Dishwasher Fix

I was struggling for weeks to figure out why my new dishwasher wasn't working properly. Glasses were coming out with cloudy spots, residue and even some etching.

I used only the best dishwasher soap and rinse aid. I tried running bleach and vinegar through the washer. We even had a repair man come out to whom my husband pointed out a clogged part and his response was, "Good, because if we didn't find anything wrong I'd have to charge you for the house call." That really stumped me since he didn't even look over the dishwasher to find a problem. Apparently the contract company is more interested in collecting money than fixing dishwashers. But I digress.

We searched troubleshooting online and in the washer manual. I checked the water temperature, water pressure and water hardness.

Finally, we called our brother in-law who installed the machine, hoping he might pull it out and find a kinked hose. He tightened the hose. Then he looked inside. He immediately spotted the problem. This is why I'm sharing it with you. There is a small arm that extends from the device that sprays water on the top rack. The arm hooks into a clip--or at least it is supposed to. If the arm is shifted by a large dish on the bottom rack, it will slip so that the circular piece is in front of the clip instead of behind it. In that case, the arm does not properly plug into the seal at the back of the dishwasher. This means the pressure is not correct coming out of the sprayer. This also affects the bottom sprayer because once you affect the pressure of one, the other is affected.

After my brother in-law moved the piece into the clip--this is very easy to do--he ran a filthy glass with no detergent through the wash cycle for 5 minutes and the glass came out sparkling! I could tell the difference right away because when we opened the dishwasher mid-cycle, water was shooting out as it used to with our old machine. It had never done that with this dishwasher because the pressure was always wrong.

So if you have spotty glasses or food particles stuck to your dishes, sit on the floor and look at the sprayer under the top rack. Make sure the round end of the arm is behind the clip and watch your dishes come clean!

The side note on the story is that I gave the problem over to God right before it was resolved. He works in big ways (see the Miracle of the Medals story below) and in small ways (like fixing dishwashers) such is his depth of love for us.

Miracle of the Medals

It had been a good Thursday. I'd given my presentation at work, asking God to speak through me, and I'd pulled it off with flying colors. I felt grateful and in alignment with God's will. It was sunny and warm. Not a day for tragedy.

The Tigers were on the TV, trying to win another game. My husband, Steve, and I had just settled on the couch when he put a religious medal in my hand. It was St. Therese. I was familiar with the saint, having just read her autobiography several months prior. Steve works at our Church and is always finding rosary beads, prayer cards and the like in his cleaning duties. I nonchalantly turned over the medal to see flowers and the words "Pray for us." I thought it was a nice medal and turned my attention back to the baseball game.

Steve said, "I found three of these at work today."

I nodded and our oldest son, Stevie, interrupted the conversation with a baseball statistic, that our youngest son, Matt, disputed in usual fashion.

I took a sip of iced tea and looked at the TV, willing Steve's boring story to be over.

"Anyway," Steve continued, "Did you know some areas flooded last night? It rained pretty hard."

"Yeh, someone said something..." I responded.

"Well, I was using this electric pump with an external motor to drain the water out of the elevator at the church. As I was pumping, the pump fell over. Without thinking, I grabbed it," he said.

I looked at him, my eyes popping out of my head. "What happened? Did you get a shock?"

"Nothing," he said.

Now he even had Matt's attention.

"After I pulled it out, I moved the pump. And there where it was were three medals like the one you are holding, all lined up in a row. Isn't that strange?"

"Not at all," I said, "It was a miracle. St. Therese saved your life. Isn't she the saint that wanted to help people on earth after she went to heaven? She said she would send flowers down after dying."

Steve said he didn't know. But he did know that those medals were not there earlier. Two other workers had been there talking to him before the incident and said they didn't see the medals. He added, "After I told them the story, they both took a medal. Father Ed said I better hold onto this one."

I gave Steve the medal back, reiterating that he should keep it with him.

Next, I thanked God, St. Therese and Steve's guardian angel for saving him from serious injury and possibly death.

I did some Internet research and confirmed that St. Therese wanted to help us here on earth after she died. I printed out her Novena and prayed it for nine days. Many miracles have been attributed to St. Therese, but this one I experienced first hand.

Feathered Friends

Robin, come closer
Open your wings and reveal
the red underneath
Show off for me
Tilt your head to
ask do I understand--
You get what you attract.
I blink and your gone
Flying over my head,
Squawking as you leave,
Saying goodbye to me.

Hope

Hope is the feeling of Christmas in Spring.

Shining, promising, on the horizon--a beacon.

What can and will be. Hope in the Lord who works all things for our greater good.

Inspiration.

Growth.

Birds singing.

Green.

Smiles, joy, sunshine, good vibes.

Hope dispels darkness, fear, anger, despair.

Hope cannot be killed

Hope Lives On.

Things are getting better.

God's love is growing. Spread God's love like peanut butter on bread.

No need to react to chaos.

All is in God's order.

God's will be done.

Love and light. Makes us light.

Today is a great day!

The Lord is my shepherd.

More will be revealed.

I turn my will and life over to God and have hope that he will give my life purpose and make it what it is meant to be. I will hope in God's will, not my fantasies or fancies. Just God's will, not mine.

She told me he got 5 O'clock shadow. My dark, handsome father. Video tapes of home movie reels and black and white photographs. These are the bits and pieces I hold onto. They fill my head and try to become my memories.

But once in a while, I flash on a true memory--being held up high in the air, jet back hair, loving blue eyes holding my gaze, watching this tall man walk. These moments are most precious for me for it is then that I feel my dad. He's no longer just a nice, good-looking man but he's a real flesh and blood person who loved, nurtured, and treasured me. He's mine. Even though he was part of my human experience for less than a year, in these memories I suddenly have a dad.

Now I think of my heavenly Father and how I can feel his love for me through the Eucharist, meditation upon the cross, or the love of other people. Those who met Christ in the flesh must've been touched beyond words. No wonder they put him to death--he must've scared the pants off of some of his contemporaries. To worship your heavenly Father and then to glimpse him here on earth--how tantalizing and awesome that must've been. But if you felt unworthy or sinful, you could not accept this. Which is why when Jesus rose from the dead, he greeted his disciples by saying, "Peace be with you" and "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them..." He was talking about forgiving ourselves as well as others. If we don't forgive ourselves, we can't let go of the hurt we have felt from others. If we hold onto those sins, they are retained. God already forgives us, but we must forgive. Otherwise, we can't accept Christ and the Kingdom.

He had brown hair, a beard and gentle eyes. He performed many great works -- but will those bits and pieces be all we know of Christ? Or will we let ourselves be touched by his forgiveness and love? Will we let ourselves truly experience God's presence TODAY in our lives? All it takes is a little willingness--willingness to be open. He knew us before we were born and we knew Him. We belong to Him and He is ours.

Ashamed to be Catholic?

I was on a plan about a month ago, chatting with an elderly couple from my hometown when they mentioned a familiar church. I commented, "I'm Catholic, too."

"It's okay," the woman responded to me in a placating tone.

I was dumbfounded. Later I realized I'd wanted to tell her that I wasn't apologizing for my religion. I was proud to be Catholic.

I notice when others seem to be ashamed of being Catholic or try to make excuses for it. Why?

Here are some reasons to be proud to be Catholic:

We are the religion fonded by St. Peter over 2000 years ago.

We partake in seven sacraments which are not only signs of faith, but intimate contact with God. For example, in the Eucharist, we eat and drink the body and blood of Christ. In Confirmation we receive the Holy Spirit through being anointed with oil. In Penance, we are touched by the priest acting as Christ and hear the words that we are absolved from our sins.

We participate in the divine reality of heaven in the Mass. We are actually joined with the saints and angels in the present moment, giving glory to God and experiencing the divine mystery of being part of the body of Christ.

Catholic churches house the body of Christ in the tabernacle, making these places of worship holier than the ancient temple was to the Jews.

We Catholics have awesome symbols and tools of meditation such as the crucifix and the rosary.

Our rich traditions during Lent and Christmas deepen our faith.

We honor Mary as the Mother of God and she intercedes for us to Christ when we pray to her. She has granted countless miracles.

Catholicism has doctrine and beliefs that are not compromised for the flavor of the day or because it is easier to change.

Why should I be ashamed to be Catholic? I am not.

I am not ashamed that Catholics aren't perfect and that we make mistakes. But as a Catholic, I admit when I am wrong and make amends as the Church itself has done through the centuries.

I am not ashamed that we have made superficial changes because those modifications have not strayed from the Catechism. The Vatican II changes were actually a renewal of the earliest Catholic traditions and have added to the richness of the Mass.

There is so much to learn about our faith and the more I learn, the more I have to learn and the more that all of life makes sense. It's all there in the Catechism and teachings of the Catholic Church--how to live a full, satisfying, joyful and meaningful life. Catholic.org is a good place to find out more.

Happiness

Happiness isn't the absence of worries and strife, but the ability to smile at life.

Happiness is the capacity to perservere in all that happens, knowing God is near.

Happiness is facing fear, sorrow, tragedy and uniting it to Christ's suffering.

It's not about vacations and lack of stress, but about God's will and acceptance.

Happiness is knowing even in the midst of pain and rain that tomorrow the sun will shine again.