Wonder Doubled: My Joy

We have a new post up at the USCCB website For Your Marriage.

Beware the Ides of March, and everything before and after!  If there ever was a month I was glad to see come to an end it was March.  The long cold winter ended with unexpected health issues.  Tim had a toothache off-and-on the last weekend of March that became full throttle, no holds barred – ON!  Nothing we tried could relieve, even slightly, the screaming daggers going through his head.

You can read the whole article here.

AMDG

A good read: Something Other Than God

And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

If you're a Catholic blogger more than likely you have run across Jen Fulwiler's Conversion Diary. Either you stalk her site waiting for the latest post or you read and/or participate in her weekly 7 Quick Takes Friday. But, if you're some poor forsaken soul not to have read anything of hers, here is your chance for a delightful introduction.

In Something Other Than God Jen details her conversion from atheist to Catholic with all the bumps, bruises, and doubts along the way. As she will tell you on her blog, this book was five years in the making. And you know what? It shows. It is an incredibly well written, thoughtful book. It's one of those books you just don't want to put down, except when that pesky little thing called work gets in the way.

A time came when parties and career climbing weren't enough. The birth of her first child got her thinking more about her and her child's limited time on this earth. She began reading and researching various religions and spiritual views. She started her blog which opened an avenue to ask questions and talk with others regarding their faith.

As I read this book I realized just how poorly I have continued my education in our faith and the reasons for what we believe. As a cradle Catholic I take for granted the tenants of what the church teaches. I know the basics, my grade school catechism mostly stuck. This book is an encouragement to me to continue my faith journey. Thanks Jen!


AMDG

First Photo - May

Aaah!  What a difference a month makes!  The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and trees are starting to fill out.  Although we have had quite a bit of rain, we're taking advantage of the good days as much as possible and getting out in the yard.  The Bradford Pear in the foreground smells delightful and is a buzz with the activity of many, many little bees.

Life is good!

AMDG

The Easter I didn’t deserve

We celebrated an incredibly beautiful Easter Sunday.  It began with a beautiful and joyful Mass and continued on to a family gathering at Sis’ house where we had great food and even better company.  And, to top it off, the weather was absolutely perfect, sunny and seventy degrees.

It was so much better than what I thought I deserved.  I didn’t have a good Lent.  I didn’t give up TV or sweets or beer.  I didn’t say extra prayers or do Holy Hours.  I didn’t attend Stations of the Cross or a Triduum service.  My preparation could not have been more lacking. 

Given the way this winter went, perhaps my Lent sacrifices were taken from or imposed on me.  The weather halted a lot of plans – visiting with family and friends, seeing a much anticipated concert, taking a few local trips.  Unexpected family illnesses required time and effort to care and assist those who needed it.  Maybe those were the things that were requireded for a good Lent. 

Himself reminded me that I didn’t deserve the first Easter.  None of us did.  But our good Lord gave it to us anyways. 

For that I am thankful.


AMDG

Alleluia! He is risen!

He is risen indeed!

AMDG

Weekends with Chesterton: The Donkey

 

The Donkey

When fishes flew and forests walked
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood
Then surely I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil’s walking parody
On all four-footed things.

The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,
I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;
One far fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout about my ears,
And palms before my feet. 

AMDG

Funny Foto - #7

I saw this ad posted in our local paper and did a second take.

 

Just who is he finding a new home for???

AMDG

Yes, Donna, there is a Spring

Really.  There is.  It's not make believe like Santa Claus.

We had to drive over five hundred miles in pouring rain to find it.  But, I think we would have driven twice that far just to feel some warmth and see green growth and pretty flowers.

After a March, no, after a winter, we would rather soon forget, a trip south to visit relatives was just what was needed. 

There was sunshine and flowering trees.  The tulips and daffodils were blooming.

Time spent on the porch chatting was just enough to suffer the first sunburn of the season.

And it was good.



AMDG

First Photo - April

Finally no snow, almost.  There's just some remnants from Saturday's rain/sleet/ice/snow storm in a shady spot.  But we won't talk about that.  The sun is shining, it's warm, and it's not March.  'Nuf said!


AMDG

It's a small world after all

It's amazing just how much we rely on technology.  When my laptop died a quick and painful death about a month ago, I suddenly felt rather cut off from many things.  I use email and FB to keep in touch with friends and family.  I pay bills online and make purchases the same way.  I hardly ever watch television to get the news and weather forecast since it's so readily available on the net.

Truth be told, I wasn't completely cut off.  I had my work laptop that I could sneak in a few personal tasks.  And that did come in handy while looking for a new machine. 

I thought I located the perfect replacement, an HP running Windows 7 with plenty of memory and  large hard drive.  But a couple of days after I ordered it from a vendor on Amazon I got a notice that they oversold that model and no longer could fulfill my purchase.  Back to square one!

Himself found a website where I could order a Toshiba to my specifications and the price was comparable to the HP I had wanted.  So I placed my ordered and hoped for the best. 

We joked around that I would get it eventually, that it was going to be on the proverbial Slow boat from China.  We weren't completely off base with that guess.  It was being put together there, in a city called Chongqing. 

But, what we were completely wrong about was the speed of delivery.  FedEx was notified at 11:31pm on Sunday (3/10) and it was in my grubby little hands on Friday morning at 11:13am (3/14).

That blows my mind.  Only five days and it was here!

It's a small world after all!

 

AMDG!