Sunday, November 20, 2011
25 Random Things, Part 6...
Here I go again on my blog! I think this is the longest I've ever gone without blogging. I've thought about it many times, but I just haven't found the time...and if I tried, I could not get my scattered brain to come up with a blog topic. So today, it dawned on me. It's time for another 25 Random things! So let's get started...
1) The song above has always been one of my favorites. It reminds me of my days at the Pizza Hut in Abilene. I would play this song on the jukebox during slow times of the day. And maybe tried to reenact some of those car-top dance moves on some of the tables when nobody was looking. And yes, you're right. It was awesome!
2) On school picture day, even the teachers have to get their pictures taken for the yearbook. And one of the "perks" is that we get a free photo package. But what on earth am I going to with 30 pictures of myself, hmm?
3) I went to see Breaking Dawn (the newest Twilight movie, for you less awesome folks out there) with some friends from school 2 nights ago. I've never once said they're the best movies ever, but they are good mindless fun...which is just what I needed.
4) I'm so looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving. I love my family!
5) The worst part about being so busy lately is that I haven't had time (or energy) to bake. I miss it. So guess what I'm doing with my time off next week?! H-e-l-l-o stand mixer...long time, no see!
6) Kevin is watching Fast Five right now. And some how the terrible acting has me in a trance. It's like a car wreck...I can't look away.
7) I'm going to go see the new Footloose with my mom, sister, and newest sister-in-law when I go home. Delightfully cheesy fun, here we come!
8) 3 out of the last 5 items were movie related. Don't worry...I bet there will be more.
9) I've really been chomping at the bit to decorate for Christmas! It truly is "the most wonderful time of the year". But I refuse to do it before Thanksgiving. I just can't.
10) It appears that I have a very warped sense of how old I am. Sometimes I feel like High School was only yesterday. Like I'm still a good 10 years younger than all of the parents of my students. But then I look in the mirror and see that's just not the case. I am about the same age as most of them now. I have the same crows feet and laugh lines that I see on their faces. When did that happen? Sheesh.
11) I stumbled across this quote recently: “The quickest way for a parent to get a child’s attention is to sit down and look comfortable.” ~ Lane Olinhouse I'm finding it quite fitting today (and everyday, really).
12) I saw the trailer for The Hunger Games movie the other day. OMG...I'm so excited! http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2402131481
13) I just spent what might be some of the best $10 I've ever spent: a DVD 3 pack with The Money Pit, The Burbs, and Dragnet. I love me some old school Tom Hanks!
14) Bradley Cooper is The Sexiest Man Alive 2011. Maybe not my top pick, but I ain't complaining.
15) I'm about to start reading The Best of Me, the latest Nicholas Sparks book. Looking forward to it.
16) When Kevin and I first started dating, he watched WWF wrestling fairly regularly. I can't say that I ever cared too much for it, but there were a few guys that I enjoyed: Stone Cold Steve Austin and Kevin Nash were good, but The Rock was the greatest. As we know, The Rock is now Dwayne Johnson. But he came back to wrestling last Monday, and I have to confess...it was pretty awesome.
17) My friend, Katie, pointed out that the music we listened to in High School is now called "Old School" on the radio. Ouch.
18) You know who I love? I love Mayhem. You know, from the Allstate commercials? Fantastic.
19) Even Kevin's got a touch of the baby fever. So much so that we really started wondering if it would be possible for me to go off my medication for a year or so to have another baby. So I checked with my doctor. And I think I knew better, but to make a long story short...it's a no go.
20) What is the deal with those Latisse eyelash growth commercials? It sure seems like a lot of risk for some eyelashes. But maybe that's just me.
21) Claire Danes has always been able to make me cry. Ever since My So Called Life...when she cries, I cry.
22) I found Starburst Jelly Beans at the store the other day. I have to say...I was pretty stoked.
23) I have always wanted to ride in a limousine.
24) Kevin and I watched a few middle of the night episodes of Saved By the Bell a week or so ago. It was glorious. I grew up with those Bayside kids. They were the best. They were certainly better than the California Dreams kids. And WAY better than The Suite Life kids these days. But maybe I'm just biased.
25) While we were in Vegas, we stumbled accross a little art gallery in one of the hotels. It was for a guy named Peter Lik. (I know...the jokes that come to mind with a name like that...) But I fell in love! His photos are a-mazing! I would LOVE a coffee table book of his, but they're like $80-$100...which is rediculous. But just check these out! http://www.lik.com/thework.html
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Two Down...
If you remember a few posts ago, I started a bucket list for myself. Well last weekend, I was able to scratch 2 of those things off the list. Last weekend I went to Vegas...and saw Garth Brooks in concert. Can I get a what, what?! All-in-all, it was a pretty fantastic weekend.
Here's the story:
Thursday
Kevin, my brother-in-law, 2 of their friends, my friend Katie, and I go out to the Casinos on Freemont Street in old Down Town. You know, the place with the neon cowboy and cowgirl. But it also has a giant (over 5 football fields long) LED screen canopy that makes it seem like it's daytime, even at 1:00 in the morning. And let's not forget the topless ladies, cross dressing guys, and people in costumes (from Kiss and Elvis to Zack Galifianakis and the baby from Hangover).
Friday
We walked (and walked, and walked, and walked) the Strip. Who knew there would be so many stairs, by the way? We start out at the Venetian. We go to Caesar's Palace and the Mirage with everyone. Then Kevin and the others who have already seen what Vegas has to offer split off and go do some more gambling while Katie and I tackle Vegas on our own. We went just about everywhere to see as much as we could (including an outdoor establishment with a very cute server where we got a very refreshing beverage, and hanging out at the House of Blues) so that we could get an idea of what we wanted to go back to. We experienced a couple of Vegas buffets, and got ready for the big night.
We had a taxi drop us off at the Wynn hotel with 10 minutes to spare. When we get to the door, we ask the guy where the theater for the Garth Brooks concert is. He tells us that it's actually at the Encore right next door. (Now, if you've ever been to Vegas, then you know how sprawling these hotels are. They span quite a distance.) But he says that it's OK, because all we have to do is go left and there will be a sign and a door that will lead us to the Encore. Well, we speed walk left...and keep going, but there's no sign. So finally when we get to a door, the stupid curve of the hotel has brought us all the way around to the opposite end, putting us a good half mile from the entrance we needed. So what's a girl to do? That's right...we run...down the strip...at night...in our 3+ inch wedge shoes. OMG, you should have seen us. We only tripped twice (once each). For anyone who knows how clumsy and out of shape I am, you'll know what a feat that was. So we finally make it into the right hotel and have to subtly speed walk to the other end of it to get to the theater (right on time, mind you), only to have to walk to the end of a long winding line waiting to get in to the theater. But we made it, so that's all that matters, isn't it?
And the concert? Well...I'll blog about it later, for sure. But let me just say that it was pretty much the best, coolest, most amazing thing ever!
Saturday
We wake up and go back to our favorite Casino (New York New York) for breakfast. We hung out for a little while, then Kevin and I went on a date. And by date, I mean: walk all the way to Caesar's to go to Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill for lunch, decide after looking at the menu that the lunch menu didn't have anything that Kevin wanted to try, walk all the way back to New York New York, call everybody else, and have lunch together there. After lunch, we went to a crappy duelling pianos performance, put on our Rangers gear, and settled in at the Excalibur bar to watch the game. We were super excited, and super optimistic...until around the 6th inning. Then we couldn't take it anymore. So we had dinner at Peppermill (a Vegas-y breakfast/lunch/dinner/bar/diner place)...with the largest portions ever. Then the gang dropped Katie and me off at the Bellagio so that we could see the fountains at night. So cool! But then we had to walk all the way back to the hotel...again. Once we got back to the hotel, at only 11:30, we weren't quite ready to go to bed on our last night. So we stopped by Dick's Last Resort (located inside our hotel) and listened to a band finish their set and watched a couple of hootchies dance with each other (thus keeping us and everyone else from dancing). But then the band finished, the DJ took over, and the skanks left. So we got our groove on with some other people, including 2 couples from Canada...who told us that they were from Canada...over and over. But they were a lot of fun. We danced for a good 2 hours, and then called it quits.
Sunday
The next morning; between all of the walking, climbing stairs, running down the strip, and dancing, we woke up quite sore. But we powered through and headed back to New York, New York to have our gourmet desserts for breakfast. Then we said good-bye to Vegas and flew back home, exhausted but pretty satisfied with our trip.
A HUGE thank you is in order for my parents. They stayed with the kids while we were gone and chauffeured them to and from school, softball practice, a football game, school testing, movies, and church...plus shuttling us to and from the airport. I've said it before, but I'll say it again...they are the coolest!
Here's the story:
Thursday
Kevin, my brother-in-law, 2 of their friends, my friend Katie, and I go out to the Casinos on Freemont Street in old Down Town. You know, the place with the neon cowboy and cowgirl. But it also has a giant (over 5 football fields long) LED screen canopy that makes it seem like it's daytime, even at 1:00 in the morning. And let's not forget the topless ladies, cross dressing guys, and people in costumes (from Kiss and Elvis to Zack Galifianakis and the baby from Hangover).
Friday
We walked (and walked, and walked, and walked) the Strip. Who knew there would be so many stairs, by the way? We start out at the Venetian. We go to Caesar's Palace and the Mirage with everyone. Then Kevin and the others who have already seen what Vegas has to offer split off and go do some more gambling while Katie and I tackle Vegas on our own. We went just about everywhere to see as much as we could (including an outdoor establishment with a very cute server where we got a very refreshing beverage, and hanging out at the House of Blues) so that we could get an idea of what we wanted to go back to. We experienced a couple of Vegas buffets, and got ready for the big night.
We had a taxi drop us off at the Wynn hotel with 10 minutes to spare. When we get to the door, we ask the guy where the theater for the Garth Brooks concert is. He tells us that it's actually at the Encore right next door. (Now, if you've ever been to Vegas, then you know how sprawling these hotels are. They span quite a distance.) But he says that it's OK, because all we have to do is go left and there will be a sign and a door that will lead us to the Encore. Well, we speed walk left...and keep going, but there's no sign. So finally when we get to a door, the stupid curve of the hotel has brought us all the way around to the opposite end, putting us a good half mile from the entrance we needed. So what's a girl to do? That's right...we run...down the strip...at night...in our 3+ inch wedge shoes. OMG, you should have seen us. We only tripped twice (once each). For anyone who knows how clumsy and out of shape I am, you'll know what a feat that was. So we finally make it into the right hotel and have to subtly speed walk to the other end of it to get to the theater (right on time, mind you), only to have to walk to the end of a long winding line waiting to get in to the theater. But we made it, so that's all that matters, isn't it?
And the concert? Well...I'll blog about it later, for sure. But let me just say that it was pretty much the best, coolest, most amazing thing ever!
Saturday
We wake up and go back to our favorite Casino (New York New York) for breakfast. We hung out for a little while, then Kevin and I went on a date. And by date, I mean: walk all the way to Caesar's to go to Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill for lunch, decide after looking at the menu that the lunch menu didn't have anything that Kevin wanted to try, walk all the way back to New York New York, call everybody else, and have lunch together there. After lunch, we went to a crappy duelling pianos performance, put on our Rangers gear, and settled in at the Excalibur bar to watch the game. We were super excited, and super optimistic...until around the 6th inning. Then we couldn't take it anymore. So we had dinner at Peppermill (a Vegas-y breakfast/lunch/dinner/bar/diner place)...with the largest portions ever. Then the gang dropped Katie and me off at the Bellagio so that we could see the fountains at night. So cool! But then we had to walk all the way back to the hotel...again. Once we got back to the hotel, at only 11:30, we weren't quite ready to go to bed on our last night. So we stopped by Dick's Last Resort (located inside our hotel) and listened to a band finish their set and watched a couple of hootchies dance with each other (thus keeping us and everyone else from dancing). But then the band finished, the DJ took over, and the skanks left. So we got our groove on with some other people, including 2 couples from Canada...who told us that they were from Canada...over and over. But they were a lot of fun. We danced for a good 2 hours, and then called it quits.
Sunday
The next morning; between all of the walking, climbing stairs, running down the strip, and dancing, we woke up quite sore. But we powered through and headed back to New York, New York to have our gourmet desserts for breakfast. Then we said good-bye to Vegas and flew back home, exhausted but pretty satisfied with our trip.
A HUGE thank you is in order for my parents. They stayed with the kids while we were gone and chauffeured them to and from school, softball practice, a football game, school testing, movies, and church...plus shuttling us to and from the airport. I've said it before, but I'll say it again...they are the coolest!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Plexers, Wuzzles, and Logic Oh My...
Some of you might be thinking...what on earth are plexers and wuzzles?
Well, they are word picture puzzles that tend to get you tholostught. I LOVE them. I think they are so much fun! My first experience with them was when I was a kid. My mom got a sheet of Christmas themed plexers (from one of her sisters, I think), and I've been hooked ever since. They are super clever. Some, of course, are easier than others, but they're a great way to tease your brain every now and again.
I don't have much else to say about them, so I'll just share a couple that I found online, as well as links to some others. Have fun!
For more, you can check out:
http://www.wuzzlesandpuzzles.com/wuzzles/ (which just might be one of the coolest websites I've ever seen...)
http://www.princeton.edu/~distract/allpuzzles.html (look under wacky wordies for some themed plexers)
http://myfunteacher.com/plexers.htm
And while we're on the topic of brain teasers... Did anyone else love Logic Problems as a kid?! (OK, yes. This post is really allowing me to unleash my inner nerd.) In case you weren't asnerdy awesome as me when you were in school, this is an example of a logic problem ('m sure you'll recognize it when you see it):
If you're interested, here's a fun little website with some logic problems that you can play online (but be careful...you could easily waste hours on here...): http://www.puzzles.com/projects/LogicProblemsArchive.html
ENJOY!
Well, they are word picture puzzles that tend to get you tholostught. I LOVE them. I think they are so much fun! My first experience with them was when I was a kid. My mom got a sheet of Christmas themed plexers (from one of her sisters, I think), and I've been hooked ever since. They are super clever. Some, of course, are easier than others, but they're a great way to tease your brain every now and again.
I don't have much else to say about them, so I'll just share a couple that I found online, as well as links to some others. Have fun!
For more, you can check out:
http://www.wuzzlesandpuzzles.com/wuzzles/ (which just might be one of the coolest websites I've ever seen...)
http://www.princeton.edu/~distract/allpuzzles.html (look under wacky wordies for some themed plexers)
http://myfunteacher.com/plexers.htm
And while we're on the topic of brain teasers... Did anyone else love Logic Problems as a kid?! (OK, yes. This post is really allowing me to unleash my inner nerd.) In case you weren't as
ENJOY!
Friday, September 30, 2011
One Hundred...
Alright, alright. Calm down everybody. I'm excited too, but there's really no need for confetti. :) Yes it's true...this is my 100th post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know some people blog religiously...several times a week. As you know, I am not one of those people. I just don't have the time. So I figure 100 posts in just under 2 years is still pretty good. My posts have ranged from serious to funny, personal to general, sarcastic to thoughtful, whiney to grateful. I don't get near the amount of comments that I used to (whether here or on facebook), but I don't care about that near as much as I used to either. This has just been a creative outlet/way for me to vent. And if anyone else has gotten anything from it (memories, a laugh, a new perspective), then that's just icing on the cake.
So I was thinking that on this most momentous of occasions, I would do a little recap of sorts. I'm going to link some of my favorites from the last 100 posts! Sounds like fun, right?! Well get ready, folks. Here it comes!
Memories...
Ending of an Era...
Favorite Things...
Top 5...
Autobiography...
The Kids' Latest... (which is not really their latest anymore)
Old Already...
Firsts...
The Power of Prayer...
October...
Movie Mash-Ups...
Feeling Lost...
Letters to Myself...
Photo Challenge...
OK, so maybe that was more than a few of my favorites. :) Oh well. I guess that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed the look back at my at my first 100 posts...I sure did!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
My Dad's Stronger Than Your Dad...
You know how kids like to say that kind of thing? Well, today I'd like to take my turn and say...My Parents Are Cooler Than Your Parents. :)
Case in point...
That's right. My mom is wearing leather pants, and my dad is wearing a skull cap and leather chaps. I know...it's bad ass! They love riding my dads Harley together. They're even part of a motorcycle gang! Ok, so it's not a gang exactly. But it's still pretty awesome. They are members of the Patriot Guard Riders. They are a divers group of motorcycle riders from across the country, and their mission is to "attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family in order to: show their sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities; and shield the mourning family and their friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors."
Point #2...
What other parents would take their children to a lake at an old fort to conjure up a ghost...at midnight...3 nights in a row?! So maybe it's slightly less awesome, seeing as how Mom brought the holy water with her, but not by much. It's still one of my favorite memories! Besides, what better way for your youngest daughter's new boyfriend to get to know the family? Yup. Kevin was there, too. We had been dating for approximately 3 1/2 months. Classic!
Point #3...
They are quite simply the best grandparents in the world! Grandkids get a red Radio Flyer wagon? Well, I guess Grandma and Granpa better get one to have at their house so the kids never have to go without their wagon rides. Wagon rides just not fast enough for those grandkids anymore ("Faster, Grandpa...faster!")? Well, Grandpa better get himself a brand new bike with a bike seat so they won't be disappointed anymore. Still not fast enough?! I guess it's time they took a ride with Grandpa on the Harley! What do they want for Christmas? How about Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, Jenga, etc... Gotta keep those kids entertained. Kids getting older? "Well, I guess we better get new grass in our backyard so the kids don't get stickers in their feet when they go out to play on the new swingset that we built for them." I joke that they are spoiling the kids, but really, they just love spending as much time with them as they can, having as much fun as they can. Simply the best!
There are many other wonderfully awesome things I could say about my parents (quoting movies, teaching your daughter how to take a tequilla shot, getting virtually anything you want with just two letters...LD, etc.), but I'll spare the rest of you the further realization that I'm right...my parents really are cooler than your parents!
Case in point...
That's right. My mom is wearing leather pants, and my dad is wearing a skull cap and leather chaps. I know...it's bad ass! They love riding my dads Harley together. They're even part of a motorcycle gang! Ok, so it's not a gang exactly. But it's still pretty awesome. They are members of the Patriot Guard Riders. They are a divers group of motorcycle riders from across the country, and their mission is to "attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family in order to: show their sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities; and shield the mourning family and their friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors."
Point #2...
What other parents would take their children to a lake at an old fort to conjure up a ghost...at midnight...3 nights in a row?! So maybe it's slightly less awesome, seeing as how Mom brought the holy water with her, but not by much. It's still one of my favorite memories! Besides, what better way for your youngest daughter's new boyfriend to get to know the family? Yup. Kevin was there, too. We had been dating for approximately 3 1/2 months. Classic!
Point #3...
They are quite simply the best grandparents in the world! Grandkids get a red Radio Flyer wagon? Well, I guess Grandma and Granpa better get one to have at their house so the kids never have to go without their wagon rides. Wagon rides just not fast enough for those grandkids anymore ("Faster, Grandpa...faster!")? Well, Grandpa better get himself a brand new bike with a bike seat so they won't be disappointed anymore. Still not fast enough?! I guess it's time they took a ride with Grandpa on the Harley! What do they want for Christmas? How about Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, Jenga, etc... Gotta keep those kids entertained. Kids getting older? "Well, I guess we better get new grass in our backyard so the kids don't get stickers in their feet when they go out to play on the new swingset that we built for them." I joke that they are spoiling the kids, but really, they just love spending as much time with them as they can, having as much fun as they can. Simply the best!
There are many other wonderfully awesome things I could say about my parents (quoting movies, teaching your daughter how to take a tequilla shot, getting virtually anything you want with just two letters...LD, etc.), but I'll spare the rest of you the further realization that I'm right...my parents really are cooler than your parents!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
9/11/11...
In the weeks leading up to today, I have watched several documentaries and seen many recaps, and have cried many tears just remembering the tragic events of 10 years ago. In light of today's significance, I wanted do a blog that would put all of my thoughts and feelings into words. However, I have found that someone else already has.
The following is a post from Deacon Greg Kandra on his blog that I follow, The Deacon's Bench. It says everything that I wanted to say, and says it far better than I probably would have been able to. So here you go:
**Anyone who saw the 2002 Super Bowl saw something unforgettable. And it had nothing to do with sports.
It was held in New Orleans, in the Super Dome. The half time entertainment was Bono and U-2. There must have been 100-thousand people in the stadium, cheering wildly. Bono stepped onto the stage and the lights dimmed and the crowd roared and the band began to play.
If you watch video of that performance, you can hear Bono, over the music and the cheering, speaking into his microphone: “Lord, open my lips that my mouth may sing forth your praise.” The same words spoken at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Hours in the Catholic Church.
And in fact, what followed turned out to be a kind of prayer.
As the song began, and the music swelled, behind the stage a massive banner started to rise, coming up from the floor of the stage, rising toward the ceiling, hundreds of feet above. Around the world, I imagine, millions of viewers were transfixed – stunned and moved what they were witnessing.
On the banner were projected the names of all those who had died on 9/11, less than five months before.
And the music continued, and it went on, Bono and U2 singing about a place “where the streets have no name.” And the banner kept growing, and the list kept getting longer. It seemed like it would never end. Name after name after name, like a visual litany of the lost.
Then the banner reached the roof of the Superdome. And it collapsed, rippling to the floor. For a brief moment, we were back there, and it all was happening again.
To see it so clearly was devastating.
And at the end of the song, with the crowd on its feet, screaming wildly, Bono opened his jacket and there, inside, was sewn an American flag. He stood there in defiance, and in pride, and in solidarity.
There have been so many other tributes and memorials and remembrances since that day – but nothing like that. It was raw, and it was real. An Irishman stood on a stage in New Orleans and paid tribute to a tragedy that struck New York and Pennsylvania and Washington and he said, in effect, I’m with you. Inside, I’m one of you. This is my tribute, my remembrance, my prayer.
It is difficult to capture what this anniversary means to us as Americans, as New Yorkers, as Catholic Christians. The things we feel are almost beyond words. We are still, in many ways, groping in the dark, struggling to find a way to deal with what happened, and how much our lives and our world have changed. Yet, this day, as we come before the altar of God with our prayers and petitions, our grief and our anger, we hear these words from the ancient prophet:
“Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.”
In the gospel, Jesus says it again: “Forgive your brother,” he says, “from your heart.”
But how? I wish I knew. I wish there were a mystical way to click on a forgiveness switch in the human heart. I wish I knew how to love all my enemies and pray for all my persecutors and “forgive my neighbor’s injustice” – even this most heinous injustice of all.
I think perhaps that forgiveness – like conversion – is a journey. The human heart isn’t necessarily converted over night. We don’t all have that electrifying moment on the road to Damascus. For many of us, it grows out of what Flannery O’Connor called “a habit of being.” It happens over a lifetime.
Conversion is a daily choice. So, is love.
And so, I believe, is forgiveness.
Like all of the challenges of our faith, it is something we need to pray for – to pray to able to do what we are called to do.
To love our neighbor.
To love our enemies.
To forgive our neighbor’s injustice.
C.S. Lewis put it beautifully. “To be a Christian,” he wrote, “is to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven it in us.”
A couple weeks ago, we heard Christ tells his disciples: “Take up your cross and follow me." Well, one of the heaviest crosses is the call to forgive. Even when something seems unforgivable. Especially then. But by God’s grace – and by Christ’s example – somehow, we pick up that cross. We bear it on our backs. And we begin the long walk.
We may carry it on our backs, but what is more important is what we hold in our hearts, and it is this: that love is greater than hate; that hope is stronger than despair; that vengeance is no match for forgiveness.
This Sunday, we pray to remember that. And we pray, very simply, in remembrance.
We remember: all the lives that were lost, the martyrs who were born, the heroes who did what no one thought possible. We remember.
We remember sacrifice.
We remember courage.
We remember greatness.
At the Super Bowl, the song that Bono performed was “Where the Streets Have No Name.” Bono has said that he wrote the song about growing up in Dublin, where everyone could tell who was rich, and who wasn’t, by the street they lived on. And the place he was singing about was a city where that wouldn’t matter anymore.
It was his vision of heaven:
I’ll show you a place
Where there is no sorrow or pain…
And the streets have no names…
Our prayer is that we may one day know that place and walk those streets, in gratitude and in joy, with those we remember this day.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace.
Well said, Deacon Greg.
The following is a post from Deacon Greg Kandra on his blog that I follow, The Deacon's Bench. It says everything that I wanted to say, and says it far better than I probably would have been able to. So here you go:
**Anyone who saw the 2002 Super Bowl saw something unforgettable. And it had nothing to do with sports.
It was held in New Orleans, in the Super Dome. The half time entertainment was Bono and U-2. There must have been 100-thousand people in the stadium, cheering wildly. Bono stepped onto the stage and the lights dimmed and the crowd roared and the band began to play.
If you watch video of that performance, you can hear Bono, over the music and the cheering, speaking into his microphone: “Lord, open my lips that my mouth may sing forth your praise.” The same words spoken at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Hours in the Catholic Church.
And in fact, what followed turned out to be a kind of prayer.
As the song began, and the music swelled, behind the stage a massive banner started to rise, coming up from the floor of the stage, rising toward the ceiling, hundreds of feet above. Around the world, I imagine, millions of viewers were transfixed – stunned and moved what they were witnessing.
On the banner were projected the names of all those who had died on 9/11, less than five months before.
And the music continued, and it went on, Bono and U2 singing about a place “where the streets have no name.” And the banner kept growing, and the list kept getting longer. It seemed like it would never end. Name after name after name, like a visual litany of the lost.
Then the banner reached the roof of the Superdome. And it collapsed, rippling to the floor. For a brief moment, we were back there, and it all was happening again.
To see it so clearly was devastating.
And at the end of the song, with the crowd on its feet, screaming wildly, Bono opened his jacket and there, inside, was sewn an American flag. He stood there in defiance, and in pride, and in solidarity.
There have been so many other tributes and memorials and remembrances since that day – but nothing like that. It was raw, and it was real. An Irishman stood on a stage in New Orleans and paid tribute to a tragedy that struck New York and Pennsylvania and Washington and he said, in effect, I’m with you. Inside, I’m one of you. This is my tribute, my remembrance, my prayer.
It is difficult to capture what this anniversary means to us as Americans, as New Yorkers, as Catholic Christians. The things we feel are almost beyond words. We are still, in many ways, groping in the dark, struggling to find a way to deal with what happened, and how much our lives and our world have changed. Yet, this day, as we come before the altar of God with our prayers and petitions, our grief and our anger, we hear these words from the ancient prophet:
“Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.”
In the gospel, Jesus says it again: “Forgive your brother,” he says, “from your heart.”
But how? I wish I knew. I wish there were a mystical way to click on a forgiveness switch in the human heart. I wish I knew how to love all my enemies and pray for all my persecutors and “forgive my neighbor’s injustice” – even this most heinous injustice of all.
I think perhaps that forgiveness – like conversion – is a journey. The human heart isn’t necessarily converted over night. We don’t all have that electrifying moment on the road to Damascus. For many of us, it grows out of what Flannery O’Connor called “a habit of being.” It happens over a lifetime.
Conversion is a daily choice. So, is love.
And so, I believe, is forgiveness.
Like all of the challenges of our faith, it is something we need to pray for – to pray to able to do what we are called to do.
To love our neighbor.
To love our enemies.
To forgive our neighbor’s injustice.
C.S. Lewis put it beautifully. “To be a Christian,” he wrote, “is to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven it in us.”
A couple weeks ago, we heard Christ tells his disciples: “Take up your cross and follow me." Well, one of the heaviest crosses is the call to forgive. Even when something seems unforgivable. Especially then. But by God’s grace – and by Christ’s example – somehow, we pick up that cross. We bear it on our backs. And we begin the long walk.
We may carry it on our backs, but what is more important is what we hold in our hearts, and it is this: that love is greater than hate; that hope is stronger than despair; that vengeance is no match for forgiveness.
This Sunday, we pray to remember that. And we pray, very simply, in remembrance.
We remember: all the lives that were lost, the martyrs who were born, the heroes who did what no one thought possible. We remember.
We remember sacrifice.
We remember courage.
We remember greatness.
At the Super Bowl, the song that Bono performed was “Where the Streets Have No Name.” Bono has said that he wrote the song about growing up in Dublin, where everyone could tell who was rich, and who wasn’t, by the street they lived on. And the place he was singing about was a city where that wouldn’t matter anymore.
It was his vision of heaven:
I’ll show you a place
Where there is no sorrow or pain…
And the streets have no names…
Our prayer is that we may one day know that place and walk those streets, in gratitude and in joy, with those we remember this day.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace.
Well said, Deacon Greg.
Monday, September 5, 2011
But I Don't Wanna...
I've got a few options:
~ I can just do my usual work out videos, which are fine. They target specific areas. So, that's good. This also leads to variety in the work out, so it's not the exact same thing every day. So I guess that's a bonus, too
~ I can do a couch to 5k training. You know, it gradually takes couch potatoes like myself from their laziness to running a 5k (about 3 miles) in about 2 months. Running is supposed to be really great exercise, and I know a lot of people that LOVE it. But I just don't know if I can get over the fact that I would actually have to run.
~ I can train for another 1/2 marathon (walking, of course). I figure if I'm actually diligent about the training this time, and if I don't have to have a bone marrow procedure 2 weeks before the race, that maybe it won't be quite so excruciating this time. And we did actually end up walking faster than some of the joggers we saw there.
OR
~ I could always try dance-walking.
Wish me luck!
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