Bits & Pieces

I have nothing more to offer you than a hodgepodge post. This past weekend my mom and my two oldest girls took off for Peoria, Illinois for one of my speaking engagements. It was a fun and faith-filled weekend. The girls were very excited about the tea and the sweets to go with it. Speaking of sweets, the beautiful family we had the privilege of spending the weekend with say this lovely, little pray before dessert or any treat: “Dear Jesus, thank you for this treat. Help it to remind me of the sweetness of heaven.” I think we have a new family tradition.

My mom (AKA Gaba) and my oldest

My speeches went well, I think. No matter how uncertain I am before I take the podium, the Holy Spirit always seems to show up to give me the help I need and somehow I find the right words and don’t say “um” too much. I met some amazing women at the tea and even had some time for Adoration. At the evening talk for parents that focused on technology and our children, I learned quite a bit in the discussion that followed the speech. One mom who also happens to work in the school setting had a great suggestion. She not only limits her children’s time spent playing games on the iPad, computer, or smartphone, but she also only allows them to choose one game to play during the allotted time because she’s noticed if she doesn’t, they jump from game to game. I’ve noticed the same habit from my own kids and plan on enforcing this new rule. Our kids’ brains aren’t meant to process information like a computer. This simple strategy seems like it would help mitigate some of the effects of the attention deficit digital world our kids are growing up in.

Several people requested specific quotes from the speech. Since these words of wisdom (from people far wiser than I) seemed to resonate with folks, I thought I’d share a few below.

“If I had to advise parents, I should tell them to take great care about the people with whom their children associate…Much harm may result from bad company, and we are inclined by nature to follow what is worse than what is better.” -St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Christ Has No Body

by St. Teresa of Avila

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

“Holy women are the incarnation of the feminine ideal; they are also the model for all Christians…” -Blessed Pope John Paul II

“Perhaps more than men, women acknowledge the person because they see with their hearts.” -Blessed Pope John Paul II (again)

“The soul of woman must therefore be expansive and open to all human beings; it must be quiet so that no small weak flame be extinguished by stormy winds; warm so as to not benumb fragile buds; clear, so that no vermin will settle in dark corner and recesses; self-contained, so that no invasions can imperil the inner life; empty of itself, in order that extraneous life may have room in it; finally, it is the mistress of itself and also of its body, so that the entire person is readily at the disposal of every call.” – Edith Stein/Saint Teresia Benedicta of the Cross

Another injury (inflamed tendons since a tough trail run) sidelined me from running for a few days. The timing worked out well because I took a break while I was in Illinois. I ran with my speedy peeps Monday morning and felt only a dull ache near my ankle. I’m going to keep icing it, stretching my tight calf, and run more conservatively for the next week or so. I’m really trying to be smart and not turn into the crazy-run-girl I was in my younger days who ended up with more serious injuries because she ran through pain. My physical therapist isn’t too worried. We’ve been working on my biomechanics and it’s not uncommon to have minor twinges as your body adjusts to your better but still new form.

We have a family wedding in Illinois coming up, so I’ll be back up there soon. While we’re in Chicago, we’re going to take the kids to to Museum of Science and Industry.

The summer is flying by, and there’s some exciting and anxiety-producing (for me anyway) news in store for our family that arrives in August. I’ll have more details to come when I can find the time, energy, and courage to spell things out.

My newly turned 6-year-old has been frequently asking, “Can we have another baby? Why can’t you have another baby?”

And interestingly, “Other people control the amount of babies they have. Why don’t you?”

I have my monthly Morning Air interview this Thursday at 7:30 a.m. EST. We’ll be talking about one of my speech topics – raising kids in an “iCulture.”

And there’s your random blog post for the day (or week, or maybe even month).