Truth in quotes . . .

"If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion."
-- George Bernard Shaw

"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest."
-- Mark Twain

Blast from the past . . .

The temperatures have finally decided to dip into a bit of winter here in California. Although we are no where near the need of central heat or a blazing fireplace, we all had a hankering for hot cocoa last night.

When the children were little, I relied on the instant packets that came with the tiny, faux marshmallows. Dump the contents in a cup, add hot water, and call it cocoa. Yeah, it is sufficient but I didn't have any of the convenience stuff on hand last night. With three of the four children away at college, not a lot of call for hot cocoa these days.

Last night, however, we developed a definite craving for a hot cup of the stuff. I got out the reliable can of Hershey's baking cocoa powder, read the directions on the side of the can, and came up with a pot of wonderful potion! It had been too long. The premade packets of cocoa are okay but there is something about the edge of the homemade Hershey's receipe that fills a deeper need! : - )

Of course, not having made cocoa from 'scratch' in so long, I was a bit clumsy in my efforts but a kindly husband (who belongs to me!) happily cleaned up the dusting of cocoa powder all over the counter and the splashes of cocoa.

Appropriate quotes for our times . . .

"There are some that only employ words for the purpose of disguising their thoughts."
-- Voltaire

"Our constitution protects aliens, drunks and U.S. Senators."
-- Will Rogers

Uplift my heart . . .!

Okay, Vatican II was supposed to bring the Mass more in line with the masses - no pun intended. Fine, they translated the Mass, shortened, changed my beloved Mass but I try to be obedient with what is supposed to come out of Rome. It seems to me, however, that once the window was opened, too many people took advantage of it.

One of my first exposures to the 'new and better' was being sent on a Search for a weekend. Only three from our CCD program volunteered to attend only because our parents SAID we volunteered. The first thing they did was to take away our watches and then kept us up to all hours of the early morning to kind of break down our inhibitions. THEN, they wanted us to talk and 'share'. I heard a lot of stupid rambling because we were exhausted and just wanted to escape to our uncomfortable bunks.

The next day, we had talks which were very forgettable and were asked to break into small groups of three to 'share'. The two girls that went to the Search with me and I stuck together. The last day of the weekend, we were told that we didn't seem open to sharing . . . and they were quite correct!

There were a lot of group games with a lot of rough and tumble horseplay. There was a thin, older teen who was always in the midst of it, being dragged around by the teen boys, joking, grabbing, etc. Found out she was SISTER Ruth. Amazing what happens when you don't have the respect of a habit.

The worst of the whole 'adventure' into modern Catholicism was the music for our literally impromptu Masses. I always felt the music would have been better enjoyed by a campfire with a roasting marshmallow at hand.

This event happened years and years ago and I have never forgotten it and it did make an impact on my life . . . I shudder whenever I recall that wretched weekend! My two friends and I did not fit in, were told we did not fit in, and rejoiced in the fact that we did not fit in.

The older I have gotten, the more I realized that bringing down the Faith to MY level didn't encourage me to ascend to a higher level. Comfort is everything when you are a teen, so why change?

New meaning for peace . . . ?

The first news to hit me today was the report that the president had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. First of all, the nominations for this has a deadline of February 20th . . . at that point in time, the president had been in office less than a month. And they say these things are not political.

My second confusion at the choice was the 'peace' in the title. This president has gone out of his way to take down the restrictions on abortion that President Bush put into place during his administration. He changed the rules on embryonic stem cell research which President Bush had curtailed. Sounds like a lot of quiet violence against the unborn yet he is awarded a prize for peace.

I imagine there is an outcry today from the deceased unborn of the world in view of this award to an anti-life individual. Abortion is not a peaceful event and based just on our president's adamant mind set on the subject, a peace prize is not an award he really deserved.

Mortality in a reflection . . .

After years of making due with only adequate cooking pots and pans, we finally found the cookware of our dreams and it was selling at an unheard of price. My husband and I treated ourselves and have enjoyed using these stainless steels pans ever since.

I was busy scrubbing out one of my pots, wanting to keep it's like-new shine. My husband remarked, "You know, these pots will out live us!" That brought me up short as I looked at my reflection in the pot's surface. It was hard to take in that, some day, the pot might still be around and useful while I was long gone from the physical world! My children are all growing up quickly and I had to face the fact that I was of an age where I could soon cease to exist on earth. Yes, anyone can be taken anytime but the older you get, the more you realize that you are more likely than a youth to finish out your time. It made me think.

The pots were extremely sturdy and durable. Unless something of an extreme nature occurred, they would be useful long after they became too heavy for me to lift. It makes you start considering your present usefulness and if you are taking full advantage of the time you have left. Since you don't know what time you have left, you start feeling that you have to fill in the now with whatever usefulness brings joy into your life, makes your family happy, gives tribute to your friends, and puts your soul in line with what God expects of you.

Interesting how much thought can be provoked in the process of washing out a pot, how much mortality can be found in a reflection.

Shared by a friend . . .

If a conservative doesn’t like guns, they don’t buy one.
If a liberal doesn’t like guns, then no one should have one.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, they don’t eat meat.
If a liberal is a vegetarian, they want to ban all meat products for everyone.

If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy.
A liberal wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.

If a conservative is homosexual, they quietly enjoy their life.
If a liberal is homosexual, they loudly demand legislated respect.

If a black man or Hispanic is conservative, they see themselves as independently successful.
Their liberal counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Liberals demand that those they don’t like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn’t go to church.
A liberal wants any mention of God or religion silenced.

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A liberal demands that his neighbors pay for his.