Off the Grid

   We will be making our way north today, hopefully arriving safely in Abiquiu.  There we will be off the grid.  I am hoping for a wonderful retreat!  I know Ron will be leading hikes and marshmallow roasts.  I plan to lead the pack toward getting lots of sleep!
    Yesterday was the Feast of the Holy Family.  I pray that the graces of that feast day pervade our week.  Whether we are from broken or blended families, whether we are poor, whether we are foreigners, like the Holy Family, may we all walk by faith each step of the way and build up our families, which are our most sacred treasures.
    May it be a wonderful and blessed week for us all!

Stranded and Loving It

   We have been at a Holiday Inn in Nowhere, NM, waiting out Storm Goliath.  I have loved it: sleeping 12 hours a night, swimming and using the hot tub, exercising, knitting, and not cooking. :)  
    My favorite moment was playing our new game, Say Anything.  The whole family was playing.  It's a bit like Apples to Apples, but you are guessing the family member's taste or preferences about various things.  "What is my dream house?" Or "What would I most hate giving a toddler?" and everyone makes a guess.  Boy, we laughed and laughed.  It was so much fun.
    It is quite a reading on your family, to all be stranded together.  Do we fight?  Mope?  Bicker?  Seeing how we all just frolicked and played--whether building igloos outside or playing cards, games or telling stories--was a beautiful thing to experience.

Enjoying the Blizzard!

    We headed West, avoiding the tornados that hit Dallas. . . only to find ourselves right in the middle of Winter Storm Goliath!
    We are stranded at a hotel in Clovis, New Mexico.  We are having a blast, playing in the snow and doing our new hop hop exercise videos (Ron's gag gift for Christmas that has captured our kids' imagination and love!).
    I am fully embracing the fun twists and turns of life!
    What I love most of all is having a husband who leads the family in joy and adventure.  He carries the baton in living each moment to the fullest.  It's not what life hands you.  It's what you make out of each moment.  If you bring humor, joy and fun wherever you go, its hard to be disappointed!
    Gotta go. . . we're about to make snowmen!  But it is still blizzarding. . .   so I think the snow people are going to blow away as fast as we can make them!  
    Lord, please help us not lose power!

What a JOY!!!!

    We had such a joyful Christmas: Midnight Mass; Christmas dinner with smoked ribs, Ron Rombs style; lots of pies; an Advent tree that we never got around to re-decorating for Christmas; children squealing over ballet barres, Mission Impossible 5 and a subscription to the soccer channel; and LOTS of coffee for the parents.
     What struck us the most, however, is that the 26th of December is the feast of the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen.  The older kids and I talked about how Christmas is not about children toys and sugar cookies.  Christmas is about a faith that could cost us our lives.  It is about our belief that this one man, Jesus of Nazareth, truly is the imprint of the living God, and we should give our lives to him and follow in his footsteps if we want to be truly happy and join the divine family.
     May we all seek a life completely yielded to the merciful God revealed in Jesus Christ, and may we find joy in his blessed presence.

The Spirit of Christmas

     How do you get into the spirit of Christmas?  How do you stay focused on the meaning of Christmas and not let the secular, social aspect of it dominate your experience of the season?
     For me this year, the answer is to consider poverty.  I have areas of my life that are impoverished: I do not have enough time; I do not have enough energy; I cannot help each of my kids with all the things they want; I cannot get my duties done in a day; I find some areas of our house so ugly and I'd like to re-do them but can't; I find our house itself, well, impoverished.
     But then I think of how Christ made his entry into the world. Why did God enter the world in poverty?  It is absolutely astounding.  God is shouting a message to us.  God is dramatically trying to get our attention with this story of Christ being born of poor, dislocated woman, in a cave sheltering animals.  Poor shepherds are the witnesses of human history's greatest event.  It is so counter-intuitive that the almighty God would forgo luxuries, comfort and wealth which would better befit Him, or so we might think.  What is God trying to tell us?
     I think God is saying, "Actually, poverty better befits me."  He is saying, "My nature is not pompous or arrogant or superior.  Poverty leads to humility, and humility leads to love.  And I am Love.  So, poverty better reflects me than wealth does."  
     I see in this story a message about embracing poverty.  Riches are often obstacles to God.  For whatever reason, our fallen natures do not mix well with wealth.  We need poverty on various levels to remediate our broken natures and instincts.  Poverty is our friend.  Poverty may be hard in the moment but it helps us toward heaven.
    This Advent, I am seeking to joyfully embrace my poverty.  I am seeking Christ's face in each way in which my life comes up short.  Maybe God will be born there.  
   

Moms Changing the World

   Nine moms were sitting around Winnie's kitchen table praying a rosary.  One mother of eight sat nursing her little girl, looking so tired but peaceful.  A mother of seven closed her eyes as she prayed, deep in concentration.  Her sixth has Downs Syndrome.  Yet another mother of eight, one of whom is severely autistic, looked down at her beads as she prayed.  Below us were two moms on the floor: one tending to her twins in matching carriers, another keeping her two toddlers occupied.  A host of children was swarming around us like honey bees, playing with a toy kitchen and building blocks.  
    In our rosary, we read a short reflection before each decade.  One reads: "Jesus came quietly into the world, in poverty and anonymity.  Yet he came with power to change the whole world."
    I thought, "That is what these women are doing!  They have completely yielded their lives--every moment of every day--to Christ's kind of love.  Every moment of their lives is a sacrifice, imitating the cross.  All day long they serve the needy, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and teach the ignorant.  Because of their abundant family sizes, these women have not one minute to themselves.  They have so little time, so little comfort, so little rest.  They are living out poverty.  But it is a poverty of love.  It is truly a vocation made in the image of Christ.  If he came to change the world, then I believe he is going to do it through these moms."
    Choosing a powerful public career may make some difference in the world.  And so will being a Catholic mom.  It is a vocation deeply embedded in the spirit of the gospel.  Despite its poverty and anonymity--or because of its poverty and anonymity--it is a calling that shares the love and the power of Christ.

Marching to the Beat of Your Own Drum

   Clare has amazing spunk and is determined to play basketball competitively.  She has just played her first ever basketball game!  She was really in the action!  Look at her steal the ball!


Look at her be ready to receive the ball!



    We got home and ordered pics like these from her first game, to make a photo book of her.  She is elated.
     It is interesting to have a child who marches to the beat of her own drum.  I have to watch myself and not pressure her to be like the other girls.  I dread the thought of her not fitting in or feeling left out.  But I bite my tongue because she needs to be herself.  The girls in her class talk a lot about the crushes they have on boys.  Once they teased her about liking someone.  She quipped back: "I'm not allowed to date for 8 more years.  Talking about crushes is going to get REALLY BORING.  Can we please talk about something else?"
    She rocks!!!

Third Sunday of Advent: Gaudete Sunday!

   It is the the third Sunday of Advent, called "Gaudete" Sunday.  "Gaudete" means "Rejoice!"
All four readings are unspeakably wonderful!  Here are some snippets:
"Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Be glad and exult with all your heart!" (Zephaniah 3:14)
"God is indeed my savior; I am confident and unafraid," (Isaiah 12)
"Have no anxiety at all, but . . . make your requests known to God," (Philippians 4:4)
"He [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire," (Luke 3:10)
     So many occasions to rise above our circumstances and rejoice in God!

A Mother to the Rescue!

   It was such a joy to visit with Fr. Thomas Esposito last night at the Theology Department Christmas party!  He asked me what I am teaching next semester, and I said, "Epistemology."  He said, "Wow, how did that happen?"  I explained that my department had forgotten to schedule an epistemology class, but the seminarians need it to graduate.  None of the philosophy faculty wanted to teach it because they had already chosen their courses for next semester.  So two deans decided, "Let's ask Kathryn Rombs."
    Fr. Thomas responded: "Of course they did!  See, a mother to the rescue!"

Here is the link to Fr. Thomas' wonderful new book, which is a compilation of his fictional letters to historical figures such as Audrey Hepburn and Albert Einstein:

 http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Fire-Thomas-Esposito/dp/0818913851/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449927852&sr=8-1&keywords=Letters+of+Fire

He creatively gives thoughtful, Catholic messages to them, helping the reader build up and flesh out his or her Catholic worldview, all in an entertaining read.  A good gift for friends and family members!  

Our Lady of Guadalupe

   Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!  Our Lady is arguably responsible for the end of the Aztec practice of human sacrifice in the 16th century and for the conversion of the vast majority of Aztecs to the Catholic faith.  Mexico is predominantly Catholic today because of Our Lady.  Our Lady's sash is black, a symbol of being with child.  She is a gentle, pregnant mother who virtually took over Mexico and changed its course forever.  Go, Our Lady of Guadalupe!  Be with us, pray for us, and help all mothers to gently change the world!

Spiritual Goal of the Year

   Each year I pick one spiritual goal to pray for and work on.  I begin each new Advent, the beginning of the liturgical year, with this new focus.
   Last year, my goal was joy.  I am far from finished in my cultivation of this beautiful gift from God.  But it was so funny--this week I was passing out the final exam for my students.  One of them was staring at me, sort of quizzically. I asked him what was wrong.  He replied, "Oh nothing.  You're just so. . . so. . . joyful!"  I laughed and thought, "What a gift from the Holy Spirit, here as my year has just finished, to have confirmation of some progress on that front!"
     This year, my goal is faith.  Strange--the year of faith declared by Pope Benedict a few years ago came and went, and I did not plumb the depths of faith as I felt I should.  I did try--but somehow came up short.
    But during my year of joy, I realized: "Joy comes from FAITH!"  It definitely does not come from circumstances, which are often so hard.  It does not come from our natures, which are often driven by fight or flight instincts, keeping us from joy.  But FAITH: that is where joy comes from.
    So I resolved that this year, I should dedicate my spiritual life to the pursuit of faith.  Lord, grant me a huge increase in faith!

Trust--In Whom Do We Entrust Ourselves?

    Every one of us puts our trust in someone or something.  Some people, of course, place their ultimate trust in God.
    But those who do not still place their trust somewhere.  Maybe they place their trust in themselves: "I am the king of my universe--I will promote my own good."  Others place their trust in money or possessions.  It is not "I am worth it all," but rather, "I may be a scoundrel, but I want as much pleasure and as much comfort as possible."  These are different: one person idolizes himself; another idolizes possessions.  
     No one can escape this act of entrusting.  We all do it, even if it is inadvertent or done by default.  
     It's interesting to me that, even if we choose to idolize ourselves, that too is a choice.
     The fact that we all entrust ourselves to someone or something is an indication that we are creatures made to be in relationship.  We are made, not to be an island, but to be a community.  We are more like puzzle pieces, incomplete without someone or something in whom to attach ourselves.  We are less like a complete, self-contained thing.
     This Advent, it is my hope to meditate upon my own creatureliness, my own dependence, my need to attach myself to someone else.  It is my desire to examine the choice I have made, which is the choice for God.  Am I deeply attached?  Or am I in need of renewed commitment and devotion?  What areas of my life have I reclaimed for myself?  Where can I improve in entrusting myself to the Creator and Redeemer, the Savior of the world?
       

Papa Ronnie

   Happy Birthday, Papa Ronnie!
   Our family LOVES Papa Ronnie.  He is a true blessing to each one of us.
   The day I met him he was on his Texas farm, wearing his cowboy hat, Wranglers and boots.  He was so polite, so quick to get me everything I might want, he was a true gentleman.
    But as soon as Ron and I had children, he took it to a new level.  He played "Hide and Seek" with them around his house.  He would crawl under beds, hide in closets, always helping the littlest one win the game.  He was a child himself, and I've never seen someone have more fun with children.
     Grandparents can be the safest, most delightful people in a child's life.  That is who he is to my kids--my kids have several wonderful grandparents!  Papa Ronnie brings out joy, laughter and playfulness in my kids.  They associate him with some of the funnest times they have ever had--making milkshakes, riding on his back like a horse, playing pranks, watching silly movies, driving a car for the first time on back roads in the country.  He is a true gift.  I am so glad that they have him in their lives.  
     Congratulations on your new marriage!  We are so excited about Jane!

My Teenagers

   Now having two teenagers, our family life is adjusting.  All those years homeschooling is really paying off.  These two teens are so bonded to me and everyone in the family.
    One of the main ways we all relate is through humor.  They don't really want to get my advise about everything.  They don't want to get my approval for everything.  The dynamics are changing in those ways.
    But they do want to laugh.  I have "up'd my game" on humor.  I find lots of things to quip about.  I was driving these two home from the orthodontist yesterday.  I made a joke.  They joked back.  We were all laughing hysterically as we got out of the car and stumbled into the house.
    Ron asked: "What is so funny?  Why is everyone so HAPPY?"
    It was somewhat rhetorical.  We told him the stupid sentence that had gotten us started.  But the real point is: we are happy together.
     This is priceless to me.