“God has mercy on rebellious pinecones.”
Thomas will get the pinecone part!
Big Brother and Middle Sister are discussing the meaning of their names. Middle Sister is looking for a Confirmation name. Instead of checking out saints and finding one that inspires her, she’s working backwards and finding names she thinks work well with the name she’s already got, and what it means.
Maybe I should have looked a little further into the meaning of her name when I was choosing it in the first place.
Trustworthy. He can be depended upon to build and tend the Easter fire in a safe manner.
Loyal. He honors his commitment to help the church that sponsors his troop.
Helpful. He cooperates with other Scouts and leaders in building the fire.
Friendly. He greets people as they arrive for Mass.
Courteous and Kind. He shows people a safe place to stand.
Obedient. He follows his leaders’ and pastor’s directions.
Cheerful. He performs this service with a smile on his face.
Thrifty. He makes the Easter fire from scrap wood and sticks that have fallen from trees.
Brave. He knows what to do when the wind blows the flames to one side.
Clean. He makes sure that the wind does not blow pieces of wood or kindling out of the fire area.
Reverent. He behaves appropriately during the prayers and blessings that accompany the Easter Vigil fire ritual.
And after the Easter candle has been blessed, and everyone has sung “Thanks be to God” and gone inside the church, he quietly roasts marshmallows on the coals of the Easter fire and shares them with the other Scouts who are helping with the fire.
To his credit, Big Brother has decided to search for some resources that rebut Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth, which will be shown and presented as gospel by one of his teachers.
TheDad and I did not ask him to do this. We did not order him to do this. He came to us and asked if we knew of any resources. He’s already made it known to his teacher that he does not believe the global warming stuff, and he is preparing to back this up with facts.
He may take some flack, and there’s always the chance that revenge will be exacted through the report card (I hope that won’t happen, but you never know.) But I’m not going to stop him. I’ll help him look for resources, and remind him to be respectful of adults in authority even when we disagree with their opinions.
It’s all part of growing up to be an honorable young man–and that, more than a good report-card grade, is what I really want for my son.
Middle Sister has created a new art form: drawing on tissues with Sharpies. It’s delicate work since tissues tear easily. She lays them flat and draws little smileys, stars, dots and other designs. And then she hangs them on the refrigerator for all to admire.
This morning she cornered Big Brother at breakfast. He was unaware of last night’s creativity. “Have you seen my tissue?” she asked him.
“No, and I’m not sure I want to,” he answered cautiously.
Big Brother & Co. are back from Mississippi. He has numerous blisters, one bruised fingernail, plenty of dirty laundry, lots of stories to tell, a new T-shirt from Bourbon Street (why did they need to take a detour to the French Quarter?) and a can of Cafe du Monde coffee for me!
He missed out on the stomach virus that made its way through this house during his absence–not much else.
We’re glad he’s back, healthy and safe.
Today I’d like to introduce you to Project Hope and Compassion. This is a Katrina-relief organization headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi.
Yesterday at 5 AM I took Big Brother to school. He was packed and ready to spend a week in Mississippi with 16 other students and 4 faculty members. They’ll work 8 hours a day in the rebuilding effort.
It was really dark and cold at 5 AM yesterday, but the kids didn’t care. They were excited to begin their big adventure. They all piled into the school bus and headed for the airport. After they landed in New Orleans, they stopped at the Cafe du Monde before setting off for Mississippi. They will sleep at St. Ann’s Church in (to a Boy Scout) luxurious, indoor accommodations. (Translation: there are showers, a “flushie” and even laundry facilities.)
In January 1986, I traveled through that part of the country on my way to a National Catholic Student Coalition meeting in Louisiana. Mississippi and rural Louisiana look nothing like suburban New Jersey. I think it will be an eye-opener to him to see that not everyone in the country lives like he and his friends do. (I thought about having him watch “My Cousin Vinny” before his departure, but never got the chance.)
I know he is off doing a very good thing, but the house feels pretty empty without him here. Please keep him and the other volunteers in your prayers, that they will have a safe trip and that they’ll learn what it means to make a difference.
Big Brother recently discovered how fun it is to play “Duelin’ Banjos.” In fact, he thinks it’s so fun that he dug my banjo out of the basement and had me tune it up. This way he could play the song on two instruments, one after the other-with a big delay in between.
It’s fun, but it gets exasperating after a while. And he doesn’t want to play the song with me, where we could really have two people duelin’.
Half the fun of Halloween candy is mastering the art of the trade.
Big Brother reported, “Little Brother just offered Middle Sister a full-size Hershey bar in trade for FOUR full-size Reese’s. He told her that the Hershey bar breaks up into 12 pieces.”
Me: “Interesting logic he has.”
Big Brother: “That’s not an even trade.”
Me: “You’re just jealous because you didn’t think of that first.”
Big Brother: “I am jealous.”
Thank you, America, for giving Big Brother and his friends a huge disincentive to study hard, get good jobs, and work hard.
They figure, “Why bother? The government will pay for us! That’s what socialism is all about.”
So much for the motivation for a bunch of kids who show so much promise.
I am comforted, however, that Big Brother and his friends are not happy about the outcome–even if it does give them an easy way out.
I’m hanging onto that right now, since there is little else I can hang onto after this election.
It’s nice that two of my kids are of Dishwashing Age, but sometimes it’s just easier to do it myself.
Especially when I hear things like this from the child in the kitchen:
“I get an Apple Puff for this.” 
My answer: “Why? This is your Regularly Scheduled Daily Chore!”
Child in Kitchen: “I know. I just want an Apple Puff….Hey, COOL! If you put a cup upside down in the sink and run water right on it, it looks just like fireworks.”
There had better not be more mess in the kitchen after the dishes are done than before they were started.