My First Prayer as a Catholic

Today is the 37th anniversary of my baptism into the Catholic Church. I was 20 years old at the time.
I knew that my first prayer as a Catholic would be an interior one, and I hoped that it would be something beautiful, something profound, something almost, note that I say almost, good enough for this wonderful event.
That, however, is not what happened. My first prayer as
a Catholic was neither beautiful nor profound.
My sponsor was a young woman, just a few years older than me, who lived in the same building. Because she was a bit nervous, she chomped on bubble gum during the rites. I don't think Fr. Conroy was impressed.
And so, this is what I prayed inwardly as the water was poured over my head:
"Please, Lord, don't let her pop a bubble!"

Back In Touch, Briefly

I just recently got back in touch, through Facebook,
with one of my childhood friends. We were very close at one time.
His aunt called my mother this morning and told her that he'd been found dead.
It's strange how, when you hear of the death of a childhood friend, the memories, the half-forgotten times, come rushing back.
How much time did we spend in each other's apartments? (We lived in the same building). How
many records did we listen to? How many comic books and ViewMaster reels did we trade? How many places did we go? How much mischief did we get into?
And how did we lose touch with each other for all these years?
Thank God, we got back in touch, although briefly, much, much too briefly.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Join me and other Catholic bloggers at Sunday Snippets. Thanks to RAnn for hosting!

Semper Gaudete!: Communicating with a Canadian Cat



Semper Gaudete!: Books Read in the Week of December 19-25 2010



Semper Gaudete!: A Time To Remember


Semper Gaudete!: New Year's Resolutions, 2011

Books Read in the Past Week

"A Short History of the Honey Bee: Humans, Flowers, and Bees in the Eternal Chase for Honey"
{started last week. E-book}
by E. Readicker-Henderson (author)
and Ilona McCarty (photographer)
[non-fiction]

"Bequest of Wings
A Family's Pleasures with Books"
by Annis Duff
{started last week, finished on Tuesday}
"Longer Flight
A Family Grows Up With Books"
{started on Tuesday}
by Annis Duff
[non-fiction]

"Little Women"
by Louisa May Alcott
{started last week, finished on Wednesday}
[fiction]
( Read both off-line and online. I have an oversized illustrated edition. )

I'm reading LMA's books in order of publication,
just one a week in order to stretch them out.
Also, I am reading "Little Women" as it was
originally published, that is, as two separate
books.


"Turkish Delight & Treasure Hunts, Delightful Treats and Games from Classic Children's Books"
by Jane Brocket
{started on Wednesday, finished on Saturday}
[non-fiction. e-book]

"The Perfect Life"
by Vivian Sokal Miller
{read on Thursday}
[Novella, Jewish]

"Tam Morgan
The Liveliest Girl In Salem"
by Ruth Langland Holberg
{started on Thursday, finished on Friday}
(children's fiction, historical)

"The Great Brain"
by John D. Fitzgerald
{started on Friday}
(children's fiction, historical, humorous)

"The Home Has A Heart"
by Thyra Ferre Bjorn
{January chapter only; read on Saturday}
(non-fiction, Christian themes)

New Year's Resolutions, 2011

I've made three resolutions for 2011

1: Read through the Bible.
I'm actually using three different Bibles, in different translations.
I'm following the daily reading given
in the Catholic One Year Bible, {The Living Bible] but it's not the Bible I'm actually reading; this version is not my cup of tea. There are five readings for each day:
Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs (a very short reading!) and Deuterocanonical Books (in a separate
section at the back. )
I'll be reading different passages at different times of the day,
using the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
If I tried to read all five sections at one time, I'd wind up with
a hodge-podge, mish-mash, higgledy-piggledy jumble in my
head.
(Of course, I will also turn frequently to favorite passages and verses NOT
prescribed for that day.)
And the third Bible? That is the Catholic Women's Devotional Bible (New Revised Standard Version). After I read a passage, I'll check to see if there is a devotion for that passage.
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2: Read through The Catechism of the Catholic Church (online,
a few paragraphs a day.)
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3: Have a budget and stick to it.

Would you like to share your New Year's Resolutions?

December Birdsong

Sometimes, when I hear a bird singing in December, I
repeat to myself this poem by Oliver Herford.

I Heard a Bird Sing

I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.
"We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,"
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.

A Time To Remember

Just watched "A Time To Remember" on EWTN.
The movie was filmed in Deposit, New York.
My family spent several weeks there every summer
for many years; we had our own place outside of town
on Old Plank Road.
St Joseph's, the Church seen in the movie, is where I went to Mass.

Somehow, I've always missed the broadcasts of the movie from one year to the next, so I'm glad I finally got to see it. And, for the first time, my Mom watched EWTN!
Seeing the town, or, I should say, the Village of Deposit on film brought back so many memories for us.
"A Time To Remember", indeed!