God's Green Thumb

Turning 30, releasing my stranglehold on happiness

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 03:01:00 +0000

As I finish up my third decade of life and begin the fourth, I have become increasingly tense and anxious about all of the things I had planned to have accomplished or experienced by the age of 30 that have not yet happened. I have also been chasing after the elusive goal of "being happy." I've done pretty well at getting a lot of the externals that I associate with happiness in place. However, things don't add up - all of the good things in my life do not satisfy me. I psych myself up to do fun things and tell myself, "I WILL have fun today!" Funny thing is, you can't simply will happiness, no matter how hard you try.

In fact, as I have gradually been realizing, the harder I try to be happy, the more stressed, anxious and unhappy I become. Happiness is not like so many other things in life - it is not simply a matter of how hard you try or how skilled you are. Instead, it is something so sweet and delicate that if you concentrate too hard on it, it disappears. It's kind of like trying to see a dim star in the sky, if you stare directly at it you won't be able to see it, so you have to look off to the side just a little bit.

This became very frustrating for me. Happiness always seemed just around the corner, but not here yet. Then a dear friend of mine gave me a reality check. He told me, "When we over-think, it's a sign of how weak our faith is. Worrying means we don't trust God with our life." This is exactly what I have been doing. I have been over-thinking, trying to figure out the formula for happiness, and following it as best I could. I needed to stop gripping the existing blessings in my life with all of my strength. In holding onto them so tightly, it occupied all of my time and energy and didn't leave any room for anything else, including more blessings.

The image that came to mind was sand in my palms. When you hold sand in the palm of your hand, it stays there as long as your hand is open and relaxed. When you close your hand and hold the sand tightly, it slips through your fingers.

I have recently been refocusing myself on opening my hands, allowing myself to receive God's love. I do not need to worry about tomorrow, or yesterday. Only today. God will provide for me. The more I let go of my images of happiness, the happier I become. I trust that great things will happen in my life.

Now, this isn't a lazy, let whatever happen to me type of letting go. It is an active trust. Some days it includes preparing for future possibilities and setting goals. Some days it does not. It is living life fully, one day at a time. It is not easy, but it is fulfilling. I have begun this process, and I'm sure I will still over-think things, but recognizing over-thinking for what it is helps me to relax and let go. It seems happiness rarely comes as the result of independence, it is instead the result of loving relationships, with others and with God.

Some thoughts on brokenness

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 16:35:00 +0000

I think I'm going to start updating this blog again. It's certainly been gathering some dust lately! We'll see how this sticks, my last post (3 years ago) I said the same thing!

I've been thinking a lot about brokenness lately. We all are broken, in one way or another. It is part of being human in a world full of suffering. No one likes to admit they are hurting though. We don't want to show weakness, we don't want to bother others with our problems, we don't want to be seen as a failure. But our weaknesses can also be our greatest strengths. Our brokenness allows us and compels us to depend on others to support us. We need community to thrive. If we never break down and have to depend on each other, we can continue on our merry path of self-sufficiency, not realizing the treasures of community that we are missing.

In my life, I have become exceedingly good at hiding my brokenness. I don't want to admit my struggles because I don't want to bother people with them, especially when so many people have struggles so much larger than my own. But in pretending life is worry-free, it helps no one. Other people see my life as perfect, or close to it, and wish they could be so carefree. Meanwhile, I stew on my faults and my fears in my own private darkness. I tell myself I don't want to bother people, but in reality I don't want to tarnish the image I have worked so hard to create.

Now if you know me well and are thinking to yourself, "Whoa, what's going on? Is Claire okay?" Don't worry!! Life is GOOD. I have wonderful family and friends who love me, a good job, a great place to live, and FINALLY some stability in my life. Having all these externals in order is a wonderful blessing. Life is about growing, and I want to work on tearing down my elaborate blind I have been hiding behind. Because ultimately that blind is all about me, and sharing my brokenness is about me too, but is about the real me. I want to be the real me, not the "perfect" me.

So bear with me...this will be a journey. If this ends up to be a bunch of boring navel-gazing, so be it - please do not waste your time reading such stuff if it is and I apologize for inflicting it on anyone in advance. I hope instead that by sharing some of my struggles others will find solace that they are not alone, and that we can lift each other up instead of struggling along our individual paths of darkness.

Testing...Hello?

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:27:00 +0000

So I think I'm going to start posting on this blog again, after two years of negligence! I finally have a job that leaves time for me to write some things for here, so this post is just a test to see if everything is still working with my new blogging software.

Fun in Idaho!

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 21:29:00 +0000

So, for those who don't know, I'm now living in Idaho teaching at an outdoor science school for the next year. My experience here so far has been wonderful, and the area that I'm living in is absolutely beautiful! Right now, we're still in the training process, and the first group of kids come the week of September 10. I'm so excited to get started, it should be a really fun year.

The part of Idaho that I'm living in is not famous for its potatoes, but for it's skiing, mountain biking, boating and hiking instead. It's in the mountains, right on a lake, and surrounded by coniferous forests of Ponderosa and Lodgepole Pines, Grand and Douglas Firs, Engleman Spruce, and a sprinkling of Aspens. There is about 3 feet of snow on the ground for most of the winter!

Here are some pictures from the backpacking trip I took with the rest of the staff a few weeks ago:

Mt. Vesuvius, Venice, and the end of my time in Italy

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 17:08:00 +0000

Well, my time here in Rome is officially over. Sorry for the sparse blog posts the last half of the year! These past 11 months certainly have been quite the adventure! I suppose pretty soon I'll have to come up with a new subtitle for my blog as well...any ideas?

My last month or so in Italy has certainly been fun as well! Immediately after finishing my thesis, I spent a week gallivanting around Rome with my two cousins, Beth and Carey. We went to all the museums, saw all the normal touristy things, hopped the train for a day trip to Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius and even squeezed in the Infiorata in Genzano, a "flower carpet" that was made on the main street of a little town just outside of Rome.

Here are a few pics from Mt. Vesuvius:

Last week I decided to head to Venice for the day, since I've never been there before and really wanted to go before I left for the States. I took the night train and got into Venice at about 5:30 in the morning. Walking around the deserted streets and around the mainly empty canals at sunrise was a special treat! It was a nice time of reflection for me, wandering through the thousands of small alleyways, over and around the canals. I took TONS of pictures. Here are a few from sunrise:

Most of the time I was there the whole city was flooded with tourists (even more than Rome!) and I relished finding the small, out of the way parts of the city that weren't quite as crowded. My two favorite parts of Venice were two of the smaller islands, Murano and Burano. Murano is the island where the famous Murano Italian glass is made. It was still pretty touristy, but because there are so many glassworks there, there are a lot of Italians you see just going about their daily lives (on the main island of Venice this is rare). The glass they make there is so beautiful!

Burano was enchanting. It seemed almost like I had stepped into another universe for an hour or so - where Italy is clean, its parks are safe for old people and children to enjoy, and everything is picture perfect. Rather than the huge metal security gates and guard dogs that are so common near Rome, there is merely a piece of cloth hanging over their open front doors to keep out the sun and give a little privacy. It was so peaceful and beautiful. If I ever go back to Venice, I would like to find a place to stay in Burano.

Note the pimped out speaker system in that little boat! Teenagers are the same everywhere.... :)

If you look carefully you can see the colored glass from nearby Murano decorating the flower pots.

Mainstreet in Burano

After visiting Murano and Burano, I headed back to the main island to explore the city by night. Here are a few of my pictures.

Gondolas covered up for the night

I'm still alive! Just busy....

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 10:18:00 +0000

Sorry for the extremely long hiatus from my blog....it's been forever since I've posted anything on here. I hope to fix that soon, and update you on all of my adventures since then.

A preview of what's to come....
-Santa Marinella fun, the beach
-Rail trip across Europe for Easter break: including Germany, Switzerland, Austria and a little bit of Slovenia :)

It's been so long since I've posted anything I've actually forgot how exactly I was doing it - so bear with me! :P

"Safe Pollution"

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 16:13:00 +0000

An environmental ad campaign sponsored by Friends of the Earth, a British government-funded organization, shows condoms covering point sources of air pollution (via Grist). This struck me as rather odd - what exactly is the message they're trying to get across with this? What do they presuppose one thinks about the use of condoms in the first place? The message wasn't very clear to me - other than possibly a cheap shot at sex to get people to visit their website. Here are some possible lines of thought I came up with:

Common thoughts about condoms:

-As long as you use them, you're having "safe sex," where you don't really have to worry about the consequences of your actions.

Presuppositions they make:

-Condoms protect us from unwanted "pollution." That unwanted pollution is specifically sperm, which has the potential for creating human life, or any number of known or unknown diseases.

Possible conclusions one is supposed to draw:

-Pollution has unwanted consequences

-??? I really don't know...

Conclusions that I made from this ad:

I think it's really interesting that they used this metaphor specifically in their ads, because I think it really tells more about the inadequacies of condom use than about air pollution. There's no way you could ever catch air pollution from different sources by using something like a condom, it's very clearly absurd. Rather than taking responsibility for air pollution and looking for ways to reduce it or control it, this ad is showing a culture where immediate gratification is worshipped, personal responsibility is abandoned, and band-aid solutions for unwanted side effects are actively searched for. Sound familiar? Perhaps like part of the Church's argument against artificial contraception?

It's really interesting to me how both environmental groups and Christian/prolife groups often end up preaching about the same values: unselfishness, responsibility, and foresight - but in very different ways. What's the difference? What each group holds as their primary conviction in life. For the enviros - the Earth is sacred (or whatever other pc/equivalent term one prefers) and we must take care of it. For the Christian/prolife groups - human life is sacred and we must take care of it.

Is either conviction a bad one to have? No.

Are they mutually exclusive? I certainly don't think so - although I'm sure there are those who would disagree.

What conclusions would you draw from such an ad campaign?

Technorati Tags: Birth control, Environmental ethics, Pollution

Monte Serrata

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 11:31:00 +0000

At the beginning of January, I found a group of women who go on full-day, genuine hikes every Wednesday. I was so excited to actually make use of my hiking boots again!! They meet early in the morning and bring a packed lunch to eat on the hike.

Two weeks ago I went with this group to Monte Serrata, which is about an hour north of Rome. The group consists of mostly women who are foreigners but living in Italy permanently. I was by far the youngest, but I enjoyed their company very much!

The day started at 8 am, meeting early so as to avoid rush hour traffic in Rome. As we were driving towards the mountain, it was very foggy outside and we were worried that it might be rainy. Being January, what is supposed to be the rainy season, it was a good possibility. The hike started in a city that was positioned on the top of one of three peaks on a the mountain. As we approached the city, the fog was left below us in the valley, creating the illusion of a sea which we were driving through only minutes before. The mountain appeared, not as a mountain, but as three tiny islands. Above the fog the skies were blue and sunny, the air crisp and clear.

The hike started out on a small road that was actually the driveway to a monastery that was on top of the second peak. Then we ventured off the road onto the real trail. It was so refreshing to be climbing over rocks again, rather than pavement! Once we got to the top of the mountain, the trail followed the ridge, providing an amazing view of the valley below. There was still plenty of fog, but it was starting to clear in some areas. We arrived at the main entrance of the monastery and stopped for a water break, since there was a small fountain there. Then we continued on to the last and highest peak, which didn't have anything on it currently, but there appeared to be ruins of a chapel there.

We stopped there for lunch. Oh it was so beautiful! After lunch, we went back towards the town on a different route, that went pretty much straight across to the town where we started. It was such a relaxing and refreshing day, I'm looking forward to many more amazing hikes on the coming Wednesdays!!

Our group

Technorati Tags: hiking, Monte Serrata, Vistas

Epiphany/Befana

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 11:45:00 +0000

During Christmastime, Piazza Navona in downtown Rome is transformed into a Christmas carnival with a carousel, amusement park games, street performers, crafts for sale, the most candy and tacky toys you've ever seen in your life, and little witches hanging on the corner of all the booths. When I first saw this, I was certainly perplexed. What was up with all of these witches? The witch's name is Befana, and she brings Italian Children presents on January 6th. How, in such a Catholic country, is there a tradition that a witch brings presents?

Well, of course, there's a story behind it - and it does link back to Christmas (kind of). Here's the version I heard. There are variations, and I'm not sure which is the "right" one.

The three kings were on their way to visit the baby Jesus by way of Italy, and they needed a place to stay. The witch, being a witch, refused to let them stay in her home when they asked, so they went on and kept looking. Afterwards, the witch felt really bad for being so mean, so ever since then she has given children presents on the day the kings arrived to visit Jesus to try to make up for her mean behavior. Interesting, isn't it?

Technorati Tags: Befana, Christmas, Italian customs, Piazza Navona, Epiphany

Tivoli

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 11:32:00 +0000

Tivoli - the city of a thousand fountains - is about 40 minutes outside of Rome by train. My friend, Annika, and I decided to head out there the day before she went back to Estonia. It's a really cute city just like so many others near Rome, but is famous for it's Villas. Alas, by the time we got out there, it was after lunch. All of the Villas closed around noon for lunchtime, and reopened somewhere between 2:30 and 4. This is to be expected, but what we weren't expecting was that all of the Villas closed for the day around 4:10 because it's wintertime. We missed the 10 minute window when one could gain entrance in the afternoon, not knowing this until it was too late. So we weren't able to see the beautiful Villas that everyone raves about, but the city was beautiful on it's own, and we managed to have plenty of fun anyway.

Of course, there was also the spectacular sunset from the city walls as well.

Technorati Tags: sunsets, Tivoli

The Vatican at Christmastime

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 11:23:00 +0000

Some more beautiful scenes from St. Peter's square.....

I also created a desktop wallpaper of the last photo, if anyone wants to download it for next Christmas, here's a link.

It's pretty much the same as the above, but I added "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." beneath the nativity.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, St. Peter's, Vatican

Christmas party

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 11:16:00 +0000

Ok, so my plan is to try to post all of these pictures and stories sequentially - starting with the oldest. So here goes....

Before Christmas, me and my friends from Torre di Babele (the language school) had a "Christmas dinner." Most of the people in the group would be returning home just before Christmas, so it was also kind of a goodbye party for a lot. We spent the whole day decorating and cooking food, then people started to arrive around 7 pm. The whole evening turned out really nicely. Our idea was to have an international Christmas party, so we tried to incorporate foods and/or traditions from everyone's home country. I brought green bean casserole (made with genuine American cream of mushroom soup!), Eva (who is German) made apple strudel, Nuno (Portuguese) made a pork and rice dish that was very yummy, Annika (Estonian) brought some cookies and Lingenberry jam (which also doubled as the Swedish food), etc, etc. We also made a sign that said Merry Christmas in everyone's native language. It was quite a fun night!

Here's a picture:

Technorati Tags: Christmas, international, food

I'm back!

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 21:57:00 +0000

It's been quite a long time since I've posted anything new on here (over a month now!). I've been having difficulties with the "new" blogger and had to find another program I could use for composing my posts when I'm not connected to the internet. I think I've worked out all the kinks now, so be prepared for several posts in the next few days to catch up on all that's happened in the past month!

I Saw the Pope!

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 14:39:00 +0000

Okay, I've been itching to post this for several days now, but I had to wait until I had a good internet connection. I saw the pope! Up close! And I got pictures AND some video! :) Ok, this video isn't terribly impressive or anything, but it's there. Last week there was a Mass in preparation for Christmas for all of the university students here in Rome, and at the end of the Mass Pope Benedict came out and said hi. Here are some pictures, and the video:

And of course the video! (let's see if this works...)

Tags: Pope Benedict XVI, swiss guards, christmas, vatican, rome

Good news and more pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 14:20:00 +0000

Well, yesterday I was able to talk to the director of my program here and got everything all figured out. Apparently the delay in classes is because the program is also available as a distance virtual program at several other universities and they don't have classroom space and/or faculty available until January. What's important is that it hasn't been delayed because of lack of enrollment, and classes will definitely start in January. I also got a list of books for me to start reading, so now I have something purposeful to do with my time as well. It's a good feeling!

Ok, more pictures:
Last Wednesday I went on a hike at one of the nature preserves just outside of Rome. It was nice to get outside of the city and wander around truly along for a little while.

On Friday, I went to the beach town of Nettuno. It's a really cool place, like many small towns in Italy it is a medieval town complete with walls surrounding the historic area and lots of little tiny streets. Medieval towns are so much fun to explore - it's like a giant maze, you never know where the streets are going to take you and if they're going to dead end or not.

And of course, the requisite picture of St. Peter's at night. I think every time I walk across that square at night I end up taking another picture!

Tags: classes, vatican, st. peter's, nettuno, sunset

I think I've figured out why there are so many Italian saints...

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 21:47:00 +0000

In order to live here without going crazy one needs to learn the patience of a saint.

So, as of now, the subtitle of my blog is still now quite accurate. Yes, I'm an environmental scientist, yes, I'm in Rome, yes, I'm enrolled at a pontifical university, but studying? Not quite. I've yet to have a single class. I'm not actually sure when I will have class. Overall, I've made a point not to make this blog primarily stories of negative/challenging experiences in Rome (there have been plenty of them) because I'd rather focus on the positive aspects of my year here. However, I felt the need to keep everyone updated on this subject.

So, I'll start from the beginning. I came to Rome at the end of September, expecting my classes to start the first week in November. I figured it would be good to have 5 weeks to learn the language and get settled before classes started. The second or third day I was here, I ventured over to my university to make sure my registration was all squared away and to pay for my classes. That went fairly well, but I left feeling like I didn't really know anything about the program that I should know. Here, there seems to be no such thing as "student orientation," "academic advisor," etc. It's common practice for students to show up at the school on the first day of classes to look at the list and see if they have classes that day or not until another day. Getting your class schedule ahead of time is rare. For me, I have my class schedule. Classes meet on Mondays, pretty much all day long. The trick is, which Mondays do they meet?

Originally, the website for my Master's program said classes began on November 7. So on November 7, I got all of my stuff together and showed up at the university at 8:30 am, half an hour before classes were supposed to start just in case there were any unexpected obstacles (there always are). I was told the room where classes would be meeting would be posted somewhere on the first day of classes. I looked around, and I didn't see any mention of the environmental science program. I looked around some more, and on the second floor, I found a printout of the program from 2005 hanging on the wall. I went back downstairs and asked the man at the reception desk if he knew where the environmental science master's program was meeting. He said probably in the Master's room, and if not, in the room next door. I went upstairs to the Master's room, to find it locked and empty, as well as the room next door. I went back downstairs and asked again. He suggested I go ask someone in Room 202B. So I go to the second floor, B wing and find all of the offices for the different programs. Most of them are empty (it is only a little after 9 am), so I find someone there and ask them. They have no clue, and ask why I asked them. Then they realize I was confused, I was actually in room 102B, since in Italy the floor you come in at is 0 and the one above it is 1. So I go upstairs and ask the professor in room 202B (his class had a 15 minute break). He really has no clue why I was sent to him, as he is a philosophy professor. So I go back down to the reception desk and ask again if he knows anyone who might know. He suggests the program coordinator, but he probably won't be in his office until 10 or 11. I should ask the secretary's office. Too bad they aren't open until 11 either. Well, I walk over to the secretary and hear people talking in the office. I ring them bell, and they open the door looking at me like I'm crazy for wanting to talk to them when it's not office hours. I ask them, and they say the environmental science program doesn't start until later in the month, but they don't know when. OK. At least I had found out something. I go downstairs to see if the computer lab is open, and miraculously it is! I go in and check out the website for the program - it now says that classes start on November 28. Why couldn't anyone else I had asked look at that? Why wasn't I ever notified of the change of dates? I don't know, and I don't think I will ever know.

So, I had an extra month. Not a horrible thing, I suppose. I decided to sign up for another month of intensive Italian classes to fill up my time and try to accomplish something in the month of November. The Italian classes went well and the month went by pretty fast. November 27 rolls around, and I'm starting to get really excited to finally start classes!! Sunday night, I decide to check the website for the program just to make absolutely sure I have class the next day. Turns out, I DON'T. Nope. Classes now start January 8. Oh, and they still end June 30, the same date they ended when they were starting on November 7. Upon further inspection, I realized I would also no longer be receiving a diploma, but a "certificate of completion." What's that supposed to mean? I don't know, but it doesn't sound good.

So I emailed the secretary, asking why the classes were postponed again and if they would be starting for sure on the 8th or if they might be postponed yet again. The response I received was that currently classes are scheduled to start on the 8th and any changes will be posted to the program's website. Right. So here I am now. I have until January 8th, and I'm not sure if my program will be postponed further or maybe even cancelled. I'm currently in the process of trying to figure out what exactly is the deal here, so I'll be sure to post updates once I have the whole story.

In the meantime, I've bought a regional rail pass for the month of December, so I plan on taking lots of day trips. Get ready for lots of beautiful pictures!!

Tags: school, italian culture, patience

Assisi, music, and general updates

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 14:57:00 +0000

So, it's been a while since I've updated this blog. The past few weeks sure have been crazy! I've been adjusting to living with two Italian girls, working on getting an internet connection (finally!), and I started Italian classes at a new school. In the past few weeks, I travelled to Assisi with a pilgrimage organized for all of the students in the Lazio region of Italy (the region that is Rome and the surrounding area), and I went to several sacred music concerts at St. Mary Major basilica.

The trip to Assisi was really neat. Two busloads of students from my university left around 7 am, headed for Asissi. We would be meeting up with 40 other buses along the way. About 40 minutes into the trip we pulled over on the highway and the boxes with our lunches in them were transferred from a truck that was there at a little rest stop into the cargo area of our bus. I guess that's about as close as you get to drive-through service here in Italy! (except for the many McDonalds scattered throughout the country of course) Next we stopped at a rest area for some breakfast. It is truly amazing how fast and good breakfast at the toll-road rest stops here can be! You'd think having 100+ people buying cappuccini (in real ceramic coffee cups of course, no disposable/plastic!) and cornetti and eating them at a bar that's about 20 feet long would be a long and arduous process, but it wasn't at all.
Upon arrival in Asissi we first had Mass in the Basilica of the Portinicula (sp?) (where St. Francis lived for a while) along with all of the other students. It was interesting, they sang a lot of the same praise and worship songs I learned in my experiences with nondenominational Christian fellowships, except in Italian of course. The church was packed, which was really cool.

Next we ate lunch, then headed up the hill to Assisi proper. I love that little city on a hill. It's just so peaceful and quaint. Being there one feels like they've stepped back in time. It was a beautiful, clear day with only a few clouds in the sky, and those clouds proved to create a spectacular sunset. Here are some pictures:

The following week, there was a sacred music festival that was held in the major basilicas of Rome. I was able to go to one concert, in St. Mary Major. The day before yesterday I also went to another concert in St. Mary Major that was a Mass composed in honor of St. Cecilia by Domenico Bartolucci, the maestro for the Sistine Chapel. The music was truly heavenly - it refreshes the soul. The sounds of the orchestra and choir saturated the air so heavily I almost felt I could taste it. It is one thing to hear classical music on a CD, and another to hear it live but played mediocrely, but to hear such music played and sung with perfection is quite a moving experience. I am only now beginning to truly understand what traditional sacred music is meant to be and why there are those who advocate it so strongly. I think the majority of the world simply doesn't know what they're missing.

When I was listening to the Mass composed for St. Cecilia, it was only halfway through that I realized the composer and the director of the orchestra that was there were the same person. At first I just figured it was some Mass that was composed a long time ago by someone who had also died a long time ago. But it wasn't. It was composed by a man who was still very much alive and very passionate about creating music that gives due glory to God and brings the listener into a closer relationship with him. It was quite a marvel to realize this. The mood of the music for the different parts of the Mass fit with the mood one should have for them. About halfway through, I started thinking of how the Mass really is basically a love song between Christ and the Church, played out in real life. In Mass we start out by apologizing for the times we've failed Christ, thank Him for all He has given to us, and then remember some of the most important parts of God's relationship with mankind in the scriptures. In the offertory we give the fruits of our labors and our very selves as a gift to God. Then, in the Eucharist, Christ gives His whole self to us and promises to be faithful to us for all time. The craziest thing for me is I got all of those thoughts just by listening to some music in a language I don't even know, Latin. I do think music is a universal language though - you don't need to understand the words to know what it is saying if it is well-composed.

Tags: Assisi, St. Cecilia, Domenico Bartolucci, sunsets, sacred music

The blessing of the motorbikes and more at the Vatican

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 13:38:00 +0000

This past Sunday I went to the Vatican again, this time to visit the Cuppola. It is so beautiful! Going up there is definitely not for those who are claustrophobic though. Here are some pictures:

In the morning, a very large group of people on motocycles had come for the Sunday Angelus with the pope. It was quite interesting to see so many bikes parked on St. Peter's square - but the coolest part was when they all revved their engines as an applause for the pope - the whole piazza was vibrating from it!

After the Angelus, I went up to the cuppola. No, I didn't take this picture at an angle, it was the wall that was crooked, not the camera!

What a beautiful view....

Next, some pictures looking from the outside of the cuppola down at Rome:

Two shots of the Vatican at night (me playing with the long exposure settings on my camera - they are really fun!)

Note: I apologize in advance if some of the pictures don't match up with the commentary, I can't preview this from the computer that I'm on and there's a good possiblity that the links don't actually match up quite right. Let me know if they don't seem right. :)

You know you live in Rome when...

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:53:00 +0000

You have a hard time finding somewhere to eat lunch because so many restaurants are closed for lunch break.

Saints Rafael, Filippo, Rosa, and Théodore!!

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 22:34:00 +0000

Last Sunday, I had the privilege of going to the canonization Mass for four new saints: St. Rafael Guízar Valencia, St. Filippo Smaldone, St. Rosa Venerini, and St. Théodore Guérin. It was amazing to see how many people had come from all over the world for this Mass. One really neat thing was that probably a quarter of those attending the Mass were deaf, because St. Filippo Smaldone founded an order who's apostolate is to work with the deaf here in Italy. For example, when we were waiting in line to get through security, the line was very quiet, because everyone was signing to each other instead of talking. It was quite a sight. Here are some pictures:

Waiting in line to get in.

Tags: Rome, Pope Benedict XVI, canonization, catholic, Rafael Guizar Valencia, Filippo Smaldone, Rosa Venerini, Theodore Guerin

You know you live in Rome when...

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 16:32:00 +0000

You see a really large car parked on the side of the road, then realize it's a Mini Cooper.

More pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 12:02:00 +0000

I've posted more pictures online. They are mostly of a few churches I visited recently, the S. Prassede and S. Giovanni in Laterno.

Tags: pictures, rome, churches

Is God Green?

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 11:05:00 +0000

A television special will be airing on PBS Wednesday, October 11 at 9:00 pm EST. I won't be able to watch it (we don't get PBS here in Rome), but it sounds very interesting. There is also a lot of information on the PBS website. Here is a brief introduction:

A new holy war is growing within the conservative evangelical community, with implications for both the global environment and American politics. For years liberal Christians and others have made protection of the environment a moral commitment. Now a number of conservative evangelicals are joining the fight, arguing that man's stewardship of the planet is a biblical imperative and calling for action to stop global warming.

But they are being met head-on by opposition from their traditional evangelical brethren who adamantly support the Bush administration in downplaying the threat of global warming and other environmental perils. The political stakes are high: Three out of every four white evangelical voters chose George W. Bush in 2004. "Is God Green?" explores how a serious split among conservative evangelicals over the environment and global warming could reshape American politics.

Also, a related paper is avaliable on the Acton Institute website regarding the connection between the climate change lobby and population control: From Climate Control to Population Control: Troubling Background on the 'Evangelical Climate Initiative'.

Tags: God, Christianity, climate control, population control, evangelical, global warming, pbs, american politics

What a weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 16:32:00 +0000

My first weekend in Rome was quite exciting. I started off with a tour of the Ghetto Ebrao and Teatro Marcelo, then went to the beach on Saturday, and to the Sagra dell'uva (Festival of the Grape) in the nearby city of Marino.

The tour on Friday night was pretty interesting; however, the whole thing was in Italian so I didn't catch everything that was going on. We visited what used to be the Jewish Ghetto, where the streets are very narrow and there are many fun surprises around every corner. Here is a picture of the Teatro Marcelo:

The next day I went with my roommate, Eva, and another girl from her Italian class to the beach. It was still very warm! I wasn't expecting it to be warm enough to swim, but once we got there I regretted not bringing a swimsuit.

On Sunday, we went to the wine festival in Marino, a small town about 30 km from Rome. It was quite the Italian experience! There weren't any tourists there, lots of culture, and I felt like it was definitely the "real Italy." The festival's history is very interesting. In 1571, a battle was won on the 7th of October, the same day as a procession of Our Lady of the Rosary and Pope Pius V attributed the victory to the intercession of the Virgin Mary. In 1716 Pope Clement XI extended the feast of the Most Holy Rosary that was started in Marino to the whole Church, to be celebrated on the first Sunday in October.

In 1925, the townspeople decided to have a festival to celebrate the God's gift of grapes to the town, which make the wine the town is known for throughout Italy. So, all rolled into one big festival are the celebration of a battle won, the procession of Our Lady of the Rosary, and lots and lots of wine!

Here are some children dressed in costumes preparing for the grand procession:

The nobles going to meet the victorious soldiers:

The miracle of the wine fountains (craziness!!):

I also had a great birthday here in Rome, I went out to a cafe with about 10 others from my Italian class and we stayed there most of the night. Overall, life is good here! The things I enjoy the most though are the small treasures that are hidden from the crowds that I come across on a daily basis pretty much. The beautiful churches tucked away in side alleys, fountains in the middle of residential areas, rose gardens I come across on the way to or from different destinations.

Rome Sweet Home

noreply@blogger.com (Claire) — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 14:15:00 +0000

Well, after a pleasantly uneventful journey, I arrived safely in Rome yesterday. I began unpacking my things and bought some groceries (at the grocery store across the street from St. Mary Major Basilica!). The story of my life thus far in Rome has been a constant battle to keep things dry! As I was unpacking, I realized that the majority of the clothes on the bottom of my big suitcase were damp and/or had wet spots all over them. Turns out my luggage was sitting in the rain for a little while in London. Then today it's been a pretty constant downpour since around noon, so almost everything in my backpack and the clothes I was wearing were pretty soaked. You know it's raining hard when the rain starts to come straight through a perfectly good umbrella!

The view from my window right now:

On a lighter note, the owners of the apartment I am staying in have a cat and a dog, both of which are very friendly. I also have a roommate who is from Germany and will be staying in Italy for two weeks. This morning the cat came into our bedroom and woke us up, purring and cuddling. :) Here's a picture of her:

Tags: Roma, rain, cat