The world of FACEBOOK

Well to keep up with the family, Bob and I decided to join Facebook. It is an easy way to keep in touch with family and friends. The day after we signed up on Facebook our local newspaper, St Pete Times, had an article about signing up on Facebook. We are always on the cutting edge of the news.....lol..... Then there was something on CNN about the popularity of Facebook and the networking tool it can be. Well that will be it.....Facebook is now common place among us older folks, so it will certainly go down hill. Sorry Facebook. :(

A Thanksgiving message

I wanted to wish my family both near and far a very wonderful Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for my husband, my children, my family, my life here in Florida. I am also thankful for the country we live in and the freedom to be able to worship the God of my choice.
I am thankful for my father & mother, who new what was best for me and handed me over to her sister & brother-in-law at very stressful and trying time of their life.
I am thankful for my adopted parents who raised me as their own from the time I was 2 weeks old, even tho they already had 4 other children and then had 3 more children after me.
For without these selfless acts, I would not be sitting here today at my computer typing about the family I am thankful for. I would not have my beautiful 3 children and their families. I would not have my wonderful husband whom I have been married to for 30 years.

I would be sitting, some where else, living some other life.

So please accept my humble thanks for a wonderful day with family!

Loretta

An Intelligent article by a liberal.

I know you thinks that's an oxymoron but I read this and was amazed to hear a liberal actually admit the fundamental flaws  in their position of humanistic philosophical psycho-babble. The parts arguing about Pro-choice and the unwillingness to stare evil in the face and support capital punishment are amazing. Please read and see the first instance I have ever seen where a liberal actually admits to the fundamental flaw in their beliefs. Here is the link

Six Quirks

Well, I don't know any different six bloggers so I won't be able to tag anyone, but here are my six quirks. Pete here is your link. http://petebauer.blogspot.com/

1. I love rice....any kind. I could eat rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Couldn't understand where that came. Being adopted into the Bauer family who tends to prefer potatoes. Until I found my birth father, Al, he loves rice also. So that quirk was answered)

2. My finger nails are soft and some tend to bend down towards its host finger. (Again a quirk associated with the Westpfal side)

3. I too leave the peanut butter on the counter. Did so for years until Cassie came and lived with us and broke me of it. (Didn't realize that was a quirk learned from Ma until Mary wrote about it, lol)

4. I am also passive/aggressive. I was much more early on in years but as I have gotten older, I have learned not to be so passive/aggresive as I have aged.

5. I can see both sides of an arguement and I give people the benefit of the doubt before I judge them. (Again something learned from Ma)

6. I love leaded coffee, I have to have it in the morning and the evening, and it doesn't keep me awake!

Now anyone reading this if you have a blog......Tag Your It!



Here are the directions:
1. Link the person who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them & leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they have been tagged.



Loretta

The Last Lecture A Celebration of LIFE

The last Lecture.
This is a you tube video that details a lecture given by Professor Randy Pausch after finding out he had 1 to 3 months to live due to incurable pancreatic cancer. Please treat yourself to a real gift of LIFE by watching this video

Cuccarese Family Reunion

We did it, the Cuccarese family reunion happened over the fathers day weekend and it was a blast. Fun food and family was awesome. Meeting and remembering great times was too much. Went on the boat in Crystal River and looked at the beautiful water. Told old stories and laughed the weekend away. We are hoping to do this about every couple years. Lets hope.

Time passes way too quickly

With recent passings of family and friends, it makes one realize just how precious time is. Thinking back to when Bob and I were first married and having children, how short that time period is. Their first steps and words, school,loves and weddings and a wedding to come. Fast forward to present day and watching our grandchildren growing and learning new things. Mariana watching her playing hide and seek with her mom. Mariana would count..... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 3, 2, 1 ready!!!
It was so cute to watch her as she looked for her mom. Then she would hide in the same spot Cassie hid in when it was her turn to hide. Watching Madeline taking a few steps as she learns to walk. Hearing Lily sing and watch her dance as she listens to music. They, too, will be going off to school, graduating and becoming young adults all to quickly. All too soon it will be gone, so enjoy every moment you have. Life is way too short to be angry and fearful.

Family matter most!!

Over the last few weeks we learned a deep and endearing lesson. Family matters most. No matter what happens, always seek to remain deeply and warmly wrapped in family.We have seen friends and family who are dealing with significant troubles ranging from death to cancer and realize now more than ever that having the people who love you close by to lift you up and wrap you in their love and prayers is all the difference. I want to say to all of you, thank you for loving all of us and understanding our frailties and failings and choosing to love us in spite of them. We in turn pledge our love fully and without measure to you. Never feel alone or unloved or without joy because OUR family loves each other and the LORD!

Bob and Loretta

Listening is an Act of Love

We stumbled onto a wonderful tool last night at Starbucks. We went there for coffee with Dean and Sue and I saw a book titled "Listening is an act of love". I was intrigued that starbucks could have something that interesting and asked Loretta to pick it up. It is from a website called Storycorps.net. Their intent is to provide a forum for people to record their life stories in snippets of events, weddings, funerals, spiritual experiences, miracles etc. They capture your voices so that future generations of your family can find them at the American folklife center at the Libary of congress. How neat would it be for future generations of your family to be able to hear your voice relating significant events. It comes with a CD of 10 of those stories and they are poingant and beautiful.It also has a small booklet that describes how to create your own stories that you can save for your own families. Please check it out it is a very wonderful way to leave a key to your families past and their lives as they lived them.God Bless!

Saint Ralph

We just finished watching this wonderful movie about a 9th grader who's mother is in a coma and whose father was killed but who decides that He must run the boston marathon to have his mother come out of her coma. It is really a movie about faith, optimism,and trusting in God. It pokes some fun at the church and her rituals so if that offends you you may want to avoid it. I hope you dont because it is so much bigger and better than that. I shows how a simple faith can be a firebrand to reaching others. Watch and enjoy!!

3:10 to Yuma Rocks!

Saw an awesome movie with Christian Bale and Russel Crowe called the 3:10 to Yuma. Full of tension and Moral angst it does a wonderful job of calling you into the lives of the 2 main Characters Bale the good guy and Crowe the bad one. Like many things in life you find yoruself routing for and somehow admiring the bad guy and finally in the end finding hope that he may at last seek redemption over evil. The choice at the end is brought about by the adherence to right no matter the cost by the Good guy Bale. His willingness to risk all for the right was truly inspiring.Holds you and keeps you there for the whole movie. Go watch and enjoy!

St. Theresa and our family

If you spoken with either Loretta and I about our marriage, you have heard the story of how St. Theresa answered our prayers about being together in what we consider a special way through a gift of "roses" given to us after prayer at St. Leo's Abbey. I always from childhood had an affinity for her because she spoke of God in simple terms and spoke of getting to heaven in a little easy way. At any rate we have lived our lives together and have shared our story and tried to direct devotion to her in our lives and homes. Meghan our eldest daughter is Meghan Theresa for that reason. After Lily her daughter was born and just recently as I contemplated how pretty her name was I realised another special gift regarding Lily. Lily as everyone knows is the name of a Flower and as I considered that I realised that again Theresa had gifted our family by giving us another "Little flower". Lily Victoria is our newest Little flower and again I thanked St. Therese for her blessings in our family.

A Patchwork Life

Well we just returned from Retta'a fathers funeral. It was wonderful!. I know that sounds odd but it was a true celebration of a man's life and not a fixation on his families loss. As we reviewed and watched and related his life's stories I realised that we all create our own life quilts made up of all the patches of events and experiences that we define as we live. I am sure some of us would love our quilt pieces and some would loath them but I truly believe that a life lived well is God's greatest gift to us and to our loved ones. We shared the laughter the tears the joys and successes and also the failures and hardships that make up one man's life and our own lives as well.Build your patchwork life carefully so that at the end you can stand proud and happy before both God and family.