Bethesda Revisited
My family and I keep going back to Bethesda. It's become the meeting place to see our good friends from Dallas. We last visited in September of last year and had a blast. This past trip was just as enjoyable.
We first visited a lovely church nestled in the city called Our Lady of Lourdes. As my son and I approached the back entrance we were welcomed by an awesome image of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette.
I suppose St. Bernadette inspired my prayer for Eucharistic Adoration. St. Bernadette was the peasant girl in Lourdes, France who encountered the Mother of God, Our Lady of Lourdes, several times. She was simple and innocent and so I let my prayer be simple as well. These days when I pray I usually pray more so for others. My thoughts were of our friends' oldest who will be attending medical school.
In the past I found myself in prayer visiting the Blessed Sacrament almost always focusing on my own issues and problems. I know better now. God knows everything, even our most hidden thoughts and fears. I think prayer should be simple, not complicated at all. That's why I love the rosary so much. It's a prayer simply saying "I love You Jesus and I love Your mother." The beauty of the Blessed Sacrament is that Jesus is right there waiting for us. I place all my trust in God and say, "Jesus, I love You!" over and over again. It is always refreshing and comforting.
We went to visit our friends next. This time we met with father and daughter and had a nice dinner at a Spanish and Latin American restaurant called Guardado's in Bethesda. It's quite cozy and friendly and a good place to catch up. We ordered a number of tapas dishes like the delicious special -- stuffed mushrooms. For our entrée we shared the seafood paella. We also shared a carafe of sangria. Overall, the food was very good! Since we had leftovers I recooked the paella the next day with lots of dark leafy greens and minced garlic and it turned out even more delicious.
I will always remember Bethesda. It's a place where we can always worship and give thanks to Our Lord and where we can enjoy and cherish camaraderie just as we have in the past. Thanks again Bethesda for a wonderful trip! Till next time!
“Jesus, I love You!”