"History is about life. It's awful when the life is squeezed out of it and there's no flavor left, no uncertainties, no horsing around. It always disturbed me how many biographers never gave their subjects a chance to eat. You can tell a lot about people by how they eat, what they eat, and what kind of table manners they have."
--from an interview with David McCullough
Monday, January 10, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Que? Communication Breakdown!
Volume Six:
Yesterday, the Christmas season officially ended. Today, we return to Ordinary Time until Lent. Not before, however, The Management posted this sign in my house's foyer:
Oh, you want to read it? Well okay...
It says: "Robison Family, If you see this sign: STOP. Go into the Christmas tree room and claim ALL YOUR OWN PRESENTS. If this is not done by JANUARY 9, 2011 your presents will be recovered by a team of highly-trained Arabian flying monkey ninjas and sold on the Black market for $1/ a peice [sic] --The Management"
ONE
Yesterday, the Christmas season officially ended. Today, we return to Ordinary Time until Lent. Not before, however, The Management posted this sign in my house's foyer:
Oh, you want to read it? Well okay...
It says: "Robison Family, If you see this sign: STOP. Go into the Christmas tree room and claim ALL YOUR OWN PRESENTS. If this is not done by JANUARY 9, 2011 your presents will be recovered by a team of highly-trained Arabian flying monkey ninjas and sold on the Black market for $1/ a peice [sic] --The Management"
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Another New Years Resolution
"may my heart always be open" by E.E. Cummings
may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old
may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young
and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile
may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old
may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young
and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
What's Love Got To Do, Got To Do With It?
Last night, Patty and her husband, the couple who lead RCIA, received a blessing from Fr. George because it was their 41st wedding anniversary. It also happened to be the night we talked about the sacrament of marriage.
My own family background is two Catholics married for life and my five younger siblings (and currently: one dog, three cats). I remember being little and finding such comfort in knowing, that even when my parents fought, they loved each other, they loved their children, and they would never get a divorce. Still, knowing love and being witness to it, I still struggle with what it means to really and truly love another person.
Marriage between a man and a woman is considered a reflection of Christ's love for his Church and a call from God. As Patty said, "[The married couple] become[s] a sign of hope in Christ's power to transform hearts." Just like religious vocations and the single life, marriage is a vocation, which implies a deeper way of living, as married couples serve as both a blessing and a gift to each other and the world.
The Catholic Church has seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Confession, Marriage, Holy Orders and the Anointing of the Sick. The sacraments are an outward sign of an inward grace, which is why people with mortal sins on their soul should not take the Eucharist and why the Church takes very seriously the transgressions of a religious person breaking their vows in any way.
The news of Fr. Alberto Cutie's latest book, Dilemma: A Priest's Struggle with Faith and Love, has caused waves in the Catholic press, especially since the non-Catholic members of the press are playing chief apologists. Fr. Cutie is the Roman Catholic priest from Miami, FL caught on a beach with his girlfriend by a Mexican celebrity magazine one year ago. Two weeks after being publicly exposed, he joined the Episcopalian Church and has since been married to his girlfriend. They now have a baby girl, whom he rightly loves. But his love for his daughter or his wife is not the problem: he broke his vows. He did not wait to be laicized by the Catholic Church. (Which means Fr. Cutie is still a Roman Catholic priest, which means he is living in sin.) The "dilemma" is with him, not the teachings of the Catholic Church. It's like a Graham Greene novel, in real life!
My own family background is two Catholics married for life and my five younger siblings (and currently: one dog, three cats). I remember being little and finding such comfort in knowing, that even when my parents fought, they loved each other, they loved their children, and they would never get a divorce. Still, knowing love and being witness to it, I still struggle with what it means to really and truly love another person.
Marriage between a man and a woman is considered a reflection of Christ's love for his Church and a call from God. As Patty said, "[The married couple] become[s] a sign of hope in Christ's power to transform hearts." Just like religious vocations and the single life, marriage is a vocation, which implies a deeper way of living, as married couples serve as both a blessing and a gift to each other and the world.
The Catholic Church has seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Confession, Marriage, Holy Orders and the Anointing of the Sick. The sacraments are an outward sign of an inward grace, which is why people with mortal sins on their soul should not take the Eucharist and why the Church takes very seriously the transgressions of a religious person breaking their vows in any way.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Happy 2011!
Another year has come and passed, and in less than three months, I'll be 23. Great Scott!
Okay: New Years Resolutions. I don't usually make 'em. I don't like making promises I don't keep a month later, usually because of sloth. But... I was very naughty in December 2010 and bought a "few" more than usual fantastic books. Now, I don't regret buying the books, but if I want to travel more, I am going to have to curb my purchases since aggressively paying off my student loans takes a big bite out of my paycheck every month. So, here goes:
Resolution #1: Buy no more than three books a month.
This will be difficult. Brief poll: do academic books count?
Resolution #2: Write more letters than blog posts.
My friend Tessa and I formed the St. Francis Society (SFS) for all epistolary communication a year or so ago. I am thinking about branching out the membership. (St. Francis is the patron saint of writers, and we think letter writers should be included.) Also, I've noticed since graduating that I tend to write a huge stack of letters every few months; I think I should write less letters on a more frequent basis, like I did in college. It'll help break up stress too!
Resolution #3: Not eat meat on Fridays.
I've always admired people who sacrifice that one day. We've never done it in our family, but I know other families and friends who do. It isn't quite fasting, but it's something physical and manageable I can offer up to God, since I eat meat every day (Lent notwithstanding).
Resolution #4: Regularly review Latin vocabulary.
Latin is coming up a lot more in readings that I am doing, and it annoys me that I know the grammar syntax and construction but am becoming pretty shaky on actually translating. I intend to remedy this! I'm afraid, though, it will be another type of purgatory, those horrible character building things necessary for life, because one cannot enjoy the joy of translating at sight without the hours of dull memorizing.
What do y'all think about resolutions? Do you make them and follow them? Or do you think they're made to be broken? What are they?
Hurray for another year of life! Happy 2011! Only a few more days left in the Christmas season, so enjoy them.
Okay: New Years Resolutions. I don't usually make 'em. I don't like making promises I don't keep a month later, usually because of sloth. But... I was very naughty in December 2010 and bought a "few" more than usual fantastic books. Now, I don't regret buying the books, but if I want to travel more, I am going to have to curb my purchases since aggressively paying off my student loans takes a big bite out of my paycheck every month. So, here goes:
Resolution #1: Buy no more than three books a month.
This will be difficult. Brief poll: do academic books count?
Resolution #2: Write more letters than blog posts.
My friend Tessa and I formed the St. Francis Society (SFS) for all epistolary communication a year or so ago. I am thinking about branching out the membership. (St. Francis is the patron saint of writers, and we think letter writers should be included.) Also, I've noticed since graduating that I tend to write a huge stack of letters every few months; I think I should write less letters on a more frequent basis, like I did in college. It'll help break up stress too!
Resolution #3: Not eat meat on Fridays.
I've always admired people who sacrifice that one day. We've never done it in our family, but I know other families and friends who do. It isn't quite fasting, but it's something physical and manageable I can offer up to God, since I eat meat every day (Lent notwithstanding).
Resolution #4: Regularly review Latin vocabulary.
Latin is coming up a lot more in readings that I am doing, and it annoys me that I know the grammar syntax and construction but am becoming pretty shaky on actually translating. I intend to remedy this! I'm afraid, though, it will be another type of purgatory, those horrible character building things necessary for life, because one cannot enjoy the joy of translating at sight without the hours of dull memorizing.
What do y'all think about resolutions? Do you make them and follow them? Or do you think they're made to be broken? What are they?
Hurray for another year of life! Happy 2011! Only a few more days left in the Christmas season, so enjoy them.
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