Be Not Idle

Yesterday at the beauty shop, the stylist was chatting to me about places he’d lived. It turned out that he knew the man who bought the gorgeous old country house at the corner of my brother’s street.  His friend had bought it for a song.

Then he brought up the housing slump. He suggested that if someone’s mortgage is for $135K but the house’s value drops, then the bank should be forced to RENEGOTIATE the mortgage amount “or at least the rate”. Continue Reading »

I went to confession yesterday, since I’ll be out of state next weekend. I’m flying to Austin for a information and training conference that begins on Sunday. (Yes, Sunday! The New Sabbath. What a bunch of heathen educators!)

Anyway, I got a really interesting penance. No, it doesn’t involving DOING the Stations of the Cross (from one of my family’s favorite Dave Allen skits).  Instead, I’m supposed to say “No” once a week during Lent.

The good father (and he is good) determined that my Sinning Streak(tm) is related to my reluctance to say “no” to any extra work, any project, any person, etc.  He really hit it out of the park when he said, “You’re forgetting how to relax and spend time with the Lord.”     

So my penance is this: At least once a week during Lent, I must say “no” to a request and spend that time instead with the Lord.

“Do you think you can do that?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. (The irony of my response was lost on me until just now. D’oh!)

Perhaps I said it too enthusiastically, because he added, “I must be losing my touch if that penance seems easy.”

“Well, it’s easier than putting rocks in my shoes,” I said, vaguely remembering a saint who imposed that penance on himself.

“Maybe next year I’ll add that,” he said. (Hope he was kidding… yipes.) 

I have the perfect opportunity this coming week, when our school has scheduled an informational meeting for parents on Wednesday evening. (Yes, Ash Wednesday. I’m seeing a pattern here.) No doubt my principal will ask me to come, since both the parent meeting and the conference are related to a new academic program.

For the second time in my life, I won something in a contest. The first time was a door prize: a clock radio.

This time, I came home to find a special delivery between the storm door and the main door. I’m lucky I didn’t trip over it.

I had entered a drawing sponsored by Coca-Cola and won a $100 grocery gift card. Of course, I started thinking someone else could use it. There’s my friend who lost her job and, because she had been cut to part-time already, won’t be getting unemployment. I bet she’ll refuse, though. Or I could put it towards the next canned food drive for the local food pantry. 

http://www.convertobama.com/

Because I have a bad temper and forget I’m a Christian VERY OFTEN, it’s good when others remind me. Prayer is the greatest weapon we have against our enemies, since God changes our hearts, too.

On February 5th, Michigan’s own Sen. Debbie Stabenow declared her support for a new “fairness doctrine” on the Bill Press Show: The Official Morning Show of the Obama Generation. (No, I’m not making up the subtitle. See Mr. Press’s website.)

It’s been nearly 22 years since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allowed the Fairness Doctrine to die a natural death. But some politicians are talking about reviving it like Frankenstein’s monster. Unfortunately, the average American thinks the Fairness Doctrine is a noble creature, brought into the world with noble intentions – not suspecting it will turn into a twisted thing. Continue Reading »

Laura at Catholic Teacher Musings is  weeping over the loss of a “follower”. She wrote a heartfelt (and funny) letter to the faithless lover reader. To paraphrase a popular book, and possibly movie, she’s afraid that the unnamed cad is not that into her. (Which strikes me as a terrible double entendre, especially for a married lady like Laura, so that perhaps the writer of said book and/or screenplay should wash his/her/its hands with soap.)

Me, I don’t know who reads this blog any more than I know why spammers find me so captivating. But I would hazard that if Laura felt REALLY bad about losing followers, she could do what I do… play hard to get.

Continue Reading »

Life can seem like a battle of the wills: our will versus God’s will. (p. 80)

Gina Loehr’s Real Women, Real Saints has the subtitle Friends for Your Spiritual Journey. This isn’t a typical book on the lives of the saints. It focuses solely on women, including ones who haven’t been canonized, like Blessed Josefina Naval Girbes and Servant of God Dorothy Day.

It also lends itself for use in daily reflections, both because of the brevity of its entries and their arrangement. Typical entries run a page-and-a-half.  The women are grouped into categories by the hallmark of their saintly lives; e.g. “Women of Charity”.

Loehr didn’t write typical biographical entries.  Most begin with a statement such as “Even when human love fails, God’s love remains” (p. 56, St. Bertilla Boscardin). Entries contain sketches of the women’s lives, but don’t go into great depth; e.g. no mention is made of St. Bertilla’s birthplace. In the case of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, the entry contains little biographical information and more reaction to her life.  As Loehr states in her introduction, each entry highlights ”a relationship between the Savior of the universe and a woman who loved him enough to live in harmony with his will.” (p. 2)

Overall, this is a wonderful little book (166 pages) and a great springboard for further reading.  The “Notes” section contains references to books still in print and several on-line sources.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Real Women, Real Saints.