TRINA GUNZEL
Our guest on this Catholic Vitamins show is TRINA GUNZEL, a native of north-central Arizona. She was educated in New Mexico, spent time in Oregon and returned with her husband and family to Arizona.
One day, as Trina describes it, she noticed her son Wyatt didn’t seem to be himself. Tired. Listless. And then events started to unfold, leading to an incredibly demanding health care regimen caused by the diagnosis of Type One Diabetes.
We hope you’ll enjoy listening to this podcast and hear Trina talking about the Keys that helped her and her husband to survive lack of sleep, lack of resources and lack of an apparent resolution to this situation.
You can find out more by visiting the Gunzel’s website:
www.type1family.com and you can send Trina an email at
ABOUT STRUGGLES AND KEYS FOR ACCEPTANCE
I have a number of things which bother to one degree or another. But there is one issue that I would change if I ruled the world. Ah yes, if I ruled the world. I have the answers for what the world around me needs, don’t I?
And yet – there is a Scripture quote above our patio door: “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad.” Do I believe it? Or is it pious platitude?
There are three areas of spiritual concentration that I believe are KEYS to making it through life and into eternal happiness.
1. Keep your eyes on the Lord – fixed on eternal things.
“We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” – 2 Cor 4:18
If you believe in the faith you profess, you ought to keep your eye on the goal of this journey. There is nothing they can throw at you that they didn’t do to Stephen the martyr — and he simply kept his eyes fixed on the glory of God. Stephen saw what awaited him.
Pain and discomfort and rejection — these are all fleeting. Eternity is, in a word, eternal.
2. Thanksgiving
Contentment comes from a heart overflowing with thanksgiving.
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. ” – Phil 4:11-13
Some ‘teacher’ in my path through life taught that there are four types of prayer: Adoration, Thanksgiving, Repentance and Petition. Each day ought to contain these prayers — and if anything happens to interfere or cause you to not get the four of these done – thanksgiving would be the one that helps with contentment. Even if you are struggling with illness or hard times in your life.
3. Hope and trust can lift you above your present circumstances
“We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations…” – Rom 5:2-3
I have preached about this topic. When the disciples were in the Upper Room – what was it that kept them locked there rather than taking the message out into the streets. You might answer that it took the Holy Spirit. Yes, yes. But what was it that the Holy Spirit gave them in the anointing? Hope and trust were poured out upon them as gifts. Those two gifts restored faith damaged by the ‘loss’ of their Savior.
I hope in the Lord. I trust in the Lord. In all things, I know He will sustain me. He will save me.
These are the Keys as suggested in this Catholic Vitamins episode.
MARIANNA BARTHOLOMEW
Marianna Bartholomew has been awarded seven Catholic Press Association Journalism Awards and Chicago’s 1993 Cardinal’s Communications Award for Professional Excellence. Her articles have appeared in EXTENSION Magazine, Our Sunday Visitor, Catholic Digest and in Chicago’s Catholic New World and other diocesan newspapers across the nation.
Former Managing Editor of Catholic home mission EXTENSION Magazine, Marianna has traveled to and reported on conditions in the poorest, most isolated pockets of our nation, from Louisiana’s Cajun communities and Appalachia’s hollows to Montana’s remote Indian missions. Blessed to be a wife and homeschooling mother of three, she now teaches in a homeschool cooperative, freelance writes from her Chicago area home, and is completing her first novel for young adults.
We are fortunate to have Marianna’s sharing on any topic — but the one that we’ve specifically suggested for her concentration is MISSIONARY MOMENTS — her stories, insights and memories of visiting the ‘mission territories’ of the United States.
She gave us a ‘heads up’ on a great pro-life article she wrote for the Catholic News Agency.:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/cw/post.php?id=641
In addition to sharing words about the article she has most recently written for Catholic News Agency, in her Missionary Moment on our podcast, Marianna mentioned the hospitality of many of the people that she has met in her visit to missions. Marianna’s daughter Erin is an artist and has rendered this cartoon in support of the reflection of her mom on our show. Congrats Erin.
And speaking of congrats, we mentioned a book that Erin did the art renderings for. It’s a book done with Lisa Bergman entitled PANIC IN THE PEWS. Here’s the cover — another look at the talent of Erin Bartholomew. That cover makes me think about some of the commotion I hear from our ‘cry room’ at the parish during some Sunday Masses 🙂 This book might make a nice family gift for Easter.
What talent in the Bartholomew family!!