Those That Wonder

On the third Day of Christmas...

2011-12-27T11:04:00.007-05:00

...I just could not get it all done (do we ever?) so here is a little family blessing from our house to yours. We Sullivans had such a good year and here are some photo highlights from 2011. For me, I had been dreading, for years, Maggie's obtaining her learner's permit for driving. Well, goes to show that we should truly "fear not," because helping her learn to drive has been some of the most fun I have had in years. Watching Joybeth during her first year as a teenager has been a joy in all aspects. Our son, who is 10, is full of energy and, while I do not have a soccer photo in the mix, that was such a big time for him this fall.

"Grandmommy loves you....

2011-09-01T08:47:00.006-05:00

...more than you'll ever know, Sara, darling."

Growing up in Kentucky, I heard this thousands of times in a soft, southern drawl. I am named after my paternal grandmother, Sara Evelyn Gott Cohron. I know few people so unadulterated, so full of wholesome love and affection. She died just a month before our wedding day, in the summer of 1994, but her pure and loving spirit abides in my heart. The beauty of the Communion of Saints is that I am still getting to know her quiet, steadfast person. She is praying for me. I know this. I know that many of the soft, sweet promptings that I feel, as a wife and mother and sister in Christ, come from the love poured in to me by my grandmother Sara. Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise!

This morning, as I was reflecting on a book of daily spiritual meditations (I try to take some time every morning to ask God "in" to my day, hopefully listening to one or two things that I know He has planned for me for the day.) I was deeply aware, for a minute or two, of the refreshing love God is always sending our way. He is so meek and humble of heart. His servants are meek and humble of heart.

This is so sweet. I am also praying and reading alot about our need to completely experience the Father's blessing, through the one saving act of His Son on the Holy Cross. I know that sounds like remedial Christianity. It is. As I have been going around the house doing my work, I have been humming and singing the words of the good thief, the thief who "stole Heaven." We pray:

Jesus, remember me, when You come in to Your Kingdom.
Jesus, remember me, when You come in to Your Kingdom!

As I mentioned in a recent post, lately God has been asking me to become more aware of the various charisms He gives to us, the members of the Body of Christ. Thanks be to God and his priests, there is an Awakening going on in my soul. This may sound corny. I do not care. I am, and always have been, a bit of a country girl. In the Kentucky of the 1930's, one of the delights of my grandmother Sara's youth was to feed the chickens on her family farm. Here in suburban Georgia, last month, at a recent parish mission, the priest talked about "entering the atmosphere of God's Kingdom," and he evoked an image in me of the recent movie I had seen earlier this summer with my husband and my son, "Apollo 13," with actor Tom Hanks.

In the movie, the astronauts do not make their lunar landing, as planned. They do, however, leave the atmosphere of their home planet, Earth. They circle the moon and view the Earth from afar. This has happened to me with the terrible sufferings of what has happened in Regnum Christi and the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ. Sufferings shoot us out of ourselves, making us so vulnerable. So often, it can make us bitter; and, we may choose to leave our "homeland," which is God's Love and Mercy, for a long time.

Thanks be to God, this did not happen to me. I asked, and asked, and asked again for Mary to "hold me." I asked the Blessed Mother to pray to Jesus, her Divine Son, Who will refuse nothing she asks. I asked her to ask Him to tell me what I need to stay the course and live out the Father's Holy Will for my life. In a nutshell, the answer was the Holy Spirit.

So, I do not know everything. I do know that I am loved and blessed beyond my wildest imaginings. That is so good. On that, I can hang my hat. On that, I can call it a new day, a day in which I am open and ready to love others as God loves. When I fail, I jump in to Mary's lap, which is mysteriously the Seat of Wisdom.

I answered my grandmother's blessing this morning during my prayer time. I told her, "I am just starting to know what 'more than you'll ever know' is..." I am just starting to know.

May Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.

Renewed, restructured, repurposed...

2011-08-18T08:04:00.008-05:00

...recycled, re-invited, revised...what more comes to mind? At the end of last school year, I responded "Yes" to an invitation to attend a one-day (Saturday) Catholic Charismatic Conference, here in suburban Atlanta. It was a day dedicated to "praise and teaching." My heart and mind were renewed. I was taught in a very special way, hard to articulate for me, even with two university degrees (was graduated in 1989 from Brown University, B.A. with Honors; and, again, in 1992, from Vanderbilt University, M.A. with Honors.) that God's Wisdom is truly not human wisdom. I have been thinking and praying lately that I desire and need the Holy Spirit to guide my steps, as we enter in to a new school year. Our children are 15, 13 and 10.

I am a wife and mother. Thanks be to God and to my faithful husband, I have, throughout most of my almost 17 years of marriage been a stay-at-home wife and mother. We began homeschooling 6 years ago and this little work has done so much to enrich our life of faith and grace, within the arms of Mother Church. We try hard to ask God to increase our faith, hope and love. We often fall short and are very human ("in the flesh" as one dear sister in Christ recently expressed to me). His grace is surely enough, and that is an awesome reality indeed. Alleluia!

I enjoy looking at the odds and ends around our house, garage and yard, especially our eclectic mix of furniture, and see how we can move things around, paint something, or use some thing or some place in our home for something a little fresher, a little different from what or where it has been. I think our awesome God, in His infinite creativity, often looks at our lives that way. He is inviting us to change. We know this.

If we set about to plan our daily lives -- daily, weekly, monthly...into retirement-- without Him and the Spirit of God, we will surely "poop out" and find ourselves exhausted and depleted. This has happened to "me and mine" on several occasions. On the other hand, we must turn to his holy mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and hear the Words of her Spouse, "Repent and believe the good news!" The Sacrament of Penance saves us over and over and keeps us humble, secure and free.

This summer 2011, I have been hearing God tell me to turn to Him, to wait on the Lord and let Him fill me with His grace and purpose FIRST, then I can "go out and make disciples of all the nations." Here is the big news that is big and little, at the same time:

We wives and moms are called to make these disciples first and foremost in our homes among brother husband and sister daughter. Among brother son. Among brother dog and sister cat. If I may add, with a bit of reverant humor, among brother dust and sister laundry!

I am off to do some cooking and to pray a morning offering with our son. I hope and pray for renewal in Mother Church, starting with one domestic church at a time.

Please, Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary, renew this wife and mother's heart. Bring my heart between your Holy Hearts and make a "heart sandwich". I want my heart to be completely consumed by the fires of Divine Love, so that all evils will be conquered, especially those evils that hatch so close to home through the internet, salacious advertising and music, and general concupiscence. May Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Holy Will be Done in us, as persons and as families, now and throughout all eternity. Amen.

Beach Vacation 2011

2011-06-10T10:27:00.003-05:00

Easter Blessings 2011!

2011-04-28T17:41:00.005-05:00

I will hopefully add some family photos to this post soon. Spiritual renewal is ongoing; and, this time of year we feel the blessing and power of the Resurrection. We pray to be risen, to live and work and see all reality with that supernatural vision that faith in Jesus Christ and His Mission give us. I have ups and downs like everyone, even still, there is one constant thought in my mind -- it is the utter and absolute amazement that Christ would die for us sinners. This is inseparable from the reality that He rose for us too, so that we would have the courage and confidence to accept our adoption as children of God.

For a wonderfully inspiring article that encourages us to see how St. Therese can give such timely spiritual guidance throughout the Easter season, go here.

“Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples” (Matthew 28:8).

"Ascending on high he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men." (Ephesians 4:10)

The Teaching of St. Therese on Purgatory

2011-04-11T19:40:00.001-05:00

The link is here.

from all your idols I will cleanse you...

2011-04-09T08:34:00.001-05:00

Canticle – Ezekiel 36:24-28
The Lord will renew his people
They will be his own people, and God himself will be with them, their own God (Revelation 21:3).

I will take you away from among the nations,
gather you from all the foreign lands,
and bring you back to your own land.

I will sprinkle clean water upon you
to cleanse you from all your impurities,
and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
I will give you a new heart
and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts
and giving you natural hearts.

I will put my spirit within you
and make you live by my statutes,
careful to observe my decrees.

You shall live in the land I gave your fathers;
you shall be my people,
and I will be your God.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

from Morning Prayer (Divineoffice.org)

Prayer of St. Teresa of Avila to keep keeping Lent

2011-04-08T19:35:00.002-05:00

“Why O Lord, should I be preoccupied with my fears and lose courage in the face of my weakness? You give me to understand that I must fortify myself in humility, and convince myself that I can do very little alone, and that without your help I am nothing. I shall put all my confidence in your mercy, and shall distrust my own strength, convinced that my weakness is caused by my self-reliance. You teach me not to be astonished at my struggle, for when a soul wishes to give itself over to mortification, it encounters difficulties on all sides. Does it wish to give up its ease? What a hardship! To scorn a point of honor? What a torture! To endure harsh words? Intolerable suffering! In short, it becomes filled with extreme sadness, but as soon as it resolved to die to the world, every anguish is at an end.”

Saint Teresa of Avila

I was over at the Catholic Spiritual Direction blog and found this prayer. Perfect timing!

Our Lady of the Annunciation, pray for us!

2011-03-25T07:20:00.002-05:00

This prayer is from the Invitatory on DivineOffice.org:

Prayer to Our Lady of the Annunciation

Queen of heaven and earth,
daughter of the Father,
Mother of the divine Son,
spouse of the Holy Spirit,

I praise God for the unique grace given to you.
Mary, you became the great Mother of our divine Savior,
our Master, true Light of the world,
uncreated Wisdom, source of all truth and first Apostle of truth.
You gave the world the book to read, the eternal Word.

For this I bless the holy Trinity
and I ask you to obtain for me
the grace of heavenly wisdom,
to be a fervent disciple of Jesus
and to be lovingly devoted to the Church,
the pillar of truth.

Make the light of the Gospel
shine to the farthest bounds of the earth.
Queen of the Apostles, pray for us!

Prayer Source: Fr. James Alberione SSP

A Poem for March

2011-03-15T07:59:00.000-05:00

Written in March

THE cock is crowing,
The stream is flowing,
The small birds twitter,
The lake doth glitter
The green field sleeps in the sun;
The oldest and youngest
Are at work with the strongest;
The cattle are grazing,
Their heads never raising;
There are forty feeding like one!

Like an army defeated
The snow hath retreated,
And now doth fare ill
On the top of the bare hill;
The plowboy is whooping- anon-anon:
There's joy in the mountains;
There's life in the fountains;
Small clouds are sailing,
Blue sky prevailing;
The rain is over and gone!

William Wordsworth

Snapshot from parish St. Patrick's day party...

2011-03-13T19:16:00.001-05:00

from Morning Prayer

2011-02-23T09:41:00.000-05:00

READING 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Praised be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all consolation! He comforts us in all our afflictions and thus enables us to comfort those who are in trouble, with the same consolation we have received from him. As we have shared much in the sufferings of Christ, so through Christ do we share abundantly in his consolation.

Loving Christ Jesus

2011-02-14T14:26:00.004-05:00

Reading this blog post by Mark Mallett and trying to stay upbeat even though we have a lingering stomach-flu over here. It gives more time for prayer; I wish I had more energy for cleaning.

This post is sure to warm the soul.

from the Liturgy of the Hours

2011-02-13T09:24:00.002-05:00

An answer to prayers of late:

"...Be glad then that you are overwhelmed, and do not be saddened because he has overcome you. A thirsty man is happy when he is drinking, and he is not depressed because he cannot exhaust the spring. So let this spring quench your thirst, and not your thirst the spring. For if you can satisfy your thirst without exhausting the spring, then when you thirst again you can drink from it once more; but if when your thirst is sated the spring is also dried up, then your victory would turn to your own harm.

Be thankful then for what you have received, and do not be saddened at all that such an abundance still remains. What you have received and attained is your present share, while what is left will be your heritage. For what you could not take at one time because of your weakness, you will be able to grasp at another if you only persevere. So do not foolishly try to drain in one draught what cannot be consumed all at once, and do not cease out of faintheartedness from what you will be able to absorb as time goes on..."

Second reading
From a commentary on the Diatessaron by Saint Ephrem, deacon
God’s word is an inexhaustible spring of life
Office of Readings 2/13/2011

February Daybook

2011-02-07T09:20:00.007-05:00

I am listening to...

Dogs laping up water and circling the kitchen ready to go out after a late breakfast.

I am wearing...

Lots of layers as the rain makes me cold.

I am so grateful for...

My husband's job, my children's strong bodies and active minds, my arthritis.

I'm pondering...

The best possible rhythmn for an inspired, Catholic family life. Every family has different needs, challenges, joys, sorrows that go in to the way they work out their schedule. It is a juggling act; and, we need not work so hard at it that there is no room to let God help us. I find that when I push too hard, all the balls fall.

I am reading...

"The Secret Garden" aloud to our son (so good!) and many other things. I was over reading this post by Elizabeth Foss this morning and it gave me needed time and space to pray and think and breathe about our approach to education, especially religious education. It all starts at home and ends at home.

I am thinking...

So much about how we live and how we might live a better quality of life. I am frustrated by "suburban sprawl" and its difficulties. Catholics see "challenges" and "opportunities" in every circumstance and our adventure of home education has greatly helped in "making lemonade from lemons." I am trying hard to pray, study and think and do little things to help the children and young be prepared for what I think will surely be some very challenging times ahead in our social landscape.

I am creating...

Too much clutter on our main level. I am constantly piling things on the dining room table, kitchen table, and kitchen counters and have plenty of room to organize a little prayer corner and "mini study" up in our master bedroom. I am creating this in my mind, now to get the job done! Like many, we do most of our homeschooling at the kitchen table. I need a new habit of taking things up in the mornings, after coffee and up again in the evenings after tea ("pegging" as many moms call it).

To live the Liturgy...

Jay and I are watching the Ken Burns series on the Civil War off Netflix and tomorrow us the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita of Sudan so I pulled our Pauline biography off the shelf of this saint and hope to read it over the next couple of days. I hope to make at least one daily Mass this week and to get us AS A FAMILY to Confession. This has been very hard this school year.

I am hoping and praying...

That with our BELOVED pastor leaving that things will work out to give God glory. I am praying for many intentions.

Around the House...

Really need to create the mini study upstairs and keep the main level clutter free.

From the kitchen...

Made a chicken and fresh broccoli casserole last night that was a hit, served with hot buttered rice.

One of my favorite things...

A husband who hoses off the back patio and stepping stones out back on a weekend when he is tending to lots of driving, animal care..."He does things for me, I do things for him" (from an article I read last week on marriage-- I'll add link later,if I think of it).

A few plans for the rest of the week...

So happy with son's ice hockey camp and homeschool ice skating at The Ice here in Cumming. Making plans for upcoming swim team banquet for the girls and big grandparent visit (we have three winter bdays that we will celebrate together). And, need to make small steps every day toward that upstairs space and back to "tried and true" de-clutter habits and add a few new ones, by God's grace.

Picture thoughts...

We are less than two weeks away from a big 10 for our son, and just celebrated the big 13 for JB, so here is this:

You are the hands with which He is to bless men now.

2011-02-01T12:01:00.002-05:00

I just found this quote attributed to St. Teresa of Avila in this book:

Christ has no body on earth but yours,
no hands but yours, no feet but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which is to look out
Christ's compassion to the world;
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about
doing good;
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.

His grace is sufficient for the task at hand...

2011-01-31T13:46:00.004-05:00

I was over here pausing for a little prayer time and cannot believe how the Scriptures give the good and wise counsel needed for me personally but even down to the exact challenges that I face today.

Here is the concluding prayer, and it is like music to my ears:

Father,
yours is the harvest
and yours is the vineyard:
you assign the task
and pay a wage that is just.
Help us to meet this day’s responsibilities,
and let nothing separate us from your love.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

St. John Bosco, pray for us!

Authentic Compassion

2011-01-23T17:04:00.003-05:00

This blog post over at La Salette Journey gives a thought-provoking meditation on compassion. As I prayerfully work out my vocation as a Catholic married woman, I hope that the "fear and trembling" caused by the action of the Holy Spirit clarifies my spiritual vision.

Open my eyes, Lord! Open my ears, Mother!

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

Queen of Heaven, pray for us!

2011-01-18T13:47:00.002-05:00

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

I am posting this link for the amazing artwork included at the bottom of the Wikipedia article. May the Mother of Mercy bring us to Life Everlasting!

Savoring Christmas Memories and Joyful Winter Decluttering....

2011-01-17T17:41:00.017-05:00

Is decluttering really a word? It is a wonderful concept. A noble action. Removing clutter, a.k.a. "decluttering," is my 2011 resolution.

Webster's defines "clutter" as both noun and verb. It is "an untidy mess, a state of disorder" or "liter, things left around untidily." As well, to clutter is "to disorder, make untidy."

So, to declutter is to role one's sleeves up and put things in proper order. I like it. I need it. I was just telling the girls that I love seeing the human hope for renewal and improvement that roles around every January. All the shops showcase cleverly designed shelving, colorful storage boxes and some very nice exercise suits. In these North Atlanta suburbs, the air is full of resolution and of home and self improvement.

As Catholics, we pass on to our young the idea that "Hope springs eternal." From the Sacraments, God's grace springs forth giving us baptized faithful life, renewal, strength and reconciliation. We Catholics are called to declutter our souls regularly through daily prayer, good works, frequent reception of our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation (also called Penance and Confession).

We had the beautiful gift of hosting our dear family friends from Miami over Christmas week. Other homeschooling friends joined us for Christmas feasting; and, it was one of the merriest Christmas seasons of my life. My dear sisters in Christ have always shown me the joys of authentic Catholic housekeeping and homeschooling. We all know that joy is not an absence of pain. My personal experience is that joy increases where there is deep and abiding faith. We are up against a culture that challenges our faith on so many levels. But back to Christmas and grace-filled resolutions for 2011...

All of us moms enjoyed revisiting certain practical and spiritual topics; and I felt the quiet, yet powerful, presence of the Holy Spirit in all of the love and friendship of our Christmastide festivities and warm, homey visits. Along side all the festivities with our homeschooling brothers and sisters in Christ, we gathered with grandparents and much loved brothers and sisters in Christ from our parish during Christmastide, including Happy New Year 2011! It was so hard to get back to work and school, but God had a marvelous plan! We had just been back to the "daily grind" for a week when we got a HUGE and wonderful SNOW. We were trapped and I was about as far from "cabin fever" as you can get (I was hoping for more snow!).

As the snowstorm hit ten or so days ago, I was surprised at the blessing of this gift to stay put for a number of days. My houseguests had left the house cleaner than when they came, so I kept the cleaning/decluttering ball rolling. I also gave much more time than usual to quiet and to prayer. I realized how much shopping that I had been doing and how exhausting and depleting that can be for me. With our middle child's 13th birthday this week, we finished our snow days making merry with friends and family again over these past few days.

I know God speaks to us through our friendships and our daily duties and our family ups and downs. The good news for us Sullivans is that 2011 is already, and I pray it continues, a year of rolling up the sleeves and decluttering our souls, our home and our schedule. I learn every year that our sweet Savior and His Blessed Mother, draw us in to their Holy Hearts. Jesus and Mary want us to help them save souls.

An act of housekeeping, a home-cooked meal,a warm embrace from a loved one, a listening ear or kind remark can all be little works of redemption. Wow and Alleluia all at once! We must keep house for Christ and build a strong Mother Church from our little domestic churches. God will bring us guests and make us guests of His awesome Love and Mercy. Jesus burns for love of us, fallen creatures that we are. He wants us to give every possible effort to allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with His Eucharistic Heart. We must, in earnest, ask the Mother of Mercy to hide us in her Immaculate Heart so that we will be properly disposed to receive her Son in a spirit of truth and light. I am reading an excellent treatment of this, The Passion of the Infant Christ, by Caryll Houselander.

Read this book. It could change your life, and we must pray for the grace to be constantly changing and growing. May we all bless God in thought, word and deed. I look forward to all of us making Confession soon, knowing in my heart that Holy Mother Church will declutter her children. I am learning more and more about our Heavenly Father's plan for all of His children. He wants us all to be a new creation in Christ Jesus. We have only to ask our Blessed Mother for her help, and grace will do the work in our souls.

Thank you, Lord Jesus and Mother Mary for all of our many blessings! May the Infant Christ reign in our hearts -- Amen.

Great Conversion Story

2010-12-10T07:24:00.002-05:00

Confessions of a Convert by Robert Hugh Benson

Our first Thanksgiving in the 'new' house

2010-11-25T15:24:00.005-05:00

Our MENU 2010
a 16lb oven-roasted TURKEY (first one)
jellied cranberries
green beans
gourmet mac and cheese (recipe below)
mashed potatoes and gravy
baked sweet potatoes and marshmallows
homemade stuffing casserole
yeast rolls and Irish butter
Joybeth's pumpkin bread
pumpkin pie and whipped cream

My daughter, Jb was looking through the November Food Network Magazine and she came across "Bobby Flay's Macaroni & Cheese Carbonara." We decided to make the recipe for Thanksgiving 2010 and I wanted to share the recipe with you!

Unsalted Butter, for the baking dish
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1-inch thick slice pancettam cut into small dice (or fatty part of bacon)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk, hot
4 large egg yolks, lightly whisked
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups grated asiago cheese, plus more for top
1 1/2 cups grated Irish white cheddar cheese, plus more for top
1 1/2 cups grated American Cheddar cheese, plus more for top
1 cup aged fontina cheese, plus more for top
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for top
Kosher salt & ground black pepper
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked just under al dente
1/2 cup coarsley chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves.

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Butter the bottowm and sides of a 10-by-10-by-2-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
3. Add the garlic to the fat in the pan & cook until lightly golden brown, 1 minute. Whisk in the flower & cook for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk, raise the heat to high & cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 3 to about 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated & let cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat & whisk in the thyme, cayenne & all the different cheeses until completely melted. Season with salt & pepper. If the mixture appears to thick, add additional warm milk, 1/4 cup at a time.
4. Put the cooked macaroni in a large bowl, add the cheese sauce, reserved pancetta, and the parsley. Stir until combined. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
5. Combine an addition 1/4 cup each asiago, cheddars, fontina, & parmesan in a bowl & sprinkle evenly over the top. Bake until the dish is heated through and the top is a light golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

God is weaving the tapestry of life and using everything!

2010-11-02T15:58:00.006-05:00

Dear children; With motherly perseverance and love I am bringing you the light of life to destroy the darkness of death in you. Do not reject me, my children. Stop and look within yourselves and see how sinful you are. Be aware of your sins and pray for forgiveness. My children, you do not desire to accept that you are weak and little, but you can be strong and great by doing God’s will. Give me your cleansed hearts that I may illuminate them with the light of life, my Son. Thank you.
Medjugorje message, November 2, 2010

I copied this utterly inspiring message from this blog. I am amazed at how pertinent this is to my life right now, in this very moment. I had my first day -- ever-- of physical therapy today and am really looking forward to working with Linnet, a young and capable woman, who has a plan to help me help myself to strengthen my body, especially my lower back. This commitment to physical therapy is itself the fruit of almost two years of monthly spiritual direction, one of the many gifts of my life in Regnum Christi.

I try hard to live a life filled with apostolic zeal and the daily perseverance required to live well (see Despite Lupus blog -- so good!) with a chronic illness is the same daily perseverance needed to pray well. I often do neither well. (I blog to reflect and to take time to count my blessings.) In my younger days, I was such a talker and loved to "think out loud," with a good friend. These days, I nearly crave silence, and I find that writing helps me get my thoughts out. I can put words to concerns and blessings. I can try to complain less and live more. I can stop and love the rich tapestry of life, even if my particular tapestry has lots of frayed spots!

I, by temperament (sanguine), am not one who likes to plan. I find it boring and would rather "fly by the seat of my pants". All my duties require flexibility, prudent spontaneity and, yes, lots of planning. Through the eyes and ears of faith, it is abundantly clear to me that I "cannot always get what I want but I just might find that I get what I need". I want to encourage myself and others to "work against themselves," meaning to dig hard and learn what it is that personally impedes LOVE. Through almost 10 years of living with "something like Lupus," I have found that I do not have to say "yes" to all the (perceived) needs and activities around me --that sounds anti-Gospel but HOLD ON...

I must say "yes" to Christ, "yes" to time in prayer, "yes" to interruptions and to duties, "yes" to a daily rhythm that leaves a calm and smiling face on this constantly tired and achy woman and "yes" to laughter and to tears. "Yes," my Lord, "yes," my Mother, I will stop and garner strength from the Holy Spirit, so that I am not sinking in to my lower nature, sinking in to the sin that potentially separates me from who God has created me to be. For me, making the commitment to Regnum Christi was a means to deepen my practice of the Catholic Faith. Living in the "ever ancient, ever fresh" daily routine of prayer and penance is to continually feel the providential hand of the most perfect and loving Blessed Trinity, Who has the answers to all the questions, even those questions that we do not, as yet, know exactly how to formulate.

God makes no mistakes. We are perfectly capable, in any and all circumstances, to be a conduit for His Love and His most glorious salvation. This makes even a tired person smile. I cannot express properly how humiliating life with chronic illness can be; at the same time, it is a great blessing to be able to stop and offer all of the physical and psychological pain for my own salvation and the salvation of others, as if it were a lovely pearl. This is the gift of suffering -- it is a time to open up, to share with those around you that THIS IS NOT ALL THERE IS. We are pilgrims. We are going somewhere and all of these exercises are preparations to draw us closer and closer to Him who is LOVE.

I have a dear friend who I have not seen in too long, and she used to tell me that God "wastes nothing and weaves everything!" (maybe from St. Paul?) It is so true. We ought to pause often throughout the day and think of Heaven. Heaven is, in some ways, as near as the beating of our hearts. Heaven is always challenging us to change -- to be better, holier and happier.

Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us!

Thoughts as we approach All Hallows Eve, All Saints, and All Souls

2010-10-17T09:27:00.010-05:00

Counting our blessings: we lived in such a good neighborhood for 15 years and enjoyed such lovely, wholesome Halloween celebrations with a hay ride and chili cookoff before the trick or treating began. I wish I could find the photo the year the girls and I dressed up as a medieval queen and princesses. Every year, my husband carves the pumpkins and roasts the seeds with lots of seasoning salt. Usually, his parents have come down to enjoy the children and help hand out candy and watch an old classic movie.

Still counting our blessings: we are in a new, much smaller neighborhood with many kind people and families, and the annual, fall festival atmostphere of our Roswell celebrations accompany us here. The memories of good people and good times help us to bring forth new celebrations and new friends. We have our Faith and have always had many good family prayers around this time to the holy souls and to the saints. One year we even made a little saints museum in one of the children's rooms as the big days (read good link on All Hallows Eve, All Saints and All Souls) approached. At our parish (which has not changed, even though we moved farther north), there is that lovely feeling of expectation for Advent, just a few weeks away! Fall blazes in and out so quickly; it is such a lovely time of year!

Each year, in August, I pick a saint to pray to for our homeschooling. Education means to nurture; and, many parents see the family as a garden, a place where we work, play and pray to bring forth good produce. I have asked St. Gemma Galgani to be our special, educational protectress this year. It is not an easy culture within which to raise children and young people.

I regret letting my children read and watch all the Harry Potter stories, but I have to move forward continuing to humbly pray for the Blessed Mother's intercession and the fathomless Mercy of Christ our King, our Lord and Savior of all who call upon Him in faith, hope and love. Of these, the greatest is LOVE.

Here is my Halloween post from last year.

I just found this thought provoking article.

St. Gemma Galgani, pray for us and for all families striving to bring up their young in the best possible garden.

Let's work hard against contempt, let's adore Him, let's love...

2010-10-15T08:17:00.015-05:00

"We can only learn to know ourselves and do what we can -- namely, surrender our will and fulfill God's will in us." --St. Teresa of Avila

I have a few quiet moments and am thinking about how fast the rest of the year will go by...and, I want to bring a grateful heart to each day, not worrying if I "get everything done". I am a "worry wart," as they used to call my grandpa (my dad's dad). It is important for me to stop and see the big picture, to stop and adore our Eucharistic Lord, even when I am not directly in front of the Blessed Sacrament. He, the Prince of Peace is, so very mysteriously, living inside of me and, as a beautiful song goes, "He is the air I breathe..."

We are all called to be living tabernacles. I love this thought and know that the Incarnation made this all possible. No wonder so many love Christmas. The miracle of Christmas is the gift of Mother Church. Christ came as a baby and would become even smaller in the Sacred Host (think of that!). As a convert, I am still learning and renewing, via His sacramental graces, my knowledge of the truths of the Faith. We know that Purgatory is the "Church Suffering" and that we, pilgrims on earth, are the "Church Militant" and that all persons are created to journey in faith, hope and love to our ultimate destiny of utter refuge, known to Catholics as the "Church Triumphant."

Heaven is the goal. It is the place to which we run. I was talking to some of the members of my Regnum Christ small prayer group (know as our "Encounters with Christ")about the idea that Heaven will be, for me, a place not of rest, as we tend to think of it. As a disabled person, I like to think of Heaven as a place where we are always free to move, free to act with verve and full-blown energy to love perfectly all the time. Come to think of it, that would be eternal rest because we would "rest" in the peace of a fully certain conscience, meaning that our hearts would be utterly pure. We would be unencumbered by our mental, emotional and physical disabilities. Living fully in the embrace of the Blessed Mother gazing in complete communion with the Blessed Trinity, we would be one act of pure love all of the time -- Heaven!!!

I know it is not a sin to be tired, but, as I am so tired so much of the time, I am blessed, if you will, to think, from time to time, of all the good works that I could initiate, if I were to have more energy. Alas, nothing is wasted! What I mean by that is that we can pray with all of our might for souls. We can offer everything up to Him who is Love. And, we must do what we can when we can to inspire and encourage ourselves and others.

We can offer each and every aspect of our daily lives for the salvation of souls, beginning first with our own. A related item I have been pondering is the fact that we must work and pray very hard not to be contemptuous of our own failings or those of others. Our Lord warns us of the only "unforgivable sin" being (all) that which opposes the Holy Spirit (do not quench the Spirit!). God never fails to forgive. We condemn ourselves. We know this. When we make our morning offering and ask for the special intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we must do so humbly and in full recognition of our potential for contempt, of ourselves and of others.

I just looked up contempt and you may be given a bit of a jolt --it is from the Latin contemnere, meaning to despise. Wow! Contempt is "an attitude to something (or someone, I add) which one despises as worthless, insignificant or vile; total disregard." (Webster's)

I believe this is key to understanding the internal persecutions of Mother Church. When any human person is deemed worthless (which can happen internally or externally, or both), then the demons leap in to the situation. When an idea that is good, truthful and beautiful is distorted, then the same occurs. The godly practices of celibacy for the Kingdom, worship of the Blessed Sacrament, family prayer, parish renewal, true friendship, authentic love, filial obedience to Mother Church -- there are so many more -- when these are held in contempt, watch out!

But first, return every hour of every day to the Lord with your whole heart. Ask our Lady to be your mother, to guide you, pray with you and for you. Ask for prayers from the holy souls and pray for them (then you will have "friends in high places," as I tell the kids). Here is a good link on Purgatory.

The one, sure prophetic word of God is to love. Spending time in front of the Blessed Sacrament will increase your capacity to love, of this I am sure for I have experienced it in my own life. I know it to be true both from doctrine and from experience. Both are good and sound. Only magisterial doctrine is constant, but it must be experienced to be transmitted, so that we may evangelize the world.

Is it possible that the teaching can be more sound, more constant, than the teacher? I am speaking of apostles, not our Lord Himself, of course. He mysteriously acts through clay pots. I have more cracks than most! I do know that true and real devotion to our Blessed Mother includes an ardent desire to free the holy souls from Purgatory.

Holy Souls in Purgatory, pray for us! I pray that the holy souls know that we care, that they do have us to pray for them and that they will help us love ourselves as children of the Most High God the Father and that they will help us love others as our Savior has loved us! Amen

St. Teresa of Avila (my Confirmation saint), pray for all inhabitants of this good earth!

Christ's Kingdom is Mother Church

2010-10-06T11:11:00.002-05:00

This is our great hope and our invocation, ‘Your Kingdom come!’—a Kingdom of peace, justice and serenity, which will re-establish the original harmony of creation. —POPE JOHN PAUL II, General Audience, November 6th, 2002, Zenit

This compelling quote is from a beautiful writing from Mark Mallet on the Kingdom.

If I get hit by a bus today, I want to say that Christ's Kingdom is Mother Church. I think that Mark Mallet is right in saying (what the Catechism says too) that Mother Church must follow our Lord and Savior through His Passion to His Resurrection. In the great mystery of time and eternity this happens on many levels (...it did happen, does happen and will happen with greater perfection...). The Church has a journey through time, just as each Christian has a journey through time. To some extent, through Christ's institution of the Holy Eucharist, the Kingdom reigns now in the hearts of those who receive the sacred Body and Blood in a state of grace. The enemies of the soul (world, flesh, demons) are constantly hammering us, and this God permits to prepare us for eternal life (...more and more, I realize that He permits our being "pummeled" because, like any coach worth his salt, the Prince of Peace, knows that freedom from sin and peace of heart, come in the midst of a great spiritual battle...).

It is so beautiful that we live a very full life in Christ and His Kingdom through the Church and her Sacraments. The Kingdom of God will never be an earthly kingdom; but, for me, reading prophecy gives me a sense of urgency to bring as many souls to the fullness of truth that is the one, holy Catholic and apostolic Church, as established by Christ Himself on the rock of His Holy Vicar, the Holy Father. I read prophet and saints to also help me put on the full armor of the Holy Spirit (knowing there are always, due to original sin, cracks in my armor) to wage war against my own rebellious spirit, the world and the devils. The Regnum Christi movement gives lay persons spiritual tools to do this. These tools are available to any practicing Catholic, indeed the life of prayer is "ever ancient, ever fresh," as St. Augustine says.

As I was praying about being called to join Regnum Christi, I had this sense that, in joining this ecclesial movement, our Lord Jesus would help me draw closer to the Blessed Mother. So far, this has happened. I hope I can describe this aspect of my journey of faith in a later post....but, another day, as I have to get back to homeschooling our fourth grader...TKC!

Spiritual training and the "development of the moral imagination"

2010-09-30T13:48:00.005-05:00

I am over here reading author and artist Michael O' Brien's thoughts and experiences regarding the "Harry Potter" series. This is a long quote,written by O'Brien and is in the preface of his new book on the "HP" series, but so worth reading:

...The imagination is a phenomenally powerful faculty of the interior life of human beings. How it functions, and how it assimilates and recreates images and concepts into new forms, remains to some degree a mystery. It is like an empty stage, and whatever comes to habitually take place on that stage depends largely on what we choose through the will and the intellect to put there—or to allow to remain there. The imagination’s dramas can be generated by the literal events in the environment around us, by powerful emotional and sensory stimuli, and by painful and joyful experiences. It is also the arena where the subconscious mind dramatizes desires and conflicts (either in dreams or waking fantasies), where the lower appetites throw up images, sometimes exalted, sometimes sinful, sometimes a mixture of these. The imagination also tends to reflect the preoccupations and the spiritual condition of the society around us.

In addition, the imagination is a screen onto which the evil spirits can “project” images, temptations presented as stimulating entertainments, offering us pleasurable rewards if we give in to the temptation. The more we give in, the more this dimension of the imagination grows, the more it becomes a vehicle of enchantment of the will, then obsession, and if not wholly repented of, ending in some degree of bondage to evil. If we want to become whole and healthy, the imagination must be trained, just as the body, the rational intellect, and the will must be trained. Any one of these aspects of our personhood, if not brought under discipline and self-mastery with the help of grace, can lead to the domination of the part over the whole. The development of a moral imagination, therefore, demands as much self-restraint and proper direction as an athlete exercises over his body.

St. Jerome, pray for us!

TKC! (con't)

2010-09-23T07:49:00.005-05:00

"A Place to Hang Your Hat"

One day, when I was a young, first-time mom, I sat down to try to write a short story called, "A Place to Hang Your Hat." Down the road, I want to work on expressing what was going on in my mind and heart, as I thought about this story. First, I will give a bit of personal backstory:

I love to read, and there is nothing better than a well-constructed story to teach us the problems, depths and joys of the human heart. When I was in college at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, my dear friend, Sophie, introduced me to the fiction of Flannery O'Conner. Now, is that not funny that a southern girl (me) goes to college in the northeast, and there finds the work of one of the best southern artists to have ever lived! In those college days, I read and wrote and discussed ideas all the time. I had already become, during my senior year in high school, very interested in the writing of Ernest Hemingway and the ideas of Karl Marx. I gravitated, at Brown, to a literature and history program that was founded by two professors who were both "literary Marxists," of a sort. There was an entire range of Leftist intellectual "dabblings" among the professors; I say "dabblings" because there was --fortunately-- no real coherence; and, again --fortunately-- there was a good deal of plain old compassion and common sense, possibly vestigal to the professors' earlier classical studies (just a theory).

(must go do laundry -- to be continued...) St. Pio, pray for us!

What does "TKC!" mean? My first draft

2010-09-22T13:07:00.010-05:00

Be prepared to put your life on the line in order to enlighten the world with the truth of Christ; to respond with love to hatred and disregard for life; to proclaim the hope of the risen Christ in every corner of the earth.

—POPE BENEDICT XVI, Message to the Young People of the World, World Youth Day, 2008

(quote taken from Mark Mallet's blog)

When I was very sick, after our son was born, I discovered Mark Mallet's music and drew strength from it and his writing. Recently, I re-discovered his writing, thanks be to God. It is at a time in my own journey of faith when I am struggling to improve and live closer to God and His Will. As an aside, something Mark said (somewhere?) in his writing made me reflect on the process of writing: writing is a gift from God and, over and over in my life, I have found that I learn as I write. This is okay. A writer does not have to have it all figured out to perfection before sitting down to write.

Well, as my husband often tells our oldest child, "we must often generalize first before delving into the specifics." Some young people, especially those of the dominant intraverted temperament, have trouble with generalizations. In our daughter's case, and sometimes even in the case of my husband (he would not mind my sharing this), the intravert's sense of justice often thrashes at the obscurity of a generalization or a "not-flushed-out" premise or rhetorical question.

Back to the topic at hand (smile), I am just a housewife and a mom. I love being a housewife and a mom. Over the period of about 4 years, I kept hearing in my prayers a call to join Regnum Christi. I was following a rule of life and trying hard to make all my thoughts, words and actions be little gifts to God. This was not because I was anything great, but I had, all thanks be to God and His graces, come to a certain place spiritually.

I would describe that as a place where we know we are home. We know Who God is, and we want, more than anything on earth, to be a member of His family, both now and throughout all of eternity. This is a good place to be. It is the best place to be, and that is why the three enemies of the soul war with such force to move us from this place.

Christ's Kingdom is not of this earth, yet, at the same time, the light and salt of souls living on earth fully in a state of grace is akin to the Blessed Virgin's standing on the head of the serpent. The devils and his armies are blinded and bound by the light and love of such souls. To aspire to be a child of God is the goal of the earthly life, and it is what will get us to Heaven. To proclaim "TKC!" is to desire Heaven. Okay, think on that.

Please also realize that we often fall short, and sometimes, in this noble pursuit, we fall and fall hard. For those of us who often teeter out, or almost out, of the blessed state of grace, then confidence in our Guardian Angels, the intercession of the Blessed Virgin and the power of the Holy Eucharist will bring us back to full sanity. Sanity of the soul is all that really matters.

I have to go pick up our firstborn from school -- so, "to be continued" and, the good Lord be pleased to give me the time to do it, "to be polished up" too.

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!

2010-09-15T17:34:00.002-05:00

I am over here to wind down and marvel at the beauty of it all!

Reading Caryll Houselander...

2010-09-10T12:06:00.006-05:00

...and loving it. Here is a "freebie" from the Catholic Culture website. And, over here is one of the books that I am reading whose editor did a fine job.

I am amazed at how she, by her passionate adherence to the sacramental life of the Church and committment to daily prayer, maintained a sound mind and joyful, productive spirit during some very dark times. Our times of the "culture wars" are dark in a more interior way, and we have much to learn from her life. While we do not have to run with all of our might in to our air raid shelter, we must be so very vigilant about the "bombs" dropped on us by the three enemies of our soul.

A prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas

2010-08-23T11:57:00.003-05:00

We have had a few bumps in the road starting back to school, but God has blessed us with options. The girls are both, as of today, in school; and, Jay is still at home working here three days a week and at SJBA two days a week.

This prayer is so good:

"O Jesus, supreme Goodness, I ask You to give me a heart so enamored of You that nothing on earth can distract it...a free heart, never seduced or enslaved, an upright heart which never goes astray." (St. Thomas Aquinas from pg. 827 of the Divine Intimacy by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene, O.C.D.)

"I have seen the Lord!"

2010-07-22T08:32:00.003-05:00

The words of Mary Magdalene in today's Gospel reading, Jn 20:1-2, 11-18. I am copying the reading below, because, I chose this passage at my retreat in June as my ideal image of the Lord for this year. Jesus who is as close to us as our breath, who is there, even when we do not recognize Him. Our best teacher. The only One to Whom we should listen. When we do experience His true Presence, He knows we want to cling to Him, yet, as real Love does, He sends us forth to "preach" repentence and new life.

On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don't know where they put him."

Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb

and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"
She said to them, "They have taken my Lord,
and I don't know where they laid him."
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?"
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
"Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary!"
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
"Rabbouni," which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her,
"Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
'I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.'"
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
"I have seen the Lord,"
and then reported what he told her.

Some English Catholics who rocked their world...

2010-07-10T13:43:00.002-05:00

For now, I am just going to put some links and then hope to develop the topic some more:

written by Maisie Ward (excellent bibliography)

good blog post on the Catholic Evidence Guild

same blogger on Caryll Houselander

I got the image here

St. John the Baptist

2010-06-24T10:11:00.000-05:00

Gospel according to St. Luke Chapter 1: 57-66, 80

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child

she gave birth to a son.

Her neighbors and relatives heard

that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,

and they rejoiced with her.

When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,

they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,

but his mother said in reply,

“No. He will be called John.”

But they answered her,

“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”

So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.

He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”

and all were amazed.

Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,

and he spoke blessing God.

Then fear came upon all their neighbors,

and all these matters were discussed

throughout the hill country of Judea.

All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,

“What, then, will this child be?”

For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.

The child grew and became strong in spirit,

and he was in the desert until the day

of his manifestation to Israel.

Summer heat, summer stress, summer renew...

2010-06-17T10:43:00.002-05:00

I am so glad to re-find this blogger mom who has given me much inspiration for years now. I am so tired and stressed lately. I really need to get to daily Mass at least once a week! Please pray for me!

It is so pitiful --that it makes me smile-- thinking that I am just too tired to post a list of personal reading that I'd like to do this summer 2010.

Summer is for reading, is it not? It is for relaxing and refreshing the mind, body and soul. So far, little of those things. The tide needs to turn. I have learned in the past, time and time again, that if I want a change in our family habits and routines, well......... guess whose heart needs to change?

Encouraging Link

2010-05-26T10:07:00.002-05:00

I found the life lessons at the bottom so good.

A good booklist...

2010-05-13T18:42:00.001-05:00

This website has some wonderful resources.

Food that heal -- a good list

2010-05-11T19:32:00.001-05:00

This post has some titles I should get from the library first.

our Holy Father and "living in the digital world with a believer's heart..."

2010-05-08T10:03:00.002-05:00

I was over at Elizabeth Foss's blog and clicked on this link. Our Holy Father continually pours forth words of wisdom and encouragement as we face the battles unique to our times.

Turning yellow and pruning out cowardice...

2010-05-06T11:14:00.006-05:00

Note: Today is Friday, May14th, and I am re-reading this and seeing how opaque my language is...in plain language: what I mean is that it takes courage to frequent the Sacrament of Penance. I have been very regular with Confession for the past 4 years, and I still find it hard to go and allow our Savior to prune me. Our Lord Jesus Christ gave us the Sacraments so that we would flower abundantly during our earthly pilgrimmage and merit, only through His graces, Heaven.

My son and I spent hours digging and planting yesterday. The fresh air and sunshine did us both good. This year, I have not been getting enough physical exercise and recreation. A balance of prayer, rest and work is so necessary to keep one's prayer life from withering. Like the yellow leaves on sickly plants, there are yellow leaves on the flower of my soul that need a good pruning. This is an ongoing process. The first "cut," by the grace of God, has come from this blessed time of physical recreation in the garden. The next cut must come from the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

For a long time now, I remind myself that celebrating Confession just before Mass is like giving the devil the "one-two punch". I have high hopes of this coming Sunday's Eucharist. I cannot give what I do not have. It is so easy for me to succumb to sloth, both physically and spiritually.

We Christians are called to be salt and light. All fertilizers that help our plants grow are basically salts. Over and over, since I entered the Catholic Church at the vigil Mass of the first Sunday of Easter 2000, I have experienced a withering of my prayer life when I wait too long to go to Confession. Confession is God's will and His merciful Heart. We cannot give the mercy that we do not receive.

All praise and glory be to God, I see, in myself and others, the desire to be salt and light. This desire will not bear fruit without the courageous Love that comes from careful celebration of God's Sacraments.

Hail Mary, full of grace, blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus...

The Glories of Mary

2010-04-27T11:05:00.001-05:00

I just prayed the "Regina Coeli," and was looking around the internet researching this prayer, and found this online -- wow!

Lake Lanier and hitting the water locally...

2010-04-26T08:05:00.003-05:00

I have been poking around the internet looking at places I'd like to visit around Lake Lanier. This restaurant looks good and this marina would be fun to visit. This website has information on all the public access parks, but it looks like there is conflicting information regarding bringing your dogs along.

This outfitter is close by, and I would like to get in a trip before the peak season begins. I read in a local magazine that this outfitter up the road in Dawsonville has an indoor pool where they give kayaking lessons -- you can learn how to roll in a controlled environment.

River tubing is big around here -- the one trip we had planned in Jasper last summer was cancelled due to a thunder storm. I will add on to this post as I continue my research (the links are bear at this point, but I'll fill them in...)...

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black...

2010-04-24T15:44:00.001-05:00

I agree whole-heartedly with this essay....

Family in Kentucky on First Sunday of Easter

2010-04-19T20:15:00.006-05:00

the big drive

2010-04-06T08:43:00.005-05:00

I wish somehow I could capture the palpable softness that is in the air right now. As we made a whirlwind trip up to Kentucky, leaving last Friday and returning yesterday afternoon, I told my hubby that I felt as if we were driving through an Impressionist painting. There were so many redbud trees. Their lovely flowers stood out amongst the pale-green, baby leaves of the budding hardwoods. So, this morning, as I go around the house taking all the purple construction paper off our religious art (yes!), I want so very much to hold these early spring days in my heart. Our Savior is risen indeed: and, I have this sense that He is calling me to cast out all fear. God is the God of surprises. He is the Father who gives His children what they need, not necessarily what they want. He wants me to shed my fears. I had no idea that this would be my Easter blessing. I had little idea how coated in fear I am. I am reading and discovering some very powerful ideas about the Resurrection...

Hot sauce recipes

2010-03-26T20:13:00.002-05:00

I have been over at Melinda's website checking out recipes and products. I bought a bottle of their chipotle sauce at Ingles and am ready to spice up dinner time around here.

How language can set our hearts ablaze with Love...

2010-03-25T13:16:00.003-05:00

I had half an hour to read and pray a little...these reflections printed in Magnificat at the end of the Mass readings are rich indeed. This is from Mother Marie des Douleurs who was the foundress of the Benedictine sisters of Jesus Crucified. Since she died in 1983, I hope to have the time to research this inspired foundress. Here is a quote from the meditation:

She (Mary) put herself wholly into this perspective of final, absolute triumph, and we see her always in a golden light. She believed, not in a timid faith in tune with the weaknesses and vicissitudes of our present life, but with a faith in harmony with the awesome ardors of the Infinite. She had seen the reign of the Spirit of her Son, and in her serenity she was in no need of patience while waiting till the sparks led at last to the blaze of glory.

(italics mine -- wow!)

the apostolate of kindness

2010-03-17T21:44:00.003-05:00

I'm off to bed too late as I am not used to the time change. I was over here and love this...

And this from the Pope's Wednesday catechesis:

The Pope said that St. Bonaventure was "fascinated" by the idea that love still has sight in the “dark night of the Cross all the greatness of divine love appears: where reason no longer sees, love does. ... This is not anti-intellectual or anti-rational; it accepts the path of reason but transcends it in the love of the crucified Christ.”

St. Isaac Jogues, pray for us!

2010-03-08T14:27:00.002-05:00

For a special intention:

Saint Isaac, your love for Jesus was so great that you wanted all people to know and to love him too. You gave up everything you had -- even your life -- to bring the Good News of Jesus to the Native peoples of North America.

Help me to grow in love each day. Help me to imitate Jesus and to lead others to him just as you did. Ask God to give me the courage I need to live my Catholic faith, especially when I have to face problems or things that make me suffer. I want to believe, hope, and love as you did. Pray for me, Saint Isaac. Amen.

My food resolution...

2010-03-07T21:07:00.004-05:00

... that I wrote about in January...is hard to keep up. I cooked us up a good Sunday supper today. Last week, I was the "casserole queen." I made two casserole recipes out of my new Loretta Lynn cookbook that my in-laws gave me. This week, I'd like to try three new recipes (I printed them off the Internet and will try to go back and find the links.).

Hamburger/lentil soup, blueberry/banana bread and this chicken pot pie recipe.

Peeking ahead at next academic year....

2010-03-02T12:53:00.006-05:00

I am having a hard time doing a little work here on the computer as there is the MOST BEAUTIFUL SNOW here today in Georgia. My two academic passions are history and writing and here are two links that may assist us next year in 4th and 7th grades:

My friend Lisa loves this writing program, and I like the idea of the DVD tutorials. This review on LovetoLearn is most helpful.

CHC's motto "Educating for Eternity" has my heart, my full attention. I am looking at how they organize their history studies and plan to go dig up the CHC materials that I own and see how they differ from their most current editions.

The snow is such a delight and such a source of profound peace. The family is all here, all content, all quiet and all "tranquilized" by the pure, white blanket of beauty that surrounds us.

A link to soaking whole grains before cooking or baking...

2010-02-26T15:38:00.003-05:00

This recipe for "muffin bread" looks easy and appealing.

I am headed down to our parish, now a half hour drive south of us, to see our middle school youth group act out The Stations of the Cross. I think I overheard JB say that she is enacting Pontius Pilate. Should be good.

New cooking blog and basil muffins -- YUM!

2010-02-21T09:30:00.002-05:00

I just posted this blog on my sidebar, as I am really looking forward to continuing to push harder to: 1.) meal plan and shop ahead 2.) get the kiddos, including "number-one son" involved in food planning and preparation.

These zucchini-basil muffins look so good!

New writing by Anthony Esolen....

2010-02-19T16:53:00.001-05:00

When I have time later, I hope to read this.

Some recipes I'd like to try....

2010-02-19T16:16:00.005-05:00

I have never made pork ribs and just found this Portuguese recipe.

Also, over here are two meatless recipes:

***a bow-tie lasagna made with yellow squash -- looks so good and easy!

***a broccoli-cheese soup that looks easier than the 2 recipes that I've tried

I am cutting and pasting the bow-tie lasagna:

Bow-Tie Lasagna
4 cups spaghetti sauce (more or less to taste)
1 lb bow-tie pasta, cooked and drained
1 container ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 t basil
1/4 t garlic powder salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz mozzarella cheese
2 sml yellow squash, finely shredded

Heat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan, egg and spices. Lightly toss bow-ties with squash and ricotta mixture, Layer in a lasagna dish with sauce and mozzarella. Bake for about 1 hour.

Tomorrow: Happy 9th Birthday, Jaybird!

2010-02-19T15:41:00.007-05:00

He is such a happy boy! There is not a morning that goes by that I do not feel blessed to know this person. Motherhood has been, so far, for me, an opportunity to see God's Creation as something deeply beautiful. To our human eyes, it seems ever-changing. I suspect to our Creator, there is a profound constancy to life. When I am praying well, the tumult and irritations that are part of family life fade as I am able to see, day-to-day, the goodness of our Heavenly Father.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for creating me, for sending me such a Savior as You have sent us in your Son, our Lord -- and, thank you, Father for the gift of Motherhood, which has been, so far, my opportunity to learn from the Holy Spirit that human life is fleeting, yet, it is also mysteriously a timeless work of Your Divine Hands. Amen.

Soloman, David, truth and religion

2010-02-10T13:22:00.005-05:00

My son and I have been discusssing some of the daily Mass readings from the Old Testament, concerning the reigns of King David and King Soloman. The general conclusion was that man, poor sinner that he is (and we all are, to varying degrees), can know the truth of right religion and still, in his sinful humanity, manage to do many things contrary to this truth. We marvelled at King David's heartfelt desire, at the end of his life, to exhort his son, Soloman, to goodness. We were astonished, like the Queen of Sheba, at Soloman's Kingdom, his wisdom and his justice. Since we now live in the full knowledge of God's Revealation to man through His Son, Christ Jesus, this -- often maddening -- reality still fills the pages of history.

In an interesting parallel, this afternoon, JB, J and I were talking about various English and U.S. histories and again this topic comes up. How so? First, I was trying to sort out for Jay why the father and the mother of the "Pilgrim boy" in his ABEKA (a Protestant educational company)reader had left Stuart England, as "Separatists," to journey to Holland then to what would become the American colonies. Later, in our school day, we were discussing the heresy of Islam and the unification of Europe under Charlesmagne.

Let's take the Tudor and Stuart Kings and Queens and make some sweeping generalizations. Everyone, in the main, is trying really hard to be good. But, what a bloody mess! To this day, Americans (of the US of A) and people, in general, are very confused about which history of England speaks the "...truth, the whole truth, so help me God..." It is hard to navigate through these people and events and really know, without a shadow of doubt, the deeper, and absolute, truth that shines beyond the events. I am speaking of Mother Church as the star of history, if I may. She is eternally resplendant, perfect and pure, no matter what her adherents think, speak or do. It confuses the Catholic student of history when persons and events outside of our holy religion appear concurrently to Catholic persons and events who are, in some way, less than noble, right and beautiful. At the same time, the history of humanity from the beginning to the present, is filled with the lives of Catholic saints. (Just because there were those outside Mother Church who did -- and still do -- live saintly lives, we must not assume the Catholic Church to be untrue.) As we research and study, we must work hard to look at what was going on in the world from the eyes of faith. Some would murmur that faith is always subjective -- for example, I am a Catholic, so I will look to rationalize ("ration-a-lies") my version of persons and events in a way that makes my religion the one, true religion. This is often the human view and, in my opinion, why we are bogged down in the relativistic, "multicultural" cultural quagmire of today.

Well, I have bitten off more than I can chew, so here is my imperfect wrap up: we came to the conclusion that just because people are not true to their religion does not mean that their religion is not true. We think this phrase is a bit catchy and worthy of our attention. We, as Catholic evangelists, must work harder, especially with all the blessings given to the citizens of the US of A, to prove the authenticity of the authority of the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic church. Or, and I do fear this....or, we will end up throwing our inheritance in the garbage. I know God wants us all to clean up our acts, study harder, invite each other to meaningful dialogues and live as free and worthy subjects of Christ the King. God made his creation to be good, to think good thoughts and to be eternally inspired to actions that give glory to the one Son who was begotten and born of the Virgin Mother of God, she who is Queen of the Universe. God is one, but in His infinite mystery, God is three persons. In my opinion, there is no way to even come close to understanding the mystery of the Blessed Trinity without all seven Sacraments of holy Mother Church, as instituted by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

Lively English journalist...

2010-02-09T13:24:00.002-05:00

I want to read this post later today...it has been raining all day and, after lots of rain last week, our back yard is looking swampy. The dogs are getting on my nerves...time to hit the Rosary and give our Lady some roses.

Cardinal Avery Dulles

2010-02-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

I am making a note of this link for future research.

"...the loftiness of God..."

2010-02-08T09:58:00.002-05:00

This quote is taken from today's meditation in Magnificat. It is by St. Augustine:

We are striving for great things; let us lay hold of little things, and we shall be great. Do you wish to lay hold of the loftiness of God? First catch hold of God's lowliness.

Charlesmagne was truly magnus

2010-02-05T16:12:00.002-05:00

JB has a history test this coming Thursday. I am posting this link with fantastic maps...more soon...

Yummy new meatloaf recipe for Sunday supper...

2010-01-29T15:21:00.005-05:00

I just found this blog today and, as I am very visual, I love her step-by-step pictures. One of my husband's resolutions, for the new year 2010, was for us to EAT OUT LESS (I really don't mean to "scream" this -- if you could see my face, you'd know that I am smiling, as I love to eat homemade food, shop for food and cook, ummmm, in that order!).

So, check out this beautiful meatloaf with mushroom sauce.

I'd really make Jerry happy if I were to whip up some braised (fresh) brussel sprouts and some creamed potatoes to accompany the meatloaf. Happy Cooking!

Fleeting thoughts...

2010-01-28T14:32:00.008-05:00

I had a fleeting thought about "regrets" and want to try to catch it. The world's wisdom sometimes says, with a half joke, "I resolve to have no regrets!" Reality is that the resolve we need --for what are often our greatest achievements-- comes from our regrets. I can only sketch this out in very general terms. It is worth pondering. What motivates us, especially as we find ourselves slowing down in our 4os and 50s, to push ourselves out of our comfort zones? If God's Wisdom be our guide, then our regrets can be like money in the bank. Our regrets may be, and can be, the building blocks of our resolve. To what do we direct this resolution. We resolve to love and to love fruitfully. Got fruits?

Related to this -- a few years back, our pastor gave a fantastic homily on guilt. He debunked the "Catholic guilt" myth and said that there should be no such thing. Why? Because we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If I am not mistaken, this relatively new name was given to this powerhouse Sacrament because it is not just a confession of sin. After our confession, we receive Absolution. The grace that comes from sacramental absolution help us to see ourselves as God sees us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. We must depend on His grace utterly.

When I was in R.C.I.A., back in 1999-2000, I trembled a bit at the thought of my First Reconciliation. I was given the actual grace of not thinking about it too much, and, when it was over, and the days rolled in to weeks, I realized that, while I was full of regret for the years I had lost not being a Catholic, I was also full, to the point of overflowing, with relief and joy at the merciful gift of faith that I had received. I do not think a day goes by that I do not marvel at what the Blessed Trinity can do in a person.

Friends and storytelling...

2010-01-21T08:30:00.010-05:00

January says new beginnings to me. It is not just on January 1st that we can make resolutions for the new year. One resolution I have brewing is to rekindle some relationships that have become somewhat cool, not for lack of affection, but, most probably, because of physical distance and the day-to-day bus-y-ness that keeps us often more oriented toward things than people. Just before Christmas, I re-heard the motto, "Fail to plan, plan to fail." This is true for making a business run above board and true for families too. Families need plans. Mom is often the planner, as it is her duty and her joy to extend her family outside of the "four walls" of hearth and home.

One of my college mates, Monica, was such a good storyteller. She was the 13th of 13 children and she had a wealth of "material" from which to draw. I think she loved my being from the South and we spent so many hours swapping stories. I suspect that I am not the only one of my friends from college, and high school too, that regrets a bit the fact that friendships become distant over time when people move away and "move on" to various responsibilities and engagements.

I have been blessed to meet so many new friends since we have moved to Cumming. Thinking of my new friends makes me think of my old ones too. In gratitude and thanksgiving to God for his beautiful Creation, I wonder what we'd do without the joy and compassion of friendship. Our little family is blessed too with the joy that comes with friendship among family ties -- sharing good times and bad with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents who give of themselves.

I include this comment on storytelling in hopes of rekindling the simple art of connecting with our friends and family through the tales of our lives. I am reminded of my dear, sweet Monica and the famous "Duncan hyperbole," something we'd throw out amidst huge grins, as we relished pumping up those tales of family adventure with a little poetic license.

Several years ago, my dear friend Maeve called me a "born-again Catholic" and we laughed and smiled for a while. So, I have to stop a minute to think about the most important friendship that we have been given. The person of Christ, the Son of Man, is our Divine Friend and He, in my experience, wants our "time, talent and treasure" (This we hear often enough in our parishes, but it is no mere phrase.). When I feel myself leaning toward being a bit sour and frustrated at all the committments and duties that seem to swarm around me like loud bees, I, by God's grace, stop and realize that I am not spending time with the one Friend who will give me compassion in a constant and loving way.

As I age, I feel my weakness most acutely at times. I am speaking here of spiritual weakness, my "anti-virtue" (This is a little joke among my Regnum Christi, mother's prayer group!). I have always loved to go out -- out to dinner, out to parties, out to tour distant places or make a short field trip to an interesting site with lots of friends along. These days, I feel the Holy Spirit drawing me in to a life that is not my own. It is a life better than what I might come up with on my own. As the demands of my life become more serious, I hope I do not become glum. The only hope for my little soul is Mother Church. I have said this many times in this diary.

I ran away from God for a long time, and, as a sinner, I continue to do so; but, with the Church, I simply cannot run that far. She is so holy and good. She draws me into her loving arms, puts me on her lap and cradles my world-weary soul until I fall asleep, feeling the warm Blood in her chest. She gives me what I cannot make up on my own. This reality is both humbling and intensely beautiful.

A couple of days ago, during some quiet moments, I had a little daydream/recollection about my roller skating days in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I was thinking of how cautious, yet determined, I was as a young girl. The first time I went roller skating, I slowly crept over the rink and grabbed the walls and went many turns around sticking to those walls, while others flew past me. I loved to roller skate and went nearly every Tuesday for years with our local,4H Club. I fell many times and could never master skating backwards -- really did not like not being able to see what was in front of me. In my imagination, I also saw myself falling, sometimes just a small fall with one knee down, then up again, quickly. Other times, someone flew past me and grazed my shoulder, steady now, and up and going again. There were also a couple of wipe outs and much pain. It all ended with my seeing myself in that strong glide of the accomplished skater, faster, faster, around and around the big rink, weaving in and out of the other skaters, sometimes near the wall, other times so very close to the center.

Well, so ends a small glimpse into a story that is still unfolding for me.

Warm nutritious cookies to fight winter bugs....

2010-01-20T09:56:00.003-05:00

I was over at this blog and found this yummy-looking cookie recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (ground finely)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream together
1 cup packed light brown sugar (can take less actually)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened

To butter mixture, add
1 mashed very ripe banana
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix in flour mixture until well combined, then add
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened cranberries
1/2 cup walnuts

Using a large ice cream scoop, drop mounds onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 11 minutes or until just golden. Let cool a bit on baking sheet, about 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool a bit more.

We like our cookies warm so we eat them right away, but you can store these in airtight containers (to preserve chewiness, though they are also DELICIOUS when the outsides have crisped up.

Variation: Sub 1/2 cup butterscotch chips for half of the chocolate chips. All kinds of awesome.

Happy 12th Birthday!

2010-01-20T09:45:00.002-05:00

When the going gets tough, the tough (husbands) do laundry...

2010-01-19T13:32:00.005-05:00

...so, I took a nosedive this weekend, probably with a touch of flu. My husband's response was to wash everything in the house - I thought he was going to throw me in the washing machine. Come to think of it, that might iron out my kinks!

This book looks so good. Books do to me what gourmet food does to some. Over the years, dealing with lupus-like rheumatism, I really dislike intensely the demand of a clunky body to lay low. I was telling a dear friend that I think I get a little comfort from Heaven when I "hear" in my prayers and thoughts that "giving in is not giving up." I know it must be harder than hard to live with me. The flakiness of it all is enough to drive you mad.

My husband and I both have a good percentage choleric in our God-given temperaments, and the lack of control that chronic illness hoists upon us is difficult to manage.

Well, enough... and, may I be more grateful for the husband God has given me. He would not like for me to call him a saint, so I'll just tell him that I am his path to Heaven.

St. Teresa of Avila on "the prayer of quiet"

2010-01-15T11:48:00.002-05:00

Sometimes it seems that we make "two steps forward and three steps back" in our prayer life. At least, I have felt this so many times, especially when life becomes very hectic and full of lots of surprises (illnesses, interruptions, etc...) on top of what is already a big load of daily duties. So, enough said. Let's read this chapter from St. Teresa of Avila's masterpiece, The Way of Perfection, in order to refresh us and bring us Peace.

A recipe for January from Catholic Cuisine

2010-01-14T11:44:00.003-05:00

I copied this recipe from Catholic Cuisine. Doesn't it sound delicious and nutritious?

Saturday, January 24, 2009
Saint Francis de Sales Honey Goodness Breakfast Bars
Today is the Feast of St. Francis de Sales. St. Francis de Sales is well known for his books: Treatise on the Love of God and Introduction to the Devout Life. In addition he wrote many pamphlets and letters. The Church has named him patron of the Catholic Press.

Amy Heyd, author of Saints at the Dinner Table, shares the following recipe for Saint Francis de Sales Honey Goodness Breakfast Bars on her website. She says, "These bars remind me of the goodness that radiated from Saint Francis de Sales, as well as the way he remained "sweet" to get people to listen to him."

Saint Francis de Sales Honey Goodness Breakfast Bars
Source: Amy Heyd's Website

1 stick butter, softened
1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup honey
1 large egg
4 ounces applesauce (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dried apples (get the soft kind you find by raisins, don't get the crispy apples)
1/4 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and honey using a mixer on low for about 2 minutes. Add the egg, applesauce and vanilla and mix for another minute. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into the butter mixture. Mix on low for 1 - 2 minutes until the flour is fully incorporated into the mixture. Add the oatmeal and mix on medium until the oatmeal is fully incorporated. Chop the dried apples into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch cubes and add to the batter. Stir the raisins in with the apples and batter.

Spread the batter evenly into a greased two quart baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the bars. To prevent the bars from burning, lightly cover the bars with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.

“It is an error, or rather a heresy, to say devotion is incompatible with the life of a soldier, a tradesman, a prince, or a married woman.... It has happened that many have lost perfection in the desert who had preserved it in the world. ” ~ St. Francis de Sales

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us!

Ginny

2010-01-12T17:24:00.003-05:00

12 Wise Men...possibly...

2010-01-08T10:58:00.003-05:00

I was just reading this excellent commentary on the Magi. It snowed here -- beautiful!!!

More 12 days...

2010-01-02T11:45:00.005-05:00

(This card was a favorite of mine for years and years and years -- I still love it!) Back to a few impressions: on the 5th day of Christmas, my true loves gave to me...another morning sleeping in, more dogs jumping on me and hot EggMcMuffin before loading the van and driving back to Georgia.

On the 6th day of Christmas, my true loves gave to me, a day at home resting very peacefully.

On the 7th day of Christmas, I made Spanish tortilla and feasted with family and friends thinking what a lot of goodness surrounds us all the time.

On the 8th day of Christmas, I started stressing out about school starting back, so I sat down and drank more coffee....which brings us to the 9th day of Christmas, a cold and bright morning, when I think I'd better stop feasting so much and focus back on the coming Epiphany!

(Oh, in the last couple of days, I did have time to read this marvelous true account of Mother Catherine Spalding, an American we must learn about to see what we can really do when we put our heart and soul to plow for Christ and with Him.)

Our 12 days, so far...

2009-12-28T18:15:00.003-05:00

On the eve of Christmas, my true loves gave to me...
a lovely Christmas luncheon, a trip to Holy Mass and prayer in front of our stunning parish nativity.

On the first day of Christmas, my true loves gave to me...
sleeping in til 9am, siblings getting along, lots of pretty presents and spaghetti lunch in front of our nativity.

On the second day of Christmas, my true loves gave to me...
sweet memories of Christmas dinner with cousins, cleaning our bedroom, topped off with a
small nativity.

On the third day of Christmas, my true loves gave to me...
morning Mass praying with the Holy Family, a chaffeured drive to Kentucky, an elegant home-cooked dinner and family dogs romping together in our continued celebration of our Savior's Holy Nativity.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true loves gave to me...
Mimi's delicious hot coffee on a brisk, winter morning with more romping dogs, a quiet afternoon with Jaybird and a movie and a love of prolonged Christmas, thinking always of that blessed nativity

Think long, think wrong - ha ha!

2009-12-19T12:07:00.006-05:00

Mary Engelbreit's art has inspired me since my college years. I just put this as my desktop wallpaper. In our case, the kitten is our new puppy, Ginny. Go visit Mary's website for lots of inspiration for Christmas and the new year 2010.

New puppy photos!

2009-12-13T20:39:00.004-05:00

...and she laid Him in a manger...

2009-12-08T09:31:00.011-05:00

Today, the Solemn Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we will try hard to dig out our family's lovely Nativity scene. I am reading this and this to better prepare myself for the natural discussions and questions that will come as we place our figures around our home. Maybe, with careful planning, we can be ready to plant an Immaculate Conception rose bush out back next Advent 2010. Like lots of mothers who are converts, it is wonderful for me to make a file of traditional customs, crafts and songs that I want to add to our family's preparations for the most moving Feast of the Nativity. This excerpt below is from the Catholic Culture link -- so beautiful:

Why was Christ born? ...God loved man and He sent His Son as a tiny Baby. Get the children to think why He came as a baby. (We adults need to think of this too, SS.) They will think of good reasons. Lead them on to see that God wanted to be close to us, a little baby in our midst, because He loves us. One of His names, "Emmanuel," means God-with-us.
The point to make clear is that He came for love. Few people take in the fact vividly that God loves us, and that is, after all, the greatest fact of life. If He loves us, we love Him back. We don't want to displease Him. We thank Him for loving us, knowing that the love of God for us is something so great that we cannot even begin to be grateful enough.

Excellent Advent Overview

2009-11-23T15:03:00.002-05:00

Here is the link to the No-panic Advent series....

What's cooking?

2009-11-23T14:18:00.003-05:00

Well, nothing over here, yet. I still have dishes to process from a little dinner party that Mags, Jerry and I put on for one of his work mates this weekend. We are having friends over for breakfast on Wednesday, and I am going back and forth as to whether to make sausage gravy, eggs and biscuits or a yummy egg casserole from my favorite Kentucky cookbook. I very much want to make a pumpkin goat cheese cheesecake that I have saved from a Country Living magazine from 2005! Where does the time go? I'd like to take the cheesecake up to KY when we go for a quick trip on Thurs.

I printed out a couple of recipes over at Cooks.com for a fresh broccoli casserole and pumpkin oatmeal cookies. I was thinking the cookies would be easier to take than the cheesecake, so we'll see what happens. I'd like to make the broccoli with some chicken legs for a simple meal this week.

Looking very forward to Advent 2009. We did alot of housecleaning this weekend and hopefully will make a major push to de-clutter the basement this week and get a bunch of clothes and such to Goodwill. We have the lovliest little St. Francis Advent candle wreath, and it takes special candles which I need to hunt up on the internet. Since it has been a while since I was expecting a child, I try to put myself into that 2nd-trimester-nesting-urge and look forward to welcoming the Christ Child into our hearts and home in a quiet, gentle way. We really like to "pull in" during Advent and cook and clean and get ready for what will hopefully be a joyous 12 days of Christmas.

I am trying to pray and meditate every day with Fr. Gabriel's Divine Intimacy, a lovely aid to prayer, one that swells the heart with gratitude and praise. A couple of mornings ago, I was blessed with a lovely memory of my a cold salad my Aunt Punchie used to make for Christmas lunch. It was a layered salad with jello, cranberries, walnuts, pineapple and cream cheese, sliced in to squares over a big crisp piece of lettuce.

I am off to surf the 'net in search of a similar salad and to poke around for some locally-made or farm-fresh Christmas gifts. I wonder if the cheese made by the Trappist monks in KY is any good? I want to get some wine from North Georgia vineyards.

My son has a really bad cough, and I too feel under the weather. I hope we get better soon so we have abundant energy for all the opportunites of the season to love.

Here's to a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

Memories of Southern food and new(to me) Novena...

2009-11-10T16:06:00.014-05:00

I love Thanksgiving, and while, as usual I could be more prepared for the upcoming "holiday onslaught," I just relish this time of year. The woods behind our house are home to a pack of coyotes that we are able to see since much of the foliage has fallen to the ground. I hope they will not be dining with us or on us any time soon! The other evening we heard a ruckus unlike anything I've heard in my life. I wonder if they weren't taking down a deer, poor dear! I am a bit loopy with a cold and congestion, so praddling on about coyotes in my seasonal post is part of this crazy day. I am going to surf around and look for some good seasonal inspiration. Hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!

I would like to visit this local market with lots of yummy meats and sauces.

A new friend told me about the Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus which just may be what the Divine Physician ordered for my struggling prayer life.

I really enjoyed our visit this past weekend with my hubby's parents. They stopped at one of their favorite bookstores in Chattanooga on the way down and Mimi bought a cookbook written by Loretta Lynn. I copied several of her recipes and enjoyed reading the book. I am particularly interested in becoming a proficient biscuit maker and passing this on to my kiddos.

I can make a moist buttermilk cornbread in my iron skillet that my mom taught me to make. She also showed me how to make smooth, white sausage gravy.....but, my problem is that I have to throw frozen biscuits in the oven -- or, eeeh gads -- settle for toast!

My friend Sara posted some yummy looking pumpkin biscuits. I'd better get on it because they sure look good. Here is foodie celeb Alton Brown's recipe for that heavenly breadstuff.

So, speaking of southern food, I spent much of last Thanksgiving typing some of our Mimi's favorite recipes in to my laptop....I'd like to post them soon and maybe figure some nice, more permanent presentation for our kitchen items as we love to cook and love to eat well. I'd say the gift of southern cuisine is its simplicity. It should be an agrarian cuisine. My grandmother, Sara Evelyn Gott Cohron, was a dedicated and talented, old-school southern "cookin' mama". She and my grandfather, Pernie, yes Pernie was his name, rose every morning at 5 am because my grandfather was a butcher and had to get in to Mr. Cook's Grocery early. Even when he retired, they were early birds. She began every day making biscuits from scratch. Well, as I write this my husband is slaving over a hot stove making his famous chili. I got JB in to the dentist this afternoon, and we got soaked as it is raining in torrents here all day long. Nothing a good pan of hot-out-of-the-oven-iron-skillet cornbread won't cure!

Purgatory

2009-11-01T09:49:00.002-05:00

Click here to learn more about Purgatory.

Getting ready for All Hallows Eve...

2009-10-25T08:26:00.005-05:00

To kick things off, here is an excellent sampling of the best writing I have found in my many searches for all things authentically Catholic about All Hallow's Eve. Like me, you will probably want to go check out Ray Bradbury's fiction after you explore Fitzpatrick's comments on his blog. I like the idea of a modern writer who does not find himself mired down in the muck of modernism. The quote below, as well as the swell vintage postcard, can be found here at "Recta Ratio":

The celebration of the day is Celtic and Christian. It is the dying time of the year, with the harvest almost all in now, and even the green leaves of summer suddenly blazing into brilliant color and then dropping to the ground. The days are growing notably colder and shorter. It is the appropriate time to recall our dead, to think about, and to pray for the all the dead. The merry season of Christmas lies ahead. But, as the liturgical year winds down over the next 5 weeks, let us pause to recall death. It is the first of the Four Last Things, after all. --G. Thomas Fitzpatrick

The Holy Father's Prayer Intentions and new blog

2009-10-04T10:21:00.005-05:00

Going over here to see a new blog. I copied the Holy Father's October intentions from Catholic Culture website. Go here for the liturgical overview for the month:

The Holy Father's Intentions for the Month of October 2009

General: That Sunday may be lived as the day on which Christians gather to celebrate the risen Lord, participating in the Eucharist.

Missionary: That the entire People of God, to whom Christ entrusted the mandate to go and preach the Gospel to every creature, may eagerly assume their own missionary responsibility and consider it the highest service they can offer humanity.

I'll take Shakespeare over Freud any day!

2009-09-27T09:35:00.006-05:00

A couple of years ago, I watched the wonderful video series by Michael Wood called "In Search of Shakespeare." While some of the commentary reflects a very heterodox approach to Christianity, there is a pursuit of truth that is quite refreshing. So, anyway, I had watched this on the small screen of my laptop tucked away in the corner of our kitchen in Roswell. At the time, I had ordered, and was impatiently awaiting Joseph Pearce's book on Shakespeare. Back to the PBS series -- I was amazed to see a secular production also making the case for Shakespeare being not just an "ethnic Catholic" but one who was actively, if not secretly, involved in the "old faith". Last night, I watched the series again on our large-screen television. It was very moving.

This morning I have had some quiet time to pause and reflect on what it is to be a parent in these crazy times...what it is to be a crazy homeschooling parent in these lazy times....what it is for me to be such a "lazy daisy" in these hardworking times....

I love the LovetoLearn website and read this review with much interest. Turns out Freud was wrong about siblings! Big surprise!!! I need to drink some more coffee before I try to write more, or maybe I'll just throw all this out there as a challenge to myself and others to live a life full of common sense and right religion. It is not about being "right" the way moderns tend to think of it. It is about being right in the sense of being as good as we possibly can be. It is hard to be as good as we possibly can be without the priesthood and all seven sacraments of Mother Church. There is no getting around this. I am not "right" because I adhere to Mother Church. I adhere to the Magisterial teachings of the Church because I am acutely aware of how weak I am as a human being, and how generous God is in His Love for me. There are many errors of modernism, but the one that I have seen and experienced, time and time again in my own life, is the error that we humans are in charge of our destinies. The result of this error is always the worship of the State.

I could really go off on a tangent about modernism and think it a topic that is really brewing in this great country. If we --including me-- would stop watching and listening so much, and really engage our fellow man, then we would shake the trappings of modernism off and move forward as a truly courageous America, washed of its errors and tempatations. I do not think America has a chance as long as her Christians are divided.

Back down to earth, I am working on re-integrating art and music back into our curriculum. The hybrid school overall is just what the doctor ordered for this family. The competition is healthy and the schedule leaves lots of time for us to be together and learn together. I want to go over here to one of Elizabeth Foss's beautiful unit studies on music.

To close on a musical and hopeful note, one lesson I worked on with our young son this past Friday was a lovely story in his Abeka reader about the story behind the writing of "America the Beautiful," which as corn-ball as it sounds, is one of my favorite songs (If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, please play this at my funeral.). So, in the spirit of this song, may God truly mend our every flaw!

Quick movie log

2009-09-19T16:16:00.002-05:00

If "you are what you watch," what does this "video salad" say about us?

This list is over the summer. We read more than we watch but, we do like our Netflix "Roku" boxes. The kids have been outside riding bikes and playing in the cul-de-sac. Once or twice a week, Dad and Mom "pop in" a video, usually something to do with WWII. Here is a quick list:

War of 1812, History Chan.
Tora, Tora, Tora -- that was fun, as kids and grandparents watched too
Midway
Patton -- My second favorite; I thought Patton should of pushed east and gone after Stalin.

Quo Vadis? -- This was, by far, my favorite...we know the early Christians were fed to lions and other cruel and hideous forms of "sport" in the Coliseum, but this movie really gives you a feeling for what it would have been like to approach such suffering with certain valor
Mark Twain, an A&E Biography
The Third Man, film noir evidently, started slow, but good ending, starring a very young Orson Welles
A Bridge Too Far

Girls' Weekend at Lake Chatuge, 9/5-6

2009-09-19T16:12:00.004-05:00

America the Beautiful

2009-08-25T12:51:00.005-05:00

Years ago, when I was very sick, I had the time and the inclination to read a good amount of Catholic prophecy. Many of the Church's canonized saints have, through various forms of private revelation, communicated directly with God as to His Will for themselves as "saints in the making," for the Church and the world. Recently, I am back reading and praying prophecy. I am marvelling at the stories I know-- like those blessed little children in Fatima, Portugal; and also I am discovering saints and events that I had never heard of before this summer. It is important to note that the principle meaning of prophecy is not to foretell the future, rather it is knowing God's Will.

As fallen humanity, we struggle mightily against the three enemies of the soul: the world, the flesh and the devil. Discerning God's will for our lives --much less for our country or our world-- demands heroic virtue. Some might posit that this virtue is unobtainable. Well, it is not something we get on our own, that is for sure. Only by God's grace may we obtain the grace and strength that we need to discern His Holy Will. Frustration, anxiety, bouts of ill temper -- these really should be part and parcel of the life of a saint. As a stay-at-home mom, it certainly is part of life in my family. We pray alot, we play alot, but we sure do struggle alot with our various human weaknesses and the external temptations that assail us from the world and the bad angels. I think I've gotten off the point. I wanted to post a link to the true story of Our Lady of America. Read it and pray. Read it and be amazed. Read it and live redeemed and help redeem this poor country of ours.

Would that we had no guile!

2009-08-24T07:55:00.006-05:00

I had a few quiet moments to read the Gospel and to take a quick virtual tour of St. Bartholomew's church in Rome (via the Catholic Culture webpage). Our faith is so heartening! Which is a good thing because we are slam-0-rama over here with academics hitting us like the ocean waves. All the movement is fun and we are, overall, enjoying working hard. Our Catholic hybrid school is just what the doctor ordered for a good balance for our family.

Later today, I hope to get some photos off Facebook of the family party we hosted last Thurs as a belated bday celebration for my hubby.

Our Lady of the Word, pray for us!

2009-08-17T19:47:00.005-05:00

This book is so moving and beautiful. I have not been on the internet much (except to order books for the kids and for me) as we have been so occupied lately. Tomorrow is our first day of St. John Bosco hybrid school. Getting everyone up and out the door in the morning all packed up with food, drinks, books and other supplies should be good. Our Lady of Kibeho, pray for us!

Expanding our hearts

2009-08-03T10:25:00.003-05:00

After I read about St. Lydia over at Catholic Culture (click on last link below), I went over to the blog Catholic Fire and am amazed at such faith. Often we feel nearly helpless when it comes to increasing the theological virtues. We feel like we are trying so hard and have so little control. I know this is our weak humanity chaffing against the demands of authentic Love. Well, here are some links to lift us up: go over to Catholic Fire and know that -- whether you feel it or not -- the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus will strengthen Faith, Hope and Love within us. Pray for the Holy Father's intentions and review the liturgical season for the month of August.

To Jesus through Mary! Amen.

The prophetic writings of John Senior

2009-07-23T11:11:00.003-05:00

I still want to learn Latin, and, truthfully, haven't gotten very far. This past week I finished The Death of Christian Culture by John Senior and plan to go back and re-read The Restoration of Christian Culture, which I bought and read first. Senior's writings kindle the fires of Love. Go to IHS Press and learn more.

We've often heard it said that "there is nothing ordinary about Ordinary Time". This summer 2009, I am finding this true in a particular way.

We are having blinds installed on all our windows, so I am signing off...

Lesson #1: we fear what we perceive will be difficult...

2009-07-14T17:22:00.004-05:00

Last night my husband and I watched our 11 year old daughter have a meltdown. She was devastated. She was crying. She was inconsolable. What she said she was protesting she was not protesting; and, as I pointed out to my hubby --and he saw to be true -- she was deeply afraid of the unknown future. Yet, another time when "Lesson #1" kicked in -- and, it is our children who teach it to us, our children who act as the mirror reflecting our fallen humanity right before us.

I too fear the unknown. Unlike our daughter, lots of practice recognizing my fear has often helped me reject it, helped me to push onward with little to no protest. Of course, there are still times when I let it creep up on me, and, just like my tender-hearted, blue-eyed girl, I say one thing when I really mean another. I think fear works that way. We try hard to find an easier path. We work hard avoiding the job God has put before us. Some Bible translations quote our Savior's great exhortation as "Be not afraid." Recently, I heard what I thought a better translation, "Stop fearing."

At a recent three day women's retreat, by God's grace, I spent many hours in concentrated prayer. I was emotionally and physically very tired by Sunday. Then, like the brilliant, yet slowly evolving, sunrise, I awoke from my fatigue and saw a clear day. I wish I could say that I knew exactly what God wanted of me on the hour of everyday...that kind of clarity is not what I mean. What I did see clearly was that, like my young daughter, I fear what I perceive will be difficult. Prayer helps us take on God's perspective. He perceives life much differently than do we fallen humans. At the same time, He created us to love, and to love both naturally and supernaturally, so there must be some recourse to shrug off the terrible fears that so often cripple His will for our lives.

The recourse is His Sacred Body and Blood, His Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. I pray that I may bring this wonderful -- this truly awesome-- reality to more people before my earthly pilgrimmage is over. I pray that I might be more open to adoring Him, to just allowing myself to be quiet in His Presence. Lord, hear our prayer!

Born into Heaven in 1024

2009-07-13T12:05:00.004-05:00

I'd like to read more about this holy King of Germany who is, among other things, the patron of the physically challenged.

Pooped from Planning, Good Link for Tweens, Mom's Summer Reading

2009-06-25T08:03:00.005-05:00

I read all of these when I was very young, and I remember them not at all as books but as things that happened to me.
-- John Steinbeck, Steinbeck's Ghost

I love to read. I love to turn to the back of a book and scan the end notes, peruse the bibliography and enjoy the look of the paper and printing. I fear reading a lost art and activity. It does not gratify instantly. To immerse oneself in a good narrative takes one away from oneself. Our oldest child has experienced this in her reading. The other two love to read as well. Yet, with all the seduction of many technologies surrounding them all, I see the potential for them entering the "dumbest generation". So much of what is wrong with our country currently relies on an illiterate, pagan populace so immersed in pop culture that they cannot think themselves out of the coming tyranny. (There is alot, at present, right with the country too...)

This year we are joining forces with other homeschooling parents and becoming involved in a hybrid school. The school, which meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, is dedicated to one of the best educators ever to walk the planet, St. John Bosco. One big hope I bring to the upcoming year is that we will be more engaged by our curriculum. I am pooped from planning. Not that that will keep me from planning and keeping up with what the children are studying. This past year saw fits and starts, and a few short courses of good reading, good discussion and drawing and writing. I think it was more like sprinting. In the upcoming year, I'd like to see our academics as marathon training.

Our children are at pivotal years in their academic development -- 8, 11 and 13. Here is a wonderful link I found that reviews books for tween; the above quote is taken from the blog, Treasure Chest for Tweens.

Some of Mom's Summer reading:

To Kill A Mockingbird
Conchita
Theology of the Body for Teens
Aquinas's Shorter Summa
Minimus: Starting Out in Latin
Kentucky: A Pictorial History
Around Atlanta with Children
Chesterton's Heretics
Kon-Tiki

Faith and Mountains

2009-06-20T10:43:00.006-05:00

We have lots going on, the most notable of which is that our house in Roswell is on the market and has a serious buyer! I have had such a time letting go and still get emotional about our move. (Not that we do not love the new neighborhood and the new house, but we lived in SRidge for over 15years, so all the memories and all the dear friends we have there just makes me well with tears.) So faith is believing in things hoped for and knowing that much of reality is unseen. Our beautiful, faith-filled daughter went to the Christian Music Fest at Stone Mountain Park. We capped off our day yesterday hoping to hike our little Sawnee Mountain here in Cumming as a family soon. Dad and son did so at a homeschool father-son hike a few weeks ago.

St. Augustine of Canterbury

2009-05-26T19:24:00.003-05:00

I am going to read this link about St. Augustine of Canterbury tomorrow.

Back from Kentucky

2009-05-26T19:13:00.002-05:00

We went to Kentucky for Memorial Day weekend and just got back. I am concocting a plan to get the kids reading more this summer. Soon I will post photos from the trip. We had an indoor picnic on Sunday and the kids spent lots of time with their grandparents and uncle. J and I had a date yesterday and ran into an old friend from our high school. The traffic was not so bad, and we discovered a new route in N. Georgia, a road filled with interesting little antique and gift shops, even a couple of country restaurants.

Tomorrow we are up at the crack of dawn to go to the orthodontist -- time flies when raising children!

Flower power...

2009-05-17T19:41:00.003-05:00

My next-door neighbor and dear friend took this almost exactly a month ago as I was heading out to a TORCH MNO ("Mother's Night Out") with a garden theme. This has been one of the most active months we have ever had. We are not a high-octane family, yet, you'd think, with this past month's calendar that we were. Through it all, we have steadily been fixing up our old house and unpacking the new. The restful moments have often come while napping, reading, writing, praying, cooking, cleaning, watching the children scooter in the cul-de-sac and lots of planting in, what is coming together as a very colorful backyard garden. JB and I have planted: pansies, gardenias, Irish moss, purple heart, dianthus, red thyme, creeping Jenny, flashy tickweed, a yellow-flowered broom plant, lavender, Rosemary and many others.

I will be the gladdest thing...Under the sun!I will touch a hundred flowers...And not pick one.~Edna St. Vincent Millay, "Afternoon on a Hill"

The Mary Month of May

2009-05-05T19:25:00.010-05:00

The Holy Father's Intentions for the Month of May 2009
General: That Christians may use literature, art and the media to greater advantage to favour a culture which defends and promotes the values of the human person.
Missionary: That just as she accompanied the Apostles in the early stages of the Church, may the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of Evangelization and Queen of Apostles, continue to guide missionaries throughout the world with maternal affection.

Most who know me know that I converted to Catholicism when I was 33. Like many drawn to what the early Church called "The Way," I work out my salvation in fear (that is really awe) and trembling (my shaky "fallen flesh"). The move and adjusting has been harder than I thought, in some ways, and easier in ways that I did not expect. I just looked up the Holy Father's intentions for May and, in preparation for our homeschooling coop May Crowning, I am looking at the liturgy this month over here.

Lord Jesus, teach me how to evangelize. Help me to ask your Holy Mother more often to intercede for me, for my family and for the whole world.

I posted some photos here on "Uncontrolled Fits of Harmony," our hschool blog.

Vicissitudes defined and lived...

2009-04-27T14:34:00.005-05:00

VICISSITUDE a change in fortune or in a situation, esp. for the worse, from the Latin vicissitudo.

I always thought this word meant simply the ups and downs of life, the peaks and valleys, the ins and outs, ups and downs. I was wrong. Good thing I looked it up. Well, maybe another dictionary has another meaning.

Life never changes just for the worse...you know, the whole "blessing in disguise" thing. It does seem that trouble comes in groups....down to farther down to in very deep. Often, when we are in the midst of tribulation, we say to ourselves, "Well, this is okay because without this pain, I won't really appreciate pleasure again."

That is the secular view. A practicing Catholic sees pain and suffering as with us always. We are not on the continual downslope ever. Joy and pain cooexit in time. As a wise woman I know likes to say, "It is all good." Eternity looms more present than we realize and offers the chance to breathe and laugh and live, even as we mourn our losses.

So, I was thinking of the gift of faith, why some have it and some reject it. Others, like me, accept it, but struggle to possess it as God would have us possess it. Like all moms, I am winding our academic year down, trying to discern plans for the upcoming academic year 2009-10. Educating children and young people is an adventure, an adventure on which I would not want to embark without the gift of faith. This Saturday, God willing, at our parish, in celebration of our young son's First Holy Communion, we will sing:

...Melt the clouds of Sin and Sadness; Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day!