Hailing from the Sacrament Ship...

One of the reasons I've been so not-here this summer. :)

The past week +

I pulled... two all nighters to finish the Modeling Modesty Handbook* (thanks for your assistance!).

I traveled... to northern WI.

I gave... two presentations (with PowerPoint; that was fun) to 130 or so ladies at the Embracing Your Call to Holiness Conference. Great response, and great event!

I visited... several wonderful families we know in Northern WI, and my grandparents on the way home.

I enjoyed... Sarah home on Spring break!

I felt... the pain of too many priests and seminarians under attack. The battle for souls is at an all-time high.

I welcomed... the first days of Spring.

I saw... A Walk to Remember with sisters and friends for "girls' movie night"

I practiced... for the upcoming Seven Last Words of Christ Performance, the premiere Lenten meditation/passion play of Chicagoland. With nearly 100 performers, it includes a large choir performing Dubois' classical contata (that's where I am), several professional soloists, live orchestra, and actors. Purchase tickets online, or call (815) 727-3018.

I smiled... at my music students' recital last night, and the pleasure of seeing their joy.

I went... from one big project right into another, as I write an Easter Play for my RE Program. As soon as I hit "publish", it's back to that now...

I (just) watched... this inspiring movie. I remember seeing this skilled gentleman last year at the Sacred Music Colloquium. Never say "can't".

I stole (shamelessly)... the style of this post from my sister. :) Love you, sis.

~~~

*To request a copy of the Modeling Modesty Handbook, email me at lily maiden @ sbc global . net (remove the spaces).

I need your help!

I'm right now working hard to complete a newly updated version of my booklet formerly called The Young Woman's Modesty Resource Guide (it will have a new name!). I'm revamping the layout for a crisp, sleeker presentation, and also doing a bit of expansion. That's where you come in.

Ladies: Do you have a favorite modesty website to share — either a source for purchasing apparel, or for going deeper into this subject? Are you willing to write a brief personal testimony about your modesty journey, why this virtue is important to you, or an experience or change of heart that you've had?

Gentlemen: Why is modesty important to you as a Christian man? Does it help you respect and reverence women? How does a modest gal help you in the quest for purity? How do you appreciate the girls and women in your life who seek to model modesty?

I'm calling on everyone: If you are a blog "lurker" who visits here and never speaks up, please do now. Your quotes will help me add valuable insight to this new print booklet, and/or to expansions on my website (which is another project on the burner). Now's your chance to speak out on this relevant topic! Only first names and ages will be published. You don't have to write a ton — anything from one sentence to a few paragraphs is perfect.

You can email your responses to me at lily maiden @ sbc global . net (remove all spaces). The only thing is that I need you to act fast. :) This edition of the booklet will be going to the printer within the next 2-3 days. So if you can send me something before then, that will be terrific. If you need more time, just send it as soon as you can, because it can still be helpful for future printings and/or the website. Please remember to include your age.

Quotes from Christian/Catholic men are always especially powerful. Women want to know what real men really think about this subject. After all, you are the ones whom modesty/immodesty affects the most (besides ourselves). So guys, speak up! And ladies, ask your husband, father, or brother to lend input and send me a quote from him, too.

Hope to hear from you soon!

This will also help me know how many visitors I have... I tried subscribing to a site meter recently, and it's telling me that I have received 0 hits. I think/hope there's at least a couple more than that!

Butterfly

Thank you all for your prayers! I am doing better. I'd like to share a quote that was timely and encouraging...

Just as the butterfly must wait upon its maker to be transformed, so must we. God is His infinite wisdom has a sovereign and individual plan for the transformation of our hearts and minds. Psalm 27:14 says "Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!" Being transformed is a process, so do not loose heart. "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus."

~from a past issue of the Girlhood Home Companion (Volume 1, Issue 12)

Request

I know my readers are pray-ers (if anyone is left reading this neglected blog by now), and I'm having an extraordinarily rough day, so could I please petition for your prayers for this tired soul? I can't go into all the detail, but a boost of grace would be a big help. Thank you so much.

New Blogger; New Baby

I know I've been all-too-absent for all-too-long, but I need to pop in briefly to welcome my dear sister, Sarah (Princess, Pure and Brave), to the blog world! Her lovely web domain is here.

Today, I had the opportunity to (almost) be present at a friend's home birth! I was there for several hours in the morning, helping with tasks like heating and carrying water and preparing food for the daddy and the attendants. I had to leave for an appointment and choral rehearsal, but made it back in the afternoon to see the new baby boy 15 minutes after his arrival! So beautiful and amazing...the gift of life. Deo Gratias.

Catch-Up!

My poor blog has been rather neglected for a while. One can only keep up with so many things at once! I'll attempt at a bit of catch-up with some photo glimpses at the last two months...

My new profile photo is courtesy of Sis Veronica photography, taken on my birthday back in March. :) She also took the following photo, which I have to share: I woke up on my birthday morning to the dining room table covered with...me! Resourceful Miss V had gone through albums and computer files and found a photo of me from every year of life, most taken on my birthdays. How sweet is that?

The lovely red roses were a surprise delivery sent from my godparents — they lasted a full two weeks plus!

Also in March, my youngest and only brother made his Confirmation:

Then came Easter. I already shared a photo glimpse from that day, but here's one of the four siblings on Easter morning... Claire (21), Veronica (16), David (11), and Sarah (18).

Now for another food photo: the charming Easter "Challah" bread and butter lamb made by Sarah and Veronica. Darling, isn't it?

Our Spring tree bloomed (all too briefly), and Veronica carried out her "traditional" photo-shoot of David amidst the white flowering-pear blossoms:

Our yard is looking lovely, thanks in no small part to the efforts of the same young gentleman...

Since I didn't post anything for Mother's Day, this will fill in...I love you, Mom!

A few weeks ago, we thoroughly enjoyed a visit from friends (three brothers) when they passed through our area on their way home from school. 'Twas a merry time of music-making with piano, guitar, banjo, violins, cello, and voices, not to mention great devotions as a group, and plenty of contra and swing dancing in the living room! (Thank you, gentlemen!)

Last week, Sarah and I had the wonderful opportunity of traveling with our University Schola Cantorum to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, WI. Our family traveled up seperately to visit the Shrine and hear our concert! We were blessed with simply perfect weather. This is Dad and Mom atop one of the lovely bluffs:

The Shrine itself was absolutely spectacular! The main Church was just dedicated last July. It was absolutely thrilling to sing in it...such amazing acoustics! Being so newly-constructed, many of its paintings were recent saints, like St. Gianna Molla.

I cannot encourage you enough to check out the Shrine website, and to visit it if you have a chance! It is nothing less than a heavenly experience.

This past weekend, we were back in WI for Grandpa's 88th Birthday party. Still the farmer, he spent five hours on his birthday driving a tractor for the son who now runs the farm!

End of Summer

Every summer I can remember has gone quickly for me, but I think this has to be one of the quickest. The sheer number of things that went on is, to tell the truth, rather dizzying!

I have missed my blog. Thank you to you kind folks that have said you missed me, too. I am striving for virtuous balance in my life; the "holy blend" of prayer, apostolic work, study, recreation, and rest. It amazes me how precious the time is now that one takes for granted as a carefree child.

Lord willing, I will try to work regular posting back into my routine. I have plenty to share from the past few months!

For now, I will leave you with a wonderful quote I just found from St. Augustine, whose feast day is coming up. It sums up a frequent theme of my reflection as of late:

"My love for you, Lord, is not an uncertain feeling, but a matter of concious certainty. With your word you pierced my heart, and I loved you. But heaven and earth and everything in them on all sides tell me to love you."

Photo capture by my sister, Veronica

Off...yet again

Ah, such is summer! Sarah, Veronica and I are headed to our annual week at the Fair Food Stand, helping with pies, pancakes, registers, and hair-dos! Don't worry, I really do hope/plan to resume somewhat regular posting here, and to continue our "Why Am I Catholic?" series... as soon as I have the chance. Thank you to all the commenters who've asked me questions about Catholicism, and to others who have offered some answers. I appreciate each of your comments and will respond to them when I can!

Blessings to all!

Prayers, Please

I apologize for being absent here lately. A lot has been going on, including health crises for both my dad's dad and my mom's mom. My grandpa recently underwent heart tests and has two blocked arteries. He is 87 and has been blessed with excellent health for the most part. About 13 years ago he underwent a very successful 5-bypass surgery, but it seems that some of them have clogged again. Because of his age, he is not a candidate for another open heart surgery. His physicians have opted to try and manage his condition with medications, but we are not sure how much longer he will be with us.

My grandma (mom's mom) has suffered from a huge variety of health struggles for years, including diabetes, heart failure, cancer, and more. But just yesterday she was rushed from her home (assisted living) to the hospital after a seizure-type of episode. We received a call a bit ago that they have moved her to the intensive care unit because of her lack of responsiveness. At this point we don't even know what is causing her systems to shut down.

If you would please remember Bernard and Jan in your prayers, I would appreciate it very much. If it is God's will, we pray that they may they remain with us longer. If not, we pray for the grace of a holy, peaceful death.

Amen.

UPDATE (7/15): Grandma came out of her "stupor" (not quite sure what to call it) late last night and spoke with my mom briefly over the phone. We are still unsure of the cause of these incidents (she's had two in the last few weeks). Thank you all for your continued prayers.

Off Again!

I'm off again, and I never came back here this week. Too much catch-up. You will all be in my prayers... I will return July 6th.

On the Road...

I will probably be away from the blog till the 22nd. I'll be at Suzuki Violin Teacher Training, and don't know if I'll have internet access while there. God-willing, the "Why Am I Catholic?" series will be continued as soon as I return.

Please keep me in your prayers and know that you will be in mine!

I'm Back!

The 2008 ILCHC last weekend was simply saturated with graces! Sarah and I had two major projects going in the week leading up to the Conference: a new story-coloring/activity book for young boys offered through the Rosa Mystica Modesty Movement, and the workshop we gave together at the conference, titled "The Fruits of Homeschooling: A Graduate's Perspective". (If by chance you should be interested in hearing our talk, it can be ordered on CD here).

What a week it was! A week of many near-sleepless nights as we worked through them together, eating midnight snacks and laughing at our own excessive punchiness. At 2am (or 3, or 4am), nearly anything can drive me to laughter! I would have never been able to finish on my own — the joy and fellowship of sisterhood really comes through at a time like this! We'd chuckle because when one of us started to get really weary, the other would say "no, let's push through!", and by about ten minutes later, it was usually reversed. :)

Going on a few very short hours of sleep each night put my body into such a state of confusion...you know, where you start to mix up hungry and tired? I kept reaching for chocolate because I hoped the caffeine would help! It was only grace that pulled me through the weekend... usually I am an 8-hours-per-night person, or I just can't function very well. Our Lord's goodness kept me going last week on less than half that. There were times that Sarah and I looked at each other's glazed-over eyes and said to each other: "You know, if we weren't doing this for Christ, we'd have quit a long, long time ago." Yes, it was hard, but also so rewarding... and there are a whole lot of dear memories. I've no doubt that we'll be telling each other's children about it someday. :)

Needless to say, I have been more than a little exhausted this week. It all caught up to me rather abruptly yesterday when I came down with a fever, sore throat, and a whammy of a sinus headache. The hardest part of being sick for me is that I simply don't have time to be sick. I'll lay there thinking, "Lord, You know how many things I needed to get done today!", but He's clearly telling me that my agenda got replaced with His: prayer and suffering, and some "down" time. Thankfully, I'm on the mend today, although I've gone through no end of tissues!

I usually don't like to dedicate such a long post to a personal update, but these few weeks were exceptionally full, and blessed. Despite the exhaustion, and the illness, God is good. All the time.

Sealed in the Spirit

Tonight, the twenty-one students of my Religious Education Class at St. Joseph's in Joliet received the Sacrament of Confirmation at the hands of our Bishop J. Peter Sartain. Preparing them the past two years, and being intimately involved in the Liturgy and celebration has in a very tangible way been somewhat of a "reliving" of my own Confirmation eight years ago. The articles, stories, quotes, and teachings that I've looked up and prepared for my students have been just as much a blessing for me.

I especially love this excerpt which I found in an article on CatholicCulture.org (that website is a gem!):

Confirmation marks one's spiritual growing up. With Confirmation he is launched on the social aspect of his spiritual life, with which goes an even greater obligation to pursue his own sanctification. But self-sanctification is now dependent upon his relationship with all men. With Confirmation, he is equipped, by the strengthening in him of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to look at the world with new eyes, to desire its conquest for Christ with new love. He sees more clearly (if he is helped to see by his parents and teachers) what it means to be a member of the Mystical Body. Like a cell in his own body, he is a cell in the Body of Christ. Each cell is important, a part of a whole. Without it, the whole would be less whole. If one cell is sick (in sin), the whole is less well. Now he begins to see that it is up to him, as well as to the other members of the Body, to work for the total health of the Body; not only that — but to work for the further growth of the Body.

The absolute beauty of the Mystical Body of Christ is something that has, and continues to leave me awestruck — especially in the last year or two. Recently a seminarian friend coined a phrase that I thought summed it up perfectly: the interconnectedness of the Body of Christ. It is so, so much more connected than I think any of us realize. It's incredibly powerful to realize the truth of the above text: we literally and directly affect the life and health of the whole body. Amazing!

It was truly bittersweet to watch my spiritual children receive this Sacrament tonight. It's near the end of our time together so far (only 3 more classes before the school year ends), but I hope and pray that much more than an end, it is a bright new beginning for them. One of my students' mothers asked me tonight if I was nervous. And while I wouldn't describe myself as that, there were plenty of other emotions swirling around my mind and heart this evening.

And oh, but I so love our bishop. I was cheering (silently, of course) from the choir loft as he gave his final message to the youth. With authority and yet tenderness, he said some of the very same key points I've tried so hard to drive home for them this year: Confirmation is not the same thing as graduation. This doesn't mean you are done learning the Faith. This doesn't mean Religious Education is done for you!

Forgive me if I my reflection here is somewhat disjointed tonight. I wish I could summarize here somehow the culmination of graces for me the past few months. I feel as though I've had greater contemplation, and less spoken words than typical for me (perhaps my family wouldn't agree, but it seems so to me!). I am usually one to whom words come fairly easily, even about relatively awkward or in-depth topics. There are plenty of times lately, however, when I'm caught up in a kind of interior thought and find myself not saying much... or it's almost difficult when I do.

It might sound strange, but at times like these there is such a strange mixture of emotion when it comes to writing (at least, to blogging). My head and heart are simply brimming with things about which I wish to write, but interestingly, I'm almost reluctant to do so... as if I'm fearful that I won't have the time to do justice to the beauty or depth of the topic.

The Holy Spirit was indeed present in a very real way tonight. And He has been in many of our classes. There are days when I can stand up in front of those twenty-one seventh and eighth graders and know that He has taken over the words coming out of my mouth. And then I wish the clock would stop moving! I just hope that I have given these young people a glimpse into the treasure chest (rather, the gold mine) that is our Faith.

Father, grasp them in the palm of Your Hand. Son, encircle them in the abode of Your Heart, Holy Spirit, inflame them with the all-consuming fire of Your Love!

Glimpses

...at just a few of the goings-on of the past few weeks! Perhaps this can make up a bit for my extended absence here. :)

St. Faustina (a.k.a. Sarah) visited our parish for a special presentation!

"My Jesus, I want to love You as no human soul has ever loved You before; and although I am utterly miserable and small, I have nevertheless cast the anchor of my trust deep down into the abyss of Your mercy, O my God and Creator!" (Saint Faustina Kowalska)

Sarah was a Confirmation sponsor a few weekends ago, and Veronica made these beautiful nosegays for her and her goddaughter

A close-up

Suzuki music lessons have kept me busy!

My little students are so enjoyable

Spending quality time with Grandma Jan at her favorite place: Culver's. (Actually, this was back in March, but I thought I'd include it anyway!)

A sweet moment...

Appassionata played and sang for a First Communion a few weeks ago

Veronica, inspired by online photos of a "Friends" necklaces priced at $40 each, turned around and made these for a fraction of that!

My goddaughters (Veronica and Amanda) modeling their new necklaces

A baking project -- by many hands!

Our young griller... now that the weather's warming, he's done quite a bit of this lately!

At a recent Little Flowers Senior Club meeting, we had the opportunity to decorate cakes. As this is not something I often have the time for, it was a lot of fun!

Sarah's cake...

...and mine.

Easter 2008 Snapshot

Blessings! I hope and pray to be able to "return" with some more substantial writing soon.

Book Bomb Praise Report!

Well, Spring is here (I think), and so am I! I've so many post ideas swirling around in my head that I need to make time to write!

First of all, I neglected to follow-up after my Do Hard Things Amazon.com Book Bomb plug. Thanks to our Lord's goodness prompting thousands of passionate youth and adults who have faith in our generation, on March 25th we took Do Hard Things from #625 to #5 of Amazon.com's bestsellers and #1 in the Christianity section! I hope and pray this is indicative of a transformation happening in my generation. Glory be to God for the great things He has done!

If you haven't heard of this book yet or you're wondering what on earth a "book bomb" is, visit here.

Spring...almost!

Today is actually beginning to feel like Spring! It's almost 60 degrees, the blue sky is cheery and bright, and sun's rays are actually... warm. :) So wonderful! I pulled out a new minty-green linen skirt that I've been waiting to wear until it was warm enough!

One of the reasons for the light blogging of late is the performance explained here. In fact, I'm on my way out the door to a rehearsal now. More later...

Thank You

Thank you all so much for the prayers. I am doing much better, and I know they have helped significantly. You are all a blessing!

I hope to be fully "back" here soon. Pax Christi.

I've been sick

Having an intense cold the last several days, as well as the sorest of sore throats I've ever experienced (as in, every breath and swallow is excruciating), has served to give me just a little more understanding of Christ's sacrifice for us on the cross. It is a terrible thing to not be able to breathe. Oh! to have such a God... Who would choose to die by suffocation!

The above-mentioned illness also kept me from completing many of the tasks I hoped to last week. I am trying to catch up right now while being "on the mend", and attempting to not work myself to the point of being bedridden again. Everything starts back full-force this week, including the huge project of our after-Christmas performance with my Religious Ed Program. So, needless to say, and despite how much I would love for it to be, blogging is not at the top of my list right now. My after-the-twelve-days-of-Christmas-return might not be for another week...

Please, pray for me... I need it right now.

We were in WI

for the weekend (since Thursday evening, actually), enjoying good times with extended family and a few nights with Grandpa and Grandma. For me, it was a much-needed mini "getaway" on their farm in the country... and after the grey skies and dampness we'd had here for at least a week, waking up Friday morning to a brilliant blue sky and a coating of sparkling snow on the ground was a welcome change! We were all spoiled by Grandma's wonderful goodies and meals, and had time for some of what I call "the simple joys"... like traipsing around the farm feeling the snow crunch under our boots, laughing and breathing deeply of crisp, cold air, and with no destination in particular.

I looked at Sarah and remarked, "Being here makes me a child again."

But now, we're home, and there's plenty of grown-up work to do, so... adieu for now! I hope your holiday was a joyous one too!

P.S. Don't forget today's Solemnity of Christ the King! There's a nice article here (don't mind that last year's date is on it–the Solemnity is every year!). And Amanda has a lovely prayer posted here.