MamaT: April 2006 Archives

Sweet Smock. To think that anyone could see someone as crazy as me as a superwoman. It is to laugh. Ruefully, at that. I only wish I were.

Basically, I just echo Smock's entry. It's a hard time at the moment--though things may be taking a tick upward. At this point, though, I'm more than a little afraid that that tick upward may be that "tick, tick, tick" sound you hear on a roller coaster while you are riding to the top of a hill, so that you can get an even bigger downhill rush!

When I was a young accountant, and was in the giant pool of new hires that got divvied out to jobs like so many cattle, we all wanted the "good jobs." (How we thought we even knew what the "good jobs" were, I can't even remember.) Somehow I never landed on those "good jobs." To sell those less than desirable jobs to us lowly peons, the managers of the jobs would tell us, "But it'll be good experience." And that's when I learned the biggest lesson I ever got from working: Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.

That sounds cynical. And it was, at the time. But I still hold it to be true. AND good for me. I still don't like it much, but experience has taught me far more than the things that I LIKE have ever taught me.

So, what's God busy teaching me? That I'm small, and He's big. That I have work to set my hands to, whether it's what I would choose or not. That rest is important, and He can handle the world while I get some sleep. (Imagine that.) That prayers don't have to "feel" good to be efficacious and necessary. They just have to be done. That bearing burdens can be a glorious vocation--it's just hard to remember that when you're right in the middle of it!

We'll be in and out, though mostly out, I suspect, for a few more weeks. We love ya'll, and we hope that you'll keep checking in. 'Cause when the Summas come back, we'll be wiser, we hope, than we are now.

.......I was interested in this list by Christianity Today:

The Top Ten Jesus Movies

A happy day, and a sad day. Happy because today is Zachary's birthday. Sad? Well, a little. Because as of today, there is officially no teenager at Casa Southard.

And from here on out, my dearest son will have to be known as the ZMan. Excuse me while I go dab my eyes on a hankie. Oh, and blow up a few more balloons......

Pope Benedict's comments on the Triduum can be found here.

It's a nice basic explanation to give your friends when they wonder, "How come ya'll are going to church on Thursday, Friday, Saturday AND Sunday?"

Seriously, I mean, do you really WANT to look like you squashed a small animal with your foot?????

.....based on this review by Christina Hoff Summers in The Weekly Standard.

And I'm buying it from Amazon, rather than a used bookseller (which is my normal habit), because any man brave enough to write this book deserves the royalties from my purchase.

The Summa Mamas have long been lovers and admirers of manly men. We should know. We're married to 'em and we're raising sons to be them. And in this day and time, THAT is an act of courage. We're raising sons who are chivalrous, dependable, courageous and different. It's not easy for them. Smock knows it with a 10 year old. I know it in spades with a soon to be 20 year old.

Manliness, as the author of this book knows and reports, has its downsides. What can be noble in man can also become petulant and dangerous, like Achilles, or angry and malificent like a terrorist. But manliness controlled by reason is necessary. Godly manliness softened by the femininity of a mother, and one day please God, a wife, is the path to fulfillment and happiness for my son.

......for no apparent reason!

On Wednesday of this week, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00
in the morning, the time and date will be

....from the Christianity Today movie newsletter:

Wenders, a German filmmaker, says typical Hollywood blockbusters do all the thinking for you, rarely allowing you to consider, for yourself, the subtleties under the surface. Wenders prefers a movie that "asks you actively to be a part of it. The blockbusters don't want you to be part of it. They just serve it to you on a plate and then you eat it and that's it."

It's the difference between fast food and a gourmet meal. Which do you prefer?

I think this is an interesting question, and the answer in my case is "it depends." Some days, only a Whataburger will do, you know? The same goes for me with movies. Yeah, I liked Lost in Translation. But some nights are simply Death to Smoochy times.

Movies are entertainment for me--and that means that lots of times I don't want to see something "meaningful"--which all too often means "sad and depressing." Sure Life is Beautiful was great--but come on! How many times can you watch Dad march off to the firing squad? Only once in awhile.

It's my contention that that's the big difference between movie critics and those of us schmucks who see a half dozen or so movies (not including numerous repeats of Bambi and The Wizard of Oz)a year. (OK, I see more than that, but I see lots of old ones via Netflix.) We are looking for the spectacle, the fun time, the "let's go out and eat and see a flick with our friends" evening. So we pick the cinematic equivalent of junk food, and it is good.

Smock and Zteen are in a different class. They adore movies. It is funny when Zteen answers the phone when Smock calls my house. They always end up talking about movies. It's a passion they share.

Me? I know the good ones when I see 'em. But often as not, I'd just as soon watch the "junk."

So, tell me. Come clean. What are YOUR favorite movies? Give me a couple of "gourmet" movies and a couple of "I can't believe I'm admitting I love these movies" movies. Dare ya.

.....have too much time on their hands.

But this was fun, anyway!!!!