Little Atticus

For Lent, I decided to give up my favorite trips to the onsite store at work. But, beyond giving up my daily snacks, I wanted to DO something. I wanted to participate in "40 Days For Life", a campaign that brings awareness to the Pro-Life movement. So, I went to the opening prayer vigil and spent several days praying outside the local Planned Parenthood. The days spent on the sidewalk in prayer, changed me spiritually, and made me more aware of the people that enter these buildings. I saw a poverty of spirit, knowledge, and love. I also met some beautiful and amazing people, who care and love these women and girls. I was happy to find out that the campaign had saved the lives of over 700 babies nationwide, and prevented years of anguish and guilt by their mothers. During this time, I watched a documentary about one of my favorite authors, Harper Lee. She won a Pulitzer Prize for her only novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. In the documentary, it was discussed, she modelled the character of Atticus Finch on her own father, also the town lawyer. Atticus becomes the god-like figure in the book, the one who possesses all the virtue and wisdom that could be found in the 1930's, Jim Crow-South. Her book was published in 1960, just prior to the height of the Civil Rights Movement and no doubt furthered the movement in some small way. It allowed white people to put themselves in the skin of others, in the privacy of their own homes. It also allowed them to see a white man, stand up for a black man. It allowed them to acknowledge right's right, and wrong's wrong. And even though Tom Robinson's rights would eventually be trampled in 1930's Alabama, it didn't stop Atticus from doing everything in his power to save an innocent man. The same is true for those who stand up for life in 2012. It's sometimes difficult to go against the masses and stand up for what is right. The Pro-Life Movement today, is the new Civil Rights Movement. The unborn child is denied the basic right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, because he or she is unable to speak out. We must be their Atticus. Slavery, racism, segregation, and prejudice was wrong then and it's wrong now. Abortion is wrong now, and will always be wrong. I'd like to think there's a little Atticus in all of us and especially in all of those who speak out for the unborn!

Keep on Dancing!!

World Peace...That's An Oxymoron!

As much as I would love to have world peace, it's just something that isn't to be. I'm not being pessimistic, but this earth is not our home. As Christians, our home is in Heaven and this earth is our exile. We live in a fallen creation. What once was a paradise for our ancestors, was made corrupt by their sin. Their sin, was the sin of pride and thinking they knew better than God. They became their own god and chose to do as they pleased, disobeying our Heavenly Father. God uses his commandments to train us and direct our paths and when we stray from his love and direction; we are saying, we are smarter and know more than Him. So many people, especially other religions are trying to change this world into some nirvana or utopia, but only our Heavenly Father can create a new Heaven and a new Earth. They put their trust and faith in the world and Christians must place their trust and faith in God. Does this mean we shouldn't work for peace and justice in our circle of influence...NO, it just means we know our God has bigger and better plans for those who love and trust Him. It's our job to bring others to the love of Christ and give them HOPE for what is to come. When we do this, we can lead others to a place of perfect peace, acceptance, and love...Heaven!

Keep on Dancing!!

The "facebook" Birthday

Isn't facebook great?? When it's your birthday, your friends...all 842, send you best wishes and greetings for your special day. You wake up to an onslaught of birthday posts and by the time you head for bed you feel like a king or queen. I mean, it IS your birthday...it's been a special day since you were born. When you arrived, your family was so happy. They probably gathered at the hospital just to wait for you to make your appearance. When you turned one, I'm sure there was a special party. Turning one is a BIG deal...you went from a helpless, crying infant to a smiling, babbling, slightly off-balance toddler! Then we have the years between 2 and 12; there's the Barney party, the moonbounce/inflatable slide party, the Barbie party, the Spiderman party, the Circus-Theme party, and the famous skating party, where your best friend fell and broke her wrist in 3 places!! And who can forget the infamous Chuckie-Cheese party? That's the party that made your mom take to the bed!! Then the teen years roll around...we have the boy/girl party, the Sweet Sixteen party and you get the picture. Birthdays are a big deal, because they celebrate, the one and only you! You're special and God made you that way. You're unique and with each year that passes there's something to celebrate. God sends you out into this world, with the intention of watching you grow and perfect, until you return to him. When I was pondering how great and wonderful birthdays are, it made me think of those who never get a chance to celebrate their greatness. How ironic, that a society who puts so much emphasis on birthdays, continues to devalue life. Our society spends millions of dollars to celebrate a persons special day, but remains heartless when it comes to the unborn. I find this very disturbing and sad. I hope one day, every future, unborn child gets a chance to have a facebook birthday!!

Keep on Dancing!!

New Year, Old Crayons

Recently, I was helping clean out my grandmother's house. She passed away in 1995 and my uncle was living there until he passed last August. It's been about 16 years since I've spent any time in her house and being there for 3 days of cleaning, brought back a flood of memories. I spent many wonderful days and nights at her house as a child...doing as I pleased, because she let me do anything that wasn't too destructive and a few things that were!! She would let me sew all her washcloths together to make little purses, just for fun; and I suppose, she spent several minutes cutting them apart when I left. I was always welcome to make and create anything in her kitchen and one of the strongest memories is the aroma of her cooking. I miss her and my papa so much and being in their house without them, felt so sad. I found little evidence of my time there, except for a closet door with my autograph, and a box of crayons. The autograph was done with a marks-a-lot permanent marker, from which she saved me from an old-fashioned whoopin' from my mother! The box of crayons had long been forgotten, in a drawer in my papa's dresser. Seeing the crayons brought me back to my childhood immediately. I knew the box had last been touched by me, probably about 35 years ago. Crayola Crayons, in a little box, wrappers still intact. I inspected the crayons for wear and found that the colors I'm most fond of now, were the ones with the most wear. Purple, Green, Blue, and Red...they didn't have fancy names back then. Purple reminding me of family loyalty, and how the days of closeknit families are all but history. Green, reminding me of the once green pastures that surrounded her house and how the cattle would be grazing at dusk. Blue, to remind me of how I'm feeling as I clean out a lifetime of memories, and Red, that reminds me of our love for each other, and how nothing can take that from me! I so wish, I could spruce up that little house and bring it back to life and have my children experience those special times, when granny was in the kitchen and papa was in the yard, but I'll hold those moments, and that place in time, in my heart forever. As this new year begins, let's keep our families close and make special memories to treasure. So, here's to a box of crayons and my granny and papa! God bless us in 2012!

Keep on Dancing!!

Lady with a Baby...Make Room!

Once, there was a young lady with a baby and that baby was born in a barn in Bethlehem. Sometimes, it's hard to relate to a story that's so far removed from this day and time, but we have to remember that God isn't bound by time. So, we can think of that young lady as a weary traveler today, looking for a place to lay her head and deliver her young child. And we can think of that dirty barn as our heart. A place that's not perfect, but one that will give shelter. We're not always at our best and don't always do the right thing, but God can still find a place to rest in us. If we only open the door to our hearts, that sweet baby, our Savior can be born in us. I'm sure on that night over 2,000 years ago, the sounds of his cries and the warmth of the animal witnesses, made that barn come to life. He can do the same thing for you!! Let Jesus be born in your heart this Christmas and you can be filled with his grace forever!

Jesus, as we await your birth, may you prepare our heart's to receive and welcome you. Amen

Keep on Dancing!!

The 24 Hour Prayer

Being a Catholic Christian provides for such a wonderful and rich prayer life. We have so many varied ways to pray. We have all the rote prayers we've learned as a child, like The Lord's Prayer, which we affectionately call the Our Father, and the Hail Mary among many others. We have the beautiful meditation of the rosary, in which we join our Blessed Mother Mary, in recalling the life of Christ. We also have the spirit-driven, spontaneous prayer, in which I'm very fond. And of course, our ultimate prayer, is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, our highest form of worship. I feel so blessed to have so many opportunities to engage with our Heavenly Father.
One thing that often bothered me, was how to pray for family and friends in need. In my younger days, I would often agree to pray for someone and then soon forget, as I hurried through my day. I often felt like Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty, when he was listening to all the prayer requests in his head. As I matured in my prayer life, I started keeping a record of those who had asked for prayer and family members I knew were in need. I still keep that same prayer list today and refer to it several times a week and sometimes on a daily basis. But, with even more maturity, I've come to realize that my whole day, all 24 hours, is a prayer in itself. When this dawned on me, it was such a beautiful revelation from God. I like to think of it as The 24 Hour Prayer. It works so well, especially for a busy life, and I know most people are very busy. I can usually remember my morning and evening prayer without to much effort, but if my day is really busy, it's hard to squeeze in prayer time. Once your start the 24 Hour Prayer, it gets easier and easier and the Holy Spirit will prompt you with thoughts of those in need. The Lord will work with you, not against you. I may be driving to work and someone comes to mind and I'm able to quickly give a word of prayer for them, or I may be typing at my desk and remember to lift a prayer for a friend in need. When discussing the economic and job climate with a co-worker, I find myself quietly thanking God for my job. I've even prayed in the bathroom. Hey, you have to make use of your quiet time! When you don't have 30 minutes during the day to pray for all your family and friends at one time, you give over to your harried, fast-paced, day and incorporate these prayers throughout the day. I've found this 24 Hour Prayer very rewarding and less stressful. I'm sure as time passes, the Lord will reveal more ways that I can spend time with Him. I enourage you to try this method and see if it works in your life. And don't forget about yourself...God loves you and wants to hear your needs and praises of thanks too!

Keep on Dancing!!

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