Jeremiah 29:11

" 'For I know the plans I have for you." declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"

Jeremiah 29:11

This morning I did not want to get out of bed. I knew I needed to go to Mass, and had every intention to go, but I was sooooo tired. I said a quick prayer and grabbed my laptop to which I opened up my myspace and saw my daily Bible verse:

"If you keep from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."

Isaiah 58:13

Ok, so there was my sign...so, I roll out of bed, and get ready for Mass, but end up being about 5 minutes late due to hair issues. Anyway, I walk into St. B's and stand in the foyer since they had already started the 1st reading. I noticed an elderly woman leaning against the wall...she was speaking to another woman, and I could tell something was not quite right, but since it wasn't my business, I didn't bother to listen to their conversation....until I heard the younger woman ask the older woman if she wanted a chair. I happened to notice a chair in the room behind me, so I grabbed the chair and brought it out for the older woman. She was pale and out of breath. We got her some water and let her rest for a little while. She kept saying she was stupid for coming to Mass even though she didn't feel well. She said she would just sit a while and then leave, and when I heard that, I knew I had to step in to help. There was no way she could drive home...she was shaking! Another woman must have heard our conversation because she then came up to us and offered the woman (whose name I now know as Ursula) the opportunity for one of us to drive her home and the other would follow in a car to bring the other back. Ursula wouldn't have it, and finally gave in after our persistance. She really didn't want to be a bother, but we really didn't want to hear later on that something had happened to her.

To make a very long story short, we got Ms. Ursula home. She is a jewel. She did not want to be a bother to anyone, but at the same time needed someone there for her. Sadly she told me that although she had a son nearby, her inlaws did not really like her. This woman is 87 years old...who cares if they don't like her...they should still be there to take care of her! She kept worrying about us and whether or not we'd make it back to Mass, but I assured her that even if we didn't make it back to Mass in time, there were plenty of other services we could go to. If it hadn't been for the other woman taking me back to church, I think I could have spent all day with Ms. Ursula, just listening to her stories (she's from Austria). I let her know that if she wanted someone to bring communion to her, that I could give her name and number to the parish office. She wasn't sure about that, but finally gave in since she hadn't been to Mass in quite some time due to not feeling well.

So, my plan this morning was simple...go to Mass and go home...that was it. Obviously, God had other plans for me. And although we did make it back to Mass in time for communion, even though I missed the readings and everything else, I still feel like I was at church this morning...only this time, it was all about Ms. Ursula.