Wordly Wise

Fascinating! From the Word Origin Calendar.

MOOCH
In Old French, the verb muchier meant "to hide" or "to lurk." The English version appeared in the 1800s, but it was first used to mean "to sneak" or "to be truant," before the meaning evolved to a different sense, "to beg."

FORGIVE
The Latin compound word perdonare is formed from per-, meaning "thoroughly" and donare, meaning "to give." In Old English, both parts of this word were swapped for their English counterparts, for-, meaning "completely," and giefan, meaning "give," creating a new term matching the original in meaning.

Back to Basics: Priestly Celibacy and Priest Shortage

This was fascinating to me because as many times as I've heard arguments back and forth about this issue, I never saw the traditions that are observed by the Eastern Catholic Church explained.

... if a pope decides to change, modify, or end mandatory celibacy for the Western church, the Church would still maintain and follow the same tradition observed by the Eastern Catholic Church concerning married clergy. Among the married clergy in the Eastern Church, marriage must come before ordination, and if he's ordained unmarried, he must remain unmarried:

• Ending mandatory celibacy would only affect those yet to be ordained. Celibate priests who're already ordained wouldn't be allowed to marry.
• Seminarians would have to decide before ordination whether they wanted to be married. They'd have to find a wife prior to their ordination or remain celibate.
• Anyone having aspirations to be ordained a bishop would have to remain celibate.
• Catholic priests who were ordained celibate and then later left the active ministry to get married would not be allowed back into the active ministry as a married priest.
  

Catholicism For Dummies by John Trigilio

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

Loving a Mosquito

"What a Christian you are!" he [Blue] exclaimed. I think he was a friend to the fellow out of kindness. "I suppose you consider the exhortation 'love your neighbor' a figure of speech. You would love only the lovable. Did you ever try to love someone who was mean, petty, shallow, selfish? Try it."

I told him I was wiling to try to love a villain but that I could not arouse any affection for a mere annoyance, an irremediable nobody. "I think I could love a lion," I said, "but I doubt very much if I every could love a mosquito."

He regarded me seriously. "You consider yourself too much," he returned. "You could love a great enemy. Any healthy man could. Men have boasted that they were to be slain by Caesar. But one needs more than vanity to love a ... a ... what you call a mosquito."

He meant, I suppose, that I needed special graces in charity and fortitude. But the topic to me, being a poor Christian as Blue intimated, was distasteful. I let it drop.

Mr. Blue

I have my fair share of mosquitoes in my life. Even more humbling, what if I am someone's mosquito? Not even annoying enough to be considered "Caesar" as Blue points out. Something to keep in mind when attempting to love the buzzing pests that God has put me next to on a daily basis.

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

New to the Blogroll

Reflecting on Faith

• Smithereens
• So Many Devotions, So Little Time
• "Et tu, Jen?"
• Bonfire of the Vanities
• Elige Ergo Vitam
• Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering
• New Advent
• Rafting the Tiber
• Totus Pius
• Tremendous Trifles
• Chez Ouiz (updated. yet another that should have been included.)
  

Knitting

• Knitmodo
• Mason-Dixon Knitting

Books

• Librivox
• The Idyllist
• Maria Lectrix (updated - can't believe I missed adding this)
  

Foreign Lands

• On the Face

Love Made Visible

Go watch this video of Team Hoyt. Bring a hankie but don't let that stop you.

Then be sure to visit their website and especially the who are we page.

I have seen this all over the place but just now had the time to watch. Most recently at The Summa Mamas and I think that it originated at Catholic and Enjoying It.

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

Posing

This is so very true although it was food for thought for me that there could be a good sort of posing ... as long as one maintains one's humility.

Most of us like to pose. And most of us when we pose are found out. And most of us, accordingly, suffer. Yet there is something to be said for posing. All poses reveal imagination. Some reveal vanity, to be sure, and some reveal humility. Every poseur does not deserve the black name of hypocrite. We meet a man who is playing at being hero or saint. The man may be tired of himself. He may know in his heart that he is not so good or great as he might be. His pose is an attempt at nobility. We laugh at him. But we are laughing at ourselves. It is because most of us are such poseurs to ourselves that we so readily find a poseur out.

Mr. Blue

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

I Wasn't Interested in That DVD Until Now

Listening to the Lost podcast as they answer questions at Comic Con (yes, I need a fix that bad) it was mentioned that the second season DVD has an extra feature where they edited together every insult that Sawyer ever has given. I'm laughing just thinking of it.

Sawyer: If this was a scary movie I'd be with a hot chick. Not you Barbar.
Hurley: It's Babar.

Dazed and Confused

MR. BLUE by Myles Connolly

This was a fascinating book because I could never really get a handle on Blue's character or on how I felt about the book. I literally felt dazed and confused when trying to figure out how to sum it up. Yet would I recommend it?

Yes. Precisely because of how the confusion I felt.

Simply put, this recently reissued 1928 classic is about J. Blue, a contemporary St. Francis figure, who leaves the book's practical narrator as mixed up as I was. Blue gives everything away, wants only to serve Christ through serving the poor, and is an ultimate free spirit who despite all this fears only one thing ... taking up his cross.

As I vacillated between approving and disapproving of Blue I realized that this indeed is probably a similar reaction to that held by many of St. Francis' contemporaries. As our priest has reminded us many times, prophets are not there to make us comfortable. They are sent to shake us up, make us look from a new perspective, to make us uncomfortable because that is when God shows us ourselves. In that respect the author succeeds admirably. As with the book's narrator, we are not sure exactly what to think of Blue with his grandiose speeches and impractical nature. However, his impact on the people around him to show Christ through his actions is undeniable.

Myles Connolly went on after this book to work in Hollywood as a screenwriter, uncredited in some cases for such classic movies as It Happened One Night and Harvey. There are many nuggets of wisdom scattered throughout the book but considering Connolly's later screenwriting career, I found this to be especially interesting. It seems that he got to put into practice the philosophical attitude that Blue sets forth.

... "Once," he said, "the cathedral builders and the troubadours, interpreting truth, created a beauty that was as current as language and almost as essential as blood. Then came the printed word to spread confusion, to throw a twilight over the world in which men became little more than shadows, chasing shadows. But now we have a new art. luminous, vivid, simple, stirring, persuasive, direct, universal, illimitable - the animated picture. It can create a new people, gracious and graceful, kindly, religious, a people discovering in beauty the happiest revelation of God. No art has ever had the future the motion picture has. If it fails, no art shall have had as great and lamentable a failure."

I will be featuring a few choice excerpts from Mr. Blue over the next few days. Highly recommended. (Much thanks to the reader who tipped me off to Connolly's screenwriting career.)

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

Right on the Edge ...

... Nehring the Edge has his list of 30 movies that matter posted, with a fantastic intro of thought on Christians and movie watching that deserves to be read even if you don't care about his movie recommendations (but you should care).

He has them divided into Safe, Moderate and ... Are You Out of Your Head? Go see what you think and start taking notes for your next trip to rent movies.

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

Worshiping in Community: Keeping it Real

(On the Memorial of St. Ignatius, it seems good to feature something from a book dedicated to helping us learn Ignatian techniques.)

There is something in me that always protests, usually silently, whenever someone declares that they don't need to go to church, that they can worship God by themselves. For a very select group of people that is true, but most of us do not have the attributes that were granted to those of the Church Fathers who went to the desert alone. I, for one, really can't contemplate 16 years on top of a pillar. However, I digress. That is another matter.

The excerpt below points out the many reasons worshipping in a community is so important. I have only been a Christian for a relatively short time but have experienced examples of all the things mentioned below.

... Spirituality cannot be a solitary endeavor; it must be grounded in the life of a community, or else it becomes little more than an isolated and ineffective version of self-help. Spirituality that is grounded in community is like the house built on rock that Jesus described (Mt 7:24); it is less likely to be blown away by the winds of change that inevitably move through our lives. When our spirituality arises from our participation in community, several things happen. First, we are challenged to see our prayer as one part of the larger exercise of living the Christian life, for we must apply our prayer to the ordinary problems of living with other people. This prevents us from treating spirituality solely as a private exercise. We will be in a position to encourage others in tough times; in turn, they can help us to persevere in periods of spiritual dryness. Second, participation in community worship means we will be confronting ideas that make us uncomfortable, pushing us outside of the natural comfort zones we develop in our spiritual lives. This point, I think, is difficult but important. It's easy to fall into patterns that must change as we grow. Third, we will begin to see our own spiritual lives in some perspective by seeing the struggles and issues of people who are both younger and older than us. Seeing what younger people confront can make us cognizant of how much more we must still grow. Considering the spiritual journeys of people around us can help us to navigate the changes we, too, encounter...

The Ignatian Workout:
Daily Spiritual Exercises for a Healthy Faith

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

Saint Martha's Feast Day

It is no secret that Martha is my patron saint. I chose her because she is the patron saint of housewives but it soon became clear that it probably was God who chose to put us together. I relate to Martha in so many ways and her life stands as a measure of the person I work toward becoming ... a faithful servant who loves Jesus and is his good friend.

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me."

The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

Luke 10:38-42

This is the story about Martha that springs to mind for most people and I think it is the first time (chronologically) that we hear her mentioned. We have all heard variations of the basic message about this passage of keeping your mind on Jesus no matter what else you may be doing.

However, I also like the confidence Martha shows when approaching Jesus with her complaint. What good friends they were for her to feel so comfortable coming to him like that. Jesus' affection is clear as he answers her much more gently than he often does his disciples. For me, it also is a lesson in the fact that there is nothing too small to go to Jesus about. He will always help us with anything, even if it is something like helping us have the right perspective.

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.

So the sisters sent word to him, saying, "Master, the one you love is ill."

When Jesus heard this he said, "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus...

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. (But) even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you."

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise."

Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day."

Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, "The teacher is here and is asking for you."

John 11:1-5, 20-28

Again, a familiar story featuring Martha though more often it is told from the point of view of the miraculous raising of Lazarus from the dead. First of all, I wonder how Martha knew that Jesus had arrived when Mary didn't. What it makes me think of is someone who is attuned to all the little details even in the middle of her grief. Maybe there was a flutter of unusual activity that clued her in, so she went to find out.

When we look at Martha's conversation with Jesus, we see again how familiar and friendly she is with him. She doesn't hesitate to say that she is disappointed that he didn't save her brother. I love the confidence and trust that shows. Martha also shows her great faith and understanding in unmistakable terms: I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world. What an amazing moment that must have been between Jesus and Martha. And, yet, after such a moment, she also doesn't forget her sister, Mary, who is still at home mourning. Martha is both loving and practical to the bone.

We have an unmistakable example of that practicality when Jesus is getting ready to raise Lazarus from the dead and we are told: Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him, "Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days" (John 11:39). It makes me smile every time because Martha's unwavering, housewifely, detail-oriented common sense is used to emphasize the greatness of Jesus' miracle. The corpse is well into decay in that hot climate and yet he will still be brought back to life. How like God to use the mundane and practical moment to catch our attention and bring it to an even greater realization of His glory and love for us.

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.

Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus 2 and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

John 12:1-3

Through watching Martha's progression in the previous Scripture, this very simple mention speaks to the difference between the first time we saw her and now. Martha served. That is all that needs to be said. Nothing about needing help is brought up now. Mary serves Jesus in her way while Martha serves Jesus in hers. Together they complement each other as both have chosen the better part. A beautiful end to a beautiful journey of faith.

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

A Couple of Good Books

PROVEN GUILTY (The Dresden Files, Book 8)
by Jim Butcher
This is the most recent in the series about Harry Dresden, the magic wielding, wise cracking detective who is constantly in trouble up to his neck while having to save the world. This book finds Harry investigating a vague tip about black magic at a horror movies convention. Anyone who is a horror movie fan probably will get more out of the convention and monster scenes than I do as I am not really a fan. That said, I always enjoy the books in this series but this one was better than usual as it moved the series in new directions at the end. Also, although Harry usually describes himself as "theologically neutral" there is an unusual amount of Christian conversation (relatively speaking) since Michael's (the Templar Knight) family is present for a significant part of the book.

I frowned over a thought. "Padre. Tell me something. Why in the world would the Almighty send Michael off on a mission just when his family most needed him to protect them?"

Forthill arched an eyebrow. "My son," he said, "God knows all things at all times. By His very nature, his omniscience enables Him to know what has happened, is happening, and will happen. Thought we might not be able to see His reasons, or to agree with them from our perspectives, they are yet there."

"So what you're saying is that the Almighty knows best, and we just have to trust Him."

Forthill blinked. "Well. Yes."

"Is there any reason that the Almighty couldn't do something blatantly obvious?"

Poor Forthill. He'd been preparing himself for years for a theological duel with the shadowy wizard Dresden, and when the moment came, I wasn't even giving him a real fight. "Well. No. What do you mean?"

MASON-DIXON KNITTING: The Curious Knitters' Guide
by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne
I am not at all sure that these authors' names aren't pseudonyms for the Summa Mamas. The same down-home, hilarious, quirkiness runs throughout this book. The narrative is delightful and the patterns are simple enough that even the most inexperienced knitter (raising my hand) feels confident at substituting their own touches to make it their own. There is everything from washcloths to felted boxes to rugs. Just when I would look at a section and be prepared to skip it ... never having ever been a fan of the log cabin quilt pattern which they adapted for knitting for example ... I would flip a page and be entranced at how it had been tweaked into a modern and new look which made me want to knit it right then! This was a library book but has gone on my Amazon wish list because their ideas are inspired, varied, and flexible enough to last a long time. As I already said, the narrative is both homey and wacky ... but equally inspired. Below are a few selected items from their timeline of knitting history.

1595 B.C.
Woman waiting for Hittite husband to return from sacking of Babylon picks up string and two sticks, begins "Support Our Troops" scarf.

1595 BC (two minutes later)
Woman drops first stitch, utters first curse word related to knitting.

1896 A.D.
Siobahn Ogwnngyfleioghnn knits so poorly that she accidentally discovers the cable stitch.

1924 A.D.
Kleenex invented.

1924 A.D. (one hour later)
Mildred Farnwinkle of Dubuque, Iowa, completes first Kleenex box cozy.

Also, check out their blog.

As a side note, reading this book is when I realized that I do not have the common problem that most knitters do with a yarn "stash." However, I am finding myself collecting patterns like crazy, especially for socks as of late ... mine is a pattern "stash."

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

I Have Found Some New Patron Saints

Saint Typo
Patron Saint of Spell Checking and Google Searches

Courtesy of this saint-loving artist who saw a distinct lack of heavenly patrons for graphic designers, come The Patron Saints of Graphic Design. Do not miss these.

Via James Martin, who wrote that heavenly book, My Life with the Saints.

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

Comments Moderation Enabled

For the time being while I deal with a little troll problem. Note to self, put more chicken wire under that bridge!

In the meantime, should the troll slip through, please don't feed it. Thanks!

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

Puzzling

Scrutinies can't figure this out and really wants to know the answer. Y'all are good at these classically styled puzzles right? If you know the answer, help her out.

While you look for me and use your head to find my whereabouts, I am something. But as soon as you find me, I am nothing. Who am I?

Speaking of brain teasers, check out GOP Soccer Mom's puzzler.

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

The Global Catholic Church

I had an interesting conversation during one of the retreat break times that began with a question about the lack of vocations in the U.S. and wound its way through many subjects about the American Church.

It made me remember this good overview of the global Catholic Church from John Allen.

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

A Bleg That Entertains

A reader writes:

Some friends of mine have put together a promo video for NBC's "The Office" (for some kind of contest, I presume; the winning video/videos will be aired on the network, I believe). It would be really great if you would post a link to it and encourage your readers to vote...

Here's the link: You Reap What You Throw

This cracked me up. Go watch and vote if you feel moved to do so.

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

Holy Moly. Maybe She Just Had a Bad Day.

Following the trail of comments to my reporting of good reviews of The Lady in the Water, I came across another to add to the gaggle. Sarah at The Drama of Existence also reveled in the storytelling in that movie. In the process she mentioned something that I also had wondered about ... however, not having seen either movie I didn't comment.

I'm sorry to pick on Ms. Nicolosi again, but for someone to say Lady in the Water is "monstrously bad storytelling," and then call The Devil Wears Prada one of the best movies of 2006 shows the sad fact that originality and imagination and hidden meanings and allegories and even fairy tales are no longer appreciated nor wanted.

Now this is not unusual criticism for a movie critic to receive. And, it is not the first time that Barbara Nicolosi has been way off target from my point of view. Beginning with her strong dislike of The Lord of the Rings movies she has established a pattern of disliking movies that I usually love.

Well, we can't agree all the time. She and I can hardly agree any of the time about movies. So I simply ignore her reviews. I enjoy her other writing quite a bit and disagreeing on movies is hardly a crime (or so I thought until today). Possibly, it is as simple as Enbrethiliel's comment, made after hugely enjoying the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean movie which Barbara Nicolosi most emphatically did not find entertaining, "I guess that Barb Nicolosi, for all her wonderful qualities, has just, to quote another work of Uncle Gilbert's, 'never been a boy.'"

I was frankly stunned to see the tone and severity of the remarks that Nicolosi made in Sarah's comments boxes under the guise of "(and I am being harsh here to match the harsh comments you made about me as a critic)." Tit for tat.

Go read them for yourselves. Because here's the thing y'all. I thought that Nicolosi was a pro. A Hollywood pro. I also thought she understood how the industry worked and the way that blogging works.

Most of all I thought she was the type of person who wouldn't attack like that (read "a faithful Catholic practicing her faith"). We all have bad days. We all react suddenly sometimes when surprised and hurt. We all make mistakes. Here's hoping that someone who knows something about cinematic storytelling having been a screenwriter for a decade, after getting a graduate degree in it, and then afer having worked in a production company ... who has read hundreds of scripts and screened hundreds of films as a film juror for several national film festivals and awards ... oh, and so much more y'all ... here's hoping she also knows something about making an apology.

UPDATE:
Barbara Nicolosi ... one classy lady. Well said!

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

Lady in the Water: a Gaggle of Reviews

Harry Knowles predicted that people would either like or loathe this movie.

There’s a scene in the movie where Paul Giamatti’s character has to be childlike, so that this ol Korean lady will tell him the whole story, so he can figure out how to save the Narf that has come under his care. He drinks milk, getting some on his moustache, he curls up, laying down on their couch… and has a carefree look upon his face. The scene, if seen through a serious light is ridiculous, but to me – that scene is how you have to see the whole movie. This is a fairy tale, a bedtime story told by M. Night Shyamalan as a tale about where inspiration comes from.

At least, that’s how I see it. It’s about throwing out logic and practicality. It’s about letting go of being self-conscious. It’s about goofily marching forward with chocolate syrup on your face while gnawing on centipedes. It is about breaking the real world down and placing it in a ludicrous bit of bedtime illogic.

Can you handle that?

What I find most interesting is the wide range of people who do like this movie.

John Mark Butterworth liked it so much that he followed up his review with an analysis. This is from the review.

Shyamalan is inviting those who can become as little children with minds for wit to contemplate how humans suffer and how they can be healed. He is calling the audience to be gentle as doves and wise as serpents. In fact, he makes Cleveland Heep reduce himself to that of pretending to be a child in order to persuade the Asian mother to reveal more of the Narf tale.

The crowd I saw it with had a hard time with this strange, filigreed plot and denouement. They seemed baffled, dismayed, or threatened by the purity and its attempt to thrust us into the heart of the Real for a moment.

Steven Riddle who I respect deeply especially for his ability to see below the surface. (scroll down to "Lady in the Water" as his permalinks are not working right.)

It is a film with a tremendous philosophical appeal, and that may be the flaw that makes it, perhaps a lesser film. Sometimes, the veil is torn away and one gets the "lecture" that has been hiding in some of Shyamalan's other films. This may be what bothers critics, but if so, it seems a case of intellectual laziness.

Jelly-Pinched Wolf liked it although his review focuses mostly on why people might not like it.

There's a character in the film who is a critic. He's a wanker, and is treated rather badly. This, I think, may be the source of so much bile from the critics. But what the character represents is not so much critics themselves, but the tendency people have to overanalyse books and movies--not after the experience, but during it. How can you possibly enjoy a story if you're sitting there the whole time thinking, "Oh, this is now the part when x will happen to this character, and then y will ensue, resulting in z ending." To be sure, many of today's movies do follow these formulas, and it's often hard not to notice them when they appear. But that doesn't mean we should go searching specifically for them during the movie. I'm not saying we should turn our brains off during movies (God forbid we should ever do that), but at the same time, how can you possibly enjoy a story if you are constantly trying to plug its parts into some analytical definition or another? But of course, the critics can only take the character who is a critic at face value. And I do wonder how much of their ire stems from that.

Jeffrey Overstreet gives it a B- and gives us hope by beginning with this observation.

Let’s put aside for a while the hype and hysteria regarding M. Night Shyamalan’s ego... the way he likes to talk about Bob Dylan and Michael Jordan as if he's their big screen equivalent. Let's turn away from the rants of those bloodthirsty critics who would like nothing better than to tear apart the film because of their dislike for the filmmaker and his reputation-crafting media hijinks.

The question for critics and general audiences alike should be — Is Lady in the Water a good movie?

And the answer is: Almost.

There are some nice ideas at work in this film that show off the director’s strengths. There is exactly one impressive performance. And one image in particular will stay with me forever. There are problems as well. But I’m not going to respond by presuming that Shyamalan is running out of ideas, or that his career is finished. Many artists go through dry spells, or stumble into bad imitations of their own work. And while this is, for me, the least of his big American movies, it isn’t even close to an occasion for derision. After all, substandard Shyamalan is still superior to the most engaging films of many familiar directors.

They've talked me into it. I want to see it.

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity

Beyond Cana: the Retreat

Thanks so much for everyone's prayers. I think we can say the first St. Thomas Aquinas Beyond Cana retreat was a smashing success.

A.K.A. The Holy Spirit was flowing.

Our deacon attended most of the retreat not only to supply the liturgical side but also to evaluate the retreat itself, which was being given by the San Antonio team which developed the program. As he said, "I think it's great but the retreat isn't for me. We'll know by the fruits."

The fruits were very evident as the couples stood together in front of the altar, holding a single candle between them, looking in each other's eyes and smiling beatifically while renewing wedding vows. They certainly were evident from the fact that every single couple wanted to help in some way with the next retreat.

God has his hand on this process most personally as I was startled to realize (silly me, I know) when I was watching the wonderfully talented musician from the San Antonio team play his guitar and lead us in song. I thought, "Where will we ever find someone to do what Bill does?" And the thought popped into my head, "I will provide." Sure enough, at the end of the retreat one of the women was volunteering to do whatever was needed to help ... and we realized that she has a degree not only in music presentation but also in theology (related to music in some way but can't remember exactly how).

There also was a bit of excitement and panic as Tom and I found out exactly how quickly we could get home from Las Colinas when one of the girls called to say the the other was having chest pains bad enough to make her cry. We didn't beat the paramedics there but I can say that without driving dangerously it is a 15 minute trip. Luckily it turned out to be nothing serious but I did miss a portion of the retreat since I stayed home with the ailing one until the next morning.

No matter. It was in good hands.