7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 139) Women of Faith Rock the World

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Grace is…having two grandmothers who were strong women of faith as examples when I was growing up,

two parents who always pray for me (one still on earth and one in Heaven), a merciful Lord, reaching out to those who are struggling to survive, living examples of people who do the right thing even when nobody's looking, actually believing God has great things planned for your life beyond your wildest dreams…

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One Year Anniversary My grandma past away one year ago today.  She has been an inspiration to me for many reasons seven of which you can read about here, if you like.

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Top 10 Mommy Blog Epic Fails I’ve finally accepted that I don’t have what it takes to have a hugely successful, widely read, and dutifully followed mommy blog.  I know exactly why that’s the case, and since many of these things aren’t likely to change anytime soon, we might as well be transparent about these drawbacks.  Here are the top 10 reasons why my own blog is not a super-colossal mommy blog at the top of everyone’s blogroll and whose notification of new posts pop up in inboxes everywhere and some links to cool successful mommy blogs.

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Stuff my husband says: After I admitted to Kevin that it’s a good thing I looked up the directions before going to pick up my friend and take her to her infusion, because I’d written down an incorrect street name: Coswell as opposed to what it’s supposed to be which is Cogbill  (Apparently the closest Coswell St. is in Alabama.), he says to me in a very patronizing, aww, how cute tone: “I love you.”
I responded: “Don’t!  It’s not a good idea!”
He said: “No, following your directions is not a good idea.”

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King George & the Ducky In honor of the Mass readings for today, I thought I’d direct your attention to one of the most brilliant pieces family friendly filming that takes actual Bible stories and puts them into an animated form that will have your whole family LOL and educated about morality.  Yes, of course, I’m speaking of Veggie Tales King George & the Ducky. 

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Gimme Shelter I haven’t seen it yet, but I plan on seeing it soon and have only heard amazing things about it.  I couldn’t even make it through watching the trailer without tearing up:

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Day of the Little Way On Feb. 4, Catholics everywhere are invited to join an unprecedented movement on Twitter and Vine called the Day of the Little Way. Inspired by St. Therese of Lisieux, the Day of the Little Way asks Catholics to embrace the New Evangelization by living out your faith in 140 little - but powerful - characters all day long!

The Day of the Little Way encourages Catholics to use the hashtag #LittleWay all day long on Twitter and Vine as a way to share their small stories of faith, prayers, quotes, inspiration and encouragement online. By uniting under one hashtag, Catholics not only demonstrate solidarity in their faith, they also open the door for dialog with people online in a new way. As Pope Francis stated in his recent Communications Day message, “A culture of encounter demands that we be ready not only to give, but also to receive…Let our communication be a balm which relieves pain and a fine wine which gladdens hearts.”
    
Ironically enough, I don’t have a Twitter account, but I did read the book that inspired this movement, and I’ll be posting the review of it on February 4^th.  Check back, then you can tweet it for me ;)   

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

Top 10 Mommy Blog Epic Fails

Here are the top 10 Mommy Blog Epic Fails or in other words ten legitimate reasons why my own blog is not a super-colossal mommy blog at the top of everyone’s blogroll and whose notification of new posts pop up in inboxes everywhere along with several suggestions of actual cool, very  successful mommy blogs:

10. Homeschooling

The only person I have tried to “homeschool” recently is my husband, and it’s going about as well as you’d imagine.  At least he’s finally using his dresser for its intended purpose most of the time.  We’ll try working on some other practical life skills (such as putting clean, folded laundry away where it belongs) once he seems to be showing further signs of aptitude in that area.  For cool posts by moms who do homeschool their kids, check out Blossoming Joy and Danielle Bean.

9. Not-so-Crunchy Kitchen


I’m not some amazing cook who makes mouth-watering dishes with all natural, fair trade, organic ingredients that I managed to find in my garden or on sale at a local family-owned grocery store.  We eat fairly healthy, but the peanut butter in our cupboard is Jif and the bread in our fridge isn’t homemade, and there aren’t enough grains on top of it to feed a colony of birds.  Not that I didn’t try to interest Kevin in that sort of bread, but it didn’t fly.  Therefore, I don’t have a stash of delectable looking dishes, desserts, and mixed drinks to entice my readers.
For delectable recipes and scrumptious-looking menu options, go visit Catholic Mom's Café and Danielle Bean.

8. Catchy, Cool Link-ups

I have not yet formulated a funky and fun link-up line-up that would bring people from far and wide to my site to read what I’ve written and check out what others have posted along the same lines.  The closest I’ve gotten is to participate for the past 139 weeks in Jennifer Fulwiler exceedingly popular link-up at Conversion Diary called 7 Quick Takes Friday.

7. Bugs & Buzzards

Our creepy, crawly infestations aren’t that big of a deal, especially when compared to ridiculously large and mean-looking scorpions lurking in couch cushions and bedroom slippers.  Again, Jennifer Fulwiler is the boss when it comes to this category!

6. No Whining

Kevin and I don’t drink alcohol.  Therefore, I haven’t got any pretty pictures or harrowing stories about the effects of alcohol consumption on our behavior or that of our guests.  I don’t have a single wine recommendation for you.  In fact, I’m not really a fan of whining (pun intended).

For adventures in raising young children, as well as LOL funny pics, stories, and further attempts at non-whining, see Camp Patton.

5. Faith Formation

I must admit that I often forget to say grace with kids before meals when I am juggling, assembling, cutting, cooking, and serving little ones their four to six mini-meals a day all while they are acting as if they are starving and haven’t seen food in a week.  In my defense, when I realize my mistake, either because the oldest has told me I forgot or because the chaos of mealtimes has subsided momentarily, we pray a slightly edited version: “Bless us, oh Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are already receiving from Thy bounty, through Christ, Our Lord.  Amen.  And may the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.

For faith formation and other helpful tips and tricks for guiding future saints, visit Kate Wicker or Lisa Hendey.

4. Exercise? Please!


The only time I think I actually enjoyed running was when my family would play tag around the arch at Valley Forge Park when we lived in Pennsylvania…when I was still in third and fourth grade.  I have considered it exercise when I have been the sole adult responsible for two or more young children for periods of nine hours or longer at a time.  If you see me running down the sidewalk, it’s probably because someone scary is chasing me.  The only gym I’ve frequented pretty much daily for months on end has been the jungle gym where I take the kids to play.  I honestly don't know who to recommend for this category as it's not one I read a whole lot about or do much with.

3. High Book Deal Drama


Several popular bloggers have published a book or two, contributed to some anthologies, have a slew of articles that have appeared in National Catholic Register and other such online and in print publications, and/or they are in the process of polishing their manuscript with the help of an interested press who’s offered them a contract.  Though I’m a voracious reader and an avid writer, I have not landed a book deal or made it big in the world of publishing, yet.
   
I’m a cradle Catholic who has never really fallen away from the faith, so I don’t have a conversion story to tell that begins with me as a fiercely independent atheist who one day meets prince charming, who happens to be a devout Catholic, adventurous enough to have more children than I can count on one hand, and still have time to carve high-quality wooden toys of Montessori quality and appeal that will help form their brood into the saints of tomorrow…

To read a great conversion story and hilarious book about a family with many kids, check out Clan Donaldson or for a slightly more serious smattering of stories from a number of great Catholic authors visit Moxie Wife.

2. Precious Pics & Not-so-precious Moments


I do have a bazillion precious pictures I’ve taken of babies, toddlers, young children, elementary school kids, family events, art projects, mysterious messes (like Grace over at Camp Patton)…but I have to be even more careful and diplomatic about what I post than most others because of reason #1.

1. Kids & Clan Members

My husband and I don’t have a house full of kids.  Let me be more specific.  We don’t have a house, and we don’t have any children for whom we are biologically or legally responsible.  As you can imagine, this makes it basically impossible for me to have anything close to a successful mommy blog.

I have been taking care of children, teaching them, nannying for them, babysitting, tutoring, helping to homeschool for the past 22 years, so there are a good number of children who have brightened my life and a select group of them who have a very special place in my heart.  I recently received a clear answer from the Lord that it's time to move on from nannying, though my husband and I aren't sure of what's next.  Please keep us in prayer as we discern the Lord's will for our lives and our family.  We're doing our best trusting God when unsure of what's next.

God bless you and all of your loved ones young and old!

Wonderful Women of Faith: Are You a Spiritual Diva?

     

   
I’ve been reminded in some very powerful ways how much women of faith have made a difference in my life, in my journey with the Lord, and in how I relate to and pray for/with others.  This week I’ve had the blessing of getting together with a number of women of faith in various settings for prayer, to share a meal, catch up on things, listen, laugh, and offer encouragement. 

    
I am currently part of the formation team for the Women’s Cursillo Weekend that will take place this April 24-27, 2014, so I’m meeting with that group of women (and the two male deacons that are part of our spiritual direction team) on Sunday afternoons from now until April.  I first met some truly remarkable women, many of whom I’m still good friends, when I made my Cursillo weekend at the Abbey back in June 2006 and sat at the table the Sea of Conviction, but we were the youngest three there, so we renamed ourselves the spiritual divasJ. 

   
 I usually meet Monday evenings with a strong prayer warrior friend who has also been taking the Theophostic Prayer Ministry training with me over the past few years.  It changes everything when you have discussions, prayer time, and do ministry with someone who is actively seeking the Lord’swill for her life and doing her best to live it out.  She’s one of the first people I text with major prayer intentions, because I know I can always count on her storming the Heavens on behalf of whoever needs it.

    
Wednesday evening, I gathered with some of the wonderful women who I met back in February 2009 when I made my Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) retreat and then served on the team for the next Women’s weekend that summer.  I felt bad showing up to the scheduled planning meeting with light supper provided rather tired, and weary without any food, drinks, books to share, or really anything much to offer.  

    
Everyone welcomed me warmly and was so glad to see me after such a long absence from many activities that I realized that these women genuinely love and care about me, not because I plan great retreats/events (haven’t planned a single one for that group, I don’t think), or host fun parties (definitely haven’t given any parties at all), or even because I recently offered much in the way of donations of time, talent, or treasure in effort of keeping the group going.  I didn’t even bring my usual huge stack of books I’ve read, loved, and reviewed to pass along to whoever is interested.  I just brought my planner (which doesn’t have any monthly planner pages in it beyond January, because I haven’t placed that order yet), and soaked up the love, prayers, camaraderie, laughter, and joy of the gathering. 

   
I found out yesterday that a woman of faith I admire a great deal is in the hospital.  My mom went to visit this person, and there were four other visitors in her room when she left.  At noon Mass at the Pastoral Center, I prayed for my usual list of loved ones, both living and deceased, including Nana (my dad’s mom) and my grandma. 100 years from now, I hope to have brought others closer to God by being a strong, devout, compassionate, loving, joyful woman of faith.  I’ve had so many great examples to follow!

     I’m only part of the way through a book I love already called Sisterhood of Saints.  It’s by woman of faith and spiritual writer Melanie Rigney.  The cover is beautiful and so are the stories of these saints, inspirations and challenges included.  We have such a rich tradition of women saying yes to the Lord and living out that yes every day of their lives. 

    
Both of my grandmothers and my parents have had a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother, one that I have grown to love and appreciate more and more.  Last weekend when I was leading the opening and closing prayers for our Cursillo formation meeting, I shared with the group one of my favorite prayers: The Prayer to Mary for the Conversion of a Loved One, which I prayed daily, along with the Rosary for Kevin’s return to the Catholic faith in which he was raised when we were still only dating and he’d fallen far away from the church.

     “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.”

     “Blessed Woman, Peaceful Dove, teach us wisdom, teach us love.”

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 130) Storytelling, Silly Songs, & the Cookie Caper Question

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Grace is…a delicious Thanksgiving feast shared with family, having my youngest sister home even for a brief visit, Mom’s homemade apple pie, wanting to be a better servant of the Lord, working at being more Christ-like by doing small things with great love, genuine encouragement and inspiration from those who love you, the sense to stay in on Black Friday, playing with your youngest nephew, the vulnerability it takes to be honest in kind and gentle ways…

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Thanksgiving Across the Years This Thanksgiving was a really nice one for Kevin and me.  We began the day by going to Mass to celebrate the ultimate feast, the Eucharist (the word literally means “thanksgiving”).  Later we headed over to my sister and brother-in-law’s house for the family meal and visiting.  The food was delicious and the quality time together very enjoyable!  To read about some of our past Thanksgiving adventures, mishaps, and traditions, click here.     

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It’s Your Fault! Yesterday, my sister and I broke into a song about rubber duckies that my mom used to sing to us when we were little.  My other sister and my mom looked at each other and made faces at us.  I elbowed my mom, and informed her: “It’s your fault!”  And really it is.  She’s the one who stayed home with us when we were little and sang to us, danced with us, read to us, played with us, and inspired a love for little people that she passed on to each one of us.  

     The song my sister and I were singing is from Sesame Street.  You might recognize it.

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10 Facts about Advent I happened upon this article the other day, and it’s a great starting point for remembering what Advent is about.  Here’s a hint: it has nothing at all to do with the craziness of Black Friday, but is an important precursor to Christmas and the prelude to Good Friday.  The actual Advent wreath that Kevin and I have and will be putting out this weekend is a very special one that was made by a friend of ours who is hardcore about spreading hope.   

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Run that by me again! Sunshine has a very active imagination.  Sometimes, I’m not sure right away if she’s telling me about something that has actually happened or if it’s another one of her pretend stories.  Either way, I try to listen closely and follow along.  Not too long ago, she told me that her grandma and grandpa don’t like rabbits, so she doesn’t either.  I had no way of verifying that, but since her grandparents do have a farm, I deduced it was at least possible.  This week, she was a good two minutes into her story before I figured out that we were in a real world with real people fairy tale.  What tipped me off?  Suddenly she was the one driving mommy and daddy’s van to go find her mom, who had left her at school while she went to Walmart.    

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Last Night Kids concept of time is amusing.  Lately, Sunshine typically begins and/or ends each of her stories with “last night.”  This has occasionally helped me in the department of distinguishing fact from fiction, though, with her it can be a very convincing mix of the two.  Knowing that her parents had trouble with the minivan’s alarm going off by itself, I was incredibly impressed when in subsequent weeks, she spun a very animated, action-packed, high adrenalin story about a school bus needing to be fixed and babies crying because of a loud alarm that went off when a battery died.  Kevin was visiting us at the time and got to witness this based on a real life event story, and we were both amused and awed.  Just remember, your children are always recording audio and video whether you want them to or not.

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The Cookie Caper Question I have a tendency to take things personally and assume that people think the worst of me.  Here’s a hypothetical situation that closely resembles my line of thinking: If Kevin were to ask me why cookies were being stolen from the cookie jar in a household of three or more individuals all capable of reaching the container, I would typically assume that he was informing me of a problem while at the same time accusing me of stealing the cookies and/or blaming me for not having a better system for keeping track of the baked goods in question even if this wasn’t at all his intent or line of thinking.  (Truth be told, I do find it very difficult to resist the urge to consume baked goodies when they are left out or easily accessible.) 

     Like most people, I prefer to be informed of a problem and asked questions rather than immediately accused of being the culprit when I’m just as likely a suspect as the next person.  If the cookies have some type of chocolate in them, it might be most efficient and also highly likely to assume that I have been one of the people responsible for the disappearance and consumption of some of the cookies.  Though it would be unfair and presumptuous to believe that I am the only guilty party involved in the case of the missing cookies, it isn’t unjust, given my appreciation for goodies, to think that I’m among the likely suspects…

     I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you are willing to share your holiday baked goods with whoever comes to call this Advent and Christmas.                  

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

A Letter to Parents (My Nanny Diary)

Dear Mom and Dad,

If you think that no one other than the two of you will ever love your child and care for him as much as you do, except for God, you’re probably right.  Your child will always have a very special bond with you two, and your love is deeper, wider, and stronger for him than other people’s, and that isn’t likely to change, nor should it. 

From what I’ve read, heard, and observed, it’s perfectly normal to wonder if a child would be just as trusting, content, and relaxed to have pretty much anyone feed, burp, change, wash, clothe, hold, play with, read to, supervise, entertain…him.  The truth is their sense of trust, security, and love comes initially from the two of you.  Even when you are five kinds of tired and doing things only other parents or caregivers as sleep-deprived as you are would come up with, your child knows you love him, will take care of his basic needs, and not give up on him no matter how difficult he can be at times

The Lord chose you out of all of eternity to take care of this little one in body, mind, and soul.  The connection between parents and their children is much stronger than many realize.  I’ve had a number of parents, both mothers and fathers, make comments to me that indicate they feel their child is some sort of “traitor” when he warms up to me and seems comfortable with me taking care of him.  Actually “traitor” was the exact word one mother used when she came home on her lunch break the first day her son was in my care to check in and make sure everything was going well.  He was perfectly content, and she felt a little slighted as well as relieved and grateful.    

Another important aspect of life that children learn from very early on is that Mom and Dad show them who they can trust.  Part of your responsibility is to ensure that your child is always in reliable, competent care when one or both of you aren’t present.  You are your child’s most important, influential, and trusted teachers.  That’s not to say your child won’t challenge you frequently, but he knows that the bottom-line is that you’re the one who will appear in the middle of the night when he’s thirsty, hungry, teething, cold, having a nightmare...     

 

I don’t know what it feels like from your perspective to have a child you have sacrificed everything for run up and give someone not even related to you hugs and kisses, but I imagine it would make me feel envious and wonder where I rate if I were in your position.  If ever you feel a twinge of sadness, jealousy, or regret when your child runs up to someone else, remember that your child is able to love because God and the two of you loved him first and taught him how to trust by being trustworthy.    

The best performance review I’ve ever received from a parent is that they can tell I love their child “almost as much as they do.”  When one father said that, I knew he could understand how I feel and where I'm coming from.  Though I have loved each child for whom I have nannied as much as I possibly feel I am capable of love, I know that their parents love them even more, and I rejoice that’s the case. 

You’re right in thinking you’ll never find a babysitter or caregiver who loves your child as much as you do.  However, it is quite possible and very probable, that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you will find someone who really loves and adores your child and will give him the best care they know how while you two are at work.  It may mean searching a bit harder, interviewing more candidates, and/or training someone who has the potential to be a good fit, but it can be done.  It is possible to find quality child care you can trust and depend on to love and keep up with your little one. 

 

People have billions of ideas about what’s best for kids, but what they need most is to feel loved, safe, and have their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs met.  God always intends for there to be people in addition to the mother and father to love a child, care for and about him, and lend support and encouragement.  They aren’t kidding about it taking a village to raise a child.  Don’t be afraid of letting other people love your child dearly.  When it comes to the top spots in the child’s heart, you’ve got them.  Just like it says in Mary Poppins once she’s interviewed, “The position has been filled.” 

No matter what child care situation you discern is right for your family, your child will always have the strongest bond with the two of you, his mom and dad.

Sincerely,

Your Nanny

Glimpses of Grandma

Hanging in there

In an ongoing effort to clean out, organize, and clean up our apartment, I dropped several donations off at various places today.  I started by dropping a load of things off at Goodwill.  I’ve made a number of trips over there and hope to make many more in the days and weeks to come.  It helps me to sort through things and part with them knowing that something I haven’t touched in months might be exactly what someone else is looking for and would use daily. 

    
After all, in some ways, I’m definitely my grandma’s girl.  She rarely tossed stuff out if it could be recycled or reused by her or by someone else.  I am absolutely certain she’s quite tickled that Kevin and I currently have hanging in our bathroom a turquoise (her favorite color) shower curtain that my grandma must have had for 30 some years.  When I found it and realized it had never been used and was still in its original box from a department store that went out of business awhile ago, I couldn’t bring myself to toss it, knowing my grandma would have wanted someone to use it. 

Re-Gifting         

I swung by the Pastoral Center to see my mom and gave her back a couple of the framed pieces of handmade artwork I’d done for her years ago.  I have a number of things back in my possession that I originally made, wrote, and gifted to different family members over the years.  I’m not sure how many of the items would ultimately have been trashed or donated when my sister and her husband bought a house, when my dad passed away, my youngest sister went off to college, my mom moved out of her house into an apartment, then my grandma passed away, but it was easier for me to box these things up and bring them to our place rather than wonder and worry if something I’d spent so much time and energy on would just end up in the garbage.

     
I’m not sure if it’s out of plain old nostalgia, sadness, regret, or hope that I hold onto gifts from me that were left behind.  I don’t know what would have become of the letters I wrote and gifts I made for my mom, dad, sisters, and/or grandparents.  My mom assures me that many of the things I’d made for her over the years she’d had no intention of getting rid of when she moved into her apartment.  I believe her, so when I unearth such things again, I offer them to her. 

Life-long Learning

I swung by school with a bag of assorted books and arts and craft supplies well before the insanity of after-school carpool began.  I always end up using a vast hodgepodge of materials from home and from school when I teach summer camps there, so some of the things I came across I figured they would make use of at school before I’d do something with them at home.  Others were books and things that had gotten grouped in with the children’s books I have, ones my mom kept from when we were little, in addition to some French ones and favorites I’ve added so I can share them with the kids at school and when I nanny.  I got a few minutes to catch up with the program director, who’s been a good friend and supervisor for the five years since we both started working there.  Even though I came in during the post-rest story-time, I still got a couple of spontaneous hugs from kids who remembered me.      

Good Food, Nice Weather, Many Thanks

Next, I stopped by Cook-Out for a grilled chicken sandwich, fries, and a Heath Toffee milkshake too thick to drink through a straw—good thing they included a spoon.  I drove to Little Sisters of the Poor, a stop I wasn’t really looking forward to, as I hadn’t been back there since going to collect my grandmother’s things after she passed this January.  It went fine, though. 

I sat in my car and ate my lunch, remembering one beautiful day when I’d picked up a chocolate shake and fries from Cook-Out to share with my grandma.  I’d brought her outside in her wheelchair over by the swing in front of the entrance walkway to the building and angled her so she could see the garden while we visited.  I’d gotten an extra cup so I could give her some of the milkshake, which I deftly spilled spots of on the swing and my pants.  (Getting spots on clothing while eating is another trait I picked up from my grandma, truth be told.)    

    
This afternoon, while eating, I thought about what my grandma would say on a day like today if she were sitting out there with me.  She’d make mention of the lovely garden and the beautiful colors all around.  She’d comment on the trees, the landscaping, and the gentle breeze.  She’d be grateful for a visitor, for time outside, for fun foods she can’t remember having tasted before…

    
When I finished eating, I took in the body lotions, a wide assortment of handmade jewelry, plastic organizers, and a large supply of beads to make more jewelry.  I left them with the receptionist, who I am certain recognized me.

    
I still have a number of things from my grandma’s, mom's, and my dad’s I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do with, yet.  They’re here with lots of memories I haven’t sorted through, but I’ll get around to them sometime, possibly soon.

Thank You, God, for a beautiful day, for the opportunity to share with others, to remember loved ones lost, to be thankful for little pleasures, and be reminded of the many ways that You are able to use what others cast aside to create a masterpiece of each of our lives.  Amen.            

Note: This post is linked to New Evangelist Blog's June Issue of Catholic Bloggers Best Posts from the month of May.

Road Trip & Spring Dance Festival

Road Trip Destination: Columbus, Ohio

   This past weekend I was often fondly reminded of my college friends and the amazing dancers I saw and got to know while attending Hollins University (way back when).  My mom and I went up to Columbus, Ohio, to visit my youngest sister and be there for The Ohio State University Spring Dance Festival.

 
I’d felt bad it’d been almost three years since I’d seen my sister in a performance, especially after going to each one of her dance recitals, many of her dress rehearsals, dance competitions, musical revue’s, and such when she was growing up.  Granted, it wasn’t usually an eight hour commute to get to the other shows she was in from Pre-K through high school, but still.  Being in the audience has been one of the ways that I’ve shown her my love and support.

     
The Ohio State University Spring Dance Festival gave me the perfect opportunity to see some of the OSU campus, witness some of what the dance department’s been up to, watch my sister perform, and see a site-specific piece she directed with her friend. 

All in Good Taste

   I got a taste for the dance department and community at OSU, and I must say I’m very impressed.  I figured I would be and have been looking forward to seeing some awe-inspiring choreography and performance art. 

 
I spent time with Mom and sister, met her apartment mates, three gorgeous women who are also dance majors and fun people to hang out with (like my sister).  I finally got to see some of the OSU campus, some of her preferred stomping grounds, and hot spots in Columbus. 

             
              On Friday, Mom and I checked into our hotel, then we picked my sister up from a rehearsal on campus and headed back to their apartment for a bit.  That evening, we went to the 8pm performance made up of five pieces choreographed by the seniors in the dance department for their mixing dance and media projects.  My sister was in a piece entitled “Staring at the Sun” choreographed by Quentin Burley and Madeline Irmen. 

 
After the Friday night performance at the EMMA Lab at ACCAD, my sister, three of her close friends, Mom, and I went to Spagiō’s for dinner and dessert.  My mom and I shared a tomato basil pizza that was absolutely delectable.  The gourmet dessert with a chocolate-coated exterior, toffee, mocha pudding, and yummy squiggles of chocolate and raspberry sauces for added zest is one I do believe I’ll have to order again.   

Not a School for the Directionally Challenged (like I am!)

   I can say with absolute certainty that I would get undeniably lost trying to find my way around such a sprawling campus.  My mom’s been there a number of times, and she got turned around occasionally.  I remained perpetually in a state of not knowing where the heck I was in relation to any other building, Theresa’s apartment, or our hotel.  Fortunately, Mom did all of the driving when we were up there, so we may have taken the longest possible route back to our hotel a couple times, but we never ended up in the ghetto of another state (which is all-too-likely to happen when I’m driving). 

Being there affirmed once again that a small liberal arts college with a strong sense of community and a beautiful rural campus were the best fit for me.  I would have felt incredibly lost, lonely, and insignificant going to school on one of the biggest college campuses in the country.  Hollins was the right place for me.  My sister has thoroughly enjoyed going to OSU.  I’m grateful we both found places of higher education to fit our personalities, tastes, and to help us grow in the intellectual and artistic passions we have.   

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 93)

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My Prayer for Our New Pope: 

Lord, thank You for watching over the conclave and guiding the cardinals by the ever-present gift of the Holy Spirit as they discerned who our next pope should be.  Jesus Christ and Blessed Mother Mary, keep your servant Pope Francis focused on the Will of the Lord above all else.  Give him the courage to carry out the tenets of the Catholic faith which protect and respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.  Make him a bright light and lasting inspiration for priests and laity as we do our best to live, teach, and preach the New Evangelization.  May his deep prayer life and joy in serving the Lord be an example for us all!  Amen.

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Such a Cutie!  After waiting what I consider to be a long time before getting to meet my new nephew—three whole days after he was born—last Saturday afternoon, I got to meet the little peanut and hold him for a while. Ezra, our youngest nephew, is my sister Mary and Jordan's first child. He is so flipping adorably cute! I asked to hold him as soon as we came in, and then I held him again for a bit before we left since he was just asleep in his swing so I scooped him up for some more cuddle time.

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Now It’s My Turn!  It was kind of funny when my mom and I went over the first time I got to meet Ezra.  Jordan greeted us at the door holding the swaddled not-so-little (10lbs 13oz natural birth) newborn.  I gave his proud papa a hug and congratulations, then scooped up the little guy the second I got the go-ahead.  My mom kept giving me jealous looks and making comments about how I was getting to hold him more than she did.  I told her she needs to ask to hold the baby or just scoop him out of the swing when he’s fast asleep.  She was so busy cooking, doing dishes, laundry, and such to help my sister and her husband that she forgot to make time for the best part of all, snuggling up with her grandson.  It’s hard raising grandmas these days!   

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From the Under Five Crowd I always hear a number of hilarious things in a week, many from the little people in my life.  Here are a few of my faves from recent days: “Do you want me to hold the Earth up with one hand or two?”  “The spring is coming up soon.  I saw a purple flower.”  “It’s my turn to count.”  I feel a poem could easily come from these quotes or maybe a dialogue for a children's book or maybe the lyrics to a country song or... 

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We’re Just Sayin’ Kevin gets me laughing quite often.  There are many reasons why LAUGHING TOGETHER is the perfect acronym for what’s most important in our relationship!  His sense of humor is one of the reasons I fell in love with him to begin with.  While telling me about his work day, he commented that his supervisor had complimented him on “making it happen.”  My response: “That’s about right.  You spend your day making it happen, and I spend mine keeping it from happening.” He works in a call center where it’s important to make things happen.  And for my regular paying jobs, I nanny and substitute teach—where I have found it’s often most essential to keep things from happening, such as: major outbursts, serious injuries, mid-morning meltdowns, whining, tattle-telling, potty accidents, objects from nature used as weapons, hard to mop up sticky messes, teasing, pinging off the walls, coloring on the walls… you get the idea.

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A Rare Gem Thursday evening, I found out after driving all the way home that my sister Theresa had arrived at my mom’s.  They were planning on watching a movie, and my mom said to come on over.  We had a fun evening.  I’d never seen or even heard of Moonrise Kingdom before then (and since they started the movie before I got there, I still haven’t seen all of it), but what I saw was quite entertaining.  The two kids in it who fall in love are quite endearing, the supporting cast has lots of adults you’ll recognize and laugh along at/with, and it’s a good, very entertaining story.  
     I would have to say that my absolute favorite part of the movie was a real life scene that was inspired by watching it with two people I love dearly and find very amusing.  After making a comment about dysfunctional families, my mom said that the main family in the Moonrise Kingdom movie wasn’t that dysfunctional.  My sister and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.  My mom (definitely a rose-colored glasses kind of gal) was completely serious which is why Theresa and I were in hysterics.  It’s always nice to know that we still put the fun in dysfunctional.       
     

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My Sisters the Saints on Virtual Book Tour Can women with very different lifestyles focused on doing the Lord’s will above all else be companions, true guides, and sisters for women of today?  Absolutely!

     This book illustrates the truth of the adage that you should choose your friends wisely because you will become like them in some interesting and unexpected ways. 

     The six saints most prominent in Colleen Carroll Campbell’s life and spiritual memoir are holy women also very dear to me: Teresa of Avila, Thérѐse of Lisieux, Faustina Kowalski, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), Blessed Mother Teresa, and Our Mother Mary...To read the rest of the review, click here.  To check out other stops on this virtual blog tour, click this.     

  

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

My Sisters the Saints: A Spiritual Memoir

Can women with very different lifestyles focused on doing the Lord’s will above all else be companions, true guides, and sisters for women of today?  Absolutely!

    
My Sisters the Saints illustrates the truth of the adage that you should choose your friends wisely because you will become like them in some interesting and unexpected ways. 

    
The six saints most prominent in Colleen Carroll Campbell’s life and spiritual memoir are holy women also very dear to me: Teresa of Avila, Thérѐse of Lisieux, Faustina Kowalski, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), Blessed Mother Teresa, and Our Mother Mary.  The concept of considering female saints as sisters is one I believe in and have embraced wholeheartedly.  For many years, I have felt a greater closeness to some of the saints and my sisters in Christ than I have sometimes shared with my two biological sisters.
   
I have had a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother and a deep admiration for the four Teresas since I was young.  The bravery of saints named Teresa was one of the main reasons why I suggested Theresa as the name for my youngest sister 20+ years ago when I was still only in fifth grade.    

    
Sometimes I try hard to resist being affected by something I read, particularly when it surfaces a wellspring of pain, unanswered questions, and what feels like fruitless prayers, but with My Sisters the Saints, I couldn’t help it.
   
I expected to find some similarities between this Catholic woman’s journey and mine, but I didn’t think they would hit quite so close to home.  The challenges of keeping up a long distance romance relationship, deciding about education and career goals, watching the painful deterioration of family ultimately consumed by Alzheimer’s, being one of the main caregivers for my father as his health declined while I was still in my twenties, and mourning the loss of his life, are just some of the ways our journeys overlap.The depth of suffering and longing Campbell and her husband experienced is too powerful to overlook and too poignant not to react to on some level.

   
I love how Campbell describes and defines motherhood in a much broader sense than many people tend to think of it these days, and how she holds up the six saints that have been integral in her faith journey who lived out the feminine genius in their own lives of nurturing others in mind, body, and spirit. 

    
The inclusion of Catholic prayers and how they affected Campbell, her relationships with her husband, family members, work, and the Lord, make this book accessible to both non-Catholics and cradle Catholics alike.  Though Campbell is by nature an avid researcher and scholarly writer, she emphasizes the necessity of studying, then letting God speak to you in the silence of your heart in order to discern His will. 

    
By weaving Scripture verses, excerpts from related papal encyclicals, writings of and/or about the six female saints whom she considers to be her sisters, and the telling of her own struggles in faith, we are given a picture of what holy women now in Heaven can teach us about doing God’s will on while still on Earth. 

    
Infertility was a heavy cross that Campbell and her husband John carried for many years.  They were deeply hurt by well-meaning people who told them matter-of-factly that if you just do this or that, then you’d have children.  Again and again they were sorely tempted to give up hope that they would ever have a child of their own by means not morally objectionable to the Catholic Church (because they are not respectful of human life from the moment of conception). 

    
Why is it worth holding on and living out all of the tenets of the Catholic faith if it might rule out the possibility of having biological children?  Find out.  Here’s a hint: Nothing is impossible with God.

   
For more information about this spiritual memoir and/or to purchase your own copy, check out My Sisters the Saints at Image Catholic Books.

This book review post is part of a special virtual book tour you can read more about here.