Rest in Peace Sweetheart

And here it is. Exactly as ordered, thank you Lord. Thank you so much for your patience (it was quite a long wait for me!) and support. We could not have done it without the financial support of family, friends, and complete strangers! I am saving my biggest hug for you when we meet (please Lord) in heaven. You have blessed our family so much...(I am tearing up)...and I remain dumbfounded by your generosity. Have no doubt that your charity carried me through some of the deep pits I had to cross. I have entrusted you to my darling daughter, that her sweet and innocent prayers before Our Lord will always be yours.




































Rest in peace dearest Teresa, and pray for your mommy.

Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen

Yes, I realize that this book is not Catholic. But hey, I never said I would only review Catholic books, just that I was Catholic and the books would be off of my bookshelf!
As a fan of Alton Brown, I was interested in his input regarding kitchen gear. I try to replace my lousy kitchen tools whenever I earn Amazon giftcards through my bank, and certainly do not want to be replacing one lousy gadget for another. I appreciate Mr. Brown's practical side (aka the nerd in him) when teaching about food, so I though he might have some good tips when it comes to kitchen utensils, appliances, etc.
If you have ever seen Alton's show "Good Eats" (one of my favs), then you are familiar with his style of humor. This humor is found through out this book, making it a fun read. I took it a chapter at a time, reviewing what I had in my kitchen as I went. There were reviews for a few products I have been eyeing, and was very happy to get Alton's input on the matter. His explanation of the products (what it is suppose to do, how it works, which brand he thinks works best, etc.). is very helpful.
So I threw out what I had not used in forever, took inventory of what was left, and added to my Amazon wishlist what I believe would be useful to have in my kitchen.
I think this book would be a great use to someone whose ready to replace all of their worn out, have-not-been-used-since-Thanksgiving-before-last kitchen tools, as well as those about to embark on the journey of setting up a new kitchen (newlyweds, college students, etc.).

And for my next book, I promise to pull off of my shelf something Catholic. ;-)

Update on the Update on the Headstone

The stone is here - I saw it with my own eyes. The designs, front and back, are finalized. It is not suppose to take very long to do the actually engraving (it id done on site, here in town). I am hoping this means it will not be long before my baby has her headstone. The total cost was nearly completely covered by generous friends, family and total strangers! We will only have to pay $30 out of pocket. This is such a relief and wonderful gift for us; you have our gratitude ever more. I promise to post pictures just as soon as the headstone is installed. God bless you all, and may our little Teresa Maria pray for you.

Update on Headstone

Just wanted to update those wonderful people who made it possible for my family to purchase a headstone for our daughter Teresa. The stone should be here now, and the first of two designs should be complete. I say should because we have had one heck of a time getting together with and in touch (for follow-ups) with the man who is doing the ordering and engraving. It is the only place in town (yes, small town), and it serves several outlying areas. I am trying to be patient, although I must admit I thought for sure it would be done by Easter! Now I'm hoping for Pentecost, or even my birthday (early July). Never thought I'd be hoping for a headstone for my birthday, but that is the way it goes.

I am still having hard days, mostly hard hours. I still do not understand, and I still get angry, but I am pushing ahead and enjoying the little ones that were chosen to stay here on earth with me. Thank you God for them.

Hind's Feet on High Places

Let me first let you know, this is not a Catholic book. While I did not find anything in it that was offensive to my catholic sensibilities, it is not Catholic. It was recommended to me after I lost Teresa, so I picked up a copy and eventually got around to reading it.

This book is an allegory about a creature's journey following (or attempting to follow) the Great Shepherd to the High Places, where all of her sadness and problems be done away with. She will also be given 'Hinds' feet', in place of her deformed feet, which will enable her to climb the steep High Places with ease. When she accepts the invitation to make the journey, Much-Afraid (the main character) is given two companions, Sorrow and Suffering. A bit dismayed by the Great Shepherd's choice of help for her, she begins her journey skeptical and, of course, much afraid. The companions of her past - Craven Fear, Pride, etc. - appear along the way, attempting to thwart her decision to follow the Shepherd. She passes through many places with ill names, constantly doubting her ability or the Shepherd's instructions.

I would continue in detail what happens, but to make a long story short, she eventually makes it and all of the Shepherd's promises come true. No, I do not feel I have ruined the story for anyone, as the ending is quite predictable from the beginning. And that is the problem I had with the story. It was all too predictable and obvious. I like my allegories more, let's say, Tolkien-esque. I want a little mystery, a little you-really-need-to think-about-this-to-know-what-the-author-is-comparing-this-to. The given names of the characters and places made things all too easy for me. And it made the story, for me, boring. We all know that our life on earth can stink, that our only hope is in Christ, that it is hard to follow Him, and the reward in the end if we do is beyond what we can imagine (at least I hope we do). That is the gist of the book, but unfortunately, it was not told in a manner I found entertaining.

Doers of the Word

I must admit that upon reading the preview for this book, I was not all that excited about reading it. It seemed, well, below my spiritual needs. It seemed as if it would be a beginner's book about the Faith, and surely I was beyond that. Oops.

But after watching the Archbishop's interview with Raymond Arroyo (have I ever told you the story about when I had dinner with him and he brought me to meet Mother Angelica? Another time; sorry for leaving you hanging!), I thought to myself "this guy is really cool!" He is the type of guy you would want to go and have a beer with. Perhaps his book would not be all that bad after all (my apologies, your Reverence).

As I made my way through this beginner's book, I found myself having many profound insights. I kept thinking to myself, "I need to write this down for my review!" But of course, I never did. I was to busy reading the book. I was nearly at the end when I realized I had not taken any notes and had nothing to say. Was I going to have to read it again, hoping I would think the same thoughts I did the first time?

Then it hit me. I was not suppose to remember the profound. I was suppose to keep it simple, just like the book. Dolan presents you with the simple, and leaves you contemplating the profound in such. That, of course, is where the majority of us are going to find the profoundness of God - in the simple.

So no, you are nor going to be taken to the mystical heights with this read. You will, however, be brought back down to earth, thrown among the ordinary, and left to discover the heights of spirituality right then and there.

I love your book, Archbishop. And if you are ever in southern New Mexico, the beer is on me.

~~~
This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Doers of the Word: Putting Your Faith Into Practice.

Christian Spirituality in the Catholic Tradition

by Jordan Aumann, O.P.

Not by any means a light read, Christian Spirituality is a brief overview on the development of spirituality within the Church. Beginning with references to types of spirituality found within the Old and New Testaments, CS goes on to cover the early Church Fathers, the beginnings of monasticism, Benedictine spirituality, medieval spirituality, and continues until reaching that of modern times, which includes the spirituality of St. Therese of Lisieux. A little less than 300 pages long, it is most certainly a quick glance at how the Church has come to develop, embrace or reject the types of spirituality that have come into being since the time of Christ.

Perhaps it was because I was "forced" to read this book for my current theology course, but I had a tough time getting through it. Not because it was difficult to read, but because it covers so much so very quickly; I was often left wanting to know more about a subject or author that was mentioned, but had to push on for sake of my class. I did make up a long list of "need to reads" while making my way through this book.

Overall, I found the book to be a great source of knowledge for those of us who are not that knowledgeable about the development and growth of the types of spirituality within the Church. How did the differing monasticism come about? Who was influential in forming what would become Benedictine spirituality? How did the Inquisition affect the great spiritual minds (St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross) of the time? What type of spirituality has been most impressive upon the spirituality of modern times?

I would highly recommend this book to anyone. A basic background on the subject should be had by all who profess to be Catholic. In fact, I think it should be required reading for all Catholic high school students.

Yes, I am Still Alive and Doing Fairly Well

Please forgive my tardiness/absence. I do, however, believe I have some fairly good reasons. I'll list them and let you decide.

First, we arrived back home just before Christmas, which we had to celebrate. I say had because I had to force myself to celebrate anything. Knowing that my baby who was suppose to be there wasn't, I just wasn't wanting to celebrate.

After making it through Christmas, the first week of January hit me like a freight train. It was the week Teresa most likely would have been born. With this on my mind, I hit an all time low. I remained in bed for two days, and i couldn't care less about what was happening around me. I didn't want to get out of bed. My husband tried everything he could, but after two days of an unresponsive me, he called our pastor (who came over immediately). After talking to him and receiving a blessing, he suggested a retreat. I obliged him, thinking it a waste of my time (and I REALLY did not want to be talking to anyone at that point).

I went on the weekend long retreat, and although I am far from being at peace, I am able to function once again.

Then the reality of how far behind I was on my course work hit me. Hard. Panicking, I dove in. I have managed to nearly finish the lessons and readings, and move on to my term paper just as soon as my topic is approved.

We finally found a house that will work well for our family, IN our price range, and made an offer, which was accepted. We are now trying to sell our house, and enduring all of the fun that goes along with that. I know every homeschooling mother with young children just relishes the thought of having to keep her house clean and ready for potential buyers at all times.

My son celebrated his fourth birthday, my daughter is in overdrive trying to finish first grade asap, my husband sold his truck and found a new one. In another state. He is currently picking it up as I type and will not be home until late Sunday night or Monday morning.

Oh yeah, its been a WHOLE lot of fun around here! So please forgive me my tardiness.

~HEADSTONE UPDATE~

We have chosen the stone and it has been ordered. We have a very good idea of what we want engraved on it and are awaiting the proposed sketched from the company doing the engraving. We hope it will be completed and installed by the end of next month. I promise to keep you posted. I am still overwhelmed by your generosity and keep you in my prayers. Please keep me in yours.

New blog, Offline Until the New Year

Welcome to my new blog. I have had just enough time to set it up before going out of town (where internet will not be easily accessible). whateverycatholicknew.stblogs.com was my old blog home, which I left due to too many technical problems for me, including the loss of two months of posts (the text of which, thank you Lee, has been recovered). So far, this site has been MUCH easier to use. I will be back after Christmas Day and will start posting again then. Thank you for all of the kind messages and emails that I have received. I am grateful.

Have a Merry Christmas, celebrating the birth of Our Lord and Saviour!

Amy

Apostle of the Exiled

I enjoy reading about the lives of the Saints, even if some are poorly written. I believe that in order to really understand what makes a person a Saint however, the reader must be placed into that person's world. So many biographies of the Saints tell us of their work among the poor or the miracles they procured, but leave us in the dark about what their lives were actually like. What did the world surround them with at the time that made their courage so exemplary? While so many stories of the Saints lack this information, Apostle of the Exiled: St. Damien of Molokai overflowed with it, much to my satisfaction.

The brief contemporary history of the islands of Hawaii begin the story of this man, whom the words brave and courageous do not even begin to describe. He fought past the prideful attitude of his superiors, who looked upon him as unworthy of the priesthood, to become ordained. His arrival on the islands was greeted with the staunch anti-Catholicism of the time. He had to fight the local bureaucracy that he could even set foot upon the islands where the exiled were being held. All of this turmoil, and he had yet to even encounter the disease that ravaged those he came to serve.

The story of his love for those who were cast aside is a most beautiful story of how one sees Christ in others. His reminds me of Mother Teresa, whom said she could not touch a leper for millions of dollars, but only for the love of Christ. In fact, his story parallels hers in many ways. They both set out to help the ostracized, and nothing was going to stop them. Honolulu's bishop John J. Scanlan captured the beauty of Damien's life when he spoke these words at the unveiling of the statue of Fr. Damien in Statuary Hall in the Rotunda of our nation's Capital:

Our country today is blessed beyond measure with the material things made possible by the intelligence, energy and industry of our people, but we need greater values for the human spirit. We need the understanding of and the dedication to the values to which the life of Damien gives witness. We need the recognition of the value of human life itself from its very beginnings. We need the recognition of the dignity of the human person, even the poorest and most wretched. We need a humanity possessed of a pity which is not condescending and of humility which thinks of duties before rights.

St. Damien's story is that of true beauty and true love, things that few consider when they think of leprosy and its victims. Damien's love for Christ within them brought a worldwide change in the attitude towards the disease and those it afflicted. It is a story worth reading.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company.