September 11--10th anniversary

It doesn't seem like ten years.

Seeing the images again on the television.....it doesn't seem like it's been ten years.

It was such a shock. Such a horror. I feared for my cousin's life. He worked just a few blocks from ground zero and made frequent trips to the World Trade Center. He was OK. He had to walk a number of miles back to his apartment. But he was OK. And when he was finally able to contact my aunt by cell phone she was able to stop hysterically pacing the floors of her small apartment, praying for his safety while clutching her crucifix and statue of the Blessed Mother.

I found out when my sister called me, practically shouting into the phone, "DO YOU HAVE THE TV ON?!?!"

Seeing the collapse of the towers over and over again on the television as we watched for more details about the rescues, the terrorists, etc, I had not realized how traumatic the scenes were for my young daughter. Mary was six at the time.

Several weeks after the attack I was sitting in a doctor's office at the University of Michigan Medical Center. I don't even remember why we were there. The news came on that a plane had crashed in New York City-- a private plane, I believe it was, terrorism was not suspected, you know, the usual lines.

The fireball of the wreckage was being broadcast over the news. Mary was watching, quietly crying, asking an occasional question, a look of great anguish on her face.

Apparently someone at the reception desk spotted Mary's face. By this time a number of people were gathered around the television, maybe 20 or 30. The waiting areas in this medical center are adjacent to the main hallways so everyone going by was stopping to watch the TV for news of what had happened.

This receptionist, God bless her, came out from behind her desk, looked right at Mary and said, "Would you like to watch Sesame Street?" Mary, all teary-eyed nodded yes. The receptionist walked right up to the TV, switched it to Sesame Street, and walked right back to her desk without so much as a glance at the stunned faces of all the adults who were waiting for more information about the crash. I glanced up at the woman as she walked by and mouthed the words, "Thank you." She just gave me a quiet, gentle smile.

God bless her. A child was upset. There was no one in that group who needed to know immediately what had happened. She cared more for the child, my Mary. She was one of those people who just understands that the needs of children come first.

God bless her. It was a simple, small act of gentle kindness. It was also an act of courage. How many of us would ignore the desires of a room full of adults in favor of the needs of one small child. God bless. her.

I think I've written about this incident before. Sorry for the replay if you remember my previous post. :-)

Tired tonight. Did all my knee exercises from physical therapy. Even lifted some free weights.

Can't believe the summer is almost over. But it's not over YET! I have to stop thinking like that because we actually have more than one more week before school starts. Then, for the first time in about 15 years, I will not be driving anyone to school every day. Mary has her license. We have an extra car. And for the second year now both of my minor children are in the same school. Mary will drive Liz. I guess I may be doing some picking up, when their after school schedules are different. Still, it's going to open up more time for me.

Hope to do something fun with the family this weekend since Jim will be leaving the following Saturday. Maybe Greenfield Village. Maybe the Ford Museum. Maybe some sand dunes. We'll see what Jim feels like.

Well, prayers for all the intentions of my online friends! God bless.

Trip to Notre Dame and Back

Had the distinct pleasure today of driving my oldest son Mike back to South Bend. Above is a photo of the Basilica at Notre Dame, which was looking especially beautiful.

We went right to the Grotto, one of my favorite places, said the rosary, and then promptly ran into old friend Joe O. It was one of those "coincidences" that make the world seem small.

Then we had dinner at Reckers, a place we often visited when Mike was a student there. He mentioned that next year there will be a five year reunion of his graduating class. FIVE YEARS?!?! I'm sorry. I just don't believe that.

Then I took Mike home. He gave me a tour of his new living situation and I headed back home.

It's about a three hour drive. But it was very peaceful. Good times.

Republican Presidential Debate

Just finished watching the Republican debate. As you probably know, for some reason, I really enjoy politics. Here is my reaction:

Rick Santorum-- Wow. Great prolife candidate. He has very strong moral values. Sometimes seems a little defensive and I think that makes him look weak. I wish he'd talk less about his credentials (which are impressive) and more about the country. He's so articulate and intelligent. He looks the best when he's talking about his ideas.

Herman Cain-- I like his common sense ideas, his good natured manner, and his business experience. Seems like a good man.

Michelle Bachmann-- I think she really demonstrated how intelligent, principled, and charming she is. I like her. I think she could actually win this.

Ron Paul-- I like a lot of his ideas. His extreme anti-military positions are troubling.

Pawlenty-- Unimpressive. Seemed to be picking on Bachmann.

Romney-- Was impressive in the specificity of his ideas. He's OK. For some reason, I find him kind of bland.

Newt Gingrich-- This guy is nothing if not brilliant. He has such impressive experience. I just wish he could stop appearing as though he finds the general public tiresome in their stupidity. He doesn't really seem to want the Presidency much-- more like he's doing us a favor by running. I think he could really take off as a candidate if he could demonstrate some humility and affection for ordinary, non-elitist Americans.

OK. Thanks for indulging me. I needed to talk about this :-) Any opinions any of you would like to share? I include in that invitation those who might be thinking, "I'm not going to vote for any of them." :-)

Their One Year Anniversary!

A year ago today my daughter Anne married Zach! Zach is a fine man and a great son-in-law. He came into the Catholic Church a few years before the wedding, not because of any pressure from Anne, but because he loves the Lord and took the time to find out what the Catholic Church is all about. It was a courageous move on his part. He comes from an evangelical Protestant family and community that was not at all pleased with his decision. Zach recognizes the truth when he sees it. And you know what? The family and friends from his former church all came to the wedding.

It was a very, very fun day and we were pleased to welcome Zach into our family.
He loves my daughter a lot.

And these sunflowers by our church were in full bloom the day of the wedding making a perfect setting for photos....

Zach is very funny. I love how he can make my daughter laugh. Actually, Zach can make anybody laugh. He has a very almost quirky sense of humor that can take you completely off guard. And while you're howling about what he just said he'll throw in another line that magnifies the humor of the first. Then-- he'll add another joke and pretty soon you can't even breathe. He is very fun to have at family gatherings.
And since he's a proud Catholic convert, ardently pro-life, and generous and kind to all....well, you can see why I call him my favorite son-in-law. (OK. He's my only son-in-law. But he will always be among the favorites :-)

Happy Anniversary, Zach and Anne!!!!!

I am so, so tired. but if I never write when I'm tired I'm apt to never write because I'm tired quite a bit, to be honest.

Went to a beautiful wedding today. Sarah and David-- two great Catholics. It was lovely. I love Sarah. She helped me drive out to New York once to pick up Mike. She was great company and I so enjoyed spending all that time talking and getting to know her. She's one smart, good woman and I'm happy she has married a very good man.

Liz has left for camp for a week. Monday is her birthday but we celebrated it on Friday.

Tomorrow is Zach and Anne's first wedding anniversary. We were having so much fun one year ago!!!! They went away for the weekend to celebrate.

My kitchen table is a mess. I'm sitting here looking at it and wondering why I don't just CLEAR THIS STUFF OFF. But I'm too tired.

Off to bed.

People Talking!

The other night, for no apparent reason, our power went out. There was no storm, no wind. We still don't know what was the reason.

My husband Mike and I started to take the dog out for a walk. Our neighbor, who is a bus driver, came home just as we were leaving. He told us that all the lights on this side of town were out. Even told us the intersection where the outage began.

We continued on our walk. Every neighbor we passed made eye contact and then started to talk. "Do you have power?" And then the conversation would continue, each person sharing what information they had.

We went to Meijer to buy some dry ice for the freezer. Sure enough, there were a few people approaching the ice boxes. We all looked at each other questioningly. Yup. Each one had no power. As Mike and another man pulled out bagged blocks of dry ice someone noticed that the price was per pound....and the bag felt a lot heavier than a pound. As we went through the you-scan line Mike turned around and confirmed for the other man. "Yup. It's fifteen dollars." The man smiled and nodded. Just as he had thought.

I said to Mike, "People are talking to each other." It was so pleasant. There was a feeling of camaraderie. We were all in this together. We were verbally linking arms. Neighbors talking to neighbors. Customers talking to customers. This is valuable. This is good. Talking to those we don't know well, or maybe even don't know at all, is a way of expressing Christian charity. It's a little thing perhaps. A smile. A kind word. It's a way of providing just a little bit of heart warmth to another. A way of recognizing Jesus in another.

With pillar candles left over from Anne's wedding lit in all the rooms on the main floor, the power came back on at about 11:00 PM. It was a relief. And it was a blessing to have had the gears of normal life shifted just a little bit.

Today is my sister's birthday. She is pictured below on the left. I'm on the right

This photo was taken waiting for the ferry to take us to Mackinac Island just a few weeks ago.

Maryanne was born when I was 8 years old. I've been crazy about her ever since.

The week we spent up north together with our families (and also my brother and his family) was really fun. We laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed. As one of my children once said, (I think it was Anne) "We almost laughed off our heads."

No one can make me laugh the way my brother and sister can.

Anyway, more about our trip later. Just wanted to say....

Happy Birthday, Maryanne!!!

May the Lord bless you and keep you now and forever!!!!

As I'm a little rusty from lack of blogging I'm just going to write here and there about what has been happening this summer until I can get a little more creative juice flowing :-)

Here we are, the whole family, celebrating John's graduation.... Above-- Mary and John.

Below-- Husband Mike and I....

Mike with his girlfriend...
Anne with my favorite son-in-law Zach...
Liz, Jim, and Mary....
Jim, Mary, and John the graduate...
This was a special day. It was special because of what we were celebrating....And it was special because everyone was there--- all my children. Anne and Zach were here from Atlanta. Mike came to town from Indiana.

There is just something very special for a mother when all her children are at the same table. At such times I can only smile with sweet contentment and think. "No one is missing. We are all here." Just love it. I know all you mothers, and mothers-at-heart, understand.

OK. I really want to get back to blogging. I have let this slip way too long. I like blogging. I think it's good for me. Forces me to put words together in a complete sentence. (Never mind the one I just wrote.) Teehee. All right. It forces me to put words together in a way that people can understand. Below is a photo of my oldest son's birthday celebrations. He turned 27. TWENTY-SEVEN!! Can you believe it.

Hubby Mike is on the far left, then Mike's girlfriend, followed by the birthday boy. On Mike's left is an old friend from grade school and high school who was able to join us. After that-- all siblings. Only my daughter and son-in-law were not there. (Since they live in the Atlanta area.)
Mike does not really like cake so I made him his favorite Dutch Apple Pie.

Where does the time go? I know it's a trite question but every year it takes on a deeper meaning.

Happy Birthday, Mike! You are a son who has brought his parents nothing but joy. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May you continue to live the life that the God who infinitely loves you has planned. God is good. All the time. :-)

Chris Wallace asked Michele Bachman: "Are you a flake?"

There seems to be a pattern developing in presidential politics.

When an attractive woman starts to yield some power even men who agree with her policies seem to feel the need to put her down in some way. There are numerous examples of this problem with the way Sarah Palin is treated in the media.

On Sunday Chris Wallace, after mentioning a few things Michele Bachman has said that perhaps should not have been said, actually asked, "Are you a flake?"

I'm sorry. I've watched Fox News Sunday for a long time and I don't think Chris Wallace would have asked a male candidate such a condescending and disrespectful question. After her excellent answer he fumbled to try to explain why he would ask such a thing and finally said,

"Do you -- do you -- and I think it's important to say that. But do you recognize that now that you're in the spotlight, in a way that you weren't before, that you have to be careful and not say what some regard as flaky things?"

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-news-sunday/transcript/rep-michele-bachmann-talks-earmarks-obamacare-and-gay-marriage-sen-kyl-debt-talks#ixzz1QaJoBTCh

Oh please. Chris. You are not speaking to a child. Please keep the sexism a little more under wraps. I know that as a Christian I should not be assigning motives to people. I'm sure that Chris Wallace did not say to himself let me see how I can belittle Michele Bachman. No. I think it was more the unconscious drive that some men feel to put down an attractive powerful woman.

I do not consider myself a feminist because of the gross distortions feminism has promoted in regard to the role of woman in our society and, needless to say, in regard to the sanctity of human life. But when a respected journalist on FOX treats a woman in a manner that he surely would never treat a man, something is wrong. Whatever his intent was, this is sexism.

I was appalled. I can't imagine what he was thinking. He should send her a hand written apology followed up by a phone call with no excuses about this being what some people are saying.

Just my opinion.

P.S. I guess Mr. Wallace did apologize by phone to Michele Bachman yesterday and she accepted his apology. Still, it raises the question of why there is this unequal treatment of candidates.

Algebra Memories

I'm sitting in the library catching up on some things while Liz meets with an algebra tutor :-). I'm still teaching her, but we meet with the tutor about once a week to further answer questions, teach her things a different way, and to clean up explanations of mine that just aren't working.

I used to be good at algebra, although I do remember quite a few times grabbing my friend Susan Andrews the genius (May she rest in peace.) and asking her to PLEASE explain this concept to me again. She was a brilliant woman and she could explain things better than any of the math teachers. Besides that, she was patient and kind and didn't mind my frequent requests for additional explanation. Of course, she was so good at boiling it all down it only took her about five minutes to sum up what the teacher had been confusing me with for an entire period. OK. Let me restate that. I had good teachers. It only took Susan about five minutes to figure out where my glitch was and to clarify. In my teachers' defense, it also would have helped if I had paid a little more attention during class and spent less time talking to my friends. The fact that I knew I could always fall back on Susan's laser explanations probably gave me permission to focus a little less in class.

Susan died a few years ago of breast cancer. She had become a doctor which was no surprise to me. She had also been my lab partner in biology. While I squeezed my eyes shut during dissections and moaned and groaned, Susan would just laugh and gently encourage me along.

May she rest in peace, my math friend and biology lab partner. Oh Lord, please remember the kindness she showed me and others. May she even now be seeing you face to face, praising the Author of all math and science.

Algebra Headache

I am helping my daughter with algebra this summer.

As a result, I have discovered that there is such a thing as an algebra headache.

It starts with a feeling that the brain is being overworked. Then concepts start to get a little foggy. The forehead starts to feel kind of full. Then there is a mild feeling of panic that seems to ascend from somewhere around the base of the skull. I know it's an emotion but it seems to accompany this physical sensation. Then you are distracted from the topic the grey matter is working on because the entire head starts to feel pressured.

Then... the actual ache starts. It's time for caffeine and motrin, and maybe even a little break. A funny or lighthearted activity is recommended.

I like to watch news shows in the evenings.

But I am tired of hearing about Casey Anthony's murder trial and Congressman Anthony Weiner.

What on earth is the fascination the press seems to have with these two very, very sad news stories.

Is it that this "news" is easy to come by? Maybe. But I think people must also be enjoying hearing about it. Maybe "enjoying" is not the right word.

Casey Anthony. OK. Pretty clear she killed her toddler. This is such a tragic case. So very tragic for everyone. It's a heart breaker. I don't need to hear about the latest thing Casey did in the courtroom. I don't want to know if she has cried, if she has gotten sick from looking at the remains of her daughter. You know? Is it morbid curiosity that causes people to want to hear the details? I have to admit it sometimes gets my attention. Then I think--is it good for me to watch this? Is this important for me to know? And the answer is NO!

Congressman Weiner. I am not in any way defending or making light of what he has done. In fact, I would put it in the category of perversion. Clearly the man is very broken. I thought his apology was well done. Now I think he should be left alone. We have the details. We know he has only been married for a year. Yeah. Another tragedy. The man's marriage and public service career is ruined. He is probably suffering from an addiction and now it appears he is getting treatment. Why not leave him alone now!!??!!

As most of my readers know, I am a very conservative republican. But I find the ongoing news coverage of this man offensive. Let him and his constituents decide if he should resign. Is it anybody else's business really? I find the endless badgering of Weiner to almost be in the category of bullying. He has apologized. He's been publicly humiliated. He has cried in public. Can't we give this fascination a rest?

Sorry. I just had to vent a little.

Sitting in the mall waiting for Mary's haircut to be finished....

Feeling happy that I have a new MacBook Pro to play with. Finally. I was really missing my MacBook (which was stolen...Lord have mercy.)

Going out to dinner tonight with three of my children to the restaurant where another son is working.

Hoping my husband's trip to Florida to see to things for my mother-in-law will go well. Hoping and, of course, praying.

Loving the grace from my hour of Adoration today. I love Adoration hours.....

Meeting Suzanne

There is just something very special about meeting a blogging friend in person. A few years ago I met Denise from A Catholic Matriarch in My Domestic Church . We were at the March for Life. In person, Denise was just as kind, gracious, intelligent, and well-informed as she is in her blog.

My experience meeting Suzanne from Suzanne's Shorelines was the same. Suzanne is just as dear, sweet, kind, warm and genuine as she is on her blog. And her smile is just as sincere and sparkly in person as in her pictures. Yup. That's really Suzanne. What a blessing from God that we were able to meet.

May we meet again. And all the rest of our blogging friends too. In the meantime, we still have these blogs and Facebook to keep in touch with. For all the dangers and hazards associated with the internet, this technology also enriches our lives, doesn't it.

Finally we meet!

For nearly five years Suzanne of Suzanne's Shorelines and I have been reading each other's blogs.

We've come to know quite a bit about each other. We have an awful lot in common. Truly, we are sisters in the Lord.

Today we finally got to meet each other in person. It was so strange, surreal as she put it, to be meeting for the first time someone I already know so well and consider a friend.

Suzanne was coming through Ann Arbor on her way back from a trip to Mackinac Island in Northern Michigan. Her sweet friends, Lynn and Karen, generously agreed to take the time to stop so we could meet and have lunch.

It was such fun. We just couldn't stop smiling. I was able to show Suzanne the little chapel at Dominos Farms where I often go for daily Mass. And she saw the outside of my parish church, Christ the King.
Finally. We were able to meet. We talked about our mutual blogging friends and the circle of great Catholic mothers who have become our e-circle of friends. What fun it would be if we could all get together sometime and actually talk and share in person! Something to think about. I would love it.

I'm meeting Suzanne!!

Suzanne of Suzanne's Shorelines is here in town and we will be meeting in less than an hour.

This is so totally cool. And so strange. I am meeting someone with whom I have communicated on a regular basis for some 4 or 5 years. Yet until just a little while ago, I had never even heard her voice. Reading each other's blogs, we know quite a bit about each other, our families, prayer requests, background, beliefs, etc. Suzanne and I have always been amazed at how much we have in common. She is definitely a spiritual sister. And now I get to meet her!!!

Later I will post the pictures. This is going to be fun.

Still picking the glass out...

I'm still picking the bits of glass out of the inside of my car.

John drove with me to Irving, Texas (from Ann Arbor, Michigan) to pick up Jim and bring him home for the summer. We had Jim all packed up and ready to head home. Our last stop before hitting the highway was the Cistercian Abbey where Jim's choir was giving a concert. We were in there for a little over an hour. The concert was just beautiful. They sang gorgeous liturgical pieces and Gregorian chants. It was inspiring. Quite a contrast to the feelings we would have when we arrived back at the car.

I said, "Is that glass on the pavement there?" Yup. It was glass all right. The driver's window was completely smashed in and the lock also pushed out.
They stole THREE laptop computers, a digital camera, a small suitcase, John's backpack full of his music, and a number of other items.

We were so stunned. I wasn't quite sure what to do next. After calling the police we called an auto glass place out of the yellow pages. Would you believe they arrived before the police? The police arrived a few minutes later. The window was repaired in about 20 minutes and we were on our way....minus several thousand dollars worth of cargo.

I had prayed we would have a safe trip. We did. What we lost was just stuff. Just stuff.

Lord have mercy on the people who did this.

Liz in her play...

Please bear with me as I post more pictures of my family so other family members can see them.

Liz played Lucinda, Cinderella's stepsister, in the play Into the Woods this weekend. If only my mother, the drama queen, could have been there to see her youngest granddaughter, who is her spitting image, playing this role. Somehow, I'm sure she did see it.....

Liz is in the light pink.

It was a very, very busy and fun weekend.