#amillionformegan Eternal Rest

Megan's fight is over.  Some will say she lost the battle.  I say she won the war.  She gained the ultimate victory: HEAVEN

Cancer did not beat Megan.  Megan beat cancer.  She showed it that it could not kill her spirit. It showed her and us what she was really made of: COURAGE, CONVICTION, ACTION, FAITH, HOPE, and most of all LOVE.  

This is what her parents and sisters posted after her death: 

Update from the Schroeder Fam: 

"At 11:32 last night, God called our Megan home. Earlier that morning, she received the Eucharist, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, and within that the Apostolic Pardon meaning she was in full communion with Christ and absolutely pure when she went to meet our Lord. Megan is finally without pain and we are left with only happy memories of our girl.  

We will be spending our day enjoying happy memories of Megan.  We love you all and ask you to continue to pray as we are all praying for you."

To all of you who followed her journey, I thank you, because I know that you were praying along with our family. 

I want you all to know that the day before she died, Megan's dad knelt at her bedside and pray continual Rosaries for most of the day.  I had the joy of praying with him for a bit.  Each prayer of the hundreds he said was for your intentions.  

I already know of two miracles that have occurred and have been attributed to Megan's prayers.  One a medical miracle which stumped doctors and one a spiritual miracle.  

Please do not cease to pray for the family.  They continue to lift you up.  Even more so, ask Megan to pray for you. She is in the presence of Christ.  What more advantageous place could there be to offer your intentions?  

I am keeping a journal of answered prayers and miracles. Ask big!! I am. 

If you wish to share your miracle stories, please leave them in the comment section. I will add them to my journal. 

I know Megan's last wishes:  One was to let you know she was praying for you. 

The second and more important one is that you do not let this outcome take away your faith.  Yes we prayed for a miracle.  We did not get the miracle we anticipated but we only need to ask our Lord to show us the miracle He performed in answer to our prayers.  This outcome is the best kind of miracle because Heaven is our ultimate goal.  Megan showed us the way--Jesus.  She never let Him out of her heart or off her lips.  Trust Him as she did and you will see her again in heaven's glory. 

Sweet Megan, pray for us. 

Megan's homecoming sky

www.thatslife12.blogspot.com

#amillionformegan A Word from Megan

Update:

First, God bless each and everyone of you. I would like to take a moment to give thanks to God for everyones' continued spiritual, emotional and physical support this last year.

The international team of doctors involved in my care have agreed that they have exhausted all the medical options to restrict, reduce or remove my tumors.  My family and I were told that my only medical option was to come home and complete my journey with Hospice, to keep me comfortable until our Lord calls me home. I am now leaving this fight at the foot of Jesus' cross.

I would like to extend my loving thanks once again to my family and everyone literally around the world that continues to lift me up in prayer as we complete this journey together.

My sincerest Love and Prayers will continue for ALL of your own special intentions. Please be there to support each other and know of my unending love for each of you.

Megan  💗

www.thatslife12.blogspot.com

Brian*God*Carly

I was so blessed to be able to attend the wedding of my nephew and Godson, Brian, to his beloved Carly.

It was rainy and wet outside, and it was wet inside too, as many of us wiped tears from our eyes when Carly's dad walked her up the aisle and then gave Brian a 30 second embrace before giving away his daughter.  There is clearly a bond between Brian and his new father-in-law!  (I was too busy drying my eyes to get a photo!)

At the very beginning of the Nuptial Mass, Fr. John pointed out that this was an arranged marriage. God has had it arranged from the beginning of time.

To say that God is part of their relationship is putting it mildly.  He is the backbone, the Love, the Grace that makes this couple so beautiful.

After an amazing ceremony, we were off to the reception.

Family is what it's all about!  My beautiful nieces. 

Because the main lights were off, and only the dance floor had good enough light to read by, these two got comfy with their books while waiting for dinner to be served.

The meal was fabulous and the dancing was fun. The floor was full of twenty-somethings dancing three different dances in three different groups all at the same time.  So much energy! 

We were in for a treat after dinner when Carly played her guitar and sang an original song that she wrote especially for Brian.  Again, more tears. 

The rain finally stopped but not before magnificent photos were taken by their very talented photographer.  One of the photos got the number one spot HERE

I pray for God's blessings on these newly weds and send them my love. 

www.thatslife12.blogspot.com

Do Something Great For Your Marriage

If you want a strong marriage, you have to work at it.  It takes effort to keep the love strong.

On a side note: love is not a feeling, it's an action.  It is something you choose.

What are some of the most important things we do to keep our marriage strong (for 33 years and counting)?

All of these are valid whether or not you have children.  There are always things taking our time and energy from us.

Date nights.  Date nights are a must.  It doesn't have to be expensive.  If the cost of a babysitter means you can't afford to go out to dinner, than go to the park and have a picnic. Swing on the swings, take a walk.

If you can go to dinner, great.  Make it a nice dinner.  Go somewhere quiet so you can talk.  Restaurants with loud music and T.V. screens on all the walls are extremely distracting and take away from that which you are seeking:  (nearly) uninterrupted time with each other.  (There are those "pesky" waiters that have to take your order and ask if everything is okay a hundred times.) After dinner, an adoration chapel is a great place to spend some qualities time with not only your spouse but with the Lord.

Walks.  Take walks together on non-date nights.  There have to be some neighbor kids who will watch your darlings for 20 minutes.  Pay them with an ice cream cone!

Away time.  Go away for a night at least 3 times a year.  Think it's too expensive?  It doesn't have to be.  Have a separate jar that you keep change and stray $1 or $5 bills in.  It does not get touched except for an away night.  Stay at a hotel that has free breakfast. Bonus.

If this is really an impossibility, have grandma take the kids for the night and then be together. Don't catch up on laundry or run errands or clean the bathroom.  Relax and enjoy each other's company.

You may not realize how much you need this break.  I'll share a true story about one of our away nights.

We got to the hotel around 5:30 p.m.  My dear one asked if I wanted to go to dinner.  Yes I did; I was hungry. But more than that, I was tired.  I told him, "I just need to lie down for 30 minutes."  He agreed although I know he was really hungry, too.

The next thing I knew,  he was waking me and asking if I was ready to eat.  I asked him what time it was and he said, "9:00."  Yikes!!  That's how tired I was from a long week.  God bless him for sitting there quietly reading, while getting more and more hungry as the minutes past my intended 30 dragged on.

Needless to say, I was able to be mentally there for him for our time away.  Not too tired to talk and enjoy his companionship.  And the next day, I was ready to go home, refreshed and renewed, to another crazy week.

Our world is all about movement: go, go, go.  Even our Sunday' s rest is being snatched from us.

Don't let your marriage take a hit.

Get into the habit of being together now, because it will save you in the long run!

ALWAYS STRIVE TO GIVE YOUR SPOUSE

THE VERY BEST OF YOURSELF;

NOT WHAT'S LEFT OVER AFTER YOU HAVE 

GIVEN YOUR BEST TO EVERYONE ELSE. 

davewillis.org