Today I took my math mid-term.  I won’t tell you all the grade since some of you actually think I’m smart and I don’t want to spoil the illusion.  But my grade wasn’t so great.  Then I finished my final paper for one of my courses.  I think it was pretty good for someone who hasn’t been to school in a lot of years and who hasn’t had a teacher grading her writing for that long either.  Time will tell about that.  I turned it in to Turnitin.com to make sure that I didn’t plagiarize and got a 17% approval rating, well within the acceptable range.  As if I didn’t know that it was free from plagiarism, but well you have to do what you have to do. 

So part of me wants to celebrate that the paper is done and I am three credits closer to my degree and the other part wants to feel sorry for myself that I didn’t do better on my math.  But I know that I am no mathametician. (I can’t even spell it)  To quote Old Hat, “Algebra I was the worst three years of my life.”  I’m with you Hat, and here I am doing it again.

Think I’ll pop the top on a Guinness Extra Stout and drown my math sorrows and celebrate my writing abilities all at the same time.  Cheers!!!!!

Outside my window……it is grey and rainy and the wind is blowing.  Now my favorite kind of weather unless I have no reason for going outside.  Today is Monday and I, therefore, have no reason for going outside. 

I am thinking……..about my son who is stationed at Ft. Bragg.  He has been very much in my thoughts of late. 

I am thankful for……..oh so many things.  For my family first and foremost.  For the good friends that we spent the day with yesterday.  For laughter which cleanses the heart and lifts the mind.

I am wearing……..jammies.  Over slept today and really don’t plan on hurrying today. 

I am going…….to do launndry, to do housework, to work on my papers for English and online learning, do my math, work out, enjoy my family, not leave this house.  That is what I am going to do.

I am reading……..Mindfulness by Ellen J. Langer

From the kitchen…….there is a turkey in the oven with endless possibilities when it is cooked.

Around the house…….don’t look and I won’t tell.  But, by the end of the day it will be neat and clean all over again.

From the schoolroom…….Matthew and I will be studying and learning and generally filling our minds with all kinds of great stuff.

One of my favorite things…….the warmth and silence of my home when it is waking from a good nights sleep.  The love of family and friends expressed in many different ways.

A few plans for the rest of the week…….I think that I would like to do some sewing this week in between classes and work on the baby afghan that I am making for Melissa’s baby.

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you……

Ian boxing with the Wii.  I think that he has decided that it isn’t for him.  But it was sure funny to watch him try it out.

Our friend Dan skiing with the Wii.  A video of this would be more fun to watch.  I think that he hit every gate on the way down the slope.  As long as he had fun that is all that matters.  We sure had fun watching him.

Outside my window……it is dark.  I haven’t a clue about the weather but it had better cooperate with my NEED for a long walk today.  That’s need with all caps.  Yesterday was my birthday and I indulged in all kinds of ways and today I pay. 

I am thinking……there is nothing like the love of family.  I don’t think that I would have chosen any of then for myself but I am without doubt thankful that God chose them for me. 

I am thankful for……..big baggy tee shirts and long johns, fluffy pillows, old worn quilts to wrap up in, the ticking of the clock, and Christmas tree lights in January.

I am wearing……..jammies.  It’s not yet 5 AM what do you expect.  I may be up early but that doesn’t mean that I am alive and kicking.  There’s time for that later.

I am going…….nowhere today.  It’s Monday after all.  For anyone who knows me at all it means that the house needs to be recovered from the weekend, the laundry needs to be reduced to a manageable entity, and a new week of scholastic endeavor has begun.  I also got my big paper back yesterday and I need to rewrite it and resubmit it.  The grade was awful!!!!!!!

I am currently reading……..textbooks folks, textbooks.  I am trying to expand my horizons and fill my mind with such knowledge that will round out my personality.

I am hoping……..the weather cooperates with all our plans for the next couple of days.  MK has to return to school either tonight or tomorrow morning.  I don’t want her to go back.  It has been a joy and a comfort to have my daughter with me all these weeks since Christmas.  I think that is my favorite gift.

From the kitchen……..leftover fried chicken and fixins from yesterday to satisfy this crowd.  Thank goodness that the cakes are all gone!!!!!!

Around the house……all is silent as the house seems to wait in anticipation for the rest of the family to get up.  I hear the ticking of the clock, the tapping of my computer keys, and the distant hum of the pump in the basement.  Even the dogs aren’t stirring yet. 

A few plans for the rest of the week……..the usual round of classes, studying, holy hours, get MK back to school, and keep this place running smoothly without her.  I don’t know how I shall manage without MK to keep me going.  I think that Melissa will miss her too.  They have become fast friends.  Mary-Kate taught Mellissa how to knit and they sit so prettily in the livingroom chatting quietly and knitting whatever it is they are making.  It is truly a good thing for both of them.  One needs the healing of love and the other desires a sister.

One of my favorite things…….snoring dogs, humming appliances, warm fires, singing kettles, and softly murmurring households.

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you…….

I downloaded the proof of the portrait that my soldiers and sailor had taken for me for Christmas.  The big guy has a word across his face but he still looks handsome.  Just looking at that picture floods my heart with pride and stings my eyes with tears.  They are some damn fine young men.

Outside my window……the sun is shining and it is cold out, 21 degrees to be exact.  But there is no snow falling from the sky for a change.  A lovely day to enjoy winter from the inside and that is exactly what I plan on doing.

I am thinking…….about the concept of contentment and how we change over time.   The way that God changes us and builds us and prepares us for the happenings that he has in store and we don’t even know that it is going on.  Ten years ago, even five, I would not have accepted with the same tranquility the events of the past weekend.  But God has molded and formed me for just these moments.

I am thankful for……a loving, generous, and open family.  Loving in their acceptance of another soul who is in distress and needs love without condition.  Generous in their ability to give of themselves and their home without question.  Their openness in their ability to take another into the family so completely.

I am wearing……jeans, pink tee shirt, black fleece.  It’s a comfy at home day.

I am going…..to spend the day in the pursuit of academic excellence (sounds grand doesn’t it)

I am reading…….my Hacker Style Manuel.  Not exactly something that I can’t put down but rather something that I musn’t put down.

I am hoping……that my current downward trend (size wise) continues.

From the kitchen……..leftovers from Sunday dinner.  It’s a housework, schoolwork, laundry day.  No time for cooking today.

Around the house…….Mr. Wonderful has cleaned everything, MK has the laundry well in hand, Matthew is working on his studies, Ian is sleeping, and Melissa is sitting with MK having her first knitting lesson.  All is right with my world.

One of my favorite things……..my family.

I have no picture thought to share with you.  Been too busy to take any pictures.  We had a young lady move in with us over the weekend.  If anyone is a praying person we would appreciate prayers for her.  She is pregnant out of wedlock and has had a difficult time with a non-supportive family.  We have decided to be her family and take care of her during her pregnancy.

For my English class we had to write a short paper about some public figure that we thought showed qualities that we thought were indicative of a hero.  Here is my offering.  I a bit proud since I received an A on this one.  Not too bad considering that I haven’t been in the classroom as a student for over 25 years.                                                                                                                

A True Hero for Our Times

     The choice of a hero is both a highly personal thing and something that, as we grow and mature, changes both with experience and the refinement of our character.  In my youth singers, actors and actresses paraded through my world as the characters of my personal hero worship.  As I grew older, gained experience and became more formed in both my spiritual and emotional being those heroes fell by the wayside and were soon replaced by more permanent characters who continue to inspire me. 

     Inspiration, for me, is the basis for the choice of a hero, inspiration to imitate the virtues that are displayed by the individual that I have chosen as my hero.  What is the definition of a hero though, what makes a hero?  Dictionary.com defines a hero as a “man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities”.  The individual today who embodies this definition for me, whose virtues I wish to imitate, is Pope Benedict XVI.  The Holy Father displays many qualities that are enviable, among them confidence, compassion, courage, justice, humility, loyalty, reverence, responsibility, and forgiveness.  The chief among these are loyalty, courage, and humility.

     Evidenced by his continued and staunch adherence to the teaching of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church in spite of wide spread outcry, the Holy Father remains loyal to Jesus Christ and

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the Church that He founded.  As a public figure whose words and actions are constantly in the public eye it would seem easy and tempting for Benedict to sway with the protestations of the liberal crowds and “adjust” the teachings of the church to fit with the more modern attitudes and ideas that prevail.  This cannot be though, for in order for the Holy Father to remain true to the vows that he took before God and the Church he must also remain true to the teachings of that church no matter what direction public opinion tries to sway him.

     There are many examples of his stalwart adherence to the more than two millennium teachings of the Catholic Church.  Rachel Donadio reported in the New York Times on November 10, 2009, “The Vatican said on Monday that its new rules facilitating the conversion of Anglicans, including married Anglican priests, did not “signify any change” in its rules for priestly celibacy….On Monday, the Vatican released the rules governing the new structures.  They uphold current practice; the rules say married Anglican priests can become Catholic priests only on “a case-by-case basis, according to objective criteria approved by the Holy See.”  The new norm “does not signify any change in the church’s discipline of clerical celibacy,” the Vatican press office said in a statement.” (8)  Clearly the Holy Father, in spite of speculation about a possible change in the churches stance on priestly celibacy, remains firm                                                                                                                                                             with the tradition of Holy Mother Church.  This however is not the only example of his courage and loyalty to the traditions of the church.

     The Church’s stance on the sanctity of life is legend especially in the years since the passage of the controversial Supreme Court ruling Roe v Wade legalizing abortion.  The Popes before Benedict have spoken out frequently against the legalization of abortion and Benedict has taken

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up the torch and continues in the outcry against this insult to life.  In the New York Times article dated February 19, 2009, Rachel Donadio reported in her article about the meeting between Pope Benedict and Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  Donadio wrote that, “Benedict “briefly greeted” Ms. Pelosi and her entourage after his weekly public audience and “took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the church’s consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.”  The Pope added that all Catholics, “especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society, “should “work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just  system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development.” (17)  Once again Pope Benedict making it clear that the Church’s stance on life has not nor will it change.  Not only does he make that clear but he also makes it clear that those in public office are not exempt from protecting life as well, that they are not above the law.

      Being in the public eye is, in itself, something that takes courage.  To be constantly under the scrutiny of the media and, through the media, under the scrutiny of the world takes a certain amount of courage.  To maintain your courage, integrity, beliefs, live up to your responsibilities, remain humble, be compassionate, and not give in to the will of the people that you serve takes a certain kind of character and grace.  I am of the opinion that Pope Benedict XVI not only possesses those qualities but displays them for all to see.  It is for this reason that he is my hero and why I desire to imitate his qualities.

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                                                                                                                                                                 Works Cited

Rachel Donadio.  “Visiting Pope, Pelosi Hears A Call to Protect Life :[National Desk]. ” New York Times  19  Feb. 2009, Late Edition (East Coast): National Newspaper Abstracts (3), ProQuest. Web.  24 Dec. 2009.

One of the greatest blessings that has ever come into my life.

Happy Birthday Mary-Katherine Suzanne Kraeger.  I love you like no other.

Outside my window…….it is cold and everything is covered with snow.  It has snowed continuously for the past three or four days.  Not hard but enough to cover everything with the stuff.  I know that Ian has only been home for six hours in two days.

I am thinking……that it is good in a way for vacation to be over and the routine to have begun.  I for one am ready to have a bit of normalcy return to this place.

I am thankful for……..a warm house, a family who loves each other, plenty of things to do, an abiding love for my family, and faith in God.

I am wearing…….navy sweats.  Dreading going up into the deep freeze to take a shower and get ready for the day.  I do have to brave it sometime though.

I am going……..nowhere today, I hope.  I have an essay to write for English and a paper to continue to research for Online learning.  Then there is the ever present math that needs to be done.

I am reading…….books and articles about the effects of the classroom environment on learning.  Sounds exciting doesn’t it.  That is my reasearch topic for my final paper.

I am hoping……that the snow lets up long enough for Ian to get a solid eight hours of sleep before the next onslaught of lake effect can begin.

From the schoolroom……today begins Matthew’s second semester.

From the kitchen……..since it is Monday I think the leftovers are in order.  There is plenty of chili and pizza out there to get us through the day.

Around the house…….Doug and Matthew eating breakfast.  Brutus waiting for something to fall from the table.  The tick of the clock and the hum of the refrigerator.  All very homey and comforting sounds.

One of my favorite things…….all of the love and good wishes of friends old and new that I experienced at church yesterday.  None of those people know just how much they blessed me but God does and I know that He will bless them in return.  I send up many prayers of thanks in return.

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you…….

It’s still too dark out there yet to appreciate all that snow, if you are of the snow appreciating kind.  But there is plenty of it out there if that’s what you like.  Feast your eyes on it and enjoyl

I love you dad.  Just thought that I would tell you that, in writing, so there would be no question that you knew my feelings about you.  I have loved you all of my life.  I will continue to love you all of the rest of my life.