Game On

Well, I couldn't resist taking my girls down into the big city today to see the most influential woman in American politics today. It was so cool. Sarah's speech was historic, and it was fun to feel like a part of the incredible things that are going on in our state and in our country these days. Wisconsin is certainly the place to be!

We had a great time standing in the sleet and snow for a few hours, watching the crowds and checking out all the protest signs!

My friend's daughter sang the opening national anthem, and she was amazing.

Since we got there early, we were right up front next to the press' camera stand, and MRD was able to sneak up onto the platform and snap a few great pics of Sarah!



What a blustery day--and I bet the girls will never forget it, even if their most vivid memory is how cold their toes were!!



(Meanwhile, the 4 men in our family were--you guessed it--at a basketball tournament.)

On Wisconsin

We're living history here in our state this week. It's pretty exciting I tell you. First the Packers win the Superbowl, and now our new governor is taking on the public sector unions. The ginormous demonstrations and counter-demonstrations down at the Capitol are big news. It's quite cool, actually, that Americans are exercising their right to free speech in such a powerful and peaceful way. All this free speech has been going on for almost a week now, with no sign of stopping!
Here at Chez D., we support the governor's attempt to look out for the taxpayers by responsibly managing the state's budget. Of course, we also love public school teachers, and we wish they weren't victims of the powerful labor unions.

But to me, the real story of the weekend was Sunday's Gospel reading. It was perfect. Of course. In the midst of all this local turmoil, here is the word of God for this week:

"You have heard that it was said, `An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil...

"But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well...

"And if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you...

"You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust...

"For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?...

"You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

~ Matthew 5: 38 - 48

God is so good!

Solving World Hunger

"If the best current knowledge were employed, enough food to feed the our billion people could be grown in the southern half of Sudan! It is only the Western bias, the idea spread throughout the world that one must eat white grain and drink soda pop to be "civilized," that is responsible for the suffering of the millions of starving people in the world. It is a myth that there is not enough to go around, that there is no way the Earth can support its exploding population. The truth is that most of the world's food resources are controlled by a handful of greedy men, who deny people the right to grow food for themselves but try to sell them Western-produced junk instead. [Some experts] estimate that if all the arable land on earth were used properly and sowed with foods for human consumption, the Earth could support 60 billion people--almost fifteen times our current population! But it is true that there is no way we can feed the world population on Whoppers and Cheez-Wiz, let along nourish it."

~ Paul Stitt Fighting the Food Giants via Nourishing Traditions

Healthcare Reflections

The weekend in 2007 before I discovered that my sweet baby Margaret, at age 18 weeks gestation, no longer had a heartbeat, I knew something was wrong. It wasn't so much that I could feel anything physically; I just had a feeling. Most of all, when I said a prayer to the baby's Guardian Angel, I knew the answer: "She's already gone." I can't describe how I knew it, but in the doctor's office a few days later, it just wasn't a complete surprise to find out that she was gone.

This past Thursday evening, I had a similar experience while attending a beautiful Holy Mass that was especially being said for the abomination of a so-called "healthcare" bill that is currently Congress' hot topic. The priest pointed out that it will essentially make abortion free, which will expand the number of abortions in our country like nothing since Roe v. Wade. Already we have a generation of Americans who think killing an unborn child for just about any reason is a valid "choice;" now our federal budget would help pay for the slaughters.

Sitting there in the holy, beautiful old church, with rich Latin hymns being offered by a talented men's choir, candles, statues of the saints, my fellow Christians, and, of course, the precious presence of Our Lord, I had the feeling that my prayers were being answered with the same answer I felt from that Guardian Angel: "No, my child, my ways are not your ways. Trust me."

For my dear blog readers who think that means that this healthcare bill is actually good for our country, um, that's not what I mean. I mean that God is at it again, allowing evil from which He will bring great good, in the way that He does so perfectly. Could it be an accident that all of this is happening right before Easter?

Sometimes I have this crazy fear that we really are getting close to the drama of the end times. Maybe we are. But I am thankful for this time in America. I am thankful for this time in which the epic battle between Good and Evil feels so vivid, and I can feel so clearly my connection to the parts of history when that battle has openly raged. Is our time really any more dramatic than first-century Rome, fourth-century North Africa, sixteenth-century England, eighteenth-century France, nineteenth-century Mexico, twentieth-century Russia, or any other age? Hardly. The battle rages on, I suppose.

At Mass on Thursday night I felt a close connection to the horror that Christ's followers must have felt at the foot of the Cross. In fighting against the evil of abortion in our time, we are blessed to share in the sorrows of Jesus' early followers at Calvary, as we watch in dismay as evil seems to triumph. It won't, of course, regardless of what happens on Capitol Hill this weekend.

"I have come to love the darkness. – For I believe now that it is a part, a very, very small part of Jesus’ darkness & pain on earth. You have taught me to accept it [as] a “spiritual side of ‘your work’” as you wrote. – Today really I felt a deep joy – that Jesus can’t go anymore through the agony – but that He wants to go through it in me. – More than ever I surrender myself to Him. – Yes – more than ever I will be at His disposal."

~ Mother Theresa, in a letter to her spiritual director, 1961

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

~ 1 Thessalonians 16-18

Still Waiting for My Ice Cream!

Thanks to Ang for forwarding this funny civics lesson!

From a third-grade teacher in the Nashville area...

The presidential election was heating up and some of the children showed an interest. I decided we would have an election for a class president. We would choose our nominees. They would make a campaign speech and the class would vote. To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members. We discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have.

We got many nominations and from those, Jamie and Olivia were picked to run for the top spot. The class had done a great job in their selections. Both candidates were good kids. I thought Jamie might have an advantage because he got lots of parental support. I had never seen Olivia's mother. The day arrived when they were to make their speeches.

Jamie went first. He had specific ideas about how to make our class a better place. He ended by promising to do his very best. Everyone applauded and he sat down.

Now it was Olivia's turn to speak. Her speech was concise. She said, "If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream."

She sat down. The class went wild. "Yes! Yes! We want ice cream. "She surely would say more. She did not have to. A discussion followed:

How did she plan to pay for the ice cream? She wasn't sure.

Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it. She didn't know.

The class really didn't care. All they were thinking about was ice cream.

Jamie was forgotten.

Olivia won by a landslide.

Sound familiar? :)

Obama's Catholic Plan

In general, I'm trying to keep this blog away from politics. But I thought this was fascinating. And if you haven't read the awesome novel Father Elijah, please do and let's talk!!