Faith?

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“So if you’re down they push you down, fella, they push you down .” – Calvin Crabill, The Dust Bowl documentary, 2013

This is how I feel with my financial troubles. I know that we’re responsible for our mistakes. I accept that. But when you’re lied to and misinformed add deliberately deceived, how can you escape that? How can you get back up from that?

As for me, I trust in the Lord. Let me be glad and rejoice in your mercy, for you have seen my affliction. Cf. Ps 31 (30):7-8

Laetare Sunday

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Accuracy to this Wikipedia entry, Laetare Sunday is “a day of relaxation from normal Lenten rigours; a day of hope with Easter being at last within sight.”

Weddings can be held today, and in Catholic and Anglican traditions, servants were released for the day to return to their mother churches and/or to see their mothers. It became known as Mothering Sunday.

This is also the day of the Second Scrutiny, the blind man who is given sight (John 9:1-41). The Gospel itself reads, “He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”” (John 9:25).

It’s hard for me to hear this verse without hearing the tune of Amazing Grace in my head. That’s always been one of my favorite songs, and I realize now how despite the blind man’s physical blindness, we all have moments of blindness, moments where our eyes “are opened”, where we can suddenly see clearly. This Scrutiny is the one that I can most identify with. Jesus was always right in front of me, but I couldn’t (or didn’t want to) see Him. When He knew I was ready, he took my blinders off, and now I see.

3-14-15, 9:26

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It is precisely 9:26 on the morning of March 14, 2015, and even non-math nerds know what that means : IT’S PI DAY!

Pi, as described by the linked Wikipedia article is “a mathematical constant, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, commonly approximated as 3.14159. It has been represented by the Greek letter “π” since the mid-18th century, though it is also sometimes spelled out as “pi”

Going out two more places you get: 3.1415926.

As an aforementioned non-math nerd, I have never liked math, but I do like numbers. Not numerology nor do I have any real superstitions concerning numbers, but I like the numbers themselves.

In college when I was studying the teaching of math to elementary students, a basic course that I almost failed, I couldn’t (and still can’t) grasp why 2+2=4 and doesn’t equal 5. I know it’s true and if you put two objects and two objects together and count them, you get four, but in theoretical terms I don’t know why. And if I were being honest, I don’t care why. It just is, and that’s good enough for me.

Everyone knows why six is afraid of seven? (SPOILERS: because 789).

I can spell my name in numbers where each letter of the alphabet had a corresponding number:
11 1 18 5 14.
Or my web page: 7 18 9 6 6 9 14 19. 1 14 4   7 9 14 7 5 18. 19 14 1 16 19.
I did this all through high school to write in code, add my name (and others) on my calculator, add my name and my crush’s name together. Cute teenagery things that I’ll occasionally still do.

My birthday is Dec. 3rd, which is 123, and my oldest son’s is Mar 21st, which is 321. A close friend was born on 8/8/88, and my husband and his sister were born on 7/7 and 12/12, respectively.

I like sevens and threes and when I write numbered lists, they must end with a 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 or 20. It feels wrong otherwise.

I always eat M&M’s in fours. Mini Cadbury eggs too.

I tap my finger four times also, like the knocking in the Master’s head on Doctor Who. And the rum-ba-bum bum’s in the Little Drummer Boy.

When I was younger I used to watch Matlock. One of the clues in a murder was a VHS tape wound to 337 on the counter. It took the whole show to realize that when you looked at the counter upside down, from the victim’s perspective, it spelled LEE, the killer’s name. 337 became my favorite number. I would notice it on the clock randomly. My family would point it out to me. We live near a Rt. 337.

A couple of years ago, and about twenty years after the episode, I was writing in a day planner and I noticed the number 337 in tiny numbers in the upper right hand corner of the calendar box for Dec. 3rd. My birthday is the three hundred thirty-seventh day of the year. How ’bout that?!

337 is my birthday!

Numbers are cool. Math not so much.

I hate to post and run, but I have a berry pie waiting for me for breakfast!


Obviously, this is dedicated to my friend, J.K. who is a math teacher extraordinaire and who likes math more than should be allowed but it fits her to a T… -square.

Pope Francis, Year Two

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Today is the second anniversary of Pope Francis’ election as the 266th Pope. When he was elected, I had already been attending Mass for just about one year. I knew by then that in a few months I’d start the weekly classes that would teach me all about the rituals and history of the Catholic Church; all the things I’d need to know; all the things I’d need to learn; all the little things I’d need to do.

I was calm and confident in my new direction. I remember one of the things that I was saying two years ago was how excited and happy I was to be joining the church under this new Pope. It was like we were comrades, joining at the same time. Of course he wasn’t joining; he was moving into a new role, but it still felt like we were connected somehow. I didn’t know anything about him and Papal politics was the one political party I didn’t follow, but upon his election I started hearing some things about him.

He sounded wonderful and in the two years of his leadership and guidance the church is coming back to its roots of following in the footsteps of Jesus, leading by doing, reminding people of his message – to help the poor, to care for the sick, to forgive your enemies; to love your neighbor.

Recs for a Sick Day

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Unfortunately I’ve been sick since Sunday night. It came on suddenly and won’t let me go. I couldn’t even get out of bed Monday and most of Tuesday. I’m still barely functional. How have I survived? My family plus:

1. Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup and Grilled Cheese

2. My Kindle and the e-library

3. Netflix

4. An extra pillow

5.  Kleenex tissues