I graduated K-7, 9-12 from St. Joseph’s College. (Colleges in the Philippines can have an elementary and high school education.) Yearly, the school celebrates the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19 with Mass and festivities. His presence in my life flew out the window when I later went to a public university. After I got married, someone gifted me with a St. Joseph figurine, saying that St. Joseph is the patron saint of husbands. As I read about him, it dawned on me how strong

Do you know that there are more than a handful of celebrities who share an Irish ancestry? There are Christina Aguilera, John Travolta, Liam Neeson, and Bono, among many others. Do you know what they have in common with St. Patrick? Not citizenship because St. Patrick was not Irish. It was loving being Irish. Here's a little history of St. Patrick on his feast day. My name's Anna Maria and I publish a new video on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today and a new post on my blog t

I am fascinated by Shakespeare's Julius Cesar. In high school, we even memorized the speech of Marc Anthony after Cesar's murder. For some reason, it came to me that Julius Cesar's life had a keen resemblance to that of Jesus: Both were were kings, not to mention same initials. Both were much loved during their times. Their enemies were envious of how the people followed them. Both were judged unfairly, plotted for murder and killed. I researched my thoughts and was surprised

Has someone called you, with you thinking it's someone you know, when after a few minutes of conversing you realize the person dialed the wrong number? It's happened to me, and the ending was hilarious. Well, this story is similar to a wrong number but with an ending that can only speak to the heart. Hope you have a lovely weekend, and stay safe. My name's Anna Maria and I publish a new video on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today and a new post on my blog touchedbygrace.today

It must have been an incredible inspiration, experience, or revelation that came to John Newton to be able to write the poem Amazing Grace. Here's the story behind it. Thank you for watching! TGIF! My name's Anna Maria and I publish a new video on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today and a new post on my blog touchedbygrace.today every Friday! Check out Catholicmom.com for my other articles! If you've been #tbgtoday, feel free to share your story of grace here. #tbgthejourney #b

Dig deep. Go the extra mile. Give it your best shot. Those are words from highly accomplished people. Paul and I attended a funeral of a wonderful and beloved runner, triathlete, philanthropist and doctor. He was also known to always say "Dig deep." When he was asked by his fellow runners how long the run was going to be, he would answer "One to two miles." After the seventh mile, he will tell the runners to just dig deep, and they will find that extra store of energy that

It's always good to be reminded of the golden rule. You'll never know what it can bring. Have a blessed weekend! My name's Anna Maria and I publish a new video on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today and a new post on my blog touchedbygrace.today every Friday! Check out Catholicmom.com for my other articles! If you've been #tbgtoday, feel free to share your story of grace here. #tbgthejourney #book #journey #stories #tbg #touchedbygracetoday #grace #annamariadeguid #touchedbygrac

Do you remember what you had for breakfast yesterday? How about dinner last night? And how about lunch yesterday? For whatever reason that we forget (age, busyness, etc.), we are sure it nourished our body. Let's think of that when we go to Sunday Mass and forget the reading, gospel or homily. Even if we forget, let us be confident and secure that our weekly sustenance has nourished our souls. My name's Anna Maria and I publish a new video on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today

The themes of Lent are forgiveness and reconciliation. The story below is very timely for this season. Celebrities Kathie Lee Gifford and Howard Stern had an unusual feud that lingered on for thirty-some years. Only through the grace of God can something like this end up beautifully. My name's Anna Maria and I publish a new video on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today and a new post on my blog touchedbygrace.today every Friday! Check out Catholicmom.com for my other articles! I

Age usually makes us forget things. It doesn't help if we have genes that predispose us to that situation. Interestingly, there are things that stay in our minds forever. Or maybe they stay in our hearts, and the heart makes the mind remember. This is one of those times. Thanks for watching. Hope you have a lovely weekend! My name's Anna Maria and I publish a new video on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today and a new post on my blog touchedbygrace.today every Friday! Check ou

One evening, I saw the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm episode "Carpool Lane" on TV. Larry David, the lead actor, was in Dodger Stadium leaving the bleachers when he seemed to block a man and a young child going back to their seats. (It could very have been the man and the child stopping Larry David on his way out.) A thought came to me, "Are those people "extras," or are they watching the Dodger-Braves game?" I forgot this incident until I watched Long Shot. And then everyth

This book series is one amazing success! It was published in 1993, and after twenty years sold over 500 million copies worldwide. But the authors Jack Canfield and Victor Hansen did not have an easy start. And they did what most desperate people do. Thanks for watching, and I hope you get inspired this weekend! My name's Anna Maria and I publish a new video on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today and a new post on my blog touchedbygrace.today every Friday! Check out Catholicmom

The Book of Psalms are songs of adoration, praise, pleas for God's protection, guidance, and forgiveness. Most of the hymns or poems are attributed to King David. Lately, I've been shared stories of how friends have been helped by this Bible verse. Here's one of them. Hope it fills you with peace during these days. My name's Anna Maria and I publish a new video on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today and a new post on my blog touchedbygrace.today every Friday! Check out Catholi

Gandhi's story about Christianity is very sad and embarrassing, but very true. Gandhi liked Christ and his teachings. He wanted to follow him so he went to a Christian church to ask how to become a Christian. He was turned away because he was neither a high caste Indian nor white. Gandhi never went back. He said that Christians are nowhere like the Christ they follow. He said, "I would be a Christian, if it weren't for Christians." What powerful words. It reminds me of the wo

I have not set up my own computer, phone, or any internet account. To have been able to start a YouTube channel on my own is as close to a miracle as it can get. Only because I sought the help of someone who was good at it. Thank you for watching. My name's Anna Maria and I publish a new video on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today and a new post on my blog touchedbygrace.today every Friday! Check out Catholicmom.com for my other articles! If you've been #tbgtoday, feel free to

This is the second part of a two-episode story narrative, the first part being "Pay-It-Forward." It's amazing how God's mysterious ways worked in this story spanning over two decades. My name's Anna Maria and I publish a new video on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today and a new post on my blog touchedbygrace.today every Friday! Check out Catholicmom.com for my other articles! If you've been #tbgtoday, feel free to share your story of grace here. #tbgthejourney #book #journey #s

This story is similar to McDonald's and Starbuck's pay-it-forward gesture of kindness, but with a huge difference in time frame and magnitude. This is the first part of a two-episode narrative of grace, the second part being "The Sunroom." Hope you enjoy! My name's Anna Maria and I publish a new video on YouTube's Touched by Grace Today and a new post on my blog touchedbygrace.today every Friday! Check out Catholicmom.com for my other articles! If you've been #tbgtoday, feel