Music In My Mind

I’m a person with a very visual memory.  I think in picture which, if I need to speak or write, I translate into words. When I am reading, all the words translate into images and the story unrolls in my mind like a film and surrounds me.  Music is also stored as images rather than directly as sound.  Everything in my brain is visual; it is all translated from the pictures when I communicate. To learn a song I practice it over and over and over again until pictures flow in patterns in my mind. Those images hold the music … Continue reading

Reviews and Recommendations

Writing, recommendations, reviews, and reading books delight me.  I like to share with my friends those books I find particularly useful and helpful and today, I began reading a book sent to me for review by Aquinas & More Catholic Goods by Randy Hain titled, The Catholic Briefcase. This is a practical book is aimed at demonstrating how to integrate faith into a vocation regardless of what career or job you hold. I’m only through chapter 3 and so far all I can think is how wonderful this book would be for a small Bible Study group in a parish.  … Continue reading

Pentecost

Today is Pentecost. Descent of the Holy Spirit and Birthday of the Catholic Church are celebrated on this day. This is lovely ancient music. Latin Veni,creàtor Spìritus, mentes tuòrum visita, imple supérna gràtia, quae tu creàsti péctora. Qui dìceris Paràclitus, donum Dei,Altìssimi, fons vivus,ignis,càritas, et spiritàlis ùnctio. Tu septifòrmis mùnere, dextrae Dei tu dìgitus, tu rite promìssum Patris, sermòne ditans gùttura. Accénde lumen sénsibus: infùnde amòrem còrdibus: infìrma nostri còrporis virtùte firmans pérpeti. Hostem repéllas lòngius, pacémque dones pròtinus: ductòre sic te praevio vitémus omne nòxium. Per te sciàmus da Patrem, noscàmus atque Fìlium, te utriùsque Spìritum credàmus omni témpore. … Continue reading

Home Improvement Revisited: Part I

My vocation includes making our home exude comfort and simplicity.  I grow spiritually and in the virtues when I work on my home with those things in mind. It is a battle ground for me. I look at clutter that has accumulated and ask myself, yet again, what does or doesn’t belong in this space? I look at my office because this was the room to which I first applied MY personal ideas of simplicity.  At the moment it is a bit cluttered with stuff for the baby.  Yet the bones of this space are still right. Every piece of … Continue reading

Writing Excercises

Writing is a skill that must be used to stay fresh. Writing is a vital part of my vocation. Writing, be it in a blog, book review or book, is a craft that I enjoy.  In keeping with my goals, I have been writing this blog to develop a regular pattern of writing. Thus far, with a break to go visit my sister, I’ve been nearly regular enough to please myself.  It is a good start. I added the newsletter for the Shire (an SCA group) in order to add my skills to the support of my local group.  They … Continue reading

Fixing the Divorce Problem

Divorce strikes at the heart of our vocations that include marriage.  Divorce is a symptom of flaws in how we develop ourselves and in the way we choose our spouses. More study of those flaws and what needs to be done to correct them will go far in the effort to decrease divorce. Over at the Register they have an EXCELLENT article about the damage divorce causes children. This article highlights a conference focusing on the experiences of the children from marriages that break up.  Divorce causes them emotional problems and while not insurmountable, the damage is real. By severing … Continue reading

Both Cannot Be True

Character matters. Good character is built on the virtues such as honesty, prudence, courage, and fortitude among others. Virtues such as honesty should be considered by every voter to be essentials in a candidate. What mostly disturbs me about this news is that those in our government charged with enforcing our constitution, especially those portions about who is and who is not eligible to run for the presidency of the United States, did NOTHING to find out the truth and enforce our constitutional laws BEFORE the election in 2008 and since then still nothing.  Clearly they have failed in the … Continue reading

Home School Plug

I am delighted with the Statement by the Holy See Delegation.  I blogged about it days ago.  Today I re-visit the quote I used from that document.  It is edifying to read it again. The Catholic school assists parents who have the right and duty to choose schools inclusive of homeschooling, and they must possess the freedom to do so, which in turn, must be respected and facilitated by the State. Parents must cooperate closely with teachers, who, on their part, must collaborate with parents. —Statement by Holy See Delegation Parents “have the right and duty to choose schools inclusive … Continue reading

Parish, not Government

The government is not commanded by the Lord to care for widows and orphans.  It may very well have programs to do so, but the responsibility is not given to the government. Christians were given this commandment.  The pattern is in the New Testament.  Widows and Orphans were to be fed, clothed and cared for, but those able bodies who would not work, Paul wrote, should not eat either. How could that look today? Well, PARISH planners spend a lot of time on this and that but not a lot of time on fulfilling this commandment at the parish level.  … Continue reading

Baby Smells

I sometimes wonder if other moms sit holding their babies, nose planted on the top of the child’s downy soft head, smelling them. I love the way this baby smells.  I have no idea why.  I cannot recall sitting and smelling any of my other children when they were babies.  I cannot recall noticing their scent at all. Today, I spent my time snuggling and smelling the littlest child. He simply always smells good to me; I wonder if he will still smell good when he is bigger and racing around outside in the dirt and heat?  Will I find … Continue reading