Playday in the park

Today was a GORGEOUS spring day.  I just love the spring weather.   I took the kids to Clemyjontry Park to play on the fully handicapped accessible playground.  I went with my friend Mary (@ Passionate Perseverance) and her daughter Courtney. Courtney was a little sleepy today, but the vitamin D was good for her anyway.  (She has a Vitamin D Deficiency).  Mary and I traded seeds for our gardens.  We are going to be doing square foot gardens this year.  I'll let you know how that works.  I have been very busy planning the garden and getting things ready to plant.  This is my first year using the square foot gardening method.  My sister has used it with a lot of success.  I am looking forward to learning a little more about gardening.  Hopefully I will have LOTS of pictures to share.  I have a lot of experience with flowers and bushes, but not so much with edible plants.  Unless you count the pumpkins I get for free every year by throwing all the pumpkin guts into the garden in the fall after carving them for Halloween.  I would say that pumpkins are SUPER easy to grow, as long as you don't care how many you get!
                   At the park my kids ran, and climbed on EVERYTHING.  You would think that they would be tired, but they came home and played on the new trampoline for hours.  We did manage to sneak in  a little homeschooling via religion class.  The only important class of the week!   I use a Catholic teacher planner from Creative Communications.  It lists the Saints of the day and Holy Days as well as contains the readings for next Sunday.   It also has a word of the week that is contained within the gospel reading. We spend the week pre-reading the scriptures that will be read on Sunday.  It has helped the children to listen and gain a better understanding of what is going on in Mass.  It also has helped them listen with more interest to the homily. I have been very pleased with the information contained in this planner.   It has helped me to stay on track this year.  Something I always need help with!
 

A Chuckle for my heart

Keener has learned to genuflect before we sit down at mass. She has been doing this without prompting for several weeks now, following the good example by her older siblings. Obviously, she does not fully understand the purpose of this because as I walked up to take Communion today, she stopped at every row, knelt and then got up again. It brought a smile to my face and a chuckle to my heart. Glad to see that she has found joy in mass.

Family Lunch Date

           For lunch on Friday we had our friend and Parish Priest  Father F. over for lunch.  We had a picnic lunch and ate outside in our backyard.  I was hoping to avoid rain, and we luckily had very nice weather.  It actually got so hot and sunny that we  were glad when some clouds came by.  Something about eating outside always makes a meal more fun. After a pleasant lunch,  Father posed with the kids for a photo.  It had to be next to the lacrosse goal or Christopher would get a little upset.  I think the photo turned out nicely for everyone. 

Shame on you.

      Now that the deed is done, I want to voice my disgust over Notre Dame and the Obama situation.  I am very disappointed in the administration of Notre Dame.  They had a moral obligation to their students, staff, alumni  and fellow Catholics to stand behind the values that they purport to represent.  I have a big problem with any religious institution that does not hold firm on its values.  That is the whole point of a religious institution, to provide moral guidance.  What is a religion if not a moral compass for your life?  It is necessary for the leaders of a religion to stand firm on questions of morality.  It is especially annoying since it is my religion that is not holding firm.  I had a huge problem with the Episcopalian Church over this very issue of being fickle and it was part of why I converted to Catholicism.  It makes little difference what moral decision the school is not representing, it is the mere fact that Notre Dame did not have the guts to say, "We're wrong, We are proud of what you have accomplished Mr. Obama, but we can not bestow an honorary degree to you since your values are so different from ours."  Why would it have been so hard to do this?  

       Of course Mr Obama is also to blame.  An honorable man would have had the courage to say, "Notre Dame, I do not wish to be the cause of friction within the school on what is supposed to be a joyful day for the students.  I will speak, but decline to accept the degree."  Did he really "need" this honorary degree?   I would call it greed.  Of course it was not really fair of Notre Dame to leave him with that choice.  Nonetheless, a courageous and honorable man would have done the right thing and not worried about the consequences.  Not to mention the fact that it would have made the administration of Notre Dame look like the fools the are.

  Whatever happened to courage and honor?

   I am reminded of the story that Randy Pausch tells about his father.  After his father died, his mother found a  Bronze Star for Valor (56 minutes into lecture).  One of the highest military honors.  He never told his family.   He did not need a list of awards.  He lived his life as an honorable man, he did not need proof of his accomplishments.  He knew how he lived his life.  As the saying goes, "You can't take it with you."  Shame on you Notre Dame.  I am sure that I echo the sentiments of many Catholics,  my children will NOT be attending your school.  

Here is the Randy Pausch video if you have never seen it before.  It is well worth the hour of your life to watch it. 

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and courageous. 

Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, 

for the LORD your God goes with you; 

he will never leave you nor forsake you."