• I found a religious devotioooon! Wahaha. I never knew Mama Mary had a "Blue Army" until this time. And so I have been doing the First Saturdays devotion since then! I even wrote about it last year: Start a Good Habit This Year: The First Saturdays Challenge! 💪 (LOH 168). If you haven't done it before, let's start this First Saturday of the year! 💪
• Started, did it daily but then eventually stopped offering my suffering of "super cough" and started offering the precious blood of Jesus instead. I talked about that here: When "Offering It Up" is Hard, Do This Instead

February 2024

• Got a Miraculous Medal pendant from a stranger. Wow thank you Lord! Here's the story on how I got it: Brown Scapular, Miraculous Medal... What's Next? 🤔
• Confirmed I had TB. 😂 Needed to go to TB Dots health center for free medicine, pulmo doctor check up and such. Dang, I never thought I'd have it but apparently it can be latent for so many years until your immune system gets weak. Oh well, I went back to my previous hospital because of this.
• I started taking communion on my tongue! Haha. Read all about it here: That Moment When I Had Communion in the Mouth... 😲

March 2024

• First time I cried when I was able to take communion by mouth again. Who knew I'd have such a reaction? I certainly didn't think it'd happen ever. 😅 I stopped for a while because there were a few priests who weren't quite good at dispensing it that way.
• I started praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 pm, although I still wasn't doing it daily.

April 2024

• Joined Divine Mercy novena for the first time! Divine Mercy Sunday too! And I unexpectedly experienced an abundance of grace from God. Thank you Jesus! Read all about my amazing experience here: Jesus Said, "Bring to Me Souls..." And Then Divine Mercy Sunday Happened. (That's daily mass and communion from Maundy Thursday to Divine Mercy Sunday.)

_{Parish of the Lord of Divine Mercy in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City. Regally decorated for Divine Mercy Sunday fiesta.}

• First time I underwent a major surgery where I was put to sleep. Whew. Thank you Lord, all has been well indeed. Glory to You oh Lord.
• First time I also experienced being cared for so much as a patient. Huhu. Learned what true love, caring and kindness really is. Tender loving care ftw!!! So what happened? Well I shared the story here: That Moment When You Finally Experience True Caring and Kindness

May 2024

• Experienced some bodily changes after the operation. Lol, I never knew there's numbness after an operation, etc.
• Realized a new goal: serve others and share the same tender loving care to other people!!! All thanks to a priest's homily and what happened to me in the hospital. Huhuuuu. 😢 Thank you Lord. ❤️
• Saw the biggest adoration chapel ever. Well at least for me it is the biggest I've ever seen and it's inside a mall too! 😱
  Say hello to the Adoration chapel of the Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord in Megamall:
  
  

June 2024

• Realized my illness is really real. 😆 I didn't think much of it until this month. Perhaps because I had some post-operation blues, and body aches sometimes too. 😅

• Did the novena to the Sacred Heart for the first time but I wasn't as prepared as I should so it didn't feel like I got much grace out of it. Oh well.

• Finally worn the Miraculous Medal I got back in February on June 27, the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. 💪

July 2024

• Got a terrible food allergy that spread all over my skin. Dang, so much for trying out a new snack. 😆
• Bought a new booklet about Holy Souls in purgatory! It's a definite "upgrade" to my childhood one which talks about ghosts (demons in reality and not human souls at all) and other monsters. FYI, real human spirits don't roam around on Earth at all. More details in my October entry.

August 2024

• Attended a Parish Liturgical Conference of St. Joseph Shrine and wow, I learned a lot! Thank you Lord. An entire day well-spent!
  Details below, however I haven't published the third post up to now. 😅:
  * Awe-inspiring Parish Liturgical Conference Experience! 😱 (Talk 1 of 3)
  * What About Prayers and Popular Devotion? (Talk 2 of 3)

Ber Months 2024

Well I wasn't able to write anything and just lived my life apparently. Only this part was empty in my notes before December ended.

So let's see. Upon checking the photos in my phone and my online posts here's some of the notable things that happened.

September

• Oh I found a "treasure" book! 😆 I've enjoyed O. Henry stories as a teen so when I saw this, I bought it for nostalgia. 😁 Who wouldn't fall in love with a hardbound thick book with gold gilded pages? 😍 Just look at that.

Am actually selling it too because it's such a good book that needs to be read by more people. I mean, it's also a collector's item!

• I finally joined a "prayer group", hurray! Finally have a religious community to interact with. Thank you Lord!

If you're in Metro Manila, particularly in Quezon City, come and join us! 😁 (Actually I am not a sworn member yet. Dunno if I will be, depends on God's will. 🙏) Otherwise ask the people in your parish if you have any groups or praesidium there as it's an international organization.

October

• Experienced pagmamanto (being put under the mantle of Mary) for the first time when Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia de Naga visited St. Joseph Parish Shrine in Quezon City. I never knew there's such a religious practice or devotion to such a title of Mama Mary until her image visited a church I frequent.
  

  
  ^{Visit of Our Mother. The Grand Arrival of Mother to the Shrine of St. Joseph | (image source)}
  

• Oh gosh. I joined a vigil for the souls in purgatory before November and dang! Haha. I learned something from it which I didn't expect. Have never done such before so it was quite an experience. Read all about it here: A Vigil For the Souls in Purgatory Instead of a Halloween Party

November

• Went to a cemetery with members of our religious group and prayed for the dead. Awww. I've never done such before and it was a good experience. Why? Well someone had their birthday celebration there that's why I cooked spaghetti! 😆 Prayer picnic at the memorial park. Haha.

• Watched an anime which is surprisingly infused with Catholicism! I love it. Read my review here: The Colors Within: Nostalgic Musical Coming of Age Anime Film

• Do you know what an oratory is? Well apparently it's like a parish but a smaller one just for certain communities. I've wondered what it was and finally was able to go to one! 😍

• I attended a Eucharistic Congress for the first time! Whoa! (Still haven't published all about this too. 😅)
  Anyway here's one of my freebies from the event. Saw what's in the right pic and wow, now we know! Thought it's only indulgences but apparently there's more! 😍

December

• I got a free religious calendar from the medicine supplier as their Christmas giveaway. Hurray! 😆 I didn't have to buy one anymore. Haha.

• I experienced what I would call small miracles, while praying the rosary. I mean, I never really thought such things would happen but heck it happened twice! Dang. Haha. Haven't found the time to write about it yet but praise and thanks be to God! 🙌

^source

• Spent Christmas with a family member. Lol. Long time no doing that. It was just so-so. The best part was still being able to go to church during Christmas eve and on the day itself! ❤️

• Last but not the least, it was my first time to complete the Simbang Gabi (Christmas novena night/dawn masses) in my entire life! 😂

^source

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Too bad I'd rather pray and go to church than write long posts on here lately. Takes too much time away from praying so... Haha.

Anyway I dunno if I can ever be like the saints but I'm happy to be on the road to Heaven! How about you? How was your 2024?

XOXO,
@artgirl