Hope for the future . . .

Email from my 9 year old son's school teacher:

Dear Parents,We don’t hear often enough the good things that happen in school. So, I want to share something that occurred on the playground today with your sons. During our morning recess, most of the boys were playing football. I was standing out in the field so I could see the girls on the playground equipment and the boys on the field. I was far enough away that the boys didn’t even notice I was watching, yet close enough that I could hear them. I am so proud of what I saw and heard that I have to share it with you. Every single boy that wanted to play was included. I heard words of encouragement such as “Nice try”, “Way to go”, “Oh that’s ok, maybe you’ll catch it next time”, “Let’s try it again!”, “Nice play”, “Hey guys, we’re just playing a fun, fair game!”, “Good job, you almost got it!”

We basically have one classroom rule – the C.A.R. rule. It stands for courtesy, acceptance, and respect. They definitely were “driving” their car responsibly today. Know that your child is living their faith. I told them how proud I was and gave them 20 marbles, perhaps you could give them an extra hug/ kiss, and an “I love you”!

Have a good evening,
Mrs. McKinnon

Christ is Alive
“If you don’t spend time in prayer, then you’ll never have peace.
You’ll be afraid of life.
Afraid of losing your job,
of losing your possessions,
of losing your loved ones,
of losing your own life.
And this anxiety will send you searching for relief, but you’ll look in all the wrong places.
Nothing in this world will take away that fear. Only Christ can.”
Fr. Tony Recker Easter Sunday Homily St. Joan of Arc Church 4/24/2011

Spaghetti Squash

I've made spaghetti Squash before and always treated it like spaghetti and eaten it with traditional sauce but I tried something a little different last night. It turned out awesome.
If you have never had it before, you have got to try it. Don't be miss led though, it is a vegetable and tastes like a vegetable - not like pasta at all! I roasted some last night and it was sweet, a little nutty but very good. I had it with some roasted pork and some baked sweet potato with fresh pineapple.

Oven heated to 375. First I halved the squash lengthwise, then scooped the seeds. Rubbed the inside with olive oil, salt, fresh ground pepper and some Emeril's seasoning. Placed them cut side down on a cookie sheet for an hour or until the outside gets a little browned. Out of the oven I used a large spoon to scoop the insides out carefully into a collander and then tossed them lightly with some forks, re-season as needed. Let sit for a 4-5 minutes to let some excess moisture drain and then enjoy.

Acceptance

From Sunday mass:
We are familiar with being "narrow minded" but are you aware of being "narrow hearted?" This serious ailment is the inability to accept another person who does not measure up to our criteria. This ailment is fatal in a family because it prevents individual identity.

Father's Day 2010

We are in the middle of fishing at a friends pond and I scan around to check on each of my boys about every 5 minutes. Jack and Derek are standing over the fish bucket, looking at the three bass we are taking home. I check out the other two boys and then cycle back to the little ones, because my dad spidey sense is tingling. Sure enough, the boys are laughing to themselves as they take turns pouring a little of their rootbeer into the bucket.

Derek sees me watching him. I raise an eyebrow and he kind of does the doo dee doo dee dooo, looks up at the sky and back at the fish like I really didn't catch them doing anything and he really didn't see me raise a brow. If he knew how to whistle he would. He of course has a small grin and slowly shifts around the bucket so his back is now to me. That little stinker. Derek is almost 3, Jack almost 2.

"Derek, Jack, knock it off, leave those fish alone. . . " Laughing they jog off to look for more mischief.

As much as they give me heartburn with their antics, I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Can I get a "Do-over" on that?

Personal accountability refers to a mindset where things do not happen in your life without your consent or influence, and you embrace your role in the way your life is shaped by taking control of and responsibility for your actions or inaction. This includes consequences you may face or recognition bestowed upon you.

Example: I want a particular thing to happen in my life which requires me to do certain actions and behaviors. If I do not do those actions or behaviors I should not expect the outcome I wanted and it is through my own behavior that this occurred. I can’t mope, get mad, cry, stomp my feet to make things happen any other way. It not only is not fair to others involved but it is not realistic to go through life that way.

How do you teach that to a teenager? Or a mother protective of her baby boy?

Something in the handshake

I had to run back to the office to do some paperwork and oddly enough my Pastor was sitting in the office waiting for a colleague. We greeted each other warmly and when he said how have you been, it was like he was using the force because time seemed to slow down and while I answered well - which was the truth as I did have a good weekend - my birthday on saturday - I still wanted to pour out my heart for some peace and comfort, not that it was heavily burdened but for some reason he was able to tap into that part of me with the genuiness of his greeting.

I would hope everyone in this world has the blessing to find some person in their life who can provide some spiritual comfort. Not necessarily because you might be lost and hurting, because perfectly happy, well adjusted people deserve this as well . . . . it feels good in the soul.

Back to work . . . with a smile on my heart