MamaT: April 2005 Archives

.....is, I suppose, the sure sign that I am an old married woman, not out and about on the weekend. Or a sign that I mismanage my time during the week, and have to get ready for our parish council meeting tomorrow at the last minute. Or it might be a sign that I have WAY TOO MUCH TO DO! (I vote for the latter, because it doesn't make me seem incompetent. But I suspect that I am basically a mis-manager of time.)

Anyway, the only saving grace of working at my desk is that Saturday night is "Classic Country" on the radio station I listen to when I have to work on stuff I hate. Tonight they are featuring Johnny Rodriguez, and they just played my parents' song. It made me think back to that time before my mom got so sick. Ya'll, she was just BEAUTIFUL, and absolutely the best dancer I ever saw. When she and Pap-paw danced, people would smile. She was so full of herself then. And he just thought she was perfect, and it shone through his eyes. It made me know what I wanted for myself.

I hope that Zteen has a memory like that. A time when he knew that his parents loved each other with a love so strong that it survived hard times, health problems and age. It would be the best gift we ever gave him. 'Cause he would know it's possible, and worth fighting for when you find it.

Anyway, here's my parents' favorite song, written by Left Frizzell and sung by Johnny Rodriguez (and also by Merle Haggard):

That's the Way Love Goes

Losing makes me sorry
You say, "Honey, don't worry."
Honey I love you, too.
That's the way love goes.

What Pope Benedict XVI Means by George Weigel.

A snippet:

Ever since the Second Vatican Council, some Catholics and most of the world media have expected --- and in certain cases, demanded --- that the Catholic Church follow the path taken by virtually every other non-fundamentalist western Christian community over the past century: the path of accommodation to secular modernity and its conviction that religious belief, if not mere childishness, is a lifestyle choice with no critical relationship to the truth of things.

Nor is it possible to demonstrate, empirically, that cultural accommodation or appeasement produce vital, growing, compelling Christian communities. Precisely the opposite is the case. Christian communities with porous doctrinal and moral boundaries wither and die. Christian communities with clear doctrinal and moral borders flourish, even amidst the acids of modernity.

Appetizer
Which keys do you have on your key chain?

Soup
What is the most spontaneous thing you've ever done?

SaladWho is the best cook in your family?

Main Course
If you were to write a "how-to" book, what would the title be?

Dessert
Name a recent fad you've tried.

I'll answer in the comments boxes with you!

........from my reading last night. I am almost finished with Helena by Evelyn Waugh.

Constantine has packed up and left Rome, going off to "start fresh" and build a new city of God (and himself)--Constantinople. Helena, his mother, has stayed behind in Rome, and is speaking to Pope Sylvester:

"I don't like new things," said Helena. "No one does in the land I come from. I don't like Constantine's idea of a New Rome. It sounds so empty and clean, like the newly swept house in the Gospel that was filled with devils."

"You can't just send for peace and wisdom, can you?" Helena continued, "and build houses for them and shut them in. Why, they don't exist at all except in people do they? Give me the real bones every time.

I like this. It is exactly my sense of the Church. Dusty, messy, unkempt in some places. Needing some changes. But THERE. Existing. Holding the "real bones." Not started afresh by someone who had a better idea. Not a sterile McMansion somewhere gated away from the rest of the world.

The Church has nooks and crannies everywhere. Odd little rooms of differing devotions and prayers. And Lord knows, she has stables that need cleaning out. But I prefer her, with her "real bones" to any new place I've ever seen.

......a dear friend of mine has just had to put her mother into hospice care. The doctors are giving Florence 3 months at the most.

Florence is in her eighties, and is a beloved member of our parish and her family. SpecialK's hubby is her grandson. She is a dear woman, and I know she would appreciate your prayers as she prepares to go home.

Please also pray for her daughter Judy and the whole family.

Thank you!

.....is ongoing over at Apologia! (Link to the right)

BOTH the Mamas have poems entered in the contest (though mine was a late entry), so we solicit votes unashamedly. (And, Dan, don't laugh at our poems! You're the poet. We're the Mamas!)

Go vote!

1. It is slightly embarrassing to me how absolutely hooked on this show I am.

2. Yay for my old people! I know some people hate Gretchen's voice, but I think she's FUNNY! "66 year old women should not be doing this!" Hee!

3. Rob, meet Karma. Karma meet Rob. While I still think they'll be the ultimate winners (which will bum me out slightly), I danced in my living room when his manipulation spurred the other teams on to a better flight.

4. Kelly? Hush, baby, before you make an even bigger silly of yourself.

5. Jerome the Gnome? Loved it!

6. I want the $20,000 in Travelocity bucks. Awesome prize. And it's enough so that Ron and Kelly can take separate vacations.

7. Why on earth do people in Istanbul WEIGH THEMSELVES ON THE STREETS?

8. Weren't you surprised by how little Uchenna and Joyce were ahead at the beginning of the leg? Shave your head and only be ahead by TWO MINUTES? Yikes.

9. Oh, dear. Next week everyone yelling at each other. Killer Fatigue is hitting big time.

.....before you have kids, is just how FUNNY they are. No one can ever get across the number of moments you will laugh out loud (or to yourself, if it would upset your kiddo) just being around them.

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish are a favorite snack around our house (as popular with the teen as with the McKid). The GoldFish Colors are running some tie-in with the Nickleodeon Kids' Choice Awards, whatever they are. So, instead of getting just colored goldfish in your package--and wouldn't that, really, be ENOUGH?--you now get colored "splat" crackers.

Yesterday afternoon, I walked into my office to see McKid with a giant pile of crackers spread over the top of my desk. She was oh so carefully separating out fish from "splats". I asked her, "What on EARTH are you doing?"

"Getting out all the crabs." (She doesn't get the whole "splat" idea. I'm not sure I do, either.)

"Why?"

"'Cause I only like the crabs. I don't like fish crackers."

Of course, I try logic (stupid me!): "Honey, they're all made out of the same stuff, they just LOOK different. They're just different SHAPES."

"NO, NO, NO, NO! I ONLY EAT CRABS! NO FISH!"

Well, alrighty then.....

Thanks a LOT Pepperidge Farm. Thanks a LOT.

A snippet from a story on Yahoo News this morning:

"As the trend in the ballots slowly made me realize that, in a manner of speaking, the guillotine would fall on me, I started to feel quite dizzy," Benedict said in his native German at the audience, smiling and chuckling. "I thought that I had done my life's work and could now hope to live out my days in peace.

"My fellow brother wrote me: 'If the Lord should now tell you, 'Follow me,' then remember what you preached. Do not refuse. Be obedient. ...This touched my heart. The ways of the Lord are not comfortable, but we were not created for comfort, but for greatness, for good."

I am taping that last sentence on my refrigerator: The ways of the Lord are not comfortable, but we were not created for comfort, but for greatness, for good.

Amen, Papa.

These are pigs competing in a (I'm not kidding here) Pig Olympics in Shanghai China on April 14, 2005. They are a special breed of pig from Thailand, and they are taught to race from shortly after birth.

Well, I suppose that's why the saying is "When pigs fly" instead of "When pigs swim."

Who knew?

Once, it was the Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club. Now, bigger, better, and more impressive than ever, it's

The Pope Benedict XVI Fan Club!

And check out their store, where you can get absolutely GROOVY hats with "Papist" on them. I want a t-shirt with that, but they only have sweatshirts. Bummer. Don't they know how hot it is down here in Texas?

I betcha I could sell 20 Papist t-shirts in 30 minutes at my parish.

PBXVI Fan Club, are you listening?

Obviously, not on the same pace as last year, when I read 49 books. But these two were good:

#13: The 27th Kingdom by Alice Thomas Ellis. This is a very quirky book. Maybe a fable, something of a fairy tale? It's the story of Aunt Irene, who lives in a tiny house in 1950's Chelsea with her evil nephew Kyril. Her sister, the Mother Superior of a order of nuns in Wales, sends her the West Indian postulant, Valentine. Valentine has manifested some miraculous gifts (most spectacularly levitation) and Mother thinks it would be best to get her out of the convent for awhile. The adventures that befall these three, and the others who are involved in their lives make it a tale of "good and evil, angels and demons." It was one of those books that I thought was OK while I was reading it, but has become more than that since then. Random thoughts and images keep returning to my head from the book. My second rating of it would be "better than OK." I would quote something to you from it, but I have passed the book along to another bibliofiend friend, so I can't. You'll just have to read it yourself if you're interested.

#14: Mr. Blue by Myles Connolly. This is part of the Loyola Classics Series. They are reissuing "classic Catholic novels", and have started with In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden, Helena by Evelyn Waugh, and Mr. Blue. They have released Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? by John R. Powers this month, and then next month Saint Francis by Nikos Kazantzakis. General editor for the series? Amy Welborn!

Mr. Blue is the story of a young man, in 1920's New York and Boston, who has decided to live out the Christian life in a radical manner. He is a sort of St. Francis of Assisi for modern times--with a dedication to Lady Poverty and a commitment to live with and serve the poor.

The narrator is some sort of businessman--the counterpoint to Blue. He is fascinated by Blue, and even recognizes that much of what Blue says is true and worthy of imitation. But it makes him uncomfortable. After all, aren't we to plan for our futures, bank up some security, maximize our wealth???? The best thing about the book, to me, was this constant undercurrent between what we might feel drawn to and what we will allow ourselves to do. We are all drawn to sanctity, but we cover it up with layers of ordinariness and worry. Of course Blue is a nutcase. Isn't he? Isn't he? WE are the sane ones. Aren't we?

His eyes were glowing in the dark. He threw his hands up toward the stars: "My hands, my feet, my poor little brain, my eyes, my ears, all matter more than the whole sweep of these constellations!" he burst out. "God himself, the God to whom this whole universe-specked display is as nothing, God himself had hands like mine and feet like mine, and eyes, and brain, and ears! . . ." He looked at me intently. "Without Christ we would be little more than bacteria breeding on a pebble in space or glints of ideas in a whirling void of abstractions. Because of him, I can stand here out under this cold immensity and know that my infinitesimal pulse-beats and acts and thoughts are of more importance than this whole show of a universe. Only for him, I would be crushed beneath the weight of all these worlds. Only for him, I would tumble dazed into the gaping chasms of space and time. Only for him, I would be confounded before the awful fertility and intricacy of all life. Only for him, I would be the merest of animalcules crawling on the merest of motes in a frigid infinity." He turned away from me, turned toward the spread of night behind the parapet. "But behold," he said, his voice rising with exultancy, "behold! God wept and laughed and dined and wined and suffered and died even as you and I. Blah for the immensity of space! Blah for those who would have me a microcosm in the meaningless tangle of an endless evolution! I'm no microcosm. I, too, am a Son of God!"

While I was eating breakfast this morning, I was reading Parade--it's a little magazine insert in the Sunday paper. In this issue, they had the winner of their fifth annual Parade Classroom Poetry Contest.

Oh, dear, I thought. Teen angst poetry. After the laughable winner of the America annual poetry contest (See Bill Luse's blog for info on that contest, and his response to it), I thought I would read more awful poetry.

But no! Much to my surprise, I was utterly charmed by the winning entry. I think the young poetess did a GREAT job. Her name is Jessica McKeon of Allegan, Michigan. And here's her entry:

========================================

TODAY

Tomorrow he is Captain Hook
and Barbie is walking the plank.

=======================================

LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT!

I say we take the $5,000 prize from the mouse poet and give it to her. This girl's got talent with a capital T.

We haven't done this in a long time. What say we do it now?

Appetizer
Name something that helps you fall asleep.

Soup
Who brings out the best in you?

Salad
What do you like to do on a rainy day?

Main Course
Complete this sentence: In our home, we never have enough...

Dessert
Which shoe do you put on first?

I'll answer in the comments boxes with the rest of you.

......from the article Lauren referenced in the comments boxes about Ebay and consecrated hosts. Please note, Ebay only encouraged this seller to take down the host because they couldn't verify the bids, not because they had some change of heart:

The San Jose, Calif., company has defended the auctions, and officials say they have no plans to prohibit the sale of religious material.

"We understood it would offend some people, but it's a legitimate listing. If it were to be put up again, we'd let it stay there," said Hanzi Durzy, an EBay spokesman. "We didn't pull the listing because of what it was. We pulled it because bidding got into an outrageous price range with no bidder preapproval."

Current items prohibited on EBay include animals and wildlife products, drugs and drug paraphernalia, gift cards, lottery tickets and Nazi memorabilia.

Later on in the story, this same ebay rep acknowledged that if someone puts another listing of a consecrated host up, they will accept it.

I appreciate Elizabeth and Lauren's point of view on the issue. They are both women with the courage of their convictions and good words to say. You guys should read their comments, and take them to heart. On this issue, I happen to disagree. I think there are companies that put themselves in a position where I simply cannot any longer patronize them. It's not part of a national boycott of some sort, it's just where I stand. I don't expect Ebay to change its policies for me. On the other hand, I get to choose where I shop. And I always, ALWAYS tell the management why I will no longer shop some place. And I always, ALWAYS let them know what would win my business back. I've done it in retail stores, now I'm doing it on Ebay.

I have followed more or less closely the sale of relics on Ebay. No amount of protesting by those of us "in the community" made one iota of difference in that fight. The emails I got in response to my protests of sales of relics--however "veiled" in the "we're selling the reliquary and throwing in the relic for free" cr** item descriptions--were basically the same as the emails I have received when I protested the sale of the consecrated host (which I did prior to deciding to leave, BTW. I just didn't post those letters here). Basically the same brush off. "Too bad you're offended. Don't buy them, then." Being a "voice" in their "community" has made exactly ZERO difference.

And frankly, if I quit buying stuff from them, but still maintain my membership in the community so that I can protest? Won't work. Any organization that can track member usage can easily discount the protests of those who are not actively buying and selling stuff through their system. I know if it were ME, and I got a complaint from a person who purchased 3 things in 7 years, I'd feel that the risk of ignoring that complaint was relatively minimal. Yeah, yeah, yeah, they ought to listen to all complaints, but face it, the inactive accounts simply won't get the respect the big time buyers/sellers do. It's just the way it goes.

Perhaps I am very wrong. It certainly wouldn't be the first time. If so, I bow to the greater wisdom of Elizabeth and Lauren. (And I don't mean that in a snarky way--really I don't!!!!!) But I don't want to do business with a company that presumes to make its commissions in part on the sale of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of my Lord. I just can't. And I will miss Ebay. It wasn't like GameStop to me. I liked it. A LOT. But I can't do it any more.

.....the latest auction of a concentrated host on Ebay has been removed, but NOT because it is offensive, only because they could not verify the outlandish bids that were being made on it. Read Philothea Rose's post on this HERE.

This is disgusting. I wrote an email protesting the first sale, and got back a letter saying, basically, "Too bad for you. If you don't like it, don't buy it." They have turned the body and blood of Christ into a religious "collectible." It is shameful.

I agree with Philothea on this one. I am not just "not shopping there" anymore. I am off to close my account. And my Paypal account as well.

UPDATE: Here's my note to Ebay, closing my account:

Given your recent decision not to ban the selling of consecrated hosts on your service, I feel that I have no option other than closing my account on Ebay. I will also be closing my account on Paypal.

Sincerely,

These are guys from the North American College in Rome, watching the announcement of the new pope.

This makes my heart sing!

The picture was stolen shamelessly from The Meandering Mind of a Seminarian.

The church must renounce worldly principles and standards in order to accept the truth, and the way it must go will always lead to some form of martyrdom. It is important for us to realize that we cannot bring about unity by diplomatic maneuvers. The result would be a diplomatic structure based on human principles. Instead, we must open ourselves more and more to God.

The unity that God brings about is the only true unity. Anything else is a political construction, and it will be as transitory as all such constructions are. This is the more difficult way, for in political maneuvering, people themselves are active and believe they can achieve something. But we must wait on God, and we must go to meet him by cleansing our hearts.

From? Guess who! Our new pope! Taken from a discussion with Bruderhof members in 1995, when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger, of course.

.....in honor of our new pope. Tried an absolutely yummy new recipe out of my new favorite cookbook (The All New Good Housekeeping Cook Book)--Balsamic-Glazed Pork Chops. Had 'em with steamed green beans, side salads with grape tomatoes and mushrooms and hot whole wheat rolls. We were (can you believe it?) OUT OF WINE, so the toasting had to be done with ice water, but toasting was done.

Anyway, in a token nod to our mom-blog status, here's the recipe for the pork chops:

8 boneless pork loin chops, 1/2 in thick (I just used regular bone in chops)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot or onion
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1. Pat pork dry with paper towels. Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper. In nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Cook port 4 minutes on one side; turn and cook 3 minutes on second side. Transfer pork to platter, keep warm.

2. Increase heat to high. Stir shallot (or onion) into pan juices; cook 1 minute. Stir in vinegar and sugar and cook 1 minutes longer. Pour sauce over pork. Makes 4 main dish servings.

(I cooked the onion a little longer than 1 minute, since I like my onions more browned.)

And Viva Il Papa!!!!!

Here's my take on tonight:

1. Joyce rocked. I would have let them shave my head, too, but I cried along with her when he started cutting. Dang! That's harsh. And then they didn't get a prize at the end?

2. Yay for the old people! But darn it, Gretchen, GET OUT OF THE ELEPHANT AND HELP PUSH!!!!!

3. Glad the gay guys didn't go for the lip lock. We were worried about that.

4. Rob and Amber, meh.

5. Did Kelly really say that in the preview for next week? Dumb, girlfriend, dumb.

6. Camel racing! Yay!

Apparently our dearest Mr. Luse (over at Apologia, link to the right) has gone around the bend. In response to the absolutely stupid mouse poem that the weirdo publication America gave their $1,000 annual poetry prize to, he has decided to hold his own "Mouse Poetry Contest."

Please visit his site for the particulars. And remember to EMAIL your contest entry.

If the winner gets a kiss from the esteemed Mr. Luse, the Mamas MIGHT be interested in entering. Though we must admit, we're a lot better at kissing than poetry!

Happy Birthday, Zteen! Nineteen years ago today we got to meet you face to face, and the world has been a more exciting, fun and wonderful place ever since! Your dad and I are proud of the boy you were and the man you are becoming. God bless you, sweetie! We love you more than you can ever imagine.

If you visit us much, you may notice our new logo and catch phrase. Our dearest SpecialK is too overwhelmed with kids, hubby, life, et al to be a regular poster on the blog. We've tried to shame her into it for months now, but Smock and I have decided to relent and let her off the hook. So the Summas are diminished, but still here in the forms of Smock and MamaT. Anytime SpecialK has something to say, she will be welcomed here with open arms.

I've also spent some time on the blogroll to the right, cleaning it up, adding some new folks. If you see something that doesn't seem right, just let me know.

Please also look at the resources below the links section. MaryH (of Ever New) has done a WONDERFUL job compiling a HUGE page of Catholic blogs. Please use the link to the St. Blog's Parish Hall for an entry to an astounding array of things to read. Just don't blame US when you look up and it's four hours later and the laundry still needs to be done!

...Many Christian schools, put off by the racy and suggestive cheers
taught at secular cheerleading camps, are opting instead for faith-based
camps and competitions. Unlike the short skirts and bare midriffs of
secular cheerleading, Christian camps have modest uniforms, cleaner music
and dancing, and a stronger focus on good sportsmanship.

The Georgia-based Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders works with 15,000 cheerleaders a year in camps and competitions, with a staff of 100 coaches. A North Carolina company, the Christian Cheerleaders of America, teaches
another 7,000 cheerleaders a year. The camps work just like secular ones, but
with Bible study and devotional time added in mornings and nights. Most
of the instructors are college cheerleaders who went to Christian
schools, and they are encouraged to talk about their faith.

One reason we are so harried and hurried is that we make yesterday and tomorrow our business, when all that legitimately concerns us is today. If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.

Lord, help me to take your yoke on my shoulder, not a yoke of my own making. May I learn from You to be gentle and humblehearted. May I find that your load is light.

Just what I needed to read today! God is good to send me memos, isn't He?

....are in the comments box further down the page.

Where are yours?

From my reading last night (In Conversation With God):

Do you know what is the first temptation the devil presents to someone who has begun to serve God better? asks the Cure d'Ars - It is human respect. What is our behaviour like when we are with our friends, at work, at a social gathering? Do we show our condition as sons and daughters of God with simplicity and daring?

and then further on in the reading:

In order to get over worrying about what people will say, we need to have a right intention, being more concerned about God's opinion than anyone else's. We also need strength to ignore small criticisms in a cheerful and imperturbable manner, and be ready to communicate the treasure which each disciple of the Lord has found. We need, too, to give good example, which is simply living coherently with the grace our Lord has placed in our hearts. It is one thing we will never regret. Even in the most difficult environments we can win souls for Christ if we really want to make those friends, colleagues and acquaintances of ours happy. Before wanting to make saints out of all those people we love, we must make them happy and joyful, for nothing better prepares a soul for grace than joy.

=======

Ahem. Now there is something to think about. Make them joyful? There's a radical call for me. Too often I've been expecting THEM to make ME joyful--when I'm the one who really has the source of joy!

Therese Z over at Exultet has an interesting take on the Ten Things You've Done game. (I couldn't play that one, 'cause I couldn't think of 10 things I have done that no one else had. Now as #1 on my list I could put "I have held Steven Riddle's hand." OK, so Julie D. could say that too, but give me a break here!)

Anyway, Therese Z. wants us to list the Ten Things We'd Like To Do Before We Die. And the caveat is, you can't say "cure cancer" unless you're really an oncologist working on it! Be realistic, and tell us your real Top Ten list.

I'll post in the comments box with the rest of you!

Got back home yesterday afternoon after a fun and refreshing couple of days shopping, eating and watching movies with my dearest SisterM. Both of our birthdays are in February, so we decided last year to not give one another gifts, but to take a weekend away for "girls time." It was a GREAT decision.

This year, we went over to Grapevine (not very far from home, but far enough to be "out of sight, out of mind"). We shopped the giant outlet mall (spending < $50 each for the whole weekend--woo hoo!), went to see THREE movies (Miss Congeniality 2, Hitch, and The Upside of Anger), all of which we liked, and drank enough diet Cokes to last until this time NEXT year. We stayed up late to talk and slept late (hey, past 7 IS late for us mommy types!) and ate yummy french fries, M&Ms and popcorn.

Now, it's back the the "real world"....... Sigh.....

I was lucky enough to go to Rome on our parish pilgrimage during 2002. It was beyond fabulous, easily one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. There were hundreds of moments worth retelling, but I won't tell them here.

There is one moment, though, that burns brightly in memory, especially tonight.

Our days were full of busy-ness, but after a communal supper, we were free to do as we wished. Very often this meant that several of us "girls" would head over to a sidewalk cafe across St. Peter's Square for a quick cup of cappucino for those who were coffee addicts, and a glass of "Coca-Cola Light" (with please, please, please more than one ice cube in it!) for me. We would sit and sip and talk and laugh. When the cafe closed, we would head back to the convent for the night.

Walking across the dark St. Peter's Square, we stopped dead in our tracks. To think. We were standing there, us hicks from Texas, looking up at the lighted windows of the Pope's apartment! He was really there! We had seen him in the Wednesday papal audience, of course, but somehow that light burning in an apartment window made it so, so, I don't know, personal, I guess.

With tears in our eyes, the four of us stood on the cobblestones, holding hands. Then we did the true Texas thing. We stood there in the dark and hollered: WE LOVE YOU, PAPA!

We're not foolish enough to think he heard us. But we felt better for having said it.

Lots of people have lots of things to say about the pope. Some people are already talking about whether or not he will be John Paul the Great. Some have reservations. I'm not smart enough, or good enough, to know whether he is or isn't. I didn't expect perfection, which is impossible anyway. What I wanted was someone to show this convert how to be a Catholic. And how to be a bold and unafraid one. JPII did that for me.

And I'm glad I had a chance to tell him that I loved him, even if he never heard it.

I'll be on a quick little trip with my SisterM--shopping, eating, watching movies 'til our eyes fall out. Be back Sunday--Ya'll behave until then!

Dale at Dyspeptic Mutterings (link to the right), has a classic entry, Fun Answers to Stock Questions about the Pope. His #3 question and answer are CLASSIC, and I've stolen them shamelessly from his blog. If you don't read Dale, YOU OUGHT TO!

3. "Don't you think the next Pope should 'get with the times?'"

Interesting question--let me answer it with another one: Do you think Pius XII should have "gotten with the times" from 1939-1944?

....Bill Luse's entry on the Pope and Terri.

All those people speculating on whether the new pope, whoever he may be, will change the church's teachings on contraception, abortion, and the ordination of women. I heard it TWICE this morning on the way back from taking McKid to preschool.

It will only get worse from here.

It is kinda funny, though, when you tell people that you are GLAD the Church stands in contradiction to the modern world. I have had people shake their heads sadly and walk away from me. I'm sure they are thinking, "Poor, deluded, sheep-like woman." Anti-modernism is unfathomable.

Pray for us JPII, especially me, who is becoming more uncharitable by the moment.

....The Inn at the Edge of the World by Alice Thomas Ellis.

Alice Thomas Ellis died just a month or so ago. I had never heard of her, or any of her books. So, on a trip to my favorite place, Half Price Books, I looked for some of her works, and came home with three. The Inn at the Edge of the World was the first one I tried.

Eric, an innkeeper at an inn in Scotland, decides to try to build traffic in his "hanging on by a thread" inn by advertising for people who want to forget Christmas and come someplace where they can just ignore the whole thing.

Five people reply and come: Harry, an older, retired military gentleman who has lost his wife and son, and who is busy writing a history of "Chinese" Gordon; Jessica, a semi famous actress and voice-over star; Ronald, a psychoanalyst who has been abandoned by his wife; Anita, a mid-level manager in a shop, who wants a more fulfilling life; and Jon, a bit part actor who is basically stalking Jessica. How the relationships between these people form and break down, and whether they can see any way out of their sad lives is the point of the book.

But there is more than that. The inn is at the edge of the world in a way different from just being physically remote. It is also a place where the reality of this world and the reality of another world brush against one another, and manage to mix together a little bit. The selkies--the seal people--are a presence. And the dead are much closer than folks imagine.

The story doesn't end in a conventional way. Most of the people go on with their lives, untouched and unchanged. More than that, UNABLE to change the things that have made them isolated and alone. Unwilling to look beyond, wrapped up in the desires and conventions of this life, they are unable to learn a different way and so break out of their ruts. Not a traditional happy ending to be sure. But it's not a traditional unhappy ending either.

Well, I will just say these few things:

1. I want to drive somewhere and see all those animals.
2. I do not want to milk a goat.
3. People need to learn how to READ THE CLUES!!!!!
4. Funniest line ever: "Big money. No Whammies. No Whammies."
5. The beauty queen needs to get a grip.
6. Funniest way to leave the show EVER!!!!!
7. Good for the old people. They don't race very well, but they are hanging in there! (Ha, ha! Take that you ageist Ray!)

If you read us much, you know that on Saturday, Smock and I drove to Dallas to meet Steven of Flos Carmeli and Julie of Happy Catholic fame. We were very nervous on the drive over, because we were afraid they would be disappointed with us "in real life."

It was WONDERFUL! We have long been in awe of Steven; we just think he is one of the smartest bloggers out there. In person, he is warm, charming, HUMBLE, and loving. (And he has the MOST beautiful son!) Julie is like we imagined: open, funny and smart! It wasn't like a first meeting at all. It was like a group of friends that met regularly. No awkwardness, no hesitation. Good food, good fellowship. Laughter, followed by tears.

God allowed us to be together when we heard that the Pope had died. I think that was Providence working. Steven was far from home and those he loved. I think God and our Blessed Mother let us be with him. The rest of us could have had the support of our families, but Steven was on a business trip, and would have been alone! How very good God was to let us be with him then!

There were tears, and prayers (never let it be said that St. Blogs folks are ashamed to pray in public). I'm sure the rest of the restaurant was wondering what was up with those four people in that booth. But it was a miracle.

So, for those of you who read Julie and Steven, read them now knowing that they are the most wonderful people in real life, too! And if you don't read them? Hey, what's up with you? :-)

This one deserves publication because of its absolute generosity:

Hello, I am the owner of Tumblar House. Thank you for the review of The Endless Knot. I apologize for the defective copies. Our supply of books has recently been rebound, and I am willing to replace any defective copies we have sold. I would also like to mention that the second book of the series, The Darkness Did Not, suffers from no such defect. Thanks again.

Stephen Frankini
stephen@tumblarhouse.com

Now, that is standing by your product. Thank you Mr. Frankini! And while I will probably not send in my defective copy, it makes me more willing to purchase the next book in the series. What a nice man!

.......kind of fall through the cracks, and do not see the light of day as they should. Last week, in the midst of anxiety over the Pope and the death of Terri Schiavo, a couple of comments were made on the post where I reviewed William Biersach's book The Endless Knot. While I think my review was generally favorable, I was troubled by the underlying theme: the ONLY good Catholics are trad Catholics.

A nice Chris Bates responded to my review with a lengthy comment (and he left his full name and email address, good for him!), saying how much he appreciated Mr. Biersach's book, and highly recommending the second installment. He went on to comment as follows:

To the earlier criticism on this blog, that only Trads are good catholics. Indeed, this is quite true.

I find this absolutely amazing.

But it is certainly true, Chris, that I am not a good Catholic. I am not even a good person. I lack charity, wisdom and insight. And I thank you for the reminder.

......is the Pastoral Provision that allowed us former Episcopalians to come home, bringing some of our liturgy with us. For that, I am eternally grateful.

.....given how we were suffering/rejoicing:

The strife is o’er, the battle done;
The victory of life is won;
The song of triumph has begun: Alleluia!

Refrain

Again, Cyberhymnal is the source for the music, if you don't know it.

We walk by faith, and not by sight;
No gracious words we hear
From Him Who spake as man ne’er spake;
But we believe Him near.

That, when our life of faith is done,
In realms of clearer light
We may behold Thee as Thou art,
With full and endless sight.

Go to Cyberhymnal if you need a refresher on the tune.

O most loving Father, who willest us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of thee, and to cast all our care on thee, who carest for us: Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which thou hast manifested unto us in thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O heavenly Father, thou understandst all thy children; through thy gift of faith we bring our perplexities to the light of thy wisdom, and receive the blessed encouragement of thy sympathy, and a clearer knowledge of thy will. Glory be to thee for all thy gracious gifts. Amen.

Father, you know how much we love our sweet Papa, and our hearts are broken at the thought of his passing from us. He has truly been your servant in this world. We want him to stay with us. But we know that he is serenely accepting your will. May we also be granted that serenity and peace of being able to say with our whole hearts "not our will, but thine." We ask this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.