Today, I wanted to stop and speak about a women who effected my life profoundly. I feel that she was brought into my life by God to witness God to me. Her name was Rosie it should have been courage, faith and hope. She was all of these plus more. She would laugh all the time . I met Rosie back in the 1980’s she was a client of my business and was a recent breast cancer survivor.She had her husband and two children. In the eighties she was in her early 50’s she remained in contact with various projects with my families business. She had been  battling cancer that kept changing, she would fight it off and it would re-emerge. I / we in the business were very close to her and we became very good friends with her even coming to dinner at our home etc.

She was so heroic while in battle with cancer and was always laughing, saying this damn cancer and she would stamp her foot. She was so kind and absolutely loved her little dogs and her cat. She had a very tough upbringing of abuse and had a very nice husband and two children. I have never met anyone like her before and suspect that I never will again. She was caring, loving, broken and wanted to just love. We did a lot of projects in her home major and she was so pleased. She did to her house everything that she did not because she liked stuff, but because she was still trying to soothe the child inside who was never at home. She was in remission at this time. One day on a Friday it was the summer a car came into our driveway at work. I was outside the bldg with my brother and we looked it was Rosie she was coming up to us and we said hi Rosie, she responded I am mad as hell, I had to get out of the house, she said! I said whats wrong honey ? You know a few blogs ago when I wrote about the mind setting me off with worry years ago, well she had just found out that the cancer was back on fire again, her mind was wheeling and she coulld not stand it. I said Rosie come on into  the office and sit down we had lemonade in the frig, she said okay. She went on to tell us thay they could not do anything for her cancer  because as she said her bones were like swiss cheese from all of the treatments. She was 73 ( so young)

Looking back at my life I have been by a lot of peoples bed before they passed, and I believe that I was called to make sure that they were at peace. but again that is for another day.

Now, back to Rosie….

She was a remarkable women and only  had an outburst once in front of me about her situation, and I as well as my brothers were honored that she trusted us and felt that we would understand. What people,  everyone of us has to understand is that everyone one of us no matter what we do for work in our lives has a ministry of our own. So, I talked a whole lot about God with Rosie, I could see God in her and she recognized the Spirit in me.  We were in constant contact from that point and I would call to see how she and her family were doing. She came to my home in Oct 2007 for dinner with her husband and I still count that dinner as one of most favorite memories here in our home. She was in constant pain and never complained, She ate very well. After a while she asked if we could go into my family room. She wanted to rest on the couch. I said sure. When we went into that room one of my kids was watching a little kid halloween show and she sat on the couch, my little dog’s took to her right away. They jumped on to the couch as kissed her, they were glued to her. She was laughing at the dogs and laughing at the cute show that was on television. She was a living angel. Her face stays with me and brings me so much joy.

Well, along came the Spring and things got really tough. She was drawing closer to her time and she was sleeping in her room the one room  that never got done in her home. She got too sick, so it looked like the 60’s still.  She had been  insistent at that time to sleep in her bed. She went into the hospital for  around 4 days  days and God spoke so loudly to me, I talked to her husband John and said please I want to re-do your bedroom for Rosie, I have to it at night, if you don’t mind. My schedule was already booked.

I said I would complete it at no cost to them at all as a gift to Rosie. He felt bad, I said no, I really want to so do this, he said thank you. With that I began, I tore that room apart, stripped wallcovering, and completed remade the whole room with paint, new window treatments, assesories and bedding. You see, God called me to lift her and her entire family up in this moment. Rosie came home from the hospital and cried with joy. She called me on the phone a few days afterward and told me how she felt like she was finally at home.

Rosie continued her struggle eventually a hospital bed was brought into her livingroom and a nurse began routine visits. Rosie always fought on and would smile all the time with her beautiful blue eyes just beaming. I would say to her we have to offer the stuff up. We talked about God all the time, Heaven and her mom and a few other loved one that had passed. She had been a regular church goer earlier on in her life but had fallen away for one reason or another. But still loved her parish of St. Jerome in Arlington. She loved Jesus and Her Blessed Mother, too. Unfornutaely the church she attended St. Jerome was closed and property was sold around this time.

Their was one neighbor Mary who was her best friend and could not bare to see Rosie suffering for so many years. Mary was a daily communicant in church in another parish in Arlington, she moved parishes when St. Jeromes closed. Mary tried to get Rosie to go but she never quite got there. Well, Rosie was getting close to the point where God would call her and I said Rosie, would like to see a priest and talk to him? She said okay. When her husband came home, I had been there giving him a break. I said John Rosie would like to see a priest and she responded yes John. So he said okay Rosie, I will call. I said I will see you soon honey and left.

I went home and decided to walk the lake and pray. I got about 1/3 around the lake and my cell phone went off, It was Mary, she said I saw you leave Rosie’s and popped in to see her. She told me about the priest coming so I asked John and he said no she can’t do it she is too weak. Mary said,  Danny can you please call the priest and get him there? My heart was on fire, I lost the breath  in my lungs. I stood on the side of the lake where time stood still and Heaven took over ! I dialed directory assistance, and asked for St. Agnes Rectory in Arlington, they connected me. The secretary answered and I told her the story and Rosie’s desire for confession, eucharist and Holy oil (sacrament of the sick). I gave her home address and they said the attending priest would be there shortly. Next I had to call Rosie’s very strong willed husband John.

I Remember I could not even breathe so my voice was being forced out….This is the conversation with John.

Hi John this is Danny, There is a priest coming to your home very shortly from St. Agnes to see Rosie..  He said but she won’t see him, I said John,  she said that she wants to see him. He said what do I do ? I said John when the priest comes to the door he will ring the bell, you will answer it and show him into see Rosie and if she does not want to see him then she will send him away . He said okay. I hung up and almost died myself. I had been so strong and bold with him which is not my way. But you see God handled him the way that he needed to be handled he was in his late 70’s very much my elder and was a very strong personality.Again God took over ! Thank God, he did !

About 10 minutes later my phone rang again, Mary was on the phone, she saw a black car pull up to Rosies house and a young priest run up the walkway. I hung up Mary had been crying with joy on the phone and I too began to join that celebration with my own tears.

Finally, around 20 or so minutes later John called me,( I was so afraid to answer, but I did) ) he was all excited. He said,  Hi Dan ! I said hi John, he said I wanted to let you know that a very young nice priest came down from St. Agnes. Father G, I said I have heard about him. He then said, Rosie had a nice visit, I left and she had confession, communion and blessing of the sacrament  oil for the sick. He offered to come again and she said great.  He said thank you Dan. That’s Victory through God !

That was it , she then said, she wanted to sleep in her own bed so they took her up to her bedroom she was there for two days before she went to hospice. She was at peace though and that’s all that matters. She was good with God, ask my grandfather would say.

In life God will call us out of our comfort zones, if Mary had not gotten out of her comfort zone and listened to her calling  then I may not have acted  in Rosies best interest and her wishes would not have been met. Everyone deserves to be listened to especially as they are preparing to meet their maker.

I got a call July 4th, 2008 from John saying that Rosie had gone to the Lord.

Later that same morning….

I went down into my garage and was backing out  in my car and I have a retaining wall with a flower bed at level with my eyes to the left. I looked and there was a white lily plant in full bloom. Rosie loved lilly’s, I went right in and told my wife. Rosie  was a miracle in so many lives to so many people and I thank God for my Rosie. 🙂 That plant has never bloomed again.

God Bless You ,

Danny

This was her favorite song:     Heres to Rosie, maybe we can all say a prayer for her. 🙂

Louis Armstrong What a wonderful World

Her second Favorite Song.  Enjoy 🙂

Somewhere over the Rainbow.

Judy Garland