My Domestic Church

My Daily Domestic Diigolet 07/17/2009

2009-07-17T03:30:00.001-04:00

Dealing With Your Loved One's Imminent Death - Preparations and Activities - Death & Dying
tags: death, dying
Campaign For Liberty — The Planned Demise of Capitalism
With all of this talk of higher taxes, cap and trade, and socialized health care, glen Beck had this audio of former Agriculture Secretary Ezra Taft Benson on his program today. It's a chilling quote.
tags: areyousorryyet?
- I have talked face to face with the godless communist leaders. It may surprise you to learn that I was host to Mr. Kruschev for a half day when he visited the United States, not that I'm proud of it. I opposed his coming then, and I still feel it was a mistake to welcome this atheistic murderer as a state visitor. But, according to President Eisenhower, Kruschev had expressed a desire to learn something of American Agriculture - and after seeing Russian agriculture I can understand why. As we talked face to face, he indicated that my grandchildren would live under communism. After assuring him that I expected to do all in my power to assure that his and all other grandchildren will live under freedom he arrogantly declared in substance:
  
  " 'You Americans are so gullible. No, you won't accept communism outright, but we'll keep feeding you small doses of socialism until you'll finally wake up and find you already have communism. We won't have to fight you. We'll so weaken your economy until you'll fall like overripe fruit into our hands.'
  
  "And they're ahead of schedule in their devilish scheme."
  
  -Ezra Taft Benson
John Holdren, Obama's Science Czar, says: Forced abortions and mass sterilization needed to save the planet
More on that Science Czar - I guess that's part of the hopey/changey thing we've been hearing about?
tags: obama, current, events, areyousorryyet?
- These ideas (among many other equally horrifying recommendations) were put forth by John Holdren, whom Barack Obama has recently appointed Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, and Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology -- informally known as the United States' Science Czar. In a book Holdren co-authored in 1977, the man now firmly in control of science policy in this country wrote that:
- • Women could be forced to abort their pregnancies, whether they wanted to or not;
  
  • The population at large could be sterilized by infertility drugs intentionally put into the nation's drinking water or in food;
  
  • Single mothers and teen mothers should have their babies seized from them against their will and given away to other couples to raise;
  
  • People who "contribute to social deterioration" (i.e. undesirables) "can be required by law to exercise reproductive responsibility" -- in other words, be compelled to have abortions or be sterilized.
  
  • A transnational "Planetary Regime" should assume control of the global economy and also dictate the most intimate details of Americans' lives -- using an armed international police force.
Obama's Science Czar: Traditional family is obsolete, punish large families | Washington Examiner
These are the scary views of the man Obama has named Science csar.
tags: areyousorryyet?, obama, current, events
- President Obama's Science Czar, John Holdren, took a controversial and amoral approach to the science of population by recommending mass compulsory sterilization and even forced abortion (and/or forced marriages) under certain circumstances. His 1977 tome, Ecoscience, which he co-authored with Paul and Anne Ehrlich, also displays a revealing disregard for the institution of the traditional human family.
- As United States taxpayers know, income tax laws have long implicitly encouraged marriage and childbearing...Such a pronatalist bias of course is no longer appropriate. In countries that are affluent enough for the majority of citizens to pay taxes, tax laws could be adjusted to favor (instead of penalize) single people, working wives, and small families. Other tax measures might also include high marriage fees, taxes on luxury baby goods and toys, and removal of family allowances where they exist. Other possibilities include the limitation of maternal or educational benefits to two children per family.
- Some Americans might cite the Founding Fathers and argue that a government whose policy is to make war on the family in the name of science has clearly overstepped its mandate. That was not the opinion expressed by John Holdren, the man President Obama has put in charge in the nation's science policy.
Maria del Carmen Bousada, World's Oldest New Mother Who Gave Birth At 66 Reported Dead
tags: no_tag
- At age 66 she had twins, becoming the world's oldest new mom – and raising questions about maternity so late in life. Now she is dead at age 69, leaving behind boys not yet 3.
Older women in movies and television.
This is discouraging!
tags: aging, women, current, events
- This story came to mind on reading baby boom actress Geena Davis' interview with The Daily Beast Website. There are no good roles for women her age, said the 53-year-old star of such iconic feminist films as "Thelma & Louise" (1991) and "A League of Their Own" (1992). Her male co-stars, Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks, are still hot box office at 45 and 52, respectively.
  
  By most any yardstick, Davis still looks superb. Furthermore, she has a brainy appeal that should transcend starlet parts. Recall her recent role as a U.S. president in the television series "Commander in
  Chief
  ." But there Davis was, in a bare office promoting an independent film that no distributor has picked up.
  
  The lament that Hollywood drops female stars as they age is not new. But truth be told, it's not very friendly to women actors of any age. Martha Lauzen, a professor of communications at San Diego
  State
  University, has been tracking women's progress in the film industry for a long time. Her conclusion: Progress has not been made.
  
  Today only 28 percent of the movie actors with speaking parts are female. In 1946, the number was 25 percent. The few actresses chosen are mostly under 40, and even the supposedly older parts are filled with women far younger than their characters.
  
  In "Alexander" (2004), Angela Jolie was one year older than the actor playing her son. As the mature Mrs. Robinson in "The Graduate" (1967), Anne Bancroft was only six years older than Dustin Hoffman, the recent college boy she was trying to seduce. Gloria Swanson had just turned 50 when she portrayed the haggard Norma Desmond.
  
  As a result of this odd casting, "our eyes are not used to seeing older female characters when they do show up," Lauzen tells me. "We judge them as being older than they really are."
Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere
tags: current, events
- Sixty-two percent (62%) of voters say the country is moving down the wrong track, up a point from last week and also the highest level since February.
Thirty and Forty I know I said I wasn't going to post… | Anna's Xanga Site - Weblog
Some of you may already be familiar with Anna's Xanta site. Anna predicted on Monday that the pope would die that day, or not. Seems not since Pope Benedict is still fine and as far as I know, in good health! Still Anna's site is fun to watch right now as she is predicting the end or the world in 40 days or so - give or take. Just for the fun of it I scheduled an appointment for mid September...let's just say I'm pretty confident she's wrong.
tags: current, events
- Please remember, St. Malachay (in 1156 or something) prophesied the succession of popes. And after our current Benny the Rat (Pope Benedict XVI/Ratzinger) there is ONE dude left. Known as Peter the Roman, he will lead the people thru a time of 'great tribulation'. In other words, if Peter the Roman arrives on the scene, it's showtime. And people know about Malachay's predictions - they watch that stuff - it goes front page in the news whenever a pope dies (remember last time?) And with only Peter left (and many people thinking he's either the AntiChrist or the False Prophet)... tell me THAT won't make a few people sit up and pay attention! Not that they'll have a CLUE what to pay attention to - they've already missed the 7-year covenant with many, the first four seals of Revelation six and the true meaning of Rosh Ha'Shana. They were busy watching Michael Jackson's funeral and trying to figure out who the next American Idol would be. (Gah.)

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Maybe, maybe not... a mother's protection

2009-07-16T10:05:00.001-04:00

My niece has this funny anecdote on her blog side bar:

My mother, Sister David, was ill and in bed, and I was getting ready to leave to speak to the National Council of Catholic Women. Sister David had a bird in her room, a little parakeet, and I said to the bird, "So long, chico." And he said, "Sock it to 'em, Angelica."

"It's the Lord," I told David. She looked at me and said, "No, it's Sister Regina. She taught him that."

You know what the lesson there is? Careful what you attribute to the Lord. Sometimes it's just a bird squawking.

- Mother Angelica

How very true, and a lesson that I should definitely keep in mind. I am always trying to figure out why things happened and looking for God's presence in every situation.

That said, I have been trying to figure out some things about my mother's death last month and some things have been really bothering me.

When we first sat down with hospice, the nurse told me that according to some study, most people die alone. In fact in the study she quoted to me, 86% of the people died alone. That may mean they had no family, but many times it meant that they waited until everyone was out of the room before they passed on. For some it was almost like, "Oh thank goodness, they're gone! Now I can finally die!"

So I didn't have any illusions that I would absolutely be there at my mom's death, but I wanted to try to be if it was possible, keeping in mind that this was going to be a slow arduous process taking long days and not a matter of minutes.

The day of her death there was clearly a difference in her condition. I mentioned before it was like someone flicked a switch. She was vomiting a dark green substance that reminded me of cooked spinach and her bowels were continuously emptying themselves; her legs were turning blue and purple; her breathing had increased to almost a pant; her back and neck were arched and her mouth was open. But the most striking for me were her eyes. They were open but looked as if they had gray cataracts upon them. These eyes did not see motion, shape or form. I waved my arms in front of her and she did not respond at all. I spent the next few weeks thinking that she was suffering, starving for air and in great pain. For her body, this was probably true.

But Mr. Pete said something that made me start thinking differently. He thinks that perhaps mom's soul had already left the body or was leaving the body and the body, without the soul, the body was in its purest, most animal -like form. The body was struggling to continue its normal processes as it had for 81 years, but without the soul it was without purpose. I thought about that a lot.

And then I wondered about all of the anecdotes I had heard about people who have died and then been resuscitated. What if my mother was looking down on us, seeing her body dying, seeing me at her bedside. And what if mom and maybe her guardian angel worked it out so that she would die alone, to protect my sister and me from the heartbreaking memory of seeing her body die this way.

There were things that happened in those last hours that would support this. My sister was leaving work to be with mom. But her computer kept freezing as she tried to shut it down, something that it had never donbe before. Then when she was on the way over to mom's she accidentally took the wrong turn. My sister had been going to mom's for weeks and weeks, and yet she made the wrong turn on this day? It's curious.

On the other hand I was already beside my mother, but the thought came into my head that I should pick up Sam from his organ practice and go home. Thinking that I probably had time (in fact I thought this was going to be a long siege) I left. I picked up Sam and while I was home I decided to check my e-mail. One of our customers was asking for a UPS tracking number and I thought I would quickly check out the tracking of his item for him. But I must have typed that number in 20 different times and couldn't get the tracking to work! That has never happened to me before that day or since. And while I was home I had the thought that I should have something to eat because it was probably going to be a long night and I might not have another chance to grab something. So I ate. And then on the way over in the car I remember thinking that I better grab a little gas so that I wouldn't have any problems getting home late at night. And while I was having these thoughts, despite what I knew was happening with mom, I was calm and even peaceful. I thought I was being logical.

And as it worked out my sister arrived immediately after my mom died, and I arrived shortly after that.

Maybe it was all coincidence, or maybe it's my own "bird squawking." But part of me thinks that mom, who was a very private person in some ways, wouldn't have wanted us to see her body dying and struggling like that. I don't think that was a memory she would want us to have of her. So I want to believe that maybe via our guardian angels she kept us away from her final moments, knowing that we had had weeks and weeks with her and had already said our goodbyes and told her that we loved her. And the thought of mom doing that for us gives me a little peace about it.

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Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

2009-07-16T08:51:00.000-04:00

From the Seton Newsletter.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel
We celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16th, the date of Our Lady's appearance to St. Simon Stock. The celebration of this feast seems particularly appropriate in light of the current conflict between Muslims and Christians. This feast gives us and our children an opportunity to learn about how the Church has suffered from those who oppose us. Our children can be prayer "crusaders" in their own home.

Mount Carmel was the location in Palestine where, in the Old Testament times, the Prophet Elias called down fire from heaven, once to destroy an enemy pagan captain and his fifty soldiers, and once to prove to the pagan priests that the true God of the Israelites was in control. The Prophet Elias lived on Mount Carmel most of his life as a monk; it was because he lived there with other monks living a life of prayer and sacrifice, that Mount Carmel was considered a sacred mountain.

Later during the Old Testament time of Judith, King Nabuchodonosor sent his general to "bring all the earth under his empire." One of the places that resisted this invasion was Carmel. Although Judith did not live in Carmel, she was an Israelite widow who prayed for God to give her the strength to defeat the king and his general, General Holofernes. Judith was given a strategy by God, and she killed the general in his own camp.

In New Testament times, chapels, including one to the Blessed Mother, were built on Mount Carmel, and an order of monks called Carmelites lived there. Throughout the centuries when the followers of Islam, the Mohammedans or the Saracens, were destroying Christian cities and churches, Carmel was destroyed but rebuilt again by the Christians. The Crusaders fought valiantly during the holy wars trying to save Carmel and the other holy lands.

However, because of the devastation, the Carmelite Order moved to Europe. Later, St. Simon Stock, born in England in the mid 1100's, joined the Carmelite Order in England, where there was great devotion to the Blessed Mother. He became the general of the Carmelite Order, and spent several years in the monastery on Mount Carmel. The Order spread through Europe, and in 1252 the pope gave official recognition to the Carmelite Order.

The Blessed Mother appeared to St. Simon Stock on July 16, 1251, in Kent, England, and gave him a scapular for the monks to wear day and night. She told the saint, "Those wearing this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire."

Since then, the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel has become a favorite with Catholics all over the world, many popes and saints wearing it daily. Scapulars, official sacramentals of the Church, with their prayers and devotions, have become second in popularity only to the Rosary. The Church has granted many spiritual benefits to the wearing of the Brown Scapular.

St. Terese of Lisieux, the Little Flower and Doctor of the Church who joined the Carmelite Order, wrote about Mary as our Mother and a model for us to imitate. Mary cares for us as a mother, and we should love her as our heavenly mother. We need to look to her as the perfect disciple of Jesus, and try to imitate her way of life, especially her instant and complete obedience to His holy will.

Those who wear the scapular show their devotion to the Mother of God by frequent prayer and frequent reception of the sacraments. The scapular is a sign, a symbol of our willingness to commit ourselves to a higher spiritual life of prayer and devotion, as well as the practice of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

For us homeschooling parents, Our Lady of Mount Carmel should remind us of the attacks against the church, whether they are from across the seas or right in our own country. We and our children need to re-dedicate ourselves to praying for the Church, and to ask the Blessed Mother in prayer to help our Church at this time in our country when it is under attack from the pagan society, from the media, and even from those supposedly within the Church who want the laws of God abandoned.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we know you are our heavenly mother and are dedicated to protecting us. Please intercede for us with your Son to protect our Church from the enemies of your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to learn through teaching our children that our holy Catholic Faith is the most precious treasure we have, and that we must be willing to make great sacrifices for the Church which your Son founded for our eternal salvation. Amen.

Another prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the Flos Carmeli (Flower of Carmel) composed by Saint Simon Stock.

O Beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine,splendor of heaven, holy and singular, who brought forth the Son of God, still ever remaining a pure virgin, assist us in our necessity! O Star of the Sea, help and protect us! Show us that you are our Mother! Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us!

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Links on Del.icio.us.

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My Daily Domestic Diigolet 07/16/2009

2009-07-16T03:30:00.001-04:00

A priest reflects on his anniversary of ordination
A wonderful story from a young priest, very worthwhile reading, particularly in this year of the priest.
tags: priesthood
- A week after returning home and some visits to M.D. Anderson, my 22-year-old sister Erika was able to get around somewhat slowly. She had cancer in various places in her body, and this aggressive kind of ovarian cancer was almost unheard of for a young lady. The doctors were baffled at the various cancer manifestations, and they were unable to give a good diagnosis, much less prognosis. Despite all this, Erika was able to be one of the readers at the ordination Mass on June 23. As I looked upon my little sister as she read from the prophet Jeremiah, all I could feel was deep fear and grief, believing that hers would be the first funeral I would have to do as a priest.
- It was then that I felt the profound reality of the gift God had given me, that is, the Gift of ordained priesthood. I realized, then, that my primary family was no longer limited to my parents and sister. What I had learned in my intellect was now a deeply real and essential part of my heart. I realized in that moment that I was now a very real and intimate part of a larger spiritual family. My bride, now, was the Bride of Christ; the Bride of Christ is the Church. Although I wished to stay with Erika, the girl I warmed baby bottles for when she was in diapers, my bride was now calling me in the form of an elderly Catholic nun who was about to go into a potentially fatal surgery. During the few minutes of sacramental time with the beautiful nun, I heard other voices from other people in the background: "Father! Father! Father!" I was hopping from here to there, and I was sad that there are not more priests. And so began my life as an ordained priest of God.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-15T18:11:00.002-04:00

My first Wordless Wednesday offering.

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P1050653 [Flickr]

2009-07-15T15:09:30-07:00

elliemom posted a photo:

Hey Mr. Obama - this is how you're supposed to get the first pitch done

2009-07-15T12:52:00.000-04:00

The catcher is supposed to be BEHIND the plate!

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My Daily Domestic Diigolet 07/15/2009

2009-07-15T03:30:00.001-04:00

Barack Obama's Stimulus Plan: Failing by Its Own Measure - TIME - Annotated
That Time Magazine is publishing this article is rather telling!! They are usually very pro Obama and his policies.
tags: current, events, finance, areyousorryyet?
- The $787 billion stimulus plan is turning out to be far less stimulating than its architects expected.
- Back in early January, when Barack Obama was still President-elect, two of his chief economic advisers — leading proponents of a stimulus bill — predicted that the passage of a large economic-aid package would boost the economy and keep the unemployment rate below 8%. It hasn't quite worked out that way. Last month, the jobless rate in the U.S. hit 9.5%, the highest level it has reached since 1983.
- A little over a month ago, the Administration said the stimulus bill had created or saved 150,000 jobs. That's a far cry from the 3 million to 4 million jobs that Romer and Bernstein foresaw back in January.
- But while the stimulus plan may eventually reach its goal, a look at the paper Romer and Bernstein wrote back in January shows that at least for now, the stimulus plan is at best off to a slow start.
  - Remember, there was a big rush to get this stimulus passed and it was voted on without anyone ever reading the thing! So that was either way off base or a complete and total lie. - post by mydomesticchurch
- "I don't buy the argument that you just have to give the stimulus package more time," says Reinhart. "By the test they put forward to grade the stimulus, it is failing."
Average length of unemployment highest since 1948. - WSJ.com
More of that hopey/changey thing at work.

And I still laugh at my friend's comment, "we are better off now then at the end of the last administration." yea... right.
tags: current, events, finance, areyousorryyet?
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminary estimate for job losses for June is 467,000, which means 7.2 million people have lost their jobs since the start of the recession. The cumulative job losses over the last six months have been greater than for any other half year period since World War II, including the military demobilization after the war. The job losses are also now equal to the net job gains over the previous nine years, making this the only recession since the Great Depression to wipe out all job growth from the previous expansion.
- - The prospects for job creation are equally distressing. The likelihood is that when economic activity picks up, employers will first choose to increase hours for existing workers and bring part-time workers back to full time. Many unemployed workers looking for jobs once the recovery begins will discover that jobs as good as the ones they lost are almost impossible to find because many layoffs have been permanent. Instead of shrinking operations, companies have shut down whole business units or made sweeping structural changes in the way they conduct business. General Motors and Chrysler, closed hundreds of dealerships and reduced brands. Citigroup and Bank of America cut tens of thousands of positions and exited many parts of the world of finance.
  
  Job losses may last well into 2010 to hit an unemployment peak close to 11%. That unemployment rate may be sustained for an extended period.
- No wonder poll after poll shows a steady erosion of confidence in the stimulus. So what kind of second-act stimulus should we look for? Something that might have a real multiplier effect, not a congressional wish list of pet programs. It is critical that the Obama administration not play politics with the issue. The time to get ready for a serious infrastructure program is now. It's a shame Washington didn't get it right the first time.
Seduced by stories of stars giving birth later, and IVF myths, career-obsessed Lucy believed children and love could wait | Mail Online
This is really a sad story, but one I hope younger women will read. A few years ago I did read a 20-something blogger who was very happy to think that she could put off her childbearing until whenever it suited her! She's about in her mid 20s now. I hope she gets a chance to read this.
tags: pregnancy, motherhood
- Then I see a mother with her child and the realisation hits me, as if for the first time - that's never going to be me. If someone had told my 25-year-old self that I would end up here - aged 45, newly married and, sadly for us both, without a hope of ever getting pregnant - I wouldn't have believed them.
- It would have seemed incredible that love would take so long to find me; that becoming a mother would ever matter so much; or that my fertility - a gift that, at the time, seemed more like an inconvenience - would plummet far beyond the point at which doctors could work their magic.
- I suppose it's a sign of the times that we believed we could have whatever we wanted. We wanted a baby and if we failed to conceive naturally, then IVF was our back-up.
- t was the first time in my life I'd ever given motherhood any serious thought, and the yearning hit me like a thunderbolt.
- had spent the whole of my adult life as a London career girl, married to my advertising agency job, with no time or inclination to settle down.
- My life didn't revolve around marriage and children. My friends and I were taking our time. We were big kids in shoulder pads, and life was about working, shopping, drinking and having fun.
- When I stopped to think about it (which was never for very long), I could never imagine myself in my mother's shoes.
  At 22, she'd had me to look after, whereas at the same age I was staying late at the office to check my secretary's typing or prepare for a meeting. At 30, when she spent her evenings cooking for a family, I was living on cigarettes and canapes.
  The way women's lives have changed is truly wonderful but, as I have learned the hard way, you never get something for nothing.
- What she said next shook me. A woman of 43 or 44 has a 13 per cent chance of getting pregnant through IVF and a 70 per cent chance of miscarriage. 'So Lucy, your net chance of delivering a baby with IVF is around four per cent. I'm really sorry.'
- The actress Jane Seymour and model Iman both had children at 44, actress Mimi Rogers was 45, Susan Sarandon 46, Holly Hunter 47. Each headline seemed to confirm that, yes, it was possible to put having a family at the bottom of your priority list until you were good and ready
- But here's the rub - a very high proportion of babies born to women in their 40s are conceived using donated eggs from younger women. It's a secret that many will never let you in on.
- I was angry at the ad agency for keeping me in the office throughout my childbearing years, and at the tobacco companies who had sold me the cigarettes I'd smoked throughout my 20s, and at the government for never having had a public health campaign on the subject of increasing age and decreasing fertility.
  But, deep down, I knew I had no one to blame but myself. I had never stopped to think about the bigger picture. I had never had a life plan, or even a plan beyond what my secretary scheduled in my diary. I'd stuck my head in the sand, and this was the result.
- My chance to experience the profound joy of motherhood has come and gone. But to the generation of career girls who are a decade or two behind me, I would say this: don't wait for a bigger house, a better job or a more expensive car, because if you do, you're a lot more likely to miss out on the most precious prize of all - a child.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

If Michael Jackson had stayed in Gary, Indiana.

2009-07-14T18:07:00.000-04:00

When Michael Jackson died a few weeks ago, I revisited some of his past interviews where he talked about missing out on his childhood and how he had been searching for it ever since. I talked to Mr. Pete about this.

"It's bullcrap," says he.

I was a little flustered with his response. Michael Jackson started working at the age of 5 and by 8 was performing in front or large audiences where he remained for the most part of his life. The performance, rehearsal and touring schedules were grueling and undoubtedly he missed a lot that we take for granted in a "normal childhood." But was his life really that bad? Not according to my husband and I think he has a point.

If Michael Jackson and his family hadn't hit it big, he would have grown up in Gary, Indiana. He would have known poverty and crime instead of riches and adulation. He may have even been murdered years ago as young African American males make up a significant portion of the victims of violent crimes. He might have made it through high school, but the odds would have been against him with a 53% drop out rate.

And because he really would have had to work hard for living, he may have never discovered his talents or found work that gave him the kind of pleasure that music and dance did. Maybe instead his talents would have become mere hobbies, perhaps avocations for weddings and parties.

Although on the bright side he wouldn't have had the same amount of time to wallow in his unhappiness. His great wealth let him obsess over it and that obsession became the driving force in his life. If he remained a great unknown he wouldn't have had the funds to mess up his face either.

So while Michael lamented all of the normal stuff he lost it doesn't seem like he ever really appreciated or understood the great opportunities his childhood stardom afforded him. And maybe that's one of the greatest ironies of all.

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Calvin and Sarah

2009-07-14T10:18:00.001-04:00

P1050734
Originally uploaded by elliemom

Now this is why I think Calvin and Sarah will eventually end up married. Any couple that can masterfully win the two-person bag race (well- they had the lead anyway until Calvin reached over and knocked down his brothers) can probably work together to figure out the rest of life's problems!

Sarah spent the whole day with us Saturday. She met a lot of extended family on Mr. Pete's side of the family. She endured bag races and water balloon tosses as well as a baseball game. I told Sarah that if Calvin doesn't marry her, we would adopt her ! and did I mention she can bake?

P1050734 [Flickr]

2009-07-14T07:15:10-07:00

elliemom posted a photo:

P1050744 [Flickr]

2009-07-14T07:00:15-07:00

elliemom posted a photo:

Other places I'm keeping track of online.

2009-07-14T09:55:00.000-04:00

I'm having a go-round with Janette at Ground Level in Kansas over here. We have done this dance a few times before over the past decade - we knew each other at the old AOL message boards. This will blow over and we'll probably do another 10.

Jennie's Blog continues to heat up and is attracting more Catholic and anti-Catholic apologists every day! (although I'm not too sure that Jennie is so happy with that.)

My co-blogger Kelly over at Visits to Candyland has a fascinating post on William Webster, who seems to be the darling of a number of anti-Catholic bloggers.

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P1050745 [Flickr]

2009-07-14T06:50:05-07:00

elliemom posted a photo:

P1050744 [Flickr]

2009-07-14T06:49:15-07:00

elliemom posted a photo:

Feast of Kateri Tekakwitha

2009-07-14T09:16:00.000-04:00

The young woman now honored with such beautiful titles as "the Lily of the Mohawks" and "the Wonderworker of the New World" was born in 1656 at Ossernenon, a village of longhouses which stood on a high hill overlooking the Mohawk River. The daughter of a Turtle Clan chief and a Christian Algonquin captive, she was orphaned at the age of four when a smallpox epidemic decimated Ossernenon. With a pockmarked face and damaged eyesight from her own struggle with the dreaded disease, Tekakwitha was raised in the longhouse of her father's brother and successor.

When Tekakwitha was in her late teens, French Jesuits established a mission in her uncle's village. The Mohawk chief distrusted and disliked the Christian Blackrobes, but grudgingly allowed their presence as a party of a treaty with the French.

Despite her uncle's stern objection to the Blackrobes and their faith, Tekakwitha was deeply impressed by their words — perhaps they brought back childhood memories of her mother's whispered prayers — and gladly risked her family's disapproval to be baptized. With a joyful heart, she became a follower of Christ and took the name Catherine, in her language, Kateri. Subjected to persecution in her village, she fled over 300 miles to the safety of Caughnawaga, a mission village near the French settlement of Montreal. In this place, often called the Praying Castle, her already deep faith flourished. She died there several years later at the age of 24. Devotion to the holy girl began almost immediately. She was beatified on June 20, 1980 and is now one miracle away from sainthood.

In the familiar prayer for her canonization, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha is referred to as "this young lover of Jesus and of His Cross." Her great devotion to Our Lord is one of the most profound aspects of her story and one that is occasionally overlooked these days when her life is simplified and sentimentalized. Yet it was Kateri herself who said, "I have given my soul to Jesus in the Eucharist and my body to Jesus on the Cross."
From the Lily and the Cross.

My Del.icio.us links for this saint.

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My Daily Domestic Diigolet 07/14/2009

2009-07-14T03:30:00.001-04:00

Catholic Cuisine: A Brown Scapular Cake
Another great cake idea for the feast of our lady of Mt. Carmel
tags: catholic, feast, Mary
Under Her Starry Mantle: Enjoying the feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel
Beautiful Scapular cake
tags: mary, feast, Catholic
The Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is coming up this THURSDAY
Here are some days to celebrate, learn and remember!
tags: Catholic, feast, Mary
Obama Surgeon General Pick Regina Benjamin Wanted Docs to Learn Abortions
Ah... so all of your "catholics" that voted for Obama and didn't think he could change the state of abortion in this country one way or another... here you go. Another hopey changing thing that makes it look pretty bad for the unborn.
tags: Obama, current, events, abortion, areyousorryyet?
- However,
  Benjamin has also urged that future physicians be trained to learn
  how to perform abortions.
The Preservation Society of Newport County - Podcasts
tags: geography, homeschool

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Summer Sleeping Sisters.

2009-07-13T23:13:00.002-04:00

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Sam's PLAN test results.

2009-07-13T19:47:00.001-04:00

I blogged back on June 1 about the PLAN test. This is the pre-test for the ACT exam which is usually given in the sophomore year.

Sam got his results back and we saw a lot of improvement from last year. I can clearly see how he did by looking at the graphs. The results also tell me that he is above college readiness in math and reading!! Yeah! At college readiness for English but below for science- so I know what we have to work on!

Some other neat features of the PLAN test - they give you the answers from the test so that you can actually review them in the answer book to see what you missed! They also provide concrete suggestions on how to improve in those areas.

Finally they give you an idea of how you would currently score on the ACT and what types of colleges would be interested in those scores. I think that is very helpful.

I am looking forward to sharing these results with our superintendent when we re-notify for next year, and also with our reading specialist and portfolio evaluator who has been so helpful to me over the past years.

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Simple Woman

2009-07-13T08:55:00.000-04:00

I feel kind of silly still doing these since the Simple Woman site is shut down for the summer. I'm not sure why I continue to link to it except we were asked to. At this point I guess I am really keeping it up because I enjoy doing these, and it makes a nice snap shot of my life every week, and because I miss it when I don't. Maybe my kids will enjoy reading these in the future.

Outside my window...
The sky is blue and bright. I think that makes it three weeks in a row.

I am thinking...
about my mother almost all the time. Mondays' are the hardest because she died on Monday.

I am thankful for... good health. I also thankful that I have a bit of money from mom to tied me over while Mr. Pete's business slows down. It's not that his work load slows down, it's that school systems just quit paying over the summertime and that makes it tough. For years now I have hated summer because it just meant greater hardship for our family. This year that pressure is off.

From the learning rooms...I got the results from Sam's PLAN test back and was very pleased. I will post about that for the Carnival tomorrow. We continue to plug away. Our meeting with our portfolio evaluator is in five weeks!

From the kitchen... I'm thinking Shepherd's pie.

I am wearing...blue capris and a white T-shirt. Very comfortable.

I am creating... or rather completing paper work to get all of my thank you notes out and all of the other paper work to tie up my mom's business stuff.

I am going... to keep working on diet and exercise. I realized as I was putting together all of the photos of my mom that there will be fewer pictures of me because I shun the camera unless I am behind it! That's a little selfish. So I'm going to continue to work on that without becoming obsessed with it.

I am reading... On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss Excellent book and I plan to review it later this week. I'm also thinking of buying a few copies to have on hand. This is the kind of thing that would be very helpful to give someone who is going through a sad time.

I am hoping... just to get through the month, get all the paper work done, finish homeschool, making it through our appointment with our evaluator and then taking a break for a few weeks!

I am hearing... The air conditioner which actually masks the usual buzzing in my ears.

Around the house... I hate this category. It is becoming what "outside the window" use to be. So here's what I honestly want to write - around the house is a mess. It will always be a mess because there are 8 people living here, 5 of them are male and one of them is 4 years old! Yes I have help, but the older ones clean as if it is a penance to get through instead of love for the homestead. And it shows. I am one person who also works out of the house as well as homeschools and prepares most of the family's meals. And why I would love the place to look like a show room - it never will until the last one leaves the house and I can count on keeping stuff the way I want to keep it. I might even have to outlive my husband for that to occur! In the meantime I love my family more than the house and so if it looks perpetually trashed at least in one room or another, so be it. That's just how it is.

A few plans for the rest of the week: writing some funeral thank you cards, and paperwork. I also am working to bring our homeschool blog up to date before the evaluation.

A picture I am sharing:
My three oldest boys getting ready to compete against each other in the bag race at the family reunion. Calvin is letting them know that he will remain undefeated in this event - and he was. In their version tackling is involved.

Me and my mom 1961

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My Daily Domestic Diigolet 07/13/2009

2009-07-13T03:30:00.001-04:00

Physical Changes before Death | Bukisa.com
This is probably the best description of dying that I have seen, and it certainly explains things much better than the literature from hospice did!
tags: death, dying
- When the eyes are glassy and fixed, death normally occurs within hours.
  - This would have been a nice piece of information to have ahead of time! That hospice was almost worthless. - post by mydomesticchurch
- As death does approach, breathing may become labored with the person gasping for air. A low throaty gurgling is common and is often referred to as the death rattle. These breaths will slow and come further and further apart until the final breath is taken
  - This too, would have been a good piece of information to have! - post by mydomesticchurch

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2009-07-12T19:41:00.002-04:00

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My Daily Domestic Diigolet 07/12/2009

2009-07-12T03:30:00.001-04:00

Obama Says Economic Stimulus Worked as Intended, Urges Patience - Bloomberg.com
I don't know anyone who has gotten a "stimulus created" job.

On the other hand, in my husband's business, money has been trickling in and he hasn't gotten paid in three weeks.

That hopey changing thing isn't working out so great for us.
tags: obama
- “The plain truth is that President Obama’s economic
  decisions have not produced jobs, have not produced prosperity,
  and have not worked,” Cantor said.
  
  He said the Republicans want reductions in tax rates that
  he said would help middle-class families.

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My Daily Domestic Diigolet 07/11/2009

2009-07-11T03:30:00.001-04:00

Chris Korzen: At the Vatican, a Democrat Who Gets It
tags: obama, current, events
- President Obama owes his victory in part to many factors beyond his control: a tanking economy, an unpopular Republican Party, an opponent's mind-bogglingly disastrous campaign, to name a few. But make no mistake about it -- without Obama's ability to reach across ideological lines and unite disparate groups behind common values, the Republicans would surely have emerged victorious last November.
- the president pointed to several possible ways to break the stalemate and find common ground on abortion:
  
  On the idea of helping young people make smart choices so that they are not engaging in casual sexual activity that can lead to unwanted pregnancies, on the importance of adoption as a option, an alternative to abortion, on caring for pregnant women so that it is easier for them to support children, those are immediately three areas where I would be surprised if we don't have some pretty significant areas of agreement.
Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry - Family History
tags: cancer
- The Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry recommends that women who have at least one close relative with ovarian cancer have a 1) pelvic examination, 2) a vaginal ultrasound to look for ovarian tumors, 3) a blood test called a CA125 test that can detect early ovarian cancer, every six months.
  
  Although such testing is probably not appropriate for everyone, women who have a family history of ovarian cancer are at high enough risk of developing ovarian cancer to justify the extra tests. This is especially true for women who have a mother or sister who developed ovarian cancer at or before age 45 years.
The Place of Women on the Court - NYTimes.com
Ginsberg outs herself as a partisan and a eugenics supporter in this surprising NYT piece.
tags: SCOTUS, liberals
- I can’t say that it was just that she was a woman. There are some people in Congress who would criticize severely anyone President Obama nominated. They’ll seize on any handle.
  - The Democrats did the same thing with everyone the Republicans have put on the bench as well. Does Robert Bork ring a bell? I think that's part of the checks and balances so I really think it's part of the system we just expect. - post by mydomesticchurch
- Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of.
  - Ginsberg outs herself as a eugenics supporter. Why are Democratic African American women so supportive of her? - post by mydomesticchurch
Reclusive Leftist» feminism, politics, and random pedantry with your host, Dr. Violet Socks
This is a leftist blog that I can actually respect, even if I don't agree with it. Check out her commentary on Sarah Palin! Actually fair and balanced - something usually associated with right wing blogs! This might be a new one for the blog roll!
tags: liberals, feminism, Palin

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

2009-07-10T09:22:00.001-04:00

Join Jen and the other Quicktakers over at the Conversion Diary.

1. Our pastor is away for a well-deserved 2 week+ vacation. When Mr. Pete found out about it he looked at me with that wry smile and said, "I should've been a priest." It's true that priests get a lot more vacation than Mr. Pete does. I'd like to think that there are some benefits to marriage and family life that make up for that, but I guess that would depend on what day you ask him!

2. My littlest daughter is fearless. I took her to the wild animal show at the library yesterday and every time the trainer asked for a volunteer to go up and pet one of the exotic animals (from exotic African Cockroach

to albino python

to chinchilla) she raised her hand! She finally got to go up and touch the Lion faced rabbit!

It's amazing to me that she would be so willing to volunteer to go up all by herself AND that she has absolutely no fear of any of the animals.

3. Noah surprises me with his ability to remember detail. He remembered from the show the difference between a tortoise and a turtle, and how the chinchilla takes a bath. Nice to know he was not only listening and enjoying the show, but learning some things as well. Do you know the difference between a tortoise and a turtle?

4. I think one of my goddaughters is living with her boyfriend in another state and her parents seem fine with it. I feel a little guilty about this because we have always had a long-distance relationship since she was little. So I'm going to do something sneaky and underhanded that my mother would have done if it were her goddaughter - I'm going to pray for her harder in a very focused way. Sending little religious gifts now and then wouldn't hurt either.

I tell the story to the Pre-Cana couples every year that when I was in my 20s and sort of drifting away from the Catholic Church (while still hanging on to the edge by my pinky toenail!) my mother would persist in sending me religious gifts and articles. Many of these, I am ashamed to say, I threw away. But many others I tossed into a closet or drawers. When I reverted back to my Catholic faith with enthusiasm, I poured over all of those books and booklets and put the religious articles on my walls and around my home. I was so happy to have them then!

And maybe that's what my mother knew all along?

5. When a loved one is dying it tests your faith. I had to remind myself of a concrete reason of why I believe in all of it, God, guardian angels, the afterlife etc. I was sharing this with a friend who gave me her guardian angel story. She was driving with her kids on a stormy winter night and some stopped in front of her and she started to skid. Suddenly she heard a voice say, "turn now!" She made a sharp turn and ended up going off the road a bit but she got control of her vehicle and made it back. The next day she went to examine where she had turned so suddenly and noticed that she had missed hitting some poles and other items. Had she hesitated obeying the voice she would have had a collision. Had she not heard the voice at all, she probably would have rear-ended the car in front of her. Guardian angel story? I think so.

6. With my mother's passing I am getting some funds from insurances and other places. And I feel soooo guilty about it. My sister gave me some of the money from her savings account and I can barely make myself spend any of it. Mr. Pete thinks I'm nuts but I can't get the image of the last hour I spent with my mother out of my head and it reminds me that she had to go through that so that I could get this money and then I don't want any of it. This is really an unexpected emotion. I have always thought in the past that it was good if parents can leave something for their children although there is certainly no obligation to. When Mr. Pete's mom died they had enough money to throw a big party for all the kids and their families and that's what they did. That seemed right and good. But I guess I never felt so acutely the reality that someone has to DIE to leave an inheritance. Am I whacky or is this just part of grief?

7. Michael Jackson tragic life has been on my mind a lot. Some want to idolize him and others want to demonize him. I think the truth is in the middle. I think he was the victim of child abuse and neglect and it made him the man he grew up to be. The funny thing is, if he hadn't had the fame and fortune, he probably at some point would have had to quit blaming his father for his messed up childhood and taken responsibility for his own life. But the money made it easier for him to wallow in his lost childhood miseries, and I think that is what ultimately cost him his life at such a young age. What a waste.

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My Daily Domestic Diigolet 07/10/2009

2009-07-10T03:30:00.001-04:00

Blueberry Fabric Stamps and more creative crafts projects, templates, tips, clip-art, patterns, and ideas on marthastewart.com
Very cute for summer decorating!
tags: artsnadcrafts
Cat's "Sixth Sense" Predicting Death? - CBS News
tags: death
Obama's Bond Market (Wizbang)
well as I know someone who thinks we are better off now than at the end of the last administration it doesn't surprise me at all. If all one reads is liberal tripe, then anything that comes out of the anointed one's mouth is believable.
tags: Obama, finance
- President Obama is selling 3.5% economic growth next year as part of his deficit reduction plan. The credit markets obviously aren't buying this. It is a wonder that anyone believes a word coming out of this administration on fiscal and economic matters.
Bistro Burgers Recipe - George Foreman Grill Hamburger Sandwiches Recipes
tags: cooking

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Almost Joke Book

2009-07-09T13:17:00.000-04:00

Sam's math tutor has written a book of corny jokes called the Almost Joke Book It should be available on Amazon very soon, but I am getting an autographed copy next week when he comes in to start Sam on Algebra 2!

Mr. Drexler is the king of the corny jokes so if you like good clean fun, this would be a good book to check out! Might make a good stocking stuffer this Christmas too!

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Small Successes

2009-07-09T13:12:00.000-04:00

1. We actually had a great time at the Fourth of July with Calvin's girlfriend's family at the park for a picnic. It was nice sharing stories and getting to know some new people and seeing Sarah with them. New tradition? Maybe!

2. I started homeschool up again. Sigh... half heartedly but it is a start.

3. I rejoined Weight Watchers online. I just missed the accountability that I had with them and I also like getting "credit" for working out. Someone even if it doesn't show on the scale, to have it show up on your points for the week is nice.

Bonus success! #2 son passed his written driver's test and now has a temporary driver's license so that he can learn to drive in the state of Ohio. (you have been warned!) So far I have let him drive to church twice and to the grocery store once. No mishaps as of yet!

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Apologetics discussion - sort of

2009-07-09T13:03:00.000-04:00

All is not complete doom and gloom. I think I have my debate partner just about where I want her over here.

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2009-07-09T10:26:00.003-04:00

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