Deogratias

The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation

Sin is before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with Him.  At the same time it damages communion with the Church.  For this reason conversion entails both God's forgiveness and reconciliation with the Church, which are expressed and accomplished litergically by the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.  CCC 1440

Here is the joyful face of one who has just received the above mentioned sacrament for the first time:

And below is a little celebration afterwards:

A Day of Prayer and Penance for Life

On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton legalized abortion in America.  The following guidelines are from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (no. 373):

In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23 when the 22nd falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life.   The Mass "For Peace and Justice" should be celebrated with violet vestments as an appropriate litergical observance for this day.

Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Atlanta are asked to join others across the country in performing works of penance, which may consist of any of the following:  Prayer, works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices.

Our family observed this day by attending the Mass for the Unborn at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, preceded by the Rosary for Life.  (The photo above was taken in the Shrine, and the information above was provided at the Mass.)  This was followed by a silent march through the streets of Atlanta. 

In his homily, Archbishop Gregory urged us all not to lose hope and to find solice in the fact that we are keeping this movement alive.  As always, it is wonderful to see the thousands of people who attend this event every year.  We have not forgotten the lives of those who were not given a chance to live.

Speaking of Muddy Shoes....

One of the most rewarding things so far about the building process is that

we all get to help out.  Everyone gets a chance to get muddy.

And if you get cold on the construction site you can just build a fire to keep warm.  Unfortunately I didn't get any shots of the fire from yesterday, but here are some that I got. 

Check out the photo album on the side for 10 new pics!

Fun in the Snow Part 2

Here is my unhappy boy looking pretty happy!

Andrew wearing my gloves.

 

Just like the snow in Baghdad brought about a temporary peace, we have some happiness around here.  As I said in the previous comment, I promise to keep the whining to a minimum.  We have photos of a snowman in the exact same spot a few years ago with much younger children.  Amazing how they grow so fast. 

Am I a Failure?

Don't tell Lee, but the other day the Water Department actually came by to disconnect our water service for nonpayment.  It's not that we don't have the money to pay them but rather that I just haven't gotten around to it.  The mail was stacked up about 2 feet high on the counter and I just didn't have the time or energy to tackle it for a while.  Fortunately we were home and the very nice man just took my check and left the water on.

Yesterday I forgot to take Nicholas to his beloved gymnastics class.  He asked about it when there were about 10 minutes left in the class and he cried and cried and blamed me.  On top of that, we had soup for dinner two nights in a row!  What a mean mom I am.  Are we ever going to have pizza again?

Oh, and worse of all - I actually expect my kids to get dressed and do school work on school days.  You would think after 7 years of homeschooling they would figure it out, but no.  They are suprised when I tell them it is time to start school - at the regular time.  Why, Alex was getting ready to go outside and play and Nicholas just started a new game on his DS.

When work gets hard around here I don't let them get by with saying that they can't do it.  They won't be rewarded for throwing their book on the table and saying that they are not going to do it. They aren't allowed to stay in their rooms playing because picture study is too "long and boring" - 15 minutes. 

Other failures of mine include the fact that I still haven't gotten this house ready to sell.  I don't know how homeschooling families can do that.  I mean there are always a million things out of place and the floor will only stay clean for about 15 minutes.

Perhaps this weekend will revitalize me.  Instead of mom to four I am only mom to two  for a while.  Jacob is camping with the Boy Scouts and Nicholas is spending the night with Grandma.  It's kind of fun to just have a couple of them for a while - two is definitely a break. 

Have a good weekend!

It's still snowing

I took the first pictures because I figured the snow was going to stop soon.  But since it's actually starting to pick up, here are some more.

Snowy Night in Georgia

I was so proud of Nicholas for giving thanks to God when he first saw the flakes coming down.  He has been praying for a couple of years for snow and he has finally seen it.  The boys and their friends quickly ran outside screaming for joy and trying to catch the flakes on their tongues.

Of course you can't see the snowflakes in the pictures, but they were there.  Hopefully they'll stick around for a while so we can enjoy them.

Dirty Jobs

Thank you Mike Rowe for making dirty jobs cool!  Here's a conversation I overheard today while we were cleaning up the house.

"I'm cleaning the toilet," Nicholas said proudly.

"Well, I was going to clean the toilet," Jacob chimed in.

"No, I'm going to do it!" Nicholas insisted.  "I'm going to do a dirty job."

I still haven't inspected the job, however and suspect that I will need to do a touch-up job.  We weren't finished cleaning but I had to let them go outside and play for a while.  If your wondering why, check out my next post.

I found another meme

I was brousing through the Aussie Coffee Shop and found another meme.  Since I have a few minutes that I should be spending doing something constructive but I don't feel like it, I decided to do it. 

I tag anyone who reads this.  If you don't have a blog, just fill in the answers in the comments.

1. Do you wear a name tag at work? No, but sometimes i think my kids need to wear one so I'll remember which one I am yelling at.

2. What kind of car do you drive? A grey/silver Oldsmobile Silhouette - 1998.  We bought it while bringing Nicholas home from the hospital after he was born.

3. What do you order when you go to Taco Bell? I can't remember going to Taco Bell in a long time.

4. Have you ever had a garage sale? Yes, but I hope to never have another!

5. What color is your iPod? Jacob got one from his grandfather for Christmas - silver I think.  It's really to small to even notice the color, but it is a pretty cool toy.

6. What kind of dog do you have? A terrier mix - Sparky.

7. What's for dinner tonight? Plain baked chicken, broccoli and zucchini

8. What is the last alcoholic beverage you had? Glass of Merlot - drinking right now..

9. Stupidest thing you ever did with your cell phone? let a friend borrow it and run up a $30 bill

10. Last time you were sick? I don't know. Can't remember - I did have a nosebleed the other night, but I'm ok now.

11. How long is your hair? Short

12. Are you happy right now? Sure

13. What did you say last? OK boys, it's time to get in the tub.

14. Who came over last? My friend Pame.  We had a Mass said for her yesterday and she went with us - despite the fact that she is a professed atheist.  She needs our prayers for many reasons.

15. Do you drink beer? Not anymore.  Actually I love beer, but I have sworn off of it because it makes me too fat.

16. Have your brothers or sisters ever told you that you were adopted? No, but I used to wonder about it because there aren't any pictures of me before the age of 1 year.  I don't have any brothers and sisters.

17. What is your favorite key chain on your keys? A Mother Theresa key chain which says "I see God in every human being."  I figure I need this especially when I am on the road.

18. What did you get for graduation? A watch.

19. Whats in your pocket? A couple of dollars and a receipt from Publix

20. Who introduced you to Dane Cook? Who is Dane Cook?

21. Has someone ever made you a Build-A-Bear? No, but I did take Nicholas there once with his preschool class.

22. What DVD is in your DVD player? Traditional Logic DVD.

23. What's something fun you did today? Watched the New Hampshire Primary returns - I admit I'm a political junkie.

24. Who is/was the principal of your high school? Mr. McKinney - I can't believe I remember that..

25. Has your house ever been TP'd? No, but the teenager across the street has had it happen about 5 times.   The last time the perpetrators dropped their cell phone in the yard which included their photos in the yard.  Needless to say it hasn't happened again.

27. What are you listening to right now? Boys playing with toys in the bathtub.

28. Drinking? Glass of merlot.

29. What is your favorite aisle at Wal-Mart? The exit door - I hate going to Wal-Mart..

30. When is your mom's birthday? May 10 - often occuring on Mother's Day.

31. When is your birthday? July 19

32. What's the area code for your cell phone? 770

33. Where did you buy the shirt you're wearing now? Eddie Bauer - on the clearance rack.

34. Is there anything hanging from your rear view mirror? No. I have tried hanging a Rosary but it just drives me crazy to have anything hanging there.

35. How many states in the US have you been to?  22 states and Puerto Rico

36. What kind of milk do you drink? Skim

37. What are you going to do after this? Put the kids in bed.

38. Who was the last person you went shopping with? Pame

39. What is your favorite fruit? Strawberries

40. What about your favorite dessert? Cherry pie.

41. What is something you need to go shopping for? Tons of things for the new house.

42. Do you have the same name as one of your relatives? No

43. What kind of car does one of your siblings drive? I am an only child.

44. Do you like pickles? They're ok.

45. How about olives? OK too.

46. What is your favorite kind of gum? Cinnamon

47. What is your favorite kind of juice? Cranberry

48. Do you have any tan lines? Yes

49. What hospital were you born in? Providence Hospital, Washington DC.

If you love music, please come!

 

For ticket information, click HERE.

Many of these performers are teenagers who have been playing for many, many years.

Trust me when I tell you that this event is well worth the ticket price!