Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Is there a patron saint of keeping our mouths shut?

Yesterday, I was having a really long day. I had a long meeting, I had a long reference shift, and in the midst of all that I had to prepare a lesson plan for a gigantic class today that I'm nervous about teaching every semester. And so during my last hour and a half at work, I got back from the reference desk and sat down to both pump and work on my lesson at the same time. In an effort to relax myself, I checked my Facebook news feed first, and something happened that I knew would happen eventually, but hadn't actually taken place until the cursed day that was yesterday: I was very upset by something that I read on there.

My list of Facebook friends isn't teeny tiny, nor is it huge. I'm friends with some people on there that I rarely if ever see in everyday life. But in each instance, I do care about what is going on in their life, hence the reason for the friending. And in any group of 130 people, naturally all of these people are going to have a mix of different opinions, viewpoints and lifestyles. And that's fine. I'm married to an atheist, for heaven's sake. I don't need everyone to agree with me. I have lots of friends, both on Facebook and in real life, that I treasure deeply despite any differences in our worldviews. In real life, this is because we all respect each other and can discuss things (when they come up) in a civilized and charitable fashion.

On Facebook, you have a totally different phenomena going on. I do think people feel less restrained in what they say in such a format, plus you also see comments from strangers, people you're not friends with, but they commented on one of your friends posts. And this is what happened in my situation yesterday.

One of my Facebook friends posted a link to an article about the story that is all the rage in the Catholic news right now: Catholic bishops objecting to mandated contraception coverage in all insurance plans. And the thing is, that topic isn't even relevant to the post I'm writing now, because the fact that people disagree with the Church on this is not remotely the reason that I got upset. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I'm friends with lots of people that aren't Catholic. No problem. What upset me is that I'm reading my Facebook news feed, and I have to see comments that are mean spirited, ugly, and absolutely vitriolic. I actually started shaking reading some of them.

I got mad.

People, this isn't easy to accomplish. I am EASY GOING. Can someone make me mildly annoyed? Yes, very easily. I do work with college students after all. But mad? That's hard to do. And I wasn't just mad. I was seething.

The comments that got me riled up were not crafted by my Facebook friend posting a link to the article. They were in the comments that followed, from her friends and friends of friends. And I KNOW that anything Catholic is not a very popular religious choice, especially if it becomes known that one actually believes in all of the teachings of the Church. So, some snarky comments about how outdated the Church is and virtual eye rolling do not bother me in the least.

But what DOES make me mad, my friends, is the absolute intolerant and NASTY stuff that I read yesterday. I mean, HORRIBLE. Terrible inflammatory statements about the Church and anybody SIMPLE MINDED enough to actually align themselves with such an archaic institution.

99% of the time, I can let things go. But this stuff? I couldn't let it go. I just couldn't. I'm not going to even dignify what was said by paraphrasing it here, but I'd hope that you'd trust my judgment enough to know that the fact that I was so upset by it means that it was BAD.

I'm using caps a lot, see how worked up I am?

So I posted something. This is way out of my comfort zone, because I would never ordinarily do it, but I couldn't help it. I simply commented that I found the comments posted therein to be both unkind and unfair. I immediately got a comment back directed to me that had a major Attitude.

Well. I'm weak, but I couldn't let it go. I just COULDN'T. Pride goeth before a fall, sigh.

I certainly was not going to get into a debate on Facebook. Because, primarily, it's an easy format in which to lose your cool and launch into a very uncharitable tone with people. And that's wrong, even if you feel provoked. Secondly, let's face it, it's not going to do any good. Is she going to change her mind because I try to argue with her on Facebook? No way.

So I did comment back, but only to say that there are others out there, myself included, with a different viewpoint, and I respectfully agreed to disagree. I just wanted everyone who was spewing venom out on that thread to realize that, yes, there ARE still people out there who identify as Catholics, are proud of it, and feel that, despite the human imperfections of Her members, the Church is a beautiful and worthwhile institution.

Well. That ignited a malestrom of even uglier responses, and at that point, I did let it go. Because that was the right thing to do, and sometimes, I'm able to do the right thing. Not often enough, for sure, but sometimes I am. I did want to stand up for the Church, but I also did not want to slip into putting my pride first and thereby causing others to have an even more negative impression of Her. There was nothing to be gained by saying anymore, I'd said what I felt I needed to, and then I stepped away. These were all strangers to me anyway, why should I care what they think?

But I tell you, gentle reader, it was HARD. Oh, OH so very difficult! Someone even took my one sentence (and polite, if nothing else) reply and mocked it. It was a long post, I had clearly touched a nerve. And even though I left work feeling like I was snorting my nostrils out and creating new wrinkles in my forehead (such an attractive look), I didn't write anymore.

Interestingly, when I checked the thread again this morning (glutton for punishment), the worst of the comments, like that long one after mine? Gone. Deleted. Must be either by the commenter, or by the original poster of the article. Interesting. So maybe somebody else also thought they were over the top.

But this begs a question: when you hear something that you feel is anti-Catholic, should we say something? Or should we let it go and be an example of humility? St. Francis of Assisi tells us that we should evangelize always, and when necessary, use words. Yesterday, I felt a few words were necessary. But I agonized over whether or not I should say them, and chose them very carefully. And I stand by what I wrote. It was charitable and respectful. I held back a lot of what, emotionally, was roiling inside me. Was it the right thing to do?

In the end, I'm very glad that I chose my few words and otherwise held my tongue. I don't need to spew hatred all over a social networking site. I stand confidently with the Church, who stands firm, despite the weaknesses of Her human members.

And I learned another important lesson: I'm going to hide more things on Facebook when something bothers me. Nobody needs that kind of negativity in their life. Certainly not on something that is designed to help us stay connected to our family and friends.

So, the question of the day...Catholic Librarian: kind and possibly brave, or a cowardly idiot? Discuss. :)

Monday, January 30, 2012

Catholic Schools Week!

It's Catholic Schools Week here in my diocese, and Hank is all excited about all of the special activities they have planned for each day. He also loves that they only have to wear their uniforms today and can dress down the rest of the week.

But really, he doesn't complain about the uniforms, he just loves it when they do get a dress down day once per month (usually, with a $1 donation to a local charity). I, on the other hand, LOVE the uniforms. Mornings are infinitely easier: he knows exactly what to put on and can do it all himself, he just picks either a white shirt or light blue. Sweet.

It's been an interesting year for us with Henry in a Catholic school for the first time. I never went to Catholic school, just public schools my whole life. Mike went to a Catholic school for a few years in elementary school and actually loved it. We're planning to re-enroll Henry again for second grade in his current school. If you were to ask him where he wants to go to school next year, he'd tell you that he wants to go back to the public school. But he really can't articulate why. One time he told me that he liked art better there, I think, so pretty inconsequential stuff.

I think it's a "grass is always greener" phenomena. He's in first grade, so we're now at the "other kids tease and make inappropriate jokes" age, unfortunately. But that's going to be the case anywhere. And if he were to go back to the public school, we'd have to go through the trauma of him not knowing anybody and being all anxious about it again, since the public school is MUCH larger and has multiple classes for each grade. Even though he went there for kindergarten, he certainly wouldn't know at least half of his classmates. They had 4 kindergarten classes when he went there, but I know they also laid teachers off, so likely they are down to 3 classes, which means larger classes. In his Catholic school, he definitely gets a TON more attention, with a smaller class. He even gets papers sent home with nice notes from the principal if he does a good job on something. There's definitely a "homey" feel to this school. Plus, I love that he gets his sacramental preparation right in school, and we don't have to do CCD one night per week.

Mike and I haven't even really talked about it in depth, we're both just of the mindset that he should stay at his Catholic school for next year. Henry is a bit shy, and so I worry about him making friends and being happy. But he's always happy in the mornings going to school, he's not hesitant in any way. And for that reason too I think it would be a bad idea to switch him again. He's not gushing with enthusiasm about school, but I think he just prefers to be home.

So, all in all, it's been an informative year. I feel like it's money well spent.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Tired, so very tired

Well, last night was a better night, but after 3 weeks with only 2 better nights in the mix, I'm officially exhausted. "Better" means, you know, I'm not downstairs with a fussy Anne at 3 am watching The Bob Newhart Show on the Hallmark channel, with soaking wet pajamas from her drool and sore body parts from all the baby elbowing going on. It's a relative term, you see.

It's not so bad, really. I do not despair. But I do have a hard time coming up with new belly dance combinations when I'm this tired, and I'm supposed to have a fresh one crafted for tonight's class. Lack of sleep = fuzzy brain.

This must also explain how the other day I stood in front of my office with my key in the lock trying to open the door, and it took me a full 20 seconds to realize that this wasn't my office at all. It was the identical office exactly one floor up from mine. I actually climbed a full extra set of stairs and didn't realize it. Luckily, the occupant wasn't in the office, or else I would have been mortified. It was difficult enough trying to look casual as I wrenched my key out of the lock and strolled away in front of the students studying along the nearby wall. I also stopped off on the floor that I thought was the main floor Wednesday morning to report in for my reference shift and stood baffled for a moment wondering when they moved all these tall stacks with journals on them to the main floor right in front of the doors. Right. Once again, the Stairwell Devil had coaxed me out onto the wrong floor and I was powerless in his vicious grip.

It's also been tough to stay awake in meetings lately, but I bravely soldier on.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

When the baby is up in your bed blowing raspberries and drooling on your pajamas at 2 am...

...you must do the following the next day:

(1) drag yourself out of bed only when the clock strikes a time after which it will be physically impossible to fit in all the necessary getting ready activities and still get a decent parking space at work.

(2) apply more powder and blush than usual in an effort to actually LOOK ALIVE.

(3) don't even bother to do more than pull a comb through your rat's nest of a head of hair and carefully coil it up into a fetching bun.

(4) choke down some coffee.

(5) try not to wonder how the baby appears so happy and well rested. Some things just defy explanation.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Ordinary Time? Not so ordinary

I'm sure that I've mentioned before that I absolutely *love* the Church's liturgical calendar, and following along with the different liturgical seasons. Right now, we're in "Ordinary Time," and in the past, the name always made me feel a bit ho hum. You know, Christmas is over, Lent hasn't started yet, so we're just filling in the gap. The priest wears green vestments, and there are no special flowers or decorations at the church right now.

Well. I couldn't have been more wrong. :) And, as ever, I'm grateful that I teach Children's Liturgy of the Word and have the opportunity to learn new things about my faith along with the children.

This morning I was on the very quiet reference desk, and so pulled out my preparation sheets for this Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. There's always an introduction for the catechist to the readings for that day plus some background on the current liturgical season. And here's where it gets interesting. At least for me. :)

The sheet notes that the word "ordinary," as used to denote liturgical time, does not mean "commonplace." The original meaning of the word was a person occupying a high office, and thus indicates a loftiness of rank. As well:

"Ordinary time is that grouping of Sundays lying between the great Incarnational observances of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, and the great Resurrection observances of Lent, Easter and Pentecost. After the feasts and fasts of these two great centers of our lives, ordinary time provides us with an opportunity to take a more detailed look at our spiritual life and its underpinnings. Having just celebrated the Incarnation, we now turn our attention, during the next four weeks, to how it is that the Christ, born in us at Christmas, lives in us, and we in Christ. Who is Jesus, and what does Jesus mean to me? These are the questions for post-Christmas ordinary time. But these are not ordinary questions."

I loved, loved, loved this explanation. And for the past couple of years, I have indeed felt more of a significance to Ordinary Time. It's a time for reflection and preparation for the major feasts of the Church. How are the major events of our faith, and our day-to-day relationship with Jesus, impacting our everyday lives? And so the above explanation for this next month in particular really resonated with me.

As I drove into work this morning, I was thinking about Lent coming up next month. I love Lent. And this year, I don't want to be caught unprepared for how I want to approach that 6 week period. I'm planning a time of spiritual reading that I'll write more about in a separate post, and I'm very excited about it.

Excited about Lent = weird? Not sure, but it is noteworthy. :)

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Apparently, I may be a knitting freak

Today during my lunch break, I journeyed over to Youtube to watch a video on how to do a 3 needle bind off for the child's vest I'm working on. I find Youtube invaluable for knitting help; seeing a video really brings techniques home for me in ways that simply reading about them does not. I watched the video, and felt optimistic about the technique. I had never done this sort of bind off before; apparently it creates a seam, in this case, in the shoulders of the vest. Good, that was settled.

Before I navigated away, I caught a glimpse of a recommended video on my right navigation bar for making a knit stitch in the Continental method. For those of you that don't knit, this is where it gets all gobledegook-like.

There are 2 ways to knit. One is called the Continental method, and it involves picking up the working yarn with your right needle to slip through your stitch. The other, the predominant method in this country, is called the English method, and these knitters are called "throwers" (rather than the Continental "pickers"; that seems like a bit of a crass way of putting it, but for whatever reason, that's the common parlance). In the English method, one throws the working yarn over the right needle to then slip through your stitch.

I knit via the English method. Or, at least I thought I did. I had heard on a knitting podcast recently that the Continental method is really good for using multiple small strands of yarn to create colorful motifs in what is known as Fair Isle Knitting, which I've always wanted to learn, so I thought that one of these days I should check out Continental knitting. My friend Stacy from my knitting group knits this way, so I knew that I could go to her with questions.

Thus (finally, I know) I clicked on the link in Youtube. The nice knitting lady demonstrated a knitting stitch in the Continental method. She described how Continental knitters hold their working yarn in their left hand and then pick the yarn up on their right needle counterclockwise. Huh. That didn't look all that different from what I do, since I too hold my yarn in my left hand. Ah ha! I see there is also a video by the same nice knitting lady on a knit stitch in the English style, so let me objectively look at that one to compare.

And this is where the shock comes into the picture. I mean, it's shocking for me because I'm so invested in knitting. For anybody else that managed to read this far into this post, well, God bless you. The video informed me that English knitters hold their working yarn in their *right hand*. Um, no they don't. Because I've never held my working yarn in my right hand a day in my life, that's simply not possible.

Thus, I ignored aforementioned nice knitting lady. And consulted with my knitting group. The verdict?

Yep, English style knitters hold their working yarn in their right hand. The thought of doing so makes my hands actually clench into claws, it seems so onerous and out of place to me. So I hold my working yarn in my left hand like a Continental knitter. But yet, I definitely "throw" the yarn like an English knitter, I don't "pick" it. So what does that make me?

A bit of a freak it appears. I apparently knit via some mysterious 3rd method that nobody knows about but me. We'll coin it the "Tiffany method." I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that I crocheted for decades before I learned to knit, and I always crochet with my working yarn in my left hand, since the hook is in my right hand.

Who knew? Not me, and I've been knitting for years. You learn something new everyday. So perhaps Continental knitting won't be so hard for me to pick up after all...

Get that girl a tutu!


I discovered something very adorable about Anne the other day. She pulled herself up onto her exersaucer and hit one of the toys on there that plays music. She then commenced to bob up and down in time to the beat.

Yes, my baby has rhythm. And I couldn't be happier about it.

Naturally, I squealed, and started talking about her starting dancing lessons, because you know, I absolutely cannot wait for this. Mike seemed dubious by my plans to start her off at age 4, but I told him to leave it to me. If there's one thing in the household that I should be in control of, dancing is that thing.

I'm so excited.

In other precious baby news, if you crochet, you simply have to check out this etsy shop that I discovered for baby patterns. There is a cupcake dress and hat pattern, plus a watermelon set that I'm dying for.

I can't wait to crochet her a bunch of stuff in cotton pastels for the summer. *blissful sigh* I'm still very much in winter sweater mode, and enjoying it, but it's nice to have different seasonal crafting to look forward to.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Mass as a family

My husband is not currently a practicing Catholic, but he does love a good vigil Mass, which I find completely precious. We don't often go to a vigil, because it often just doesn't seem to work schedule-wise. However, given that Mike will accompany us when we do go, I think that I need to make more of an effort to make the time for Saturday evening Mass, so that we can all go together.

Sunday mornings (my preferred Mass time) are also complicated by Anne's nap, which is during the 10 am Family Mass 100% of the time. So, it's mostly just Henry and I that go, and lately, he's been balking at going, which I posted about last week. When I am leading the Children's Liturgy of the Word program for the week, obviously I have to go to 10 am Mass, and Henry does like helping me set up and take down all the accessories for that. But usually I end up going to that Mass because it works out best with our schedule. Plus, Henry loves the music ensemble that plays at that Mass.

But Sunday my mom and I were taking Henry to see Disney on Ice, so I thought it was a good weekend to go to the vigil Mass. So we planned it out, and did it. With both children, which always involves just a hair of anxiety.

And it went great. Henry's whining was at a minimum, and Anne was enthralled. We brought a bottle of pumped milk for her, since she had just gotten up from her afternoon nap. After she finished, she let out a belch that I'm certain even the organist up in the choir loft could hear. This seemed to endear her to every little old lady in the congregation. She was *excellent,* just looking around curiously the whole time.

We went to my regular parish (we don't always, since their vigil at 5 pm is considered "late" by my adorable husband, we'll often go to a 4 or 4:30 at a nearby parish) and Mike had a very positive impression. Before we left to go, Mike saw the headcovering I had been wearing sitting on the table and asked: "aren't you going to wear this?" sounding very disappointed, which earned him even more bonus points. He really loves my headcoverings (a collection of scarves and headbands). I was going to wear one, just a different one, since the first one I put on seemed determined to slip off my head, even with bobby pins. I wore a chiffon scarf in pink hues that he said is his favorite, so all was well.

It was just so, so nice for all 4 of us to go. This coming weekend, I had Children's Liturgy of the Word, so Hank and I will do 10 am duty. And after that, who knows? I'd like to incorporate more vigil-going into our lives.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Morning discovery:

(1) Anne crawls up to me, whining.

(2) I nurse Anne.

(3) I put Anne down.

(4) Anne bursts into tears and clings to my pant leg.

(repeat this, btw, on an endless cycle daily for the past 2 weeks, including additional fun like nap refusals and waking up howling 10 minutes after we put her down for bed).

But this morning, when I gently put my finger to her top gum, I felt:

A sharp tooth edge.

PRAISE.JESUS.

Because we seriously couldn't stand it anymore. We're all exhausted.

I did think it was terribly adorable after she got her first 2 teeth (bottom center) a month or so ago when I overheard Henry sit next to her and say:

"Look at your little teeth, Anne! They're really getting taller!"

Like he needed to encourage her in her tooth growing endeavors.

Precious.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

*glares*

Work is making me grumpy today, so I'm determined to stay positive by lingering on positive things.

I've been knitting a lot lately, and currently I'm working on 2 sweaters. One is for the knit-along I'm doing at work (a red cardigan) and the other is a fabulous blue and gray winter sweater that I just cast on at home.

As well, my good friend Sarah just contacted me about her son's birthday party, and the theme is owls. You know what this means, don't you? I SIMPLY MUST KNIT HIM AN OWL SWEATER.

Well, let me edit that a bit. I looked at the calendar and realized that his birthday is in less than a month (feast of Our Lady of Lourdes) and thus I modified "Owl Sweater!" to "Owl Vest!" Vests = no sleeves = a much speedier project, and a much happier knitting Catholic Librarian. I don't want to go through the bitterness that was Christmas Knitting 2011 again. I mentally went through my stash, and realized that I have a lovely blue premium acrylic (machine washable is a must for kids knits, and this one is from Knit Picks and is heavenly soft) and his mom's favorite color is blue. Voila!

So I got that excited feeling in the pit of my stomach when I pounce upon a new craft project. I immediately navigated over to Ravelry to found a good pattern. Owls are big in knitting, because they can be easily stitched using a cable needle technique. So I found lots of adorable patterns. I really like this one. Only problem being that it's written for a baby, and I don't trust myself to correctly size up a pattern. I can try if I'm desperate, but I'd much rather have a pattern written specifically for toddler sizes.

I found one Leisure Arts booklet that has patterns for kids vests with owls, kittens, bears and bunnies, and I kind of want it really bad. I can order it online, but I figured I should swing by Jo Ann's first on my way home since they carry a ton of those Leisure Arts booklets. That way I wouldn't have to pay shipping, plus I could use a coupon. So, we'll see if it's there. I want to go right now, because I'm hating work today and would much rather hide in my happy family and craft world.

Oh sigh. Well, it's already lunch time, and the end of the work day will be here soon enough. I can listen to my happy Catholic podcasts and zip to Jo Ann on my way home, and then go home to Mike and my babies. Life is good.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

What kind of Catholic are you if you...go to *confession*?

Mike and I had an interesting discussion last night. He happened to mention to a family member (also Catholic) that he was picking up a book for me at the public library so that I had time to stop off and go to confession on my way home, since the parish where Hank goes to school has confession on Tuesday afternoons (odd, but true). He said that the family member looked quite surprised and said:

"Tiffany is going to confession? *Why would she need to do THAT?!* I don't believe in confession."

In the conversation that ensued, the family member also mentioned that she doesn't believe in papal infallibility, or the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

So this got me to thinking. It does seem to me that often, Catholics who regularly go to confession are viewed with suspicion:

(1) What on earth do they do so horrible that they need to confess it so often?!

Or incredulity:

(2) They go to confession? In one of those creepy little wood boxes with a priest? FREAKS.

I don't mean to imply that all people who are averse to the idea of confession are mean spirited, certainly not. But in my opinion, the sacrament of reconciliation is the least understood, by both Catholics and non-Catholics alike. And it's definitely underused.

So, as Mike and I were talking, he gave me his analysis:

"I told her that you shouldn't be a Catholic just because that's what you've always done. If you don't believe in the major tenets of the faith, it's not right to call yourself a Catholic and badmouth it's main beliefs. She should realize what I've thought she was for a long time now: an Episcopalian."

I had to laugh at that. :) I mean, I appreciate what he's saying. You should align yourself with a religious faith because you believe it to be the truth and take pride in it. Your faith should be your own and not simply something you call yourself because you never really thought too deeply about it. And if you feel very strongly that you cannot accept certain teachings of that church, maybe a different worship community is right for you.

But on the other hand...what about healthy doubt? We're not all robots without minds of our own to think things through and analyze them. And what if you're struggling with a particular teaching, but you continue to study and to pray about it? Certainly, there's a place for you in the Church. I wouldn't want it any other way. But where does that line come into play that a person, via their words and actions, actually disengages themselves from the Church? This family member attends Mass every Sunday. That to me says that she feels strongly about her Catholic identity.

So...what makes a person a Catholic? It certainly isn't up to me to decide the answer to this question, but I think it's interesting to ponder. I certainly don't like conversations that deteriorate into what makes a person a "good" or a "bad" Catholic. None of us is perfect, and all one can ever do is try their best to live out the faith and be a good example.

Confession was awesome, by the way. And this parish actually had *2* priests hearing confessions, practically unheard of nowadays. And a decent number of people came and went. I always feel so good after I go to confession. It can be intimidating, but it certainly is cleansing.

Food for thought. :)

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

"Mommy, church is boring, I don't want to go."

So, I wondered if this would happen one day, and that day is upon us. Henry has been giving me a tough time lately about going to church. He's gotten rather whiny about the whole thing, and I've had to really prod him along to get dressed and out the door to go to Mass.

Luckily, even though my husband doesn't often accompany us to Mass, he supports me in all that my Catholicism entails, including raising our children Catholic. He never undermines my efforts with Henry and questions why Henry should have to go. He simply comes over, tells Henry that it's time for church, and helps him on with his coat. And for that, I'm very grateful.

But the whole thing has gotten me to thinking. My job is even tougher because my husband and I can't do things together to encourage our children in the faith. That job lies with me. And of course, I worry (because I do that so very well): am I a bad Catholic mother? What am I doing wrong?

I send my son to Catholic school, plus I've *always* taken him to Mass. I've introduced him to traditions that he enjoys such as lighting votive candles, using holy water to bless himself and making the sign of the cross, using an Advent wreath and Advent calendar, and Lenten activities. When he was younger we always read out of his children's Bible and now he's very familiar with some key passages. I taught him his basic prayers, but I know I should be better about praying with him regularly. I just get tied up at bedtime with the baby and so Mike handles getting Henry into bed.

So, the nitty gritty. What can I do to make church less "boring" for him? I sympathize, because when I was a child I thought Mass was boring too. And I felt like my mom "made" me go, and I don't want my kids to feel that way. Maybe it's inevitable no matter what, I don't know. Because I am going to "make them go" while they are living in my house. However, I want them to feel a bond to their faith and make it their own, and thus feel a healthy curiosity about it and enjoy it. So, what can I do?

I try to explain things about the Mass to him when they come up. We light candles after Mass whenever he asks. This past Sunday I was desperate and so grabbed an illustrated children's book of the saints that Anne had in her Christmas stocking (one of the featured saints is St. Anne) and that lured him out the door. And he actually loved it. It's this one and it's quite nice. He seemed quite taken with St. Joan of Ark and St. Michael, and looked through the pictures for most of Mass. As long as it's spiritual reading, I don't mind him having books at Mass. I also ordered him a sample copy of Magnifikid to see if that will help. It's $35 a year I believe for a subscription, and I wanted to make sure he'd use it before committing to a full subscription. I ordered myself a sample copy of Magnificat for good measure. I used to subscribe, and liked it, but after a time I found that I didn't use it to its full potential and I couldn't justify paying the $40 annual subscription price anymore. I thought maybe I was ready to try it again. But I digress.

So, we'll see what becomes of these ideas. I keep telling him that one hour per week to give to God is the least we can do for all that He does for us, but that doesn't seem to be enthusing him at all. If anybody else has any ideas, have at it, I'm all ears. :)

Friday, January 13, 2012

Feeling grateful for my blessings, and it finally looks like a real Northeastern winter

We have had a *very* mild winter this year, and Mike and I were actually commiserating about how much we miss the snow! Well, God answered our prayer. :) Today we have a good old fashioned lake effect snow storm swirling about. I'm at work, but I'm dying to get home and be with Mike and my babies. I have dance on Friday nights, but I'm wondering if it will be canceled. If so, I'm looking forward to knitting and sipping a hot beverage later with Mike.

And all week, as I've been dealing with some little worries that have popped up, I've been thinking about how grateful I am for the wonderful blessings that I have in my life. I have such a beautiful family. To say that our adjustment to parenting baby #2 is going smoother than the first time around would be the understatement of the century. Of course, I felt honored to be Hank's mom all along. But this time, everything is just a joy, with both children. That adjustment to baby #1 was very, very tough for both Mike and I. Now, I keep dropping hints about Baby CL #3, and Mike keeps giving me panicked looks :) (because Anne is still quite little) but to even contemplate such a thing makes me so, so happy. I'm just so grateful for my family and for the future that we have together.

Speaking of good things, we're all loving Henry's Catholic school. I really feel like Mike's positive reaction to it is nothing but God's grace. Not that he was ever opposed to Catholic school, he was just indifferent to it since the public school costs nothing but our tax dollars. Now, we're paying both school tax AND Catholic school tuition, but we're both so thrilled with what we're seeing in Henry and our own interaction with the school.

I will say one thing that is very different that one has to get used to in Catholic schools: fundraising! Holy smokes. At all Catholic schools in this area, you have a fundraising obligation in addition to your tuition. If you don't meet the goal via specified fundraisers, you have to pay out the balance. In addition to that, the school is always offering things for sale to benefit its overall financial viability: Entertainment Books, Christmas wreaths, calendars, candy bars, the list goes on and on. I don't mind it, but it is certainly very different from my public school world.

I do like feeling like I'm contributing to the school's future. I think that in the past, people who belonged to a parish with a school felt much more "obliged" (if you will) to send their kids to the school for them to receive a Catholic education. Nowadays, that really isn't the case. Times are hard for everyone right now (especially in this area) and people are trying to save money. They may not feel like it's worth it to pay tuition when they could send their kids to the public school for nothing. Plus, there are just so many less regular Mass goers than ever before, so people don't feel connected to a parish in any way. Thus, I feel good that I'm supporting our local Catholic school.

That being said, anybody need any Easter chocolate? If so, send me a quick message. :)

Thursday, January 12, 2012

STRESSED

I feel like I have a lot on my mind today. I tend to take on the worries in the lives of those that I love and make them my own. Worrying is a bit of an aerobic activity for me. So I'm doing that. Plus I always worry about money in January, it's an annual tradition. It's nothing dire, but all the same, we do live on a budget, and Christmas is a challenge each year. It's going to get a little easier coming up here (Mike has started teaching his spring courses, and I'm up for tenure), but in the mean time, I worry.

I've been praying my rosary more often, and you know, it really does help. I just feel calmer and more content when I do that. Last night when I got home from work, I had a *very* nice and stress free evening with Mike and the kids, which is exactly what I needed. It's not that my evenings are usually stress inducing, but Anne has been crank central lately and there's often lots of chaos in our evenings with Hank bouncing off the walls and the baby sobbing. Last night everything went extra smoothly.

Granted, we're not getting as much sleep as we need. I will say that with baby #2, (I had typed #3 and had to go back and correct, Freudian? :) ) Mike and I are both a LOT easier going with the sleep deprivation. When Anne inevitably wakes up just as we've fallen asleep, we just bring her in bed with us and go right back to sleep. If she refuses to go to sleep in the middle of the night, I just bring her down on the couch to cuddle and watch The Golden Girls until she's calmed down and dozing back off. Truly, it has to be grace. And parenting experience.

St. Anne Novena, Day 9

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANN

O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Ann, intercede for me.

NINTH DAY

Good St. Ann, I have reached the end of this novena in your honor. I have asked and ask again. Good mother, let not your kind ear grow weary of my prayers, though I repeat them so often.

Bounteous Lady, implore for me from divine Providence all the help I need through life. May your generous hand bestow on me the material means to satisfy my own needs and to alleviate the plight of the poor.

Good St. Ann, fortify me by the sacraments of the Church at the hour of my death. Admit me into the company of the blessed in the kingdom of heaven, where I may praise and thank the adorable Trinity, your grandson Christ Jesus, your glorious daughter Mary, and yourself, dear St. Ann, through endless ages.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

St. Anne Novena, Day 8

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANN

O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Ann, intercede for me.

EIGHTH DAY

Hail, St. Ann! I rejoice at your exalted glory. You gave birth to Mary, whose divine Son brought salvation to our lost world by conquering death and restoring life and hope to sinners. Pray to Him who, for love of us, clothed Himself with human flesh in the chaste womb of your daughter.

Glorious St. Ann, with your blessed daughter, deliver me from everything that is displeasing in the sight of God. Pray to your gentle and powerful Grandson that He may cleanse my soul in His precious blood, that He may send His Holy Spirit to enlighten and direct me in all that I do, always obedient to His holy inspirations.

Good mother, keep a watchful eye on me. Help me bear all my crosses. Give me the fullness of your bounty and sustain me with courage.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Knit-along!

This winter, my knitting group and I have embarked on our very first knit-along. I mean, how adorable is that?!

I *love* the idea of a knit-along or a crochet-along. A group, either in person or virtually, works on the same item and uses each other for support and help. We decided to make the February Lady Sweater, and this is a free pattern for anyone with a Ravelry account (also free).

So far, this has been super, super fun. We each chose to make our sweater in different colors and textures, and it's interesting to see how all the sweaters are turning out. I suggested that we incorporate 2 knit-alongs per year, winter and summer, and so for the summer we're talking about making the quite infamous Clapotis. How you actually pronounce that garment is anybody's guess, but I'm excited about it all the same.

I've been trying to be more adventurous in my crafting, and so far so good. I've successfully:

(a) felted, and

(b) made a sweater that I can actually wear without exposing any body parts I'd rather not expose.

These were 2 new things to me as of this past year. This year I will try to keep going in this endeavor. Steeking, anybody? This means instead of leaving an opening or armhole in a sweater, you just cut one when you're done. With scissors. I think that if I actually do this I may need to document everything for this blog and drink several shots of whiskey beforehand.

Here's a few of my recent creations. New socks for myself:

Adorable felted handbags for my sisters, I was especially pleased with these:

Felted slippers for myself:

And the market bag that I made for my Secret Crafty Santa recipient:


Good stuff. :)

St. Anne Novena, Day 7

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANN

O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Ann, intercede for me.

SEVENTH DAY

Once again, Good St. Ann, I choose you for my advocate before the throne of God. By the power and grace that God has placed in you, extend to me your helping hand. Renew my mind and my heart.

Dear St. Ann, I have unbounded confidence in your prayers. To your blessed hands I entrust my soul, my body and all my hopes for this world and the next. Direct my actions according to your goodness and wisdom. I place myself under your motherly care.

Receive me, good mother. Cover me with the mantle of your love. Look kindly on me. By your powerful intercession, may I obtain from God grace and mercy. Obtain for me remission for sin and release from the punishment my offenses have deserved. Pray that I may receive grace to lead a devout life on earth and that I may obtain the everlasting reward of heaven.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Our view from locked behind the baby gate


So we're officially at THAT PLACE in parenting again. Traversing from one of the upstairs bedrooms downstairs goes as follows:

Down the stairs. Into the living room, wait. Baby gate there, to prevent Anne from getting into (a) the stairs, (b) the radiator, (c) the bathroom where she particularly enjoys the trash can, and (d) the guest room/office where Hank often spreads itty bitty Legos out everywhere as he builds and rebuilds various emergency vehicles and an alien spacecraft with a human holding bin.

We move into the kitchen, to access the other doorway into the dining room/living room space. That's unblocked, and for whatever reason, Anne is far less interested in getting into the kitchen, although she occasionally tries to venture in there on her own to grab at the empty beer bottles and other recyclables. The dining room is an Anne-safe zone, with all electrical outlets covered and no small pieces lying to and fro. She likes to crawl around under the table and generally do victory laps around the room since there's a lot of space in there.

Moving into the living room proper, you're likely to step on a squeaky infant toy or twenty, and accessing the front door is a bit of a chore. The neighboring fireplace and a DVD case holder are blocked off with a strategically placed dining room chair, and new keep out devices are in the works for a nearby bookcase. Her exersaucer (Godsend that it is) blocks another DVD case holder, plus some electrical wires.

Such is our state of baby wrangling these days. Not only is she standing AND cruising, she's now babbling, and I have to say it's totally adorable.

"A ba ba ba, la la la."

It's like having a little Smurf in residence at all times. And it's wonderful, but also exhausting. So Mike and I were thrilled to go out to dinner by ourselves Saturday night to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. He even volunteered to go to Mass with me beforehand at a parish down the road from our chosen restaurant, which pleased me greatly. He loves vigils for some reason, while I prefer Sunday mornings. But hey, whatever. If he wants to go to Mass, I'll go when he wants to go. :) The only time I *have* to go Sunday mornings is when I'm the catechist for Children's Liturgy of the Word, which is only once per month.

Anyway, it was a much more modern church than either of us usually prefers, but I have to say, for a modern design it was quite pretty. Which I hope doesn't sound disparaging, I just prefer a more traditional look. But this church used natural light very beautifully, and still had a high ceiling, with wood beams, and although it mostly lacked traditional stained glass, it looked lovely. The Christmas decorations were still up and were gorgeous, and it was one of my very favorite feasts, the Epiphany.

It was a good, good weekend.

Unfortunately, I just discovered that I forgot my breast pump ice pack AGAIN and have to put my milk into the common work refrigerator. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!

St. Anne Novena, Day 6

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANN

O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Ann, intercede for me.

SIXTH DAY

Good St. Ann, do not allow my soul, a masterpiece of God’s creative power, to be lost forever. Free my heart of pride, vanity, self-love. May I know myself as I really am and learn meekness and simplicity of heart.

God’s great love for me leaves me cold and unresponsive. I must reflect this love through works of mercy and charity toward my neighbor.

In your boundless charity, good St. Ann, help me to merit the glorious crown which is given to those who have fought the good fight against the world, the devil and the flesh. Assist me to preserve purity of heart and body. With Mary and her divine Son, protect me always.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

St. Anne Novena, Day 5

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANN

O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at the hour of my death.
Good St. Ann, intercede for me.

FIFTH DAY

Hail, all-powerful Lady. By God’s special favor, grant consolation to those who invoke you. Procure for them the eternal riches of heaven, and like a good mother, success in their temporal affairs as well.

Good St. Ann, obtain my deliverance from the punishment which my sins deserve. Obtain for me success in my temporal affairs; especially see to the salvation of my soul.

St. Ann, by your influence with Mary’s son Jesus, you have won the gift of conversion for many sinners. Will you then abandon me, who have chosen you as my mother? No, St. Ann. Your name alone, which signifies grace, assures me of the help of your prayers, and these prayers will surely procure pardon and mercy from Jesus. You will pray for me now and at the hour of my death.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

St. Anne Novena, Day 4

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANN

O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at the hour of my death.
Good St. Ann, intercede for me.

FOURTH DAY

Good St. Ann, you offered your pure and holy daughter Mary in the temple with faith, piety and love. By the happiness which then filled your heart, I beg you to present me to your Grandson Jesus. Offered by you, I will be agreeable in His sight.
Kind St. Ann, take me forever under your protection. Deliver me from the temptations which continually assail me. Above all, attend me in my last hour. As I lie on my deathbed, be present with your daughter to console and strengthen me.
Holy Mary and good St. Ann, show yourselves to be mothers indeed by obtaining for me the grace of a good death. When my soul goes forth, lead it to God’s tribunal so that, by your powerful help and intercession, it may obtain a favorable judgment.

Friday, January 6, 2012

And "one of those days" continues...

So yesterday, after the indignity of storing my breast milk in the common work refrigerator, I was real paranoid about forgetting it in there. I pumped again shortly before I left, and I wanted to leave just a hair early since Mike had another one of those orientation sessions and had to leave early into the evening. I wanted us to be able to all eat together.

Thus, in my paranoia, I retrieved the milk from its place behind the yogurt and placed it with the new milk into my little cooler in my pump bag since I knew I would be leaving shortly. I then continued going through a ton of emails that had compiled while I was attending an in-house seminar all day, including an email relating to our requirement to take some evening and weekend hours for the upcoming spring semester. We all have to volunteer for a small number of undesirable shifts each semester, and we get compensatory time in exchange that we can use during the week. Usually, it's one or two shifts. This semester, it's suddenly four.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought I had read that wrong. Oh sigh. We have less and less librarians all the time due to retirement and people leaving for any number of reasons. And we haven't replaced anybody. I don't like working evenings, because then I can't see my kids before they go to bed. So I usually take a Sunday afternoon shift or two. Four seemed a lot more onerous, but what can one do? I quickly responded with one Sunday written in for me per month, to space them out a bit. The Sundays aren't bad because I still have all morning and then dinner home with my family. Our wonderful assistant wrote right back to me to say that 3 of those Sundays had already been spoken for.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Inside, I said a bad word. This happens EVERY semester. I'm super compulsive with my email, and yet the evening and weekend sheet goes around inevitably at a time when I'm not right on top of it for a few hours. So I called her right up and managed to finagle three Sundays (less desirable ones due to other weekend commitments) and one Saturday. I'm feeling pouty, but there's nothing I can do. It's part of my job, and this way I will at least get to take some Friday afternoons off to be with Mike and the kids in exchange.

So I was feeling flustered as 4 pm rolled around. I finished up a few more things, found that all the hot tea I'd drank meant that I had to make yet another run to the ladies room, and then bundled up and shut my computer down. I listened to a Catholic podcast as I made the trek out to the car, which at this university, is no small walk. Parking is a huge issue here, and although I have a staff parking tag and can generally get a spot (unless it's between 10 am and 3 pm; this is in contrast to the students who have a MUCH rougher go of it) it's not phenomenally close to the library. And when it's cold out, I walk through the indoor walkways which takes even longer but that way I'm not out in the wind. And that's another story; who on earth designed these walkways? There's no heat in them. They do cut the wind nicely, but in the heart of winter I have to actually brace myself to walk through them. THEY HAVE ICE ON THE INSIDE OF THE WINDOWS. This just seems like a bad plan to me.

So, finally, I arrive at my car. I have an automatic starter and got it going from the far side of the lot so that it could warm up for me. I grabbed my pump to get it into the passenger seat first, and wait. What's that?

My pump. Or rather, my lack of a pump. I had forgotten it, all the way back in my office.

Now I said a REALLY bad word, and I said it right out loud. Crankily, I spun around to find our assistant behind me looking concerned that something was really wrong with me. I assured her I was fine and hurried back to the library, where sure enough, my pump sat innocently next to my desk. I grabbed it and walked all the way back to my car and sped home, where Anne was sobbing for me to nurse her. I popped her into her high chair since we wanted to eat, but she was having none of it. She ate her bananas and squash, but squawked the whole time causing me to eat much more quickly than I would have liked.

After that, Mike left, so I nursed Anne and watched Tom & Jerry's Nutcracker with Hank. At 7 pm, both children were ready for bed, so I tucked them both in. Hank has been coughing, so I got out his penguin cool mist humidifier and set it all up for him. He coughed only a few times before going to sleep.

Until an hour or so later. Then, he coughed for an hour and a half. Around 10 pm, he finally fell asleep. Mike and I fell asleep shortly thereafter. Around 11 pm, Anne was up. I nursed her and got her back into her crib. She refused to go back to sleep, so we did another nursing session. Finally, she went to sleep in her crib, but by this time it was close to 1. Exhausted, I fell into bed.

By 5 am, I could hear Hank coughing again. And he coughed until 6:30, when we all got up. I found him curled under a blanket when I went to check on him.

"Honey, what hurts?"

"MY WHOLE BODY."

Thus, he's home from school today, and Anne is cranky and miserable. And poor Mike is home with both of them. I'm taking a half sick day to go home and relieve him after lunch.

Oh sigh.

St. Anne Novena, Day 3

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANN

O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Ann, intercede for me.

THIRD DAY

Hail, good St. Ann, who first responded to the needs of Mary, Mother of our Savior and Queen of Angels. Hail to you and to your husband St. Joachim, who watched over her infancy, presented her to the Lord in the temple and, according to your promise, consecrated her to the service of God.

Hail St. Ann, good mother! I rejoice in the marvels you continually perform, because they encourage all to seek your intercession.

Good St. Ann, by the great power that God has given you, show yourself my mother, my consoler, my advocate. Reconcile me to the God I have so deeply offended. Console me in my trials; strengthen me in my struggles. Deliver me from danger in my time of need. Help me at the hour of death and open to me the gates of paradise.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Crazy day

I'm pretty exhausted. We've been having some long nights with a teething Anne, who decided the other night (when I set her down to change my *sodden* sleep shirt from her drool) that she'd like to play with her toys at 2 am rather than sleep. Mike has had some orientation sessions that he's had to go to at the college he'll be adjuncting at in the spring, and so I've had both (often cranky) children by myself in the evenings. And today I forgot to re-freeze the special ice pack that I have for my pump cooler, so I have reduced myself to chilling the milk I pumped today in the *work refrigerator out in the common break room*. I tucked it as far back as I could, but it's right behind someone's yogurt, I feel really bad.

Some days are just like this, I suppose.

St. Anne Novena, Day 2

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANN

O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Ann, intercede for me.

SECOND DAY

From the depths of my heart, good St. Ann, I offer you my homage this day and ask you to shelter me under the mantle of your motherly care. You know, good mother, how much I love you, how gladly I serve you, how happy I am to praise you, how eager I am to call on you in time of distress.

Good St. Ann, be pleased to extend your helping hand in all my wants. Listen to my prayers, for I place my trust in your gracious bounty. Make all my thoughts and desires worthy and righteous.

Jesus, I thank You for all the graces which in Your infinite goodness You have lavished upon St. Ann; for having chosen her, among all women, to be Your grandmother on earth and exalted her in heaven with such great and miraculous powers. In the name of her merits, I humbly recommend myself to Your infinite mercy.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

St. Anne Novena, Day 1

Right before Christmas, my sister and I started a novena to St. Anne, but once Christmas Eve came around, I completely forgot to continue on with it. So I thought I'd post the novena here for the next 9 days in addition to my regular posts, so that anyone who would like to can pray along with us. :)

St. Anne holds a special place in my heart, and not only because my daughter shares her name. Right before Mike and I started dating, some friends and I took a wintertime trip to Quebec that remains a very fond memory. (We still joke about the sheer volume of churches we visited while on vacation). While there, we visited the shrine to St. Anne north of Quebec City, and I prayed for God's will in my life, and that if he desired for me to be married he send the right man. I was in my late 20's and felt very "old" and "spinsterish" although that's laughable to me now. And just a few weeks later, Mike called me. :) Until very recently, Mike's parents lived in central Florida, and I found out soon after we started dating that his mom attended a parish there named in honor of St. Anne. And she later told me that she had prayed for Mike to find someone, and to be happy. So I have a definite St. Anne theme in my life.

So, for anyone that would like to, please join in.

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANN

O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Ann, intercede for me.

FIRST DAY

Dear St. Ann, though I am but a prodigal child, I appeal to you and place myself under your great motherly care. Please listen to my prayers and grant my requests. See my contrite heart, and show me your unfailing goodness.

Deign to be my advocate and recommend me to God’s infinite mercy. Obtain for me forgiveness of my sins and the strength to begin a new life that will last forever.

Blessed St. Ann, I also beg of you the grace to love, to serve, and to honor your daughter, the most holy Virgin Mary. Please recommend me to her and pray to her for me. She refuses none your requests but welcomes with loving kindness all those for whom you intercede.

Good Jesus, be merciful to the faithful servants of Your grandmother St. Ann.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Here's to a happy 2012...


Well, I'm back. And I keep typing the year wrong. I'm a good typer, I took a typing class back in high school (do they even do that anymore? *feels old*) and yet I notice that in my head, I type "2012," yet what comes out is "2010." Apparently I want it to be 2 years ago. Well, it'd be nice to be 2 years younger, but other than that, I'm happy it's today and not two years ago. But I digress.

I had a very nice holiday, and most of all I LOVED just being home with my family. So, quick updates on everybody:

Anne - Thriving. Is now slowly cruising around furniture when she pulls herself up. *heavy sigh* She has also discovered the entertainment center and now attempts to push buttons when she pulls herself up over there. I think this has been genetically bred into modern babies. She can now crawl at the speed of sound and is extremely happy all of the time. Except when she's teething, which consumed a good amount of last week. During which time, our days consisted of (1) carry Anne around, (2) arms get tired, so set Anne down, (3) Anne bursts into tears, (4) repeat steps (1) through (3) for approximately 12 hours, with short breaks in between for one decent nap and one crappy one. Pretty typical for her age. But overall, she's doing very well. She loves her new Christmas toys and has been playing very cutely with them. Her favorite is a Fisher Price tea set, and she carries one cup around with her even when she crawls so that she can bite on it when she reaches her destination at the other side of the room.

Henry - Very cute and happy. He loves being home with us and being on break from school. He got lots of Legos for Christmas, and has been a very good boy playing with them, taking everything apart and putting them back together. He also loves board games, and he got a bunch of new ones for Christmas this year. We also took both kids to the our local botanical garden over the break, and Hank just loves it there. One thing that I really enjoy about him is his appreciation of beautiful things. He really has an eye for aesthetics in nature, and he loves showing his finds to others. It's really precious. He also memorized his assigned prayers from the Advent chain he brought home from school and learned to read them himself. He's such a good boy.

Mike - Thriving at home with the kids. And we couldn't stop talking about how much we loved all being together as a family all week. Although I work full time outside of the home, I feel lucky to have a job in which I get lots of vacation and holiday time, plus normal hours. So I'm home a lot. We enjoyed every moment of last week, and I have plans to take some additional time off in the coming months when Henry is off for his winter break and for Easter. The only mar in Mike's week was a bout that he had with some sort of throat infection. And we've been married long enough (7 years this coming Sunday) for me to know one thing about my darling husband: he is SUPER easygoing and easy to live with, aside from one thing, but hey, nobody's perfect, right? And that one thing would be that he is a terrible sick person, and he would be the first to admit this. He gets actually mad when he gets sick, because it incapacitates him and keeps him from doing things he wants to do or feels he should be doing. And hence, he's miserable to be around. He grumps around the house until I tell him to go to bed. Translation: "you're driving me crazy, so please go get some rest before I say something that will hurt your feelings." The next morning, the antibiotics had kicked in and he looked sheepish and back to normal. Thank God. He's really adorable, and I'm lucky to have him.

Me - I knit, and knit and knit. I finished socks, I crocheted myself a cardigan, I knit a scarf and I felted slippers. I was Super Compulsive Knitter. And I loved every minute of it, being inside on a chilly winters day with a cup of tea by my side. I played with the kids, and I snuggled lots with Mike. Life is very, very good.

And I need to keep that in mind when my birthday approaches next month and I move even closer to 40. But we'll return to obsess about that another day...