Category: Thoughts

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The Eucharist

The Eucharist is the center of the Catholic Faith.

During the last supper, Jesus instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion.  Through this sacrament, Catholics are able to receive the true body and blood of Jesus Christ at every Holy Mass.

This is HUGE. We can receive God into us.  We do not have to wait until we go to Heaven.  A physical union with God gives us the understanding, grace, and strength to abide by His will.  This truth should attract millions of people to line up around Catholic Churches at every mass.  After all, if there is a secret or key to happiness on earth…that secret or key is God.

Sadly, not all Catholics recognize this amazing privilege or make use of it.  They do not recognize Holy Communion as the true presence of Jesus Christ.  Perhaps they are unaware of the Eucharistic miracles that have occurred in our world.  These miracles are God reaching out to us and reminding us of the gift and treasure He has provided.

I am providing some links to some great articles about Eucharistic miracles that have occurred:

http://dowym.com/voices/5-incredible-eucharistic-miracles-from-the-last-25-years/

https://churchpop.com/2015/06/28/5-extraordinary-eucharistic-miracles-with-pictures/

At the end of the day, faith is a choice.  God will not force himself on us, but He makes Himself available to us all the time.  What an amazing gift God is providing in the Eucharist.  I hope more people will recognize this truth and seek out how they can receive Him every day.

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Why Do I Go?

 

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On Saturday mornings at 6:00 am I get in my car and begin the 35 minute commute to the city…

There isn’t much traffic at that time, except at the abortion center.

As I drive up the small alley, where the prayer support and I stand, I see at least 13 young college kids wearing vests and acting as “sidewalk escorts” on the left and 5 or 6 prayer warriors holding rosaries and praying out loud on the right.

In the next two hours I watch 22-30 women walk into the center to end the lives of their babies. The majority of these women are African-American.

There is no question as to why they are here since the security guard always wears a t-shirt that proudly proclaims “ The Women’s Center : 100% Abortion it’s all we do.”

There are no other businesses open in that building on those Saturday mornings… and there definitely aren’t any other businesses open at 6:30 in the morning.

Every women that comes is offered information about alternatives by the sidewalk counsellors like myself.

These pamphlets have phone numbers for local crisis pregnancy centers that offer housing, monetary support, and community support. They educate the women of possible side effects of abortion such as anxiety, depression, breast cancer, Pre term deliveries and death.

Sadly very few of these pamphlets are read by the men and women going in.  As they are walking up to the doors the sidewalk escorts speak to them in a loud voice to cover our pleas. They tell them that we are protestors and we are just trying to take away their choice. Yet, I wonder “who” is actually taking away these women’s ability to choose? Even if we get a pamphlet into their hands the sidewalk escorts will often take it away from them saying “You don’t need that… it’s all lies.”  So, these poor women don’t have a chance to know or be reminded that there are other options.

Yes, they may have thought long and hard about this choice before they came, but maybe they weren’t aware that there is support; that they could have a place to live; or a community that would help them in a multitude of ways.

When I meet post abortive women in my office as a obgyn physician, 90% of them regret their choice. With tears streaming down their cheeks they talk about how they wish they knew about the support available at that time. They talk about the emptiness they experience on the death anniversary of their child, how they always look at children who are the age their child would have been, how they are triggered by news about abortion on the television, radio and in politics.  But they feel is too late now… all they can do is try to heal.

So why do we go? If we can rarely get the information into their hands and it’s hard to speak to them, why go?

We go because it is our duty to be there and be the voice for the voiceless. To be the one person who says, “Sweetheart we can help you.” We go there to participate in the spiritual battle. To pray with all of our might for a conversion of heart in the mothers, fathers, workers and escorts. To pray that at least one of these precious lives will be spared. And thanks to the info given to us by abortion workers who have left the industry like Abby Johnson, we KNOW that our loving, peaceful, prayerful presence makes a difference. We know that when we are there, fewer people go through with their abortions. More lives are saved.

So I continue to wake up at 5:30 am on Saturdays to try to save at least one baby through the intercession of our most amazing Father in heaven. I wish you would consider joining me there.

Dr. Monique Ruberu

 

 

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Save The Little Lights

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Though our world is filled with sadness, grief, stress, there are individuals who always seem joyful. Have you ever met a Down Syndrome affected person who doesn’t bring a smile to your face? All they want to do is smile at others, hug, high-five and bring joy to the world. They are little lights in this world.

I have never met a family that doesn’t treasure their Down Syndrome children. Even in the extended family, these children are loved. They are people who contribute to society in such a meaningful way. Why doesn’t our society want to protect a group of people who exude so much love and joy?

As a physician, I hear the devastation in my patients’ voices when they speak of the choice they made to abort a Down Syndrome child. These patients suffer from anxiety, depression, and grief. They chose the path of abortion because when they were given a diagnosis wrapped up in fear and presented with the option of relieving the “problem” with abortion. A physician’s advice carries more influence in difficult moments. These patients were not given information about support groups for Downs families. In addition, they were not encouraged to speak with parents of Downs children to see how their lives had been impacted. Instead, the patients were encouraged and rushed from their 18-week appointment for an ultrasound to a 20-week abortion appointment to terminate their pregnancy before it was illegal.

When I meet people considering abortion for genetic anomalies I remind them that none of us are perfect. We may appear perfect on the outside but inside we have anxiety, depression, cancer, a multitude of autoimmune diseases, learning disabilities, heart and lung disease, diabetes, and the list goes on. Down Syndrome children wear their difference on their sleeves while we hide ours beneath our “perfect appearances”. Yet, the Down Syndrome children are actually more perfect, in so many ways, especially in the areas of love and kindness. I advise patients to preserve the life of these blessing who have a different appearance. We are all different. Their difference is that they are little lights, and we all need little lights.

Dr. Monique Ruberu

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Visiting Maggy London in NYC

Have you heard of Maggy London dresses? If not, you need to look at their site. http://www.maggylondon.com

I learned about Maggy London by accident. I was looking for dresses to wear to church. I wanted something that was feminine and modest, but my budget requires that my purchases have more than one use. As a mother of 4, I am careful with my spend. Plus, I hate going to stores, the parking, the loss of time…so I got on the internet and started to search for a dress. I found Maggy London.

Maggy Website

(The snap above, just happened to be a screen shot of the website when I was writing this article 🙂 )

The site has many beautiful dresses that meet my requirements. The models look amazing, but how would the dresses look on me? Shipping and returns are free, Maggy sends a fully paid return label in the package, so you put the dress back in the bag, put the label on the package and call Fed Ex. You can’t beat that! There isn’t a lot of risk so I ordered two dresses. Maggy is always having sales, so I even got the dresses for 20% off, plus free shipping. WIN, WIN.

Fitting Room

When the dresses arrived, they were packaged with care. Wrapped in pink tissue and placed in a zippered bag, I felt like I was getting a gift. Was it my birthday? No, but it felt like my birthday. Plus the dresses were beautiful. The colors, fabric, and fit were too good to be true. Instant fan.

I have ordered many dresses since that time, and because I am always happy to share my opinion, I now support one of Maggy’s customer interaction groups. Maggy even invited me to be in their “Spring in Texas Campaign”. It was so much fun, I got some beautiful dresses and met some wonderful Maggy team members.

When I knew I was heading to NYC, I decided I had to see the place where all the magic happens. So I reached out to my contacts and scheduled a visit.

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Maggy London is located in the heart of New York City’s bustling and electric garment district. The building is a piece of art deco with elevators that require you to designate your floor before you get on. A little confusing for me, but I made it to the right floor.

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Once up to Maggy’s floor I was greeted by the interns. One of those smiling faces, Claire, is a charming college student that I met during the Spring in Texas photo shoot. All of these talented young people were friendly and very enthusiastic. Their energy gives you a great feeling about the business.

Within minutes I was greeted by Via, the PR and Social Media Coordinator, and Shannon, the Content Lead. It was great seeing them as they were also part of the team that came to Texas. They introduced me to more friendly faces that I recognized from various social media promotions.  What really struck me is that everyone clearly enjoyed their jobs.

Then Jon joined the group. Jon is the Chief Operations Officer at Maggy London. Jon took me on a tour of the company. I saw the marketing team where everyone is working on using social media to get the word out. I saw costing, where teams of people figure out the cost of producing a dress. I saw people designing the patterns and sewing the samples so that Maggy can get bids to produce the dresses. I also got to meet the people who design the fabrics and the styles, seasons before we see them on the internet or in stores. They have rooms full of lace, zippers, buttons, collars, belts and everything you can imagine. Maggy London has many brands…London Times, London Times Curve, etc. So much creativity that your head spins…plus everything is so beautiful.

 

Jon introduced me to his wonderful father who founded Maggy London 40 years ago. The tour ended sitting in Jon’s office hearing about different ideas that he wants to implement. Jon has a lot of vision, and he has a great team. There will be lots more success in Maggy London’s future.

After a super meeting, I went out for a late lunch with Via and Shannon. I told them that they have to come back to Texas…since the Lone Star State provides many great photo opportunities for Maggy dresses.

It is great, when by chance, you find a great product. It is even better when you find out the product is created by people you like and admire. That is Maggy London.

Maria Wiemann

 

 

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Remember

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Freedom. With the end of the Memorial Day weekend we must consider how fortunate we are to live in America.

We are free to vote, to express our opinions, and to pursue our dreams if we do not violate the law or deprive another of their rights.

This freedom has been protected by men and women throughout America’s history and continues to be protected today.

Men and women who we do not know stand guard for this country. Some are here on our shores. Others are away from their families, in other lands, fulfilling the duties of America’s military. They sacrifice their lives and families for America.

Their work takes courage, but it also takes great love. Love of country and its citizens. A love that includes a willingness to sacrifice and live a dangerous life for people that they may never know.

To all these people, who guarded America in the past, and continue to guard her today and into the future, we remember you and say, “Thank You.”

Maria Wiemann

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Law and Order

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Should we respect the laws of this nation and expect everyone that comes here to uphold our laws? Yes.

I like leaving my home and counting on everyone to drive inside the lines as they use the roads and freeways in my city. People follow the road rules because they know that those rules are enforced and violations are punished.

I like not having to build a high wall with glass on top of it to protect my home and to prevent people from throwing litter on my property. I don’t need the wall because the laws protecting my personal and real property are enforced and violations are punished.

I like being able to go to church and worship God. I can do this because the laws protecting my religious freedoms are protected.

These are just three things I enjoy. There are so many more. These freedoms exist because of the laws that protect my rights and punish those who would try to take those rights away.

What would happen if the laws were not enforced? I expect that many of us would see a decrease in our rights. More people would engage in activities that infringe on the rights of others. After all, by not enforcing the laws, we are motivating people to break the laws.

Eventually, we are faced with chaos. A nation where people break the law. A nation where only those with strength and power have any rights. Surely this is not what we want. The very reason that people want to come to America is because of the life that this nation promises. But that way of life can only exist in a society where laws are respected and enforced.

So, let’s uphold the laws. Let’s support those who enforce them. Let’s protect the rights and freedoms that belong to every person that is legally in this country.

Maria Wiemann

 

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Write to Give Thanks

It will soon be Thanksgiving and I want to share my thoughts with you.  I intend to write to give thanks.

First, I thank God for living in America where I have the right to express my views.

Second, I thank God for the ability to express myself.  The gifts of 50+ years of life, family, friends, health, education, career, opportunities, and so much more that He has provided.

From my first memory to the moments of each day I see His hand at work. I have made mistakes, and He has forgiven me. I have not deserved joy, but He has blessed me.  Every good thing in my life came out of following His will, just as every downfall was the result of a stubborn desire to seek my own will. Life is not perfect, but I walk forward because He gives me hope and strength to persevere.

For all of this and more, I want to share my thoughts and experiences with you. If these words help you, then give thanks to the one that placed the thought in my heart. There is a secret that we all seek, there is a fountain of joy and life eternal, there is something greater than us that loves us more than we can comprehend. It is God.

Follow him. Know, love and serve him…and all the treasures will be yours.

Maria Wiemann

I have been asked about the dress.  Imitation is the highest form of flattery.  If you would like to have the dress, please follow the link.

https://goo.gl/BVfxG2

2017.11.17_Stevie Midi