Feeding Frenzy

I was out walking our dogs this morning... it was a bit foggy with the sun trying to peak through. The air was filled with birdsong, and I could see them diving down from the sky to our bird feeders. They were in a frenzy.. eating like crazy.

Looking out our kitchen window, I could see some sort of wren foraging on the ground looking for food. All of this makes me think that we are going to get a significant snowfall this weekend. Time will tell as to what Mother Nature has in store for us! I do know that I'm going to need to get more bird-cakes and suet. I'm reminded of one of my favorite poems:

All Things Bright and Beautiful
by Cecil Frances Alexander

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset, and the morning,
That brightens up the sky;

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.

And in closing, I can't help but think of the lyrics from a song from one of my favorite movies, "Mary Poppins", called "Feed The Birds"! Click here to see a Video Clip! As far as the impending weather, stay tuned!

The Manning Family "gets it"... Family FIRST!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not into Sports. I have always enjoyed Auto Racing... have attended several runnings of the Indianapolis 500. In addition to auto racing, I've attended several Cincinnat Reds games, a few Ohio State Football games and a handful of UD Flyer Basketball games. I also attended several high school football and basketball games "in the day". That said, for some reason, I've really gotten into the NFL this year. I have long admired the Indianapolis Colts, predominantly because of Peyton Manning.

As far as I can tell, Peyton Manning is a true "good guy".... a "what you see is what you get kind of guy". He doesn't show up in the tabloids, he is involved in many philanthropic activities. He gives back. His family roots have always been important. I have enjoyed the camrarderie between his younger brother Eli, also a pro football player. I've enjoyed seening them support each other... being there when the other had a big game (supporting each other in their recent Superbowl Victories for example).

And Eli was there again lastnight, when Peyton lead the Indianapolis Colts to win the AFC Championship. In fact, the entire family was there. The Manning Family's history with the NFL did not begin with Peyton or with Eli. Rather, it began with their Father, Archie, who played for 16 years with the New Orleans Saints. This is ironic, because the Colts, will play the Saints in the upcoming superbowl. And people have speculated who Archie would root for- his old team or his own son.

And others felt that Eli should root for the NY Jets rather than the Colts. Because, afterall, the Jets are from New York... and Eli plays for the other New York team, the New York Giants.

And those who are wondering really don't get what family is all about!!! But the Manning family does get it! Of course they do for they have always exemplified the ideal Family. Family comes first for the Mannings. No matter what! God Bless them, and I hope that people can learn something from the expample the set.

Click here to read story

Pope Pius XII - overdue praise

I tuned into the Michael Savage show on the way home.... and was surprised to hear him talking about the Vatican's involvement during the holocaust.

In recent history, it's been a common suggestion that Pope Pius XII did not do enough to help the Jews plight.

However, the link below demonstrates that this was not the case! On the contrary, the Vatican and Pope Pius did quite a lot. Here are some of the notable quotes on this page (link below):

"Only the Church protested against the Hitlerian onslaught on liberty. Up till then I had not been interested in the Church, but today I feel a great admiration for the Church, which alone has had the courage to struggle for spiritual truth and moral liberty."
-Albert Einstein in Time Magazine 1940, quoted in Three Popes and the Jews by Pinchas E. Lapide (New York: Hawthorn, 1967), p. 251.

"The people of Israel will never forget what His Holiness and his illustrious delegates, inspired by the eternal principles of religion, which form the very foundation of true civilization, are doing for our unfortunate brothers and sisters in the most tragic hour of our history, which is living proof of Divine Providence in this world."
-Rabbi Isaac Herzog, chief rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine, March 1945.

"The Church and the papacy have saved Jews as much and in as far as they could save Christians.... Six million of my co-religionists have been murdered by the Nazis, but there could have been many more victims, had it not been for the efficacious intervention of Pius XII."
-Dr. Raphael Cantoni, director of the Italian Jewish Assistance Committee, American Jewish Yearbook 1944-1945, 233.

"We share in the grief of humanity at the passing away of His Holiness Pope Pius XII. In a generation affected by wars and discords, he upheld the highest ideals of peace and compassion. When fearful martyrdom came to our people in the decade of Nazi terror, the voice of the Pope was raised for the victims. The life of our times was enriched by a voice speaking out on the great moral truths above the tumult of daily conflict. We mourn a great servant of peace."
-Golda Meir, Israeli Prime Minister, message of condolence to the Vatican, sent 1958

Click here to view Michael Savage's webpage: Praise For The Holy Father, Pope Pius XII

Time FLIES

Well, I realize that I am quite delinquent in posting here. My last blog was in regards to the importance of Thanksgiving! I have skipped over holidays completely and we're almost three weeks into 2010. So belated New Years Greetings to one and all. Thanksgiving came and went. It was spent with family and friends, and we had a good time. Our van decided to "give up the ghost" and I now have a "new" Subaru Forester. I'm tickled with it. We could just have done with out a 2nd car payment, but in the scheme of things, we're blessed to be able to afford it at all!

Christmas was insanely busy. Our only decorations this year were two Nativity Scenes... one outdoors and one in our den. I didn't miss the tree. I loved looking at the Holy Family. It was nice to focus on the true reason for the season, when everything else is so secular. One of the highlights of the holidays was spending time with Family and Friends. Many of my cousins were in town from Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta and even Connecticut. We attended a beautiful Midnight Mass at Holy Trinity, which is a gorgeous old church in downtown Dayton.

New Years Eve was spent with our very good friends at their home. Life continues to move on. I've found a great group of Catholic Women on Facebook, and I'm going to join them in reading "The Imitation of Christ" by Thomas a Kempis. I mention this here because I will be sharing some of my thoughts here as I read this amazing book.

So that, in a nutshell brings this blog up to date! At least for now, as time really does fly!

What About Thanksgiving?!?!?!?

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth by Brownscombe


For those of us living in the states, the Holiday season seems to begin with Halloween, which, as most know, falls at the end of October. Halloween has always been one of my favorite times of year, and it seems that it is popular with many others as well. In fact, Halloween has become big business.

The next holiday is Veterans Day, and there is a healthy focus on that, and rightly so. Following Veterans day is "Thanksgiving" which is perhaps my most favorite holiday. And then, on the day after Thanksgiving, we celebrate the beginning of the "Christmas Holidays" with "Black Friday, the unofficial beginning of the "commercial" Christmas Holidays.

Last week, Halloween decorations were every where. This week, people have taken them down and are slowly replacing them with Christmas decorations. I was driving through downtown Fairborn, Ohio this morning, and wreaths are adorning the lampposts on Main Street and the City Christmas tree was being placed in it's traditional place. And it's only the 7th of November! On Facebook, many of the Halloween related "apps" have been replaced by Christmas related "apps". One even went as far to say: "first there's Halloween, then there's Christmas"! Flabbergasted and annoyed, I kept thinking: WHAT ABOUT THANKSGIVING?????

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday! It's the time of year when we gather together to give Thanks for our blessings. There is historical significance to this Holiday. In the United States, the First Thanksgiving was celebrated in the Autumn of 1621 by the surviving pilgrims who were celebrating their successful harvest. Thanksgiving was considered a religious holiday, where people gathered to worship and give thanks to God for their blessings. Over time there is less emphasis on the religious aspect of the Holiday. Yet it is still a time where families gather together around a table and share a meal. The focus is on the meal, and on the fellowship with family. Some families have small gatherings and others have large gatherings.

Personally, we have two Thanksgivings. I love this day. I love being with Family, and sharing a meal. I love gathering around the table and telling stories and sharing news. I love being with people who are dear to me. And I love the fact that there is know emphasis on gifts. Our Gatherings are about being together with loved ones. And that is precious. And since becoming Catholic, I love going to church for Thanksgiving.. be cause "it is right to give Thanks and Praise"!!!!

This brings me to the point of this blog. During this month of November, my focus is going to be on Thanksgiving, and giving thanks for things that matter to me.

Today, I would like to give thanks to God for my loved ones. I'd like to give Thanks for the glorious day I've had.. for the wonderful visit with my Uncle, who came to visit all the way from Arizona. I'd like to give Thanks for the wonderful visit with my Mother. I'd like to give Thanks for the awesome tour we had of the Wright Brother's Home. What a treat that ways... I lived in the same neighborhood as this house when I was growing up, and I've always wanted to see it.

In closing... I'd like to encourage anyone reading this to stop and think about the blessings in their lives... and to stop and take time to "Give Thanks" for them.

God Bless....

Come, Creator, Spirit

I adore this prayer and just wanted to share. Click on the graphic to see it more clearly. God Bless.....

Snapshot: The missing keys

Keeping keys in a place where I can find them is not one of my strong suits. I am notorious for losing keys, and when I travel, I carry at least two extra sets "just in case"! I go through periods of extraordinary diligence, where I dutifully take my keys and put them in my purse. House keys, car keys.... and work keys fill my purse. I do not worry so much about my house and car keys because Russell always has a set, and we have extras at home. My "work" keys are another matter.

Tuesday morning found me standing outside my office door rifling through my purse. No keys. So I went across the hall, where I know there is a spare... but everyone was tied up behind closed doors. At this point I decided that rather than calling public safety, I'd run across to the student union and grab some breakfast, hoping that when I returned I'd be able to find someone with a key.

This plan didn't quite work out, but I was able to find someone to let me in. I looked high and low in my office... and could not find my keys. I was a bit perplexed but this soon slipped my mind as I got on with the business of the day. Later in the evening, I started looking at home. I checked every conceivable place I could think of, but did not find any keys. I was getting quite concerned, because the task of getting replacement keys is daunting to say the least.

And then, as I was getting ready for bed, I stopped and said a prayer to St. Anthony. I prayed that he helped me find my keys as they were quite important. And no sooner had I said Amen, when I suddenly had a very strong urge to go out to our truck. I went outside... it was about 1:00 a.m. and opened the back passenger door. I had looked here once before, but suddenly "I JUST KNEW" that they were there. And sure enough, upon checking the pocket of my rain jacket, I found them!

I then profusely gave thanks to Saint Anthony for his help. Never ever underestimate St. Anthony. I've heard story upon story about him helping people find the most amazing thing, or helping them to find there way out of something that was seemingly impossible.

So once again, I'd like to give my thanks and praise to St. Anthony, for all of his help during my lifetime.