In memoriam

As I was growing up, my mom's sister "Aunt Gennie" was always there when Mom needed her. In my mom's family of 10 kids, Mom was born 1st, then Aunt Gennie.  If I can get  Mom blogging again, I'll bet she has a lot of stories about Genevieve.  I can't tell you how many times Aunt Gennie came over to take us all to Mass.  Or to come and get my brother Tom and I and let us spend the day with her while Mom and Dad were busy with something else.  Or simply came over to visit Mom and keep her company.  She took my mom to the cemetery every day for the first couple of weeks after Dad died, until Mom told her she was OK with his passing and that they both needed to move on.  After the first Northridge earthquake in 1971, Mom and I took Tom over to her house because it just seemed safer to us than an upstairs apartment.  Eventually, she and my Uncle Phil moved into the apartment across the parking lot from Mom in Lodi and continued to help Mom and Grandma get to church, go grocery shopping and provide support, until they both passed away.  She was so kind and generous and giving.  When I saw that today was the feast day of St. Genevieve, a whole bunch of fond memories popped into my head, too numerous to tell of here.  Instead, I'll just post an icon of St. Genevieve that I found on-line today with an explanation of the icon:

The symbols associated with her are:

A loaf of bread because she was generous to those in need. (Just like my Aunt!)
A coin suspended around her neck symbolizing her consecration to God.
A candle which it said she used as she walked to church at night and which stayed lit despite the devil’s attempts to extinguish it
The clothing of a shepherdess because she grew up tending to flocks.

If you would like more information on Saint Genevieve, "google" her name.  There's a lot out there on her.  The biggest bit of trivia that hit me like a ton of bricks???  Her tomb is at the church of  Saint Etienne du Mon in Paris, France.  I don't believe in coincidences.  Etienne, as I mentioned a couple of days ago, is French for Stephen.  No wonder I'm so blessed.  It seems like every time I research something, the Holy Spirit sends me to resources to remind me that we are all called to be saints.