Silent Night Holy Night

 Silent night, holy night, shepherds quake, at the sight, glories streaming from Heaven above, heavenly hosts sing allelulia, Christ the Savior is born, Christ the savior is born.

I've been singing this song for well over sixty years now. Taught to me by my mom who made my two other sisters and I sing it in harmony.  We never really got very good at it which is a shame because we all three have beautiful voices and do well singing together. But our generation was not one of singing fests and group sings and that is sad.  So many people in the last couple generations have missed out on singing together. We do more listening to other famous people sing, because we think we have to be famous or professional to sing.   Nothing could be further from the truth.  All of God's people were meant to sing. It doesn't matter how good your voice is or if you can carry a tune. The act of singing together is something special. 

Each year at our parish's Midnight Mass, our adult choir sings carols. For thirty minutes before Mass they lead and we join in all the traditional carols I remember as a child and Silent Night is my favorite and it makes me cry every time they begin and sing along.

My family has begun a tradition of singing together. We started a couple of years ago when our parish picnic was looking for entertainment and trying to find groups to sing.  We didn't want to pay a professional to sing for us, we wanted down home parish people to sing and so the Simmons Family Band was formed.  We sing lots of covers for songs we know but we've also begun to write some songs of our own. And I have to admit, we song pretty okay!!  I love that music is getting passed down in my family, even our granddaughters join us on stage now.  How beautiful it is to share that with them.  

I recorded a video and cover of a song by Larkin Poe. They are two sisters who sing beautifully together. The song, Blood Harmony, is about daughters who learned singing from their momma and they  hear her voice with them whenever they sing.   Just like me, I hear my mom and her sisters and brothers singing at every family reunion we had.  Maybe we were all just too inhibited to sing in front of them because they were so good.  I wish my cousins and I would have had the courage to form our own group to sing too.  But for whatever the reason, music is still part of my family and I hope it continues.  

Going in Circles

 
  

 

Weddings are almost always happy affairs even if you have to drive a long way to get to them. We attended our niece's wedding 474 miles away, a one day but long drive. Visiting a totally new state was a very positive experience until we met the parking garage. 

I must explain that I have lots of problems with parking garages. For one they are garages on top of each other and any time I enter one I expect an earthquake to pancake me in my car. I know it's kind of an abnormal fear, but I know it's happened someplaces and I tend to panic thinking about such events. Second, they are always disorienting. Even though I am experienced at the parking garage at Lambert Airport in St. Louis and know how to go around and around three levels to drive out into the fresh air at the top, I dread the return journey going down. But I have finally memorized the arrows that point the way and concentrate on them and not on getting pancaked.  Third, they are horribly dark and claustrophobic and always, always crowded.  I don't even like the one story ones where you park beneath an entire building and there is only one level of parking. You still have an entire building above your head. And yes, I feel that same way about some house basements, thank you for asking.

But I am digressing because the wedding was beautiful, the church really open and welcoming.  Downtown Madison is beautifully situated between two lakes with the state capitol on one side and the convention center on the other which is where the reception was. Unfortunately, it had a parking garage. I approached the garage with trepidation and immediately was directed to a winding circular drive up to the next level or three. I drive a very long wide van so going in circles made me wince thinking I was going to strike a concrete pillar or wall and send everything tumbling. But the worse was yet to come that evening after the reception was over and we had to leave.  

Of course everything is one way in a parking garage, which I guess is safe, but it also meant not knowing where I was going to exit.  Fortunately, or so I thought, we had parked near an exit sign. Great, no wandering around for us that night nearly ten-thirty. We could get out quickly.  I picked up my ticket from my dashboard and rolled down my window to insert it into the ticket machine which was standing guard in front of the orange and white striped barricade.  Nothing happened. It would not take my ticket. Hmmm...I tried again and again. I turned the ticket around, upside down and backwards. Still nothing. I could feel the panic beginning to arise and looked at the narrow piece of wood that constituted the barricade in front of my car. I could easily gun it and break through. But I had my husband and my mom in the car with me, so I ruled out going rogue.  There was an assistance button on the ticket machine so I pressed it. Still nothing happened. It was then my husband pointed out a sign, literally on the BACK of the exit sign that said this machine was out of order, find a different exit.  Why would that sign be on the BACK of the exit? Who could see that for Pete's sake?  I slowly backed out of the ticket line and around a short curve to turn around. 

Now where do we go?  I began circling the parking garage looking for the elusive exit sign.  Finally we spotted one, but it pointed toward a spiral  drive again.  I screwed up my courage and began the descent just waiting for another car to meet me in the middle coming up the spiral.   With a sigh of relief we exited the circle and saw another exit, where this time, my ticket got sucked right into the slot and my money likewise. We were free!  Thank you Madison, it was a beautiful weekend, but I think I wouldn't mind a valet service opportunity next time!

Modern Helps, Old Hellos

 My husband were privileged to witness a special event in another family's life last night when we were sitting by the Mississippi River in our town.  We have a wonderful flood wall that protects our downtown area and also gives those traveling along the river a backdrop to know where they are along the banks of the Mississippi.

Artists in our area have painted the gray concrete walls of the flood wall with colorful images of our town and surrounding areas.  This has greatly improved the drabness of the gray concrete wall. Many people who do not like having a wall blocking their downtown view of the river have never experienced the horrible nature of flooding and so don't realize how much the wall is needed until the river rises and the gates must be closed to protect all the restaurants and shops along the riverbank.   So the wall does an excellent job in keeping things safe.   But years ago city officials realized the wall  needed some aesthetic help and so enlisted the help of local artists to liven up the gray with colorful depictions of life along a river.

It's along this wall, on the river side that the name of our town is spelled out in huge fifteen to twenty foot mural letters. Inside each letter is a mural of things around downtown. So any boater, tugboat navigator or barge pusher knows exactly where he or she is because of this depiction.

Last night that we witnessed how helpful it was to a tugboat crew member.  There was a family of four; mom, dad, their five year old son and the dad's mother all sitting on the bank watching downstream.  That is nothing unusual because I always look up and downstream for a passing barge to be coming through. But they had a particular barge in mind.  Grandpa was steaming up the river. 

We could hear the excited chatter of the five year old boy as he repeatedly asked his dad if Grandpa was getting close. Patiently, Dad would explain that it would be a little bit yet.  Grandma's phone soon buzzed and she began talking and looking in earnest downstream. "I think I can see you,"we heard her say.

Being nosy, I had to join in her search as a barge way down past the bridge was slowly edging into view.  Oh wow, they are waiting for someone working on that barge.  Sure enough as Grandma talked and the barge got closer she handed to phone to her son who described to his dad where they were sitting, right under a particular letter of the city name on the wall.

The barge got closer and the whole family walked closer to the river's edge, dad hanging on to the hand of his son, and they began waving.  It was a beautiful moment and it struck me how lucky they were to be able to not only talk on the phone to their loved one but also get to wave and see him onboard the barge.

In the old days it would have meant a long several hours waiting to see a loved one on the deck of a slowly churning tugboat and not knowing exactly when they would come into view. With cell phone capability they could get in contact and figure out about when he would be at the city's riverfront.  It was also a bittersweet moment because despite technology, they were still yards and yards apart, across the water with Grandpa moving slowly away from them again, not to be home for probably several days or even weeks.

It reminded me of how blessed we are to have technology, when a loved one lives thousands of miles away. It also reminds me of my several greats grandfather, who sailed across the ocean and up the very river I sat beside to begin a new life in this country.  Unfortunately all they had were letters back then to send back and forth through the mail and that wasn't always a reliable way to communicate that you were safe and sound to loved ones.  I feel very lucky at least I have a phone and can even see my family so far away in a moments notice.  Modern technology helping with old hellos!

Shroud of Faith Shroud of Love

 I don't know if you are familiar with the Shroud of Turin or not. Whether you are or are not, here is an article with both some history on the Shroud and how science and religion are melded together. There is no US versus THEM.  Science and faith co-exist, in fact they should co-exist because God created so many wonderful beautiful things in our world and science just makes them all come to our attention!

Take a read and look at this article.  For me, I think it is fantastically fascinating, but my faith does  not hinge or whether or not it is real. My faith believes because of the love Jesus has for all of us.

https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/belief/reflective-narrative-about-the-shroud-of-turin/

Take a Breath

 

Take a breath…a slow blink…let your heart rate slow a little…relax your shoulders.

You are sitting at the stoplight, waiting to get to your next appointment, your job, pick up the kids, run errands, get groceries or work your to-do list.

But while you wait you can take a breath, a slow blink, lower your heart rate, relax your shoulders.

Why?

All these things help reduce your stress, your tension of the day. When you take the time to Pause by taking a breath, a slow blink of your eyes, you also give your body the time to defuse, reduce anger, lessen impatience.

And if you could add one Hail Mary or say  "God help me relax and not get angry" or "Jesus, Mary, Joseph pray for me" in the mix, then you will have added a moment of peace in your life.

And if you can do that at every stoplight, every line you stand in, every moment you feel your jaw tighten, or your shoulders raise, you will have spread more joy not only within yourself, but to others around you.  And if others around you are more peaceful, then you will be too.

Joy    Peace

Pause  Pray

Small Acts of Kindness

 Small acts of kindness can change the world.  How do we know that? 

Have you ever read an account of someone helping a neighbor by bringing them groceries or cleaning the snow off their driveway and thought, now there's a nice piece of news. The world will go on.

Or has someone in front of you in line at the coffee drive through paid for your coffee and you thought how wonderful it was of them to do so?

Those are small acts of kindness and they make the world go round. Without them we will descend into negativity and abyss.

So, what will be your small act of kindness today?  You can change the world, one act at a time. Truly, it can be done! Look for the good news. There is plenty of bad, but it will improve your view of the world if you look for the good that people are doing.  I have a cousin who does prison ministry. He is changing the world several people at time, people who think society has given up on them.

I work with volunteers at our parish food pantry. They are changing the world one act at a time bagging groceries for people they may or may not even meet. Yet it makes all the difference in the world to the family who receives that much needed food.

You can do one small act.  Just one and you'll feel so different.  Go ahead give it a try!

The Rite of Blessed Assurance

 

We have so many different rites of passage in life. Some we recognize with graduations even at the Kindergarten level, marriages, reunions, get-togethers, moving to new homes, new jobs but there is one passage of life that every single one of us will experience at some point. Our death.   I'm not here to be a downer, in fact, just the opposite.  I am here to remind you of what lies beyond our death. New life in Christ and eternity.

It's becoming a trend for families not to have a formal funeral for a loved one. I know because I have worked in a parish setting for over twenty years and I assist at funerals as a cantor, helping leading the singing.  While it up ticked during Covid, a trend to not formally recognize someone as dead has slowly been creeping in our society, treated like it's an old fashioned custom that needs airing out and changing.

But we should not change it.  Funerals serve, not just in the Church but also in secular society, to help us deal with the passing of someone.  It's an acknowledgement of their life, a celebration of their life and yes, clichéd but very true, a closure.  But it's not just a closure or end of a life, it is also a beginning and that's where I love my Catholic faith because we are so very sure of an eternal life after we die.  We believe so immensely that Christ died and ROSE from the dead that even when one of our loved ones dies, we KNOW, we are absolutely sure we will see him or her again when we die. That gives us HOPE.

That HOPE has always been a teaching in the Church. When Jesus died and rose three days later, it gave us the JOY that God has always wanted us to have in our lives. The whole reason He put us on earth, was to experience the JOY of getting to see HIM face to face one day.  Even when we screwed up, sinned beyond all measure and He had to send down his very, one and only son to die to make it all right again, He gave us hope and we too would see God face to face again, just like he had designed us to.

Yet, more and more people are opting out of the whole funeral thing. It's depressing, we don't need this closure, the dead person didn't want people crying, gawking, sobbing all over them.

But we DO need it. We DO need to be constantly reminded every time someone passes from this life to the next that we too will do that someday and I mean that in a positive way!  We can get so caught up in the unhappiness of life, all the things we have to do, the negative, that we forget we need to celebrate death. Yes, celebrate that which brings us closer to our God.  Because death is NOT the end. It is hope and love. It is God calling us to a home that is exquisite beyond all measure. It is beauty we cannot not even imagine until we get there.   It is listening to the words of the readings and Gospel at the funeral service, listening to people singing 'praying you into heaven', it is hearing voices of loved ones saying goodbye and praying for us, it is hearing the prayers of the  Church asking that we be forgiven of any sins so we can stand before almighty God in His loving embrace. Our Church asks that for each and every person during a funeral. 

It is our last Rite of Passage that we will all make. And we need to make the most of it.  We should want all of our family and friends to come to our funerals, to pray for us, to see us off on this epic journey of eternal life to join other family members and friends who have gone before us, to hear the angels sing and praise God.  Don't miss out on the joy and wonder, the reassurance of God's love for us and our loved ones. We need to hear, smell, voice and raise our hands to Him in blessed assurance.  God will hold us in the palm of His hand.  And we'll make that final rite of passage into a loving home for eternity.

 

Pause, Pray. Just Sayin'

 So I've had my Pause and Pray sign on the back windshield of my car for several weeks now.  So you are aware, I haven't sported any kind of bumper sticker or glass decal for years, not since my kids got those Honor Roll bumper stickers years and years ago. And even then I couldn't bring myself to actually attach them to my car. I stuck them in the window or on my fridge. Why? I don't know, I really dislike bumper stickers. After so long of a time they get all dirty and sticky looking and while I am far from being a neat nick type personality, I have to keep my car clean and tidy. Just saying.

And that is how we come to this portion of my article, the 'just sayin' portion.  I was driving the other day to church and my husband was riding with me. I saw someone in front of me perform a somewhat risky maneuver while driving and because I've been working on my language when I am driving (did you know there's a thing called driving Tourettes? Me either, but apparently I have it.) I blurted out, "Hey, you need to Pause and Pray...you know... just saying."

That's when it hit me. I have been worrying all along at having some message on the back of my car that someone might be offended by. I know, I worry about really dumb things. There are lots of worse things on people's cars that offend me all the time. But that's besides the point.  Anyway, I've been concerned that people will think I am preachy or holier than thou by displaying my Pause and Pray sign.  So I told my husband, maybe I should add to my message, 'just sayin' so it sounds more like a kind suggestion instead of a command.  You know, for instance I'm not telling you what do to, but maybe in your best interest you should stop, take a moment, breath and think about how you are driving and how it is affecting the whole rest of the planet!!!   That won't fit on a bumper stick so Pause, Pray Just Sayin' works better, I think.  We'll see how it goes. 

Ducks and the Universe

 

My husband has this saying when his students ask too many questions and don't listen enough. "It's like getting picked to death by ducks."  In other words, instead of listening to what he is saying, they immediately begin asking questions and get waylaid by demanding answers instead of first listening and enjoying the experience of learning something new.

 

 When I was in college I took many literature courses for my English major.  We read story after story by famous writers and afterward discussed them. We dissected each book, each poem like they were frogs on the science lab table.  We literally picked them to death like ducks pecking at grass on the ground.

 

None of my instructors in Literature were satisfied with a synopsis of a novel. We had to find out the meaning behind the color of the dress the heroine was wearing. When we read a story that began with the line;  'it was a dark and stormy night,' my explanation was it was dark and stormy maybe with some rain and thunder that made you shiver.  Nope, according to my instructor, dark and stormy were adjectives with a whole different meaning. What that meaning was I never really did understand and sometimes I didn't want to hear.  Did anyone check with the author on this?  Ultimately I lost the joy of reading anything and it was a long time after college before I could pick up a book again.

 

 As a writer myself, I have often wondered why would someone pick to death one of my stories?   I am sure some authors have hidden meanings in some things they write, but surely not all of them.  I write because I enjoy writing a story, not because I expect my readers to become Sherlock Holmes.

 

The same thing could be said today of scientists who insist on dissecting the universe and origins of the world. Sure it is fascinating to explore the universe and see how the stars come together and suns are made. But could we not just enjoy the beauty of it for the beauty?

 

Did God create the Universe to mean something?  Of course He had order and sense to it, but did He do it so He would get something out it?  He created Beauty to just be beautiful.  He creates each one of us in His likeness yet none of us are exactly alike.  God creates nature, beings, stars and entire universes that have no other meaning than to exist for His delight!

 

Why can we not just delight in His world?   Could we stop being ducks pecking everything to death?  Can we walk and explore and drink in the beauty of the sights and sounds of this world that God created?  We could enjoy a good book, pick up a hobby just for the fun of learning it, explore the universe and enjoy the beauty of its creation.  Let's find out how stars were created but for heavens sake do so because we want to learn of its beauty, not to pick it to death!