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  I have a number of things back in my possession that I originally made, wrote, and gifted to different family members over the years.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.

The Secret Life of John Paul II

I was immediately intrigued by the title of this book.  I’ve read a fair amount about Blessed Pope John Paul II and I’ve read and studied even more that was written by him.  Both what I’ve read about and by him have always served to bring me closer to the Lord and grow in appreciation of the love and mercy offered to us by God, Jesus Christ, and the Blessed Mother.  He and Blessed Mother Teresa are two of the people I’ve always enjoyed reading about and learning from, regardless of what aspect of their lives a certain book or article covered. 

     
The Secret Life of John Paul II is a powerfully moving account of how the holiness, sanctity, compassion, and warmth of this man touched many even when he was “off the record.”  You will see how John Paul II’s prayerful spirit, love of nature, sportsmanship, and friendliness pervade the moments he spent during his secret getaways to mountains in Italy to enjoy two past times from his youth: hiking and skiing. 
     
Learn how mountain guide Lino Zani and his family formed a lifelong friendship with John Paul II.  During his “clandestine trip” to go skiing, the pope was deeply moved by the family’s hospitality and very interested in the history of the Adamello area where they live. While visiting there, the man referred as the “Fatima pope” had a surprising revelation that relates to the third secret of Fatima.
    
I highly recommend this book to people who are interested in the outdoors, faith, John Paul II, Fatima, and those who enjoy learning about history and nature.  To find out more about The Secret Life of John Paul II, check out this article by National Catholic Register’s Rome correspondent, Edward Pentin.  To order a copy of this book published by St.Benedict Press, click here. 


A Perfect Picnic with My Grandma

     Today the weather was gorgeous so I decided to bring a few of my grandmother’s favorite foods over so we could share a picnic lunch outdoors.  When I arrived with food in hand and proposed that we go outside to eat, she was absolutely delighted.  She’s always loved being outside, and the flowers, gardens, statues, and landscaping at Little Sisters of the Poor is quite beautiful.

     After grabbing a couple plates, cups, and plasticware from the room called the Hospitality Inn on her floor, we headed outside.  I parked her wheelchair near a bench at an angle that allowed her to see the front gardens and the little fountain, in addition to those entering and exiting the building.  We began with some fresh fruits.  My grandmother, who is in her upper eighties, said that she wasn’t sure what the fruits were or where to start.  By that I could tell that this was going to be a so-so day in terms of her memory and understanding.  I encouraged her to begin with the mango and named the other fruits on her plate. 
     She found each one delicious and told me so in between exclamations about how perfect the weather was and what a grand day it was for a picnic.  As often happens in my grandmother’s presence, I marveled that this woman who has been through so  much suffering in mind, body, and spirit still finds such joy, nature, and delight in life. 
     Even on days when she asks me the same questions repeatedly or makes the same statements over and over, she’s usually asking me about how I’m doing, how my husband is, how work’s going, if I’m warm enough, and the statements she makes are often ones of gratitude, expressions of contentment over the beauty of nature and kindness of others.     
     In the event that I live several more years, I hope and pray that I will maintain the attitude of gratitude that woman has, the depth of faith, and the delight in nature that she still has in her late 80s. 
     Lord, thank You for the gift of grandmothers, the beauty of nature, and the gift of faith. 

Martha Stewart Doesn't Live Here

A Skewed View

     Heck, I don’t think she’d even deign to visit our apartment. The brick building’s nothing special to look at—there’s much more consideration for form and solid fall-out structure than any attempt at an architectural masterpiece. I’m fairly certain there’s not a straight line in the place. Yes, that includes doorframes, windows, cupboards, counters, and the hardwood floors.

     I was horrified when the parents of one of the boys I nannied for came over to bring us a care package after Kevin’s foot surgery in January 2006. The father is a builder and safety inspector, and the mother is all about Martha Stewart when it comes to decorating, colors, and cleanliness. Thankfully, neither of them said anything about our humble, jumbled abode, at least not while still within earshot of us.

When I Slip, You Slip, We Slip

     Before Kevin and I had dining room furniture, we had a couple office chairs on wheels. The first time mom came over for a meal with my sister Theresa, she offered to sit on one of the office chairs. When she finished eating and picked up her feet, she slid all the way across the room. As she slipped away, she began singing Broadway show tunes. I couldn’t help but laugh (mostly because she was sliding across the room, singing show tunes at the dinner table isn't actually all that unusual for my mom, sisters, and me).

     One night years ago, I was having trouble sleeping, so I went into the office to write for a bit on my desktop computer. I was sitting at the desk in a chair with wheels on it and in a still-sleepy-stupor made the mistake of folding my legs in the chair. The moment my feet left the floor, I slid to the center of the room. This surprised me considerably and woke me up completely.

He Loves Me for Me!

     This past week, I’ve been giving into the temptation to compare myself to others, and it’s gotten me discouraged. I was grateful to come across Kate Wicker’s post “A Cure for Comparing: Seeing with God’s Eyes.” I also found it extremely ironic that last night is when I received the e-mail from Tiber River saying my review of Becoming the Woman God Made You to Be had been approved.  I made myself reread the book review before posting on my blog, knowing that I needed/need the reminders of God’s love and His perfect timing, and that He loves me whether or not I’m a good cook, exceptional housekeeper, or wear cute clothing and fun jewelry.

     Lord, help me become the woman You have made and know I can be. Teach me to be content with who I am because I have been made in Your image, have Your unconditional love, and limitless mercy to help me grow in holiness, and fulfill Your purpose and will for my life. Amen.

Hurricane Irene Rages On

     Though it is rather frightening to look outside and see the strong winds and heavy rain bending the trees, I realize that I’m not as on edge as I was for a while during storms when my dad was still alive.  A few times he had some rather significant flooding in a couple of the different apartments he had. 

     Big storms also made my dad very apprehensive, because when the power went off, his oxygen machine would turn off, and he’d be forced to rely on the oxygen tanks he had on hand to get by until the power came back on.  The bad thing about the portable tanks, which were supposed to last about four hours often ended up only lasting a couple hours, sometimes less.  He was always on edge during storms, and I was, too.  The Pirates of the Caribbean flashlight I got him (it was the biggest one left at the store when I went) would only get him so far.  With oxygen tanks around and an open vent, candles were out of the question. 

     Kevin and I have taken the proper precautions by getting water, flashlights, candles, and provisions ready.  I have to say that I’m grateful not to have to worry about my dad in this weather.      

     I’ve been wondering about and praying for all of the people whose medical conditions can be made much worse if they lose power.  Lord, please bless all who are suffering in mind, body, and/or spirit.  Protect all who are in harm’s way.  Be with all those who are in emergency and rescue services as they go to assist others at this time.  Amen. 

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 13)

-1-

Earthquakes, aftershocks, and hurricanes! oh my!  This was definitely the biggest earthquake I remember ever having felt.  This one reached 5.8 on the Richter scale and the aftershocks hours later came in at over 4.  The first shake down really flipped me out since I was home alone and couldn’t get ahold of anyone using my cell phone after it happened to make sure it wasn’t just our old building (complete with fallout shelter in the basement) about to collapse. 

     I signed on Facebook after several unsuccessful attempts to call and text my husband. Sure enough, others had felt the earthquake as well, not just across town but across a number of states.           

     Yes, I do realize the irony and huge margin of error I was running by checking FB for weather and news updates, but news stations didn’t mention anything about it over the internet for several minutes after the tremors subsided.  People pulled out their phones and were updating their status messages right quick, though. 

-2-

What goes missing must be found. When I was young, my mom and grandmother went on a pilgrimage to Mexico.  They got a beautiful gold cross necklace while they were there.  They couldn’t find anything like it back in the US, so they had another one made so they could each wear one.  When I turned eighteen, my mom had the same cross made for me.  A while back my grandma’s cross disappeared and not too long after another resident at her nursing home showed up wearing it.  My mom, Kevin, and I joked that my mom should have had the following engraved on my grandma’s necklace: This cross stolen from Marilyn…  

     It turns out that the woman who started wearing it had gotten confused and thought it was something sent to her in one of the mailings she received from various religious orders.  She called around trying to find out what religious order had sent it, and she wasn’t able to figure it out. 

     When I was over visiting my grandmother last week, the woman saw me and asked me where I’d gotten such a unique cross.  After telling me her theories and about her search, I told her that the only three crosses I’d ever seen like it were my mom’s, mine, and my grandma’s, which was missing.  Last night, the woman, true to her word, returned my grandma’s cross to my mom in an envelope. 

     What a relief, all crosses have been returned to their rightful owners.     

-3-

No Youtube videos, please.  Last evening my husband and I finally had to do the grocery shopping and prescription pick-up we’d been avoiding due to already being tired by the time we got out of 5:30pm daily Mass.  Of course, Thursday was the one night it rained torrentially so far this week.  I sincerely hope that no one saw (or much worse was recording) my mad dash to the car last evening.  I splashed through several inches of water in the parking lot in my sandals while juggling four large containers of water.  I was laughing in the rain at the irony of getting water during a torrential downpour in case we need some extra on hand if Hurricane Irene hits us hard.  By the time, I opened the back door of the car, realized I had the newest batch of Danielle Rose FREE concert posters there and reconsidered, shut the door, popped open the trunk and dumped the jugs of water in, then climbed into the car, I was absolutely drenched.  Though amusing, it won’t be on Youtube for you to laugh over, so I guess you’ll just have to keep going back to the Anderson Cooper clips from earlier this week if you are in need of a good giggle.   

-4-

Caught in the act.  Since I am a voracious reader and have reviewed many books, I’ve gotten in the habit of counting the number of books I’ve read and reviewed when I go into Catholic bookstores.  The two local ones I frequent are the Religious Goods Shop and The Church Mouse.  Wednesday, a friend asked me to meet her at The Church Mouse so she could look around.  While there, I looked around, then I began counting those volumes on the shelves I’d already read and reviewed.  The storekeeper caught me, so I explained what I was doing.  She asked for recommendations of what books to put on display, so I kept going through the stacks and letting her know which ones I liked the best.  It was fun.  I have thought about printing out a few of my book reviews and leaving them for local shopkeepers along with my blog info in case they or other avid readers are interested.         

-5-

Fun in the not-so-secret garden.  Nora, a friend from church I met and got to know through Christ Renews His Parish and I had a nice afternoon at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens last Wednesday.  Though it’s not far at all, I hadn’t been there in years.  We had a delightful lunch, then we perused the gorgeous gardens, stopping to pick out pinwheels to take with us, and sit on the porch rocking chairs for a game of checkers.  Numerous times, Nora marveled over the plants there.  She’d tried to plant a number of different kinds in her garden at home, with shorter, less attractive results.  She even remembered the summer in her youth when she accidentally watered the African Violets in her care more than necessary.  I can relate; I inadvertently killed the one plant Kevin and I had by watering it too much.     

-6-

Thumbs up!  My mom and I had lunch together, then we got food from a couple different places for a dinner she needed to cater at the office.  On the way, a mother and her son who were carrying a number of purchases started to cross the parking lot in front of my car.  We waved them ahead.  The mom waved thank you as best she could with her arms loaded up, but the boy who I’d guess was about 10 or 11 looked up, saw my Choose Life license plate, got a big smile on his face and gave me a huge thumbs up.  Very cool!

-7-

Reiser Relief Inc.  I read and reviewed a great book this week called Reiser’s Ramblings. To read the full review, click here.

    Top two reasons to buy this book right now: it’s a delightful read by a remarkable priest and all profits go directly to Reiser Relief Inc., an organization Fr. Bernard Reiser founded which helps the poorest of the poor in Haiti.     

    

     Check out Jennifer Fulwiler’s 7 Quick Takes Friday series and her high-traffic for good reason blog Conversion Diary.

A Bug’s Life

     It would be really funny to take a close-up picture or two of the front of my car, where there is now a large community of smashed bugs, and see how many insect splats the kids in my next Nature Camp are able to identify.  Don’t worry, I’m not actually going to have this be one of the works they do, but I do appreciate the irony of carrying out such an idea at a Montessori school where we catch insects we find inside to release them back outdoors.

     Not too long ago, I read about a company that’s doing studies on how the insect population is at risk due to the number of bugs killed by moving vehicles.  They’ve gone so far as to enlist people to count the number of insects squashed on their car after a drive and report it to them as part of their research.  I find this rather amusing in a what-the-heck-are-people-thinking sort of way. 

     A while ago I saw a poster and a T-shirt that had different bird poop splats on it and the feathered fowl responsible for each particular plop.  That matching activity would be another unusual exercise to try with the kids at school.  I suppose I could even use some of the same pictures of the front of my car, as the insects squashed and the bird poop are sometimes in quite close proximity. 

     Hmm, I wonder if there’s some environmental scientist, mathematics or physics professor interested in studying the wildlife that is sprawled out across the front of my car before I wash it.  Maybe there’s more to those carwash fundraisers than it would seem at first glance.  Perhaps they’re really being held as physics or biology experiments cleverly disguised as fundraisers for the band or athletic boosters.

     After all, life is like a windshield full of squished bugs, you never know what you’re gonna get.     

It’s a Jungle Out There!

Today a parent whose child was in my Nature Camp last week told me this morning that her daughter’s friend, also in my camp, had informed his parents he’d gone on the school bus to a jungle with my class.  Of course, the mother was a bit disconcerted to hear this, since nothing had ever been mentioned about an off-campus field trip anywhere, certainly not to a jungle. 

     
I laughed and said he had quite an imagination.  I assured her we didn’t go on a spur-of-the-moment, no-permission-slips-needed trip to the jungle.  We did, however, talk about different animals who live in the jungle, because some of the children’s foam visors to color with markers had a jungle theme. 

     
We explored nature around campus and in the classroom, but we didn’t exactly go on safari.  What’s even funnier is that, though I checked out a number of books from our school library, I didn’t end up reading a single one of Scholastic’s The Magic School Bus books I got during last week’s camp. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I love Scholastic’s The Magic School Bus series, where the class always goes on exotic field trips, and they get there by their transformer-like school bus which can morph into all sorts of cool things.  Ms. Frizzle, the teacher in the book, always has really strange outfits and seems oblivious to the fact that the excursions she takes her students on are a bit out of the ordinary. 

     
The series of books is great as a fun educational tool.  I could understand a child perhaps getting a bit confused if we read one of The Magic School Bus books and pretended to go to the jungle, but that’s quite a jump from a foam visor with a monkey, an elephant, a snake and some plants on it.  (Maybe he’ll join me for creative writing club in a few years.) 

     
Perhaps I should send home a disclaimer on the letters to parents about what we did at camp during the week.  Maybe I need to emphasize that we didn’t go on any exotic, unannounced field trips: not to visit the jungle, nor the Eiffel Tour, nor the zoo. 

     
My camp this week is called Trip to France, though no parents have brought in their child’s passport and suitcase, so I think we’re good.    

Disclaimer: Your child will, at no time while under our supervision, be leaving the school campus, the state of Virginia, or the United States of America without your expressed written permission, required stuffed animals, and a current passport.     

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 7)

-1-

Can I Keep Him?! This was a question I had after meeting Kevin and becoming friends with him.  I still think about it at times when he’s being particularly adorable.  It baffles me how the Lord has worked in and through my husband over the years.  He’s still the one who can make me laugh the hardest and longest.    

This past week we returned to the podiatrist to see how Kevin’s foot is doing.  When one of the women at the office asked him what had happened to it, he gave his standard reply: “I had it removed from my mouth.” 

-2-

DE COLORES!! God has blessed my husband and me with a multitude of miracles, many of which have happened in the past five years as a result of our involvement in the Cursillo Movement. The friends we’ve made through the movement have truly become beloved family members. 
I made my Cursillo weekend in June 2006 at Mary Mother of the Church Abbey.  Our theme was “Be Still and Know,” and I sat at the table of the Sea of Conviction.  On the weekend, the ladies at my table and I renamed ourselves the Spiritual Divas and are now known by that name in the Cursillo community.  I served on the “Harvesting God’s Abundance” Women’s team in October 2008.  My husband Kevin made his weekend in September 2006 at the Abbey, and he sat at the table of St. John.  I was so excited that he made his weekend close to when I made mine, so we could share that experience and both enjoy our new friends/family.   Kevin served on his first team in March 2009 and he loved it!
For more information about the international movement that’s centered around a short course in Christianity, click here.

-3-

Cheerios bring a big of nostalgia.  When cleaning out my car, I found a lone Cheerio in the backseat, and a wave of nostalgia poured over me as I remembered my days as a nanny taking care of “my two little guys.”  We rarely went anywhere without “O’s.”  I still think of Hank and Jack often and treasure the many memories of those to members of the “bare piggy brigade.”  Lord, thanks for the honor and joy of taking care of and working with children!

-4-

Out of the mouth of babes.  I laughed out loud and grabbed a sticky note to jot this down when I heard the following exchange take place at school between some quite cute three year olds hanging out in the book corner:

“Do you like little kids?” one girl asked.

“No,” more than one three year old surveyed said in reply.

     I’m guessing that “little kids” to these young child means babies who are still in diapers, crawling instead of walking, and not quite as verbal.  I was laughing too hard to ask for a clarification at the time.    

-5-

Put your oxygen mask on first.  Whenever I travel, I hear, as part of the opening instructions on an airplane, "If traveling next to children, put on your oxygen mask first." The reason they say this is because if there is an emergency and the oxygen masks come down, if you stop to put it on a child first, the child may move around. The result can be that the child doesn't get the oxygen mask on, and neither does the adult, and that is a very dangerous and perhaps fatal situation.

Those airline instructions are important in everyday life too. If you don't take care of yourself, your energy can be zapped, and you won't be able to take care of children. You are very important in the lives of children. Be sure and take time to take care of yourself. That is how you put your own oxygen mask on.
Have a great day and week-end. You are a difference maker.  

Note: This is one of the weekday e-mail reflections I received from the director of the Applebaum Training Institute. If you’d like to be added to her list: click here.

-6-

I got caught!  We’ve had a fun, busy this week in Nature Camp.  We’ve done activities which have allowed us to experience nature through all five of our senses.  Through outdoor exploration, books, puzzles, special projects, food tasting, and discussions we’ve learned quite a bit about the natural world around us at school.  We identified what’s living and nonliving in our classroom and also pointed out which nonliving things are made from things that were once living (such as paper, wool, furniture, and leather).

This morning the Cheering Camp did a performance for all of us.  Afterwards, one of the kids in my class needed to go potty.  I was waiting in the hall for her and while no one was around, I began doing the half-time cheer (with modified jumps).  Suddenly I look up and see my supervisor standing there, clearly amused that I was passing my time in the hallway on potty patrol by doing an old cheer when I thought no one was watching.    

-7-

Got Questions about Catholicism?  As mentioned last week, I’ve often had people ask me for book recommendations.  Here are five I’ve read and loved that I’d recommend for people who have questions about Catholicism:

1.     RediscoveringCatholicism

2.     Recovering Faith: Stories of Catholics Who Came Home  
3.     Truth for Your Mind Love for Your Heart
4.     Prodigal Daughters
5.     My Life on the Rock: A Rebel Returns to His Faith

The two most important things are that you love the Lord with all of your heart and long to do His will.  With those two priorities at the center, I know you will continue to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and go where He leads you in your spiritual journey and in life. 

     Check out Jennifer Fulwiler’s 7 Quick Takes Friday series and her high-traffic for good reason blog Conversion Diary.

Picture This, Photography, Cameras, and Capturing Moments in Kodak Country

Looking out over the lake, especially at sunset, I can picture a number of different photos I’ve taken here over the years.  Lately, I’ve even thought that some of the scenery is indeed beautiful, but that there’s no need for me to pull out the camera since I’ve already gotten similar shots in years past.       

Actually, it was in Rochester that my mom got me my first camera, a Pentax ZX50, from a shop that a distant relative of ours owned.  I still have that camera, but I mainly only use the case these days, because it can fit more in it along with our Panasonic Lumix digital camera. (Yes, I know this is Kodak country, but at least when I print out my photos at home I use Kodak Premium Glossy Photo paper.)   
     
I still enjoy taking pictures, but so far Kevin’s taken the most while we’ve been here.  Two tall ships were in the harbor earlier this week, and he got to watch one of them sail off to Buffalo.  He was set on taking lots of pictures of it, which I was fine with since I could use them to make a poster or some other visuals to use when I lead the kids at school in dancing to one of our Veggie Tales favorites: “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything.”

     
Of course, this wasn’t a pirate ship, it was the Pride of Baltimore II, designed circa 1812, a reproduction of a Baltimore Clipper Privateer.  This square top sail schooner has a very impressive haul, sails, rigging, and is 157 feet long. 
     
None of the crew members looked like pirates at all, but, then again, neither do the animated vegetables in the Veggie Tales DVD version of the song.      

Caterpillars, Cocoons, Butterflies, and Band-Aids

Children and nature are two wonderful sources for reminders of how to hope in the Lord, have faith like a child, experience new growth, and marvel at all God has created.  As you can see, I love the caterpillar into butterfly analogy as it has been applied to a person's transformation.    Reading the non-fiction book When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life’s Sacred Questions by Sue Monk Kidd a few years back changed my way of thinking about dark spiritual times as being those periods in our lives when we are inside the cocoon or chrysalis. 

In the book, Kidd talks about how we go through many chrysalis phases over the course of our lives and how God knows just when we're ready to emerge.

     

In essence, the times when we feel stuck, fall down in the mud, and could use a spiritual Band-Aid, of sorts, are periods of time when we’re in the chrysalis being healed and transformed from the inside out. 

     

I highly recommend When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life’s Sacred Questions as well as the practice of being open to getting "spiritual direction" from kids and nature!

     

Check out this post by Kate Wicker, wife, mom and journalist which also highlights butterflies and children as two wonderful reminders of God's attention to detail, beauty, and transformation. This beautiful reflection Kate Wicker is part of the extremely insightful series being hosted by Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary which features guest writers who have each taken one word from the “Our Father” prayer and written a reflection on it.  Check out the whole series over at (Our Father, Word by Word).

Nature Fun for Kids: Create the Box, then Think Outside It

Last week at Nature Club, I taught the kids the how to fold a square piece of paper into a little box. We counted the number of triangles, squares, quadrilaterals, rectangles, and trapezoids each time we did another step of the process. Before we opened up our origami boxes, I had them color the edges, pointing out the ones that would show once we completed all of the proper folds.
    
I was about 11 or 12 when I first learned how to fold this origami box, and it’s the one thing I remember how to fold without looking at instructions. I knew the exercise would be a hit since the boys in Nature Club had often begun folding any leftover pieces of paper to make airplanes, some which were much more aerodynamically sound than others.

After we opened up and did the final folds on our 3” X 3” boxes, I asked them to imagine what sort of things from nature could fit into the box they’d made. They named a number of different insects, arachnids, and such, then I asked them what they might find on our school campus from nature, that wasn’t still living, that would fit into their boxes. They came up with a number of things before we set out on our nature walk to see what we could find to put in our boxes.
    
All of us had fun selecting fallen flower petals, leaves, the tops of acorns, mini red berries, little sticks, nibbled on pine cones, pieces of bark, rocks, half-eaten tree nuts, and such to put in our little boxes. When we returned, we dumped our things out and examined what each person had found, then I had them draw and color some of the sundry treasures they’d found. It was so enjoyable, that I decided to do the same thing with my French Club on Thursday, only we talked about the colors, items, shapes and names of things in nature in French.
    
Lord, thank you for the gift of children, who so often help us to slow down and recognize the beauty, delicate details, and wonder in the world around us. Please increase our ability to see Your handprints on everything and in everyone. Amen.

A Short Pilgrimage: I Thirst

     A few months ago John, our brother in Christ, made a pilgrimage to Emmitsburg, Maryland. I was more than a little confused when he presented us with the plastic water bottle pictured above upon his return. He described how hot and crowded it had been that day.
     I’m sure I looked both baffled and amused when he said he’d already drunk the water out of the bottle (he hoped we didn’t mind), and refilled it. I couldn’t figure out why on earth John had brought us a previously-used plastic bottle of what used to be spring water, so I examined the label for clues.

Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander

     Once again I’ve been led to pick up a book that my favorite brother in Christ loaned me a while back at exactly the time God knew I would most benefit from reading it. I enjoyed reading Thomas Merton’s autobiographical work Seven Story Mountain as well as his other books on spiritual reflection and contemplation, so I figured I would like this book as well. Though unlike Merton’s other works in terms of format, some of the subject matter, and even writing style, I loved this work of his as much as his others.
     This piece includes a number of beautifully poetic snapshots of nature I’d classify as the prose poem equivalent of haiku in terms of subject matter and spiritual insight. There are a number of reflections from daily life occurrences, current events Merton processed and commented on through thoughtful prose, and some interesting commentary on works by writers and philosophers—those who were Christian, atheist, or agnostic. I found myself literally laughing out loud at some of the situations and observations Merton included about life in the monastery, modern day politics, religion, and the unusual, sometimes ridiculous antics of humans in general.
     I marked a number of pages, because I want to return to the nuggets of wisdom found on them. I like that it is such a mix of musings on the world, some serious, some humorous, some lyrical and concise, others thoughtful and opinionated.
     Even the title of the book is perfect for it. Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander lets the reader know right away that this is a collection of assumptions, naturally containing all of the author’s biases and religious, political leanings. While calling into question the blind acceptance of all technology as being good for the human race and signs of progress, he invites us to a deeper appreciation of nature, a new way of looking at the roles of machines in our lives, and gives us a view from the perspective of someone who was largely cut-off from mainstream media, though clearly affected by the mainstream thinking, current events, moral quandaries, and politics of his time.
     I highly recommend reading this book. You can purchase it at Amazon here.

The Very Hungry Caterpillars Crawl Again

     Lately, many kids at school have spent the majority of their time on the playground searching for caterpillars. Because some 3-5 year olds aren’t as gentle as others, we began to enforce a look but don’t touch rule. Each time someone spotted one crawling along, he or she shouted to everyone to come and see. One teacher began saving the caterpillars the children found by moving them on a paddle, piece of mulch, or a stick to a tree outside of the sandbox and just slightly above the reach of curious little hands.
     Sparked by the kids’ curiosity and my newfound fascination with the process of a tiny caterpillar hatching from a little egg and in a matter of weeks going through several stages of transformation that lead to a magnificent butterfly, I went to the library and checked out some books on the life cycles of butterflies.
     I brought one of the books to school that has a easy caterpillar comparison page, so we could try to identify the type of caterpillar crawling all over the play area. At circle time one day, I explained the life cycle of a butterfly to the kids and showed them the wonderful photos included of each stage leading up to the emergence of the butterfly. By the end of story time, the kids and I had narrowed our guesses about what is probably populating our playground down to three different types of potential butterflies.
     I was thoroughly impressed when a four year old came up and showed me the drawings he had done of a butterfly’s life cycle. Interestingly enough, the only thing missing was a picture of the caterpillar crawling on a tree, the very part of the life cycle he and others sought out each afternoon. I mentioned this, and he quickly went and drew one, then we spread the drawings out, and he put them in order with an extra page on the front and back so I could staple it for him, which in his mind is all it takes to make it into a book. I was so excited that he actually got it that I started showing other teachers and students the book he’d done.
     One of the great things about working with children is that they get really excited about the things adults so often overlook. I don’t think I’ve ever spent so much time examining caterpillars as I have recently, simply because they are so fascinating to the kids at school. The patterns on some of them are really intricate and beautiful. They’re very agile, acrobatic even.
     I’ve often been able to see God in the splendor of nature, but it’s usually a sunset, a flower, a tree, or a butterfly that makes me smile in awe and His creation. I’m grateful that the enthusiasm of little ones has brought me to an appreciation of the magnificence of nature in all its stages. Children have again proved to be very good little spiritual directors for me.  (Originally posted May 2, 2009 on my former blog).