Grandsons!

Grandsons are just the best. Well, OK, I don't have any granddaughters yet. And I'm sure they will be wonderful. But for now, to say that I am enjoying my grandsons is quite the understatement.

 They keep me laughing all day long. Their expressions, the things they say, the way they interact. It's all hilarious.

And my only responsibility is to love them (and keep them safe while I babysit.) How fun is that?

How could I not love them? Right?

Their energy invigorates me. Their humor can make me laugh till I cry.

Their development is fascinating. New words and expressions every day! And new abilities-- like climbing the "rock wall" above!

I give them hugs and kisses. I applaud their achievements. I make excuses for their tiny missteps.

And nothing could be more fun.

 Look at these faces. Need I say more?

And, yes, there are only two in these pictures, but I have one more whose parents like to stay off the internet. I respect that. But I am blessed with three!

AND two more grandchildren on the way. I'm in heaven. Blessed be God.

Do Manners Make the Man?

On September 13 the Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece by Paula Marantz Cohen (dean and English professor at Drexel University) entitled "Jane Austen Knows That Manners Make the Man, "followed by the sentence, "Her work is now popular because of its eloquent portrayal of how politeness is tied to deeper morality."

Well. What a great topic. I never thought about this quality of Jane Austen's work. I love her novels because of how wonderfully she puts words together. But this is a very interesting point.

Courtesy is required of the Christian. I have read the truth many times that courtesy is an example of Christian charity. (Too many times to cite the source.) John Saward has in interesting essay on the subject on the EWTN website called, "The Grace of God in Courtesy." (originally published in 1994 in The Catholic World Report.)

But back to Jane Austen and Professor Cohen's essay. She writes,"But what I think is central to her popularity is a longing for civility in an age of coarseness and meanness."

Indeed, the coarseness and meanness is all around us. Good manners are important. Politeness matters. I think teaching politeness to children may have fallen out of favor in child rearing. A friend of mine working in a preschool setting told me she was corrected when she prompted three-year-olds to say please and thank you after receiving a snack. She was told they did not think three was old enough for such instruction. IMHO, if they can say the words, it's not too early for the instruction.

The proverb, "Manners maketh the man" is said to be hundreds of years old. This is wisdom of the ages.

For heaven's sake, be polite. It's a matter of treating people right.

As Cohen says in her essay, "The word 'manners' sounds prissy and old-fashioned to contemporary ears. But Austen presents it as the need to treat others humanely rather than instrumentally. It is the outward expression of respect for others-- whether one knows them well, slightly, or not at all."

Polite people are treated differently than those who are rude. People like to be treated with respect. They look more kindly on those who show that courtesy. And it is indeed a matter Christian charity.

It was true in Jane Austen's time and it's still true today.

The End of Summer...

We know the end of summer is nearly here in Michigan, but the lovely warm temperatures of late could fool us. We know the calendar does not lie. We know that the truly glorious Autumn in Michigan is just around the corner. But we are being blessed right now with temps that still feel like summer.

My husband and I took our dog Nala for a walk in a nearby nature area/ park. Look at this lovely pond.

And these wildflowers....so delightful.

I'm convinced that spending time out in nature refreshes the soul. Could it be because the glory of God is all over it?

These flowers are from my own garden. Delphinium above. The flowers have such a stunningly beautiful purple and blue hue. They bloomed in the Spring. And they're back for an encore. I could give a standing ovation. :-)

Below is pink stonecrop. It's a kind of sedum. (Sedum cauticola "Lidakense) I bought it for it's beautiful blue-grey foliage. (Can you tell I like blue?)

I had no idea it would also produce these lovely pink flowers in late summer and autumn.

 

 And then the alyssum. I plant alyssum every year. The little flowers are so delicate and beautiful...and they bloom all summer.

The white alyssum has the added benefit of a very lovely fragrance. I have to have white alyssum along my front walk so I can breathe that sweet fragrance every day.

What flowers are you enjoying these days?

They're not going to last long. We could have a frost very soon. That just makes every day a gift, right?

Blessed be God.

Tea Party Shower-- Feeling Grateful for My Adult Kids...

I have come to very much enjoy efforts of hospitality with my daughters, all three of them. 

This particular shower was a group effort between my youngest two daughters and me. It was a bridal shower for Liz's college roommate. Liz did the invitations, flowers and centerpieces.

 Mary made ALL the food. (Delicious!) It was quite a job!

 I did the favors and prizes for the games, with advice from them. Liz planned and led all the games.

I love that they don't hold back. they don't try to make these efforts as easy as possible. They try to make them as nice and as gracious as possible.

That being said, they wanted to use fine china. Course, we didn't have any set that would be big enough so we mismatched a couple sets. (I guess that's a thing now.) Then they decided we should use my mother's old teacup collection. Cool, I thought. Then when they said they wanted to use crystal I said, "I knew it was only a matter of time before someone suggested we bring out the crystal." Their reply, "You don't want to?" And I said, "No, go for it," feeling very pleased at my daughters' gifts of hospitality. So we brought out mine, my mother's, and my grandmother's crystal. Some of it was very old. But, hey, why keep these things if you're not going to use them, right?

There were a couple children coming so the child size tea set was a must.

Liz outdid herself on the tea party themed centerpieces and flowers.

The guests seemed to very much enjoy themselves, which is, of course, the point of the whole effort.

And the bride? The bride was radiant and appreciative. I love these girls.

There's something wonderful that happens when your adult children join your team. We did not argue. We worked together. They pretty much planned the whole thing and I just did the parts I was assigned. With some advice from them. After all, they know better than I (a lot better) what young people like these days. Or at least what these young people like.

There are challenges to letting your children go, letting them have their adult autonomy. I am blessed that all my adult children are living responsible lives. And I am so grateful to see them mastering the art of hospitality and giving to others with their whole hearts.

God is good. All the time.

Saint Rose of Lima!

Saint Rose of Lima is patron saint of florists, gardeners, the Americas, Latin America, Peru, Philippines, and South America. She was born in 1586 as Isabel del Flores y del Olivia and died at the age of 31.

From https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-rose-of-lima/ we have the following reflection on Saint Rose of Lima and her penances:

It is easy to dismiss excessive penances of the saints as the expression of a certain culture or temperament. But a woman wearing a crown of thorns may at least prod our consciences. We enjoy the most comfort-oriented life in human history. We eat too much, drink too much, use a million gadgets, fill our eyes and ears with everything imaginable. Commerce thrives on creating useless needs on which to spend our money. It seems that when we have become most like slaves, there is the greatest talk of “freedom.” Are we willing to discipline ourselves in such an atmosphere?

Saint Rose of Lima, pray for us.

The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (Revelation 12:1)

Who is this that comes forth like the dawn, as beautiful as the moon, as resplendent as the sun? (Song of Songs 6:10)

 On October 11, 1954, on what was then the Feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (later moved to January 1), Pope Pius XII established the Feast of the Queenship of Mary in his encyclical To the Queen of Heaven. It would be celebrated on the octave day of the Assumption, August 22. In the words of Pius XII:

“Mary deserves the title because she is mother of God, closely associated as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work, because of her preeminent perfection and because of her intercessory power.”

While it was a new feast on the liturgical calendar at the time, the honoring of Mary as queen has very deep roots in tradition and Scripture. In the Old Testament the mother of a king had great influence in court. As Von Balthasar wrote, (as quoted in Magnificat magazine)

“A queen enjoys full power, even with regard to the king. Mary’s fullness of power is expressed in her intercession for us and her mediation of graces, so that we receive all personal graces from God.”

Elizabeth, at the Visitation, asked, “Who am I that the mother of my Lord should visit me?” And as early as the fourth century St. Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen.” And hymns as early as the 11^th and 13^th centuries included “Hail Holy Queen,” “Queen of Heaven,” and “Hail Queen of Heaven.”

“The solidly theological reasons for her title of Queen are expressed splendidly by Pius XII, in his Radiomessage to Fatima, Bendito seja (AAS 38. 266): “He, the Son of God, reflects on His heavenly Mother the glory, the majesty and the dominion of His kingship, for, having been associated to the King of Martyrs in the unspeakable work of human Redemption as Mother and cooperator, she remains forever associated to Him, with a practically unlimited power, in the distribution of the graces which flow from the Redemption. Jesus is King throughout all eternity by nature and by right of conquest: through Him, with Him, and subordinate to Him, Mary is Queen by grace, by divine relationship, by right of conquest, and by singular choice [of the Father]. And her kingdom is as vast as that of her Son and God, since nothing is excluded from her dominion.” (Excerpted and adapted from Theology 523: Our Lady in Doctrine and Devotion, by Father William G. Most.)

Truly, how could the mother of God, the spouse of the Holy Spirit, not be a queen? She is the mother of the eternal King of Kings. St. John Damascene wrote, “When she became mother of the creator, she truly became queen of every creature.”(https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/is-there-a-queen-in-the-kingdom-of-heaven) As the spouse of the Holy Spirit of God she is indeed a queen. As the Lord our God reigns, so must she in both of these capacities.

The Church proclaims Mary’s status as queen in the numerous titles with which we address her:

Queen of Angels, Queen of Heaven, Queen of Prophets, Queen of Apostles, Queen of Martyrs, Queen of Confessors, Queen of Virgins, Queen of All Saints, Queen of the May, Queen of the Universe, Queen of Mercy, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Queen Conceived Without Original Sin, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Queen of Peace…

On the Feast of your Queenship and every day, O Mary, our heavenly queen, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Sisters!!!

My sister was just here visiting for  about a week.

Today I am missing her. What is it about sisters. Both my sister and my brother can make me laugh harder than about anyone else.

We went to a Pilates class together. We both avoided looking at each other. Why? Because we knew we would start laughing. Fo no reason.

Sometimes just a look between us can make us laugh because we know what the other is thinking. And we know why it's funny. Is it genes? Is it the common upbringing?

We also share many of the same values. We've each been through a lot, some of it shared and some of  it separately. And we understand. We understand each others' virtues and we understand each other's flaws. Yet we still love each other.

Is it the bond of blood, the shared experience? Whatever it is, I'm feeling grateful for my sister and our relationship.

It was a great week.

She's the best sister...

Following Specific Instructions

I wrote about my daughter's Mothers Day gift to me a little over a year ago. You can find that post here. It was a gorgeous orchid.

The blooms lasted a long time and eventually they faded and fell off. The instructions with the plant said, "Water with three ice cubes once a week." Nothing about fertilizing, just an instruction to water like that and place in a location with a lot of light, but not direct sun.

Well, I had a room that gets a lot of light. I did place the orchid on a windowsill that gets a lot of light, mostly indirect, but a brief period of direct light every day. Like maybe an hour, probably less.

I do not have a green thumb, but I can follow directions and I did.

I'm happy to tell you that the photos here are not the picture of the orchid when it was given to me. It is the picture of the orchid now, a year later, after it sat not blooming for over a year. It is loaded with blooms, so much so that it almost looks like it could fall over.

And there are more that have not yet opened.

What an incredibly beautiful flower. I did not have confidence it would bloom again. I just kept watering it because it was alive and it had leaves and my daughter had given it to me. Learn more about orchid care HERE.

My life lesson here? Follow directions, be patient, let the plant have its time. Just do your best. Don't sweat the outcome. Even if it hadn't bloomed again, I would have known that at least I had tried.

What a blessing to see this every morning. God is good. All the time.

Saint Anthony of Padua, I owe you so much...

Saint Anthony, St. Anthony...who does not have a Saint Anthony story. Those who ask for his help in finding things agree that he moves things, that he finds things in ways that truly appear to be miraculous.

Once when I had two toddlers I was desperately looking for a sock that one child had pulled off shortly before we were to leave. I prayed to St. Anthony. Then I bent down to pick up a toy or something on the floor thinking it might be under it. When I stood up it was not the toy in my hand. It was the sock.

Another time when my family was up north at a rented cabin we could not find the keys that we needed to return as we left. We had looked everywhere for some time. I prayed out loud to Saint Anthony. Before the prayer was finished I saw the keys under a chair.

These are just a couple examples in my life. There are many more.

In today's Magnificat we are told that, "Although primarily associated in devotional prayer with the finding of lost objects, Saint Anthony was also an extremely gifted preacher and teacher of God's Word. He sought out those lost in unbelief and denial and brought them back to the fold of faith by the power of the word he preached."

Also in Magnificat, Saint Anthony's writing is quoted: "Christ who is your life is hanging before you, so that you may look at the cross as in a mirror. There you will be able to know how mortal were your wounds, that no medicine other than the Blood of the Son of God could heal...Nowhere other than looking at himself in the mirror of the cross can man better understand how much he is worth."

Good Saint Anthony, pray for us!!

Read more of the life of Saint Anthony of Padua HERE.

The Oaklands on WMU Campus on Graduation Weekend

I made a reservation at the Oaklands on WMU campus many months in advance. It's a gorgeous, huge Italianate villa run as a bed and breakfast right in the center of campus. I thought I would never be able to rent all three bedrooms on graduation weekend. I kept waiting for the call telling us that it would be occupied during graduation. The call never came. We had the whole place to ourselves and right on campus. No traffic for graduation, no parking...we walked there. It was incredible. God is so good to us. (And I highly recommend the Oaklands for any event. It's so beautiful and very reasonably priced--even for graduation!! If you'd like to see more photos of the inside, see my previous blog post on it here. Graduation was not our first visit.

I couldn't help thinking, over and over, who are we to stay in such a lovely, convenient location, all together, for such an important campus event.

It made for great family pictures...These are my girls, Back row: oldest daughter Anne, Liz the grad, and Mary. Front: my two favorite daughters-in-law, Elle and Esther. (Yes, I only have two, but nevertheless they are my favorites. :-)

We kind of felt out of place in such a gorgeous mansion....

Only John could not attend, because of work, but here are my other five children...(Mike, Mary, Liz, Anne, and Jim) Yes, I know, very traditional names..

 Mike, Esther, and Joey (grandchild number 2) with Liz...

 Jim and his wife Elle with Liz...

 Nice when your sister-in-law is your good friend...

Photo of original family, just missing John. Perhaps we'll photo shop him in...

True to Michigan form, the weather brought a downpour of snow despite it being the end of April..Too funny.

And here she is with a snow covered mortarboard, and hanging on to those two degrees. (Human Resources-- a business degree, and Aviation (aviation management)

Yeah, I'm just a little proud of her....God is good.

Graduation!

My youngest daughter has graduated from college. What a joyful day it was. 

For well over 20 years my husband and I have spent a large chunk of our income on tuition--Catholic grade schools, Catholic high schools, and college. Now we are finished. There is a certain joy in that, but the greater joy is knowing that Liz has accomplished what she wanted to accomplish. And child number six is launched.

Oldest grandson (3 yrs.) We have to sit here for how long??

Liz with proud mom and dad!

Grandchild number 3. Happy to be with Grandpa.

 Liz with the dean of the College of Aviation. He very kindly invited every parent to come forward and get a good camera shot of the graduate receiving her diploma. Everyone appreciated it, I think, although it did make for a long event. :-)

But since it was in one of the hangars there were plenty of places to walk around and things to see. (One of Liz's degrees was in aviation management.)

My brother drove in for our celebration dinner. (Rich in the back, Jim with his wife Elle in the front, next to Mary.)

Another shot of yours truly with the graduate.

Son-in-law Zach with grandchild number 2.

Daughter-in-law Esther with my niece Monique who also came for the dinner. So sweet of her.

 Western Michigan University has another graduate.

More on this very fun family event tomorrow.....