On the Home Front

• Rose is reading Auralia's Colors and liking it a lot. Though she is picking up Biblical character types in it ... which surprised Hannah and me since we didn't notice anything like that.
  
  
• Mouth Wide Open has another installment up at Forgotten Classics podcast. Never fear. We shall return to The Wonder Stick and Ru's adventures next week.
  
  
• Tom and I are going away for two days to celebrate our anniversary (late). So if there is a lack of updating around here, I'm sure you'll understand why.
  
  
• Getting ready for the trip to Rose's school in July (doubling for our family vacation), I've reserved the dogs their places at a unique boarding experience ... the Canine Country Club Day Spa and Resort. Isn't that too hilarious? It is attached to the vet where Hannah works and I'd heard good things about it a few years ago from an acquaintance. So we shall see ...
  
  
• I just began reading A Long Retreat: In Search of a Religious Life and am finding it strangely compelling reading. Just a few chapters in but will keep y'all updated.
  
  
• I finished Silence last night. WOW, WHAT A BOOK! I was (happily) surprised not to find it depressing as I had heard many others say. What I found was it was so very thought provoking. I think I probably will have to reread the last chapter (not the Appendix) as I need to think about this some more. I will do more of a "proper" review later but can HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! I'm really looking forward to discussing this with the book club.
  
  
• Hannah has been watching Arrested Development. I had forgotten just how drop-dead funny it was. That may be a series we need to buy.
  
  
• Hannah also has been reading the Deathworld series from Harry Harrison. I'd also forgotten just how entertaining those books are. Next, I'm going to show her West of Eden ... a masterpiece of sci-fi.
  
  
• Rose and I finally began finally catching up on Lost. It will give you an idea of how far behind we are when I say that we just watched "The Other Woman" where Juliette has a fling with ... Godwin (?). Nothing like a little adultery to get everyone's emotions going. Although Ben takes possessive to new heights.
  
  
• Tom took on a personal project that benefited ... me! He brought home a computer from the office that wasn't being used and set it up for podcasting. In a separate room so people don't have to tiptoe around and I don't have to get up on Sundays at 6 a.m. so I'm not bothering everyone. Bought a new microphone ... and a mixing board. Installed free software (at great expense of hours and patience!) and has been working with it to set levels, etc. All his own idea. What a sweetheart!
  
  
• My pal, Laura, has begun an internship as a sidewalk counselor at abortion mills locally. It is, naturally, emotionally wearing for her. However, it has been a really good reminder for me every single day as I hear her stories that I need to keep everyone ... babies, mothers, families, counselors ... in the front of my mind and my prayer life. As well as praying for the softened hearts of those in the abortion industry.
  

Worth a Thousand Words

The Bat in Colonia Guell at the Secretary's House

This seems just about right for Friday the 13th, doesn't it?

Check out the link above for more of Barcelona Photoblog's great photos!

There is no loophole with God

A couple of days ago, walking through the parking garage in the morning, it crossed my mind to pray for patience.

I recalled a conversation from the night before where a friend said that he didn't pray for patience because he didn't want to be sent occasions to practice. So he would pray for the other people, the ones who were causing him grief. We shouted with laughter over this idea that he had found a loophole. (One of the best known examples of this idea of God sending occasions to practice can be found here.)

However, it had rubbed off enough that when the thought crossed my mind, I pushed it away. I didn't want to bring extra practice upon myself (and I have had plenty of experience with that ... just try asking the Holy Spirit what you need to work on. Oh, the humanity!). Oh, bad influence that I allowed my friend to be!

Then I went on to have one heckuva day. Holy Moly, did it test my patience repeatedly. In fact, I found myself constantly thinking, "Just hold on. Be patient. Don't lose it." In trying circumstances I am not usually that self aware.

As I wearily returned to my car, much later than usual, the morning's thought came back to me. I told God, "Look, it was a stray thought. Not an actual prayer!" And then had a hearty laugh at myself for my silliness.

Later I realized that perhaps that had been a nudge because I was going to need patience and a prayer for help would have given me some extra grace.

Oh so foolish as we are to think that we can outsmart God.

Worth a Thousand Words

On the Verandah

Used with permission.
For more by this talented photographer, go to Visual Thoughts.

Goodbye L'il iBuddy

The time we had together seemed so fleeting. From our first adventures together to the time when ... it still hurts to think of it ... your hard drive failed yesterday. It was so sad, so tragic to see the apple clicking on ... clicking off ... clicking on ... clicking off ... and nothing we did could help.

[Give me a minute ... I'll be ok ...]

Now we have the new puppy l'il silver buddy prancing around the place, making himself at home.


Sure it's micro, sleek, and ... yes, I'll say it ... sexy. But it's so tiny I'm afraid that I'll lose it, that it will fall out of my pocket, never to be found. Or that I will drop it (such a strange shape when I'm used to a rectangle).

Will it ever have a playlist that will hold podcasts ... the way you did, my faithful friend?

It might, but it will never match the adventures we had together. ...

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P.S. By the way, on a practical note, I can't get the darned thing to read playlists that have podcasts in them. From what I see around the internet I am afraid that playlists only will work with songs in them now ... is that right? Anyone know?

Worth a Thousand Words

Bronze Bird and Roses

Featured by permission.
Click through on the link to see more of Belinda Del Pesco's wonderful art.

Ambrose-a-rama, Babies, and the Chinese

I was summoned back into the doctor's room with the English speaking nurse. The doctor started talking and the nurse translated for me that I was pregnant. Then she asked me, "Do you need this baby?"

What an odd question, I thought. Did she confuse the English words "want" and "need?" I remember hearing other kids' parents telling them that they had their wants and needs confused when the kids told them they needed some outrageuosly priced thing. Was she really asking me if I wanted this baby? Would I admit that at the age of 35 I was so human that, yes, I think I need this baby. Not just want, but need. I think Randy does, and I especially know that Myles does. But she probably really meant "want" and that in turn really meant that the doctor was ready to schedule me for an abortion if my answer was no.

I just told them yes, this baby was wanted. The doctor wrote something in a booklet I was supposed to bring with me everytime I returned to the hospital. The hospitals (and my dentist here) do not maintain records. Every patient is responsible for keeping track of their own medical records in these little booklets. There would be no appointments, no referrals to a recommended OB with privileges at the hospital. I knew it couldn't be just like the US, but I didn't realize it would be like this. The doctor wrote out some notes in my booklet and gave me a box of folic acid "for the baby's brain." The nurse told me to come back in about three weeks for an ultrasound, though later I would wonder if she really was supposed to say three months. When I did return, there was much confusion about my being there so soon, and even after paying the 100 RMB VIP charge and the ultrasound charge (another few hundred RMB), she said they were too busy to see me, and that they might not be able to see anything anyway, so could I come back the following week?

An interesting saga is unfolding for those of us who keep up with Ambrose-a-rama.

Jen is pregnant and encountering some astonishing attitudes as she goes about searching for the right fit in health care for pre-natal care and the birth of their baby. Follow them and see what they find. So far she has chronicled: "Do You Need This Baby?", "You Have the Lowest Birthrate in the World?", and "What You White People Want".

Fascinating. And, of course, also sad.

10 Signs You are at a Catholic Summer Camp

I just couldn't resist ... these are laugh-out-loud funny ... so I swiped Alive and Young's list. You're missing a very entertaining blog if you aren't reading it ... so swing by and check it out.

10 Signs You Are at a Catholic Summer Camp

1. Morning and night Prayer prayed every day.
2. Before rejoining a game of Man Hunt, after being caught, you are required to pray a decade of the rosary for the souls in purgatory.
3. Daily Mass, Rosary, and Benediction.
4. You find the missing campers by the lake practicing the Salva Regina for nigh prayers.
5. The campers pick team names like Benedict's Six, Catholics on Patrol, The Kyrigma Kids, and The Perichoresis Pack.
6. Evening activity consists of a rousing game of "Conclave" where the campers take the role of cardinals and elect a Pope.
7. Calling another "Henry VIII, Zwingli, and Sister Joan" are the most server form of insult.
8. Charity is exemplified by choosing not the smack your opponent in the head with the dodge ball when another body part will suffice.
9. Virtues are a key component to the Camp.
10. You hear someone yell, "Last one there is a Martin Luther."

Sister Scholastica ... Hurricane Hunter

Why, you might ask?

Just head on over to Brother Andrew's place and see.

Practical Ideas for Cutting Back

Catholicsm+Wine is making a "to do" list of ways to cut back. She's looking at take a bit better care of the environment and frugality. I can give an "AMEN" on no dry cleaning, cooking meals, and menu planning. Also, as our antenna works perfectly fine, we don't have cable. We use our vcrs or rent movies.

I would like to add also a plea for people to investigate their libraries. Many offer audiobooks, television shows, and movies. Before I buy a book I always get it from the library if possible to make sure I'll like it enough to read more than once.

More ideas? Hie thee over to Catholicism+Wine to add to the comments.

Worth a Thousand Words

Bobbin Lace
Click through the above link for more photos from Barcelona Photoblog.

Why Big Brown couldn't deliver ...

Creative Minority Report has the scoop.

Two Books I am Keeping Stockpiled to Give Away

I can't tell you how often in the last few months I've encountered someone with a desperately ill or dying family member.

I was so very happy that I had these books on hand. Now I am ordering five more of each because they have given such comfort to those who have received them. Seriously. You should read the thank you notes.

I am going to reprint my original reviews here so you can get the full "whammy" on why these are so helpful to those in need.

(P.S. Although the books are from the Catholic perspective, especially "Caring for the Dying," they have been much appreciated by nonCatholics as well.)

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These are little books but they deliver a big dose of food for thought...

The Way of the Cross in Times of Illness
by Elizabeth Thecla Mauro

3. Jesus Falls the First Time

Why do we always assume that this first fall came from your weariness and physical pain? Could you have fallen in fear? You, Jesus who are both God and human, you understand how fear and anxiety can paralyze the will, paralyze the strength of the body, and sometimes paralyze even the strength of the spirit.

I admit that there are times when I am overtaken with fear, and I feel unable to move, to think, to pray--even to This fear brings with it a weariness that defies description and snatches away the small pockets of peace I am seeking in my life.

So, I fall now with you, Jesus, prostrated in fear, knowing that I must rise and go on. My face is dirty; I am gasping through the dust of the road.

But I get up with you. I breathe in deeply, and breathe out.

With you, I move slowly forward.

Yahweh, I called on your name from the deep pit. You heard me crying, "Do not close your ear to my prayer." You came near that day when I called to you; you said: "Do not be afraid."

Lamentations 3:55-57 (JB)

I rarely do the Stations of the Cross although I often have one catch my eye during times when I am waiting for Mass to begin, thereby beginning thoughts about it. Most often I will think about them when contemplating the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary. Although this simple, inexpensive book is presented as being for a time of illness, when reading through it I found much that is worthy of contemplation during Lent. It is worded so that the stations can apply to illness, but not so specifically that the contemplations cannot be used at any time, especially in any time of distress. Highly recommended.

Caring for the Dying With the Help of Your Catholic Faith
by Elizabeth Scalia

The Long Tunnel

Some people say the process of dying involves the appearance of a long tunnel through which one passes, moving toward the light. Just as those who report back from a "near death experience" say they felt "pushed along" through a tunnel, you may feel like you are being "pushed along" by circumstances, and unable to halt the forward motion -- a prisoner of sheer momentum. You would be right. As the journey's end nears, there seems to be no further chance to hit the brakes or to pull back a bit.

This is a scary feeling. A new skier would never attempt an advanced trail, and yet here you are moving through this experience at a breathtaking pace. Everything seems out of your control. This might be a good time to make an assessment of what you can control. You can control being wholly present to a person who is dying. That doesn't seem like very much, but it is everything.

Together with Our Lady
When Mary, the mother of Jesus, was told that her Son had been arrested, her world also began to spin out of control. In truth, you are very much Mary's companion right now, just as she is yours. What you are living through, she has survived:

• Just as your access to your loved one is decreasing as their need for sleep increases, Mary's access to her Son was closed off.
• Like you, Mary had to stand by and watch helplessly while her loved one took on the "job of dying."
• Like you, Mary had to watch the one she loved let go of her to take His leave.
• Mary, too, had to let go, and to trust that she would see Him again.
• As you lean on family and friends, remember that Mary had John and Mary Magdalene beside her for support.
• After Jesus' death, Mary had to live and eat and worship with an imperfect "family," some of whom had let her -- and her Son -- down. It is not really a unique experience, as families go.

Being "wholly present" may not feel like you are doing very much. It may seem like a pitiful amount of "control" for an adult to have over any person or event. But as Mary taught us, being "present" to another person has power. It is saying, "I will be a witness to your whole life and death, so that all you are and have been will remain in me,when you have gone. And I will help you say goodbye."

Being wholly present to a dying person is a great responsibility, one that requires all the control of which you are capable.

In the midst of our very busy lives, the last thin we are likely to think about much is how to handle the details of death. for that very reason, when tragedy occurs, we often are faced with many details which we don't understand and about which we are not prepared to make decisions. This immensely practical book is instructive on several levels. Naturally, the main information conveyed is of those modern practicalities so that we can understand them not only conceptually but in relation to Church teachings. Pain management, organ donation, hospice care, living wills, grief management are but a few of the issues upon which this slender book gives straight forward information.

What raises this volume to a different level than a "how to" book, however, is the sensitive and thoughtful spiritual commentary that is intertwined with the practical information. As one can see in the above excerpt, the anguish our souls feel during such a time is met with reminders of how our faith is there to provide comfort and encouragement ... and even, possibly, beauty, grace, and joy.

As I read through this book, I was moved to contemplate Jesus' passion as experienced by those around him, which is most appropriate for this time of Lent as we draw closer to Holy Week. It is not the sort of book I would normally read but some of the images have remained with me and will doubtless feed my contemplation during Holy Week. This is a book that I would recommend everyone keep on hand for those unexpected times when our lives are thrown into anguish and we need solid advice of both the practical and spiritual sort. Highly recommended.

Superhero Highlight: Detective Lemon

Continuing the stories of superheroes devised by Hannah and Jenny (more about that can be found here as well as the first description)

Detective Lemon

Power: Shoots citrus out of wrists

Origin of power: During an attempt to make lemonade, the Detective foolishly stuck both hands in a blender while blending lemons (the Detective did not know how to make lemonade). Amazingly, she was unharmed, and the citrus was fused into her hands. She discovered her extraordinary power when disaster struck at a diner: the waitress brought NO lemons with the water. Distraught, the Detective pondered her fate, when suddenly citrus shot out her wrists, and into her suddenly-much-more-delicious beverage.

Cover: Mild-mannered private eye (a gorgeous private eye at that)

Cover name: Penelope Pennyworth

Introduction to partner: While searching for clues in a dumpster, the Detective came across a sleeping hobo (a gorgeous hobo at that): none other than . . . Hoborella! After the Detective treated Hoborella to a delicious brunch (with a slice of cantaloupe at the end) in exchange for information on the crime, the two forged an unbreakable bond and became a duo of justice.

Archnemesis: The waitress who forgot to bring the Detective her lemons. As a sidenote, justice was served: the Detective tipped very poorly on that and all subsequent visits.

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Next superhero feature coming: Hunky McDreamboat (ladies you are gonna like this one ...)

Worth a Thousand Words

Bailey sees a butterfly ... taken by fond father Always Jason.

Good Things for Dotty

Jane says:

A regular poster on one of my online groups is enduring a lot of family hardships right now. She’s a gentle and generous soul, and much loved by everyone there. She posted in asking if there’s really any good in the world.

Go over to Jane's, if you are so minded, and post a comment with one good thing in the world. Few people have just one thing. I put a small and a big thing. The small thing: puppy breath.

Playing Around with Google Reader

At long last taking The Curt Jester's advice, I'm touring around Google Reader ... specifically I wanted an easy way to let y'all know all the great stuff I'm finding ... without making you wait around for me to write it up. Not that it would stop me from commenting on some of them ...

Here's the test:


I like it ... this has real possibilities.

Need a Lunch Break?

You can't get anything more appropriate for today's cyberspace book tour by a Jesuit priest than ... wait for it ... St. Ignacio's Nachos.

Perfect! Check it out at Catholic Cuisine.

I'm pretty sure that St. Ignatius would want a margarita with that ... but he might wait until dinner.

First Friday and Our "Saint of the Day" - Dorothy Day

I forgot to mention that it is First Friday when some fellow bloggers and I fast and go to adoration for an end to abortion.

On my way out the door, I figured that I'd better have something to read ... so I grabbed Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with Dorothy Day by David Scott. (I'm not going to go into the series of circumstances that reminded me that I had it languishing in the bookshelf ... just take my word for it that it was fortituous to say the least).

Of course, that was just what I needed to be reading to really let the plight of babies, parents, and abortion providers sink into my heart in a new, universal way. As well as keeping the sidewalk counselors and all those working to help fight abortion in my prayers as well.

A sampling of what I came across:

Ten Meditations for Our Time

8. I love God as much as I love the one I love the least.

Father Hugo

9. Love in practice is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams.

Dostoyevsky

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The Seed of Divine Life

In a book by Hugh of St. Victor which I read once on the way from St. Paul to Chicago, there is a conversation between the soul and God about this love. The soul is petulant and wants to know what kind of a love is that which loves all indiscriminately, the thief and the Samaritan, the wife and the mother and the harlot?

The soul complains that it wishes a particular love, a love for herself alone. And God replies fondly that after all, since no two people are alike in this world, He has indeed a particular fondness for each one of us, an exclusive love to satisfy each one alone.

It is hard to believe in this love because it is a devouring love. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of a living God. If we do once catch a glimpse of it we are afraid of it. Once we recognize that we are sons of God, that the seed of divine life has been planted in us at baptism, we are overcome by that obligation placed upon us of growing in the love of God. And what we do not do voluntarily, He will do for us.

Now, as I was meditating upon all these things and much more, to be sure, in my mind's eye it was as if Dorothy was standing in front of me. I realized that I had become acquainted with her and then let her slip from my mind.

And when I realized this, she nodded and said forcefully, "Well, it's about time."

Bam!

Then I come back here and Father Martin's blog tour posts have Dorothy Day woven in everywhere. I can't look anywhere without seeing her being mentioned by someone.

Ok. Message received.

I believe I am going to reread On Pilgrimage and put a request into the library for The Long Loneliness (I think that's the name).

I must put in a personal thank you here to David Scott for his insistence on introducing me to Dorothy. He knew we'd get along and he was right.

Worth a Thousand Words

A True vacation spirit
Originally uploaded by Kenzoka