A couple not-so-interrelated topics today…
I am going to share a portion of an e-mail that I sent a man that I recently started e-mailing. For those of you who don’t know, I belong to an online dating service for devout Catholics called Ave Maria Singles. I have met some pretty nice people there, but so many live far away and the geographical issues always stop me from really wanting to get too serious with someone who lives far away. However, on the other hand, I’m not likely going to find a devout, truly orthodox Catholic man sitting next to me on the train or on the street corner, so I do struggle with the issue of if I do decide that I REALLY want to be married then I am REALLY going to have to work at it, hard.
E and I discussed this exact topic yesterday. He had attended his cousin’s wedding Tuesday night up in Brooklyn. It was a true Orthodox Jewish wedding and being there made him start to think more about what he has to do to achieve his goals. When he and I discuss things like this, I always drive home my strong opinion that we have to be the people we want to marry—live our lives like the people we want to marry—before we can expect to find and marry these people. Our spouse should not be given the difficult job of making us holy (you can replace any other word with "holy" as it applies to your life). We have to strive for holiness for ourselves first. Yes, I would agree that if you find a like-minded spouse you can and should be a team that works together to keep each other on the right track and go deeper in your holiness, but you have to be able to do it alone before you “team up” with someone.
The gentleman I am e-mailing had liked some of the things I said in a recent e-mail and he told me that he finds me remarkable. When I wrote this reply to him, I knew this was a thought that I wanted to share with everyone else. Here is is:
I'm no more remarkable or amazing than anyone else who is trying to allow the Lord to lead their lives, but thank you :) The trouble is, too many people still don't know how remarkable and amazing they can be if they would allow God to love them as much as He is trying to. He created us all the same, so we all have that same potential "built in." The one thing that I always say when I give my witness to groups is that the greatest blessing of all in the course of my coming to know, understand, and try to live by all of the teachings of the Church is that I feel so lucky to have been called by God (and somehow managed to hear him!) at such a young age so that I can now live the rest of my life serving God. It's really an exciting proposition.
That truly is the greatest joy and blessing in my life—that I came to really know and want to serve God when I was still in my 20s! Just thinking about this makes me want to start clapping my hands and stomping my feet! With that gift comes great responsibility, however, because yes, it’s more years to bask in God’s love but it’s also more years to work, work, work for the kingdom.
The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for me?”
“Here I am, Lord! Send me!”
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Random odds and ends (part 3)
Lots of little things today--nothing too long or very well-formed I'm afraid...
As you all have seen or heard by now I am sure, the man who claimed to kill little Jon-Benet Ramsey 10 years ago was NOT a DNA match with the crime scene DNA. Sigh. I sigh even though I knew it wouldn't be a match from the word go.
I got an e-mail from Trish in Ohio this morning and she asked how my mom was doing. She said she had been waiting for me to post an update here and wasn't seeing one...I think part of the reason I hadn't posted more is because mom is doing so well I don't want to talk about it too loudly! That's dumb of me though, because I should be speaking about it VERY loudly and thanking God! Mom is really doing great--she's up and around like normal and she's even back in the pool! She is feeling really good (although my parents and all of their friends in the development are sad because Monday is the last day for the pool until next year. When I tell you they act like a bunch of little kids in that pool I am not kidding!). Thanks again for all of your prayers. My mom thanks you too.
E and I have booked our business trip. We're going to Chicago at the end of September. It remains to be seen whether we will need to check our luggage or we can just carry on...I guess it will all depend on what we're bringing. I am also going to see LC and DJ at the end of September.
I hope everyone has something nice and relaxing planned for the upcoming long Labor Day weekend. I am going to a party on Sunday (thank goodness not a BBQ, since it's supposed to rain here!) and I need to figure out when I am going to take Matt out because he turns the big 3-0 on Monday!
Love you guys.
As you all have seen or heard by now I am sure, the man who claimed to kill little Jon-Benet Ramsey 10 years ago was NOT a DNA match with the crime scene DNA. Sigh. I sigh even though I knew it wouldn't be a match from the word go.
I got an e-mail from Trish in Ohio this morning and she asked how my mom was doing. She said she had been waiting for me to post an update here and wasn't seeing one...I think part of the reason I hadn't posted more is because mom is doing so well I don't want to talk about it too loudly! That's dumb of me though, because I should be speaking about it VERY loudly and thanking God! Mom is really doing great--she's up and around like normal and she's even back in the pool! She is feeling really good (although my parents and all of their friends in the development are sad because Monday is the last day for the pool until next year. When I tell you they act like a bunch of little kids in that pool I am not kidding!). Thanks again for all of your prayers. My mom thanks you too.
E and I have booked our business trip. We're going to Chicago at the end of September. It remains to be seen whether we will need to check our luggage or we can just carry on...I guess it will all depend on what we're bringing. I am also going to see LC and DJ at the end of September.
I hope everyone has something nice and relaxing planned for the upcoming long Labor Day weekend. I am going to a party on Sunday (thank goodness not a BBQ, since it's supposed to rain here!) and I need to figure out when I am going to take Matt out because he turns the big 3-0 on Monday!
Love you guys.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Still maintaining...
I was sure that more folks would chime in on the last post. I think we can all really look at ourselves and how much we "maintain."
In any event, the reason why I held off on posting anything else was because I wanted Jermaine to post his comments. You see, Jermaine sent me a long e-mail after he read Thursday's post and I told him that I wanted everyone else to read what he had to say (not just me) so I asked him to post the e-mail as a comment. Since he is in the middle of moving and everying else, I am going to post his thoughts as a follow-up post. I know that I have his permission (I say that so that the rest of you won't be afraid I'll ever post your e-mails without your OK first!)
Jermaine wrote:
Thanks for including me in your blog today. The whole time I was reading your email I kept hearing the voice of Reverend Run from MTV's RUNS HOUSE. At the end of every episode he types into his blackberry his thoughts for the day. Weird.
This might sound strange but even though I wrote that line for you, "I love you for always loving me," when I read it this time around I thought it could be one of my new prayers to God. "Thank you Lord For loving me even though I haven't made it easy for you at times." Or "I Love you Lord For Always Loving Me." I can honestly say that I know what that means because there were times in the past when I was partying too hard and fast and even in the midst of ALL that.... the Lord loved me enough to spare my life, my sanity, and health. God is Awesome. So thank you for including that line on the blog.
The Jehovah witness thing was funny... and I do remember saying that.
I must say your question is interesting...("Come to think of it, is that all I'm doing? Maintaining?") but it doesn't apply to you. Someone who is maintaining is someone who is holding on, existing but not living. To me, You don't fit that mold. You are living and loving God and in return he is blessing you in ways you have yet to discover. I think that even if you feel you might be maintaining that that is a perfect opportunity to Thank God for Keeping you, preserving you, and not letting the enemy take you under. There is a line from a song we sing at church that says:
I love to praise You, through the good and the bad/ I'll praise You, whether happy or sad/I'll praise you in ALL that I go thru/ because Praise is what I do. I owe it all to YOU.
I say all this to say that in the good times and bad and even in those "maintaining" times Praise Him and He will honor your praise.
Jermaine made me feel better about what I see as maintaining. More than that, he gave me another perspective on the fruits of the ways that I try to love and serve God.
That's another reason why we're all here--to support one another. Support is one of the most important gifts we can give one another. Support has many definitions. Today, let's think about the ways we give and receive support. I bet you support people in ways that you don't even see as support.
I love the way life works!
In any event, the reason why I held off on posting anything else was because I wanted Jermaine to post his comments. You see, Jermaine sent me a long e-mail after he read Thursday's post and I told him that I wanted everyone else to read what he had to say (not just me) so I asked him to post the e-mail as a comment. Since he is in the middle of moving and everying else, I am going to post his thoughts as a follow-up post. I know that I have his permission (I say that so that the rest of you won't be afraid I'll ever post your e-mails without your OK first!)
Jermaine wrote:
Thanks for including me in your blog today. The whole time I was reading your email I kept hearing the voice of Reverend Run from MTV's RUNS HOUSE. At the end of every episode he types into his blackberry his thoughts for the day. Weird.
This might sound strange but even though I wrote that line for you, "I love you for always loving me," when I read it this time around I thought it could be one of my new prayers to God. "Thank you Lord For loving me even though I haven't made it easy for you at times." Or "I Love you Lord For Always Loving Me." I can honestly say that I know what that means because there were times in the past when I was partying too hard and fast and even in the midst of ALL that.... the Lord loved me enough to spare my life, my sanity, and health. God is Awesome. So thank you for including that line on the blog.
The Jehovah witness thing was funny... and I do remember saying that.
I must say your question is interesting...("Come to think of it, is that all I'm doing? Maintaining?") but it doesn't apply to you. Someone who is maintaining is someone who is holding on, existing but not living. To me, You don't fit that mold. You are living and loving God and in return he is blessing you in ways you have yet to discover. I think that even if you feel you might be maintaining that that is a perfect opportunity to Thank God for Keeping you, preserving you, and not letting the enemy take you under. There is a line from a song we sing at church that says:
I love to praise You, through the good and the bad/ I'll praise You, whether happy or sad/I'll praise you in ALL that I go thru/ because Praise is what I do. I owe it all to YOU.
I say all this to say that in the good times and bad and even in those "maintaining" times Praise Him and He will honor your praise.
Jermaine made me feel better about what I see as maintaining. More than that, he gave me another perspective on the fruits of the ways that I try to love and serve God.
That's another reason why we're all here--to support one another. Support is one of the most important gifts we can give one another. Support has many definitions. Today, let's think about the ways we give and receive support. I bet you support people in ways that you don't even see as support.
I love the way life works!
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Maintenance...
Before I get down to today’s business I am happy to report that Mike D. got the job at QVC. I am not really sure how he is going to be able to transfer a 30% discount to me, but we are certainly going to try to if it’s legal!
In adoration last night I was alone with the Lord for almost the entire hour. I did a lot of singing, and I thought about you guys and prayed for all of you while I was doing so.
I got an e-mail from Jermaine earlier in the week (he went to college with me and a lot of folks from home know him too, especially from my birthday party a few years back when he worked as the bouncer in the “VIP room”--my master bedroom upstairs, where some of the party overflow hung out and danced). There’s a lot of change going on on his end—a new job, he and his brothers are moving, and so on. I let him know in response that I really hate change. There was something that he wrote at the end of the e-mail that made me think. He said:
I love you and thank you for always loving me. I know I have not made that easy at times. How are you doing? What is 2006-2007 going to look like for Lori?
It made me think first about all the people who love me that I don’t always make it easy for. (That includes you Lord!) I need to try to start to have just a fraction of the patience that God has with me with other people. When I really think about this, I can literally see how my life could change. I want that.
Then, it also made me think about the fact that I haven’t even given a thought before now to the fact that we are almost two thirds of the way through 2006. My life literally flashes before my eyes at times and I really don’t give it a second thought. I am one of the most present-minded people I know. It’s a fabulous trait on the one hand. I don’t look much further into the future than a month or so. I can sometimes get very stressed in the moment (ask my staff!), but in general I am not a stressed person. I am able to really enjoy each “today” and do. On the other hand, I can’t get too prideful because in being very present minded there are bad things. For example, where does goal setting come in? If I’m not looking far into the future, what am I striving for?
Who is better off? Someone who has several goals and as a result doesn’t really enjoy the present or a present-minded person who is so grounded in the day-to-day that there are almost no honest-to-goodness “goals” on the horizon?
Before I sign off, I do want to share just one Jermaine story that never fails to please the masses. Even if you already know this one, I know you’ll want to hear it again. It sounds funnier than it reads, so I’ll do my best telling this one in writing. Jermaine stayed with me the weekend of my 29th birthday. The morning after the party we were hanging out and there was a knock at the door. Jermaine answered the door and it was a Jehovah’s Witness. She started talking to Jermaine and I could only hear bits of the conversation. I heard him say, “Well, this isn’t even my house….” I heard the JW say to him, “If this isn’t your house, maybe there was a reason why you answered the door today.” They said a couple more things and then all I heard him say to her was, ”I’m just trying to maintain.” With that he shut the door.
Hmmm. Come to think of it, is that all I'm doing? Maintaining?
In adoration last night I was alone with the Lord for almost the entire hour. I did a lot of singing, and I thought about you guys and prayed for all of you while I was doing so.
I got an e-mail from Jermaine earlier in the week (he went to college with me and a lot of folks from home know him too, especially from my birthday party a few years back when he worked as the bouncer in the “VIP room”--my master bedroom upstairs, where some of the party overflow hung out and danced). There’s a lot of change going on on his end—a new job, he and his brothers are moving, and so on. I let him know in response that I really hate change. There was something that he wrote at the end of the e-mail that made me think. He said:
I love you and thank you for always loving me. I know I have not made that easy at times. How are you doing? What is 2006-2007 going to look like for Lori?
It made me think first about all the people who love me that I don’t always make it easy for. (That includes you Lord!) I need to try to start to have just a fraction of the patience that God has with me with other people. When I really think about this, I can literally see how my life could change. I want that.
Then, it also made me think about the fact that I haven’t even given a thought before now to the fact that we are almost two thirds of the way through 2006. My life literally flashes before my eyes at times and I really don’t give it a second thought. I am one of the most present-minded people I know. It’s a fabulous trait on the one hand. I don’t look much further into the future than a month or so. I can sometimes get very stressed in the moment (ask my staff!), but in general I am not a stressed person. I am able to really enjoy each “today” and do. On the other hand, I can’t get too prideful because in being very present minded there are bad things. For example, where does goal setting come in? If I’m not looking far into the future, what am I striving for?
Who is better off? Someone who has several goals and as a result doesn’t really enjoy the present or a present-minded person who is so grounded in the day-to-day that there are almost no honest-to-goodness “goals” on the horizon?
Before I sign off, I do want to share just one Jermaine story that never fails to please the masses. Even if you already know this one, I know you’ll want to hear it again. It sounds funnier than it reads, so I’ll do my best telling this one in writing. Jermaine stayed with me the weekend of my 29th birthday. The morning after the party we were hanging out and there was a knock at the door. Jermaine answered the door and it was a Jehovah’s Witness. She started talking to Jermaine and I could only hear bits of the conversation. I heard him say, “Well, this isn’t even my house….” I heard the JW say to him, “If this isn’t your house, maybe there was a reason why you answered the door today.” They said a couple more things and then all I heard him say to her was, ”I’m just trying to maintain.” With that he shut the door.
Hmmm. Come to think of it, is that all I'm doing? Maintaining?
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Your love makes me sing...
Despite the fact that I like to sing, and do, I am not a very good singer. I didn’t even make the chorus when I was in 4th grade, if that tells you anything. Who in the world doesn’t make their elementary school chorus?
I can only sing a handful of songs well. Out of 100 random songs, 10 or 15 might sound good coming out of my mouth and the remainder would be awful.
I say this because of a phenomenon I have noticed. When I sing for the Lord I much more often sound beautiful than when I am just singing for myself.
I have a weekly hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament at my church (Wed night). Sometimes, if I happen to be alone in the presence of the Lord and no other adorers are visiting, I will sing to Him. I feel like when I am singing in the adoration chapel I sound beautiful. I told E this once and he said that perhaps it’s in my mind, meaning that maybe I just feel like I sound more beautiful because I am happy because my heart is full of love while I am singing for God. Perhaps that is partially true, but I did have an impartial third party confirm my suspicion that it was actually true at least once.
We had a parish mission several months ago that lasted for 4 nights. I was in the front row every night. It was led by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (Fr Benedict Groeshel's order--he actually came and celebrated the mass the last night!) and a couple of the Brothers were playing a guitar and singing in between talks and during adoration and I could tell that they wanted other people to sing along with them. The problem was that they were singing more contemporary praise and worship songs, slow and really melodic, and not traditional church hymns. Not many people in attendance knew the words because a lot of your “oldies but goodies” (what I like to call older folks) are not up on contemporary Christian music.
I did know a lot of the songs they were singing, and I felt like I needed to sing. So I did. Now keep in mind I was in the front row (my church in set up in the round, so I was essentially on display, facing half of the congregation). Keep in mind the only musical accompaniment was a single acoustic guitar. I sang and I sang loud. I sang my little heart out. I was very self-conscious at first, but became less so the more I sang. I praised the Lord and closed my eyes and didn’t worry about the “oldies but goodies” or the youngies or anyone else for that matter. I concentrated on praising God and supporting these Brothers in their ministry.
At the end of that night’s gathering, I stood up to leave the church and a woman who had been sitting near me approached me. She said, “Your voice is beautiful.” I was shocked, to say the least. I said “thank you!” and then I immediately started to cry as I left because I knew that the beautiful singing that night wasn’t me so much as it was a special gift from the Lord to be shared with the other people in the church that night and to give Him glory.
Lord, help me to always sing your praises whether actually in song or not. Help me to know that I should always praise you, even in my difficulties and struggles. Help me to live that and not just say it. Your love is the song of my heart. Amen.
I can only sing a handful of songs well. Out of 100 random songs, 10 or 15 might sound good coming out of my mouth and the remainder would be awful.
I say this because of a phenomenon I have noticed. When I sing for the Lord I much more often sound beautiful than when I am just singing for myself.
I have a weekly hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament at my church (Wed night). Sometimes, if I happen to be alone in the presence of the Lord and no other adorers are visiting, I will sing to Him. I feel like when I am singing in the adoration chapel I sound beautiful. I told E this once and he said that perhaps it’s in my mind, meaning that maybe I just feel like I sound more beautiful because I am happy because my heart is full of love while I am singing for God. Perhaps that is partially true, but I did have an impartial third party confirm my suspicion that it was actually true at least once.
We had a parish mission several months ago that lasted for 4 nights. I was in the front row every night. It was led by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (Fr Benedict Groeshel's order--he actually came and celebrated the mass the last night!) and a couple of the Brothers were playing a guitar and singing in between talks and during adoration and I could tell that they wanted other people to sing along with them. The problem was that they were singing more contemporary praise and worship songs, slow and really melodic, and not traditional church hymns. Not many people in attendance knew the words because a lot of your “oldies but goodies” (what I like to call older folks) are not up on contemporary Christian music.
I did know a lot of the songs they were singing, and I felt like I needed to sing. So I did. Now keep in mind I was in the front row (my church in set up in the round, so I was essentially on display, facing half of the congregation). Keep in mind the only musical accompaniment was a single acoustic guitar. I sang and I sang loud. I sang my little heart out. I was very self-conscious at first, but became less so the more I sang. I praised the Lord and closed my eyes and didn’t worry about the “oldies but goodies” or the youngies or anyone else for that matter. I concentrated on praising God and supporting these Brothers in their ministry.
At the end of that night’s gathering, I stood up to leave the church and a woman who had been sitting near me approached me. She said, “Your voice is beautiful.” I was shocked, to say the least. I said “thank you!” and then I immediately started to cry as I left because I knew that the beautiful singing that night wasn’t me so much as it was a special gift from the Lord to be shared with the other people in the church that night and to give Him glory.
Lord, help me to always sing your praises whether actually in song or not. Help me to know that I should always praise you, even in my difficulties and struggles. Help me to live that and not just say it. Your love is the song of my heart. Amen.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Living behind the times...
OK, I’m starting to see a theme emerging on this blog (other than religious matters). It’s secular media and technology, or in my case, the lack thereof (if we can lump that into one big category, that is)…
My latest story has to do with digital cable, which I finally broke down and had installed this past weekend. If you find the fact that I only just got digital cable crazy then you should also know I only just started carrying my cell phone about 4 years ago (about 3 years after everyone else). Up until that time I kept my huge flip phone in the glove compartment of my car and used it only for emergencies (almost never). To this day my cell phone is still only used as a secondary phone to my land line, and it only rings about once or twice a week or so.
I don’t know why I am the way I am when it comes to things like this. God has blessed me with a good job that pays me a very fair wage. My only debt is my mortgage, so it’s really not for financial reasons that I shy away from the latest technology. It’s also not that I’m not savvy—within the first couple of hours of getting the digital cable installed I mastered the remote control, found all kind of free On Demand shows I want to see, I karaoked a Backstreet Boys song by myself in my living room, and more. I am having an absolute ball with my digital cable. Why didn’t I do this years ago? The price difference is only $5 from what I paid before and the picture quality is so much better. Even my parents got digital cable before me!
I think the reason why I resist current technology and thus live behind the times is because I sometimes see these things as complications instead of things that make life easier. Or is it simply the fact that I am very resistant to change in all areas of my life and therefore I withhold things from myself, regardless of whether they make life easier or not, because they are different?
Yes, I realize I just totally contradicted myself, and I think that the latter statement was the truth.
Lord, this ties directly into you too. No wonder I have such a hard time hearing you sometimes. Hold my breath and cover my ears like a stubborn kid because I don’t want to be presented with anything “different.” Please help open my heart to change. Please help keep me open to changes in my life that can make it better and make me better. Please help me to stop being complacent and step out and step up. The true definition of Holy Boldness, for sure…
My latest story has to do with digital cable, which I finally broke down and had installed this past weekend. If you find the fact that I only just got digital cable crazy then you should also know I only just started carrying my cell phone about 4 years ago (about 3 years after everyone else). Up until that time I kept my huge flip phone in the glove compartment of my car and used it only for emergencies (almost never). To this day my cell phone is still only used as a secondary phone to my land line, and it only rings about once or twice a week or so.
I don’t know why I am the way I am when it comes to things like this. God has blessed me with a good job that pays me a very fair wage. My only debt is my mortgage, so it’s really not for financial reasons that I shy away from the latest technology. It’s also not that I’m not savvy—within the first couple of hours of getting the digital cable installed I mastered the remote control, found all kind of free On Demand shows I want to see, I karaoked a Backstreet Boys song by myself in my living room, and more. I am having an absolute ball with my digital cable. Why didn’t I do this years ago? The price difference is only $5 from what I paid before and the picture quality is so much better. Even my parents got digital cable before me!
I think the reason why I resist current technology and thus live behind the times is because I sometimes see these things as complications instead of things that make life easier. Or is it simply the fact that I am very resistant to change in all areas of my life and therefore I withhold things from myself, regardless of whether they make life easier or not, because they are different?
Yes, I realize I just totally contradicted myself, and I think that the latter statement was the truth.
Lord, this ties directly into you too. No wonder I have such a hard time hearing you sometimes. Hold my breath and cover my ears like a stubborn kid because I don’t want to be presented with anything “different.” Please help open my heart to change. Please help keep me open to changes in my life that can make it better and make me better. Please help me to stop being complacent and step out and step up. The true definition of Holy Boldness, for sure…
Friday, August 18, 2006
Anybody selling a van?
The whole situation with the man who has come forth saying that he accidentally killed Jon-Benet Ramsey 10 years ago has brought back a lot of fun memories for me. I know that using the word “fun” sounds a little grim at face value so please read on and let me explain.
When little Jon-Benet was killed I, along with a lot of other people, was really drawn into the story by the pictures of the little beauty queen who looked 5 going on 25, the weird family dynamics, etc (now, I did hear about this news story in real time, so I obviously must have read more papers and watched much more TV 10 years ago). I read almost everything I could get my hands on. I shook my fist at the TV at the way the Colorado police dept botched the evidence in the case, and so on. I was saddened by the way this little girl died. I wanted justice. The other person in my life who was very interested in this case was Mike’s mom, Linda.
She and I seriously compared a lot of notes on this case. A lot. I would get calls from Mike saying “(Loud sigh) my mom wants me to tell you she heard…” One of our favorite memories was the time she left a copy of the National Enquirer out for me at their house. In it was a big article about the case and on it Linda has written in black marker, “LORI—THIS IS NUTS!!” We laughed so hard at the time that we still say things are “nuts” to this day, all as homage to Linda.
Back then, Mike decided that she and I needed to take our investigative skills on the road. He wanted us to put all of our thoughts and theories to some real use. He suggested we purchase a van and head out on the open road to solve the case ourselves. It was hilarious to imagine us trying to investigate this case, but at the same time I could see it happening!
Fast forward to this week. I am walking to train after work on Wednesday and my cell phone rings. Mike tells me about the guy in Thailand coming forward. Of course the first thing I asked him was if he told him mom yet. He said that no he had not because he’s still mad she never bought the van. Then he thinks more about it and he decides that he’s mad at me too because if we had just gotten our acts together all those years ago the case could have been solved long before now.
I have avoided a lot of the details about that’s going on right now with this guy but I did hear some DJs on the radio talking about it this morning while I was getting ready to leave the house. The gears in my mind immediately started turning and I started coming to my own conclusions. It resulted in the following paraphrased text message exchange with Mike:
Me: This guy did not kill Jon-Benet. I think he’s just sick.
Mike: He admitted he’s lying?
Me: No, but there’s no way he could have done it based on the facts. The DNA will tell the true story. I am back on the case!
Mike: Good, my mom is out buying the van right now.
Me: Great! “This is nuts” rides again!
Mike: That’s what she’s getting painted on the side of the van as soon as she buys it!
When little Jon-Benet was killed I, along with a lot of other people, was really drawn into the story by the pictures of the little beauty queen who looked 5 going on 25, the weird family dynamics, etc (now, I did hear about this news story in real time, so I obviously must have read more papers and watched much more TV 10 years ago). I read almost everything I could get my hands on. I shook my fist at the TV at the way the Colorado police dept botched the evidence in the case, and so on. I was saddened by the way this little girl died. I wanted justice. The other person in my life who was very interested in this case was Mike’s mom, Linda.
She and I seriously compared a lot of notes on this case. A lot. I would get calls from Mike saying “(Loud sigh) my mom wants me to tell you she heard…” One of our favorite memories was the time she left a copy of the National Enquirer out for me at their house. In it was a big article about the case and on it Linda has written in black marker, “LORI—THIS IS NUTS!!” We laughed so hard at the time that we still say things are “nuts” to this day, all as homage to Linda.
Back then, Mike decided that she and I needed to take our investigative skills on the road. He wanted us to put all of our thoughts and theories to some real use. He suggested we purchase a van and head out on the open road to solve the case ourselves. It was hilarious to imagine us trying to investigate this case, but at the same time I could see it happening!
Fast forward to this week. I am walking to train after work on Wednesday and my cell phone rings. Mike tells me about the guy in Thailand coming forward. Of course the first thing I asked him was if he told him mom yet. He said that no he had not because he’s still mad she never bought the van. Then he thinks more about it and he decides that he’s mad at me too because if we had just gotten our acts together all those years ago the case could have been solved long before now.
I have avoided a lot of the details about that’s going on right now with this guy but I did hear some DJs on the radio talking about it this morning while I was getting ready to leave the house. The gears in my mind immediately started turning and I started coming to my own conclusions. It resulted in the following paraphrased text message exchange with Mike:
Me: This guy did not kill Jon-Benet. I think he’s just sick.
Mike: He admitted he’s lying?
Me: No, but there’s no way he could have done it based on the facts. The DNA will tell the true story. I am back on the case!
Mike: Good, my mom is out buying the van right now.
Me: Great! “This is nuts” rides again!
Mike: That’s what she’s getting painted on the side of the van as soon as she buys it!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
What do people see when they see you?
Yesterday, I was walking down the aisle at work and one of my coworkers stopped me and asked me if I would like a bookmark. She told me that a woman handed it to her on the train and after she took it from the woman she thought that I might like to have it. The bookmark has a picture of a cross made out of spikes and it has a bible verse. The bible verse is a very well-known, even to the most nominal Christian (or football fan for that matter since people seem to always hold up signs with this chapter and verse on it at most stadium events!). It reads:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
I said sure and thanked her and walked back to my office. Then I thought about what had just happened and it struck me. Here’s why.
1. The woman who gave me the bookmark is herself a Catholic. I was surprised why she wouldn’t just keep the bookmark for herself. It then really made me realize for what may be one of the first times since my “reversion” that even if someone really believes what John 3:16 proclaims that many people just aren’t comfortable sharing that or showing that that is what they believe.
2. It made me see how other people see me. I am viewed as a “religious person.” How “religious person” is defined will vary depending on who you ask. Some people would shirk at the idea of being seen in that way. I can see why folks might not want to be seen that way. Let me explain (I’ll continue below).
Most people would be fearful of being seen as “religious” because the stigma would be that they must be corny or a loser. I stopped caring who thinks I’m corny or a loser a number of years back. I think twice when I realize I am seen as “religious” because I am now being held to a higher standard. I am being watched. My actions are judged. How does the “religious” lady behave? How does she treat her employees? Is she always nice?
I am not always nice. I sometimes lose my patience at work. I am a human being.
I keep trying each day to be better than I was the day before. I keep trying to allow Christ to shine through me when others interact with me. I am a child of God.
Lord, please allow me to continue to try to be more like you each day. I know that I will fall short but I know that you will make up the difference when I do. I love you.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
I said sure and thanked her and walked back to my office. Then I thought about what had just happened and it struck me. Here’s why.
1. The woman who gave me the bookmark is herself a Catholic. I was surprised why she wouldn’t just keep the bookmark for herself. It then really made me realize for what may be one of the first times since my “reversion” that even if someone really believes what John 3:16 proclaims that many people just aren’t comfortable sharing that or showing that that is what they believe.
2. It made me see how other people see me. I am viewed as a “religious person.” How “religious person” is defined will vary depending on who you ask. Some people would shirk at the idea of being seen in that way. I can see why folks might not want to be seen that way. Let me explain (I’ll continue below).
Most people would be fearful of being seen as “religious” because the stigma would be that they must be corny or a loser. I stopped caring who thinks I’m corny or a loser a number of years back. I think twice when I realize I am seen as “religious” because I am now being held to a higher standard. I am being watched. My actions are judged. How does the “religious” lady behave? How does she treat her employees? Is she always nice?
I am not always nice. I sometimes lose my patience at work. I am a human being.
I keep trying each day to be better than I was the day before. I keep trying to allow Christ to shine through me when others interact with me. I am a child of God.
Lord, please allow me to continue to try to be more like you each day. I know that I will fall short but I know that you will make up the difference when I do. I love you.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Random odds and ends (part 2)...
Where to begin today? Lots to report.
Yesterday was the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a holy day of obligation. I had gone to mass the previous evening—my church looked really pretty. My pastor filled the place with flowers. A friend took some pictures. Here is one of them. This is of the icon of the Assumption that Fr Pat placed in front of the area of our church where all the mass readings are done and the homilies are given (the ambo). He put the icon out just for the Solemnity and people brought bouquets of flowers in honor of our Lady. I'm just about out of pictures, so get ready for this blog to get real boring again starting tomorrow!
There was a fire on the train that I take yesterday (but thankfully not the one I was on!). I left the office at 4:45, made a stop on the way home and then walked into my house at 6pm. As soon as I walked in the door, my cell phone rang. It was Matt, wanting to see “if I made it.” It turns out that I was one of the last 2 trains to make it through before a train caught on fire and caused the entire line to be shut down in both directions. Matt was stranded at work for a while until someone’s husband came and drove a bunch of them over the bridge. He wound up getting home at 8pm. Yuck!
LC and DJ are running into some problems that will likely make their move impossible at this time, so please continue to keep the situation with their neighbor, as explained here, in prayer. They are keeping a positive outlook. I told LC in an e-mail last week that the choice is now theirs on how they will handle it. Will they live in fear or will they make the choice to live happily despite something that is not in their direct control right now. They are choosing the latter!
I found out yesterday that E and I are going to Chicago on a short business trip in October. We’ll have fun, but will surely feel first hand some of the travel restrictions/security measures going on right now. As I commented to Steph and she agreed, those minor inconvenieces are a small price to pay for our safety!
Lord, today we ask that you continue to minister to all of the intentions we have made previously that still have a need for prayer and healing today. Amen.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
The first of other photos to come, I hope!
Here's the picture I promised of my friend, little T. Isn't she very cute?
Mike D says blogs with no photos are boring. Hopefully this will now start to help the blog become much less boring!
Mike's interview at QVC went well yesterday and he'll hear more from them by the end of the week. He text messaged me a photo of the "Welcome to QVC" sign and later, on the phone, gave me the business for not also applying for a job at a place that I love as much as I love QVC.
I love the job I have right now too, I have been here a long time and it would take a lot for me to leave here. But I would if I had an opportunity to do more work for God. Stay tuned, who knows that life will bring?!
Friday, August 11, 2006
The ministry of modesty
E (you who don’t know him met him here) and I had a conversation on Monday and I said that it would be a good story to share with all of you because it would give you insight on the life I try to live, that is, balancing a religious life with a secular life, where I’ve been, where I am, etc. E agreed you guys will like this one.
We were talking about the fact that he was in Atlantic City with some friends Saturday night (they drove down after Shabbat ended, of course). Not to go into much detail (E doesn’t like it!) but he was in a new club at the Borgata and he was dancing with a girl. This young lady was wearing a shirt of some sort that must have barely been a shirt because E described it as something she would wear on the beach. He said that he was trying to avert his eyes while dancing with her but that with a shirt such as the one she was wearing it was difficult. He likened it to trying to not look directly into the sun.
This got me thinking. In my previous life (preconversion, that is) I frequented a lot of clubs. I also dressed immodestly at these clubs in an effort to draw attention to myself and succeeded much of the time. In more recent years, I have come to realize that dressing immodestly does nothing but lead men into sin. Why should I needlessly flaunt my body to someone who is not my husband, and thus, is not going to get to see or touch my body? Just as important to think about is, when one dresses immodestly, is a man really ever looking at you and interested in you or is he simply reacting to whatever “parts” you’re showing off? Think about this.
So when E told me about this young lady I immediately came up with an idea. What if I paid the cover charge to get into this club and I walked around with a bag of shawls and pashminas and I went up to all of the young ladies who were dressed immodestly and wrapped a shawl around them and shouted into their ear (over the din of the club of course) to please cover up so that they can save these parts of themselves to share with their husbands someday. E thought it could become my new ministry.
It’s funny to imagine, but really think about if I did something like this. How hated would I be in a place like that? I would be called a prude, for sure. I would be called other things too, I imagine. People would tell me to just stay out if I don't like it and let people live their lives. That's the first response people give when you are hitting them in a sinful or uncomfortable area. Who are they hurting, they would say? THEMSELVES, I would say. I know this for a fact because I was there. What if no one else is ever going to tell these girls how precious they are to God and they don't need a man to leer at them to feel beautiful? Not many, if any, people inside the club are going to remind them of that important fact. How long do you think it would be before I got kicked out, although, could you really kick me out for handing out free pashminas?
Lord, I pray that you can please help women in our society (especially younger girls) to realize how beautiful they are as they are. Please help them to know how much you love them and please fill them with a self-confidence that will allow them to dress modestly and with dignity and allow the radiating light of Your love be what draws people to them. Amen.
We were talking about the fact that he was in Atlantic City with some friends Saturday night (they drove down after Shabbat ended, of course). Not to go into much detail (E doesn’t like it!) but he was in a new club at the Borgata and he was dancing with a girl. This young lady was wearing a shirt of some sort that must have barely been a shirt because E described it as something she would wear on the beach. He said that he was trying to avert his eyes while dancing with her but that with a shirt such as the one she was wearing it was difficult. He likened it to trying to not look directly into the sun.
This got me thinking. In my previous life (preconversion, that is) I frequented a lot of clubs. I also dressed immodestly at these clubs in an effort to draw attention to myself and succeeded much of the time. In more recent years, I have come to realize that dressing immodestly does nothing but lead men into sin. Why should I needlessly flaunt my body to someone who is not my husband, and thus, is not going to get to see or touch my body? Just as important to think about is, when one dresses immodestly, is a man really ever looking at you and interested in you or is he simply reacting to whatever “parts” you’re showing off? Think about this.
So when E told me about this young lady I immediately came up with an idea. What if I paid the cover charge to get into this club and I walked around with a bag of shawls and pashminas and I went up to all of the young ladies who were dressed immodestly and wrapped a shawl around them and shouted into their ear (over the din of the club of course) to please cover up so that they can save these parts of themselves to share with their husbands someday. E thought it could become my new ministry.
It’s funny to imagine, but really think about if I did something like this. How hated would I be in a place like that? I would be called a prude, for sure. I would be called other things too, I imagine. People would tell me to just stay out if I don't like it and let people live their lives. That's the first response people give when you are hitting them in a sinful or uncomfortable area. Who are they hurting, they would say? THEMSELVES, I would say. I know this for a fact because I was there. What if no one else is ever going to tell these girls how precious they are to God and they don't need a man to leer at them to feel beautiful? Not many, if any, people inside the club are going to remind them of that important fact. How long do you think it would be before I got kicked out, although, could you really kick me out for handing out free pashminas?
Lord, I pray that you can please help women in our society (especially younger girls) to realize how beautiful they are as they are. Please help them to know how much you love them and please fill them with a self-confidence that will allow them to dress modestly and with dignity and allow the radiating light of Your love be what draws people to them. Amen.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Ignorance is bliss (or is it?)...
When Matt came into work this morning he asked me if I had heard about the possible terrorist attacks that had been thwarted in Britain. I said no. He couldn’t believe it since it had been all over the news this morning, but then he remembered who it was he was talking to.
I do not read the newspaper. The only “newspaper-like” things that I read are The National Catholic Register (a weekly paper) and the Monitor (the weekly newspaper for the Diocese of Trenton). I do not watch the news with any regularity. The only time I’ll watch the news at all is if I am flipping through channels and something catches my eye. I do not even turn on my TV in the morning since I have no TV in my bedroom (something that apparently only Oprah Winfrey and I feel strongly about) and all of my morning activities are on the second floor of my condo.
My dad thinks I am crazy for not reading the newspaper. He thinks it’s important to stay on top of what’s going on in the world (being well-informed is something he sees as our obligation). Matt reads a newspaper cover to cover every day, so he too can barely believe that I don’t even pick one up.
Now my defense: Do any of you who know me see me as uninformed or poorly read? I know the answer to that is no. So am I poorly off for not reading a newspaper or watching the news and filling my head with sadness and bad news and crime and terror and war? As a result of my way of living I know a lot about some things and I know very little about some things. For example, I know next to nothing about politics. To date, my life has in no way been adversely affected by that, but that might be a negative for me at some point, who knows?
I understand my dad’s argument that I should be well-informed, but I guess I feel like I am getting the information I need and I don’t want to have to worry about the rest. There are enough other things that I do and know and see that keep me from being able to get as close to the Lord as I would like to every day, so I guess I just don’t want to add anything else to the mix. My natural inclination is to ponder and worry more than the average person, so I really have to limit what enters my head. When I’m thinking about a million other things I am not listening to my Lord, I am not following His promptings; I am not able to concentrate when reading His Word.
Do I need to change? I don’t have an answer really, as you can tell from my rambling and uncanny ability to defend both sides of any argument (something Mike D. just loves about me, NOT!).
Today we need to pray for our safety and the safety of all of those traveling by air—especially Matt’s parents. Also, please keep Mike D. in prayer. He has an interview at (my favorite place in the world!) QVC on Monday. When he called to tell me about the interview he said, “At least I know one person who will be really excited about the idea of me working at QVC!” Amen to that!
I do not read the newspaper. The only “newspaper-like” things that I read are The National Catholic Register (a weekly paper) and the Monitor (the weekly newspaper for the Diocese of Trenton). I do not watch the news with any regularity. The only time I’ll watch the news at all is if I am flipping through channels and something catches my eye. I do not even turn on my TV in the morning since I have no TV in my bedroom (something that apparently only Oprah Winfrey and I feel strongly about) and all of my morning activities are on the second floor of my condo.
My dad thinks I am crazy for not reading the newspaper. He thinks it’s important to stay on top of what’s going on in the world (being well-informed is something he sees as our obligation). Matt reads a newspaper cover to cover every day, so he too can barely believe that I don’t even pick one up.
Now my defense: Do any of you who know me see me as uninformed or poorly read? I know the answer to that is no. So am I poorly off for not reading a newspaper or watching the news and filling my head with sadness and bad news and crime and terror and war? As a result of my way of living I know a lot about some things and I know very little about some things. For example, I know next to nothing about politics. To date, my life has in no way been adversely affected by that, but that might be a negative for me at some point, who knows?
I understand my dad’s argument that I should be well-informed, but I guess I feel like I am getting the information I need and I don’t want to have to worry about the rest. There are enough other things that I do and know and see that keep me from being able to get as close to the Lord as I would like to every day, so I guess I just don’t want to add anything else to the mix. My natural inclination is to ponder and worry more than the average person, so I really have to limit what enters my head. When I’m thinking about a million other things I am not listening to my Lord, I am not following His promptings; I am not able to concentrate when reading His Word.
Do I need to change? I don’t have an answer really, as you can tell from my rambling and uncanny ability to defend both sides of any argument (something Mike D. just loves about me, NOT!).
Today we need to pray for our safety and the safety of all of those traveling by air—especially Matt’s parents. Also, please keep Mike D. in prayer. He has an interview at (my favorite place in the world!) QVC on Monday. When he called to tell me about the interview he said, “At least I know one person who will be really excited about the idea of me working at QVC!” Amen to that!
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Baby love...
I had the opportunity to spend time with my newest girlfriend yesterday. She just turned 2 months old the other day. I mentioned her previously; her name is Teresa Marie, although I exclusively refer to her as “little T.” I must publicly thank her mother for allowing me to call her that. I have a feeling that when I have kids I will tow the line a bit harder about what liberties you can and cannot take when referring to the children I have named, but Jeanine is a very good sport.
I held her the entire 2 hours I was there. Jeanine had just finished feeding her when I arrived, so the timing was perfect. She was a little fussy when I first started holding her but I started doing the well-known “SHHHHHH-SHHHHHH-SHHHHHH….” technique in her ear (they say the SHHHHH sound is similar to what babies hear in the womb) and patting her back. We danced around some, I bounced her some, and she eventually fell asleep with her little head on my chest. It was good because we were trying to have a meeting. She slept on me through the whole meeting.
I have to say that there aren’t too many things that feel better than a little head laying on your chest and not many sounds sweeter than contented baby sighs. Holding a tiny life makes me value life even more. T’s daddy, Andy, used the time as an opportunity for mine and T’s first little photo shoot. When Andy e-mails me the pictures I will attempt to post them as the first photos on this blog!
I do sincerely pray that I will have the opportunity to be a mother someday. I hope that that is the Lord’s will for me. If it isn’t, the Lord will show me what he has in store for me in the place of motherhood and I would be able to accept that. I sometimes feel really ashamed to ask God for more blessings than countless the ones I have already received and continue to receive, but in those times I try to remind myself that God wants us to ask for the desires of our heart.
Lord, please help me today to be more open to really asking you for the desires of my heart and please help me to be able to be more honest with myself about what those desires truly are. Then, once I’ve identified those desires and I’ve asked you for them, God, please help me do what it is that I have to do to achieve them through Your will.
That’s a tall order in the prayer department today, God, but I know you can handle it for me! Amen.
Also, one PSA today: For anyone who gets EWTN and enjoys great Catholic speakers, they will be airing the LIVE Birmingham EWTN 25th anniversary party all day long this Saturday. Do check in as you are in and out the house during your travels. It’s going to be great TV all day long.
Oh--and finally, I bought advance tickets for the Nick Lachey concert in October today. Borgata, here I come!
I held her the entire 2 hours I was there. Jeanine had just finished feeding her when I arrived, so the timing was perfect. She was a little fussy when I first started holding her but I started doing the well-known “SHHHHHH-SHHHHHH-SHHHHHH….” technique in her ear (they say the SHHHHH sound is similar to what babies hear in the womb) and patting her back. We danced around some, I bounced her some, and she eventually fell asleep with her little head on my chest. It was good because we were trying to have a meeting. She slept on me through the whole meeting.
I have to say that there aren’t too many things that feel better than a little head laying on your chest and not many sounds sweeter than contented baby sighs. Holding a tiny life makes me value life even more. T’s daddy, Andy, used the time as an opportunity for mine and T’s first little photo shoot. When Andy e-mails me the pictures I will attempt to post them as the first photos on this blog!
I do sincerely pray that I will have the opportunity to be a mother someday. I hope that that is the Lord’s will for me. If it isn’t, the Lord will show me what he has in store for me in the place of motherhood and I would be able to accept that. I sometimes feel really ashamed to ask God for more blessings than countless the ones I have already received and continue to receive, but in those times I try to remind myself that God wants us to ask for the desires of our heart.
Lord, please help me today to be more open to really asking you for the desires of my heart and please help me to be able to be more honest with myself about what those desires truly are. Then, once I’ve identified those desires and I’ve asked you for them, God, please help me do what it is that I have to do to achieve them through Your will.
That’s a tall order in the prayer department today, God, but I know you can handle it for me! Amen.
Also, one PSA today: For anyone who gets EWTN and enjoys great Catholic speakers, they will be airing the LIVE Birmingham EWTN 25th anniversary party all day long this Saturday. Do check in as you are in and out the house during your travels. It’s going to be great TV all day long.
Oh--and finally, I bought advance tickets for the Nick Lachey concert in October today. Borgata, here I come!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Random odds and ends...
I received a really lovely note in the mail from Trish in Ohio yesterday, marveling at how the time has flown since my visit there and letting me know what she thinks of the blog. I know I mentioned this before but I can’t stop saying how much that means to me, to know that everyone is reading it and getting something from it and that I’m not just talking (sometimes preaching, I know!) to myself. I give God all the glory, because I really never gave blogging much thought and suddenly, here we all are!
I would love it if all of you guys would actually start sharing your thoughts for the rest of our readers to see by posting comments. By doing so you all can see who else is out there and we can actually start to have a discussion. I know you all are amazing people with ideas and thoughts and insights and I want everyone else among you to start knowing that too. Start giving some real thought to posting comments. Come on, what’s it going to hurt? Pray about it. We don’t always have to agree, we just always have to be charitable.
Oh, and an interesting follow-up to the post about seeing my ex. Remember how I mentioned that all I did was wave to him at the birthday party we were attending? Well, I was actually working on my book last night (miracle of miracles!) and the books starts off with our breakup (since that was the actual start of the “rest of my life” and where the story of the book begins) and guess what was the very last thing I did the night we broke up and he was leaving my house? I waved to him from my balcony. Maybe I’m just a big waver and I don’t know it. Or maybe Mike D. was right (as he mentioned in his comment to that original post) and it’s hard to come up with a lot of different ways to communicate with a guy that doesn’t have much to say (meaning that he's quiet and not that he's not a thinker)...
Today, let’s pray for the special intentions that each of us hold in our hearts. Lord, you know our individual hopes and struggles. You know what we need and what we don’t. Lord, today, please lead us toward your will for us in every situation and help us to give our difficulties to you to take and transform. Amen.
I would love it if all of you guys would actually start sharing your thoughts for the rest of our readers to see by posting comments. By doing so you all can see who else is out there and we can actually start to have a discussion. I know you all are amazing people with ideas and thoughts and insights and I want everyone else among you to start knowing that too. Start giving some real thought to posting comments. Come on, what’s it going to hurt? Pray about it. We don’t always have to agree, we just always have to be charitable.
Oh, and an interesting follow-up to the post about seeing my ex. Remember how I mentioned that all I did was wave to him at the birthday party we were attending? Well, I was actually working on my book last night (miracle of miracles!) and the books starts off with our breakup (since that was the actual start of the “rest of my life” and where the story of the book begins) and guess what was the very last thing I did the night we broke up and he was leaving my house? I waved to him from my balcony. Maybe I’m just a big waver and I don’t know it. Or maybe Mike D. was right (as he mentioned in his comment to that original post) and it’s hard to come up with a lot of different ways to communicate with a guy that doesn’t have much to say (meaning that he's quiet and not that he's not a thinker)...
Today, let’s pray for the special intentions that each of us hold in our hearts. Lord, you know our individual hopes and struggles. You know what we need and what we don’t. Lord, today, please lead us toward your will for us in every situation and help us to give our difficulties to you to take and transform. Amen.
Monday, August 07, 2006
The Devil in designer jeans...
My friend from college, Paul, has finally moved back in NJ. I spoke to him last night. He was living in California for what seemed like forever, but was actually only a few years. How did he wind up there? He had been traveling a lot for his job and loved what he saw in California, especially northern CA, and got an internal promotion/transfer to his company’s Los Angeles office.
Well, LA just wasn’t far enough north, I guess, and he wound up not really loving it the way he could have. I went out there to visit him in October 2005 for a week. We started and ending the vacation in LA, but we were on the road a lot of the time. Paul was a great host—he showed me everything a first-time visitor to California needed to see. I called it the “sampler tour.” We went to Monterey, Carmel, San Simeon, San Francisco, Napa, and other places in between. It was great.
While on this vacation, I happened to notice that the devil lives in LA. It was almost palpable—I could feel the evil. I could see it in people. I’m not one to start making those proclamations easily, so I needed to take that feeling seriously. The devil travels too, for sure, but he has set up special residence in Los Angeles, CA. Is that ironic given what “Los Angeles” means, or is it even more likely?
Imagine, if you will, a woman hanging out of the passenger-side window of a blue Honda, flicking a bottle of holy water all over as much of the Hollywood Hills that her arm could reach yelling, “Flee demon,” and “Jesus, heal this place.” Now cast me in the role as the woman. It happened. I’m not kidding, ask Paul. Anyone who knows me knows I am not that zealous on the day to day so I had to be feeling something to go that far. What prompted me to pack a bottle of holy water to take on my vacation in the first place? The fact that I had been warned by others.
People have different takes on the devil. The take that I know, and that the Catholic Church teaches, is that he is real. I am not going to go on and on and list reasons why I think the devil has set up special residence in LA, because you all are smart people. Today, I just want everyone to take a few minutes to think about LA, Hollywood, the entertainment industry that thrives there, the drugs we hear about, the violence, and just think about whether you think what I’m saying is possible.
Then think about other areas of the country, where you live, your life. Does he visit those places too? In what way? Finally, today I ask you to pray that God heals all those places, and that Jesus, in his holy name, forces the devil to flee from those places the devil is touching.
Well, LA just wasn’t far enough north, I guess, and he wound up not really loving it the way he could have. I went out there to visit him in October 2005 for a week. We started and ending the vacation in LA, but we were on the road a lot of the time. Paul was a great host—he showed me everything a first-time visitor to California needed to see. I called it the “sampler tour.” We went to Monterey, Carmel, San Simeon, San Francisco, Napa, and other places in between. It was great.
While on this vacation, I happened to notice that the devil lives in LA. It was almost palpable—I could feel the evil. I could see it in people. I’m not one to start making those proclamations easily, so I needed to take that feeling seriously. The devil travels too, for sure, but he has set up special residence in Los Angeles, CA. Is that ironic given what “Los Angeles” means, or is it even more likely?
Imagine, if you will, a woman hanging out of the passenger-side window of a blue Honda, flicking a bottle of holy water all over as much of the Hollywood Hills that her arm could reach yelling, “Flee demon,” and “Jesus, heal this place.” Now cast me in the role as the woman. It happened. I’m not kidding, ask Paul. Anyone who knows me knows I am not that zealous on the day to day so I had to be feeling something to go that far. What prompted me to pack a bottle of holy water to take on my vacation in the first place? The fact that I had been warned by others.
People have different takes on the devil. The take that I know, and that the Catholic Church teaches, is that he is real. I am not going to go on and on and list reasons why I think the devil has set up special residence in LA, because you all are smart people. Today, I just want everyone to take a few minutes to think about LA, Hollywood, the entertainment industry that thrives there, the drugs we hear about, the violence, and just think about whether you think what I’m saying is possible.
Then think about other areas of the country, where you live, your life. Does he visit those places too? In what way? Finally, today I ask you to pray that God heals all those places, and that Jesus, in his holy name, forces the devil to flee from those places the devil is touching.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Friends and neighbors...
LC and her husband are in the middle of a pretty bad situation with their downstairs neighbor at their condo and I feel awful for them. I think I feel it closely because what they are experiencing is actually one of my greatest fears.
Condos are different from apartments in the fact that you often own your condo (at least everything inside the walls of the condo!). It’s not a rental where if you hate your neighbor or decide the view is terrible you can convince yourself to suffer through the problem since your lease only lasts a year and at the end of that year you can go somewhere else.
Condos are different from single family homes in the fact that if you hate your neighbors you simply can’t get away from them. In a single family home you can manage to avoid your neighbors because you have a buffer zone of some sort in between you and them. In a condo, you often share a doorway or your front doors are directly next to one another and your odds of bumping into one another and being in close proximity of one another is far greater at all times.
A lesson I have learned from living in a condo for 9 years (the anniversary of my move-in date is tomorrow—what a timely post!) is that whether you are “friends” with your neighbors or not really doesn’t matter (I have been best friends with some neighbors over the years and some I simply say hello to and smile at, they don’t even remember my name, I think) what matters is:
1. You are at least cordial to another (what if I had an emergency and I started screaming for help? I’d hope that my next door neighbor might hear me and think, “Oh no, the nice lady next door is screaming, I better go make sure she is OK.” And not “That rude woman that never smiles at me is screaming, who cares?”) .
2. You are at all times respectful of one another. Do you allow your friends to park in their assigned parking spot? That is unacceptable. Are you having a party and not considering the fact that someone below you might be trying to sleep? You are not thinking of others. Come on now, you were raised better than that.
OK, now LC and DJ are in a scenario where numbers 1 and 2 above are not happening, and in fact, things much worse are going down. It has escalated to a point where they are fearful for their physical safety and they are going to move.
That makes me so mad. On the one hand, I completely understand why. Like I said, their scenario is a fear of mine and if I were in their situation I would surely think about moving away from the problem. What makes me furious is the fact that there are people in this world that actually have the power (either because they are mean, rude, mentally ill, dangerous, etc) to affect other people’s lives in that way. I mean, this is not a situation where they have to go sit on a different park bench because they are sitting next to a person who may not be all there. This is a situation where they have to pick up their whole lives, sell their home, and literally move away from a place they otherwise love.
Everyone, let’s please pray today that God uses this difficult and stressful situation as an opportunity for LC and DJ to find an even better condo than their current one. Lord, you can take any situation and turn it to good. We ask you to do this here. Lord, hear our prayer.
Condos are different from apartments in the fact that you often own your condo (at least everything inside the walls of the condo!). It’s not a rental where if you hate your neighbor or decide the view is terrible you can convince yourself to suffer through the problem since your lease only lasts a year and at the end of that year you can go somewhere else.
Condos are different from single family homes in the fact that if you hate your neighbors you simply can’t get away from them. In a single family home you can manage to avoid your neighbors because you have a buffer zone of some sort in between you and them. In a condo, you often share a doorway or your front doors are directly next to one another and your odds of bumping into one another and being in close proximity of one another is far greater at all times.
A lesson I have learned from living in a condo for 9 years (the anniversary of my move-in date is tomorrow—what a timely post!) is that whether you are “friends” with your neighbors or not really doesn’t matter (I have been best friends with some neighbors over the years and some I simply say hello to and smile at, they don’t even remember my name, I think) what matters is:
1. You are at least cordial to another (what if I had an emergency and I started screaming for help? I’d hope that my next door neighbor might hear me and think, “Oh no, the nice lady next door is screaming, I better go make sure she is OK.” And not “That rude woman that never smiles at me is screaming, who cares?”) .
2. You are at all times respectful of one another. Do you allow your friends to park in their assigned parking spot? That is unacceptable. Are you having a party and not considering the fact that someone below you might be trying to sleep? You are not thinking of others. Come on now, you were raised better than that.
OK, now LC and DJ are in a scenario where numbers 1 and 2 above are not happening, and in fact, things much worse are going down. It has escalated to a point where they are fearful for their physical safety and they are going to move.
That makes me so mad. On the one hand, I completely understand why. Like I said, their scenario is a fear of mine and if I were in their situation I would surely think about moving away from the problem. What makes me furious is the fact that there are people in this world that actually have the power (either because they are mean, rude, mentally ill, dangerous, etc) to affect other people’s lives in that way. I mean, this is not a situation where they have to go sit on a different park bench because they are sitting next to a person who may not be all there. This is a situation where they have to pick up their whole lives, sell their home, and literally move away from a place they otherwise love.
Everyone, let’s please pray today that God uses this difficult and stressful situation as an opportunity for LC and DJ to find an even better condo than their current one. Lord, you can take any situation and turn it to good. We ask you to do this here. Lord, hear our prayer.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
A Catholic and a Jew entered a bar...
This post is no joke, but this kind of cliche sometimes pops into my head when I think of how my friend E and I communicate.
(For those of you who don’t know him, E is a dear friend of mine—I call him my mirror image. We are the same in many ways but in reverse. He’s the male, very religiously Jewish version of me. We are both tough customers when it comes to our respective faiths)
We got into it the other day and as with most things E and I argue about, we were actually arguing the same side, but using different semantics because we’re coming from 2 different places, religiously speaking. That’s something we really have to keep in mind, but I rarely do. I get frustrated sometimes because I feel like he is questioning me when he’s really just asking me a question.
Those are 2 different things entirely, so I need to work on that.
We hold one another to a very high standard. E challenges me to be a better Catholic, and not just a better Catholic, but just better. I challenge him to be better, not just a better Jew, but a better man in today's world. I know some people would disagree and tell me that I should instead be praying for his conversion. Do I wish E knew Jesus the way I know Jesus? Of course I do, but alas, he does not. That does not change the fact that E is trying to live his life for God in the way that he believes to be the truth. That does not change that fact that he is striving for holiness. He may stumble and fall along the way, but so do I (believe me!)
I have the utmost respect for that. It makes me want to pose this question: Should one have more respect for a person who lives out the teachings of his or her faith (that is different from yours) to the fullest or should you have more respect for someone who classifes themselves as being the same religion you are, but they aren't living that faith out? I think about this sometimes because for 28 years I was a lukewarm Catholic just perusing the buffet line, picking and choosing the teachings I was going to follow based on what "fit" into my life and ignoring the rest.
Now, truthfully, no one has really challenged me on the fact that I do not pray for E’s conversion. If they did, I would tell them the story about Pope John Paul II. I told E this story the day he asked me if I am praying for his conversion.
As the story is told (and I paraphrase), JPII grew up in Poland playing soccer with and being friends with a number of Jews, one of which was his best friend. They remained friends throughout their lives. As their lives went on, JPII obviously became a priest and progressed forward through the years to eventually being named Pope. Someone once interviewed JPII and his best friend was mentioned and it was brought up that he was Jewish. The person interviewing JPII asked him if he prayed for his friend’s conversion. JPII responded “No, I pray that he is the best Jew he can be.” If it’s good enough for John Paul the Great, it’s good enough for me.
Today, please let's pray for those who have to work outside in the dangerous and oppressive heat we are experiencing in the northeast, namely, Stephanie's brother-in-law Joey who is working in contracting/construction in temperatures in excess of 200 degrees. Along with Joey, let's lift up the elderly, children, and those without air conditioning or other ways to get relief from this heat. Lord, hear our prayer.
(For those of you who don’t know him, E is a dear friend of mine—I call him my mirror image. We are the same in many ways but in reverse. He’s the male, very religiously Jewish version of me. We are both tough customers when it comes to our respective faiths)
We got into it the other day and as with most things E and I argue about, we were actually arguing the same side, but using different semantics because we’re coming from 2 different places, religiously speaking. That’s something we really have to keep in mind, but I rarely do. I get frustrated sometimes because I feel like he is questioning me when he’s really just asking me a question.
Those are 2 different things entirely, so I need to work on that.
We hold one another to a very high standard. E challenges me to be a better Catholic, and not just a better Catholic, but just better. I challenge him to be better, not just a better Jew, but a better man in today's world. I know some people would disagree and tell me that I should instead be praying for his conversion. Do I wish E knew Jesus the way I know Jesus? Of course I do, but alas, he does not. That does not change the fact that E is trying to live his life for God in the way that he believes to be the truth. That does not change that fact that he is striving for holiness. He may stumble and fall along the way, but so do I (believe me!)
I have the utmost respect for that. It makes me want to pose this question: Should one have more respect for a person who lives out the teachings of his or her faith (that is different from yours) to the fullest or should you have more respect for someone who classifes themselves as being the same religion you are, but they aren't living that faith out? I think about this sometimes because for 28 years I was a lukewarm Catholic just perusing the buffet line, picking and choosing the teachings I was going to follow based on what "fit" into my life and ignoring the rest.
Now, truthfully, no one has really challenged me on the fact that I do not pray for E’s conversion. If they did, I would tell them the story about Pope John Paul II. I told E this story the day he asked me if I am praying for his conversion.
As the story is told (and I paraphrase), JPII grew up in Poland playing soccer with and being friends with a number of Jews, one of which was his best friend. They remained friends throughout their lives. As their lives went on, JPII obviously became a priest and progressed forward through the years to eventually being named Pope. Someone once interviewed JPII and his best friend was mentioned and it was brought up that he was Jewish. The person interviewing JPII asked him if he prayed for his friend’s conversion. JPII responded “No, I pray that he is the best Jew he can be.” If it’s good enough for John Paul the Great, it’s good enough for me.
Today, please let's pray for those who have to work outside in the dangerous and oppressive heat we are experiencing in the northeast, namely, Stephanie's brother-in-law Joey who is working in contracting/construction in temperatures in excess of 200 degrees. Along with Joey, let's lift up the elderly, children, and those without air conditioning or other ways to get relief from this heat. Lord, hear our prayer.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Holy Boldness is (Part 2)...
Last Friday, I led a discussion on Holy Boldness at the young adult Catholic women's group that I help lead once a month.
I gave the ladies the same story I gave all of you here
Upon further thought and discussion, Jeanine pointed out to me that she is very excited that the Lord has given me this word to act upon, because, as she sees it, I am in for a very exciting period ahead.
The word "exciting," as she uses it, is relative in my eyes! She said that because God is asking me to be bolder, that means that He is going to give me more challenges, causing me to rise up and go above and beyond where I am, and therefore, drawing me closer to Him.
The prospect of that does excite me to a degree. It also scared me out of my mind. Jeanine said the Lord is waiting for my "yes."
The yes that I give has to be full and complete--it has to be a Mary yes, a real yes from the heart, a yes that tells the Lord I belong to him and that with Him I am ready and willing to take on whatever He gives me, knowing that He is my strength and my joy, my hope and my guide.
I have been praying about my yes. I want to be bold and step out and be God's. Enough talk. Now it's time to shut up and put up.
Lord, today, I say yes to You. Make me Yours. I belong to You--take me and use me as You see fit and please help me to not only see and hear what You would have me do, but help me to follow through and do it. Help draw others closer to you so that they can know the love that I know and the happiness that I have. Sometimes I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer--make Your will plainly visible to me when I need it to be so that I can more easily conform to Your will. Amen.
I got a very kind e-mail from sweet Linda yesterday telling me that both she and her mom have been reading and enjoying the blog and I can't say enough about how much that encourages me! That said, I have modified the comments section for this blog so that any of you should be able to leave comments, whether you yourselves are "bloggers" or not. That way, we can all really start to share thoughts with one another and not just have me "talk" to you.
Today, I want us to pray for Linda, for any areas of her life that she feels need an extra boost today and for her mom as well. Lord, hear our prayer.
I gave the ladies the same story I gave all of you here
Upon further thought and discussion, Jeanine pointed out to me that she is very excited that the Lord has given me this word to act upon, because, as she sees it, I am in for a very exciting period ahead.
The word "exciting," as she uses it, is relative in my eyes! She said that because God is asking me to be bolder, that means that He is going to give me more challenges, causing me to rise up and go above and beyond where I am, and therefore, drawing me closer to Him.
The prospect of that does excite me to a degree. It also scared me out of my mind. Jeanine said the Lord is waiting for my "yes."
The yes that I give has to be full and complete--it has to be a Mary yes, a real yes from the heart, a yes that tells the Lord I belong to him and that with Him I am ready and willing to take on whatever He gives me, knowing that He is my strength and my joy, my hope and my guide.
I have been praying about my yes. I want to be bold and step out and be God's. Enough talk. Now it's time to shut up and put up.
Lord, today, I say yes to You. Make me Yours. I belong to You--take me and use me as You see fit and please help me to not only see and hear what You would have me do, but help me to follow through and do it. Help draw others closer to you so that they can know the love that I know and the happiness that I have. Sometimes I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer--make Your will plainly visible to me when I need it to be so that I can more easily conform to Your will. Amen.
I got a very kind e-mail from sweet Linda yesterday telling me that both she and her mom have been reading and enjoying the blog and I can't say enough about how much that encourages me! That said, I have modified the comments section for this blog so that any of you should be able to leave comments, whether you yourselves are "bloggers" or not. That way, we can all really start to share thoughts with one another and not just have me "talk" to you.
Today, I want us to pray for Linda, for any areas of her life that she feels need an extra boost today and for her mom as well. Lord, hear our prayer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)