January 8, 2009
Israel vs. Hamas - fighting styles
From a friend of mine who is a Messianic Jew:
Here's a political cartoon you're not likely to see in the world media. Yet, it sure 'hits the nail on the head.'
January 8, 2009 ( 4:31 PM) | Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (1)
January 7, 2009
Radio Network Donates Obama Ad Money to Pro-Life Groups
This put a smile on my face! From CitizenLink, a great news source if you only have a little time to read:
Good News: Radio Network Donates Obama Ad Money to Pro-Life Groups Bott Radio Network, an evangelical chain of stations covering 14 states, was obligated to run political ads paid for by Barack Obama's presidential campaign.But it wasn't obligated to keep the money.
And so, in the weeks following the election, Bott distributed the $4,000 to pregnancy resource centers in Missouri and Indiana, which were targeted with the Obama ads, the Baptist Press reported.
"We tried to find a way to take lemons and make lemonade," Rich Bott, executive vice president of the network, told Baptist Press. "We felt we had an obligation to clarify our position to our listeners. We aired editorials at the same time his advertisement was running explaining to our listeners that we were required to air those ads and that we objected to his position on life and gay 'marriage.'
"And, we pledged to our listeners that we would donate the revenue from those announcements to pro-life pregnancy centers."
-- Jennifer Mesko
Of course, the lead story was much more in keeping with the consistently worsening news going on in Washington as Democrats work to keep themselves in power for the rest of our country's life. Seriously, if you haven't had time to keep up with the news, it is REALLY BAD.
House Democrats Change Rules to Silence GOP by Jennifer Mesko, editorShift could create 'the most closed Congress in history.'
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has brought back archaic procedures in order to silence conservatives.
On Tuesday, the full House passed the Rules Package for the 111th Congress, 242-181. The changes limit the GOP's ability to use procedural rules like the Motion to Recommit, which is the last opportunity for the minority party to amend a bill before it passes.
"The new rules consolidate power in the hands of a few and attempt to silence Republican input on key policy debates, in addition to making a mockery of the Democratic leaders' promises of presiding over an open Congress," Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said in a statement.
In the last Congress, Republicans were able to block some of the Democrats' tax increases using a Motion to Recommit.
Read the rest of the story - and other good news and bad - at CitizenLink. You can sign up for a free email subscription too - which I do because I sometimes forget to check.
January 7, 2009 ( 7:35 PM) | Pro-Life Issues | Permalink | Comments (0)
Top 10 pro-abortion moments of 2008
From American Life League - I have added the YouTube clips where available:
RED-FACED AND RED-HANDED:
TOP 10 PRO-ABORTION MOMENTS OF 2008Washington, D.C. (7 January 2009) - 2008 was a down year for the pro-abortion movement's talking heads. As you read the quotes below, despite the seriousness of the subject - after all, we are talking about matters of life and death - it's hard not to laugh at their ridiculous attempts to justify their position.
1) NOT THAT! ANYTHING BUT THAT!
Dear leader, President-elect Barack Obama at a town-hall meeting in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in March:
"Look, I got two daughters - 9 years old and 6 years old," he said. "I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."
Comment: President-elect Obama demonstrates his disdain for the sanctity of preborn babies by stating that children are "punishments" instead of miracles and blessings.
2) HOLDING OUT FOR A RAISE?
President-elect Barack Obama answers Pastor Rick Warren's question "At what point does a baby get human rights?" at a Saddleback Church interview:
"Answering that question with specificity is above my pay grade."
Comment: The future president will swear to uphold and defend the Constitution and Bill of Rights - hard to do when you can't decide who gets rights and who doesn't because it's above your "pay grade."
3) DATE-NIGHT OPTIONS: DINNER? DANCING? ABORTION?
Justin Timberlake/Jessica Biel
"Nobody should be able to say what you can do with your body," Biel told cheering crowds at Last Chance for Change, a rally endorsing presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. "I give Jess the right to choose where we go to eat all the time," Timberlake added.
Comment: Just when we start to have a sliver of respect for our Hollywood elite, they say something like this. Justin sees no difference between choosing where to eat or which child to kill.
4) KILLING BLACK BABIES - 'UNDERSTANDABLE, UNDERSTANDABLE'Planned Parenthood of Idaho - A Live Action Films exposé video exposed Planned Parenthood's deep-rooted racism. A caller posed as a potential donor and the following conversation ensued:
Actor: I want to specify that abortion to help a minority group, would that be possible?
Planned Parenthood employee: Absolutely.
Actor: Like the black community for example?
Planned Parenthood employee: Certainly.
Actor: The abortion - I can give money specifically for a black baby, that would be the purpose?
Planned Parenthood employee: Absolutely. If you wanted to designate that your gift be used to help an African-American woman in need, then we would certainly make sure that the gift was earmarked for that purpose.
Actor: Great, because I really faced trouble with affirmative action, and I don't want my kids to be disadvantaged against black kids. I just had a baby; I want to put it in his name.
Planned Parenthood employee: Yes, absolutely.
Actor: And we don't, you know we just think, the less black kids out there the better.
Planned Parenthood employee (laughing): Understandable, understandable.
Comment - The apple doesn't fall far. Planned Parenthood hasn't strayed much since the days of its racist founder Margaret Sanger, who once spoke to a Ku Klux Klan group and was a member of the American Eugenics Society.
5) HEY LOOK, MOM, HERESY!
Ca. Rep. Nancy Pelosi in a television interview with NBC's Tom Brokaw:
Tom Brokaw: Madame speaker, when does life begin?
Rep. Pelosi: As an ardent, practicing Catholic, ...I don't think anybody can tell you when life begins.
Comment: That's like saying, "As a vegan, I would like my steak medium rare."
BEING 'PRO-CURE' IS BEING PRO-LIFE! ... EVEN IF WE HAVE TO CANNIBALIZE PREBORN CHILDREN FOR IT
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm in support of Proposition 2, a bill that now allows embryonic stem cell research:
"As a Catholic, I can say to be pro-cure is to be pro-life."
Comment: What about this statement is Catholic? Not a thing.
6) FIVE-FINGERED DISCOUNT FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD C.E.O.PP C.E.O. Miriam Inocencio
Despite a six-digit salary drawn from Planned Parenthood's tax- and abortion-gorged pockets, Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island CEO Miriam Inocencio must have really liked that Macy's blouse!
Comment: Clearly her day job - helping to kill preborn babies - has affected her moral judgment. If Miriam is hurting for cash, perhaps we can redirect some of Planned Parenthood's extra Title X taxpayer funding her way?
8) MODERN CHIVALRY
Comedian Doug Stanhope
These are not empty words. I, Doug Stanhope, am offering you, Bristol Palin, the sum of $25,000 so that you can abort your child and move out of that draconian home. I have also set up a PayPal link so that others around the world can help increase this amount to ease the burden of starting out on your own at such an early age.
Comment: We love it when pro-abortion radicals show their true colors. Stanhope can't fathom why a young couple would actually want their baby. Nope. Clearly, Bristol doesn't need love and compassion - she needs $25,000!9) MORE THAN WE CAN SAY FOR SOME POLITICIANS
South Carolina Democrat chair Carol Fowler
Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's "primary qualification seems to be that she hasn't had an abortion."
Comment: South Carolinians overwhelmingly voted for the Palin ticket. That's got to hurt, Fowler.10) KEEP IT CLASSY, OLD BOY
Comedian Bill Maher
Refers to Sarah Palin's Down syndrome baby as "it" three times in a monologue citing why she isn't qualified to be vice president and then ends with "Does anyone in that party understand the concept of pulling out?"
Comment: What can we say, really? We'll just let Maher condemn himself.
~~~~~~~~~~
American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to natural death. For more information or press inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.
January 7, 2009 ( 3:00 PM) | Pro-Life Issues | Permalink | Comments (2)
Where, oh where is OUR snow???
I am so mad!!! We have had NO SNOW here this year. Well, except two days which each had about 10 minutes of swirling snow that looked like someone had shaken a snowglobe.
This is beyond belief. While we have had some freezing days and also a lot of precipitation, the two never coincide. Last night we had an ice storm and the trees were beautiful this morning the kids still had school as by bus time it had turned to rain.
The forecast tomorrow:
The forecast Saturday:
Hey, those icons remind me of something about Jonny - my 16-year-old son with Down syndrome - I wrote in 2004 in Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room:
But the story of our move to Virginia is just a setup for the story I have to tell about an ecstatic-in-a-motherhood-sort-of-way experience I had a few months after moving here. Coming from California, my children had their first introduction to the four seasons. They'd grown up with only two: some rain for six months, no rain at all for six months. In Virginia, they made the acquaintance of humidity, spontaneous summer showers, hurricanes, fall color displays, and then the best: snow.We were looking forward to the snow, as most of my children had never seen it, but our neighbors warned us that it didn't really snow that much around here anymore - something to do with temperature changes as the Washington metropolitan area kept spreading out to places like the rural community in which we were now planted.
So my children prayed for snow.
And, did it ever snow! Like the Christmas song written by Christina Rosetti, "In the Bleak Midwinter"
Snow had fallen,
snow on snow,
snow on snow on snowIn the rural area where we live, snow plows hadn't even cleared the road before the next snow began. Records were broken by the snow that fell our first Virginia winter together - including the heaviest snow ever for a rare White Christmas, and 30" in late February.
For the children in the area, it was like a moveable feast - they'd go from one house to another - sledding at this one, hot chocolate at another, a movie here, a bonfire there. What a wonderful life it was! Every night I'd surf the internet to our favorite weather page, with nine-year-old Madeleine and ten-year-old Jonny eagerly looking over my shoulder for the forecast. If snow was on its way, Jonny would point to the snow icon and clap his hands gleefully. Madeleine would run through the house announcing it like a town crier - thus earning her nickname, The WeatherGirl. The next morning, if snow lay on the ground, we'd hit the School's Out website to see if school had been cancelled, which happened with alarming frequency - more than any local old-timers could remember.It got so bad, that at one point after four consecutive days of no school, a neighbor emailed me to say, "Alright, already, I think the Curtises need to stop praying for snow or winter will never end."
Well, the winter did end. Most people heaved a sigh of relief after a rough winter of shoveling snow, keeping generators going, and trying to find parking spaces in lots with mountains of snow so high and so wide there was little room left for cars. We had even spotted dump trucks by the highways being loaded with snow to carry off because it wasn't melting fast enough.
Our family, having enjoyed a four-month ecstatic experience, was somewhat sad, but our souls stood slightly ajar for the next one. And behold, it came as we experienced our first real spring, when everything went from gray to lush green and our neighbors' houses were once again hidden. Keep in mind California's very different meteorological year - two seasons, rain/no rain - plus not many deciduous trees. Not many leaves falling in the fall, not many to come back suddenly and splendidly in the spring.
And then, as if God hadn't blessed our family enough with ecstatic experience, he provided me with this personal exclamation point:
I was helping Madeleine find some information for a science report one day when we came across a website with the weather icons. Jonny, who was standing at my desk looking on, pointed excitedly to the snow icon, and began jumping up and down with joy, remembering the snow. Clasping his hands together in a pleading way, he sang, "Pease, oh Mommy, pease, can we get dat one?" - in the same way he points to cool things in toy catalogues and asks for them.
By now it was summer, but Jonny's abstract thinking skills hadn't grasped that some things just are not possible, and even though I said snow wouldn't come for a long time, he kept clasping his hands and pleading, "Pease, Mommy, pease?"
And then it hit me: my son thought I was responsible for the weather! Having seen me order things on the Internet - much more convenient for a megamom than a mall - he'd thought when we were checking the weather reports that winter that I was ordering the snow!
It doesn't get much better than that - when God can send you a greeting better than any Hallmark card through your children. Jonny's faith in his earthly mother - even though misguided - reminded me how okay it is to trust like a child in my Heavenly Father. And Jonny's jumping-up-and-down-for-joy reminded me how ecstatic my experience is when my faith is utter and complete.
January 7, 2009 ( 2:42 PM) | Family, Loudoun County, Mothering, My life | Permalink | Comments (9)
Kid-friendly art at home
Because there are always new readers at MommyLife, from time to time I rerun something I hope will help you in creating a rich family environment. I am greatly indebted to my education as a Montessori teacher and 40 years of raising children - and now this opportunity to share what I learned:
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| Kid Friendly Art |
One simple way to enrich the lives of your children is to bring art into your home. You don't have to know much to get started - I didn't! - but the key for moms is to see things through a child's eyes.
Kids are so responsive to pictures. Good art can lead to enriched language experiences and can stimulate critical thinking skills. Art can encourage and inspire your children if you will bring it within their sphere.
Keep in mind that they are much shorter than you, so be sure not to hang pictures too high - and provide some at their level too. So what if you don't see it in Architectural Digest? A family's home should be less about decorating perfection and more about nurturing and encouraging and inspiring the souls inside.
To show how I've used art at home, I simply took a walk through my house to share what I've collected over 37 years of mothering - with my thoughts on why I chose each. Keep in mind that like every mother, I started from scratch.
Click on the picture above to see my photo journal.
For more on introducing your kids to all the fine arts, see Head Start on the Arts.
January 7, 2009 ( 8:13 AM) | Art, Homeschooling, Montessori, Preschoolers | Permalink | Comments (2)
January 6, 2009
Public school teachers as predators - how great is the problem?
According to a major 2004 study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education - the most authoritative investigation to date - nearly 10 percent of U.S. public school students have been targeted with unwanted sexual attention by school employees, and in those cases, 40 percent of the perpetrators were women.Titled "Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature" by Virginia Commonwealth University Professor Charol Shakeshaft, the report brought to light staggering statistics.
Compare the numbers with the much-publicized Catholic Church scandal.
A study by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops concluded 10,667 young people were sexually mistreated by priests between 1950 and 2002.
Shakeshaft's study, however, estimates that roughly 290,000 students experienced some sort of physical sexual abuse by a public school employee between 1991 and 2000 alone.
Source: WorldNetDaily - and scroll to the bottom of this article to see more in their continuing coverage of the problem.
Question: This is a study commissioned by the U. S. Dept. of Education, conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University. Why hasn't the mainstream media shown the slightest interest - since they were so concerned about predatory priests - evidently a much rarer creature than predatory teachers?
Why are public schools given a free pass when it comes to sexual abuse of children?
January 6, 2009 ( 6:03 PM) | Public schools | Permalink | Comments (2)
Women and self-loathing
Speaking of women and self-loathing, in today's culture I believe we need to take a proactive approach with our daughters. I've run these Dove commercials before as conversation starters:
This one is very heavy, and not appropriate for younger children:
January 6, 2009 ( 8:09 AM) | Diet | Permalink | Comments (3)
Diet dish - what's on your plate?
Sparked by a friend who wanted to lose 3 pounds, Danielle Bean posted 3 Things I Hate About Diets yesterday, and while she made some good points, I felt I needed to explain that:
*Some of us who are drastically overweight need to take drastic measures - and I believe that is entirely appropriate - physically and spiritually.
*That some of us are motivated not just by self-loathing over how we look but how wrong our priorities are and the pattern of denial that needs to be broken.
*That none of us can judge the motivation of another woman.
*And that in all the confusion of voices of spiritual mentors, it is important to always remind women that they must listen for the still small voice of God and follow that no matter the opinions of others.
When I was drastically overweight, it did disgust me no end when someone thin would complain of being fat. My own experience with confronting many issues during the dieting process has made me less swift to judge. Sometimes weight may be a stand-in for something else.
I do agree with Danielle about self-loathing. I just want to make sure that we're clear that this is not the prime motivation for the women I know on the MommyLife Diet 2009 group - now 85 strong.
While some of us may need to examine whether we are trading one obsession for another, I am confident that during this time of fasting from unhealthy foods, God will have many opportunities to speak to each of us individually not just about food and weight, but about many aspects of our character that He would like to refine.
This was my experience in 2006 when I lost 80 pounds. And while I regained 10, evidently there was enough character formation during that time that I've drawn the line here and am returning to meet my original goal of 100 pounds - with God's help.
So while I think I know where Danielle is coming from, I hope she understands a little bit more where we are coming from :)
January 6, 2009 ( 7:51 AM) | Diet | Permalink | Comments (2)
National Bible Bee
INTRODUCING THE NATIONAL BIBLE BEE!Over $260,000 in Prize Money for the 2009 Inaugural Competition
The Shelby Kennedy Foundation is excited to introduce the first-of-its-kind annual National Bible Bee, a motivating Bible memory competition for children and youth from 7 to 18. The goal of the Bible Bee is to build godly character in young people by calling them back to the lost discipline
of Scripture memorization.Most people are familiar with the Scripps National Spelling Bee, where youth compete annually in the Nation's longest-running educational contest. While it is certainly beneficial for our children to commit the spelling of words to memory, imagine how much more life-changing it will be for them to memorize the Word of God!
Local Bible Bee Contests will be conducted throughout the United States on Saturday, September 12, 2009. One hundred finalists from each of three age categories will then advance to the National Bible Bee for a two-day, world-class competition which will be held in Washington D.C. on November 5-6, 2009.
The Shelby Kennedy Foundation is the home of Bible Bee Headquarters. The Bible Bee Staff is currently assisting parents, teachers, pastors and Christian leaders across the country who are planning and coordinating Local Bible Bees. The deadline for registering to hold a Local Bible Bee is January 31, 2009. Those interested in hosting Local Bible Bees in their communities are encouraged to call 1-888-3-BIBLE-B (1-888-324-2532) for introductory information.
The Bible Bee Competition will distribute more than $260,000 in prize money with $100,000 being awarded to the first-place winner of the top age category.
The long-term vision of Bible Bee Competition is to equip children and youth to be bold ambassadors for Jesus Christ to the next generation.
For more information, visit Bible Bee.
What a great idea!! I love the Spelling Bee concept and all the TV coverage and plays and movies - like Spellbound
Please spread the word - and if any of my readers pursue this, please come back to share your experience!
January 6, 2009 ( 7:36 AM) | Contest, Homeschooling | Permalink | Comments (1)
January 5, 2009
Tripp's namesake in the Palin family
In case anyone missed it, this is what Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston named their baby, born 12/30.
My hubby Tripp says its in honor of the fact that he wrote to John McCain (John who?) last spring to suggest Sarah Palin as a running mate :)
Not sure why they chose it, other than another contribution to the TR theme in their family, what with Trigg and Trey.
My Tripp was called Tripp because he is a III - Wallace Barnes Curtis III. As a counterculture "legend in his own mind," he ditched all the names and just became Tripp Curtis.
Another Curtis/Palin connection - I tell you, we've got to meet one of these days.
January 5, 2009 ( 3:41 PM) | Current Affairs, Family | Permalink | Comments (2)
Earthshots photos - and contest
Just found out about this great site with daily photos like the two above - winners for today and yesterday in an ongoing contest. Feast your eyes! Then grab your camera (or pass on the challenge to your teens) and plunge through your photo albums to enter yourself. Win the daily three times and get $50.
This is so going on my To Do list. And I've already subscribed, hoping to save the best ones to my desktop.
Find out more at Earth Shots. H/T Right at Home's January newsletter.
January 5, 2009 ( 3:17 PM) | Contest | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 4, 2009
Your New Year Resolutions?
Tomorrow the kids start school, I start my diet. Life returns to the normal/abnormal around here. Ben is going back to school today, but Sophia and Zach (who is returning from a friend's wedding tomorrow) will be home until next week.
I have 222 emails in my Inbox, a folder of thank you notes and a folder of medical bills to sort through.
But tomorrow, I am going to Winchester to a court hearing in the continuing saga of the Miller/Jenkins Two Mommy custody battle.
Tuesday is Father Kelly's funeral.
Wednesday I truly hope to be back to my writing/blogging life full force.
Tripp has now been off antibiotics for two weeks and we will get some lab results back tomorrow to see how he is doing. If he remains infection free, ha may have a new knee in February. Please continue to pray for him. He is still dealing with a lot of pain - the doctor says because of scar tissue formation and the cement spacer which is holding his two bones apart until the new knee can be put in. He would rather go without the pain meds though, so he is toughing it out.
I am mostly looking forward to plowing through my Inbox because there is always so mcu there to share with you - like the Embryo Adoption story I am posting this morning. My readers are a constant source on inspiration to me and I so appreciate your sharing stories that reach out and touch the lives of others.
This is when women are at our best - when we encourage and inspire each other to reach the potential God already knows we have. Writing this blog has helped me personally and I know from what you all have shared with me that there are many of you whose lives have been changed too.
We currently have over 50 members on the MommyLife Diet 2009 group board, where we are encouraging each other as we pursue our different weight loss/food relationship goals. This is an invitation-only group, so if you are dealing with dieting/food issues and would like to be invited, please let me know and I will send you an invitation.
Also, during the holidays and in the flurry of preparing for the Diet Support Group, I forgot I am hosting my second Apron Power Photo Contest. Entries are due January 25 and I will be posting them as they come in.
Lots of love and best wishes to you for all you endeavor to do in the coming year. May you and your family grow ever closer to God through his Son Jesus Christ!
January 4, 2009 (11:20 AM) | Apron Power!, Diet, Family, Inspiration, My life | Permalink | Comments (6)
Embryo adoption - a happy ending
For anyone thinking of adoption, you might want to look into embryo adoption. Here, Susan shares her story:
I am writing to explain just how we became adoptive parents of two beautiful boys. The first adoption was "traditional" in that our son was born, his mother requested an adoption counselor while in the hospital, and she ultimately chose us to be his parents. The main reason we were told was that we were Catholic and she wanted him raised "in the church".
After his adoption was finalized we went back on the list to adopt again. Three years passed, and while totally happy raising our son, we longed for another baby to complete our family. We prayed, had a couple of "maybes" in there, but mostly we waited. I prayed for an answer as to what we should do.
I began to notice in the publications from our adoption agency (Bethany Christian Services) the information regarding embryo adoption. I had closed the door on becoming pregnant long before this so the motivation to look into this option was not "just so I could be pregnant". I was really drawn to the idea and especially the fact that there were so many frozen embryos out there in "limbo".
My husband was very excited about this idea as I was and we started the ball rolling by calling our social worker and requesting more information. The agency partners with The National Embryo Donation Center in Knoxville, TN and that is where we went. On March 14 2007 I had 3 embryos transferred to me and found out 2 weeks later that I was pregnant with one baby, our little boy who was born November 30, 2007. He is a joy and a blessing every day. His big brother, who is 5 now, adores him as well.
So both of my boys are adopted and came to us in different ways. What stories we have to tell them one day! How wonderful I can say without a doubt that both of their biological parents saw to it they had a chance at life. How wonderful that I could give one of them that chance myself. When people think of adoption they think of domestic and international mostly. I am here to tell you and others there is another way too. Embryo Adoption saves lives that are frozen in limbo. The church supports it as well.
I just wanted to share my adoption story with you. :)
For more information:
National Embryo Adoption Center
Bethany Christian Services - Embryo Adoption
January 4, 2009 (10:46 AM) | Adoption, Pro-Life Issues | Permalink | Comments (7)
January 3, 2009
What's in your refrigerator?
My column from this week's Purcellville Gazette, the local paper for which I write twice a month:
2009: Out with the leftoversWhen it comes to New Year's resolutions, it's not the big ones that get to me. Giving up smoking, drinking, overeating, overspending on Ebay - been there, done that.
Still I don't consider myself a hero. All it takes is one look at my refrigerator to see that on some level I'm still locked in denial.
The truth is I hate cleaning out the fridge. Hate rummaging through all those clumsy plastic drawers to see what needs to be tossed and what I might puree into salsa or shred into a meat loaf to fill the hungry hordes in my house. And the longer I wait the worse it gets.
So the longer I wait.
Thank goodness, every once in a while the urge to purge takes me by surprise - as it did the other day when I went looking for lettuce and found an erstwhile science project. Next thing I knew, I found myself actually digging back to the depths - and then, lo and behold, even wiping the shelves.
It was like an out-of-body experience. As though something came into my house and took control. Because believe me, I just don't add to a list - mental or otherwise: Clean the Fridge. I just don't. I can't. It has to sneak up on me unawares. Then I try to relax and go with the flow.
Later, with the kids in bed and the house quiet, I found myself returning to the day's events and waxing philosophical on the mundane tasks that make up the life of a mother. And I say mother because if I weren't a mother, I know I would have complete control of the fridge. No Tupperwared tidbits moldering away in the back, no empty jelly jars hogging precious door space, no unziplocked cheese turning to petrified rock.
Even as I say this, I know - I just know - there are mothers out there whose refrigerators actually do look like magazine ads. My hat's off to you. And please call me today - I need your advice. Is there a 12-step group for people like me? First step: Admitted we were powerless over our refrigerators and that our lives had become unmanageable. And will you be my sponsor?
Anyway, as I contemplated my lot as a mother I was suddenly struck by the fact that the same lot that drove Sylvia Plath to call it quits by sticking her head in an oven drove Erma Bombeck to keep on cleaning hers, digging deep to find laughter and renewal each day.
It all comes down to something as simple as the glass half empty/glass half full thing, doesn't it? You're one kind of person or the other - except for people like my son Zach, who when asked which he prefers, says, "Hey! I ordered a cheeseburger!"
Our character isn't written so much on the big decisions we make but on the little details of our lives that no one really sees - well, unless they open the fridge. Now that I've got those big ticket health items under control, I guess it's time to fine tune.
So when it comes to my refrigerator this year, I really mean it: Out with the old, in with the new!
January 3, 2009 ( 8:55 AM) | Humor, Inspiration, My life, Writing | Permalink | Comments (8)
January 2, 2009
Father Michael Kelly - viewing and funeral
On behalf of Father Cesar, Father Gerard, Deacon Larry Hammel, the Pastoral Council and the staff of St. Francis, we are deeply saddened about the accidental death of our pastor, Father Michael C. Kelly on Wednesday morning.
Father Kelly was en route to the funeral of another priest, when he stopped on Harmony Church Road to remove a fallen tree. While doing so, another tree fell, struck him and apparently killed him instantly.
In this time of deep sadness and grieving may we turn to our Lord and pray for his mercy on us, Fr. Kelly, and his family.
The funeral arrangements for Fr. Kelly are as follows:
The Wake and Viewing will be held on Monday, January 5 from 6-8pm in the church at St. Francis De Sales.
The Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, January 6 at 11am at St. Francis de Sales.
Fr. Kelly is survived by his father, John Kelly of Westmoreland County (Colonial Beach) and two brothers, Matthew Kelly of Fredericksburg and Daniel Kelly of Williamsburg.
Messages of condolence may be sent to Fr. Kelly's family c/o St. Francis de Sales Parish. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wounded Warrior Project
Former Sacred Heart priest dies in Loudoun mishap
By Jessica J. BurchardA former parochial vicar at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church died Wednesday after gusty winds blew a tree onto him.
The Rev. Michael C. Kelly, 53, was driving on Harmony Church Road in Loudoun County at about 9 a.m. when he left his car to remove a fallen tree from the road.
While he was moving the tree, another motorist stopped to help him.
Then a second tree along the side of the roadway was knocked over by the winds, striking and killing Kelly.
The other motorist, whose name was not released, was not injured.
According to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, Kelly was driving to the funeral of another priest in Alexandria.
Kelly served as a priest at Sacred Heart from 2000 to 2005, working with parishioners and students at the Amherst Street church's school, Sacred Heart Academy.
"He was very dedicated to our academy, our school, and also our [local] hospital," said the Rev. Stanley J. Krempa, pastor at Sacred Heart. "He was a very, very easy person to work with."
"He was a big re-enactor," said Susan Galbraith, administrative assistant at the academy. "He had different costumes from the Civil War. He would go into classes wearing the uniform and talk about what different parts of it meant."
In an article from the Oct. 12, 2002, edition of The Winchester Star, Kelly discussed his interest in Civil War re-enacting.
He said it provided him an escape from the world while offering camaraderie with his brothers -- Matthew and Daniel Patrick Kelly -- and other history buffs.
The three Kelly brothers were history majors at Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington) in Fredericksburg.
Kelly also enjoyed outfitting bicycles to look like airplanes.
"We would design airplane models that fit over a bicycle," Galbraith said. "When he rode it on the campus, it looked like he was flying. The children just loved it."
Kelly made several of the airplane models, including some based on World War II aircraft, which he auctioned at fundraisers to benefit Sacred Heart Academy.
In mid-2005, Kelly left Sacred Heart to take a position at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Purcellville. . . .
Galbraith expects many parishioners from the Winchester church and academy to attend the funeral.
She said Kelly will be remembered at Sacred Heart for his service to the church and community, as well as his enthusiasm.
"He really enjoyed being a priest and sharing his life and love with all of us."
January 2, 2009 ( 4:11 PM) | Loudoun County | Permalink | Comments (1)
January 1, 2009
Does weight matter?
Today at Crosswalk, where I have been publishing once a month:
Does Weight Matter?
Barbara Curtis
Crosswalk.com Contributing WriterDo you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6: 19 - 20
So far, it had been like any other speaking trip: decent flight, new city, nice hotel, my room service tab taken care of.
Mmmm. Room service.
But shortly after I boarded my flight home, there was a glitch: after much concentration and effort - all the while trying to look "normal" - I hadn't succeeded in buckling my seatbelt. How I'd come to hate this moment, when no matter how well I thought I'd camouflaged it, I had to acknowledge the reality of my belly. But the crisis usually passed and I conveniently forgot.
Now I was panic-stricken: Would I have to ask the flight attendant for help? Did they have extenders for people like me?
I sucked it in as best I could and gave it one more try. Click. A sigh of relief. But what about the next time?
Sigh and Surrender had been the name of the game for me for twenty years as I shifted up from "Petites" to "Misses" to what they politely call "Woman" - omitting the still silently screaming adjective Big/Abundant/and let's face it: FAT. As I continued to march my ponderous way up the clothes rack, at 22w I wondered what was to come: I was on the next-to-the-last size.
Read entire article here.
January 1, 2009 ( 5:14 PM) | Diet | Permalink | Comments (6)
A tribute to Laura Bush
Thanks to Tripp for sending me this from The American Thinker. I am glad someone articulated this:
Laura Bush, Steel Magnolia
By Kyle-Anne Shiver
January 01, 2009Laura Bush has single-handedly restored the term, "lady," to the American vocabulary. And she has done it with such rare aplomb that nary a soul seems to have even noticed, which is precisely the way I'm convinced she planned it.
I took an instant liking to Laura Bush; I won't deny it. After eight years of Hillary Clinton trying to act as an unelected co-President and leftist feminists egging her on every step of the way, Laura Bush came on the scene as a refreshing respecter of the electorate, content not to seize power that wasn't rightfully hers. What could be more democratic than that. Bravo Laura.
I've read three biographies of Laura Bush, and the one thing upon which all agree, is that there seems to be no one anywhere with any dirt on the woman. She has survived six decades without a notable fall from grace, and nearly an entire decade in the most public glare there is. She is, by all accounts, the epitome of grace and elegance, qualities trashed with a vengeance by faux-feminists for the past 40 years. In one fell, eight-year swoop, Mrs. Bush has restored authentic feminism, being for all the world to see, her own woman. So secure is she in her own skin that pressure to morph into the garish pretentiousness of "I am Woman; hear me roar," has finally taken the bruise for which it's been cruising all these many years.
Laura Bush has been quite viciously derided, ridiculed and mocked by the debauchery-ridden left since she first stepped foot into the role of First Lady, most likely because she has more real class in her pinky than her detractors have in their entire lot. The supreme irony here is that while Laura Bush has been called, "dumb, dumb, dumb," "little wifey," "First Dummy," and a whole heap of epithets no lady would repeat, she has successfully run a scandal-free White House for an entire eight years.
These things don't just happen all by themselves.
Read entire article here.
Laura Bush is a beautiful woman - a true lady.
January 1, 2009 ( 3:22 PM) | Feminism | Permalink | Comments (2)
Father Michael Kelly, RIP
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of our parish priest - Tripp's and my very first Catholic pastor and confessor - from this earthly life into heaven's glory. Even as i mourn our personal loss, I rejoice that Father Kelly is home forever with our Heavenly Father.
We are already missing him so much.
Priest Killed by Falling Tree
Wednesday, 31 Dec 2008, 10:10 PM ESTPurcellville, Va. -- Parishioners at St. Francis de Sales church say everyone in Purcellville, VA knew Father Michael Kelly, even if they did not attend services at the Catholic church where he lived and preached.
Kelly, who loved to build model airplanes to scale and then mount them on his bicycle, was well-known for riding the contraptions through town and in parades.An avid outdoorsman and civil war reenactor, parishioners like Tony Pantaleo say the 53 year old pastor was "your typical Irish Catholic priest." Kelly "viewed his role as being responsible for all the spiritual souls within the parish boundary," Pantaleo says. "It didn't matter what religion you were, he looked to help out everyone."
Father Kelly was on his way to a funeral for another priest, Father George Griffin of the St. Isidore the Farmer Parish, when he stopped along Harmony Church Road in Loudoun County. He was helping another driver move a tree that had fallen into the narrow country road when a second tree fell and killed him.
Read entire article here.
Father Kelly was there for us as we began our Catholic journey. He was there for Tripp as he has struggled with the unexpected aftermath of his knee replacement surgery. He heard both our first confessions last spring and our most recent confessions last week. I can hardly believe that we will not see him tomorrow at Mass.
January 1, 2009 (12:13 AM) | Loudoun County, My life | Permalink | Comments (30)
December 30, 2008
Curtis family Christmas update
We had a lovely Christmas - so quiet and stripped down of unnecessary stuff. So designed to help us appreciate the things that are most important. Tripp is still clomping around with his crutches and straight leg. I know he's uncomfortable, but honestly, when I hear him coming down the hallway. I think I am in a Stephen King novel. It helps enormously that we can laugh about it :)
Having the kids home from college has been wonderful as the Big Boyz have taken care of some of the Daddy Track stuff like setting up the tree and putting on the lights. Also, because I am petrified of the rickety pulldown steps to the attic, making numerous trips up and down with our Christmas decorations.
We must have sent them up there a half dozen times to look for the Christmas stockings - which we ended up counting as gone forever. The only thing we can think is that they somehow ended up in an old suitcase we sent to Goodwill during our move/downsizing. Oh well, they were only stockings..... the kids got their new socks and toothbrushes and and other small items in shopping bags this year. Shhh! don't tell anyone. I'm becoming less a perfect mother every year.
So Christmas was quiet and we ended by watching It's a Wonderful Life - an almost annual tradition here, but I certainly wanted to catch it this year after our own Bailey Bailout from friends around the world. (Our deepest thanks for loving us through this time.)
This was our third Christmas without Jasmine and her family, but we are now used to their absence. Samantha and her family have spent Christmas with her father - who lives in Ohio - for many years with our blessing. Since we see them so often, I am happy that he can have this special time all his own. I have to say that no matter how God redeems your life, you still carry the consequences of the choices you made before you knew Him long after - and they serve as a motivation to me to help my children prepare for godly marriages, because it truly is awkward and strange to have your children know that you were married to someone else before you were married to their dad. And the issues the children form your sinful past have to work out remain so much beyond your control, in spite of the best intentions and the most abject apologies.
My girls were 6 and 13 when Tripp and I married. But though he was a wonderful father to them, though their dad and Tripp walked each of them down the aisle on either side, and though we never thought in terms of "half-sister" or "half-brother" - things are different now, The divide between my two sets of children is more apparent - caused by things beyond my control but for which I still pray. My first two children were born at a time in my life when I was emotionally ill and spiritually dead. While all three of us are incredibly blessed to have survived, I cannot hurry the process of forgiveness - nor am I entitled to it.
Still, time changes us and God is in the business of healing and restoration. Who would have thought that Matt would be home with us now and that we would be able to rebuild what seemed lost when he left home five years ago? Perhaps my favorite moment over Christmas was sitting down to a candlelit dinner Saturday night - after Maddy had cantored at the 5:00 Mass - Tripp and I at either end of the table and five children on either side. Ten in all, the 10 God has given us since 1983 through birth and adoption. Just the 12 of us. Matt home from work, Josh over to watch a guy movie with his dad and brothers.
And I realized that it was the first time in five years that the 12 of us had sat together like this. And with the future rolling ever onward - Ben and Anna marrying May 22 - it could be the last.
Life is full of precious moments like this. I remember many years ago having a revelation about this as I suddenly notided something was gone. One of our daughters had loved to dress up after dinner and sing and entertain us and suddenly I noticed that it had been a long time since she had done so - and just as quickly realized that it would never happen again. Oh, how I wished I could remember the last time!!! How I wished I had known!
We parents are so blessed by a God who is so generous in lavishing love on us through our children. We just have to be sure to treasure his postcards "Wish you were here!" - to linger over them, reading between the lines, trying indeed to be there every moment.
Sunday was Sophia's birthday. In contrast to the quiet, intimate dinner for 12 of the night before, we ended up with 30 people in our house as Samantha and Kip and kids came for our belated Christmas and various family/college/high school friends suddenly materialized to help celebrate Sophia's 19th birthday. I will not say it was controlled chaos, because it wasn't controlled at all. There was Frisbee Football on the front lawn (we still have not seen a flake of snow) and sword fighting of every variety - knight, pirate, Ninja - all over the house.
The last two days have been spent recuperating and trying to get the house back on an even keel. Today Jonny and Jesse went bowling with a group of kids sponsored by Adaptive Parks and Rec. Tomorrow I will take Sophia for a haircut/shopping trip/day out with Mom in honor of her birthday. We're trying to decide what move to watch for New Year's Eve. On New Years, we plan to take the family to see Bolt - of which I have heard nothing but praise - and have our traditional corned beef and cabbage for dinner.
Zach is leaving on new Years to go to Florida for a friend's wedding. Ben will leave this weekend to return to school. Tripp and I will be so sad to see them go, but Sophia is home until the 10th. Yippee!
The kids go back to school and I start my diet Monday. We have gotten so relaxed over vacation that even the little kids are sleeping in 'til 9. I'm trying to imagine getting up at 6:30 am again.
But I don't want to try to hard to imagine Back to Normal when we're having such a good time now.
December 30, 2008 ( 9:00 PM) | Family, My life | Permalink | Comments (2)
Question: Rosaries as jewelry
I have a question for my Catholic friends: how do you feel about wearing the rosary?
I remember that 30 years ago I found a rosary in the dirt and I cleaned it and polished it and began to wear it around my neck with a collection of crystal pendants that I wore - what I viewed as one big spiritual conglomeration.
It was another decade before I became a follower of Jesus - but wouldn't have anything to do with a rosary since I was an evangelical.
Looking back, I do think that just as the scripture does not return void, my gesture of seeking holiness by wearing the rosary didn't harm me and may have helped in some small way. My intentions were naive - stupid, even - but good. Eventually I saw the light.
Today I am a woman who prays the rosary regularly. And I would like to once again wear my rosary, only now out of reverence and devotion. From what I have read, this seems to be okay - but I'm wondering if there are those who might misjudge.
Catholic Answers says:
Q: Can a rosary be worn as a piece of jewelry?A: "Sacred objects, set aside for divine worship by dedication or blessing, are to be treated with reverence. They are not to be made over to secular or inappropriate use, even though they may belong to private persons" (CIC 1171).
Essentially, sacramentals such as rosaries must be treated with respect, particularly if they have been blessed. Reverence is the attitude of awe or respect that is most often given to sacred things. By its very definition, it is an interior disposition that usually cannot be determined by onlookers by appearances alone. A person may be wearing a rosary as a statement of faith, to keep it handy for praying throughout the day, or to avoid losing it. Those reasons would be indicative of reverence and would not interfere with the canon's directive that sacramentals must be treated reverently.
Ordinarily speaking, then, if someone is spotted wearing a rosary, he should be charitably presumed to be wearing it for just reasons. Only if the rosary is being put to an objectively sordid use (e.g., a rock star is using it as a prop in a music video, obscenely contrasting the symbolic purity of the rosary with the immodest or immoral actions of the performers) can we be sure that the rosary is being treated irreverently.
The friend who sent me that link added:
Although some today may question you because of the rosary's modern day misuse, I think most people who know you would realize your intent. Also, St. Louis de Montfort in The Secret of the Rosary encourages us to wear our rosaries as a sign of our faith. It can also be a conversation piece which could be the starting point for someone's conversion.It's just a matter of your spiritual intentions and what you are comfortable with. I would encourage you to pray about it a bit.
Do any of you wear your rosaries? How would you feel if you saw someone - not irreverently like Madonna - wearing theirs?
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Btw, for my evangelical friends - the rosary is a series of meditations on the life of Christ and was given to us to help us spend more time reflecting on the sacred mysteries of his birth, life, death, and resurrection. I did not know that until I became a Catholic this year. So I would ask those who've dismissed or condemned the rosary and Catholics who use it to learn more before passing such profound judgment.
Resources:
The Rosary - be sure to click on the Mysteries in the left sidebar so you can see how we use the rosary to remind us of four sets of five events in Christ's life as presented in the Bible.
December 30, 2008 ( 2:38 PM) | Catholicism | Permalink | Comments (23)
