LENT

I love Lent. There is something truly beautiful about reconnecting with God, reminding yourself constantly of the need for sacrifice, for action, and for Christ-centered lives. I love the readings at Mass during Lent, I love the exercise of purging my vices, I love the expectation of Easter!

I give up cola every year. This year I also gave up Facebook & chocolate. In addition, I am joining the movement to choose something to fast of until abortion ends, and I am giving up drive-thorough burgers and sandwiches. I have already boycotted some businesses which donate to abortion providers/advocacies. Namely, Walmart, Starbucks and Coca-cola.

With all of these seeming restrictions on my life, it would be easy to assume that things are getting difficult and tight around our household. Quite the opposite is, in fact, true. Lent seems to have freed up a great deal of joy! :) By choosing to exercise our willpower, we in the Hastings household are finding it comes more naturally to sacrifice of our personal desires/concepts for how things should go, and are re-discovering the joys of giving for the sheer love of another!

God gifts us in such mysterious and wondrous ways!

Readings for 20 Feb 2011

http://www.usccb.org/nab/022011.shtml

Reading 1
Lv 19:1-2, 17-18
The LORD said to Moses,
“Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.
“You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD.”

Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13

Responsorial Psalm

R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

1 Cor 3:16-23

Reading 2

Brothers and sisters:
Do you not know that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person;
for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.
Let no one deceive himself.
If any one among you considers himself wise in this age,
let him become a fool, so as to become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
for it is written:
God catches the wise in their own ruses,
and again:
The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,
that they are vain.
So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death,
or the present or the future:
all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.

Mt 5:38-48

Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand over your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.
“You have heard that it was said,
 You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Fr. Anthony talked about being a temple of God and what that truly means in our lives, how we can transform ourselves through humble and love-centered living, and how the understanding is found within your heart, although it can be affirmed, understood, and focused through your intellect and logic.

It is unfortunate that our world so highly praises intellect. Do not misunderstand; it is, of course, important to utilize the gifts and talents we are given. (see Matthew 5:14-16, Mark 4:21, James 2:18, Matthew 25:1-13 & Matthew 25:14-30 In encouraging that we nurture these, our world is correct. Of course we should encourage a healthy appetite for knowledge and a good expansion of our abilities. However, this is simply not enough.It is not enough to be smart. It is not enough to be talented. It is not enough to make amazing paintings and to talk about all things current and intellectual and to be awesome. It is not even the most important thing. Christ clearly spells out to us that the most important part of our lives on this earth is how we treat God and how we treat our neighbors.

This means that goodness is above our social achievements. Goodness, holiness, being a temple of God is above being smart or wealthy or fun. In a world where intelligence and "excellence" are so praised, in a world where 90% of Downs Syndrome children are aborted, in a world where stupid is a bigger insult than selfish and wherein logic is paramount, what are your priorities? Are you striving for social graces, wealth, intelligence, knowledge, greatness, physical beauty, or recognition and attention? More importantly, are you striving for goodness? Are you striving for Love? Above the things of the world, are you striving for the things of Heaven?

Thankful Thursdays

*whew* What a week! Cutting it close this Thursday!

I'm thankful for...

 1.) Friends, family, and work to keep me on my toes!

2.) Having finished N's sweater (it is SO cute on him!) and his hat to match XD

3.) A wonderful husband who brought me out on a very fantastic Valentine's Day date, and all 3 of the fantastic blessed guys in my life. :)

4.) Heat on cold days.

5.) Coworkers with sewing machines who mend my jacket. Yippee! :)

6.) Adorable phone messages left on my voicemail by my 2 1/2 yr old before his bedtime

7.) Delicious dinners

8.) Cuddlesome kittens

9.) This sweater, left for me by my now postulate nun sister who didn't know she was leaving it. I love it.

10.) God's graces in my life...through the sacraments, through my children, through the mere ability to resist temptations that once 'did me in'. :)

Readings for 6 Feb 2011

Reading 1

Is 58:7-10

Thus says the LORD:
Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
If you remove from your midst
oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
if you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday.

Ps 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Responsorial Psalm

R. (4a) The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.

Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
 

He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.

His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
His justice shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.

1 Cor 2:1-5

Reading 2

When I came to you, brothers and sisters,
proclaiming the mystery of God,
I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of Spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.

Mt 5:13-16

Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Today, Fr. Vincent talked about the term, "salt of the earth" and how much more significant it was when this passage was written rather than now. Although with the popularity of sea salt on the rise, this is changing somewhat. Think about how much one might pay for Mediterranean sea salt in the grocery store, and then think about how much more difficult it would be in Christ's time to obtain exotic flavors (even good Mediterranean sea salt would have been a substantial luxury). The best salt was used as currency frequently. Therefore, you are the salt of the earth is a complex and beautiful idea. We are all different flavors, yet all of the same clay. We are incredibly valuable to God. We enhance the earth. Or, like table salt, we lose our flavor, become bland and devalue ourselves.

I absolutely love that mass always has a central theme. Today's mass could be summed up with the old cliche, "Let your light shine." In other words, be bold, use your talents to His glory, and proclaim God's goodness with all you have. And yes, I have come to believe (after struggling with this issue quite a bit) that your words must be a part of this. When you are blessed, do you recognize God's hand in your life? Do you make an effort to sow goodness in your life?

I struggle with this in many ways. I struggle to praise Him when I know it will not be embraced wholeheartedly. I struggle to actively make Him a part of all of my life. I struggle to use the talents I am given to Glorify Him.

Lord, help me to humble myself to Your Will. Cultivate in me a heart which rejects the worldliness and lies of the Enemy, and help me to foster and embrace a love of Your Divine Plan. When I falter, God, pick me up and remind me of Your Saving Grace. Help me to be the salt of the Earth, and to Glorify you in word, thought, and deed. I make this prayer in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

What I Love About Sundays

Whenever I can manage, I try to plan my Sunday meals in advance. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even when I am being lazy and miss planning every other day, I try to get Sunday planned out. This has resulted in 2 things (a) delicious culinary treats on Sundays, and (b) a little easier time relaxing and honoring the Lord's day.

The whole concept of the Lord's day inspires me. A day for family, for joy, for celebration, and for relaxation. I admit, I'm not always fantastic at honoring the relaxation part. Sometimes work gets in the way, sometimes events get in the way. Nonetheless, I am inspired. I love Sundays. I love the moments of quiet, the extra time for cuddles. I love playing cars or tickling or reading to my boys.

I love listening to the Word. I love learning during the gospel and homily. I especially love being in the Presence and knowing Christ in the Eucharist. I love the phrase "Et cum spiritu tuo." I love the latin chants. I love the way N is learning to cross himself. I love the hymns. I love being in the Presence with my family.

There is something special about Sundays.

A Much Appreciated Gift

While N and D were in the hospital for N's dog bite, I brought T home for the night (we just couldn't all stay in that little hospital room) and found this little gift on my doorstop:

Well, it was actually in an ugly envelope for the mail, but this is what came out when I opened it.

My package from Noelle Garrett Designs! Oh, what perfect timing! Right when I needed a pick-me-up!

You'll have to forgive the terrible lighting, but I'd love to walk you through the fabulous packaging job these folks did!

Once I opened into the package (which I had to convince myself to do, because it was so pretty I actually had a hard time opening it!) , this is what I found...

Oh, aren't these tags just beautiful!?

From the moment I opened into it, I knew I was getting well-loved items. They're carefully and lovingly packaged, they're unique and individual designs, and they're just such a wonderful blend of paper, lace, and embellishments!

Thank you so much to Carrie; you brightened up an otherwise very difficult and stressful day!

Things I Love

God

My husband

My sons

My family

My friends

Good days at Mass

Our church

Sun on my back

Clean rooms

Vacuuming

Writing

Reading

Feeling fresh & clean

Honey

A cold glass of milk

Walking into a house that smells like dinner

Perfect hair days

Hot cocoa on rainy/windy nights

The boys' smiles...and smiles in general

The smell of fresh coffee

For that matter, the taste of fresh coffee

Finding sweet home accessories for low prices, particularly at yard sales/Goodwill

Music

Dancing

Doing funny things for N to imitate

Wind chimes

Good food

Finishing projects

Brushing my hair

Long baths

Hot showers

Kisses & hugs from my favorite people

N's incredibly long eyelashes

Artwork with soul

When D lets me sleep in an extra 30 min or hour

Homemade gifts

The women at Fabric Depot who obviously made their kids' ADORABLE clothes

Delicious desserts

 

Brotherly Love

They were just being cute and I had to share! :) Now for a walk...

Getting back into the swing...

First, a great big THANK YOU! to Uncle P and the lovely HR, who helped D clean up the kitchen while N, T and I were out of town. You seriously don't know how much help you truly truly were.

That said, getting back into my old routine is proving to be increasingly difficult.



I went back and re-read my old post about cleaning for inspiration.


But all I want to do is knit knit knit.


That's what I get for starting a project.

Ah, well. Back to the grind. Because I just looked over to see what that noise was that N was making and this is what I saw:

And I'm still here typing!

Gotta go!

Happy Easter!

 Jesus Christ is Risen today! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Dinner menu:
Spiral cut brown sugar glazed ham
scalloped potatoes
asparagus
rolls

Dessert:
The hubby's fabulous dark chocolate cream pie

N had a bad cough/sore throat last night and kept D up all night. We brought him to mass anyway, but then put him right down for nap, after which, he had brunch and found his basket. Then it was back down for nap (poor kid was allowed only a very small amount of chocolate). He seems to be doing better now, though. We'll see, I suppose, how he does at bedtime.

This morning when we got home from mass I made a big brunch. Yummers. Then, N found his basket with some help from Mommy, who also found T's basket. D had hidden a basket for me, too, which I gladly searched out. I'll admit it: I was a bad wifey. With the funeral and family visit, I never finished getting his basket together. I did the walk of shame with what I had collected, which he greatly appreciated. He was, of course, extremely understanding.

Talked to Grandma M, who brought the family to DMN's gravesite to plant flowers after mass in NC. I'm glad. They also removed the dead flowers (the spray and stands from the funeral), which they're planning to bury in the backyard. It feels fitting. It just doesn't seem right to throw them away and they're dead so no one wants them hanging around forever.

I think about her a lot. She and T would have been so close. And part of me thinks that because of that, she and I would have grown close. I guess that's mostly my old preggers thoughts seeping into my what-could-have-been thoughts. Ridiculous, since we live across the country, but I never said I was sensible.

It's hard to be here when I feel like I could be so much more help there. Not that I'm not needed here; I know that life isn't stopping at home just because there's been a tragedy in my family. But I feel like I should be more helpful. I feel like they've done more to help me than I have done to help them.

Sorry. Today should be a happy peaceful day of rejoicing. It is, too. I'm just being contemplative now.

D bought me soda and brought it out so that I knew I didn't need to buy myself any. Haha, he knows how surprisingly difficult it was for me to avoid drinking any soda during Lent. I am happy to say, however, that I completely honored my Lenten commitment of no high caffeine drinks (hot cocoa was always okay) and no soda whatsoever (not even an Italian soda). Even though they offer you soda CONSTANTLY on plane trips. I mean, every time I looked over, there was a stewardess going down the aisle with the beverage cart, which is largely soda. It was good for both me and N to avoid the soda, though, as N usually wears me down in public spaces like that and would likely have gotten a few sips out of my glass even if it had been soda (it was orange juice and he had plenty of it).

Well, that's all for now. Have a happy and blessed Easter!

He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’
-Matthew 28:6-7

We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 
-1 John 3:16

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
-Romans 6:9-10

Blessings

In times of greatest trial and tribulation, it is only necessary to open your heart and submit, and God reveals himself most openly.

I am in North Carolina right now; the Knights of Colombus at the Air Force Academy paid for N, T, and me to fly out here on 03/16 to be at the funeral of my baby sister, who was stillborn at 8 1/2 months of gestation. Hearts in my family break for the loss of DMN, who we were excited to meet and welcome fully into our lives. Grandma M went in on Th, 03/11 after noticing a lack of movement, and was told that she experienced something called placenta abruptio in which the placenta implodes, sometimes resulting in the death of the unborn child. Unfortunately, DMN was below the placenta and when the blood from the implosion pooled, my mom didn't know because the baby blocked the blood from escaping.

We buried DMN on Wed, 03/17. The funeral was beautiful but heartbreaking. Her casket was tiny. The attendance was much greater than expected, and many friends and family members sent condolences and flowers. My sisters NN, 18, and EN, 14, were the pallbearers. NN is in the Air Force Academy and she wore her dress blues for the funeral.

The cemetary was far from the church, and as we followed the hearse, we discussed how surreal it all felt.... Grandma M put it very eloquently, "I feel numb, and then I want to say, 'Give me back that pain! I want that pain!'" The grave was tiny, and didn't seem terribly deep. It was hard to see. Grandpa D began covering her casket, and we then took turns covering her up... N helped Mommy when it was her turn.

Then the church invited the guests to a small reception which was very tastefully done. Tablecloths, flowers, small sandwiches, and a buffet of other general reception foods.

We've received gifts of many varieties, from homemade and purchased foods to flowers to financial gifts to donations made in honor of DMN... We have been shown great love by many many people. DMN was allowed into a cemetary that's all but impossible to get into, on the graces of the Abbot. NN's Academy friends rallied and gifted a sum of money that will be used for DMN's headstone. My Uncle R, Aunt K and cousin L sent a beautiful nightlight of the Blessed Mother holding the baby Jesus.

As Father Buettner pointed out, there are two primary realities in motherhood: the reality of bringing life into the world and caring for that life, and the reality of surrendering and trusting that life to God. Just...most mothers don't experience the second in the sense of their son's or daughter's life in this world being extinguished. I hurt for my mother, but I know that her strength and her faith in God will pull her through this, though it will never be entirely gone.

So now I am here until the 31st. We didn't want to waste the time and money spent on getting N,T, and me to the funeral, so we are staying to spend some quality time with the family. D couldn't get the time off of work, and we're sorry that he couldn't, but sometimes that is how things happen.

Hopefully I'll be able to blog while I'm here, but I am focusing on family right now.

Lord, please grant my family healing in our time of need. Be with us and continue to reveal yourself to your servants. Please give us peace and humility. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. DMN, pray for us.

Artwork Splurge

A while back, D and I decided that our house needed a little more wall decoration. As luck would have it, our timing couldn't have been better. There was a convention called, "The Starving Artists Sale" in town.

A number of local artists were selling reproductions of a number of famous paintings for a very reasonable cost.

We went, and were so thrilled by our purchases!

We actually got three reproductions, but one we gifted.

Aren't they perty?

Right Now

Dinner is prepared and waiting to cook,

N is napping in his bed,

T is asleep on my chest,

D is at work (I miss him),

The house is clean,

I'm drinking juice and planning our day tomorrow,

The weather is nice,

It's quiet,

The clock is ticking,

and I am so very very blessed.

Dear Lord, 

Thank you.

Our Photographer the Saint

Just got some of the originals from a couple photoshoots with a friend of mine. While going through them, I was blown away by her patience. I think I would have been yelling, "Hold STILL!" by some point!

I thought I would share a typical selection of some of them...

We didn't realize just *how* patient she'd had to be.

Because this is the sort of work that came back to us...

Now we realize how lucky and loved we are.

Thank you, RS, for all of your hard work! We love you!