MY MOM AND THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US.

November is the month where Catholics traditionally honor and remember  all those souls that have gone before us.  November 1st is the feast of All Saints and November 2nd is  the Feast of All Souls.  As Christians we know that those who have gone  before us are not dead.  They have just transitioned to the other side and for Catholic Christians that means Heaven, Hell or Purgatory.

The reason I am thinking of all of this is because for the last two nights my mom has been in my dreams.........and I don't dream about her very much.  On Friday night she was at a restaurant and when I walked in  I got to see her smiling face.  For those of you who knew my mom she had the best smile and laughed a lot!  People always comment on my laugh and just maybe I got it from my wonderful mom!  Her life was not the easiest some would say extremely difficult due to my father's mental illness.  But she could see the joy and humor in life.  I guess it's the stuff saints are made of.  We are all called to be saints.  For Catholics Saints are roll models that we should want to imitate.Especially the way they followed Jesus or  how they practiced virtues such as chastity, courage and generosity.

We don't worship Saints we imitate them.  I  love St.Therese of Lisieux because she did everything out of love.  She believed in the mercy of God and tried to see others especially those who annoyed her through the eyes of Christ.  Giving others the benefit of the doubt.......showing them charity in spite of their very weakness'.
Now back to my mom I think she was revealing herself to me through the dream and reminding me not to forget her.  Her mother, my Grandma Ann and her dad my Grandpa Ernie will appear to me me in dreams and I feel it's a reminder not to forget them and ask them to intercede for me and my intentions.  Shortly after my grandpa died he appeared to me and told me to worry about the souls of men and gave me a psalm to read.  But I don't remember which psalm it was after all these years. 

One time my grandma Ann told me in a dream that her mother, (Elizabeth) was proud of me.  Now I never met her mother nor did my grandmother's children because she had already passed away. It was such a cool dream reminding me that my ancestors ard not dead!   How wonderful is that!  So during this month of November remember those who have gone before you and offer a prayer for their souls (in case they are still in purgatory) and ask them to pray for you.