Under the Blankets

I'm home from work. I have a bit of home-sick-from-work guilt. I am feverish and have cold symptoms. I keep dozing off and having dreams. Then I wake up and think the dreams are real. I want some ice cream. I don't want to go out and get it myself. Ice cream is cold, and my entire head is hot. I'm sure I'll live. May God use my aching head for the good of my prayer buddy and my relative X.

Charity Auction, OLOG, & Misc.

Hello!

Ah, it feels good to be a working person. I wish I weren't a temp because it's nice, easy work and I get paid, so I would like it to be continued. I like this set-up! Okay, I know I am underemployed. I am just happy to be useful and get paid and be surrounded by reasonable people. Plus the executives treated us to a pizza lunch today.

Tomorrow I vote. Will that end the robot calls from campaigners? It's sad those are the only calls I get. I think I was less lonely when people actually called to talk to me instead of sending emails.

I stopped at the library on my way home and saw my friend and her husband cycling by on this warm, sunny day. Oh, I want someone to bike riding with or go for a walk with.

Yesterday I went to a church-related charity auction and luncheon. My complaint is that it started two and half hours before the lunch. I did not know lunch would be so late, so I ate no breakfast. I had to make small talk and eat fried appetizers for TWO and HALF HOURS.  Sorry, I forgot to offer up my hunger as a Lenten sacrifice.

No, I did not get any drinks from the cash bar. Nor did I bid on anything. There wasn't anything I wanted. My friend (not a close friend) I rode with bid on lots of stuff and ended up spending LOTS of money on some things she really didn't want. Yay for her for contributing to the cause, but the ticket price alone was expensive for me. I realize part of the ticket price went to pay for the chicken lunch, but it was a big donation in my checkbook. By her remarks I feel like I made some kind of charitable faux pas. Oh well. Obviously in this group, I was a pauper.

Oh, the phone is ringing. Could it be a friend or a robot? I will answer now.

- - - - -

It was a fundraising call for an organization I never heard of. I said I am unable to contribute right now. I am putting money in my cardboard rice bowl, which is more of a rice thing. What's that shape that is like a square, but the top is shorter than the bottom? Gosh, geometry was a LONG time ago. Anyway, there's nothing round about the cardboard rice bowl. It's not a rice cube, but close.

The powers that be in the U.K. are trying to outlaw Christians wearing crosses. In solidarity, I am wearing my gold Our Lady of Guadalupe medal. It's big and shiny and from Mexico It was a lot bigger when I was a little girl. I wore it ALL THE TIME when I was growing up. I mean I never took it off. Never, never. In childhood pictures the chain was so long, the medal hung down to my belly button area. I was probably born wearing it. No, not really. It's not something I remember receiving, just something that was as part of me as my birthmark is part of me. I even wore it in high school. It has teeth marks on the back of it because I use to chew on it. Maybe it served as a teething ring. I also attended a Catholic grade school for seven years, so a religious medal was no big deal.

Then I went to college and became friends with an angry feminist. Then I tried to be stylish.

These days when I wear it, I feel like I am making a statement.  Sometimes it's tucked into my blouse or shirt, and sometimes it's not. I want to wear it all the time now. I want it to become part of me again. I want to think I am under the protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

She is the patron saint of the Americas.

I also want to get rid of my stomachache. I think I ate too much pizza at lunch. I guess I got so excited it was my favorite and it was FREE. Prayer Buddy, this stomach ache is for you (in a Christian suffering kind of way, not that I wish you had a stomach ache.)


 Have a good week, my readers.

Job, Prayer, JRA, Congressman, Cactus, Traps

Every day I thank God for my temporary job under somewhat comfortable conditions. I got my first paycheck from the agency with deductions and everything. It was so exciting to see a deduction for FICA and all. Call me crazy in love with being employed for now. I am hoping this work assignment lasts for quite a while, but that means a slow and painful recovery for the woman I am filling in for. She is out for rotator cuff surgery. I don't want to be mean, but her being out for surgery is a gift of a job for me.

I continue to pray for both my prayer buddy and my relative X. I pray in what I call "free form," I just make up short prayers in my head as I go along.

Shoved to Them, I tried to leave some comments on your blog, but was stymied by those crazy words I couldn't read and retype. Anyway, this part is for you:
 Your son is quite the snake. I'm glad your daughter was finally able to see the expert of JRA. It's a bummer she has it. But now you can begin to manage it. I sure hope she is feeling relief and no longer is asking for a wheelchair.

Remember how we were urged to write to our representatives about the HHS mandate about contraception? My representative wrote a letter to our parish that started as "Dear Fellow Catholic." The pastor published this letter in our church bulletin. I don't want to see the letters from our politicians in the church bulletin. This politician sounded self-promoting even though he is Catholic and is against the mandate. No one said what to do when the congressional representative writes to us.

There are so many good causes that our Cardinal asks us to contribute to that I am getting dizzy. But then again, I have been dizzy since seeing that cow costume in church.

The Lenten decorations in front of the altar are rocks and cactuses (cacti?), so I was thinking this probably represented our Lenten journey through the desert. I thought of how pretty and freeing the desert is and how New Mexico isn't called the Land of Enchantment for nothing. Having desert plants in the desert can be very freeing (xeriscape) because you aren't struggling to water plants that aren't meant to live there. Also being in the desert, you don't have to worry about a lot of extraneous stuff.

As I was contemplating this, I notice that there were a pair of sandals among the decorations. I guess the decorations really do represent our Lenten journey. I wondered who owns the sandals. It's just a matter of time before they pull out the empty tomb decoration.

This week during the petitions we prayed for the good intentions of social workers. Not a bad thing to pray for. I wonder what profession we will pray for next week. No, we haven't prayed for Davy Jones or Whitney Houston. We have prayed for other dead celebs and notable people in the past.

A mom friend was talking about how her Catholic school is having the young ones make Leprechaun traps out of boxes. Trapping Leprechauns sound kind of mean even if they aren't real. They aren't real, right? Let's learn why Saint Patrick is really a saint and not a cause for drinking. I'm not a mom, but I sure have my opinions. Besides, what are the children suppose to do if they actually caught a leprechaun? Release them into the wild? Release them at the mall where it can be wild with roaming teen-agers? Put them in the dog crate?

Now I am just writing to avoid doing necessary housework.

Lent 2012 - Starting Off

 I must admit I did not make it to Mass on Ash Wednesday.

 I am very grateful to God and all those who prayed for me and helped me for my temporary work assignment. The adjustment has been fairly smooth, and I feel like I fit in. I'm filling in for a woman on medical leave. My employment there all depends on how quickly she recovers from surgery or how well I do, etc.. The office is a short drive from my home.

 For Lent I am, of course, praying for my prayer buddy. 

 For my Lenten sacrifice & growing spiritually activity I have decided to pray for X. Who is X? She is a close relative with whom I have a very stormy, tension-filled, anger-filled relationship. Every now and then we have moments of peace between us. But mostly, it's plain crappy. I will pray for her to ______. The blank is because I don't know what she needs (well, I do. Ha-ha). I'm sure I need a conversion in my heart towards this relative. You know, I am leaving it up to the Holy Spirit to work for us, between us. God knows how to use my prayers for good. I'll let Him sort out the good, the bad, and the ugly. And oh, the ugly does need to be made nice. Also, I don't know her intentions. 

 Sometimes I don't even like thinking about her, so thinking about her in prayer will be my sacrifice and hopefully develop good will in my heart.

 What does Blessed John Paul II have to say about prayer? Let me check my new favorite book that I am so glad to own.

 "Prayer can truly change your life. For it turns your attention away from yourself and directs your mind and your heart toward the Lord. If we look only at ourselves, with our limitations and sins, we quickly give way to sadness and discouragement. But if we keep our eyes fixed on the Lord, then our hearts are filled with hope, our minds are washed in the light of truth, and we come to know the fullness of the Gospel with all its promise and life."

 John Paul II, Meeting with Youth, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1987.

 John Paul II An Invitation to Joy is my new favorite book.

  

  

Early in the Lenten Season - Media

My operation went okay.

I was listening to two little girls discussing God. Girl A was staying God is dead. Good B said God is still alive, lives in the sky in Heaven, and was a man. This was in a public school, so I just listened. But if they had asked me, I would have told them the Truth.


I lost both of my Little Black books, and was a bit out of sorts about it. I found them both. I have two because when I lost the first one, I obtained a replacement copy at church. Now I have one in the car, and one at home.


Last night 60 Minutes did a report on Archbishop Dolan. I rather liked the report. Did you like it?

Last week I was watching an Oprah show (a rerun I believe), and there was a segment on Catholic nuns and how they marry Christ. Did you see it? What do you think? You can click on this link and watch it. The program almost made me wish I were a nun. I don't think Oprah got it when the Mother Superior said they pray for Oprah everyday. I do think Oprah was genuinely touched by the fact that the nuns do pray for her.

St. Lawrence and the Treasures - Rice Bowl

In Columbia magazine (Aug. 2010) there is a short article about St. Lawrence. I like the story.

Here's my summary: 
Back in 258 our man St. Lawrence was one of seven deacons in Rome. He was in charge of the material things of the Church and giving alms to the poor. Emperor Valerian ordered the Pope's execution because these were dark anti-church times (like in Egypt now). One of the emperor's sidekicks told St. Lawrence to hand over the Church's goods, the stuff, the bling, the treasures. St. Lawrence asked for three days to get it all together.

Three days later, our man St. Larry took the flunky to the room where all the treasures were stored. Isn't that nice of St. L to conveniently place all the treasures in one place? Into the storeroom the flunky and the saint went. What did they see? The poor, the handicapped, the sick people were in the room. St. Lawrence said those people are the church's greatest treasures.

Flunky dude was very UNhappy. He was mad, and sentenced our man Lawrence to death. St. Lawrence was grilled to death on a gridiron. According to tradition, he told his killers, "This side's done. Turn me over and had a bite."

According to the article, St. Lawrence is the patron saint of the poor, comedians, chefs and of Rome.

There are treasures among us. One way we can treasure our treasures is participating in operation rice bowl. I know my parish will be passing out rice bowls, which are really cardboard boxes.

 

Lent is Coming

Winter is a difficult season for me because it's cold and dark and lifeless. Often I am depressed Give me sunlight, give me warmth is my motto. Then comes Lent.

I try to avoid Lent. It further depresses me. Ashes to ashes makes everything worthless. I don't like the focus on death. I feel apathetic.  The stations of the cross are just miserable. I've suffered enough in my life, but that's not the point. Christ suffered, and it's painful.

I don't go to sad movies either. Life in the here and now brings enough suffering, so I don't go looking for it.

But I am going to Mass on Ash Wednesday this year. Now, if you came here to look for a good Catholic role model then hop on over to someone else's blog. So don't gasp when I say I haven't gone to Ash Wednesday Mass in several years. Okay, gasp if you want.

On Sunday I was signing in for my communion minister duty when the liturgy director was there looking for ministers to serve on Ash Wednesday. I couldn't say no, so I signed up for 4:00 pm Mass.

I think I need a Lent calendar like an Advent calendar to help count the days until Easter. Maybe I will make one.

And I have to think about what to do on Easter and with whom. Last year Easter was filled with hurtful drama in my family. I was ready to throw myself under a bus when it was over. I don't want to relive that.