Intro - Walk By Faith

Welcome!

My name is Norma Elaine - named after my two beautiful grandmas - Norma and Elaine.  This is my personal blog about my journey home to heaven - my walk by faith.  I am selfish, a little mean and a little rude, stubborn, vain and conceited but God loves me and places me in positions where I am always given the opportunity to give a little more of myself to Him - so as He works to transform me into His daughter, I am trying to accept His will in all things.  Jesus plants the seeds and through Mary I come to cultivate them.
I first encountered the Lord on an evening walk and the first words I heard Him say were, "Ask Me."   Then I made a U-turn in my life and began my journey to Him.  It is the most amazing journey, but not one without hardships.  I've lost friends on the way, have been bullied for my Catholic faith, and have faced people and places that I used to avoid so many times - all only because God tells me, "You are worth more than that."
I began to talk more and more to God because He answered me and then I used to wonder if I was going crazy - until one evening I was smoking a cigarette and I thought to myself, "How can this little stick have so much control over my life?"  I had smoked almost two packs of menthol cigarettes a day and had been a smoker since high school.  But I heard Him say, "Quit."  So I threw the cigarette down, six years ago, and haven't smoked since.  I tried to quit before but gave in after a few days because I would get bad headaches - but when I heard God tell me to quit - I never experienced any withdrawals. 
I'm a single Catholic mother to a beautiful, autistic eleven-year-old boy that has enough energy to supply an army and no, he does not have ADHD or ADD.  My boy has two names: Mitchell and Canku Wakan Hoksina - which means Boy That Walks the Holy Road.  He is my whole world and sometimes I just call him "boy."  He wants to be so many things when he grows up and sometimes he'll add priest in his questions, like, "Can a priest go into the army?"  "Can a priest be a blacksmith?"  "Can a priest be a policeman?"  Sometimes he says he doesn't want to be a priest.  I always tell him, "God created your big beautiful spirit and saw how good it is. He said, "I need this boy in the world!" So here you are.  What ever you decide to be, you will be great because God made you to be that way."
When I first met Mitchell, I was standing outside my sister's hospital door, while she gave birth to him.  When the door opened, there was the most beautiful baby boy that I've ever seen in my life - love at first sight, and he was born on Mother's Day.  I held him until both my arms were numb - he stole my heart the second I saw him. I say that when Mitchell was brought into my life, he turned my world upside down, but it must've been upside down in the first place; he just placed it back to right side up!


I have learned so much about being a daughter of God from my boy.  

Every day is a thanksgiving to God.  


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 Mitchell and me

Christmas 2012

October 13, 2013

Mitchell and Father Chuck, Nov. 27, 2013

Mitchell and his grandpa Mark

 Mitchell and me

My big boy

My big boy and me

Mitchell and the body of Christ he made from bread, Feb. 23, 14

Feb. 23, 14

Mitchell said he wants to be a priest when he grows up. Feb. 23, 14

He said, "This is My body, which will be given up for you." Feb. 23, 14

My big boy. March 16, 2014.

Please pray for our priests. 

 Mitchell gave this to me, out of his rock collection, and told me to keep this rock forever; when I die it has to be buried with me.

 Obstacles are inevitable. You can let them stop you, or see them as moments of growth filled with God's love. 

 Mass Server 'Altar Boy' Sunday, March 23, 2014

March 23, 2014

Receiving the sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion
The three from Seven Dolors Catholic Church
March 29, 2014

Confirmed by Bishop John Folda
March 29, 2014

Receiving First Holy Communion from Bishop John Folda
March 29, 2014

 My Big Boy
Confirmation name: St. John

Mitchell and his confirmation sponsor, Bud Shaw

 A group picture
March 29, 2014

 Mitchell and Father Chuck

After Sunday mass, celebrating the sacraments received with Father Chuck

March 30, 2014

Mitchell and all his cousins that came to his bible camp. 

Thumbs up if you love God.

June 7, 2014

Father Moen and us. June 22, 2014

 Mitchell and Father Chuck, again. June 22, 2014

My big boy.

Father Moen and us.
Feb. 22, 2015
“Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” Clarence (George Bailey's guardian angel in "It's a Wonderful Life" 

 My two friends that I sponsored, who have been preparing the past months to be received into the church, and me at the Rite of Elect at St. Mary's Cathedral in Fargo.

Feb. 22, 2015

Mitchell serving our Lord at the altar for one year, and continuing. 

We had lunch for him after mass on Palm Sunday. 

 My beautiful Kunsi Norma

 My big boy and me.
My sweetheart.

My Mitchell Lee. Christmas 2014

 I was happy to sponsor my two nephews - Kohlby and Vincent.

Ready for Confirmation and First Holy Communion, May 17, 2015

 Mitchell and the deacon of our church, Tony. 

Tony gave Mitchell his Indian name. 

Canku Wakan Hoksina

The Boy That Walks the Holy Road

July 26, 2014

Top picture - guy in white shirt is my cousin Vincent aka "Suma"
Suma killed our aunt and then himself.  Please pray for all who are suffering from depression and have suicidal thoughts - and for strength of the families that are struggling with this illness.
 

Me and my big boy - nature trail summer 2015

Mitchell and David F. 

Summer 2015

Me and my sis - Madmax. 

When we were younger I would always say, "Nobody play with Markie!" if she didn't do what I wanted.

I love my lemonhead sister. 

My sister in serving Kayla Marie, my lemonhead sis Markie, and me during our uncle's memorial a few years ago. What would I do without these two? 

I love my beautiful Kunsi Elaine. 

She's one crazy lady. 

Me and my Kunsi again <3

Easter a couple years ago. 

My dad, me, and Mitchell with my beautiful Kunsi - my dad's mom. 

Love this crazy lady. 

Father Chuck, me, and my nephew Kohlby with Bishop Folda. 

Just because I love softball. Finished my 18th season this summer - started playing before I was a teen. 

My big boy after confession - summer 2015.

Hunting because I have to! Haha - with my dad - he's my best friend. 

He's teaching me how to be a mom to my boy so that includes doing what ever my boy wants to do - which is hunt.

Everyday.

Never stop praying!

Practicing the play for Christmas 2014. 

Had so much fun. 

During my happy hour at the St. Michaels parish. 

Beautiful altar - holy hour.  I love Jesus.

I have to stop here every time I go through.  

Our Lady of Guadalupe Perpetual Adoration Chapel, Fargo. Summer 2015

Me and my sister in Christ. 

She was our group leader at Life in the Spirit in Belcourt. 

Drawn by my boy - then he gave it to Father Chuck.

Pray for priests every day.

Adoration Chapel in Belcourt.
When I first entered the chapel my first thought was, "So beautiful!"
Every thing was built by Leonard and others from Belcourt - except the chairs, benches in back, and statues. Made it even more amazing - God is amazing!

Luke 1:41-45

"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

 "Beloved Mother, give us an idea as to the courage you had in your sufferings so that we may unite our sufferings with yours and give glory to God.  Most merciful Mother, remind us always about the sorrows of your Son, Jesus."

     

     

Hunting 2015

Visited the adoration chapel with my dad.

     The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary -
Holy Day of Obligation

 The Divine Mercy Adoration Chapel, St. Joseph's, Devils Lake, ND.

"I love You, O my God, and my only desire is to love You until the last breath of my life. I love You, O my infinitely lovable God, and I would rather die loving You, than live without loving You. I love You, Lord and the only grace I ask is to love You eternally....My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You, I want my heart to repeat it to You as often as I draw breath." 

 - Saint John Vianney. 

During Christmas season at Seven Dolors.

 Baby Jesus! <3

My dad's baptism. Thank you Jesus!

My parents with Fr. Paul - marriage blessed after 31 years. 

My mother also received Communion after more than 31 years. 

Thank you Jesus, Mary, Joseph!

I love Jesus.
 I say, "Jesus, I'm Yours! My eyes are Yours! My ears are Yours! How I see the world is Yours! Every breath I take is Yours! The blood pumping through my body is Yours!  All my thoughts are Yours!"

Life does not make sense without God.

It really, truly aches.  Whatever you're facing - it has already been overcome, just ask Jesus! 

 My parents in 1984, the year they were married, and the day their marriage was blessed in the Catholic Church.

 Mitchell.... one of our many trips to Fargo in the last few months.
When he saw the Jesus statue he ran over and gave it a hug!
After I took the picture and turned the other way, I heard my boy say, "Jesus has me in a headlock!"
So I turned back around to see that he was pretending Jesus had him in a headlock.
I was thinking, 'Please don't break the statue!' hahaha...

Me and my world.  I asked him, "How do you feel about being autistic?"
He said, "Eh. Nothing."
I said, "That's right, but you're one amazing, beautiful boy! And God creates perfectly!"
I think my son has so much patience for how he has been handling everything around him.

I sponsored my niece Cheryl and my nephew KeShaun.
Confirmation and First Holy Communion, 2016.

Here is me and my beautiful Auntie Adele.
I just love her and she's like a second mom to me.
I resigned from my job to help her while she went through cancer treatments.
During her first visit with the oncologist he told her, "Without treatment, you have four to six weeks to live."
Then he said her tumor was inoperable because it was on the main artery of her heart, while also being as big as her right lung.  He also said that her small-cell lung cancer spreads quickly and that it spreads to the brain right away.  He said with chemotherapy and radiation treatments, they hope that it would shrink the tumor small enough so that they would be able to operate, and hope that it doesn't spread.  Her cancer never spread, she hardly had any effects of the chemotherapy and radiation treatment, her hair actually started growing back fast - before her radiation treatment started, and in 3 months her tumor was completely gone.  She did a two month check up with a PET Scan of her upper body and head, and she is still in remission - no recurrence of cancer!  Thank you Jesus!  Please keep my auntie in your prayers - she will be doing two month check ups for a while.  Never stop praying.

Here is us with our crazy Kunsi again, at Easter.
My grandma, my dad, and my son. <3