Haiku Wednesday: Water

This week's theme: Water

Tidal Pools

photo courtesy of skywalker.cochise.edu/.../image008.jpg

Tides gently roll out

Having brought nourishment, life

To pools left behind.

Waterfalls of NC

photo courtesy of http://www.ncwaterfalls.com

Thundering power.

Carving tracks; forging their paths.

Wonders of nature.

Tears

photo courtesy of worshippingchristian.org

Liquid orbs burst forth

Spilling, flowing. Drippy mess.

Onions will do that!

Haiku is simple: 3 non rhyming lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively. 

To join in on the fun, just click on the link above. 

Come on in, the WATER'S fine!

Tuesday Tidbits

Birthday Conversations

2 Weeks Ago


"I don't want a party for my birthday."
"Really?"
"I don't want a party."
"Okay, fine."
"Good."

1 Week Ago

"I don't want you to get me anything for my birthday."

"Are you sure? I think the kids might like to get you a little something."

"I don't want anything."

"Okay, fine."

"Good."

Last Weekend (shopping with daughter)

"Shall we pick up Daddy a card?"

"Well, you know he did say he didn't want anything for his birthday."

"Yeah, that's right."

Yesterday

"I was surprised that no one got me a birthday card."

"You said you didn't want anything."

"I didn't say I didn't want a card."

"Sigh."

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Lunar Lunacy

Did anyone catch it? You know, about a month or so ago?

That was when NASA decided to bomb the moon. Yes, BOMB the moon! You know, that lunar orb so bright in the night time sky? The same one that affects the cycles of women on earth?

Since that time I've had 2, (yes 2) periods! Thanks a lot NASA for interfering with my cycle!

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The following is a conversation relayed to me, by my daughter, between her and a friend.


Daughter: "You know how every person kinda has a different scent?"
Friend: "Yeah, it's weird! Usually it's how their home smells."
Daughter: "Yeah, like you smell like fabric softener."
Friend: "Oh, really? Thanks. You smell like soup."

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It's Election Day!

Exercise Your Right to Vote!

Which brings me to my funny election story.

Yesterday, I had one lone election sign, for a good friend of ours, in the back of my yard facing a well traveled road. 

I left to go to the grocery store and upon my return, a mere 30 minutes later, this is what I saw. 

Can't leave those wily election signs alone for one moment! 

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Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank you all for your very kind comments in reference to yesterday's post on the kids' Halloween costumes. In case you are wondering, I did make those scarves the boys were wearing. It was relatively quick and easy (if you don't count my initial miscalculation ending up with a 5 foot long scarf!). Maybe I should do one as a giveaway? What do you all think?

Monday Musings

Dear Carolina Panthers,

I sincerely thank you for taking into consideration the comments I made last week. And forget what I said about Jake . . . I allowed my emotions, at the time, to take over. All in all GREAT JOB!

All my best,

Mrs. Sister

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Strange, very strange. I woke up next to an old man this morning.

Oh, never mind . . . it's just my husband.

Mr. Sister turns 50 today!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY BUNNY!

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On a final note, I leave you with photographic evidence of a weekend visit from Harry Potter, Hermione Grainger, and Ron Weasely.

Nice scar, I mean scarf, Harry.

Hermione strikes a lovely pose as in her recent movie poster.

Be careful with that wand, Ron!

Harry appears uncomfortable with Hermione's attention.

Buddies for life!

Ron, you really need to fix your wand.

Great friends and magical times.

Sacred Sunday

In honor of All Saint’s Day I thought I’d give you a little biography of my all time favorite saint, St. Anthony of Padua.  Our family so loves this incredible saint that we named our home school St. Anthony Academy.  A special thank you to EWTN and Catholic On Line for providing the following article and "fun fact".

St. Anthony's Youth and Conversion

St. Anthony was born in the year 1195 A. D. at Lisbon (Portugal) where his father was a captain in the royal army. Already at the age of fifteen years, he had entered the Congregation of Canons Regular of St. Augustine and devoted himself with great earnestness both to study and to the practice of piety in the Monastery at Coimbra (Portugal).

About that time some of the first members of the Order of Friars Minor, which St. Francis has founded in 1206 A. D. came to Coimbra. They begged from the Canons Regular a small and very poor place, from which by their evangelical poverty and simplicity they edified everyone in the region. Then in 1219 A. D. some of these friars, moved by divine inspiration, went as missionaries to preach the Gospel of Christ to the inhabitants of Morocco. There they were brutally martyred for the Faith. Some Christian merchants succeeded in recovering their remains; and so brought their relics in triumph back to Coimbra.

The relics of St. Bernard and companions, the first martyrs of the Franciscan Order, seized St. Anthony with an intense desire to suffer martyrdom in a like manner. So moved by their heroic example he repeatedly begged and petitioned his superiors to be given leave to join the Franciscan Order. In the quiet little Franciscan convent at Coimbra he received a friendly reception, and in the same year his earnest wish to be sent to the missions in Africa was fulfilled.

St. Anthony's Arrival in Italy

But God had decreed otherwise. And so, St. Anthony scarcely set foot on African soil when he was seized with a grievous illness. Even after recovering from it, he was so weak that, resigning himself to the will of God, he boarded a boat back to Portugal. Unexpectedly a storm came upon them and drove the ship to the east where it found refuge on coast of Sicily. St. Anthony was greeted and given shelter by the Franciscans of that island, and thus came to be sent to Assisi, where the general chapter of the Order was held in May, 1221 A. D.

Since he still looked weak and sickly, and gave no evidence of his scholarship, no one paid any attention to the stranger until Father Gratian, the Provincial of friars living in the region of Romagna (Italy), had compassion on him and sent him to the quiet little convent near Forli (also in Italy). There St. Anthony remained nine months as chaplain to the hermits, occupied in the lowliest duties of the kitchen and convent, and to his heart's content he practiced interior as well as exterior mortification.

St. Anthony, Preacher and Teacher

But the hidden jewel was soon to appear in all its brilliance. For the occasion of a ceremony of ordination some of the hermits along with St. Anthony were sent to the town of Forli. Before the ceremony was to begin, however, it was announced that the priest who was to give the sermon had fallen sick. The local superior, to avert the embarrassment of the moment, quickly asked the friars in attendance to volunteer. Each excused himself, saying that he was not prepared, until finally, St. Anthony was asked to give it. When he too, excused himself in a most humble manner, his superior ordered him by virtue of the vow of obedience to give the sermon. St. Anthony began to speak in a very reserved manner; but soon holy animation seized him, and he spoke with such eloquence, learning and unction that everybody was fairly amazed.

When St. Francis was informed of the event, he gave St. Anthony the mission to preach throughout Italy. At the request of the brethren, St. Anthony was later commissioned also to teach theology, "but in such a manner," St. Francis distinctly wrote, " that the spirit of prayer be not extinguished either in yourself or in the other brethren." St. Anthony himself placed greater value in the salvation of souls than on learning. For that reason he never ceased to exercise his office as preacher despite his work of teaching.

The number of those who came to hear him was sometimes so great that no church was large enough to accommodate and so he had to preach in the open air. Frequently St. Anthony wrought veritable miracles of conversion. Deadly enemies were reconciled. Thieves and usurers made restitution. Calumniators and detractors recanted and apologized. He was so energetic in defending the truths of the Catholic Faith that many heretics returned to the Church. This occasioned the epitaph given him by Pope Gregory IX "the ark of the covenant."

In all his labors he never forgot the admonition of his spiritual father, St. Francis, that the spirit of prayer must not be extinguished. If he spent the day in teaching and heard the confession of sinners till late in the evening, then many hours of the night were spent in intimate union with God.

Once a man, at whose home St. Anthony was spending the night, came upon the saint and found him holding in his arms the Child Jesus, unspeakably beautiful and surrounded with heavenly light. For this reason St. Anthony is often depicted holding the Child Jesus.

He is typically depicted with a book and the Infant Child Jesus, to whom He miraculously appeared, and is commonly referred to today as the "finder of lost articles." Upon exhumation, some 336 years after his death, his body was found to be corrupted, yet his tongue was totally incorrupt, so perfect were the teachings that had been formed upon it.