Friday, July 26, 2013

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 112)

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Get well soon! Kevin is finally on the mend after being sick and miserable with some sort of bronchial infection.  This morning when Sunshine was playing with one of their many toy cell phones, she informed me that she was calling Kevin to tell him that he’s feeling better.  Yesterday when she coughed a couple times, she said she was sick like Kevin.  I explained that sometimes we cough without being sick and that she wouldn’t want what Kevin has.

We still haven’t celebrated his 50th birthday with family or friends, yet, but hopefully that will happen this weekend!  At least Kevin was well enough we could have dinner at my sister and brother-in-law's house this evening.  We didn't exactly make it to dessert or singing happy birthday, but just having Kevin present for the family gathering was a major step after this past couple weeks.   
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A Moroccan Feast The evening before my mom’s birthday, which was this week, a dear family friend who is originally from Morocco had us over to her place for a delicious homemade meal.  It was so nice to catch up with her and her two kids.  The food was every bit as amazing as my mom and sisters had described.  There were three candles on the birthday cake my sister brought in, so our hostess’s son asked Mom how old she was.  He got quiet and looked at Mom very confused when she told him she’s turning three years old.  I was reminded of what a wonderful gift it is to invite people over and make them a delectable meal. 
Perhaps this weekend, we’ll finish hanging the photos on our Rochester wall, and I’ll finally clean off the dining room table, perchance to have people over for dinner, or at least have a clean flat surface on which to beat my husband at dominoes.        

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Ask, Seek, Knock The Lord knows the deepest desires we have into our hearts, because He put them there.  He knows what we long for and delights in giving what it is we want and need to fulfill those yearnings.  Far better than a genie in a lamp, our Lord wants to shower us with blessings which He knows will help us grow in love, compassion, and mercy towards others as well as ourselves.  Just as we take great joy in doing things for the people we love, the Lord trembles with jubilation as He satisfies the desires of our hearts, the ones He put there to bring us closer to Him…Click here to read the rest of this reflection I wrote on and in honor of the participants of the Men’s Cursillo Weekend taking place July 25-28, 2013.  Please also remember to pray for the participants of the weekend as they take time out of their busy schedules to grow closer to the Lord.   
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Remembering My Dad Yesterday was my father James Niermeyer’s birthday.  
He would have been 58 this year.  He passed away only 16 days after he turned 54 once my mom, sisters, and I all came to his side to say our goodbyes.  A woman named Marie who’s very active at St. Michael parish said this about my dad after saying that he was one of the ones who inspired her to start a Rosary Prayer Group: “At his funeral people spoke of his love and dedication to the Rosary. I was touched by that and I started praying it on a more regular basis. Then when Mo was ill, a group of us crammed in a class room before Mass and prayed it together. It was so moving and I knew I wanted to do that again. The homily Fr. Dan gave inspired me to ask if I could start a group. The rest is history!”  The blue beaded Rosary I carry with me every day is the one my dad used all the time.
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High Drama Ensues Scooter looks an awful lots like an Oompa Loompa when she smothers herself in Chef Boyardee spaghetti sauce.  I texted the girls’ mom that maybe we can work on a low-budget spin-off of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory using at least two Veggie Tales songs: one about working in a chocolate factory and another about eating too many chocolate bunnies and idol worship leading to trouble.  Skippy makes a very convincing bunny face.  Sunshine knows most of the words to both of the songs and is an avid fan of chocolate as well as Veggie Tales.  I think we could swing it.     

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Book-It! It does my heart good to see the girls sitting down engrossed in books like my sister and I did when we were little.  Both of their parents love to read, and I’m a book-lover, so the girls are picking up on some of those literary leanings. 

     You may recall the Book-It program that was such a hit when we were kids.  You read a certain number of books and get a special certificate for a free personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut.  I looked into it, and the Book-It program is alive and well.  To check it out, click here.  Perhaps they’d be willing to do some sort of program for adults at our favorite pizza place in town.  You never know.

    
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You probably need a nap...when you fail to do the three steps to make microwave mac ’n’ cheese in the proper order, you leave a dirty diaper under the couch, you put someone’s Onesie on backwards, you take one little one upstairs while another little one is downstairs unsupervised and free-ranging with the kitchen
gate and the bathroom door open, two young ones are in the stroller ready to go on a walk and the older one decides to take forever and a day going potty and putting her shoes on before having a full-out meltdown the second you step outside, you spend five minutes when all the kids are in bed making a cool train track since they never let you finish one when they’re awake, you recall that though the water table on the deck is in the shade before noon that the sandbox in the yard is not only later in the evening when noticing you're sunburned, you resort to using favorite foods as bargaining tools for good behavior…you can fill in the rest of the blanks, I need a nap.
                  
Check out Jen Fulwiler’s tradition of 7 Quick Takes Friday at her tremendously popular blog Conversion Diary.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Ask, Seek, Knock: My Scripture Reflection on the Gospel of Luke 11:1-13



The Lord knows the deepest desires we have in our hearts because He put them there.  He knows what we long for and delights in giving what it is we want and need to fulfill those yearnings.  Far better than a genie in a lamp, our Lord wants to shower us with blessings which He knows will help us grow in love, compassion, and mercy towards others as well as ourselves.  Just as we take great joy in doing things for the people we love, the Lord trembles with jubilation as He satisfies the desires of our hearts, the ones He put there to bring us closer to Him.   
     
Sometimes we pray for what we think would be good for us, but, fortunately, we have a most loving, gentle Father who always knows what will be best for us in time and eternity.  I’ve read a number of books over the years that talk about how there are some blessings and graces God wants to give us and will if only we will take the time to ask.  The Prayer of Jabez is one such book.  Bruce Wilkinson talks about the abundant blessings the Lord wishes to give His children each day.  All we have to do is ask.  He’s ready and waiting to love us in intimate ways far beyond our imagination, but we have to be open to receiving what He gives. 
     
We need to learn to ask with our hearts, minds, and bodies open to the Lord’s Will.  Though some people might prefer to have a genie in a bottle to appear whenever they want something and immediately grant their wish, those of us who walk with the Lord become increasingly cognizant that there are many times when we aren’t even aware of whom or what we need most in a particular situation.  I’m reminded of this when reading one of my favorite Scripture passages in Romans 8 where it says that “the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings” (Romans 8:26).  God understands what is in the depths of our hearts even when we are hurting too much to formulate the words to ask, when we lack much of the energy needed to seek, or when we feel almost too weak to knock.   
     
There is a vulnerability and humility in asking.  It requires admitting to ourselves and others that we are in some way lacking in mind, body, and/or spirit.  We are not complete in and of ourselves and know we must seek out that which we lack.  The experience of recognizing and accepting we aren’t self-sufficient is humbling.  Coming to the point at which we see this and are able to own it can, in some instances, take years to do. 
     
From a very early age, we try to establish our independence and self-sufficiency.  Toddlers who have learned a new skill or reached a new stage of development will often be adamant in reminding those around them: “I do it myself!”  Many of us keep this habit long after we have left the teenage years, another stage often marked by a fierce desire for independence.  We get into trouble when we use that philosophy when it comes to God.  There are spiritual gifts, material things, and emotional strength that we’ll need from God and that He’ll give us through others because we don’t have all we need on our own. 
     
We can sit there in the hallway crying and fussing because we can’t get our bright red galoshes on our feet without assistance, or we can accept help and get outside to splash around in the puddles. 
     
Just as a loving parent anticipates the needs and wants of their children, God knows our needs and delights in granting us the desires He placed in our hearts to begin with.  It is through His infinite wisdom and unconditional love that we grow in our trust that the Lord wants us to approach Him, humble ourselves enough to ask Our Father for what He already knows we need, and be willing to seek the Truth that will lead us to the right door on which we are to knock and enter to be warmly received.

Note: This reflection is one I wrote in honor of the participants of the Men's Cursillo Weekend taking place at Shalom House, July 25-28, 2013.  It was originally published in the July 2013 edition of The Rooster Review.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Heading Out West: The Next Step in Her Discernment

The Next Leg of the Journey

     As promised, I'm posting more about my dear friend Michele's discernment and the doors the Lord opened and obstacles He removed, so that she would be free to enter the cloistered Carmelite monastery He's led her to in California.  Honestly, right now it's easier for me to focus on what the Lord's done in Michele's life over the past year, and the past several years, than it is for me to spend too much time thinking about how this close friend, dear sister in Christ, trusted confidante, source of joy and consolation won't be in my life in all of the ways she has been over the past couple years.  
     After August 6, we won't be talking over the phone, e-mailing each other, and she can't write or receive letters except at Christmas and Easter.  She isn't allowed visitors (other than her mom and sister) for six years, until she takes her final vows.  I know that the Holy Spirit will keep us connected through prayer, and that this adjustment will be a far greater one for Michele to make, but I'm already missing her dearly.  
     

Similarities Between Two Sisters in Christ

     Those who are familiar with the life of St. Teresa of Avila tend to be quite impressed by how true to form the play, Teresita is in presenting the facts of this woman’s life, particularly her childhood and the time leading up to her discerning God was calling her from a life of privilege and popularity to enter a cloistered convent.  Others who don’t know as much about this Doctor of the Church are often inspired to research her after seeing the entertaining and educational performance. 
     Michele Morris portrays the young, vivacious St. Teresa of Avila beautifully.  Her interest in things of the world and contentment having close relationships with family and friends pose a number of challenges with which the playwright is all too familiar.  In Michele’s own spiritual journey, she has felt God’s Presence from very early on in her life, but it’s taken longer than she hoped or expected for her to discern what God wants of her. 

Now is the Time

     There’s a great deal to be said about the timing of this play.  A year ago on July 16 was the opening night of Teresita.  That the Lord opened doors so that the début could occur on July 16, which is the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, seemed a clear blessing of the Holy Spirit in this endeavor.  Michele had been working on the play for months.  She was inspired to write and perform Teresita as a fundraiser to pay off her student loan from getting her Masters in Divinity.  She needed to be debt-free to enter the religious community and become a postulant of the Carmelite Sisters by the Sea of California.

Carmel Goal Set

     Friends eagerly supported her effort by offering their own talents to assist in the production.  What seemed like a far-off dream became a reality in the days and weeks leading up to the first scheduled performance.  A friend came forward to make her costume, another to help her with direction and rehearsal stepped up.  Soon portraits, fliers, business cards, a website, and a location for Opening night were all provided. 
     I got chills watching Teresita both at the by-invitation-only dress rehearsal and the Opening night performance.  As someone who has read and thoroughly enjoyed learning about St. Teresa of Avila over the years, I really appreciated the attention to detail, inclusion of factual events, and the spirit with which this exuberant woman’s life was portrayed.  Knowing a great deal about many of Michele’s own struggles throughout her discernment only served to make the play that much more amazing and believable.  In the end of the play as in Michele's own life, the time comes when the only thing left to do to figure out if the cloistered Carmelite life is for her is to enter the community to which the Lord has led her and go from there.

Realization of Her Goal & Confirmation of God’s Will


     Over eleven months, Michele performed Teresita at venues up and down the East Coast.  Her first

scheduled performance was held on July 16, 2012, in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Carmel.  Twenty some performances later, she did her last scheduled public performance in the sanctuary of her home parish on Sunday, June 23, 2013.  During this time, Michele raised $16,500 towards paying off her seminary debt. 
      Michele had applied for a grant from the Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations.  She found out that she was not a recipient of the grant, but not all hope was gone; for the first time ever, they’d chosen a first runner-up in the event one of the applicants declined the grant.  Michele was very excited to be named first runner-up, but she knew she’d have to buckle down and work even harder to pay off her student debt.  In a matter of days, she was optimistic after having found someone to take care of the promotion, bookings, and such, a replacement at her day job, which would allow her to travel whenever necessary, but within a week, that plan completely fell through.
     As has always been the case when things have fallen apart, Michele turned to the Lord and made it abundantly clear that He would need to figure out the logistics of how she would pay off her debt if it was, indeed, His Will that she enter the Carmelite Sisters by the Sea sometime sooner than later. 

     She was both shocked and ecstatic when she received a phone call the next day from a woman from the Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations.  When asked if she would except the grant from them, she gave them a resounding: “YES!” 

A Leap of Faith  


     Tomorrow Michele is flying out West with her mom.  They've professionally recorded her performing Teresita in Deland, Florida, so now she is drawing closer in mind, body, and spirit to her new family.  She has said her goodbyes to her friends and family in Richmond, Maryland, and Florida, and after time with a dear family friend, she will be entering Carmel, where she will continue discerning her vocation to the cloistered religious life within the community.    
     What an amazing addition she will be to their community!  I can only hope and pray that they will receive her with as much love, joy, and laughter as she has brought to so many of us who have gotten to know her.

Friday, July 19, 2013

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 111)


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In Need of a Pint The past couple weeks have been pretty tiring for a variety of reason: not enough sleep, little ones teething, emergency vehicles outside our bedroom window at all hours, several projects and assignments to work on and prepare for, along with the usual stuff, and Kevin not feeling well at all.  Last Friday and today, I’ve arrived with not as much energy as I would like or reasonably need to keep up with three little ones for several hours.  I’ve been reminded, yet again, that God sends us angels when we need some extra help or encouragement. 
     When the usual suspects cooked up the usual chaos last week, Cathy, their grandma, who is my “other mother” (Kevin and I have been “adopted” by their family) stopped by after going to daily Mass.  She brought me a strawberry banana smoothie and she stayed for a bit to visit with the girls and me.  I had no idea she was coming, so I was tremendously grateful when I answered the door and saw who it was. 
     Later that afternoon, another angel showed up, my youngest sister.  Though she’d spent hours helping to take care of our nephew that day, she lovingly agreed to bring me what I wanted for a quick fix to make it through a long day: a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch.  
     God loves me through the wonderful people He’s put in my life.  Thanks for the pick-me-ups and the cold, sweet treats!   

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Cutting Down, Scaling Back I still don’t think it has completely sunk in that I won’t get to see, talk with, or e-mail my friend Michele Morris who is entering a cloistered monastery in a few weeks.  She’s been sending me some text messages and photos this week since she left Virginia with no plans to return.  I miss her already, and I’d really rather not think about her absence.  I know that God will keep us connected through prayer and the letters we can write and she can receive at Christmas and Easter.  I also am grateful that He’ll bring other people into our lives to help us grow closer to Him and vice versa.  Here's Michele's FB message from Wednesday: So, finished packing for my train ride home. This is everything I own. or rather everything I own is contained in these three bags (minus wintry stuff and shoes I mailed to the Monastery). Kinda freeing, actually. But also, very bizarre. I mean really weird. This. is. really. happening.”


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You Had Me at Hi The Lord saw fit to remind me that He’s still working and that the Holy Spirit is moving in and through people here.  A friend I met through Michele and Cursillo called today, and it put such a big smile on my face and warm feeling in my heart that she picked up the phone to check in and see how things have been with us.  Betty told me how excited she’s been that her husband is going through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) program at church.  When she spoke with unbridled enthusiasm that her husband had decided to join the Catholic Church after many years of not believing God even existed.  Of course, it made me think of Kevin returning to the Church, after many years away.  The Holy Spirit rocks, and when we cooperate, the results are truly miraculous!


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Yo Ho, Let’s Go! Sunshine and her sometimes willing sidekicks enjoy Jake and the Never Land Pirates, among a myriad of other Disney creations.  This week when playing with half spheres that fit together, she told me that she was making breakfast for everyone.  She’d put a little something in each of what she was calling bowls.  It was a charming game of make believe when she caught me completely off-guard by asking: “Can we all celebrate our balls?”  I laughed, knowing she meant that as a completely innocent question, but I just had to text her mom about her exclamation, figuring she could use a laugh, too.  I was even more amused when it occurred to me that we’ll eventually have to teach Sunshine that a hardy “Yo ho, let’s go!” isn’t really a socially acceptable greeting if you’re not actually a swashbuckling pirate (animated or otherwise). 
     Of course, this also made me think of the time Hank, who used to help his dad in the garden, called out very loudly at the church playground: “Where my hoe?!”  I knew what he meant but cringed thinking other people thought I’d taught him to talk like that, so I shouted back: “You mean, where is my gardening tool?” once I finished laughing.  
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Here Comes the Boom Kevin and I enjoyed this movie as well as the bonus features.  Actually, it’s the last movie that Michele came over and watched at our place.  She’s not terribly into boxing or fighting (neither am I), but she appreciates a good story, a good laugh, and actors that are willing to put it all on the line, so she liked it as well.  It was weird that evening, because I knew she only had a few days left to watch whatever movies she felt like, so we let her choose whatever she wanted.  A heartfelt comedy was definitely the best choice for the evening.  Boom, here comes the trailer:  

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Beware of Floss I know kids are ingenious when it comes to getting into things.  They never cease to amaze me at the lengths they’ll go to when they see something they want or feel like experimenting with something they have.  The latest and greatest alternative use for dental hygiene products was demonstrated to me this past week.  Sunshine, while sitting on the toilet, grabbed a little box of floss from the bathroom counter.  I’m in the other room with her sisters, so I don’t know she’s done this until I walk in to see what’s taking her so long, especially once her usual chattering and singing has ceased.  I come in to find that she has somehow (still haven’t tried it myself) disassembled the thing of floss and was holding the blade in her hand.  I’m not sure what she intended to do with it after that, but I wasn’t waiting to find out.        
    
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Facilitator’s Guide I’m working on a Facilitator’s Guide for the John Paul 2 High series of books, and I’m interested to know what study guide or facilitator’s guide have you as a parent, teacher, religious education instructor, librarian…found most helpful.  I have lots of ideas of what to include, but it would be nice to have a few ones that people really like to glean from. 
     As part of working on this project and because I’ve been feeling the nudge to get back to writing the Young Adult novel I started a number of years back, I’ve been reading lots of YA fiction.  It has been interesting to see what’s covered in terms of topics, issues, conflicts, and abuse in recently published novels.  I usually will find the books that have won awards, then I’ll check out other things by the same author.  Each time I come across something that is a major plot-line, character trait, and/or conflict in the YA novel I’ve written, I wonder if it’s time to polish the manuscript and start sending it out to see what happens.  Lord, please be abundantly clear what writing projects outside of those I'm already committed to I should focus on at this time.          
                  
Check out Jen Fulwiler’s tradition of 7 Quick Takes Friday at her tremendously popular blog Conversion Diary.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Big Birthday Celebration Postponed

     So there wasn’t a big celebration planned, but today is a big birthday for Kevin, so he had hoped to enjoy the day.  He took off of work with the intention of getting some time out on his motorcycle, visiting me and the girls, then later having some barbecue at Famous Dave’s and chilling for a bit at the pool at my mom’s with some dessert and (as per his request) a very small gathering of family and a couple friends, but most of that didn’t even happen.  He felt sick yesterday morning, but he went to work anyway.  Mid-afternoon, he left early to come home and crawl into bed.  He wasn’t feeling well this morning, but I knew that he was awake before I left for work and shaving, because he intended to go somewhere, likely on his motorcycle. 
     I was very tempted to get him to promise me not to go anywhere on his motorcycle when he was already feeling crummy and the day was going to be really hot, but I resisted.  I gave him his birthday card.  His main gift is sitting in our living room, all 50 inches of flat-screen TV he’s wanted for years, and I finally consented to in celebration of his monumental birthday this July. 
     I know him all too well.  He did go out on his motorcycle, but he wasn’t out for very long, before he started feeling even worse.  Thankfully, he had the good sense to come home rather than push his luck and head out of town for a long ride.  Poor thing.  He’s spent most of the afternoon and evening curled up in bed.  We’re not sure if it’s a cold or what, but the timing of it has not been appreciated. 
     On one hand, I’m grateful that for months, he’s been saying that he didn’t want to make a big deal out of his birthday, so I decided not to plan a big surprise party or even a he-knows-about-it-already big party.  I respected his wishes and asked a couple people to meet us for dinner and a couple to join us for dessert.  Now, I’m very glad that he wanted to keep things on the down low, because I am certain he would be even more bummed than he already is if we had lots of people, food, and preparation invested in a big bash that he couldn’t enjoy. 

     We’re hoping he’ll feel better, so we can try a low-key celebration this weekend, and a bigger (but just as if not more) informal family/friend party in August when we’re in Rochester.  Sixteen years ago, the summer my mom, sisters, and I first met Kevin and his father, we were there over his birthday and remembered the date for the following year.  For his next birthday we were also staying at the cottage and decorated his front door. 
     Now that Kevin and I are decorating what has become “our Rochester wall,” we have the original card we gave him framed, a whole wooden box of “Shhhh” with his name on it, and a bar of soap with a tugboat in it placed on our new corner shelves.  Kevin’s kept basically all of the letters and gifts I’ve made or bought and given to him over the years, but there is at least one little one that I haven’t seen in years.  We got him a keychain and wrote “Coast Guard” and underneath put the phone number for the local Dunkin Donuts.  We all got a big kick out of that. 
     Lord, thank You for the gift of my husband, who has been an integral part of my life for the past sixteen years.  Back then, he never thought he’d make it to this birthday.  Neither of us ever thought we'd  be approaching our ninth year of marriage to each other.  I’m grateful God always knows better.  I hope and pray we will have lots more than sixteen years of birthdays to celebrate together in the future.  Lord, may Your Will be done!

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Pray for Us

     It’s hard to believe that one year ago today, on the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, my dear sister in Christ, Michele Morris held the début of Teresita, the one woman, one act play she wrote based on the life and vocational discernment of St. Teresa of Avila.  Michele’s academic and professional background is in theater, acting, and directing, as well as evangelizing through plays and skits.   

In Search of the Right Saint

     For a while, Michele had considered writing a play about another saint, someone far more obscure that she’d have to dig hard to find out about, but when she spoke with Fr. Dan Brady, a local priest who has performed the one-man play Damien written by Aldyth Morris a number of times in our area, he suggested she write her play about St. Teresa of Avila.  With that suggestion and inspiration, she gathered a variety of resources about the saint’s life, including information about her personality, family relationships, vocational discernment, faith, education, and perseverance in entering a religious community as soon as possible.  She researched St. Teresa of Avila’s life through books, letters, poems, biographies, and historical information in preparation for writing her original play named Teresita

Asking the Tough Questions

     As Michele Morris has been discerning her own lifelong vocation, she has asked the Lord many times
throughout her life a question that appears over and over in her play: “What do You want of me?”  This question is the refrain directly from a poem written by St. Teresa of Avila called “In the Hands of God.”
     The poignant poem and pertinent refrain are ones I’ve returned to often over the past year as I spend time in prayer discerning what the Lord wants of me in my life, where He is leading me and my husband in our vocation of marriage, and how that changes what we do now and how we prepare for the future.  
     In response to the tough questions Michele has asked the Lord and the answers she's received from Him, she left Richmond, Virginia, for good on Sunday, July 14, 2013 after living here for eighteen years.  After signing over her car and visiting some friends, she'll be heading down to her hometown of Deland, Florida.  From there, she and her mom will fly out to the West Coast.
     On August 6, 2013, Michele will officially enter the Carmelite Sisters by the Sea cloistered monastery and become a postulant.  I plan to publish some more posts regarding her faith journey, the play she wrote, and the many ways she has touched people's lives in profound ways, so please check back for more.

Friday, July 12, 2013

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 110)


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Road of Hope Last week some exciting news came out about a man I definitely feel will one day be canonized as a saint: Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan.  It has been announced that this amazing priest is being considered for sainthood.  I first read about this man in A Priest Forever: Nine Signs of Hope and Renewal.  Later, I read the book he wrote to his people during his 13 years in prison, nine of which he spent in solitary confinement, The Road of Hope: A Gospel from Prison and watched the DVD about his life also called Road of Hope.  I am still blown away by his tremendous faith, hope, and joy in the midst of terrible conditions and awful treatment.   
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Men of Courage There are a number of male family members and friends I have seen suffer terribly as a result of varying illnesses, injuries, and life-threatening conditions.  I hope and pray that if ever faced with any of the challenges they have faced, I may have the grace to be as brave, courageous, determined, good humored, and full of faith that the men (and women) in my life have exhibited.  I’m praying especially for my Godfather and his family as he goes through more cancer treatment, as well as my uncle whose health is declining.

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French, Fun, & Photos Speaking French, funny stories, rollercoasters, West African music and dance, an assortment of photos, video clips, and discussions made Wednesday evening quite enjoyable.  My youngest sister is in town for a couple weeks, and I hadn’t seen her since my mom and I went up to Ohio back in April to see her performances. 
     Since then she’s been to Burkina Faso for the second time and loved it.  I was excited to hear about her trip and looking forward to speaking with her in French, which she’d really like to keep up.  We hung out at my mom’s.  Kevin came over after work and grocery shopping and cut up fruit for us all to eat while we were talking.

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Take a Bite Outta Crime The girls have been very interested in paper products.  There wasn’t actually enough left of the newspaper article Sophie took a bite out of left to determine what section it came from, but I’m guessing that she would crack down hard on crimes such as robbery, assault, and battery if given the chance after being in the company of her two very assertive sisters.   
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Keeping it Fresh Opening a package of crackers that were starting to go stale, my sister said she didn’t mind them.  I told her that she should have known they were stale since there wasn’t FRESH written on the side in black permanent marker.  Writing FRESH in black marker was a trick a household member had for identifying the cereal purchased most recently that was least likely to be stale.  Rather than throw the stale cereal out, this individual helpfully marked the new box as FRESH.


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Toe-Up The girls have a special affection for dairy products, as is often the case with little ones their ages.  Yesterday, after eating some of the shredded cheese I gave them at lunchtime, Sophie was walking around.  I looked over at one point, and she’d plopped down on the floor to pick out a tiny clump of cheese that had gotten caught between her toes.  Naturally, her first inclination was to pop it in her mouth.  She certainly gives new meaning to the term toe-cheese.  I remember when “my little guys” were pre-verbal (still members of the bare piggy brigade), and one of them had this unique laugh he did specifically when he saw and wanted something made with milk.  To read more about adventures in nanny land, check out My Nanny Diary.      
    
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Carmel or Bust! It still hasn’t completely sunken in that one of my very close friends, a dear sister in Christ is leaving Richmond this Sunday and doesn’t plan to return ever again.  This evening we’re having a farewell/adieu pizza party for Michele Morris before she leaves.  Soon she’ll be flying to the West Coast to enter a cloistered monastery called Sisters by the Sea in Carmel, California.  Please pray for Michele, her family, and the many who love and will miss her dearly during this time of transition.  Michele has always had a fondness for Harley Davidson motorcycles, so this graphic of a nun on a motorcycle is the one she asked me to put on her business cards when she was traveling around performing her play “Teresita.”    
                  
Check out Jen Fulwiler’s tradition of 7 Quick Takes Friday at her tremendously popular blog Conversion Diary.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

The Outer Limits of: French, Food, Fun, and Laughter

Speaking French, funny stories, rollercoasters, West African music and dance, an assortment of photos, video clips, and discussions made this evening quite enjoyable.  My youngest sister is in town for a couple weeks, and I hadn’t seen her since my mom and I went up to Ohio back in April to see her performances
    
Since then she’s been to Burkina Faso for the second time and loved it.  I was excited to hear about her trip and looking forward to speaking with her in French, which she’d really like to keep up.  We hung out at my mom’s.  Kevin came over after work and grocery shopping and cut up fruit for us all to eat while we were talking. 

Food Matters

We laughed about some amusing moments from when we were growing up, one of those being the day that my mom quickly packed my sister “a lunch” for the day she was spending with me while I took care of “my two little guys.”  (For further explanation, see My Nanny Diary.)  The contents of said lunch were rather interesting: 1. a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread 2. a box of individual packets of hot cocoa mix.
   
Opening a package of crackers and eating a couple that were starting to go stale, my sister said she didn’t mind them.  I told her that she should have known they were stale since there wasn’t FRESH written on the side of the package in black permanent marker.  Writing FRESH in black marker was a trick a household member had for identifying the cereal purchased most recently that was least likely to be stale.  Rather than throw the stale cereal out, this individual helpfully marked the new box as FRESH.

Enjoy the Ride

My mom and sister just got back from some time in Rochester, New York, so we were talking about the people and places they visited up there and got onto the subject of roller coasters.  There is a rather small (in terms of other amusement parks we’ve gone to) place with rides and a water park that’s been in its current location since before I was born.  Often when we’d go up to Rochester to visit my grandma, grandpa, uncles, and my parents' friends from college, we would spend a day at Seabreeze where they have such rides as the Jack Rabbit, a wooden rollercoaster that my parents went on years before we were even a twinkle in their eyes.  My sister and cousins went to the park for a quick visit to hit the highlights at Seabreeze before they closed the gates. 

This got us into a discussion about rollercoasters at different amusement parks and how family members responded to those at Seabreeze, King’s Dominion, and Busch Gardens.  Kevin had to tell the story about the time we were at King’s Dominion for the day, and we rode the Outer Limits rollercoaster for the first time.  Afterward, we decided to have lunch.  I went up to an open window and asked for “two orders of stricken chips.” 

The person looked at me quite confused.  I didn’t even realize what I’d said until Kevin stepped forward and said, “I’m sorry.  We just got off a rollercoaster.  What she meant to say is that we’d like two orders of chicken strips, please.”  We spent the entire lunch laughing hysterically as we ate our chicken and fries, and later I drew a little picture of a house and wrote "Home for Abused Chips" on the front of one of the many letters I sent him back then when we were still dating. 
   
Kevin's kept every card, note, and letter I sent him from when we first met throughout the entire time we were dating, so I came across the envelope the other day when I was rereading cards, letters, and things I'd sent him which are now mixed in with the letters and cards he sent me way back when.

Friday, July 5, 2013

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 109)

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My Very First Time Kevin and I celebrated Independence Day by going to Mass in thanksgiving and prayer for our religious liberty, eating hot dogs for lunch, then we practiced riding around the church parking lot in preparation for my very first time out on Kevin's motorcycle (or any other motorcycle, for that matter).  We were quite patriotic in our red, white, and blue.  We swung by friends of ours who took a couple pics of us on the bike, but we haven’t gotten those from them, yet.  I’ll post them when I receive them.  Lord, thank You for the true freedom that comes from following Christ. Amen.

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Favorite 4th of July My favorite Independence Day I spent with Kevin and his family in Rochester, NY on Lake Ontario. I was used to having a cook-out with my parents and sisters and usually going somewhere to see a legal fireworks display, but the Fourth of July at the cottage with Kevin’s family was something entirely different…Read more
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Up on the Altar Kevin and I photographed Claire & Augusto's wedding and reception last Saturday afternoon/evening. We're praying for them and all couples the Lord has united through the Sacrament of Marriage, that all may be strengthened by faith, lifted up in love, grounded in prayer, and filled with joy. Amen!
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Let’s Make It Musical I cracked up when Claire and her twin sister linked arms and started singing one of the Broadway show tunes Vivi has learned from yours truly.  In case you were wondering, “Sisters, Sisters” from White Christmas takes on another level of special when done by a woman wearing a wedding gown and her twin sister who’s a bridesmaid who burst into song in the banquet hall in the downstairs of the church.  I already knew it was going to be a fun afternoon/evening, but when two of her bridesmaids started doing a clapping game, none other than a full-out “Miss Mary Mack/All dressed in black,” it was clinched that this pre-wedding show was just a preview for what would be a rocking reception. 
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Cheese Whiz or Not A dear friend of mine and I were having a late lunch after our successful shopping spree, and I was treated to another hilarious story.  This one was about how the cheese pump at the fast food place where she worked for a brief stint while in college was her demise.  She was working with one manager who just didn’t like her, personalities clashed.  Of course, this person was working the shift my friend is having a night where she couldn’t seem to get any order right. 
     Finally, the manager tells her to just go in the back and clean the cheese pump.  She went back to the apparatus she had trouble even getting to work and stared at it.  She didn’t know how to clean it.  She returned to the manager, who told her to just take the thing apart and clean it.  Next thing she knows, my friend staring at a very clean and completely dissembled cheese pump.  Yes, it was a genuine case of Amelia Bedelia works fast food. 
Head manager the next day: “So what happened last night?”
“I took apart the cheese pump,” she answered.
“That you did,” he said.
“And I couldn’t put it back together again,”
“No one could put it together again.  Not even me.  I had to order a new one,” he said before they mutually agreed food service isn’t her thing.

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Priceless I can be serious and very intense when I’m set on doing a good job, so I was concentrated and “on-the-job” getting hundreds of photos at the wedding rehearsal, Brazilian barbecue, wedding, and reception.  A few hours into the reception, the bride told me not to worry about taking anymore pictures.  I couldn’t resist, so I took a bunch more then gave Kevin my camera so I could get my groove on.  It was quite amusing to see the looks on people’s faces when I joined the party on the dance floor for a song.  I love to dance, and I’ve been told: “for a white girl you got rhythm.” 
    
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Caregivers Unite There have been a number of times in my life when I’ve played the role of caregiver which makes me that much more compassionate and empathetic when friends and family become wary under the weight of such responsibility.  A reminder that I’ve had to relearn a million times: if you don’t take care of yourself, it will affect your ability to take good care of others, especially on a long-term basis day and night with no substantial breaks in sight.  I pray that all who are caring for others who are sick in mind, body, and/or spirit will be encouraged by the Lord, who is Wonderful Counselor, Perfect Physician, and Holy Comforter. 
                  

Check out Jen Fulwiler’s tradition of 7 Quick Takes Friday at her tremendously popular blog Conversion Diary.
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