Dallas March for Life

I am exhausted, but it was well worth it. George and I participated in the Dallas March for Life today. There were some tears from the moving speeches at the rally and friendships struck among the marchers. I have no idea how many people were there, but it was really great to see all the young faces.

Go Go Speed Racer

George and I just got back from getting the mail. Yes, we both walked down to the mailbox. The mailbox that is five houses down from us. George pushed his Sit 'n Stand walker all the way down to the mailbox and back. He was sooooo excited! My baby's gettin' so big. :D

...Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us...

I read a very sad story in one of my CafeMom groups today about a woman pregnant with twins who was killed in a tragic car accident along with her unborn babies on Christmas Eve. The mom who posted this story was full of anger towards the woman who caused the accident, and the resulting conversation between us got me thinking about praying for those who have wronged us.

Most of us pray for those we love. We pray for family members who are ill, we praise God when something good happens. We pray for our friends, and we even pray for people we don't know who are suffering. But how often do we pray for those who cause the suffering?

It is very easy to say "I hate that person for what they have done" whether it be a terroristic world leader, our own president (former, current, or -elect), a criminal, or even someone close to us who has grievously wronged us. But how easy is it to forgive them? How easy is it to pray for them?

Forgiveness is not an automatic "Pass Go - Collect $200." It does not mean that we should automatically be BFF with the person. It means that we have acknowledged that a wrong has been committed, accept that it can't be taken back, and move forward. Whether moving forward involves reconcilement or estrangement is up to the situation and people involved.

But forgiveness is only a part of the command to "love our enemies." We should also pray for them. It can be as simple as "Please Lord, let that driver who just cut me off realize what he has done and repent" or "Please Lord, don't let that reckless and dangerous driver cause a fatal accident." I am learning how to pray for someone who has wronged me, my family, and my extended family. I don't ever want to see this person again, and especially don't want him near my son, but I ask that he come to know the error of his ways--that he will see how he is hurting those around him.

When I pray these prayers, I begin to feel a bit better about the situation. I put the problem in God's hands and it ends up being one more burden that I no longer have to carry.

"Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do."

Renters? Ugh

I have good news and bad news.

Good news: Our neighbors are moving. These are the people who have three generations plus extended family living in a 3 bedroom house and approximately 6 cars. One of these cars used to be parked in front of our house when we moved in (and the owner seemed very upset when I told him he couldn't keep parking it there because I'd like my own guests to be able to park in front of my house), and another was hit by our moving truck (the driver ended up getting arrested for oustanding warrants, long story. I know I was supposed to post about it but didn't get around to it. Sorry). This makes me happy because all those cars will finally be gone. Yay.

Bad news: There's a big "For Lease" sign in front of their house. This means they're not selling it, but renting it. Oh goody.

I don't want to paint all renters in a bad light, Sean and I had rented from the time we were married until we bought this house. However, we were of the rare breed of good renters. We took care of our homes, were polite to our neighbors, and always left our apartments in better condition than we found it (I even repaired nail holes in the walls left by previous renters). Not so with most renters. If our apartment neighbors were any indication, renters tend to not care about the building they live in. They tend to throw loud obnoxious parties because they can just rent somewhere else if they get kicked out. They have no investment in where they live.

I'm not worried about the property value, we bought this house for way less than what it is worth, have put in new floors, new appliances, done cosmetic repairs, and could sell it for more than the purchase price even if our neighbors were running a crack house. Well, maybe. No matter, I don't plan on selling it anyway.

What I'm worried about is what kind of people this is going to attract? Are there going to be even MORE cars parked out front? Will they have loud obnoxious parties? Are they going to be neglectful and burn the place down?

Maybe we'll get lucky and they're doing a "lease-to-own". Better that than letting it sit vacant for a year.

Update on George

It turns out George is just fine. I, on the other hand, am not. Apparently his cough is a lingering remnant of his cold. Mine has turned into an ear infection. Bah.

Good news, though, I finally got my new computer (with Vista) set up and have started transferring files from my laptop. I think next I get to install Office 2007.

It is freezing outside. Literally. Yuck.

And oh yeah! I have my Etsy store up!

Poor Baby

Is sick. My sweet little Georgie has had a cough for a week, and last night it got so bad that when I was rocking him to sleep he'd wake up every couple of minutes coughing. I could hear the phlegm in his throat. Today I have a sore throat and if I feel this crappy I can only assume how awful he feels. I think we've all been passing around a cold for the last week or so.

I'm going to call the pediatrician as soon as her office opens today and make an appointment to bring him in. Updates on his condition will be posted.

Music

It is with great sadness that I inform my friends and family that I will no longer be singing in the choir at St. Alban's. I will not share all of my reasons for doing so, however I will say that it has become difficult to have an almost toddler in church while trying to concentrate on singing.

I will miss it greatly, don't get me wrong. I will miss it probably more than I miss singing with the Concert Choir at Baylor. Music has been a part of my life for so long that I find it hard to remember a time without it. Performing is in my blood. However, therein lies part of the problem.

I am a performer, however I firmly believe that Mass is not the place to perform, but to worship God and to take part in the sacraments. It is not a place to show off my mad music skillz. I do not want to perform at church. I do not want people to tell me how much they enjoy my singing, or that they wish I were singing a solo instead of another person (this has happened and it breaks my heart to hear). I do not want people to clap for me. I don't even want someone to tell me that my singing brought them closer to God. I am happy that people can find peace with God through music, but to tell me so only strokes my pride.

I do not tell you this to have you feel sorry for me, I do not need pity. I tell you this because I feel you have the right to know. I tell you this so you will not ask me to sing or ask me why I'm not singing. I will continue to sing lullabyes for George, join with the congregation to sing hymns and responsories, and listen to my voice echo in my bathroom while I take a shower. I may even go karaoking with friends, but I can not perform in church. To do so I believe removes humility and fills me with sinful pride.

May God bless and keep you during this Christmas season.

Christmas, Baby, and other interesting stuffs

Bat-mittens. Oh yeah.

I apologize for the lack of blogging. These last couple of months have been busy, and I've just recently gotten my office area somewhat usable. Thanksgiving was great (my turkey was EXCELLENT!), and Mom and Oma got to see our new house. My mother-in-law and brother-in-law came to visit for Christmas and are still here.

Ah, Christmas. The lights are up, the tree is up, presents were opened, I lit a wreath on fire with a candle (oops), and George had a blast.

But now George is sick. For the first time. It just breaks my heart to see him sick, babbling with a sore throat (I assume) and coughing. I can hear the phlegm in his throat when he coughs. And he had a fever, too! This afternoon he just wanted to cuddle and fell asleep on my lap. Every time I'd try to lay him down somewhere besides my lap (because he's like an oven!) he'd wake up. My poor sweet baby!

I promise to try to post more often, especially since I have lots of news to share.

The Weather Reflects My Mood

In fact it reflects it very well. Today in DFW it is overcast, windy, and kind of depressing. Yet every once in a while the sun forces its way through the clouds for a few moments. It was a perfect day to get some yard work done.

Very similar to my views on this year's election. First let me start off by saying I voted for McCain and stand by that decision. I feel that Obama's (I am finding it difficult to not call him names) election was not a good choice for this country. I am saddened at the way race has played such a big role in the campaigns. I am even more saddened at the prospect of yet more unborn (and born) babies being killed due to his advocacy for abortion and infanticide. I am wary of his foreign policies and the effect they will have on us. I fear that more of my rights will be stripped away due to his policies of "Change."

Yet the sun is peeking through. After reading several blogs and articles this morning, I am reminded that God is still here. I must continue to have faith in Him and never stop praying. That sun (Son?) peeking through the clouds is God's way of assuring us that He will never leave us. We will make it through this administration by continuing to have faith in Christ.

And perhaps this is the incentive we needed to get out and do a little change ourselves. Just like the weather inspired me to finish trimming the hedges and clearing out dead brush in the front yard so that it looks like we care about our home, perhaps this election will inspire us to work harder to bring about the GOOD kind of change that we really need. Not necessarily what our new president-elect advocates, but what is truly good and right. May this election inspire you to pray more and pay more attention to the issues that are important to your life and the lives of others.

And yes, the yard is really starting to look better. We can even see out our dining room window now! Well, we would if we didn't have boxes stacked in front of it...

I haven't dropped off of the face of the earth

yet. We have been working hard on the house this last month (we closed on September 30th) and this last week I was without internet due to moving. We're still trying to get what's left at the apartment out here, I have until Friday. I will post when I get more time, but right now I have work to do. Pictures of the house will be forthcoming along with some interesting stories of the move itself. For now, the newsletter calls.