Sunday, June 16, 2013

Happy Father's Day.


Congratulations, Mark! You survived your first year as a father.
You have proven to be a true blessing for our family.
It has been a joy to watch your relationship with each one of the kids develop this past year.
Thank you for loving and caring for this crazy bunch.

I hope you enjoyed your special day.
We love you!

Friday, June 7, 2013

Double Digits!

Another milestone reached! 
My children are no longer little.
All of my children are now in the double digits. 


He may not be so little anymore, but he sure is still cute!

Big brother making sure he was still the tallest 10 year old
of the house! Just wait, James. Lawrence may catch you yet!


Wonderful friends sharing in the celebration.

Yep... now I see why they all get along with Lawrence so well!


Lawrence, what a sweet, fun, funny, lovable kid you are.
Always remember, no matter how old you get, you will always be my
Teddy Bear!
We love you!

Goodness, Beauty, and Truth

"You have been told, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you. Only to love goodness, to do the right, and to walk humbly with your God."
Micah 6:8

I have considered this verse from Micah as my "life verse" for many years now. It reminds me to look for the good and beautiful in life and in the world around me; it motivates me to do what is right just because it is the right; and it encourages me to keep my relationship with the Lord a top priority.

Last weekend (May 31 and June 1st), my husband and I attended the Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference. I have attended the conference almost every year of my 15 years home schooling. Some years I get a lot out of the conference, some years just a little; but, every year I take away something new and beneficial. This year was a very fruitful year and I am feeling motivated. As I listened to the keynote speaker and the workshop presenters, my "life verse" resounded in my mind many times over.

Fr. Michael Schmitz was the keynote speaker this year. (EXCELLENT anytime you listen to him). Friday night's talk was titled "Being a Man After God's Own Heart." And even though the title leads us to believe it was addressed only to the male part of the crowd, Fr. Mike stressed the importance for each one of us to be people on a mission; fulfilling the mission/purpose that God has for each of our lives.

His talk on Friday night was great, but, I have to admit, even though I enjoyed it very much, it wasn't until his Sat. morning keynote that my "personal retreat" of sorts began.

I think the easiest and briefest way to share the insights I gained Saturday would be to simply bullet some key points I took away from each presentation.

The conference day began once again with a keynote address from Fr. Mike: Real Education

  • Philippians 4:8  "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
  • Modern culture seems to equate wisdom with experience
  • Modern education teaches and values that which is functional or useful (beauty is often considered UNimportant)
  • Real goal of education should be teaching TRUTH in order to live a life of EXCELLENCE
  • True WISDOM = EXPERIENCE + TRUTH
  • To become a person of EXCELLENCE we need three things
  1. Wisdom
  2. Discipline (gives us freedom... not the ability to do whatever we want, but the ability to do what we aught)
  3. Good stories (Education should include stories of true heroes. Those who did what was right simply because it was the right thing to do. Stories that give us something to strive for, virtues to desire.)

The presenter of the first workshop I chose to attend was Regina Doman (catholic author and homeschooling mother). The workshop was titled "Who's Prettier: the Disney Princesses or the Blessed Mother"
  • The current trend in film/tv is to make the "bad guy" attractive (mysterious, confident, active, dynamic,  powerful, seductive, and smooth) and the "good guy"/hero not so much (predictable, doubtful, reactive, static, weak, awkward, and stale)
  • We need to make what is good attractive. Show our kids the goodness and beauty of our Catholic Faith.
  • "When you sever the connection between goodness and beauty, goodness is in danger of becoming abstract and merely moral and evil becomes fascinating" Dietrich von Hildebrand
  • Beauty is the incarnation of goodness
  • children ages 3-6... experience good/evil through the senses... they need to see, feel, touch the beauty in the Catholic faith (beauty in the church building, family altar, good quality picture books, catholic art, fun and beautiful Easter and Christmas celebrations)
  • children 7-12... good catechesis, stores of true heroes (no wimpy heroes), good (older) church art, active and fun scripture stories   
  • teenagers... consistently joyful parents, variety in true Catholic worship (Latin/Traditional, Byzantine, Charismatic), encourage their personal creativity
  • Being good at what you do is an evangelization

Next I attended "The Well Read Mom: Why Reading Matters for Women" presented by Marcie Stockman (homeschooling mom of over 20 years).
  • Surveys show that 1/2 of high school graduates will not read another book (unless necessary for college)
  • When a woman reads she benefits herself, her family, and her community
  • Reading feeds a woman's heart 
  • Best way to raise a reader... read to them.  2nd best way...Be a reader!  Let your children see you read!
  • Studies show that those who read are more involved in society (vote more often, volunteer more often)
  • We have a TREASURY of wisdom in books (stories of what is good and beautiful)
  • Good stories encourage virtue.
I skipped that last workshop of the day. I chose to spend that time talking with a friend and walking through the vendor area. My friend mentioned to me that she was convicted throughout the day as well. She summed up her experience in three words... goodness, beauty, and truth. I really like that. It confirmed what I was already feeling as Micah 6:8 kept coming to my mind all morning. I have continued to think about that scripture and the idea of goodness, beauty and truth throughout the week and am motivated to examine some areas in our family and home to see how they can better reflect goodness, beauty and truth.

HOME:
  • Go through each room of the house. Make a list of maintenance needs to be done as budget allows.
  • Declutter, organize, simplify.
  • Does each room reflect the beauty of our faith? Statues. Good art. Place a crucifix in each room that does not currently have one.
  • Do a better job changing the family altar to reflect the current season of the church year, day's feast, or particular family devotion.
SCHOOLING:
  • Continue with music lessons. 
  • Make more time for arts and crafts.
  • More "living books". Good stories about true heroes in our history. Saint stories... heroic virtue.
INTERIOR LIFE:
  • Consistant prayer time (individual and family)
  • More frequent confession.
  • Consistent adoration.
  • More frequent daily Mass
  • Good catholic spiritual reading. (alone and aloud with family)
PERSONAL GOAL:
  • Finish online photography classes and get out taking pictures (my way of reflecting goodness in nature, in life, and most specifically, in my family)

Sacred Heart of Jesus



Mark and I share a devotion to the Sacred Heart. A couple months after we "met" online and spent some time getting to know each other through emails, instant messaging, and Skype, we were both starting to desire a face to face meeting. Considering it would require an 1100 mile drive for one of us and both of us knowing we didn't want to be in a long distance relationship that we didn't see the possibility of a long term future in, we decided to pray a novena and then decide if the timing was right for Mark's first trip to MN. We chose the Novena of Confidence to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. After praying the prayer for 9 days we both felt a sense of peace and planned Mark's first trip. His first visit went well. Throughout our two years dating, our devotion to the Sacred Heart grew. We even chose to be married on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, June 15th 2012. 



The Novena of Confidence to the Sacred Heart of Jesus


O Lord Jesus Christ, 
To your most Sacred Heart, 
I confide this/these intention(s):

(State you intention(s) here...)

Only look upon me, 
And then do 
What your Sacred Heart inspires.

Let your Sacred Heart decide
I count on it
I trust in it
I throw myself on Your mercy,
Lord Jesus!
You will not fail me.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, 
I trust in You.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, 
I believe in Your love for me.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, 
Your Kingdom come.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, 
I have asked you for many favors, 
But I earnestly implore this one. 
Take it. 

Place it in Your open, broken Heart; 
And, when the Eternal Father looks upon It, 
Covered with Your Precious Blood, 
He will not refuse it. 

It will be no longer my prayer, 
But Yours, O Jesus. 
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, 
I place all my trust in You. 

Let me not be disappointed.

Amen.