My daughter Anne moved to Atlanta three and a half years ago while her husband attended chiropractic school.  (From which he will graduate with his doctorate this year!!)

The weather, in contrast to their native Michigan, is wonderful there.  Most of the time.  The last few days have been the exception.  We've had a lot of snow here in Ann Arbor this year.  But then again, a lot of snow is not all that uncommon for us.

Liz, who is in high school, has had 7 snow days already.  That is quite a few, even for here.

We scarcely have enough room to put the snow when we shovel because it just keeps coming.  But in Michigan  we know this can happen and we're prepared.  (Otherwise the state would be uninhabitable in the winter. :-)  After a bad snowstorm it's about 12 hours, often less, before the streets are just fine.  Even my own residential street is usually plowed within 24 hours.  And when a lot of snow is predicted our salt trucks are out sometimes before the snow even begins to fall.  They know what they are about.

Not so in Atlanta where my daughter Anne lives.  She left work Tuesday afternoon and just got home a few hours ago, some 36 hours after she had left.   There were some thousand accidents all over the freeways.  Nearly all the major streets were closed because of accidents.  The cars already out were gridlocked.  The salt trucks had not been out early and when the roads were bad they could not get down them because it was like a parking lot.  All snow and ice.  Even my daughter and son-in-law, very experienced snowy weather drivers, both got stuck on the ice.  My daughter had been on a hill and she had the momentum to make it up if someone in front of her had not stopped.  Then she could only spin her wheels.  A friend about a mile away came and picked her up and she spent the night with them.

As Anne ventured out today to make her way home she started to count the number of stranded cars on the highway.  She stopped when she got to two hundred.  Reports were that about a million cars were stranded in Atlanta.  In short, it was a disaster!!  A very dangerous situation for many, many people.

So...I've concluded that in bad winter weather it's much safer to live in Michigan.  Yes, we get a lot more bad weather.  But we are never in a situation where it can't be handled.  Yesterday as I drove my younger daughter Mary to the University of Michigan we saw a tiny plow clearing the walkway/bike path along Washtenaw Avenue, a major thoroughfare.  Nice, I thought.  This is why we can live here.

And God bless those road crews who are out there, day and night, in frigid temperatures clearing our way so we can travel safely.  May the Lord always keep them safe as they do the work that ensures that we are.

It's SO cold here!!  This morning it was 5 below zero.  Now, that's just too cold.  I like living in Michigan.  I enjoy the four seasons.  I even enjoy winter and I love snow.  The photo below was taken a few weeks ago.  We have quite a bit more snow now.

But sub zero temperatures are just hard to endure.  I have warm clothes.  We know how to dress and be comfortable here in the North.   But it gets to a point where the cold just penetrates whatever you're wearing.

Last night I took our dog for a walk, even though it was several degrees below zero.  She hadn't been out enough because of the weather.  I thought as long as I keep moving quickly and bundle up well, I'll be OK.  Well.  I have a knee length down coat.  But as soon as I shut the door behind me I could feel the cold starting to penetrate that coat.  It wasn't cutting yet.  But there was a coolness next to my skin that I never feel with that coat on.  From the knees down, the parts not covered by the coat, my legs immediately started to sting.  I had my collar pulled up over my nose which fogged my glasses.   Within minutes the cold had penetrated my best insulated mittens and my hands started to sting.

Needless to say we walked very quickly.  We did get in about a ten minute walk and the twilight was very, very beautiful and quiet.  (Who else in their right mind would be out in those temperatures. :-)

I do love Michigan but I"m longing for those balmy temperatures in the high twenties.  teehee

March for Life 2014

My daughter went to the March for Life this year on one of three buses from her high school.

What weather they had!  I believe it was 10 degrees with a wind chill of below zero.  While I have not seen an official count no doubt the number was in the hundreds of thousands.  THAT many people show up in THAT kind of weather and, as usual, there was very little media coverage.

I was pleasantly surprised, however, that CNN gave it some three minutes of a broadcast.  I'm hoping the link below will work.

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/01/22/lead-tapper-march-for-life-abortion-rally.cnn.html

A lot of very positive, pro-life messages were given.  For CNN, it was not half bad!

Teresa Tomeo from Ave Maria Radio also made a very interesting point this morning on her show "Catholic Connection.  She said this is the first time she has heard the media use the term "March for Life," rather than "anti-abortion protest" or some such thing.  She felt the using of the real title was very significant and I agree.  Words matter.  Using the actual title allows the true meaning of the March to be conveyed and I was happy to hear it.

Perhaps, after 41years, the tide of public opinion is finally starting to swing.  Our Lady of Guadalupe, please pray for our country and for our unborn.

From this morning's reading in Magnificat.

Pride sets subtle snares.  Whenever we imagine that we are in control of life-- our own or someone else's-- we have fallen prey to the ancient whisper in the Garden:  "You shall be like gods."  Mortality is the enduring reminder that we become like God not by our own power but by the power of the cross.

I love this quote.  I have seen it in Magnificat before and every time I read it it hits me.  Not only are we not in control of others' lives, we are not in control of our own.  Yes, we have choices.  We have lots of choices.  We can choose to love.  We can choose to let go.  But there is an awful lot that we must just accept because it is beyond us.  To do otherwise, to fret and wring our hands, to get angry and emotionally flail about, all these reactions do is destroy our peace.  Yes, there is a time to speak up, a time to fight, a time to try to bring about some kinds of change.  But, for the most part, our everyday life requires acceptance if we are to know peace.

Hope you are having a blessed Advent.  Come, Lord Jesus.

Today is a cold gray day, the kind of day that builds character.  And there will be worse days to come this winter.  It gives one the opportunity to learn endurance and to pull peace and joy from within.

Thanksgiving!  Hope yours was wonderful.  We had only 6 people at our Thanksgiving table, the smallest number in a very long time.  Four family members could not come.  One son in London.  One son in Dallas.  And one daughter and son-in-law in Atlanta.  So we missed all of them but look forward to Christmas when everyone will be home.

It was a fun day, nevertheless, with Mary and Liz, and Mike in from Indiana, and his girlfriend Katie who flew in from New York.  I still bought a 20 pound turkey.  Force of habit.  And everyone enjoys the leftovers.

And now here Advent is upon us!!  Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel!  We were able to celebrate the First Sunday of Advent before Mike and Katie left.

Mike loves to sing, and since his girlfriend Katie is a vocal performance major in grad. school, I did not have to twist any arms to get our little group to sing.  Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel!!

"Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord."  Psalm 122

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,

      his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

Lamentations 3:22-23

     

This was the view from my bedroom window this morning.  The glory of God all over everything.  How often he gives us these spectacular color displays as we start a new day!  And when we end our day as well!

The Lord is good all the time.  It is so easy to take his ongoing and lavish gifts for granted.  May we always be grateful!

When I wrote the previous post I had not realized that today is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, may he rest in peace.

When the assassination happened I was in third grade, in Sister Joseph Therese's classroom at St. John the Baptist School in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  If my memory serves me correctly, Sister was called into the hallway by someone who spoke to her.  When she came back into the classroom, she had a look on  her face very similar to when we were about to get into very big trouble.  She then quietly said that President Kennedy had been shot and killed.  I believe we were all dismissed then to go home.

Even as young as we were, we all knew that something very, very horrible had just happened.  The adults were all crying.  I remember my family watching television as the president's body arrived back in Washington.  Jackie came off the plane with the president's blood still splattered on her outfit.  I remember my mother's gasp.  Later, I hear her talking to a friend and marveling that no one had gotten Jackie another outfit to wear.  Only recently I learned that the First Lady had not changed clothes intentionally, so that the country could truly see the horror of what had happened.

It was a terrible tragedy and one of my earliest memories of a public event.  God rest the souls of the Kennedy family who have passed on.  And may the Lord console Caroline Kennedy in a special way today as she recalls this terrible loss as the only one left of the immediate Kennedy family.

Lord have mercy.

Fall is coming to an end in Michigan, at least the spectacularly beautiful part.  The colors are mostly gone except for the brown of the dead leaves still hanging on.  Frost is becoming more common.  Scraping the windows in the morning has once again become something to keep in mind when planning how to arrive at destinations on time.  The glory of Michigan Autumn is transitioning to the character building adversity of our beautiful winter.  Time to religiously apply hand cream if I don't want my thumbs to crack.  Time to be sure heavy coats are worn, or at least are in the car, in the case of a breakdown.  Time to get out ALL the gloves and mittens.

That being the case, why I am I writing about something that is quintessentially associated with Autumn?  Because I never got around to writing about it when it was happening!! OK?

Liz with her friend Jonathan at the starting point of pumpkin carving.

Our family has enjoyed pumpkin carving for many years.  We've done simple patterns and complicated patterns, patterns with personal significance (like university logos), scary patterns, and darling patterns.
I've only recently realized that not everyone knows how very easy this is to do.

Patterns are available everywhere...Meijers, online, etc.

You take your paper pattern and tape or pin it to the pumpkin, folding the paper over the folds of the pumpkin.  Then, using a push pin, you push little holes into the pumpkin along the lines of the pattern.  When the paper is removed you have the pattern to cut outlined on the pumpkin.  Then all you have to do is cut it out!

Special pumpkin cutting tools are probably essential.  They usually come with the patterns if you buy them at a drugstore or Meijers, etc.  They're little, cheap serrated saws and knives.  Sometimes you can find just the tools, separate from the patterns too.  Once we even found a little battery powered electric saw.  Of course, my husband had to have that. :-)

Sometimes advice from the old pro is helpful.

The cat was Mary's, a pattern she's done before.  Always impressive, it's not that difficult because there are no odd angles and all the lines are pretty easy to cut.

 Jonathan did "the joker."  This was difficult and an impressive first project.  You can see the many little lines.  It took a long time.  In fact, he and Liz just barely finished theirs before the trick-or-treaters started to arrive.

Liz did this "Tinkerbell."  It was also difficult, with very small lines and several parts, like the wings, where you only cut partway through so the light is a little diffused.

Fun family projects!  What I love about pattern pumpkin carving is that all ages can enjoy it, with the possible exception of the very young, and even they can do simple patterns with some help.

And everyone enjoys the results!!

Ann Arbor Pedestrian Traffic

Ann Arbor is an interesting place to live in a lot of ways.  Opportunities to hear magnificent music, great restaurants, lots of art (some interesting, some beautiful, some just stupid, in my humble opinion :-)...the community has a lot to offer.

Pedestrian traffic, however, is not one of its advantages.  Around the university driving is a nightmare.  It really is.  I have been dropping my daughter off at campus each morning and it terrifies me.  As soon as you get to the streets around campus, State Street in particular, the pedestrians seem to be unable to see cars.  I feel like I'm driving under an invisibility cloak.  Students cross wherever they want.  They cross diagonally.  They come out from between parked cars. They literally will walk right in front of your car without even looking up.  They're like toddlers who have not been taught that streets are dangerous.

I'm an attentive driver.  I focus on my driving.  But what I'm used to doing is watching very closely all the cars around me, the traffic signs, etc.  I associate driving with these actions.  I think everyone does.  But on State Street it's equally important, if you don't want to kill someone and I don't, to watch all the pedestrians anywhere near you, the ones on the sidewalks as well as those who may pop out from between two cars.  You never know when they're going to appear on the street in front of you.  And there are hundreds of them.  Sometimes they run out ....without even looking.  It's as though you must assume that every student at U of M has no knowledge of cars and what they can do.

There is about a four block stretch where I am literally turning my head 90 degrees, back and forth, all the time.  First the sidewalk on my left, then the street, then the sidewalk on my right.  And I have to keep doing this, rather rapidly, over and over again.  I go quite slowly because if a car stops suddenly in front of me I may not notice it for a second or two, so focused am I on the pedestrians about to walk out in front of me.

It's like one of those computer games or hand held games where you have to keep rapidly dodging the bombs or whatever they are that are coming at you.  I hate those games too.

Anyway, God bless these pedestrians.  May they stay safe.  And may the Lord keep my eyes wherever they need to be, to see whatever I need to see.

One more piece of advice to give to our college bound students.  Wherever you go to school, regardless of the tone of the community you will be living in, don't forget that cars are big and heavy and dangerous.  Having the legal right of way as a pedestrian does not in any way guarantee your safety if you walk in front of a car.  Use good judgement.  Don't walk in front of a car unless it is stopped and the driver has made eye contact with you.  You'll still get where you're going plenty fast enough.

Thought for the Day:  If you're raising a large family and you are also trying to have a clean, neat, and organized house you can kiss your mind good-bye.  Just sayin'.

Facebook....

Facebook...I love it.  I hate it.  OK, I love it.

I hate the time it seems to devour.  You start to read your feed and before you know it 20 minutes have passed.  Or more.

The superficiality of the posts can also be annoying.  Pictures of your dinner, complete with alcoholic beverage?  Really?  I like to hear little bits of news from my friends.  Photos are always nice.  New baby pictures are wonderful...

Truth be told, I really like the political posts.  I like the links to interesting articles.  I hate it when people complain about political posting.  Is thinking not allowed on Facebook?  Is there some reason why people think the expression of political opinions is offensive?  Do they not want to be bothered with news of anything significant happening in our country or world?  It's as though they're saying, "Please, only shallow, meaningless communication here.  Leave our apathy alone."  Hmmm.  I don't understand that.  We are called to think.  We are called to discern.  We are called to be informed citizens.

So what do I love about Facebook?  I love keeping up with friends I have not seen in a long time, especially through photos of what they are doing.  I love the occasional Scrabble game.  I think it's wonderful to share prayer requests and to get updates about prayers answered and requests for continued prayers.  And it's very convenient to send someone a quick message using Facebook.  For people who are on FB often, this is quite likely the fastest way to get a message to them.  

I like the birthday reminders.  I like receiving birthday wishes from people who would not otherwise know my birthday.  And I like sharing photos.  (And I like seeing what my adult children are doing....)

Facebook is often getting a bad rap.  I think it really enhances social connections....(as long as you don't let it pull away too much of your valuable time.)

Texting...

Texting.....OK, I mostly love it.

It's great to send my children a quick message.  Remember when you couldn't get a message to your child at school unless it was an "emergency?"  It's great to just send them a quick text.  "I'll be a few minutes late."  "How late does that meeting go again?"  Etc.

When I'm picking someone up I can just send a text saying "Here."  Very convenient.

Texting also saves time.  If I just have a quick question for someone a text is very efficient.  "Where shall we meet"  "Are you here?"  Etc.

But texting is impersonal.  Yes, it takes less time but it also is completely devoid of the niceties that actual conversation includes.  "Nice talking to you."  "Have a great day."  "Let's get together soon."  "Thanks for calling."  Some of our young people might be surprised to learn that you end phone conversations in that manner.  Why would they be surprised?  Because they rarely make phone calls.  There is something a whole lot more personal about responding to a person's voice than responding to a person's written text.  And, at least for the time being, it is still necessary to sometimes make a phone call.  Young people need more practice on the phone.  It doesn't come as naturally to them as it did to my generation.  

Again, I think it is rude to text in the presence of a real, live person without asking said real live person if they mind.  Explain why you need to do it, or why you need to read a text, and ask if they mind.  Then do it quickly and put the phone away.  It's particularly rude to text or read a text during a meal.  My rule is don't do it unless it's truly very, very urgent and even then, only with permission from the people present.  Ask for their permission.  Even if you know what their answer is going to be.  That's courtesy.  

Next post?   Facebook.  I love it.  I hate it.  Truth be told, I mostly love it.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Technology

I used to really hate some of the new technology.  My father was always fascinated with it.  When cell phones were first coming out he bought me one.  It was huge.  It could barely fit in my purse.  They were so uncommon then that when I got a call in a store I would try to hide behind a rack to talk so as not to draw a lot of attention.  It was embarrassing.  Still, it was reassuring to have one while driving in case there was an emergency.  I think that's why he bought it.

Now I don't go anywhere without my cell phone.  When my kids leave the house that's the last thing I ask.  "Do you have your cell phone?"  When I occasionally forget mine I feel very vulnerable in the car.  What if my car breaks down.  I guess I would then walk to the next exit just as everyone used to do. :-)

But cell phones have their downside too.  Here's my take on technology:

Cell phones--  I love.....the convenience.  I love to be able to reach my family members anytime.  I love that they can reach me.  I love that meeting places never need to be arranged any more.  We just call each other.  (although this time-this place agreements always worked pretty well too.)  I love that no one gets lost in a crowd anymore.  And I love the safety of always having a phone with you.

I hate that people are answering them even when they are in the middle of a conversation with you.  My new rule for my children is the following.  No looking at a screen of any kind, for any reason, when there is a real live person in your presence.  If it's an urgent call, ask the people you're with if they mind if you take this call,  explain why you need to, and then step away from them a little bit.  Make the call brief.  The real live people must be given a priority.

Never, ever answer a cell phone call when you are seated at a table with other people, as for a meal.  In fact, it's best to turn your phone off.  Nearly every call can wait.

I can see this is going to take a while.  In the next post I'm going to write about how I love/hate texting.

Michigan....

I've lived in Michigan for some 45 years now.  I've gotten used to the cold in the winter.  Well, it's still cold.  It's still drastic, but you come to expect it and accept it.  And the winters here are very, very beautiful.  As is the Spring, Summer, and Fall.  We love our seasons.

Today, the temperature was 33 when I came down to the kitchen at 6:00.  Winter has begun.  The other day my youngest child was about to head out the door for school without any jacket at all.  "Liz," I said, it's only 34 degrees."  She answered, "Mom, I'm from Michigan.  I don't get cold."

(But we do get cold.  We're just used to the feeling.  LOL)

Someone posted this video on Facebook recently and the onset of cold Michigan weather made me think of it.  I don't know who made the slideshow but the music is "Michigan Girl" by Ruth and Max Bloomquist.  

You gotta love the mitten!  (This is for you, Anne and Zach Simkins :-)

I heard someone say today that a two year old's behavior is something the parent has no control over.  It wasn't a joke.  It was about a specific behavior problem that was bothersome to the mother.

Over  my years of being a parent I have heard this attitude expressed in different ways many times.  I don't understand it.  Isn't one person the parent for a reason?

Of course, a parent does not have absolute control over how a child responds to a situation or how a child chooses to act.  But, over time, a parent has a great deal of control and enormous influence over a child's behavior.

If my two year old were doing something I did not like, there would be consequences for the behavior.  (This isn't rocket science.)  The consequences would be unpleasant.  The child chooses to avoid the unpleasant consequences and the behavior disappears.  Of course, sometimes even this much intervention is not necessary.  With a compliant child, sometimes all you have to do is explain why the behavior is not right and how you do not want to see it again.  Sometimes even with a somewhat willful child, if you've been consistent about consequences, just explaining why the behavior is wrong and adding that if she/he does it again such and such is going to happen will suffice.  But most children will test you to see if you really are going to respond and to see how much they can get away with.  If you are not willing to enforce consequences then, yes, you will have no control over your child's behavior.

There must be an awful lot of nonsense being written out there about parenting.  Perhaps that explains why we see so many poorly behaved children and teens these days.

During Spirit Week leading up to Homecoming at my daughter's high school, one day was designated a "Disney Day" and all the students were allowed to dress like a Disney character.  My daughter dressed as Cinderella.  On that day she found in her locker, left there by her good friend, the following invitation to the Homecoming Dance.

How cute is that?  I understand that, knowing she would be dressed as Cinderella, he spent quite some time looking for a "glass slipper."  After she opened the locker he appeared with a rose and asked her to go to the dance with him.  So sweet.

Subsequently, this deserving young man was elected Homecoming King!  I said to Liz, "Hey, you really are going to the dance with royalty!  Haha!

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

""The Christians were in an ominous silence, weapons in one hand, rosaries in the other.   Think about that!!!- See more here//www.americaneedsfatima.org/About-the-Rosaries/the-rosary-and-the-battle-of-lepanto.html#sthash.NSiLkxbO.dpuf

I love the rosary.  I know it has brought about many a miracle over the course of history, but for me the miracles have been mainly in my own life.  Some of them I have talked about here.

Today though I want to write just a few suggestions on how one might meditate on the mysteries of the rosary.  These are just ideas, mini meditations, that one might consider while saying each mystery.

The Joyful Mysteries

The Annunciation

Scripture tells us that Mary was afraid when the angel Gabriel appeared to her.  We can just imagine.  What did Gabriel look like?  Did his presence light up the room?  How long did he speak to her?  Did Mary wonder what the consequences of her pregnancy might be?  What would it be like to have that kind of trust in God.

The Visitation

Surely Mary and Elizabeth had an established friendship before the Visitation.  Elizabeth was so happy to see her.  Had Elizabeth been lonely with Zechariah unable to speak?  What did Elizabeth mean when she asked "Who am I that the mother of my Lord should visit me?"  Did she understand what she was saying?  Did the Lord reveal to her who Mary was carrying?  How they must have enjoyed each other's company

The Nativity

This was a delivery under difficult circumstances.  We don't know just how close to the birth Mary was before they finally were taken to the stable.  Perhaps the birth was very imminent!  Do you think riding on that donkey stimulated the onset of labor? (all according to God's plan, of course)  Was it peaceful on the straw?  What was it like for the shepherds when the sky was filled with angels?  FILLED with angels.  It must have been magnificent.  How awestruck they must have been to then find the newborn king lying in a manger.

The Presentation

What joy must have been in Simeon's heart when he saw the Holy Family enter the temple.  He had waited his entire life.  What did Mary and Joseph think as they heard Simeon's words?  I imagine they had a peaceful sense of confirmation.  And what did they think when Simeon said that Mary's heart would be pierced by a sword?  When Joseph heard this ominous word surely he felt very protective of Mary and the Baby Jesus.  Again, a confirmation of what had been revealed to them.

The Finding in the Temple

Imagine Mary and Joseph casually thinking that Jesus was with the other parent.  What concern they must have had when they realized both had thought the same thing.  And then the horror of realizing he had been left behind.  How awful those days must have been.  What agony to wonder what horrible fate might have befallen him.  And then the reunion in the temple.  Surely Jesus had the sweetest of loving smiles on his face when he asked why they had looked for him.  And didn't they know he would be in his father's house?  Again, surely he was smiling and hugging them as he said these words.  And what amazement must have been in the hearts of those who had heard such insights from a twelve-year-old.

A very happy birthday to my youngest son who turns 22 today!!!!!  He has been a joy and a blessing to our family since the day he was born (and before!)

May the Lord bless him and keep him all the days of his life!!!!!

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

    Let thy glory be over all the earth!

Most mornings I take our labrador retriever "Nala" for a walk.  Unlike most retrievers, Nala is not the smartest dog who ever lived.  OK, let me be a little more blunt.  She's an idiot.  But what she lacks in smarts she more than makes up for in affection and adoration of her people.  She's so enamored of my husband she often sits under the table and quietly licks his shoes, as though even licking his shoes puts her in awe of her master.  LOL

I enjoy walking Nala.  But I especially enjoy it when the glory of God is all over everything.  I know, his glory is all over everything every day.  But there is something about the Fall in Michigan.  I saw this leaf on the sidewalk today.  And the color is just beginning.  It will continue to increase in magnificence for several more weeks.

Walked right by these flowers of my neighbor's growing right next to the sidewalk.

MUMS!!!  Aren't they sweet?

I planted these darling little white flowers myself.  I have no idea what they are.  They look like tiny snapdragons.

And alyssum!  I bought the white ones because someone at the farmers' market told me that it is the white ones who have the heavenly fragrance.  And they do!

My morning glories...mostly green vines, but the little blossoms are popping up more and more.  Hope they'll all have time to bloom before the first hard frost.  (Notice Nala's head in the lower right corner :-)

His glory is over all the Earth!!!!

At the end of the entry for today in Magnificat there is a quote from Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier (whom I've never heard of :-)

"Prayer is a private audience granted to us by God."

May I never think of prayer as something I must get to.  Indeed.  A private audience with God!!!