Fr. Pat´s healing hands are Reiki hands. He´s not a natural born healer. He learned the Reiki techniques and this is what he uses in his healing services. Reiki is what all La Salette priests use in their services. And then they lie about it saying it is the Holy Spirit touching people through their gifted hands... Hypocrits. Hands they attuned to Reiki, a harmful type of energy when used the wrong way.

In addition to lighting the candles, we have a magnetic nativity display with a boxes for 24 days before Christmas.

It helps the kids give perspective of that we are preparing for Christmas a long time away and its is fun.

I wanna move in with Cynthia's family . . .

Like many families, we have a traditional advent wreath in the center of our dining room table. When our two children were very young, we started a tradition of having one family member choose what to have for dinner on each Sunday of Advent. There are four of us and four Sundays, so it was an easy fit. I use the Christmas plates and bowls and we light the Advent wreath candles for each week. There are no rules about the food: when it is your turn to choose for that week, you can pick whatever you want: pizza, breakfast for supper, a fancy dish, comfort food. Dinner time is flexible so that all four of us can sit down together and eat without being rushed. On very few occasions throughout the years, we have gone to a restaurant for the "Advent dinner", but for the past 15 years, for those four Sundays, the four of us have had dinner together. It started as one way to have something for the kids to look forward to and focus on, in anticipation of the "big day". But it has evolved into one of our most cherished memories. Now that my daughter is in college and my son will be going to college next fall, it has not always been possible to be together. But I have a feeling that it is a tradition that they will carry forward into their own families in the future.

Aahhhhh....Christmas! I remember from childhood going shopping as a family, walking down our Main St. in Fitchburg, MA, hearing the Christmas carols being played in the crisp cold air -- back in the era of B.M. (before malls).

It's memories of Christmas Eve at one grandparents' house and Christmas day at the other grandparents.

It's being 6-years and having Carol (an aunt) take us for walks on Christmas Day to St. Francis Church in Fitchburg to visit Baby Jesus in the manger.

Its reminiscing about Christmasses past -- (no ghosts there!) -- and how blessed we've been.

It's piling the family into Dad's van and driving around looking at all the lights in people's yards and coming hot to hot chocolate.

It's driving the 90-minutes down the highway to the LaSalette Shrine in Attleboro, MA to see the Christmas lights -- all 250,000 of them. Being there at 5:00 p.m. when they turn the lights on with one switch is pretty spectacular and going to the concert in their chapel to hear Fr. Andre Patenaude sing his wonderful music is heartwarming.

It's going to the airport to pick up one of my aunts, Diane, who flies home to Fitchburg from Oregon. I always catch the Christmas spirit the moment her flight touches down.

It's being a Special Needs Religious Education teacher at my parish of Our Lady of the Lake in Leominster, MA and having my two students -- both with severe disabilities -- participate in the annual Christmas Pageant amongst their non-disabled peers.

It's walking on a snowy beach in December at Marie Joseph Spiritual Center in Biddeford, ME and spending time at prayer with the good Sisters of the Presentation of Mary who own and operate the place.

Most of all, it is the Liturgy of Christmas that thrills me...when Heaven and Earth became one and God blessed our humanity by taking on human flesh -- such immense love!