lent 2010: sunday salonen shorties

Logistics once again has determined a small change in this week's post schedule. Instead of Mama Monday Minis, Peace Garden Mama presents, Sunday Salonen Shorties.

* "It's a Twister!" Do you see it? If you look closely enough, you will. It's the most exciting couple minutes of bathtime -- the Twister! It swirls and shimmies and pulls the last bit of water down, down, down. In childhood, no moment of wonder, no matter how diminutive, goes unnoticed. I think that's what I've loved most about motherhood -- having the chance to experience the amazements of life all over again. If I'm lucky and God wills it, just about the time I've become blind to these sweet spectacles, my grandchildren will be here to point them out to me.

* Kid Quotes: I've been collecting them the last couple weeks. Here are a few of the best:

“Everything changes once you get up.” -- Adam, 7, contemplating leaving a warm bed for the real world.

“Mom, I can be your cup-holder for your pop!” (pause...) “Can I have a drink? (takes a drink...) “Hey, it’s a moving cup-holder!” -- Nick, 4

“Why do you guys get to decide everything??!!” – Olivia, age 12, talking to her very unenlightened parents

“Mom, when you die, will I still be alive?” -- Deep Thoughts by Nick

“Mom, why did George Washington only make a one-dollar?...cuz...it’s not really a lot.” -- Another Deep Thought by Nick

* Lent-weary? Consider this: We're now a couple weeks into Lent, around the time fasting and other commitments begin to feel a little less doable. But take heart. If staying the course has been more challenging than anticipated, St. Francis has some words of encouragement (thanks to Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda for sharing these reflections with me):

February 28: We should never tire of making good resolutions, even when we know that we will not keep them. Even if we should feel absolutely certain that it will be impossible to put them into practice, we should not immediately give up. We should hold on until we have sufficient courage to say to the Lord: It is true, Lord, I haven't the strength to do it or suffer this, but I rejoice in this fact, that Your strength will work in me. With this support I will go ahead to face the battle, and I will win. (Spiritual Treatises IX; O. VI, p. 155)

[From the book, "Everyday with St. Francis de Sales" edited by Rev. Francis J. Klauder]

* Prayers for Ryan: I had the privilege of leading the 11 a.m. Mass in song this morning. From my post up front, I could see so many of the family members and friends of Ryan Mayer who had come to worship and, later, take part in the spaghetti dinner fundraiser for the benefit of Ryan and his family. The turnout was spectacular. I am so glad. Ryan and his wife, Lori, and their three small children are truly deserving of this outpouring of love. No matter where you are in the world, you can all do something for them. Pray for a miracle, please, that his brain cancer will reverse and he will be restored to health. If you'd like to catch up on Ryan's journey, you can go to the caringbridge site, and if prompted, type in "ryanmayer."

* Bar-stangled spanner: I'm a bit nervous for tomorrow night. I'll be singing the Star-Spangled Banner at the FirstChoice Clinic's annual fundraising banquet. This event is one of my favorite nights of the year -- a time for those who support life from conception til death to come together for mutual encouragement and raise money for our local crisis pregnancy clinic. The real highlight of the evening will be guest speaker Kay Cole James who, along with her husband, founded Black Americans for Life and has been a pioneer in the prolife movement. See more here.

* Radio ready: It's my turn to host "Real Presence Live" Monday morning from 9 to 11 a.m. CST. I'll be interviewing Conversion Diary's Jennifer Fulwiler, Catholicmom.com's Lisa Hendey, and for the second hour, we'll have our second segment of "From the Catholic View," during which time we'll be discussing, "Discerning Family Size through the Eyes of the Church." I'm looking forward to two hours of invigorating discussion!

The snow has been melting here this weekend. Wish I'd had my camera out to grab some images of the glorious dripping. Each drop is a sign of hope for us -- hope that one more inch of potential river flooding will be kept at bay.

Have a wonderful, peace-filled week!

“The survival of the secular news business depends upon its ability to convince us that life is unstable.” -- Al Kresta, national Catholic radio talk-show host

A couple years ago, we switched from cable to digital TV. I couldn’t figure out the fancy new remote, so I gave up, just walked away from TV altogether. It seemed too complicated to bother.

That’s what I told myself anyway, but the true reason wasn’t quite so simple.

Early in my career, when I was working as a newspaper reporter, I interviewed the mother of a family who did not possess a television. Instead of watching the tube, her children did strange things in their off time, like...read books. Yet they seemed so well-adjusted and happy. That’s the kind of home environment I want to have someday, I thought.

As I was imagining my perfect someday-family, I hadn’t considered the fact that my husband’s modest-sized childhood home contains five televisions. Their noise is as much a part of the background as the hum of the refrigerator. I'll admit, at times, having so many options for TV-viewing has been a blessing during visits when our children have threatened an eruption over who gets to watch what. But, it’s different than what I experienced growing up. Our family had one plain TV, no frills, just three channels, not even cable-ready.

These days, the TV claims my attention about once a week, when my husband and I curl up in his man cave and watch a movie or television show. Occasionally, when something spectacular comes on -- like the opening night of the Olympics -- I will pause to join the rest of the family in watching. But mostly, it’s not on my radar. I get news from other sources –- radio, newspaper and the Internet.

I’ve only realized slowly that the void I'd assumed might result never did present itself. And I’m starting to piece together why.

Back when the remote became too burdensome, something else was going on inside of me. I was beginning to feel unsatisfied with what I was seeing on 24-7 TV news. It was beginning to feel like a hallow pursuit. I was finding myself constantly filtering the messages coming at me; messages that were in stark contrast to what I believe and hope about the world, from commercials to talk shows to sitcoms.

We are what we eat, meaning, we become what we ingest. If all we’re taking into ourselves is what’s on television these days, we’re on a dangerous path of spiritual decay. It happens slowly, but rest assured, it happens – to us, and to our children.

At a recent fundraising event for our local Catholic radio station, national talk-show host Al Kresta talked about the difference between secular and Catholic media. Secular media, he asserted, thrives on a different set of sensibilities than Catholic media. With secular media, there is a constant need to “feed the beast,” to present the next drama, the next unresolved element of a story. “If the problem is solved, you’ve lost something and you have to come up with something else,” he said. In this way, it can never satisfy, no matter how much we keep hoping it will. Un-resolve keeps us glued to the set, but ultimately, it’s unfulfilling as well as inaccurate. “The survival of the secular news business depends upon its ability to convince us that life is unstable,” Kresta said. “Secular media depends upon its ability to convince us that it knows what reality is.”

I’ll admit, I was a reluctant listener at first. Catholic radio seemed lacking in musical output, but over time, I saw clearly how its non-music content clearly and assuredly made up for this lack. Once I really started listening, I couldn’t stop. Now, I listen while I'm in the car, or when I’m cleaning the house. I'm telling you, it brings meaning to my mopping. Catholic radio is my daily companion as I move from one domestic task to the next, and when the programs are over, I feel like I’ve actually learned something meaningful and useful. I feel invigorated, and filled with hope.

Through Catholic radio, I’ve fed my ravenous soul. Yes, my soul is starving for good food, because out in the secular world the pickings are slim, the cupboards pretty bare. But if you dig into the pantry of Catholic media, you’ll find well-stocked shelves full of nourishing offerings.

If you haven’t tried it yet, I dare you to. But be forewarned: You might actually end up feeling truly edified and not emptier than when you first tuned in.

The next best thing to listening to Catholic radio, for me, has been to be a part of it through monthly radio hosting. On Monday, I’ll be interviewing Jennifer Fulwiler from Conversion Diary, as well as Lisa Hendey, author of The Handbook for Catholic Moms: Nurturing Your Heart, Body, Mind and Soul and founder of the catholicmom.com website. After that, we’ll offer our second “From the Catholic View” segment and discuss "Family size in the eyes of the Church." If you have a chance, tune in from 9 to 11 a.m. CST on Monday, March 1. You can catch us on the Internet as well on "Real Presence Live" by clicking here.

If you do happen to listen in, please drop by my email box to let me know what you think. And may your media intake satisfy your hunger pangs in the weeks ahead.

lent 2010: beauty

While gazing around our new church’s sanctuary a couple weeks ago, I was overwhelmed with emotion and awe. Each stained glass window represented a piece of the story in our Christian journey. Each pictorial tile on the floor held some significance. Even the color of the altar – blood red – was not without meaning.

Just when I thought I’d absorbed everything, I looked upward in gratitude, and there on the high ceiling was yet another surprise: three phrases painted in scripted, gold letters. Each phrase contained a key word, which stood out in capital letters so as not to be missed:

Beauty - Truth - Goodness

My spiritual director recently had strung these words together while naming the three elements that draw people to faith. Each of us is drawn more readily toward one over the other, but each element, to some degree, prompts in us an upward gaze, an acknowledgement of our place in relation to our Creator and a yearning to enter into a deeper relationship with God.

I’d like to ponder each of these over the next few weeks. Let's start with the most alluring physically -- beauty.

Throughout the building of our new church, which took place over the course of 15 years and cost millions of dollars, some on the outside were skeptical, even critical over the work in progress. Think of how else that money might have been used, how many people could have been fed from it.

True, indeed, but I've come to believe there’s more here to explore. Though food is indeed a basic necessity for physical nourishment, the soul needs to be nourished as well. Beauty is one way that can be accomplished.

In a Catholic News Agency article, “The Importance of Beauty to the Catholic Church,” the author notes that “Beauty is the single aspect of God which can be expressed physically within the earthly realm...The church stands as the dwelling place of the Lord on Earth,” and "reflects the Church dwelling in Heaven" (Built of Living Stones, #17).”

Beauty, the article goes on to say, is not merely human arrogance or a waste of resources that could be directed to the poor but an appropriate and necessary aspect of God’s everlasting mystical presence before mankind.

Father Jack Davis is a priest from our diocese who has lived out the greater part of his vocation in Chimbote, Peru, ministering to the poorest of the poor. He has carried out countless projects for the betterment of the people there, but I will not soon forget one in particular. During a fundraising dinner here in Fargo a few years ago, Fr. Jack was describing how one of his American helpmates had gone to Peru to install a system of underground pipes to bring water to areas of the city that had little moisture, where much of the landscape was barren. This underground watering system helped bring lushness to an area of town that previously had been permeated by dust. For the first time in memory, grass began to sprout and a few small gardens emerged.

I remember Fr. Jack describing these gardens, these patches of life, as well as reactions to them. After hearing someone here comment on their insignificance in relation to the desolation around them, Fr. Jack had remarked that these small areas of lushness had brought a beauty to the city of Chimbote that had not been there previously, and that those spots of beauty had had the effect of awakening souls to the presence of God.

Brown to green -- nothing small about it if you happen to live in Chimbote.

We need food to survive physically. We need love to survive emotionally. But if we don’t have a place of beauty to restore our soul, how can we believe there is a God? How can truth or even goodness be evident devoid some measure of beauty? God knew what He was doing when He created the world as He did.

The faithful need a place to gather and be restored. How can we build up the body of Christ and tend to the needs of others if we ourselves have not been filled with light and love? We cannot give from a depleted reserve. Our faith communities give us courage as we prepare to launch ourselves into the world that is in such desperate need of our light. But we need our own lights to be stoked as well from time to time.

Some wonder where all the faithful have gone, but I couldn’t help but feel joy at our the Dedication Mass two weeks back as I took in all of the beauty, and fathomed what it took to bring all of it to fruition. Behind every piece of stained glass there was a person who believed in more than what we can see. I was renewed in the knowledge that the faithful do indeed walk the earth in our time, and vibrantly so.

The investment in a church building may not bring about financial reward, but its dividends are eternal. Our new church is filled to capacity; new life is evidenced everywhere. The existence of a new church that could well last thousands of years, God-willing, is a beautiful thing in and of itself.

Throughout the rest of the week, may you see more clearly the beauty around you. May it be a reminder of God’s magnificence as well as His love for you, His beloved. And may you seek to bring beauty to others in the unique way you are able.

lent 2010: deja vu?

Mama Monday Minis (or Missives, as the case may be)

The powers that be are finally getting real with us, telling us to prepare for battle, that it’s likely to flood here when the snow starts melting in the spring.

Ya think?






We’ve watched the snow come, and come, and come this winter. We’ve watched with our eyes half-open, in denial as we have been because we cannot yet emotionally handle the thought of a repeat of last spring. Many here are not fully recovered yet from last year’s spring disaster that swallowed some homes and put all of our lives in chaotic suspension for several months.

These pictures tell only a little of the story. What we see when we’re driving around town are lines of hazardous roadway. The snow is piled so high that when we inch out into an intersection to assess oncoming traffic, we risk getting hit. I don’t remember having to deal with snow-pile obstruction like I’ve seen this winter, never in my years as a driver.

Some days, I’m in plain disbelief how the piles are eye-level or higher. Just when I think the skies couldn’t possibly hold any more moisture, more comes down. It comes quietly, but steadily, like downy feathers. But we know not to take it lightly. It is deceptive, this snow. Each new flake that joins the rest poses a threat to us. And the scary thing is that we can’t really fully prepare, because we have no idea just what Mother Nature will do.

Another rather remarkable effect of this year’s winter has been the tremendously huge icicles. Honestly, I have never seen so many of these chilly ice swords cascading down from roofs and even from many of the snow piles themselves.

Seeing the signs so obvious as they are, all we can do is guess, and wonder, and feel just a little like sitting ducks all over again. Lesson: we are not in control.

As a mother in this unfolding drama, I’ve already begun tapping my options. My friend Mary who hosted us during last year’s flood drama says she’s ready to clear some floor space and fire up the oven for another round of banana bread, should the need arise.

That was really all I needed to hear to let go. If the flood hits as some predict it will, there will be plenty of stress to endure, plenty of sandbags to be filled, plenty of worrying to move through in a few weeks’ time. For now, the best we can do is not deplete our reserves while things are still fairly calm and ask God for mercy. And if not mercy, then grace to endure whatever is to come.

God’s grace is already evident to me through Mary’s repeat offer. I can stay calm for now, even as the snow continues to accumulate, knowing that if the waters rise and threaten to engulf us as last year, a place is being prepared for our safe-keeping.

Perhaps this is why Lent has been such a deeply enriching experience for me these last couple years. Perhaps God knows I will need the life-giving energy I’m receiving now for when my reserves are not quite as plentiful.

We shall see...

lent 2010: plunging to emerge

Among those who seek God, "...There is an incoming and outgoing tide of fellowship and solitariness." -- T. Elton Trueblood

I'm back before I thought I would be, here with a clarification on yesterday's post.

In that post, I'd talked about how I tend to hide away during Lent. I shared how a friend of mine was concerned she might be pestering me by reaching out, and how I had quickly dispelled that, explaining that I still need interaction, though it will take a different form during Lent. But then I received a genuinely concerned comment through email wondering if I'm okay because I seemed a little glum in that last post.

This was a wake-up call to me. I realized that in mentioning my Lenten intentions, I had not aptly conveyed what is going on within me right now. Yes, I am retreating somewhat, but it is a good thing. For one thing, I am reading, more, including a book filled with testimonies, like the one from retreat leader Ralph Martin, who said, "It is good to set oneself apart for a while...On retreat you are able to pay attention to the interior movement of God."

But even in the quiet, perhaps because of it, I am filling up with ideas and I can't wait to share some of them over the next days and weeks. Big things are happening within me already and Lent has just begun!

Last week, I took part in a Dedication Mass for our brand-new church. I still have so much I want to share about that experience and how wonderful it is to be part of a growing, vibrant parish. Last night, I went to a fundraising dinner for our local Catholic radio station and had the pleasure of hearing and meeting national Catholic radio talk-show host Al Kresta. My family is healthy and doing well. I have beautiful friends in my life and am making new connections all the time. I feel very alive and blessed, though suffering moments still happen. Even those are not altogether horrible, for they keep me humble, keep me grounded, keep my eye on hope.

But...I am plunging for a while into the deep spiritual waters that have been awaiting me. So far, the water is warm and refreshing. It's as if I'm floating in amniotic fluid, waiting to be born. I hear faint voices and watch the world in muted colors, and yet I have what I need here, and I can hear the heartbeat of the one who holds me quite well.

I bought the book on testimonies last night from Al Kresta. Moments of Grace is a collection of inspiring stories from well-known Catholics. At the beginning of the book, Kresta mentions five conditions that "put us in the position to expect a visitation from God" -- an apt description for what I'm trying to do this Lent. He borrows this list from Quaker philosopher T. Elton Trueblood, with the fifth condition of what puts us in the position to expect a visitation from God being: A paradoxical combination of aloneness and togetherness. In his book, The Knowledge of God, Trueblood says that among those who seek God, "...There is an incoming and outgoing tide of fellowship and solitariness."

So here I am, a bit more into the "solitariness" than usual, but still mindful of the fact that to know God fully, the outgoing tide of fellowship will need to return. It's a cycle of plunging to emerge, to plunge again, with the intent of emerging after that. Jesus ascended, then descended, and then he ascended again. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. And when the world at last comes to an end, he will ascend one last time, bringing the faithful with him.

This time of descending is necessary for growth. I already miss the exchanges with readers, but I know without a doubt that in quieting down, His voice is becoming louder, His words clearer. I am at rapt attention, waiting to see just where He's going to take me...and, perhaps, you.

lent 2010: quiet

In the couple years I’ve been blogging, a pattern seems to have developed. During the season of Lent, I tend to go into hiding somewhat, and because it might be confusing to those who don’t have full access to what’s going on in my mind and soul, I felt it only fair to explain.

Case in point on need to expound: yesterday a good friend asked if she should stay away, since I appear to be requiring space. I assured her she should do nothing differently, that I still need to be connected with my friends and that I will remain accessible. I’ve put my email address at the top of this blog to give those who feel inspired to comment on a post an option to reach out. I just won’t be going public with comments and blog conversations during Lent. And I’ll be refraining from commenting on other blogs too, though I’ll still read when I can.

I truly appreciate the blogging community. I just need to pull back a bit to ensure I’ll make adequate spaces to hear God, and to be here for my family and other obligations. Hopefully I’ll come back in April feeling refreshed and revived.

You see, this blogging world is such a natural place for those comfortable with the written word to gather. It's mostly all good. In fact, it's oftentimes wonderful. But just as the lure is there to come play a while, so is the constant temptation to linger a little too long.Like children on the back yard swing sets, we often don't want to leave when we're called inside for dinner.

I've read countless posts from other bloggers expressing similar struggles. Just this week, I caught one from new blogging pal Kate from Momopoly in her post, “Seeking Silence.” As I read her words, I felt as though I could have written them myself. She even ended with my favorite Scripture passage: "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10). Elizabeth from In the Heart of my Home also ruminated this week on Internet distractions.

What better time than Lent to slow down and listen better - to my own inner voice as well as all the things God has been trying to tell me; things that have not been able to penetrate the brain buzz the Internet tends to perpetuate? So I’m going to lay off Twitter and Facebook for starters. My blog flavor will change slightly, too. On Mondays, I’ll post shorts on family life. The other two days will have a faith lean through Easter: Wednesdays will ponder the “Whys” of faith, and Fridays will cover other random faith thoughts.

My Lenten blogging last year brought about wonderful fruits for me, and I hope to my readers as well. It gave me the courage to integrate my faith life into Peace Garden Mama. Because my faith is such an important aspect of what fuels me, it made sense that I would bring it more fully into my words here.

I hope, despite my quieter ways these next 40 days, you’ll hang with me. I’d love to see you here still when Easter rolls around, when Christ (and perhaps my spiritual life) will be resurrected and transformed.

ash wednesday 2010: is giving up sweets for lent child's play?

Warning: You've just entered a no-dessert zone!

“When I was a child I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” 1 Corinthians 13:11

Is it childish to give up such things as dessert during Lent? Some Christians who feel they’ve evolved in their faith might say that yes, it is. What does this sort of sacrifice really accomplish, after all?

I’d agree that if giving up desserts (as I will do again this year and as I have done for many Lents of my life) was my only Lenten sacrifice, I might not be doing all that I could to draw closer to God – and ultimately, that’s the point of Lent, is it not? That said, it is not so much the act itself but the intention behind it that counts.

I remember a specific moment in my life as a young adult when Lenten sacrifice began to look plain dumb to me. I was at a fast-food restaurant ordering a fish sandwich, and I thought, “Why? Why have I done this all my years as a Catholic? What would happen if I just ordered a cheeseburger instead?”

When I reach the end of my earthly life, I doubt very much that God will produce a tally sheet on which He kept track of my fish sandwich versus cheeseburger input. But I am most certain He will have a clear view into the depths of my heart and soul of all the times I attempted to please Him, despite my childish knowledge of all that He is and desires of me.

I believe God will recall with a smile that day in college when I questioned the fish sandwich and whether it mattered. He will know that I was searching for Him then, even if I had a long way to go toward growing more deeply in my faith. He also knows that when I choose to comply with Lenten fast obligations now, I am not doing so to earn my way into heaven but to continue reaching out toward Him. God knows that when I give up earthly pleasures like chocolate cake, I make a swift human connection with the things of this life that cloud my relationship with Him – yes, even chocolate cake can stand in my way of my loving God more completely.

We are not just spiritual creatures, after all, but earthly creatures as well, and sometimes we need earthly reminders to trigger our senses into moving into a deeper relationship with Christ. Denying myself a sweet something after a meal is sometimes the quickest way for me to be reminded that only God can satisfy my deepest hunger. Choosing to simplify meals during Lent, to serve fish sticks instead of something more decadent, gives me pause. It forces me to remember where I’m at in my spiritual journey, and what I need to do more of, and less of, to grow closer to Christ.

These seemingly immature Lenten sacrifices should not be discounted. Sure, there was a time when I questioned them. But after shirking them for a while, I came to better appreciate how the seemingly unimportant and “immature” earthly sacrifices had great power – the power to awaken my spiritual longings.

Fasting, praying, almsgiving: all of these are required for us to enter into a more deeply rewarding Lenten experience. But no sacrifice need be belittled. What might seem like a superfluous sacrifice to one person could be the very thing that changes the heart of another.

forum column (february 2010): the dating dilemma

Parenting Perspectives: Facing the dating dilemma: How early is too early?

By: Roxane B. Salonen, The Forum

It’s the month of love, a time when those whose hearts have been pitter-pattering for another are encouraged to manifest their feelings.

It’s also a time for many parents to witness the reality of young love within their children.

Who among us didn’t, around age 8, pick out an extra-awesome valentine for that someone special, slip in an extra heart candy bearing the words “Be mine” and seal it with a kiss?

Love makes the world go ’round, and sooner than we can say “chocolate truffles” 20 times fast, our babies have reached dating age.

But what is – or is there – an appropriate age for dating to start?

Several years ago, I heard educator Shelly Donahue talk on this subject. After years of studying teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease, she came up with several no-fail dating “rules” for teens, including: driver’s license before dating, and stay within age range (within two years older or younger).

Though these rules may seem arbitrary, Donahue backed them with facts and explained why following them will decrease chances of heartache and turmoil.

I’m always a little surprised when I hear parents bragging about how their preteen child is “in a relationship.” I realize these young relationships might look, and be, fairly innocent, but at what point should our parenting brains kick in and screech, “Slow down!!!”?

I think of my father’s reaction to me wearing makeup in junior high, “What’s with the black junk all over your eyes?”

I had a “whatever” attitude about it then, but realize now his job was, rightly so, to question my actions.

It really wasn’t just about trying out the latest mascara, after all. I was primping to appeal to the opposite gender – and well before I was anywhere close to being emotionally ready for the possible consequences of a dating relationship.

Studies show the brain doesn’t develop its full forward-thinking capacities until around age 25. Until then, we are basically train-wrecks-in-waiting, especially where the opposite gender is concerned.

It follows that our young teens, in particular, need help seeing beyond the latest crush to avoid the chances of irreparable damage later.

I’d even argue we have the right to be nosey to a point, to hover near the cell phone and computer when they are on them and keep tabs on whom they are conversing with and what about.

They might resist it. That is their jobs. Ours is to persist.

Our children are with us for a relatively short time, and although we cannot control their every movement, this is our chance to help them form their life’s base.

We can enjoy a friendship with our grown children later, but for now, it’s more important we guide them assuredly into adulthood.

And, yes, that includes loving them. In fact, I believe the more we parents love our children by offering them our time and engaging them in meaningful conversations, the less likely they’ll be to search for love elsewhere, before they’re ready.

Roxane B. Salonen works as a freelance writer and children’s author in Fargo, where she and her husband, Troy, are the parents of five children.

sunday salonen shorties

Happy Valentine's Day!

Doesn't this look a little like a heart? I think our cats are trying to send a Valentine's Day wish to us.

"Sunday Salonen Shorties" will replace "Mama Mondays" this week.

* What they say. I'll start with a Valentine-shaped kid quote. This one came in the middle of the night not long ago, from our 4-year-old who'd been camping out in his sisters' room:

“I have to leave. I just can’t help myself!”

Destination? Mom's and Dad's room to climb into bed and sleep in the middle. We're really not discouraging this habit of his at this point, him being our youngest. We imagine that by the time he's 25 or so, he will have stopped sneaking into our room at 3 a.m. Personally, I'm rather addicted to the feeling of a warm little body snuggling in close in the wee hours.

* On the air. I'll be hosting "Real Presence Live" on our local Catholic radio station tomorrow, 9 to 11 a.m. CST, and it's going to be a full two hours. At 9, I'll interview local friends Lori and Lisa regarding a fundraising event for Lori's husband, Ryan, who is battling brain cancer. After that, faraway friend and author Karen Edmisten will chat with us by phone about her Rosary book. Next, Father Courtright, spiritual director for our station, will lead us in prayer toward Lent. And we'll end with a couple shorter exchanges recapping earlier interviews; one involving an upcoming pilgrimage, another regarding this weekend's Brain Freeze fundraiser to help local Catholic school father Rusty Ouart, who sustained a brain injury while fighting for our country in Iraq. You can tune in through the Internet here.

* Saintly love. The moderator of a Catholic writers' email list of which I'm part has been sending us daily quotes from St. Francis. Here's St. Francis' take on love for this love day:

"Let us love one another from the bottom of our hearts. To inspire us to have this holy love, we have a powerful motive. Our Lord poured out His blood on the cross, to the last drop. He wished, as it were, to make a sacred chalice which would hold, unite, bind and bring together all the members of His Church; namely, all Christians. He willed their union to be so strong that no division among them would ever be possible." (Spiritual Treatises IV; O. VI, p. 65)

* Front page of your choosing. My Mom #2 (mom-in-law) learned of a way to find any U.S. newspaper's front-page stories (and more) with one click. Just go here and click on the area where you want to know the front-page news, then you can "travel" further inside that particular paper from there. Amazing, no?

* Blog basket upset. I'm going to be changing up Peace Garden Mama a bit during the weeks of Lent. Stay tuned for more on Fat Tuesday.

* Debut video. My friend Jennifer posted her first (very short) video on her blog. She's hoping for feedback, so if you have any, stop on by. (Trust me on this one, the short visit will be worth it!) Jennifer's first video here.

Today's challenge: As you go about your day today, and every day, let love rule!

faith fridays: a joy-filled life

Do you remember how it felt to run in the rain as a child? Maybe even while still in your pajamas? There are few things as exhilarating as this on a warm, spring day, wouldn’t you agree?

This is how it feels to have a vibrant faith. This is how it feels to live a joy-filled life!

I have read accounts of those who have no faith life, and oftentimes, they see the joy on the faces of believers and don’t buy it. Joy on the face of a believer may seem misguided to them. How can anyone be that happy, after all? It can’t be real. They may even interpret it as an ignorance-is-bliss sort of happiness, a shallow sort of joy. But in my own experiences, that could not be further from the truth.

Oh, I know that not all people of faith appear joy-filled. We are all works in progress, after all. Some experience hardship that prevents joy from being fully infused into body and soul. But others, despite obstacles, have been able to experience a deep and abiding joy on a regular basis. Nurturing the faith life consistently can produce joy-filled results. Gratefully, I am living this joy-filled life. It is real and I wholly attribute it to my faith.

That does not mean every moment of my life is happy. Joy and happiness are not equal. Happiness is fleeting whereas joy comes from a deeper place. Bishop Fulton Sheen once said it this way: “Pleasure comes from without. Joy comes from within.”

Here are some other joy references I’ve heard recently:

JOY = Jesus, Other, You (in that order). And it’s true. By putting ourselves last in this scenario, it doesn’t mean we are doormats or that we don’t love ourselves. It means we regard ourselves in the proper order, and when we do, our hearts experience true joy.

Scott Hahn, the great Catholic apologist, has said, “Joyless Christianity is a contradiction in terms.” Even Mother Teresa, who experienced years of “the dark night of the soul,” was joy-filled because of her deep love for Christ and others.

I've heard other joy references recently, mainly on Catholic radio in the last week, but can’t recall the sources:

“Joy is the same as being blessed and being blessed means having the kingdom of God within one’s heart.”

“Joy is the fruit of God’s spirit.”

“Unless we come to believe in God’s providence, it is impossible to experience true joy.”

In the last column she wrote before her death, my blogging friend Emilie Lemmons quoted words about joy from a book she’d been reading by Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom. The reflections came from a section in which Remen is describing what she’s learned about joy from those struggling with terminal illness:

“I had thought joy to be rather synonymous with happiness, but it seems now to be far less vulnerable than happiness. Joy seems to be a part of an unconditional will to live, not holding back because life may not meet our preferences and expectations. Joy seems to be a function of the willingness to accept the whole, and to show up to meet with whatever is there. It has a kind of invincibility that attachment to any particular outcome would deny us. Rather than the warrior who fights toward a specific outcome and therefore is haunted by the specter of failure and disappointment, it is the lover drunk with the opportunity to love despite the possibility of love, the player for whom playing has become more important than winning or losing.

“The willingness to win or lose moves us out of an adversarial relationship to life and into a powerful kind of openness. From such a position, we can make a greater commitment to life. Not only pleasant life, or comfortable life, or our idea of life, but all life. Joy seems more closely related to aliveness than to happiness.”

Behind all of this is another truth that I believe drives true joy from within the center of the Christian heart: Life is short, but heaven is forever. When we live this reality, everything changes because we view life, happy and sad times alike, through this wide-view lens of eternal life. Doing so, we can put things into perspective more easily, and embrace all of this life we’ve been given, knowing that it’s only a dress rehearsal for the real deal.

Finally, if you didn’t get a chance to watch Oprah’s show in which she interviewed a vibrant community of religious sisters earlier this week, I hope you’ll make time in the coming days to view the link below. If you’re curious to see what pure joy looks like, you’ll find it on the faces of these nuns, mostly younger women who are truly in love with their faith and Lord!

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Lisa-Ling-Goes-Inside-a-Convent

Lent is coming. I'm planning to go deep with it, and in doing so, come out more joyful than ever. I hope you'll join me.

Do you live a joy-filled life? What is the source of your joy?

writing wednesdays: jennifer fulwiler looks at 'show don't tell'

One of my favorite bloggers, Jennifer@Conversion Diary, recently emailed to share an insight she’d had regarding the “show don’t tell” rule we writers hear so much about. I’m happy to step aside this Writing Wednesday to make way for Jennifer’s revelation.

Jennifer Fulwiler, blogger/writer

Bringing stories to life with information-rich sentences:
A lesson in showing, not telling

A few weeks ago I had a crisis: I knew that the writing in my book was too simple, but I didn't know how to fix it.

When my agent saw the first few chapters of the initial draft of my memoir, one of the observations he had was that it seemed too stripped down. I'd need to put some flesh on the bones of the story, he explained, in order for it to really sing. When I recently sat down to start the second draft, I figured it'd be easy to bring more life to it. I was wrong.

I knew that I needed to follow the age-old rules of "show, don't tell" and "use powerful words," yet all my attempts at implementing this advice either resulted in a bunch of flowery phrases that bogged down the story or sounded awkward or pretentious. Clearly, I was missing something.

Then, last week, I was reading Mary Karr's famous memoir, The Liar's Club, and I came across a line that led me to a major "ah-hah!" moment and made it all clear. Before I tell you what it said, let me first tell you how I would have written it. Karr is introducing a story about her mother, and in the opening line wants to convey that her mother was headed out to visit her own mother in west Texas, but never made it. Here's what I would have written:

Grandma was surprised when she heard that Mother wasn't coming home.

Here's what Karr wrote:

Out in Lubbock, Grandma was rolling a cobbler crust for Mother's homecoming dinner when the call came that she had been detained in Leechfield.

What blew me away about comparing my writing to Karr's was when I made a mental list of what a reader would learn from our respective sentences. Let's take a look:

What a reader learns from my sentence:
- Grandma was surprised that Mother wasn't coming home.

What a reader learns from Karr's sentence:
- Grandma had been excited about Mother coming home (since she'd been planning a dinner and homemade dessert).
- Grandma was probably a native Southerner (since she was making cobbler for dessert).
- Grandma was probably a homemaker (since dinner and homemade dessert were how she chose to celebrate her daughter's homecoming).
- Grandma was probably a good cook (since she was making the crust from scratch).
- Grandma lived in Lubbock.
- Mother stayed in Leechfield.

Wow! I was amazed at just how much Karr was able to tell us about her world in one simple sentence. It wasn't until I saw it this way that I fully internalized the importance of showing instead of telling and using powerful words. I think I had misunderstood the concepts as aimed at simply describing individual things as well as possible; now I understand that they involve so much more, giving the writer an opportunity to pack each sentence full of information that will give life to the world she's trying to create. Now as I go through my draft, I ask myself: "Is there any way I could enrich this sentence with more information?" It's just a different way of stating the same age-old advice that I've heard a thousand times before, yet it really helped me to understand how to create vivid writing.

Awesome illustration of how to apply this principle, Jennifer. Thanks for sharing.

Have any of you had any “show don’t tell” light-bulb moments lately? If so, please, do tell -- or show!

For more wisdom from Jennifer, visit Conversion Diary.

tuesday tidbits: one-word answers

This meme has been going around lately and seemed like a fun one to do. It's simple and to the point. So here I go. And if any of you want to give it a try, leave a note to tell me that you did and where to find yours; I'll come visit.

Your Cell Phone? Appendage
Your Hair? Mousy
Your Mother? Generous
Your Father? Thinker
Your Favorite Food? Chocolate
Your Dream Last Night? Nonexistent
Your Favorite Drink? Coffee
Your Dream/Goal? Heaven
What Room Are You In? Bedroom
Your Hobby? Photography
Your Fear? Flood
Where Do You See Yourself In Six Years? Bookshelf
Where Were You Last Night? Hotel
Something That You Aren't? Tall
Muffins? Cinnamon
Wish List Item? Camera
Where Did You Grow Up? Reservation
Last Thing You Did? Mothered
What Are You Wearing? Pajamas
Your TV? Off
Your Pets? Cats
Friends? Soulful
Your Life? Beautiful
Your Mood? Contemplative
Missing Someone? Gabriel
Vehicle? Messy
Something You Aren't Wearing? Shoes
Your Favorite Store? Target
Your Favorite Color? Red
When Was The Last Time You Laughed? Today
Last Time You Cried? Weekend
Your Best Friend? Steadfast
One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? School
Facebook? Yes
Favorite Place To Eat? Doolittles

Wow, that was harder than I thought it would be, but fun! Have a great "1" day!

mama mondays: where have all the encyclopedias gone?

My eyes stopped here the other day, and all I could do was sigh...long and rather dramatically:

Let me explain.

It used to be that having a set of encyclopedias was reserved only for the fairly well-off. I remember watching the television show, "The Price Is Right," as a young girl. I would gaze dreamily at all the fun prizes offered up for the winners. Occasionally, the prize would be, or include, a set of encyclopedias. That told me a lot about their worth -- both monetarily and in terms of the means to becoming properly educated.

By the time we received our set, they were well-used, even yellowed a bit. They'd belonged to Grandpa John, Troy's maternal grandfather, a long-time educator who must have felt a bit nostalgic upon realizing he no longer relied upon those big books as much as he once had, and why not pass them along to someone who could really use them?

And so we happily inherited Grandpa John's Colliers Encyclopedia set, and in doing so, possessed everything we wanted to know about anything from A-Z.

But by the time our children were old enough to actually use encyclopedias, they'd become obsolete. That volume certainly is not worth anything close to what it used to be, both in monetary value and in its value to educate a child. We've got Google now, after all. Why bother to mosey on over to the book shelf and thumb through one of those big black and red books when you can punch in a key word or two and have the answer at your fingertips without having to wade through all those entries?

Now, the encylopedias are used, but I'm afraid in a way that strays from their intended purpose. Most often, I will find them atop the highest places in our home, abandoned in a stack from a most recently constructed "blankets and books fort," such as in the picture above.

Sometimes, they are used to press something that needs flattening.

Or, to raise up a little one a few notches.

Because of these varied uses, they don't always find their way back home, and if they do, they are not always shelved properly. This is a fairy typical scene:

Those poor books. Rarely are they consulted when one of our children has a question about something. And yes, I'm a little sad about that, the realization that now that we have this volume of wisdom, along with the kid-sponges who just might benefit from what's within...it's too late. Their time has come and gone. Their glory days, passed. Their intended purpose in life: expired. (The books, not the kids!)

But I'm going to hang on to them, because they have that book smell like no other books in the house. If Kindle ever takes over completely, I'm clinging to this set, at the very least. That way, if I ever want to tell my grandkids what it was like, back in the olden days, to open a book and inhale that lovely smell of words on pages, well, they'll have it right there at their fingertips.

What are your best or worst memories of encyclopedias?

After you've answered that, if you have a quick moment, head on over to my post from a few hours ago to see what it looked like at our house last night, just below the encyclopedia shelf, as the Superbowl played on...

football feet

This is what it looks like when six of seven of us are lined up on the couch watching the Superbowl game:

Yes, we finally woke up from our Sunday slumber to take a peek. I felt pretty neutral about the whole thing but thought some of the moves by the Saints were pretty remarkable, so...I think the best team really did win. To all our cousins and friends in the South, congrats!

As for the commercials, the ones with the chickens flying the coop were by far my favorites. What were they for again? Denny's? Something like that.

What was your favorite Superbowl commercial?

superbowl sunday slumbering

"Shhh...The Superbowl's on...naptime calls..."

It's a pretty relaxed day around here -- the most laid back I can recall in recent Superbowl history. Outside, the snow is lightly falling; inside, we're waiting for the pizza delivery guy to arrive. There's a great sense of calm permeating our household. Earlier, I got in a bit of necessary shopping and didn't have to fight off any large crowds.

I have to thank the Vikings for this. If their final game of the year had turned out differently, the tension would be palpable right now. Indeed, you've done me a great favor, dear Vikes. Purple blood runs through the veins of many of our family members, but today, all indicators point to healthy blood pressures and a feeling of lightness.

I am, however, going to tune into the tube from time to time. Looking forward to the commercials. There's always that.

Who, if anyone, are YOU rooting for this Superbowl?

faith fridays: catholic schools week (one kindergartener coming right up!)

It’s Catholic Schools Week! For our family, this also has meant kindergarten registration week for our youngest child. (More on the bittersweetness of that reality in a future post.) So on Tuesday, the two of us tromped off to school to take part in the kindergarten open house. After enjoying a dessert in the cafeteria and being introduced to next year’s kindergarten teachers, Nick left with the pre-K kids and teachers down the hall to try out the pre-school room:

He came back totally unenthused about kindergarten:

While the kids were off doing their thing, we prospective and current parents listened to the annual “Why I love Catholic schools talk” given by a fellow parent. This talk never fails to energize me and affirm our sacrificial choice of being part of our local Catholic schools. But something in this year’s talk really hit me. It was when the father speaking said, “It’s not something I can necessarily put into words. It’s more a feeling I have from being part of this community.”

Yes, I thought, so true! And it’s interesting, because over the week I’ve gotten involved in several discussions about Catholic schools, this being a week in which the whole network is being hyped up, including at weekend Masses throughout the diocese. And I’ve found that some of these discussions have prompted very strong reactions within the “camps” of parents – those who have chosen private school and those who haven’t. I even found myself getting a little defensive as I listened to a few myths that have been circulating around town about Catholic schools. While I don’t believe Catholic schools are a perfect set-up, any more than public schools or home-schooling are 100 percent fool-proof, I feel challenged to verbalize some of the factors that have gone into my/our decision to lean toward Catholic schools.

* I believe very strongly in the philosophy of fully educating a child’s soul as well the physical and mental components of who they are.

* While I admire home-schooling parents, I feel neither equipped nor called to this myself. A lot of this has to do with the individual personalities of our children. I just don’t see it happening, and I have enjoyed seeing my kids’ relationships with their teachers.

* During young motherhood, Catholic schools began to seem more appealing to me after I observed friends whose kids were already in the system and how the parents’ own faith journeys were being enlivened through what their kids were learning at school; how often faith was cropping up in family discussions because of this setting. In my own life, I have been delighted with the exchanges that go on in our home regarding our faith and how to best live it out that would not have had the same fertile soil in which to emerge in the public-schools environment.

* I love school uniforms. I view them as a beautiful equalizer that, whether the kids always realize it, removes a lot of pressure of having to keep up with the latest trends.

* I love that the kids start their day in prayer and have a supportive community of friends and teachers praying with them. When their souls are troubled, they can bring this to their school community and be supported in prayer and action.

* I love the base our children are getting in the chance to know and live out their faith through community service projects carried out with a Christ-like spirit. Projects like creating “birthday bundles” for kids in local shelters, baking and bringing homemade bread to shut-ins, participating in Mass at local nursing homes (and sharing their talents of reading and singing there) – these are among the many endeavors that are helping them foster a spirit of charity.

* The generous, tight-knit community truly provides a safe-haven for the children and parents alike.

* Our Advent program is truly one of my favorite events of the year.

* The Blessing of the Pets is yet another event that helps bring God and prayer into the picture.

* All the little utterances that come forth after school and many times in between that are linked to the soul and witness to God’s goodness, beauty and truth.

Wow. I could go on and on. And these are mostly all tangible examples of what has drawn us to Catholic schools. There are many other aspects I could never truly describe, but the feeling is generally one of deep satisfaction knowing that God is allowed to flourish in the hearts of our children in a very vital way, and that they are allowed to openly express their love for Him and their faith. And I believe the earlier they have this base, the more grounded spiritually they’ll be when it's time to step out into the wide world.

Will every child who comes out of Catholic schools be civic-minded, socially well-adjusted and/or bound for Harvard? No, again, no system is perfect and every child responds differently to the chances offered them. But my main goals as a parent concerning my kids’ education are clear. Yes, I want my children to be well-prepared for the academic life beyond their primary-school years, but even more, I want them to be well-prepared for a life of service to their Creator, a life that will bring them one step closer to the most honorable promotion of them all: heaven.

Ultimately, that's what it's all about. Every decision we make either brings us closer to or further from that primary goal. So why not offer our children an extra bit of spiritual nourishment to help in the launch? I know there are many ways for us parents to do that. Choosing Catholic schools is one of them.Thank you to all the teachers and administrators, parents and kids, who make our local Catholic schools a wonderful option!

Parents, what factors drove your decision to go with the private, public or home-schooling option? Are any of you products of private school? If so, how do you feel about the experience now, as an adult?

writing wednesdays: 'spotlight' series: introducing mary aalgaard!

Writing Wednesdays

Spotlight's on...

Mary Aalgaard!

I first crossed paths with February’s “Spotlight’s On...” interviewee, Mary Aalgaard, in college. But it wasn’t until a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference at the University of North Dakota years later that we officially met. A friendship quickly blossomed, and Mary and I have become faithful companions to one another in areas of writing, mothering, music, spirituality and life in general, even though largely from separate cities/states. When the flood hit our city last spring, Mary offered safe harbor to my five children and me. Not many would be willing to risk their sanity by welcoming six additional people into their home for a week, but Mary did and I will never forget her open arms. Every writer needs a fellow traveler, one who will be there for the long haul, provide honesty and encouragement in the journey, and be within reach for all of the ups and downs of the writer’s life. Some of us are lucky to have many such people in our lives; I consider Mary one of my steadiest compatriots.

Recently, Mary ventured into the blogosphere. After some collaborative plotting and Mary’s creative vision, Play off the Page was launched. She’s experienced an awesome debut and has been warmly welcomed into the world of blogging, thanks in large part to her engaging posts. Mary also writes regularly for Her Voice magazine in the Brainerd, Minn., area and is an aspiring children’s novelist, piano and drama teacher, journaling mentor, knitter, church musician, and mother of four boys.

Mary, welcome as guest blogger to Peace Garden Mama!

I’m going to have to pretend that I know very little about you, for the sake of the readers. Seriously though, I’m really happy to feature you here and am anxious to ask you first about blogging, since it represents new terrain for you. Has the world of blogging met your expectations? What has most surprised you about it?

I've experienced surprises that have surpassed my expectations. I had no idea that blogging was all about connections. I thought I needed a blog for a specific purpose. That's true. I needed a focus. I want my blog to be inspirational. I lead journaling workshops and talk about journaling and encourage people to write their stories. I'd like my blog to be a place that they go to stimulate their own journaling. What I'm finding is that writers really want to connect and encourage other writers and I'm affirmed and encouraged with each post. That's what I like the most - the connections. And, the more I write and the more I think about writing, the more I do. It stimulated ME to write more and it's helping me get back into writing fiction. I suppose the only thing not to like about the blogging world is the time it can consume. You have to set limits, but there are so many great writers out there with such great offerings!

Are you still journaling these days, even though you blog now, too? What are the benefits of keeping track of our lives? Is it all for naught, or do you think something valuable comes from the act of journal-keeping?

I have been journaling since junior high. I keep my journals in my cedar chest in my room. They are a record of my life, my musings, my longings, everything. I know that some day my children will read them. They might save them for their grandchildren. Blogging is only a piece of real life. It is a focused theme that others can relate to and understand. Journaling can be endless flow of thought. It is often deeply personal, not always understood, and not always meant to be shared. Journaling helps you organize your thoughts and understand your feelings. It is the story of your life's journey. Everyone's is special and unique.

What about your other writing? What are some projects you’ve been working on lately? Do you have some particular goals for the coming year? What about long-term writing goals?

I entered a story in the Highlights for Children contest. I love contests. They give you a theme and a deadline and a prize for winning. I need to enter more contests! I'm also working on a YA historical novel set in Minnesota in 1941-42. I wrote over 200 pages a while back, got side-tracked by life, and have given it new energy at the start of this year. My IDEAL writing schedule is to work on my fiction for two hours/day/week OR 14 hours a week. That gives me wiggle room for busy and not-quite-so-busy days. Even keeping that goal in mind has set the rhythm in motion and I have a good kick-start to the project.

And your work for Her Voice, how do you come up with your material? What do you like about that form of writing?

The editor for Her Voice is Meg Douglas. She gives me so much creative freedom. I know she likes my stories and my writing. I have a wonderful relationship with her that is built on trust and quality work. Her Voice is a great magazine for local stories. You can never run out of good subjects. I write often about life as I see it, raising four sons, the artistic endeavors I undertake, people I've met, people and events that inspire me. Her Voice publishes just four times a year. I found that blogging helped with all the extra ideas I'd come up with for stories. My next story in Her Voice is about a choir that is made up of voices from around the state. The executive director and artist director are a mother son team. They're called From Age to Age and they're wonderful!

What are the names, ages of your boys (if you want to share), and what do they think about your writing? Do you think any of them are aspiring writers?

I have four sons. Bobby is turning 16 at the end of the month. I've been helping him learn how to drive. Yikes! That takes more courage than submitting manuscripts. Still, I see him growing in independence and self-confidence and it thrills me. Zach is 12. He inherited the music gene, but is also strong in science and math. He plays the trumpet, and a little piano. I love band concerts! Then, I have the twins - Charlie and Eric are nine. They're each others' best buddy. They're energetic and full of love and life. They're my biggest encouragers. Charlie joined the author's club in his class that I help lead. It thrills me that at least one of them thinks about writing. But, who knows?

What is the hardest aspect of raising a family and accepting the writing/creative life?

I had to accept that I am not like my mother. Oh, I have some of her qualities - nurturing, consistent, regular meals, but I daydream. I'm not organized. I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I'll get involved in playing piano or writing and forget all about bedtime, for me and the boys. I think they like that. One night we stayed up late singing old Disney classic songs. But, you asked about the hardest part. I guess it's being there for them and staying focused on them and trying not to daydream about writing or music, but being there for them when they need me. But, really, the boys are my biggest inspiration. I'm not sure I'd have nearly the great ideas or motivation without them.

What about your work in theatre – what hopes do you have for that part of your life?

I direct an art-drama day camp with my friend Jennifer in the summer. Our purpose is to stimulate creativity in kids. We have them create their own characters and write their own show - as a group. It's fascinating to me. Of course, I'm facilitating that process, but I often sit back and enjoy the interaction. Kids know how to tell a story, and it's so fun to watch them come alive. Jennifer has them digging into different art forms. We want them to Play off the Page! I have some ideas for writing plays, but haven't started work on them, yet. I miss being on stage myself, but find that's nearly impossible as a single-mom.

How does your faith intermingle with your creative work?

They are one in the same. All good and great gifts come from God. I pray often, Lord, let me be your ink. Or, when I play piano for church, I know that the Holy Spirit is filling me and I'm pouring it out for others. God is working through me with my art.

You are a very nurturing person. What are some pieces of wisdom you’d like to impart in those who are just starting...in any creative pursuit, whether it be music, writing or drama?

If you have the urge to create something, whatever form, that IS your gift. Whenever you hear a voice saying "You're not good enough," that's the Devil speaking. If you're saying to yourself, "Who am I to create (whatever it is)," say, instead "Who am I NOT to?" If you don't answer the call of your gift, you will feel empty and unfulfilled. Live your gifts. Do it boldly, and see what wonders you can create.

Anything else you’d like to share about your journey?

Find a strong supporter. One is enough, but the more the merrier. If you have at least one person who always says, "I believe in you," then you will always have the courage and energy to keep going. That person will not let you fall into the pit of those negative voices that tell you you're not good enough. That person will reach her hand down into the murky muck you got stuck in and pull you out with all her might. Allow someone in who will do that for you. Then see how high you can soar.

What is your blog address?

www.maryaalgaard.blogspot.com (Play off the Page)

Thanks so much for taking time to share with us, Mary. I hope everyone will visit your blog next!

Thanks for reading all of this. Walk boldly on your creative journey!

tuesday tidbits: second annual ugly sweater contest results

And now, the results of the Second Annual Ugly Sweater Contest (photos cropped to protect sweater-wearers' identities):

And the winner is...

As winner, the lovely Grape Jelly Lady has inherited the first prize treasure, affectionately named "Purdy" by last year's winner's toddler son, who could not take his eyes of said prize for days after it was brought home. Though Purdy did sustain some injuries living in a home with four children over the past year (nothing a little Crazy Glue didn't help), she's in fine shape now and ready to shine her light on all those sure to admire her loveliness in 2010!

And to be fair to the curious, I'll at least reveal my identity: see the red and beige diseased-looking sweater with darling pink dangly earrings to "match." I'm still licking my wounds over the fact that I didn't even earn second place. I thought my striking-it-gold moment at the thrift store certainly merited something! I even had my 9-year-old daughter and her friend help me pick it out, and they certainly are tuned into what's the most uncool and ugliest attire in all the land. Guess I'll have to try harder next year. (All in good fun!)

For a peek at last year's contestants and winning sweater, see this post, and to read some fun back story, check out this one.

One person's trash is truly another's treasure. Did you ever get a "heckuva deal" at a rummage sale or thrift store? If so, what was it?