After a gloomy day yesterday, this morning dawned bright and beautiful. The fog off the ponds and in the valley I drive through was just stunning. A few times the glare of the sun made it hard to see, but, all-in-all, it was a nice drive into work.
That changed when I got there.
I parked in the garage attached to our building as I always do. The indoor parking was filled so I ended up on the roof. I grabbed my laptop bag and lunch and headed toward the stairs inside. As I walking an SUV came around the corner, out of the shadows, and right into me!
I ended up sprawled flat on my back in the middle of the garage roof. I spewed out a number of very bad words at the driver until I realized who it was, a co-worker of the nicest kind. He was shaking like a leaf at what he had done. He never saw me as he came out of the dark inside to the bright glare outside.
I was able to get up, with his help, and we headed inside. As the morning progressed so did my aches and pains. Talking to my boss and the HR VP, they felt it best I go to the ER to get checked out. By the time I drove myself there I could hardly walk.
I've got to tell you, those hospital gowns leave a lot to be desired! It's hard to be modest in one. And, when the doc came in to examine me she tested my legs, feet and ankles for motion and sensitivity. All I could think of while she was doing that was I really should have shaved me legs this morning!
I went home with a couple of scripts and the forewarning that I will be hurting for a couple of days, but ultimately will be just fine.
So, when you remember the advice of your mother to always wear clean underwear because you never know when you'll land in the hospital, remember to add shaving your legs to that as well!
AMDG
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
My turn
I’ve heard about.
I’ve seen it happen.
I’ve even done it.
Heck, there’s even a movie about it.
But it has never happened to me. Until yesterday. On the way into work. At 7:15 am by someone in a cream colored Ford SUV.
On Fridays I like to leave for work early. Get in early, get out early, and get started on the weekend, you guessed it, early. About halfway along the ride in is a Mickey D’s where I sometimes stop for a quick breakfast. I pulled into an empty queue and, after a bit of a delay, gave my order.
When I pulled around to the first drive-thru window to pay, the cashier looked at me and smiled. “This is your lucky day” she said. Huh? She smiled again and told me that the person ahead of me had paid for my order. No! Really? “Yep! Have a great day!”
It was four dollars and seventy-three cents. Not a whole lot in the scheme of things. But, that act of kindness made my day.
I wish I could tell the driver of the SUV what her $4.73 bought.
Lots of smiling.
A grateful heart.
Kinder thoughts about people around me. Especially that one.
You see, all week I seemed to meet up with every idiot on the road. It got to the point that I would just assume that everyone on the road was an idiot.
Now I know that’s not true.
It’s my turn to Pay it Forward.
AMDG
I’ve seen it happen.
I’ve even done it.
Heck, there’s even a movie about it.
But it has never happened to me. Until yesterday. On the way into work. At 7:15 am by someone in a cream colored Ford SUV.
On Fridays I like to leave for work early. Get in early, get out early, and get started on the weekend, you guessed it, early. About halfway along the ride in is a Mickey D’s where I sometimes stop for a quick breakfast. I pulled into an empty queue and, after a bit of a delay, gave my order.
When I pulled around to the first drive-thru window to pay, the cashier looked at me and smiled. “This is your lucky day” she said. Huh? She smiled again and told me that the person ahead of me had paid for my order. No! Really? “Yep! Have a great day!”
It was four dollars and seventy-three cents. Not a whole lot in the scheme of things. But, that act of kindness made my day.
I wish I could tell the driver of the SUV what her $4.73 bought.
Lots of smiling.
A grateful heart.
Kinder thoughts about people around me. Especially that one.
You see, all week I seemed to meet up with every idiot on the road. It got to the point that I would just assume that everyone on the road was an idiot.
Now I know that’s not true.
It’s my turn to Pay it Forward.
AMDG
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Silly, silly girl
I was looking for post I did last year where I listed everything that I had canned when I got side-tracked and started reading a bunch of other posts as well. In typical Donna fashion I was lamenting the process of looking for a new position. I went through an odd assortment of interviews last summer while on the hunt that left me feeling put out and inconvenienced. There were phone interviews and in-person ones as well as the one on Skype. I had mentioned in a couple of posts that one interview lasted four hours and one that was later in the evening.
As I was reading these posts I realized that both of the “inconvenient” interviews led me to this job, the one I hold now, the one I like so much. It's the one where the people with whom I work are good and the company treats us well.
Why did I think it was going to be easy? As if it should be? The jobs I had where the interviewing was an easy or quick process ended up being jobs I was so very, very glad to leave.
Silly girl!
AMDG
As I was reading these posts I realized that both of the “inconvenient” interviews led me to this job, the one I hold now, the one I like so much. It's the one where the people with whom I work are good and the company treats us well.
Why did I think it was going to be easy? As if it should be? The jobs I had where the interviewing was an easy or quick process ended up being jobs I was so very, very glad to leave.
Silly girl!
AMDG
Monday, August 19, 2013
Caught in the act. . .
. . . of pretending to be organized!
Every Monday morning I meet with my manager to go over what I did the week prior and what’s on my agenda for this week. I keep a list of projects I am working on and usually just update it and use that for our discussion.
At the same time I do that list I also do a personal one. What are some of the things I’d like to get done this week? Many of the things on the list just carry over from week to week. Either those items are things that need to be done regularly or, in most cases, I just haven’t gotten to them. But, ultimately, for me, if I don’t write it down I don’t remember it. I’ve often said, I have a mind like a steel sieve!
But anyways, back to getting caught. I just create my personal to do list in Word, nothing fancy, but I like to add color, either reflecting the weather or liturgical seasons. The color printer in the office is across the hall, so before picking up my printout I stopped and got a cup of coffee.
When I finally made it to the printer there was someone reading my list. Yikes! Not that there is anything personal or embarrassing on it. She looks at me and asks “Just who is this organized? You?”
Not really, but it certainly looks good!
AMDG
Every Monday morning I meet with my manager to go over what I did the week prior and what’s on my agenda for this week. I keep a list of projects I am working on and usually just update it and use that for our discussion.
At the same time I do that list I also do a personal one. What are some of the things I’d like to get done this week? Many of the things on the list just carry over from week to week. Either those items are things that need to be done regularly or, in most cases, I just haven’t gotten to them. But, ultimately, for me, if I don’t write it down I don’t remember it. I’ve often said, I have a mind like a steel sieve!
But anyways, back to getting caught. I just create my personal to do list in Word, nothing fancy, but I like to add color, either reflecting the weather or liturgical seasons. The color printer in the office is across the hall, so before picking up my printout I stopped and got a cup of coffee.
When I finally made it to the printer there was someone reading my list. Yikes! Not that there is anything personal or embarrassing on it. She looks at me and asks “Just who is this organized? You?” Not really, but it certainly looks good!
AMDG
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Saint GKC?
As I mentioned earlier, last weekend we went to the GK Chesterton conference that was held at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts. The long drive was richly rewarded. We caught up with old friends, made new ones, and saturated our brains with much more than they could possibly hope to comprehend.
There is so much to tell you about the weekend, but since the best bit of news came early on, Friday night at the end of Dale Ahlquist’s opening talk, I guess that’s the best place to start.
For quite a while now, probably ten plus years, the Chesterton Society has been advocating for the sainthood of Chesterton. Apparently the cause needs to be taken up by the home diocese of the person in question. Prior bishops in Northampton did not find reason enough to get involved in this process. That seems to have changed. Dale made this announcement:
"Martin Thompson says that Bishop Peter Doyle 'has given me permission to report that the Bishop of Northampton is sympathetic to our wishes and is seeking a suitable cleric to begin an investigation into the potential for opening a cause for Chesterton.'"
This little nudge may have been just what was needed:
Ahlquist cited Pope Francis’ interest in Chesterton as possibly influencing the bishop of Beaconsfield’s recent move for an investigation.
“One of the reasons that especially motivated him is the fact that His Holiness, Pope Francis, expressed support for Chesterton’s cause when he was the archbishop of Buenos Aires,” stated Ahlquist.
A March 10 letter to Martin Thompson, a leader of an English G.K. Chesterton group, from Miguel Angel Espeche Gil, an Argentine ambassador who heads a Chesterton group in Argentina, noted that the then-archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, “encourages us in our aspiration to see the initiation of the cause of Chesterton to the altars.” **
**Read more: here
To say that those attending the conference were pleased with this news is an understatement. I think we all read GKC for a variety of reasons, but the common thread among those is that he speaks the Truth across the ages. What he wrote a century ago is just as true today.
Many Catholic converts cite GKC as the reason for their entering the church. One of the speakers at the conference, Joseph Pearce, is one such person. Pearce has an amazing story that is just one example of Chesterton’s influence. He was raised in a staunchly anti-Catholic family, was an agnostic neo-fascist as a teen and was imprisoned twice by the time he reached his early twenties. During this time he began reading Chesterton primarily for his views on politics and economics, but eventually found himself reading Chesterton’s arguments on behalf of the Catholic Church and his defense of orthodox Christianity.
AMDG
There is so much to tell you about the weekend, but since the best bit of news came early on, Friday night at the end of Dale Ahlquist’s opening talk, I guess that’s the best place to start.
For quite a while now, probably ten plus years, the Chesterton Society has been advocating for the sainthood of Chesterton. Apparently the cause needs to be taken up by the home diocese of the person in question. Prior bishops in Northampton did not find reason enough to get involved in this process. That seems to have changed. Dale made this announcement:
"Martin Thompson says that Bishop Peter Doyle 'has given me permission to report that the Bishop of Northampton is sympathetic to our wishes and is seeking a suitable cleric to begin an investigation into the potential for opening a cause for Chesterton.'"
This little nudge may have been just what was needed:
Ahlquist cited Pope Francis’ interest in Chesterton as possibly influencing the bishop of Beaconsfield’s recent move for an investigation.
“One of the reasons that especially motivated him is the fact that His Holiness, Pope Francis, expressed support for Chesterton’s cause when he was the archbishop of Buenos Aires,” stated Ahlquist.
A March 10 letter to Martin Thompson, a leader of an English G.K. Chesterton group, from Miguel Angel Espeche Gil, an Argentine ambassador who heads a Chesterton group in Argentina, noted that the then-archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, “encourages us in our aspiration to see the initiation of the cause of Chesterton to the altars.” **
**Read more: here
To say that those attending the conference were pleased with this news is an understatement. I think we all read GKC for a variety of reasons, but the common thread among those is that he speaks the Truth across the ages. What he wrote a century ago is just as true today.
Many Catholic converts cite GKC as the reason for their entering the church. One of the speakers at the conference, Joseph Pearce, is one such person. Pearce has an amazing story that is just one example of Chesterton’s influence. He was raised in a staunchly anti-Catholic family, was an agnostic neo-fascist as a teen and was imprisoned twice by the time he reached his early twenties. During this time he began reading Chesterton primarily for his views on politics and economics, but eventually found himself reading Chesterton’s arguments on behalf of the Catholic Church and his defense of orthodox Christianity.
God our Father,
You filled the life of your servant Gilbert Keith
Chesterton with a sense of wonder and joy, and gave
him a faith which was the foundation of his ceaseless
work, a charity towards all men, particularly his
opponents, and a hop which sprang from his lifelong
gratitude for the gift of human life.
May his innocence and his laughter, his constancy in
fighting for the Christian faith in a world losing belief,
his lifelong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and
his love for all men, especially the poor, bring
cheerfulness to those in despair, conviction and warmth
to lukewarm believers and the knowledge of God to
those without faith.
We beg you to grant the favors we ask through his
intercession, [and especially for …] so that his holiness
may be recognized by all and the Church may proclaim
him Blessed.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
AMDG
Thursday, August 8, 2013
3 hours in CT
This past weekend we headed up to Worchester, Massachusetts for the GK Chesterton conference. Not wanting the bother of airports we decided to drive. According to Google Maps it was a 621 mile, nine and a half hour trip. So, we figured, with food and rest breaks, we should make it in about ten hours. Not exactly my favorite thing to do, being in a car for that long, but the destination made it worthwhile.
I am always amazed when I travel to see just how vast our country is. There is so much beautiful, undeveloped land. Driving through Pennsylvania was spectacular. Rolling hills, lush forests and steep stone mountainsides surrounded the highways. Himself was probably getting tired of me pointing out one gorgeous vista after another, but he humored me anyways.
The small bit of New York state that we drove through provided us with more beautiful sights. The most breathtaking was the Hudson River valley.
And then we hit Connecticut. At rush hour. What should have been a ninety minute leg of the trip turned into a three hour one! But, driving slowly through Hartford gave us great views of beautiful gold-domed buildings we would have barely been able to glimpse had we been going at full speed. Is Harford the insurance capital of the world? Every direction we looked was another, very large building with some corporate designation as a seller of insurance.
What was funny, at least to me, was once we got out of the 5-mile-per-hour-traffic-jam and onto open roads the traffic moved at a dizzying pace. I was going 70 in a 65 zone and looked like I was standing still! It was like each of the drivers was going “Weeeee…. I’m making up for lost time!!!!”
We breathed a sigh of relief when we crossed over into Massachusetts. We were almost there. But, no, not really. Unfortunately, I programed the wrong address into the GPS. Yep, that's right. Instead of arriving at Assumption College we were at the now closed Worcester Insane Asylum.
I am always amazed when I travel to see just how vast our country is. There is so much beautiful, undeveloped land. Driving through Pennsylvania was spectacular. Rolling hills, lush forests and steep stone mountainsides surrounded the highways. Himself was probably getting tired of me pointing out one gorgeous vista after another, but he humored me anyways.
The small bit of New York state that we drove through provided us with more beautiful sights. The most breathtaking was the Hudson River valley.
And then we hit Connecticut. At rush hour. What should have been a ninety minute leg of the trip turned into a three hour one! But, driving slowly through Hartford gave us great views of beautiful gold-domed buildings we would have barely been able to glimpse had we been going at full speed. Is Harford the insurance capital of the world? Every direction we looked was another, very large building with some corporate designation as a seller of insurance.What was funny, at least to me, was once we got out of the 5-mile-per-hour-traffic-jam and onto open roads the traffic moved at a dizzying pace. I was going 70 in a 65 zone and looked like I was standing still! It was like each of the drivers was going “Weeeee…. I’m making up for lost time!!!!”
We breathed a sigh of relief when we crossed over into Massachusetts. We were almost there. But, no, not really. Unfortunately, I programed the wrong address into the GPS. Yep, that's right. Instead of arriving at Assumption College we were at the now closed Worcester Insane Asylum.
When we finally did arrive at the conference, tired, hungry, and more than a little agitated, we ran into Dale Ahlquist. He asked how our trip was. Himself replied “Well, we spent a day in Connecticut this afternoon!”
"An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered;
an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered.”
– GKC, All Things Considered, 1908
an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered.”
– GKC, All Things Considered, 1908
AMDG
Sunday, July 28, 2013
7 in 7: The simple things
Sis and BIL decided that they needed an "adult" night away, the first they've had since Sara was born, and asked if we would want to watch her overnight. Huh? Like they have to ask!
Sara was a nice reminder to me that things don't have to be complicated or complex to be interesting. Sometimes slowing down and paying attention to the simple things can be quite refreshing!
AMDG
Just a little over a year old, she seems to find almost everything interesting. She'll spend a half hour just playing with and studying a plastic water bottle. Watching the water move inside the bottle and the crinkle sounds it makes seems to intrigue her.
Uncle brought her outside and there they played with rocks in the water for what seemed like a long time to me. They were both quite content and happy picking one rock up after another, studying them and then tossing them back in.
Sara was a nice reminder to me that things don't have to be complicated or complex to be interesting. Sometimes slowing down and paying attention to the simple things can be quite refreshing!
AMDG
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Quick Takes (28) - Question Edition
- 1-
I haven't done Quick Takes since the middle of last October. I'm always amazed when I see that people have done hundreds of them. How do you do it?
- 2 -
Is anyone going to the Chesterton Conference in Worcester, MA? We were back and forth for a while about going but finally committed to it about a month ago. I am hardly prepared but I can't wait to get there. There's nothing like being surrounded by thoughtful, intelligent people who are also a lot of fun. The "Catholic drinking" in the evenings doesn't hurt either!
- 3 -
What was I thinking? Okay, that a rhetorical question. I was on vacation this week and had grand plans of getting the garage cleaned out. Yeah right! I may have gotten about a tenth of it done; but that part definitely looks much better.
- 4 -
I think that when we get back from the above conference, the vegetables are going to be coming in fast and furious and we're going to need to start preserving. I'm fine when it comes to tomatoes and other acidic things, but I have never pressure canned. I think the amount of beets and beans that we will be picking will require that. Any recommendations on canners? On recipes and techniques?
- 5 -
Did you do the 7 in 7 challenge? How'd you do? I found it pretty hard; not for lack of things to write about, mostly just lack of time and energy.
- 6 -
Does anyone have dairy goats? It has been something I have been wanting to do for a while but still need to put up a fence and build a barn for them. Any advice or recommendations?
- 7 -
"No sceptical philosopher can ask any questions that may not equally be asked by a tired child on a hot afternoon.” – GKC in George Bernard Shaw
Don't forget to check out more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, July 25, 2013
7 in 7: wimp out post
I'm tired. And worn out. I took the hairy beast on three walks today and dug out shrubs in the front garden. The mind is following the body and is shutting down for the day. So I leave you with a couple of pictures from our excursion yesterday. It's just a small taste of the day.
Sweet dreams!
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Sweet dreams!
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AMDG
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
7 in 7: Martha or Mary
Sunday’s Gospel from Luke has always been one of my favorites. It just screams to our sense of “fairness.” Martha is doing all the work as Mary sits at Jesus’ feet and enjoys his company. Why shouldn’t Jesus tell Mary to get off her duff and help her sister?
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” Lk 10:38-42
I used to think I got this Gospel. On Sunday our Deacon did the sermon and put it in a whole new perspective. I wish I could remember the examples he gave, but is came down to this: it is not a matter of servant or student, worker or worshiper. We are called to be both: servant and student, worker and worshiper. Our faith should be reflected in our works and our works should reflect our faith.
The parish I grew up in had a program called Christ Renews His Parish. When I first started dating Himself one was being held and he suggested I go. It was a weekend spent both listening to others share their faith and learning and appreciating my own. We spent a weekend being Mary.
Little did I know that once the weekend was over the program didn’t end there. That year’s attendees became the next year’s team and presenters. The years following included doing meals for the weekend, putting on the Saturday night entertainment and hosting a Holy Hour for the attendees’ families. One weekend turned into five years of various activities.
The year that we did meals I took over leadership of the group when the
Lay Director resigned. As we were preparing and making all our menus I reminded the ladies that this was our “Martha” year. We were there to serve the women making Renewal.
Fr. Mac was our Spiritual Director, and, as I was talking to the gals, he sat there with his head bowed and eyes closed. Since he was in his mid-eighties at the time I kind of thought he was sleeping. Far from it. He was taking in everything we said and then had a few words of his own. He said it wasn’t quite like that. Although we were serving the women attending the weekend we were also bring Christ to them as well. At that time I just didn’t get it. I was too wrapped up in the work we had to accomplish and was actually pretty proud of myself relating us to Martha.
I think I get it now. We couldn’t serve those women properly had we not met Christ in the intimate way we did on our Renewal weekend. Had we not sat at Christ’s feet what we would have been doing the weekend we cooked would have just been work. But instead, what we brought was both work and worship both.
It is a false choice to say we either have to be Martha or Mary.
What we need to be is Martha and Mary.
AMDG
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” Lk 10:38-42
I used to think I got this Gospel. On Sunday our Deacon did the sermon and put it in a whole new perspective. I wish I could remember the examples he gave, but is came down to this: it is not a matter of servant or student, worker or worshiper. We are called to be both: servant and student, worker and worshiper. Our faith should be reflected in our works and our works should reflect our faith.
The parish I grew up in had a program called Christ Renews His Parish. When I first started dating Himself one was being held and he suggested I go. It was a weekend spent both listening to others share their faith and learning and appreciating my own. We spent a weekend being Mary.
Little did I know that once the weekend was over the program didn’t end there. That year’s attendees became the next year’s team and presenters. The years following included doing meals for the weekend, putting on the Saturday night entertainment and hosting a Holy Hour for the attendees’ families. One weekend turned into five years of various activities.
The year that we did meals I took over leadership of the group when the
Lay Director resigned. As we were preparing and making all our menus I reminded the ladies that this was our “Martha” year. We were there to serve the women making Renewal.
Fr. Mac was our Spiritual Director, and, as I was talking to the gals, he sat there with his head bowed and eyes closed. Since he was in his mid-eighties at the time I kind of thought he was sleeping. Far from it. He was taking in everything we said and then had a few words of his own. He said it wasn’t quite like that. Although we were serving the women attending the weekend we were also bring Christ to them as well. At that time I just didn’t get it. I was too wrapped up in the work we had to accomplish and was actually pretty proud of myself relating us to Martha.
I think I get it now. We couldn’t serve those women properly had we not met Christ in the intimate way we did on our Renewal weekend. Had we not sat at Christ’s feet what we would have been doing the weekend we cooked would have just been work. But instead, what we brought was both work and worship both.
It is a false choice to say we either have to be Martha or Mary.
What we need to be is Martha and Mary.
AMDG
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