post-election musings part 3: moving forward

And so...moving forward (pun intended) what are we to do?  First we need to accept that we are where we are at this pointing time because Christians have fallen short -  that look in the mirror thing.  We have allowed our voices to be silent and have just gone along with the crowd.  In our values and morality, we have become indistinguishable from the rest of society.  We live together with out benefit of marriage.  We use artificial contraception.  We divorce.  We skip Mass when something better comes along, or it is too inconvenient.  We have been silent and we have tolerated evil.  Some of us even think that religion is something that we do at church on Sunday.  Many of us think that we are so virtuous we have no real need for the sacrament of reconciliation.

Someone posted on Facebook this past week...it is true that things happen for a reason.  But sometimes the reason is that you are stupid and make bad choices.  Truer words may have never been spoken. 

But that still doesn't answer the "what now" question.  While it is true that we do not always follow God's will for our lives, it IS true that God continuously brings good from bad situations.  Writes straight with crooked lines, as it were.  One of the good things that should come from this is a return to prayer.  Honestly, I think most of us are prayer-slackers. 

We need to pray for (and with) our families and for the conversion of our country.  We have turned away from God, and there will be consequences for our actions.  One thing that I have come across recently is the Patriotic Rosary.   Pray a decade every night if a whole Rosary seems overwhelming. 

During this year of Faith, get to know your Catholic Faith.  Understand why we believe what we believe, even if you don't think you agree with it.  Make use of the sacraments!  Even (or maybe, especially) confession.  Invite a friend - to Mass, to confession, to pray.

Padre Giovanni Triglio suggested going a bit further in a recent post:

I suggest a modest program. Voluntary resumption of the ALL Friday abstinence (except on Solemnities) and voluntary fasting on all Wednesdays (or at least one day a week, except on Solemnities) in REPARATION for the sins of our age; DAILY rosary; MONTHLY confession; ANNUAL retreats; PERIODIC pilgrimages; and FREQUENT acts of piety and devotion. Simultaneously, we need to READ and LEARN more about our religion and be more assertive in SPREADING it, first by example and secondly by prudent and compassionate CATECHESIS.

The Roman Empire converted thanks to the blood of the martyrs but also because their faith became contagious. Lukewarm Catholics attract no one. Mediocrity is a cancer. PRAY for vocations AND pray for better politicians. Support those who defend LIFE and oppose those who promote death and perversity.

 There is much to be done, my friends!  Are you ready?

 

post-election musings part 2: looking in the mirror

I went to Mass Wednesday morning feeling quite defeated.  My pastor, as he often does, knew just what to say.  After the readings, which he acknowledged could not have been more prophetic for the day, he hesitated a second and took a breath.  To begin with, he said, we should be eternally grateful that we live in a country that does not change leaders by military coup.  Next, we must not lose sight of the fact that we are first of all Citizens of Heaven, and secondly citizens of the United States.  If society is broken and sick, then it is because we as individuals are broken and sick.  We as Christians have often fallen short. If we want to effect a change, we need look no further than the mirror for a place to start.  We must allow the Lord and His gospel to work through us. The cost of discipleship is "take up your cross and follow me".  If we are serious about living in pursuit of justice and peace, there is always suffering involved.  The bottom line however, was uplifting....Be not afraid; the Lord is with us.

My BFF sent me a prayer later that afternoon. It was attributed to Max Lucado.

 Let others lose sleep over the election.  

 Let others grow bitter from party or petty rivalries. 

 Let others cast their hope with the people of the elephant or the donkey.  

Not followers of Jesus. 

 We place our trust in the work of God. 

How many kings has He seen come and go?  

How many nations has He seen stand and fall?  

He is above them all.  And He oversees them all. 

 So, while others get anxious, we don’t. 

 Here is what we do:  we pray. 

“First of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—

 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”  (1 Tim.2:1-4 NIV). 

It is time to take this job seriously.  

Over the next hours and days ahead, turn your heart toward heaven and ask God to:
         Unite our country
   Strengthen us

She acknowledged that God must know that we are trying, but I kind of feel like he is shaking his head at us in frustration.  Maybe echoing the closing words of Psalm 95...

    Forty years I endured that generation.
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray
  and they do not know my ways.”
So I swore in my anger,
  “They shall not enter into my rest.”

post-election musings part 1: God's will

I think there is a wide-spread tendency to chalk up everything  -  especially unpleasant things -  that happens as part of "God's Plan" or "God's Will".  This has become especially clear to me in the wake of the presidential election, the results of which, were quite disappointing to me and mine. 

There is an "oh, that must be God's will" mentality that follows.  I submit that it is most assuredly NOT God's will for us to have a leader who promotes abortion, who is hell-bent on pushing contraception to the point of  requiring even those whose consciences dictate otherwise to pay for it, who advocates and approves of  gay marriage, etc.  We have the God-given gift of free will, and on November 6, 2012, more Americans than not, used their free will to vote in support of these things.  This was even more disappointing to me than the choice for President.  Ultimately God's Will is not determined by popular or electoral vote, but rather by the teachings of Jesus and His Church.  (And in the interest of being bi-partisan, I don't propose that Mr. Romney was God's Will, either.  Closer in many areas, but far from a perfect candidate.)

That we humans would screw it up should come as no huge shocker.  Man has been deviating from the will of God since the apple incident back near the beginnings of mankind.  His Chosen People, the Israelites, didn't get it right, either.  They were left to wander in the desert for 40 years as a result of their hard- heartedness, and then they still didn't get it right after that.  Hundreds of years later, they were sent into exile and some of the tribes were never to return.

My Facebook status that night, cognizant of the fact that I have friends and co-workers who cancelled my vote, borrowed from Deuteronomy. 

    ...oh that you would choose life.  Maybe next time, Lord.  Have mercy.

blogging from the ipad

Something I have never done - at least not successfully.

My laptop, which I use for blogging, went dark one day last week. The brains still work, but the display - not so much. And hooking it to another display, makes it more of a desktop than laptop.

Have never had any success in adding images to a post using an iPad, and that still holds true. Even trying to use a URL from dropbox, the blogger software sends my image to someplace I have never located.

It has been a long week, but is ending on a good note. Had a great day yesterday visiting parents, grandfather, sister, and Godchild. My sister works at a library bookstore, and I visited and came away with some easy-reader findsnfor my classroom library and some possible spiritual reading for my library. I am most excited by one that I have been looking for -- The Little Prince! I read it in HS, and have been wanting to reread to see if I can catch some of the deeper meanings.

I am sending off the deposit and paperwork for Retrouvaille weekend. Very excited about this. When I saw it in the church bulletin last weekend, I had *that* feeling. Dear hubby agreed readily enough to the weekend, but balked at the follow-up sessions, which ticked me off. However, the local folks said that - while not ideal - I could attend the follow-up sessions alone, and that perhaps after the weekend, he would be more willing. So we are going with that for now.

Quite disappointed by the Supreme Court decision on the healthcare mess. I say pray. And hubs says we need to change the nation. I say prayer is how that happens, and you start with yourself, and go from there.

One of our air conditioning units was out for about a week. It has been replaced (thank you, home warranty), so we are glad about that. It has been hot, and when it is so hot, one feels like doing nothing.

But, alas, the laundry and the dishes, and whatever else await. So I will send this off to cyber blogdom and see what it looks like when it reappears on the other side...

conscience

Has it been in the news lately?  The mandate issued a week or so ago that will force everyone - including Catholic hospitals, schools, etc, to provide "health" care that covers abortions, contraceptives and the like?  Even though it goes against the very beliefs that we profess.  I don't know - I don't watch TV much, but it has surely been all over the internet - in some of the blogs that I read.  On Facebook.

Am I surprised that it has come to this?  No - absolutely not.  Am I saddened?  Yes.  Mad?  Probably not mad enough.  Our freedoms are just eroding beneath our feet.  Sooner or later, we will just all fall off of the cliff into the abyss. 

Regardless of your feelings on contraception, this is an attack on religious liberty as a whole.  I saw this picture this morning on Facebook. 

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. 

And while we're on the subject of FB, there is a group that has been formed.  At last count - they were at about 1500 members.  Consider joining them: 

There is a feeling of being powerless.  Nothing we "little people" do seems to matter.  One thing that we can all do is to pray.  Friday is being offered as a day of prayer and fasting for our Bishops.  They are the soldiers on the front line of this war.  They are the ones who will have their necks on the line come August whateverth when the mandate must be enforced.  We can do this for a day. 

Some people look at prayer as a last resort or something to do when all your other options fail.  Not true!  Prayer is powerful.  Prayer has the power to change things.  Fasting is an added weapon in the arsenal.  

And there is a petition to sign.  You can get to it on the Why I am Catholic Blog on my sidebar. 

I read a recent quote from a bishop of an American diocese.  He said that he expected to die in bed.  He expected that his successor would die in jail.  And he supposed that HIS successor would die in as a martyr in the public square.  A sobering thought to be sure.

Join me?

sigh

Just one big sigh.

Nothing is really wrong.  And nothing is really fantastic.  It is January.

One day the weather is cold - like 40ish.  The next day it is 70 degrees and 180% humidity.  The sidewalks "sweat" when it is like that.  And my hair frizzes worse than normal.  I have to check weather.com in the morning to know how to dress.  In between changes, it is stormy. 

I just tried to upload an image to my sidebar, but I was told my picture storage with Picassa Web Albums was full.  Sigh. Someone told me good things about Picassa a while back, so I installed it on my computer.  I have yet to really figure out how to deal with it.  I think I probably have multiple copies of picture (unintentionally), and for the life of me, I can't figure out how to delete a picture in Picassa.  Oh well.  It's not a problem that bothers me enough to spend much time trying to solve it.

It was an image about opposing the contraception mandate that Obama and his cronies are trying to shove down our throats.  I have just SO had enough of them.  I never liked them to begin with.  I could only listen to his Campaign Kick-Off  State of the Union Address the other night in short bits.  Ughhh.  And to think if we have to endure 4 more years.

It has been six weeks since I have had a paycheck.  That is making me grouchy.  We get paid on the last work day of the month.  I am counting the days.  And trying to make the little bit of gas in my tank stretch.

Things at school.  Should I even go there?  A fifth grader bought marijuana at school from another fifth grader a few weeks ago.  He had buyer's remorse and tried to get a refund, but I guess he didn't have his receipt!  An eighth grader stabbing another student (one of his friends) with a hair pick over a basketball game.  It could have been so much worse than it was.  [Sigh].  Paperwork.  Kids that never, ever have a pencil.  No matter if you give them one every day.  Ditto for paper.  It wears on you after a while to have to constantly fight the little things.  And then the big things happen.

It is Ordinary Time in the church.  I am feeling kind of ordinary myself.

We had altar server training last weekend - for new altar servers.  It has been in the bulletin for 3 weeks, and the good Father has announced it the past two after every Mass.  I had one child show up. [Sigh]  Uno.  Thank goodness for him, because for a little while I was afraid there would be no one. God sends what we need, right?

Is January giving you the mid-winter blues?  

this week

This week,
I:

Took a half day off of school and spent 3 hours at the dentist while a child got a root canal and a crown.  

I love my iPad.
I sat in the waiting room and caught up on a couple of emails.

Did penance - above and beyond waiting in the waiting room at the dentist. ;-)

Spent a different afternoon at the pediatrician's office. 
We had exactly one ADD patch left. 
I hate going to the doctor with a well kid during sick season. 
I told him not to touch anything.

Went to Bible Study. 
I'm enjoying it, but this time around have not had too many "wow" moments.

Worked out.

Once.

Got my SD card stuck in the computer at school.

Went on-line to figure out how to get it out.

(Stuck a piece of cardstock in the slot.)

Found out that a piece of plastic had broken off of it.  

Panicked.  (How do you spell that.)

Inserted it into my personal laptop and downloaded 2,299 pictures from it.  

Figured it was time to learn more about Picasa.

Ran across this article:  

7 Reasons I Stink at Praying

(I don't usually borrow other people's things for my blog, but I thought this was great.)

Reason #1 - Because I am Awesomely Humble...

I could relate to oh-so-much of it.

Watched a History Channel Special on this guy.

I remember.  

This country needs another like him so, so bad.

Went to a training for a new IEP computer program.

I have said many times that if I go to hell when I die,
my eternal torture will be to use the IEP program we have endured for the past several years. 
Glitchy. 
Prone to PMS.  

It feels kind of good to dump a cross on the scrap heap,
though I'm sure another will come my way soon enough.

Was cold.

It just won't warm up.

Today was bone-chillingly cold.  

Damp.  Windy.  Gray.  Cold.  

What about you?  What's happened this week?

saints and souls

Yesterday we celebrated  All Saints Day and today is All Soul's Day.

My children did not have school yesterday due to parent-teacher conferences, so it was a good day for me to get to confession - with last Saturday and next Saturday not working out schedule-wise.  I was feeling like it was time, but nonetheless took some time on Sunday night to pray and reflect and make a list.  My sister-in-law had brought home a series of questions based on those verses from Corinthians (?) Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous.... and I used those to take a look at my life.  I always make a list in case my mind just goes completely blank, but at 6:15 in the morning....I have a list and I use it!

I made sure I was at church plenty early and the good Father was still sitting in the back pew praying his Rosary.  I love that he does that!  A son who spends time with his Mother.  At the appointed time, he will enter the confessional, so I knelt and prayed.  Another lady came from the front of the church once he got up, so I didn't get up and jump in front of her.  They both knew that I as there waiting, so I trusted I would get my turn, and I did.

"The saints weren't born saints," he told me.  "But they kept their focus on the Lord.....Ask the Lord to make His throne in your heart." (a reference to the 1st reading from Revelations).  "That thorn in your side - and all of this is really your thorn - remember that St. Paul also had a thorn in his side.  This is what God uses...."  It was short and sweet, and we were done.  Just like that - my soul was washed - in the Precious Blood of Jesus, some say.

I worked out before heading off to Parent Teacher Conferences for my high-schooler, and then going to spend 11-7 in my classroom waiting for parents.  I had scheduled IEP conferences for a couple of kids, so those two parents showed up.  I had two others during the 8 hours.  One whom I correspond regularly with by email, and another who is trying to get her 13-year-old classified "autistic" so that she can get a check. 

It rained most of the day.  I got some housekeeping things done in my room.  Lesson plans.  Grades recorded.  Went through the junk on my desk and threw away some.  It looks a little better.

It was great to have the day off for election day today.  I went to Mass for All Souls Day at the church nearest my house.  My sister-in-law drove up at the same time I did in the rainy darkness.  I can't make Mass at this time during the school year, so I had been looking forward to today.  There are very few white folks at this church, but the people make my heart smile and the priest is awesome, too.  Today we remembered the souls of those who had gone before us and were told that we should pray for the grace not to be afraid of death and the grace not to be afraid of life.

We voted.  I went for my annual check-up.  I must say that I dread the dentist far more (and I'm going there on Thursday).  Things moved quickly at the doctor's office, and I didn't feel like going straight home, so I went and browsed the wonderful quiet of the Catholic bookstore on the other side of town.  I want to buy everything I see there, but I just bought a handful of books.  I will only get to read them if I spend less time on the computer, however.

We had haircuts scheduled for this afternoon, and that went well.  I have struggled in recent years to find a style that I like - or any style at all, really.  We had time this afternoon, so she blow dried and straightened.  Looks cute.  Now if she could just come to my house at about 5:30 a.m on a regular basis...

Tonight the election returns are on.  Dear hubby popped some popcorn.  So I think that I will go and join them...

Back to school tomorrow.  :-(

signs of the times

Ran across these signs this past weekend.

Sentiments from South Louisiana.

I SO remember him.  I was a junior in High School when he was elected.  Once again it became "cool" to be an American.  Our country needs someone like him again!

Uh-huh.  And it's all going fast!

Darryl ain't scared to tell it like it is!  There haven't been many changes for the better here.  Maybe other parts of the country have done better?

Luke 4:4.... Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"

You can use your own interpretations as to how that verse fits in with your vote counting.  Or maybe it's a reference to needing BBQ to supplement the bread?

Remember to vote today.  Remember the values that we hold near and dear to our hearts when you vote!

of spills and moratoriums and enemies and prayer

Days without a post, and then two in one day!

There is oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.  It's been gushing for quite a few days - 65, I think at last count.  It was an accident that shouldn't have happened.  11 men lost their lives.  They shouldn't have.  There were safety issues on the rig that shouldn't have been ignored.  But it was an accident.  A preventable one, but an accident all the same.

Those who depend on the Gulf waters - those in the seafood industry - from fishermen to processors to restaurant workers and owners - are feeling the effects in a big way.  Tourism has also suffered.  Who wants to go to a mucky, gooky beach?  The damage to wildlife is heartbreaking.

But then our government goes and declares a 6 month moratorium on offfshore drilling!  So not only will the seafood and tourism industries be hurt, but the oilfield and everyone (like my dear hubby) who depends on the oilfield for their livelihood.  Literally tens of thousands of people affected directly or indirectly.  They are so, so clueless.  It's not as if everyone can afford to take a six month vacation.  And it's not as if the jobs will return in six months.  Oil companies will not let their rigs sit idle for that long while some Washington paper pusher does their thing; they will be moved to other locations.  Not to return for years.

And so one starts to wonder if it is stupidity and not knowing how these things work or vindictiveness that drives the decision.  One starts to feel as if the federal government wants to finish off Louisiana once and for all.   Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike gave it their best shots, and came up short.  But the federal government just might be able to pull it off and inflict massive amounts of pain.  BP is not the enemy.  More likely BO. Quite possibly fueled by greed and the opportunity to make money off of foreign oil while killing jobs and wrecking the economy here.  But no one cares.  Here, the attack feels very personal.

Immaculee, in her good-byes to us on Sunday, noted that the people in this area are suffering (even more true because the retreat was in New Orleans) and have suffered, and that she knows what suffering is.  God allows it, and that love can come from it. And we are called to love.   She said that she would pray for us, if we would pray for her. 

Today I went to Mass with my SIL and a friend of her and some friends of the friend.  We went to a local religious community.  THe chapel was at an old Catholic school.  Looked like it might have been a classroom.  Very simple.  Very traditional.  The priest faced away from the people during the Eucharistic prayer and there were snatches of Latin here and there.

The heavens opened while we were inside and we were deluged with rain.  We were headed to a restaurant for lunch and they finally decided we couldn't wait any longer, so we ran through the rain.  We looked like drowned rats.  Maybe it was appropriate for the solemnity of John the Baptist.  We looked baptized, all right.

Anyway (I'm getting to the point here) we were 5 women sitting around a table in a restaurant talking about spiritual matters.  One of the ladies mentioned that she volunteers at the monastery in town and as such talks to many people who have issues with enemies.  So much so that she had written a prayer about enemies, and before we parted ways for she gave SIL and I each a copy.  (She also gave us a beautiful picture of Jesus super-imposed on a monstrance - which was beautiful - I'll try to see if I can share it.)  I must say that there were many fervent prayers for the judge who ruled on the moratorium - for wisdom and common sense.  And without further ado....

Prayer for Enemies

Lord, you know our hearts where our foes are concerned.

We are filled with doubts about their motives and their actions, but at the same time we acknowledge that You alone know how to read souls and You alone are the judge of men.  

We come before You in humility, in repentance, and neediness. 
Left to ourselves, we can never exercise true charity; we will always fall short.

We can't see the whole picture; only You can do that.

The Holy Scriptures assure us that no purpose of Yours can ever be thwarted. 

No evil can ever defeat You or overthrow Your designs.

Help us to keep that in mind as we pray.

Help us to grow in trust that You can and will work all things for good, even the foulest and most despicable situations.

Help us to think twice when we express aversion toward others.

Help us to use those occasions to stop in our tracks, to redirect our thoughts, and to turn those negatives to  positives, believing that with You in the equation, the bitter can become sweet; the dark can become flooded with light; the sinister can fall prostrate before You in repentance; the most dismal situations can become infused with hope, the black storm clouds can reveal their silver linings.

Lord, we pray for our enemies. 

We unclench our fists and release all the energy we've expended in distrusting them to trusting You to take care of them in ways we never can.

To the best of our ability, we pray You bestow blessings on those we don't like, don't agree with, don't want to associate with.  

We ask You to bring us all, Your children, into the family You envision us to be, a family united in love and peace and joy.

In the words of St. Thomas More, "Make us saved souls in heaven together."

To God be the glory for the conversions of hearts that will ensue, both in ourselves and in our foes.

Thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayer.

Amen. 

~ Bonnie Taylor Barry

To that end, our governor has declared Saturday a day of prayer for perseverance in the face of the oil spill.  It is the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  Appropriate.  

catching up

So....where were we?  Back on the weekend?  Saturday evening?

Sunday found us up early again to shoot guns with our scout group.  Not officially a scout function, but the only people who were there were scouts.  I took my handgun along, since it had been nearly a year since I fired it.  I wasn't very accurate this time, but it was the prevailing opinion that if I just shot it in the general direction of an intruder, that they would not stick around to see if my accuracy improved.  Sunday evening was an "adult only" scout meeting to take care of details related to summer camp. 

Monday.  Mass. Plumbing issues at home.  And a visit to my parents who live an hour away.  My sister and my 2 year old godchild were there, as well as my grandfather and my godmother/aunt who is visiting from New Jersey.

Tuesday.  Mass.  The homily was about the fact that sometimes "the enemy" is the person we see when we look in the mirror.  Haircut. A little cleaning and decluttering around the house - we're talking very tip of the iceberg.  Returning paint from the parking lot project.  Dropping off receipts and invoices for the weekend's adventure to the church secretary.   Continuing plumbing issues that were eventually resolved. I really, really wanted to go to the little adoration chapel down the road, but I didn't make it.

Wednesday.. Mass at Our Lady of the Holy Library.  The library was standing room only today.  Father was celebrating his 20th Anniversary of Ordination.  He took a little stroll down memory lane during the homily, introducing us to many of the priests who had had an effect on him. It was, at times, emotional for him, at times humorous.  Mass was long - 45 minutes for a daily Mass.  Upon leaving, I gave him a hug - he is a hugger, even on a regular day, but this was a good one - and I thanked him. He asked us to pray for all priests and gave us a holy card for a priest who had been a mentor to him.  Once I exited, I was dragged back inside by the good ladies who were having a "little something" for Father.  It seemed a little too early in the morning to have cake and punch, but we did.  The people there are so welcoming and caring.

I had an inservice in the afternoon to learn how to better utilize some of the technology in my classroom.  Interesting.

I grabbed pizzas for dinner, talked my friend into skipping an evening workout, and went to the little chapel.  There is such peace there.  I wanted time to look into my life and see what needs fixing, to sit there with Jesus and see how he sees things.  I was somewhat successful, I think. 

Thursday:  That's today.  Confession.  Mass.  Workout.  Dentist with my oldest.  And now I'm sitting in my recliner.   It had been a while since I'd been to confession.  The living is easy right now, so there wasn't a lot of pressing stuff.  I have found that prayer is almost always an issue during times of transition.  There is the whole thing of where to fit it and the realization that summer time is still God's time - not all Karen time.  It was good.  Good advice/spiritual direction.  I'm going on a retreat this weekend with my SIL, and I wanted the graces to be able to flow.

The dentist.  My older child had a tooth with a deep cavity.  Several months ago, we tried to fill it, but in April when he went for his check-up, he told them that it was still hurting and the x-rays showed that there was decay under the filling.  It has continued to hurt, while we debated what to do - root canal and crown or extraction.  $1200 vs. $70.  In the end, it was purely an economic decision.  Thanks to our illustrious president, my husband who works in an oil-field related industry will soon see a dramatic reduction in his work.  God willing, he won't be totally unemployed, if his company manages to stay open, but he is likely to make only a fraction of what he now makes.  And since he won't be totally UNemployed, we won't be eligible to mooch off the government.  We are trying to prepare, and the tooth was a casualty.  Hopefully his wisdom teeth will help compensate in a few years.

how to

How to plug the oil leak in the Gulf!  My dad sent it to me in an email, and I thought it was pretty good - good enough to post on Facebook.  But, oh my!  I should remember never to post political items on FB - because for some of my friends and co-workers, it is STILL georgebush'sfault. 

When?  When will this president's actions be his own?? 

spring break miscellaneous

The best kind of spring break.  I don't have school and my kids do!

Yesterday was a busy day.   Mass, getting the kids to school, haircut, picking up uniform shorts for my child who has refused to wear shorts for the past three years, grabbing some items at WalMart, and sitting tethered to a phone for 30 minutes while on hold with the IRS.  Mass is truly the best part of any day.  I'm not sure I like my haircut.  Maybe it will grow on me.  I want something different, I'm just not sure what it is.  Dear child has worn the same 3 pairs of uniform pants for the past 2 years, so I figured if he wanted shorts with 30 days of school left, the money was in the clothing budget. Hopefully they will still fit him in August.   I met a friend for a Zumba class in the morning.  Supposedly you can burn 1000 calories in an hour.  I assure you that I did not.  I am not very coordinated when my feet have to do one thing and other body parts have to do another.  I went back and did my regular workout in the evening. And the IRS... well, the good news is that our return is not lost.  The bad news is...it has been referred to the Department for Further Review, and they don't really work on any certain time table. 

I also found time to go by the adoration chapel.  I love that time.  In the conversation with God, I think I was doing most of the talking.  I wrote as I "talked", but I don't think I came up with many answers.  I feel like God is fairly silent in my life right now.  I know He is there.  I see His footprints all around me.  I know he was speaking to me last week in the homily snippets I posted, so it's not even fair to say that He's silent - just not talking directly to me?  Maybe more like "on vacation".  I went back today with the sole purpose of listening..  I ended up with this: 

A little lopsided, but I am not an artist, and I have no delusions about my lack of artistic ability.  Not at all sure of what I heard while I was sketching.  It did help block out some of the distractions.  Or maybe it was a distraction in and of itself.  It is frustrating not to get answers.  Or then again, maybe I'm getting answers, but not hearing them.

I have a conscientious objector child on my hands.  Not sure where he came from.  Yesterday, all 150 or so kids in the Junior High part of their school went to see the movie "Oceans" in honor of Earth Day.  All of the Junior High kids except one of mine.  He said he had seen the previews and it looked like a bunch of liberal propaganda, and it was not worth $9 to see it.  He insisted that he did NOT want to go.  So he stayed behind and wrote an essay about "Why Oceans Are Good" or some such thing and emptied the recycling bins around school.  He explained to the assistant principal, who was reading his essay that "C.S" was kind of like "B.S." but with chickens.  I don't think she was amused.  This has always been my shy, quiet child.  I always worried that he would be a follower.  With this, he never doubted that he was doing the right thing or cared what the others would think.  Of course, he noted with pleasure, that the kids who went said that the movie "sucked".  

The plants are starting to grow.  I planted lettuce (at least I hope it's lettuce, because I ate some) last October.  It is growing now.  So here was my salad tonight:  I have never seen tomatoes this small.  I would say marble-sized, but I don't think they were even the size of a respectable marble.  They were tasty, though.  I had thoughts of offering our priest some of the "first fruits" from the tomatoes, but I'm afraid I need something a little more substantial!


Mother-in-law ended up in the hospital today after starting the morning off weak and disoriented.  We suspected a stroke at first, but they have diagnosed some type of infection - possibly pneumonia.  I visited tonight, and she seemed in good spirits and appeared to be feeling much better.

I have decided that school is like a giant game of Survivor.  Outlast, Outwit, Outplay.  I know I can Outlast.  I am nothing, if not stubborn.  Not sure about the others, though.

nancy and the saint

Friday was the Solemnity of Joseph, the husband of Mary.  So important of a day is this, that even though it was a Friday during Lent, eating meat was OK.  (We didn't, but we could have.)

I came home and on one of the blogs that I follow saw this Youtube video posted: 



And I thought it was kind of ironic that someone would call upon the help of a Saint to pass this horrid piece of legislation that provides for the killing of unborn children and more. Historically (like in the Bible) bad things have happened to societies which kill their children. It really can't be good news for us. But, you know, we have "separation of church and state" so maybe that makes us immune as a nation for facing the consequences of our actions. Kind of like a small child who covers his eyes when playing hide-and-seek and thinks he is invisible to everyone, since he can't see anyone.  Maybe God can't touch us, because He comes under "church" and this other stuff comes under "state".  Sorry, God, it's separated.  (sarcasm here)

Then I read further. Poor Nancy. She tries to be "Catholic", but once again she has it wrong. Friday was not the "Feast of St. Joseph the Worker" as she claims. That minor, optional feast is on May 1. And while the Solemnity of St. Joseph that was celebrated on March 19, IS important to those with Italian heritage, the Feast of St. Joseph the worker is of no particular importance to them.

It just irritates me that she trots out her Catholic identity when it's convenient, and then puts it way back in the closet the rest of the time.  To me, your faith should influence everything else about your life, including your politics. It shouldn't be your politics influencing your faith.  I look at her, and I see evil.  But I should pray for her; we all should.  And today with the story of the woman caught in adultery as the Gospel in Mass, maybe I shouldn't cast stones.  Maybe it's a good thing that God (and not some of us) will judge her when she stands before Him.

God help our country.

hope

Yesterday was election day in Massachusetts to fill the Senate seat vacated by Teddy Kennedy. Normally, I wouldn't care what happened in Massachusetts, but this vote was crucial. In the last few weeks of the campaign, the Republican candidate came on strong, and stated that he would vote against the national healthcare plan. When it seemed like our country was headed for the ash heap of bankrupted countries, suddenly we saw a glimmer of light! There WAS a chance to defeat the hideous bill! God DID provide! And so the people who are tired of not being listened to, spoke. And spoke loudly. And today there is reason for hope and celebration! Ironically, it's about the first "hope" I've felt in a year, since our current president took office.

I thought this video was priceless!