Vertigo is back

I haven't posted in a few days because of the moving of the piano and then the revisiting of this awful vertigo.

I was doing pretty well. It had improved a great deal and I was functioning fine. Then... I was in the Eucharistic chapel at my children's school. Several moms were quietly praying when my cell phone went off really loud. I tried to grab it while simultaneously jumping up and turning at the same time. Oh my goodness. The whole chapel starting spinning. I managed to get home and even in bed with my eyes closed, the room still felt like it was moving. After several hours of lying perfectly still it started to get better. Have another doctor's appointment today. My dear oldest daughter will drive me. Would appreciate prayers...

Steinway Grand!!!

I did it!! I bought a Steinway grand piano for John to play on. My dad always wanted John to have a Steinway grand and he even said, "Maybe after I'm gone you can buy him one." (with the inheritance money) So I did. And I felt like he was with me every step of the way. God is good. I'll write more about this later. Saturday chores are calling.

Roe v. Wade

I remember the day the Roe v. Wade decision came down.  Michigan had just  passed legislation to make abortion illegal here.  My parents had helped work on it and I remember how furious they were that the Supreme Court had circumvented the democratic process and stolen the prolife victory.  Everyone was stunned.  How could the Supreme Court invent a Constitutional right??  Indeed.  That is the question we've been asking ever since.  

I felt too sick to write about this on the anniversary.  When you think about it, it's really mind-boggling that people actually justify abortion as a right.  They will not, of course, even address the issue of the personhood of the baby.  They won't talk about it.  Of course not.  The central controversy is whether or not the baby is a human being.  It's impossible to argue that it is not.  It's alive.  It belongs to a species.  The species it belongs to is the human species.  It's a human being.  Human beings of all ages deserve protection under the law.  It's that simple.  That people refuse to look at the truth, that otherwise intelligent people just do not get it is a sure sign, in my opinion, that the father of lies is deeply involved. 

Lord have mercy.  Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.

Dizzy--Yuck

I have some kind of inner ear thing going on.  Yesterday I had to hold the counter anytime I looked up.  I'm still a little off balance today.  It's pretty yucky.  But the doctor said I shouldn't drive while I felt this way, soooo....I had a whole day of going nowhere.  I guess I'm just a sedentary homebody.  I love staying home.  I wore comfy lounge wear all day, got caught up on some phone calls, finished my Bible study homework, had an awesome prayer time, worked on some financial stuff, and sat around drinking coffee.  It was really a very relaxing day, in a way.  I'm not so dizzy tonight though, so I think it might be back to "business as usual" tomorrow.  God is good.

A Great man

Today I went to the funeral of a great man.  He was once my piano teacher.  He was also the father of my oldest friend.  We went to grade school and high school together, Mary and I.  And her twin, Joseph, could make us laugh  till we cried.

Mr. Callaghan was a great man.  He was an Irish Catholic as was his dear wife, whom he clearly adored.  Together they gave life to eighteen children.  Yes, eighteen.  He was an accomplished organist.  He had a deep and abiding faith.  All of his music gave glory to God.  He was a just man, a kind and gentle man, who still had a great inner strength and conviction.  His children held him in the highest esteem and cared for him tenderly as he started to decline.

He will be greatly missed, not only by his beloved children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great great-grandchildren, but also by all who knew him.  

He was a good and faithful servant of the Lord.  May his generosity be returned to him many times over as he now receives his eternal reward.

Apple workshops

Yesterday I went to my first Apple workshop.  Perhaps It was an emotional day, but as I sat there listening to all the things the Apple could do I almost got choked up.  I really did.  It all looked so simple and I felt twenty-five years of frustration with computers starting to melt away.  Hope it continues this way...

Happy Birthday, Dad

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Today would have been my father's 83rd birthday. My day was very full with things to do. Still, I thought I might go to the mausoleum and say the rosary for him. It's a beautiful cold, but sunny, day. Then it occurred to me that maybe I should say the rosary at home and get his car washed to honor him. I know that sounds funny but my father was so meticulous about the appearance of his car, I actually thought getting it washed might please him. I could just see him chuckling and saying, "I'd rather you get the car washed than go to the mausoleum." I laughed at the thought and then did just that, saying the rosary for him at home after.

Anyway, Happy Birthday, Dad. We all really miss you a lot.

Happy Day

I am actually writing this post on my new Mac.  My husband finally got it connected to the internet, with help from Apple.  I had my first one-on-one training today and I learned a lot of basic stuff.  Still an awful lot to learn.  I'm excited.  It's like starting a new class or a new school year.

Took the girls to the dentist.  I had taken the newest Notre Dame magazine with me and was looking forward to some quiet reading.  Liz went to the children's book rack and pulled out one of the only two books they've ever had there.  I've read them both many times.  Liz picked one up and said to me "Mom? For old times sake?"  I said, "You mean you want me to read it to you?"  I was so tempted to say, "How 'bout you read it to yourself," when I stopped myself.  How many more times will she ask me to read to her.  She's 11.  So I spent the waiting time reading Curious George to her.  I'm glad I did. 

My own laptop!!! Yea!!

Yesterday my daughter and I went to the Apple store and we each bought a MacBook!! I'm so excited. I've wanted to do this for a long time. I signed up for the one on one personal training and plan to attend their free workshops too. This is going to be fun. AND... I will always have it available, even when my kids are online socializing or doing homework. (Hopefully, I won't be disappointed...)

Romney wins Michigan

OK. I voted for Huckabee, not deciding for sure until I was in the voting booth. But the best news of the day? Guiliani appears to be coming in last. He is the candidate for whom I have the least respect.

Michigan's primary is tomorrow!

The Michigan republican primary is tomorrow and I have not yet decided who to vote for. I'm open to advice....

Prayer Request

Please pray for my brother. He is pictured above with my son Jim. I spent the day with him at the University of Michigan Medical Center today where he underwent a procedure to open up his esophagus. His esophagus has actually failed. He can swallow but food doesn't go all the way down and accumulates in a dilated section. They want to remove a third of his esophagus!!! This is very major surgery ( a six day stay in the hospital)!! His doctor whom he likes a lot says if he doesn't want to do the surgery, he'll have to find a new gastroenterologist. He really doesn't want to do it. He isn't losing weight and the food does go down eventually. Please pray for his healing and for wisdom.

Supreme Court Justices

Let's not forget who nominated the following Supreme Court Justices:

Sandra Day O'Connor--- Ronald Reagan

David Souter--- the first President Bush

Anthony Kennedy-- Ronald Reagan

John Paul Stevens-- President Ford

Just being a conservative, even a pro-life conservative, does not necessarily mean you will appoint a Supreme Court justice who is decidedly pro-life. I would like to see the Republicans nominate a candidate who is committed to the pro-life cause-- one who truly believes that abortion is the taking of a human life and one who understands what is at stake. Of course, I'd like to see the democrats nominate such a candidate too but they abandoned the unborn a long time ago...

Candidates-- superficial, mini-impressions

OK.
Obama-- articulate, intelligent, communicates well....extremely liberal. NOT pro-life!

Clinton-- does not seem genuine, sorrowful demeanor, unfortunately married to Bill, VERY liberal, NOT pro-life

Romney-- not sure I trust him. Only recently pro-life-- how many years does it take to figure out what's right and wrong. Good speaker but I find him a little irritating. I don't know why.

Huckabee-- seems like such a nice guy, has an appealing humility about him. Solidly pro-life. Fiscally liberal. (I'm not as concerned about the economy as I am about babies being killed.)

Guliani-- Can you trust a man who abandons the most important vow he has ever taken? I think he has strong leadership skills but lacks basic integrity.

Edwards-- oh please.

Thompson-- I like his views. Does he really want to be president? Couldn't he try a little harder?

Dare I ask for others' opinions?

Likability of the Candidates...

Is it important for a candidate to be likable? I'm starting to think likability may be the single most important factor in people's mind when they choose who they will vote for for President. I don't think most people do it consciously. It's just that it colors how they feel about the candidates views.

Is this a shallow reason to vote for a candidate? Well, yes, if that's your only reason. But most people have other reasons as well. It has occurred to me that likability does, in fact, influence a president's effectiveness. A likable president will communicate better with the American people, will get along better with Congress, and might be more successful diplomatically, thus influencing foreign policy.

Weird Weather!!

It's 49 degrees out right now and the high today will be 57!!! FIFTY-SEVEN DEGREES in Michigan in the middle of January!!! Let me tell those of you who use Celsius or are not familiar with Michigan weather that this is really weird. All the ten inches of snow we had a week or so ago is melting quickly.

It's a really nice break from the dead of winter. It's not sunny. Still, this kind of temperature reminds everyone of Spring, although we are under no illusion that it's anywhere in sight. Thank you Lord for this balmy weather so reminiscent of hope.

Happy Epiphany!

Wise men still seek Him....

Hillary Clinton-- More Thoughts

Last night I watched the candidates debate in Hew Hampshire. I have to say that Hillary looked better than I have maybe ever seen her. As a woman, she has the advantage of being able to use more extensive make-up I suppose. But it looked very well done, I thought, and she looked thinner too. The men looked haggard in comparison. Again, I'm not going to support Hillary. Everyone who know me knows that. But she was quite articulate and more natural than usual. She was forceful and held her own very well. I started to think with some trepidation that she might actually be electable.

The final question she asked was totally ridiculous and completely out of line, I thought. It was something to the effect of "People are saying you might not be electable because of the likeability factor. They say Obama is more likeable than you. How do you respond to that?" Now I actually have been one of the people saying that. But I said to my husband, "How on Earth is she supposed to answer that? That's a completely unfair and ridiculous question." Is Hillary's answer to a question like that supposed to help the voters of New Hampshire decide who should be the next President? I think it was designed to make her squirm and was totally incompatible with responsible, professional journalism. I actually felt defensive of Hillary. She did a great job answering. (I just realized I'm writing this as though no on else saw it. Sorry. This is the first debate I've watched so I guess I just assumed everyone else rarely watched them either. I'm very interested in the process. My life is just a little too hectic to keep up with it.) Anyway, did anyone else see last night's debates? I watched the Republicans completely but had to turn the Democrats off maybe half way through. I enjoy politics but a few hours is enough. (smile)

Hillary Clinton

My daughter works in a hospital and often comes home with amusing or interesting things her older patients have said. Yesterday she said one of them said about Hillary Clinton:

"I don't trust that lady. There's somethin' goin' on there."

I burst out laughing. Sometimes the simplest perspective can really sum things up. Don't get me wrong. I would never support Hillary Clinton because of her stand on abortion as well as other things. But I have often wondered what is it about Hillary that really rubs me the wrong way. I think the above quote hits the nail on the head. She doesn't seem genuine. She is not transparent. Sometimes she is even mannequin-like. There seems to be something going on that is not on the surface.

The obvious example of mask-like behavior is when she's around Bill. Now she could be given credit for staying in her marriage. Perhaps, as unlikely as it seems, she believes he has changed and is giving him a second chance. Or perhaps she is staying for Chelsea-- so that their family is intact. Perhaps she stopped caring about Bill a long time ago and this is just the structure of her life. But when he's campaigning with her and they're both up there smiling like the happy couple I do ask myself, 'What is going on here?' Perhaps by the grace of God she has indeed forgiven him and they have worked hard on restoring their marriage.

Could it be something else? Is it just her stiff manner? Is she just a guarded person? Is she so wounded she must hide? Now that seems possible. I'm writing as I'm thinking. But I have to admit that she doesn't seem trustworthy. It could be a false impression, but it sure does seem that "There's somethin' goin' on there."

Some of my New Year's Resolutions

Spend more time listening to the Lord.

Spend more time in prayer. Make prayer the highest morning priority. It's too easy for it not to happen if I wait until later in the day.

Exercise daily. Go to Curves 2-3 times a week. Take Lucky on a long walk on the other days.

Eat better. Lose weight. Remind myself daily that I really do want to lose weight more than I want to eat whenever I feel like it.

Exercise my mind with more writing and reading. (Where will the time come from?)

Organize my time better with more planning. Get to daily Mass more frequently.

Is this unrealistic? Yes, they are all good things-- even essential things. But I also have responsibilities that must be fulfilled. Lord, please give me your priorities. May I do what you want me to do and let go of what you would have me let go of. You know the number of hours in the day. May I use each precious one as you desire.

Alone with the King

Our parish has perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in a Eucharistic chapel. I have one assigned hour a week. Since it is a very common hour, there are usually 7 or 8 other people there who have just stopped by.

On New Year's Eve for forty-five minutes I had the precious privilege of being alone with the King. I love that. I know the Lord is fully present to me regardless of now many people are in the chapel and that His attention does not divide. But I just love being there alone and being able to pray out loud. Even alone, I only whisper....

Happy New Year!!!

Jim and friend Tom at midnight, fooling around!!

And we have snow!!! Lots of it! I'd say 8 or 9 inches, maybe 10!! Hope to try out the toboggan later today. And here is daredevil Liz jumping off her perch at the top of the play structure.

Below is our accumulated snow on the patio table.

I also thank the Lord on this day for the gift of His mother. Mary, mother of God, please pray for us and our families.

What an awesome, unfathomable title-- "mother of God." And yet she is.

I will post more resolutions later but here is an important one-- Say the rosary as a family more often, with a goal of every day.