The big ones hurt the most.

My kids made a crown of thorns of their very own using the recipe I mentioned in an earlier post. They had a great time mixing, kneading, and rolling the dough into their crown and all the while, kept asking questions about Christ's passion and death. As they placed the thorns into the thick dough, Gus spoke to Jack about how painful it must have been to have such sharp sticks encircling Jesus's head. (This just goes to show how powerful active learning can be with children. It's one thing to talk about Jesus and His sacrifice for our sins, but the lesson becomes "alive" when children work with their hands to create a symbol of His sacrifice.)

Each time a child does a good deed for another, they get to remove a painful "thorn" from our salt-dough crown. Gus is always mindful to take the biggest thorns out first.

Gus: Mom, I'm going to take this bigger thorn out, since it probably hurts the most.

No matter how big or small the sin, it hurts God and distances our relationship with Him. The more we sin, the more thorns in his crown. Regardless of our human flaws and shortcomings, He still loves us and beckons us to be reconciled to him. May this Lent bring us closer to Christ and to fullness of life He promises.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for....

chocolate cake!

If it is yellow, let it mellow. (gross!!!!!!!)

In case you have not heard, my area of the country has been living with a severe drought situation for the past 8 months...give or take. The governor has encouraged all North Carolinians to cut water consumption by at least 20% or more. Low flow faucets and showerheads are flying out of stores, rain barrels are being used to collect dew along with the few precious drops of rain that we get. We are turning off the water when we brush our teeth, fixing slow water leaks, taking shorter showers and refusing water at restaurants. No hand watering of lawns, filling swimming pools or washing of cars is allowed, unless you want to risk a fine of $1000. And when it comes to flushing toilets, the saying here in North Carolina goes like this: "If it is yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down."(ewh.) As long as our reservoirs contain less than 45% of water, Stage 3 restrictions will continue. Needless to say, many businesses are suffering under this drought. Especially landscapers, car washes, and nurseries.

The other thing that is suffering is my car. While I can live with a dirty car on the outside, the inside is another story. Oh, I can vacuum and scrape up old lollipop sticks, French fries, and cookie crumbs...but I cannot scrub my floor mats. Doing so would require that I use water from the hose. I did not realize this until I was well into the process. After cleaning the inside of the car to where it was gleaming...I realized I would have to put the nasty, crusty, sticky, stained floor mats on top of my freshly vacuumed carpet! I confess that I was tempted to use my garden hose and headed to the back yard to assess the situation. Luckily, it rained yesterday and I thankfully found a few gallons of fresh, clear rainwater in the galvanized tub set up near my back porch. It's amazing how much you can clean with so little water! In no time, I had my boys hand scrubbing my nasty floor mats! A great lesson for all of us.

Throughout this drought I am reminded of how MUCH we have in this country. Where so many around the world must walk miles for fresh, clean drinking water, all we have to do is open our faucets and fill our containers with all we need. Sacrificing a small bit for the good of the community/world is a good thing. In the long run we all benefit, and learn to appreciate the finite resources that God has placed in our care. Acting responsibly, even when no one is looking is its own reward, and God expects us to do so.

Pray for rain.

Crown of Thorns

To continue getting my family in the sacrificial mood for Lent,
Danielle Bean, suggests this easy "Crown of Thorns" activity and recipe.
Read the article on how to make your very own!

Lenten Sacrifice-Not going well.

I'm really not prepared for Lent this year. Usually there is a nice long break after the season of Christmas where my "religious body clock" recuperates from the joy (and exhaustion) of Christmas and enjoys a well placed Ordinary Time consisting of at least 7-8 weeks. But this was not meant to be this year. Lent is earlier than it's been since the year 1825, and no one told my "body clock" that it needed to prepare. But here is the fact of the matter: When mom is not prepared for Lent, no one around this house is ready for Lent either.

When I asked the kids what they wanted to give up/do for Lent, each of my children looked at me unenthusiastically and chanted what they would give up/do for Lent. Their sacrifices started out pretty good, but went down-hill fast.

Here is the list:

Becca: Pray the rosary every night
Nick: Change Henry's diaper more often
Jack: No chocolate
Gus: Can I give up school?
Henry: No pulling of siblings hair while yelling, "Die, die, die"

On Fat Tuesday, Chris and I took the kids to a favorite Chinese Restaurant to celebrate the beginning of Lent with a feast. The dinner conversation evolved into what mom was going to give up for Lent. Oh, the kids were fast and furious when suggesting possible options for their mom:

Nick: Mom, maybe you could, like, stop yelling at us to do our chores and instead use a soft voice. (All nodded in agreement.)

Me: I'll consider it, Nick. Thanks for the suggestion.

Becca: Maybe you should give up going to
Panera Bread for your daily tea fix.

Me: Well, that's a possibility; although VERY challenging.

Becca: On second thought, you better not give that up. It would be hard on all of us if you did not get your caffeine.

Me: Huh. Very Funny.

Chris: Maybe you could hold your emotions in more.

Me: Wha? (I held my emotions in on that one. Good start.)

OK well, you see where all this went. Downhill people. Downhill! You see that I have my work cut out since I plan to work on two of my family's three suggestions. (There is no way I could give up my tea and work on the other two suggestions with charity). There is nothing like having your family decide what you need to do to sacrifice more. The whole dying to self and sacrificing more for others makes good sense and challenges me, especially when God speaks through those I love.

Are you still needing ideas for how to celebrate Lent in a more meaningful way? Be sure to check out Our Sunday Visitor's Downloadable Lenten Calendar It is colorful, attractive and ready to print out. You can hang it on your fridge, or give it to members of your bible study!

Busted Halo has a wonderful article called, 25 Things you can do for Lent. which is generous with options for the person needing something new to practice.

May you all have a wonderful and blessed Lenten season, and here's to family...always keeping us humble before the Lord.

Ash Wednesday

"Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Math Homework

Because I lack any time to write a real post, I'll give you all a picture instead. Here we have poor Nick, struggling with his Math homework. We also have dad, struggling with a good approach to help Nick understand his homework. Did they succeed?
Yes they did, but not without wailing and nashing of teeth from both sides.

First Snow (last week!)

'Snowball'

I made myself a snowball
As perfect as could be.
I thought I'd keep it as a pet
And let it sleep with me.
I made it some pajamas
And a pillow for its head.
Then last night it ran away,
But first it wet the bed.

-- Shel Silverstein

March for Life-Thoughts

As you all know, a group of youth and adults traveled in the darkness of the early morning to attend the 35th annual March for Life event in Washington D.C. this past Tuesday, January 22nd (the anniversary of Roe v Wade). A caravan of at least 8 buses left from the Diocese of Raleigh to march with thousands of others from around the country to march against the destruction of life at any age or stage. There were many amazing things that I saw and heard that day which will stay with me forever, but there were a couple of things which surprised me that I would like to share with you.




Bishop Burbidge addresses the North Carolina contingency of marchers on the front steps of the National Shrine.





1. It was so Catholic! In my years at the University of Texas during the early 90’s, my husband and I were active in organizing the Austin Right to Life Rallies at the state capital. In those days, there were many religious faiths represented: Lutherans, Muslims, Evangelicals, Catholics, and the list goes on. What I was struck by 20 years later was that Catholics are seemingly the only ones left keeping this issue at the front of today’s political and social landscape. Now I am sure that there were more than just Catholics marching on Tuesday, but I did not see any evidence of it. I did see hundreds of nuns, priests, seminarians, catholic school kids, catholic college groups,groups praying the rosary, Knights of Columbus members…and the list goes on, and on. It was a great big Catholic gathering! It made me proud to be part of such a caring, socially active group.












2. It was so YOUNG! Again, back in Austin, the participants marching were of a variety of ages. But what I saw in Washington D.C. were our YOUTH! Youth groups were everywhere; holding banners from many schools and colleges from around the country as well as from local schools. I read that the entire student and staff population of Christendom College came to march.



Nicholas holds his sign. Enough said.



10:30am North Carolinian Mass at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.




Over 1000 North Carolinian Catholics posing for a picture on the steps of the National Shrine. (Rebecca can be found on the far right in black sweatshirt and red jacket. Do you see her?)

As I marched down Pennsylvania avenue with my group, I thought of past marches and protests. Whereas the youth of the 60’s marched for civil rights, and the youth of the 70’s marched against the Vietnam war. Both groups were arguably successful in their efforts. In the same light, it seems as if the cause of today’s youth is: Life. And the respecting of it. I have great hopes that THIS generation of youth…the ones most hurt by abortion (having 1 out of every 4 peers lost to abortion)…will be the generation that will change hearts and minds of others to eradicate what Pope John Paul calls “The culture of death”. Whether through marching, helping an unwed mother, eliminating poverty, prayer, or counseling; all of it makes a difference in someone’s LIFE.

In my inbox

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at
a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now
retired.

During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in
their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor
went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and
an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking,
some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the
hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said,
'Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving
behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only
the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot
chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even
hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not
the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups...and then you began
eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and
position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain
life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you
have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the
hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man
chooses the cups.

The happiest people don't have the best of everything.
They just make the best of everything that they have.

Marching for Life

Members of the youth group, including two of my children and I, are off to Washington D.C. for the annual March for Life event. We leave at the ungodly hour of 3:30am and are scheduled to arrive at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for a Mass specifically for the North Carolina contingency of Catholics at 10:30 am. Our very own Bishop Burbidge will preside along with Bishop Jugis from the Diocese of Charlotte.

The March begins at noon with a rally on the Mall followed by a march to Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court. Over 100,000 are expected to march in cold temperatures which are predicted to be in the 20's and 30's with snow and rain possible. There are at least 500 people traveling from North Carolina to D.C. along with priests, seminarians and members of the Knights of Columbus.

Are we crazy for doing this? Um. Yeah!! We are! Super crazy! But is there any better reason to march under such conditions than to remind the world and our politicians on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade that there are Americans who still value the sanctity of human life? Enough of all the death and despair. Let's pray for all women forced to undergo an abortion, the abortionists, our society that quietly approves, our politicians, and for all the unborn souls.

"Any country that accepts abortion is the poorest of the poor"-Mother Teresa

A politician honing his skills...

Nicholas scored surprisingly high on a test he took this week, and he was feeling pretty good about it.

Nick: Mom. I got all my smart genes from dad.

Me: (appalled, and showing it) Nick, you don't think you got any intelligence genes from your mom?

Nick: I did (putting his arm around me) , but I mostly got my good looks and singing talent from you.

Me: Nice recovery Nick. You'll make a good politician.

Now THAT is so sweet....

President George W. Bush pauses for a photo opportunity with nuns at the Church of the Beatitudes Friday, Jan. 11, 2008, during his last stop in Israel. White House photo by Eric Draper

HT: The White House Web Site

Goodbye Christmas, Hello Ordinary Time

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Marks the end of the Christmas season.)

Seeing as Christ himself was baptized, it is a great time to focus on your-; own baptism or your children's baptism. Many people know the DAY they were born, but not many know the day they were BAPTIZED as a Christian in our Catholic Family! It's a big deal and one that should be celebrated! Have a big feast in your home and invite your child's godparents (if they live close), pull out your child's baptismal candle and certificate and relay what the day was like; tell your family members WHY you chose the godparents you chose and what qualities they had. Talk about what a GIFT baptism is (as one of our sacraments of initiation) and how we are called as baptized Christians to love God as he loves us. It gives me great comfort that while Jesus probably did not need to be baptized, he saw the importance of it and was baptized as an example for all of us to follow. God moves among the water and moves within us! Let's celebrate that!

Henry is feeling fine!

silver lining

After our recent return from our trip to Texas, baby Henry decided to "baptize" Rebecca in a very unique way. So as not to gross anyone out with the details, we can just suffice it to say that she was covered in what seemed like a gallon of curdled milk. Not 24 hours later, Gus complained of tummy troubles and "baptized" the kitchen floor with what seemed like 2 gallons of curdled milk. And yes, yet another 24 hours later (with a friend sleeping over, no less) Nicholas had a nice friendly conversation with the toilet bowl.

It has now been two days without anyone pewking in this house, but it's like waiting for the inevitable. There are still two other children who have not awakened in the middle of the night with the stomach bug. When will it hit? I wonder. Meanwhile, there are a few "bright" things to be thankful for:

1. No fever associated with this bug.
2. Gus baptized the hardwood and NOT the carpet.
3. Nick actually made it to the bathroom and used the proper facility.
4. The steam cleaner (and it's operator) are at the ready.
5. All school aged children were well enough to attend school on Monday.
6. Gatoraide is GOOOOOD!
7. Thank God for washing machines
8. ONLY 24 hours
9. Diapers can hold alot!
10. My helpmate, Chris.

All the best to those who are feeling my pain!

If the Clemens boys ever get another baby brother...

they would like to place an order with God for this guy. I wonder why?

Midnight with the Clemens Family

Christmas '07 began with the Clemens family preparing for midnight mass with four exuberant kids and one pajama clad baby. Henry appeared to be sleepy before we entered the church, but perked up completely once inside..visiting with parishioners in pews in front of us and in back. "Hi,hi, hi", he slurred. We all perked up. The church was beautifully decorated, the music..a mix of Mozart and traditional hymns stirred up memories of Christmas past. The Christmas trees sparkled while the congregation sat in anticipation of the Incarnation. I closed my eyes and soaked it all in. After all, Christmas only comes once a year.

One of the best things about being Catholic is midnight mass. How many other denominations actually expect their congregations to come out at midnight during the busiest time of the year? Not many. But you can be sure the Catholics are there. My Jewish neighbors think were are an odd group. "How can you get all five of your kids dressed for a midnight mass?" they asked me on Christmas Eve. I laughed and agreed that it's not for the weak. But in my mind I thought, what better way to impart the importance of Christmas to your child than by dragging them out of their pajamas and hoofing it though the night chill to await Christ's coming. It's a big deal which deserves extra effort.

Midnight mass had a big impact on me as a young child,although I did not recognize it at the time. Looking back, I knew it was different than any other Mass simply because of the time. It's quiet, still and filled with anticipation. Yea, I wanted my presents and the big Christmas dinner, but I knew that Jesus and His Mass came first. As I got older, Midnight Mass was the place where I could count on meeting up with my long-lost siblings after months of busy college classes or work schedules. We all found ourselves at home on Christmas Eve getting dressed for Midnight Mass. No one questioned it. We just knew Midnight Mass was part of our lives. It was our tradition.

I hope to impart the Midnight Mass tradition with my children. It not only connects us to Christ in an extra special way, it connects us with our familial past. Oh, Holy Night.



(Henry is appearing to look sleepy. No luck. He was awake for most of the Mass.)

Brotherly competition

Jack: I'm the smartest in my class.

Gus: Oh yeah? I'm the best at playing "mercy" in my class. I can beat everyone.

Christmas Eve 2007

From our family to yours: A very Merry Christmas with all the joys and blessings of the Incarnation!
Luke 2:10
But the angel said to them, " Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;




Psalm 98:6
With trumpets and the sound of the horn Shout joyfully before the King, the LORD.



Luke 2:15
When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us."