Greetings from Dublin where I'm on a brief visit. Tonight I visited Fr Cathal 'Charlie' Coulter, my fellow Columban and former WWME International Priest, in the hospital. He's getting further treatment for cancer.

I told Father Charlie that requests for prayers for him sometimes appear in WWME emails and he was very happy about that. He asked specifically for prayers for patience and courage.

I would be grateful if you would forward this email to others in WWME, especially in the USA where Father Charlie is best known, since it was there that he was most active in our movement.

He has been in the hospital now for more than three weeks and feels rather weak, though he was up when I went to see him. He was in reasonably good spirits but his condition is undoubtedly serious. 

  

Love and God bless to all of you

Father Sean

We recently read a children's book called, "The Little Hummingbird" by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.  It is a simple story about a huge forest fire.  Most of the animals are afraid and run away, but the little humming bird carries water drop by drop to put out the fire.  When the other animals ask what the hummingbird is doing, she replies, "All that I can."

In the story the hummingbird knows she can't put out the whole forest.  She may not even be able to save the part she is working on.  She only knows she must try.   

How often have you felt overwhelmed when asked to help with something?  Do you feel like "Oh no, not again."?   Patricia is very good at taking notes at meetings.  Since people have become aware of this talent, they frequently ask for her assistance.  Doriano has a talent for building and repairing things and is frequently asked to help out.  When Patricia asks Doriano to help with one more project around the house, how does he feel?  When Doriano asks Patricia to leave her computer and help him pull weeds in the garden, how does she feel?  We can be like the animals and run away or we can be like the little hummingbird.  Can we do it all?  No.  Yet, God calls us to do "all that we can."

 "All" does not mean everything.  It means that we look at a situation or an invitation and assess our abilities and our needs.  I can't go to all of the parties at Christmas, but which ones are important to attend?  I can't do all of the Communication position, but I can offer to do a newsletter.  I can't attend every meeting, but I can carry bags on the Friday night at a weekend.    At home, Patricia gets the laundry washed and hung up.  I may not be able to do the laundry as well as she does, but I can bring the dry laundry upstairs and hang it in the closet for her.  We can share the work load of this chore.  In sharing the chore, Patricia feels supported and appreciated.  In sharing WWME positions, we can support and appreciate our couples.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter is like a family.  We need each other in order to continue to flourish and grow.  We cannot do everything by ourselves.  In fact, it is selfish to try to do so.  It deprives others of the opportunity to contribute and fosters feelings of alienation.  It is also selfish to expect someone else to do all of the work.  This puts an uncomfortable burden upon people.   We have each been given different talents for a reason.   God calls each of us to do "all that we can."   He calls us to share the load.

God bless each of you for sharing the load and keeping World Wide Marriage Encounter as a vital part of your lives.

10/10 Questions:

1.       How do we share the load in our marriage?  In our WWME Community?  How do I feel about my answer?

2.      Do I "do all that I can" to demonstrate my love for you?  How do I feel about my answer?

3.      My greatest talent is: ___________________________?  How do I share this talent?  How do I feel about my answer?

4.      When I say "yes" to helping with something, do I take the time to consider and assess my needs and my wants?  How do I feel about my answer?

5.      Am I reluctant to delegate some of my work load?  Why or why not?  How do feel about my answer?

6.      Have I said "yes" to too much responsibility?  Why or why not?  How do I feel about my answer? 

Spring beckoned and five couples ventured into the Hill Country to view the Bluebonnets.  Despite predictions of seeing few flowers (due to scant rains the previous fall), we weren't deterred from fulfilling our main goal of celebrating our sacraments of Marriage through sharings, friendships, and enjoying the beauty of God's creation.  

Using Marble Falls as our hub of operations, we were ready for any surprises awaiting us. The yearly spring festival and parade in Burnet drew us into its down-home pomp and circumstance where proud locals showed off their floats, bands, and antique cars.  After the parade, we toured the square where colorful booths displayed numerous and varied arts and crafts.  Even the sun paid a visit.  From there, we joined the townspeople at the Highland Inn for a scrumptious and filling buffet.  Many of us couldn't resist getting seconds of the fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy.    

The day of fun and sharing continued.  Armed with maps where hidden patches of Bluebonnets might lurk, we drove on our secret lanes and country roads.  The predictions were correct:  the Bluebonnets kept their dry slumber and didn't appear.  Not even the Indian Paintbrush blushed their yearly red-orange colors.  Interesting land and foliage formations compensated for the lack of flowers and provided the photographers among us creative options.  And plenty of horses and cattle brightened the landscape.  At the end of the day, we relaxed and reminisced over the day's adventures, while enjoying refreshing margueritas. 

 

Mass at St. John's Catholic Church provided the cornerstone of Sunday's activities.  The Lord was, indeed, our partner in all we did.  And it was time to take our traditional group photo.  As we gathered at the Bluebonnet Café for a stupendous breakfast, which included pie, our waitress kindly took our photo.  (Since newcomers to our trip, Jack & Julie Nisula, had to leave for another trip, we chose the restaurant as the setting for our photo.)  The rest of the morning breezed by and soon it was time to head back for home.     

Each year we thank the Lord for the blessing of our sacraments and for the beauty of his creation.  And this year joined all our other trips in just such praise.