Two Month mark

We've reached the two month mark. Mike goes to the Seeing Eye in 2 months! He is very excited.

Easter Photos

Nancy just sent some new photos of Jon Paul from Easter. Looks like the foster home had lots of visitors! Our guy is sure getting big!

And he likes to hang upside-down!

Family

A new family portrait, including Jon Paul. We hope to have you home soon, baby boy!

Making an impression (literally)

So yesterday was the big day to get hearing aids. The new audiologist, Dr. Kennedy, is very, very nice. After she filled Camille's ears with the molding material, she let Camille have the extra to play with. Camille was a real trooper... completely brave and steadfast throughout the whole process.

She chose purple hearing aids and pink earmolds with glitter. I imagine they will look quite fashionable :)

The Show

The show was great! Everyone did an excellent job and the kids put on a performance that would put most high school shows to shame! Unfortunately, as you can see, my camera wasn't working properly and my photos didn't turn out too well, but you can get a general idea.

The last May Crowning...

Our parish had their final May Crowning today. We watched with heavy hearts. The entire mass was pretty sad, even the music minister "lost it" during a song. We have one week left, then the Church closes.

The first communicants prepare for the crowning.

The priest gives a few words.

In such a beautiful time of year, it's difficult not to feel anger, sadness and frustration. This church is the cornerstone of our community. Next Sunday, we will celebrate our final mass as a parish. Then our parish closes, forever. Our priests have announced their new assignments. The nuns who live in the convent are forced to go to the newly merged parish... most seem unhappy. The community is torn. Many of our friends are moving to other parishes, as are we. It just isn't fair.

We've come a long way...

The photo below is from a fundraiser Mike and I attended in 1999. We had been dating for about a year (the fundraiser was at a Harley-Davidson shop... with that same theme)

Mike and I have known each other since 1997 and began dating in 1998. We got engaged in September of 2000 and married on this day in 2002.

We've seen our share of ups and downs. We've struggled through times together, that I wasn't always sure we'd get through, but we did. God gives us the gifts of Faith, Hope and Love... and the greatest is Love. Love has gotten us through many troubled times.

Happy 8th wedding anniversary, Michael. Let today be the day I love you the least... as my love grows more and more for you each day.

Marriage is an act of will that signifies and involves a mutual gift, which unites the spouses and binds them to their eventual souls, with whom they make up a sole family - a domestic church. Pope John Paul II

This Season

I love this season. I love May Crownings and First Holy Communions. I love seeing little girls in their frilly white dresses and tiny vails, little brides of Jesus. I love seeing little boys in their white suits and the nervous looks on the parent's faces hoping their polished sons will keep those suits clean. I love to watch the priests regally bend down and present each child with his or her first taste of the host. Such a wonderful and holy experience. But at the same time, I feel a little jealous... because I never had that. I never had the white dress, or the vail or the experience at age 7... because I am a Catholic convert. I became a Catholic as an adult through the RCIA. I was baptized in the Lutheran church (where my mother's parents belonged, but my mother never practiced). My father took us to the Christian Science church when my brother and I were young, but my mother did not go with us. I think my parents tried, but it's difficult when religious beliefs between two parents are split. Religion in our house was just never a priority.

By the time I was in high school, I don't think I had any faith of any kind. I didn't believe in anything my younger days at the Christian Science Sunday school had taught me and, quite frankly, I just wasn't interested. It wasn't until I was forced to take a course in World Religions as a sociology requirement that my interest in religion was initiated. I began to entertain the idea of going to church. I was pretty sure, based on my baptism and upbringing, that I wanted to remain a Christian, so I began checking out different local churches. I started with what I knew, or at least, what I could remember. I tried the Christian Science church again. I went to the Lutheran church. I visited a Presbyterian church, a Baptist church, an Evangelical church, a Charismatic church, etc. In the mean time, I had also heard that a local United Methodist church was looking for a french horn player for their brass choir. Score! I could listed to the gospel AND play my music (eliminate the bordom, perhaps?) I spent several Sundays at the United Methodist church. I really liked the pastor and I got a lot out of his sermons. I also really enjoyed playing in the brass choir there. But something was still missing...

I found the missing piece when I met Father James Jackson. Fr. Jim and I were both in line purchasing groceries at the local supermarket. The line was long and he had accidentally bumped me with his cart, which caused us to strike up a light conversation. He was in his clerics, so I knew he was a priest. I had never spoken to a priest before. I didn't know how to address him. He apoligies for the incident. I replied, "that's okay your holiness. No harm done." He laughed like that was about the funniest thing he'd ever heard. He could tell by the look on my face that I didn't know what was funny. He extended his hand "I'm Father Jim."

We talked about religion and I told him I wasn't particularly religious. He invited me to attend my first Mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Church where he was a parochial vicar. It happened to be the newer, large church that was right across the street from the development where I lived. The church was modern architecture and reminded me of an ark. I sat in the back, embarrassed that I didn't know the appropriate times to stand, sit or kneel, except to watch the other members of the congregation, but I loved the splendor of the priests in their long garments, the holy water, the eucharist, the alter boys, the music... everything. It felt whole, it felt right. For several weeks I "double dipped". I did my duty at the Methodist church then hurried to St. Elizabeth's for Mass. Occassionally I would run into Father Jim who would ask me how everything was going. In late August he mentioned they were starting up a new class he thought I might be interested in. An adult Catholic education class called RCIA. He gave me some information. "Conversion?" I asked. "Information." He replied... "Conversion, only if the Lord calls you." Then he smiled. "I'm not sure I'm ready to take such a large step." I said. "I just got here." "But you are here." Father Jim said. "Sure, because of you." I rebutteled. "No, because of Him." Father Jim said.

He was right. I had found the missing pieces in the Mass. And through RCIA, I too could participate fully. Father Jim was right, because of Him, I had found where I belonged and I joined the RCIA and began my education and conversion... I became a Catholic. And one Easter vigil, way back when, I took my first holy communion and made my confirmation with Father Jim and my sponsors standing beside me. And so, to date, I have received 6 of the 7 sacraments of the Catholic church. (It's almost impossible to receive all 7 since 6 is Matrimony and 7 is Holy Orders (becoming a priest or nun) and you can not normally do both. (There are acceptions. Some people get married, lose their spouse to death and then become ordained in the holy orders, but this is unusual.) I love the church. The more I learn, the less I know and the more I wish to dig deeper into the mystery of faith.

Update on Camille's Hearing

It's been a while since I've posted on Camille's hearing situation. Mostly because there really hasn't been anything to post. She has spent the past couple of months at school, evaluating 2 different FM systems to see if they can help with her hearing loss in the classroom. The trials are now complete and after consultations with Camille's kindergarten teacher, reading specialist and talking to Camille, it's been determined that neither the whole classroom FM system, nor the personal FM system were very effective.

I am disappointed, but not very surprised. The other day before entering the grocery store I said "Come on Camille, let's get a shopping cart." Camille replied "Why do we need a chocolate bar?" Her hearing loss is very unusual for a child. It is a high frequency loss, most commonly seen in older adults.

We now have an appointment at the beginning of May to see a new audiologist who specializes in high-frequency hearing loss to see about getting some hearing aids for Camille.

Poem

Every call has a beginning
A quiet moment when God
whispers a promise to a mother’s heart
A holy place where a father bows and faithfully accepts
the journey set before him.
A miraculous morning that unexpectedly dawns…
Casting its first light on a chosen threshold.
A gentle knock..
a closed door opens.
A sacred invitation sent by the Father..
Leads to the other side of the world.
Where lonely hearts stare out orphanage windows
Praying for someone to care..
And then one morning,
On an ordinary day
An orphan’s life changes...
God sends them a second chance...
Through you..

"Joseph" Rehearsal

Here's a "sneak peek" from rehearsal! Even the smallest parts deserve the biggest performances, don't you agree? Tee-hee! :)

Homestudy Complete!

Our homestudy is complete! So what does this mean? It's in our socialworker's hands to get the draft done (we went over the draft last night and it looked pretty good) fax that draft to our adoption agency, get approval from our adoption agency to write the final report and send that final report to us so we can file our I-800A with Immigration. Yes, more paperwork, but it's a big step in the process that is now complete and we're really hoping that things will keep moving. We can't relax, so glad our little guy can! :)

HELP BRING HOME JON PAUL!

Here's how YOU can help bring home Jon Paul!

Click on this link for Kingdom Kids

At the top of the page click on Donations then select Family Grant Donations

Fill out the information and in the box that says designation, fill in our names, Mike & Faye Corman. That way you'll be sure you're donation will go to help fund Jon Paul's adoption.

If you would rather send a check, please mail it to:

Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministry
8625 N Whitehouse Drive
Spokane, WA 99208
USA

Please include a note with the check that the donation is for Jon Paul Corman's adoption fund, but DO NOT include our name on the check!

Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible in accordance with IRS regulations.

Thank you for your support! Any questions, please feel free to contact Kingdom Kids!

Hot topics at our house

The new guide dog is a very hot topic at our house right now. It could be nerves or excitement, for Michael... perhaps a healthy combination of both. He talks about the dog, a lot. I'm glad. I'm excited too. We refer to the dog as "Bruno" (this is a name Mike came up with in a dream... I think it's a spin-off of "Juno" which is the name the Seeing Eye uses for the imaginary dog they use to give a candidate a sample walk when they come out for the initial assessment.) We will have no idea what the new dog's name will be until Michael meets him or her for the first time. Everyone has questions, comments and concerns, including Camille. She asks where "Bruno" will ride in the car, where "Bruno" will eat and whether we will have to get rid of our shih-tzu, Riley (the answer to that question is "no". Seeing Eye dogs are often raised with other dogs and we have no doubt Riley will do fine with the new dog).

So Michael will leave for this adventure in about 14 weeks. We're really excited for him!

Home Provinces

He has a date!

7.17.2010

That's when Mike is scheduled to report to the Seeing Eye in Morristown for his guide dog school training. He's very excited! We're all very excited and proud of Mike!

Legoland

We went to Legoland(r) in California today. I don't know who had a better time, Camille or Uncle Chris, but from this photo, I'd say Uncle Chris, wouldn't you?

Happy Easter!

Remember, it's not about the bunny...

...on the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures...

We love you, silly boy!

Jon Paul plays with his foster brother's tutor, Dana. The two are good pals!

More playtime with foster mom, Deena. The little girl on chicken rocker on the right is Sarah. She is 10 and also blind.
Our silly, handsome boy! We love you and we can't wait to bring you home!

The beginning of Holy Week.

Today is Palm Sunday marking the beginning of Holy Week. For Catholics, this is the beginning of our high holiday, which we have spent the last 40 days (since Ash Wednesday) preparing for, Easter.

We love Palm Sunday and the passion of the Lord. We also love to make palm crosses. :)

A must see.

You've come a long way baby!

All of this activity with Jon Paul really has me thinking a lot about Camille's adoption and her humble beginnings. This photo was taken at the hotel in Hong Kong the night before we flew back to the US. I had honestly forgotten how thin and frail my sweet girl was. We had been a family now for only about 10 days, but look at how happy she had become! So filled with loved! This photo makes me sad to look at now. She was very ill, and we didn't even know it until we got home.

But God is great, and today she is a happy, healthy, NORMAL, five-year-old who suffers no ill effects from her turbulent beginnings. Thank you, God, for this wonderful child, this wonderful gift!

May 22, 2010

May 22, 2010... 2 months from today. That's the day they are closing the doors of our beloved St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church... for good. It's the end of an era for the people of the community, who built that Church, more than 70 years ago.

I have to be honest, when I moved here and had to leave St. Elizabeth's, it was painful. I loved St. Elizabeth's. It was a young community and we had a contemporary worship service. The priest was young (well, okay, younger) and the parish was lively. When I arrived at St. Francis, the first thing I noticed was that it felt old. The priests were old, the church was old, the people of the parish community were older... even the services had an older feel, heck they still rang the bell at communion, wasn't that practice out with Vatican II? But as I whined and moaned and attended services each week, St. Francis began to grow on me. Churches have a way of doing that. And the the priests came and went. The really old ones retired and, what's this? We got a young priest? And a really young priest, at least by priest standards... and I really liked him. And I got to know the people of the community and the old-school service grew on me and, what can I say? I kind of grew to like that bell! And while I was there we saw friends get married in that church and we had our daughter baptized in that church and we said goodbye to Michael's mother in that church and we saw our friends children get baptized, recieve their first holy communion and confirmation in that church. And, lo and behold, I became a part of that church and it became a part of me. Churches have a way of doing that. God has a way of doing that.

Where do we go from here? The simple answer is another church. It will likely be St. Rose, since this is where Camille attends school. Our church has merged with Mary Mother and St. Gregory's and the new home parish, who's name I can not recall, will be at Mary Mother. We can not afford to support 2 churches and since Mary Mother and St. Rose and equal in distance from our home (we could walk to St. Francis) we will likely end up at St. Rose.... and, I expect, again, it will be painful. But perhaps, with time, St. Rose will feel like home.

The really amazing moments...

I'm really happy about a lot of things right now...

• We have accomplished the impossible. It sounds like a contradiction, especially if you really believe that, with God, ALL things are possible, but China simply is not allowing people like us adopt again... but WE ARE ALLOWED! And this is a miracle! A true gift from God.


• Camille will have a baby brother. A sibling. For a long time I really thought Camille might be an only child. While I was willing to accept this, as I will accept God's plan for her, it made me kind of sad. I think siblings add dimension to our lives.


• Camille's sibling will share her same nationality. He will also be Chinese. Is this important? Maybe, maybe not. In blended families like ours, it may not be so important, but it can be something special that they can share, like being adopted.

We love you, Jon Paul, and we can't wait to have you home. Your big sister keeps a photo of you under her pillow :)

New Photos

Because Jon Paul is in a foster home with folks from America and his "foster grandmother" lives here in Florida, we have an advantage. We have contact! :) I have even been able to speak to her on the phone on several occasions. It's wonderful! And we get LOTS of photos! Here's some newer photos of our little guy taken as recently as last week. We think red may be his color!

Oh Happy Day!

I have been dying to post this, but didn't want to until we received our pre-approval from China. Today was the day we received our pre-approval. Meet our new little guy, Jonathan Paul Kuang, or simply Jon Paul.

He resides in a really terrific foster home in Fujian province in China. Yes, as you can see he is blind in his right eye. He may have some level of visual impairment in his left eye as well, we're just not sure yet and we won't know for sure until we get him home. Isn't he about the cutest thing?! We are all very excited, especially Camille who is THRILLED to be a big sister! God is great and miracles do happen!

Why Adoption?

This is a question I get asked quite often. Why did you adopt? Can't you have your "own children"? (I consider Camille my own child... and any future children that God allows us to adopt will be considered the same, but I also understand the statement coming from an under-informed mind). There are many reasons. I think one statement sums it up best.
Love is an action word.
Please visit this blog and you'll understand what I mean:
http://www.storinguptreasures.com/2010/01/love-is-action-word.html

Where Have All The Churches Gone?

Where Have All The Churches Gone? by Father Joseph Jenkins

Bill and Susan are both baptized Catholics. But they rarely went to Mass. You might see them in the pews at Christmas and Easter, but that is about it. One Easter they came to Mass and had the surprise of their lives. The parking lot was empty. Going up to the church doors, they discovered that everything was locked. Confused, they almost decided just go home but it was Easter so they drove a little further to another church. Again, they were shocked. There was no one there, either. Now the mystery was intriguing them. What had happened? Had there been a revolution and the churches forcibly closed? Were the Protestants right and all the good Christians taken away by the rapture? They traveled outside of town to a third church. Here they found cars but services were ending. Although they had missed Mass, they entered the church for a quick visit and to find reassurance that nothing else had suddenly changed. Everything appeared to be in place, although the congregation seemed a bit small from the celebrations remembered in the past. They saw the priest and approached him with their puzzlement.
Susan spoke first, “Father, we are sorry about missing Mass but we had trouble finding an open church.”
Father Flynn responded, “I take it that you are new to the area. We would love to have you register here. We can always use new members.”
“No Father,” said Susan, “we have lived here all our lives. We were married at St. Margaret’s.”
“Oh my,” responded the priest, looking somewhat disturbed and maybe upset.
Bill entered the conversation, “We went to St. Margaret’s this morning and finding no one there went over to Holy Spirit. Both places were empty.”
“Yes,” lamented the priest, “I guess you both feel inconvenienced.”
“It certainly ruined Easter, what is going on Father?” asked Susan.
“You won’t like my answer. It might even make you angry,” added the priest.
The priest motioned for them to sit in a pew next to him.
“What is it, Father?” asked Bill.
“I will tell you,” said the priest, “it is your fault.”
Taken aback by the answer, they immediately insisted that he explain.
“You and so many people like you, killed St. Margaret, Holy Spirit, and almost a hundred other churches in the diocese. You want the church for a wedding, as if the building is only a decoration on a cake. You might ask for a baby’s baptism, when grandparents nag you. But then we have trouble finding a godparent who is not in mortal sin. Everyone who comes is a stranger. No one is practicing his or her faith. You come to Mass a couple times a year, throw a few dollars in the basket and expect the church to still be here waiting for you when you feel like coming back. Some only come to church twice in a lifetime, the day of baptism and the day of final repose. You did not know about those churches because they were not a part of your life. You did not support your parish through donations. You did not add to the parish life by your participation at Mass and in the various volunteer opportunities. You did not have children or if you did, you did not encourage vocations. How did you expect us to keep the churches open when we have no priests and empty pews? You broke the hearts of your priests who gave up the possibility of spouse and children to take care of the family of God. Priests weep over their people who neglect Confession and the Mass. Priests yearn to forgive your sins. You became comfortable with sin and made excuses. You said by your neglect that our sacrifices did not matter. Some of you were even vocal in arguing for married priests and condemning all celibate men as deviates and predators. In essence, your dissent and absence told the priests that we were wasting our time. Worse of all, you were saying that you did not need the Church. You forced God to the periphery of your lives, if he was there at all. The churches closed were wonderful places once. God lived in those houses and in the hearts and souls of the people. But when you stopped coming, things began to run down. Where there were once three priests, now there was one. Eventually even that one was shared between parishes. Many young people stopped coming. The congregations got older. The average parishioner age at Holy Spirit was around eighty! God called the faithful remnant home. Grandparents tried to give the faith to their grandchildren, but sometimes with opposition from their own children. They suffered terrible guilt. What had they done wrong? Why did their children stray? Bills started to grow and resources were strained. The new Bishop had to take action. Critics hated him and spouted condemnations when he closed beautiful old churches. Many of these same voices were those of fallen-away Catholics. They still had sentiment about their childhood parishes, but nothing of a deeper or lasting value. Catholics today are twice as populous as in the old days, but less than 20 to 15% go to weekly Mass. Back in 1960, that figure was 90 to 95%. Our schools are dying and increasing expensive. Our churches are relegated to the status of museums instead of as places of worship and community life. You did not pray— you did not pay— and now you are upset that the churches did not stay. We are drowning in a sea of hypocrisy. A housing developer will be bull-dozing Holy Spirit within the month. Who knows what shall become of St. Margaret Catholic Church? There is talk that a Baptist group might buy it. Some of the churches have become condominiums with the guts torn out. What the enemies of the Church could not do, we have done to ourselves.”
The couple was silent. The priest reached into his pocket and pulled out a broken piece or marble or plaster made out as marble.
“See this,” said the priest, “this is a fragment from the altar at Holy Spirit. I was pastor there. On the morning I came by to pay my final respects, demolition men were hacking the altar to pieces. It was on that altar that bread and wine became the body and blood of Jesus. It was from that altar that the faithful received the bread of life and the cup of eternal salvation. I did everything I could think of to save the church. I went door-to-door in an attempt at outreach. But there was a bigger Catholic church down the road and we had no school. Even they were struggling. Most people of faith in the area were Protestants. Others spurned all religion. Many Catholics had moved away and those who remained did not come, except for my small faithful remnant. I buried most of them.”
Staring straight into the faces of the couple, he lamented, “I cried and cried after seeing that altar destroyed. Here, take this,” offering the altar fragment.
“It means too much to you Father, no, we couldn’t take that,” returned Bill.
Not taking no for an answer, the priest forced the fragment into his hand, and said, “It is okay, I really want you to have it. You are right, it meant a lot to me, but it is my hope that someday it might come to mean something to you and your wife.”

I Heart Faces - Bundled Up!

I am not a professional photographer, and I know this photo has lots of imperfections, but I love it anyway and I think it really captures the spirit of this week's I Heart Faces theme... BUNDLED UP!

To see more terrific entries, click the camera below...

Catholic "Weird Al"

I know we're already way into Lent, but I recently found this and I thought it was great. Inspired by today's fish sandwich for lunch, just thought I would share!

Adoption Tax Credit - Families Need Your Help!

Many people need your help to encourage your Senators and Representatives to support making the adoption tax credit permanent.
As it stands now, the tax credit put in place in 2001 will expire in December 2010. If an adoption finalizes in 2010, the tax credit will still be in effect. However, as the law states, after December 2010, the adoption credit will be reduced to $5,000 - $6,000.
Adoption costs can exceed $20,000 and can be up to $45,000 - $50,000, depending on the type of adoption and country of choice for each family. Right now the credit is $12,150 with limitations based upon salary. It would be a tragedy for a family not to grow through adoption due to financial hardship from this tax credit not being permanent.
So could I ask that anyone who has been touched by adoption to take a minute to help? We need people to write to their Representatives and Senate to ask them to co-sponsor the bill that will make this credit permanent. Here is a step-by-step guide of how to help:

1. Start by contacting your Representatives first, then contact Senators. Find the name and Washington, D.C. mailing address of your Representatives and Senators at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd . For New Jersey, your Senators and Representatives can be found here. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=NJ

2. To find the status of the bill currently, it can be found at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-213
Verify if your Congresspersons are already co-sponsors of the legislation. (For anyone in NJ – only one of the thirteen Representatives is co-sponsoring, so write and spread the word to others to write!)

3. If your representatives have not signed on as co-sponsors of the bill, send them your request that they do so. Tell them how important the tax credit was to you when you adopted your children, or how much you and other families you know are counting on it to be available in the future. Emphasize that the tax credit truly results in more children finding homes. Tell them that this is so important to you that you will be following the bill’s progress through Congress.

4. Family Photo: While e-mails are valuable, but there isn’t a picture. A written note with a picture of your family or your children will be most effective. When writing, it is recommended to be personal, short, targeted and informative.

5. If any of your Congresspersons are already co-sponsors, write them a thank-you note. Again, letters sent by snail-mail with photos of your children will receive more attention.

6. Send this to family and friends, so they can make contact with their Congress.

Busy, busy, busy!

It's March and we're up to our eyeballs in projects! Mike and I are having the kitchen remodeled and new siding put on the house. I may have mentioned that before. We've spent the last several weeks interviewing contrators and finally found one we like. He's sent me some preliminary plans, and I like what I see so far. I'm encouraged. We should be closing on the refinance in the next week, so once that's done and we've finalized the plans, we can begin ordering cabinets! Fun! We're also working on another very special project that we haven't gone public with yet, but it's a biggie! Stay tuned for that announcement :)

Finally, I never thought I'd see the day, Mike actually made an application with the Seeing Eye! I am so proud of him! I hope he's able to go and obtain his first guide dog this fall! I think it would be wonderful for him!

JOSEPH Update

WOAH...

She got the part.

Jr. Israealite.

I can't believe it. I really can't. Not when all those kids tried out. And I am SO PROUD!

Lent

Prayer, fasting and almsgiving

The three traditional pillars of Lenten observance are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The key to renewed appropriationof these practices is to see their link to baptismal renewal.
Prayer: More time given to prayer during Lent should draw us closer to the Lord. We might pray especially for the grace to live out our baptismal promises more fully. We might pray for the elect who will be baptized at Easter and support their conversion journey by our prayer. We might pray for all those who will celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation with us during Lent that they will be truly renewed in their baptismal commitment.
Fasting: Fasting is one of the most ancient practices linked to Lent. In fact, the paschal fast predates Lent as we know it. The early Church fasted intensely for two days before the celebration of the Easter Vigil. This fast was later extended and became a 40-day period of fasting leading up to Easter. Vatican II called us to renew the observance of the ancient paschal fast: "...let the paschal fast be kept sacred. Let it be celebrated everywhere on Good Friday and, where possible, prolonged throughout Holy Saturday, so that the joys of the Sunday of the Resurrection may be attained with uplifted and clear mind" (Liturgy, # 110).
Fasting is more than a means of developing self-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind us of our hunger for God. The first reading on the Friday after Ash Wednesday points out another important dimensionof fasting. The prophet Isaiah insists that fasting without changing our behavior is not pleasing to God. "This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own" (Is 58:6-7).
Fasting should be linked to our concern for those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from theinjustices of our economic and political structures, those whoare in need for any reason. Thus fasting, too, is linked to living out our baptismal promises. By our Baptism, we are chargedwith the responsibility of showing Christ's love to the world, especially to those in need. Fasting can help us realize the suffering that so many people in our world experience every day, and it should lead us to greater efforts to alleviate that suffering.
Abstaining from meat traditionally also linked us to the poor, who could seldom afford meat for their meals. It can do the same today if we remember the purpose of abstinence and embrace it as a spiritual link to those whose diets are sparse and simple. That should be the goal we set for ourselves—a sparse and simple meal. Avoiding meat while eating lobster misses the whole point!
Almsgiving: It should be obvious at this point that almsgiving, the third traditional pillar, is linked to our baptismal commitment in the same way. It is a sign of our care for those in need and an expression of our gratitude for all that God has given to us. Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral elements of the Christian way of life we began when we were baptized.

i heart faces - Dance!

This was a very rare occurance when I caught my then 3-year-old daughter dancing as if no one was watching... priceless!

Happy Chinese New Year

Camille did this drawing for Chinese New Year. Today is the first day of Chinese New Year. It's the year of the Tiger. I think the drawing is really terrific! Happy New Year everyone!

100 Days of School

Today would have been Camille's 100th day of school. There would have been a celebration at school. We made a project over the weekend and turned it in on Monday. There would have been special activities, however, due to the record breaking snow storm we had yesterday, that dumped another 20" of snow on us, the second blizzard in last 4 days and the third huge storm of this winter which brings our total snow accumulation to well OVER 70" (with another storm predicted for this coming Monday) Camille is home and she is missing the 100th day of school.

If school re-opens tomorrow, and we hope it will, the class will have their Valentine's day celebration, since Valentine's day falls on a Sunday this year. I hope they will still take time to talk about the 100th day of school, but it won't be the same... since we've all spent it snowed in. :(

Follow-up on "Joseph" Auditions

It was a mad house. 96 children auditioned for parts in the musical... that's 1/4 of the school's student population! Incredible! As a brand new parent, I was certainly not prepared for that kind of turn out. I had been told the musical is a "big deal" at the school, but this is a parochial school, not a school for the arts, so I just didn't understand the magnitude. There were 2 parts to the audition. In groups of 5 they took the kindergarteners, first graders and second graders off to sing. We were not allowed to watch the singing auditions. Then the singers came back and they practiced the dancing portion. Once they ran through the dance a few times without music, the did it a few times with music before the director came out to see them all dance. We were allowed to watch the dancing part of the auditions and, from what I could see, ALL the kids, were really great! Including down time, the audition took 2 hours, and Camille was in the first wave of kids to audition. I felt sorry for parents who had kids in separate waves. They were probably there all night.

So, I know the director can not take everyone. And I know she will take as many kids as she can fit on the stage. But based on what I saw at the auditions, I will be very surprised if Camille gets a part. She's very young, not a particularly great singer, and there was an awful lot of kids who had a lot of talent there that auditioned last night.

It's going to be a great musical, whether Camille participates, or spectates, we're very excited about it, either way.

Auditions Today!

Today is Camille's big audition for the St. Rose School musical. Since the school is kindergarten through eighth grade, the kindergartens are only eligible to audition for the part of "Junior Israelites" in the musical. The parts will be limited and "Junior Isrealites" are open to K-3rd, but Camille has been practicing the audition song "Any Dream Will Do" and the dance that goes along with it, so I think she has as good a shot as any.

The best thing about Camille is that she's never very upset when she aduditions and doesn't get a role. Maybe it's from the modeling and acting. Sometimes she lands a gig, sometimes she doesn't. She knows that's how things work. She tries her best and her attitude is usually, "That's okay, we'll get it next time!" I've been telling her that since she was very little. So we'll see how things go today and if, she gets a part, we'll be happy, and if she doesn't, we'll try again next year. We've already signed her up for re-enrollment at St. Rose.

Dancing With God

Dancing With God

When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance . When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i". "God, "u" and "i" dance." God, you, and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead. My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday. May you abide in God, as God abides in you. Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life. This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached If God has done anything for you in your life, please share this message with someone else. There is no cost but a lot of rewards; so let's continue to pray for one another.

And I Hope You Dance!