Today was the final day for Totus Tuus camp. A fun time was had by all. A lot of work was done behind the scenes! The behind-the-scenes-team worked SUPER HARD all day to get snacks set up and then cleaned up, to get lunches set up and then cleaned up, to make 200? water balloons and to fill water guns, buckets and assorted other water toys and distribute icecream sandwiches and popsicles. I was exhausted at the end of the day! Paul was drenched, but happy.
The wiggly boys did pretty well at mass (thank goodness) although my sweet Paul was getting on my nerves being himself. (read: wiggly, impatient, inattentive). Fortunately, another adult was able to call him to sit away from me and she was better able to get him to at least be a little still and out of my eye....
And then pride might come before a fall..... On Monday I was able to get to reconciliation... and then on Wednesday I spent the day rejoicing that I was in a state of grace. Not out loud really, but just in my head. And I did mention it aloud to the director of faith formation because I was glad I didn't have to go, since our parish priest was so busy, there really wasn't time for me to go with the kids. And I was so happy to not feel the NEED to go. And then on Thursday, something snapped and my state of grace evaporated. It is a long story, not spread about online. But I know I will be going back to reconciliation. Soon.
So note to self.... there is wisdom in the new testament when Paul? says that if we boast we should only boast in the Lord. And being proud of being in a state of grace... comes before the fall. Right back into humanity.
Lesson also learned this week: The 4th Commandment states that we should honor our father and mother in order to ensure length of days. I have a new understanding of why. And no, I did not dishonor my parents....
After getting home today, I took a short nap and then Paul and I both got showered and dressed to head to a Rosary for my dad's friend, Mr App, who died this past Monday. Being in a recieving line caught me off guard. Not so fun. Paul joined in the rosary and made it through 2 1/2 decades before Mark arrived to rescue him. I was impressed that he did well. I was also glad that my mom had an extra rosary to share.
So onto a busy weekend - I work Saturday and Sunday with moms and babies, doing lactation. I am thankful to be working in an airconditioned space.
That's about it for the moment.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Blessings (and minor grumbles)
Blessings First....
This week, Paul is attending Totus Tuus at St Thomas Aquinas in Charlotte. Thotus Tuus is a program that sends four young people (college age) into a parish to teach children about their faith. It is very easy to use - basically the parish says yes, they want a Totus Tuus team to come, they provide a space and the children and ta da! the program is ready to go. The team has two men and two women. In the morning they work with children in grades 1 - 6 in the evening they work with older kids - grades 7 - 12. They aren't flashy, there isn't alot of fluff. It is alot of talking. Broken up into small segments. The team all rotate among the different grade levels. They work on getting to know the kids and on modeling enthusiasm for being Catholic. It is pretty orthodox in it's teaching about the church. The children (all 85) go to daily mass.
Paul has learned the names of some (if not all - I haven't actually asked if he knows all of them yet) mysteries of the rosary AND the corresponding fruit of the mystery! I know the mysteries, but even I never memorized the fruit of the mystery!
The pastor has also made available the sacrament of reconciliation and all of the 3 - 12th graders were given the opprotunity to have their confession heard.
It is amazing to me what a difference this made for overall attitude among the children....The 5th and 6th graders went yesterday and the overall attitude of the entire group was affected. As a whole, they were much quieter and more attentive to the adults in charge. Today, I think, the 3rd and 4th graders go to reconciliation.
If only the 1st and 2nd graders could go......
Which leads me to my grumbles - the largest group (this is really a mixed blessing) is the youngest group - about 1/2 the kids are in 1st and 2nd grade. They cannot recieve communion yet, they cannont go to confession yet. And they need Jesus more than any of the rest of us! The challenge is that they are the wiggliest. It makes me just a little crazy because these kids (my own included) really struggle with being able to sit in one place for more than five minutes. And then to absorb what is being taught to them? I really think only a fraction is getting through. Add to that the difficulty of sitting through a daily mass....
Fortunately, there are about 10 total adults within the Totus Tuus program, and after the first day's disaster mass of wiggly disruptive young boys, we all chose a boy to sit with during mass and we didn't sit anywhere near each other. Huge difference - for the better.
The encouragement I get though is that my dear little one is not that different from the boys in his peer group.
The fear I have is that he is easily a follower.
The encouragement I have is that he recognizes who the trouble makers are, and he doesn't choose to sit with them, they choose him. So perhaps he could be a leader. I have to figure out how to harness this power for good.
But for the moment, I have to get up and get moving! Another day of fun and excitement is ahead!
P.S. Totus Tuus is Latin for Totally Yours - it was Blessed JP II's motto.
This week, Paul is attending Totus Tuus at St Thomas Aquinas in Charlotte. Thotus Tuus is a program that sends four young people (college age) into a parish to teach children about their faith. It is very easy to use - basically the parish says yes, they want a Totus Tuus team to come, they provide a space and the children and ta da! the program is ready to go. The team has two men and two women. In the morning they work with children in grades 1 - 6 in the evening they work with older kids - grades 7 - 12. They aren't flashy, there isn't alot of fluff. It is alot of talking. Broken up into small segments. The team all rotate among the different grade levels. They work on getting to know the kids and on modeling enthusiasm for being Catholic. It is pretty orthodox in it's teaching about the church. The children (all 85) go to daily mass.
Paul has learned the names of some (if not all - I haven't actually asked if he knows all of them yet) mysteries of the rosary AND the corresponding fruit of the mystery! I know the mysteries, but even I never memorized the fruit of the mystery!
The pastor has also made available the sacrament of reconciliation and all of the 3 - 12th graders were given the opprotunity to have their confession heard.
It is amazing to me what a difference this made for overall attitude among the children....The 5th and 6th graders went yesterday and the overall attitude of the entire group was affected. As a whole, they were much quieter and more attentive to the adults in charge. Today, I think, the 3rd and 4th graders go to reconciliation.
If only the 1st and 2nd graders could go......
Which leads me to my grumbles - the largest group (this is really a mixed blessing) is the youngest group - about 1/2 the kids are in 1st and 2nd grade. They cannot recieve communion yet, they cannont go to confession yet. And they need Jesus more than any of the rest of us! The challenge is that they are the wiggliest. It makes me just a little crazy because these kids (my own included) really struggle with being able to sit in one place for more than five minutes. And then to absorb what is being taught to them? I really think only a fraction is getting through. Add to that the difficulty of sitting through a daily mass....
Fortunately, there are about 10 total adults within the Totus Tuus program, and after the first day's disaster mass of wiggly disruptive young boys, we all chose a boy to sit with during mass and we didn't sit anywhere near each other. Huge difference - for the better.
The encouragement I get though is that my dear little one is not that different from the boys in his peer group.
The fear I have is that he is easily a follower.
The encouragement I have is that he recognizes who the trouble makers are, and he doesn't choose to sit with them, they choose him. So perhaps he could be a leader. I have to figure out how to harness this power for good.
But for the moment, I have to get up and get moving! Another day of fun and excitement is ahead!
P.S. Totus Tuus is Latin for Totally Yours - it was Blessed JP II's motto.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
End of the year....
It isn't really the end of the year. It is the end of the school year.
I am reminded of when I was a child and I had high hopes for a summer of accomplishment. I used to sit and dream of all the books I would read, the good habits I would develop and nurture, the things I would do....
And then reality would set in. Housework, occasional visits to the library, babysitting, daily boredom, or fun doing nothing in particular. And then the week before school started a mad scramble to make good on at least a little of the earlier dreams.
There were a few really good summers.... The summer that we lived at Fr Devens.... I spent that summer volunteering in the library, covering the dust jackets of new books with the plastic that made them durable. I was there four or five days a week.... I would walk or ride my bicycle there, and then afterwards I would go to noon mass at the chapel before walking home for lunch. Afternoons were lazy affairs. And then in July? I went to Oregon by myself and spent a month with my grandparents.
The summer that Mary was 2, Susanne and I went to Girl Scout camp for two weeks, came home for one week and then went to Oregon for a month to visit our grandparents, aunts and uncles. That summer, I bought a great kite and enjoyed flying it at Washington Park in Portland, as well as on the beach.
The summer before college I spent as a nanny taking care of three small boys. It was good practice for what is now my reality with one small boy although it was totally different.
The summer I worked for Dr Winchester on the summer conference on Quality..... It was an empowering experience and it changed me into someone willing to pursue graduate school. I think it enabled me to tap into some of the latent potential that I had been carrying around.
Now.... I am facing a summer with a six year old. I have high hopes - learning to swim, learning to ride a bicycle, reading for fun.....
Reality: Some of it will happen. Life will get in the way.
Meanwhile, I am so very excited that I get my little boy back to hang out at home. I hope we have a great summer and that we both have fun together. These days are going much too quickly!
I am reminded of when I was a child and I had high hopes for a summer of accomplishment. I used to sit and dream of all the books I would read, the good habits I would develop and nurture, the things I would do....
And then reality would set in. Housework, occasional visits to the library, babysitting, daily boredom, or fun doing nothing in particular. And then the week before school started a mad scramble to make good on at least a little of the earlier dreams.
There were a few really good summers.... The summer that we lived at Fr Devens.... I spent that summer volunteering in the library, covering the dust jackets of new books with the plastic that made them durable. I was there four or five days a week.... I would walk or ride my bicycle there, and then afterwards I would go to noon mass at the chapel before walking home for lunch. Afternoons were lazy affairs. And then in July? I went to Oregon by myself and spent a month with my grandparents.
The summer that Mary was 2, Susanne and I went to Girl Scout camp for two weeks, came home for one week and then went to Oregon for a month to visit our grandparents, aunts and uncles. That summer, I bought a great kite and enjoyed flying it at Washington Park in Portland, as well as on the beach.
The summer before college I spent as a nanny taking care of three small boys. It was good practice for what is now my reality with one small boy although it was totally different.
The summer I worked for Dr Winchester on the summer conference on Quality..... It was an empowering experience and it changed me into someone willing to pursue graduate school. I think it enabled me to tap into some of the latent potential that I had been carrying around.
Now.... I am facing a summer with a six year old. I have high hopes - learning to swim, learning to ride a bicycle, reading for fun.....
Reality: Some of it will happen. Life will get in the way.
Meanwhile, I am so very excited that I get my little boy back to hang out at home. I hope we have a great summer and that we both have fun together. These days are going much too quickly!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Simple Things
This evening after dinner, Mark, Paul and I took a walk. I was reminded of the simple joys of life. And I was pleasantly surprised to find myself back in one of those content moods that I thought was long gone.
This evening's walk reminded me of the walk Paul and I took last spring when I thought that the last Halycon days of early childhood might be coming to an end. Happily, I was wrong. Not to say that these days are all simple and care-free, they are not. But there are some happy moments, interspersed among the busy-ness of every day life.
What I noticed tonight:
Paul has twiggy legs that make me smile.
The dog is finally small enough or rather the boy is big enough, to manage the dog on a walk.
The boy and the dog both want to be first wherever we are going.
We have one more week of belonging to a kindergarten class..... I can't believe an entire school year has past already!
On to summer...
What will we do?
Will Paul learn to ride a bicycle?
Will Paul learn to swim?
Will we make it to daily mass more than just during weeks of VBS and Totus Tuus?
Will we read more than we watch TV or play video games?
Will I ever quit being more ambitious than reasonable?
Will I ever get good routines established? I am making some progress at praying the rosary, for anyone following along.... I do manage to pray it probably 6/7 days, and it is on my mind, I just don't always make it.
At any rate, it is getting late and I need to get to bed so that I can have a great day tomorrow.
Oh, and just in case - if you have a small child with an unexplained tummy ache - if the child can jump without feeling worse - it's probably a virus, not a belly in need of an appendectomy. There, I might have saved you a few hours in an emergency department!
This evening's walk reminded me of the walk Paul and I took last spring when I thought that the last Halycon days of early childhood might be coming to an end. Happily, I was wrong. Not to say that these days are all simple and care-free, they are not. But there are some happy moments, interspersed among the busy-ness of every day life.
What I noticed tonight:
Paul has twiggy legs that make me smile.
The dog is finally small enough or rather the boy is big enough, to manage the dog on a walk.
The boy and the dog both want to be first wherever we are going.
We have one more week of belonging to a kindergarten class..... I can't believe an entire school year has past already!
On to summer...
What will we do?
Will Paul learn to ride a bicycle?
Will Paul learn to swim?
Will we make it to daily mass more than just during weeks of VBS and Totus Tuus?
Will we read more than we watch TV or play video games?
Will I ever quit being more ambitious than reasonable?
Will I ever get good routines established? I am making some progress at praying the rosary, for anyone following along.... I do manage to pray it probably 6/7 days, and it is on my mind, I just don't always make it.
At any rate, it is getting late and I need to get to bed so that I can have a great day tomorrow.
Oh, and just in case - if you have a small child with an unexplained tummy ache - if the child can jump without feeling worse - it's probably a virus, not a belly in need of an appendectomy. There, I might have saved you a few hours in an emergency department!
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