IDSC for Life to be features on John and Kathy Show

The IDSC For Life will be interviewed on the John and Kathy Show in Pittsburgh, PA. You can catch us on Wednesday, May 6, at 4:14 eastern time. We are very excited about this opportunity to share about the IDSC For Life! You can listen in on their website linked above. We hope to be able to link an audio after the interview.

We hope you can join us!

Bedtime was a nightmare tonight

So I got this link from Jen (Conversion Diary) on Twitter, and now I feel better.

I'm speaking at the Pro-life Coffee House May 9

If you would like to hear me explain how God has blessed us, and particularly what a child with Down syndrome gives to a family, come to the
Pro Life Coffee House
Academy of the Holy Family,
W Main Street
Baltic, CT
on Saturday, May 9 at 7PM.

You will also hear from members of the Smith family, parents of Christy's church buddy, 7 year old Tommy. You will be blessed to hear of his parents' unselfish gifts of their time to take care of Tommy, and the joy he in turn gives to the whole family.

Come and share an evening of the joy of special parenthood!

Seven Quick Takes Friday

Thanks again to Jen at Conversion Diary for hosting 7 Quick Takes this Friday.

1. During Holy Week, Francisco started construction on the bonus room which he's making into a big bedroom for Gabbi. She'll have the best view in the house, and plenty of room for sleepovers.

2. We learned more about country life. The farmer accross the road has a cornfield. The farmer up the hill has cows. They worked out a deal, and what I affectionately call the "Poop Truck" makes several runs down the hill, past my house each week. Only sometimes the road is bumpy and they leave fragrant samples along the road.

Green acres, we are there!

3. Cosmo the kitten had a cold, and once he recovered, he grew 50% and found MORE energy.

Especially at night. ZZZZZZZ

4. We took our girls to Watch Hill, RI on a balmy 70 degree day, and dipped the tips of our toes (YES, the water was COLD!) into the ocean. The teenagers slept while Bella explored and Christina watched. I took photos, naturally.

The ocean was a mixture of aqua and royal blue, sparking in the sunshine. What a wonderful time we had!

.

5. I have been growing things for spring; on the first day I began life as a stay at home mom with kids in school (I was a homeschooling mom) I planted some flowers in my lovely garden window, thinking I'd have plenty of time to garden.


Well. . .they need thinning and transplanting, and I have no time with all the writing assignments I have.

Nice thought though.

6. Over Easter vacation we took in three boarding students from Gabbi's school, girls who were not going home for Easter. That gave us an excuse to go exploring our local environs. We took them to the mall in Providence and came upon this tea party at the Capitol Building.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

7. I almost have my manuscript ready for the publisher. Should be working on it right now.

Asking for research funds from the Stimulus package

Dr. Raynard Kington
Acting Director
National Institutes of Health
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda , Maryland 20892

Dear Dr. Kington:

As members of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus and on behalf of the 400,000 individuals with Down syndrome and their families, we are writing to request that you allocate additional fiscal year 2009 funds, as well as a portion of the funding provided to NIH as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Public Law 111-5) to meet the short- and long-term objectives of the agency’s strategic plan for Down syndrome.

We support the recommendations of the January 2008 NIH Research Plan for Down Syndrome, and appreciate your agency’s commitment to improving the health of people with Down syndrome. However, we are concerned the resources NIH currently dedicates to Down syndrome research are not sufficient to effectively accomplish the goals set in the plan. In addition, we were hopeful that NIH would include Down syndrome in its documents which listed NIH's "Highest Priority Challenge Topics" for potential grant topics for federal funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, yet it was not.

In fact, NIH funding for research related to Down syndrome has decreased significantly in recent years, from $23 million in 2003 to $17 million in 2008. With nearly 400,000 people with Down syndrome living in the United States today, this means that only $40 is being committed in research dollars for each person with Down syndrome, far less than the amount of research funding allocated to far less common medical conditions. Since Down syndrome occurs in people of all different races and origins, the lack of funding for research on the condition further contributes to significant health care disparities. Therefore, we believe tripling the NIH funds dedicated to Down syndrome research over the next three years is a reasonable goal for achieving the critical objectives outlined in the strategic plan.

With the allocation of additional funding, there is no shortage of promising research projects, including applications currently pending with NIH, which would help meet the near-term goals of the strategic plan. We understand the Trans-NIH Working Group on Down Syndrome received a two-year project list, based on a survey of nearly two dozen researchers, scientists and other medical professionals. Scientists and medical researchers from well recognized institutions Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Colorado contributed to the list. Areas of research covered by these projects and applications include:
(1) the pathophysiology of Down syndrome and disease progression;
(2) diagnosis, screening and functional measures;
(3) treatment and management;
(4) research infrastructure; and
(5) living with Down syndrome.

Additional NIH funding is also needed to make research mice more affordable and widely available. As you know, a major impediment to the development of new treatments for people with Down syndrome is the high cost of mouse models that exhibit different subsets of Down syndrome phenotypes. At an initial cost of more than $200 per mouse, research expenses can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, thereby discouraging researchers and promising areas of Down syndrome research. We urge NIH to allocate additional funding to offset the cost of such mice.

Increasing funding for Down syndrome research is critically important not only to people with the condition, but to millions of Americans afflicted with many other conditions. Seizure disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, congenital heart disease, leukemia, diabetes, celiac disease and hypothyroidism are just a few of the medical conditions that more commonly occur in people with Down syndrome. By finding research solutions for people with Down syndrome, millions of Americans without Down syndrome will benefit as well. Further, adults with Down syndrome are less likely to develop many types of solid tumor cancers, including breast cancer, lung cancer, and mouth cancers, in comparison to people who do not have Down syndrome. Further research may unlock the mysteries and new therapies for many human cancers.

We recognize the difficulties in the NIH budget, but with the new federal funding, the scientific support, and the NIH Roadmap, we believe now is an ideal time for NIH to act to fully support Down syndrome research. Significant Down syndrome research has been slowed, and, in some cases, halted, because of the recent lack of research funding. This is particularly acute at a time when increased funding by NIH is needed to advance recent important research discoveries through translational research initiatives to develop effective new therapies for children and adults with Down syndrome. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to use fiscal year 2009 funds and resources available in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Public Law 111-5) to put NIH on path toward tripling the amount of funding dedicated to Down syndrome research, necessary to fully implement the short-term goals outlined in the 2008 NIH Research Plan on Down Syndrome.

Thank you in advance for your consideration. We look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

Rep Cathy McMorris Rogers (R, WA)

Song: "I Missed my Chance" Jaime Thiette

Susan Boyle; overcoming the tyranny of low expectations

As a mentally disabled schoolgirl with frizzy hair, Susan was mocked. She was one of 9 children, and lived with her parents caring for them till their deaths, she attended Sunday Mass and sang in the choir.Her life was one of quiet service.
I'd call her a success, just based on that. However, thanks to her triumph at "Britain's Got Talent" the world is calling her a success as well.
Why did they assume that she was a loser just because she doesn't fit the stereotype of a beautiful slim young vocalist?
If you are too loving to have been one of the crowd who laughed at Susan's dream, then this story will make your day, over at Aliens in this World blog.
UPDATE: I have the embedded video!!

The Philippines pray the Divine Mercy Prayer as a nation

Catholic writers meet for lunch in Massachusetts

Two Saturdays ago, at the suggestion of Heidi Hess Saxton, my former editor of Canticle Magazine, a xolumnist at Catholic Mom, and founder of the Extraordinary Moms Network, I had a Catholic writer's luncheon. It was a blast!

I had the pleasure of meet in two Catholic authors whose columns I admire on Catholic Mom: Patrice Fragnant-McArthur who blogs at Spiritual Woman(next to me) and Pat Gohn, who blogs at Write In Between and has started up a podcast called Among Women. Pat Gohn has a background in radio, and worked on Long Island, in two stations close to where I grew up, but transferred to Boston in the 1990's.

We discussed their Master's degrees in Theology (I am considering this but time and finances are limited) being a Catholic writer, and how we hope that our writing help to evangelize the culture. We spent two hours together, and the time flew by. I hope we can get together again sometime soon.

We recorded a podcast right there in 99 Restaurant near Worcester, MA. When it airs, I'll be linking to it here.

One Year Ago Today I met Pope Benedict

I was at the Papal Youth Rally at St Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie, enjoying time with my daughter Gabbi and the youth. I wrote this article about my experience for the National Catholic Register. I also made this montage (below)with some of the photos I took.
What a wonderful time that was, the Pope, the President and the people united in joy.
How I miss that sense of unity now.
Pray for the Divine Mercy of God to heal our nation!

Here is what happened one year ago yesterday. Pope Benedict had a special encounter with a young man with T21.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Divine Mercy Sunday

Jesus I trust in You.
Today we complete our Divine Mercy Novena for our family members, for employment, and for our nation.

Susan Boyle's pastor speaks

She makes me proud on many levels.

She's a holy woman living her faith in a quiet way, giving her vocal talents to God in her home parish of Our Lady of Lourdes. She is learning disabled, having been deprived of oxygen at birth; I can relate to the pain of mockery(actually on behalf of my daughter who has Down syndrome). I can relate to having people expect little of a housewife with a keyboard, when you are dismissed because of your poor hairstyle, frumpy outfit and less than svelte figure.

AND yet, Susan triumphed, despite the mockery.

Enjoy it my dear, and keep close to your pastor, he'll protect you from the damage fame can inflict upon your soul. Thanks for inspiring me.
Her pastor, Fr Clark says, "It is a great opportunity for her and as far as I am concerned she should make the best of it, and if it lasts, it lasts, and if it doesn't, then it's still more than almost any one of us will ever achieve," he added. "It is important in sustaining her and making sure this is all a very, very beneficial experience."He described Boyle as "a woman of great faith" who was often "very gentle and very caring" though she could also be "needy and demanding."
Here's her fan site.
Read the entire story on CNS.
Update: Collette Home at the UK Herald gets it: "She is a gift to Simon Cowell and reality television. Her story is the stuff of Hans Christian Andersen: the woman plucked from obscurity, the buried talent uncovered, the transformation waiting to be wrought.
It is wonderful for her, too, that her stunning voice is now recognised. A bright future beckons. Her dream is becoming reality.
Susan is a reminder that it's time we all looked a little deeper. She has lived an obscure but important life. She has been a companionable and caring daughter. It's people like her who are the unseen glue in society; the ones who day in and day out put themselves last. They make this country civilised and they deserve acknowledgement and respect.
Susan has been forgiven her looks and been given respect because of her talent. She should always have received it because of the calibre of her character."
Well said, Collette.

Read the entire story here.

Our new kitten

Cosmo, as the girls named him, is an overdue Christmas gift. He is packed with energy, especially at night when you want to sleep, but he has won our hearts.

Can you blame us?

Easter at our house

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

Holy Thursday

This is my favorite evening of the year. Really, even better than Christmas. It's SO holy and no one has found a way to commercialize Holy Thursday. There are no gifts to buy, or relatives to visit. It's just a beautiful Mass followed by a solemn procession with "Pange Lingua" which stirs me to my toes, and then I get time alone with Jesus at the Altar of Repose. I love to follow the custom of visiting three different churches to be with Jesus on the commemoration of His night in prison before the Crucifixion, but I couldn't bring myself to leave St Mary's.
Tonight He drew me close. I can only describe it as a burning inside my heart, and a reluctance to leave.
Subjects for prayer kept popping into my head, and I ended up praying for all of my extended family, especially those who are away from the sacraments, for my recently deceased cousin Phil, for my work projects, my money problems, my houseguests, my prayer life, my job as a mother to each one of my children, my job as a wife, my happiness at what Jesus has accomplished in my life since I moved to CT, my plans to do more for Him in the future, my failure to lose weight, my success at making this a holier Lent, my plans to finish moving into my home, my book reviews (I ususally write them in front of Jesus, I just type them later) my gratitude for my parents' health, my hopes for Christina to begin to speak more clearly, my love of my family, my love for Jesus, my desire to let Him take over more and more of me. To give Him all my life, my will, my talents. My atttempts to overcome my pride. His attempts to help me overcome my pride. How I was honored to share in some of His sufferings this Lent. How I am grateful that after only 7 months in CT, I know nearly everyone at Mass. How I'm going to go to adoration on a regular basis, since I'm unemployed again, and I need the prayer time. How I'm applying for a job which I feel Jesus calling me to do. How I am amazed at all He's accomplished in my life.
No wonder I was there nearly 2 hours!
Now I understand why the saints loved adoration, it's like sitting in the sun, you radiate His light when you leave.
Thank you, Jesus for the gift of Your Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist. Thank you Jesus for the gift of the priesthood which brings You to us.
Here is a live image of the Holy Eucharist in the monstrance. Here is a link from Catholic Culture for Holy Thursday.

La Via Crucis

La Via Crucis, the Hispanic Way of the Cross
Many Catholics are familiar with the Stations of the Cross, with 14 sculptures representing events in Christ’s condemnation by Pontius Pilate to his Body being laid in the tomb borrowed from Joseph of Arimethea. You see them on the walls of your parish church, or outdoors at retreat houses or shrine. This is a custom which dates back to the Middle Ages in Europe, when devout Catholics who couldn’t make the pilgrimage to the Holy Land tried to recreate the famous pilgrimage sites from Christ’s Passion, with the faithful walking from one to another, praying and meditating on how painfully our salvation was won. We try to ‘do the stations’ in Lent and Holy Week as a family. We also have been privileged to participate in several Via Crucis with the Hispanic Community, we have never seen the stations the same way again. It’s an unforgettably emotional recreation of Christ’s Passion which will serve as a lesson to your family, deepening your joy at the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
In Central America and Mexico, the entire community prepares for the Via Crucis for weeks, roles are handed out, parts are learned, props are made and costumes are sewn. Then, fourteen family’s homes are selected in the community and given plaques representing one of the fourteen Stations of the Cross. On Good Friday they will proudly display their plaque, decorated with flowers in front of their home, which tells the community that the Via Crucis will stop at their home. At noon, the entire tableau of the Passion of the Christ will be reenacted in living color, with a narrator telling the story, and the priest reading the parts of Jesus while a young man acts out Christ’s Passion. The faithful follow this solemn procession through the streets, as Jesus is carrying the cross, meeting with His mother, consoling the weeping women of Jerusalem, Veronica wiping His face with her veil, His three falls, and finally His crucifixion, death, and burial. They pray the prayers with the priest, and between each Station, they will sing a hymn, like “Perdona Su Pueblo Senor” or “Pardon Your People”. Each participant looks inward at his own soul, begging Jesus pardon for his sins as he participates in the re-enactment of the events of Good Friday.
At the climax of the Via Crucis, the man who plays Christ will be ‘nailed’ to the Cross very dramatically, and spend a long time there while the priest reads “Las Siete Palabras” or the Seven Last Words Christ spoke on the Cross from “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” to “It is finished, into Thy hands I commend my spirit”.
I attended a very moving Via Crucis in Marietta, Georgia, where the ‘dead’ body of Christ, was carried into the Church, and laid in the sanctuary in front of the altar, while the priest gave a homily, and the faithful came forward to kiss the cross. (See the montage below)
There is an air of solemnity around these events which transfer down to the youngest children; they watch at the passion play from their father’s shoulders. This way, the faith is brought down to the next generation in an unforgettable experience. I have long held the theory that the reason Hispanics have such wonderful customs for Good Friday, and fewer customs for Easter Sunday, is because, at this time in history, their lives more closely reflect the crucifixion, and they easily relate to the Lord’s cross. One of the Spanish hymns sung in the Via Crucis ends,”Mas grande son mis culpas, mas grande tu bondad” or “the greater my sins, Lord, the greater your goodness”. Thanks to the Via Crucis, the Hispanic community is able to contemplate the sacrifice the Lord made for us on Good Friday, seeing in His blood and pain to the immeasurable love He has for each one of His children.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Polish Easter Customs

Swieconka
The blessing of the Easter food or the ‘Swieconka’ is a tradition that is very dear to the heart of every Pole. Grateful to God for all his gifts of nature and grace, and as a token of this gratitude, we have the food sanctified with the hope that when spring comes, the season of the Resurrection, we will also be blessed by God’s goodness and mercy.
Traditions vary from region to region and from family to family. They have changed and evolved with each passing generation. Traditionally, the food is brought to the church in a basket decorated with a colorful ribbon, sprigs of greenery are added, and a linen cover placed over the top. The food is blessed by the parish priest on Holy Saturday morning. If it is absolutely necessary, the food can also be blessed at home. After the blessing, the food is usually set aside until Easter morning when the head of the house shares the blessed egg, symbol of life, with his family and friends. Having exchanged wishes, they all continue to enjoy the rest of the meal.
The foods traditionally blessed by a priest for Easter can be placed in three categories:
• Easter bread and cakes of all kinds, particularly a yeasty cake called babka
• Meat products, ham, veal, suckling pig, sausage, bacon and so on.
• Dairy products, butter, cheese, eggs - some without their shells, others, decorated, called
(Pisanki).
Each of the foods has a deep and symbolic meaning
• Butter - often shaped into a lamb (Baranek Wielkanocny} or into a cross. This reminds us of the good will of Christ that we should have toward all things
• Babka (Easter bread) - a round or long loaf topped with a cross or a fish, symbolic of Jesus, who is the true Bread of Life
• Horseradish with grated red beets ('Chrzan') - symbolizes the Passion of Christ still in our minds but sweetened with some sugar because of the Resurrection
• Eggs (Jajka) and (Pisanki - decorated with symbols of Easter, of life and prosperity.) Eggs are considered a symbol of the resurrection, the emergence of a new life
• Sausage (Kielbasa) - spicy sausage made of pork products, indicative of God's favor and generosity
• Ham (Szynka) - symbolic of great joy and abundance. Some prefer lamb or veal. The lamb also reminds Catholics that the Risen Christ is the 'Lamb of God'.
•Smoked Bacon (Slonina) - a symbol of the abundance of God's mercy and generosity
• Salt (Sol) – a necessary element in our physical life, symbolic of prosperity and justice, to
remind us the people are the flavor, the salt of the earth
• Cheese (Ser) – ball shaped, as the symbol of the moderation Christians should have at all times
• In some regions a candle is also inserted into the basket to represent Christ, the Light of the world.

Triduum at the Friary in Griswold

TRIDIUUM SCHEDULE FOR HOLY WEEK OF
APR 05TH - APR 11TH:

HOLY THURSDAY APR 09
Holy Mass (5.30pm)

GOOD FRIDAY APR 10
Passion of the Christ Movie (12.00pm)
Passion and Communion Service (3.00pm)
Stations of the Cross (5.00pm)

HOLY SATURDAY APR 11TH
Hour of the Mother (12.00pm)
Holy Mass (9.30pm)

Lumina Retreat

I always try and provide support for those facing a poor prenatal diagnosis, by encouraging them to continue their pregnancy and give life to their special needs baby. But if you aborted your baby, do NOT despair! There is forgiveness for you!
The Catholic church provides help and healing through a ministry called Lumina. Here is an upcoming retreat in the New York City area on April 25, with a compassionate priest from the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Fr Mariusz Koch.
Click here for more information.

Palm Sunday Procession at the Friary

The solemn procession began witht the blessing of palms in St Joseph's chapel, wound round the grounds and into the main church where a beautiful Missa Cantata followed.

An auspicious beginning to a blessed week.

Choose life Hillary!

Over at Cottage Blessings, Alice has commented an article by my pro-life hero, Rep Christopher Smith. He has commented on two of Madame Secretary of State's trips: to the Planned Parenthood to receive the Margaret Sanger award and to see the miraculous tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe( only to embarass herself by asking, "who painted it?")

Only a devout Catholic like Chris Smith would notice the irony in the juxtapostion of those events:

"On the one hand, the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe has for five centuries brought a message of hope, faith, peace, reconciliation and protection for the weakest, most vulnerable among us. On the other hand, each year, Margaret Sanger's Planned Parenthood kills approximately 300,000 unborn baby girls and boys in their abortion clinics scattered throughout the United States."

Thank you Chris Smith for showing great moral leadership in a time when it is sorely needed, and for reminding the world what a racist eugenist Margaret Sanger was.

I included Rep Smith in my article for Canticle Magazine on outstanding Catholic politicians. His wife Marie told me that he was elected in a mostly pro-abortion district in southern New Jersey but has kept his seat because of his integrity. This photo was taken at the Family Research Council Blogs for Life January 22, 2008

In honor of Rep Smith's important speech, I'm giving away an autographed Congressional Calendar from his office which I received when I gave him a pro-life award this year at the March for Life, leave a comment below, saying you want it, and I will mail it to you.

Read the entire story at CNS.

Kurt Kondrich: Chloe's Dad

Tonight, in an attempt to get in touch with my natural habitat, I attended a nature workshop at my local library on vernal pools. Those are temporary bodies of water which appear in spring giving frogs and salamanders a place to lay eggs and the tadpoles a place to grow legs before they take up lives as forest creatures. I think that God's wonderful plan for nature is awesome, however the evening soured for me as the presenters described new federal grant monies to study rare salamanders and toads.
In this time of recession, we have millions to study humble amphibians, yet when Dr Mobley discussed his promising research to provide a medication to normalize the cognition of people with Down syndrome, he couldn't raise the $5 million dollars to develop the drugs from the government. Nearly half a million people with Down syndrome are in the USA (should be 5 million if they weren't aborted at a rate of 90%). These people can't get funding for drugs which would make them able to live independent lives, go to college, have fulfilling jobs, marry and live just like we do.
Salamanders. Phooey!
Kurt Kondrich(creator of the lovely video posted below) had the same reaction I did when he learned about the millions used to study the Kangaroo Rat from satellites. This shows a sad sense of priorities in this nation. Why don't people come before toads and rats?!

Read the entire story in the National Right to Life News and Views.

Lifted up by Down syndrome

Good Counsel Homes to open affiliate in Norwich CT

I have had the pleasure of meeting Joan and Chris Bell and their beautiful children twice. The latest was walking downtown Yonkers, NY from the Papal Youth Rally where I first recognized his son Emilio. Chris and Joan have lived exemplary Catholic lives fully devoted to the prolife cause in precisely the ways the Vortex video below challenges us. Please help him with his work at Good Counsel Homes. The Right to Life group I belong to here in Norwich voted to join his network, trusting that his experience and reputation will guide our work.
Read the article in Catholic New York which describes his work.
Here's a personal note from Chris Bell,

Would you kindly consider passing this article around to all your friends, family, anyone and ask if any can send any support our way now -- no gift is too large or too small -- it will help the dozens of moms and babies with us today, and those calling tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. We really need help now.

Thanks. God bless you greatly. Hope to see you soon.

Peace,
Christopher Bell +

Good Counsel homes
http://www.goodcounselhomes.org/
24/7 Helpline:
1.800.723.8331

P. 201-795-0637

Good Counsel
P.O. Box 6068
Hoboken, NJ
07030
Good Counsel's Lumina program
Lumina - Hope and Healing After Abortion
offers hope and healing after an abortion
http://www.postabortionhelp.org/
1.877.LUMINA1 (1.877.586.4621)

Every mother and child deserves love and support
from the moment of conception.

How radically Catholic are you?

Michael Voris challenges Catholics to live their faith like they mean it on his Vortex program on Catholic TV.

Here's how radical a Catholic I think I am:

1. I have just moved from my home of 46 years in response to a call from God to live in CT where promising opportunities to evangelize with my writing are opening up, and there are good Catholic schools for my girls. I stopped homeschooling after 10 years and enrolled them in school to work full time. For free.

2. Three years ago, I began writing as He asked, and, writing for the Church for little money when you are a wife and the mother of three young women is a sacrifice.

3. People have been avoiding me for years in order not to hear my Catholic pro-life ideas, and I never met a pro-life protest I didn't join. (We keep our own signs in a closet ready for the next protest rally.) I am on Obama's "crazy pro-lifer" list for sure.

4. Financial sacrifice is becoming easier for me, God seems to be asking more and more lately. . so, though I am far from a martyr for the Faith, I can say, my life is on the road to becoming radically Catholic. God has carried me every step of the way, by His grace, making the journey sweeter than I could have imagined.
HOWEVER
Please don't ask me to give up my simple yet spacious new home in the woods, Lord, I am willing to invite my young sister-in-law to share it with us. OK. My in-laws too.

No wonder my family thinks I'm nuts! But they love me anyway.

It's Terri's Day

from the Terri Shindler Schiavo Foundation

"Four years ago today, by the order of Judge George W. Greer, Terri Schiavo died a slow barbaric death by starvation and dehydration over a period of almost two weeks.We must never forget what happened to Terri and the horrible way she was killed.

However, just as important is to remember that what happened to Terri is occurring every day in our nation. Moreover, in this very moment countless people are suffering slow, agonizing deaths in hospice, nursing homes, and hospitals in America and around the world."

It struck me four years ago, as we were suffering her agony with her, that it was appropriate that she suffered the most during Holy Week, and died just after Easter, only four days ahead of Pope John Paul. The treatment witheld from a healthy though disabled Terri and treatment given to a dying John Paul (stomach feeding tube) was exactly the same. I almost suspect that the Holy Father accepted the feeding tube as a message to the world. Since he was in his dying days, he was NOT obligated to accept a feeding tube since it's use might be more harm than good, but he wanted to become an example of death with dignity that Terri was denied.

God's Grace in Practice: A Bad Playdate

God's Grace in Practice: A Bad Playdate

My first day as a freelance writer. . .

Was a challenge. What else did I expect when writing assignments and household chores, and promises to get in shape all come crashing down on the head of a mom who finally has her youngest child safely in a school she likes, a lovely home in the country where it's quiet enough to write?
Pressure!
Oh, and did I mention the internet was on the fritz?!
Did I crumple into a pile of tears?
Reach for chocolate when I gave it up for Lent?
Yell and throw things at innocent dogs?
NO!!
I called my husband and yelled at him. . .
" help me fix the @#$% internet!"
Somebody musta been praying hard out there, he was able to help me reconnect it over the phone!! Hurray!!
Me, fixing a modem and a router when I first had to figure out which was which! Me, whom the tecchies on the helpline hung up on twice as impossible!
This is where I do the victory dance which embarrasses Isabella.

Thank you, Lord! I chalk it all up to making time for daily Mass this morning. See, it saves you time, because it keeps you from losing it, and being childish. At least in the morning.

Sadly, the rest of the day wasn't so smooth. I still have problems managing my time, with no living breathing boss over me. Maybe I shoulda gone to evening Mass too.
Read about it at the Mom Writer's Blog. The World's Worst Boss.

Overcoming Gluttony

Jen over at Conversion Diary has an outstanding post on Gluttony and food addictions. I will try and implement her advice and if I make any progress, I will be sure and brag about it!
It involves giving up the food that makes us crazy: sugar and flour.
We're off sugar for Lent, so there's only one tincy step to go. . .

Fr Groeschel suffered a mini-stroke March 21

But, thanks be to God, he is back on TV despite the setback. He was on his "Sunday Night Live with Fr Groeschel" again last night, and though he did make some errors of speech, he was almost back to his his normal, spiritually intense, insightful, wise-cracking self. He interviewed the beautiful Immaculee Iligagiza on her latest book, Our Lady of Kiebeho, (see my Catholic Online review here).
He, like Mother Teresa, and Mother Cabrini will keep going, till he dies with his boots on.
May he live 100 years!
Read more at the National Catholic Register blog.

IDSC for Life on eugenics

Diane has written a powerful post on how the Clinton Administration appointee for Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders viewed aborting children with Down syndrome as an imporvement.
“Abortion,” she said, “has had an important, and positive, public- health effect,” in that it has reduced “the number of children afflicted with severe defects.” As evidence, the future surgeon general cited this statistic: “The number of Down’s Syndrome infants in Washington state in 1976 was 64 percent lower than it would have been without legal abortion.”
So, killing those with extra chomosomes is an improvement, Dr Mengele, er, Dr Elders?
Can we expect any better from the Obama adminstration?
Read the entire post here.

Come join us and get motivated to change the world!

Youth 4 Life Conference stramed here on Sat March 28 3-8 PM
If you couldn't come to the Academy of the Holy Family in Baltic, CT tomorrow to see the wonderful line up of speakers discussing a wide range of prolife issues, you can still attend on line via the live stream which will be available on this website, AirMaria.comPlease leave a comment if you watch and encourage the girls who worked so hard on this conference this past month.

First Communion Photo Contest

Win $100 Gift Card for the Cutest First Communion Photo

The Catholic Company, the market leader for online Catholic books and gifts, has just announced a First Communion Photo Contest.
What a great excuse to pull those photos out of the photo book and show them off again. Bloggers, podcasters, and webmasters can also win a $50 Gift Card for referring the winning entry to the contest, so be sure to spread the word!

Small Successes

See the other Small Successes at Faith and Family Live.

1. The book I've been working on with stories from Catholic moms of special needs children has had it's first successful 'nibble' from a major Catholic publishing house. Please pray for Fr Benedict Groeshel who has promised to write us a foreword. He is very ill in the hosptial.

2. I made an ethnic dish for Gabbi's high school's International Day; Salvadorean Cheese Pupusas. People ate them for the first time, and liked them.

See the recipe here.

3. I completed my first Power Point Presentation for Academy of the Holy Family's first Youth 4 Life Conference this Saturday (see details here). It's titled; "Catholic Marriage is Pro-life".

4. I helped several high school girls learn the basics of writing a good English Composition, thanks to 10 years of homeschooling my own daughters.

5. I kept my Lenten resolutions for extra Masses, attending a beautiful Missa Cantata on the Solemnity of the Annunciation with the girls.

Act Now to Fund Kennedy Browback Bill

From the National Down Syndrome Congress
The Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act of 2008 (known as Kennedy/Brownback), passed last fall will provide grant funding to eligible organizations to promote dissemination of high quality information and referral to support services for parents who receive a pre-natal or post-natal diagnosis of Down syndrome. However, an appropriation for funding must now be included in the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education FY 2010 appropriations bill in order for the law to be implemented.
Representatives Cathy McMorris Rogers (R.WA) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.DC) have written a Dear Colleague letter to members of the House of Representatives asking them to sign a letter asking Representatives David Obey (D.WI) and James Walsh (R.NY) chairs of this committee to include funding for Kennedy/Brownback in the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education FY 2010 appropriations bill. It is important to have as many Representatives as possible sign this letter to improve its chances for funding.

Action Needed

Please contact your Representative and ask him or her to sign onto the McMorris Rodgers/Holmes Norton letter that is being circulated in the House of Representatives. This letter is being sent to the House Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee in support of funding to provide $5 million in FY10 Appropriations to implement The deadline to add cosigners to the House letter is April 1st. A sample letter with contact information is included at http://capwiz.com/ndss/issues/alert/?alertid=12956971&queueid=3075131146.
If possible, you should personalize the letter.

Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm

Today we went to an ice cream social with free ice cream sundaes with fresh homemade ice cream. It was at Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm, a deluxe farm stand and cafe about 20 minutes east of us at the CT /RI border in Sterling, CT.
We passed along route 49 over rolling hills dotted with farms, and an incredible panoramic view opened up to the Northeast, distracting me from my goal, the Brown Cow Cafe at the Farm. We did a U-turn, and found a cozy shop with a warm fire and friendly people scooping out this wonderful ice cream. Christina found a seat where she could watch the chickens, goose, and turkeys while enjoying the ice cream, and I checked out the preserves and chutneys on the shelves. Isabella tried the vanilla, Gabbi the chocolate, and I had Buttercup, a butter crunch.
A great way to celebrate Laerte Sunday for a family who is getting tired of forgoing sweets!

We will certainly find many excuses to return, the farm offers Turkey Pies, fruit pies and their own fresh beef and poultry including goose.

Great Lecture with Dr Mobley tomorrow

Monday, March 23rd, 2009
7:00 PM
Grace Auditorium
One Bungtown Road
Cold Spring Harbor, NY
The Future of Down Syndrome, Improving Memory and Cognition
The mapping of human genome, and the creation of advanced technologies for neuroscience research, has opened up a whole new world of opportunities in the field of Down syndrome research. Come and learn about how recent studies are beginning to identify the gene(s) responsible for cognitive impairment and exploring drug therapies to restore the function of neuronal circuits affected by Down syndrome. For the first time, neuroscience discoveries are creating the hope that in time everyone with Down syndrome will be able to live independently.

Special Olympian Tyler Paul Cormier

I just can't get over the pain I feel from Obama's mean remark about Special Olympics. But you can imagine how Tyler's father feels when you read this memorial website.
"Tyler moved on to RHAM High School and his competitive spirit grew. The Special Olympian gold medals mounted, giving Tyler a bit of a reputation as an athlete. More importantly, friendships were building and strengthening and Tyler was developing a unique leadership quality. Indeed, Tyler’s acceptance in the RHAM high school community grew daily whether it was eating lunch in the cafeteria, hanging out with his friends after school, or going out on the weekends. Tyler helped break down the barriers often encountered by people with special needs since he was always treated “like one of the guys”. This is something that made RHAM high school and the entire local community special. "
Maybe Obama should read it. And be educated.

Beautiful Testimony to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day.

I've received the Premio Dardos Award!

Heidi Hess Saxton from Mommy Monsters has given me the Premio Dardos Award.

Premio Dardos means ‘prize darts’ in Italian and it is given for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing.
The rules are:
1) Accept the award by posting it on your blog along with the name of the person who has granted the award and a link to his/her blog.
2) Pass the award to another 7 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgement, remembering to contact each of them to let them know.

I hereby pass this distinguished award to the following outstanding Catholic bloggers for their literary flair while sharing the treasure of our Catholic faith and culture.

1. Elizabeth at The Divine Gift of Motherhood

2. Jean at Catholic Fire

3. Esther at A Catholic Mom in Hawaii

4. MaryEllen from Tales from the Bonnie Blue House

5. Melanie at The Wine Dark Sea.

6. +JMJ+ at Tutus Tuus Family Homeschool

7. Erin's mom at My Little Saint

Obama mocks the Special Olympics

On Jay Leno last night, while trying to make fun of his bowling abilities, Obama says, " it was like the Special Olympics. "
NOT FUNNY, Mr President!
Read the entire story here.
Maria Shriver, wife of Gov Schwartzenegger, and sister of Tim Shriver the Chairman of Special Olympics took offense to the comment. "It shows that we still have a lot of work to do".
And she supported Obama!
Read the story here.
Next time stick to the teleprompter, if that is your idea of a joke.
On the other hand, Governor Sarah Palin has respect for the Special Olympics. Wonder what disability advocates who voted for Obama are thinking now?
UPDATE 3/20: Special Olympian challenges Obama to bowling!
Read the story at Breitbart.

Ite ad Joseph

Happy feast of St Joseph!

Here are photos of the St Joseph's table at the Academy of the Holy Family where I am subbing this month. It was made by the students and their cooking teacher, Loretta Palliardi.

All the delicious pastries, fresh breads and mouth-watering handmade Italian ices were sold to students and faculty. Here is a quote from an article explaining the tradition of the St Joseph Table in Italy.

"Sicily's most important saint is Giuseppe (Joseph), Father of Jesus, whose day is celebrated on March 19. Many activities are scheduled, including the very unique one called the St. Joseph's Table. This ancient tradition goes back to the Middle Ages. At that time there was an exceptionally severe drought in Sicily. No rain fell for an extended period of time, no crops would grow, and countless people died of famine. The peasants prayed to God for rain, and they also prayed to St. Joseph to intercede with God on their behalf. They promised that if God caused it to rain, they would have a special feast honoring God and St. Joseph.

By miracle, the rains came and the crops were planted. With the harvest, the people prepared a feast of foods from their crops. This has become known as the Tavola di San Giuseppe. Through the centuries, people who have prayed for a favor and been granted the favor use this festivity to show their thanks. The "favor" requested must not be for personal gain or benefit. Some common requests are the safe return of a loved one from a war (very common request during World War II), or that a loved one will be cured and survive from a serious, life threatening illness or accident. "

Tonight my daughters and I will be attending a Missa Cantata at the Marian Friary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Griswold, which you can watch as it will be streamed at AirMaria.

How blessed we are to have a Catholic community so rich in traditon!

Happy 7th Birthday Christina Maria!

The BBC says we aren't well read

The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?For those tagged: Put an x beside the books you've read. Apparently the BBC thinks most folks have only read six.
No, seeing the film or starting to read the book don't count. Darn.

Here's my list:
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (X)
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte (x)
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (actually seven books)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible (X)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (X)
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell (X)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott (X)
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
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 (X)
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (X)
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (X)
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky (X)
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (X)
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame (X)
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy (X)
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (I have read the first three)
34 Emma - Jane Austen (X)
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (X)(This is the first of the Chronicles of Narnia)
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 (X)
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell (X)
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (X)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez(X)
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (x)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding (X)
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert(X)
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (X)
)55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zifon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (X)
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley(X)
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez(X)
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 (X)
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens (X)
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (X)
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce (X)
76 The Inferno - Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray (x)
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (X)
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert(X)
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White (X)
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (X)
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery(X) he wrote this while living in Northport, NY the town where I grew up, so we HAD to read it, but we didn't understand much
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 (X) I'm teaching this to AP English students as I write
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables
My score is 37. Wow, the same score as my well-read friend Elizabeth Gerold Miller! I was surprised how many of the same books we have read. Much more reading to get to on this list!
This is bit embarrassing for an English Literature teacher, but 31 books above the BBC estimate. When I lived in London I must admit, however, when I saw Brits reading on the "Tube" (subway) it was more likely to be one of the above classics than the latest potboiler Sidney Sheldon or James Patterson novels. Though I disagree about some of the selections on the list being literary classics:
His Dark Materials, Harry Potter, Five People You Meet in Heaven
Just making the bestseller list doesn't earn a place for you with CS Lewis, Jane Austen and Shakespeare.



Wow, the same score as my well-read friend Elizabeth Gerold Miller! I was surprised how many of the same books we have read. Much more reading to get to on this list.