Just 40 Days

Today begins two weeks of standardize testing in my computer lab.  This session will include all students in Grades 2-8!  The tests can last more than one hour.  Can you imagine taking an hour long test on the computer when you are seven years old? I don't know about you, but I never liked the pressure of a standardized test.  It always seemed like the results would decide my future.  I guess they did.  I don't remember many of the tests from K-12 but I do remember taking the NTE.  (National Teachers Exam)  I was 36 years old and I hadn't taken a standardized test for 18 years!  I was terrified. I pray that all of the students testing are able to relax, stay focused and remember all that they know during this Spring's testing period.

Every Sunday at Mass, we are all encouraged to turn and share the peace of Christ with each other.  In fact, this happens at every Mass, not just on Sunday.  This ritual of sharing is very generous and can be very powerful...or is it? I often attend Mass alone and sometimes find myself choosing a seat far away from others.  I do this so to avoid the awkwardness I feel at the sign of peace.  I found a blog with similar feelings to my own.   What do you think?

I have a Women's Devotional Bible that I refer to when I am struggling with something.  As of late, I'm becoming less and less disciplined.   Weigh In To Win contest. Those of you who know me, can remember that seven years ago, I won the opportunity to lose weight while WTOL followed me around for nine months during their At the end of the contest, my weight was 150-160 pounds.  I kept within that range for nearly five years.  Then I had a house fire, turned 50, battled with unemployment...I know...excuses - Bottom line is, somewhere along the line, I lose my sense of self discipline, trading it in for self indulgence.  I'm closer to 200 now :( So as I look into the index/topics my bible, I found 1 Corinthians 9:24  (St. Paul is one of my favorites!)  I will leave you with this: Do you not know that those who run in race all run, but only one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may win.  Everyone who competes in the games ...

Have you ever had one of those days when all the little things begin to stick together and somehow become a big thing?  Near the end of the school day yesterday, I was almost in tears.  Honestly, nothing big happened.  It was a little of this and a little of that and lets just say, my last class of students nearly sent me over the edge. I'm pretty sure there wasn't a full moon.  But something surely was up with those kids.  Turns out, they had a substitute teacher, there was an afternoon assembly, and it IS the last class of the week.  Fortunately, not all of my happiness was squashed out of me.  My littlest granddaughter came in to visit at the end of the day and there is just something about babies.  They make everyone smile and smiles are contagious!  Be sure to use your smile today!

Yesterday, as I was writing this blog about trusting my gut...my gut was wondering where my son and granddaughter were.  They were usually home by then and were not.  I thought about them two or three more times after that.  Then my phone rang...the person on the other line was asking me where I was, and why haven't I picked up my granddaughter yet! I could not believe I forgot!  I was embarrassed.  I felt bad for my granddaughter and even worse for the adults who were caring for her an hour past their time. I ran from the house, jumped in the car and was on my way.  Did I mention how awful I felt?  I prayed...Dear God, please let me have 'green' lights all the way.  (That would take 5 minutes off a 20 minute trip!)  Can you believe it...I had green lights all the way there and most of the way back.  My granddaughter and her caretakers survived and all is well. I learned, never to forget my kids...or grandkids.  I hope my son...

I am the technology director at a large Catholic parish and school.  I try to keep my network simple and functional, while providing the parishioners with what they need. Today, while trying to increase wifi access near the sanctuary, I somehow lost connection to...Emmaus.  This caused me to remember the story from Luke 24. Jesus said:  Oh foolish ones, how slow of heart to believe...  Have you ever questioned your faith? (I hope so.)  Has your 'gut' ever told you to do something but you ignored it --- only to find out later that you should've listened to it? I like to think that everyday, I'm given the chance to grow more into the woman I am meant to be.  I am lucky to be able to trust my gut...at least in areas of technology, which allows me to do good work at my job.  I find that I don't question my faith as much as I question my religious beliefs.  I believe that asking questions, stumbling, and making mistakes is all part of growing....

I heard  Crystal Bowersox's  Holy Toledo song today during my cardio workout at the YMCA. The chorus: How do I get to heaven from here, is still playing in my head. Haven't we all wondered about heaven?  In Matthew 19-24, Jesus tells us how hard it is to get in.  I too have wondered: will I go to heaven?  I think that I'm a good person. And I remember learning about good works in my Catholic education. The song, Holy Toledo,  also mentions this in the 1st verse: "I know I should do something good." So now I ponder...is the world a better place because I'm in it?  Did I make someone's life easier?  Did I laugh with , listen to , or share with another? What good have I done today?  What good have you done?

Today we celebrated my dad and his 79th birthday.  We sat with him at Mass and followed with a buffet brunch at his house.  There must have been nearly three dozen of us there.  Dad was happy.  Life is good. ♥ Except for my NCAA Bracket ;-)   It is finished.

A concept that I continually struggle with is tough love.  Let me rephrase that: I continually struggle with the practice of tough love. It has been my experience that the results of 'tough love' come much, much later.  And sometimes, there are no results. So how do you know when you're doing a good job?   Does anyone have a handbook?

Okay, now I know I have way too much time on my hand.  I have never willingly filled out a NCAA Tournament Bracket. (Only when my mom ran one for a penny a game...or something like that!) Nor have I purposely turned on the TV in my home to watch basketball.  But here I sit, looking at the copy of my bracket while my TV is tuned in to CBS.  To be a little more specific, it's my "eenie, meenie, miney, moe" bracket :) I cannot believe that I'm paying attention.  I've had to draw a line through seven of my picks so far.  Maybe I should look at the good...20 of my teams are still in with a possiblilty of adding 5 more to that.  Is that good? I have way too much to do this weekend like cleaning house, preparing food for a family gathering, grading student work for the end of the third quarter and completing my income tax.  How many more days until April 15? Let's go Kentucky, VCU, UCLA, VA, and NCC!

One of my friends said this about herself today: "I must be getting old.  The little things are getting to me.  I used to see the good in everything.  I was happy and cheerful.  Now I'm grumpy and grouchy."  So we talked a little more to try to understand why she was feeling this way.  One observation we made was that being aware of the problem is the first step to changing it. It seems that as our lives get busy, we forget to pay attention.  We forget empathy and understanding. We end up reacting to the little things because we cannot control the big things.  We forget that we are not in charge of what happens, we are only in charge of what we do.  We get a case of the grumpy's. Everyday, it's my goal to get a workout in at the YMCA.   Todays were were leaving, my granddaughter chose and read a message from the 'Good News' jar.  Today's message was appropriate for my day. It was from 1 Thessalonians 5:1 it read:   Rejo...

I seem to have found spare time!  I am reading more books, articles, and blogs.  One book that I haven't really read is the Old Testament.  Most of my bible study is from the New Testament.  With the hollywood interest in bible stories, Son of God , and Noah ,  I'm more curious about the Bible and the book of Genesis. Raised as a Roman Catholic, most of the bible stories I know are the ones read to me at Mass.  I always wondered:  Who chooses what stories are 'important' enough to be read during Mass?  Why is there only a three year cycle of those stories?  Doesn't that mean, every three years, I hear the same story?  What about the other parts? I'm sure somewhere along the way, within my Catholic education,  I was taught the answers to those questions.  But now, 35 years post high school, I cannot remember.  Do you know the answers?  OR should I rely on the vast knowledge (or not) of the internet?  In the m...

It has been 14 days since I've checked in on facebook.  This is hard for me.  Everytime I go to the YMCA, or the Pub, I reach for my phone to check in.  This is a habit that I have to break.  I have got to reprogram my brain.  According to my students, that is easier said than done. My daughter Haylee likes frogs.  In fact, our family has decided to make a team for a 5K event/fundraiser for our zoo, the Dart Frog Dash.  F.R.O.G.  Fully Rely On God.  The question is: Do I?  Do you?

Be smart, be safe, have fun.  Today is a day when everyone is Irish.  This year they had a whole weekend to play as many events began on the 14th and continue through today.  The news is filled with boycotts of the St. Paddy's Day parades in many major cities.  Everyone wants to be Irish.  Everyone wants to take part in the parade. Everyone wants to make a buck.  Frankly, it doesn't sound like fun to me. I came across this Interesting Blog  I'm Irish, of Quinn descent, and the thing I like about St. Patrick's Day is watching a group of Irish dancers while I enjoy a good Jiggs Dinner with family and friends.

The word apostle has a meaning "one who was sent away".  Those sent away become messengers.  Not that I ever would consider myself anything but a disciple of Jesus; one who learns, I find it interesting that I have sent myself away from facebook to become more like Him. I have to admit that I do not like not being a facebook. I do not like NOT knowing what is going on in the lives of people I care about.  I cannot imagine what it was like for Jesus' twelve apostles to leave their family and friends to become messengers of the Word. Perhaps that is what my journey this lent is about.  When I'm thinking of someone, wondering what they are up to, I can only imagine and so I pray for them, that all is going well for them.  I pray that they make good decisions and that they see the Good that is all around them.

Eleven days of extra prayer, extra time for reading and writing blogs, extra time for doing things for people.  Today I witnessed a little fender bender - I was getting ready to turn right at a red light, while the car to my right was turning left, and as I saw that no cars were coming from the left. Suddenly a red car came out of no where speeding in from the left, slamming into the turning car nearly causing it to tip over.  The speeding car's airbag deployed as it's front end was crushed into the rear panel of the turning car. As far as I could tell, no one was seriously hurt, thank God. I also could not tell you who was at fault.  I do not know what color the speeding car's light was as I only know that mine was red.  (The speed limit was 45 mph) So I wasn't much help as a witness.  Why do I tell this story?  Everyday, while driving, I witness many close calls, many selfish drivers who only think of themselves and where they need to go.  I s...

I cannot believe it has been ten days since I have seen my facebook page or yours for that matter.  I thought it would get easier, but in reality, someone around me mentions facebook everyday.  I ask a question about a family member and the answer I get is:  Didn't you see it on facebook?   I would say:  No I didn't, because if I did, I wouldn't have to ask you what was going on. So I'm trying not to be grumpy, perhaps I'm going through withdrawal.  I take the time now to call, text, or hope that someone calls or texts me to let me know what is going on.  Our family really uses facebook to let each other know what is going on.  We depend on it.

I listen to a Contemporary Christian radio station while driving.  The music is positive and uplifting.  I am always in a good mood when I get out of my car.  It is important to me to have a positive attitude at work and to spread joy by looking for  and sharing the good I find in everyday life. I hope that I am a light in someone's darkness.  I pray that something that I say or do will brighten another person's day.  Sharing a smile is the simplest thing I can do.  Unlike a Sudoko.  I find them very challenging!  Do you?

This morning, mother nature blessed us with another winter storm.  We accumulated nearly seven inches of snow causing all of the schools to close and a level three emergency in our county.  I am so happy when it is a level three, because I don't have to drive into work.  I can do alot of my work at home on the computer. Since I spent the day on the computer, without having facebook, I had to be sure to take breaks away from it.  I did laundry, shoveled snow, and helped bake peanut butter cookies.  I also prayed for a friend's mother who is struggling with leaving this world after over 90 years of life.  I pray for me and all of my friends, that when the time comes for us to meet our Maker, we are ready, and go peacefully into His arms.

I have spent the last week thinking about and praying for my friends and family.  Without reading the status updates of my friends and family, I must text or call them.  Sometimes I get lucky and text or call me. A couple things that I know are that my brother and sister in law are in Florida as they have contacted me for some phone numbers of relatives who live there. Another is that one of my nieces gave birth to her second child.  That got me to thinking about how many grand - nieces and nephews I have.  So I counted (steps included)...4+2+2+2+1+2+2=15!  If I add my three grandchildren, that means that my dad has 18 great-grandchildren!  My wish today is for continued happiness of my dad, his children, and his grandchildren.

Time flies when you're having fun and seems to drag on when you're not.   Why is that?  I believe time goes by as fast as I want it to.  It's relative to me, as I am the one who thinks the day is going fast.  That's why when I tell you how fast the day is going, you may say:  "Really? This day is dragging on."  Because your time is relative to you. Today is the first Monday of daylight savings time.  Go to work when it is dark.  Come home and enjoy two more hours of daylight.  Life is good!  Thank you Ben Franklin for the idea to save time!

F ive days = more time.  More time for family. Today my one month old granddaughter Skylar met her great-grandpa.  It sure was delightful to watch my seventy-eight year old dad coo and make faces at her.  Pure joy.  I also had the pleasure of watching my seven year old granddaughter hold her little cousin.  She said 'look at her tiny thumb' and picked up her pinky and said 'I've never seen anything so cute'!  Pure joy. My prayer today is for all families, that they find peace and joy and love in each other.

The Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is the basis of Christian belief.  A clover or  shamrock is a symbol of the Trinity.  It is also said that the leaves represent faith, hope, and love.  As I write during my lenten journey without facebook, I think about my faith. I am third of my parents' eight children.  I was blest to have been born to parents with a strong belief in God.  I tend to belief that I was born with the Spirit.  I was lucky.  I have always had faith that life is good.  I believed that people were good.  I knew bad things would happen, but for a greater good that I just had to believe in. If I looked at my life, I could remember all of the bad things: a fire in our home when I was in sixth grade, or becoming a single parent of four children under six when I was only 28.  The accidental death of my sister when she was just 38 and I 36.  A car accident that changed my mom and dad's life fore...

It's been three days since I've read my wall or checked in to facebook.  I must say the day is 2/3 over, and I've prayed for my friends and family a couple of times...more than usual. On my way to work this morning, I was blessed with blue skies, the sunrise and a view of 5-6 church steeples. (I take I75 south to 24.)  The third steeple I see is that of St. Pat's Historic .  Every morning, when I see the Celtic cross on top of it's steeple I think of my ancestors...Steve and Rose Quinn. Then I think of my mom, her family, and St. Anne's Church which is now St. Martin DePores .  I remember all of the stories she told me about being Catholic and living across the street from the church.  My mom was the youngest of six children.  Her grandma, Rose Quinn, lived with her family.  (That was 70 years ago!)  Two of her sisters were called to vocations: The Sisters of The Visitation and Tiffin Franciscans .  I remember my mom saying that she pr...

The day before yesterday, I removed the fb app from my cellphone, ipod, and tablet.  I did this because I didn't want to get any notices that are sometimes 'pushed' my way.  I found it very odd, or maybe not too odd, that all three of those devices' battery life lasted the entire day!  Just like they used to!  I guess I have an answer as to which app was sucking all the life out them.  Was facebook sucking all of the life out of me? It is my lunch hour...a time when I could check up on things on facebook if I didn't get a chance during breakfast.  Since that isn't happening, now I have more time to reflect on the morning and pray for all of the things that I, my family, and my friends are struggling with. One of my favorite quotes is "Life is hard and sometimes it isn't."  Whenever I am struggling with it, I think of that quote and it reminds me that it is my attitude that makes life hard.  OR it is my attitude that makes my life seem easy. ...

Lent is a period of time (40 days), to examine oneself, to fast and to pray.  Just as Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, tempted by Satan - I will spend the next 40 days without 'checking in' or checking up on my friends and family on the social medium of facebook.  I have been partaking in the afore mentioned activities on one of my several mobile devices and computers: Cellphone, Xoom (tablet), iPod touch, laptop, and desktops at both work and at home.  In place of doing those things I will take the time to pray for my friends and family.  I hope to become closer to Jesus and the person I am supposed to be. I don't really remember when I joined facebook.  (2009)  What I do remember is learning how to text; opening a twitter account and then connected my twitter account to facebook.  My career involves technology and in order to train others in the use of technology, I had to be an expert.  My idea was to send one text each morning to m...