Gifts of the Holy Spirit -

The seven infused virtues (gifts of the Holy Spirit) at the time of baptism are 

Faith - the belief

Hope - the trust in the belief

Charity - love of others

Temperance  - patience and control of behavior

Justice - honesty and truthfulness, conformity to human and Divine Law

Prudence - good judgment and common sense

and Fortitude - persistence and strength

We are all thus gifted.

Single Gender Classroom - An opportunity for better instruction.

I have proposed this concept two years ago to the principal.  I wanted an all-girl section and one all-boy section, one academic/accelerated section; one heterogeneous section and one section of the neediest students with reading difficulties.   Yes, this would have created more work for me, but wouldn't it have been worth it for the students?   My idea was not only pushed aside, avoided, but was ignored.  No surprise, he was certainly not an innovator.  I was hoping to be able to present Gender-appropriate material to my students, based on interests and discussion topics.     Please read this article, posted in the Post Gazette, Pittsburgh, (click on the title for this post) where this concept is taking hold, as the public schools have taken a bit of advice from private school practices.   In my opinion, and especially for students leaving junior high, this is an ideal time to change up the classroom with gender.   Keep it the same for health class and Phys Ed.   I would even suggest the strength of Gender-class for theater arts, vocal ensemble, math, home economics, English, and computer. 

The Separation of Church and State

David Barton is the founder of Wall Builders, an organization dedicated to presenting America's forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on our moral, religious, and constitutional heritage.  He is the author of some books that I am reading:  American History in Black and White and his short pamphlet on "The Separation of Church and State." 

If you have a bit of time, both books are short, and easy quick reads.   Become enlightened to a past that has been perverted in ways that defy common sense.   Know your history, so that your children will learn the truth.  Know your Constitution, which was never intended to erase religion from our lives, but was written to protect our right to religion of our choosing,
all that is good, righteous and moral.
How can the Court system get it so wrong since 1947?  Plenty of people are riding the wings of 20th century court rulings that claim to re-interpret the intentions of our founders.  They lurk in many guises emboldened in evil, to discredit the truth and rid Our Lord from our lives.
  Seek the Way, the Truth, and The Life.  

How Mental Illness touches the lives of us all

 

St. Dymphna ...Pray for Us 

Patron of the Mentally Afflicted

I am the daughter of a talented wonderful woman, who suffered the cruelest of demons, schizophrenia, and postpartum depression, which led to manic depression.   She endured the medical community's answer to treatment - electric shock, and was never the same, or as she was meant to be, before I was born.   She lost everything that she had, a first husband, her firstborn, her second born, her 3rd (me) 4th and 5th child all removed in some way from her care.  Care that she could not adequately provide.

When I think about her life, and remember her when I last gazed upon her face, I realized that as she lay still in the casket, she was finally still, and in the hands of the Lord.  In His hands where she was truly protected, she could be still.   Finally no one could harm her.  Finally no one could take anything else from her.  She was still and she was safe.  I had never known her not to pace, or chain smoke.  It was a bittersweet moment as I saw her for the last time.

My mother's mental illness was all I had ever known, all my life.  I had difficulty understanding what had gone wrong.  Why did such a beautiful, talented woman suffer in so many ways?   Why her, and why my mother?   Divorce,  stripped of all that connected her to that marriage, including a child, inhumane treatment at the hands of the medical community, unwelcome when she returned home, gang rape, an illegitimate child, a son, Michael, as the result of that rape, and then her three girls.     She didn't just die from this world on August 28, 1988.  She died with the first electric shock treatment, she died when my father took my sisters and I to his parents' home to protect us from the Ohio State Child Welfare Agency.   I lost her not once, but multiple times, and finally the last time, on that day in August, when the Lord decided.  She was 54.

My Father's Mother, my Polish grandmother, suffered also from a cruel disease, Alzheimer's by which day by day, the guardian of my childhood, I also lost my grandmother.   The wonderful lady who taught me to cook, fixed my wonderful breakfast, day in and day out, tended a garden and wonderfully provided where my own mother could not, died a little each day to Alzheimer's.   When she left this world, I knew that she was also in the hands of the Lord.  Safe from what Alzheimer's had done to her.

Should bring Tears to your eyes

Thank you Mike Aquilina!

If you have a need to watch movies, such as Angels and Demons,  Lost Symbol or the DiVinci Code, it would help to put all the background into perspective by informing yourself with some quick reads by Mike Aquilina.  Here are some of the latest I recommend:

Signs and Mysteries -  Revealing Ancient Christian Symbols -

   which makes me want to have these signs all over my home!   I have a Fish Vessel and  the Vine/Grapes.  There are 24 more that would complement any Christian Home!  Aquilina explains chapter by chapter, each symbol with appropriate illustrations to show the original appearance on everyday items of early Christians. 

Try this one:

You will be more aware of the role of the heavenly hosts, and more aware of their presence in our lives.  We are reminded our our guardian, and the guardian of others.   

This quick read includes angel prayers! 

The Fathers of the Church

I have this book on my KINDLE, and I'm still in the middle of it.  Also insightful for the lay reader.   Helpful to those of us, who are unable to visit Vatican archives and research for ourselves.

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