Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
New books
I have just recently finished a few teen tomes and found them satisfying. "Sorta like a Rock Star" by Matthew Quick was a fun over the holiday read. I found the main character impossibly hope filled in the beginning maybe because I am surrounded by such pessimists in my current life, I just couldn't believe anyone living such a life could be so happy and helpful and 17 all at the same time. But by the end of the story I was cheering this young woman on in her quest to save her puppy and in the process her life. An interesting exploration of faith and God also takes place, could be a good discussion book for the girls.
Next I read " I Now Pronounce You Someone Else", really I have a few pages left, but it was another one that I see as a good discussion book for the young ladies. The main character here falls in love, she is also determined to remain a virgin till her wedding, Her virginity isn't the issue here, that is just a personal decision of the young lady and doesn't even have religious roots. The falling in love and what to do about it when you are only a junior in high school is where the conflict lies. I love that she makes wise decisions, listens to friends who care, and realizes how big a step marriage is for a high school student. This is definitely a girl book, filled with romance and heart warming moments. The family relationships add to the topics for discussion, what makes a family, what happens when one becomes broken, and can they ever be fixed? Join Bronwen as she journeys through some tumultuous times.
A recent Alex award recipient "The Room" by Donoghue would also make a great book club read. A young lady is kidnapped at 19 and has lived for 7 years in a 12x12 room with her 5 year old son, held hostage by her captor. A daring escape and the repercussions lead to major character changes and not always what you would hope for or expect. The story is told through the eyes of the young son and his perspective colors yours. I found myself being angry at some of the adults but upon review of their actions found them similar to what I might have done in the same situation. Ma, is your hero while in captivity but she becomes a new and unknown person with the advent of freedom, and her focus shifts so quickly from her son to the outside that I was left wondering if it was the same person. Yet upon considering all that took place, and her goals and the success of those goals, she would need to change her focus pretty dramatically, and quickly. What kept her alive, and sane was her son, she no longer had to fight that battle, just learn to live with the memories.
...So little time...
Next I read " I Now Pronounce You Someone Else", really I have a few pages left, but it was another one that I see as a good discussion book for the young ladies. The main character here falls in love, she is also determined to remain a virgin till her wedding, Her virginity isn't the issue here, that is just a personal decision of the young lady and doesn't even have religious roots. The falling in love and what to do about it when you are only a junior in high school is where the conflict lies. I love that she makes wise decisions, listens to friends who care, and realizes how big a step marriage is for a high school student. This is definitely a girl book, filled with romance and heart warming moments. The family relationships add to the topics for discussion, what makes a family, what happens when one becomes broken, and can they ever be fixed? Join Bronwen as she journeys through some tumultuous times.
A recent Alex award recipient "The Room" by Donoghue would also make a great book club read. A young lady is kidnapped at 19 and has lived for 7 years in a 12x12 room with her 5 year old son, held hostage by her captor. A daring escape and the repercussions lead to major character changes and not always what you would hope for or expect. The story is told through the eyes of the young son and his perspective colors yours. I found myself being angry at some of the adults but upon review of their actions found them similar to what I might have done in the same situation. Ma, is your hero while in captivity but she becomes a new and unknown person with the advent of freedom, and her focus shifts so quickly from her son to the outside that I was left wondering if it was the same person. Yet upon considering all that took place, and her goals and the success of those goals, she would need to change her focus pretty dramatically, and quickly. What kept her alive, and sane was her son, she no longer had to fight that battle, just learn to live with the memories.
...So little time...
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Do I Out Myself?
I have been asked to give a talk at my church, a 20 minute talk. For starters 20 minutes is a very long time, secondly I am not sure they really want to know my opinion and they might possibly kick me out. Another quandary.
The church I regularly attend is often off in left field in practices and beliefs. While being open and welcoming it occasionally fails in the integrity to our faith principles category. This has been a constant struggle and I am not the only closet conservative in the parish. A number of us actually teach the children weekly, seeing ourselves as preserving the true faith in the generations to come. We have actually considered leaving our parish on more than one occasion, as we live close to at least two other churches that would fill the bill, but we haven't. And now someone has asked me to talk about "What the Roman Catholic Church Means to Us as Women" well, what it means more specifically to me.
There are many answers to this but I guarantee they will not match the reasons of even a few in my audience and many will be appalled. So do I speak my mind, and possibly make life uncomfortable enough that we will have to move on? As open and welcoming as they appear, some are not very welcoming when it comes to those who wish to uphold the teachings of Rome. Hospitality of the warmest sort is reserved for those who condone and hold in esteem a gay lifestyle, who insist that women be admitted to the priesthood, who believe that abortion is truly a woman's choice, who think the problem with a shortage of priests will be improved by allowing priests to marry, who really think men are incapable of running anything and women always do it better, and think the atrocity of pedophilia is a by product of the church's insistence on chastity. If they only knew...It would be back to my Memphis days, Wednesday nights when all the Baptists are out witnessing to everyone at Burger King.
The church I regularly attend is often off in left field in practices and beliefs. While being open and welcoming it occasionally fails in the integrity to our faith principles category. This has been a constant struggle and I am not the only closet conservative in the parish. A number of us actually teach the children weekly, seeing ourselves as preserving the true faith in the generations to come. We have actually considered leaving our parish on more than one occasion, as we live close to at least two other churches that would fill the bill, but we haven't. And now someone has asked me to talk about "What the Roman Catholic Church Means to Us as Women" well, what it means more specifically to me.
There are many answers to this but I guarantee they will not match the reasons of even a few in my audience and many will be appalled. So do I speak my mind, and possibly make life uncomfortable enough that we will have to move on? As open and welcoming as they appear, some are not very welcoming when it comes to those who wish to uphold the teachings of Rome. Hospitality of the warmest sort is reserved for those who condone and hold in esteem a gay lifestyle, who insist that women be admitted to the priesthood, who believe that abortion is truly a woman's choice, who think the problem with a shortage of priests will be improved by allowing priests to marry, who really think men are incapable of running anything and women always do it better, and think the atrocity of pedophilia is a by product of the church's insistence on chastity. If they only knew...It would be back to my Memphis days, Wednesday nights when all the Baptists are out witnessing to everyone at Burger King.
It didn't take long to find out how to rid yourself of the salvation onslaught. And the approach was unavoidable, these folks are truly on a mission, and would speak to everyone in the building before they would leave. You have to admire that kind of passion. As you are just getting ready to sample your flame-broiled selection someone slides into the seat next to you "Have you been saved" is their opening line. "I'm Catholic" became my standard response. This is like a garlic necklace to vampires, the unsuspecting Baptist backs away slowly with the parting response "We'll pray for you." People would be backing away at church like I had the plague.
So I am praying, and waiting and wondering, but still don't know if speaking up will serve any good purpose. And may just bring an end to my clandestine endeavors to save our youth.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Transitions
It was the discussion topic last night at our homeschool parent meeting, transitions. That combined with the new year makes for whirlwind thoughts in my brain. Time for change or just time to improve, or maybe a little of both. My eldest is already in transition, taking college courses, for her last two years of high school, the younger girls just stuck in junior high but we should be gearing up for those high school years. I would like for them to also begin college courses in their junior years so I can avoid teaching calculus and lab sciences. It would effectively end my homeschool hands on time a full year earlier than anticipated. Nice, except I don't know what I want to do with my life.
Lounging at home is out of the question, we will have three in college, which means gainful employment must be in my future. Retirement a distant dream in a fragile bubble. So life in the next few years will be filled with transitions. Scary precipices requiring leaps of faith too often for complacency. What's a mother to do? It is amazing to me how much teenagers still need a mother at home. While they all transition there are frequent explosions, hours of angst, and soulful apologies, that shake a home to the core. So until they are all safely out of the house I feel I must remain in my current unpaid position. It would be nice to find something to do now and smoothly and effortlessly transition to full time when the younger two head off to college. This would avoid transition trauma for me, and make life a little calmer in the intervening years. Eighteen months before I need the brainstorm from which emerges the idea of the century. That and the lottery will keep me from transition trauma.
Lounging at home is out of the question, we will have three in college, which means gainful employment must be in my future. Retirement a distant dream in a fragile bubble. So life in the next few years will be filled with transitions. Scary precipices requiring leaps of faith too often for complacency. What's a mother to do? It is amazing to me how much teenagers still need a mother at home. While they all transition there are frequent explosions, hours of angst, and soulful apologies, that shake a home to the core. So until they are all safely out of the house I feel I must remain in my current unpaid position. It would be nice to find something to do now and smoothly and effortlessly transition to full time when the younger two head off to college. This would avoid transition trauma for me, and make life a little calmer in the intervening years. Eighteen months before I need the brainstorm from which emerges the idea of the century. That and the lottery will keep me from transition trauma.
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