2020 Vision

They say hindsight is 20/20.  It is relatively easy to see what happened and how it went when looking back on events and actions.  I say relatively easy because it needs to be viewed objectively, not colored with regrets, idealism or wishful thinking.

In his homily this morning, Fr. Pat spoke of New Year's Day as a time that has a certain feeling.  On New Year's Eve we count down. Five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year!  And then comes the "now what?"  It's a new year.  It leaves you wondering what is ahead.

What if what's in front of you could be 20/20?  How do you picture that?  I want my year, no my life, to be filled with gratitude and enough.

A good friend of ours, Socrates, is a theology teacher in a local Catholic high school.  He often reminds his students, when discussing or debating a topic, you need to define your terms.  I want to use this year to determine what both gratitude and enough look like for me.  And, once I figure that out, hopefully I can work on getting better at both.

What's your 2020 vision?


AMDG

Born To Do This

Recently I read the suggestion reading a chapter of the Gospel of Luke each day in December before Christmas. With twenty-four chapters, you finish on Christmas Eve. It sounded like a good idea, and surprising myself, I stuck with it.

As I got closer to Christmas, the chapters in Luke led up to Christ’s crucifixion and death.

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last. Luke 23:46

On Christmas Eve, the Gospel recounted Christ’s resurrection, appearance to the apostles and ultimate ascension into heaven.

They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead?  He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day.”  Luke 24:5-7

A few hours after reading the last chapter, at midnight Mass we heard in the gospel, also from Luke, the story of Jesus’ birth.

While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son.  She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.  The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”  Luke 2:6-12

The juxtaposition of the stories of the birth and death of Christ struck me as odd, at least until I thought more about it.  It made sense once I remembered a quote attributed to St. Joan of Arc.

I am not afraid... I was born to do this.

The birth and death of Christ. One without the other is meaningless. Had Christ been born but not suffer, die and been resurrected, he most likely would have been considered a great prophet, not the Son of God he was. Christ had to be born human in order to die for our sins.

When we celebrate Christmas, we praise more than the birth of a baby two thousand years ago.  We glorify the salvation of our souls.

Merry and Blessed Christmas!
AMDG

An Open Book: December 2019

The cold, darker evenings have made snuggling up with a book my go-to entertainment of choice lately.  Some of the more memorable ones are below.

A Minute to Midnight by David Baldacci is the second in the Atlee Pine series. The FBI agent takes some mandated time off from her job to help deal with her unresolved anger at the abduction of her twin sister some thirty years ago. With her assistant, Carol, Atlee heads back to the scene of the crime, a rural small town in Georgia. While investigating the decades old crimes a series of new, ghastly murders take place. Are they related or just coincidence?

Gifts: Visible and Invisible by eight different authors is a collection of short stories that explore the true meaning of the Christmas and holiday season.  Each of the stories is entertaining and well written.  What a joy to read such positive and uplifting prose!

The Christmas List by Hillary Ibarra is a sweet story of a poor Tennessee family facing a austere Christmas.  Parents Jack and Karen Hoyle barely scrape by living off what they can earn harvesting a variety of items found in the mountain wilderness.  When an unexpected event limits their source of income, the holiday appears to be bleaker than anticipated.  This is a perfect read for this Advent season for both teens and adults alike.

Head on over to Carolyn's for more An Open Book.

AMDG

First Photo - December 2019

No profound thoughts today.  Not even any mildly pithy ones.  I'll leave all that to GKC.

Any one thinking of the Holy Child as born in December would mean by it exactly what we mean by it; that Christ is not merely a summer sun of the prosperous but a winter fire for the unfortunate.

– “The Streets of the City,” The New Jerusalem

AMDG

An Open Book: November 2019

I have been reading a lot lately, closing in on doubling my GoodReads goal for the year.  Generally, what I have been reading has been entertaining, but, in all honesty, not very memorable.  I like mysteries and thrillers and, given that I've read almost ninety books this year, I have perused a lot of them.  So it was refreshing to come across a book that is not only interesting and well written, it has kept me thinking about it long after I finished it.  

All in Good Time by our linkup hostess, Carolyn Astfalk, is that book. Brian Perella is admittedly a serial dater.  Most women don't get past the first date, but those that do rarely develop into a real and serious relationship.  He's done with dating and lays it all out before the Lord.  When God seems to answer his prayer in an almost literal fashion, he seems to be afraid to believe that single mom Melanie Lombardi might feel the same way about him.

As Brian slowly pursues his relationship with Melanie he has to come to terms with a vice that has gripped him in the past, and if reignited, could impact their future.  This temptation is put to the test when he deals with a serious illness.

I have to admit, part of the story made me mad. It is something that I wrote about once before. Not to give anything away, I won't mention it here, but the main character's family felt the same way.  And that is part of the charm of this novel.  I was annoyed at Brian, but still felt for him.

Head on over to Carolyn's for more An Open Book.

AMDG

First Photo - November 2019

Well, it's not the best picture I could have taken today, but I managed to remember to take it just before dusk. Things changed quickly this month.  Just a few days ago, many, if not most, of the trees had leaves.  I supposed the forty to fifty mile per hour winds yesterday may have had something to do with the barrenness.

Every saint is a man before he is a saint; and a saint may be made of every sort or kind of man.

- GKC

Happy Feast of All Saints!

AMDG

Jack

Two weeks ago we had to make the decision that every dog owner fears.  When we got home from church that Sunday, it was obvious Jack was in distress.  A year or so ago he was diagnosed with esophageal paralysis, but that didn't seem to slow him down.  It was, as is with many big dogs, the failure of his hips and back end.  We kept him as comfortable as possible until the vet could make his final house call on Tuesday morning.  

It's taken me two weeks to write this and I cry as I do.  Jack wasn't my first pet, but he was my first dog.  He had a personality as big as his size.  He was sweet and loving and attracted both people and other dogs.  People, including strangers, would stop their cars and get out to pet and love on him.  He was quirky and stubborn and mischievous and low key and lots of energy.

For twelve and a half years old, Jack entertained us, kept us company, made us get up in the morning and out in the snow.  At over a hundred pounds, he often thought he was a lap dog.  And who were we to argue?

Jack was our mascot at work.  His picture decorates our break room, posing with a baseball cap bearing the company's logo.  He didn't much care for Santa but had our friends trained to bring him toys whenever they visitied.

He loved snow and could lay in it for hours.  Rain, not so much.  He knew the difference between a ride and a trip.  The former was short and usually to the park.  The latter meant he would see one of his favorite furry friends, Sarah, down in Tennessee.  

When we told our neighbor across the street of Jack's passing, he gave us each a big hug and told us he understood.  He and his wife, both in their sixties, never had children either.  Because of that, he said, our pets take a more prominent role in our lives.  I think he was on to something with that thought.

We used to joke that with so many of our conversations revolving around Jack, what would talk about when he was gone.  I don't know.  It still hurts too much.

He is very much missed.

Pet blessing at church with his "cousin" Hershey.

AMDG

First Photo - October 2019

The calendar might say October but the temperature is yelling mid-July, with a forecast of near ninety today.  I'm loving every minute of it!

There was something special about this summer.  We enjoyed our property, in many ways.  Working in it was theraputic.  Relaxing in it was peaceful.  Sharing it was joyful.  And, for all that, I am grateful.

AMDG

First Photo - September 2019

 Yikes this is late!  The picture was taken on time, almost, but lazy me just never got around to posting it.

The dog days of summer may be over, but the froggy days of fall have just started.  We have been enjoying the patio and falls more than ever, and it seems the frogs are as well.  We have christened our water feature as the Five Frog Falls.  See if you can spot all of them in the first photo below.

AMDG

An Open Book: July 2019

Well, I think you can tell it is summer by what I am reading.  Since the few television shows that I do watch are just showing reruns, if they are on at all, I seem to have substituted some easy reading in their place.  I have been binge reading a favorite author, Kendra Elliot, catching up on a couple of her other series I haven't yet read.  And, of course, there's always more Nero Wolfe to be read!

Not Quite Dead Enough by Rex Stout
Archie Goodwin is now a Major in the Army and they want him to enlist Nero Wolfe's help in finding the murderer of two of their own.  While this was a good story, it has probably my least favorite ending of any books in this series.  However, as all good Nero stories go, it was plum full of great descriptions and one-liners.

It was the first time I had ever seen the top mackaroo of United States Army Intelligence. He was in uniform and had two chins and a pair of eyes that wasted neither time nor space.

Then I sat on the step again. I looked at my watch and it was 10:40. An hour later I looked again and it was 10:55.

“Not without Major Goodwin. I use his memory. Also for years I’ve found his presence an irritant which stimulates my cells."

Wolfe was in his chair behind his desk, leaning back with his finger tips meeting at the spot where the ends of no one-yard tape measure would ever meet again.

The Silent Speaker
When a powerful government official, scheduled to speak to a group of millionaires, turns up dead, it is an event worthy of the notice of the great Nero Wolfe.   Balancing on the edge of financial ruin, the orchid-loving detective grudgingly accepts the case. Soon a second victim is found bludgeoned to death, a missing stenographer’s tape causes an uproar, and the dead man speaks, after a fashion.

And Be a Villain
When a guest on Madeline Fraser's radio talk show drops dead after drinking a glass of the sponsor's beverage, Nero is hired to determine who would want him dead.  When everyone connected with the case lies about the circumstances of the event, the detective also needs to determine what secret is worth killing for again.

As a result the eight o’clock temperature permits him to have his tray on a table near the window without bothering to put on a dressing gown. Seated there, his hair not yet combed, his feet bare, and all the yardage of his yellow pajamas dazzling in the morning sun, he is something to blink at, and it’s too bad that Fritz and I are the only ones who ever have the privilege.



The Callahan & McLane series 
Kendra Elliot writes engaging and suspenseful stories that keep the reader guessing as to "who done it" until the very end.  Throughout each story the characters and their relationships develop.  Unfortunately, it seems each book usually contains a sex scene that comes across as soft core porn and a somewhat liberal use of God's name taken in vain. Because of this, as good as they are, I can never give these books five, or even four, stars on Goodreads.

Vanished
Eleven-year-old Henley is abducted on her way to the school bus stop and the FBI jumps in to lead the search.  Local detective Mason Callahan is the ex-husband of the missing girl's step-mother and volunteers to be the spokesperson for the family with the growing media presence.  As he works with Special Agent Ava McLane to help the family, he finds himself drawn to the woman.

Bridged
When dead bodies are found hanging from area bridges, Mason Callahan and Ava McLane know they are after a serial killer.  While in the midst of a tense manhunt, Ava's mentally ill twin spins out of control.

Spiraled
Ava McLane is used to solving crimes, not being a witness to one.  As a series of mass shootings occur in the area, she teams up with her beau, Mason  Callahan, to hunt for a reason so many young men are turning to such devastating violence.

Targeted
When Detective Mason Callahan is on a fishing trip with the guys, he wakes p one morning to find his friend and boss murdered outside their cabin.  As more law officers are murdered, he and his fiance, Ava, team up to discover what is going on.





Bone Secrets series

Buried
Many years ago a busload of school children vanished.  Two years later a sole survivor, Chris Jacobs, walks out of the forest.  Eighteen years later the remains of the rest of the children are found and the hunt for the kidnapper resumes.

Head on over to Carolyn's for more An Open Book.

AMDG