two truths and a lie

Well, it looks as though I am being dragged back into the blogosphere despite a monster migraine, lured by my friend Liz over at Random Thoughts of a Lutheran Geek, who is running a "Two Truths and a Lie Blog Carnival" this weekend, darn her. It's based upon the childhood game where you tell three truths about yourself, except that one, of course, is a lie, and everyone else has to guess which one the lie is. We usually played it at slumber parties and, truth be told, I was never very good at it, because I always blushed (the curse of the Irish for you) and giggled when I told my lie. At least here I have the advantage of not being seen!

So, here are my three, um, truths:

1  I thought about becoming an Episcopalian priest.
2. I was once engaged to the son of a millionaire.
3. I was once interviewed on MPR.

So go to the comments section and make your guesses!  And then play along on your own blog, link up and hop around the blogs to get to know each other better.  We will reveal the correct answers on our original posts on Monday February 28th so stop back to see if you were right!

Note: I revealed my correct answers in my comments section by mistake. You will find that I like to be different. Or difficult, depending upon your interpretation! And I was late besides--oops!

books: 2009

1. The Eucharist and the Hunger of the World, Monika K. Hellwig
2. Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, Paula Fredriksen
3. The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus, Amy-Jill Levine
4. Fortress Introduction to The Gospels, Mark Allan Powell
5. Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, Bruce J. Malina and Richard Rohrbach
6. John, the Maverick Gospel, Robert Kysar
7. Written that you May Believe: Encountering Jesus in the Fourth Gospel, Sandra M. Schneiders, IHM
   
8. The Middle Ages, Morris Bishop
9. Models of the Church, Avery Dulles, SJ
10. The Sacred Pipe, Joseph Brown
11. A New Christian Paradigm: The Making of Post-Protestant Christianity, Ben M. Carter
12. Jesus and the Quest for Meaning, Thomas H. West
13. The Church Unfinished: Ecclesiology Through the Centuries, Bernard K. Prusak
14. Salt: A World History, Mark Kurlansky
15. Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, Mark Kurlansky
16. Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee, Mark Kurlansky
17. Paul--A Jew on the Margins, Calvin J. Roetzel
18. The Spirituality of Paul, Thomas H. Tobin
19. Navigating Paul: An Introduction to Key Theological Concepts, Jouette M. Bassler
20. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt
21. The Hollow Crown: A History of Britain in the Late Middle Ages, Miri Rubin
22. Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom, John O'Donohue
23. The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million, Daniel Mendelsohn
24. Whitethorn Woods, Maeve Binchy
25. Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain & Ireland, Bryan Sykes
26. The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
27. The Rule of Four, Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason
28. The Children of Henry VIII, Alison Weir
29. On Hitler's Mountain: Overcoming the Legacy of a Nazi Childhood, Irmgard A. Hunt
30. My Life with the Saints, James Martin, SJ
31. The Monster of Florence: A True Story, Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi
32. Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter, Thomas Cahill
33. How the Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill
34. Christianity Rediscovered, Vincent J. Donovan
35. Doors to the Sacred: A Historical Introduction to Sacraments in the Catholic Church, Joseph Martos
36. The Catholic Myth: The Behavior and Beliefs of American Catholics, Andrew Greeley
37. The Amber Room: The Fate of the World's Greatest Lost Treasure, Catherine Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy
38. No Place Like Home, Mary Higgins Clark
39. The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History, John Barry
    
40. The Last Knight: The Twilight of the Middles Ages and the Birth of the Modern Era, Norman Cantor
41. Soldier from the War Returning: The Greatest Generation's Troubled Homecoming from World War II, Thomas Childers
42. The Basque History of the World, Mark Kurlansky
43. Catherine the Great: Love, Sex, and Power, Virginia Rounding
44. Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, and Queens, Jane Dunn
45. Devil's Brood, Sharon Kay Penman
46. Falls the Shadow: A Novel, Sharon Kay Penman
47. Queen Emma and the Vikings: Power, Love and Greed in 11th Century England, Harriet O'Brien
48. Time and Chance, Sharon Kay Penman
49. Dragon's Lair, Sharon Kay Penman
50. The Queen's Man: A Medieval Mystery, Sharon Kay Penman
51. When Christ and his Saints Slept, Sharon Kay Penman
52. The Reckoning, Sharon Kay Penman
53. The Sunne in Splendor: A Novel of Richard III, Sharon Kay Penman
54. The Year 1000: What Life was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium, Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger
55. Here be Dragons, Sharon Kay Penman
56. Walking on a Rolling Deck: Life on the Ark, Kathy Berken
57. The Civilization of the Middle Ages, Norman Cantor
58. Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster, Alison Weir
59. Lucia: A Venetian Life in the Age of Napoleon, Andrea D. Robilant
60. A Venetian Affair: A True Tale of Forbidden Love in the 18th Century, Andrea D. Robilant
61. The Gift of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels, Thomas Cahill
62. Restoration London: From Poverty to Pets, from Medicine to Magic, from Slang to Sex, from Wallpaper to Women's Rights, Liza Picard
63. The Seville Communion, Arturo Perez-Oerveto
64. In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the World it Made, Norman Cantor
65. The Lady Elizabeth: A Novel, Alison Weir
66. Faith and Treason: The Story of the Gunpowder Plot, Antonia Fraser
67. Blue Iris: Poems and Essays, Mary Oliver

This year's list is dedicated to some of my favorite fellow bookworms: Aunts Barb and Jo, Emilie, Liz P., Liz H., Roxane S., and Kristine.

But most of all, this list is dedicated to my darling sister-in-law Fran, who shares my intense love of books and often subsidizes my Barnes and Noble habit, and to my mom, who instilled in me a love of the power of words and the magic of language, as well as an intense curiosity about the world around me.

RevGalBlogPals Friday Five: Pets

Friday Five: Pets

(Per Sophia over at RevGalBlogPals...) My son's tiny beloved lizard, Elf, is looking and acting strange this week. His skin/scales are quite dark, and he is lethargic. We are adding vitamin drops to his lettuce and spinach and hoping and praying that he is just getting ready to shed his skin--but it's too soon to tell. Others in the ring have also been worried about beloved pets this week. And, in the saddest news of all, Songbird has had to bid farewell to her precious Molly, the amazing dog who is well known to readers of her blog as a constant sacrament of God's unconditional love.

So in memory of Molly, and in honor of all the beloved animal companions who bless our lives: tell us about the five most memorable pets you have known.
Come play along with me--either post your answers on you blog or, better yet, in the comment box! (Sorry to post this a day late--I fell asleep too early last night to finish.)

Barbara's Memorable Pets:

1. When I was about six, I adopted an earthworm from my dad's garden and named him Casey, after the boy at school I had a wild crush on. I loved Casey (both of them, actually.) One hot summer day, I devised a raft for Casey (the worm) on a small piece of torn-up shingle, and took him for a boat ride in a mud puddle in our driveway. My parents, watching from the window, decided it was about time for me to have a real pet, and that's how Bridget came into our lives. The Casey story does not have a happy ending, though: Casey the boy moved away, and Casey the worm received a ceremonial burial in the rose garden.

2. We got Bridget, a miniature poodle (almost big enough to be a standard) through a group called Pet Haven, almost immediately after the Casey incident. She was, truly, my best friend for all of my growing up years; talk about representing God's unconditional love. We took her everywhere with us. She was also brilliant--my dad loved teaching her tricks. One of his (their, I should say) favorites was teaching her to scratch fleas on command. She didn't have fleas, you understand. I thought about trying to get her on David Letterman's Stupid Pet Tricks, but never got around to it. When I came home from my scoliosis surgery, in terrible pain I went to bed immediately, and Bridget hopped up on the bed and very carefully and gently arranged herself so that she was nestled against me, head on my shoulder, magically, without hitting any of my painful spots (and there were plenty, believe me.) We had to put our beloved Bridget to sleep right after I graduated from college; she was 15-years-old.

3. About a year later we (mom and I) found my darling Molly, a cocker spaniel, at the Golden Valley Humane Society. I knew from the second I laid eyes on her that she was the puppy for us. She was picked up as a stray, and had apparently been abused. Molly had the absolute sweetest nature I have ever seen in a dog, and in a special way, we were soulmates. She could always tell when I was depressed, or my fibromyalgia was acting up, and she was always right there to comfort me. She also had a thing for flowers--we were always catching her out in the backyard sniffing them. When we had to put her to sleep, at the age of 14, (she had an abdominal cancer), we spread her ashes amongst the flowers she loved so much. I love to think of her resting there, helping the flowers grow.

4. Warning: Do not let young children read this fish horror story. In my late twenties I decided I need some fish to help keep me company. So I trotted off the the pet store, purchased my little tank and fish goodies, and then selected my fish. I don't remember the name of the breed (Bellas, maybe?), but they were stunningly beautiful, and the store owner assured me they were a very passive breed of fish, and not likely to harm each other. (Does anyone sense some foreshadowing here?) I enjoyed watching them swim about in their tiny tank, weaving in and out of the fronds of the plants I had so carefully purchased for their swimming pleasure. But soon, I began to notice that a few of my fish seemed to have disappeared. Then, one traumatic day, I caught the fish villain in the act: he was devouring another fish. The story only gets worse from here. A fish execution by toilet, remaining fish obviously suffering from PTSD. I'm not sure what this was supposed to teach me. That fish can be possessed? That the reality of evil extends even to little aquariums?

5. Luckily, my last pet story reaffirms my belief in the goodness of creation. My darling Fiona, the Uber-cocker spaniel, curled up against my bare feet as I type, is my best furry friend and provides me with all the loving, unconditional care anyone could possibly need. When my mom was dying, and I'd come home from the nursing home in tears, Fiona was right there waiting for me. And after mom died, for weeks the little fluffy creature wouldn't leave my side; she clung to me, staring up at me with her big brown eyes that telegraphed her doggly love and concern. Fiona also loves to play; every single day, without fail, we must--and I do mean must--play with each of her toys in turn. She so loves her toys. She is my cuddly darling, and I hope to someday be the person she thinks I am.

25 random things about me

(I originally posted this on Facebook, but I wanted something semi-fun to post here today, so I thought I'd use this.)
1.I never liked poetry when I studied it in English class, but now I love reading it on my own. In fact, I'm becoming a poetry addict.
2. I closed my mom's eyes after she died. For some reason, this was--and still is--very important to me.
3. I was the last person in my class to learn to read, and 10 years later aced the PSAT verbal section. Perseverance does pay off!
4. I procrastinate terribly--not because I'm lazy, but because I'm afraid I'll screw everything up. Talk about self-fulfilling prophecies!
5. I think it is a disgrace that Pope John XXIII has not yet been canonized.
6. I took French in high school and college, and Spanish in college, and remember absolutely nothing of either. (edit 2012--I'm doing Rosetta Stone to try and relearn it all!)
7. When I was very little, I wanted to be both an astronaut and a ballerina. Simultaneously.
8. Yes, I really am a redhead. I'm partly Irish, after all.
9. I was engaged (to a millionaire's son, yet) before I met George and called it off when I realized I'd rather be alone by myself than alone with somebody else. Oh, am I ever glad I waited!
10. I've always wanted to be a writer, in addition to whatever else I do with my life.
11.I began a search for my birth mother last year. I haven't heard anything yet. (edit 2012--She is found, and we are very close!)
12. I feel a little disloyal to my mom for doing this, even though she always supported the idea and even offered to pay for it.
13. I make a mean homemade marinara sauce, with lots of onion and garlic.
14.I used to do lots of drawing with charcoal and pastels; I'd like to start doing it again, but for some reason I'm scared to. (Maybe I'm afraid I'll, well, suck.)
15.If I could do college over again, I'd major in history or English and philosophy, instead of political science and philosophy. And I'd take four years of Latin, for fun. Yes, fun. (edit 2012--or maybe I'd just do four years of both French and Spanish!)
16. Sometimes I feel as though I am strangely invisible.
17. I never minded being an only child, until both of my parents were gone.
18. I played varsity tennis in high school, and was also in choir and yearbook.
19. I feel very connected to both of my grandmothers, although my maternal grandma died long before I was born, and my paternal grandma died when I was 16--almost 25 years ago.
20. I have ultra-sensitive skin that requires more pampering than a baby's. Hair, too.
21. The only thing that REALLY makes my back feel better is massage and gentle yoga. And certain muscle relaxers, of course.
22. I would love to do freelance writing but have no idea how to begin.
23. One of the very best days of my life was the day I discovered that dark chocolate actually contains more antioxidants than green tea.
24.My biggest regret (aside from infertility) is that I was supposed to spend a college semester studying in London, which fell through when we couldn't come up with the extra cash, and then later I was supposed to spend a whole week over New Year's Eve staying in a friend's flat in Paris, only to wind up in the ER the night before my flight with a bad case of influenza.
25. When I was 30 I had surgery to correct a crooked jaw--my scoliosis made the lower part of my face grow unevenly.(edit 2012--I actually had three surgeries to correct the kyphosis and scoliosis in my back when I was 17 and a senior in high school.)

books: 2008

1. The Girl with the Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
2. Falling Angels, ibid
3. Chronically Happy: Joyful Living in Spite of Chronic Illness, Lori Hartwell
4. Please Understand Me: Character & Temperament Types, David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates
5. Katherine, Anya Seton
6. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott
7. Victorian London: The Life of a City, 1840-1870, Liza Picard
   
8. Elizabeth's London: Everyday life in Elizabethan London, ibid.
   
9. Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey, Allison Weir
10. The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece, Jonathan Harr
    
11. Thunderstruck, Erik Larson
12. Isaac's Storm: A Man, A Time, and the Deadliest Storm in History, ibid
13. The Warrior Queens, Antonia Fraser
14. Mary, Queen of Scots, ibid
    
15. Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King, ibid
16. Journey From the Land of No, Roya Hakakian
17. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Rebecca Wells
    
18. Little Altars Everywhere, ibid
    
19. Leaving a Trace: On Keeping a Journal, Alexandria Johnson
20. The Hidden Writer: Diaries and the Creative Life, ibid
21. Wisdom of the Celtic Saints, Edward Sellner
22. Open the Door: A Journey to the True Self, Joyce Rupp
23. Praying by Hand: Rediscovering the Rosary as a Way of Prayer, Basil Pennington, O.C.S.O.
24. The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society, Henri J.M. Nouwen
25. Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life, Nouwen, et al
26. Called to Question: A Spiritual Memoir, Joan Chittister
27. The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully, ibid
28. There is a Season, ibid
29. The Story of Ruth: Twelve Moments in Every Woman's Life, ibid
30. The Dark Night of the Soul: A Psychiatrist Explores the Connection Between Darkness and Inner Growth, Gerald May, M.D.
31. Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal, Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.
32. How Much is Enough? Hungering for God in an Affluent Culture, Arthur Simon
33. The Challenge and Spirituality of Catholic Social Teaching, Marvin L. Krier Mich
34. Cloud of Witnesses, Jim Wallis and Joyce Hollyday
35. Joan: The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint, Donald Spoto.
36. The Bible: A Biography, Karen Armstrong
37. How Firm a Foundation: Leaders of the Liturgical Movement, Robert L. Tuzik, ed.
38. Prayers of the Women Mystics, Rhonda De Sola
39. Woman, Why Do You Weep? Spirituality for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Sandra M. Flaherty
40. Touching the Holy: Ordinariness, Self-Esteem, and Friendship, Robert J. Wicks
41. Thirsty for God: A Brief History of Christian Spirituality, Bradley P. Holt
42. Pilgrim's Almanac: Reflections for Every Day, Edward Hays
43. In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
44. Hitler's Willing Executioner's: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust, Daniel Jonah Goldhagen
45. Wait 'Til Next Year, Doris Kearns Goodwin
46. Light a Penny Candle, Maeve Binchy
47. Tara Road, ibid
48. Quentin's, ibid
49. Scarlet Feather, ibid
50. Silver Wedding, ibid
51. Evening Class, ibid
52. The Glass Lake, ibid
53. Firefly Summer, ibid
54. Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague, Geraldine Brooks
55. People of the Book: A Novel, ibid
    
56. The Chronic Illness Experience: Embracing the Imperfect Life, Cheri Register
57. Dim Sum, Bagels, and Grits: A Multicultural Adoption, Myra Alperson
58. Lincoln: A Novel, Gore Vidal
59. Attaching in Adoption: Practical Tools for Today's Parents, Deborah D. Gray
60. Life's Companion: Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest, Christina Baldwin
61. Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language From the South of France, Kristin Espinasse
62. Coastliners: A Novel, Joanne Harris
63. Five Quarters of the Orange, ibid
64. Chocolat, ibid
65. A Vision of Light: A Margaret of Ashbury Novel, Judith Merkle Riley
66. In Pursuit of the Green Lion: A Margaret of Ashbury Novel, ibid
67. The Water Devil: A Margaret of Ashbury Novel, ibid
68. The Birth of Venus: A Novel, Sarah Dinanat
69. Murder in the Rue De Paradis, Cara Black
70. Murder in Belleville, ibid
71. Murder in the Marais, ibid
72. Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis, ibid
73. Murder in Clichy, ibid
74. Murder in Montmartre, ibid
75. Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl, Debra Oliver
76. Hardball: How Politics is Played by One Who Knows the Game, Christopher Matthews
77. Lean Forward Into Your Life, Mary Anne Rademacher
78. The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova
79. Good Living With Fibromyalgia, Arthritis Foundation

All while typing this list I kept thinking of two of my favorite readers: Emilie, and my mom. "Oh, I've got to tell Emilie about this one," I'd think, only to remember...I've had more time to get used to my mom's death, but I still can't help wanting to call her on the phone to tell her every time I discover an especially intriguing, complex, mystery story.

But still. Today, this is how I honor them, and the legacy they've left me, a legacy filled with love and appreciation for the power and mystery of language. And I'm grateful, too, for the many friends with whom I still share a mutual love of books, of delight in a cleverly turned phrase, in that magical feeling of discovering something new and traveling on a magic carpet--all thanks to our common love of the written (and spoken!) word.

And mom, it's taken me many years, but I finally--well, mostly--forgive you for all those horrible puns.

(For an example of another friend who loves words, too, check out Liz's beautifully written recent post.)

forty for forty

Oops! I made out my resolution list several weeks ago and then completely forgot to post it. I've never made birthday resolutions before, but hitting a milestone birthday has inspired me to take stock of where I am and where I want to go. So here goes!

1. Keep up with gratitude journal somedays
   
2. Complete adoption application, home study, and dossier still trying to come up with application fee
   
3. Yoga occasionally
   
4. Physical therapy exercises at least 5 days per week ummm...
   
5. Volunteer for Barack Obama (GOTV effort) nope--migraines kept me in bed
   
6. Begin spiritual direction done
   
7. Paint living room, hallway next spring
   
8. Send in grad school application for Master's in Theology Program by December 1 make that December 30
   
9. Find financial aid for grad school
10. Celebrate 40th birthday in style done!!!
    
11. Lose Prednisone weight by Christmas almost
    
12. Apply for spiritual direction certificate program changed to pastoral ministry certificate program
    
13. Cardio at least 5 days per week
14. Strength training, 2 days per week
15. Get mammogram done
    
16. Organize photos
17. Organize mom and grandma's letters
18. Obedience lessons for Fiona
19. Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables daily HA!!
    
20. Check into infertility support group found online adoption support group
    
21. Check into fibromyalgia support group
    
22. Organize study
23. Do The Artist's Way
24. Date night with George once a week
25. Work on improving my Spanish, especially conversational maybe French, instead
    
26. Send birthday cards ON TIME not even close :(
    
27. Update blog more often better
    
28. Journal every day, even if for only a few minutes somdays
    
29. Organize mom's things, finally
30. Explore ways to finance adoption looking at foster-adoption now
    
31. Send five things for publication
32. Read To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, The Sun Also Rises, Catcher in the Rye, Anna Karenina, and The House of Spirits
33. Learn to knit
34. Knit prayer shawl
35. Become commissioned Eucharistic Minister
36. Check into Basilica Befriender ministry yes
    
37. Reconnect with college friends doing
    
38. Keep to a regular sleep schedule getting much better
    
39. Organize week using The Life Organizer by Jennifer Louden will probably never do
    
40. Watch more comedies too many Law & Order reruns, still
    

redhead facts

• Only 2% of the world population are natural redheads.
• 4% of the American population are natural redheads.
• The "ginger gene," the gene responsible for red hair, was discovered by Jonathan Rees at the University of Edinburgh.
• In 2001 an Irish judge fined a man for disorderly conduct, stating, "I am a firm believer that hair coloring has an effect on temper, and your coloring suggests you have a temper." (Perhaps the judge was married to a redhead.)
• Botticelli's The Birth of Venus depicts the mythological goddess as a redhead.
• Between 1483 and 1784, approximately 45,000 women were executed as witches because they possessed "witch marks," including red hair.
  
• Redheaded women require 20% more anesthesia to block movement in response to painful stimulation than blonds or brunettes.
• In 1993 Bruce Springsteen first sang the lyrics, "You ain't lived until you've had your tires rotated by a redheaded woman."

"You'd find it easier to be bad than good if you had red hair. People who haven't red hair don't know what trouble it is."
--Anne of Green Gables

the gratitude list

I'm Most Grateful For...

1. My marriage to George. I still can't quite believe I'm lucky enough to be married to my best friend.
2. The love and support of my friends and family, especially my Aunt Barb (for whom I was named), my Aunt Jo (my godmother) and my cousin Melinda.
3. My faith and the incredible community at the Basilica of St. Mary.
4. Turtle sundaes.
   
5. My many wonderful, tender, funny memories of my mom and dad.
6. That I have a darling puppydog to cuddle and play with.
7. Books.
8. Modern medicine!
9. Sweater weather.
   
10. A roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food on our table, which is more than many have these days.
11. "The Closer" on TNT, along with Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report."
12. That I had the opportunity to work for both Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator Paul Wellstone.
13. The Minnesota Twins (first place in the A.L. Central!), especially Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan. And that I got carded--twice--at the game Saturday night. :)
14. The Minneapolis lakes, the Mississippi River and the North Shore of Lake Superior.
15. That I have so many of my mom's and grandma's old letters, as well as my dad's photographs from WWII.
16. Colorful maple leaves that crunch underfoot in the fall.
    
17. My education at Boston College, which taught me how much I still have to learn.
18. My curly red hair, pale skin and freckles, which I detested in my early teens, but learned to appreciate after I saw Molly Ringwald in "The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles."
19. Sunscreen, big hats and sunglasses.
    
20. The values I learned from my parents.
21. My memories of growing up surrounded by a huge, exuberant and loving extended family-- especially at Christmas.
    
22. Hair conditioner and anti-frizz products.
    
23. The mother who gave me life, and my adoptive parents who were, quite possibly, the most terrific mom and dad ever in existence.
24. My continued, and very real, sense of my mom's presence.
25. Chocolate.
    
26. The people I worked with and met as a chaplain intern. I received far more than I gave.
27. That I was with my mom, holding her hand, when she died.
28. That Barack Obama is running for president.
29. That, despite a truly hideous audition, I'm going to be singing in the Contemporary Choir at the Basilica.
30. That we are finally going to get Fiona to obedience lessons. Sigh.
31. That I learned to apply Oragel to my eyebrows before I pluck them.
32. My trusty little '96 Geo Metro.
33. My subscriptions to Commonweal, U.S. Catholic and America, which give me hope that the Catholic Church will, somehow, be okay.
34. Writing classes at The Loft.
35. Pasta.
36. My wonderful in-laws. Not only did I get a husband, but I gained a whole new family, too, complete with four sisters!
37. Berry smoothies.
38. Makeup, which makes me look as if I feel good even when I don't.
39. Sunshine and blue skies.
40. Laughter.
    

the big read

Finally back on the internet, and eager to re-involve myself with the wider world, I've decided to follow the lead of my literary friends Emilie, Liz, and Liz by jumping on the bandwagon of the The Big Read. Apparently, the Big Read (a program of the National Endowment for the Arts) guesses that the average adult has only read six of the top 100 books on this list. I didn't do too badly, I guess, but not as well as I would have liked. Oh well--I won't have any trouble coming up with new books to read over the rest of the summer!

Here are the instructions:
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline (or mark in a different color) the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your blog so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (I've read quite a few of Shakespeare's plays, yet I certainly can't claim of have read all of them--but then who can, apart from Shakespearean scholars?)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare -
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Ronald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

I have to admit I'd like to have a little chat with whoever compiled this list, though. WAY too much Dickens. And including The DaVinci Code but NO Hemingway, Faulkner, Twain or Vonnegut--come on, people!!

tagged

Yay! I've been tagged by my friend Liz. It's a nice feeling, to be remembered, but with my head throbbing and pounding as usual, I don't think I can come up with anything interesting. Still, I'll give it a try.

The rules:
1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules.
3) Share six non-important things / habits / quirks about yourself.
4) Tag at least three people.
5) Make sure the people you tagged KNOW you tagged them by commenting what you did.

1. I make up weird little songs and sing them to Fiona.
2. When I was in grade school I wrote a series of stories about "The Fearless Four," a group of two girls and two boys who solved mysteries together.
3. I begged my mom to let me start kindergarten when I was four.
4. Then I begged mom and the priest to let me make my First Communion in first grade instead of second. (In both cases I got my way.)
5. I've sung (soprano) in various choirs since high school.
6. Last night I dreamed about the Minnesota Twins; at this rate I'll be as bad as my Aunt Barb, the family Twins fanatic, soon. In my dream, it was opening night at the new ballpark, and I was there with Liz!

I tag April, Kristie, and Vicki!

books: 2007

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, they say, so I hope Liz and Emilie won't mind if I borrow their idea and post a list of the books I read this past year! As I typed this up, I kept thinking about how much my book choices for 2007 revealed about my life at the time, my interests, my hopes-- books about grief and loss, spirituality and church history, medieval histories and biographies, novels and essays. I'm already looking forward to compiling my 2008 list next January, and hoping it will include a few happier choices!

1. Thin Places: Where Faith is Affirmed and Hope Dwells, Mary Treacy O'Keefe
2. Seven Ages of Paris, Alistair Horne
3. The Year of Pleasures, Elizabeth Berg
4. In Short: A Collection of Brief Creative Nonfiction, Judith Kitchen & Mary Paumier Jones, eds.
5. The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara, David I. Kertzer
6. Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, Kathleen Norris
7. Rasputin's Daughter, Robert Alexander
8. Basilica, the Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter's, R.A. Scott
9. Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation, Jonathan Kozol
10. The Jane Austen Book Club, Karen Joy Fowler
11. Born to Rule: Five Reigning Consorts, Granddaughters of Queen Victoria, Julia P. Gelardi
12. 1066: The Hidden History in the Bayeaux Tapestry, Andrew Bridegeford
13. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, Jon Krakauer
14. Pope John XXIII, Thomas Cahill
15. After Elizabeth: The Rise of James of Scotland and the Struggle for the Throne of England, Leanda deLisle
    
16. French Women for all Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes, & Pleasure, MirelleGuilano
17. Dogs of God: Columbus, the Inquisition, and the Defeat of the Moors, James Reston, Jr.
18. The Last Apocalypse: Europe at the Year 1000, A.D., James Reston, Jr
19. A Distant Mirror: The Calamitious 14th Century, Barbara Tuchman
20. The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time, John Kelly
21. The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca, Tahir Shah
22. The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914, Barbara Tuchman
23. Holy Fools, Joanne Harris
24. Alexandra: The Last Tsarina, Carolly Erickson
25. A Thread of Grace, Mary Dora Russell
26. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
27. The Hundred Secret Senses, Amy Tan
28. The Bonesetter's Daughter, Amy Tan
29. Saving Fish From Drowning, Amy Tan
30. Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying, Maggie Callahan and Patricia Kelley
31. The Innocent Man, John Grisham
32. The Alpine Scandal, Mary Daheim
33. The Ungrateful Daughters: The Stuart Princesses Who Stole Their Father's Crown, Maureen Waller
34. The Orphaned Adult, Alexander Levy
35. The Rise of Benedict XVI: The Inside Story of How the Pope Was Elected and Where He Will Take the Catholic Church, John Allen
36. All the Pope's Men: The Inside Story of How the Vatican Really Thinks, John Allen
37. Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church, John Allen
38. A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America, Peter Steinfels
39. Le Divorce, Diane Johnson*
40. Le Mariage, Diane Johnson*
41. L'Affaire, Diane Johnson*
42. Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of an European Eccentric, Veronica Buckley
43. Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times, Rabbi David Wolpe
44. When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Harold Kushner*
45. Battery Commander: Five Battle Stars (A World War II Memoir--October 1941 to December 1945), Captain James McLeod*
46. The Pope's Daughter: The Extraordinary Life of Felice Della Rovere, Caroline P. Murphy
47. Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England, Alison Weir*
48. Eleanor of Aquitaine, Alison Weir*
49. Welcome to My Planet* (*Where English is Sometimes Spoken), Shannon Olson*
50. Children of God Go Bowling, Shannon Olson*
51. Snobs: A Novel, Julian Fellowes*
52. The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory*
53. The Queen's Fool, Philippa Gregory*
54. The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova*
55. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt*
56. The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt*
57. My Invented Country: A Memoir, Isabel Allende*
58. Marie Antoinette, Antonia Fraser*
59. The Fig Eater, Jody Shields*
60. What the Dog Did: Tales From a Formerly Reluctant Dog Owner, Emily Yoffe
61. The Wives of Henry VIII, Antonia Fraser*
62. America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines, Gail Collins*
63. Remembering the Good War: Minnesota's Greatest Generation, Thomas Saylor
64. Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany, June 7,1944, to May 7, 1945, Stephen Ambrose*
65. Voices of Valor: D-Day, June 6, 1944, Douglas Brinkley and Ronald J. Drez
66. Irish Girls About Town, Maeve Binchy et al*
67. Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, Azar Nafisi*
68. The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffennegger*
69. Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, Anne Lamott*
70. Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, Anne Lamott*
71. After Long Silence: A Memoir, Helen Freemont*
72. Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire, Amanda Foreman*
73. Packinghouse Daughter: A Memoir, Cheri Register*
74. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, Erik Larson*
75. Seabiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand
76. Catherine deMedici, Renaissance Queen of France, Leonie Frieda*
77. On the Threshold: Home, Hardwood, & Holiness, Elizabeth Andrew*
78. Our Greatest Gift: Meditations on Dying and Caring, Henri Nouwen
79. The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen
80. Mary Daheim mysteries*
81. The Not-So-Big Life, Susan Susanka
82. The Perfect Summer: England 1911, Just Before the Storm, Juliet Nicholson
83. Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe, Nancy Goldstone
84. Ladies in Waiting: From the Tudors to the Present, Anne Somerset
85. Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science, and Art From the Cults of Catholic Europe, Thomas Cahill
86. Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III, Flora Fraser
87. Singing Mother Home: A Daughter's Journey Through Anticipatory Grief, Donna S. Davenport
88. Dying Well: The Prospect for Growth at the End of Life, Ira R. Byock
89. A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis*
90. Praying Our Goodbyes, Joyce Rupp
91. The Needs of the Dying: A Guide for Bringing Hope, Comfort, and Love to Life's Final Chapter, David Kessler
92. The Pearl of Great Price: Gospel Wisdom for Married Couples, Julie McCarty
93. Motherless Daughters: Legacy of Loss, Hope Edelman

*reread in 2007

top ten things i learned from my mother

Top Ten Things I Learned From My Mother
(In No Particular Order)

1. She always told me that love is the only thing that really matters. You can lose your possessions, your job, and your health, but you can always hold on to the love. And in the final analysis, it's the only thing that makes life worth living.
2. Decorate your house with bookcases, because you can never have too many books! Nothing ever seems quite so bad if you can curl up with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa.
3. Class is not determined by money or social position; rather, a truly classy person is one who goes out of her way to make others feel comfortable and special. Classy people are warm and gracious.
4. You'll never get old if you are always interested in other people and continue to learn new things.
5. Life isn't fair. But that doesn't mean it can't still be good, even wonderful, if you retain a sense of gratitude and remember what really matters.
6. God does not send us tragedy and pain. But he does give us the strength to bear them, the courage to face them, and the grace to learn and grow from them.
7. Listen to your heart and follow your star. You never know where they might lead you!
   
8. Yes, you are your brother's--and your sister's--keeper. Always remember that "whatsoever you do unto the least of them, that you do unto me."
9. What others think of you doesn't matter. It's what you think of yourself that counts.
10. It takes more muscles to frown than to smile--and holding a grudge takes too much energy.

Plus Two Extra:

1. Never, ever, take the people you love for granted. And never hesitate to say "I love you."
2. Tough times don't last. But tough people do.

(NB: This is from the eulogy I gave at my mom's funeral on April 19, 2007)

seven truths

My friend Liz tagged me to reveal seven true things about myself. So here goes!

1. I was adopted 39 years ago yesterday, October 24, at the age of five weeks.

2. I am Irish, English, French, German, Danish and Lithuanian; my adopted parents (although I think of them as my "real" parents!) were German (my dad) and German, English, Scottish and Cherokee (my mom).

3. My favorite comfort food is macaroni and cheese from Noodles.

4. When I was a little girl I wanted to be a priest and was sure that if I could just meet with the Pope I could convince him to let women become priests.

5. In college I worked for Senator Ted Kennedy and attended several parties at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport, Mass. I had first applied for an internship with Senator John Kerry because I thought I didn't have a prayer of getting a job in Ted's office. Then when Kerry turned me down, I figured I had nothing to lose so just for the heck of it I applied for the job in Kennedy's office--and got the position, even though they had already finished hiring for the summer and had to create a new position just for me!

Me with other Senate interns at Hyannisport clambake, summer 1989. Check out my huge '80s hair!

6. I am number 41 out of 44 grandchildren on my dad's side. He had ten siblings, all of whom were fruitful and multiplied. We are also a family of baseball freaks. I am the only grandchild and sole remaining descendant on my mom's side.

7. I was a political science and philosophy major at Boston College, with an interdisciplinary minor in Faith, Peace and Justice studies.


I am supposed to tag seven other people, but I think everyone I know has already been hit. If anyone reading this hasn't, consider yourself tagged!

favorite fall things

• Honeycrisp apples--tart, crunchy, and sweet
• apple crisp, apple pie, caramel apples, hot mulled apple cider
  
• my niece's first day of school excitement
• the Renaissance Festival
  
• my birthday!
• Oktoberfest
• walks along the Mississippi River with leaves crunching underfoot
• sweater weather returns
• watching the Twins in the playoffs/world series (well, maybe not this year)
  
• our wedding anniversary!
• fall colors, especially the brilliant scarlet, crimson and orange leaves on our maple tree against the intense blue of an October sky
• Indian Summer
• the end of ragweed season!
  
• watching Fiona frolic in the leaves while George rakes the lawn
  
• singing the Litany of Saints at All Souls' vespers
• election day, BECAUSE DEMOCRACY IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT!!!!!
• hanging out with family after Thanksgiving dinner--and my Aunt Jo's sweet potato hot dish
  

things i am brooding about today

1. How much I've missed in the lives of all of my bloggy friends since I was last online.

2. The amazing number of wrinkles around my eyes that have appeared since I turned 38 on Wednesday.

3. Why on earth the class of 1986 reunion committee thinks I would be willing to shell out $55/person to attend my 20th reunion next month--at Rock Bottom Brewery?! $110 for the evening (assuming I brought my husband, which of course I would) to go to a boring restaurant with mediocre food?

4. How there is is no way in hell I will be attending said reunion.

5. That it's sort of a relief not to go since I don't have any children or accomplishments to brag about anyway.

6. How much I wish that, having now reached almost forty years of age, that I desperately wish I had either children or accomplishments, preferably both (but especially children, or a child).

7. That at least I have a very sweet husband.

8. And Fiona.

9. That the atrocious weather we've been having for the last two weeks is really, really making my fibromyalgia flare up.

10. And my arthritis/migraines/chronic fatigue/allergies/asthma.

11. That last week I had flashbacks, and nightmares complete with soaking night sweats, almost every night. And again last night. Flashbacks+nightmares=increased depression.

12. That I am glad news gave George the evening off after all, although we could use the overtime pay (but then he's got 15 hours of overtime for this pay period already).

13. How incredibly grateful I am that --HALLELUJAH!!!!!--my mother-in-law is moving back up north nexth month.

14. How sad it is that my cousin Dave died of esophogeal cancer this morning. And that life is too short to brood so much.

Eternal rest grant unto him, Oh Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace.
Amen.

21st Century Zen

Here is a nifty list I stole from a blog I recently discovered, Sacred Ordinary, that I simply HAD to use because it fits my mood (crabbier than hell, that is) today perfectly. It also happens to contain some very useful advice.

21st Century Zen

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me,for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either, just pretty much leave me the hell alone.

2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken car and no cell phone.

3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

5. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.

6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

7.. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

9. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

12. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

13. Some days you're the bug and some days you're the windshield.

14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.

17. Duct tape is like 'The Force.' It has a light side and a dark side,and it holds the universe together.

18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

19. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

20. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

21. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

22. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.