The most important thing of all to him, however, was that he knew himself to be loved by Christ. Enjoying this love, he considered himself happier than anyone else; were he without it, it would be no satisfaction to be the friend of principalities and powers. He preferred to be thus loved and be the least of all, or even to be among the damned, than to be without that love and be among the great and honored.
To be separated from that love was, in his eyes, the greatest and most extraordinary of torments; the pain of that loss would alone have been hell, and endless, unbearable torture.
So too, in being loved by Christ he thought of himself as possessing life, the world, the angels, present and future, the kingdom, the promise and countless blessings. Apart from that love nothing saddened or delighted him; for nothing earthly did he regard as bitter or sweet.
Paul set no store by the things that fill our visible world, any more than a man sets value on the withered grass of the field.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Saint Paul!
Today's Feast is the Conversion of St. Paul. I really love St. Paul. So many great stories, so much in the stories to chew on. Today's second reading from the Office of Readings is from a homily by St. John Chrysostom about St. Paul. In it he points out a wonderful bit of perspective we can gain through St. Paul's life:
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Twelfth Night - Cast Photo
Shakespeare was great and we're all trying to catch up on sleep before we run into other big events - like the D.C. March for Life and the State Latin Convention - later this month.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
A Little Gingerbread House Inspiration
My in-laws took the extended family on a mini-vacation to a huge indoor waterpark in Wisconsin Dells. We were all awed by this gorgeous gingerbread house in the lobby - and took a few notes for next year. ;)
Gingerbread House
My mother-in-law makes a gingerbread house every year that the kids decorate before Christmas. It's really quite a work of art (you can see it in the foreground). They brought it over on Christmas Day and the kids all got to break it apart and bring the pieces home at the end of the day.
Christmas Carols on Christmas Day
We always have a big party at our house on Christmas Day which we enjoy with extended family and friends that don't have family in the area. We had about 50 people this year. The next few photos are from that.
Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh
These are the gifts that Gus' godparents gave him for Christmas (that I mentioned in my post about Three Kings' Day). There really is some myrrh and frankincense in the ornately decorated boxes. The wooden box contained three Almond Rocas to represent gold. Gus is planning on painting some little blocks of wood gold so that he can eat the Almond Roca. ;)
My kids were delighted that the boxes themselves were a little reminiscent of the chests in Merchant of Venice, in that the box containing gold is very plain.
These made a really lovely addition to our Three Kings' Day Procession.
Since the Christmas Season Isn't *Quite* Over...
I thought I'd share a few pictures from our festivities. Here's Christmas morning at our house.
Friday, January 08, 2010
Ancient History
John just transferred some old files from floppy disks so that they wouldn't be lost forever. One of them was a resume of mine from about 1994. This is what I had listed under "program knowledge":
WordPerfect 4.2/5.0None of these names have crossed my brain in many years, though most of the companies are apparently still in business today. I loved WordPerfect in the past, maybe I should give it a try again. Microsoft Word always manages to give me a headache.
WordStar 6.0
Computer Associates Acct. Software
Maximizer Management Software
Q & A Database
Lotus 1-2-3 Spreadsheet Program
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Sanity-Saving Ideas for a House Full of "Littles"
Here a few of my thoughts to add to the chorus of those helping out this lovely family with ideas for managing with "their hands full". Hat-tip to Jen of Conversion Diary.
1. Don't blink. Enjoy these little years as much as you are able, because they'll be over SO fast. Enjoy the process. Don't try to do everything. Being with your children is the most important thing you can do for them. Age quod agis.
2. Don't try to be efficient with your little people. Efficiency is for things, effectiveness for people. (with thanks to Stephen Covey*).
3. Keep it simple. Pack up unnecessary stuff out of your way. (Get a storage unit if that helps.) Focus your decor on things that can hang on the wall (and thus out of the way) rather than things on surfaces. Keep hair cuts simple. Store or donate clothes that are difficult to take care of.
4. Distinguish between ideal and necessary. I love the St. Francis quote here: "Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." For example, it's ideal to attend Mass as a family, but it's not necessary. A different season in your life may allow for more ideal scenarios.
5. Do what works. There are many practical things which are discussed over and over again among moms about which option is better - should I use cloth or disposable diapers? should I have my baby sleep in my room? should my toddler be potty-trained before the age of three? Do what works for you. None of these are important in the long-run, they're simply practical issues.
6. Take advantage of technology. Appliances (especially washing machine and dishwasher) are your friends, as are cordless phones. Online or automatic bill-paying programs can save you a lot of hassle.
7. Aim to do the little things with love. St. Therese is a great inspiration for this stage. I fell in love with the Morning Offering during the chaotic littles stage. It's SO comforting to know that frazzled messes and chaotic tiredness aren't pointless.
8. A little inspiring reading can go a long way. At that stage I really ate up stories of people overcoming difficulties.
9. A few practical ideas:
Socks are cute, but they can be a major pain. Don't buy socks in assorted colors. Let each child have their own color - or even share a color with a sibling.
Felt pens were another thing that drove me crazy when the kids were little. If you must have them, get the washable kind, but in the end I found crayons or colored pencils a lot nicer.
Consider a grocery-delivery service. One of our local stores offered this for a short time, though we had to pick up the groceries, we only had to drive up and they loaded in the groceries in the car for us. (It actually was dropped for lack of interest), but it was the exact six months that we most needed it and it was a WONDERFUL help!
Turn off the ringer on the phone for awhile if it's driving you crazy. Telephones and littles can be a stressful combination!
Remember that children are supposed to make messes. Don't let it get you down. Some day your house will be much cleaner and you'll miss the chaos, if not the mess. ;)
* "You [should] think effectiveness with people and efficiency with things… I see many parents, particularly mothers with small children, often frustrated in their desire to accomplish a lot because all they seem to do is meet the needs of little children all day. Remember, frustration is a function of our expectations, and our expectations are often a reflection of the social mirror rather than our own values and priorities." (Stephen Covey The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)
1. Don't blink. Enjoy these little years as much as you are able, because they'll be over SO fast. Enjoy the process. Don't try to do everything. Being with your children is the most important thing you can do for them. Age quod agis.
2. Don't try to be efficient with your little people. Efficiency is for things, effectiveness for people. (with thanks to Stephen Covey*).
3. Keep it simple. Pack up unnecessary stuff out of your way. (Get a storage unit if that helps.) Focus your decor on things that can hang on the wall (and thus out of the way) rather than things on surfaces. Keep hair cuts simple. Store or donate clothes that are difficult to take care of.
4. Distinguish between ideal and necessary. I love the St. Francis quote here: "Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." For example, it's ideal to attend Mass as a family, but it's not necessary. A different season in your life may allow for more ideal scenarios.
5. Do what works. There are many practical things which are discussed over and over again among moms about which option is better - should I use cloth or disposable diapers? should I have my baby sleep in my room? should my toddler be potty-trained before the age of three? Do what works for you. None of these are important in the long-run, they're simply practical issues.
6. Take advantage of technology. Appliances (especially washing machine and dishwasher) are your friends, as are cordless phones. Online or automatic bill-paying programs can save you a lot of hassle.
7. Aim to do the little things with love. St. Therese is a great inspiration for this stage. I fell in love with the Morning Offering during the chaotic littles stage. It's SO comforting to know that frazzled messes and chaotic tiredness aren't pointless.
8. A little inspiring reading can go a long way. At that stage I really ate up stories of people overcoming difficulties.
9. A few practical ideas:
Socks are cute, but they can be a major pain. Don't buy socks in assorted colors. Let each child have their own color - or even share a color with a sibling.
Felt pens were another thing that drove me crazy when the kids were little. If you must have them, get the washable kind, but in the end I found crayons or colored pencils a lot nicer.
Consider a grocery-delivery service. One of our local stores offered this for a short time, though we had to pick up the groceries, we only had to drive up and they loaded in the groceries in the car for us. (It actually was dropped for lack of interest), but it was the exact six months that we most needed it and it was a WONDERFUL help!
Turn off the ringer on the phone for awhile if it's driving you crazy. Telephones and littles can be a stressful combination!
Remember that children are supposed to make messes. Don't let it get you down. Some day your house will be much cleaner and you'll miss the chaos, if not the mess. ;)
* "You [should] think effectiveness with people and efficiency with things… I see many parents, particularly mothers with small children, often frustrated in their desire to accomplish a lot because all they seem to do is meet the needs of little children all day. Remember, frustration is a function of our expectations, and our expectations are often a reflection of the social mirror rather than our own values and priorities." (Stephen Covey The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Bearing Gifts (An Old Favorite I Couldn't Resist Repeating)
This dates from May 2006, when Frank was just 2 1/2...
Frank really likes a statue of the Three Kings and the Holy Family that we've been leaving out all year round, rather than just Christmas time. He was playing with this today and pointing at the gifts the kings carried. He pointed to the first one and exclaimed, "Gold!" (I'm thinking, "Wow, he knows more than I thought!") Then he pointed to the second one, "Chocolate!"
Of course "chocolate" when Frank says it, comes out something like "Dah-dit".
Following Yonder Star
After a rather harried day of scurrying around to find bits and pieces of Shakespeare costumes (two of my kids are performing in Twelfth Night this weekend), we had a lovely Twelfth Night celebration TONIGHT which included processing around the house with the three kings following the star (plus three gifts - frankincense, myrrh and a box representing gold - that really contained Almond Roca - courtesy of Gus' godparents! The boxes are gorgeous!), lots of singing and opening presents from each other. Not a bad way to end a busy day.
Monday, January 04, 2010
Welcome to Milwaukee Archbishop Listecki!
We are giddy here with excitement (despite recuperating from the flu) and enjoying the excellent TV coverage of the Installation Mass which starts in just a little bit. Our local NBC affiliate has a priest from Relevant Radio (Fr. Rocky) helping with the coverage and just did an extensive telephone interview with Rocco Palmo of Whispers in the Loggia.
On the homefront, the kids celebrated with cookies when they spotted our beloved pastor at the cathedral. :)
On the homefront, the kids celebrated with cookies when they spotted our beloved pastor at the cathedral. :)
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