BRAZILIAN JULY WITH MY DAUGHTER AT PARQUE SUICA

God has His ways (Is 55:10).

Who can understand the mind of God? His plan is so perfect - we can only appreciate it in retrospect.

I saw so many tiny and huge miracles in the month of July that my love and trust in Him grew by leaps and bounds. He bestowed on me many graces and gifts through the intercession of Mary Most Holy and our Holy Founders.

Like I mentioned in my earlier post, I came to know a week before I left India that I was homeless in July. Previously, I had arranged to be at the Vu residence till 30 July but, due to some miscommunication, Mrs Vu had booked the rooms for their Canadian friends in July.

So, I travelled to Brazil with no surety of accomodation for that month. I surrendered the problem into the hands of Dona Lucilia.

Coincidentally, the Sequeira Vaz family had also travelled to Brazil and were to leave on 30 June. They have a beautiful home in a neighbouring area called Parque Suica, a gated condominium just like where the Vu family live.

Since I needed a place and found it too expensive to stay with other families (plus my daughter wouldn't be able to live with me), they graciously offered us their home after they left. A huge miracle!

And so, on a cold windy day, I made my way to Parque Suica in Dona Fabiola's car, picking up my daughter from Mater Castisimma on the way. We carried our suitcases slowly up the steep slope to the entrance of the house (in these places, most houses are built like this).

We unpacked on the ground floor, as carrying the suitcases up a flight of stairs would prove too tedious. In batches, we transferred everything to the bedroom we were to occupy. I had a double bed while Charis chose to sleep separately on a single bed that was there in the same room.

I arranged the kitchen for smooth functioning while Charis set about doing her laundry. Then I prepared something quick, (can't even remember what it was), and we had a nice siesta after lunch. That evening, I don't remember if we did go for Mass to Tabor or not.

The room was very cozy as was the rest of the house. I enjoyed being with my daughter but she also drove me crazy by telling me how to eat like they do, no licking fingers like we do, and kept checking on me the whole month to see that I washed my hands TWICE after using the washroom the way Dr Plinio recommended.

Due to the chilly weather, I refrained from having a bath every day as we don't sweat there. The cold cuts to the bone. You have to wear at least three layers of clothing inside the house and socks on your feet. When we went to Mass with Dona Fabiola, we wore our winter coats. Charis had one that was oversized but fitted me perfectly. I felt like the Czarina when I wore it. A tiny miracle!

I asked Charis what she wanted me to cook for her and then planned the menu for the day based on her desire. There was some leftover dosa batter flour which I used to make panpolis but they didn't come out like what Diana made at the pilgrimage house.

Tried panpolis but ended up with dosa.

I prepared a huge batch of pho, like how Mrs Vu used to make. It turned out very delicious. Diana had also given me some rawa and poha so I prepared sheera and kandha poha for breakfast.

There was no coarse wheat flour so I had to manage with refined flour to make chapatis and puris. Spices and condiments were also not available and there was no grinder so I had to improvise.

I experimented making jam with the apples that were a bit sour. Charis didn't like it too much so I had to finish it all by myself.

With the refined flour and ghee I made shankarpalli one day. Charis took a huge chunk of it with her to Mater Castissima when she left for the Second Order Congress.

My favourite fruit, the avocado, was freely available in the supermarket at a decent price so I bought a few every time we got a chance to go with Dona Fabiola to the supermarket. They are really huge (as you can see in the picture above) so you get more pulp and less seed. A tiny miracle!

Dona Fabiola would faithfully pick us up at 4.45 pm to go to Tabor as she spends an hour at the Perpetual Adoration chapel and also stays there during Mass. We used to go to pray at the tomb of Msgr Joao daily during that time. We assisted Mass at 6 pm and then waited for Vespers and Benediction. I got to meet my son Nathan almost regularly as a result.

One Wednesday, we got to go to the supermarket and another Wednesday we went to Provedoria. I was able to get the crosses I wanted and guava paste (goiabo in Portuguese) which they use in the pastels. I also got to pick up cloth scrolls of Msgr Joao, Dona Lucilia and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Some cognac, liqueurs made by the Heralds - and a bottle of wine for us. I also picked up boxes of a peanut sweet (amendoim in Portuguese) to bring back to India.

Although we couldn't visit Provedoria again, Dona Fabiola was kind enough to pick up for me a cape cover. It seems that it was the last one available that day. A tiny miracle!

I bought several rosaries, mostly for my family and one for a dear friend in Australia.

Charis gave me a beautiful rosary she had been given, a statue of Mary Seat of Wisdom and her Preces for Daniel. She also had two small pictures of Our Lady of Good Counsel so I requested her to give me one for my nightstand.

In return for her generosity, I bought her a new Preces and cover when we visited Provedoria.

First Saturday was very special for us. Nathan was coming to the house to spend a day! We had to prepare an Indian meal for him. We left for the cortege and Mass at 8.30 am. After Mass, Dona Fabiola brought us home and in the evening, she dropped Nathan back to Tabor.

Nathan eating a goiabo pastel
that we bought from the stalls
at Sacred Heart chapel the previous night.

The Congresses started on 15 July with the First and Second Orders having theirs from 15-17 July. Charis left for six days to attend. I managed to stay alone and actually enjoyed the solitude. She had left me a book to read which I managed to read but couldn't quite finish.

I shifted us to another bedroom for a change of place and to air out the second bedroom.

I did some extra washing as Charis was away and we had reached mid-month.

I also did a little gardening. Replanted some lilies into big pots and the succulents into smaller ones. And kept on reading!

Later, I replanted the lilies into the ground and sowed avocado seeds into the black plastic containers.

After Charis' Congress was over, the first Third Order Congress started (18-20 July). I didn't attend it as Nathan told me that mostly BRAZILIAN families attend it and English speaking ones from Canada, Houston and elsewhere come for the second one.

Charis returned finally on Sunday morning. A family from Pernambuco were attending the Congress and they picked her up, then came for me. We attended Mass that morning and then they helped us get back home. A huge miracle!

I continued reading the book Mary Most Holy Part 2, trying to finish before the Congress started. Charis busied herself with a sketch of the Annunciation and another one of Dona Lucilia.

She also gave me her Preces for Daniel. I put it in the cover I had purchased from Provedoria (I was praying for one of my own in Latin and English: hers is in Latin and Portuguese).

I started packing for my return to India that week. Bro Xavier from the Bangalore Seat requested me to carry a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I reluctantly said Praesto Sum. Bro John Konikkara arranged to send it across via Nathan.

With a day left to attend my Congress, Charis and I had to part ways again (as I couldn't leave her alone in the house while I attended). We dropped her off on Thursday night and now I had to find a way to reach Tabor the next day to register for the Congress. Dona Fabiola wasn't able to help me, she said, so I had to pray again to Dona Lucilia for a miracle.

And she never fails! At the last minute, Charis got her friend's mother to help. The mother's name: Claudia Lucilia. Coincidence? You bet not. Another huge miracle!

I'd like to dedicate a blog solely to my experience at the Congress but, before I say Till We Meet Again, I'll leave a few pictures which I didn't incorporate in the narrative.

Appendix