i received this the other day from a friend....thought of a BILLION women that could relate!! enjoy!


It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?? I need that now Mommy!

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' Hurry Mom, I'll be late!

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Jan ice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well.. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Jan ice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe .

I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These bui lders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fuelled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. (I have been studying this in my art appreciation class, some of these cathedrals took one hundred years to build, amazing! ~Janna)

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.'

No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become. At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness.. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there..'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

WINTER SCRAPBOOKING RETREAT
Saturday and Sunday - January 23 - 24, 2010

Two full days of scrapbooking!!!

9:00 AM Saturday to 8:00 PM Sunday! WooHoo!!!

Cost is $60 for a four foot table space or $85 for a full table for both days!

If you would like to stay the night at the hotel, the group rate is $69 a room (plus taxes). Tell them you are with the Creative Memories group when you make your reservation in order to get the special rate. Room reservations need to by made by Jan. 8th and you pay the hotel directly for your room. Room check in is the standard hotel check-in after 3:00 pm and check-out is 12:00 noon.

You do not need to stay the night in the hotel to participate. Meals are on your own.

Drinks, snacks and make-it take-it's are included in your registration fee! Just come and have fun!!!!

You will get a goodie bag and tickets to win door prizes.

Be sure to include your favorite soft drink on the registration form!

$20.00 deposit will hold your space. Retreat fees need to be paid in full by January 1st - subject to a $20 cancellation fee if you cancel between January 1st and the 23rd.

Location
Holiday Inn
549 S Rock Rd
Wichita, KS 67207

Send your registration and fees to:
Margo Walker
635 Christine Court
Haysville, KS 67060
Or Call: 316-522-8478


WINTER SCRAPBOOKING RETREAT REGISTRATION FORM

Please mail your check or money order and a copy of this form to: Margo Walker at
635 Christine Court, Haysville, KS 67060 to reserve your spot!

Name_________________________________________ Phone ________________

Address ______________________________________________________________

City _________________________ State ______________ Zip ________________

Email ________________________________________________________________

Event Fees: Regular space $60.00 ____ Full table $85.00 ____ (one person per table)

Enclosing $20.00 deposit, with balance due by Jan 1?____

Amount enclosed _________________

My favorite soft drink is:___________________________________
For additional information and dietary needs, please call Margo at
316-522-8478.

i've been REALLY anti-computer lately!! do you ever get that way? i feel like its just a HUGE time sucker!! blah!!

So i've been neglecting my bloggin' duties - and believe me, i've heard about it!!!

wanted to drop in and show you the FREE make n take we'll be doing tomorrow!!! We're doing FREE make n takes every Saturday in december (up until christmas!).......come join us!!!

These custom gift tags are SO cute and easy to make - plus you'll learn how to be "green"!! Each one is used with just scraps and imagination!!!

Did you get to make the rings last weekend!??! If not - we still have some of those left!! If you purchase a ring, you can "bling it up" for free!!! ;)

We'll start the make n takes at 9:00am and do them until the supplies are allllll gone!!!

AND we're gonna start our TWELVE days of Christmas Sale TOMORROW TOO!! :) it's sure to be HO HO HOOOOOO-rific!! :) (wait does that mean HORROR-IFIC!??!) hmmm!??!

Scrapathon

A benefit for A Better Choice,

a non-profit Catholic Crisis Pregnancy Center providing Christ-like counseling, community resources and referrals concerning pregnancy issues, abortion alternatives and healthy lifestyle choices.

January 16, 2010

8:00 am -10:00 pm

St. Thomas Aquinas Parish

1321 Stratford Lane

Wichita KS

A $50 donation will reserve a spot all day and you can come and go as you wish. Tell your friends; bring your photos and supplies. We will provide 3 meals, beverages and snacks, including fresh baked goodies at 3:30pm. There will be a swap shop to trade supplies with other guests, a help desk for beginners and door prizes.

To register call Vallarie Eades at A Better Choice

259-6453 or e-mail abc@abetterchoiceinc.org

Sponsored by

Pro-Life and Social Justice Ministry of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish