The Alleluia Egg

Every year in our Easter egg hunt we have one golden egg called the "Alleluia Egg."  After refraining from saying alleluia for all of Lent, it is fun to have an egg that serves to remind us that "He is risen, alleluia!!)   There is usually some money in the alleluia egg, thus increasing the incentive for someone to find it.  This year it was $20.00!!  Every year I think  I've hidden the alleluia egg in a tough spot and every year they find it within five minutes.  The rule is the egg has to be visible, at least from some angle, without moving anything.  (This to keep the house from being torn apart:-)

This year I found the best hiding place for it!!   I was in the bathroom and noticed that someone had left a gold candy wrapper in the waste basket.  I put the egg just barely visible under the wrapper.  They must have looked for thirty minutes!!!  Nobody thought of the waste basket.  Finally, we had to eliminate the living room as a possible location, then the kitchen, then 

the dining area.  There was only the family room and little bathroom left.  

Of course, it was my oldest who finally found it. (pictured above).  And he generously allowed the youngest to open it see what was inside.  (Although, of course, he did keep the money himself.  Fair is fair.)  It's a fun tradition.

God's gift of Flowers

Aren't these sweet, cheery flowers?  I think they are Gerbera daisies.  We bought them for the party we had for Zach's coming into the Church (which I'll post about later.)  Fresh flowers just add so much joy to a room.  In Michigan, at the end (we hope!) of winter they are especially welcome.  We really enjoyed these.

Divine Mercy Sunday

In today's Magnificat the following words really struck me:

"In the risen Christ, wounded and glorified, we see all our hopes realized.  In him all the wounds of our hearts, minds, and bodies are transformed into holiness.  The sorrow and pain of our lives are made the source of our sanctification and joy."

"The sorrow and pain of our lives are made the source of our sanctification and joy."

Do you know how you can know something all your life and then you read the words and suddenly the reality and truth of the statement hits you in the face?  That's what happened to me with this sentence.

May the immensity of the Lord's mercy be upon us today and may it's reality be seared upon our minds.

MORE SNOW!!!

Believe it or not, We have a snow advisory tonight until 4:00 am!!!  We are expected to get between 3 and 6 more inches of snow!!  I'm not kidding!  We have already had more snow this winter than any winter on record in Michigan.  I drove to pick up my daughter at a friend's house, once again scared of running off the road since the edge could really not be distinguished in all the snow.  Everyone is home safe and sound now, thankfully.  SURELY, it will end soon.  Could it snow in April too?  It's happened.  But we will just appreciate Spring all the more!!

Easter Images...special times

I made a rosary for Zach, a beautiful Irish rosary.  He picked the beads, crucifix, and centerpiece.  Here he is after the vigil in our church with his sponsor.  Below we have Easter egg dyeing.  I love to dye eggs.

He is Risen!!!!

Above we see the "Easter Bunny" assuming a casual pose on Easter morning.

And, much more importantly, here is my daughter and her boyfriend who came into the Catholic Church last night at the Easter Vigil.  Glory to God!  It was not done because of pressure or even encouragement from daughter, but rather from his own search for the truth.  In spite of some opposition from his own family, he courageously went forward to embrace the truth and receive the Bread of Life.  God is good.     

Happy Easter, everyone.  He is risen, indeed!!!

My grandfather painted these paintings after he retired.  I remember his palette and tubes of oil paints in his attic.  I remember watching him paint, fascinated.  He was a violinist and a conductor as well as a teacher.  But when he retired he really enjoyed his oil painting.   Because he left many  paintings behind, my brother, my sister, and I were each able to have some.

The top two pictures were of the house my grandfather designed and had built.  It was my father's family home.  He lived all his childhood there and my grandmother lived there until she died.  I love having these paintings in my family room.

I am politically conservative... I think

I know that, based on my comments or lack thereof, that the readers of this blog are not real interested in politics. Or else you just don't feel like commenting on political matters. But... I just have to put in my two cents about Geraldine Ferraro's comments about Barak Obama.

She said “If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman of any color, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.”

Was this a racist comment?!! I'd say!!! My jaw dropped. I disagree with Barak Obama on nearly everything. But I still think he is intelligent (if misguided) articulate, personable, and very likable. He is a formidable presidential candidate and that would be true no matter what color he was. How could Ferraro say that??? In my opinion, it's so obviously not true that it certainly does raise the question of racism. Barak Obama is in the position he is IN SPITE of being black, not because of it. And he is all the more impressive to have achieved what he has because (dare I say it?) there is indeed still racism in this country, although it is no longer respectable to be so openly. Tell that to Ms. Ferrarro.

It disturbs me that I have heard conservatives suggest that she was not really out of line in saying what she did. Makes me wonder if I'm in the right party. But I could never be part of a party that so flagrantly disregards the sanctity of human life as do the democrats.

Silent snowy Retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemane

I had a wonderful retreat this weekend at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky.  My oldest daughter Anne goes with me every year.  The silence is so refreshing.  Getting there though was something of a nightmare.  We had to drive through the entire state of Ohio during their huge snow storm.  The roads were terrible.  But the snowy abbey was so peaceful for the rest of the weekend.

Above was the view from my room.

                                                                                             sweet little angel.... The snow was shifting in the                                                                                     wind like sand.                        




We did manage one hike through the snow....

Snow Day!!!!!!!!!!!

Snow Day!!!     Woohoooooo!!

Finally, we can just look at this beautiful snow out the window and not risk our lives trying to maneuver through it.  I woke up from a nightmare about trying to drive to school in this weather.  What a relief to wake up to learn that ALL the schools are closed.  Woohooooo.

Jim's heading out to earn some money shoveling driveways.

I will post some pictures later.  Blue sky, brilliant snow. According to Jim, snow is the most reflective surface on Earth.  I believe it.  I heard on the news last night that this is the most snow Michigan has had over the course of a winter since the 1800s.

More snow!!!

I apologize for obsessing about the weather.  I seem to only be writing about the weather.

But tonight we have a traveler's advisory, and 5 to 7 inches of snow predicted!!!!  It should end around 5:00 am.  If we get it all I can't imagine our not having a snow day.  If I have another scary drive to school tomorrow you can bet I'll be ranting about it tomorrow night.

So tired tonight.  I'm just vegging, watching election returns.... Hope I can write some more interesting posts soon. 

In like a lion....

As they say, (I'll repeat it for those of you who don't live in cold climates)  March comes in like a lion, goes out like a lamb.  

Well, here we are in the beginning of March and the lion is still here (no surprise.)  Tonight we have freezing rain, warnings of black ice on the roads, and an inch of snow predicted before morning.  Tomorrow night-- three to six inches more of snow.  The lion is still roaring, but not for much longer......

Snow can be so beautiful....

The sun reflecting on snow is so lovely. I don't know if these photos above capture it, but those of you who live in the North know what I mean. Such a gift from God during long winters. But it's almost March and it could be only weeks before the crocuses start to peak out from the ground, even if bravely through the snow. In the meantime we have the sparkling diamonds of sun on the snow....when we have a sunny day, that is, which this year has been pretty often.

No snow day so I declared my own....

Lo and behold the schools were in session, but my son's high school delayed their start an hour.

So I took the girls in only to find that in spite of there only being a few inches of snow, it was REALLY slippery. The highway was a mess. As I drove down the fairly narrow two lane road I take to the elementary school, I could feel the back of my car repeatedly drift slightly to the right. Then we passed a car that had slid across oncoming traffic and ended up in the ditch on the opposite side of the road. I was actually a little scared.

I realized I had to go back home and as the snow was pelting down and wind blowing it all over, I was still going to have to take my son back out on the roads to his school. I called him when I was at a red light and asked how he would feel about not going to school today. It was fine with him. So I called the school, told them I realized these judgements were hard for them to make but that I had decided it was not safe to be on the roads and I was keeping my son home.

I've had kids in school for twelve years or so and I've never done that before. I think it was the right move.

The dreary skies of late February

I have not been posting as often as I used to.  I want to.  I'm just not that interested in anything I think of writing about.  LOL  So why would anyone else be??

I thought of taking a picture of the sky today which is that solid light gray color.  Of course, nothing would come out on the picture.  I thought that might be mildly funny, but not funny enough for me to actually do it.

I think I'm just a little tired of winter, but hey, it's almost the end of February! In March there is hope.  Occasionally we have milder weather in March and milder weather, even ten degrees warmer, says SPRING IS COMING!

But we're not there yet.  Tonight we're getting a big snow storm.  Snow storms actually cheer me up.  They can be so beautiful.  And we're hoping for......you guessed it---- A SNOW DAY!!!  We have our fingers crossed.

I'm proud of my country.

There is much that is wrong with America.  I certainly don't agree with all the actions of my government.  But there is still an awful lot that I am proud of.

I'm proud of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, in particular.  I am proud of our founding fathers and the early settlers- their courage, their determination, and their commitment to freedom.  I am proud of my country's ongoing commitment to freedom-- an essential element of human dignity.  How can anyone read the words. "We the people..." and not feel proud.

I am proud of the civil rights movement, the strong American commitment to justice.  

I'm proud of our strength and leadership in the world.

I'm proud of our technology and our commitment to education.

I'm proud of the beauty of my country-- purple mountain majesty and amber waves of grain. 

And these are just the things I can think of off the top of my head.  

Are there things I'm ashamed of?  Of course!  This is not heaven.  But there is no other country in the world I would rather be a citizen of.

On any day I could be asked if I was proud of my country and the answer would be "Yes!"  However much there is wrong with it, there is a LOT to be proud of.

I don't know where Michelle Obama is coming from.  I now understand that her comments were not extemporaneous either.  It was a written speech that she has given twice!! 

Michelle Obama-- what is this about?

What do you make of Michelle Obama's comment that for the first time in her adult life she feels proud of the United States.  What?!?

I always feels proud of the United States-- some aspect of it at least.  Aren't you?  (those of you readers who are Americans, that is)I think it was a bizarre thing for an American to say, especially an American who is married to a Presidential candidate.  Who wants a First Lady with so little national pride?  Sounds like an attitude problem to me....or it came out wrong and should apologize and clarify.

Ballroom!

Do you know why, in traditional ballroom dancing, the man typically dresses all in black?  Because it is his responsibility to allow the woman to shine.  Don't you love it?

Next weekend my son will be competing at the highest level he has tried yet.  Could you keep him in your prayers?  He SO loves dancing....

More ballroom pix!

This was the video clip I originally wanted to post. I hope it's working. For those of you haven't read my blog long, this is my oldest son dancing on the Notre Dame ballroom dance team.

Now it looks like all three of my recent posted video clips are not working. I can't play them, anyway. Can anyone else?

Book Meme

Alexis from Love Life has tagged me for this book meme and so I now belatedly get to it.

Here are the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people.

OK. The book is A Treasury of Children's Literature.

P. 123 is a picture so I will use p. 122. It is the story of Snow White. The three sentences after the fifth sentence are: "When her work was done, the wicked queen disguised herself as an old farm woman and set out once more for the cottage of the seven dwarves. When she arrived at the cottage, Snow White said to her firmly, 'You had best be on your way, my good woman. the seven dwarves have forbidden me to let anyone in.'" (They should also have told her not to open the window. )

I don't know who has already done this, but for those who have not, or want to do it again, I tag:

Jim at A Catholic Teen's Thoughts

Esther at A Catholic Mom in Hawaii

Salome Ellen

Ruthann at Jabberwocky

Deb at Ukok's Place

I like Huckabee

I'm sitting here watching the primary returns.  I like Huckabee.  I like that he continues to surprise people with the votes he's getting.  I know he's a long shot but if it goes as far as the convention.....I don't know.  Maybe he has a shot.

He just seems like such a decent man.  He is so unabashedly pro-life.  He's articulate.  He's likeable.  He lost over 100 pounds.  You've got to respect a person who can do that.

And I like the fact that he has compassion for the poor and working classes of this counry. What's wrong with that?

Sorry I haven't been posting much.  I haven't been doing much reading either.  Too much going on!!

Ballroom!

My oldest son Mike was here for the U of M Ballroom Dance competition this weekend.  He was in the semi-finals in a number of categories.  I'm trying to post a short video clip and It's supposedly in the process of loading.  What fun it was to watch all these young people who love to dance.  Very entertaining.   It was quite a weekend for the performing arts for  our family.  John played with the EMU symphony on Friday night and Mike danced all day and into the night on Saturday and ten of the members of the dance team spent the night at our house on Friday.  This is why I haven't posted since Tuesday.  Also, my brother and sister were here to work on my Dad's house.  Oh boy.  It's been one busy but fun week.

John on the Steinway

This is a clip of John playing Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G# Minor.  Hope it works.

Liz is home sick.

I didn't get to my one to one coaching at the Apple store because Liz was home, not feeling well.  Thus, I still can't post the little video clip of John playing the new Steinway.  If this is simple enough to do on a Mac that someone can explain it to me in a couple of steps, I'm open to trying.  When I tried by myself, though, I locked up the whole computer somehow.  (What is intuitive to some people is just not intuitive for me.) I'm hoping to make an appointment at the Apple store tomorrow.

But those of you who may be in our area just might want to hear John play live on this Friday, February 8 at Pease Auditorium on EMU's campus with the EMU Symphony.  He will play I think the first movement of Prokofiev's third piano concerto, as the winner of the concerto competition earlier this school year.  Admission is free.  My whole family will be there, as well as my brother and sister.  I know my mom, and especially my dad, will be there in spirit.  My dad's probably crying just thinking about it.  

The arrival of the Steinway

Here was the newspaper template my husband made so we could see how much space the new piano would occupy and figure out where and how we could still have seating in our living room.

Here is the eighty some odd year old piano we have had forever. I learned to play on it when I was a little girl. It had belonged to my Great Aunt Marguerite who was an accomplished pianist and had had it rebuilt maybe 40 years ago? This is the piano John has always played at home. It's now upstairs in his bedroom.

And HERE IT IS!!! The STEINWAY!!! It's 33 years old, in fantastic condition and has hardly been played. Well, that is, until two days ago. Now it's played every time John is in the house. The sound is unbelievable. It's like music from heaven. This photo is John playing minutes after the movers left, Liz having already set up a fort of some sort underneathe. At my next one-on-one coaching at Apple I'm going to ask them to teach me how to post videos so you can hear it.

Here is one happy guy playing his dream piano.  God is so good.

Snow Day!!! Woohoo!!!!!

It's a snow day for both schools! Yea!!!! I needed another day to just be still. Thank you, Lord. I am feeling much better than yesterday. Thank you all for your prayers.

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

n

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.