Mary, Mother of the Church!! A New Feast!

Today is the new obligatory memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church. Don't you just love it?

The title Mother of the Church was given by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

But the obligatory memorial was instituted just this past March 3, 2018 by Pope Francis.

It will be celebrated the Monday after Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. How wonderfully appropriate.

The Feast is so new that the lectionaries, Magnificat, etc. do not even have the new readings for it.

The Gospel for this memorial is John 19: 25-31. It includes: "Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple who he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman here is your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

To learn more about this new feast read HERE from ncronline.org.

Perhaps you are wondering why the photo of an old, inexpensive statue of Mary with two candles?
When I was quite young, my mother used to organize little May Crownings with the neighborhood kids. There were a lot of Catholic families in our neighborhood and we all carpooled to the local Catholic school, St. John the Baptist in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

These May crownings were for the children. We made the crown from little flowers in the yard. Our mothers would come to watch and help with the singing. There was a lot of giggling and no one got in trouble for being a child.

Anyway, the above photo is the statue we would crown. And  yes, the candles date back that far too. I am that ridiculously sentimental. I keep it above my sink where I can have the pleasure of looking at it every day and remembering.

Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us!

A Happy Mother's Day

For mothers, Mothers Day is the day we celebrate our most important job on Earth, regardless of what other jobs we may have. I remember when my oldest son was born. I thought immediately that the event was so momentous that it made everything else in my life seem trivial, everything I had done before and everything I would ever do.

When you become a mother your heart expands exponentially. There is someone you would die for without hesitation. There is someone whose needs, at least for a great number of years, will always be more important than your own.

I had a lovely Mother's Day. My youngest daughter came home for the celebration!And helped make brunch with my husband. It was delicious. Eggs, gluten free pancakes, sausage- both link and patty, bacon, fruit....

My youngest son and his darling wife came over despite needing 

to be at a family Baptism, on Elle's side, in the afternoon where they were to be 

the godparents of newborn nephew Joseph!

My always busy son John was able to join us!! And even played the piano!!

The adoring aunts and godmothers of these two grandsons....Every woman there was a mother or godmother!

My youngest grandson Jude is the sweetest little guy. Always happy!

For a mom, the sweetest times are always spent with children and grandchildren. There just isn't anything better, is there? Even when the "children" are all adults the joy of just being in their presence is very difficult to describe. And the grandchildren....well, that is the subject of another post.

Bishop Robert Barron on Aspects of the Ascension

On this the traditional Feast of the Ascension Bishop Barron's thoughts on heaven and earth are especially appropriate.

The Ascension raises questions in our minds, does it not? Where is heaven? Is it up? We know it is not a physical place in the way we would normally think of a physical place. And yet we also know that Jesus in present in heaven, in His body. So how do we reconcile those two realities? Bishop Barron explains the mystery very well, with words that we know can only point to those realities that are beyond our understanding.

Cold Climates and the Development of Virtue...

When you live in Michigan it's very difficult to know exactly when Spring has started. We are always on our guard to not get too excited lest our enthusiasm be dashed by yet another frost...or even snow. This particular Spring has been long in coming.

Some say that living in Michigan, or any cold climate, builds character. I can see that could be true. Of course, to actually build that character, one has to take advantage of the opportunities.

In the dead of winter we must embrace endurance and sometimes even long-suffering. Feeling cold for months on end can be trying, to say the least. To drive on treacherous streets is sometimes terrifying, particularly when surrounded by Michigan drivers convinced that their driving is so skilled that there really is no need to slow down on icy roads. We must accept and embrace the fear. Instead of letting anger toward other drivers take a hold, we must take a step back and pray for their and our own safety.

When Spring starts to tease us (and believe me, it is always a tease in this state) we must learn patience. The first rather warmish day does not mean there can't be any more cold ones without our throwing a fit. Even the tenth warm day does not mean winter cannot put forth one more last gasp. We have to love the little snowdrops and crocuses, delighting in their beauty and fragile hardiness in the midst of the inevitable late frost. We have to resist complaining. Unless, of course, it's the light-hearted complaining to a neighbor or cashier, the grumbling that's accompanied by a smile or a chuckle that includes a certain affection for the state known for its fickle weather.

When finally, hopefully, Spring has truly arrived (fingers crossed) we must embrace gratitude for the loveliness of it all. We must notice every new bud, each new flower, the refreshingly warm breeze, the sunshine....all of it. Having lived in the black and white of yet another very long winter, let's rejoice in the colors, the new life, the amazing beauty of God's creation coming back to life.

Spring in Michigan means the glory of God is all over everything. And we have another new opportunity to praise Him, the Author of all life.

God is good. All the time. (In every season.)

Day Out With Thomas

Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan holds a fun event in the Spring called Day Out With Thomas. Anyone with little boys in their life knows how beloved the little tank engine Thomas is. My grandson is no exception.

The event includes a ride on Thomas. Here we are waiting to depart.

Sir Topham Hat is there and you can have your photos taken with him. There is an activity center with multiple tables where tracks can be arranged and Thomas and his friends pulled around. Children were very drawn to these activities. What is it about trains that so fascinates the young?

As I once watched a Thomas video with my grandson I wondered what is it about this series that so appeals to the children. I think there are a couple reasons. First, (but not most importantly) Thomas is adorable. That cute little face with the innocent smile. There is also a positive message in each episode. I think they tend to have one of two themes. Do your job and don't be a jerk. Children understand that. They are just learning to do what is expected and to behave.

Naturally we stopped at the gift shop...

Well, yeah!

There was also an opportunity to have your picture taken with Thomas. We missed that chance because of the line but had another on the way out.

But...great excitement. Off in the distance we spotted Thomas coming around again.

Blaise blew Thomas kisses as he waved good-bye.

It was adorable. What can I say.

Will Anything Survive the Tearing Up of the Yard? Yes!

In addition to the excavation of the new room, more excavating was done to bury the electrical cable, pretty much right along the line of some old daffodils. I moved a few things in the garden before construction began, but not all that much. Mainly sentimental items and a few plants I really love.

Blaise, construction supervisor

After the digging was over and the trench refilled this was about all that was left-- one little piece of a mangled bulb. I thought, Oh well, I'll plant some more.

When, lo and behold, a few weeks later these started appearing-- daffodil stems!! All the ends were cut off, but they kept growing. I don't know where they were in the previous picture, but somehow they found their way back to light.

Now a few are even starting to bloom. Amazing. Mind you, these are old bulb that have seen many a Michigan winter. Very hardy stock. First we saw this....

And then..... their little smiling faces!!

And more good news. Among the sentimental plants I "transplanted" were peonies I had brought from my parents garden at my family home. I have transplanted in quotes because I had very little time and I really just yanked them out of the ground with a shovel, breaking many roots and then threw them back in the ground in a relatively safe place, buried them again and wished them luck.

But here they are coming back up. Living things always push forcefully toward life.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you for the peonies. Thank you for life.

Finally We Have Space!!!

This is what holidays used to look like at our house. People everywhere. All people who loved each other, don't get me wrong. But there were always a lot of people in a pretty confined space.

 We used every chair in the house and some people would still sit on the floor.

 We would turn our Amish table sideways in order to extend it as far as possible. We still had two leaves we could never use because we never had space enough to extend it all the way.

And, no, you could not open the refrigerator with the table like this unless the person sitting in front of it got up. (which they were always quite willing to do.)

It was tight!! Now that the new room is finished we have two different locations where the table can be extended all the way.

We can put it in the new room.

 Or we can extend it from the dining area into the living room/ (Because we removed a half wall here and moved the piano to the new room.)

And, yes, those are just random chairs in the new room. Still trying to make decisions about furniture.

Finally, we can spread out. God is good. All the time. Thank you, Lord.

Barbara Bush--The Excellent Homemaker

On this the day of Barbara Bush's funeral I am reminded of the year 1990 when as First Lady she was invited to be the commencement speaker at Wellesley College. There was much controversy over this invitation. Some 150 students at Wellesley protested her speech claiming it did not uphold the school's feminist beliefs.

Their petition said, "To honor Barbara Bush as a commencement speaker is to honor a woman who has gained recognition through the achievements of her husband, which contravenes what we have been taught over the last four years at Wellesley."

Oh, please. So recognition through achievement was the standard for honor? I wrote a letter to the editor at the time of this protest. I argued that Barbara Bush could probably be credited as much with having achieved the position of First Lady as her husband could be with having been elected president. How would George H.W. Bush have fared raising six children on his own? Barbara maintained the family. Is there any more important job?

Barbara Bush advised the class of 1990 to do three things: Believe in something larger than yourself....get involved in the big ideas of your time. Find the joy in life. Cherish your human connections.  "...you are a human being first and those human connections--- with spouses, with children, with friends-- are the most important investments you will ever make.

Read the entire speech HERE.

Psychologist Phyllis Chesler said at the time (according to the New York Times), that the number of students who voted for Mrs. Bush suggests that "many women still want to live in the castle, still believe in the myth of rescue by marriage and still believe in Prince Charming."

Such a characterization of those who value children and family life is as profoundly offensive today as it was then.

As Barbara Bush once said, "At the end of your life, you will never regret hot having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent." (www.goodhousekeeping.com)

Indeed. What really matters is not what your paycheck is, not what your title is and not how much status your work accords. As Barbara Bush said in her speech, "Our success as a society depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens in your house."

What matters in life is how much you have loved. Barbara Bush's life it would seem was a life well lived.

All in Black and White Again

Here we are all in black and white again.

It's only March 1st. No Michigan resident could have seriously believed the winter was over. And yet I think we all were hoping.

I enjoy winter. I love a good blizzard, as long as my loved ones aren't driving in it. But come the end of February we are all getting a little weary. Shoveling snow is hard work.

Today the temp is hovering a little above freezing, meaning the snow will be wet and heavy, the hardest kind to remove.

And yet it is as beautiful as ever in its monochromatic starkness. The big, heavy wet flakes are descending on us. They would probably melt right away if it weren't for their sheer volume. Hour after hour they will come, until a number of inches have accumulated.

Well, time to enjoy it yet again, and even this may not be the last snowfall of the season. We could have another, even two, even three. Or it may be the last. We never know in Michigan. Every year is different.

Perhaps that is why some say living in a cold climate helps produce character. We have to accept. We have to endure. And realizing that we never know what tomorrow may bring helps us place ourselves in the hands of God. It's true not just for weather but for our very lives.

Construction Update....

So, moving right along..., They have completed the exterior siding. Best view of siding going up was from my kitchen window.

 So, naturally, that is the view we arranged for Blaise... The workman pictured above would occasionally turn and wave.  So kind.

And, yes, I did, with his mother's permission, let him sit on the counter with his feet in the sink. He thoroughly enjoyed watching the siding progress and then, naturally could not resist a little water play in the process.

Half the flooring complete...

And, now, all the flooring is installed and one coat of finish has been applied. It may be completely finished by the end of the week.

All I can think of is dance floor!!

Word On Fire Classics: Orthodoxy

I have had G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy on my book shelf for some time. Now I must read it. You have to love Bishop Robert Barron's ability to succinctly summarize a truth.

The Federal Holiday is Still Called Washington's Birthday!

Did you know that the name of the holiday we celebrate on the third Monday in February is George Washington's Birthday?  This in spite of the fact that George Washington's actual birthday is February 22.  In 1971, Congress, always acting in the people's best interest (tongue in cheek), passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to give workers more three day weekends.  Yes, they really did that.  This act effected George Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veteran's Day.

 I enjoy a three day weekend as much as anyone else.  But when you have a holiday named George Washington's Birthday and we know that George Washington's birthday is February 22, does it really make sense to change it to the third Monday?  Almost seems dishonest.  Anyway, that's Congress.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that Abraham Lincoln's birthday is February 12 and the third Monday in February is usually between February 12 and February 22.  Thus the holiday, George Washington's birthday, has morphed into something called President's day. But, let it be known, the federal holiday is still officially called George Washington's birthday.

There.  Got that off my chest. :-)

George Washington is rightly called the Father of Our Country as indeed he is.  I just finished reading his first inaugural address and I'm all teary eyed.  What an amazing man.  What an incredible leader.

 Mount Vernon, George Washington's home

View from Mount Vernon

Views from Mount Vernon, George Washington's home

Much of what I am about to write about George Washington is from the Mount Vernon website and www.history. com. Mount Vernon is, of course, the home of George Washington and is a fascinating place to visit.  The Mount Vernon website provides a wealth of information about our first president.

Washington was a Virginia gentleman and a successful farmer and businessman.  He was one of the largest land holders in the U.S. at that time owning 8,000 acres at Mount Vernon and 50,000 acres elsewhere. He knew first hand the effect of British taxes on the colonists and supported independence from Great Britain very early on.  As a Virginia delegate to the First Continental Congress, Washington was elected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army and eventually led it to victory.

Washington was a valiant commander in chief.  Mountvernon.org states "George Washington exhibited great steadiness and courage in battle and was frequently near the front lines during his many battles.  At the Battle of Monongahela in 1755, Washington had two horses shot out from underneath him and his coat was pierced by four musket balls.  At Kip's Bay and the Battle of Princeton, Washington risked his own life when rushing to the front lines to rally his flagging troops."

In 1787 he was asked to attend the Constitutional Convention and was elected its president.  He was the first to sign the Constitution.

Washington did not want to be president.  He wanted to return to Mt. Vernon to his family and farming but instead bowed to public pressure.  He won the election very easily.  John Adams, who came in second, became vice president.  At that time there wasn't a popular vote for president.  Only the Electoral College voted for president.  George Washington was elected unanimously twice, the only U.S. president to ever have this distinction.  At the time the United States consisted of 11 states with a population of 4 million people. (Today the U.S. population is 318 million.)

Washington D.C. had not been built so Washington never lived in the White House, although he was very involved in its design as well as in the design of the U.S. Capital.  As president Washington lived in New York and Philadelphia.

According to the Mount Vernon website, at the age of 28, George Washington was 6 ft. 2 inches tall, weighed 174 pounds, and was known as energetic and an excellent dancer. "Dancing was an important part of the social fabric of 18th century life.  And as Washington's social stature began to rise, the number of balls, cotillions, parties, and dances he was invited to also rose considerably. Young Washington, blessed with an athletic frame, quickly came to love dancing and there are many accounts of his dancing throughout the night with an array of female guests."

Did he have wooden false teeth as some have said?  He did not, but he was plagued with many teeth problems and he did have dentures eventually.  Mountvernon.org has some very interesting information about George Washington's teeth problems.  You will feel great sympathy for Washington and deep gratitude for modern dentistry.

Yes, he owned slaves, a topic the New York Times today, as we celebrate Washington's birthday, so tastelessly decided to detail in an op-ed piece.  But he did have some reservations about slavery and ultimately was the only slave owning president to provide for freedom for all of his slaves in his will.

Under President Washington, the United States became a country, not only by winning independence from England, but also by instituting many of the structures that are a part of the fabric of our country even today.  He signed the Judiciary Act of 1789, establishing a six member Supreme Court and the position of Attorney General, and authorizing the creation of a Department of Foreign Affairs (later to be called the State Department), and a Secretary of State.

He signed the Coinage Act of 1792 that established the dollar as our currency.

He authorized the construction of six frigates, the start of the U.S. Navy, with the Naval Act of 1794.

And Washington is said to have read the Bible and prayed every day, on his knees.  From Washington's first inaugural address:

No People can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the Affairs of men more than the People of the United States. Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency. And in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their United Government, the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities, from which the event has resulted, cannot be compared with the means by which most Governments have been established, without some return of pious gratitude along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seem to presage. 

Read the entire address HERE.

 May God continue to provide for and bless these United States of America.

Recent Sights That Have Made Me Smile

Here is the new room, sheetrock up, opened to the old family room. I'm loving the light.

And then this thank you message from my daughter for the valentine I sent her...so sweet.

And yet another gorgeous sunrise out my eastern bedroom window. The glory of God every morning. I don't know how anyone can see the magnificent beauty of a sunrise or a sunset and still question the existence of God. His glory is all over everything.

Ash Wednesday

Remember man that you are dust....yes.

Ash Wednesday as a day of fast and abstinence allows those of us who have led privileged lives to experience something unfamiliar-- hunger. For many people, this is an every day occurrence. For us it is jarringly unfamiliar and even a little distressing. Perhaps, because of our weakness, we are thus given a special opportunity to offer something to the Lord.

But Lent is much deeper than hunger. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 540:

Jesus' temptation reveals the way in which the Son of God is Messiah, contrary to the way Satan proposes to him and the way men wish to attribute to him. This is why Christ vanquished the Tempter for us: "For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning." (Heb 4:15) By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert.

Surely, Jesus experienced temptation to a degree unlike anything we can imagine.

Lent is a time of great grace. May we not miss the opportunities we are offered to receive more of what the Lord longs to give us. From CCC 1438:

The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church's penitential practice. These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works).

And from In Conversation with God, the meditation for Ash Wednesday: "God wants to detach ourselves from the things of the earth and return to him. He wants us to abandon sin, which makes us grow old and die, and for us to return to the fount of life and joy." Jesus Christ himself is the most sublime grace of the whole of Lent. (From an Ash Wednesday homily 2/28/1979 Pope Saint John Paul, II)

May each of us experience a holy Lent.

Blaise Learning to Talk-- "Come ON!!"

Blaise looks very much like his mother did as a baby. The only people who don't think he resembles his mother are those who didn't know her as a baby. But Blaise's budding ability to communicate very much resembles his dad.

His father, my son-in-law, is a very engaging person who is hilariously funny. I see the beginnings of these traits in Blaise.

As Blaise learns to talk he has added some emphatic, and rather funny, expressions. Shortly after learning the word no, Blaise started saying no way, only he emphasized the way as though it were an emphatic suffix. He would say no oo-way. And this in answer to simple yes/no questions such as Would you like some juice? No oo-way! I'm sure he wondered why everyone would chuckle at his responses. He was just expressing his own personal intensity.

More recently he has added the expression Okay, fine. And this again in answer to a yes/no question. Would you like some oatmeal? Okay, fine. It is as though he has learned another way to add an intensifier to his answers. I find it linguistically interesting as well as humorous.

I think my favorite example was when Blaise learned the expression Come on! In various situations he will say Come on! It's hilarious. Once there was a repairman in his kitchen trying to fill out a receipt. The pen wasn't working. He shook it, scribbled, shook it again, and quietly said under his breath (to the pen) "Come on." Blaise echoed him with a forceful, "Come on!"

This child is just so funny. Grandchildren are such a gift.

"Every branch big with it...."

We've had a lot of snow and more to come.... Snow in the Suburbs by Thomas Hardy

Every branch big with it, Bent every twig with it; Every fork like a white web-foot; Every street and pavement mute: Some flakes have lost their way, and grope back upward when Meeting those meandering down they turn and descend again. The palings are glued together like a wall, And there is no waft of wind with the fleecy fall. A sparrow enters the tree, Whereon immediately A snow-lump thrice his own slight size Descends on him and showers his head and eye And overturns him, And near inurns him, And lights on a nether twig, when its brush Starts off a volley of other lodging lumps with a rush. The steps are a blanched slope, Up which, with feeble hope, A black cat comes, wide-eyed and thin; And we take him in. This poem was copied from http://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=239