C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein

I'm currently reading a preview copy of Walking Together: Discovering the Catholic Tradition of Spiritual Friendship by Mary DeTurris Poust. In it, I came across this interesting tidbit regarding C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein.

[C.S.] Lewis shared a deep friendship with author J.R.R. Tolkein, who was instrumental in Lewis' conversion to Christianity. These authors met at Magdalen College at Oxford University and later influenced each other's writings and spirituality. In fact, it has been said that we would not have Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia" or Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings if the two had not met and encouraged each other in their efforts to transmit gospel truth through fantasy fiction. . . The relationship between Lewis and Tolkein was not simply a matter of common interest or professional pedigree, but of a common desire to use their talents to deepen their own faith and share it with others.

Ignore this Alarm at Your Own Risk

My family and I were shopping at our local mall today when the fire alarm suddenly went off. While not ear-piercing, it was very loud, and there were strobe lights going off everywhere. Truly, there was no way to miss it. We were done our shopping and heading out of the mall when this occurred. During the five minutes it took us to exit the building, there was no public address announcement to indicate it was a false alarm. While we could not see any smoke or fire, there very well could have been in some other part of the building. As I looked around, I noticed that no one else was moving to the exits. People continued shopping. A few people, especially children, covered their ears in response to the shrill noise, but that was it. Everyone else simply ignored the alarm. Truly, I was flabbergasted by the lack of concern.

As a society, we have become used to false alarms. Car alarms, house alarms – they all get ignored. The media tries to get us worked up about things on a daily basis. There is always a threat du jour, some new thing or food that is bad for us. Most of these are proved false in time. We have learned not to be bothered.

What about in our spiritual life? Do we pay any attention to the alarms that we hear there? Or does our jaded attitude carry over into our relationship with God? As I reflected on this, I thought of John the Baptist crying out in the desert, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” If we encountered him today on the street (there aren’t many deserts in my part of the world), we would most likely move to the other side of the road in an attempt to avoid him. Do we take seriously the need to repent?

We’ve heard Scripture passages so many times, we barely listen during Mass. Can you recall what the Gospel was about this past Sunday? What the priest said in his homily? Do we take the message of the Word of God seriously in our lives? Do we hear God asking us to change our lives?

What about when that little voice inside our head tells us what we are doing is wrong? Do we pay attention to our conscience, or do we ignore it? Do we try to rationalize our behavior? Do we think that because everyone else is doing something that it is okay? Do we want to take the easy road rather than the right road? Do we ignore the alarms inside ourselves, shut them out until our conscience is deadened and the warnings go away?

Despite all the false alarms in our lives, there are alarms that we should take seriously. Contrary to the opinion of my fellow mall shoppers, I still believe that it is better to leave a building when the fire alarm goes off. You can always go back inside when it stops. It is even more important to pay attention to the alarms in our spiritual lives. They rarely come with piercing noises and strobe lights. Instead, they come in whispers, the nagging feeling that something isn’t right in our lives. They come in the Word of God and in answers to prayers. Ignore them at the risk of your eternal lives.

Book Review: Plan B

Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would?
by Pete Wilson
Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010

So many books on Christianity put forth the (erroneous) idea that if you simply believe enough in God and pray enough, then life will be problem-free. "Plan B" is a much more honest look at life. Pete Wilson begins "Plan B" with an important question: "Do you remember the day you discovered your life wasn't going to turn out quite the way you thought?" Wilson deals with the messiness of life in this book - the painful parts, the shattered dreams. He goes on to state, "If you are like so many people I know, your shattered dreams may have left you wondering if God is still actively involved in your life. You may wonder if he even cares or if you're too broken and bruised to be healed by him. You probably wonder quite a lot about what to do next."

Wilson doesn't even pretend to have all the answers. After all, he is right there in the trenches with the rest of us. There is no one size fits all solution for healing and moving forward. People looking for one will be disappointed in this book. What Wilson does offer are Biblical stories and personal anecdotes to demonstrate that even in our darkest hour, we are not alone, and that God can always bring something good out of seemingly hopeless situations. Wilson encourages us to love and trust in the midst of the pain. I highly recommend this book to anyone going through a difficult time.

Here are a couple good quotes from this book:

"The thing is, God is God. He doesn't owe any of us anything. But he gives us everything, including himself. He does it in his own magnificent, mysterious, maddeningly unpredictable way. He does it in his own time, which sometimes takes way longer than we think it should. He does it with the big picture in mind, with little regard to the way we think it should go. And so often, instead of giving us what we think we deserve, instead of taking away our pain and frustration and confusion in our Plan Bs, he offers us the promise of his presence."

"We're called to be faithful to God even when it seems He hasn't been faithful to us. We're called to love him even when we feel abandoned. We're called to look for him even in the midst of the darkness. We're called to worship him even through our tears."

Catholic Q & A

Last week, I referred to a column by Fr. John Dietzen who writes for the Catholic New Service. As it turns out, he has a 560 page book featuring his columns. Catholic Q & A: Answers to the Most Common Questions About Catholicism I've been reading his column for years and always find it interesting and informative.

If I had the time and money . . .

This is where I would be this summer:

http://www.thomasmorecollege.edu/summerprogram/atelier

Toy Story 3

The boys and I went to see Toy Story 3 today. It is a story about a young man going off to college and the toys he is leaving behind. I had been warned to bring tissues, and I did. I thought I was doing pretty well, as the movie was nearly over and I still had some semblance of composure - then the last 10 minutes came. Forget it, I was a blubbering mess, as were both boys. We all continued to cry for the next hour. The boys came home and hugged their favorite teddies tightly, and I went to my bedroom closet and rescued my favorite doll from childhood, Alise, and gave her a big hug as well. That's her in the picture.

My one sister is 10 years older than me. She was a good big sister and played with me a great deal when she had the time, but the reality is that I grew up mostly by myself. There was no one to play with in my neighborhood, and even once I was in school, I can count on one hand the number of times I was allowed to have a friend over or went over someone else's house. Alise was my best friend and really, part of the family. She was originally my sister's doll, and my parents tell the story of how they actually brought her to a department store to buy her shoes (she takes a size 3!). When I was one-and-a-half, my mom put her in the crib with me to keep me company. I ended up pulling out all her eyelashes. From then on, she was my constant companion. Growing up, I dressed her up for Halloween and when I broke my arm when I was 8, she wore a sling, too. Over the years we got her replacement eyelashes, but the hair on top of her head started falling out. My father performed surgery on her countless times, putting in her arms or legs that had fallen out.

I continue to treasure her today. While I obviously don't play with her anymore and she is too fragile to be played with by anyone else, I could never dream of giving her away. She is one of my most treasured possessions and in many ways, still seems real to me. I know she is only an inanimate object, but I'm glad that she was part of my life.

Book Review: Homeschooling the Child with Asperger Syndrome

Homeschooling the Child with Asperger Syndrome
by Lise Pyles
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2004

My older son was recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. As a result, I've been taking a crash course on the subject, trying to read and learn all I can. All the books I have read have been helpful in their own way, but most were written by professionals in the academic/psychological world and had a negative view of homeschooling. They advocated professional therapists for every area of difficulty while offering relatively little in advice on how to make modifications at home. As someone who has already been homeschooling for two years, I was searching for something to help me continue on that road while making needed accommodations. I was so thrilled to find this book.

Lise Pyles is a homeschooling mom who has walked the road (as well as having had her child in school). She offers practical suggestions while deferring to experts where necessary. For those not currently homeschooling, she offers the reasons to consider homeschooling. For those already in the trenches, she offers continuing support. While this book certainly does not offer all the answers, it does give one confidence that homeschooling is a very real and desirable option for children with Aspergers. As Pyles states, "In the end, homeschooling is not a panacea, but it's an option worth considering, and it just could be one of the best decisions you will ever make for your special child."