Phil, I see I was writing when you posted. Okay, I'll start a new thread in a few days.

I found a site for "Touchstone Magazine" that looks interesting. I believe the current editor is Orthodox, but its main contributors are RC, Protestant, and Orthodox. Anyway, the magazine appears to be geared toward ecumenical co-operation while not shying away from dialogue about differences.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you, Pop-pop. Maybe this magnificent, balmy green day in the Mid-Atlantic region was custom made for the pleasure of all the people of Irish descent around here.

Hope your crocus are open...

Ariel,

THANKS! St. Patty's was great! Weather was wonderful as you noted. Crocus ARE up! Everyone else in the east semms to be UP as well.

What with spring coming soon officially, you might want to consider putting a few dozen snowballs in the freezer -- for the months ahead. LOL. and xxox.

Pop-pop

Hi Ariel, and Pop-Pop

As someone born, reared, and still living in Ireland, I have never heard of St Patty's day; in fact, none of my friends have heard of it either.

Perhaps Patty is a distant American relation of
our patron saint?

Hope you all had a good St Patrick's day, and yes right now I am looking at a beautiful royal blue crocus.

Clare,

Will you (and those friends of yours) be takin a shillelagh to me now -- for being too casual with the Saint?

I hope not.

(Otherwise -- all manner of things will not be well -- for me).

Pop-pop

quote:

Originally posted by pop-pop:
Clare,

Will you (and those friends of yours) be takin a shillelagh to me now

Pop-pop

I'm not Irish, so I had to look up shillelagh, but... can I get in on this?

From Wikipedia--The shillelagh (a walking stick-like article) was "originally used for settling disputes in a gentlemanly manner"...that would save me from taking up space in my freezer with snowballs, Pop-pop.

Ariel,

I'd rather be hit with snowballs any day -- sorry for the inconvenience to your fridge though.

As for wikipedia -- the shillelaghs I've seen are very much more club-like than a walking stick. They were configured from an 18-inch long, one-inch thick branch crotch meeting a piece of three-inch thick branch or trunk or root whose length is about three-to-four inches. -- an Irish tomahawk it is.

Snowballs for me, Ariel -- or best behavior on my part would be the ideal solution -- just not to be counted on where I'm involved, at least not without gobs of grace.

P-pop

Oh, sorry, Pop-pop--I was thinking that if it was used to "settle disputes in a gentlemanly manner" that it was used for something like fencing with a blunt rapier, with rules and all that.

I think snowballs in our humid summers might feel pretty good.

Well, so far, so good. It's not been difficult to do the limited fast I mentioned above, though I've bumped into my habit of grabbing a few mixed nuts during the day many times, now. The media fast for two or three days a week has also been good. Even when I do watch something on TV -- mostly NCAA tournament games these days -- I keep the sound off. I've shed a couple of pounds and I haven't really missed the media stuff I generally investigate.

All in all, I like Lent, especially the way we as a whole Church (Protestants included, these days) focus more in spiritual disciplines.

How are the rest of you doing?

I always like to focus more on prayer during Lent. We have 24-Hour Eucharistic Adoration at our parish. We converted our former convent into a Parish Center and we use the convent chapel for Eucharistic Adoration. So during Lent I try to stop off at the Adoration chapel for a few minutes each day after work. I don't make it every day. But I manage to get there 3-4 days during the week and then I do my scheduled hour on Sundays.

This practice helps me stay centered/focused.

Anne

Jesus is stirring, here. In our RCIA classes we have been studying the Gospel readings and the energy in my belly/womb starts humming away during. Then, last night, I realized something, which again brought tears to my eyes just now thinking of it to write: There is a small handful of us that were baptized in the Catholic church as infants and we will not receive Communion and Confirmation until June, as the Archbishop wants to personally do these/us. He can't be at every church to do this on Easter vigil, so has a schedule to take him around to all the parishes. Guess which church his schedule brings him to on Pentecost Sunday? Ours. Realizing this last night, I imagined...anticipated...oh, I guess I was feeling the Spirit ready to descend on me in a greater way. Like, already, it sees me. I don't know if the other Catholic Candidates in my group feel the same way, but this feels very auspicious for me.

Aside from this, I am doing some very deep healing, and so I ask for your prayers, that Jesus' grace and tender love be with me.

Thank you.

Kristi

Oh, how wonderful Kristi Marie! I'm so happy to read your update. I woke up this morning thinking, "I wonder how Kristi is doing...I should drop her a note and ask."

quote:

"I wonder how Kristi is doing...I should drop her a note and ask."

Thank you, Shasha. I am in an out of emotional straits, as some hardened areas of my heart are being chiseled away...deeper healing within myself surrounding early life issues.

Kristi