just another day of Catholic pondering

musings of Sarah Reinhard: Catholic wife, mother, writer, convert, farm girl

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Quick Takes at 3:15 AM

July 30th, 2010 · Farm Life, Quick Takes

~ 1 ~

If I’m awake at 3:15 AM, I’m not usually online and blogging. This strikes me as common sense. But since I was WIDE AWAKE this morning (or is it night?), and since I hadn’t scheduled my Quick Takes (did not, in fact, know what all my Quick Takes would be, prior to this session with my laptop), I thought I might as well share with you what it is that brings me to my WIDE AWAKE state today at 3:15 AM.

~ 2 ~

I’m here because of our Cattle Dog*, who has been barking for the last four hours. She’s been outside, on the porch side of the house, barking. And barking. And BARKING.

Our late Jack Russell Terror used to have barking jags too, especially once he became an outside dog. But, the thing is, with him, it was always for a reason, like a coon or a critter of some sort.

Oh, and she’s not barking anymore. I put her in her cage. Why did it take me four hours to reach that point? Well. Good question. I’m asking myself at exactly what point I thought she would just…stop…with her barking. Was I waiting for someone else to take care of it? Maybe it’s safe to say I was just trying to sleep.

*The Cattle Dog needs a catchy name like the former Jack Russell Terror had…any ideas?

~ 3 ~

After I caged the Cattle Dog, I thought I’d check on the pups. (For those of you who didn’t see it on Twitter, Facebook, or my post on Tuesday, we jumped off the deep end last weekend and got not one, but TWO Jack Russell pups.) We’ve been keeping them on the porch, and a niggling little voice in my head was wondering if the reason for Cattle Dog’s barking was something with the pups. She was barking on that side of the house, after all.

I walked onto the enclosed porch, and one of the pups jumped right out of his cozy little bed, ready to play.

But where was the other one?

I called him. I made a kissing noise. I asked the bouncing pup where his brother was.

And then I heard the whining.

From the freezer.

~ 4 ~

The puppy was IN THE FREEZER. We recently redid our porch and it’s still cleared off, because I was expecting to paint the floor. After we got the pups, I decided to wait until we had completely moved them outside before I did the floor.

All that’s on our enclosed porch is two dog beds, a stepladder, the dog dishes of water and food, and a chest freezer.

~ 5 ~

I could hear him on the other side of the little vent thing on the side. Aside from wondering how in the world he got in there (he’s pretty small), I also wondered how I was going to get him out.

This is the sort of thing that falls under my husband’s domain. It involves a screwdriver and solving a spatial puzzle.

I was unable to wedge the vent open (how did he get IN THERE?!?) and also unable to find anything resembling a screwdriver (I’m SURE we have them here somewhere). So I did what the situation warranted: I went upstairs and told my husband.

“Puppy #1 is in the freezer.”

He hadn’t been asleep. Cattle Dog had been barking for FOUR HOURS, remember? Only the kids slept through that, and then only because I took them to the fair last night.

His head never left the pillow.

With one eye open and his head still cradled in his arm, he mumbled, “He CAN’T be in the freezer.”

I didn’t stick around to bug him about it. Someone had to rescue the pup, after all!

~ 6 ~

Was I going to have to go to the barn to find a screwdriver? I was dusting off the area of my mind that ineffectively deals with this and telling myself it was NOT okay to call anyone, rationalizing that the puppy would probably live until morning, when I stepped back onto the porch.

Puppy #1 was romping with his brother. He was out of the freezer.

~ 7 ~

I have NO IDEA how he got in or how he got out of the freezer. I put a full can of paint in front of the vent, and if he gets back in the freezer, he’s going to be there until morning, because I’m going back to bed to salvage some sleep.

My husband is going to be laughing at me for at least a week over this, and I am filing it as the beginning of another decade (at least) of Jack Russell tales. (I have quite a few from our last encounter with this breed.)

Puppy #2 (top) and Puppy #1 (bottom)

We have Jen at Conversion Diary to thank for our weekly dose of Quick Takes. She hosts every week, rain or shine (or incessantly barking dogs), and we are eternally grateful.

Quick Takes at 3:15 AM

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A Laugh for Thursday

July 29th, 2010 · Uncategorized

…because, though I rarely click through on videos on blogs, Michelle said it was hilarious. And she was right.

A Laugh for Thursday

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Loving Mary

July 28th, 2010 · Inspired by Mary, podcasts

Yes, it’s true: I love Mary.

I call her Mommy. I talk to her throughout my day. I lean on her and encourage others to do the same.

It’s no surprise, then, that I spent some time recording a segment for Pat Gohn, of the Among Women podcast, for her upcoming special on Mary. Not only did I feel a sort of personal mandate, a calling even, I thought it might be fun. (You know, because I needed a reason to cry.)

Though it took approximately 49 takes to record, thanks to Niagra Falls coming from my eyes, I did finally come up with a completed segment about what I love about Mary.

If you haven’t yet called Pat’s listener feedback line (206-338-6077) or emailed her (amongwomenpodcast@me.com) an mp3 file or email she can share, consider doing that this week. (You only have until August 3rd!)

Think of it as a love note, a little bouquet we’re gathering for a dear woman in our lives, a saint who intercedes for us in the most intimate and tender ways, who is always there for us, who is a mother in the most beautiful way.

Can’t wait to hear your contribution on the show!

Loving Mary

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When all else fails…

July 27th, 2010 · daybook

…post a daybook.

Right?

Well, though I have plenty of post ideas, I have a feeling that it will be either a no posting day or a late posting day if I don’t just use these handy prompts. So, in the interest of capturing real life, here goes.

Outside my window: Chirping birds and, ah, cool breezes! After a week of unseasonable heat, the cool we’ve had for the last few days is refreshing.

Rambling thoughts: Ah, the dog days of summer are here. And we have been busy and not busy, which seems to be a uniquely summer phenomenon. I am finding peace in the un-rhythm, though also starting to plan for the rhythm to change and the routines to kick back in.

In thanksgiving: For small puffs of fur. For daughters who insist on goodnight kisses. For reading aloud to others.

Folded hands, bowed head: For a colleague of my husband’s and his wife, who just lost their full-term baby. Please join me in praying for them.

Kitchen meanderings: That’s what I’m doing in the kitchen: meandering. In the cool mornings, I bring my laptop out here after prayers and enjoy the ambiance. How had I forgotten that this was my favorite place to write?

Nose inserted: I’ll be reading Don Quixote until my children graduate from high school, I think. I’m slowing down on it, though, and reading Pilgrim’s Progress in earnest, along with Going Public: Your Child Can Thrive in Public School.

Recent reads: I just finished A Broom of One’s Own: Words on Writing, Housecleaning and Life, by Nancy Peacock, last night, on the recommendation of Dorian. I really enjoyed it, and was glad I paused in some of my other reading pursuits to pick it up. Other recently finished books: Our Jewish Roots: A Catholic Woman’s Guide to Fulfillment Today by Connecting with Her Past, by Cheryl Dickow, and an old favorite, Alice Through the Looking-Glass, by Lewis Carroll.

Around the house: The kids are still sleeping at 8:00, which isn’t so unusual lately. They got to bed verrrry late last night (again) and I’m thankful that they will and can sleep in a bit. The sink is full of soaking dishes, the washer awaits replacement, and things are, basically, quiet.

A favorite thing: The soft weight of a sleeping child’s head on my shoulder.

Plans made, possibly kept: This year, the county and state fair are back-to-back and almost simultaneous. Due to some other commitments we’ve had, we won’t be (and can’t be) as involved as we have been in the past, but we did go to the county fair last night and plan to go to the state fair this weekend. The talk of the fair year, among our eldest young lady (age five), is when she will be old enough to show. She doesn’t know what she’ll show, mind you, but she knows she wants to show. (Or she thinks she does.)

Food for thought: “I don’t know how it works exactly, but something about opening my mouth and admitting what I’ve done wrong is a crucial step toward healing and reconciliation. It helps me see myself clearly.

“In this way, Confession isn’t something I do for God. It’s something God does for me.”

From “Why I Go to Confession,” by Elizabeth Esther

Worth a thousand words: The new “deadly duo” (because we need a critter dog, and if one’s good, two are better…right?):

This daybook inspired by Peggy’s work.

When all else fails…

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The Work of the Church

July 24th, 2010 · Faith

The other day, a good friend sent me a message, asking for prayers. I wrote him back and told him that I would add his intention to a novena I’m praying, as well as to my daily prayers. To be honest, it was sort of a knee-jerk response, the kind of thing I would have told pretty much anyone who wrote me to ask for prayers. “Sure, I’ll pray for you. Just let me go write it down.”

I replied to his effusive thank you with a shrugging response, pretty much saying, “Hey, isn’t that what anyone would do?” I don’t think about that as being real work.

He wrote me back again, and his response made me think about prayer — and the work of prayer — in a new way.

Praying is doing the WORK of the Church. It is work. It takes time, energy and commitment.  We may all be called to pray but how many of us actually do that work? I am guilty of being spiritually lazy at times and failing to converse with God, telling Him about those I care about, listening for His guidance.

One important thing I myself struggle to manage is being noticed and praised for something I should be doing all along.  I know it’s called positive reinforcement in the dry psychological circles but I am a huge failure here.  I dismiss praise from others because I somehow feel unworthy. For ME, it’s part of my life-long inferiority complex which has its roots in childhood. I am only now realizing that I am GOD’S child. He loves me and lavishes His sweetness on me in ways I am only now seeing.

Your note triggered those thoughts about myself.  I think the really best answer is not that I give you credit (though I do, so there!) but that I rejoice that you in the Body of Christ come to [my] aid, in the Body of Christ. We share in the divine ecstatic dance of the Father with the Son from which the Holy Spirit flows and gives life to the world.

You and all who pray for others deserve to remember that you are part of the dance, especially when you do something for someone else, even something as “little” as praying to the God of the universe for a brother you have never met. Instead of credit, call it joy.

I have had intentions so dear, so special, so important to my heart that, when people have told me they’re praying for them, I have been moved to tears. I know how it feels to be appreciative of the power of the time others take to remember my intentions to God. So, this week, I’m going to pay closer attention to doing this work of mine well, because it is so very, very important.

The Work of the Church

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