St. Andrew Christmas Novena

You actually need to go here to read this post. I posted it to the AYM blog so that it could be more easily accessed.

While Reviewing for a Social Studies Test

Me: What does the government do with our tax money?

Student: They give it to the lazy people who don't work.

Me: (Well, I really just laughed. I couldn't help it.)

Student: What? That's what my mom said!

Daybook: Because I Want to Blog Without too Much Thinking

FOR TODAY
(November 17, 2010)

Outside my window... it is very dark. Though it is not late, not even 8:00. Also, the weather has settled into a chilly state over the past few days. I'm happy with it for now.

I am thinking... about how God, in wisdom and perfect love, does things that I am far from understanding, but which cause me to smile.

I am thankful for... Grace. Tonight, the 2nd graders at my Parish make their First Reconciliation. My 2nd graders will participate in the Sacrament for the first time at the end of this month. I'm so excited for the flowing of grace!

I am wearing... Jeans, T-shirt, Benedictine Hoodie.

I am creating... new personal commitments.

I am going... to a senior retreat tomorrow night. I'm leading a 30-minute session (three times). Prayers please.

I am reading... hmmm... I honestly think I've been picking up a new book each time I sit down to read.

I am hoping... that I'm able to cling to grace instead of self.

I am hearing... mom and dad talking about free shipping.
 
Around the classroom..."Take out a piece of paper. Open your science books to page 128. There has been far too much talking today. It has taken too long to get your attention. Too many of you have been talking and not listening while I'm teaching. So, you are going to start with the word desert and copy every word from this page and the next, in complete silence, until I tell you that you can stop." It only took me 62 school days to become "one of those" teachers. :-(

One of my favorite things... when I can trustingly smile at God even while knowing that this thing He has going on might just hurt a whole lot.

Visit Peggy for more daybook entries!

Hosanna's Song

One post that I have been meaning to write will (if it ever materializes) discuss my thoughts on preparing students for their first participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This post regards a semi-related topic. I've often found myself wondering about that time between Baptism and the Age of Reason, a time when we are technically not impeded by sin.  The following is a little something on the more poetic and lyrical side than is typical of my writing.  It is a reflection on that easily forgotten time in each of lives. I've called it, Hosanna's Song.

There was a time

When my heart beat perfectly for You

And in that time

I was free to joyfully love You

There was a peace

My mind cannot remember

And in that peace

Your voice became my only song

The Sacrament that cleansed me gave me grace beyond compare. The love within the waters washed me clean. And as I grew and lived and sinned my heart became scarred. Now I’m longing for the grace to live in Your love alone once more.

My soul sang Hallelujah, hosanna on high. The saints and angels joined, our chorus rang high. My heart cried out all glory to the Holy One. Hallelujah. Hosanna was my song.

There was a place

Where only You could dwell

And in that place

True happiness was found

There was a love

Pure and undefiled

And through that love

I embraced life as Your child

The Sacrament that cleansed me gave me grace beyond compare. The love within the waters washed me clean. And as I grew and lived and sinned my heart became scarred. Now I’m longing for the grace to live in Your love alone once more.

My soul sang Hallelujah, hosanna on high. The saints and angels joined, our chorus rang high. My heart cried out all glory to the Holy One. Hallelujah. Hosanna was my song.

The Church joins in the chorus now. His praises She sings. All voices join together, His triumph reigns. And as we bow to worship Him our souls rejoice and know the beauty of Hosanna’s song and Hallelujah’s call. Hosanna, Hallelujah. Hosanna, Hallelujah. Hosanna Hallelujah is our song.

As I said, it is quite different what you usually read here.  I do hope that it leads you to some form of reflection; it does me, but it is an expression of me; it may not have the same effect on you.

Ah. The Minds of the Young

Question on a Science assignment: Why do different plants have different stems?
Student Answer: I think it is because God made them different.

Now, that was NOT the science answer I was looking for, but how can I argue with that?

Student: Do you have a boyfriend?
Me: No.
Student: Oh. So you're going to die alone.

Student 1 (on her birthday): Yay! I'm special.
Student 2: I hate to tell you this, but everyone has a birthday.

Hell and Moles

Student: Miss Hunter, how did Satan end up in hell?

Me: Well at one point he was up in Heaven with God and all the other angels. God gave all the angels a choice to love Him or not, just like He gives us. Satan chose not to love God, so he was sent out of Heaven.

Student: Oh, I see. Have moles ever been to hell? You know, they can dig pretty deep.

2nd Graders and Werewolfs

We had just come in from recess.  I was hurriedly trying to get my students lined up for Art class.

Thomas: Miss Hunter, is George turning into a werewolf?

Me: No.

Thomas: He says he is.

Me: He isn't.

Thomas: But he says that if you get bitten by a werewolf you turn into one.

Me: He wasn't bitten by a werewolf.

The student walked over to the supply baskets to get his art supplies. I could hear he, George, and two other boys talking.

Will: Miss Hunter says you aren't, George.

George: She doesn't know everything.

Thomas: Uh! She's the teacher. She is sooo smart.

George: She knows a lot, but she doesn't know everything about me.

George (to Will): Why did you tell her? I didn't want people to know.

Will: I didn't. Thomas did!

George: Why did you tell him? I only told you because I was spending the night. I didn't want anyone else to know about it.

Will: ::sighs deeply:: I'm sorry.

The Art Teacher had a nice little laugh when I warned her of the situation.

That Person

I struggle in my prayer to give myself, as I truly am, to God.

I'm fairly certain .... well...as certain as one who tries to remain completely open to God's will can be (i.e. not certain at all) that God does not intend for me to approach Him alone for the rest of my life. In other words, I was made for union with man. (The reasons why I have the amount of timid, uncommitted belief I do is a story for some other time.)

So, being made for such union, I frequently find myself asking God how much time I must spend longing for it. I try to gently remind Him ;-) of that for which I was made.

However, God, in His infinite wisdom and perfect love, has me single now.  He is calling me to a life of something else for the time being. I find it hard to embrace big dreams in Him while waiting.

Around the time of graduation, I was preparing to say many, many goodbyes. I was comforted by great peace in a vision of a life in which faithful servants of God continuously come into my path and leave.  They leave because God calls them.  They leave because of their openness to His will in their lives.  They leave because the Father beckons.

As the Kingdom of God is built up around the world through the "yes" of all these people I envisioned walking in and out of each others' lives, there would be joy.  I saw myself going wherever He called as well.

Right now though, I wait.

I love that vision. But I struggle to give myself fully to it.

It is a joyful life, yes, but the good Christian knows that the joy comes only as the fruit of suffering.

I've found myself waiting, unaccountably it seems, for that one person who would always be at my side - the one person who would walk in and not out, whose call was the same as mine.

As I confessed this in prayer to our loving and gently compassionate God, He whispered His response to the silence and stillness of my heart:

That person you are waiting for...it's me. I am the One who will never leave as others journey away.  That person is me.

Is Your Music Lying to You?

Click to read the post here.

The Adventures of Owning a Car

I'd been noticing at various times over the past several weeks that my car was in need of a good hand washing.  There was an element of I-don't-have-time-for-this mixed in with an even bigger element of excitement. So, yesterday I happily declared that I would be washing my very own car for the very first time!

I should have seen it coming.  It began right off the bat.  I just didn't notice it at first.

You see, since the last time I've washed a car, my family has switched to new soaps. Since I would undoubtedly use too much, my mom got the water ready for me.

The car washing began with me making a slightly joking, slightly serious comment about not washing the top because no one could really see it anyway.  In the next moment, my mom was standing on a step ladder washing the top of my car...as I a stood there watching.

As I was just beginning to wash the first side, my dad came out. As both parents circled around the car with me, I thought to myself that this was kind of fun - a nice little family occasion.

Then as I finished up the third side, I heard it. "You missed a spot."  "She did? Where? Oh! Yea, I see it way down there."

I just kept working, moving on to the front.  Meanwhile, the inspection continued. "There is a little spot down on this side too..."

"Okay, I'm finished with the front."

"Here Melissa, let me see that."  Once again, the car washing baton passed from my hands, this time into my father's.  He got those couple of spots that I missed.

Last came the wheels. "I'm not really worried about them.  Aren't they kind of meant to be dirty?"  How silly of me to think such a thing.

The car washing experience ended with my dad bent over washing the wheels as my mom followed him around with the hose, spraying things down and inspecting his work.

Where was I you may be wondering?

Sitting on the step ladder.

Watching.

Shaking my head.

And smiling a bit too.  After all, I should have seen it coming.