Bipolar kids or bad parents?

This article really shocked me, and Ithink it does point out an important issue in our modern day American society: that we look for excuses for everything, for all of our shortcomings, for someone else to wipe our noses, and medication fixes everything. Not so. Think about it. The sentiment contained herein applies to many more issues than just 2 year old being diagnosed as bipolar when they simply have temper tantrums.

At the urging of parents, doctors are medicating far too many kids who just need a better upbringing, according to Dr. ELIZABETH J. ROBERTS
Sunday, November 18, 2007

Stacy Innerst/Post-GazetteOn Dec. 13, 2006, 4-year-old Rebecca Riley died, drowning in her own lung secretions. Her death was the direct result of psychiatric medications which had been prescribed to her for a presumed diagnosis of bipolar disorder -- a diagnosis first given to her when she was only 2 years old.

In September 2007, researchers at Columbia University reported that there had been a 40-fold increase in the number of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder from 1994 to 2003 -- an increase which has shown no signs of slowing.

Worse than the current frenzy to diagnose children with bipolar disorder is the practice of medicating kids as young as 2 with the kinds of psychiatric medications that were once prescribed only to psychotic adults. The shocking reality is that the use of these potent anti-psychotic drugs in children increased more than 500 percent between 1993 and 2002.

This dramatic rise in childhood bipolar disorder has spurred a raging debate in the mental health field. Some psychiatrists insist that this incredible increase is entirely due to the identification of mentally ill children who had been previously overlooked.

Yet a 4,000 percent increase in childhood mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder, is simply implausible and difficult to justify based solely on improved diagnostic techniques. To the contrary, in the 30-plus years that I have been treating, educating and caring for children -- half of that time as a child psychiatrist -- I have found that the approach to diagnostics in psychiatry clearly has deteriorated over time, not improved.

There was a time when doctors insisted on hours of evaluation with a child and his parents before venturing a psychiatric diagnosis or prescribing a medication. Today many of my colleagues brag that they can complete an initial assessment of a child and write a prescription in less than 20 minutes. Many parents have told me it took a previous doctor less than five minutes to diagnose and medicate their child.

How, then, is it possible that in 2007 doctors are now able to identify hundreds of thousands of previously missed cases of bipolar disorder in children by reducing the time they spend with patients from multiple hours to just a few minutes?

On the other hand, there simply is no possible way that the number of children who actually have bipolar disorder has increased from approximately 20,000 to 800,000 in a nine-year period. Yet the arguments of skeptics are being dismissed by academics in psychiatry. Research psychiatrists appear to be more invested in defending their research conclusions -- funded by pharmaceutical companies -- than engaging in a meaningful discussion to examine these preposterous demographics.

What I find more astounding than the claim that there are 800,000 American children with bipolar disorder is the fact that there are that many children whose conduct is so aberrant that their parents are seeking psychiatric treatment for them.

The symptoms, which are regarded as evidence of bipolar disorder, usually are what most people recognize as ordinary belligerence. Children who have anger outbursts, who refuse to go to bed, who are moody and self-centered under the current standard of care in child psychiatry are being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. To most rational human beings, these behaviors describe an ill-mannered, immature and poorly disciplined child. Nonetheless, the temper tantrums of belligerent children are increasingly being characterized by doctors as the mood swings of bipolar disorder.

The over-indulgent parenting practices of the past 20 years have created a generation of dysfunctional children who are becoming increasingly more entitled, defiant and oppositional. In a poll by Associated Press-Ipsos, 93 percent of people surveyed said that today's parents are not doing a good job when it comes to teaching their kids to behave. According to Dan Kindlon, a Harvard psychologist, 50 percent of the parents he interviewed described themselves as more permissive than their parents had been.

The permissive parents of spoiled children seek refuge from blame by using the excuse that their child's angry outbursts are the result of a chemical imbalance. Since a psychiatric condition is completely beyond a parent's control, a diagnosis of bipolar disorder is the perfect alibi. Once a child has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a parent feels absolved of guilt or responsibility for the child's misbehavior and therefore, the parents' discipline practices cannot be called into question.

Parents looking for a psychiatric explanation for their child's misbehavior will find an abundance of support in the media and on the Web for the conclusion that their child's temper tantrums are due to a psychiatric disease rather than the result of bad parenting. Psychiatrists, for their part, are more than willing to accept, without question, the assessment offered by a parent. Doctors have found it easier and less contentious to comply with a parent's wish to have their child diagnosed with a psychiatric condition than to confront the parent with the notion that their own weak parenting is the root cause of the child's aberrant behavior.

Using the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, doctors then justify the sedation of these children with powerful psychiatric drugs. Even though some children treated with anti-psychotics may be temporarily sedated, their belligerent attitude continues unchanged. Of the many children I treat every year who had been previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder, not one of them stopped throwing tantrums after being treated with psychiatric medications. Yet doctors continue to misdiagnose and overmedicate children to appease frustrated parents in spite of the many serious, permanent or even lethal side effects.

Tragically, as in the death of Rebecca Riley, her parents administered the multiple medications prescribed by their psychiatrist for Rebecca's "bipolar disorder" until the meds killed her. A few weeks ago, in an interview on 60 Minutes, Rebecca's mother told Katie Couric that she now believes that her four-year-old daughter had been misdiagnosed, had never been bipolar, and that Rebecca was simply mischievous.

When it comes to misdiagnosing and overmedicating children, doctors have an unwitting, though not unwilling, accomplice -- the parent. Ultimately, it is the parent who is the gatekeeper for their child's health-care delivery. It is the parent who pursues psychiatric treatment for their child, fills the prescriptions and administers the medications. Parents have a duty to protect their children from the folly of this disastrous approach to childhood behavior problems.

Instead of grooming, feeding and educating the next generation of Americans to be the fittest, brightest, most competent contributors on the planet, we have indulged, placated and spoiled our children into dysfunctional misfits. We are teaching our children to use a psychiatric diagnosis to excuse their antisocial behaviors. This will inevitably lead to a greater reliance on psychiatric medications, which unfortunately do not endow an individual with improved self-control or maturity.

Under the guise of treating childhood bipolar disorder, the spoiling of American children not only undermines their healthy social development, but it also puts them at great risk for the serious medical complications inherent in the use of psychiatric medications, including death.

First published on November 18, 2007 at 12:00 am
Dr. Elizabeth J. Roberts is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and the author of "Should You Medicate Your Child's Mind?" (Perseus Books, 2006). She practices in California and recently took part in a symposium on bipolar disorder at Point Park University which contributed to a new book, "Bipolar Children: Cutting Edge Controversy, Insight and Research," edited by Point Park Prof. Sharna Olfman.

Soundtrack of my life 1

OK, so this is entirely random, but laughable, thanks to Carrie, who seems to have time for nothing else ;-). Any of you onlookers should do it too, even if it is just for a laugh. It is especially funny if you have been staring at textbooks all day and haven't spent much time with your fellow man in the past 48 hours. You are free to think that this is totally mindless and doesn't deserve your time, but I would say you ought to lighten up, or you'll have a myocardial infarction (heart attack) in the near future =D. Disclaimer: this is in no way meant to reflect real life (and I didn't do/won't do many of these), and if it does, it is pure coincidence.

IF YOUR LIFE WERE A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...
7. When you're finished tag some other people to do it!

Opening Credits:
Dance at the Crossroads—Scythian

Waking Up:
How Many Devils? –Broadway Allstars

First Day at School:
Angels We Have Heard on High—Christendom College

Falling in Love:
Clarinet Concerto in A Major: Adagio—Mozart

Fight Song:
There Were Roses—John Whelen and Kathy Mattea

Breaking Up:
L’Ultima Notte—Josh Groban

Prom:
You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby—Bing Crosby

Prom night (if you know what I mean):
Silent Night—Bing Crosby

Mental Breakdown:
Prelude in G Major for Organ BWV 541—J.S. Bach

Driving:
Isn’t it Grand Boys (to be bloody well dead)—Clancy Brothers

Flashback:
Shortinin’ Bread
(funny cause this is a real flashback!)

Getting Back Together:
Samain Night—Loreena McKennitt

Wedding:
One More Soul—Marie Bellet

Birth of Child:
Last Days of Dublin—Scythian

Bringing up of Child:
Mele Kalikimaka—Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters

Final Battle:
Rawhide—Frankie Laine

Death Scene:
Were You There (when they crucified my Lord)?—Tatiana

Funeral Song:
Camptown Races—I hate this song!

End Credits:
Christmas in Killarny

The Eucharist, Women, and why Catholic Women wear Veils from a Homily by Father Robert Fromageot

(I have coppied this with permission from Father Robert himself. It is an excellent, clear treatment of the topic of womanhood, the sacred, and why women wear veils. If it is too long, you can scroll down past the outlined part of the homily to the written out text part.)

Put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth.
19th Sunday after Pentecost
7 October 2007

I. Kingdom of heaven compared to a wedding feast:

1. Not all the initially invited guests accept the invitation (history of the Jews, treatment of the prophets).
2. The invitation is expanded to include everyone (Gentiles & Jews).
3. Not everyone who accepts the invitation puts on the wedding garment.

Why the harsh treatment?
1. Literal level: host provided the wedding garments. Like renting a tuxedo.
2. Spiritual level: Habitual grace (i.e., sanctifying grace) is a gift that elevates our nature to the supernatural level. Divine life.

II. The Seven Sorrows of the BVM. The First of these: the Flight into Egypt. Broad outlines of the Incarnation and Redemption. The Word entered into a fallen world in order to redeem mankind. That redemption signified by coming out of Egypt and entering into the Promise Land.
Significance of Prophecy: “Out of Egypt have I called my Son.”

The Mystical Body of Christ like the People of Israel: they walked dry shod through the waters of the Red Sea to freedom; we have been washed in the blood of Christ in the waters of Baptism. We have put on Christ like a garment. Galatians 3:27: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

Putting off the old man, putting on Christ. (i.e., leaving Egypt and heading for the Promise Land as a member of Christ’s Body.)

St. Paul speaks of this in today’s epistle. The full text: “Put off the old man that belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth.”

Romans 13:14: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Alludes to the early liturgical practice in which catechumens were clothed in white robes immediately after baptism. Taken metaphorically, Paul is challenging us to put our baptismal commitments into practice by stripping off sinful habits (vices) and putting on the new garments of Christ (virtues).

Surplice: a reminder to us all that we have put on Christ; that we are called to lead holy lives in Christ (i.e., as members of His Body). All the more reason why when they are finished with them, altar boys should hang them up properly, and not leave them on the floor.

The Church as Bride of Christ; liturgy as a wedding feast: highlighted by use of veils by women.

a. Church as bride (by extension, the nuptial relationship between every individual soul and Christ).
b. Veil as symbol of hierarchal nature of authority: “the head of every man is Christ; the head of a woman is her husband.”
c. Rooted in the way in which God created Adam and Eve; that God made Eve from Adam, and that Adam, not Eve, was the principle of the whole human race, just as God is the principle of the entire universe.
d. Fosters the sense of the sacred with respect to a woman’s ability to bear children; moreover, the veil fosters this sense of the sacred by linking this awesome ability to none other than Christ Himself contained in the Blessed Sacrament.

As we know, at every Mass, bread and wine are substantially changed into the Body and Blood of Christ such that Christ, the perfect Image of God the Father, the Source of all life, is contained under the species of a little bread and wine. In this way, Our Lord makes Himself our daily bread as we make our way to heaven, the ultimate Promise Land.

Needless to say, everything about the Holy Eucharist is sacred. That is, we have in the Holy Eucharist not only a great good, but also a dangerous good—dangerous because if we approach the Blessed Sacrament unworthily, we do ourselves great harm. As St. Thomas reminds us in his Lauda Sion: Sumunt boni, sumunt mali: Sorte tamen inæquali, Vitæ vel interitus. Mors est malis, vita bonis: Vide paris sumptionis Quam sit dispar exitus. (The good receive, the bad receive, yet with a disparate fate of life or death. It is death to the bad, it is life to the good. See how unlike the effect of the same reception.)

Among the many different ways in which the sense of the sacred is brought out during the liturgy, the use of veils is perhaps the most obvious one. Whatever contains or is meant to contain the Blessed Sacrament is usually veiled: the tabernacle, the chalice, the ciborium, the monstrance. And even when the veil is removed from the chalice, the liturgy provides other ways to veil it. At each moment of the double consecration, when the celebrant pronounces the words that brings forth Our Lord upon the altar in the species of bread and wine, he bends over the bread and wine, and places his arms upon the altar, the symbol of Christ. Such a gesture is meant to show the priest’s union with Christ at that moment, while also helping the priest to focus his entire attention on the consecration. Physically speaking, however, the priest is literally covering the species, veiling them, as it were, and thus producing the same effect as any other veil: namely, he manifests the sacredness of the moment of Consecration. In this way, the ancient rite gently inculcates in the faithful a proper disposition towards Our Lord contained in the Blessed Sacrament.
Consider also, the function of those things which are ordinarily veiled: the tabernacle, the chalice, etc. All of these are vessels of the very Source of life, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Light and Life and of the World. It is because these vessels are designated to contain Christ Himself that they are sacred vessels; hence, they are used for no other purpose than to receive and contain the Blessed Sacrament. At one time, only bishops, priests, and deacons were permitted to open the tabernacle, handle the sacred vessels, and touch the Sacred Host with their hands. All of these vessels, moreover, but especially the chalice, are usually made with great care out of gold and silver, jewels and precious stones. Finally, the chalice is the only vessel that is consecrated by a bishop and anointed with oil. Little wonder, then, that the chalice veil is invariably the most beautiful of all the veils found in the sanctuary.

Taking our cue from the use of veils in the sanctuary, we can say that every woman who embraces the ancient tradition of wearing a veil creates a wonderful harmony between herself as a vessel of life and the vessels that hold Life itself. Like Our Lord contained in the Blessed Sacrament, a woman shares with Him a certain vulnerability. For just as a person who does not respect the Body and Blood of Christ can have his way with the Lord by receiving Him unworthily, so too can a man who has no respect for the opposite sex easily overpower her and have his way with her. Moreover, just as Our Lord makes Himself vulnerable by being born anew upon our altars under the perishable species of bread and wine, so too a woman shares in the vulnerability of her newborn infant in the very act of giving birth to him, to say nothing of the extra help many women need when they are pregnant.

Women are also sacred, inasmuch as the rise or fall of civilizations depends largely on how men regard and treat them, and how women understand and treat themselves. Just as only those who have committed themselves to the Lord through a life of celibacy may justly touch the Holy Eucharist with their hands, so too only those men who have committed themselves to their wives through the bonds of holy matrimony may justly “touch” a woman in a way that may bring new life into the world. For women are vessels of new life, life made according to the image and likeness of God Himself, just as the tabernacle, chalice, and ciborium contain the Image of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Of all the sacred vessels, however, women are best likened to the chalice of the Precious Blood. For when a woman conceives and bears a child, it is through her blood that the life of the child is sustained and nourished. Similarly, the Bride of Christ, the Church, is said to sustain her members through the Blood of Christ. For just as Eve was taken from the side of Adam, the fathers of the Church see in the blood and water flowing from the side of Our Lord the birth of His Church: the New Eve, the Bride of Christ, which sustains and nourishes her members through the grace of the sacraments.

The leading lights of our age often claim to champion the rights of women, and in certain respects the claim is legitimate. At the same time, however, our age has clearly not sought to protect and foster the sacred dignity of women. On the contrary, society would have us remove our wedding garment, divest ourselves of Christ, and put on the “old man” and make ample provision for the flesh. Men are practically encouraged to treat women as mere objects of pleasure, and women are encouraged to seek this degrading form of attention and accept it as normal and compatible with their dignity. Men and women, but especially women, have become desensitized to using contraceptives, choosing abortion, and embracing sterilization. In short, our society no longer respects or values the gift of fertility; society no longer honors the unique privilege of being a woman. Consequently, it no longer cultivates the responsibility that necessarily accompanies this gift, this privilege. This collective failure on the part of society has wreaked havoc, and it is far from certain that we shall recover and escape dissolution and destruction.

Sadly, some forty years ago millions of Catholics decided to put on the old man when they rejected the teaching of the Church concerning contraception. Around the same time, the ancient tradition of wearing veils or head coverings of any sort was likewise abandoned. Knowing what the veil stands for, it is difficult to not to regard that these two events — the rejection of the Church’s teaching on contraception on the one hand and the liturgical practice of wearing veils and head coverings on the other — as wholly unrelated. Indeed, many took both events as a step forward in the emancipation of women from so-called male dominance.
But as members of the Mystical Body of Christ, we should know better. We have all been called to the wedding banquet of the Lamb; we have received our wedding garment. Knowing, therefore, that many are called but few are chosen, let us cherish that garment and pray never to be without it. On the contrary, let us ever implore the divine assistance always to “put off the old man” with all of its deceitful lusts, and ever strive to be renewed in the spirit of our minds. Let us “put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh.”

Interesting Quizz (this time only pirated from my aunt!)

The average person only gets 7 correct.

This is based on U.S. info, so use all lobes of your brain. This can be more difficult than it looks - it just shows how little most of us really see!

There are 25 questions about things we see every day or have known about all our lives. How many can you get right? These little simple questions are harder than you think-- it just shows you how little we pay attention to the commonplace things of life.

Put your thinking cap on. No cheating! No looking around! No getting out of your chair! No using anything on or in your desk or computer!

Can you beat 23?? (The average is 7) Write down your answers as you go. Check answers (on the bottom), AFTER completing all the questions, then leave a comment (if you please)

REMEMBER - NO CHEATING!!! BE HONEST!!! That means no looking at your phone or anything on your desk...

LET'S JUST SEE HOW OBSERVANT YOU RE ALLY ARE.
Here we go!

1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom?

2. How many states are there in the USA ? (some people don't know)

3 In which hand is the Statue of Liberty 's torch?

4. What six colors are on the classic Campbell 's soup label?

5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them?

6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg? (Don't you dare get up to see!)

7. How many matches are in a standard pack?

8. On the United States flag is the top stripe red or white?

9. What is the lowest number on the FM dial?

10. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise ?

11. Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run?

12. How many channels on a VHF TV dial?

13 On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons?

14. Which way do fans rotate?

15 How many sides does a stop sign have?

16. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side?

17 How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel?

18. How many sides are there on a standard pencil?

19. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing?

20. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package?

21. On which playing card is the card maker's trademark?

22. On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening between the slats?

23. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no digits?

24. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip?

25. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise?

ANSWERS
1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom? BOTTOM

2. How many states are there in the USA ? (Don't laugh, some people don't know) 50

3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty 's torch? RIGHT

4. What six colors are on the classic Campbell 's soup label? BLUE, RED, WHITE, YELLOW, BLACK & GOLD

5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them? 1, 0

6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg?
RIGHT

7. How many matches are in a standard pack? 20

8. On the United States flag is the top stripe red or white? RED

9. What is the lowest number on the FM dial? 88

10. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise?
CLOCKWISE (NORTH OF THE EQUATOR)

11. Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run ?
TOWARDS BOTTOM RIGHT

12. How many channels on a VHF TV dial? 12 (no #1)

13. On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons? LEFT

14. Which way do fans rotate? CLOCKWISE AS YOU LOOK AT IT

15. How many sides does a stop sign have? 8

16. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side? LEFT

17. How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel? 5

18. How many sides are there on a standard pencil? 6

19. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing? BASHFUL

20. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package? 8

21. On which playing card is the card maker's trademark? ACE OF SPADES

22. On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening between the slats? LEFT

23. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no digits? * , #

24. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip? 3

25. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise? COUNTER

"The Humble Exalted"

If we contemplate our misery without raising our eyes to God, the Father of mercies, we will easily become discouraged. By examining ourselves thoroughly, we will see that discouragement always comes from two closely related causes. The first is that we depend upon our own strength; through it our pride is wounded and deceived when we fall. The second is that we lack reliance on God; we do not think of referring to him in times of prosperity, nor do we have recourse to him when we fail him. In short, we act by ourselves: we try to succeed alone, we fall alone, and alone we contemplate our fall. The result of such conduct can only be discouragement. Indeed, how could we expect to find in ourselves the strength to rise again, when it was our very want of strength that made us fall? God does not want us to act by ourselves. "Woe to him that is alone," says Sacred Scripture, "for when he falleth, he hath none to lift him up" (Eccl 4: 10). Woe to him who relies only on his own strength to put his good resolutions into execution. When he falls, he will not have the aid of God's might to lift him up; thus he will remain in his misery, confused and discouraged.

Just as we should not make good resolutions without counting on God's help to keep them, by the same token we should not view our failures without considering God's mercy at the same time, for as God is the only one who can help us persevere in good, so he alone can raise us up from evil.

That is why all the saints have taught that the knowledge of oneself must never be separated from the knowledge of God and vice versa. Saint Teresa of Jesus says, "The soul must sometimes emerge from self-knowledge and soar aloft in meditation upon the greatness and the majesty of its God. Doing this will help it to realize its own baseness better than thinking of its own nature, and it will be freer from the reptiles which enter the first rooms, that is, the rooms of self knowledge.

Father Gabriel of Saint Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. (+1952) was a Belgian Carmelite priest, teacher, and spiritual director.

"Heavenly Father, Help Us..." from Apple Seeds

Heavenly Father,
Help us remember that the jerk who cuts us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing off home to cook dinner, help with homework, and do the laundry, and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store isles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, know that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, sow patience, empathy, and love.

~"Do not judge what your brother does 'til you've walked a mile in his shoes.
Who's to say if you'd run or stay and fight?"

The Garden Song

(Sung, first two stanzas as refrain, and each two after as one verse. Or at least, that's how the Clancy Brothers sing it =))
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground.

Inch by inch, row by row
Someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
Till the rain comes tumblin' down

Pullin' weeds and pickin' stones
Man is made of dreams and bones
Feel the need to grow my own
Cause the time is close at hand

Rain for grain, sun and rain
Find my way in natures chain
Tune my body and my brain
To the music from the land

Plant your rows straight and long
Temper them with prayer and song
Mother Earth will make you strong
If you give her love and care

Old crow watchin' hungrily
From his perch in yonder tree
In my garden I'm as free
As that feathered thief up there

No, Daniel. The word is "after," not "dfter."

Homeschooling is a wonderful way to involve the whole family in a real goal: learning. Is it possible to have a bunch of kids, different grades and ages, at actually learn anything? Actually, yes, and in my experience, we seem to have learned alot more than our public and private school counterparts. I remember that learning was actually fun (minus the book reports), and watching others learn is usually hysterical =). Since I'm at school, I miss out on alot of the fun now. Deborah relayed this incident to me a short while back.

"Rachel and I were studying in the living room and Daniel was in the opposite room studying his spelling. He copied all his words on his own, so, naturally, he couldn't read them. We were interupted every minute because he needed us to read him his words. I had just helped him with 'land' and his next word was really hard-'after'. I expected him to come back for help but instead he decided to tackle it on his own. I heard him loudly declare 'DFTER' d-f-t-e-r- Dfter'. Rachel and I looked at each other, we hadn't heard what we thought we had, had we? Then this little voice calls out 'Deborah, what does d-f-t-e-r spell? I tried to tell him it was a-f-t-e-r but nnnoooo...he wrote dfter, it must be dfter and he wanted a definition. It took me 5 minutes to convince him that he had written it wrong. He smiled at me and said, OK deborah. He disappeared into the dining room and 2 seconds later his voice called in 'what was that word again'."

Oh the joy of learning.

Homesteading in the city?

Yeah. Apparently, it can be done. It might take some imagination, but where there is a will, there is definitely a way =). Found an excellent article about homesteading. Actually, the whole site is great, but in case you just have time for the article, and you are living in the city and longing for the country (like me), here's the link.

How to Progress towards the Homesteading Lifestyle while Living in the City
By Meg Lund
http://home-n-stead.com/homestead/homesteadingarticles/homesteading_in_city.html

The website is on my list at the right.

Sometimes I wish God would just come and smack me upside the head and say, "No, you idiot, this way!" I'm tempted to think that life would be so much easier that way. If I'm walking over the brink, off the beaten path, and wallowing once again in putrecence and slime, I almost wish that I wasn't capable of such devious and dangerous deeds. That He would prevent me from getting my feet even a little wet, but that's sort of a difficult thing, to make such accusations. I've so many scars, so many wounds, not from battle, for those I would wear with pride and joy for my Lord's glory and honor, but from shortcomings, stupidity, falsity, laziness, all of my own accord. An accord with evil.

I am the only one who can save my soul (in a manner of writing), I know that. Wouldn't it have been easier to be saved by God immediately, with his intervention every time I approached the brink of deceit? Sure. It would have been easy. Too easy. So easy there would have been no merrit in it at all. If I were not responsible for my own deeds and missteps, I would not have really existed as something desirable in His eyes.

And if I were that way, it wouldn't even come into my head that I was desirable or repugnant to him. I wouldn't even be enough of an individual to have a notion of emotions or feelings, let alone the thoughts and feelings of others. I would not be able to love, if I did not have free will. Could I be loved? Yes, but only as much as one could love an animal, perhaps even less, because I would be totally without empathy. Worse off than a dog.

The quality of choice, of the ability to choose, of the will to prefer one thing to another: I tend not to look at it as a gift. I allow myself (therefore choose) to let lonliness, fatigue, sodness, and anger take over my thoughts. It is truly a merciful and loving God that gives me choices, the ability to choose wrongly and to frustrate his plan. And yet He always welcomes a change toward him. He does not demand me, but asks for me, myself, my whole me-ness. Makes me want to cry, cause I know I'll forget it soon enough, or not care, and choose wrongly. It is a painstaking and rigerous process, isn't it Lord? Back and forth, back and forth, to and fro...like a ship on the waves....or more appropriately like a ping-pong ball in action. Why does He let me continue to muddle about?

If a lover truly loved his beloved, would he want to control her every thought and deed towards him? Make her kiss him and carress him because he wants her to, not because she wants to do so? I think not. What kind of satisfaction is there in that? The beloved is not showing him her love. as a matter of fact, she is not showing him anything. It is only satisfactory for one's beloved to love of her own accord, to love because she wills it. If she chooses not to love, even that is better than forcing her to do so. If she loves against her will, hating every minute of it, every touch, than that is hell. True lovers choose their love and desire communion with the beloved on every level, a totality.

"I am my beloved's and he is mine. His banner over me is love."
"O come my beloved, come. O Heart of my Heart, my own. Come my beloved, come I am weary, waiting for thee alone."

All for me Grog

And it's all for me grog, me noggin, noggin grog.
All for me beer and tobacco.
For I spent all me tin with the lassies drinkin' gin.
Far across the western ocean I must wander.

Where are me boots, me noggin', noggin' boots,
They're all gone for beer and tobacco,
For the heels they are worn out and the toes are kicked about,
And the soles are looking out for better weather.

Where is me shirt, my noggin', noggin' shirt,
It's all gone for beer and tobacco,
For the collar is all worn, and the sleeves they are all torn,
And the tail is looking out for better weather.

I'm sick in the head and I haven't been to bed,
Since first I came ashore with me slumber,
I've seen centipedes and snakes, and I'm full of pains and aches,
And I think I'll make a path for way up yonder.

The Village Blacksmith

(Courtesy of The Poet's Corner)
Father Terry recited this at mass on labor day, and I fell in love with it again.

Under a spreading chestnut-tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.

His hair is crisp, and black, and long,
His face is like the tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He earns whate'er he can,
And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man.

Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
With measured beat and slow,
Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun is low.

And children coming home from school
Look in at the open door;
They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,
And catch the burning sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing-floor.

He goes on Sunday to the church,
And sits among his boys;
He hears the parson pray and preach,
He hears his daughter's voice,
Singing in the village choir,
And it makes his heart rejoice.

It sounds to him like her mother's voice,
Singing in Paradise!
He needs must think of her once more,
How in the grave she lies;
And with his hard, rough hand he wipes
A tear out of his eyes.

Toiling,---rejoicing,---sorrowing,
Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close;
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night's repose.

Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
For the lesson thou hast taught!
Thus at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
Each burning deed and thought.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Catholic Pick-up Lines

I take the credit for none of these (the first seven are Patrick Madrid's), but thought they were funny. However, my advice to the general Catholic male population out there would be to come up with something a bit better (you know, less trite and silly) if you're not absolutely sure that she's already in love with you. If she is in love with you, it won't really matter what the heck you say. She'll think your brilliant. Nevertheless, be careful all the same, espcially with the arogant ones. I would quite honestly go crazy if a man ever said these things to me before I new him much.

1. Did you feel what I felt when we reached into the holy water font at the same time? (Quiet Man anyone?)

2. You've got stunning scapular-brown eyes.

3. I bet I can guess your confirmation name.

4. You don't like the culture of death either? Wow! We have so much in common!

5. What's a nice girl like you doing at a First Saturday Rosary Cenacle like this?

6. Sorry, but I couldn't help but noticing how cute you look in that ankle-length, shapeless, plaid jumper. (one of my favorites)

7. May I offer you a light for that votive candle? (very cute)

8. The Bible says "Give drink to those who are thirsty, and feed the hungry"; how about dinner?

9. You look so beautiful in that mantilla you wear to Mass. (another favorite)

10. Want to go to Adoration with me? (ultimate question)

11. I didn't believe in predestination till I met you. (cute)

12. Man does not live by bread alone. So how about dinner and a movie?

13. What do you think Paul meant when he said, "Greet everyone with a holy kiss" (1Pet 5:24)? (sly)

14. A little bird... the Holy Spirit actually... tells me we should get to know each other a little better. (he had better not be lying)

15. Don't worry, I'm attracted to you purely in a spiritual way.

16. Has anyone ever told you, your eyes are like doves and your neck like the tower of David? (no! Thank goodness)

17. You look like a good vocation

18. Hey ... I don't want to embarass you but your Scapular strap is showing. So ... how long have you been wearing that? We should discuss the Sabatine promises over a 40 hours devotion sometime.

19. “A girl like you only comes along once in a Blue Army meeting.”

20. Presenting a rose: “I just may be the answer to your Little Flower novena.” (he's awefully arogant)

21. “Me, I prefer a more traditional Mass. I’m a regular Latin lover.” (sarcastic "haha")

22. “You look like (an officially approved) apparition!” bold

23. “You’re a saint! Kiss me, and make me a second-class relic!” (from Walker Solis)(whoever that is)

24. "My Guardian Angel thinks you are cute."

25. If I had a bead for every time I though of you, I'd have a joyful mystery. (ingenious)

26. You are like the book of Revelation. You've got me all confused.

27. The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. May I move my temple closer to yours?

The blushing girl tulip.

Excuses Excuses or Play on Words

Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don’t have.

The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intentions.

I thought my window was down, but found it was up when I put my hand through it.

A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.

(my favorite)
The guy was all over the road! I had to swerve several times before I hit him.

(my sister's favorite)
I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and drove over the embankment.

In my attempt to kill a fly I drove into a telephone pole.

Italian Logic and Reason

(From my Dad)

An Italian walked into a bank in New York City and asked for the loan officer. He told the loan officer that he was going to Italy on business for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000 and that he was not a depositor of the bank.

The bank officer told him that the bank would need some form of security for the loan, so the Italian handed over the keys to a new Ferrari. The car was parked on the street in front of the bank. The Italian produced the title and everything checked out. The loan officer agreed to hold the car as collateral for the loan and apologized for having to charge 12% interest. Later, the bank’s president and its officers all enjoyed a good laugh at the Italian for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral for a $5,000 loan. An employee of the bank then drove the Ferrari into the banks underground garage and parked it.

Two weeks later, the Italian returned, repaid the $5,000 dollars and the interest of $23.07. The loan officer said, “Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is why you would bother to borrow $5,000?”

The Italian replied: “Minga, where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $23.07 and expect it to be there when I return?”

Ah the Italians…Bada Bing Bada Boom!