A Christmas Message

The Little Drummer Boy 

We were watching one of those always predictable Hallmark holiday movies the other day, and the main characters were expressing frustration with some of the Christmas traditions – especially the Little Drummer Boy song.  They laughed at the repetitive drum-drumming and one of them asked “What’s that song about anyway?”  “Who knows” the other person responded.

Well I say, if you don’t know what that song is about, you don’t understand what Christmas is about!   

To me The Little Drummer Boy Song is the essence of the story of Christmas.  Just try humming along with the song and think about these words:

“Come, they told me … the newborn king to see.”  

Look!  The infinite God has taken on our humanity. The baby in the manger is the king who has come to save the world. 

“Our precious gifts we bring”

            The world encourages great ceremony and expensive gifts for a king.

“I am a poor boy too … 

But we relate to the humbleness of Jesus’ birth. 

“I have no gifts … fit to give a king”

How often do we question our own worth – our own ability to give or do anything consequential enough to please God or have any effect on the world.

“Shall I play for you”

We just need to use our own individual talents and abilities.

“Mary nodded … the ox and lamb kept time”

Even with the most humble of talents we can make the world a happier and better place!

“I played my Best for him … then he smiled at me”

Like our parents tried to teach us so long ago, all God really asks is that we do our best. 

My hope and prayer is that this year, when we hear those “rum a tum tums”, we will think about how we can save a little part of this world.

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas and a Joyful and Dynamic New Year!

Want Ad

In the probably futile effort to clean up my office, I’ve been going through some old papers and found a piece I wrote back in the 70's, and thought it would be fun to share it with you now.  

After months of frustration, listening to extreme feminists put down the idea of a housewife, and the extreme conservative women over-glamorizing the joys of wiping runny noses and spreading peanut butter and jelly, I wondered how a help wanted ad for a housewife might read.  If it were and honest job description I think it would have to read something like this:

Help Wanted – Woman with energy, enthusiasm and imagination.  An excellent opportunity for someone who likes to meet a challenge.  

This is a managerial position.  The person hired will be responsible for a smooth-running organization.  With her partner she must visualize the overall direction of the organization and maintain smooth, steady control in the face of numerous daily interruptions.  She must have a positive outlook and idealistic nature, being able to strive continually for a sometimes elusive goal.

The ability to handle difficult people at their most difficult times is essential.  She will be responsible for happiness and harmony within the organization while actively directing the discipline and training of junior members.  

The person in this position is also responsible for external public relations.  She must maintain good will among friends despite potentially explosive situations and disagreements, and she must handle suppliers and creditors with finesse, knowing when to be firm and when to be soft.

This job requires someone who is a self-starter, able to initiate and carry through her own ideas and projects.  She must be able to make decisions and accept responsibility for them.

Other desirable qualities include the ability to follow detailed instructions, give and take orders, keep schedules, meet deadlines and work on many projects at once.  This is no place for a woman who can only go in one direction at a time.  

Perhaps the most important attributes she must have are patience and a sense of humor in the face of impossible people and situations.  

Satisfaction in this job will not come from praise, promotions or raises.  The woman who will be happy in this position is one who is convinced of her own importance, the importance of the job, and who truly loves the people she is working with.

Stand On Your Past

I love this quote from “At The Edge of Summer”. by Jessica Brockmole, 

“Yearning for home, yearning for those warm safe days of childhood, doesn’t halt our steps forward. It doesn’t mean we regret or fear. It means that we’re built of so much more than our present or future.  We have the past to stand on -- and we are stronger for it.”

It makes me think of how grateful I am for my past -- for my parents and extended family, for my neighborhood, my schools, my experiences.

And I hope I have provided that kind of strong past for my children.

A Summer Chuckle -- Conversation between God and St Francis

 Maybe you’ve already heard this story.  I’ve read it before but came across it again the other day.  I still got a good chuckle out of it, so decided to share it with you.

GOD to ST. FRANCIS:   What’s going on down there on Earth?   What happened to the dandelions, violets and other beautiful wildflowers I created?   I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden with wildflowers that grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. And the nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds.  

ST. FRANCIS:   Well Lord, all these homeowners decided they wanted grass lawns and they are very proud of them! They begin each spring by seeding, watering and fertilizing -- and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD:  It takes a lot of moisture to grow the grass and keep it green. I guess them must be happy that I send the spring rains and warm weather to make the grass grow fast.  

ST. FRANCIS:  Apparently not, Lord. because as soon as it grows a little, they cut it -- sometimes twice a week.  Then they rake it up and put it in bags and pay to throw it away.

GOD:  So then they are relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat?  Surely that slows the growth and saves them a lot of work and money.

ST. FRANCIS: You won't believe this, but when the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water the lawns so they can continue to mow it -- and pay to get rid of it.

GOD:  I’ll never understand these humans.  At least they kept some of the trees I created.  They must appreciate that the leaves, which provide beauty and shade in the summer, then fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to protect the trees and bushes and form compost to keep moisture in to enhance the soil. 

ST. FRANCIS: I hate to tell you this Lord, but as soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD: No!  What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS: They go out and buy mulch, haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

GOD: And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up.

GOD: Enough!  I don't want to think about this anymore.  Let’s talk about something else.

 What movie is playing tonight?

ST. FRANCIS:  It’s called "Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a real stupid movie about.....

GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story!

~~~

The Real Meaning of "Compromise"

What do you think of when you here the word "Compromise"?

Most of the time, most of us think that to compromise means we most give up something -- give up part of what we want -- give up part of what we believe.

Actually, the word "Compromise" literally means "Combining!"  Not giving up!  Compromise means Adding!  Adding and accepting new ideas, new traditions, new ways of thinking, and combining them with our own!

We just finished watching the movie "Fools Rush In". ( a fun movie if you haven't seen it). Alex (Matthew Perry) a New York business man, falls in love with Isabel (Selma Hayek) a Mexican artist.  Two very different people with very different lives, very different families, very different faiths -- but they fell in love. and in the end they learn that by "combining" their lives, their faiths, their cultures, they gained so much more!

Of course that is idealist Hollywood, but wouldn't it be great if we could all understand the real meaning of compromise -- if we could "combine" some of the differences in the reality of our own lives with each other?

Watching the wedding the end of the movie, it reminded me of when Jim and I got married.  Our lives and cultures were not as drastically different, but there were substantial differences.  I grew up in a very traditional Catholic atmosphere and for my first wedding, to my late husband Pat, we did what was expected - and what we both wanted -a very traditional ceremony in the Catholic church where I grew up.

However Jim is a different person.  Jim grew up with a more "spiritual" sense of a creator without the "structure" of religion.  I knew that he was willing to get married wherever I wanted, but I also knew that his faith - his connection with God - came mainly form nature.  So we decided to get married outside, in front of a small chapel, on the banks of the Hudson River.

Our wedding was a "compromise" in the richest sense of the word! We included the values and faith and many of the traditions of the Catholic Church, (with a priest and minister presiding at the ceremony), and we added the wonders and experience of nature!   Our "compromise" was a beautiful combination of the best of both of us!

And now I think of the world today, the news we hear every night.  Our government - our two political parties - refusing to compromise.  Not only can't they compromise on important ideas, they can't seem to compromise on even the simplest issues.

"Ego" - that loud voice in your head that says your own way of thinking is the best - can be a source of pride and self confidence and is frequently the reason people run for office.  However big "Egos" are the enemy of compromise.

But wouldn't it be great if the huge Egos that run our government today could somehow understand that by "compromising" - combining their ideas and strategies and goals - they might actually get something done?  If only they could understand that compromise would not only make a better country, but would actually add a reason for their pride, and add substance to their personal Ego!

And wouldn't it be great if somehow we could all understand the real meaning of "compromise" and apply it in our own lives?

I know ... you're thinking I'm just a  "Pollyanna" - I'm a hopeless "idealist".
But really, I'm just seeing the glass half full and trying to fill it up.  And I can hope.  And I can pray.

And I can write!


  

How do you see your glass?

(note - I found these quotes in my notes from many years ago – long before I’d started this blog. I am as moved by them today as I was back then -- and decided they would be worth sharing with you.   Authors unknown.)

There are 3 kinds of people:  

First - the “glass-is-half-empty” person who is usually negative, often depressed, sometimes bitter – the kind of person we try to avoid.

Second - the “glass-is-half-full” person who is usually happy, positive, content – the kind of person we enjoy being with.

Then there are the few people who see that the glass is only half full and ask “why?” 

and “what can we do about it?” – the kind of person who gets busy finding ways to fill it up.

These are the people who change the world! 

So stop asking if the glass is half full or half empty.  Instead, ask  "What's in it?"  "How did it get there?"   "What can I do with it?"  -- and you'll dscover all the little ways you can change the world!

Good Mornings!

Sometimes I think mornings are the best part of the day – when the sun is at a gentle angle and all delights and disappointments and challenges and problems and opportunities that will come with the day, are softened by the morning mist.  

A Mocking Bird, perched somewhere on a rooftop, joyfully sings its repertoire of songs from other local birds, and a small Wren sits on its birdhouse loudly shouting its 2-note call over and over.  To me it always sounds like he is saying “Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!” 

Today we are at my son’s house on the Hudson River and I hear the waves splashing against the shore after a large freighter has made its way up the river to Albany’s harbor.  Across the river a commuter train heads down toward the city and sounds its loud whistle as it approaches the Rhinebeck station.

I put off getting up this morning – for just a little while.  I put off checking the news and the messages and emails — and just enjoyed the peace.  

Then it was time – so I rolled over, softly kissed my sleeping husband on the forehead, got out of bed and opened my computer – and these words came spilling out!  I hope they will be some inspiration for someone out there. And, like that little bird sitting on its birdhouse I say “Thank you, God, for another day!”  

Be Still ...

Waves crash with thunders roar

Washing sandy beaches clean, 

Before 

Receding back into the sea.

 “Be still and know that I am God!”

Streams tumble through rocky crevice

Over leaves of orange and rust.

Swirling 

Into ponds of clear blue water.

“Be still and know that I am God!”

Cold water laps the shore each morn

Till sun’s bright warmth draws it 

Spiraling

Like miniature tornadoes toward the sky

“Be still and know that I am God!”

From feathery hemlocks and gnarly oaks 

Birds of blue and yellow and black

Sing

And fly to greet the dawn

“Be still and know that I am God!”

City bustle. Voices shouting. Motors. Horns

That stab your ears and pierce your brain. 

Hurry.  

Schedules to meet. Places to go.

Still 

         "... know that I am God"

"Be Still and Know that I am God"  - Matthew 8: 23-27

"It's a Great Day For The Irish"

 ... and a great day to celebrate family roots, memories and traditions. 

In my mind I can still hear my father singing "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" and I say a prayer of Thanks for my Irish Heritage!  

Being Irish Catholic meant that we lived by the church calendar.  We began lent with ashes reminding us of the weaknesses of our temporal bodies and then observed strict fasting and sacrifice.   

However right there, in the middle of lent, came St. Patrick's Day!   

In New York, St. Patrick's Day was considered a special feast day.  School was closed and the rules of fasting and sacrifice were suspended as we celebrated the saint who brought the Catholic Faith to Ireland. 

St. Patrick's Day for me meant watching the parade in New York City and singing and dancing in the St. Patrick's Day festival at St. John's Church in my hometown of White Plains.  Now, living in Maryland, we make our own celebrations – sometimes a party or sing-a-long, but today just a nice dinner and good conversation with friends.  

As I looked around at all the shamrocks and green scarves, bow ties and beads I thought about what being Irish really means to me?  Some have called the Irish a sanguine, happy-go-lucky people and others say we are a melancholy race.  And in a way they are both right.  

But what did I inherit from my Irish roots?   The answer is simple.  Faith!  Faith in God and Faith in Family!

If you want to really understand the Irish, just go to an Irish wake.  Family and friends celebrate with toasts and laughter and stories about the deceased. We celebrate the joy in our own lives, and theirs, because of Faith.  Because we believe, without doubt, that one day we will all be united with family and God in Heaven.  

We truly believe the words from “Danny Boy” 

“… and I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!”

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!!!

(The following is edited from a 17^thcentury nun’s prayer.  I thought it was worth sharing.)

Lord thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing older and will someday actually be old.  With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all, but thou knowest, Lord, that I want to still have a few friends at the end, so I send you this prayer.

Release me, Lord, from my craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs.  

Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.  Keep me free from the recital of endless details.  Give me wings to get to the point.

Make me thoughtful, but not moody.  Seal my lips on my aches and pains but give me the patience to endure the tales of other’s pains.  

Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.  I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others.

I don’t want to be a Saint – they can be so hard to live with – but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil.  So I ask Lord that you give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places – and talents in unexpected people.  And give me the grace to tell them so.

Amen

We Will Miss Him

Our pastor died last night.  Father Paul Campbell.  

I didn't know him well.  Not personally.   But I go to Mass frequently during the week -- and of course on Sundays -- and I came to look forward to, and really appreciate his homilies.  

On weekdays they were short -- never more than 3 minutes -- but always straight forward with a clear, specific message to carry through the day.   

On Sundays he became the dramatic story teller, engaging the entire congregation.  He would pull out a particular phrase from the days gospel or prayers -- often some remote passage -- and he would frown or maybe laugh, sometimes mimic or exaggerate -- whatever it took to draw us in.   And then he would explain the doctrine, the meaning, the logic and common sense of those words and impress on us how that phrase, written so long ago, is not only relevant but vitally important in our lives today.

He made us think.  He encouraged us to question.  He met the challenges and criticism of the church today with honest admission of our shortcomings and failings -- and with prayer, hope and encouragement for the church.   And he always insisted that the church be "inclusive" -- that Christ's message and love is for every single person!

These are just a few of the things I will remember from his teaching.  These are the reasons I was so grateful that he came to our parish. 

This morning a small group gathered in the chapel for our regular Monday morning Mass -- a young priest from the local seminary was at the alter -- and in our hearts many of us were questioning "Why?"  Why would God let this man who was spreading God's message so effectively be taken away?  Why would this man who had so much to share and the ability to teach and influence so many in such positive ways, be struck down so suddenly?  

Maybe Father Paul himself gave the answer -- just a few weeks ago in one of his weekday homilies he said  "When you don't understand why something happens, remember the Lord's Prayer -- 'Thy Will Be Done'. "   

Too simple an answer?  Perhaps.  But I think that phrase holds much more truth than simple acceptance.  I'll have more thoughts to share about that in my next blog.    

Meanwhile, we pray for the repose of the soul of Father Paul Campbell, and ask God to comfort his family and friends.

Accepting her award for Best Actress at Golden Globe Awards the other night, Glenn Close gave an emotional and passionate acceptance speech in which she quoted her 80 year old mother as saying “I feel I haven’t accomplished anything.”  

Ms Close went on to acknowledge “Women, we are “nurturers” … but we have to find personal fulfillment!”   

The implication being that personal fulfillment for a woman is not found in nurturing their families … and to me that so sad!

I certainly agree that women should have the freedom to follow their dreams and choose their own role in life — whatever that may be.  Woman should be free and feel respected (and not at all “guilty”) if they choose a career that does not include the traditional roles of wife or mother, or if they choose to combine motherhood with other careers.   

But women should also feel free and be respected if they choose the traditional role of wife and mother as their primary career!  Sadly that does not seem to be the case in our society.  

When I was growing up my mom used to get very upset with women who “apologized” for being “just a housewife”.  "I’m proud of being a housewife” she would proclaim!  For my mom, the role of housewife was a completely fulfilling and full time job.

When we came home from school, Mom was always there, ready to sit down and share a snack.  She was always anxious to hear about our day, and if we had a problem we could tell her.  If we had a question we could ask her.  

And the conversations weren’t limited to after school.  At any time of the day, if we suddenly thought of something we wanted to ask or share, it didn’t matter what she was doing, she would stop and it down and listen.  We knew we could share our stories and our feelings and concerns with her — and she shared her stories and feelings with us. 

From these conversations, and by her example, we learned the tools of life: seeing our own strengths and value;  accepting others as they are and not “judging" them because they are different;  realizing that no one is perfect, not even our mother; recognizing the results of our own choices and understanding the importance of the freedom we have to make those choices.   

The list of all the things I learned from my mother — the “housewife" — would fill several books!  I am so grateful to her and I believe that the world would be much better if there were more “housewives” like my mother!

Our daughters  need to know that they have the freedom to follow any career they choose!   

And they need to know that there is just as much need and importance and respect for women to choosing a career as wife and mother as there is for any other career!

I wish Ms Close, at the Golden Globes, would have followed up her comments with a thank you to her mom, publicly recognizing her mother’s contributions to her own successful life.   

And I hope that Glenn's mother was able to look at her daughter standing there on the platform, and say with pride,  “I did accomplish something very worthwhile!"