America the Beautiful

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!

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!

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

Back from Kentucky

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...

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"