on the eve of Catholic Media Promotion Day 2012

Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope you enjoy some of the totally random, often silly and meaningless, and occasionally deep (or at least honest) reflections that you find here.

I think my blog defies classification. It’s not anything in particular…a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. It’s just a collection of the stuff that I like, or think about, or feel like ranting over, or recommend, or…feel like sharing.

There’s probably a whole lot that this blog isn’t, but there’s one thing that it definitely is, and that is that it’s mine. A reflection of me.

A big part of me is my faith. I try to live it quietly in spite of the rather obviously public way I might sometimes write about it, like this post, or talk about it, like on podcasts.

Tomorrow, I’m going to refrain from posting here, or anywhere else, as part of Catholic Media Promotion Day.

You might think that’s a funny thing to do…to go silent on a day for promoting Catholic media. It’s not such a crazy idea. Sometimes the best way to think about things is not to do them.

We often forget that we are reflective creatures, capable of thinking deeply and processing our experiences in such a way that contribute to our growth. Pope Benedict XVI challenges us to embrace silence in our lives to give us that opportunity for reflection.

My friends at New Evangelizers challenged us last year with the first Catholic Media Promotion Day, and this year have embraced the Pope’s call for silence and reflection by encouraging us to go silent tomorrow, Wednesday, and then going back on Thursday to answer the question,  “What in Catholic Media has had an impact on me during the past year?”

They’ve set up a forum for sharing. Read about it here.

You might also like to hear what Lisa Hendey of Catholic Mom elaborates on the topic. An excellent reflection here.

Give it a whirl…go silent. If not today, tomorrow. Or soon.

Put away the smart phone, the tablet, the computer, and think about the things that have such a hold on our lives that we have trouble disconnecting, or walking away from it, or living without it. And think about how we can take that and turn it around so that it becomes a source of positive influence in our lives and the lives of others.

I’ll be thinking about that tomorrow as I set aside Tweeting, and Blogging, and Facebooking, and do a little bit of praying, and reflecting and pondering.

I like that word, pondering. Perhaps you’ll do the same.

Happy 50th Anniversary!

You two are GOLDEN!

These are my folks. Aren’t they adorable?

They are still in love after all these years. My dad torments my mom with all kinds of silly antics…

But she still follows him wherever he leads.

you know May is the month of Mary

I had a crazy long week. It’s a good thing my work week is Monday -Thursday. Let me say that sounds gross during the week when you realize how long the day is, but when Friday morning rolls around…yeah, that’s a good thing.

I usually pray the rosary on the way to work in the morning. Let me tell you, it’s better than the trash on the contemporary music channels, and let’s not even discuss the shock jocks. I’ve learned to love my morning talk with Mary through the rosary. Much better than talk radio!

So this morning I got started with my usual rosary and stopped after barely getting started to take a call. It seemed that every time I went back to thinking about the rosary I got distracted by little fires that I had to put out (okay, see that? go ahead and follow how metaphorical that is).

At any rate, it was quite late in the day, actually on my way home, that I pulled out my little companion and set myself to concentrating, as best I could in traffic, on the rosary and Thursday’s mysteries. The luminous mysteries are my favorite…it has very little to do with BL. JPII although I remember well the controversy at the time he introduced these mysteries. There was some resistance in my circles in the order of “how dare he change the rosary” (well, it was a pretty bold move, but oh so logical — I’ll amuse my theology buds and actually suggest you read Rosarium Virginis Mariae — I know, close your mouth, sometimes I really do read this stuff on my own).

I don’t claim any particular illumination (heh-heh) beyond the fact that they resonated beautifully for me. In fact, I have to say, it was because of the luminous mysteries that I gave the rosary another serious whirl, and I’ve been hooked ever since. The problem was, and still is, that I have a terrible time memorizing things like lists, or movie lines, or prayers. I have to employ a gazillion mnemonic devices, and hope they work…but I learned that if I associate a particular mystery with a family member or friend, then I can remember them (both! the mystery and the person for whom to pray).

There’s something really very sweet and satisfying about praying for others, whether it’s a specific intention or just offering those prayers for anonymous souls who need them. I thought I’d share a little peek into my commute and why I love these mysteries…

The First Mystery of Light, the Baptism of Our Lord: for the longest time, I would recall the baptism of my children to remind me of this mystery. I always think that when God’s voice was heard say ing “this is my beloved Son” it was the jarring moment for me, in a slow reversion process, to wake up and begin to get it. More recently I’ve come to associate it with a friend who teaches an awful lot on baptism and living the promises and graces that come from it.

The Second Mystery of Light, the Miracle at the Wedding of Cana: this mystery clarified for me the whole misunderstanding so many people have about Mary, and especially the rosary. When Mary says “do what He tells you” it was another a-ha moment for me…the focus being on Jesus, and listening to Him. These days, when I get to this mystery I think of a friend getting married soon.

The Third Mystery of Light, the Proclamation of the Kingdom of God: this one, too, was quite powerful. It is when Jesus begins his public ministry, but for me was the recognition of this call to conversion, and so important to me, how it is also about reconciliation and hope. I often think of the work I do in new media, and the wonderful people I’ve come to know, in real life, and through social media — and pray for them all, the ones I know, and perhaps most especially, the ones I’ll never know.

The Fourth Mystery of Light, the Transfiguration: This one is my favorite mystery (I have a close second, but this one wins). Jesus reveals himself to a few of his disciples, and it is in this mystery that I was able to pin down my own yearning and desire to know God. It is what I was desiring all along…and the mystery upon which I meditate most fervently, for myself and for others, to increase my holiness, and to understand…

…The Fifth Mystery of Light, the Institution of the Eucharist. Well, it all leads to this, no? The source and summit of our faith!

Thanks for coming on the commute with me. Do you have a favorite mystery or mysteries of the Rosary?

that mockingbird mocks me

This is my mortal enemy:

I know this is a mockingbird. I don’t like it. It doesn’t like me.

We are in a state of war over a little plot of land in the backyard that has delicious blueberry bushes.

I’m going to imagine the blueberries are delicious…I haven’t eaten any. The mockingbird has.

We agree to disagree on what the blueberry bushes are for.

This is the love of my life.

He thinks it’s hilarious that I am at war with this evil creature:

He doesn’t know that silly attitude is going to land him here:

loving my new journal!

Simone Martini, fresco detail depicting Saint ...
Simone Martini, fresco detail depicting Saint Clare of Assisi, (1322–26), Lower basilica of San Francesco, Assisi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Today’s little piece of inspiration from my journal comes from St. Clare of Assisi:

May we love one another with the charity of Christ. May the love that we have in our hearts show itself in our actions. And may our love and example increase love of and charity for one another in all places. Amen.

Wow. I wish I had read that this morning, instead of after lunch. It’s my own fault for changing my writing routine…it would have been an awesome companion to my morning devotion.  But…there it is. Now, when I’m doing this 🙂

I read it over and over as I prepared to write…because it doesn’t say for “those people you like.” It says “for one another in all places.”

That’s what makes being a Christian so hard — that crazy call to love one another. To love, if I may say so, the unlovable. It’s the hardest thing we have to do, and it’s what Jesus commanded us to do. In all places.

another rainy day

It’s another rainy day here in good ole Georgia. I love the rain. It’s a crazy thing to tell people, especially those people who crave sunlight and light and all that airiness.

Don’t misunderstand, I like the light! I like the big open windows in my living room, but there’s something about a rainy day that makes me just a little more productive, a little more reflective, and generally, a little more calm.

My brain is always going a mile a minute, moreso lately with some new responsibilities, and I relish the opportunity to slow down a little and just be.

The rain has a way of getting under my skin and into my blood…I find the rhythm in the rain, and it has a lullaby affect on me.

It is beautiful. It is life. And I relish it.

So don’t be all mopey on such a lovely day.

There’s usually a rainbow after all the rain. God promised.

Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of the risen Christ! ~ Mother Teresa

Review: Catholic Family Fun Book

The empty nest is getting closer and closer for me, and let me say, it’s something that I am surprised to be embracing in this season of my life.

A typical evening at home looks something like this:

Me: What do you want for dinner.

Honey: Oh, you’ve had a long day…let’s go out for a bite.

Nice, isn’t it? The rest of the evening might play out with us having a nice, quiet conversation on the porch. You know, about stuff that doesn’t involve a schedule, or somebody’s grades, or the orthodontist.

Rewind ten or fifteen years and the scene was very different. Dinner was a disorganized affair, with conversations that escalated into louder and louder expressions with everyone happily talking over each other. Perhaps it’s not the ideal dinner time for many of you, but in our home, it was the chaos that we enjoyed. The louder the laughter, the better.

How I wish we’d had Sarah Reinhard’s Catholic Family Fun in those days. Its subtitle, A Guide for the Adventurous, Overwhelmed, Creative, or Clueless pretty much describes my state of affairs when it came to managing three kids close in age, a household, a traveling husband, and the myriad after school activities that had me jumping through hoops.

The section on Traveling Food was the first thing I looked at. After so many stressful drive-thru meals, it’s a relief to see instructions for something that’s relaxing and enjoyable.

With my  youngest finishing his second year of college, I wondered,  as I was reading the book, if any of this was relevant to a middle-aged mom a little shell-shocked from the sudden silence.

The answer is YES. And it comes from an unlikely place.

You see, I thought I’d be putting the book on my shelf, using it when my nieces and nephews come to visit, or [gulp] saving it for someday with grandchildren.

What I forgot is that my husband and I are still very much a family. In fact, we were a family first, before the kiddoes came along, and now that they are scattering, we’re back to where we started, so to speak — with each other.

And we can benefit from many of the ideas in this book, too.

Each activity has a Faith Angle, and frankly, that’s the best part of the book for me. As adults we often fall into a routine (that’s good) for morning prayer or devotionals, and this provides many creative ways to explore the richness of our faith by shaking it up a little.

The next section, Making It Your Own, gives us the “permission” to adapt it to our needs. It’s perfect because of its versatility.

Pick up a copy and play…you’ll find something that works for whatever your family dynamic happens to be at the moment.

And remember to have fun!