Color board: blush and slate

Ahhh!  So much inspiration floating through my head right now...so many beautiful choices to make!

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The boundary between Plato's divine madness and destructive insanity is so close as to be well-nigh invisible.  It is frightening to have to accept the fact that much that has passed for art that in this century has depicted distortion, meaninglessness, destructiveness.  And it is interesting to note that when the art of the absurd was at its height, theologians began to announce the death of God.  Religion and art both reflect what is happening to the world around us.  And both must learn the difference between revelation and nightmare.

~ Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art

Beach Babe

Look out for this babe on the beach....

She's not into soaking up rays just yet, which would ruin her porcelain skin. But surveys the scene and catches a nap or two in between.

Cottage or Castle?

This house in San Francisco, a short distance from the Wharf, caught my eye as we walked up the hill the other day.  It seems to me the inhabitants couldn't decide whether they wanted to live in a quaint cottage or a grand castle.  The combination of elements is intriguing, to say the least. 

Somehow, I like it.

Consecration

This search of man's heart ends when one discovers God's Heart. On this topic, St. Augustine says: "You made us for yourself, Oh God, and our heart is restless until it rests in you". The concern to which St. Augustine refers is the difficulty we all have in attaining true Love as a consequence of our condition of creatures; we are finite; moreover, we are sinners. Over and over again we run into the difficulty of our selfishness, the chaos of our passions, that throws away this true Love. Man's heart "needs" a heart at his same level, a heart that can enter into his history, and, on the other hand, an "all-powerful" heart that can take him out of his limitations and sins. We can say that In Jesus Christ, God has met mankind and has loved us with a "human heart". In the encounter of man's heart with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the mystery of salvation becomes real. "In fact, from the infinite horizon of his love, God wished to enter into the limits of human history and the human condition. He took on a body and a heart. Thus, we can contemplate and encounter the infinite in the finite, the invisible and ineffable Mystery in the human Heart of Jesus, the Nazarene" (Benedict XVI, Angelus, 1/VI/2008)....

[I]n the Cross, Jesus changes our "heart of stone" wounded by sin, into a "heart of flesh", like his: he gives us his Love and, at the same time, he enables us to love with his same love....

Holiness is an immersion in the flow of love that springs up from the Sacred Heart of Jesus. "Cardinal Newman's motto, Cor ad cor loquitur, or "Heart speaks unto heart", gives us an insight into his understanding of the Christian life as a call to holiness, experienced as the profound desire of the human heart to enter into intimate communion with the Heart of God." (Benedict XVI, Homily in the Beatification of Venerable Cardinal Newman)....

 

Consecration is an act of faith. When Pope Benedict will consecrate us to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, he will invite us to confess our faith: "We firmly believe that Jesus Christ offered himself on the Cross in order to give us his love. In his passion, he bore our sufferings, took upon himself our sins, obtained forgiveness for us and reconciled us with God the Father, opening for us the way to eternal life." (WYD Message). This confession of faith will be done from the knowledge of the truth we proclaim, and as a result of our personal relationship with Christ. This relationship is based in the trust in the love of his Heart. In this confession of faith, the Bishops will join the Pope. This means "that our personal faith in Christ is bound to the faith of the Church." (Message WYD). It is in the "heart of the Church" where we can feel the beat of the Heart of Jesus.

It is also an act of hope. The Pope will consecrate every young person in the world, not only the ones present at the vigil. In today's youth we find the hope of the Church and of humanity. In this consecration, the youth will state, together with the Pope, that "apart from Jesus Christ risen from the dead, there can be no salvation! He alone can free the world from evil and bring about the growth of the Kingdom of justice, peace and love to which we all aspire." (WYD Message). United in "only one Heart", we will ask together, with the whole Church, "Come Lord Jesus", help the youth of the third millennium to be the builders of the civilization of love which is built "wherever individuals and nations accept God's presence, worship him in truth and listen to his voice" (WYD message).

Finally, consecration is an act of charity. The youth of the third millennium, like the apostle Thomas, wish to "have tangible contact with Jesus and to put our hand, so to speak, upon the signs of his Passion, the signs of his love" (WYD message). In this consecration we will touch Jesus, and we will renew the grace of our baptism in which we were immersed in this Love. The desire we have of constantly drinking from the source from which eternal life flows, i.e. the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Penance will be strengthened in us. We will look with his same merciful eyes, so that we are always close to the poorest and the sick, becoming a tangible sign of God's love.

When Winter and Summer Merge

Cultural rendering

A culture -- a civilization -- is only as great as the religious ideas that animate it; the magnitude of a people's cultural achievement is determined by the height of its spiritual aspirations. One need only turn one's gaze to the frozen mires and fetid marshes of modern Europe, where once the greatest of human civilizations resided, to grasp how devastating and omnivorous a power metaphysical boredom is. The eye of faith presumes to see something miraculous within the ordinariness of the moment, mysterious hints of an intelligible order calling out for translation into artifacts, but boredom's disenchantment renders the imagination inert and desire torpid.

~David Hart

Accomplishment

The marathon can humble you. ~Bill Rodgers

Learn to run when feeling the pain: then push harder. ~William Sigei

Anyone can run 20 miles. It's the next six that count. ~Barry Magee

My feeling is that any day I'm too busy to run, is a day that I am too busy. ~John Bryant

The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start. ~John Bingham

Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things -- with resignations, yes, but above all, with blazing, serene hope.

~Corazon Aquino~

And so with the sunshine and great bursts of leaves growing on the trees--just as things grow in fast movies--I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.

~ F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

The Joy of the Hunt

Wet and Windy

This is what happens when you mix too much water with too much wind. Poor guy was innocently enjoying a cup of coffee in Starbucks. Hopefully he has insurance....

Requiem eternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua ei...

Anton,
I did not know you well, but the few times I had the pleasure of spending with you, I appreciated your zest for life and inquisitive mind. You made me stop and think twice, more than once. When you attempted something, you gave it your all, embracing and enjoying the moments God gave you in your life. You always made the day brighter, bringing joy to your friends' lives. Your smile brought sunshine, your wonderful attitude was infectious....

You are greatly loved and will be missed by many.

The ABCs of Gratitude

The ABCs of Gratitude.

A - I am thankful for my anger. That may seem strange but it makes me aware that something is wrong and needs to be dealt with.

B - I am thankful for being. I am so grateful to be alive, to have so many amazing experiences in my life which fuel who I am.

C - I am thankful for my crosses, even though I don't always make good use of them. They remind me of the One who helps me carry them. They help me love a little better and a little more.

D - I am thankful for my dad, for all the love and support he has given me throughout the years. I am thankful for every moment I get to spend with him although they are fewer nowadays.

E - I am thankful for energy. I don't always have enough of it but, boy, am I glad when it is present in my system! Especially to fuel me on long runs....

F - I am thankful for friends. I have so many wonderful people in my life who give me constant support and fill me with joy and laughter. They rejoice with me in beautiful moments and see me through the worst of times.

G - I am thankful for God. He is the reason I am here and that I can write this list of gratitude.

H - I am thankful for my hands. They allow the ability to create, to explore, to love....

I - I am thankful for ice. What would I do without you to ease those aching muscles??

J - I am thankful for St. Josemaria Escriva. He has been a great companion and source of inspiration through many trying times in my life. I can always count on this heavenly friend.

K - I am thankful for kindness. So much has been shown to me these past few months especially during some really rough times. I am so grateful for this.

L - I am thankful for love. It is the greatest paradox: it gives the most pleasure and the most pain.

M - I am thankful for music. It lifts my spirit. It courses through my Welsh veins.

N - I am thankful for naps. I hated them when I was young; wish I could incorporate them into my day now that I am older.

O - I am thankful for the ocean. There is nothing in this world more peaceful and pleasant than a day beside the ocean.

P - I am thankful for peanut butter. I eat this by the spoonful right out of the jar and will smear it on just about anything that would make a good vehicle for it to make it into my mouth.

Q - I am thankful for the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Mary will never abandon me.

R - I am thankful for rollerskating. Just recently re-discovered the joy of this fun, fast-paced recreation from my childhood days thanks to my roommates.

S - I am thankful for smiles. They truly brighten my day and are quite contagious.

T - I am thankful for tea time. It is a tradition that I never want to break.

U - I am thankful for the undoing of knots. Which is precisely what Our Lady is doing in my life right now..... Or those in my back. Anyone know a good masseuse?

V - I am thankful for vin(o). French or Italian. And other kinds. Really, I don't discriminate.

W - I am thankful for water. Seriously, I drink so much of this stuff throughout the day; I would be in a bad way without it.

X - I am thankful for xerox machines. Otherwise I would have to write or type out those pages BY HAND a gazillion times. No thank you.

Y - I am thankful for youth. My own and those who live in those hopeful years or those, at least, who live in that spirit.

Z - I am thankful for Zumba? Haven't done it yet, but I know anything that has to do with dancing always suits my fancy. ;)

Oh St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt, before the throne of God,

I place in you all my interests and desires.

Oh St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession,

and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

So that having engaged here below your heavenly power,

I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most Loving of Fathers.

Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary of contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms;

I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart.

Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me

and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.

St. Joseph, patron of departed souls -- pray for me. Amen.

Remembering in a special way the Mason family and all the men in my life on this feast of St. Joseph....

I patiently await the day that the love in my heart is aligned once again with my emotions and mind. Someone I love very much has wounded me deeply and I am caught in the turmoil of sadness, anger, bitterness, longing, loneliness, yearning, regret.... I have never been in such a dark tornado of feelings before and am seeking the way to rise into the light once again. I am trying to throw off all expectations and sit in the loving arms of our Father, for I know, even though I don't feel it, that He knows what is best for me and will lead me to the path that I seek. In the words of Mother Teresa, "....I trust Him blindly in spite of all feelings."

At times, I seek for someone to blame but there is no one. It is the work of providence, a series of events, that have lead me to this place. I try to embrace the cross and walk valiantly forward, although I feel very little courage. Only the One who has walked this road of Calvary before can give me all the strength I need for this journey. For He has seen and felt all these emotions, all this hurt, all this betrayal, all this pain, in His Own Heart, and was moved by the Father's will to complete the task that lay before Him. I find my hope and confidence in Him.

Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength.

~August Wilson

She has arrived.

Oops! Forgot to tell you... Rosie is here!! :)

Here she is in her brother's arms....

He's a good big brother. Keeps an eye on us to make sure we're taking good care of her. ;)

Stops by frequently and gives her big kisses on her forehead.

"Drink because you are happy, but never because you are miserable. Never drink when you are wretched without it, or you will be like the grey-faced gin-drinker in the slum; but drink when you would be happy without it, and you will be like the laughing peasant of Italy. Never drink because you need it, for this is rational drinking, and the way to death and hell. But drink because you do not need it, for this is irrational drinking, and the ancient health of the world."

~G.K. Chesterton

Rosie...

This beautiful, excited mama is carrying my little niece.

We are anxiously awaiting her arrival.

Rosie! Don't wait too long....

We can't wait to meet you. :)

"The cure for anything is salt water -- sweat, tears, or the sea."

~Isak Dinesen

Free fallin'

"The truth is, friendship is every bit as sacred and eternal as marriage."

~Katherine Mansfield