It’s quiet in my kitchen right now. I’m not cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year.

I generally have the privilege of doing Thanksgiving every other year, and this is not the one.

I won’t be waking up at 5 AM to saute onions in a LOT of butter, cube Wonder bread that’s been getting stale on the table overnight (no other kind will do), mix in the sausage and Bell’s poultry seasoning (no other kind will do), dump a turkey out of the brine bucket and shove as much stuffing as possible into the cavity–after Checking It Twice to make sure that all Bags of Miscellaneous Icky Turkey Parts have been removed, and finally put the bird in to bake.

The very first time I cooked Thanksgiving dinner was the year I was in graduate school at Notre Dame. We only had two days off, and I had no money for a plane ticket home to New Jersey. My sister was working, so she had money for a plane ticket to visit me. Two of my three roommates would also be staying, and we planned among ourselves to cook a Thanksgiving feast in our little on-campus apartment.

We rounded up a few friends who also did not have the chance to go home for the holiday, among them an international student or two. Then we divided up the dishes. I don’t remember what was served that day other than turkey, because the turkey was MY job! My grandmother wrote down the recipe for her famous stuffing and mailed it to me at school.

At 5 in the morning I woke up to prepare the turkey. I was a little slow, because I was new at this, but the job got done and I didn’t wake any roommates or houseguests in the process. Then I sat down at the dining room table with my cup of tea, and proceeded with my daily ritual of translating 50 lines of Beowulf, as I dared not go to that class unprepared–there were only 6 students in the class!

I basted the turkey on and off all day. My roommates prepared their parts of the meal. I can’t remember where we all sat, or how many we were, but we had a great time and a very good meal.

Having been diagnosed with bronchitis on Monday, I appreciate the “bye year” this year, and I know that at my sister’s house we will be fed wonderful food and enjoy the company of many relatives. But I still miss the gift of cooking Thanksgiving dinner.

I’ll have to take comfort in baking the obligatory “Granma’s Rolls,” which deserve a post all their own.

1. Write three things that I’m grateful to God for in this past liturgical year.
–My family & friends, both far and near.
–Being fortunate enough to have food, clothing, shelter and transportation, in a time when many in my own country have not been able to take such necessities for granted.
–Being able to start “feeding my soul” a little more.

2. Write three ways in which I hope to improve my relationship with God in this coming liturgical year.
–Blogging! This blog has become the journal I never kept. I can put all my half-baked thoughts here, let them cook, and sometimes others come along and season them and help me grow a little bit! It’s wonderful.
–Confession. I’ve been bad about that, sorry to say. But I have started up again and I intend to keep that going and encourage my family also.
–Indulge my soul in a little spiritual reading as often as I am able. There’s quite a pile on my tabletop now.

Via Steve.

This is something that I started doing about 2 months ago. It works for me, and I’m sharing it here hoping that it might help somebody else.

A Friar suggested to me that a good way to deal with anger is to say the Rosary. I’ve never been much of a Rosary person but I figured, what can it hurt? I started keeping one in my pocket (and I am rarely without a pocket). The idea is that when I start to get angry I should take a time-out and pray for a decade or more, with the intention of relieving my anger and finding a good way to resolve the situation.

Around the same time, I started to think about the fact that people, myself included, say they will pray for some intention. I don’t want to forget that I have promised a friend that I will pray for their grandmother, or whatever it is. So I began to dedicate my “pocket Rosary” for a certain intention each day. If someone asks me to pray for their intention, I dedicate my day’s “pocket Rosary” for that. Each time I notice the Rosary in my pocket, I saw a quick prayer for the day’s intention. And of course any decades I might complete are also offered for that intention.

It helps me to know that I am following up on the situation somehow. I know some people keep notebooks, or whatever. This is what works for me, right now.

I read somewhere–and if I can remember where, I will credit it properly–that the best response when someone asks you to pray for them is to say something like, “I will pray for you, as the Lord brings you to my mind.” Whenever you think of this person, just say a quick prayer for them. Chances are, the Lord will bring them to your mind often.

That said, today’s Pocket Rosary will be for the Cajun Princess.

There’s nothing like a 3-year-old to give you a laugh when you need it.

Just now he was flipping channels on TV, looking for his favorite show (“Hi-5.”) He stopped at ESPN, and informed me, “Mom! Football’s on!”
Me: “It IS?”
Little Brother: “Yes! But the Notre Dames are not playing. It’s the green guys, and the Blues Clues helmet guys. The Giants are going to win. They’re the best. Eagles can beat the Giants. Giants stink! Come and watch!”

Earlier this morning he was mutilating his favorite nursery rhyme:
“Dick, Dock, Dick, Dock….Dickory, Dickory, Dock, the mouse runned up the clock.
The clock SMASHED one, and down he did run, Dickory, Dickory, Dock. Dick, Dock, Dick, Dock.”

I’ve been tagged by Jean.

I CONFESS that I am one of the guitar players at church! Before someone shoots me, though, I accompany a keyboard and a children’s choir, and this morning we sang “All Creatures of Our God and King” AND “Come, Christians Join to Sing.” Not a St. Louis Jesuits piece all morning!

I CONFESS that I just finished a nutritious lunch of half a box of “Cheese Nips” and some Pepsi.

I CONFESS that I buy more shoes than any one person really needs. Especially a Franciscan person.

I CONFESS that I regularly pilfer, pillage and plunder my children’s stash of Halloween candy.

I CONFESS that I have the ability to carry a grudge for years and possibly even decades.

I CONFESS that I like to listen to “girl groups” in the car and sing along. Loudly. With the windows open.

And in related matters, I CONFESS to having the secret dream of being a “doo-wop girl.” (Not one of the ones from Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love,” either.)

I CONFESS to enjoying Robert Palmer’s song “Addicted to Love.”

I CONFESS to laughing when one Sunday my husband dressed Little Brother in pants that were way too big, and when Father called the children to the altar to say the Lord’s Prayer together, Little Brother’s pants fell down and all the kids saw his “Bob the Builder” underwear.

I CONFESS to making more pie dough than I need to every time I make a pie, so I can eat the “scraps” raw.

I CONFESS to taking a strange satisfaction in drinking Pepsi out of a Coca-Cola glass.

I am well aware that I still owe the Thanksgiving meme to Steve, and I promise that I’ll get to it. I CONFESS that I’ve been putting it off, due to the hard feelings I am having toward the “powers that be” in my diocese right now.

I’m going to tag Steve at A Song of November, Amy at RC Mommy, and the Holy Fool for this one.

Earlier today I posted some links about a situation that is facing a Catholic school in California–basically, is the school standing up for what we believe as Catholics?

Tonight I will be attending a meeting in my diocese that I believe is emblematic of another danger facing Catholic schools. It’s my opinion that my diocese is trying to get out of the business of educating Catholic children.

Tonight I’ll find out the future of the wonderful little Catholic school that my Big Kids attend–and that Little Brother thinks he’s a part of, given the hours we both volunteer there. (He has taken on a couple of lunchroom tasks as “his jobs” and gets very bent out of shape if someone else tries to do these tasks!)

Our diocese has invested heavily in the services of a consultant to recommend the course of action that would be best as regards the parochial schools. I think that if the diocese had channeled those funds directly to the schools, we wouldn’t need to worry about closing our doors for the next few years.

The thing is, educating Catholic children is not and should never be thought of as a “business.” It’s an apostolate, pure and simple. It’s making sure that the Faith is carried on, and showing children that the Faith is something that can be part of their daily lives, not just for 45 minutes or so on a Sunday morning. It’s about letting them know that they can talk about, learn about, and pray to God at school and anytime, and that, as Middle Sister told me when she was in first grade, “Jesus is Number One!” You can’t put a price on things like that.

Please pray for our school and all the schools in a similar situation. I think that’s all there is left that we can do.

“Nice Work if You Can Get It.”

There’s a LOT of food for thought here about the motive of laypeople in Church ministry. I invite you to read, and digest. I’m chewing on it myself just now.

Via The Donegal Express.

(Kudos to Veggie Tales for a great tune with an important theme!)

I’ve been following the story of Katelyn Sills, a Catholic high-school student who was expelled after her family challenged the school’s hiring of an abortion clinic escort as the school’s drama teacher.

This young woman and her family have gone through a lot because they have stood up for what they believe is right. Katelyn has a blog with a lot of information and she has also been interviewed at Western Alliance.

H/T to De Civitate Dei for the links.
Read it! And keep in your prayers: Katelyn and her family, for the strength to fight the good fight, and Loretto High School and Catholic schools everywhere, for the grace to follow the truth that the Church teaches.

Since we’ve been having a chat about lyrics in the comments box, I’ve been thinking about some of my favorite songs. Add to that last night’s awards show, and this is what I come up with.

Disclaimer: Your mileage may vary. Choices are the sole opinion of SFO Mom who claims the right to change her mind at any time, and to turn it up as loud as she wants when she’s driving (with the windows open so everyone else can “share.”) Not all of these songs are new.

SFO Mom Amazing Harmony Award:
“Whiskey Lullabye” (Allison Krause, Brad Paisley)
“Thirsty” (Patty Loveless)
“I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying” (Sting and Toby Keith)
“I Pray for You” (Big & Rich)

Always Makes SFO Mom Cry Award:
“How Can I Help You Say Goodbye” (Patty Loveless)
“Concrete Angel” (Martina McBride)
“The Little Girl” (John Michael Montgomery)
“She’s Somebody’s Hero” (Jamie O’Neill)
“The Angry American” (Toby Keith)

SFO Mom Gets So Upset By This Song She Changes The Station Award:
“Don’t Take the Girl” (Tim McGraw)

SFO Mom Sweet Story Award:
“She Didn’t Have Time” (Terri Clark)
“Where Have You Been” (Kathy Mattea)
“Something to be Proud Of” (Montgomery Gentry)

SFO Mom Sad AND Funny Award:
“Do You Want Fries With That?” (Tim McGraw)

SFO Mom Best Title Award:
“Ain’t Wastin’ Good Whiskey On You” (Trick Pony)
“Did I Shave My Legs for This?” (Terri Clark)
“Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” (Joe Nichols)

SFO Mom Turn It Up Award:
“Who’s Your Daddy?” (Toby Keith)
“Unbelievable” (Diamond Reo)
“That’s the Kind of Mood I’m In” (Patti Loveless)
“I Feel Lucky” (Mary-Chapin Carpenter)
“Gone” (Montgomery Gentry)
“Pour Me” (Trick Pony)

SFO Mom Turn It Up Louder Award:
“Comin’ To Your City” (Big & Rich)
“All Jacked Up” (Gretchen Wilson)
“I Try to Think About Elvis” (Patti Loveless)
“455 Rocket” (Kathy Mattea)
“Hell Yeah” (Montgomery Gentry)

SFO Mom’s Husband Can’t Believe She Likes These Award:
“Boogie-Woogie Choo Choo Train” (The Tractors)
“I Ain’t As Good As I Once Was” (Toby Keith)
“Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” (Big & Rich)

Find the Catholic Carnival here this week, at Living Catholicism.

As always, there’s a fine representation of the best Catholic bloggers. Check it out!