How quickly time passes! It seems like a couple days ago that I was registering my son at his new school and preparing for fall classes at the college and our homeschool, and yet a whole month has passed! September is a harried month for me. I get wrapped up in the "Back to School" excitement and feel as though I'm spinning in circles to accomplish the tasks that need doing. The days are getting shorter, and I am mindful that I need light and exercise to not slip into depression in late October and early November. The challenge is that it is dark so much of the day, and on days like today, rainy weather accents the gloom and darkness.
Elizabeth and I have been training for a half marathon which is now just two weeks away. I am so excited to share that experience with my daughter. We have had some struggles with completing every run on our training schedule (because of the family schedule) the past few weeks; however, we seem to be well-conditioned and ready to tackle 13.1 miles! Since our training schedule is drawing to a close, I will need a new plan for the coming months so I keep exercising. We never finished our workout area in the basement, so after the race will be a great time to finish that project and establish an indoor workout space for the long winter months ahead.
My oldest will be confirmed at the end of October, so the next month will be just as busy as September has been. In the midst of sports, music lessons, and school, we are preparing for my grandmother, mom, and dad to visit. I want them to be comfortable and for the house to be clean and welcoming. However, I don't want to become a basket case trying to make things perfect when perfection is not a realistic goal. I have a tendency to get a little nutty before trips and events. I'm praying for a peaceful disposition and the discipline to continue with the decluttering and cleaning I started in July, taking a small space at a time. The FlyLady daily messages have focused on preparing now for the holidays by decluttering and working on small spots each day. I haven't listened. However, I have decided to "jump in where I am" and take care of two hot spots today--the kitchen counter and the pile of books and papers on the floor next to my desk. I know that clean surfaces make me feel more peaceful. And though our family members don't admit it (they seem oblivious to the clutter), they are more peaceful when our home is tidy and mom is calm.
I thought about starting Monday with my cleaning and new attitude since it will be a new month. Silliness! That's procrastination, the thing that's gotten me into most of my current stress and messes. I will begin today, fifteen minutes at a time, making changes and working to become the woman God wants me to be.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
October Baby's Gentle Mother
Last spring, the movie October Baby opened in limited theaters, surprising many with its success--8th at the Box Office and 3rd in per-theater ticket sales on the same opening weekend as the blockbuster hit, Hunger Games. October Baby came out on DVD and Blu-Ray last week, on September 11, so if you missed it in theaters, you can now rent or purchase the movie or host a movie night at your church.
My city was lucky enough to have two theaters pick up the movie in an expanded release in April. Our parish's youth group attended the movie together. I took my two oldest children and their two friends (who are siblings). After the movie, the youth group shared ice cream and great conversations about many important topics touched upon in the movie: the dignity of human life, forgiveness, chastity, and adoption, just to name a few. The conversation continued during our ride home, touching on those topics in a beautiful way inspired by the film.
The movie has a powerful message of love, the dignity of all human life, and forgiveness told through the experience of Hannah (played by Rachel Hendrix), a college freshman who just found out she was adopted after surviving a failed abortion attempt. Hannah isn't the only character who finds healing in the film--all of the characters grow in some way.
Her adoptive mother, played Jennifer Price (Grace), hasn't been discussed much in the reviews I've read. Hannah's father, Jacob (played by John Schneider) has gotten much more attention as he has a more central role in the plot development. Their marriage and their parenthood, however, are both truly heroic. I won't spoil the plot here, but I will say that the seemingly "small" role that Price plays in the film touched me in a very special way as a mother. She suffered a tragic loss, and then another tragic loss. She raised her adopted daughter, who suffered numerous health problems, and loved her as her own flesh. Her role reminded me of both the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph. She raised a child who was not her biological child, just as Joseph did, answering a call from God (her "call" wasn't in a dream, but in a bulletin about babies needing a home). In another pivotal scene, Grace tells Jacob, "I think we need to trust our daughter." I could hear Mary telling the servants at the Wedding at Cana, "Do whatever he tells you," before Our Lord's first public miracle. She is a woman of deep faith and deep love. She recognizes the value of life. Though Hannah wasn't her biological child, Grace mothers her tenderly and lovingly, as the beautiful child of God that Hannah is. In my own parenting, on those days when I struggle most, I try to remember that even though I gave birth to my four children, "They are His, not mine. They are on loan from God, and I need to care for them with a deep, abiding love that reflects the One who gave them to me." Grace personifies God's love for his children in October Baby.
Abortion and adoption are touchy topics, especially during this election year when the current administration is touting its anti-life platform with great hubris. This movie handles tough topics in a very human, loving way, focusing on the freedom one gains through forgiving another.
Most everyone in the United States knows women who have had abortions, though it's not something they are likely to share. I can only imagine the struggles they have suffered--some with the father of the child and the nature of their conception, some with having "too many" children already, others with fear of what others would think. There are many reasons a woman would seek an abortion, and I empathize with their struggle. Many of those women may have made a different choice with counseling, with support from family and friends, or with church support. Many struggle with health and fertility issues related to the abortion, and so many suffer psychologically from the loss. Movies like October Baby give people on both sides of the political topic of abortion a chance to find common ground--looking at the "issue" in terms of a life that was saved and the love that grew through the lives Hannah touched on her journey to discover "who she is." The "Grace" in her life, her adoptive mother, helped guide and shape the baby who grew into a young woman with the power to forgive.
October Baby is a movie worth seeing--and seeing again. If you saw October Baby in theaters, buy a copy to share with your friends who missed it. If you missed the movie last spring, get a copy and watch it this weekend!
My city was lucky enough to have two theaters pick up the movie in an expanded release in April. Our parish's youth group attended the movie together. I took my two oldest children and their two friends (who are siblings). After the movie, the youth group shared ice cream and great conversations about many important topics touched upon in the movie: the dignity of human life, forgiveness, chastity, and adoption, just to name a few. The conversation continued during our ride home, touching on those topics in a beautiful way inspired by the film.
The movie has a powerful message of love, the dignity of all human life, and forgiveness told through the experience of Hannah (played by Rachel Hendrix), a college freshman who just found out she was adopted after surviving a failed abortion attempt. Hannah isn't the only character who finds healing in the film--all of the characters grow in some way.
Her adoptive mother, played Jennifer Price (Grace), hasn't been discussed much in the reviews I've read. Hannah's father, Jacob (played by John Schneider) has gotten much more attention as he has a more central role in the plot development. Their marriage and their parenthood, however, are both truly heroic. I won't spoil the plot here, but I will say that the seemingly "small" role that Price plays in the film touched me in a very special way as a mother. She suffered a tragic loss, and then another tragic loss. She raised her adopted daughter, who suffered numerous health problems, and loved her as her own flesh. Her role reminded me of both the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph. She raised a child who was not her biological child, just as Joseph did, answering a call from God (her "call" wasn't in a dream, but in a bulletin about babies needing a home). In another pivotal scene, Grace tells Jacob, "I think we need to trust our daughter." I could hear Mary telling the servants at the Wedding at Cana, "Do whatever he tells you," before Our Lord's first public miracle. She is a woman of deep faith and deep love. She recognizes the value of life. Though Hannah wasn't her biological child, Grace mothers her tenderly and lovingly, as the beautiful child of God that Hannah is. In my own parenting, on those days when I struggle most, I try to remember that even though I gave birth to my four children, "They are His, not mine. They are on loan from God, and I need to care for them with a deep, abiding love that reflects the One who gave them to me." Grace personifies God's love for his children in October Baby.
Abortion and adoption are touchy topics, especially during this election year when the current administration is touting its anti-life platform with great hubris. This movie handles tough topics in a very human, loving way, focusing on the freedom one gains through forgiving another.
Most everyone in the United States knows women who have had abortions, though it's not something they are likely to share. I can only imagine the struggles they have suffered--some with the father of the child and the nature of their conception, some with having "too many" children already, others with fear of what others would think. There are many reasons a woman would seek an abortion, and I empathize with their struggle. Many of those women may have made a different choice with counseling, with support from family and friends, or with church support. Many struggle with health and fertility issues related to the abortion, and so many suffer psychologically from the loss. Movies like October Baby give people on both sides of the political topic of abortion a chance to find common ground--looking at the "issue" in terms of a life that was saved and the love that grew through the lives Hannah touched on her journey to discover "who she is." The "Grace" in her life, her adoptive mother, helped guide and shape the baby who grew into a young woman with the power to forgive.
October Baby is a movie worth seeing--and seeing again. If you saw October Baby in theaters, buy a copy to share with your friends who missed it. If you missed the movie last spring, get a copy and watch it this weekend!
Friday, September 14, 2012
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Today, as I reflect on my little burdens, frustrations, time wasters, and such, I remember that Our Lord bore the burden of the sins of the whole world on Calvary. My tiny cross becomes insignificant by comparison. Today, Lord Jesus, let me join my small burdens to your sacrifice, "In atonement for our sins and for those of the whole world." Jesus, have Mercy on me, a sinner.
Today, as I reflect on my little burdens, frustrations, time wasters, and such, I remember that Our Lord bore the burden of the sins of the whole world on Calvary. My tiny cross becomes insignificant by comparison. Today, Lord Jesus, let me join my small burdens to your sacrifice, "In atonement for our sins and for those of the whole world." Jesus, have Mercy on me, a sinner.
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