The Definition of Irony

I never enjoyed math much. Long division was not my idea of a good time. I took through Calculus in high school, got the math requirement waived in college, and never looked back. I can honestly say I now probably function at an eighth grade math level.

But I have a four-year-old who lives to do math. Isaac is currently at about a second-grade math level. He adds and subtracts two and three digit numbers in his head and is starting to understand how multiplication works. His favorite thing to do is play "rummy" and other card games. In our on-going "rummy" game, he is currently at 11,000 points while I am around 7,000 and it is not that I am letting him win. He walks around the house doing math problems. Granted, he does not have 100% accuracy but he is usually in the right ballpark. It is a pretty amazing thing to witness. This is obviously his gift in life and I am trying to nurture it which means that my days are spent doing a lot of math.

A friend of mine gave me an "algebra" textbook and a "preparing for the math college boards" book today. She was cleaning out her house and thought she would pass them along to her "little mathematical friend." I know he is not yet ready for these books but he will enjoy looking at them, and I am sure his first statement will be "Mommy, do this!" Yes, God does have a sense of humor!

Post-It Note Fun

Never underestimate the power of a pile of post-it notes to keep a four-year old busy!

What would you do with more time?

We all seem to be suffering from a time shortage. There always seems to be too much to do and not enough time to do it in. So, today I invite you to consider what you would do with more time. Go ahead, make a list. Do you want to spend more time sitting on the floor playing with your children? Do you want to pursue a hobby like gardening, or playing piano, fishing, or golf? Do you want to read a good book or take a walk outside? Do you want to pray more? Whatever it is, write it down.

Now, find a way to incorporate at least one of those things in your life, even if it is only for 5 minutes at a time. When I first began a mom, I had to accept the reality that if I didn't take advantage of those little spurts of time in my life when the kids were happy, fed and changed, I was never going to get anything done.

I learned to always have reading material available. I have read so much one paragraph or one page at a time. I learned to pray anywhere, anytime. I learned that you can actually pull a few weeds out of a garden in 5 minutes of free time or step outside for a quick breath of fresh air. These little "breaks" in the busyness of life help quiet and nourish the soul. Take advantage of them.

Doing Everything Out of Love

If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient. Love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8

Chapter 13 of 1st Corinthians is one of the best-known Bible passages. St. Paul's words on love carry a resonance down through the ages. Many brides and grooms choose this passage as a wedding reading and rightfully so. The love he speaks of is the love which all married couples should aspire to, but that love is not limited only to those who are married. Jesus gave us the great commandment, to "Love God and Love our neighbor as yourself." As Christians, our fundamental task is to love one another however and wherever we find them.

The first part of this scripture passage is especially demanding. St. Paul tells us that we can do the most amazing and generous things, but if we do them for the wrong reason, they are of little value. Love needs to inform our every action. It needs to be the reason behind everything that we do. Sometimes, that can be very challenging. Sometimes the most loving thing to do isn't exactly clear.

In parenting, love can require different things at different times and with different children. Sometimes love requires a hug and a kiss to make a problem all better. At other times, love requires setting limits and doling out punishments when those limits are violated. Sometimes love requires holding on tightly. At other times, it requires letting go and allowing your child to make a mistake he can learn from. It can be very difficult to know which time is which.

In our dealings with friends and family, love can help us to keep our mouth shut so that we don't cause harm to anyone. Other times, love means we need to speak up and help talk someone we care about out of a bad course of action.

In facing larger issues in our community and world such as homelessness, poverty, hunger, and war, love can mean working with others to find a solution and respecting those whose opinions of how to fix these problems differ from our own. Love can mean being generous with our material resources or respecting the homeless person who crosses our path on the street. It can mean putting a donation in a tin cup or choosing to help through established agencies. It can mean supporting a soldier while at the same time protesting a war.

Yes, love sometimes means making difficult choices when the way is not always clear. St. Paul tells us, however, that as long as we do make our choices out of love, we are on the right path. We do the best we can and we have to trust that love and God in heaven will help it all turn out the way it should.

Staying Single?

There was an interesting article on Catholic Exchange today about how more and more women are choosing to stay single and some of the reasons behind it. Some of the comments that people have made responding to it are especially interesting.

Single Minded

More on Angels

Joan Wester Anderson was nice enough to send me the following message:

Thank you so much for mentioning my new book on your blog. It is always a thrill to "meet" someone who loves angels. You might want to know, and mention to your readers, that on my website, www.joanwanderson.com, I now have an archives page which has allowed me to post about 150 stories that I never used in my books. These are stories mailed out every other week to my mailing list (which you can also sign up to receive at the same website address). Never a fee or anything. Just a gathering place for angel lovers. Thanks again. Joan Wester Anderson

Guardian Angels

I had read Where Wonders Prevail by Joan Wester Anderson a couple of years ago and loved it. So, I was very excited to see this new book by Anderson, "Guardian Angels: True Stories of Answered Prayers" at the library. I wasn't disappointed. "Guardian Angels" shares the same format, offering examples of divine intervention in people's lives - mysterious Good Samaritans who appear out of nowhere in a person's hour of need or extraordinary circumstances that simply cannot be explained in human terms.

If you don't believe in angels, you should read this book. It will convince you that there are other beings who walk through life with us and help guide our way. If you already believe in angels, "Guardian Angels" will only serve to reinforce that belief. It is filled with wonderful, touching stories, quite a few of which made me tear up. It is such a reinforcement of the good in the world. We all need that now and then.