China's Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremonies in Beijing's National Stadium were astonishing! I marveled at the synchronized oarsmen, LED screen images, and the sheer number of people in the right place at precisely the right time in the "Bird Nest." You have to applaud the Chinese for using technology in a beautiful way. The section of my brain which is OCD was smiling the whole time. Later, I had to humbly admit that I can barely coordinate my four children to wear the same outfits and go in the same direction! Winger's comment on the Olympics was priceless: "Will there be hockey at these Olympics?" Only in our family does hockey occur year-round.

Yet, there's a lump in my throat concerning the Underground Catholic Church, whose bishops and priests are still imprisoned by the Chinese government despite an announcement of reconciliation from Pope Benedict XVI more than a year ago.

Sights and Smells at the Iowa State Fair

Captain got a day off and we headed north. We made it as far as Des Moines and decided to take in the Iowa State Fair. Everyone's tummy was happy with greasy brats, handmade strawberry ice cream, 3 flavors of salt water taffy, and fresh squeezed lemonade. We saw the large butter sculptures, the champion ram, and a big boar weighing 1,200 lbs. That is "some pig."

Remembering Kit Kittredge Books

For 5 years I was known locally as "The American Girl Club lady" so I simply had to take Meggar to see the newest American Girl movie. Of course, we had to drive to Kansas City since it has not come to our town. My boys thought they were too old for a G rating - especially one about a girl! To their surprise, there was not one doll in the whole movie. In the end, it was a funny yet poignant hit with all of us (ages 10 to 40-something). Based on the Depression-era series of books by Valerie Tripp (a Catholic writer whom we met in 2003 at Hallmark), this short film offered a sneak peak into Cincinnati during 1934. Kids today would do well to learn from it. Soup kitchens, hobo secret symbols, and feed-sack dresses were just some of the lessons Kit experienced firsthand. American Girl afficianados will be pleased with the attention to details, like Kit's necklace, pet dog, desk lamp, typewriter, ball mitt, and friend Ruthie. It was a good foundation for a little unit study before school begins, and we will be more thankful for our blessings from God.

Look What I Found

In spite of my luck with finding pennies on the ground, today I found a quarter: does that mean I can go 25 weeks without finding a penny? Let's make a log sheet and see....

Election Working

Any half-awake Republican knows that Sam Graves will need some help in the general election, so we volunteered at the polls today. Sam is our Congressman, and he's being challenged by St. Joseph native Kay Barnes (of the Walter Kronkite clan). She's endorsed by Emily's list and all the other radical lobby groups that don't live in northwest Missouri. So we passed out literature with a smile: Meggar and Dorito were with me from 6:30-8:00 am, just my own sweat to keep me company over the noon hour, and then the twins did an evening stint. Politics are not perfect or pretty, but it's important to make a difference.

Catholic Family Conference

Meggar was the one who first suggested that we attend (thanks to prompting of the Holy Spirit). We haven't been since 2005, so we traveled to Wichita this weekend...
I knew the twins would enjoy Totus Tuus - and they ran into AJ the first night!
The high schoolers laughed nervously when Andrew Pudewa explained a scientific study on rats which proved intelligence was increased by listening to Mozart but their brains turned violent and developed chaotic neuron paths when listening to hard rock or alternative music.
Dorito liked the junior high program and immediately started to practice juggling like the Boehmer Family Jugglers. There's 11 kids in their family, so everyone has plenty of siblings to practice with! Captain already knows how to juggle, so he gave the boys a little tip and Dorito got it on his 2nd try. Polar Bear followed soon after, and Winger had it figured out by the next day!
Meggar listened eagerly to the apologetic talks by Tim Staples, a Catholic Convert from Disciples of Christ. He used plenty of Bible verses to explain the papacy and devotion to Mary.
The most heartwarming for Wife was a chance to listen to Fr. Benedict Groeschel, the famous philosopher from New York, who quipped: "Alice von Hildebrand and I are spiritual directors to each other." He encouraged the audience to practice virtues, especially prudence = which helps you get by in this world; and supernatural prudence = which helps you get to heaven! He used my favorite example from St. Thomas More and the film "A Man for All Seasons." More's friend, the Earl of Essex claims he took the pledge to the King and it didn't bother his conscience. But More said "how lucky for you because if I did sign the oath it would go against my conscience and I'd go to Hell." Historians do not remember the Earl of Essex, but everyone remembers St. Thomas More.

Book Review on Pope's Joy

"Christ Our Joy" by Msgr. Joseph Murphy is the first Catholic book request that I successfully made to our local library! Periodically, I receive suggestions from the email list called "Pope St. Nicholas V" at Yahoo Groups. So I immediately checked this out, but found it more academic than I expected (i.e. it took me longer to read it). It is not written by Pope Benedict XVI, but takes quotations from his many writings all his life. He uses 5-6 chapters to show how true joy is rooted in the Trinity. Here are my two favorite bits:
"It must be clear that pleasure is not everything, that Christianity gives us joy just as love gives us joy. But love is also a renunciation of self."
and
"Joy grows and continues to mature in suffering in communion with the Cross of Christ. It is here alone that the true joy of faith is born."