Your boat -- your talents, your hopes, your achievements -- is worth nothing whatsoever, unless you leave it in Christ's hands, allowing him the freedom to come aboard. Make sure you don't turn it into an idol. In your boat by yourself, if you try to do without the Master, you are -- supernaturally speaking -- making straight for shipwreck. Only if you allow, and seek, his presence and captaincy, will you be safe from the storms and setbacks of life. Place everything in God's hands. Let your thoughts, the brave adventures you have imagined, your lofty human ambitions, your noble loves, pass through the heart of Christ. Otherwise, sooner or later, they will all sink to the bottom together with your selfishness.

~ St. Josemaria Escriva "Friends of God"

What is Your Passion?

Fear of failure must never be a reason not to try something.

~ Frederick Smith

Sir Laugh-a-Lot

" Your mother was a newt and your father smelt of elderberries."

Random, yes?

Just one of many memorable lines from this uproariously hilarious musical I had the privilege of viewing last weekend.

Based largely upon the motion picture, Monty Python and the Holy Grail tells the tale of King Arthur and his knights desparately in pursuit of the holy grail per request of the Almighty. But not in the typical fashion of the Romantics. This is all too human. We get a first-hand look at the less-than-perfect qualities of those valiant knights in shining armor (who apparently love to dance).

The show I saw was performed in a round theatre, shaped in the manner of a circus tent (actually, I remember when the Music Circus was in a circus tent...particularly those 100 degree days!). The actors made their grand entrances down the aisles, utilizing them as the stage at certain points as well. Makes you feel like you're part of the show....!

One of the best scenes is when King Arthur arrives at the castle of the French in pursuit of the grail. Commencing with the catapult of the vache onto the head of the innocent bagboy, the repartee between the king and the French soldier had us practically rolling in the aisle. A sure reminder of the centuries-old, stereotypical dislike of the French for the English and vice versa. Oh and did I mention the failed attempt at a Trojan rabbit?

Ah, that good, ol' dry British humor. A bit irreverent at times but how they do love their puns. Don't worry; this show is chock full of them.

Don't want to spoil the show for you, but there is a bit of audience participation towards the end. Fair warning.

Trust

Do not look forward in fear to the changes in life. Rather, look to them with full hope that as they arise, God, whose very own you are, will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand it, God will carry you in His arms.


Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same understanding Father who cares for you will take care of you then and every day.


He will either shield you from suffering or will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.

~ St. Francis de Sales

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.

~ Matthew 6: 25-34

Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.

~ John F. Kennedy

Sunrise Row

A superb way to greet the day

For the passionate....

"Strong passions are the precious raw material of sanctity. Individuals who have carried their sinning to extremes should not despair or say, 'I am too great a sinner to change,' or 'God would not want me.' God will take anyone who is willing to love, not with an occasional gesture, but with a 'passionless passion,' a 'wild tranquillity.' A sinner, unrepentant, cannot love God anymore than a man on dry land can swim; but as soon as he takes his errant energies to God and asks for their redirection, he will become happy, as he never was happy before."

from Peace of Soul by Fulton Sheen

le quatorze juillet

The parades are underway in France on this Bastille Day commemorating the 221st anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. I don't always agree with the politics or methods of the French, but I do appreciate much of their culture and sense of festivity.

One of my favorite Monet paintings, it conveys well their national pride and vivacity.

Bonne fete de nationale, mes amis francais!

Sometimes you have to be strong for yourself. You have to know that you are a good person and a good friend. What is meant to be will end up good and what isn't, won't. Relationships are worth fighting for, but sometimes you can't be the only one fighting. At times, people need to fight for you. If they don't, you must just move on and realize that what you gave them was more than they were willing to give you. Hopefully, people realize great things when they come around and don't lose something real. Always fight until you can't anymore, and then be fought for....

Hope

Trust always in your God. He does not lose battles. The Way #733

Snow Day

There was only one day in my college career that I played hookie. It should've been a snow day, so we made it one.

There was snow -- glorious snow! -- covering all the hillsides around northern Virginia. My roommate and I grabbed another close friend as he attempted to make his way to class. It didn't take much to convince him of the better way to spend his afternoon. We threw an abandoned sled to borrow in the back of the car. Driving over to the steepest hillside we could find -- fresh without any prior tracks -- we spent hours slipping and sliding til the sun was fading behind the hills.

I'm a serious student. I never miss classes. Nevertheless, there are some experiences in life that are more enriching than textbook lessons.....

Abroad

"That's the wonderful thing about going abroad -- all influences of the people you happen to live with back home are suspended. You have to see things with your own eyes and think for yourself. And you realize that whatever you get out of the trip will depend entirely on you: what you're capable of seeing and comprehending, and how you behave, and who you choose to have an effect on you. And you learn to understand that what you get out of life depends solely on yourself. Yes, a little on circumstances, of course... But you find out how, in accordance with your nature, you can most easily overcome or get around obstacles -- both during your travels and in general. You discover that the worst difficulties you encounter are usually things you've brought on yourself."

~ from Jenny by Sigrid Undset

Oh Baby!

Soon I will be an aunt again to another of these beautiful bundles of life.... :)

'You need a heart which is in love, not an easy life, to achieve happiness.' The Furrow #795