Church Shopping

Those of you have followed my blog for a while know that our family got kicked out of Catholic Mass a few years ago and we never really went back. Xavier is a very, VERY active toddler and cannot sit through dinnertime, much less an hour-long Mass. And I don't blame him, because it can be an eternity, even for this 31-year-old.

I wouldn't say Sudhagar and I are "church-y" people, but I have always been a very spiritual person and Sudhagar converted from Hinduism to Catholicism because he enjoyed "the peace of the Mass." And even though the Catholic Mass can be absolutely beautiful with the incense and traditional music and ritual, it falls short in supporting young families. It does.

So since moving to Joplin about six months ago, we've explored other denominations, looking for the two things that Catholic churches do not offer:
1) a nursery where Xavier can learn in a fun way (singing, coloring, story time) while Sudhagar and I attend the service
2) social activities and classes offered throughout the week so we can get to know some peeps

The problem with the couple churches we've visited is they felt like a rock concert, so we missed out on the main reason we're wanting to go to church in the first place, which is an hour of peace and quiet in an otherwise crazy, busy week.

So, we're still not sure what we're going to do, though I will say that Xavier (somewhat) sat through a couple of Catholic Masses with just a smattering of threats/pleas for him to "please be good!" and a whole lot of promises/bribes of ice cream if he'd just sit still for a little bit longer. Maybe it's a start, or maybe we're destined to return to being little heathens :)

In The Dark

Just learned of a publication called Hayden's Ferry Review from the President of Joplin Writers (my new writing group). The literary journal's theme for the next issue is "In the Dark" and since my main character spends a chapter in a New Orleans cemetery at night, I decided to enter a chapter from my finished novel, Voodoo Butterfly.

Wish me luck in getting the excerpt published :)

And for any writers interested in submitting, there is more information below.

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Call for Submissions: IN THE DARK

We do a lot of things in the dark: feel fear, make love, tell stories. We spend at least a third of our lives with the lights off, dreaming. In the dark, we imagine shadows and movement where there may be none, we picture stormy nights and power outages. We see amorphous shapes that we cannot identify, and the whole world goes colorless. Sometimes, we feel left out or lost, and though it may be the middle of the day, high noon, we say we are in the dark. Sometimes we don't even know the things we don't know, don't know that someone, somewhere, is thinking about how in the dark we are--unaware of unfaithful love, of eyes trained on us from a distance, of surprise parties being plotted. Darkness is also used to make things seem brighter. In painting, for instance, a brushstroke here brings out the color there, illuminating the illumination.

Our theme for issue #51 of Hayden's Ferry Review is In the Dark. We want your stories and poems about darkness, about being and doing and feeling in the dark. Turn the lights off. Make shadow puppets on the wall. Leave something out. Tell us what happens when the screen goes black. Blindfold us and take us by the hand. Lock us in the trunks of cars. Take us to attics, basements, graveyards. Find a darkness that hasn't been found.

Submit online at

http://hfr.submishmash.com

A Prayer for Vacations

I've been going through photos--LOTS of photos. I have not dealt with photos since 2006...[deep sigh].

I came across this little pamphlet for The Chapel of the Transfiguration in the Tetons. My family went there in 2007 while I was still pregnant with Xavier. It was a beautiful spot.



I love running across little treasures that you didn't even know you had. This prayer on the back of the pamphlet is one such treasure.

Loving God, who didst make this earth so fair; open our eyes to see its wonders and our hearts to feel its beauty. In our days of refreshment and recreation draw us nearer to Thee through the things which Thou hast made. May the joy of Thy sunshine, the quiet of Thy forests, the murmur of Thy streams, and the steadfast strength of Thine everlasting hills teach us the deep secret of Thy peace. Calm our fretful spirits. Deepen the current of our shallow lives. Renew in us faith and courage, physical strength, and spiritual vision, that we may know ourselves to be safely held in Thy strong hands, and may joyfully conform our lives to Thy great purposes. From this life, so near to nature's heart may we drink in new strength to help us reach the restless hearts of women and men. Give us Thy secret, and the power to share it with our fellows; that we may go back to the world and its duties stronger, simpler, sweeter; and may become more worthy messengers of Him who saw God's goodness in the sparrow's flight, and God's love in the beauty which clothes the lilies of the field. We ask it for His dear sake. Amen.
--Hugh L. Burleson

Sweet and touching prayer for simple daily reflection, but I'll pack it in my suitcase for wherever I travel next.

Any summer vacation plans?

Speak Your Heart

Normally we say, "Speak your mind."

But yesterday the discussion leader at Mom's Connection suggested that, "Every word that comes out of our mouths starts in our hearts." That really resonated with me.

In my moms group we have been talking about modern life becoming experience rich and relationship poor. With kids there are a plethora of activities to choose from: school, music lessons, sports...

Yes, the modern family can afford to let their kids do more things, but in all that hustle and bustle, the family connection gets lost.

I've seen it myself in the breakdown of marriages of friends and family members. I don't think anyone means for it to happen, but these discussions have made me more aware that all these experience options don't necessarily help me know my kid at a deeper level.

Just something to think about for all us mommies trying to navigate the parenting waters of today.

One of my favorite ways of reconnecting with Xavier is to give him a big hug and kiss and look him in the eyes and tell him "I love him" or that he's "my treasure." Or I just sit and listen to him talk (incessantly) about Superhero Squad or whatever else interests him at that fleeting moment.

How do you connect with your kids?

Lenten Confessions

Being the good Catholic girl that I am (ahem) I gave up caffeine and alcohol for Lent.

Well...

Yesterday (which was Ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent) I had a coffee date with a new friend and, true, I could have just had an herbal tea or some other non-caffeinated beverage. But I just love mochas so much! So that's what I ordered.

Then last night I was sifting through a bazillion digital photos, meticulously tagging, labeling, and printing them (which I have not done since 2006, and the birth of my first child occurred in 2007, so you do the math for how many pictures I've taken since then). Maybe it was a gajillion.

And so...I drank a glass of red wine. My neck hurt and I wanted to take the edge off from all that photo junk and my thinking was that I'd already messed up the day with the mocha, so why not just go for it?

But, today is a new day! No caffeine (yeah me!), but may need the wine once the digital photos commence.

Oh! And I have some really cool news that is connected in a roundabout way. Follow my train of thought: Mardi Gras is the last hurrah before Lent, Mardi Gras is huge in New Orleans. And guess where this girl is going for her birthday/anniversary.

I'm so excited. We booked a reservation at the Lamothe House which is a ten minute walk to Jackson Square. And by the time we go in May, we'll be past Lent and I can enjoy a Pat O'Brien Hurricane and a Cafe Du Monde cafe au lait minus any Catholic guilt :)