Weekly Mass and Its Torments

We did another Saturday vigil mass at the most beautiful Franciscan retreat center. Smiling, welcoming greeters somehow still had the smiles plastered on at the end. Maybe it's the natural beauty of the center, but my boy freaks the minute we enter the sanctuary. You know what else? There is something about the casual, cocktail-party-buzz, jeans-shorts informality of western-U.S. Catholicism. The warmth I love does not telegraph solemnity and order to toddlers. I noticed this on a visit to Delaware, where my boy entered a church in silence and sat most of the hour on a wooden pew playing with cars. And not the loud ones, either.

At least we had an angel today. A man who stood outside (at the hottest hour of our summer day, I do not understand why), held our hands at the Our Father, and asked if "mom" needed water. We spent the whole mass outside in 100 degree heat.

This morning, we were absorbed for half an hour petting the (de-stingered) sting rays, I mean, "rays" , at the zoo. God has shown up all day, I guess.

My Annual Blog Post

So, it has been around a year since the last time (the first time?) I posted on this thing. A friend just linked to her blog so that got me in here and what the heck. Maybe we'll go for bi-annual! Whoo!

I'm going to write on here until it's not too embarrassing to share with others. Once upon a time (3rd grade? maybe the year after college?) I actually had some natural talent as a writer. Years of ideological hardening and refining my position of RIGHTNESS have made me harder to listen to- yes, friends, I notice it too.

Here's to Holy Week 2011. God's ability to change me if I just blink an eye. And thanks to the woman tonight who said: "Insanity is at the bottom of powerlessness. If you are having a breakdown- DO IT! LET IT HAPPEN! Breakdowns are where change begins."

Arizona's convolutions and how it's all part of the plan

With one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country, one of the highest incidence of meth addiction (& production), and the fewest services for families under pressure, it shouldn't be surprising that there are a ton of foster children in AZ waiting to have "forever families" (though the term kind of makes me wince, it is , after all, my end goal).

Spent today working and didn't make time to jump through the latest DES hoop...calling a child care selection non-profit to get recommendations for the various centers in my area somehow seemed more intimidating than organizing robo-calls to half a million Arizona voters. Well, it's all a process. Maybe tomorrow this will go to the top of the list!

Julie & Julia it's not!

This journey to motherhood is one I hope can be useful to others, as others' blogs on the topic have been to me. So, more like "Watch God Go!" should be the title. I am convinced this will work if I walk each day trusting the process. Stay tuned.