Called to Love

"Our hope is that the winter of humanity will gradually be transformed to the bursting forth of love, for it is to this that we are called." --Jean Vanier

Secret Genius of Catholic Motherhood

      I have a restless yearning.  It follows me, leads me, is ever-present with me.  It is that Catholic moms come to a fuller understanding of who they are.
      I have a hunch that the vocation of Catholic motherhood is yet to be rightly understood, that it is like a jet sitting on the runway.  Catholic moms are living out the Gospel simply and quietly, and yet so much more powerfully than most people on earth.  Their deep levels of sacrifice and their unique conformity with Christ are like the leaven--unseen, calling no attention to themselves, yet powerfully impacting the whole Body of Christ.
     The Church is aware that she does not yet appreciate the vocation of motherhood for all its Christological significance.  She says that the various roles of the laity, including motherhood, are not yet understood: “The Council considers the condition of the laity. . . a reality destined to find in Jesus Christ the fullness of its meaning” (Christifideles Laici).  In other words, meaning of the roles of the laity are not yet fully appreciated, and only one day will be when they are comprehended in light of Christ.
    The Church goes on to say that the role of mothers is just waiting to be revealed: We need to engage in “the task of bringing full dignity to the conjugal life and the experience of motherhood.  Today new possibilities are open to women for a deeper understanding and a richer realization of human and Christian values implied in the conjugal life and the experience of motherhood" (Ibid).
    My prayer is for Catholic moms discover the secret genius, the unspoken brilliance of motherhood.  Only then will our vocation be launched, set forth into the Church and world.

Our Christmas Miracle

     Some people experience great manifestations of God's love and power on Christmas.
     In our family, this year's Christmas miracle was this:

Snowman poop.
Ron got this as a gift for Sebastian on the Feast of St. Nicholas on Dec. 6.  Sebastian had found it in his shoes, placed by the door next to his sisters' and brother's shoes, alongside a few other pieces of candy.
The miracle is that Sebastian has neither eaten all the "poop" nor lost the "poop."  He carries it around faithfully, never leaving it out of his sight for more than a few minutes.  Who knew that this little vile of happiness would so capture a young boy's heart.  Would that, one day, he would hold his love for God so dearly!

Blessed Christmas

Unplugged and Off the Grid

   Unplugged, unreachable.  It was heaven.  I got to be at Christ in the Desert monastery in Abiquiu, New Mexico last week.
   Jake had asked to go on a week-long retreat, discerning his vocation.  Ron and I said yes, and then had to figure out how to pull it off!  It turned out that I went with him, while Ron finished work and took care of the other kids.  Then Mary joined us for the last few days.
    Such beauty.
    It is a holy place.

I'm on a mission

     I am on a mission.  It's a motherly mission.  I am on a mission to be a vital part of the kingdom of God through my vocation as a mother, to see my six children get to heaven, and to help them find their ways of flourishing in God's kingdom.     

    Today, my oldest son and I are driving to Christ in the Desert Monastery in Abiquiu, New Mexico. We are going to be with the Benedictines who live a radical faith--prayer that begins at 4:30 am, silence, and fasting.  

    I pray that, in the holy presence of this community, sharing for a few days in their life that gets to the root ("radical" means "from the "root") of Christ's life, that I will be purified, strengthened, and emboldened to live out God's dream for me and my family.  

Real Faith

   Real Christian faith is summed up in these words of Ignatius of Antioch:
"Let us . . . see who can be the more wronged, the more cheated, the more rejected, in order that no weed of the devil might be found among you, but that with complete purity and self-control you may abide in Christ Jesus physically and spiritually."  (Letter to the Church at Ephesus, 10)

The Mother of Maximillian Kolbe

     One of my favorite women in history is the mother of St. Maximilian Kolbe.  
     When Maximillian was young, he was a terrible boy.  His mother was constantly annoyed with him.  One day, exasperated, she exclaimed, “What will become of you?”  This bothered Maximillian, and he ran to the nearby church and prayed before an image of the Blessed Virgin.  Maximillian is reported to have said: "That night I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both."
From that point on, he straightened up his life.  He became a Franciscan only a year later, and lived a life of purity.  Several years after that, he was martyred in the death camp of Auschwitz during World War II, volunteering to take the place of a layman and father who was going to be killed by the Nazis.
When I am exasperated by my children, I think, "God can work with anything, even my sighs and exclamations of frustration."  I love this woman.  Intercede for me, Mother of Maximillian!  

Nuts!

   Yesterday, we took our dog, Charlie, to get neutered.  Poor guy!  We were all feeling sorry for him, and talking about him at dinner.
   I was not all that hungry, so I just had a small bowl of pistachios while the rest of the family was eating lasagna.  Sebastian demanded to have some of my pistachios.  Then Annie begged for some of my pistachios.  Then Leigh found the whole bag and plopped it on the dinner table.  The family was cracking away at the pistachios as we talked.
    Sebastian started to cry, and he showed me has fingernail which broke (probably due to opening the pistachios).  Clare got her fingernail clippers and brought them to us.  I cut Sebastian's hanging fingernail. Then, while I was at it, I cut all his nails.
   Our family continued to eat and talk, and I was in the middle of a big story when the kids pointed at Sebastian.  I stopped, looked at him, and he was trying to clip the pistachios with the fingernail clippers.
   Ron said, "Don't clip your nuts!  Only Charlie is getting his nuts clipped today!" We laughed till we cried.  A nice way to end the day (unless you're Charlie).

Humorous Highpoint

The girls and I held a dramatic ceremony for the throwing away of our old sponges!  (How bad can sponges get?  Just as US!)

We clapped and cheered that new ones have finally been "installed"!

Ah, now back to the dishes :(

Radio Interview--Catholic Mothers' Retreat

Becca, Susanna and I--the Catholic Mothers' Retreat coordinator team--were on the radio last month, in anticipation of one of our retreats.  In anticipation for the next one at St. Rita Catholic Community on March 24, 2018, here it is!

GNS-Dr.Katherine-Rombs

Pope Francis on Evangelization

   My favorite quote of Pope Francis these days is in answer to the question, How do we evangelize?  His answer:

     We need to become “experts in communion,” “witnesses and architects of the ‘plan for unity’ which is the crowning point of human history in God’s design.” In a polarized society, where different cultures experience difficulty in living alongside one another, where the powerless encounter oppression, where inequality abounds, we are called to offer a concrete model of community which, by acknowledging the dignity of each person and sharing our respective gifts, makes it possible to live as brothers and sisters.
     So, be men and women of communion! Have the courage to be present in the midst of conflict and tension, as a credible sign of the presence of the Spirit who inspires in human hearts a passion for all to be one (cf. Jn 17:21). Live the mysticism of encounter, which entails “the ability to hear, to listen to other people; the ability to seek together ways and means”.  Live in the light of the loving relationship of the three divine Persons (cf. 1 Jn 4:8), the model for all interpersonal relationships. . .

(Apostolic Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis to All Consecrated People, From the Vatican, 21 November 2014)

He asks, how should Christians evangelize?   He answers: through becoming "experts in communion."  Offer a concrete model of community.   

In other words, its how you treat people--that is how to show people the Spirit of God.   

Isn't that what mothers do--offer a concrete sign of community?  Aren't Catholic mothers today leading the pack in creating loving families, which are nothing if not models of community?  

God bless all those who are doing their best to bring the light of Christ into the world through their families!

This Week's Rewards

   This week, the girls have no school.  After watching tv and relaxing all weekend, here is their reward system for the rest of the break.
    They need some winter clothes and shoes.  So, they are going to earn each item they buy.  They can earn one item (sweater, pair of boots, etc.) by doing one of the following things.  They control how many things they are going to get to buy!

*read one book
*memorize one poem, five stanzas or longer
*memorize one Bible verse a day
*prayer/Bible reading time 30 min. a day
*exercise 30 minutes a day
*learn a new song on their instrument
*one major art project

   They are ambitious, and I'm excited to see the results.  I have limited screen time to 30 min. a day max.  So, we'll see if they get moving on some of these undertakings.

Humanae Vitae

I had the privilege of being on the radio this morning.  Dave Palmer of Guadalupe Radio 910AM interviewed me regarding the current rumors of a pontifical commission re-examining Humanae Vitae in light of Amoris Laetitia.  I have been working on a book on Catholic motherhood for 5 years.  As I am in the final editing stages, beginning to look for a publisher, it is clear to me how important it is for a book like this to be available to the public.  Catholics and non-Catholics alike need to hear the Catholic faithful, who live under the guidance of Humanae Vitae, being open to life, speak up!  They need to hear our message of the beautiful truth of the Catholic faith regarding its moral teaching against artificial contraception.

Dave was so kind to let me speak, sharing the truth and goodness of this teaching.  Please pray with me that I can find the right publisher, who wants to proclaim this message!

GRN Alive 11-17-17-Dr.Katherine-Rombs

Our family time

I love our family prayer times.  Ron got everyone a copy of the liturgy of the hours, and we pray together many nights.  It is such a beautiful time together.  Here we are getting ready.

I also love our meal times.  Somehow, everyone is so talkative and giggly.  It is really a blast!  I wish these times would last forever! 

Can you believe how many groceries we need?

Cross Country

Jacob has had a truly amazing cross country season!  He went from being 25th on the team to 11th!  He cut his time by about three minutes for a 5K.  That is pretty astounding!  We are SOOOO proud of him.

Annie's Halloween Party

This year, for the first time ever, we actually celebrated Halloween.  I am more of an All Saints' gal myself.  But Annie LOVES Halloween.  On a special outing of just the two of us several months ago, her love for Halloween was so strong that I decided to change my course and give her a Haloween party.
    It was so much fun!
    What I realized is: Lots of people LOVE to dress up.  Most cultures have some way of creating up--even masquerade parties do the trick.  Also, many people like scary things, such as ghost stories.  I do not typically like scary things, but I loved it when we told ghost stories around a campfire.  I think Halloween accomplishes these two things.  I think one can celebrate Halloween innocently, satisfying these two desires that many people have.  Certainly Annie has them!
    My sister Kim and her husband Ken and their dog Tucker came for the party.  They were fabulous, helping out, dressing up, and adding to the fun!

Today on All Saints Day

     This morning began with Mass.  I took Sebastian and Annie.  Silly me--I was disappointed that I was not able to go alone, missing the quality prayer time I might have had.  But they both asked to come with me, instead of with the older siblings and Dad later in the day.
     Annie looked up at me at the end of Mass.  She said, "I love God so much it hurts."  She began to cry.  I hugged her.  She began to sob.  I got so curious.  This happens a lot.  I asked her, "Why are you crying?"  She said, "I just want to give God my whole life.  I cannot wait to be a nun."
    She has said that many times.  But somehow when she said it today, I thought, "Maybe she really does!"  I told her she has a very special gift, loving God so much.  She cried.  For the rest of the day, I have prayed for her, that if she is called to be a nun, that no obstacle would get in her way, that God would clear her path, and that Ron and I would do all we can to support her calling.
    My feelings were so mixed.  I feel so negligent of Annie.  Our first three children really got our best.  Our fourth, Leigh, got less.  Our fifth, Annie, much less.  She has really gotten terrible treatment from me.  Then, Sebastian, number six, came along, and took anything that might rightfully have been Annie's.  She was completely displaced.  She still is.
    When I think of her becoming a nun, I am humbled.  I think, "NOT from any merit on my part!"  She would not find this vocation because we help her so much, teacher her so well, putting our backs into her becoming the best she can be.  It truly would be God calling her.  God's doing, 100%.  I had one of those St. Paul moments--God is everything, and I am a worthless little nobody whom God can use but who is worthless on her own.  To God be all the glory!
    Later today, I saw her, hugged her, and said, "You really are going to become a nun, aren't you?"  She resolutely said, "Yes."  Then she continued: "My nun costume for Halloween is not perfect.  I think I will wait to get a good one in the convent." What a blessed child!

Worth it all

  Today, one of my children was telling me how happy he is at his school.  He went on for a while about academics, sports, and social events.  Then he said, "Mom, I think I'm doing so well because of our previous homeschool."  I was shocked and asked him what he meant.  He said, "You were talking recently about personal development, and how that can be different from intellectual or spiritual development.  Well, I feel like I got such a good personal development for the first 12 years of my life, that now, it makes me stronger in all the areas of my life."
    It was the biggest "Thank you" I could have received.  I never expect my kids to appreciate fully what I give them.  And here this child was, giving me the most thoughtful, insightful "thank you" imaginable to me.  It makes eleven years of homeschooling, and so much more, worth it all.

Catholic Mothers' Retreat

Our Catholic Mothers' Retreat was a huge success!  We were so humbled at how huge the registration was and at how glowing the feedback was.  We got requests for more: more retreats, longer retreats, more time for interaction among the moms, more time for prayer, more activities, more time for reflection after each talk. . . more of everything we offered!  Clearly, we are in an expansion period.  We offer a kernel of what could grow much bigger.

God guide us and bless us.  Bless our families and our vocations as mothers!

Potty Training in Style!

All the trips to the potty over the past month. . . so exhausting, so NOT WHAT I WANT TO BE DOING. . . 

And then, he got all dressed up with his backpack: I could finally laugh and enjoy it!

Today's Second Reading: For Mothers!

"Seek the Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is near.  Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked his thoughts; let him turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving.  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.  As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts."  (Isaiah 55:6-9)

Mothers have such an important role: They are shaping the future.  As John Paul II says, "All of humanity passes by way of the family," (Familiaris Consortio, 86).  He claims that mothers and fathers are forming the faith and character of the next generation.  Mothers have a weighty role.  If we want government institutions to be run by virtuous people, where are they going to acquire virtue?  In office?  No.  government positions do not make people virtuous.  Elected officials needed to have acquired virtue when they were young, under the direction of their mothers, fathers, other caretakers, teachers, and role models.  If we want schools and universities to be filled with people of intellectual and moral character, where will those people get those virtues?  In those schools?  No.  They needed to have acquired those virtues at home as young people.  If we want the market place and business sector to be populated with just and honest people, where are those people going to acquire virtue?  On the trading floor of Wall Street?  No, they needed to have acquired it from their families as toddlers and children.  Mothers have the crucial obligation to help their children learn faith and morals, so that they will bring these virtues--indeed, the very presence of God--to the public square.  

Isaiah 55 speaks to mothers, encouraging them to "turn to the Lord for mercy."  Mothers need God's mercy.  Their children need God's mercy.  All people are so fallen, we cannot grow in the goodness that the world needs without abundant mercy from the Lord.  Let all mothers "turn to the Lord."  Let them bow down, worship and adore their God, who is worthy of all praise.  Let them give themselves, their children and all their loved ones to God "who is generous in forgiving."  God does not have to forgive.  He is set apart in this way.  It is a sign of incredible generosity and compassion.  It is so sublime, that we cannot comprehend a God so rich in forgiveness: "As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways love your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts," the Lord says.  Let all mothers rest in God's merciful love, which is one of his richest gifts.  

A Mother's Prayer: Lord, I love you and adore you.  I give myself, my children and my loved ones to you.  Please help us to become loving, merciful, and virtuous in every way.  Help us to shine the light of Christ in the world and show all people the good news of your merciful love.  Amen.  

Every Knee Shall Bow

Philippians 2:6

Although [Christ Jesus] existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This passage speaks so eloquently of the humility of Christ.  As followers of him, we are to be emptied out for others, as he was.  What better way to do that for some people than through motherhood!  Mothers are constantly emptied out for others, their children.  I pray that God will one day see fit to celebrate the choices of mothers who give so much to their children!

Mary's posters

Mary is running for class representative for her 9th grade class.  Here are the posters we spent all night making!

Looking around at Mass. . .

     As I looked around at a Mass, held outdoors on the Rome campus of the University of Dallas a few months ago, I was struck by the reverence of so many of those in attendance.  First, there were students, kneeling on the hard Italian stone, in the absence of kneelers.  The priest had selected the longest form of the liturgy for this particular Mass.  As I pondered the decision of some of these young men and women to kneel on the travertine, I admired their dedication. With their postures erect, shoulders thrown back, eyes tightly shut, hands folded, they were engaged all the more attentively in their worship by being on their knees.
     Then I could not help but notice a few children, the daughters of some faculty.  These girls wore white, lacy mantillas on their heads, in the style common to the traditional Mass.  Their precious headpieces spoke volumes of the piety brimming in their hearts, since the mantillas were not required by the campus, and not even their mother wore one.  I could only imagine that it was an act of singular inspiration for the girls to pull the scarves out of their bags or purses, and elect to place them on their heads without any prompting from their family or friends.  Juxtaposed to their graphic t-shirts, bluejeans shorts, and Crocs, the mantillas spoke loudly the girls' message of personal devotion to God.
    But then my eye turned toward the mothers of small children gathered in and around the back row.  Some mothers bounced the infants in their arms to calm them.  Other mothers chased after their toddlers, keeping them from wandering too far or making too much noise.  Were these mothers less reverent than the prayerful students on their knees?  Were they signaling less love and devotion, donning, not white lace scarves to cover their hair, but white burping cloths to cover their shoulders?
        To me, these mothers showed in their bodies a reverence for Christ that surpassed that of all the other Mass attendees on that sunny afternoon.  I do not know all of these mothers personally.  But I know mothers.  Some mothers are swollen and stretched, having shed blood for their children in labor and delivery.  Who, besides martyrs, reflect so purely Christ's gift of himself on the Cross, his blood being poured out for others, as do some mothers?  Other mothers carry in their wombs the cause of their infertility, scars of another kind.  Just as Christ's resurrected body bore the wounds of the Cross on his hands, feet and side, so too these adoptive mothers, and mothers who may have conceived, but did not bring their child to full term, bear the mark of a love that is made holy through its brokenness.  They reflect so vividly the love made manifest through the broken body of Christ.  
     Still further, some of these mothers nurse their infants.  How remarkable is this reflection of Christ who nourishes us with his body?  As I stood there in Mass, I was awe-struck by God's design of motherhood, so aligned with Christ in the Eucharist, made present on the altar before me.  Other mothers bottle feed their infants, either by necessity or by choice, and all mothers spend the duration of the time in which their children live under their roofs, providing meal after meal for their children.  Such mothers are not merely meeting a biological need.  One mother holds a bottle with love, attentively gazing at the priceless treasure in her arms.  Another serves a full plate on the table, at once satisfying the bodily hunger as well as the need for maternal love that every child's heart craves.  Every mother finds her own way of resembling Christ who gives himself as our spiritual nourishment, feeding her children with food that is at once physical as well as laden with a spiritual dimension.  In a special way, adoptive mothers bear the image of the Eucharistic Christ.  These women elect to raise their children.  Just as the Son chose to become the Bread of Life for us, so, too, do adoptive mothers choose to become the bread of life for their chosen ones.  These moms make the choice to provide bread and all sustenance, physical as well as intellectual, emotional and spiritual, for their adopted children as long as they are in their mother's care.  All mothers--biological mothers, adoptive mothers, foster mothers, step-mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, spiritual mothers, aunts, big sisters, cousins, close friends--find their own way of nourishing and providing for their children, resembling the body of Christ in some way or another for them.

     Maybe some of these mothers behind me on that luminous afternoon in the Italian Albani hills would return to their rooms after Mass and read the readings that they missed hearing during the liturgy.  Maybe some of these mothers would say prayers late that night, once their children are fast asleep, words of praise, thanksgiving, and petition to God, making up for the prayers they were not able to utter during the Mass that afternoon.  Maybe some of them would never get to these tasks, so depleted by all the chasing and feeding and rocking and wiping and holding that they had done that day.  But far from being less reverent, less engaged, or less a part of the Mass than those participants who were more attentive, mothers distinctively image the body of Christ in their own humble bodies.  As we celebrated Mass that day, it struck me that it was the mothers, most of all, whose bodily form radiated a reverence for the body of Christ.  

My Awesome Sister, Leah!

     Look at my awesome sister, Leah, speaking on a panel for the "Women Moving Millions" Summit.  It is the 10 year anniversary for WMM, which my Mom was instrumental in creating.  Its aim is to make it popular for high-income women to give in the millions (rather than in the thousands) to poor women and girls.  Many of said women give millions to museums and Ivy League schools, but give a tiny fraction of those gifts to poor women.  WMM sought to change that.  They did, have have raised hundreds of millions of dollars for the poor--Go, Mom!!
     My sister, Leah, was part of this project.  She spoke at the ten year anniversary event.  She spoke about "unleashing money for the poorest of the poor."  Way to go, Leah!!

My sis is the dashing gal, second from the right :)

 

My New Ministry!

    I am overjoyed to announce the birth of my new ministry!  It has been 10 years in the making.  Finally, God's timing has arrived!  Yesterday, I went down to the County Clerk and filed for Catholic Mothers Ministries.  It is an umbrella ministry that hosts "Catholic Mothers' Retreat" which my team and I will be bringing to parishes.
   I began organizing retreats for Catholic mothers in our wonderful community here in Irving.  After several years, two parishes reached out to me and invited me to bring a Catholic Mothers' Retreat to their parish.  Given that it was two parishes, both contacting me within about a week of each other, I felt like that was no coincidence.  After much prayer, I decided to move forward with creating a Catholic Mothers' Retreat that we could take to any parish or community.
   Our first one is this Oct. 7th at Holy Family of Nazareth Parish in Irving, TX.  Join us if you can!  The second one is at St. Rita's Catholic Community in Dallas, date TBA.  The website and registration site are at: https://catholicmothersretreat.com.

Clare's Funniest Line of the Day

     At the dinner table, Clare was telling us about a picture of a woman who had been stung by a bee and had an allergic reaction.  Clare described the woman: "She was past the point of obese-ness!"
    We all got a good laugh.

Pope Francis' Comments About Women

Today, Pope Francis made these remarks about women in Latin America:

In Latin America, hope has a woman’s face

I need not dwell on the role of women on our continent and in our Church. From their lips we learned the faith, and with their milk we took on the features of our mestizo soul and our immunity to despair. I think of indigenous or black mothers, I think of mothers in our cities working three jobs, I think of elderly women who serve as catechists, and I think of consecrated woman and those who quietly go about doing so much good. Without women, the Church of this continent would lose its power to be continually reborn. It is women who keep patiently kindling the flame of faith. We have a grave obligation to understand, respect, appreciate and promote the ecclesial and social impact of all that they do. They accompanied Jesus on his mission; they did not abandon him at the foot of the cross; they alone awaited for the night of death to give back the Lord of life; they flooded the world with his risen presence. If we hope for a new and living chapter of faith in this continent, we will not get it without women. Please, do not let them be reduced to servants of our ingrained clericalism. For they are on the front lines of the Latin American Church, in their setting out with Jesus, in their persevering amid the sufferings of their people, in their clinging to the hope that conquers death, and in their joyful way of proclaiming to the world that Christ is alive and risen.

"How was your casa?"

    Sebastian just began a Montessori program.  They call it "the casa."  Sebastian has needed phasing in, but he now really loves it.  The first day was 30 minutes, the second day, an hour, and so forth.  This week, he has had three days of the full day, which is 8-11:45am.
    The first morning, he asked, "Mommy, where did you go?"  I said, "I took a walk down the street and back."
     "Oh," he replied.  
     The second day, he asked, "Mommy, where did you go this time?"  "To Mass," I replied.
     "Hmm," he said.
     The third day, he asked again, "Mommy, where did you go today?"  I said, "To work."
     He said, "What is your work?"
     I said, "I am a teacher."
     "Like Ms. Polly [one of his Montessori teachers]?"
     "Sort of," I replied.
     "Hmm," he said again.
     Today, he asked, "Mommy, how was YOUR casa?"    

Jacob's Sixteenth

     Sometimes milestones in a person's life (like graduations or anniversaries) are quiet, and pass by relatively unnoticed.  But Jacob's sixteenth birthday has measured up to all that such a birthday might be:
     -He recently got his driver's permit
     -He just earned and received as gifts enough money to buy a car
     -He (and our family) hosted a school-wide event at our home, inviting approximately four hundred teenagers for a big bash
     -He just completed four years of being the founding editor-in-chief of the Dallas Catholic News, an online monthly paper that he created
     -He just released the first issue of this year's Informer--the Cistercian newspaper--as its editor-in-chief, and it is greatly expanded and developed from its previous leadership
     -He just got to a sub-22 minute 5K, beating his previous personal record

    It is a watershed time in his life, and how grateful I am for all the blessings he enjoys!
   
     

Sebastian is three

Sebastian is now three!  He got a Batman mask, and two superhero action figures for his birthday, plus a few workbooks and a football.  He was overjoyed.  

     We are working every day on his temper.  Sometimes he melts down because he is tired or stressed.  But other times, he is trying to get what he wants.  We are taking it a day at a time, distinguishing between the two, and trying to connect and comfort him when he is beyond reasoning, but being firm with our boundaries and reliable with our consequences when he is just trying to manipulate us.  Sometimes its hard to tell the difference!  

    The sweet moments throughout the day, however, keep me in the game.  His little laugh and playful attitude are truly precious!  

Using a Napkin!

Annie got the first petal on her virtue flower.  It is a petal for achievement in using a napkin!  Everything that is a major effort, not coming easily, we make a petal, and when she has acquired the virtue, we glue the petal and throw a "Petal party"!  Super fun.  She is so proud.

County Fair!

We had a great time with cousins at the county fair!  We love our cousins!

Jake is Driving!

Jake got his Drivers' Permit!  After a long day at the DMV, even Annie and Sebastian got pretend permits!

Then, Jake drove his first drive across Irving!  We were all a little skittish, but he did a great job!

The Girl with the Cross Necklace

 Mom, Annie, Leigh and I went to the Kimbell Museum.  Here is Annie listening to the guided tour and Mom studying a Bernini statue.

Here is Moms' favorite painting in the museum: the Girl with a Cross Necklace by Braque.
I love it too!

Cycladic Culture

I had no idea that there were ancient cultures that were ancient to the ancients.  That is, if ancient history is marked by people like Socrates and Plato (400 BC) to Julius Caesar 32 BC), then I learned about cultures that were 2,000 years before them.  One of the main cultures I learned about is the Cycladic peoples, who lived 2800-2300 BC in the Mediterranean.  Here are some of their works of art.  

Kite Surfing

   As is predictable with Ron, he happened upon the unpredictable.  He rented an ATV--All Terrain Vehicle.  He took Sebastian and Clare all over the island, scouting out fishing villages, mountains, waterfalls, and the ancient ruins of the Cycladian culture.  The next day, we rented two, and all went for a ride.  We went in search of the beach reported to be the most beautiful on the island.  What did we find--kite surfing!  Lots and lots of kite surfers!

Family Vacation

After an intense six weeks of work, our family took a vacation for a few days on a beautiful Greek island.  What a joy!