Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Today's Daily Mass Gospel Reading

3	And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?"
4	He answered, "Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female,
5	and said, `For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
6	So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder."
7	They said to him, "Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"
8	He said to them, "For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
9	And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unlawfully, and marries another, commits adultery."
10	The disciples said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry."
11	But he said to them, "Not all men can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given.
12	For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it."

This reading is what really turns people off from the Catholic Church. This has to be one of the most difficult teachings of the church. To sum it up Katy Christy style, once you are in the covenant of marriage, you are married forever. Does this include adultery? Yes. Does this include abuse? Yes. It is difficult to hear but not so difficult to believe once you understand what a covenant really is.

I will be taking a group of teenagers through a journey through the narrative History of the Bible this school year. Some may believe that the Old Testament and New Testament are two very different stories with two very different "God's". This is not so! This is one very beautiful story of our salvation History that guides us through one covenant after another. What will be made very clear is that these covenants will be violated repeatedly. Repeatedly is an understatement. God's people will break every commandment over and over again but they will NEVER be able to break the covenant. Never. This is what marriage is too. UNLESS, it is unlawful. "Unlawful" means that a covenant was never made in the first place. One of the 4 key elements of the FTFF (Free, Total, Faithful, Fruitful) was missing. If this is NOT the case, then you are married till death due you part. Even if your spouse grows horns, you can separate to protect yourself and the kids but she is still your wife and he is still your husband.

A very dear friend was walked out on by her husband of nearly 20 years. He simply did not love her any more. She was devastated. She was left home with one teenage boy and an 8 year old boy. After some time passed, I asked her if she was going to pursue an annulment. She said, "No, I know there was a covenant." She is going to remain faithful to him while he remarries and enjoys his new life. Her purgatory time will most certainly be cut short. She is a fine example of what living out the marital covenant really means.

My other example would be my parents. On Aug. 9th, 1971, a Monday afternoon, my parents, Dr. Richard Medary and Geraldine Fackelman made their wedding vows to each other.   Neither one of them knew what their future would hold or they probably would have had 2nd thoughts;) Ok, they would have both ended up thousands of miles apart! Marriage is tough! They were great examples of that too! Not for a glimmer of a moment did I ever suspect  they would divorce and move on. Their example alone told me that this was forever. Good times and bad times.

They celebrated their 40th anniversary. I'm sure they could have sat in for Frank and Marie Barone and been just as funny in their own quirky way. My kids love to just watch them talk to each other. The kids laugh and I am usually hiding my face if people are around which seems to make the kids laugh harder. They have a great sense of humor about their daily lives with each other. They genuinely care for one another. I love to watch or hear about how Dad takes care of Mom by cooking for her,  slapping unhealthy food out of her hand and searches for her when he suspects she's fled for another smoke break. She's hard to catch. Mom is giving him a good work out. If either one would have escaped from the marriage years ago, they would have missed out on these experiences;)

My parents give me hope for my future with Roy. When I think about what we will be like when he's 80 and I'm still a ripe 68;) I know we will be just fine thanks to my parents example of how to live out your covenant even when the horns grow and recede....and grow...and recede...



This says it all. This is the marriage covenant in action. I love you Mom & Dad



The Days are Numbered

My husband is days away from leaving for an entire year in Afghanistan. I love him so much. He is my best friend. He is a man with a magic touch (as I like to call it). Whenever something breaks around here, Roy comes along and waves his hands around and everything comes together, tighter and more solid than before. I have been called in Ephesians 5 to be submissive to him. I am under (sub) the "mission" of my spouse. What his is mission?  To love and serve me. Please, don't let me stand in your way, dear husband. I will be happy to be submissive till death do us part.

In these past few weeks, I have gotten the most heartfelt comments from people...strangers even. Grown men, with a tear in his eye, will come up to me with their fist over their heart and say, "Please thank your husband for me."  Friends and family will stop me with pity and compassion and offer to help me during Roy's deployment. My elderly neighbor, who can barely walk, pleaded for me to call her if I need any of my children watched for any reason. Oh, how I want to boldly say, "It is I who should be serving you!"

If you have seen me in the past few weeks, you should have seen peace and joy. I have never felt the presence of God more. Even when I am alone, I feel like a puppy whose owner just came home. God is all around me. He is most certainly in the company that I keep but He is also in all the strangers I meet and even in the emptiness of my home and in my car. I feel Him so close that I get the giggles and want to clap like Tinker Bell. God has even gifted me with a new, God loving, future Saint of the Church priest. God is so good to me. He is so much better than I deserve.

So, am I walking around with the poor pitiful me tone?...Home AAAALL ALONE with 8 minor children and no husband? I only pull that out when I HAVE to...like when I have to take my car into the mechanic and REALLY don't want to be charged an arm and leg. You know, the same price Roy used to charge his unsuspecting customers.  I will not be feeling sorry for myself. I will have my head held high and my sleeves rolled up. There is something a little exciting about taking on more responsibility around here. Truth be told...Roy is and enabler! His hard work kept me on the lazy side. The side that got to "fold laundry" for hours while watching the greatest tv show ever created, "Murder She Wrote". Netflix will be there next year. It will be ok. My withdraw and heavy breathing in a bag will be short lived.

It is true, not all my moments will be so full of joy. I found myself numb and still and tearful on my laundry room floor yesterday. Last night, Nick's emotions caught up with him as he listened to a young man with special needs read his report on a Eucharistic Miracle. He silently sniffed, wiped away one tear at a time and stared out his window for the 45 minutes it took to get home. Roy's days are numbered and we are both feeling it. We are both feeling inspired and fearful at the same time. We do not know what emotion we will have an hour from now. But we do know that we are well taken care of. We are well loved. But mostly, we have a communion of believers praying for us. We will be fine. Come What May.  

God above me

God below me

God to my right

God to my left

 - St. Francis of Assisi

 I am an energetic puppy with my Master all around me.

Vocation Day's

Roy and I were out to dinner with friends of ours a few years back. They asked me about homeschooling and why I chose to take that route. Within my litany of reasons, discerning their vocation was up there on the list. It is no surprise that the Catholic Church has a shortage of priests. I believe that one of the reasons for this is that parents are not providing opportunities for their children to discern their vocation. Truth be told, I never "discerned" the vocation to married life. The possibility of being a nun was so distant. Sooo distant. My only childhood memory of a Sister was the mean, little one that grabbed everyone by the ear when it was their turn for their hearing test. I'm so glad that was her only job. It was not the greatest memory.  I wanted...I mean...I needed to introduce my kids to their real life. They are learning how the priest and Religious live, who they are, the stories of their calling, their jobs, feelings, prayer life, community service, daily activities, and what it truly means to be a Priest, Brother, Monk or Sister.

I believe that the vocation of marriage is the norm. My kids have many fine examples of good marriages in their lives. It is not much of a stretch to bring their attention to this vocation. The vocation of the Priesthood and Religious life, however, takes a little more work..., a little more planning.  After all, if my kids really had an equal view of both of these vocations, they will have attended as many vows and ordinations as they have weddings. Correct? Something to think about. I think I can let myself off the hook on this one since "few are called but many are chosen" Mt 22:14.  There will be more weddings then vows or ordinations which makes this task of equality in need of some creativity.

Fransiscan Spirit Camp is a camp for 6-8th grade girls once a year in June. They spend the day playing with the Sisters.  It is not boring daily tasks, its playtime with apparently, much water usage. Samantha loves to go their every year.

Mary Kate volunteers every Monday at the warehouse at the Fransiscan Center. She helps the Sisters sort clothes and bag them up for the missions overseas. Mary Kate is perfect for the annoying, time consuming tasks that the normal person would despise. Her current job is to check every single pen and marker to make sure it works before it can be bagged up. Why waste shipping $$ on bad markers? She loves this job.

Every other year, my good homeschool friend, Tina Dotson, puts together an enormous Vocation Day for kids K-12. She has dozens of priests and Religious come out and do crafts, play and talk to the kids about every question they (and the rest of us) have about their job. If I can be pried away from the vendors, I can listen in on the talks for the parents on how to bring opportunities to my kids to pray and discern their own vocation.

Nick has been going to Companion Camp at Conception Seminary for 7 years in a row. This is a weekend camp for boys 6-8th grade to play and pray with the seminarians. What a gift. Nick has made many sacrifices to attend, including giving up his 10-day Boy Scout camp this year. It is just that important to him. He has been on staff since he was a Freshman.  So many of his homeschool friends go on to the Seminary, so this gives him another chance to visit. 



Mary Kate, Samantha and Theresa visit the Servants of Mary convent every other month. The Sisters have a detailed 3 hour plan for several girls that always include prayer and fun. We have not been able to attend the precious times that one of their novitiates takes her vows and receives her wedding ring. One day. One day, I SO look forward to that beautiful day.

Mary Kate and Samantha go to The Little Sisters of the Poor once a month to spend 5 hours helping the Sisters with their patients, chores and activities. They are called the Hospitality Club. Fitting name as they learn and practice their hospitality.

Lastly, having a personal relationship with the priest and Religious in our own parish is a MUST. I say that but don't always follow my own advice. From a distance, we look like a well-mannered, big, happy family. I don't want to ruin that by getting too close. LOL. I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and make it happen. Fr. Hansen is scheduled for our family dinner on July 21st. Somehow, we need to make this zoo look like a domestic church and don't have much time to do it! Keep us in your prayers!

Fr. Hansen's 2nd day on the job and playing softball with the youth group in 100+ degree's. What a man!

Artificial Birth Control - No tomato throwing, please!

As a Catholc, not only have I been asked thousands of questions about my faith, I have also been the one asking questions. Why do we believe this... Why do we believe that.  I can't imagine a person out there that knows everything that has been revealed to us so far. I want to spend the rest of my life learning about my faith and all of its beauty. There is one moral subject in the Catholic church that I have never questioned. Oddly enough, it happens to be the most controversial. It is about the use of artificial contraception.  I have some theories as to why I never questioned their usage. Let me go through a couple of them with you.

#1 My mom had perfect timing. When I started menstruating as a young teen, she explained to me exactly what was going on. She explained about my body preparing for the egg, the signs I will see to know it is preparing itself, the release of the egg and its short-lived life, and the release of all this preparation as a result of no conception. It was a beautiful and perfect story. God had designed a woman's body just perfect and, pardon the cliché.... like clockwork. He designed it in a way that makes all of us active participants with God in the building of our families. The reason I say that my mom had perfect timing is because I didn't learn about  the Pill, condoms, IUD's, etc. until I had a good couple years of getting to know my own body and its cycle. I remember thinking, "Why would someone need any of this stuff if God already gave us the information about when we were fertile and when we weren't?" I never felt like the sharpest knife in the drawer ;) so I thought everyone knew how babies were made. All these years and hearing , "Don't you know what causes that?", it was really them that didn't know. If they really knew how babies were made, they wouldn't need to be on birth control. The Pill in particular can be so deceptive. As I googled around about the Pill, I saw "Women can now have control of their reproductive cycle..." How deceiving! These women are not going to have one bit of control of their cycle now. It will be out of their hands and the Pill will be doing all the work. Which brings up the next subject. .

Just what does this "Pill" do for us? Before I get into the diseases, infertility and all of the cancers women are now more inclined to contract,  let me tell you what the Pill was originally designed to do. The Pill was supposed to stop ovulation from occurring. After some time and too many women getting pregnant, another feature was added to the Pill. A much more devastating feature.  Now, a synthetic hormone was added to the  Pill which will thin out the inner lining of the uterus from the 5-13mm it is to about 1mm so if fertilization DOES occur, the baby will slip right through and no one will be the wiser. More unborn babies will die in America then there are people living in it by 2003.(1)





  Lovely right? Hence, this is one of many reasons that Blessed John Paul II called our culture the culture of death.  Here are a litany of other things the Pill can give us...

                * increased risk of breast cancer by 40%

                *infertility is increased by 70% if the Pill is used for 4 or more years

                *High blood pressure

                *blood clots

                *stroke

                *Heart attack

                *depression

                *weight gain

                *migraines

                *increased sugar level in diabetics

                *increased risk of disabilities to the baby if conceived while on the Pill

                * 15 times more likely to develop cervical cancer

                * The Pill allows cancer causing agents to have access to your body because it lowers your           immune system, causing you to become sick easier and contract an STD easier as well

#2  I had grown up believing that God was the giver and taker of life. It is pretty simple. I don't think that needs any follow-up information. It was just a matter of putting 2 and 2 together.   "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you" Jeremiah 1:5. God gives us life. I have heard from some of my fellow cafeteria Catholics, "If God really wants you to have a child, don't you think He will give you one?" (This question is in defense of our "NO" to God via artificial birth control.) In which my reply is, "God can do anything of course. But our free will can say 'no' to Him which is what we do when we contracept. God does not want us to sin but we do it anyway.  So, yes, we are perfectly able to say 'no' to God, even in area's as important as when life should begin."

A couple is incapable of truly giving themselves completely to one another when contraception is used. They are saying, "I give everything I have to you, except my fertility." This is not what Jesus did when He gave His life for His bride. He did not say, "Go ahead and nail my hands to the cross, but please not my feet." He gave His entire body to His church totally, faithfully, freely AND fruitfully. If we are to imitate Him, we must give ourselves to our spouse totally, faithfully, freely and fruitfully too.

So, let me repeat my question. Why are so many women on birth control if we are given the means to control our cycle naturally?  Reason #1. The most common problem that I hear about is from the women who do not have normal cycles. They are, in fact, painful, and not regular. My 16 year old daughter started menstruating when she turned 14. In that short time, she has had 2 cycles that lasted between 30-45 days with bouts of surprises in between. Our first stop was the Gynecologist at Childrens Mercy. Her solution was to put her on birth control. Her exact words were, "She's getting to that age where it would serve 2 purposes." Now, let me tell you again, I am not the sharpest knife and I do not know what is best for a woman in this position. All I know is that Mary Kate can not live like this and I would do whatever it takes to regulate her and take this ugly and painful fact of life away from her which, YES, includes putting her on the Pill. Being on the Pill for medical reasons is not a sin. Before I decided to do that, I went to a Pro-Life Catholic doctor. There are other alternatives! She takes medication 10 days a month to regulate her cycle and it has worked like a charm. We are praying that she can be off of them in 3 months and be regular naturally. Go figure. Of course, this will not work for everyone but I was able to come up with an answer to others responses when they bring up this subject. The answer is, ask for other alternatives! You will get a good and honest answer if you see a pro-life Catholic doctor;) ....even if your not Catholic (I didn't have to check that Catholic box on the paperwork. lol). You may be surprised to find out that there are really other alternatives that will not disrupt your fertility. Also, the Pill does not fix any fertility problems. It only masks the effects. Have you ever heard of any woman who has taken the Pill for a time and then got off because she was now cured? The pains, irregularity and pains with fertility need to be healed, not hidden. Ask your doctor about healing you and not just hide the symptoms.

Reason #2.  The thought of taking the reigns is very scary. Uh, yeah! It's very scary! Even though my mom told me the fundamentals, I didn't start taking the NFP (Natural Family Planning) classes until after the birth of my 2nd baby. I needed more then just "My mommy told me so.." classes. Mary Kate had special needs and I felt I had reason to avoid a pregnancy for a time. Actually, the thought of having another baby terrified me. We didn't want to practice the NFP method. We needed to already know it. These classes are taken during the engagement process but my lovely pregnancy got in the way. We managed to get through the first couple months with no pregnancy and had a confident feel for my body and its cycle. I was able to wipe the sweat off my brow. Whew! I imagine that a woman  feels that this NFP method is too good to be true. After all, I have 8 kids which discredits me, right? lol. Don't let me deceive you. I do NOT use NFP anymore. I have been open to life and have never had a serious reason not to be. Plus, my body is too good for me. I've been blessed with a perfect design in there.  My advise to all women is to really try to take control of your reproductive cycle. Call your local hospital and ask about NFP classes. It's not just for Catholics! Or, call a Catholic church and ask how you can take these classes. You will feel healthier and more empowered. YOU will be in control.  It will require you to get off all artificial birth control and avoid relations with your husband for a time but putting yourself in control of your own body will be worth it, I promise! You will be proud of yourself. If you or your husband can not avoid sex for the greater good then your love really needs to be put into question. Which brings me to another topic!....

Reason #3. Couple's don't want to abstain! I don't know why....I look forward to abstaining. LOL. TMI, sorry. Back to the subject. Couple's have to abstain for a million different reasons. One of you may be sick. If you can't abstain, your love has to be called into question. One of you may be out of town. If you can't abstain, your love and even marriage will be called into question. You may be in public. If you can't abstain?...You get the idea. Um, we're not animals. We can abstain during the fertile periods. Have you ever heard someone use the expression, "That's enough birth control for me!" when they witness a crowd of unruly children? Its a joke but really, it is the key to NFP.  When my husband and I wanted to avoid a baby, it was all TOO easy to abstain. You won't be having convulsions next to your spouse in a time of abstinence. As a matter of fact, coming back together will be as exciting as a honeymoon night. If that is not true for you, take a Theology of the Body class. The way you view your spouse will forever change...for the better;)

In conclusion. A woman's fertility is not a disease that needs pills or shots to neuter us so we can now be sexually available to have lifeless love with our spouse. Our fertility is beautifully designed by God to make us all active participants in our reproduction of God's little people. When the serpent came to Adam & Eve, what did he say to convince them to eat the forbidden fruit? He said, "You will be like God..." What are we doing when we take God out of the equation?  We have made ourselves our own god. We can not say that we want God to be part of every aspect of our lives....except here....except with our fertility. Our lack of trust and faith has brought us into this culture of death. I know it can be hard to have that trust in God and trust in His design in our flawed bodies. If it were easy, what would our faith really be worth?

(1) Kuhar, Bogomir. Infant Homicides through Contraceptives, Eternal Life, 2003.

Father's Day

     My poor father thinks I will have nothing to say about him in a blog. Well, that is not true! I have plenty to say! I just need to delete 3 of the 4 pages to keep it positive. LOL! Sorry Dad. 

     My sister and I grew up poor. We didn't know it until we were adults because the lack of money had zero effect on us. Sometimes, it was even better than having that silver spoon. I remember living in a dump in Springfield, Missouri. It was teeny tiny. My sister and I rode tricycles all over the house because nothing could ruin the house more then it already was. We had to take baths in the kitchen sink because there was no shower or bath tub. Thats right. The kitchen sink was even my parents bath tub. We did not live there for very long but I remember having a great time in that dumpy house. I think we even found my new mattress in the neighbors garbage there too. I loved that mattress. The yellow stain around the teal colored flowers were a beautiful combination. I remember grinning from ear to ear when I saw it lying on the curb. As a matter of fact, I'm remembering a few other belongings that came from dump sites. What treasures they were!

     I know that my dad has another life that I know nothing about. He has never spoken about his work or who he worked with. He just left in the morning, leaving my room smelling of diesel fuel,  and came back in the evening.  I do remember coming home from school one day and my mom stopped me before I went inside. She told me that Dad got laid off  today and to be sensitive. I felt so bad for him! He had struggled to support his little family for such a long time. I knew that he was having difficulty with his job but he would never admit to it. Like my mom, he never would say a cross word about anyone...except liberal politicians...then, it can get ugly. Don't mention Carter, Clinton or Obama. And for the love of God, don't tell him he looks like Jimmy Carter. He has been mistaken for him several times. Well, don't worry dad. You look much more like Bill Clinton then Jimmy Carter.

     Our little family moved 13 times in my first 12 years of life. It was difficult for my dad to find a steady job but he finally settled at the Army Corp of Engineers where he retired. What is important here is that all of this stress, uncertainty, moving and making new friends meant nothing to me or my sister. Now, I can't say that about my parents. I'm sure they felt every bit of the hardships but it never trickled down to us. They never shared "adult" issues with us. They were our foundation.  As long as we had each other, that is all we needed. When I see families struggle because of natural disasters, I never feel bad for the children. I know that sounds awful but it is because of my own memories as a child. If I had my parents, nothing else mattered. I did not need the toys or friends. I had my family. Every move was a new adventure. Fortunately, we never ate in a soup kitchen but I'm sure I would have been excited about that too.  Hearing stories about kids being separated from their family is what would break my heart.

     My dad was not the religious or spiritual leader of the home but he was the leader in matter of morals. He does not have one deceptive bone in his body. He walks the straight and narrow path at all times. If he found a dollar in the middle of the highway, he would give every effort to find its owner before giving it away to charity. Even if he were poor, hungry and broke, he would never spend even a nickel of money that he didn't earn. If a pop machine gave him 2 pops on accident, he would slip in more money to make it right. What an example for us kids. I'm sure he's rolling his eye's right now and wondering why I didn't follow this example. An extra pop is..."JACKPOT" to me. But, I think of my dad every time I am tempted...sigh, and then drink my extra pop. Typing this blog is making me realize all the times I've cut corners to save money that would be morally questionable. Whenever I question whether I'm stealing or not, I ask him.  Sometimes, I need a little clarity from the one who has walked this path for many, many years.

     Since my dad has retired, he has been the Chemistry and Physics teacher for my homeschool group. Everything I believed about my dad changed when I became one of his students one year. He is a GOOD teacher. Wow. I can't believe how good and thorough and patient he is with all of his students. And, my dad is SMART! Wow again. He asks for nothing in return. He is at the service of anyone who asks and for as long as necessary.  He's been doing this for the homeschool community for 5 years and he hasn't had any of his grandchildren as his students yet. He gets Nick next year for Physics. Yes, I'm nervous. Why am I nervous? Well, my dad has his own special.... quirks?? that, thank GOD, he only exposes to family. Sometimes, "family" is around other people and, well, we get nervous. One quirk is that he still thinks I'm 5 years old. He still talks to me like I'm 5. He pats me on the head and baby talks me frequently. My kids love it but I would prefer that he refrain from this behavior in front of my friends. LOL. My kids can easily provoke him to sing his "Got No Pants On" song wherever we are. I hide my face in restaurants when he does this. His most unusually quirk is picking up 2 writing utensils and making them fight with each other. Another WOW moment. Yes, he will have 2 pens going at it with sound effects to accompany it. This was normal for me growing up. I didn't even think it was weird until I was an adult.  On a positive note, when people meet my dad, they have a better understanding where I got my social skills and are more sensitive and kind to me.

     I have a fond memory of my dad that I want to share. It may not sound like much but it is my memory that my father cared about me and I keep it so close to my heart. My old, old, old ugly record player broke. I listened to all my favorite records on that player. The Singing Nun, Weird Al Yankovich, Michael Jackson, Grease, every musical ever made (Oklahoma, South Pacific, Music Man, Sound of Music, etc, etc.). I hear laughter. Stop it. This was very important to me! I was crying quietly in my bed when my dad comes in to ask me what was wrong. I tried to collect myself enough to tell him through my gasps of air about my broken record player. He felt sorry for me for the first time in his life. He pet me on the back and said something nice. I wish I could remember what it was. The next day was Sunday. Mom, my sister and I went to Mass. When I came home, my dad was in my room. That has NEVER happened before. I was shocked to see him walk out of my door and toward me. I was angry. I thought he was invading my privacy. I went in there to see a brand new record player on my dresser. It was new! From the store! It was black and new. It had two of its own separate speakers. It was NEW. From the store.  I was so happy! Not only was it the nicest gift I had ever gotten but it was from my dad and it was his idea. It wasn't even Christmas, or my birthday. And it was new. I'm tearing up. My dad cared about me. That was enough.

Dad has dry ice in his mouth. The boys are getting a kick out of Grandpa talking with smoke coming out of his mouth and nose.

Grandpa is taking his granddaughters to the Father/Daughter dance. Daddy was out of town.

Grandpa stepped in for Roy every time he had to leave for Army. Grandpa was very busy when Roy was in Kuwait for 18 months. VERY busy!

     Don't misunderstand. I have other fond, yet simple, memories.

         - Dad would ride his bike with us girls to the local airport to take us for rides in his plane. He would stop at the ice cream shop and let us have the LARGE ice cream cone on the way. It was bigger- then -my- face kind of large.

         -Dad let me skip an accordion lesson to watch an episode of the "V" tv series. Yes, that was a FOND memory. My sister understands. LOL

         - Dad patiently helped me with every Calculus and Chemistry problem I had in High School and College

        - Dad always bought my Christmas and birthday presents himself. He never let Mom buy it and then take credit for it. On the subject of presents. My Dad buys me what I like to call, post partum pills, after every baby.  They are gigantic malt balls. When I felt alone and sad and on the verge of tears after my 3rd baby was born, I popped one of those in my mouth and the emotions instantly disappeared and were replaced with wonder and delight.  He's been buying them for me ever since. They work like a charm.

See Dad? I have plenty to say. As I look back on my childhood, I know for certain that my dad tried his best. He wanted to be a good father, had his idea's on what a good father was supposed to do and say, and he did it. That is what every good father does.

    

Priestly Scandal

If you have been paying attention, a couple priests are back in the news....sigh...Although I am outraged as much as you about the crimes of .09% of our priests (and, yes, that is the accurate percentage), this blog is in the defense of my priests and bishops.

Let me start with my local shepherd, Bishop Robert Finn. We are so very blessed to have such an outstanding bishop. I am a member of his vast flock. All of the priests and religious are his sons and daughters. This relationship is more than being a boss, president or king. He loves us. He loves me, even though we have only met a few times. He does not know my name but his love for me is deep none-the-less. It must have pained him a great deal when he learned about one of his son's indiscretions found on his computer. I am talking about Father Shawn Ratigan. The day after these questionable pictures were found on his computer, the police were notified. The DAY AFTER. The police saw no crime committed in these pictures. That was not enough for our Bishop, so he sent him to a safe place where he could be watched and kept away from children. When Fr. Ratigan broke the rules to stay away from children, Bishop Finn called for a full investigation which led to more disturbing evidence which was considered criminal. He was arrested that day. So, why are so many people upset with how this was handled? Where was the mistake? I'll tell you what people are saying. "People" were saying that a full investigation should have been called from the very beginning. Really? Every time an eyebrow is raised we need to demand a full investigation? How many priests would be put under this humiliation every day and this utter lack of respect and doubt and distrust when they have done nothing wrong? Believe me, the accusations are floating around by many who want to attack our priests for NO just cause.  What kind of priests would we have if their entire life was spent walking on egg shells? What would happen if a parishioner caught a priest driving a child somewhere alone? Would a full investigation be required, which would undoubtedly be plastered all over the news? What a terrible life for our priests. This is my fear. I fear that our bishop may succumb to the criticisms and chastise his flock prematurely, leading this "eggshell" lifestyle among our priests. I cannot be certain, but I fear that a premature decision may have already been made when I saw the news today. The priest, Fr. Tierney, that married my husband and I was removed from his church because of allegations that were deemed "not credible". Again, this is on the news to build on the already embarrassed and humiliated priest. Our bishop can do nothing except hide his poor son. Time will tell whether there is any credence to the accusations. If this priest is found innocent, it will not matter to the population of those that want to attack our church. This albatross will be hanging over Fr. Tierney's neck for the rest of his life which will make the joy of his priestly duties more difficult to see and feel.

And some want women priests why? A real gentleman ....a society of gentlemen...would never put a woman under the fire, attack, criticism, embarrassment and humiliation that our priests are under. Although this is not our reasoning for not having women in the priesthood, it shows evidence of the wisdom of Jesus. Our priests may not be boiled in oil, stoned or crucified in the physical sense but I would bet that some of them would prefer that torture then the one they are living in now. We should never wish this upon a woman.  Oh! God and His wisdom! Thank God our Mother Church is in the protected hands of the Holy Spirit which..."will be guide you in all truth" John 16:13 and "the gates of Hell will NEVER prevail against it." Matthew 16:18. The gates of Hell will never prevail. Try as you might, oh children of the Catholic faith. Not any of our sinful mouths will be able to change anything in matters of faith and morals. Not even the worst of the worst pope's was able to change any matter in faith or morals because then that would make Jesus a liar. "The gates of Hell will never prevail against my church". And this is what gives me hope.

Geocaching

Our family has recently taken up the hobby of Geocaching. This is all thanks to my handy dandy Android phone. It has an application for geocaching.com and for the GPS it requires. It has been so much fun. I must share.

Geocaching is a treasure hunt all over the world! People hide a box of "treasures" somewhere in a public area, post the GPS coordinates and maybe give a hint in code. One of my kids deciphers the code, I plug in the coordinates in my GPS application and we're off! It was a rough start for several reasons. I was so used to Letterboxing so I tried to follow the hints more than the coordinates. After I learned my lesson, we went back to the sites to try again. Some examples of treasures are small toys, pens, coins and other cute trading items. I carry a stash of treasures in my fanny pack. I just so happen to have a box of little items that were donated to me by a Girl Scout leader that used them to trade at Day Camp. I was turning those items into neckerchief slides for my Cub Scouts (I miss them!). I have plenty left for Geocaching. But really...when will my house ever be free of little treasures that I don't need? ....um....never?

There are other Geocaches that do not have any treasures in them. They are just simple log sheets where you sign your name when you have found it. It may sound a bit boring but its not! It is so exciting to find what you have been looking for. Some of these are in old film cannisters or camouflaged pill bottles. Some are as tiny as your finger nail where you need tweezers to pull out the log sheet. Samantha and I found one disguised as old gum stuck under a picnic table. Max and I found another that was hidden inside a screw. The creativity of how and where they are hidden just builds our excitement. This could easily be a hidden lesson about the treasures that await us all in heaven. We search and search using the compass that God has provided...follow the narrow, but exciting path, and walah, you have found your treasure. Throw away the compass (or GPS) and try to find the treasure yourself, what do you end up with? You end up finding other things that you believe are the treasures but are only counterfeits. The one's who have found the treasure, know it. They know it! And it is far more exciting and worth the labor, and exhaustion it took to discover it.

A microcache. Thats a log sheet in the center. You either need tweezers or long, sharp nails.

The kids hardly know that they love each other during our expiditions.

Yeah, I found this one. NOT HIM. I found it!

It looks like gum but is it?? I think not!!

The screw! It was stratigically placed in a curb stop in the parking lot

This one is a little too obvious

The one we found today. It is so much more pleasurable when the kids find it before me.

I bought Samantha a Geomate Jr. for her birthday this year. It has over 250,000 geocaches recorded and points her in the right direction of the closest one. She has it hanging on her neck as she carefully follows her arrow. I see one in Max's future too.

The weather, the outdoors, the exercise, the anticipation of what we will find and being together is what makes this the perfect family activity.