"I used to think that the brain was the most wonderful organ in my body. Then I realized who was telling me this."
-- Emo Phillips
" There is no nonsense so gross that society will not, at some time, make a doctrine of it and defend it with every weapon of communal stupidity."
-- Robertson Davies
Friday, August 21, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Personal justice and being Christian . . .
We have a young lady at morning Mass who very much wanted to learn how to do the readings. We've noticed her because she always comes to Mass in a rather tight sweat suit with her hair yanked back. I have since discovered that she usually does her walking/running either before or after Mass. Technically, she is in her 'work' clothes and I should not have judged!
The first day she went solo for the readings at Mass, I didn't recognize her when she came up the church steps. Her hair was styled softly around her face, she was wearing heels and stockings as well as her Sunday best dress. She said that she would not feel right standing in front of the altar in anything but her Sunday best even if it was a daily Mass. Her reading was perfect and you could tell she had taken the time to practice the scripture.
The same, young lady read again last week. She kept to her decision and was dressed very nicely. The next day, we found out that someone in the congregation had soundly chastised her for being inappropriately dressed for doing the readings. Very confusing as her dress was not low-cut, the sleeves were long, and the dress hit her just at the knee. The young woman was so upset, she almost decided to quit.
Thankfully, she read yesterday and came, as always, dressed in a nice outfit. I couldn't tell any difference between any of the outfits she has worn to date. They were all decent and attractive. I wondered what the crabby woman in the congregation could have been offended about. I was glad the young lady stood her ground and didn't leave. Unfortunately, I know of a couple other cases where people were 'talked' to by the same irate woman in the congregation and they never came back.
I always thought being Christian was being kindly and showing by example. I don't see how you draw people into the fold by publically telling them all that's wrong with them. Yes, people do show up inappropriately dressed for Mass. However, we don't know what brings them to Mass, in the first place, or why they are dressed that way. Everyone has a history and if you judge before you find out, you could create a turning point in that person's life that you will have to answer for come Judgement Day.
The first day she went solo for the readings at Mass, I didn't recognize her when she came up the church steps. Her hair was styled softly around her face, she was wearing heels and stockings as well as her Sunday best dress. She said that she would not feel right standing in front of the altar in anything but her Sunday best even if it was a daily Mass. Her reading was perfect and you could tell she had taken the time to practice the scripture.
The same, young lady read again last week. She kept to her decision and was dressed very nicely. The next day, we found out that someone in the congregation had soundly chastised her for being inappropriately dressed for doing the readings. Very confusing as her dress was not low-cut, the sleeves were long, and the dress hit her just at the knee. The young woman was so upset, she almost decided to quit.
Thankfully, she read yesterday and came, as always, dressed in a nice outfit. I couldn't tell any difference between any of the outfits she has worn to date. They were all decent and attractive. I wondered what the crabby woman in the congregation could have been offended about. I was glad the young lady stood her ground and didn't leave. Unfortunately, I know of a couple other cases where people were 'talked' to by the same irate woman in the congregation and they never came back.
I always thought being Christian was being kindly and showing by example. I don't see how you draw people into the fold by publically telling them all that's wrong with them. Yes, people do show up inappropriately dressed for Mass. However, we don't know what brings them to Mass, in the first place, or why they are dressed that way. Everyone has a history and if you judge before you find out, you could create a turning point in that person's life that you will have to answer for come Judgement Day.
Projects begat projects . . .
Finished my All Saints Day costume projects. In all, I have made 15 costumes to sell on-line. Not sure if the project has been cost productive but I had fun doing it and helped out a lot of moms. After a hectic day of realizing it wouldn't be a great profit and swearing off any more project ideas, I'm thinking about making quilted Christmas stockings now. Hope springs eternal . . . and keeps me out of real trouble!
All too true in this day and age . . .
"There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I don't know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president."
-- Kurt Vonnegut
"How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin."
-- Ronald Reagan
"Sometimes people carry to such perfection the mask they have assumed that in due course they actually become the person they seem."
-- W. Somerset Maugham
-- Kurt Vonnegut
"How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin."
-- Ronald Reagan
"Sometimes people carry to such perfection the mask they have assumed that in due course they actually become the person they seem."
-- W. Somerset Maugham
Monday, August 17, 2009
History always repeats itself . . .
The reason we have wars and repeat problems in the world is a lack of historical education because history tends to repeats itself over and over. I ran across this and it brought it to mind.
In 1961, Ronald Reagan joined the American Medical Association in opposing the Democratic Party's attempt to force socialized medicine on the American people.
President Reagan's advice is just as relevant today as it was then. In part, he warned:
"One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It's very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. . . . Now, the American people, if you put it to them about socialized medicine and gave them a chance to choose, would unhesitatingly vote against it." - Ronald Reagan
In 1961, Ronald Reagan joined the American Medical Association in opposing the Democratic Party's attempt to force socialized medicine on the American people.
President Reagan's advice is just as relevant today as it was then. In part, he warned:
"One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It's very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project. . . . Now, the American people, if you put it to them about socialized medicine and gave them a chance to choose, would unhesitatingly vote against it." - Ronald Reagan
Saturday, August 15, 2009
What quilting?
Quilting is still on the sidelines this week. I'm reliving the childhood of my children with a seasonal business - making All Saints Day costumes to sell. So far, they seem to be popular. I'm enjoying making the outfits for toddlers and such and remembering how much my brood liked getting dressed up for such events.
The year my oldest was four, he wanted to be a lion for Halloween. I found some fuzzy, brown fabric and contrived a costume complete with a head covering sporting a bright, orange mane. He was in seventh heaven. He went out to show an older friend next door. When Samantha saw him, she pretended to be SO afraid of this lion. My son had a kind heart and immediately tried to put her at ease with, "Don't worry, Manta! It's just me!"
Sadly, my bunch is way, way past the dressing up stage. However, my current project is fun as I can let my imagination go and figure out unique ways to depict various saint costumes. Right now, I have eight of them cut out and ready for sewing. It's fun to relive memories and keep your hands busy, too!
The year my oldest was four, he wanted to be a lion for Halloween. I found some fuzzy, brown fabric and contrived a costume complete with a head covering sporting a bright, orange mane. He was in seventh heaven. He went out to show an older friend next door. When Samantha saw him, she pretended to be SO afraid of this lion. My son had a kind heart and immediately tried to put her at ease with, "Don't worry, Manta! It's just me!"
Sadly, my bunch is way, way past the dressing up stage. However, my current project is fun as I can let my imagination go and figure out unique ways to depict various saint costumes. Right now, I have eight of them cut out and ready for sewing. It's fun to relive memories and keep your hands busy, too!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Digging up the past . . .
I have to admit that I do not like cleaning and sorting out my sewing cupboards. There are too many memories and way, way too many unfinished projects that my children have now outgrown. It's a bitter sweet endeavor as I sighed over little dress patterns I never had time to sew for them. Then it gets worse! I have to make decisions about what memories get to clutter up my cupboards another year and which ones absolutely have to be given away. Most of me realizes that I'm only on this earth a certain number of years but there is a tiny segment that is still trying to figure out how to take it all with me! I have a feeling that God doesn't want me to bring junk to my mansion in the sky. I'm hoping to have an eternity to clutter it up in a heavenly way! : - )
Cleaning up is good for the budget, too. I now realize that it will be years before I have to buy another needle having unearthed several packages that fell between the cracks in my organizational abilities from other years. Pencils, pens, and markers are not longer an endangered species, and it would be interesting to know how many times my unintentional thread collection could go around the world.
Even though the cupboard doors are closed on my sewing supplies, I know that the shelves are dusted and organized. You can just sense it when you walk into the room . . . that and the fact that the doors actually close all the way now!
Cleaning up is good for the budget, too. I now realize that it will be years before I have to buy another needle having unearthed several packages that fell between the cracks in my organizational abilities from other years. Pencils, pens, and markers are not longer an endangered species, and it would be interesting to know how many times my unintentional thread collection could go around the world.
Even though the cupboard doors are closed on my sewing supplies, I know that the shelves are dusted and organized. You can just sense it when you walk into the room . . . that and the fact that the doors actually close all the way now!
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