The End is in Sight!

Easter Break, time to kill while the kids are at drama practice, free wi-fi at Panera, coffee with free refills...now that's good, true AND beautiful!  I have been very negligent of this little blog of mine but with Spring comes much activity so I haven't found the time to add any posts.  However, today I have added a number of items on my various pages.  There is a You Tube link on the music page to a song that has some of the most beautiful voices (Hallelujah, performed by Kurt Nilsen, Espen Lind, Askil Holm, and Alejandro Fuentes).  Also I have added a couple of quotes and some other things...browse the tabs to see what's new. 

I love this time of the year.  The new leaves, flowering trees in full bloom, and flowers starting to emerge...I just can't get enough!  The end of the school year is in sight which makes the whole family a little happier.  Some parents seem to dread summer break with the kids home.  Yes, there's the potential for lethargy and boredom, but I really like my kids and enjoy being with them, especially without the pressure of homework and deadlines. 

As it begins, the summer is rife with potential and opportunity.  There are so many projects that just beg to be tackled and ideas that seek to be brought to fruition.  Oh the possibilities!  Each year I am in this same postition and each year I feel the days and weeks slip through my fingers.  I never get to all that I had wanted to, but nonetheless, much seems to get done. 

Last summer we painted several rooms which had the effect of transforming our house into a home.  My husband (with the help of the kids) began to build a huge deck which is now complete (6 months later).  I must say, even though building it ourselves took much (much much) longer, I would not do it differently even if we could have afforded it.  The family did an EXCELLENT job and the finished product is BEAUTIFUL.  My husband's attention to detail and all of his extra touches are much more that we would have gotten if we had paid for the contractor's "deck in a weekend."  The kids think that we have the nicest deck in the neighborhood (and we can't say that about too many things).  They have such a sense of accomplishment, ownership, and pride in their work.  I am so exceedingly PROUD of them!  Now if it would just stop raining we could actually enjoy it! 

My main goal this summer is to SIMPLIFY.  Two of my girls went on a retreat during Holy Week and they told be about a talk they heard which was given by a mom who had a baby that was so sick that it seemed that she wouldn't live.  Against all odds, the baby survived and is now 8 years old.  In order to care for their daughter, this family moved many, many, times times.  It was something like 18 times and one time they had only a 2 day notice!  My girls realized that we couldn't possibly do this.  I pointed out that they had to have had MUCH less "stuff" than we do.  When thinking about this I realize that I am really bogged down with all of my "stuff."  It's not that I am necessarily overly attached to it.  In fact, if it all disappeared tomorrow I wouldn't miss too much of it.  I might even breathe a sigh of relief. 

We had a fire in our attic 14 year ago.  No one was hurt but we lost almost all of the "stuff" we had stored in our attic.  People always say "How awful!"  On the contrary!  The fire freed us from things that we were keeping but didn't need or even want.  The "stuff" that I have all throughtout my house is there because sorting through it  and deciding what to keep, give away, or throw away is such a time consuming job.  Storing is easier than the alternative!  So, that is my goal for the summer.  I think I'll pretend I'm moving and I'll try to get rid of anything that I wouldn't want to take with me.  Wish me luck!

The Wheat from the Chaff

I  know, there is a lot of "chaff" when it comes to Superbowl commercials, but in an effort to highlight the GOOD TRUE AND BEAUTIFUL wherever I see it, I thought I'd post this one...some WHEAT amongst the CHAFF...

You've gotta love this one......

A Bible Study Your Kids Will LOVE!

Want a Bible study which will leave your kids asking for more?  Mark Hart presents T3, The Teen Timeline...

The Teen Timeline—or T3—is the teen version of the revolutionary Great Adventure Bible Timeline learning system that hundreds of thousands of Catholic adults have used to learn the Bible. Dynamic teen presenter Mark Hart makes the Bible come alive for Catholic teens by unpacking God’s Word in a way they can relate to. T3 teaches teens the Bible by showing them the “big picture” of salvation history. When young students of the Bible first understand the “story,” they are eager to learn more. The net result: teens begin to wrap their minds and hearts around the Scriptures. They come to see the Bible as a relevant part of their lives.

This program is presented on DVD in 8 segments that are about 30 minutes long.  My kids did T3 several years ago when they were in grades 3-8.  Although my older kids benefited the most, Mark was entertaining enough to keep my 3rd grader interested as well.  Mark's presentation is a perfect blend of humor and inspiration.  While T3 is designed for teens and presented in a very youthful way, the program is very "meaty" and Mark does not talk down to his audience.  Participants are not only encouraged but challenged as well.  When my kids finished a segment, they aways wanted to watch the next one right away.   This program is highly recommended...check it out at Ascension Press!  The price is worth every penny but if it is too much for your budget, consider gathering a group to do a study together and order workbooks for all the participants.  Then the cost of the DVDs could be shared.  I am planning to do this with my kids (I have 4 teenagers...pray for me!) and their friends.  Add pizza, some discussion and social time and the kids will love it!

My Favorite Christmas Present

I think my favorite Christmas present (that I have received recently, at least) is my iPod Touch.  I just LOVE it!  I guess IT could even be my first GTB listing since it really is a thing of beauty.  It is really just a tool, however, and it is really what it can be used for that makes it great.  I use it for the internet, checking email, listening to music and playing games, but with my iPod, I discovered the PODCAST.  There is so much good happening in the world of NEW MEDIA!  So, today's GTB entry is one of my favorite podcasts, The Catholics Next Door by Greg and Jennifer Willits.  They host a daily radio show on The Catholic Channel (Sirius Satellite Channel 159 and XM Satellite Channel 117). Here's how they describe their show...from their website:
Since I don't have Sirius/XM Radio, I listen to their podcasts which are weekly excerpts from their radio show.  They are very funny and down to earth and they have fantastic guests.  I download their podcasts from iTunes onto my iPod, but they can also be listened to on your computer right from their website.

With a unique mix of real life and the Catholic faith, The Catholics Next Door is about marriage and kids, pop culture and the other funny stuff of everyday living. It’s about the fun side of life, with a generous dose of Catholicism thrown in for good measure. You’ve seen them at Church and around the block, now get to know The Catholics Next Door with Greg and Jennifer Willits!

Check them out...you won't be disappointed!

Why This Blog and How It Works...

Yesterday I was listening to talk radio and there seemed to be such gloom and doom.  Between Obama Care, the situation in Egypt, the Mexican drug cartel with ties to Baltimore, and on and on, it's easy to feel like things are in a downward spiral.  I began to think how different (and not in a good way) life may be for my kids when they are my age and are raising kids of their own.  But then, that is exactly why I wanted to start this blog.  It isn't all gloom and doom!  There is a tremendous amount of goodness, truth, and beauty in our world.  Even if the news outlets, talk shows, and papers aren't talking about it...its all around us.  When I dwell on the good, things don't seem as bleak, and I look forward to my kids' future with hope.  This is not to say that the bad doesn't exist, it most certainly does.  But, as I  raise my kids to be leaders who will work toward the good and battle against the darkness, it is the good that I look to for both motivation and inspiration.  There are amazing people out there who are using their gifts and talents to light candles in the darkness of the world.  They are writing books, blogs, and articles, creating music, recording podcasts, making movies, helping others through charities and ministries, and so much more!  When I dwell on these things I am very optimisitc and it inspires me to light a candle myself.

And so this is my contribution, my candle.  Each post on my blog will highlight something that I see as GOOD, TRUE, or BEAUTIFUL (GTB).  My post will introduce it and then I will add it to the list under the appropriate tab and I will include a link if possible.  I am excited to see these lists grow and I welcome comments and suggestions for other GTB things to include.  Please share this blog with your friends...so that together we can spread the light.  As a disclaimer, when I list something on this blog, it doesn't necessarily endorse everything that a particular person has produced.  Everyone has the capacity for good, but that doesn't mean that every thing they ever produce is good.  In fact, can any of us make that claim?  So please don't be upset with me if I include something from someone who has also done something you object to.  For one, I don't have the time to research each person's entire body of work and their views on every issue, and for another, I want to highlight a particular work that I view as GTorB in itself.  Also, remember that while I will attempt to judge items using objective criteria, these lists are my subjective opinion. 

And so it begins.... (did you hear the match strike???)

Dwelling Place

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

You know the adage, "You are what you eat."  The same principle holds true for what we watch, what we listen to, what we say, what we do, the company we keep, and so on.  We become what we immerse ourselves in.  The more we dwell on the things Paul mentions in his letter to the Philippians, the more they become our standard, our "comfort zone."  We can become desensitized to all that is less than true, honorable, right, pure...but the good news is that we can "re-sensitize" ourselves!  It is all in the dwelling.  Dwelling is what we do when we form a habit.  A habit is something that I am at home with...I am comfortable with it because I do it all the time.  I dwell on it, so to speak.  So in order to change what I do, I must first change how I think.  It has to start on the inside, with the dwelling. 

Welcome!

     There is GOODNESS TRUTH and BEAUTY all around us all the time. All we have to do is look for it. We need to ACKNOWLEDGE it whenever and WHEREVER we see it. We need to praise it, raise it up, and bring it to the attention of others.


     The only way to dispel the darkness is to increase the light. We cannot just keep hoping and praying that the darkness will go away. We can't argue the darkness out of existence. Even our prayers are ineffective if we are not AT THE SAME TIME going out and lighting as many candles as we can. As Edmund Burke stated, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".


     My hope with this site is not to reinvent the wheel by rephrasing the words of others, but to point you to the good, the true, and the beautiful which already exists in our world. In doing so, I hope to inspire you to use your unique gifts and talents to spread goodness, truth, and beauty to everyone.