announcement

Today I announced the existence of the Homeschooling Families of the Sacred Heart!  I sent out the newsletter and an email announcement.  What a joy to see it come to fruition!  I am proud of the newsletter, proud of the brochure; I have broken through all my previous barriers to technology and learned how to do computer design!  I am also proud of the community of mothers who are interested--women who have not felt connected or integrated into the community yet--now they have a place!  I am so, so grateful for that, and feel that they make this work worth it.  A big day in the life of this little homeschooling mother!  

Becoming Firm of Spirit

     When other people's feelings, moods, judgements and opinions impose themselves on me, and I falter in maintaining my OWN feelings, mood, thoughts and opinions, I go to Psalm 16.  I love every word of it, but my favorite lines are:
     "The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.  The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a good inheritance."
     I think of God establishing my identity, self, mind, heart and life.  He sets the boundary lines--no one else does.
     Then, He fills it with good things, most especially Himself.  As Mother Theresa of Calcutta said: "Jesus is my All in All."  He alone is sufficient for me: "My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness," (2 Cor. 12:9).  No matter what other people do or do not do, my cup is running over, my portion is large, because God is goodness overflowing.  That is inheritance enough for anyone!
     The final part of my prayer over Psalm 16 is to think of how God made me.  I make an impromptu list of my favorite things.  For example:

I love bulbs.
I love roses.
I love the beach.
I love coffee with a friend.
I love Annie's smile.

The list can go on and on and it changes every time I do it.
     I read and reread my list, and my feelings catch up with who I am, what is within my boundary lines, and who God made me.  My feelings catch up with God being the generous giver of these things, and I become grateful.  Then, with my emotions and mind realigned, I am a much more prayerful and happy person!    

grown up virtue flowers

     Since my last post, several comments have been made to me about grown ups doing them!  So my confession: at the time, I couldn't help myself--I did one with the kids.

     It was the demo.  And anyone can do this.  I pasted a stem and a center (I cut them randomly from construction paper) to the main paper.  Then I cut out petals.  I said to the kids: "What are some of the virtues that I am working on?  What do you hear me apologize for, and say I am working on?"  Mary said, "Always being gentle, even when you are upset!"  I said, "Bingo!  That's it!  That is one of the things I am really working on right now!"  So I wrote on a petal: "Always gentle."
     Then I said, "Is there anything that I am already good at?  Not a sport or a hobby, but something that is a virtue?  Something that makes God happy with how I am behaving?"
    Jacob said, "You have good judgment.  You know how to solve problems."
    "Thanks, Jake!"  I said.  So I wrote that on a petal.
    Then I glued that one on the center.  But I said, "Since I am not yet 'Always gentle,' I'll just tape that one to the bottom here."  And I did that.
     Clare and Leigh chimed in: "You are good at loving Jesus!  You love Mass!"  They said, "You are compassionate and loving!"  So I wrote those down on more petals and glued them on.
     At that point, we began the children's flowers.  What was so astounding to me, as I said, is that each person's glued-on petals were so different, and yet so worthy of rejoicing!  There was a virtual family celebration over each person's character, and we delighted in the each one.  

Virtue Flowers

      Each one of my children made a "Virtue Flower."  Each child has a stem and a center, but the petals represent virtues.  When the child has them for certain, we glued them to the center.  But if a child is still working on that virtue, we taped the petal to the stem, and it can get moved up or down, as they are working on that virtue.  

I learned so much!  I thought the targeted virtues would be the same.  But as it turned out, each child has different ones that it seems they are "designed" to have!  It is thrilling that some love school (I think loving school is a virtue!), while others love time with friends (so is friendship!).  Others are being outstanding when they tell the truth; others are most outstanding when they can bite their tongue and not complain.  In addition to loving God very much, some people are just especially pious!  While all the kids love us, their parents, some are especially great at telling us so!  These virtues are just a delight to uncover.  

It was a tremendous exercise for me to articulate, and hear them articulate, what is must true about each one of them.  Clare chimed in about Leigh; Mary described Jacob.  Jake was fantastic at describing everyone's virtues.  The whole event was a genuine celebration.  These children are truly wonderfully made!  

Off the Ground!

     With the joyful success of the May Crowning, it is humbling and beautiful to see that this homeschooling community is OFF THE GROUND!  What a gift!

It was a perfect temperature with a nice cloud cover.  We got home and within minutes, there was a torrential downpour.  Jake said, "I guess Mary asked her Son to hold off the weather till we got home!"  Ain't that the truth!   

Mom

     Here are some of my favorite memories of Mom:
1. Singing "White Coral Bells" in a round with Mom and Kim.
2. Mom getting Jeff Wall to teach me how to swim in Granny Ruth's pool, and Mom doing the breast stroke and not getting her hair wet.
3. Mom letting Kim and me watch the Helen Keller TV movie and have a sleepover in her room when we first moved to NYC.
4. Mom taking us to the Met and us eating street vendor hot dogs on the steps.
5. Mom braiding my hair Bo Derek style.
6. Mom taking me to see "Annie" on Broadway no less than 6 times.
7. Mom teaching me to write an essay in 9th grade.
8. Mom picking me up from my exchange program at the end of my stay in Nantes and sharing with me the changes she had seen take place in me during the time I had been away.
9. Mom taking my bridal party a couple of months before the wedding to Elizabeth Arden and all of us getting our hair and nails done.  We sure took that place over for a day!  I still look for "Ballet Slippers" nail polish whenever I get my nails done.
10. Mom surprising me with napkins last week that read: "Homeschooling Mothers of the Sacred Heart," a name that she came up with.

I love you, Mom!  Happy Mother's Day!

May Crowning

     In these past two weeks, I have given far more than I actually had in establishing a new, revitalized home school community.  I have spent hours and hours in meetings with the current steering committee.  We have tried many solutions on for size.  Ultimately, one new group is being founded out of the new, Tridentine Mass parish, and I am establishing a second new group for families who are not members of that parish.  They are going to be the Homeschooling Families of the Immaculate Heart, and we are going to be the Homeschooling Families of the Sacred Heart.  Together, our alliance is called "Two Hearts."
     I have consecrated each step along the way to the two hearts, and they have carried me through.  The grace has been palpable, and I am so much more trusting in the grace of God than I have been in my whole life.  Jesus said to become like little children.  As I step up to lead the group, the only way is to step down and become trusting and joyful like a tiny child.
    This Wednesday is our first major event, the May Crowning.  It is the kickoff event.  I pray that in preparing for it and executing it on Wednesday, each of us will hear our call to be, like Mary, queens, crowned because we carry the crucified Christ within us, sharing Him with the world.