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| Mother and Son, Remo Savisaar |
I've been seeing lots of photos of fledgling owls emerging from the nest on the North Central Texas Wildlife page on Facebook. Remo Savisaar is in Estonia so it must be the season everywhere.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Mother and Son
I've been seeing lots of photos of fledgling owls emerging from the nest on the North Central Texas Wildlife page on Facebook. Remo Savisaar is in Estonia so it must be the season everywhere.
Christopher Closeup interview about Thus Sayeth the Lord
I had the great pleasure of being interviewed by Tony Rossi of The Christopher Closeup.
Our interview will air this Sunday, March 29th, on Sirius-XM's The Catholic Channel (129) at 7:00am and 11:30am Eastern - and on Relevant Radio at 7:00am Eastern.
It will be released as a podcast during Holy Week.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
The Church is Never Closed
Some of the initial statements I read from parishes and dioceses were all “WE’RE CLOSED.”
Which is not the message of the Gospel. We are not closed. We are never closed. Even if, God forbid, the physical church building has to be closed, the Church is not closed.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Day One - "Shelter at Home" in Dallas and the Grocery Store
Dallas County is now under a "shelter at home" order, which I suppose you could say is a gentle form of lockdown.
We'd already been planning on going to the store on Monday to avoid crowds. When they scheduled the order to begin on Tuesday, we thought we'd try to avoid what we thought might be big crowds on the last day before the order began. So instead we went on the first day of the stay at home order — this morning.
I'd heard from Hannah in line at the Central Market yesterday that entrance was being judiciously spaced out by the store so there was a line — but a fairly quick one. And that's what we experienced also. They made sure that everyone had a chance to get inside, get a freshly disinfected cart, and to disperse in the store before letting the next person in.
No one inside the store practiced the 6-foot rule in general, but no one was talking to each other and everyone did keep a "cone of distance" around them.
Everything was stocked and in select places like the butcher or deli counters there were green mats on the floor indicating six foot distances to maintain. And about 2/3 of us did it.
I have to say I felt a real gratitude for the friendly hospitality and thoughtfulness of how HEB (Central Market's owner) planned things out. You felt welcome, but it was clear they took everything seriously.
I took a picture of the social distancing in place at the checkout so Mom could see how it was. And I share it here with you!
We'd already been planning on going to the store on Monday to avoid crowds. When they scheduled the order to begin on Tuesday, we thought we'd try to avoid what we thought might be big crowds on the last day before the order began. So instead we went on the first day of the stay at home order — this morning.
I'd heard from Hannah in line at the Central Market yesterday that entrance was being judiciously spaced out by the store so there was a line — but a fairly quick one. And that's what we experienced also. They made sure that everyone had a chance to get inside, get a freshly disinfected cart, and to disperse in the store before letting the next person in.
No one inside the store practiced the 6-foot rule in general, but no one was talking to each other and everyone did keep a "cone of distance" around them.
Everything was stocked and in select places like the butcher or deli counters there were green mats on the floor indicating six foot distances to maintain. And about 2/3 of us did it.
I have to say I felt a real gratitude for the friendly hospitality and thoughtfulness of how HEB (Central Market's owner) planned things out. You felt welcome, but it was clear they took everything seriously.
I took a picture of the social distancing in place at the checkout so Mom could see how it was. And I share it here with you!
Mapping the COVID-19 outbreak in the US
Remember USA Facts? The Nonpartisan government data site that uses easy to understand graphics to break down the facts as they are reported by government agencies?
Yeah. I'd kind of forgotten about them too. Until my husband told me about a fascinating map that breaks down the outbreak numbers by state ... and by county.
Here's the latest data.
Yeah. I'd kind of forgotten about them too. Until my husband told me about a fascinating map that breaks down the outbreak numbers by state ... and by county.
Here's the latest data.
Upcoming - Live Streaming Annunciation Mass and More
On Wednesday, St. Thomas Aquinas will live stream a Mass for the Feast of the Annunciation at 10:00 am.
And, of course it can be watched any time on the Facebook feed.
They have also decided to record weekday daily reflections. More on that later as it develops.
Pray the "Our Father" at noon on the Annunciation
Pope Francis has invited us “to invoke the Almighty, the omnipotent God, to recite at the same time the prayer that Jesus, our Lord, taught us” – the Our Father.
We're invited to join in this prayer at noon on the Annunciation, Wednesday, March 25.
And, of course it can be watched any time on the Facebook feed.
They have also decided to record weekday daily reflections. More on that later as it develops.
Pray the "Our Father" at noon on the Annunciation
Pope Francis has invited us “to invoke the Almighty, the omnipotent God, to recite at the same time the prayer that Jesus, our Lord, taught us” – the Our Father.
We're invited to join in this prayer at noon on the Annunciation, Wednesday, March 25.
Type Z and Not Freaking Out
At the same time, I want to say: if you're not freaking out right now, it's okay! This is a time that plays to the strengths of us Type-Z people in other ways than it plays to the strengths of the Type-A planners and organizers. The world, the neighborhood, the family needs people who can be cheerful, unafraid, easy-going, roll-with-the-punches. I'm not talking about risk-takers, but about having a balanced outlook even in unprecedented circumstances. We love our families, we take precautions, and then we know: what's going to happen is going to happen.We are type-A in our household and yet have managed to hold fairly well to the attitude Mrs. Darwin mentions above. In our case, a wide contrarian streak helps a lot.
All shall be well, said Julian of Norwich, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well. May all manner of thing be well with you, my friends.
Mrs. Darwin, DarwinCatholic
Occasionally one of us has to stop and ask for a family member to talk us down from becoming anxious. And that works since big doses of common sense and contrariness are liberally and willingly applied by other household members.
We're as prepared as possible and we know "what's going to happen is going to happen."
Monday, March 23, 2020
An early positive comment on Thus Sayeth the Lord
We've been reading this out loud as a family and just finished the Deborah chapter. The kids love it, and everyone has been paying good attention and asking intelligent questions. Thanks for writing such a fun book on a complex topic!Mrs. Darwin (from DarwinCatholic blog) commented after I announced the e-book is now for sale on Amazon.
I couldn't be more pleased. Will be very interested to hear how they handle Hosea, which I say right up front is not a family friendly prophet!
Pick up your e-book today! You might be surprised how the prophets can help you handle our hard times today!
Suffering and Deeper Realities
It is well to remember that so long as a soul has not suffered, it lives only on the surface; the deeper realities escape its grasp. In the mystery of Christ lie hidden depths of divine reality which only those can reach and penetrate who, like Christ, have each in his own way been crucified. Authentic holiness is always consummated on a cross.
Father M.M. Philipon, O.P.
Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate
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| Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate, self portrait |
Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate was the daughter of Frederick V of the Palatinate and King of Bohemia, and Elizabeth Stuart. Raised in a Protestant household in the Netherlands, she showed great artistic talent. Her family arranged for her to study under one of the greatest artists of the time, Gerard van Honthorst.
The painting shown here is a self-portrait by her circa 1650. It was in 1657 that she, for unknown reasons, fled the Netherlands with the aid of her aunt Henrietta Marie de Bourbon, the widow of Charles I of England. In France she converted to Roman Catholicism and entered the Cistercian Abbey of Maubuisson. In retaliation, she was left out of her mother's will.
In 1664 she became Abbess of Maubuisson. She continued painting after entering the Abbey, mostly of religious subjects.
Shah Rukh Khan on the war against coronavirus
Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan does a coronavirus public service announcement using scenes from his movies.
I'm very proud to say that I recognized a lot of the scenes — yes, I'm a SRK fan. I don't know if people who don't know his movies will find this as amusing as we did.
Though no matter who you are, I'm sure you agree that the hat and sunglasses are tragic. Just ignore them.
For those who don't know, here's how SRK really looks. Now you can see what I meant about the hat and glasses.
I'm very proud to say that I recognized a lot of the scenes — yes, I'm a SRK fan. I don't know if people who don't know his movies will find this as amusing as we did.
Though no matter who you are, I'm sure you agree that the hat and sunglasses are tragic. Just ignore them.
For those who don't know, here's how SRK really looks. Now you can see what I meant about the hat and glasses.
Chef Yia Medina on Lessons Learned From Hurricanes, Earthquakes and Cleaned-Out Grocery Stores
I found this story inspiring especially since I haven't been through the disasters that Yia Medina has.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
STA-Live: Streaming Mass, Faith, and Community
Our priest live streamed the Mass on Facebook this morning. It really won't be a big deal to people who aren't parish members, but his homily was wonderful (as always) and you might like it. It is about 22 minutes in. His closing comments at about 54 minutes are also good.
I found my husband's comments equally inspiring when he shared it on Facebook. He doesn't talk about his faith much (make that "ever") so you know he was moved by watching the Mass and our community:
I found my husband's comments equally inspiring when he shared it on Facebook. He doesn't talk about his faith much (make that "ever") so you know he was moved by watching the Mass and our community:
While I consider myself a faithful Catholic I am certainly no zealot. Watching a Mass online does nothing for me. But this Mass from our parish of 30 years proved how much I see community as my connection to God. It shows me how community is inherently local. Most of you will not get the same feeling from this Mass from our parish. But it is what "church" is to me. I could easily find a Mass online with better production values (multi-camera, mic'd to the hilt) but this is my community.Here's the Mass video. 22 minutes into this video is a beautiful homily from Father Libone and at 54 minutes he gives an eloquent blessing for the times.
For me, community is where faith is put into action. You will rarely see most of the acts of support and mercy that are happening. But they are out there. Yesterday, Julie and I raced through two grocery stores to get supplies for a sick friend (and fellow parishioner) who should not be going out into the world right now. To the others in the stores we looked like everyone else getting ready for our "social separation". But I am sure many of the other shoppers were like us.
Friday, March 20, 2020
Thus Sayeth the Lord E-book Released TODAY!
Thus Sayeth the Lord had a March 31 release date but right now, as you can imagine, Amazon isn’t sending out orders on anything other than essential items.
SO, the publisher has released the e-book today and the print book will release when shipping loosens up some.
That means this very day you can have the prophets to help you get through hard times ... and everyday life.
Get it at Amazon now!
What I'm Reading: Mirabile by Janet Kagan
I've seen it reported that people are reading and watching movies about contagions.
This mystifies me. Real life isn't enough for them? As always, when faced with stressful circumstances in life I turn to light, entertaining books to get away from it all.
This book is one I'd forgotten I had until browsing through my Kindle library. It's just what the doctor ordered!
They are largely problem solving tales, wrapped in the intriguing environment of human colonists on Mirabile. Scientists who packed the colony ships with embryos also planned for emergency redundancy with some gene twisting so that each species contains the genes for other species. Which is super until your computer has a glitch that loses how to turn those genes off or on. When the Earth species react to the alien environment they reproduce with different species altogether, or sometimes with unexpected results of genes that mixed to produce monsters. My favorite — the Kangaroo Rex.
The fun is in watching Jason, the planet's genetic/environmental problem solver, evaluate and handle the various mutations along the way.
This mystifies me. Real life isn't enough for them? As always, when faced with stressful circumstances in life I turn to light, entertaining books to get away from it all.
This book is one I'd forgotten I had until browsing through my Kindle library. It's just what the doctor ordered!
That year the Ribeiro's daffodils seeded early and they seeded cockroaches. Now, ecologically speaking, even a cockroach has its place -- but these suckers bit. That didn't sound Earth-authentic to me. Not that I care, mind you, all I ask is useful. I wasn't betting on that either.A light, enjoyable collection of connected short stories told in a pleasing voice. These strike me as perfect juvenile stories though I can see how they'd be fun if encountered in sf magazines. There is little character development, what you see is what you get. Not that there's anything wrong with that for entertaining reading.
They are largely problem solving tales, wrapped in the intriguing environment of human colonists on Mirabile. Scientists who packed the colony ships with embryos also planned for emergency redundancy with some gene twisting so that each species contains the genes for other species. Which is super until your computer has a glitch that loses how to turn those genes off or on. When the Earth species react to the alien environment they reproduce with different species altogether, or sometimes with unexpected results of genes that mixed to produce monsters. My favorite — the Kangaroo Rex.
The fun is in watching Jason, the planet's genetic/environmental problem solver, evaluate and handle the various mutations along the way.
Hannah & Rose discuss the early 2000s metal scene, the loneliness of the long distance vampire ...
... and the respective merits of vampire versus human blood in bestowing superpowers as they watch Queen of the Damned (2002). Get it at More is More, a bad movie podcast.
Eggplant with Molten Mozzarella
A delicious Friday meatless meal ... the mozzarella is a variation so if you just see eggplant at the store and no mozzarella, we've got you covered! It's also perfect for using the vegetables that others might not be buying. Get it at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.
Well Said: What did Jesus actually bring, if not world peace, universal prosperity, and a better world?
The great question that will be with us throughout this entire book: What did Jesus actually bring, if not world peace, universal prosperity, and a better world? What has he brought?
The answer is very simple: God.... He has brought God, and now we know his face, now we can call upon him. Now we know the path that we human beings have to take in this world. Jesus has brought God and with God the truth about our origin and destiny: faith, hope and love. It is only because of our hardness of heart that we think this is too little. Yes indeed, God's power works quietly in this world, but it is the true and the lasting power. Again and again, God's cause seems to be in its death throes. Yet over and over again it proves to be the thing that truly endures and saves.
-- Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth
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