Andrea's Journal: Were to begin….

''Souvenir de Lourdes....''

''Catherine and I...dressed to kill...''
It’s been a long while since my last entry…
Were to begin… I feel like confession time, funny but guess what? I did confess... to an amazing person a priest named Javier Aparici Rendu who took my hand and walked with me in the gardens of Lourdes…
Well to begin…today my Chloé turned 10 years old, how amazing and how beautiful she is not only on the outside but inside as well…So grown up, so mature for her little size…She has always been very maternal…Last night I arrived from my wonderful trip to Lourdes and as she sat on my lap she said now I can sit on your lap you have bathed in the waters (for my back has been hurting a great deal and lately I tell her not to sit on my lap)looking at the pictures and hearing my experience she held my face and said, ‘‘mom, this trip has changed you, your face is different’’, she put tears in my eyes, can she really see, can she really…
Well it has in many ways. I have always been someone very spiritual in my own way, but this trip helped me answer a great many deal of questions and it helped me to reach a spirituality that I didn’t think existed…
For several years now I have wanted to go to the grout in Lourdes-France, in return for all the blessings I get daily in my life. I’ve wanted help those who are less fortunate and have lost faith and hope. This year finally I was able to prepare my family for this long awaited pilgrimage.
It’s not evident to share such a spiritual trip and experience with just anyone, my friend Catherine has been doing this the past two years and has shared her experiences with me something that not many people are receptive to, therefore she knew I would love to share this trip with her, another special person that I wanted to extend the invitation to was my dear friend Danny from Argentina that now lives in Miami. Danny has had an extremely difficult year loosing a very dear friend to Cancer a battle that has left him very exhausted. This trip would help to re focus and to get some of that love back and to realise that we must not loose hope and faith.

''My dear Danny....''
My experience in Lourdes has been one that I will never forget… I felt great love. Love and a superior energy that you get from the powerful presence of everyone there and even more so from the patients who suffer from all kinds of diseases who were there to received our humble help… We left with the Pilgrimage Dioceses of Castellon (Spain), the reason being that Catherine is from the village of Torreblanca. We were a total of 600 people that of which 100 were sick patients the rest included doctors, nurses, cooks, priests, helper’s etc. it is an impressive organisation. Our mission was to participate as transporters this meant transporting the sick in their wheelchairs, or chariots to the different prayers, the grout, the bathing baths, but most important to have discussions with them to simply talk to them, share with them, give them hope, love, courage and of course hugs and kisses something that most of them are missing in their daily lives, during a week of prayers, masses and pilgrimage… I learned many things there and had some amazing miracles happen to me personally I will share them with anyone who would like to listen…
Know that you were all in my prayers and as I walked threw the grout thoughts off all of you were shared.
Thank you all for being a part of my life…