TheDad just left for work, after whipping Little Brother into an anticipatory frenzy about the evening’s activities and the likelihood of collecting a lot of chocolate.
(Little Brother’s teacher will not be pleased, as I’m sure the other 27 kindergarteners are similarly excited.)
So Little Brother bounced over to me and said, “I’m going to say ‘Trick or treat! Trick or treat!’ That’s like ‘please’ in Halloween! And then you say ‘thank you’!”
TheDad is helping Middle Sister prepare for a math quiz. She was absent from school for a few days, and her teacher recommended that Middle Sister review a few lessons. Middle Sister resisted the review, but TheDad said that they were going to keep at it until she mastered the concepts.
Finally, she seemed to get the hang of it. “Very good, Middle Sister! I’m so proud of you,” TheDad said.
“If you were proud enough, we’d be done,” she responded.
Big Brother is telling me all about the Haunted Hayride he went on with some friends last night.
“And then you got to go in the corn maze, only it wasn’t really a maze. It was only a path.” (this in a disappointed tone)
I reminded him that if it were a real maze, someone might get lost in there, in the dark.
“Right! That would be awesome!”
Sponsored by Serra USA (a group dedicated to fostering priestly vocations), Priesthood Sunday is a day to honor our parish priests for the work they do for the Kingdom of God.
No big event at your parish? Start planning one for next year. In the meantime, thank Father on your way out of Mass today. Offer a rosary for his intention, and one for priestly vocations as well.
I’m sure that at my parish, Father H. would not want a big event calling attention to himself. He is an example of humility, prayer and reflection. He wants his parishioners to know that the Gospel is not only for people 2000 years ago–it is for us, today; it calls us to change our lives.
Are artists, like prophets, not accepted in their own country?
Middle Sister is very busy making a ghost out of a white trash bag. She’s using a Sharpie marker for the features.
I asked her what she was planning to use to stuff it, and where she’d hang it.
Turns out she doesn’t think she will need stuffing, and she’ll hang it somewhere outside.
“But we just cut the tree down,” I reminded her.
“People never appreciate my work,” she sighed.
Today my friend and fellow Franciscan SFO Girl (you know her from the combox) is presenting a workshop for the Secular Franciscans of our region.
She’s a confident speaker and I know she’s well prepared. But prayers never hurt. So today I call upon the intercession of two very powerful preachers–St. Francis and St. Anthony–on her behalf. And may the Holy Spirit inspire her words.
Why is it that children are at their most creative while their parents are busy preparing dinner?
We just had to break up an indoor baseball game between Little Brother and Adventure Boy, using a Fisher-Price cannonball and a blue light-sabre.
I’m preparing for our Secular Franciscan fraternity meeting tonight.
A part of every regular fraternity meeting is Ongoing Formation. Right now, we are combining that with the formation of a new member who is preparing for Profession. Because there is only one candidate, the entire fraternity is participating in the formation process.
We have a formation textbook that is copyrighted 2004, but the author admits that the title and some concepts have been in use since the 1960s. And that explains some of the “Church of the Felt Banner” paragraphs in our assigned chapter for tonight. (This chapter is on the Eucharist, and prayer.)
I can hardly wait until we get the chapter on Nature. Yes, I peeked ahead.
But anyway, I’m quite sure that some of what is said in this chapter about Eucharist is actually incorrect. Like the one line, “The Eucharistic table is a place where all are welcome.”
Next time I will have to prepare farther ahead for this meeting. Then I can counteract this garbage with some good solid stuff. Like Chesterton.
We can’t complain about poor formation among our members if we’re using texts that are full of errors and liberal interpretations, and sacrifice Francis’ deep message on the altars of ecology and anti-war protests.
I’ve always had this thing against places that add an “e” to the end of a word where it doesn’t belong. I think it’s pretentious, and it drives me crazy. My whole family knows that I will never live in a neighborhood called “Oake Pointe” (which I insist on pronouncing “Oaky Pointy.”)
Little Brother is proud that he knows how to spell my name: “M-o-m-m-y.” He was writing it on his Magna-Doodle yesterday.
Then he thought about it. He’s learning about letters, and the sounds they make, at school. So he told me, “This is the wrong way to write your name. It should have an ‘e’ at the end, to make the ‘e’ sound.”
So, at least until the kindergarten works its way to the letter “y,” just sign me: SFO Momme
Certainly we deserve better. And I’m willing to do MY part to make sure she doesn’t wind up in the White House.
Lindsey is running a sale on “Anyone but Hillary ’08” bumper stickers. Get yours now!
TheDad had to have his car repainted after the last presidential election. He’s quite sure that someone annoyed at his “Bush ’04” stickers keyed the entire side of the car–several times. I’ll bet he’s willing to risk his paint job again for a sticker like this!