My youngest child has started her senior year of high school.  How the heck did that happen?  She's also decided she wants to be a pilot and has started ground school.  She only got her driver's license a month or so ago.

One of my sons is at the University of Dallas and is now a senior there!

Another son is attending graduate school in London!

My oldest daughter and her husband are in Atlanta where my son-in-law is completing chiropractor school.

How did my children come to be living so far away?

I don't like having them so far away.  It feels unnatural.  I miss them so much.

At least those in Dallas/London/Atlanta are all in school.  Maybe they will wander back to Michigan as they graduate.

My oldest is out of school and settled in Indiana.  At least it's in the Midwest and only a few hours from here!

The hardest is having a child overseas.  It's just SO FAR.  There's an entire ocean between us!  And with the world becoming more and more unstable, more crazy, I really would feel more at ease if all my children were at least in this country.  But my London son is doing good things over there and it is his plan to come back to the U.S. when his degree is complete.

My second oldest daughter is going to school locally and is living at home!!  Woohooo.  So nice that she is still here.  I love having my children around.

But...I realize it is unlikely that they will end up permanently here in Michigan.  I'm hoping for at least a couple though.  Or a couple who are at least in the Midwest?

Lying in bed, reading, blogging, and wondering why my stomach keeps hurting.  It's best not to wonder too much.

Four kids are home for vacation.  Love it!  Two teens (who are always here) and two early twenties.  We're going through a lot more food, needless to say.

I love having my kids home.  Since my youngest is now a senior in high school these times are becoming all the more precious as the time approaches when perhaps none of them will be here year round.  Every day's a gift.

Blue sky outside my window with trees rustling in the wind.  Nice.  There is nowhere I have to go tonight (that I can remember).  Love that feeling.  I guess I'm just a natural homebody.  (Or a couch potato.)

Our family has been enjoying this video from a South Bend, Indiana station, WNIT.  It's an interview with my oldest son, Mike Bogdan who will be playing Marius in the South Bend Civic Theatre's production of Les Miserables together with Kathleen Raab who will be playing Cosette.  The interview starts a little over halfway into the clip....about 13:35.

http://wnit.org/expmichiana/e/july-9th-2013.html

Can't wait to see this show!!

Supreme Court!

Would that all Supreme Court Justices had the integrity of Antonin Scalia.  Here is one clip of his dissent of today's ruling.  Read more excerpts from The Blaze here.

 "That is jaw-dropping. It is an assertion of judicial supremacy over the people’s Representatives in Congress and the Executive. It envisions a Supreme Court standing (or rather enthroned) at the apex of government, empowered to decide all constitutional questions, always and everywhere “primary” in its role."

Justice Scalia is my favorite Supreme Court Justice.  Saw him speak at the University of Michigan once.  I'm so tired tonight.  I'll write more about this disastrous ruling tomorrow.

Les Mis has been on my mind lately and not just because my son is playing Marius in the South Bend Civic Theatre production.  (shameless promotion)

I have noticed that some people love Les Mis!  I am one of them.  I think it elevates virtue, promotes justice and Christian charity.  It inspires one to strive for good.  And I love the music.

Others, I have noticed, hate Les Mis.  They think it's depressing and sad.  Some people have very strong negative feelings about it saying things like "I REALLY don't like that show."

Why is there this extreme difference of opinion about the same show?

Some, but not all, of the people who dislike it are people who are not in the church or have very little faith.  Is that it?  Is it a lack of faith and hope that causes people to not see what others see in the story?

Or perhaps the dislikers are extremely compassionate and empathetic people and the suffering is too much for them?

I just find the differences in opinion very curious.  Still thinking about it.

Just a little proud....(maternal bragging alert)

OK.  So I'm just a little proud of my firstborn.

He has always loved the stage.  Always enjoyed music, acting, singing, and dancing.

He's a teacher now but he is still enjoying these passions of his, not only through his teaching, but also in his spare time.

He will play Marius in the South Bend Civic Theatre's production of Les Mis!!!!

And I just HAVE to share this article about him from a local news station.

http://addins.fox28.com/blogs/les_mis/2013/06/teacher-by-day-love-struck-revolutionary-by-night

Can't wait to see this show!!! (Being his mom and all :-)

Anatomy of an Action Movie

Disclaimer.....for the most part, I don't like action movies.  Perhaps it's just me.  I just don't get them.  To me...the following describes the action movie:

A little bit of plot, often quite interesting, tiny bit of character development....at this point it has my attention.  Then the action begins.

High speed chase scene or dramatic, violent fight that seems to go on a little longer than necessary.

Then the chase/fight continues.  It goes on and on and on.  Fire, explosions, dramatic falling and/or jumping, more violence, buildings collapsing, people running for their lives.  (The people desperately running seems particularly popular right now.)

Then it stops.  There is a little dialogue, maybe a little bit of plot development.  You start to think maybe this story is actually going to get kind of good.  And then....the chase/fight resumes.  Again, the violent fighting, the close call, fiery escapes, explosions, near misses.  This goes on for what seems like an interminable length of time.  Finally, it stops and then there may be a little dialogue and the story actually develops a little.  It seems like the film has hope.

THEN, the chase/fight starts all over again.  By this time, the plot is getting a little convoluted.  Some of the details are not making sense.  It's like the viewer is not really expected to think, just to go with it.  This chase/fight goes on forever!!  It's like the grand finale of a fireworks display except that it's not beautiful.  Instead of hoping it continues you start to hope that the film will eventually come to an end.  More fire, explosions, the hero is injured (!), the bad guys look like they might win, more violence, more destruction.  What was the story line again?  How long can this go on??  It feels like forever.  I wish I had brought a book so I could go to the lobby and meet everyone there.  And still it's going on and on and on.  How many different ways can people fight and chase each other?  In the case of science fiction apparently the limit is only the creativity of the filmmaker.  And those filmmakers are very creative.  Has it been an hour?  Could they really have been chasing each other for an hour?  One of these times I'm going to time it.

I'm sorry.  The non-stop adrenaline rush does not do anything for me.  I find the endless chase scene tiresome.  Sometimes I close my eyes to see if maybe I can fall asleep.  By the end, I'm usually just annoyed and irritable.

Am I missing something?  What is the appeal of these movies?  I get that there is a lot of testosterone and this appeals to the guys.  Chase scenes/fights only hold my interest for about five minutes.  It seems to me that the average action movie is made up primarily of these scenes.  Are there women who find these films entertaining?

I've been under the weather for the last couple days, spending quite a few hours in my bed trying to get my digestive track to behave.  Robert Louis Stevenson's poem "The Land of Counterpane" came to mind.  Stevenson was often sick as a child.  Can't you just see the young boy playing like this?  

My "toys" have been my laptop, my TV remote, my "Magnificat," my prayer notebook, and a magazine.

It's such a lovely poem.  Here it is.

                                                         The Land of Counterpane

When I was sick and lay a-bed,

I had two pillows at my head,

And all my toys beside me lay,

To keep me happy all the day.

And sometimes for an hour or so

I watched my leaden soldiers go,

With different uniforms and drills,

Among the bed-clothes, through the hills;

And sometimes sent my ships in fleets

All up and down among the sheets;

Or brought my trees and houses out,

And planted cities all about.

I was the giant great and still

That sits upon the pillow-hill,

And sees before him, dale and plain,

The pleasant land of counterpane.

Robert Louis Stevenson

I went to Curves for the first time in a long time this morning with my friend Patti.  I drove because her car was in the shop.  After Curves we went back to her house where she made a delicious gluten free lunch--- salad with pecans, apple pieces, grilled chicken with poppyseed dressing.  It was just delicious.

Patti and I have known each other for a long time.  We've been through a lot together.  So this afternoon was a comfortable and relaxing time of catching up, laughing, and sharing.  We had a cup of tea together-- something we've shared probably thousands of times.

She showed me her gardens and the lovely things she's planted.  She also showed me the various herbs growing on her property and we talked about the herbalist who had just taught her about the value of each kind of plant.  I saw (and heard) her impressive rooster and her hen and the 5 or 6 chicks that are now about half grown.

There were no children with us this time, unlike the many (maybe all?) the other times we've sat and talked.  Between us we have 17 children.  Ha!  I only have six.  She has the rest.  Our children have had many good times together, as have our families.  We are heading into a new phase of our lives,  as both of our youngest children head toward their senior years of high school.

Patti and I share the same faith, the same overall values, and the same priorities.  We think the same things are funny.  She has been a good friend to me and I thank God for our friendship and all we have shared.  God is good.  All the time.

Summertime....and the livin' is easy...

Yes.  I used to sing this song to my children as they were going to bed.

Well, I sang it to all of them except for John who asked me not to sing.  LOL  It was a few years later that we discovered he had perfect pitch.  :-)

It's nice to be catching up on some sleep.  Nice to have not so much on the schedule....

My gardens are all planted and doing well.  I had to get them in early for Mary's graduation party.

My husband says we should always schedule grad. parties early.  I think I agree, although those few weeks before the party were not easy.

I'm sitting here drinking a cup of coffee.  Then I'll have a relaxed prayer time.  I love it.

And it doesn't hurt that the weather is pleasantly warm.  And even the cold summer days are pleasantly warm compared to our winters.  I can walk the dog without a coat.  Yes it's very pleasant.

One great benefit of living in Michigan is that the summers are not long enough for us to take them for granted.  We love our great Spring, Fall, and Summer weather.  And I have to say there are even things to like about our winters.  They can very beautiful.

God is good.  All the time.

Mary has graduated from high school.  She worked so hard throughout high school.  I'm really proud of her.  In September she will continue her studies at the University of Michigan.  My father would be (is!) so proud.  An alum of Michigan himself, he always dreamed of having one of his grandchildren graduate from there.  He left this world to soon to see John graduate.  (Although I'm sure he was watching from the other side.)  And now I know that he is delighted with Mary's school choice.

Three of Mary's siblings were able to attend her graduation.  Many thanks to Mike, in particular, who drove over 5 hours round trip to be there.  He is a very faithful brother.

And Anne flew in from Atlanta to be at Mary's graduation party.  How cool is that.  She was able to stay for 5 days.  So nice.  Her husband Zach was busy out in Colorado winning the Division 1 Rugby Championship.  Yup.  They did it.  And we were able to watch the game online, but through our TV.  It was really quite a thrill.  Zach is an excellent player and has spent many, many years improving his skills in rugby.  We are really proud of him.

And yesterday was the last day of school for Liz.  I was at school all day helping in the Resource Room in the morning and at the Used book and Uniform Sale in the afternoon.

So today is quite a relief.  The girls and I spent an hour working on cleaning up our rooms.  (Yes, I worked on mine too and it definitely needed it. :-)

Tomorrow we plan to skype with John in London.  We miss him so much.  So looking forward to having him home in a little over a month.

And Liz has become a high school senior.  Wow.  It's almost too much to fathom.

This Wall Street Journal article, "From Roe to Gosnell," from April 19 is excellent.  It's long and it isn't even written by someone who is pro-life.  But it is written honestly and logically and really gets to the point about the abortion issue.  The link is here.

The print version was entitled, "Back-Alley Abortion Never Ended."  The online version is longer and contains more information.

Both versions detailed the following shocking information;

  On Mothers' Day in 1972 (Mothers' Day!!!) 15 poor women were bused from Chicago to Philadelphia for abortions.

The women did not know that they were going to be given abortions using an experimental device that had only previously been used on Bangladesh rape victims and had been invented by a man with no medical training.

THEY WERE USED ON BANGLADESH RAPE VICTIMS (a device never before tried on anyone) UNDER THE SPONSORSHIP OF THE INTERNATIONAL PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION!!!!!  (The article does not say whether the IPPF was ever held accountable for this.)

OK.  Nine of the Fifteen women who had these experimental abortions in 1973 had serious complications.  One needed a hysterectomy.

Can you guess who the doctor was??  It was GOSNELL!!  That was 1973!! (And Mothers' Day, no less)  He continued to do abortions, EVEN AFTER THAT for 37 more years!!!

I hope you'll read the whole article.  It also details why the media has scarcely covered this issue.

Thank you, Lord, for my messed up knee!

All things work together for good for those who love the Lord.

Today I'm thanking the Lord that I have a knee that often gives me problems.  The one thing that really helps my knee a lot is biking.  In fact, last summer it took the pain away completely.

After 25 years of living in the same location I finally came to the conclusion that it's not too far to ride my bike to the park pictured below.

It's about 4 miles to get there, I think.  Then maybe another half mile or so to ride around the pond.  This is Gallop Park, for those of you who live near here.  Not only is it not that far, but after the first half mile or so the whole route is designated bike path.  The entire round trip is about 55 minutes.

It's a wonderfully scenic ride.  And the park itself is so beautiful.

I did post these pictures once before.  But I just had to write about it again.  I saw 6 or 7 robins today.  I know, I know, the robins have been around for a while.  But Spring has not!!  And so the robins were a nice reminder that one of these days, sometime soon, the weather in Michigan will finally catch up to the calendar and we will, WE WILL, have Spring.

The weather is gorgeous today.  It's sunny with blue skies.  OK, the temperature was only about 45 degrees, but when biking that really is just pleasantly cool.  I only wore a fleece and leather gloves and I was very comfortable despite the fact that there was enough wind to blow up little whitecaps on the Huron River.  It was lovely.

There were only a handful of people at the park.  There were one or two bikers, a woman pushing a stroller, and a few people walking dogs.  To each person I gave a big smile which was returned.  I know what they were all thinking.  What a great day to be here.

Geese, swans, birds singing, ducks....it was just lovely.  I took my five minute water break at one of the benches on the water's edge.  Swinging my leg carefully and slowly off the bike, I was reminded of the time I slightly tore some cartilage in my knee while a little too energetically swinging my leg over a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs.  I could hardly walk for a couple days....Could that have contributed to the problem I'm having now?  I'm sure it could.  Then there was the rather more serious knee injury I sustained at age four.  An injury at age four?  Back to haunt me fifty some years later?  Who knows.

In any event, I'm thanking God for the pain in my knee because I need to be able to walk.  I need to do whatever it takes to keep my knee in workable shape.  And it is just that reality that tips the scales to justify in my mind the 55 minutes it takes for this bike ride.  Yes, it could also be justified for heart health, brain health, and emotional well-being.  But the nearly ever present knee pain reminds me to get out there and do it.  And I reap all those other benefits besides.

Glory to God.  Praise him for the beauty of his magnificent creation and for the unfolding of His will.  He is good.  All the time.

Electing a Pope!!

"But probably the most solemn, the most difficult, frightening (moment) is when you go with your ballot paper in your hand and hold it up in front of the altar and say, 'I call on the Lord Jesus, who will be my judge, to witness that I am voting for the one I believe to be worthy.'

Cardinal Napier said the above words about the 2005 papal conclave.

Catholic New Service has the entire article entitled "Prayer and Trembling:  "Cardinals Recount Experience of  Conclave" here.  It gives a fascinating view into the atmosphere and workings of the papal conclave.

Let's pray that all the cardinals will respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and vote for the pope the Lord wants us to have!!

Adopt a Cardinal!!!

It's a strange feeling for a Catholic to not have a pope, isn't it?

As some of you know, my family took a trip to Rome last Easter and we were blessed to see His Holiness Benedict XVI several times.  He always had such a kind, gentle expression on his face.  We fell in love with him.

So it was with great sadness that we learned of his resignation.  Still, God always has a plan and, as my son pointed out to me, it is also very exciting to see what God has in mind next.

Yes, the Holy Spirit guides the church and certainly, in particular, He guides the papal conclave.  Still, the cardinals are human beings and we must pray that they discern the Lord's will and vote accordingly.  I'm sure the spiritual battle over the selection of a new pope must be enormous.

So....with that in mind, may I suggest to you all that you do as 274,863 others have done and "adopt a cardinal" to pray for her.  You go to the following site:

http://www.adoptacardinal.org/

They assign you your cardinal.  I presume the "adoptions" are spread out evenly.  Just think!  You may be praying for the next pope.  My cardinal is Paolo Romeo.  I believe he is 76 years old and the archbishop of Palermo, Italy.  I pray every day for all the cardinals and for Cardinal Paolo Romeo in particular.

I love that nearly 275,000 people have already signed up to do this.  The cardinals need our support.  Think of the little decisions in your life that seem really important.  Then think of the stress these cardinals must be under to vote as the Lord desires!  May God reveal to them His will!!

One of my sons is studying in London.  I was genuinely very happy for him when he was admitted to a very competitive graduate program in his field.  It was his dream school.

What I don't like is that there is an entire ocean between his home and his school.  It's so far away!!!

It's tough for a mom to be so far from a child, even an adult child.  But such is life.  The world is much smaller than it once was and they are called to go many and diverse places.

That's why it  was with such delight that I had the opportunity recently to talk to my son on the phone for what turned out to be a rather extended period of time.  :-)  It wasn't intended to be an extended period of time.  But when there is an ocean between you and your son who is not usually particularly talkative it is not in the nature of a mother to keep an eye on the clock.

The same day I had this wonderful phone conversation, a very dear friend of mine who had not known about the phone call gave me this candle, knowing it would make me smile and think of my son so far away.

My husband, who knew about the extended phone call quipped that perhaps the candle was misnamed, in my case.  It should be titled "Calling London!"

The Presentation of the Lord

While having been offered the opportunity to use this beautiful stained glass image of the Presentation on my blog, I still forgot to post on the actual Feast of the Presentation which was yesterday, February 2.   I urge you to visit the website of this maker of stained glass, www.StainedGlassInc.com.  I was very impressed with the work they have done.  Really, very, very beautiful and inspiring images.

Stained Glass Image courtesy of www.StainedGlassInc.com

When I meditate on this fourth mystery of the rosary I usually think of Simeon.  The following is from the writing of Bishop Amadeus of Lausanne, a Cistercian monk of the 12th century. It is part of the Meditation of the Day in Magnificat for February 2.  

"Taking into his arms Jesus whom he was awaiting with unspeakable longing, the other received divine love into the center of his being, and not able to endure in his frail flesh the sweet warmth of the being who is above the heavens or in his frame the power of the fire-bearing word, he prayed for the dissolution of his body, that when his mortal habitation was destroyed he might enjoy more freely the sweetness he already tasted and might announce to those dwelling in the shadow of death the birth of the Savior whom he was proclaiming among those on earth.

Watching the March for Life on EWTN.  For a number of years I have been there with my daughters and once with my son Jim too.  This year we had several conflicts and it didn't work out.

The March is such an amazing event.  The number of people is just mind boggling.

It's such a hopeful event.  It's been 40 years since Roe vs. Wade.  I remember when it came down.  I graduated from high school in 1973.  It was not long before that the people of Michigan had passed a measure outlawing abortion in our state.  My parents had been involved in the campaign.  They were devastated.  It was such a demonstration of judicial activism overriding the democratic process.  I remember my father asking how the Supreme Court could possibly do that.  The people of Michigan had spoken.  What right had the Supreme Court to override the will of the people.  Where on Earth in the Constitution is a right to abortion, etc.

Some 55 million babies have died.  How could this still be going on.  People have become so confused.   They don't seem to understand the difference between right and wrong anymore.  We know that human life begins at conception.  We've always known that.  Now we can even see the baby in great detail on ultrasound.  And still people claim that the unborn child is not a person.

When will this end.  It's a travesty of justice.  A horrible scourge on our county.  It is an abuse of women and womanhood.

Lord have mercy.

Isn't giving the democrats "new revenue"  (more of our money) a little (or a lot) like giving a new credit card to someone who has already maxed out the credit limit on ten others?

Is that a good idea?

Benghazi....

Well, I said I would continue the next day and here it is December 4.  The days keep getting away from me.  Sorry.

Benghazi--  The other very big problem with the whole Benghazi story is the fact that the ambassador had asked for additional security several times and instead of being given greater security, he was given less.  Why?  Would the outcome have been different had there been more security?  This is a very serious question because four Americans lost their lives.  One wonders what the motive is for a  media that does not ask questions like these.

Additionally, there are credible reports that repeated requests for help from the CIA were denied as the attack was taking place.  What?!  That those who could help were told to "stand down."  What does this mean?  Why is there no Watergate style investigation going on?  Is it because the media does not want to know the answers?

Very strange.  Very disturbing.