Holy Week is upon us! As a Christian woman, I seem to arrive at this day each Lent filled with equal parts exhaustion and anticipation; exhaustion from what has been and anticipation about what is to come.
A few thoughts on what has been. It has been 35 days of sacrifice. As a Catholic Christian, I am called each Lent to look at areas of my life that need some fine tuning. When I figure out what areas I want to work on, I map out a plan to give something up or do something extra; make a change in order to grow closer to Jesus. It is safe to say that change is hard. Change of heart is harder. Without going into detail, I will share that I've been mildly successful in some areas, while in other areas, I have fallen woefully short. Thus, the exhaustion!
A few thoughts on what is to come. We call it the Triduum; the sacred three days. Though it spans three days, it is one single liturgy. On Holy Thursday we commemorate Jesus' institution of the Holy Eucharist at the mass of the Lord's Supper. We remember, we celebrate, we believe. Additionally at this mass, parishes receive the holy oils. These oils are used throughout the year in conferring the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, anointing of the sick, and holy orders (ordination). Also at mass on Holy Thursday we follow Christ's example of service when we have the opportunity to wash each others feet. Our tradition is rich with meaning, and Holy Thursday is one of my favorite celebrations of the church year.
Good Friday of the Lord's Passion follows. It is here we come face to face with the wages of our sin. We remember how our Savior endured unspeakable torture, the abandonment by his friends, and the humiliation of death on a cross all because of our sin. As I go forward to venerate the cross, I often have tears in my eyes...He gave His all for me. Good Friday is hard.
The Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord happens at the Easter Vigil. We are blessed to live now, at this time, when we know how the story ends! Jesus Christ lives! At the Vigil, we read from holy scripture and remember the history of our people and the faithfulness of our God. We sing psalms of praise and thanksgiving for our deliverance from darkness into light, from what was old to what is new, from death to new life. We welcome new members into the faith. We sing Alleluia!!! Praise God for God's gift of love, Jesus Christ, the Paschal Lamb, our Savior and Lord!
But it is still Palm Sunday. We must remember there can be no glory without lowliness, no exaltation without self-sacrifice, no life without death. And so we wait...
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Friday, March 16, 2018
Madness
Disclaimer: The following is not meant to be a personal attack on anyone who sells stuff, uses stuff, wears stuff, diffuses stuff, or eats food! :)
I am a huge fan of March Madness. The NCAA Basketball Tournament could not come at a better time of year for this Wisconsin girl who is longing for warmer weather! It is great entertainment while I am stuck inside for a few more weeks before spring really springs!
This post is not about March Madness. Rather, it is about another type of behavior, or trend, or fad that seems to be occurring with increased frequency. I've named it Madness because, in my humble opinion, it is!
I have tried to keep up with technology the last ten to fifteen years. After all, I have this blog, I make purchases online, the boards and committees I serve on utilize the internet for communication, and I stay connected to people via Facebook. In the interest of full disclosure, I do not have a twitter account, and I don't use Instagram.
Now for the madness on Facebook. Each time I open my Facebook account, I find more and more people posting about their "passion" which translated means "business." Back in the day, we called these ventures pyramid schemes. Pyramid schemes are illegal in many countries, including the United States. Today, the term used is Multi-Level Marketing or network marketing. Network marketing systems use independent salespeople (distributors) to sell consumer products. Several of my Facebook "friends" are independent salespeople.
Drink these greens, buy this pair of shoes, shop here, use this shampoo, diffuse this essential oil. I've got nothing against spinach, cute shoes, or clean hair. It just begs a couple questions from where I sit. Are the products really as good as the salespeople claim? Just because my neighbor's sister's niece says so, doesn't make it true. And she can refer me to an article touting the benefits of said product which was probably authored by the company that developed the product. I'd feel better about considering using a product if the referral came from an independent reviewer, thank you very much.
Would there be as many independent salespeople peddling consumer products if they had to actually leave the comfortable confines of their homes to sell? Let's face it, it is much easier to sit at a computer, create and then post a clever "ad" asking "friends" to consider purchasing an item than it is to go door to door in March in Wisconsin! It seems safe to conclude that one of the reasons network marketing has blossomed in recent years is because of the ease of access to consumers provided by social media platforms. Again, is the product that good or is it just able to be marketed with less difficulty?
Although there is more I could write here, I'll close with this thought. Probably the only way for me to stop the Facebook "madness" is to spend less time on Facebook. Thanks to Lent, that is something I have already begun to do. Less time online has given me more time to read and to write, two activities I really enjoy. I'm off to watch a little college basketball. That's a madness I'll consume!
I am a huge fan of March Madness. The NCAA Basketball Tournament could not come at a better time of year for this Wisconsin girl who is longing for warmer weather! It is great entertainment while I am stuck inside for a few more weeks before spring really springs!
This post is not about March Madness. Rather, it is about another type of behavior, or trend, or fad that seems to be occurring with increased frequency. I've named it Madness because, in my humble opinion, it is!
I have tried to keep up with technology the last ten to fifteen years. After all, I have this blog, I make purchases online, the boards and committees I serve on utilize the internet for communication, and I stay connected to people via Facebook. In the interest of full disclosure, I do not have a twitter account, and I don't use Instagram.
Now for the madness on Facebook. Each time I open my Facebook account, I find more and more people posting about their "passion" which translated means "business." Back in the day, we called these ventures pyramid schemes. Pyramid schemes are illegal in many countries, including the United States. Today, the term used is Multi-Level Marketing or network marketing. Network marketing systems use independent salespeople (distributors) to sell consumer products. Several of my Facebook "friends" are independent salespeople.
Drink these greens, buy this pair of shoes, shop here, use this shampoo, diffuse this essential oil. I've got nothing against spinach, cute shoes, or clean hair. It just begs a couple questions from where I sit. Are the products really as good as the salespeople claim? Just because my neighbor's sister's niece says so, doesn't make it true. And she can refer me to an article touting the benefits of said product which was probably authored by the company that developed the product. I'd feel better about considering using a product if the referral came from an independent reviewer, thank you very much.
Would there be as many independent salespeople peddling consumer products if they had to actually leave the comfortable confines of their homes to sell? Let's face it, it is much easier to sit at a computer, create and then post a clever "ad" asking "friends" to consider purchasing an item than it is to go door to door in March in Wisconsin! It seems safe to conclude that one of the reasons network marketing has blossomed in recent years is because of the ease of access to consumers provided by social media platforms. Again, is the product that good or is it just able to be marketed with less difficulty?
Although there is more I could write here, I'll close with this thought. Probably the only way for me to stop the Facebook "madness" is to spend less time on Facebook. Thanks to Lent, that is something I have already begun to do. Less time online has given me more time to read and to write, two activities I really enjoy. I'm off to watch a little college basketball. That's a madness I'll consume!
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
On Being a Grandma
It is hard to believe that our first grandchild was born five years ago today. In other words, today is the fifth anniversary of my grand-motherhood. Humor me as I reflect on this amazing role.
Being a grandma is a gift; quite possibly the sweetest gift ever. Grandchildren are precious human beings who immediately capture your heart. Their possession of your heart is different from the way your own children occupy that space. I believe the difference has to do with responsibility.
When your child is born, you realize very quickly in sort of an ominous way that the buck stops with you. You and your husband are responsible for a life; for all of it--the nurturing, the providing, the loving, the disciplining, the forgiving, for the totality of training up a child! Wow! Makes me wonder how we did it (so far)!
When a grandchild is born, some amazing things happen. You see your child in the role of parent, and the pride you feel and the love you have for your child grows immeasurably. And when you hold your grandchild, there is a connection to that flesh of your flesh that is indescribable. Your heart connects to the heart of that little person in a profound way. She has done nothing, but be born, yet she is loved. And my only responsibility as grandma is to simply love! Such a deal! Such a gift!
Since our first grand-daughter arrived, we have been blessed with four more grandchildren, including twins who share today's birth date! God's sense of humor is clear to me here...5 grandchildren, but only three birth dates to remember. Thank you, Lord! :)
I am grateful, I am blessed, I am grandma!
"Becoming a grandmother is wonderful. One moment you're just a mother. The next you're all-wise and prehistoric." ~Pam Brown
Being a grandma is a gift; quite possibly the sweetest gift ever. Grandchildren are precious human beings who immediately capture your heart. Their possession of your heart is different from the way your own children occupy that space. I believe the difference has to do with responsibility.
When your child is born, you realize very quickly in sort of an ominous way that the buck stops with you. You and your husband are responsible for a life; for all of it--the nurturing, the providing, the loving, the disciplining, the forgiving, for the totality of training up a child! Wow! Makes me wonder how we did it (so far)!
When a grandchild is born, some amazing things happen. You see your child in the role of parent, and the pride you feel and the love you have for your child grows immeasurably. And when you hold your grandchild, there is a connection to that flesh of your flesh that is indescribable. Your heart connects to the heart of that little person in a profound way. She has done nothing, but be born, yet she is loved. And my only responsibility as grandma is to simply love! Such a deal! Such a gift!
Since our first grand-daughter arrived, we have been blessed with four more grandchildren, including twins who share today's birth date! God's sense of humor is clear to me here...5 grandchildren, but only three birth dates to remember. Thank you, Lord! :)
I am grateful, I am blessed, I am grandma!
 |
| Thanksgiving 2017 |
"Becoming a grandmother is wonderful. One moment you're just a mother. The next you're all-wise and prehistoric." ~Pam Brown
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