…and it’s pink.

No, not breast-cancer-awareness pink (ironic when you consider that Susan G. Komen foundation funnels money to Planned Parenthood–and their contraception and abortion industry is linked to higher rates of breast cancer).

Just plain old pink.  As in pink-eye.

Don’t worry; I’m not contagious.  I am 100% certain that this is an allergic reaction.  Unfortunately, I am 0% sure of the cause.

Yesterday I went to my Secular Franciscan meeting about an hour early so I could catalog some new books for the fraternity’s library.  When I opened up the meeting room, I could smell something–kind of perfumey, but nothing I could put my finger on.  Being asthmatic, I made sure I had my inhaler and worried that as I spent the next few hours in the room, I might need to use it.  Then, after looking for candles and plug-in air fresheners and other likely suspects and finding nothing, I opened the 2 small windows that could be opened and got to work.

Within the hour my nose started running.  At least that symptom is manageable.  Partway through the meeting, my eyes started itching.  By the time I locked up the room after the last person left, I looked like I’d spent the entire afternoon crying.

I knew I needed Benadryl, but I had to take Little Brother to a track-and-field awards ceremony last night and was afraid to take Benadryl before driving somewhere, so I toughed it out until I got home.  It didn’t do much good; this morning, my eyes are still red and swollen and painful.

It’ll pass.  It’s an inconvenience and big discomfort, but it’ll pass.  What I really want to know is:  what was in that room that caused this?

Fall is my favorite season.  I love the colors at this time of year!  So I loved the “Real Life Adventures” comic in this morning’s paper.

image credit

Normally, this is not one of my favorite comic strips.  Dads/husbands are usually portrayed as idiotic buffoons.  Maybe that’s why I loved today’s strip even more!

No matter how sad the day (and it was a very sad day) there are always those bright spots that help get you through it. I’m grateful for these:

• hogging a baby (did I say hogging? I meant hugging. I would never hog a baby. No, not me) whom I’d only seen in pictures up until now, and who was so absolutely good-natured about being passed around among cousins who couldn’t wait to give him a squeeze 
• cousins.  So many cousins.  12 out of the 15 in my generation were there
• lots of reminiscing, lots of comfort carbs
• the chance to rib my dad about the very fashionable (in 1974) plaid sport coat he wore in one of the many old photos
• Snoopy, hand-me-downs, and good news about cousin John’s cancer treatment using his own stem cells
• a phone call from a friend to find out how I was getting through the day–and to let me know that the Irish were winning the game
• and coming home to a lovely sympathy card that a teenager in the church folk group cared enough to send

It’s time my kids learned something about doing the right thing with the right attitude. It’s not a lecture I want to deliver, but I think I’m going to have to. The thing is, while the lecture is needed, I don’t think I’m going to be able to manage a graceful delivery. And since TheDad is out of town for the next couple of days, I’ll have to fly solo on this one.

My uncle passed away Monday night. Until very recently, we didn’t know just how sick he was. While we had mentioned a few times to them that he was in the hospital, kids are kids and teenagers are teenagers and some things just don’t get through their heads very well, especially when they concern a relative who lives 2 hours away and whom we’ve seen 3 times in the past year.
I gave Big Brother, who’s away at college (but not TOO far away) a heads-up on Monday evening when I heard that Uncle Pat had taken a turn for the worse. I hate to deliver that kind of news via text message, but there’s just no good way to do it. Texting him to say “call home” isn’t any better, really. And he was as gracious as you can get in a text, commenting “that’s not good” and “let me know if you hear anything else.” Tuesday morning, after I heard the news and dithered about how I was going to let him know, I got back a :[ and “ok.” For him, that’s as compassionate as it’s going to get, I guess.
I have the feeling that my daughter, when I told her, was busy calculating just how many soccer games/soccer practices/trips to the mall/bonfires with friends she’ll have to miss to attend the out-of-town funeral this weekend.
Little Brother is going to absolutely blow a gasket when he is informed that he won’t be playing soccer on Saturday. To his credit, he did give me a hug and kiss when I told him the sad news.
Meanwhile, I grieve for my aunt and my cousins and my cousin’s kids, two of whom are infants and who will have to grow up with no memory of their grandfather. I grieve for my dad, who has lost all 3 of his younger siblings to cancer. I mourn the loss of a veteran, a firefighter, the “fun uncle.”
May you rest in peace, Uncle Pat. And may I find the grace and the words to guide my children through this time of mourning.

Don’t miss this on the feast of St. Francis–The Crescat puts into words, in no uncertain terms, the real deal about the “patron of animals and ecology.”

Stop selling St. Francis short and read this article.

Big thanks to the very talented Esther (the Catholic Mom in Hawaii) for my beautiful new header image!  I had to redecorate to show it off to its full advantage.

I wish my high school had offered these opportunities!  Below is a quote from the daily newsletter at Middle Sister’s school, describing the Campus Ministry’s new activities for the year.  I’m impressed.

1. Communion Service is offered daily at 7:40 AM in the Chapel.
2. Weekly on Thursday at 2:35 PM there will be an opportunity for whoever is interested to come together to share experiences, ideas and prayer pertaining to the past Sunday’s Readings.
3. Weekly on Tuesday at 2:35 PM there will be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.  If you are interested in signing up to be a guardian for 5, 10, 15 minutes please let the Campus Ministry Director know.  Exposition will take place from 2:35 PM until 3:00 PM.  Remember, you do not have to sign up to be present for one minute or 25 minutes.
4. There will be a Book of Intentions in the Chapel for anyone who wishes to place their personal intentions in the Book. 

I’m thankful to the Campus Ministry, the principal, and anyone else who was instrumental in bringing this to the school.

While I love “back to school” time, I can’t stand Back to School Night.  It’s not so bad at the high school, though I still do call it the Handbag Fashion Show.  (When a nickname works, you go with it.)  Because of the school’s block scheduling, a semester at a time, I have to attend two of these a year.  But with 700+ students, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd while still running into a few parents of my kids’ friends or teammates as we wander by looking for the next classroom to visit.

Five years ago, I reminisced about where I was, what I did, what I thought, on that terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.

There’s not much to add to that.

Little Brother’s teacher talked to his class yesterday about 9/11.  Most of those kids, like Little Brother, had not yet been born, and they came into a world that was forever changed and defined by that day.  Little Brother has been “processing” this lesson for the past two days.  Every now and again he approaches me and mentions something his teacher said.  Then we talk about it some more.  It’s been good, to do that.

Tomorrow I will be at a rehearsal with Little Brother and Middle Sister, who’s the stagehand for this play.  The plan is to rehearse from 1 to 4 and then take a break to go to the park next door to the theatre for a 9/11 memorial ceremony.  After that, potluck supper and more rehearsal.

It’s good that we should pause in our day, to remember.

We’re blessed to be able to do that.  We’re blessed to be free to do that.  We’re blessed to be alive to do that.

For those who gave their lives that day, and for those who have given their lives over the past 10 years to fight for freedom, I pray:  Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them.  May they rest in peace, and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

It’s not only the kids who regress academically over the summer.  I’m really surprised what I’ve forgotten during the 2 1/2 months of summer vacation.

This is probably due to all the “Phineas & Ferb” exposure.  I’ve spent way too much time wondering where those kids go to school that gives them 104 days of summer vacation.  I know that’s more than I could take.

I’ve been refreshing my memory this week regarding the ins and outs of getting through the school year.

Little boys who have been cooped up in school all day because they can’t play outside at lunch during the Everlasting Rainstorm that is September around here are WAY more likely to bounce off the walls in the after-school hours than little boys who have been in the house all day on a rainy summer day.  Fortunately, little boys don’t mind playing outside when it’s drizzling.

School buses are great examples of Murphy’s Law.  When you’re outside all nice and early (and it’s raining) they’re late.  When you’re running late, they’re early.

I should really make part of Little Brother’s packed lunches the night before.  He’s not a sandwich fan, but he likes “ham-alami.”  Here’s the recipe:  Take a slice of salami.  Fold a slice of ham to go on top.  Add another slice of salami.  Roll up.  3 “ham-alamis” in a container is good for lunch, along with another container of fruit and a snack.  I find salami a little disgusting at 7 AM.

And then there’s the pleasant surprises, like when I was cutting up brownies for lunchboxes today.  Some of those brownies never made it to the lunchbox.  Brownies go great with that first cup of coffee in the mornings.  Breakfast of champions!  (Just don’t tell Little Brother.)