Happy Birthday, Mom!

My mom, Margaret Grace Schneider, would be 106 today. She died at 83 leaving behind 37 grandchildren and 40 great grandchildren. My husband and I were privileged to have her live with us the last five months of her life. She died in our home surrounded in her last days by her children, their spouses and her grandchildren.

What a beautiful lady! Always smiling, always cheerful, never complaining. I can only hope to be half as virtuous as she was. Until she got too sick, she was volunteering twice a week at the Little Sisters of the Poor in Baltimore visiting patients considerably younger than she was. She honored life from womb to tomb!

Even with her walker, she did the March for Life every January 22nd, organizing the bus for her parish, selling flowers on Mother's Day to support local crisis pregnancy centers, writing letters to the editor to defend the little ones. She was a stalwart supporter of Nellie Gray and the March. In fact, I first met Nellie in person having lunch with her and my mom who arranged it.

How I miss her and wish she were here to sing Happy Birthday to and see her smile. I'll sing Happy Birthday in memoriam and beg for her to intercede for me and all of our family. She was a faithful servant of God and I have no doubt that she well deserved a halo. I pray for the repose of her soul and ask you to join me. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Love you, Mom.

Always Remember the Pro-Life Heroes Who Paved the Way!

My dear friend Jack Ames of Defend Life organizes a Maryland Face the Truth Tour every summer. It's a week of multiple stops each day using huge pro-life/abortion signs to expose communities to the truth about child-killing in the womb. Jack asked me to give a talk on the preliminary prep/training day about the early history of the pro-life movement. My qualifications? I'm old and started working in the pro-life movement in 1972 before Roe v. Wade. Some of the early heroes I'll be talking about directly impacted my own involvement in pro-life activism through their witness and inspiration. How much I thank God for all of them!

Optical Illusions and Reality: In the Age of AI, What Can You Believe?

Sitting at my computer this morning I experienced an interesting optical illusion. Looking across the field through the "frame" of two tree trunks, I saw the head of a roman wearing a laurel wreath in profile. He looked very much like this:

As the wind blew his mouth opened and closed as if he were speaking. Of course, I knew it was just an illusion created by my brain, but it fascinated me and got me thinking about illusions and truth.

Sunday Meditation: Of the Three Little Pigs, Parenthood, and Preparing for Death

When our children were young we had a car with no radio. So we entertained the kids by telling stories. Larry told fairy tales and I told Bible stories. A favorite from Daddy was The Three Little Pigs. Mom and Dad filled up their napsacks with all kinds of goodies and sent them off to make their way in the world,  build their own houses, and outsmart wolves.

Competition or Completion? Can Christians Save Western Civilization?

This brief essay by Fr. Tom Collins offers much food for thought. Did God make us to compete with one another or to complete one another? Christian marriage certainly points to the answer. Love seeks the good of the other and, in seeking that good, magnifies its own good. Hence Mary, so totally dedicated to magnifying her Lord, teaches us the proper orientation to life and the secret to true happiness. May we follow in her footsteps which is the quickest way to know, love, and serve God and go straight to the feet of Jesus. The fate of Western Civilization depends on conforming our hearts, minds, and souls to the will of God. Will we embrace the solution?

Observations on the Decline of Western Civilization 

by Fr. Tom Collins

It is often noted that the decline of Western Civilization has been accelerated by the catalytic influences offered by the premises expounded by Freud, Marx and Darwin. In recent years, this decline has become increasingly evident in distortions of basic reasoning skills. Below are some examples.

Of Motherhood and Spring and the Evil Lady Macbeth!

 

I've always loved the scene in Bambi about Spring arriving and all the creatures being "twitterpated!" I couldn't help thinking of that this morning as I watched a mama doe amble through the yard followed by a newborn, the littlest I've seen this Spring. We have deer in the yard every day and the does know Camp Kreitzer is a safe haven. They often leave their babies here while they go off to forage. Last year we had twins settled down on the side of the driveway just lolling in the sun. What a delight to go out and see them every morning. 

"Woe to the False Shepherds!" Bishop Martin of Charlotte Shows Petty Tyranny toward His Flock!

It's hard to believe what Bishop Michael Martin is doing in Charlotte. Under Bishop Jugis the diocese thrived. Under this new bishop, the wreckovation is in process bigtime. The four pastors at the parishes where the TLM is being eliminated begged him not to do it. They pointed out there was no disunity in their parishes. The bishop didn't bother to visit any of the four parishes; he simply stomped on the flock with hobnailed boots. As of yesterday, the bishop has delayed his orders because of a significant backlash not only in his diocese, but across the country. The planned date of implementation is now October 2nd. [Source]

Remembering Those Who Have Gone Before Us and Saying Thank You!

Today is my oldest sibling's birthday, my brother Ray. The first of ten living children he began his life in Hawaii when my dad, a recent Naval Academy grad, was stationed at Pearl Harbor. Ray always called himself the youngest Pearl Harbor survivor since my mom was only a few weeks pregnant when evacuated to the mainland. Ray ended his life here in Woodstock and continues to be loved and missed. 

Pope Leo Affirms True Marriage

The pope sent a strong message against cohabitation and in favor of Christian marriage during the Jubilee of Families. What a needed message for our modern world! And what a repudiation of Francis' scandalous remarks that cohabitation is true marriage. It isn't!

I recently had a conversation with a handyman doing some work for us. He and his live in partner both came from sad family situations. His mother was divorced several times. Her parents were divorced as well. They've been together for sixteen years, but have no intention of marrying. Compounding the tragedy is the fact that he's a lapsed Catholic.

Ants Care More about their Offspring than Liberals Do!

My husband checked the bees today. Two of our three hives were overrun with ants. Ants are interesting creatures. Not as interesting to me as the bees, and a nuisance for beekeepers, but still amazing little bugs. The first thing they do when the nest is threatened is to rescue the babies. You can see the grown up ants scurrying to carry off the eggs to safety.