tagged: the Book meme

Ok, I’ve been tagged so I’ll do it - Like Christine, I am a voracious reader. I do NOT promise to keep it to the “one” book per category, though!

1.Book that changed your life:
“The Happiest Baby on the Block”, by Dr. Karp. I’m not sure what we would have done without it for the first several months of a colicky, screaming baby. This is a great book that helps give tools to use for the fussy/high maintenance infant. Also, the Bioethics and Medical Ethics books that I’ve read, as they have helped me explain sexual and medical morality a lot better, something that I find important, and was very applicable in my professional days as a nurse.

Spiritually: “Deep Conversion, Deep Prayer”, by Fr. Thomas Dubay. AMAZING book, really challenged my commitment to growing spiritually and falling in love with the Lord. Also, the writing by and about Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. I read a lot on her in preparing for a medical mission trip I went on my senior year of college, and the way she totally emptied herself and showed unconditional love is enough to change anyone!

2. Book I’ve read more than once: ha! A LOT of them, actually. “Les Miserables”, by Victor Hugo tops the list at 6.5 times – I never get tired of it! “Story of a Soul”, Saint Therese of Liseux. “Chronicles of Narnia”, C.S. Lewis. “Love and Responsibility”, Pope JPII “A Return to Modesty”, Wendy Shalit – Modesty is way more than dressing appropriately. A must-read! “Cheaper by the Dozen” true story about the Gilbreth family. Funny! Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.

3. Book I’d want on a desert island: “How to make a large boat with a palm tree and some sand” Seriously, something LONG, either by volume (a thick anthology of literature comes to mind) or long by depth, like writing of the Mystics – Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Therese of Liseux. Writings by Pope John Paul II would be good, too – all these would take me a while as they tend to cause great reflection and meditation.

4.Book that made me laugh: “Girlfriends’ Guide to Pregnancy”, Vicki Iovine. I laughed so hard every time I picked it up! A must for pregnant women – it takes all the usual info and breaks it down in a real blunt way that only a “girlfriend” can do! “Cheaper by the Dozen” fits in this category, too. Dave Barry’s “Guide to Guys” and other by Dave Barry – this guy is hilarious! Erma Bombeck is always good for a laugh, too.

5. Book that made me cry: “Nicholas and Alexandra”, Robert K. Massie. I knew the ending and I still cried! “The Notebook” by Nicholas Sparks, a true romance novel. Note: I am not counting anything that affected my emotions while pregnant. That wouldn’t be fair. Anything where the hero dies in a beautiful and self-sacrificing manner.

6. Book I wish had been written: “The sure-fire easy way to get your child to sleep through the night with nobody crying.” “How to organize your life without doing any of the work”

7. Book that should never have been written: I can think of lots of books I don’t like, but none that I would go so far to say that they are evil and should never have been written… I’ll update if I can think of any. ...maybe trashy romance novels.


8. Book(s) I’m currently reading: “Outsmarting the Female Fat Cell After Pregnancy”, (not that it’s doing me too much good, yet). “Stolen Lives: 20 Years in a Desert Jail” by Malika Oufkir (true story). “Advent and Christmas with Fulton Sheen” daily meditations. “What to Expect the First Year”, “I’m Just Here for the Food”, Alton Brown, “Anna Karenina” by Tolstoy


9. Book I’ve been meaning to read: “The Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.” – with a strong devotion to the Sacred Heart, and St. Margaret Mary being the patron of my household in college you would think I would have read it by now… Also, more of Teresa of Avila and Catherine of Sienna. One day, one day…



So I’m not going to tag anyone, as the only ones that I know who read my blog have already been thus. So, if anyone wants to do it, please leave me a comment so I can read your responses!

The Holy Family

...as opposed to ours... :)

Last Sunday, being the Feast of the Holy Family, Father spoke about the image of perfection that the Holy Family exudes. This has left me pondering all week. His point was that perfection may not be so easy, as they traveled under stress a lot. (I'm paraphrasing here, of course.) My mind wandered to a different focus, namely "why do they always look so perfect and calm?" Simple: Jesus was at the center. duh!

When you look at the pictures, EVERY picture, they are calm and content. As they journeyed to Bethlehem: Let me tell you, as a recently pregnant woman, if we had been traveling on a donkey the night before I was giving birth my face would not have been so calm, and I doubt Mary said any of the things I would have been telling my husband. The fleeing to Egypt: I have travelled with an infant, they were more likely traveling with a toddler, which is no doubt harder. Of course, the woman who had seen an angel and conceived of the Holy Spirit couldn't doubt her husband's dream, no matter how outlandish it seemed. So forth they went - with a toddler, in the middle of the night. So did Jesus fall back asleep, or did He remember to go to the bathroom before they started? Does it matter when you're traveling by donkey on a dirt road? It doesn't matter, when the Son of God is the center.

The image that has come to my mind a lot this week is the serene acceptance in Mary's face through all of this. Do you think that Jesus, the Incarnate Word, slept through the night right away? Seriously, this is foremost in my mind these days! The bags under my eyes could swaddle my baby. But of course, "No crying He makes." Would it have mattered? If we trusted without any doubt or concern that God's plan was going to come to perfection in our children, would it matter to us how often we had to re-calm them or tolerate the temper tantrums?

While some of us have a tendency to focus on their perfection, I have thought more about their hardship, and what they endured. Through it all, there's a reason they are referred to as "The Holy Family" - not because their life was perfect and trial-free. Rather, because of the way they endured their trials with peaceful acceptance and contentment. If we keep Jesus at the center of our own families, it doesn't mean we get a free ticket out of trials. Being a Christian sure as heck doesn't make life easier. Keeping Jesus in the center instead simply gives us the tools and the grace to use them. And come to think of it, Father John was right - none of us have been forced to pack up in the middle of the night to save our children's life from murder. Instead, we have "minor" trials that challenge us to keep The Incarnate Word at the center of our families, too. We "can do all things through Christ who strengthens" us.

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2008! This was the first time in 3 years that I have celebrated New Years with my family, instead of the gals at work! A strange and wonderful feeling! We were all up at my brother Tom's house for an evening of fun, games, drinks, and laughs. We had a ball - a "giant sleepover" in the kids' minds. Isabella did not fall asleep until midnight - she outlasted all but one other in the 10-and-under crowd!

She loved the keyboard! It made her so happy to bang away at the keys and get the immediate satisfaction of noise.

a good day for sleeping...

Yes, that's what Isabella must have decided this morning. After sleeping in I was sure our napping "schedule" would be off. Instead, she cried herself to sleep in 20 minutes or less for all 3 naps today! YAY! This is a huge milestone for us. I cherish the time of rocking her to sleep, snuggling and cuddling. I relish the moments of gazing at her face all mushed up against me as she rests peacefully. I have loved it. For everything there is a season, however, and since I find it important that she be able to put herself to sleep eventually, we have started the process. UGH. As every parent before me and every one after agrees, I hate this. But, today was encouraging. One day she will fall asleep with less drama. One day she might even sleep through the night, but that's another feat for another week.

What to do with a Mullet

Natural Fashion at its best...