Family Prayer

A friend sent us this wonderful quote in an email today...

"Hence, with parents leading the way by example and family prayer, their children—indeed, all within the family circle—will find it easier to make progress in natural virtues, in salvation and in holiness. Husband and wife, raised to the dignity and the responsibility of parenthood, will be zealous in fulfilling their task as educators, especially in the sphere of religious education, a task that is primarily their own."

-from the Vatican II document Gaudium et Spes

Into the Land of Fairy Tales...

My goddaughter Amanda (er...excuse me, Rose), and my sister Veronica had the time of their lives the other night with a Fairy Tale Novel-themed sleepover. Such laughs! I would post some of the (numerous) photos I took of them here, but since they did a duo post from "Blanche and Rose" over at Amanda's blog, I'll just send you over there. :)

(I didn't take this one—Sarah did— but it's one of my favorites from their "event"!)

Like Saint Gianna

Fox News: A Mother Gives Her Life to Save Her Unborn Baby

The deepest form of the essence of motherhood... the complete giving of ones' self to give life to another. So powerful and beautiful.

Remembering the Little Ones

A year ago today I blogged from a computer in Washington, D.C. the day after the March for Life. What a blessed experience that was for our whole family! I very much wanted to go again this year, but it seems our Lord wanted me praying from here. And praying I've been, as I plug away at plenty of duties!

The splendidness of the March is as fresh in my mind as if it were a few weeks and not a year ago that I was there. It was invigorating and exciting... so many of us united for the sake of the innocent voiceless. It is indeed a day to let our voice be heard. And yet, it is also a day to interiorly remember and mourn for these littlest ones with silence.

I've heard it rightly said that a mother's womb should be the safest haven on earth. And, in the name of choice, it has become one of the most dangerous.

Let us never cease praying the working for a day when all life will be revered and protected, from the very littlest to the very oldest.

His Thoughts

After Huckabee barely missed the win many of us hoped for in South Carolina yesterday, I opened my Bible during night prayer last night and happened upon the following verse...

"Now many nations are assembled against you...

But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD,

they do not understand his plan..."

And indeed, how frequently we don't understand His plan (though we think we do). This race is far from over. We have our own hopes and evaluations of how things need to "work out". At times, it may seem as though the nation is assembled against us :), but in reality the thoughts and plans of Christ surpass any we have. Our God is a God of suprises. And of mystery. And of twists and turns in the road. And of power... power that will ultimately prevail if we trust Him enough.

Enjoy this beautiful Sunday! (That is, I'm assuming it's as lovely by you as it is here: very crisp and cold, but sparklingly beautiful, with sunshine turning brilliant the little layer of snow on our ground, and clear blue skies overhead. Frigid and frozen, yet magnificent!)

Back with a Bang

I'm burning with topics to write about, talk about, and shout about! I'll dive back into my blogging with a bang here: let's talk politics. I've kept abreast of the presidential race for some time now, and tend to be the one who keeps my parents — and some others too :) — informed. Some of you may recall my excitement a year ago at Brownback's candidacy early in the presidential race. Needless to say, since he dropped much has changed since then. So do I have a candidate? I do. And I'll come right out and say it: I am proud to support Mike Huckabee for President.

In the coming days, I hope to be able to offer facts and thoughts on this race. Every election is important, but I'm convinced this one is monumental.

For now, I'll offer the top ten reasons I'm backing Huckabee...

1. He is a man of Faith who knows the One ultimately in charge. Huckabee is not afraid to declare and defend fundamental Christian truths. He has openly asked for prayer, and is a man of prayer (for example, he reads Proverbs each morning as part of his daily devotions). Above all, we need men of Faith in government. These men rely not on their own wisdom, but on a higher wisdom. A nation such as ours needs much more than mere human wisdom to govern it!

"My faith is my life - it defines me. My faith doesn't influence my
decisions, it drives them." - Mike Huckabee

2. He is a dedicated family man. Huckabee has been faithfully married to his wife, Janet, for 33 years, including standing by her through a life-threatening disease. I love this quote (found here on Huckabee's website):

"My wife Janet and I celebrated our thirty-third wedding anniversary this
past May. For us, every anniversary is a miracle. When we were both twenty and
married just over a year, when I was in my last semester of college, Janet was
diagnosed with cancer of the spine. I can't tell you what a stunning blow it was
- two kids just starting out, you don't think something like that can happen
when you're so young. Yet there we were, staring death in the face. At first,
they told us that even if she lived, she might be paralyzed from the waist down,
so I'd be a young man with an invalid wife. After I learned she wouldn't be
paralyzed, I was told that because of the radiation she had to receive following
surgery, we'd probably never have children. I wanted children very much, I
couldn't imagine never being a father. During that time, a lot of things went
through my mind. But one thing never did - the thought of leaving her. If Janet
were in a wheelchair today, if we'd never had children, I can tell you this -
she would still be my wife." - Mike Huckabee

3. He is firmly pro-life. He believes than Roe vs. Wade should be overturned. He supports passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life. He opposes research on embryonic stem cells. For Huckabee's clearly explained positions on the sanctity of life, visit this page. I love how prominent he makes the "Sanctity of Life" page on his website!

4. He understands and is ready to defend marriage as the union between one man and one woman, and supports passage of a federal constitutional amendment that defines the above. Another excellently explained page here.

"Our true strength comes from our families." -Mike Huckabee

5. Huckabee recognizes the benefits of homeschooling and supports the rights of parents to homeschool their children. He even appointed a homeschool parent to the State Board of Education in Arkansas! Check out this terrific video about some of what he did to help homeschoolers in AR.

6. Huckabee is the three "C's" that I look and long for in any politician: consistant, clear, and competant. He doesn't beat around the bush, water down his answers, or bow to political trends.

7. He is an outstanding and articulate speaker. Time and time again in the debates and in interviews, he has answered pointed and difficult questions with poise and passion.

8. Alex and Brett Harris, founders of The Rebelution and two young men whom I admire for their well-balanced, thoroughly-researched, highly-intellectual and very godly judgement, are supporting Huckabee. And are proving that by God's grace, a pair of 19-year-olds are capable of literally affecting the course of the nation.

Watch an outstanding ABC news video clip featuring the Harris brothers
Listen to a great radio interview with Brett Harris
Head over to the Harris brothers' blog: I Heart Huckabee
Visit "Huck's Army", the impressive nationwide network and forum founded by Alex and Brett

9. As a musician and Suzuki music teacher, I so appreciate Huckabee's acknowledgment in his own words that he is a "passion, ardent supporter" of art and music in education. At the Suzuki Institutue I attended this summer, a group of us teachers were lamenting the lack of government support/funding for music and arts, as compared to math and sciences. Huckabee's our man! See this page, and check out this video.

"Music and the arts are not extraneous, extra-curricular, or expendable - I
believe they are essential. I want to provide every child these 'Weapons of Mass
Instruction.'" - Mike Huckabee

10. He is a man of the people. Huckabee is not arrogant, self-centered, or power hungry. He is an American ready to serve God, nation, and people as our next President.

Won't you join me today in both supporting and praying for him? Let us all pray, fast, and sacrifice for God's will be to carried out in these elections.

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.