It has been a While

Hello Readers,

Apparently, most of the 17 days of vacation/holiday time that I have been enjoying away from work has transcended into my blog. To be honest, I do not really feel all that bad about not writing. My brain needed an all around vacation.  On top of that, I did not feel compelled to write anything for the blog. What I mean is that, I did not need to unwind my mind like I do when I am working.

I had good vacation spending time with my wife, children, family and friends. I ate a lot of good food and food that was not so good for me. To me, that is part of enjoying the holidays. I hope all of you had an excellent holiday too.

I look forward to writing for you in 2011. I know that this is going to be an all around good year.

Happy New Year to You!

Back in Preschool

Today, I got to go to Preschool with my three year old as a volunteer for her Christmas Party. It was a blast! There are 15 children in the class and two teachers on a normal day, and am not quite sure how they do it on a daily basis. God Bless them for it.

For the party, we had four parent volunteers of which I was one. A couple of weeks before the part my wife had signed me up to do a game. At first, I was like, "Oh, Gee Thanks." I did not realize at the time that on top of volunteering for the party, I had to volunteer for a specific function. It really wasn't a big deal, just a bit surprising.

Plus, I cannot complain because she offered to help figure out what to do. But, I was being stubborn and felt that I could come up with a game on my own. Well, that was not meant to be. I procrastinated and by Monday night, had nothing. Fortunately, I had one more day to "come" up with something. So, I asked my wife for help. She could have easily said NO!, but she is not like that. She agree completely.

We came up with "Pin the Ornament on the Tree" (it was mostly her idea.) It was a pretty simple game and no way for a kid to lose. My wife made the tree out of green poster board.  She drew used various shades of green marker to give the tree depth and silver glitter glue for the garland. The star is made out of yellow construction paper.  The ornanments are "stiff" sparkled red felt cut into circles. Shannon wrote each child's name on the ornament in the silver gliter glue, and then glued a silver snowflake on them. For the ornanment "hook," my wife glued sparkly red pipe cleaners on the top. Finally, she stuck magnets to the back of the oranments so that the children could take the home to display them.

To get the ornanments to stick to the paper tree, we attached blue painters tape to the back. This gave us the proper adhesive to stick to the tree without destroying it when we removed it. When it came time to Pin the ornaments we blindfolded the children, spun them around, and guided them to the tree.  Below is a picture of the tree after they were all done. (They may have had a little help to affixing the ornaments so none overlapped.)

I have to say that Ms. Patty and Ms. Bonnie (the teachers) were good sports as they played too. It was excellent and we really enjoyed ourselves. In an earlier post, I talked about how I volunteered in my older daughter's class. Again, I will say that if you have an opportunity to do it, volunteer in your child or grandchild's class. It is time well spent.

This is what Christmas is About

In November, I posted some notes about Advent that I used to teach my Faith Formation (CCD) class. I want to do the same for Christmas. Much of the content from this lesson came from "Catholic Customs & Traditions: A Popular Guide” written by Greg Dues. Even though this lesson was geared towards Catholic children and their parents I think that it has value for everyone.

Lesson
As Christmas Day approaches, we can all get wrapped up in the final preparations – baking cookies, getting those last minute gifts, wrapping gifts, and decorating. It is important that we remember the reason we as Catholics celebrate Christmas. As I did for Advent, I have compiled some notes covering what we have talked about - what Christmas means to Catholics.

• Christmas not only celebrates the birth of Jesus, but also his second coming.
• The name “Christmas” comes from the Old English Cristes Maesse or “Mass of Christ.”
• Christmas also celebrates the mystery of giving and receiving
• The actual date of Jesus' birth is unknown, but we use December 25th as a day to commemorate his birth.
• Why December 25th? One possible explanation is that on the Julian Calendar (early Christians followed the Julian Calendar we now follow the Gregorian Calendar) the Winter Solstice fell on December 25th. Prior to the solstice, the days grew shorter (the darkness was creeping in), and after the solstice, the days grew longer (light was pushing out the darkness).

Some ways we celebrate Christmas:

• Christmas Tree – The Christmas tree originated in Germany. Today's Christmas trees, for some, “preserve...rich Christian symbolism: the green of hope at a time of dying, the burning light of Christ at a time of spiritual darkness, and the fruits of paradise” in the form of tree ornaments. (Greg Dues, Catholic Custom's & Traditions: A Popular Guide.)
• Lights in the Window – Comes to the United States from 19th Century Irish Immigrants and represents either:
• A beacon for lighting the way for Mary and Joseph, or
• During the times of Catholic suppression, to let fugitive priests in Ireland know where safe houses were located.
• Nativity Scene – Shows the scene at Bethlehem when Christ was born. The scene includes Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, Shepherds, Angels, and Animals. St. Francis of Assisi popularized the living nativity in Greccio, Italy in 1223

Christmastime runs from Christmas to the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6th. This is the Twelve Days of Christmas. There is the idea* that says that the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” originated as a Catechism for teaching Catholics in 16th England the basics of our belief. (Practicing Catholicism was against that law in England at that time.)  Below is a list of the days and their Catholic meaning (source):

• 1st Day – Partridge in a Pear Tree – Jesus is the Partridge and the Cross the Pear Tree
• 2nd Day – Two Turtle Doves – The Old and New Testament
• 3rd Day – Three French Hens – Three Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, and Love)
• 4th Day – Four Calling Birds – The Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)
• 5th Day – Five Gold Rings – First Five Books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)
• 6th Day – Six Geese A-laying – Six Days of Creation
• 7th Day – Seven Swans A-swimming – The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Prophecy, Ministry, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Leading, and Compassion)
• 8th Day – Eight Maids A-milking – The eight Beatitudes (Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake)
• 9th Day – Nine Ladies Dancing – The Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control)
• 10th Day – Ten Lords A-leaping – The Ten Commandments (You shall have no other gods before me, Do not make an idol, Do not take God’s name in vain, Remember the Sabbath Day, Honor your father and mother, Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not covet
• 11th Day – Eleven Pipers Piping – The Eleven Faithful Apostles (Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon, Judas son of James)
• 12th Day – Twelve Drummers Drumming – The Points of Doctrine in the Apostles’ Creed ( 1.I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. 4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7. I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8. the holy Catholic Church, 9. the communion of saints, 10. the forgiveness of sins, 11. the resurrection of the body, 12. and life everlasting.)

I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas!

*There is some debate about the authenticity of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" being used to teach Catholics children about our faith. To me it doesn't matter whether it is true or not. The fact is we can use the song as a mnemonic device to teach our children about our faith.

Grateful to Be a Father - The Best Job in the World

I have a confession to make. Being a Technical Writer is not my favorite job. Shocking, I know. Instead, I would rather be spending time with my wife and children. I am grateful for that time. Over the next two weeks I will have the opportunity to spend more time with them. I am on vacation until January 4th.

All three of my children did something today that made me realize, yet again, how lucky I am to have them in my life. To avoid any accusations of favoritism, I will list the events based on the time in which they happened today.

First up, the boy, Coilin. My son has more energy than any other child I know, with the exception of his older sister Jillian, and somehow, he is able to channel that energy into speed. That kid is fast. On top of that, Coilin has the best sense of humor out of any 20 month old that I have ever met. He is a funny kid, and he knows it. I was getting ready to put Coilin in his high chair for lunch. I opened up the baby gate that was keeping him corralled in the living room. Somehow the little buggar got right past me and took off running into the kitchen. He was giggling all the way; Coilin knew that I was going to chase him down. His giggle made me grateful to be a father.

My dear sweet Molly is up next. The fact that I am on vacation excites Molly very much. She loves the idea of me taking her to school and then picking her up at the end of the day. The dismissal at her school works like this - all the kids that are picked up by their parents, wait in a gaggle, with Teachers, on the sidewalk. As the parent drives up, the child gets into the vehicle. Apparently, Molly had forgotten that I told her I would pick her up from school today. As soon as she saw me sittting in the driver's seat of our sweet mini-van, I heard her squeal "DADDY!" with delight as I pulled up to the curb. (Mind you that must have been some squeal because my windows were up tight - it was in the 20s today.) Her squeal made me grateful to be a father.

Finally, we have my Jillian. I have mentioned a couple of times on my blog that Jillian likes me or Shannon to lay with her while she falls asleep. Usually, I do not mind; but tonight, I had some things that I wanted to get done. The urge to do my chores ended quickly when Jillian laid her head on my chest and draped her arm across me and proceeded to fall asleep. Her snuggling made me grateful to be a father. 

Most parents will say that they have the best children in the world, and I am no different. However, I firmly believe that God blessed my wife and me with the three best children for us. I cherish the time that I have with them now, because I know before too long, they will be grown and may have children of their own. The irony is that I never wanted children; but, now that I have them, I do not know what I would do without them. Thank you God for giving me these little blessings. I am grateful to be a father. 

4th Sunday of Advent: "Everything's Going to Be Okay"

Today is the fourth and final Sunday in Advent. Next up is Christmas - the time when we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In order to get to this celebration though, we first have to get to that time and place of his birth. Today's readings take us on quick scriptural journey of the prophecy of Jesus' birth, just before his birth, and after his resurrection. In all three readings, Father Bob told us in these week's homily, that one message is clear -  "Everything is Going to Be Okay."

Isaiah in chapter 7: 10-14 tells the people when the demand a sign that God will fullfill God's promise to David of the ideal king in 2 Samuel 7: 12-16. He tells them that a woman from the House of David shall give birth to son whom she will call Immanuel (Emmanuel) which means, God is with Us. Isaiah tells them that "Everything is Going to be Okay."

Joseph, who was engaged to Mary, finds out the she is pregnant. According to Jewish law at the time, he could have had Mary stoned to death for having relations with another man while betrothed to Joseph. But, Joseph was simply going to divorce her. I think Father Bob said it best when he said to put yourself in Joseph's shoes. Here he was very close to marrying Mary and think of how he must have felt when he found out she was pregnant, presumably by another man. Then, an angel appears to him in a dream and tells Joseph that "Everything is Going to be Okay." Think about the faith that Joseph displayed.

Finally, in Paul's letter to the Roman's, he tells the people that "Everything is Going to be Okay" because they "have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of [Jesus] name" among all peoples (Romans 1:5). Those first apostles laid the foundation for a Faith that has lasted close to two thousand years.

Christmas can be a very hard time of year for some people either because they are alone, have suffered tremendous loss, or are hurting for whatever reason. It makes me really sad for those folks because this is one of the two Seasons in the Church year that really reminds us that with faith "Everything is Going to be Okay."

I think it is up to us to remind those people who are suffering that they are not alone, we will do what we can to ease their pain. God never said it was going to be easy, but with a little bit of faith "Everything is Going to be Okay."

A Nice Dinner

My family and I just had a wonderful dinner with my in-laws tonight at Bravo!. I have mentioned before how lucky I am to have in-laws that treat me as one of their own children and not someone who has married one of their children. Tonight was no different.

There we were, the seven of us sitting at round table near the back of the restaurant. At one point, while we were waiting for our dinners, I sat back and watched as the kids and their grandparents and my wife played with their dough (Bravo! gives kids pizza dough to play with). For me, it was the best part of the night. I love watching my kids play with their grandparents (mine folks or Shan's).

I say thank you to my in-laws for being so kind to me and my children, and I really appreciate all that you do for us. My family and I thoroughly enjoy the time that we spend with you.

That's Why I Love My Town

I love my town for many reasons. Santa Claus made one of those reasons evident tonight. Each year, the fire department tows Santa on a flatbed sleigh around the streets of our town. One of the fireman elves hands out candy canes to the children. To let everyone know he is coming, one of the Fire Engines drives ahead and sounds the siren. It is truly wonderful.

This year, one of the neighbors was told that Santa would be coming around at 6 p.m. Somebody gave her bad information. Santa did not arrive to our street until about 8. Maybe he started on the other side of town and worked his way over. I am not sure. What I do know is that it kind of made it more exciting. All of us were anticipating his arrival, and nobody was disappointed when he came.

My almost 20 month old son may be too young yet to understand that Santa Claus is going to bring him gifts next week; but, he is certainly old enough to recognize him. As soon as he saw the master elf, he shouted "Santa!" The girls were equally mesmerized. They just stared at him on his sleigh for a while. Finally, they started waving at him. He waved back and gave a hearty, "Ho, Ho, Ho!" And he was off to make some other child's night.

I say thank you to our local fire department for doing this each year. And God Bless you for being firemen in the first place. You are real heroes.