I knew it was going to be one of those days...

My husband: You can't put that on the blog.

Me: Oh, yes I can. It's real life!

Here's the story he preferred me to keep a secret:

Today I experienced a "first" in the world of childrearing. You would think something like this had happened to me before. Considering the fact that I have five children and considering the fact that I have experienced many gross incidences of diaper changes, this one took the cake.

As I changed Henry this morning, bleary eyed and tired, I discovered that not only had he "tinkled" a huge amount, but he had also inserted a large "package" of poop as well. Barely able to see what I was doing in the early morning dawn, I wiped up his massive mess and removed his diaper. I stumbled across the bedroom floor to get him a change of clothes and a new diaper but did not notice that Henry's "used up" diaper had fallen to the floor. Unbound, open and well, very stinky. As I walked back to where Henry lay, I felt something warm and gushy on my foot...(ewh, ewh ewh...yes, you all guessed right) It was, in all its glory...Henry's poo poo. In a large green mass on the arch of my foot.(This may be too much for the reader with the weak stomach, but I just had to share this perilous moment of motherhood.) Totally awake at the realization that I had indeed stepped in something totally nasty, I just stood there, foot raised high, yelling, " Oh please, NO! This is nasty, nasty, nasty!!" Problem was, the baby wipes were on the other side of the room since I had just run out of wipes cleaning up Mr. Gross! So I hopped to the wipes and hurriedly cleaned up my foot.

I was totally disgusted. Henry was totally delighted with the entertainment.

The rest of the day did not go much better....but that's a posting for another day. Still, looking on the bright side of things...it was much better than stepping in dog poo poo. Not that I've ever done that.

A bit much?

I'm all for joyful praise and all, but I do believe this is going overboard. Sheesh!

Can someone please help me find.....

Henry's neck?




Photo Credit: Rebecca Clemens

A voice of reason in the wilderness

"Selfishness and fear are at the root of (pro-abortion) legislation," he said. "We in the Church have a great struggle to defend life...life is a gift not a threat."--Pope Benedict

"The Church says life is beautiful, it is not something to doubt but it is a gift even when it is lived in difficult circumstances. It is always a gift."--Pope Benedict

Read the whole article here.

Welcome Home Dr. Beckwith

“If you're going to do a thing, you should do it thoroughly. If you're going to be a Christian, you may as well be a Catholic.”

---- Muriel Spark

Dr. Francis Beckwith, president of the Evangelical Theological Society and professor at Baylor University in Waco, Texas has just converted back into the Catholic Church. You can read about his journey here and read some of the uncharitable remarks from our Protestant brothers and sisters regarding his move back to Rome. This brave man needs prayers from the entire Christian community, but could use some words of encouragement from those of us who are Catholic. Welcome this man and let him know that we are glad that he has come home. Visit his blog by clicking below:

Dr. Francis Beckwith

HT:
Edmund C.

Corporal Works of Mercy

One benefit of having a larger family is having enough siblings to practice the Corporal Works of Mercy. It is physically impossible for me to take care of every child's need at all times, so it may be necessary for a sibling to take over. Here, Jack helps with feeding his baby brother. Feeding the hungry as we are all called to do. Even the very young can help with that.

The Month of Mary

Be sure to pray the Rosary this month.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace
The Lord is with thee
Blessed art thou amongst women
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus
Holy Mary Mother of God
Pray for us sinners, now an at the hour of
our death.

Amen

and for fun....we cannot forget this famous classic

Spring Spruce Up

There comes a time in the life of a parent when something truly amazing happens. Something glorious. Something indescribable. Something more incredible than even a child's first words:

It's when your children are old enough to participate in "grown up jobs" like WEEDING, SPREADING MULCH, MOWING, AND PLANTING! And what used to take you days to complete is done in a mere four hours! Bad part is.... they still whine. It's OK though, they'll grow out of that later!



The weeding.

The mulching

And I even got paid to do it!!

Here is a short article of what I did last weekend (I'm in the picture on the right with my head down), in addition to:

1. Attended the play at Rebecca's High School, RagTime...quite a masterpiece!
2. Put the finishing touches on a talk on prayer (after midnight, of course)
3. Created an end of year slide show for youth ministry (after midnight, of course)
4. Fed, clothed, and cared for five children intermittently with the understanding help of my wonderful partner in crime
5. Spoke to 5th graders about continuing their faith development into middle school
6. Graduated 8th graders to high school confirmation
7. Recognized our sunday school volunteers for all their hard work during the faith development year
8. Organized an end of year ice cream social
9. Filled over 30 gift bags with prayer boxes and "100 Grand" chocolate bars as gifts for catechists
10. Enjoyed saying "see you in the Fall" to the over 200 youth and adults who participated in youth ministry events this year.

And guess what? I'm officially off for the next few months (unofficially I still have loose ends to tie up)but the best part is that I get my Sunday nights back to be with my wonderful family until September. Thanks be to God for a wonderful faith development year and for giving me more blessings than I could have ever imagined.

What was that again?

I was upstairs getting dressed this morning when I heard Gus yelling at Jack for not listening to his pleas for attention:

Gus: (impatiently) Jack, did you put your ears on this morning?

Good News! Don't give up!

For all of you parents out there who are struggling to bring your child up in a religious home, take great heart in this recent study. It tells us what most of us already knew, but is very encouraging when you are tempted to skip Mass, faith development, or even home study in the areas of faith, morals and service. READ IT and recommit to bringing your child up in a religious home, not just on Sundays, but everyday!!

FYI, the above picture is a youth ministry event that I planned at church. I instructed the youth to race to the finish line, only after they had been wrapped up in Saran Wrap (no faces were covered and arms were allowed to be wrap free). Yes, that meant they had to "hop" their way to the finish line! It was hilarious!

HT: Edmond C

Baby Love

There are many moments of beauty and grace around my house. I sometimes have a hard time seeing them though. Like today, when all the four kids came in from school, I expected them to put away backpacks, set daily homework papers on the kitchen counter for me to review, place the lunchboxes on the kitchen bar, and put their shoes in the front closet. It's really very simple, and for the most part, they have mastered the routine. But lately, since King Henry has been getting plumper, slobbery, and ready to crawl, the older kids forget their routine and head straight to the family room to ooogle their baby brother. Today, I tripped over three backpacks that were strewn all over the kitchen floor. They were not in the place they were supposed to be...I was NOT happy to say the least. So I marched over to the family room to give them a good talkin' to, but as my eyes looked over to my children, I saw all four of my older kids surrounding their baby brother laughing, smiling, and entertaining him. Henry, of course, welcomed every lavish moment of entertainment and encouraged more by laughing loudly.

After a few moments of watching, I heard #4 child say, "I just can't believe we have a baby!"

I second that motion and want to add how blessed I am to be the mother of such beautiful creations of God. How could any woman wish for anything more in her life than to be the one and only mother of a child.

A possible new exercise routine?

So now my boys are dying for some of these...

A glimmer of good news.

Monday was a disturbing day in NC with power outages, uprooted trees, and disorganized travel due to a massive wind/rain storm that brought over 40 mph winds acoss the state. The shootings at VT didn't make things any better. I had to turn off any radio, T.V. or Internet whenever the kids came around to save them from finding out about the massacre of the college students. Our prayers are with the families experiencing this tragedy directly and with the VT student community. But today, I am thankful. I'm thankful that a small victory was had for our society, for the future and for life. Thanks to our Supreme Court for seeing the brutality of partial birth abortion and banning it from ever being done again. For those of you who have never seen the procedure, you can see how one is carried out and how cruel it can be for the baby.
Here are drawings of the procedure

When I see these drawings, all I can think to say is, "Father forgive them. For they know not what they do."

This ruling is a step towards goodness and life, both of which are given to us by our Creator.

The Big 8-0

Happy 80th Birthday Pope Benedict! Thank you for your generous leadership and steadfast love of Christ.

Prayer tips

While preparing for a talk on Prayer for the jr. high youth of our parish, I came across this little gem of a prayer tool. I found it in a book titled, " Lists to Live By" compiled by Alice Gray, Stevve Stephens, and John Van Diest. It's a great way to teach young people how to pray. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

THE FIVE FINGER PRAYER

1.
YOUR THUMB IS NEAREST TO YOU.
TO BEGIN YOUR PRAYERS BY PRAYING FOR THOSE CLOSEST TO YOU. THEY ARE THE EASIEST TO REMEMBER. TO PRAY FOR OUR LOVED ONES IS, AS C.S. LEWIS SAID, A "SWEET DUTY."

2.
THE NEXT FINGER IS THE POINTING FINGER
PRAY FOR THOSE WHO HEAL, TEACH, AND INSTRUCT. THIS INCLUDES DOCTORS, TEACHERS, AND MINISTERS/PRIESTS. THEY NEED WISDOM IN POINTING OTHERS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

3.
THE NEXT FINGER IS THE TALLEST FINGER
IT REMINDS US OF OUR LEADERS. PRAY FOR THE PRESIDENT AND LEADERS IN BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY. PRAY FOR THE POPE AND BISHOPS. THESE PEOPLE SHAPE OUR NATION AND CHURCH. THEY NEED GOD'S GUIDANCE

4.
THE FOURTH FINGER IS THE RING FINGER
THIS IS OUR WEAKEST FINGER. IT REMINDS US TO PRAY FOR THE WEAK, THOSE IN TROUBLE OR IN PAIN. YOU CANNOT PRAY ENOUGH FOR THEM.

5.
AND LAST COMES OUR LITTLE FINGER, THE SMALLEST FINGER OF ALL.
THAT IS WHERE WE SHOULD PLACE OURSELVES IN RELATION TO GOD AND OTHERS. THE BIBLE SAYS, "HE WHO IS LEAST AMONG YOU ALL....HE IS THE GREATEST" (LUKE 9:48). AFTER YOU'VE PRAYED FOR THE OTHER FOUR GROUPS, YOUR OWN NEEDS WILL BE PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE.

Author Unknown

In my inbox...

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of
the church staring up at a large plaque. It was covered with names with small
American flags mounted on either side of it.

The seven year old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the
pastor walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, "Good morning
Alex."

"Good morning Pastor," he replied, still focused on the plaque.

"Pastor, what is this?" he asked the pastor

The pastor said, "Well, son, it's a memorial to all the young men and
women who died in the service."

Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque.

Finally, little Alex's voice, barely audible and trembling with fear,
asked, "Which service, the 9:45 or the
11:15?

HT: Uncle Gus

Top 10 things I've figured out in my short 6 months on this earth

1. If I cry loud enough, someone always shows up. I never know who it will be!
2. If there is a toy I desperately want, rolling towards it always helps, except when the table leg gets in the way.
3. Family members oooooh and ahhhh when I prop myself up on all fours. What's the big deal?
4. Those stubs on the ends of my body are feet and they taste really good.
5. The dark is boring. I need company when I see it. Preferably the company of my parents warm bodies.
6. My parents bed is waaaay more comfortable than mine.
7. Baby powder feels really good. Can I drink it?
8. Brothers are so cool! They give me wooden weapons to practice my warrior moves.
9. I DO NOT LIKE anything sticky or gooey between my legs!
10. The ladies love me. I have them all wrapped around my fingers.

Redemtive Suffering and Respect for Life

Read this poignant article on the short life of a baby boy and the strength of his parents. It's a tear jerker.

HT: Amy Welborne

On a serious note: Duke Lacrosse

All right already. I've just watched the special report on the ending of the Duke Lacrosse case where three Duke Lacrosse players were accused of raping a dancer/prostitute during a Lacrosse party at a home in Durham. The newly appointed DA in the case, after reviewing all the information on the case, has pronounced these three young men innocent of all charges brought against them. INNOCENT of the CHARGES. Now. For some reason, this whole news-story makes me hot. Totally angry. Not with the injustice of Mike Nifong and his charade, not with the numerous stories offered by the dancer, not with Duke, or the media. What made me upset enough to write about this was watching these three boys on T.V. proclaiming how they were totally innocent the whole time and how justice prevailed. One of the boys insisted that they did nothing wrong and how for the rest of his life would fight for truth and right. Everyone in the room was clapping and speaking on what fine men they were! Bah!! GIVE ME A BREAK BOYS!! For shame, for shame, for shame!! In my view, they may have been innocent of the charges brought against them, but they were NOT innocent of immoral behavior. Why was no one criticizing the fact that these young men hired a PROSTITUTE to DANCE for them in a SCANTILLY CLAD outfit so that they could get their sexual jollies, drink, and spend dad's money? Why didn’t these boys stand up in front of the media and apologize to the world for taking their God given gifts and instead of using them for good, for leadership opportunities, for being young men that children could look up to, used them for evil? Why didn't the media question them on the moral reasons for behaving in such a manner? Really! Had they done that, then and only then would they have earned my respect. All I hold for them is pity. What a lost opportunity.

Well Georgie, you say, boys will be boys. And that's what boys do..hire strippers! I say if you believe that, then you are part of the problem. As long as our society has a double standard for what is acceptable behavior for college aged boys and refuses to hold them responsible for what is good, moral and right, then cases such as these will continue as well as the continual decay of morality.

As a mother of four boys, I come at this news story at a totally different angle. If that were MY son in college and I found out that he was gathering with a group of his "friends" at a party where drinking, stripping and heavy partying was going on? God help his SOUL!! There would be no excuses. I would yank him out of that school, throw him in the local community college and he would work every day to pay back every dime of college money he owed me. College is a privilege, not a right. If one of my children abuses the privilege, it gets taken away. Period. Any child of mine who has time for that kind of behavior at a college campus does not need to attend college. After all, it's not my job to get my child in to Harvard; it's my job to get them to heaven.

Besides all that, imparting to my kids that the APPEARANCE of impropriety can be just as bad or WORSE than the actual act (this case is a classic example of that) itself is imperative in child rearing. I was just telling Rebecca the other day that " hanging out" with potheads will automatically create suspicion from adults that you are a POT SMOKER as well! (Not that she is hanging around smokers, but an old friend of hers is.) It's not rocket science, just human nature! Similarly, if you are hanging around people who hire strippers, you just may be accused of rape! When you play with fire, you are likely to get burned.

These Duke Lacrosse players were playing with fire. Innocent? Only God knows.

To the Target saleslady: I love you!

Saleslady: She does not look like she has a 14 year old daughter, does she?

Other clerk: SHE has a 14 year old daughter?

Me: (speaking softly to myself) I love you ladies!!

He is risen!!

Happy Easter to all and may you enjoy the upcoming 40 days of the season.
Alleluia!

You cannot resist the rolls!

I cannot believe that you are six months old, Henry! Slow down boy! I like you small and slobbery!

What we are reading this month.

My Catholic Women's Book club is reading Fr. Joe by Tony Hendra as its book of the month. Here is a short editorial review from Publishers Weekly:


"When he was 14, Hendra had an affair with a married woman. One afternoon, her husband, a devout Roman Catholic, discovered the two in each other's arms. The husband, acting more out of concern for Hendra's soul than out of anger, arranged for the teenager to spend several weeks under the tutelage of Father Joe at a Benedictine abbey in England. Expecting cruel treatment similar to that handed out by the monks in his Catholic elementary school, Hendra was surprised to meet instead a rotund, knobby-kneed confessor whose thoughtful, open manner changed Hendra's life forever. As Hendra reveals in this graceful, humorous tale, Father Joe acted not only as a confessor, but also as a friend and as the guiding spirit of Hendra's life (the author is now married with three children). Under the influence of Father Joe, Hendra passionately decided to follow the monastic life. At every turn, he met Father Joe's gentle insistence that he wasn't yet ready to enter the monastery. At Cambridge, Hendra discovered a new passion-comedy-and pursued it as ardently as he'd pursued religion. Hendra writes well (he spent several years as the head writer at National Lampoon), chronicling the failure of his first marriage, his descent into substance abuse, his self-hatred and his incessant search for meaning in compelling prose and with clear-eyed honesty. Throughout Hendra's life, Father Joe stands by his side, like a gentle shepherd leading a lost sheep back to a place where it can graze safely."

Mom to Mom

Often times I complain that there are not enough practical books on being a Catholic wife and mother. Oh, sure there's plenty of "heavy-duty" theological documents out there on the importance of being a devout Catholic married woman, how children are a blessing from God, and how the union of man and wife is sacramental. But VERY little on HOW to be this devout woman, especially when the children are running five different directions and they DON"T seem like the blessings you'd thought they would be (you would just like to read ONE really great book for one hour straight for once), or how to nurture your marriage when you and your husband pass like ships in the night due to a million different commitments, the job, or the baseball practice. Oh, but finally I hear there is a book just published that just might do the trick for you and I. It's titled Mom to Mom and is written by Danielle Bean, Danielle is one of those devout Catholic women, who happens to have seven kids, homeschools and looks at life in a very REAL and WONDERFUL way. She's one of those women who has her priorities straight and addresses the many challenges of everyday Catholic family life. I've just ordered the book as an Easter gift to myself. Now all I'll have to do is carve out some time to read it. Order yourself a copy and buy another for a friend and see the many pearls of wisdom she offers.

Spring has sprung

I'm too busy to post today, so you'll have to take a look at my cutie boys on the grounds of our church.

I don't either.

The boys and I were in the car on our way to church, when I had yet another sudden urge to ask my boys a question about Lent:

Me: Boys,what is the color we associate with the season of Lent?

Nick: Red

Me: (shocked that Nick did not know the answer) Nick. It's purple. Purple is the color of suffering, and during Lent we focus on Jesus and His suffering on the cross. Right?

After a long pause a small voice in the peanut gallery in the back of the car responded.

Gus: I don't like to suffer.

Barbie Joan

Every year I organize an event I call "Saint Night" for the youth program. The various faith development classes create displays and informative games honoring three select saints a year. This year's saints are Don Bosco, Joan of Arc and Giorgio Frassati. The goal of the saint night is to educate the young people and adults of our parish on how "human" these saints were and how, though flawed, they stayed true to the gospels and lived a life of heroic virtue and faith. It hopefully helps participants relate to these great men and women so that they can see a common element in the lives of the saint with their own. These displays are presented to parents and youth at a large gathering in the gym and is made all the more enticing with everyone bringing a dish to share for a potluck celebration.

The culminating event of the evening is a presentation created by my Junior High Youth Council. In the past, we've performed a play on the life of one of our saints on the school stage. But with the rise of technology and the relative ease of creating movies with video recorders, we have raised the bar by creating an actual film of the saint’s life. The youth council members serve as the actors, the church provides the environment for filming, our caring and sharing center provides the costumes, I served as the organizer and producer and my husband serves as the writer, camera man and editor of the film. (He does a great job although it takes a lot of time.) The saint we decided to tell the story of was Joan of Arc. We researched her life, obtained the actual transcripts of her trial, and filmed her story in an eclectic fashion focusing most of the film on her trial. Now, the youth council was adamant that a burning scene should occur. They felt that since they could not burn a real person, an effigy of one would be really good...almost better than the real thing. HA!

Me: "What do you all want to burn in effigy?"

Youth Council Members (sinisterly): A Barbie!

Me: A Barbie? That looks like Joan of Arc?

Youth Council: Yeah!

So. A Barbie.

Well, we finished filming all the scenes except for the final scene depicting the burning of Joan. We decided to film the scene from our home since we had most of the supplies there. Now, keep in mind that I have young sons. Curious young sons that were very interested in this Barbie burning since they have zero love for such a "useless" toy, but a great love for fire. As we set up the backyard with a stake and enough leaves for smoke, anticipation grew throughout the house. Jack, Gus and Nick were chattering to themselves about the Barbie burning. A couple of youth council kids came over to witness the event. I was sifting through my cabinets for vegetable oil (to douse her in) and matches, and Chris was preparing the camera for the one chance to get it right. In no time we were all gathered at the stake for the burning. The set was quiet. As Chris lit the first match, Gus had a question:

Dad, do all families burn Barbies?

At that point the set burst out in laughter and our noble cameraman stopped the tape. Take Two!!

(I hope to post thel film on the blog through U-Tube, but I need to get permission of parents first.)

Here are some pictures of the filming.

Almost, but not quite right.

After watching a touching movie about a couple having trouble conceiving a child, I overhear Nick and Gus discussing the whole problem:

Gus: Why can't they have babies?

Nick: (impatient) Because! He does not have enough fertilizer!

GOd

Jack and Gus were pleased to discover that I bought our first batch of sidewalk chalk today. It's surely a sign that Spring is on the way and that there will be many days in the sun drawing and playing. The boys asked to go outside and play with the chalk on our driveway. I, of course, took advantage of their offer to leave me in peace, and was happy to see them off. After awhile of silence, I decided that I'd better check on what they were doing. As I walked outside, I found a some beautiful chalk art on my driveway... Keep in mind that our driveway is on a steep grade so the whole neighborhood gets to see their art..a neighborhood filled with many, many, non-church going families. Well, if they suspected we were fanatics before, they'll surely know we are now. Isn't that great? Childhood evangelization at its most innocent.!

Conversion Story

Here's a beautiful, and quite humble story of a couple's conversioninto the church. May it be a reminder of the treasure we have in Christ this Lent.

virtual DNA

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Chicken run

My family loves to eat chicken and I do too. Only problem is, I can't stand touching raw chicken. It feels too much like human flesh with all the muscles, skin and bones. If I'm really lucky (sarcasm), I get the privilege to view and pull out the remnants of a chicken feather still stuck in a raw fryer just purchased. Ewh. Bleck. Double Ewh. What kind of mother am I that I want to pewk when I handle chicken? Now, when I was a little girl, I would watch my mom masterfully handle a whole fryer, cut it up, break the leg bones, and turn it into a delicious dish that everyone would consume with gusto. She made it look so easy. I naturally thought that I would have the same talent when I grew up...that I would make the same kinds of delicious meals like my mom, but am somewhat ashamed to admit that I. DON'T.

In the early years of my marriage, I always purchased a large fryer from the chicken case. Why not? They were cheap. My mom and grandma always had a large stock of them in the deep freeze. They fed many guests and, well, heck? Who does not like chicken? Over time, I tried to master the skill of cutting up chicken, but I ended up using too many dull blades, spent too much time slicing through tough bone, or risking losing a finger or two. So I stopped buying raw chicken fryers and evolved to purchasing cut up pieces of chicken. That worked for a while. But the pieces were cut so large, that they were difficult to cook and I found it hard to determine if they were cooked thoroughly. Even so, because of budgetary issues, I continued to purchase the larger pieces of chicken (with bone included) until...well..until...I became pregnant. That was the straw that broke the camels back.

After five pregnancies where I was green for the first four months, just the thought of raw chicken would get me up off the couch to dry heave in the toilet. (Not a pretty sight.) After my last two pregnancies, I realized that I needed to narrow the kind of chicken I would purchase so that I did not have to handle any "skin". I no longer buy chicken with the skin/bone, I only buy boneless chicken breasts or tenderloins that are frozen and tend to be "buy one get one free" at least once a month at my grocery store. I stock up on those! But last night, I was given a gift from GOD! I visited my grocery store late in the evening to get a few things for the kids’ lunchboxes. As I passed through the deli section, I spied those yummy, cooked, rotisserie chicken fryers...on sale!! Since it was the end of the day, the chicken fryers (did I mention that they are already seasoned?) were $3 off the regular $6 price!! There were only 6 chickens left....and I bought all 6! These guys are great for chicken potpie, spaghetti, in stews or soups! YUM! I get to skip the time consuming step of cutting, baking and cleaning up raw chicken juice and the kids get some really juicy chicken that they consume with gusto!

What is for dinner tonight? How can I resist making this easy meal?

How my husband feels all the time

While I was away conducting youth ministry events last night, Chris stayed home and proceeded to entertain Henry in a new way: he looked for a U-Tube film that might entertain him. What he found was this adorable baby from Germany that has a very happy heart. Henry was not too impressed, but Chris certainly enjoyed this child. Hope he makes you smile!

Fasting to Feasting

Lent is a time for fasting but also a season for joyous feasting!
During Lent, the Church calls on us to fast from certain things and feast on others.


For example:
Fast from judging others...feast on Christ dwelling in them.
Fast from emphasis on differences...feast on the unity of life.

Fast from apparent darkness...feast on the reality of light.
Fast from thoughts of illness...feast on God's healing power.
Fast from words that pollute...feast on phrases that purify.

Fast from discontent...feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger...feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism...feast on optimism.

Fast from worry...feast on divine order.
Fast from complaining...feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives...feast on affirmatives.

Fast from unrelenting pressures...feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility...feast on nonresistance.
Fast from bitterness...feast on forgiveness.

Fast from self concern...feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety...feast on eternal truth.
Fast from discouragement...feast on hope.

Fast from facts that depress...feast on truths that up lift.
Fast from lethargy...feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from suspicion...feast on truth.

Fast from thoughts that weaken...feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from shadows of sorrow...feast on sunlight of serenity.
Fast from idle gossip...feast on purposeful silence.

(Reflection obtained from www.disciplesnow.com)

You know she must be the mother of five..

When she decides to take her baby for a walk and upon realizing she cannot find a blanket to wrap him in, she settles for her older son's baseball t-shirt. (All names withheld to protect the innocent.)

Multi-use cookies

I made some white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for the boys as their after school snack today. A perfect snack for a blustery winter day. Jack and Gus busted through the door just as I was taking them out of the oven. After a few minutes of cooling, I announced that the boys could each have two warm cookies to eat. Gus picked up his two cookies and immediately placed them on his cheeks. I was intrigued at his behavior as I watched him rub the big, warm, cookies on his face. With Gus, you never know WHAT the child is thinking, so it was with tentative questioning that I asked:

Me: Gus! Why do you have the cookies on your cheeks?

Gus: (perfect child logic) To keep them warm Mom!

Of course! I should have figured that. What better way to warm your cheeks but with warm, delicious cookies! Lesson learned.

JP II Relics available if you hurry!!

You can get your own personal relic (a piece of one of the white cassocks JPII wore) from the Rome diocesan office today. All you have to do is email them or fax them with your request by going
HERE.

Guess what I just found

I'll never get anything done.

Life can be overwhelming when you have a new baby. So much attention and care must be directed toward that little baby that all other things, such as laundry, are left to suffer. Today was one of those days: the garage needs to be cleaned out, the laundry needs to be thinned out into what stays and what goes to the thrift shop, a stop to the grocery is needed, dinner for a new mom needs to be prepared, thank you notes need to be written, beds need to be made, those little cobwebs in the corner of the room need to be wiped away, and on and on. You get the picture. So I guess I should get started...right after I rock my baby boy to sleep and then watch him as he sleeps and then play with him and make him laugh that cute little giggle, feed him, rock him back to sleep....and then...oh, shoot. I'll never get that other stuff done when all I'd rather do is be with Henry. I'll worry about the chores tomorrow. Henry needs me today.

Five Months and growing like a weed

photo credit: R. Clemens

What Gus has given up for Lent:

His favorite of the meals I prepare: Chicken Pot Pie. Here is a picture of the last pie I made for the kids. It was on Valentine's Day thus the heart on the top.

One of the funniest things I saw in New York

A t-shirt displayed in the Union Station Deli:

What happens in New York stays in New York!

I am a very blessed woman to have a husband realize the importance of a woman needing to "get away" for a couple of days; to rejuvenate the soul; to rest; enjoy a change of venue; and to be with other women or girls (as the case may be). The value of escaping the everyday for a while cannot be calculated. Just like having alone with your husband is valuable, so is time away from him a good thing from time to time. I have to admit that lately, I was starting to melt with fatigue. I was getting tired and depressed from lack of sleep. My pep talks to myself were not working, felt like my prayers had dried up. I was talking to 5 pairs of little deaf ears over and over, dealing with the stomach flu x 6, feeling way too much cabin fever this winter, missing my very busy husband and getting way too cranky with everyone for the littlest things. So. It was clear that the timing of this trip was a gift from the Lord above. And what a gift it was!

Last year, my dear friend Mary asked Rebecca and I to accompany her and her daughter, Lizzie to NYC for Lizzie's 16th birthday. The trip was planned for this past weekend and included seeing two Broadway shows: Wicked and Les Miserables. All four of us girls are BIG music/musical fans and were chomping at the bit to see a REAL musical on Broadway so it was a great mother-daughter adventure. To add to the beauty of it all, the shows and hotel accommodations were paid for as a gift to Mary from her OT clients (Aren’t I blessed to have such a talented and generous friend? Love you Mare!) Anyway, being the country-bumpkin that I am..packed my country girl suitcases up and headed for the Big Apple for the first time in my life with my daughter at my side. Start spreading the news...I'm leavin' today!!!

Long story short. I loved every minute!! NYC is beautiful, the people are friendly and the food is grrreat! Thank you to my dear husband for allowing me the luxury. I love you. I love you. I love you.

Off the hook?

Gus: Mom, you should be able to give up cooking for Lent.

Me: oooooh, that sounds like an interesting idea. But who would cook for us?

Gus: I don't know. You just should be able to give it up.

Me: I'll work on it.

In my inbox...

*The Baptist*


Each Friday night after work, Bubba would fire up his outdoor grill and
cook a venison steak. All of Bubba's neighbors were Catholic and since
it was Lent, they were forbidden to eat meat on Friday. The delicious
aroma from the grilled venison steaks was causing such a problem for the
Catholic faithful that they finally talked to their priest. The Priest
came to visit Bubba and suggested that he become a Catholic. After
several classes and much study, Bubba attended Mass. As the priest
sprinkled holy water over him, he said, "You were born a Baptist, and
raised a Baptist, but now you are a Catholic."

Bubba's neighbors were greatly relieved, until Friday night arrived, and
the wonderful aroma of grilled venison again filled the neighborhood.
The Priest was called immediately by the neighbors and as he rushed
into Bubba's yard clutching a rosary, preparing to scold him, he stopped
and watched in amazement. There stood Bubba, clutching a small bottle
of holy water which he carefully sprinkled over the grilling meat and
chanted, "You wuz born a deer, you wuz raised a deer, but now you is a
catfish!"

St. Valentine, pray for us

"Thank you God for letting this happen" said Gus after he accidentally spilled all of his Fun Dip powder all over the table.
"I'll just vacuum it up with my mouth".

Catholic Women's Book Club, Book of the Month

If you have been reading along with my Catholic Book club, you will be interested to know of the newest book selection on the list The Death of Innocents by Sr. Helen Prejean. This is a challenging look at the system of capital punishment in our society and how we, as Catholics should view this type of punishment in the light of our faith. Here is an editorial review of the book from Publishers Weekly:

"Starred Review. Activist nun Prejean, whose crusade against the death penalty became widely known after Susan Sarandon portrayed her in the Oscar-winning film adaptation of her first book, Dead Man Walking, has again crafted a passionate indictment of the American criminal justice system. This time, with gripping, heartrending detail, Prejean draws on her experience advocating for two men she believes to have been innocent, but who were condemned to death row—Dobie Gillis Williams and Joseph O'Dell. While the book's subtitle removes any element of suspense, few readers will miss it. Instead, many will be outraged at a "machinery of death" weighted against the poor and African-Americans, featuring technical obstacles placed in the way of men desperately fighting for a fair hearing of evidence never elicited at their trials (O'Dell was denied appellate review by the highest court in Virginia because his lawyers typed one wrong word on his petition's title page). Prejean's tale involves a tragic, but not atypical, confluence of aggressive prosecutors (such as those in Louisiana, who display a "Big Prick" award featuring the state bird clutching in its talons a hypodermic needle used in lethal injections in its talons) and inept, ill-trained and apathetic defense attorneys. This damning critique should make even supporters of capital punishment pause, and the author's celebrity status, coupled with a timely message, should propel this onto bestseller lists. "

A little reminder to my hubby...

There are many perks to sharing a birthday with our favorite St. Valentine, the least of which being the fact that I get double the chocolate one would normally receive from a loved one. I admit it. I love that cheap chocolate that comes in those red cellophane hearts. I especially adore consuming the chocolates with pink filling. I'll poke each chocolate from the bottom to see if I see a small crack of pink. Nothing better. You can get a BIG red cellophane heart from the local drug store on sale, for around $4.99. Heaven on earth that comes so cheaply should never be passed by. It brings long lasting happiness. Well at least until one heads to the bathroom scale.

Yes, maam

Here is cowboy Gus. He's cute, fierce and takes a'liken to the simple things in life:

Food, Guns, and a ten gallon hat!

Snow day!

Nick and his arsenal of snow.

Jack snowboarding down the front yard.

Snowdrops keep falling on my head.

Childhood honesty at its best

"It's really good for them, you know.” this woman from church told me. "My pediatrician recommended it for my son who happens to be very active and high-energy."

"Really?" I responded. "It does not make them more violent and prone to beat up others for fun?"

"No!" she strongly ensured me. "It teaches them discipline and channels their energy in a controlled fashion."

"Hmmm. Sounds like something Jack and Gus might enjoy. I think I’ll try it!"

And so begins my experience with martial arts, Clemens style! I had always hesitated signing up the boys for martial arts for various reasons the least of which included my fear that they would use their newly honed skills on unsuspecting 2 year olds enjoying a relaxing walk in the neighborhood park or worse, trying them on a teacher or adult (you never know). Even so, I quieted my inner voice screaming, "You've totally lost your mind, Georgie” and signed Jack and Gus up for their first class. We attended the first session yesterday along with 15 other children. I positioned myself on the floor against the wall to watch while the boys and girls sat politely in a horseshoe arrangement facing their female and somewhat "hippie" styled instructor. Let me rephrase...the GIRLS were sitting politely while most of the boys sat fidgeting on their hands, rocking back and forth, wiggling around, waiting for the action to BEGIN!! After introductions and ground rules, (which were taking waaaaaay too long for the boys) the instructor explained one last rule to the group. This last rule was the most important of all the rules regarding martial arts. She somberly and seriously explained to the kids, "You must never, ever use the martial arts learned in class on ANYONE unless you are in DANGER! You must not use these moves on your friends, siblings or parents because they are dangerous and could hurt people. These are self-defense techniques and must only be used if you are in a dangerous situation. " She proceeded to explain the various dangerous situations they may encounter and then asked for verbal promises from each child that they would keep their promise.

She began with the first child in the horseshoe and asked, "Do you promise to use the techniques used in class only when in danger?" The child responded, "I promise." This continued around the class until she got to the last two children, Jack and Gus. She repeated to Jack, "Do you promise...?" Jack sat there staring at his instructor, head cocked, thinking. After a few seconds, he shook his head and said, "um, I don't think so." Gus was watching his brother’s actions and concurred with his brother Jack. "Nope." Gus loudly said. Every parent in the room turned to look at me. I partly wanted to die and partly was extremely proud of the boys for being so honest. Ahh, humility, you get it whether you want it or not with kids.

The instructor slowly turned to face the horrible birth mother of these two heathens and said, "Mom, you will have to set some ground rules for your boys in order for them to participate in this class, for we cannot have them hurting others". "Of course", I responded to my hippie friend.

I'll let you know later about the "ground rules" (Clemens style)

Sweet Talker

Nick: Mom, when I get married, I'm going to have LOTS of kids in honor of you.

Surprise, surprise.

You know the Bible 93%!

 

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

There's only one of me!

Ever wonder if you share your name with anyone else in the U.S.?

Check out this website by clicking here, and find out!

Comparing apples and oranges

Gus's moment of greatness.

Our newly appointed bishop, Bishop Burbidge, was stopping by Jack and Gus's school for a school Mass, a tour of the school, and lunch with the staff. Gus came came home last week and announced that for the Mass, he would be processing in with the Bishop holding a bouquet of flowers.

Gus: (sullenly) I was picked to carry the flowers for the bishop at Mass.

Jack: (brightly) Oh, Gus, you are so lucky to get to do such a special job!

Gus just grunted and scowled at the thought of having to bring up smelly "girl" flowers. To add insult to injury, he had to process in with, get this, A GIRL from the other kindergarten class. (The horror of it all!) He practiced with the teachers and the other children who had special parts in the Mass a few days before the Mass. I'd asked him how the rehearsal went, but Gus said it was "soooo borring!" Chris and I encouraged our little "crumudgeon" child and reminded him of what an honor it is to be selected for such a special event. "Not everyone gets to have such a special part" I said. After awhile, Gus began to like the idea of this job.

The morning of the big event, Gus dressed up in his best white and blue, slipped on his tennis shoes and ran off to the carpool. Chris, Henry and I drove down to the church and sat in the pew waiting for Mass to begin. I peeked over to the entrance of the church and saw Gus standing there proudly with an arrangement of yellow and green flowers (school colors). As the music began, Gus was directed to walk down the aisle. Sensing that hundreds of people were staring at him and his "girl" flowers, he rushed down the aisle, head downturned, and quickly set his arrangement down on the altar. Gus's sweet female classmate did the same, with much grace and drama, and the two of them turned to face the altar. They were clearly supposed to bow, but not knowing for sure, Gus instead rolled his eyes at the girl, shrugged his shoulders, and trudged his way back to his pew. I just laughed to myself and shook my head not knowing if I should be embarrassed or touched by the whole display.

After Mass, Gus beamed and waved excitedly at me from across the church, proud as punch of his accomplishment. I waved back, smiled and loved my son with every fiber in my being. I was the proud one.

A visit

Mormon: Have you read the book of mormon?

Me: Have YOU read the Catechism of the Catholic Church?

Stuff.

I've just come across a wonderful BLOG by George Paprocki who has been a pastoral associate for 25 years and is currently teaching 8th grade faith development. His insight on passing on the faith to youth is wonderful and his list of websites and books are very helpful for families or catechists.

A colleague passed on this website to me. It's created by Loyola Press and has many great ideas to deepen the faith of your family as well as any youth you are teaching. Browse around to find some fantastic ideas for the upcoming Lenten season.

Want a great multi-media stations of the cross for children? Check out
this website and follow along.

The moment I knew I could never be anything but Catholic.

Last week I attended the funeral of a woman who died unexpectedly at the age of 49 in a tragic car accident. She was a wonderful woman; always helping me with youth ministry events when her kids moved through the program a few years ago. And while we were not the best of friends, I knew she was one person I could always call upon for help with anything. She will be missed.

The funeral was somber; filled with many people who knew her from town, friends of her kids, church folk and lots of Italian family members from New York State. The congregation filled the pews in a sea of black clothing and white tissues. Tears where shed freely when her daughter, husband and nephew approached the ambo to give her mom a goodbye tribute. It felt good to cry for their loss, but at the same time the thought of this family having to live without this woman was hard to bear. Fr. John's homily was comforting, the music was beautiful (May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs come to welcome you....) and the liturgy was deeply moving. Catholics really know how to send people off to their resting place in style. But it was at this funeral that I realized JUST HOW CATHOLIC I WAS. I know that I love being Catholic, the tradition, the beauty, scripture translation, music and all, but I surprised myself when I did something I thought I would NEVER do.

As with most funerals (and weddings for that matter), not everyone attending is Catholic, so our church tries to be helpful by including a small paragraph in the program stating that if you are not Catholic, to please refrain from receiving the body and blood. Instead, visitors are invited to approach the priest for a blessing instead, with arms crossed in front of them. OK. Fair enough. Many Catholics know that we believe in the REAL PRESENCE of Jesus in the Eucharist and therefore those who do not share that central belief should not receive until they learn and believe what it is exactly they are receiving: Jesus, flesh and blood. After I received communion, I took my place back in the pew and watched as others came forward to receive. I happened to notice a group of young men around the ages of 17 or 18 coming forward to communion. Their posture was relaxed. They were goofing off with each other in the communion line and were pretty much being dis-respectful by looking around and not paying attention to what was going on around them. One of them went up to the Eucharistic minister and awkwardly opened his mouth, only to quickly close it and grab the Eucharist from the woman's hand. It was clear he did not know what to do with it. He looked at his buddy behind him, waved the host in his face and laughed. He moved up to receive the wine, and again, awkwardly tried to dip it into the cup only to realize that he was to drink from it. He refused and walked past the minister with the host in his hand. I could feel my face getting HOT and I felt like I needed to get a drink of water. I didn't. Instead I watched that young boy walk past me with the host still in his hand, waving it around like it was some sort of souvenir. I turned and watched him enter the pew about 10 rows behind mine. He was standing there, giggling and taking little bites out of the host as if it were some sort of taste test. His friends were laughing at him. At that point, I was NOT happy. I darted out of my pew, walked around to the back of his pew and got his attention. Instinctively, I wanted to just grab the host out of his hand and take it away from him...I wanted to wrestle the kid to the ground and force feed it to him if I had to. But by golly...that kid needed to DO something with that host or I was going to. "Eat it.", I whispered. He looked at me and said, "I don't know what to do with it." and laughed. "You need to eat it or I will." He looked at me as if I had four heads and ate the host. "Thank you", I said sweetly without making any disturbance. Ahhh, I felt much better.

As I returned to my pew, my girlfriend asked if I was doing OK....assuming that I had left due to an uncontrollable urge to wail at the sadness of the this woman's death. "Oh, I'm fine now." I told her.

I realized at this funeral, just how important the Eucharist is to me and if others don't want a part of it, that is totally fine..but...

Don't mess with my Jesus. I'll fight you for him.

In my inbox...

Two Beggars in Rome - One Catholic - One Jewish - are sitting side by
side on a street in Rome. One has a cross in front of him; the other one the
Star of David.

Many people go by and look at both beggars, but only put money into the
hat of the beggar sitting behind the cross.

A priest comes by, stops and watches throngs of people giving money to
the beggar behind the cross, but none give to the beggar behind the Star of
David.

Finally, the priest goes over to the beggar behind the Star of David
and says, "My poor fellow, don't you understand? This is a Catholic
country; this city is the seat of Catholicism. People aren't going to give
you money if you sit there with a Star of David in front of you, especially when
you're sitting beside a beggar who has a cross. In fact, they would
probably give to him just out of spite."

The beggar behind the Star of David listened to the priest, turned to
the other beggar with the cross and said: "Moishe, look who's trying to
teach the Goldstein brothers about marketing?

Never forget

Today marks the anniversary of the infamous Roe V. Wade court case which legalized abortion. Kudos to the organizers of the annual March for Life in Washington DC who refuse to let us forget the magnitude of this day and of the millions of babies killed since that dark day in 1973. Join the thousands in DC today by praying for women who are considering an abortion as a viable solution to their situation. Pray that they find support, resources and caring individuals that will help them carry their baby full term. My daughter is in DC today at her first march. She just called a few minutes ago and is having a great time!



For those of you who have never see the movie "Silent Scream", the first anti-abortion film showing a live abortion, you can go HERE to view it. It's grizzly, but a good reminder of what is done in our "clinics of compassion".
.
If you are a victim of abortion there is HOPE at the Project Rachael Website. While there, read some of the touching stories of women who went though the heartache of abortion and how they are coping.

Wouldn't that be scandalous!

As we finished our bedtime prayers, I asked Jack and Gus the following questions:

Me: Guys. What is the name of our Pope?

Jack: Benedict

Me: Very good. Now here's the harder question: What is the name of our newly appointed bishop?

Gus: (excitedly) ooh. I know it! It's Bishop BOURBON!

Me: Ha. Very close Gus.....its not Bourbon, it's Burbidge!

Fight Club

Sometimes boys fight.

There comes a time in a boys life where he has to stand up for himself, for what is right, or he is in danger of living a mediocre life where he waffles from one thing to the next not really standing up for anything. Nicholas had that fight today and while I am never one to condone violence; I do believe it is sometimes necessary. Here's the full story:

About one month ago, my 10-year-old son Nick was playing football with some of his neighborhood buds at the home of a friend. This neighborhood home is a place where most of the boys gather to spend time together and share good times like only boys do. Now, one of these boys, (we'll call him Joe..he's in 7th grade and is over 6ft tall.) happens to be a bully. Joe has had issues with anger, discipline and authority for the seven years we have known him. Anytime Joe comes over, you can bet there is going to be some sort of argument or tussle. He antagonizes, taunts, and teases anyone who comes his way and for the most part; the kids stay out of his way so as not to get in trouble with their parents. Overall, I think Joe has a good heart and tries to control himself but for some reason...he can't. The school has tried to help him after many fights there, his parents have tried, even good-hearted neighbors have attempted to guide Joe in the right direction with no real luck. He's a tough case.

Anyway, back to football: When Nick was playing football with his buds, Joe came over and joined in. Long story short, a tussle ensued and Joe ended up punching Nick in the face for blocking his run into the end zone. Nick did not fight back, he just held in his anger in, walked home and bawled in my arms as he explained the injustice of it all.

Nick: MOM! I should of hit him back. He SO deserved it!! He humiliated me and I didn't fight back!!! I didn't fight baaaack!!

Me: Well Nick. I know you were trying to do the right thing, and I think you did. It was hard, I know, but think of what Jesus would think of you hitting a kid like that? (Inside I was thinking to myself that Nick should have taught that boy a lesson and punched him right back, but I didn't want Nick to think that he could have free reign to pummel the guy next time he saw him.) You know your father and I are proud of you for turning the other cheek. Next time, just tell another adult and they can talk to him.

Nick: That NEVER works and you KNOW that mom!! Joe never listens to anyone!! (I knew Nick was right.)

After we had the conversation, I made Nick some cookies and let him cool off in front of the television. (Arthur is a great show for that.) In no time my Nick was back to his happy-go-lucky self and forgot all about it (for a while). I felt sorry for our first son. I was conflicted inside myself on what he should have done..no one told me how hard it is to straddle the line of right and wrong and how explain that to a child. At dinner, Nick told his sad story to my husband.

Chris: Nick. You must never, ever start a fight. BUT. If you are in situation where you have to defend yourself and you did not throw the first punch, THEN you fight. Got it?

Nick: Yeah, I got it.

Fast forward to today. It was a gorgeous morning. The first snow of the year and the schools were closed because of weather. All the kids in the neighborhood were out playing in the wet, soggy snow. As usual, the boys gathered in the open space of the neighborhood..about 17 boys in total...having a massive snowball fight. I watched the fun from my window and enjoyed hearing the squeals of delight as the kids dodged snowball and ran to protective bases. Joe was in the mix of boys and was playing with everyone for about 5 minutes when a scuffle ensued. Here is the story as 5 of the boys relayed it to me ( I did not see it)

As the snowball fight progressed, a boy named Matt threw a snowball at Joe's back and it apparently hit hard. Joe got really angry and started pushing Matt to the ground. Nick and a couple of other boys told Joe to back off Matt... Joe got off Matt got up to Nick's face and responded, "You got a problem with that? " He proceeded to PUNCH Nick in the face and turned to punch little Jack and Gus. Well, dear readers, you must be able to guess what happened next. (sigh) Yes, Nick punched back, and punched back with a vengeance. My first-born pummeled that 7th grader as hard as he could. Joe slipped to the ground and continued to punch at Nick's side. At that point it was an all-out punch fest with a pile of boys on Joe. Even Jack and Gus piled on top of the heap. An adult came out to break things up and make sure tempers did not flare up at Joe again. Joe stood up and huffed to the side of the road and glared at Nick.

Knowing that Joe may come back after him at any time, Nick came into the house crying.

Me: Nick! Are you OK?

Nick: (tearfully) Mom, at first I was crying 'cause I was mad. But now I am crying because I'm so happy! I punched Joe, mom! I punched him. He was bullying Matt and I couldn't stand seeing it, so I punched him.

Me: Nick, did he hit you first?

Nick: Yes, he hit Matt first and then me. I'm not going back outside 'cause I'm afraid Joe will come back after me.

Me: (mumbling) Over my dead body.

Nick: (smiling) I punched him mom. Finally. Finally he got what he deserved.

After about 5 minutes, a beaming Nick went back outside and our friend, Joe, decided that he'd had enough and walked back home. I called some of the boys to my kitchen to tell me their versions of the story. I asked who threw the first punch and how many were involved. They all eagerly told the story where Nick, tried to defend Matt and in doing so had to fight back at Joe the bully. I thanked them for the information and was happy that Nick had relayed the truth. As soon as Chris came home this evening, Nick relayed the story...blow by blow....(no pun intended) to his dad.

Chris: Was there blood?

Nick: No

Chris: (jokingly) Well then you didn't hit him hard enough.

Hopefully Joe has learned his lesson not to hit kids, but I'm sure he'll be back for more. Meanwhile, Nick feels a whole lot better. As he said to me tonight before he went to bed: Mom, this was the best day of my life! I'm sure it was Nick, I'm sure it was.

Litany of Humility

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…


photo credit :Chad McCall

Gus's joke for today....

Gus: Mom, I have a really funny joke for you today.

Me: OK Gus, lets hear it.

Gus: OK. See there are these two guys on a boat. One guy's name was Pete and the other guy's name was Repeat. Pete fell out of the boat. Who was left?

Me: Repeat

Gus: OK. See there are these two guys on a boat. One guy's name was Pete and the otherr guy's name was Repeat. Pete fell out of the boat. Who was left?

Me: Repeat

Gus: OK. See there.........

Being the brilliant readers that you all are, I think you get the idea of this joke...

I love

your teeny nails
your grey-blue eyes
your little hand dimples
the way you study my face
the way you clutch my hands so tightly
the way you smile under your pacifier
the layers of fat on your thighs
your cries for company
your coos and goos
your belly laugh
your belly

that you are mine

Oh, no. Here we go again....

Nick: Mom, Gus is coughing like a machine gun.

20+C+M+B+07 Christ bless this house

The magi's coming to Jerusalem...shows that they seek in Israel, in the messianic light of the star of David, the one who will be king of the nations. Their coming means that pagans can discover Jesus and worship him as Son of God and Savior of the world only by turning toward the Jews and receiving from them the messianic promise as contained in the Old Testament.

CCC 528

OK, its official! You may NOW take down your Christmas tree; the Christmas season is over with the feast of the Epiphany. Many of you know that in the Catholic Christian liturgical calendar, Christmas actually starts at sundown on Dec. 24th and always traditionally ends on January 6 (The 12 days of Christmas). For the feast day of Epiphany, the Roman church commemorates the visit by the 3 kings, Christ's baptism by John the Baptist and the miracle at Cana (where we get the sacrament of marriage, Jesus' first miracle). Now what you may NOT know is that the names of the wise men cannot be found in the bible. In addition to the fact that we really have no evidence of how many kings there actually were. Tradition tells us that there were 3 kings and that their names are Casper, Melchior, and Balthazar. Another interesting misconception shows that the Magi are present at the Nativity, but in actuality, the book of Matthew 2:11 says that the wise men visited Jesus as a child maybe 1 or 2 years old. Interesting....

76 Trombones Led The Competition

Rebecca is off to complete for the All-District Band today. It's the first time she competes on the high school level and is very nervous. Results will be posted tomorrow at an unknown time. The waiting will be painful for the child since she is deperately hoping to make the band. Please keep her in your prayers as she plays this morning.

New Year Resolutions

A few desires for the new year here at Four (Five) Crying Out Loud: Drumroll please:

1. Cooking more and eating out less: I admit that I love a good burger or Chick-fil-a sandwich, but since Henry has been born, its been increasingly difficult to cook a well-balanced, well thought out dinner than ever before. I've succumbed to the ease of pizza delivery or a quick stop at Wendy's more often than I would like to admit these past few months. Sure the kids love it when I give in to the temptations of the fast food gods, but deep down I recognize that its much better to eat something lovingly made by mom than by the burly guy behind the counter at Burger King. (oh, but the fries are soooo good!) So I will try more new recipes and shop more in bulk these days so that we can get the most out of family dinners.

2. More prayer or meditation: Since I work at a church, I tend to get this repetitive thought in my mind that goes somthing like this: I'm doing the Lord's work with the youth; he'll understand that I'm too busy to pray today. Or at times its a thought like this: I have many children to care for today; God will see my efforts and realize that he can't expect me to do it all. I need to break myself of this lazy conversation with God and remember that in Luke 10:38-42, Jesus reminded Martha that while all her attempts to serve him were good, the one thing most important was developing a growing relationship with Jesus. I will remember that ultimately it is not always about my church work or my large family. Ultimately it’s about developing a growing relationship with Jesus.

3. Being more understanding of my husband's work schedule: Oh, now THIS is my biggest challenge. My husband is an extremely hard worker both at home and at work. And there are many times when he has to bring work home and lately it has been ALOT! Still, he is, for the most part, very good at balancing what he needs to accomplish at home with family and kid time. Seeing him attached to the computer for numerous hours a night finishing a project makes me, um, well, let's say a little impatient. The last thing the man needs is his wife breathing down his neck, complaining about why he's always on the computer. Instead of impatience, I need to understand that it's a necessary part of his job and to additionally thank God for the wonderful job that he has. My husband is a good provider, I just need to let him go and complete his responsibilities. It does not last forever.

4. I will be a cheerleader. In a world full of negative attitudes and criticism, I will demonstrate Christ’s love by celebrating the accomplishments of others. There are so many wonderful people out there doing great things. Give them a T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U!!

OK, that's about it. It's a tall order, but I like to aim for the moon and will be satisfied to land among the stars...if I'm able.

Happy New Year Everyone!!

We are ALL homeschoolers....

Below is an excerpt from an article written by Leon Suprenent for Catholic Exchange. You can read the full story

here.

"We're all homeschoolers. Twenty years ago, I taught a seventh-grade CCD class composed of public school kids. The class met one hour per week during the school year. After one or two classes, it became abundantly clear to me that there were a couple of kids who were being trained well at home and this class merely supplemented and enriched what they already had learned. The rest were religiously illiterate and not getting much out of the class. Upon some inquiry, I found that most of them were not even taken to Mass on Sunday or in any meaningful way catechized at home."

Let's recommit ourselves into teaching our children the faith in the new year!

Full Circle

Well, well, well. It DOES pay off to be a youth minister from time to time after you've been doing it for awhile. (smile)

Of course, I'm not looking for any kind of "pay-off" for anything that I do with youth, but there are times when God blesses you with a special moment or event that reminds you of WHY you are involved in youth ministry in the first place. In my case, God has placed me in a parish with a very large population of youth between the grades of 6-12. 400 to be exact. It's big, it's fun and it's blessed. There are some really wonderful families raising some very special young people in tis parish and I have the privilege of getting to know quite a few of these families very well. A good many of these families have helped to move me forward in my own faith as well as become a better mom to my children.

I direct the jr. high youth program at our parish and it involves many duties such as: curriculum selection, teacher training, retreat planning and implementation, nose wiping, chair stacking, human traffic cone organization (or dis-organization as the case may be), classroom inspection, shoulder to cry on duty, service project coordination, walk quietly and carry a big stick duty, prayer and worship planning, disciplining, and the always popular toilet flushing after all youth have left the building. All this and much more for as little you would pay a substitute teacher. Yes, well, it's all alot of fun and to top it all, I get to be readily active in my children's faith development.

But tonight I was blessed with an extra-special treat: DINNER. A wonderful dinner prepared for me and my family by a youth who has graduated and moved on to greener pastures in college. This wonderful young man was home for Christmas break and called to take me to dinner but quickly changed his mind to offering to prepare an italian feast for the entire family and his girlfriend. Sweet. So. Sweet. He arrived with parsley, garlic, pasta in one hand, and non-alcoholic champagne in the other. His girlfriend (another youth ministry grad) came along and sat in the living room with me. We talked and entertained the kids while the chef in my kitchen created his feast. We laughed, prayed, ate, laughed some more, talked of the future and ended the night with some great chocolate dessert!! (I provided that!)

There are many, many moments of beauty in youth ministry. But none more beautiful than when you get to see one or more of the youth develop into a person of purpose, honesty, humility and faith. I thank God for the opportunity to watch this life grow in faith.

Happy New Year to all and may we commit to serving the church in a manner that is pleasing to God.