Junk House Renovation

I haven't showed anything about the renovation of our new house till now.  I am so ashamed!  This is the biggest project of the year 2017 which we have undertaken.  I am very excited and hope that this short video will suffice as we haven't uploaded the gruesome photos yet.  :)  In this particular video, we see Dad lowering the house onto a better and more secure foundation.  Before, it had been totally off the foundation for about 5 years.  Won't we be sitting pretty?

And this is recent video of what it looks like inside.  Preeetty sweet.  My Dad and my Uncle are prepping a wall.  Now there is a lot more work done.  The entire guest room is drywalled and almost ready for windows.  

Still, there is a lot more work to be done. The entire roof will be raised to provide more space for growing kids, the siding has to be put on, the awning has to be reconstructed, the porch needs to be finished, carpeting, paint, etc.  But a lot of work has been done.   

Dad and Mom signed the deed on September 22nd(National Hobbit Day) and so we are the legal owners of this hobbit hole. Good things are coming.  Here's to the near future!

Never Before Seen Photos 3

Claude the Cockatiel

Finished this birdie for a friend's 16th birthday.  Very cute and sweet.

Part 1 of Meadowlark Stanton

Part 1 of Meadowlark Stanton By Teddy Nortness

Meadowlark Stanton took off his coat by the window in his hotel street. He gazed down onto the icy streets. A lone streetlight flickered in the drifting snow. The cold was biting outside. Men and woman walked stiffly, with coats and scarves wrapped to their noses. Meadowlark shivered. In corner of his eye, something brought his attention. A rose in a glass sat on the desk next to him. He smiled silently to himself. Meadow reached and gently lifted the flower.  He held the flower to his face.  The flower bright back memories, he thought he forgot. Memories which were short and sweet. These memories brought back the usual depression, and Meadowlark frowned. A piercing pain throbbed in stabbed his thumb. He exclaimed loudly, and the rose fell back down. Meadow sucked the blood from his thumb, and sat on the couch. Happiness, is never forever. Every rose, has it’s thorn.The phone rang loudly, and Stanton jumped. He groaned, and picked it up. “This is Meadowlark Stanton, Private Detective. To whom am I speaking?” “Meadow, you poor old dog.” Stanton smiled. “Hey there chief. How in the devil did you get this number?” It was the chief of Scotland yard, Norrin Roberts. He’d been friends with Roberts since the first days of the academy. He’s always find him attempting to flatter the other girls there, and failing of course. Norris was a ladies man, although the “ladies” didn’t consider him that way. Norris let out that loud, jolly laugh that was so familiar. “Had some help from the boys in tech up here. How’s life, Sherlock?” Meadow rolled his eyes. “Why do you ask that? You know you're not going to get much of an answer.” “So nothing new? No new trips? New adventures? New things? Perhaps new… people?” Meadow could tell Roberts was grinning. “Alright, alright, cut it out.” Roberts laughed again. “Ah, come on big brother. You know I kid.” Meadow couldn't help but smile at his playfulness. Meadow finally noticed, he need somebody to talk to. But Norris called for a reason, and Meadow was determined to figure out what that reason was. “Yeah, yeah. Why was I called Roberts?” He heard a chuckle over the phone. “There’s the Meadow I know. Always business. Can’t you have some fun sometimes? You should get out more. I know a plac-” “Roberts.” Meadow interrupted. “Answers.” He heard him gulp. “We need you on a case again Meadow.” Meadow contemplated this. How long ago was his life in law enforcement. Two years. Was it time to come back? Meadow looked around the room. This life wasn’t doing him much good. “What kind of case?” “Homicide, and it’s a doozy.”  Meadow took a deep breath. “When can I start?”

What do you think happens next?  Write me at amgdauvin@gmail.com with your own story ideas! 

Coffee Cantata - Gil Zilkha, Bass

Coffee Cantata By Bach.  A comic cantata about a father who is reprimanding his daughter for sneaking to go have coffee at the local cafe.  Hilarious and amazing!

Why must man suffer?

Mother Angelica, in her book called The Healing Power of Suffering, said that "If the Son of God had to suffer in order to enter His Glory, than we too must suffer to enter into our glory."
We must also understand that God did not introduce suffering into the world. By listening to the serpent and partaking of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve brought suffering upon all of mankind; suffering that will last until Judgement day when God will see himself how we accepted our crosses for love of Him.    This doesn't necessarily mean we should say "Adam and Eve are to blame for why I am feeling bad."  We as humans have many weaknesses and give in easily to temptation, that is just our nature.
God does not will us to suffer, actually He means the complete opposite!  After the resurrection, Christ took it upon himself to help us bear our crosses.  Even just looking at the crucifix comforts us, knowing that Christ is ever with us to help carry our daily crosses.

Crucifix At San Fernando Misson

We are not perfect and in order to obtain redemption and eternal life, we must go against our weaknesses and protect our souls from everything that is evil in the sight of God.  Occasionally, something will arise to distract us from our main goal of attaining a place in Heaven.  Thought these distractions and temptations, we find ourselves burdened with the thought of knowing what is right and yet, knowing that we did wrong.   

This is why Reconciliation is so important.  After confessing our sins to the priest in persona Christi, we are relieved of our guilt for even only a short while (after all we are human), but that little time where we are without sin gives us consolation.  A rest before we must take up our crosses once again and start on the road to Heaven.

The attitude we should have toward our suffering is to accept with gratitude the chance to share a small part of Christ's suffering on the cross.  By accepting our trials, we are thanking God for saving us from eternal damnation and though what He did for us was far greater than what we could do for Him, Jesus is overjoyed and grateful that we are willing to help Him on God's mission to save the world from the evil one.
St. Sebastian Valfe wrote, "When it is all over you will not regret having suffered; rather you will regret having suffered so little, and suffered that little so badly."
Our suffering is so small and insignificant compared to what Jesus suffered for us.

To conclude, I want to end with another quote but this time from St. Gemma Galgani.
"If you really want to love Jesus, first learn to suffer, because suffering teaches you to love."
I feel that this quote brings to light the true meaning of suffering, for with great suffering there is also great love."