"Do not yield to discouragement in the face of difficulties and do not abandon yourselves to false solutions which often seem the easiest way to overcome problems. Do not be afraid to make a commitment, to face hard work and sacrifice, to choose the paths that demand fidelity and constancy, humility and dedication. Be confident in your youth and its profound desires for happiness, truth, beauty and genuine love! Live fully this time in your life so rich and so full of enthusiasm."
"Let us look with greater hope to the future; let us encourage one another on our journey."
~ Papa Benedict XVI

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Bubbles


Last night someone I love dearly and highly respect said something that made me very sad.  He didn't actually say it, I guess, but it was implied. He implied I live in a self-made bubble.  And he basically stated that because of who I am and the bubble I live in I should not participate in something as my contribution and sharing of it later would not reach the 'right audience.'  You know, a diverse community.  The reality is that my personal bubble is not self-made but life directed.  He lives in a bubble too; his is just different than mine.
We both grew up in a family where our parents (I think unknowingly, but because of who they are and the life we lived) raised us to appreciate all people. We were raised to be kind and considerate, attentive and thoughtful no matter your skin color, religion, social status, capability, etc.  That's one of the many qualities I love about my siblings. And my husband and I try to raise our children in the same way.

Thing is, you can only dictate your bubble so much.  Where you choose to live, where you choose to go to school, whether or not you choose to believe in anything beyond your self is your choice sometimes but not always. And even when you make specific choices other people make their own choices too, which can affect you, like it or not.  This young man lives in Brooklyn, New York.  I live in rural North Carolina.  Our lives are infinitely different just because of that one fact.  Did I choose to live here? No. But I do.  Choices my husband and I made, as well as ones made for us, brought us here and we have stayed, and we don't regret it.  That does not mean everything has been rainbows and butterflies, it just means my bubble is different than his.

I am not hidden away from humanity as he seems to believe.  I come across all kinds of people that you would typically find in rural, suburban, and city communities in North Carolina.  Just because the neighbor who moved in next door 'looks to be just like me' does not mean that they are, or that it matters.

And here I will say some things that will cause people to tell me I have no clue and I'm privileged, white, crazy but I don't care.  I'm tired of the stupidity.  In the south my family is the minority.  Sometime you can actually see it but usually you can't. There are so many more aspects to humans than color of your skin, things that go far deeper than what you see.  We are Catholic (strike one in the south), we homeschool (a strike but growing community), and we are of European decent (amazing, I know, who would have guessed that's a strike? me).  There is more, but I won't bore you. What you see when you look at my family is white, privileged. That's not reality.
The last neighborhood we lived in the neighborhood kids would not play with our kids unless the children across the street said to. Our skin was the wrong color. Why did we move?  Because rent got raised too high for us to afford.
I worked for 3 years as a Youth Ministrer in a local parish. I got yelled at, in a room full of adults and teens, claiming I was stealing their children's faith.  Why? Because my skin was the wrong color and I did not speak the correct language. Why did I leave that job? Not because of the numerous times my friend (and I should not have to mention but will, who has different skin color and speaks a different language) has found me crying or on the verge of tears in my office because people can't seem to understand that it's ok for us to be one community.  Why is it hard to believe all our kids can do things together, get to know each other, and be friends? Why can't parents understand that their child and their family are important to me and I care and I work hard specifically for them and all the families who I come across? Because I am white. Because I am American.  I left because of the staff.
I have been scared away from a church, not because of what i was warned about but the people who felt they needed to warn me. I have gotten kicked out of a co-op because I insisted on truth and honesty. I almost got kicked out of a homeschool group (a priest saved my skin) because ...honestly I have no idea why i was black balled but now I am avoided.  All I want is honest discussion and people treated with respect and care.

The point of all this? If I want to try something that is meant to be shared with a larger community that may or may not fit my regular stomping ground who are you to say I shouldn't or can't.  We are where we are meant to be (a topic for another day). I don't push my faith on people, I live my faith. I talk to and teach people because they want to talk with me and because they want to learn what I'm teaching.  And just because my community is very different and not diverse enough for someone else's politically correct ideals does not mean that I am not reaching the exact people I am meant to be reaching.  All people deserve to learn. No matter who they are or where they live.

We are all fearfully and wonderfully made.  We should all be treated with respect and love. No matter the color of your skin or the language you speak.  No matter the faith you have or the faith you lack. No matter what.

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Funny side note - This morning I told my 11 year old daughter that she "could do it", that she's "a strong, capable woman."  Her reply? She's not a woman. I told her she would be, some day. She never questioned the strong, capable part. I love my kids.

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

All Saints' Day - The Matching Game


Got your Saints? Picked some games?  Maybe you already have some ideas!  Sometimes a game will automatically point you to a saint or two.  Fishing of some sort matches well with several apostles. Tossing something pairs well with Saint Nicholas. But what about some of these other games?  And all those saints!
I suggest you start with what each saint you picked is the patron saint of.  Or look at the story of their life.

St. Therese promised a shower of roses from Heaven so many times you will find a toss the roses sort of game associated with her.  One year we painted 'roses' on clothes pins and the kids took turns tossing them into a large plastic biscotti container - It's what I had! Even nicer was that the container had a lid so after the party we could store the clothes pins in the container until we wanted to use them again. And we did use them again.  To play that game and for other uses too.  It's nice when something has multi uses and lasts for years.  We still have a few of those clothes pins floating around.

I will list some game options here and their possible saints.  I won't go into detail at this time though.  In the coming days I will run through a bunch of them more in-depth, but for now, here's a starter list:

Ambrose - Bounce the Bees
Andrew - Fishing for Men
Augustine of Hippo - Hungry, Hungry Humans 
Barbara - Mountain tunnels
Cecilia - Musical Chairs/cake walk
Christopher - carry baby Jesus balance beams
Communion of Saints - Photo Booth, Ring Toss, Hula Hoop Toss, Candy Jar Guessing Game
Felix - Spider Toss
Francis of Assisi - Toss the …. Animal
George - Punch the Dragon, Sword Practice, Dragon Piñata
Gianna - Knock out Disease
Isidore and Maria - Pumpkin Roll, Pumpkin Patch Balloon Pop, Pumpkin Pass, Pumpkin Piñata
John the Baptist - Holy Water bottle games
John Paul II - Back to Base
Juan Diego - Flower Toss, Pin the Rose on the Tilma
Kateri Tekakwitha - Yarn Cross
Lawrence - Comedy Corner, Fire Pit
Lucy - Bounce the (eye) Balls, Hide and Seek, Scavenger Hunt
Mary - Pin the Halo, Pin the Flowers
Nicholas - Toss the Coins
Padre Pio - Bi-location Seek and Find
Patrick - Toss the Coins, Snake Fling
Pier Giorgio Frassati - Ski ball
Sebastian - Arrow Throw 
Stephen - Stone Throw

Pin the Halo on Saint Kateri, 2012 (they were so little!)


Saturday, September 28, 2019

Flip Flops


Yesterday I was thinking about the Blog and realized not everyone is as excited about All Saints Day as I may be. If that is the unfortunate case, maybe I should also (not instead of) talk about others things right now too.  We will move on to other feast days and seasons after the All Saints Day planning but for now I hate to bore anyone.

I just finished up a 3 year run as the Youth Coordinator at our parish.  I LOVED that job. Maybe one day you'll find me back in a similar position, but for now I am very happy at home with my family, loving on them and living out my vocation as mother and wife.

The first time I ever taught in a Faith Formation/CCD/Religious Education classroom was 5 years ago. A beautiful bunch of rowdy 2nd graders preparing for 1st Communion. People warned me about the lack of knowledge among both the students and the parents.  Unfortunately they were correct. But the hope and joy of teaching young people the faith is what made me love it, even though I was saddened by the lack of education.

After spending 3 years working with Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers I found it to be the same as teaching in a 2nd grade classroom. But, the adults who stepped up to teach them all are amazingly wonderful people.  And the kids themselves teach us adults while they are learning from us.  These young people are our church. Not our future church but the here and now.  They are trying to find their way, understand the gift being passed onto them, all while navigating their teen years.  Not an easy thing. Some of them don't want to be there, some are unsure whether or not they want to be, and some know a lot and forget that we will never know it all and the only way to really grow in your faith is to dig deeper into it.   I think the adults sometimes fall into these same categories.

We are all called to serve, to share, and to love.  Through our Baptism and Confirmation we are called to pass on this faith of ours to the next generation ... to the world.

Do you help with your parish Faith Formation Program? Are you willing to take a step closer in fulfilling your commission? You were called to do just this thing.

Programs all over the world can use help.  Volunteers are in short supply in many places. Adults worry they don't know enough, they think the kids are bad, etc.  But there are so many ways you can help (lead a class, assist in a classroom, monitor the Hall, help with service projects, help with socials - good clean catholic fun).  None of us know it all and we are all on a journey that started at different times.  We are all in different places.  If you have even the tiniest pull to maybe, possibly help pass on the faith, please take time to look into it at your parish.
The job is worth every moment and not only will you be helping others to grow in their faith, you will grow in yours as well.

We are God's hands and feet on this earth.  I call it being God's Flip Flops.









All Saints Day - Shall We Play a Game?

I used to use the old stand by games.  Those games you scour the internet for and use year after year.  We find them on Catholic Blogs, websites, and the like and they are good when you're starting out. I will link some sites below for you to check out.  There are some great game ideas out there, especially if your little ones are all little. But, our kids have gotten older. Our guest lists have changed. So what's a mom to do?

Scour the internet, of course

There are sites for All Saints Day games, food, and costume ideas.  Use them as you get started but once you grow beyond the basics (or if you're adventurous right now) there are a plethora of games out there just waiting for an All Saints' Day make-over.  I headed to carnival games and party games and found a treasure trove of ideas to start with.  (No worries, we will get back to that saint list of yours tomorrow.)

For now, make a list of games that seem appropriate for the age group you're shooting for. You won't use them all, but it will give you options and future games.
Also, don't stray too far - yes, there are some good leads to other lists but follow at your own risk.  This is the internet... user beware.
Check out:

Sites that share All Saints Day ideas


Sites that offer game suggestions you'll need to work a little harder on


Tomorrow? Matching saints and games


Friday, September 27, 2019

All Saints Day - Pick a Saint, Any Saint

Hello!  It's been a long time but I am excited to be back and writing again. Our oldest daughter (now 17!) suggested I get back to writing and sharing some of my favorite things with the world, or at least our little corner of it.  

All Saints Day
It's one of my favorite things.
All Saints Day is a favorite in our house and has been for a very long time. I am not going to over load you with a long list in this one post, we are going to walk together through the planning and prep for this fabulous feast day and party over several weeks. We Catholics love a good party, especially if you can bring the joy of faith, family, and fun into it. Sometimes though, sometimes, it does take some extra planning.


Pick some Saints
Every year we go over the lists of Saints - those we know and those we find. I have organized a Martyrs walk these past couple of years at our parish in conjunction with the All Saints Day Party so we've had to look for lots of martyred saints.  We learn a lot about our friends the saints just in the planning process!



  • You want to put together a list of between 10 - 15 saints for games.  You may not end up using them all but it gives you a good number to choose from. The size of your party place will determine your final number of saint games.  
  • A long list of saints is also helpful for future years.  We try to rotate our saints through a 3 - 4 year rotation. 
  • Pick a variety of men and women, martyr and non-martyrs, ancient, modern, and in-betweens. 
  • Try to pick a few new ones each year as this should not only be fun but also be teaching us about our heavenly friends. 

That's it for now!  Go find those saints!  A list can sometimes be more challenging to make than we'd like to think.