Fear Not

Fear is a powerful thing. It can paralyze. But ...

... if I fear the unknown, I may never know it.
... if I fear rejection, I may miss an opportunity to speak the truth.
... if I fear being hurt, I may miss an opportunity to love.
... if I fear failure or imperfection, I may never try.
... if I fear losing control, I may never learn to trust the One who is really in control.
... if I fear discovering who I really am, I may never know who God is calling me to be.

Isaiah reminds us in the first reading today (41:13):

I am the LORD, your God,
who grasp your right hand;
It is I who say to you,
"Fear not, I will help you."

Perfect love drives out fear (1 Jn 4:18).

And growth results.

And life is evident.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

89 years and still beautiful!

Behold ...

... the Handmaid of the Lord.

Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us.

Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception!

My Advent Daybook

Outside my windows... Jack Frost visited again the last two nights and covered every branch and blade in white. Every time I walk by a window -- morning, noon, or evening -- I marvel at the beauty.

I am listening to... the kids playing outside in the snow. (Well, not really -- they're in bed ... but when I first started working on this post yesterday that's what I was listening to.)

I am thinking... about God's providence. I found out via Facebook this morning (yes, I finally succumbed to the pressure) that the friend I spoke about in this post, who was instrumental in my high school conversion, has found his way back to the Church! God is good. I am always amazed. And I am excited to reconnect with some old friends.

I am thankful for... foam beads to string and sort. (Though I am not as excited about picking them up when they manage to find a way into every room of the house.)

I am hoping and praying... for the Catholics Come Home campaign. There was a time when so many Catholics were so poorly catechized, and, fed nothing solid, many left the Church. Let's pray for our brothers and sisters to return to the faith of their baptism!

From the kitchen... candy cane coffee cake and St. Nicholas cocoa for breakfast yesterday, and St. Nicholas cupcakes for dessert.

From the schoolroom... We've got a list of things to finish before our winter break and (almost) everyone is working diligently to get done early -- The Boy needs a little more motivation. I went to the library this evening and got or requested all the books we need until after the holidays. We finished On the Banks of Plum Creek last week and are now starting By the Shores of Silver Lake.

I am creating... the last few ornaments for our Jesse tree. I started them probably three years ago (!) and am determined to finish them this year!

I am reading... Hannah Coulter (still), along with our school and Advent stuff. (By the way, Gramma, I think you'd really like this book -- ask my Dad to get it for you.)

Noticing that ... there are gray hairs where there shouldn't be (namely, on my head!). Shhh ... don't tell anyone.

Around the house... a few more wintery things are appearing each day. Yesterday, our plain Corelle was replaced by our pretty winter dishes. (Notice the mess on the tablecloth created while mixing St. Nicholas hot cocoa.)

One of my favorite things... how much The Baby adores her Daddy.

Pondering these words ... "I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least." (Servant of God, Dorothy Day)

A few plans for the rest of the week: Mass and celebration of Our Lady's Immaculate Conception tomorrow -- one day at a time!

Some picture-thoughts I am sharing: see above.

For more daybooks, visit here.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

We love you and we miss you!

Have a great Texas winter!

the true. the good. the beautiful. week 3.

“That his creatures should share

in his truth, goodness, and beauty --

this is the glory for which God created them.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 319

On cultivating truth, goodness, and beauty in our home
one week at a time.

The True: Feeding the Intellect
Saint Nicholas

Tomorrow is the feast of St. Nicholas. Every year the kids get some great chocolate coins and a new book. I found four great books this year on the real Saint Nicholas, including a board book for The Baby. I was so excited! Unfortunately, not one of the books was delivered on time for tomorrow. (I'm guessing they will arrive tomorrow afternoon! Ugh!) So I had to run to Barnes and Noble this evening for Plan B -- four different non-St. Nicholas books. Again, ugh! These books are all good stories, but really I was quite upset about not getting the first set. See, this year is a special year for Miss Rose and Miss Sunshine. This is the year we tell them the truth about Saint Nicholas and allow them to share in the joy of being Santa Claus for their younger brother and sister (hopefully). I remember the year my mom told me ... I was in third grade ... I cried. hard. I am a little apprehensive about how it will go with the girls tomorrow. I have a feeling Miss Rose is going to respond as I did. And I have a feeling Miss Sunshine is going to say, "I thought so." I'm not quite sure how to approach the whole thing. Truthfully, I was hoping one of the books that was supposed to arrive would help me out. Say a little prayer for us, please. And, if you have any helpful hints .... We got a babysitter for the two younger ones and we plan on taking the girls out for a talk and a special treat after dinner tomorrow night.

(As a side, I have mixed feelings about the whole Santa Claus thing. Sometimes I wish we wouldn't have made it such a big deal. But I wasn't where I am now nine years ago when we starting celebrating Christmas with our own children.)

The Good: Forming the Will
Serving our Parish Community

This Sunday was our family's first time serving as hospitality ministers at our parish. It is a great way for the kids to get involved. They passed out hymnals before Mass to people entering the church and they collected hymnals after Mass and handed out the weekly bulletin. There were many opportunities for good lessons: lessons in serving, lessons in greeting people -- "Good morning!" before Mass and "Have a good day!" after -- lessons in making eye contact and having conversations with strangers. And the kids loved being involved (and having special name tags to wear!). The girls also stayed after morning Mass on Friday to help clean the church -- another great lesson in service to our parish community.

The Beautiful: Inspiring the Affections

A Christmas Concert and Opera

This afternoon we attended Christmas at Mary -- the University of Mary's annual Christmas concert. The concert included performances by the concert choir and a brass ensemble, and a performance of Gian-Carlo Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors. Amahl and the Night Visitors is an opera in one act. It is about an impoverished woman and her crippled son, Amahl, at whose home the three kings stop to rest on their journey following the star to find the Christ Child.

(Link up in the comments if you'd like to share what you're doing to bring the true, the good, and the beautiful to your home.)

Wordless Wednesday - Black Friday Fun

three kids on lily pads

yes, that's me, chasing Miss Sunshine

Baby's first time on a water slide

she loves her "button" -- and it's usually inaccessible because of a onesie