally with this are aborted, to read an article in a mainstream news journal that newborns aren't humans, and children born with Down's are better off dead. WHAT IS GOING ON?? I'm not going to lie, I was momentarily blinded by rage. 

Then I saw this: 

Basically it's a web-documentary-sort-of-thing about these young adults with Down's Syndrome living in the UK. And, guess what, world? They like to sing karaoke! Badly! Like the rest of us! They get depressed when their boyfriend doesn't text them for 3 weeks! I can't even believe I feel the need to say all this. We should just know. And we do. It is written on our hearts, if only we would listen. 

5. St. Gianna, pray for us.

Is there any greater proof of God than that the world could
produce such a soul?

6. Also, let's continue to pray for Andrew & Cristina and their precious baby Maria Isabella. Every day they are a testament to the power of willing hearts and the faithfulness of our God. 

7. On a less angry note, I finished with Catherine of Siena (the book, not the saint) and am now ready to take on the world! Just kidding. But I am ready to read about another awesome saint. Where to begin?!