RE-SPECT

So we're wrapping up our "Parish Mission" this week, and it has been SO wonderful. Msgr. Jim Telthorst has been leading the Mission, and he is a fantastic speaker.



His presentation the first night talked about the difference between being a "student" and being a "disciple" of Jesus. A student of Jesus could recite his teachings, memorize prayers, etc., but as disciples of Jesus we need to watch Him in his daily routine...to walk with Him. Msgr. suggested we do this by reading the Gospels with a point of view. For example, if you are reading the story of the woman caught in adultery, you could place yourself in the position of the woman, or one holding a stone, or simply a passerby. He challenges us to view Jesus through the perspective of one of those particular people in the story. Since I'm not a big bible reader, I think this is a GREAT idea. I even mentioned to my hubby that it would be neat for both us of to read a particular passage, each with a different perspective, and then talk about it. That would be an "easy" way for us to pray together.



Now onto RE-SPECT... Msgr. Jim described respect (from the Latin root) to mean "look again" or "take a second look." He showed a video from Youtube (http://www.sermonspice.com/) called "Got Service?" which really hit home with me. He talked about how we so often pass people throughout the day, without really SEEING them. We judge them based on their appearance, or how they talk or act. We often only see them in relation to how they are affecting US. As in the video, we often get upset by someone driving slowly ahead of us, or waiting in long lines because the cashier is too slow, or a server in a restaurant not getting our order correct. And we get upset (either internally or out loud), beause we fail to truly see these people who have inconvenienced us...seeing them as people like us...people who hurt, people who have problems, people who are broken. So I'm making a diligent effort to work on RE-SPECTing others more; to reserve judgement, and to try to see them through the eyes of service...really, through the eyes of Christ. That may be the most important effort I make this Lent!



As tiring as it has been to be gone from 8:30am to 9:30pm this week, I am SO happy that Dan and I have attended this mission! I feel very blessed and inspired.

2009 Update

Ok, so I've been largely absentee from the blogging world for a couple of months, but I really want to start blogging more regularly again. It's been a very busy 2009. I was nominated (by our Pastor) to serve as President for the ACTS (retreat) Core Team (governing body) for 2009!! Yikes. It has been alot more work than I had anticipated, but organization is one of my gifts, so I guess this is the right place for me. I feel good about the 2009 Core Team. We are on track to accomplish many good things this year!

I suffered two losses this year as well. The first loss was the miscarriage of our first baby, who was only about four weeks along. The second was the loss of my Aunt Doris (Sister Judith) in early February from pancreatic cancer. Her death affected me a bit more than I expected, quite possibly because of miscarrying at the same time, and also just realizing that my own parents are getting older...

But I'm recovering well, and I am very happy with the results of the CT scan of my lungs. In October, I had had two enlarged lymph nodes near my lungs. All blood results were normal, so the Specialist just advised me to repeat the test in 3 months. It has been 3 months, and the new scan was the same as last time, so the lymph nodes did not grow. This is good news! (although I was really hoping they would shrink back down). We'll have to keep repeating the scans every 3-6 months for awhile to make sure those nodes don't grow. (Any prayers you may have would be appreciated!)

I took a trip to Florida in February to see my sister Sharon...and really just to get away for a bit. We had a great time, enjoyed the beach, and did LOTS of shopping at her store (White House/Black Market). I LOVE that store!! It did wonders for my winter "blahs."

Dan and I have a couple of trips planned as well. In May, we're headed to Jamaica for five days of fun in the sun! I've never been to Jamaica, and we're staying at an all-inclusive, so I'm looking very forward to it. We also want to meet Sharon in Dewey Beach, Delaware over July 4th. I've been there about 6 or 7 times... It's a weekend filled with nothing but beach time, lives bands for HOURS on end, and Miller Lite... Good times!! We also want to camp alot this year, since we didn't get to last year with the wedding and all. We have a couple trips already planned, and a couple more in the works. Yipppeeee!

The Big Apple

Can I just say how much I love New York? We had such a fun visit. We did all the "touristy" stuff, like the Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, Metropolitan Art Museum, Central Park, Natural History Museum, etc. We walked EVERYWHERE! I'm talking about 5+ miles per day... That's my theory as to why New Yorkers are so thin...They WALK! It was great. NYE was way too cold to go to Times Square, so we met up with a friend of a friend, and she and her boyfriend took us to a party at a club! It was fun--I felt like a local. We went over to Brooklyn one night to have dinner with my sister Sharon's friend, Karen. She took us to a "real" Italian restaurant...and it was amazing! The server/owner even gave us a round of shots (and he did one with us!) We saw Arthur Miller's play "All My Sons" on Broadway...It starred John Lithgow, Diane Wiest, Katie Holmes, and Patrick Wilson. They did a great job, and it was so awesome to see "real" actors up close. The weather up there was cold, but we had a blast. It was a much needed vacation! Now, at times, I did feel like I was in a foreign country, but that's the neat part. At any given time, walking down the street, one could hear five different languages being spoken!! You won't get that here in the Lou...

However, on the flight home, I did overhear a couple of "native" New Yorkers talking, and one asked the other why on earth he would be going to St. Louis... I mean...she asked as if he were going to the middle East or something! And then I overheard them talking about how midwesterners have "typical" male and female roles, and all this other stuff... I just wanted to turn around and let them know that we don't ride around on covered wagons these days, and that we even have cable TV! I mean these people think us midwesterners live in another century or something! Is it the traditional family values that bother them? Or the slower (relatively) paced lives we lead? I don't know, but it really kinda bothered me. But, alas, it did not take anything away from the awesome experience I had in the Big Apple. It's a fantastic place to visit, but I'll take my town anyday!

Christmas Past

Well, it is Christmas past now...And for some reason, I wasn't as focused on the REAL meaning of Christmas as I normally am. I felt so busy and rushed this year, and I don't feel that I prepared my heart as I should. I had to work a half day on Christmas Eve, and then I had to run around and finish up some last minute shopping. Dan was able to stay home, but he did bring his laptop home and got some work done. As I was running my errands, I got calls from various crabby siblings because of some miscommunications (over silly stuff like who's bringing what appetizer). So then I had to run to the grocery store and things that others forgot or didn't know they were supposed to bring. All that crabbiness really just put me in a Scrooge-ish mood myself. So when I got home, and my dear husband didn't have the dishes done (which probably was not a very big deal), I jumped all over him. It was kind of a ripple effect of bad moods. Well, finally we made it over to my sister's house, and we had our dinner and opened gifts... That was the fun part. I had found a GREAT present for my husband and my two brothers-in-law! My husband's favorite phrase to me is "Yes, Dear." And we were antiquing one time, and he saw a sign that read "The best two words a man could ever say to his wife are 'Yes, Dear." Ever since we saw that sign, Dan has been 'schooling' my brothers-in-law about the importance of this phrase. Well, I found T-shirts on line that sure enough, read, "Yes, Dear" in bold letters. So I picked one up for each of them. I'm still not sure if they were as amused as the rest of us, but it got a good laugh ;-> My sister, Carolyn, and I also decided to treat our husbands to a weekend at Big Cedar Lodge on Tablerock Lake (along with her kiddos, of course). They were very surprised! I also got each of my siblings a photobook of our wedding, with lots of family photos. And I got my mom and dad a 16x20 portrait of the whole family, with all 18 grandkids! I definitely found more joy in giving than receiving this year. It was great.

So onto Christmas Day... I have to admit, that after being single for 30 years, and getting to spend EVERY holiday with my own family, it is very hard for me to "split" time with Dan's family... And don't get me wrong, I love my in-laws! They are great, and we have a really good time together! It's just that I miss all the card games, and Pokerkino, and Pass the Trash that my family plays. It seems that we're all so busy these days, that we hardly get together as a big family...And so when we do...I want to spend every ounce of time possible with them. This has been one of the biggest challenges for me as a "spouse." But I treasure both of our families, and we are both very close with our families, so I should really be grateful for that!

The other part of my Christmas sadness was that my Aunt has been diagnosed with terminal Pancreatic cancer. My sister had thought it would be a great idea for us four sisters to go visit her at a nearby hospital together, and I agreed. But then, they apparently had decided to go visit her on Christmas Day, while I was with Dan's family. They didn't call me to let me know they were going. They just assumed I wouldn't be able to go since I was with Dan's family... and this was not the case. Dan certainly would not have minded if I left his mom's house to go visit my aunt for a short while. Again, it was a lack of communication...I had no idea they were going, but they all thought I knew. I am an "includer" by nature, so it's especially hard for me to be left out. And this certainly was not 'all about me', but now my aunt has been transferred down south, and with all my travels, it will be harder for me to see her.

We did have a good weekend as a family though. We went to see my nieces play a basketball game, and then we all went ice skating (in 60 degree weather). The next day we had buckets of rainfall all day long, so we stayed in and got to play all those games I missed on Christmas Day.
So all and all we had a good holiday! Next year I just need to really focus on the "reason for the season," and not let all the 'stuff' get in the way of the Joy!

NYC on NYE!!

Ok, so I have to admit, I'm very excited about my upcoming travels. Dan and I are meeting my sister Sharon in New York on New Year's Eve. We haven't been to NY before, so Sharon is happy to be our tour guide. We probably won't make it to Times Square to see the ball drop, but I'm not really that upset about it... I'm much more excited about going to the Today Show, ice skating at Rockerfeller Center, The Met. Museum of Art, MOMA, Broadway...Ahhh... The list goes on and on. I've always wanted to do New York at Christmas-time, and we're finally getting to! Who cares that it's going to be FREEZING!!?? (ok, I do care a little)... But still. I'm having a hard time focusing at work, because I'm so darn excited! Hopefully, I'll be able to post some pictures when we get back.

LITTLE BLESSINGS

I had such a fun night tonight with my 6 year old neighbor/niece/Goddaughter Emily.

I like to have Emily and her sister Lauren over on separate nights, at least a couple times a year.  That way we get our one on one time.  I had to do a little shopping, so Emily and I headed over to Costco.  She just loves trying all of the food samples.  And she didn't want to walk (because she has a sore on her foot), but she didn't want to ride in the "baby seat,"  so she just held onto the end of the cart while I wheeled her around!  I just love seeing the world through a child's eyes!  Then when we got home we played Wii for what seemed like hours.  Em's getting really good.  She beat me the first round of tennis, but then I came back and swept her in the second match.  We tied in baseball, and I beat her in golf (Whew... I had to take her in something!)  And then she took a bath and played with my little snowmen ice magnet thing--just watching the penguins spin around and around on the "ice".  Just the simple things!  I love my kiddos!  I feel blessed to have them next door!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had!  This year was supposed to be the "small" year, where many of my siblings and their families go to the "in-laws" houses.  So...Dan and I offered to host the remaining siblings as well as Dan's family.  Well, the gathering was a little larger than expected, and so our first Thanksgiving sat 24 people!  Dan's family tradition is to grill their turkey, and ours is to roast one, so we did both!  Luckily Carolyn was "on call" next door to help me with the turkey preparation...I had never made a turkey before.  Once we got 'em all thawed out, it was smooth sailing.  

We went to Mass at Assumption with Carolyn and the family, and Fr. Joe Kempf gave the most awesome homily.  He talked about how as parents, we always want to document our children's firsts...first word, first step, first haircut, etc.  Many of us put these "firsts" into a book of Firsts.  He went onto question..."What would we do if we had a book of "lasts"?"  How would we act toward one another if we knew this would be our last Thanksgiving with a loved one, or the last time your pre-teen did not feel embarrassed by snuggling with you...Or if you knew it would be the last time you would celebrate Mass?  How would we behave if we knew so many of the things we experienced would be our last?   This homily really hit home with me... I feel so blessed having my mom and dad still around, and even better, I get to see them almost everyday!  And even though my siblings may cause me stress (some more than others ;->), there is no place on earth I would rather be! Even though the meal preparation was a little hectic (with feeding 24 people), I really tried to stay calm and really, truly enjoy the moments of the day.

And it was such a good time.  We talked.  We played cards.  We drank wine.  We played Rockband and the Wii.  It was a wonderful blessing to have our families together.  And for that, I was truly Thankful!