So Happy Birthday to the newest Duffy!
And happy many other feast days that have passed lately: Happy belated Feast of Mary the Mother of God. Happy belated Feast of the Holy Family, one of my favorites. Happy belated Epiphany! Happy birthday to all the babies born this first part of 2013!
And happy many other feast days that have passed lately: Happy belated Feast of Mary the Mother of God. Happy belated Feast of the Holy Family, one of my favorites. Happy belated Epiphany! Happy birthday to all the babies born this first part of 2013!
I started this a few days ago, but since I'm late with everything else, I might as well post it.
The Christmas season is coming to an end. I've taken down some of the decorations. All the cookies are gone. I finally sent out Christmas letters. Time to look forward to 2013.
At the Solemnity vigil on the 31st, the priest brought up making New Year’s resolutions that include making Christ a part of our every day life. Great. Since I hadn’t even given a thought to a resolution, I was glad to take his suggestion. I know a lot of people think New Year's resolutions are pointless, as in Mark Twain's quip, "New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make you regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." But I still like the idea of setting some goals, even if they remain unrealized aspirations. I've definitely got room for improvement.
I’m trying to remember what my New Year’s resolutions were last year. I have trouble remembering what I resolved to do yesterday… That's why blog labels are helpful: link to past resolutions.
Progress on last year's goals: I did not get around to Story of a Soul or Edith Stein, but I just bought Edith Stein's book on The Woman at the Cathedral bookshop when we were shopping for Epiphany gifts (slim pickin's this year). I did drink more water and run more. I didn't progress much in the way of saintliness, maybe even did some backsliding. As far as a community service project: we started teaching CCD, which is a challenge because my own son defies me weekly in class and declares he hates our boring class, and we participated in a number of short term events: beach clean up, soup kitchen drive, serving dinner at the USO and water at the parade. And we've done more with foster care. Not exactly regular involvement, but not a total wash. Could I count that as about 50% actualization?
On to 2013. So besides making Christ a part of everyday life, which is pretty much a given, here are some thoughts I came up with:
1. Academic resolution: actually read the Edith Stein book and the other book I bought for myself, on Gerard Manley Hopkins (chalking that one up to professional development expenses). Re-write my class notes so that I have more concrete goals for each class meeting, and add in more evaluations earlier in the semester, so that I can tailor the semester to the students' needs. Write some goals for the girl's next semester of home schooling, so that by the time May rolls around with our move to California, I'll be able to say "Ok, we're done with school," even if the schools are still in session. (The one success with home schooling this year is that my 5th grader discovered "Anne of Green Gables" and is working through the 4th book of the series now. She received the movies for Christmas, but what's with the 3rd film? It totally deviates from the series and even from Anne's character. All of these crazy adventures in New York and World War I - how does Anne stay so fresh and clean while wandering the front searching her husband? And then the involvement with Jack Garrison? No, no, no! I was dismayed as we watched it.) And read aloud more with the younger kids.
The Christmas season is coming to an end. I've taken down some of the decorations. All the cookies are gone. I finally sent out Christmas letters. Time to look forward to 2013.
At the Solemnity vigil on the 31st, the priest brought up making New Year’s resolutions that include making Christ a part of our every day life. Great. Since I hadn’t even given a thought to a resolution, I was glad to take his suggestion. I know a lot of people think New Year's resolutions are pointless, as in Mark Twain's quip, "New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make you regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." But I still like the idea of setting some goals, even if they remain unrealized aspirations. I've definitely got room for improvement.
I’m trying to remember what my New Year’s resolutions were last year. I have trouble remembering what I resolved to do yesterday… That's why blog labels are helpful: link to past resolutions.
Progress on last year's goals: I did not get around to Story of a Soul or Edith Stein, but I just bought Edith Stein's book on The Woman at the Cathedral bookshop when we were shopping for Epiphany gifts (slim pickin's this year). I did drink more water and run more. I didn't progress much in the way of saintliness, maybe even did some backsliding. As far as a community service project: we started teaching CCD, which is a challenge because my own son defies me weekly in class and declares he hates our boring class, and we participated in a number of short term events: beach clean up, soup kitchen drive, serving dinner at the USO and water at the parade. And we've done more with foster care. Not exactly regular involvement, but not a total wash. Could I count that as about 50% actualization?
On to 2013. So besides making Christ a part of everyday life, which is pretty much a given, here are some thoughts I came up with:
1. Academic resolution: actually read the Edith Stein book and the other book I bought for myself, on Gerard Manley Hopkins (chalking that one up to professional development expenses). Re-write my class notes so that I have more concrete goals for each class meeting, and add in more evaluations earlier in the semester, so that I can tailor the semester to the students' needs. Write some goals for the girl's next semester of home schooling, so that by the time May rolls around with our move to California, I'll be able to say "Ok, we're done with school," even if the schools are still in session. (The one success with home schooling this year is that my 5th grader discovered "Anne of Green Gables" and is working through the 4th book of the series now. She received the movies for Christmas, but what's with the 3rd film? It totally deviates from the series and even from Anne's character. All of these crazy adventures in New York and World War I - how does Anne stay so fresh and clean while wandering the front searching her husband? And then the involvement with Jack Garrison? No, no, no! I was dismayed as we watched it.) And read aloud more with the younger kids.
2. Physical resolution: Continue to drink more water and run more. I'm 95% committed to running a marathon in April, so I'm also adding "get plenty of rest" to my health resolutions. This means taking a day off each week from running and/or strenuous exertion, something I don't always do. And I want to use the long runs coming up as reflection/prayer time, a time to be thankful for the gift of health and the beauty of my surroundings. (when actually I'll be thinking about how miserably hot and sweaty and I am, how much I have to do that I should be doing instead, how much I hate laundry, whatever.)
3. Spiritual resolution: To comply with the request from our pastor, I want to get back in the morning meditation habit. Not just a quick reading of the day's gospel with the girls, but real reflection. And remember to see the face of Christ in everyone I meet.
Since the Year of Faith is well underway, I'd also like to comply with the Pope's suggestion to revisit some Vatican II document. I went to a catechetical conference back in September where one of the speakers who teaches at the seminary here gave a great summary of the four big documents. I've been meaning to type up his notes, but never got around to it, and now I've forgotten some of what he said, but I did look at my notes again. He first summarized Lumen Gentium as being about living in communion with each other through Christ just as the Trinity is a communion of persons; then Dei Verbum, which he summed up as about the Word as God's personal self communication: God's revelation is a person, not content, so we should be in communion with the Person of Christ. Next he brought up Sacrocanctum Concilium which addresses the encounter with Christ in the sacraments: even though we are limited in our capacity for faith, Christ reveals his fullness completely in the sacraments. And finally, he wrapped in Gaudium et Spes, pointing out that the role of the Church in the world is to be full of joy and hope because we are full of Christ when we are in communion with each other, and that joy should radiate to others. Then he drew a nice little symbol for each book that became the chi rho symbol, showing how each document addresses how to live in communion with Christ and the Church, or how to be transformed through faith into an 'alter Christus.'
4. Perhaps I should also have a resolution having to do with community life to pull in the whole human integration thing, but I think that will be just to continue with what we are doing, but to do it better. And then this summer when we move again, we'll reevaluate how we want to serve the community and to try to make good choices about where and how we live.
Now to get on with the rest of the day and living out these resolutions!
2 comments:
Congratulations, Godmother! Babies are a sign of HOPE in a new year.
We received your Christmas letter yesterday. You continue to amaze me, and I LOVE the picture and the Guam shirts.
God bless you in the new year, and always!
Thanks, Margaret! So excited to have another niece - we have 4 new neices and nephews to meet when we get back to the states.
A little late with the cards this year... Hope you and your family are doing well!
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