Random thoughts on a busy week

I've been very busy the past few days. A lot of things have happened. I finished my Quickbooks task just in time for the accountant's end of the fiscal year, that task was a lot harder than I thought, because I'm not an accountant to start with. I'm not very familiar with the accounting terms and I'm not very patient when it comes to numbers, but it was a task that was entrusted to me by my boss so I have to do it. Then came my parents' arrival here in Montreal. Then my dad got sick because of the cold weather, add to the stress that I need to do regular updates to my siblings on my dad's case. Then I have to learn all the tools and the tricks in Cerec 3D. Then I have to bring my parents to places including a not- so- quick visit to the doctor's office. Thank heavens that my dad is fine. Then I have to do my regular mommy chores, plus my full time job. I have to juggle everything. Do I sound whiny now? hahah sorry! I can't help it! Anyway, it was a bit overwhelming and stressful, but I'm good. Life is good! Thank God that I could blog, at least I can get away from all these even for 10 minutes. And thanks to my mom for helping me with the cooking. It's good to have your mom around, eh? Imagine coming home with a home cooked meal, amazing! So we will be staying away from wendy's, kfc and mcdonalds for 3 months LOL. Even my co-workers have noticed that I'm eating "real" food for lunch.

Anyway, weather forecasts that we will be having a sunny weekend. Sunny, but cold. Highest will be at 6C. But at least it's sunny!

Today (saturday), we went to the Basilica of Notre Dame, which is closed for the whole day since there will be 6 weddings. I was a bit disappointed since I want my parents to see the beauty of the Basilica, not to mention that it was really cold this morning when we went, then to see that it was closed, me = disappointed. But we can still come back some other time. Moving on, we went to the Oratory of St. Joseph in Mont Royal. It was a huge church with a lot of chapels. Just a little backtrack, contrary to my previous post (see LINK), I've said that "there's nothing really special with this church". I was so wrong. Just the view from the top of the oratory, with the facade of the whole montreal made it special. It was breathtaking.

my dad with the view from the top

Even more special is the number of devotees who come here to pray and exercise their faith to St. Joseph and Brother André.

Brother André was known throughout Quebec and to believers around the world. But the man they called Brother André began life in much humbler circumstances. Born into a large Catholic family in 1845 in the Quebec village of St. Grégoire, Alfred Bessette was a frail child who was orphaned as a boy. This CBC special looks at the man whose mission in life produced St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal.

As a young man Bessette tried working on a farm, as a cobbler and in a bakery. In 1874 he became a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross, an order of Catholic priests in Montreal, and took on a new name: Brother André. For 40 nearly years he was the porter and barber at a boys' school run by the congregation, and it was there that his reputation as a healer — even a miracle-worker — took hold.

Brother André counselled his visitors to pray to St. Joseph, and he never took credit for the miraculous cures his visitors ascribed to him. His dream was to build a shrine to St. Joseph on the side of Mount Royal — a project that began with a tiny chapel in 1904. By the time of Brother André's death in 1937, the shrine was a Montreal landmark.

More on Brother Andre at SOURCE

I hope everybody will have a blessed weekend. Take care y'all!