8.08.2007

Do you see what's in the bag?

While digging up the weeds in a flower bed in the front yard, I dug this up. My first thought was, "What the heck?", and then when I looked closer, I saw very well what it was!

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St. Joseph!!

Which just reinforces the fact that a lot of people use this prayer/tradition/old wive's tale when selling their house!

I don't really believe in it at all, yet a tiny part of me had hope that just buying St. Joseph and having him sit on my fireplace mantle, would sell our house. I never actually buried St. Joseph in our old yard, but it looks like someone else did in theirs! (Which is now "our" yard!)

Isn't this the funniest thing?

Take a look at Saint Joseph now. Even though he was put in a baggie (in hopes of keeping him clean, looking all spiffy, I don't know . . . I mean, good grief, the purpose is to put him in the ground, right?), he still managed to come out looking like he had been put through the wringer. :c)Any suggestions for what I do with him now?? I can't throw him away. Do I put him back? I don't want bad luck now for digging up the buried while they were/are resting in peace . . . suggestions . . . words of wisdom? (I'm not being serious you know, or, well, maybe I am??)

P.S. you must check out the comment section on this one . . . bad MP, bad Cerella ;) (I'm totally rotflol, though!)

24 comments:

Tracey said...

That looks like an old St. Joseph statue! All the ones I found were cheap looking plastic. According to the superstition, you're supposed to dig him up and put him in a place of honor at your new home. I'd put him on a shelf somewhere. You don't want to toss him and get plagued by bad luck!

Unknown said...

Right now he is sitting in a vase with some bamboo that I just bought. I didn't want to kids to get a hold of him because he's still dirty. But I didn't know if I should let that dirt stay on him or wash him off? What's the protocol? ;)

I need Katie or Johanna or Sara to help me out with this one! ;) Guys . . . ?

MP said...

I have to tell you, at first I thought it was a couple joints..maryjane's, doobies..you get the picture. NOT that I would know anything about anything.

I think it's AWESOME that you found St Joseph.

Keep him for sure. He's a lucky one. You can lend him I'm sure if someone else is trying to sell. I'll see if I can't find out any wisdom about a found St Joseph.

Cerella said...

I totally thought that it was the ganja too! haha

Anonymous said...

what a treasure!!

Unknown said...

MP, Cerella, OMG! Bad girls, bad girls, bad bad bad :c)

Anonymous said...

OMG! That is what I thought it was too!!! I was like, "whoa. Val moved into the pot head's house!" haha. good laugh.

Unknown said...

You guys are so totally cracking me up!! You know, I never ever thought that (seriously!!) until you guys called it, and now that I look at it, IT DOES LOOK LIKE IT! But remember, you called it . . . not me! ;c)

MomOf4 said...

This is a hoot! We used a St. Joseph to sell our old house! :)

Anonymous said...

I'm not familiar with that tradition. I think you should keep and display Saint Joseph.

BTW, love your WW photo.

Michelle said...

That is too funny...one, that you found him and two, that everyone else thought you had come upon some other treasure!! Ha!

Kellyology said...

I thought when you sold your house you're supposed to dig him up, and take him with you to your next house and display him. Is that wrong? I wonder what kind of bad mojo the old owners are getting now...

And to answer your Wii question:
It's video game set where you have to play the game physically. For example with the bowling game, you have a little controller that you make the bowling motion with tennis you actually use the controller like a tennis racket, etc. It's pretty fun, and it's better than normal video games (that I usually get bored with in about 2 seconds) because you're up and moving the entire time. Anyway, if anyone invites you over to play Wii...totally do it. But wear comfortable clothes because you can get very sweaty!lol

Cate said...

That's HILARIOUS!

Missy!! said...

Okay.. I hate to be "that girl" but what is the deal? Wa-a-a-ay over here in Indiana, we don't have that superstition. Wanna fill in a little lost soul? :)

Anonymous said...

When I first glanced at the picture, I thought it was the remains of some poor small pet that the previous owners had buried!!! I was thinking "Crap...Val is going to want me to identify what kind of animal it was!" Needless to say, I'm glad it was St. Joseph.

Unknown said...

Heather, omg, you are so funny!! I would have called you asap if that was the case (and you know i would have, too!). Funny. :)

Missy, the reason you and I have never heard of this before (because I hadn't either, until my friend, Katie, and my neighbor, Lisa, both told me about it, and they had to explain it to me, too!) is that it's a Catholic tradition. Assuming you aren't Catholic, that's why ;) I honestly don't really know the Biblical story behind it, but "they" say if you bury St. Joseph (upside down, of all things, which is how I found him!) and say a prayer while doing it among other "things" you're suppose to do, then you are suppose to sell your house -- because St. Joseph, who you pray to, makes it happen. I actually ORDERED one, a St. Joseph statue, because all my Catholic friends kept telling me to do it, so I did, but I never actually buried him! If my friend, Katie, gets on here, she can probably explain it more logically and correctly, but that's the gist of it! :)

And note to file -- this St. J is a much better lookin' one than the one I have. The one I purchased is plastic and all one color. This one is ceramic and painted very artistically.

mama2dibs said...

I'm going to have to join the bad girls on this one...I thought it was joints in the bag. I was trying to imagine why you had a picture of mary jane on your blog. :) I'm glad it was St. Joe instead.

I don't know what I would do with him. I guess because I'm not Catholic I don't believe in praying to anyone but God, so I'd probably say, "Cool!", throw him in a drawer somewhere for about a year and then throw him away. I'm a bad girl like that though. I don't like "stuff" sitting around my house. Although I am always finding "stuff".

Anonymous said...

That is so funny. I don't get into saints--why pray to Joseph when you could just talk to Jesus?! But, hey! I think it's worth keeping just b/c it's kind of an ironic story! ;)

Katie said...

A couple of things here. First, I'm delighted for you to be in your new home, Valley! Just delighted! Second, Catholics don't pray TO saints, but WITH saints. The thinking is, these are really holy people who've set a good example and lived lives close to God, their prayers must be worth something, so we'll ask them to pray TO GOD, WITH US, for the same things we're praying TO GOD for. St. Joe, as a carpenter, was responsible for keeping Jesus well-housed during his life, so he became the patron saint of making a home. Asking him to help is both ritual and, often these days, superstition. But it's fun, too! I'd suggest keeping this one around, mainly as a reminder that there is a St. Joseph who housed and helped raise Jesus, and a reminder of our duty to be that kind of parent and shelter to our children. I think leaving him in a vase or pot (ahem!) with a plant is a great idea. Also, there's an interesting discussion of this at http://asksistermarymartha.blogspot.com/2007/03/up-above-clouds.html.

Sorry for the long comment! Happy home-making!

Unknown said...

Katie, I knew you would help me!! Thank you, dearest of the dears! And I love your "pot" comment --- made me giggle!

I love all your thoughts . . . and I love the idea of having St. J out as a reminder of our duty. You reminding me of things such as this is why I love you as I do :)

Thank, Katydid!

Anonymous said...

Putting him in a pot (ahem!) made me laugh, Katie. I like your explanation of praying with the saints! Thanks!

Katie said...

Glad to be of service! As they say... "Saint Joseph, pray for us!"

Erin said...

Yup, I thought it was drugs too : ) That is too funny that it was a St. Joseph statue. What are the odds?

Louise said...

That is really neat..when I saw the bag I thought the same as some of the above..yup drugs..LOL!!
I have never heard of that tradition before...neat,strange but neat...LOL!