Thursday, January 3, 2008

Babies, Health, Patron Saints and Prayer.

Not much happened yesterday (don't get me started on Liverpool's horrible game) -- plus I was really sleepy -- so that is why no blog was written. Today, though, blog-central... and I added a widget on the side panel that lets whoever reads my blog see what I'm currently listening to. It updates every couple of minutes, too. :D I'm a little too into music so I thought it would be appropriate to add that little application to my blog. And if you ever see an artist or group that makes you think "Wow, does she really listen to THAT?" just remember that we all have our guilty pleasures... only I am not too ashamed of mine. lol.

Apparently I'm the last person to find out that Kakà's gonna be a daddy. Awwww. Congrats to him and his wife. I have a lot of respect for him as both a person and a player -- which is why I'm happy when he scores, even when it's against my teams -- so I'm very happy for him. Footballers have been getting a lot of visits from señor stork because Lukas Podolski (Bayern Munich), Harry Kewell (Liverpool), Xabi Alonso (Liverpool) and countless other footballers are expecting with their girlfriends/wives. And while on the topic of footballer babies, darn it, Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), I want to see what little Roan looks like! lol. Bring on the babies! I love babies! Last time we went to Disneyland, I would play with the little kids while we waited in line... and I wouldn't even notice it until a friend of mine pointed it out. lol. Don't ask me why I seem to attract the little cuties but I adore them so I don't mind. All of this doesn't mean I want any kids in the near future (no!!) but maybe someday when I'm done with school, have a steady job and am married, we'll see. :D

I just got home from a general physical check up with a new doctor (I changed doctors) and she says I'm perfectly healthy. My heart is healthy (they did 2 EKGs in a few months and an echocardiogram after Thanksgiving). I don't have anemia, diabetes or cholesterol. My blood count is good. My liver is good. I'm at a healthy weight for my height (at 124 lbs for a 5'7" female). Etc. Basically, on paper, I'm as healthy as you can get. The pains I sometimes experience, as well as the fatigue and dizziness, are all signs that the stress really got to me this past year ('07). So, there you go. Next time I get the pains, it's just my body going "I'm still stressed... go exercise or distract yourself!" I was given a nutritionist because I might not be getting enough calories per day because food allergies I have limit what I can eat. I'm getting blood drawn just to double check everything but it looks like I'm on the road to getting healthy. *knocks on wood* So... now that I don't have to worry about that... *happy dance* I already did my "infamous" goofy ballet dance. lol. Once I start acting like a dork, you know I'm getting better. :D

I've been trying to write an entry to explain why my patron saints are my patron saints. I decided to it today so I'll quit putting it off. :D Let's start off with St. Jude Thaddeus. My mom's been a St. Jude devotee since I was little so that is why I grew up asking him to pray for me. He has never, ever let me down. I feel so bad asking saints to pray for me but I can't help it when I'm feeling absolutely helpless. It makes sense that St. Jude is my chosen patron saint because he is the patron saint of difficult and hopeless cases and I only seem to ask saints for prayers when I'm in those situations. That is also why I carry his medal with me wherever I go. I'm lucky enough to attend a parish that has a huge St. Jude statue so I can go leave him candles or flowers when he helps me during my difficult situations. Actually, the picture on the right side under "Patron Saints" is of the statue at my church that I took a few weeks ago. :)

Now, Our Lady of Guadalupe has been a part of my life since I was born. I was born in the city and country (Los Angeles; United States) she is patron of. I was baptised at a church that's named after her. I have Mexican heritage and she is the patron of Mexicans and Americans. A few weeks ago, I had a dream that I was talking to a priest about the books I'm writing and she appeared smiling to me for a brief moment. That was just a dream, too. I have a lot more personal experiences, that were not dreams, which involve her but I'm going to keep those to myself. Let's just say that she's always looked out for me. She's my dad's main patron saint as well. I always feel very calm when I go into his room and see her statue. :)

St. Dymphna came to me at a time when I really needed her. I've been a nervous person since after high school (and you can thank/blam certain classmates and a history teacher for that) but I've always been able to get over it pretty quickly. Example: I was terrified of going on those crazy rides at Six Flags Magic Mountain but I went on them anyway to get over my fears. At the end of the rides I was yelling "That was wicked! Let's go again!!" I've been nervous performing (as well as giving speeches) in front of people but once I step on stage, I'm okay. This past year, though, I was feeling so sick and I didn't know what was going on so I felt like I was going to go koo-koo bananas. I found out who the patron saint of anxiety was and that's how I discovered St. Dymphna. At the sort of peak of my anxiety (right when my dad's health insurance was once again threatening to cut off his chemo and I had to get on the phone and battle it out with them) I asked her to pray that I didn't get massive panic attacks and that I didn't feel like I couldn't breathe. As soon as I prayed to her, I felt so calm and relieved (this was at around 3 - 4 in the morning when it happened to) that I immediately fell asleep and I haven't felt overly anxious since.

That is why St. Jude, Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Dymphna are my patron saints. Whoever says prayers, especially those to saints, don't work... pffft. I'm living proof that they do and very well. Every time I pray, even if it's just the Rosary, I feel so serene and lovely. The lesson here: Pray! Even if it's directly to God, just pray. It makes a world of difference, whether it's immediate or whether it takes a little time. And, with that, I am done with my blog.

I think I'll go listen to Ella Fitzgerald's version of "Sunny" and feel like a 1970s flower child with bellbottoms and hippie hair. lol.

Thanks for reading and God Bless. :D

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