He Really Is a GOOD MAN!

We enjoyed such a treat on Friday night! Our friend - and former pastor - starred as Charlie Brown in a production of "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown." It was a dinner theater production by adults at his current parish to raise funds for a program called "SPICE" (Special People in Religious Education). I cannot say enough about how great the evening was. We enjoyed being with some wondeful friends, had a very nice dinner, and absolutely loved the performance. We were amazed by all of the decorations and special touches that made the night so fun. Both nights of the performance were sold out! What a great event it was.

I apologize for this blurry picture, but I just had to show my three great friends -
Sara, Mary Lou, and Mitzi.
They were our "table mates" for the evening.

Now seriously, how many priests do you know who would agree to go onstage as Charlie Brown? Think of all of the hours of rehearsal. Think of the costume, the singing, and just the humility it takes to be a Charlie Brown. Well, Father Leo was PERFECT for this role! He is so generous with his time and talents. He's a great singer. And, with great love I say this, he is quite Charlie Brownish in real life! I absolutely love that he did this. He is a wonderful priest who is ALWAYS there for people when they need them. AND he knows how to have fun.

Father Leo was the pastor at the school where I taught and then I became his pastoral associate for faith formation. We worked closely together for four years. I learned tons from him. We went through many tough experiences together, but we also had many great adventures (including taking tons of kids to camp in the summers and acting as ADVENTURE RANGERS every week for the school kids). Many of my my family members frequently laud his diverse talents when remembering my wedding day. Father Leo not only presided at our Wedding Mass, but also sang "American Pie" at the reception AND apprehended a would-be purse thief. He visited the hospital when the boys were born. He baptized them. We are truly blessed to call him our friend!

Here is Father Leo with our boys at the end of the performance:

                                              

In this picture the boys are so tired they can hardly stand up, but they really enjoyed the evening. They loved seeing Father Leo on stage being funny. Ray intensely studied every scene change and special effect. Adam has been pretending to be Snoopy all weekend.

Hats off to Father Leo..... You are truly a good man! :) Thank you for your friendship and your witness and ministry to us and to so many.

Field Trip

Our enrichment class is studying Science topics this month, so yesterday we went on a field trip to COSI,  our awesome science center. We attended a great workshop all about FORCE. We built our own rollercoasters! We ate lunch with our friends, played in the KidSpace, and visited some exhibits. We were there for five hours! Now THAT was a fun school day!

LOVE the disco ball in this robot exhibit!
The robotic arms put up the disco ball and then "dance."



Learning about force in our workshop



Adam and his friend Ryan work on their "roller coaster."

Ray tests out his roller coaster by sending a marble through it.



Another group shows us their completed roller coaster







 

 



Same Day, Different Year

It's such great fun living in Central Ohio! We've been enjoying a very welcome respite from the cold, snow, and ice. Today we even had 60+ degrees! We've traded snowsuits, hats, and gloves for MUDDY jackets, shoes, and jeans. No complaints though! We are loving every minute of this Spring preview.

Tonight Jon reminded me that last year at this time we were socked in with a big snowstorm.

February 17th, 2010



MOUNTAINS of snow!



Almost 15"!

Sledding in the back yard

                                    February 17th, 2011

Riding bikes at the park with our friends!



Big excitement... watching a rescue attempt.
Can you see the cat in the tree?



A fresh air stroller ride for Noah... he TOTALLY loved it!



My First Blogaversary!

I can hardly believe it's been a year since my first post here at Being Mirrors. Thank you very much for reading along... and for all of your positive feedback. I have really enjoyed chronicling our family adventures as well as some personal reflections. I have learned a lot about technology along the way too! I have some additional features I'm hoping to add to the blog soon.

I continue to be inspired and challenged by 2 Corinthians 3:18... "we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord." Am I spending more time looking (critically or vainly) at myself in the mirror OR am I striving to BE a mirror? I want to reflect God's image and His glory to all I meet, but especially to my children. I want them to love GOD with their whole hearts and to see His presence in all things.

And so I really enjoy turning all the mirrors I see into reminders of this mission. And my favorite mirrors are still disco balls! I felt God winking at me through the disco balls when I felt crabby and tired at yesterday's roller skating party. I was reminded of  the patient and joyful person I want to be.

On this blogaversary I pray that I will continue to grow as a disciple of Jesus, that I will humbly reflect HIS love and power more than my own ambitions, successes, or opinions. I thank you for inspiring and helping me in this mission. Let's all take a moment today to look lovingly in the mirror, to try to see ourselves as God sees us. Let's open our hearts to receive God's wisdom and love so that we may reflect it to others in ever new and beautiful ways.

True Love

My mantra for today - Valentine's Day - seemed to be, "THIS is true love!" I laughed to myself a lot as I thought about the first few Valentine's Days Jon and I spent together. I remembered roses and romantic dinners and such feelings of love and joy. We did exchange small treats and gifts today. We do love each other even more than we did ten years ago. BUT life is definitely different now!

Today was a fun, but challenging day for both of us. It wasn't "romantic" in the ways that society seems to mandate, but it was definitely a day of "love in action."

TRUE LOVE is....

...three hours at a roller skating rink with 5,847 homeschoolers (SLIGHT exaggeration). I could go on and on about the details of how many times I put on skates, took off skates, held children up as they shuffled around the rink... how loud and crowded and chaotic it was. I could tell you all that, but I won't. It doesn't matter. The boys had a wonderful time. They spent this evening pouring over the bajillion valentines they received. They felt so happy and loved.

TRUE LOVE is.... 

...sweet new pillow cases made with love by our awesome seamstress MaMaw AND so many beautiful cards and little gifts from friends and family far and near. We are so blessed to have family and friends to teach us how to live and love.... through their examples and everyday love and support.

A NEW LOVE discovered today....

YUM!!! Rita's Italian Ice! Cherry Gelati. Must. Get. This. Again. Soon!

Thanks Tamara for treating us!
Thank you God for fun treats and great friends!

TRUE LOVE is...

...sharing (a very simple, un-romantic) dinner with Jon's wonderful co-workers. Today was a VERY busy day at the office. There was no end in sight at dinnertime. Since we wanted to have dinner with Daddy, we picked up food for everyone and made it a little party! Jon works so hard to support us, especially during tax season. That's TRUE LOVE in action.

TRUE LOVE is.... living and learning everyday together. It's the little things that really stretch us and make us grow in love. We continue to thank God for the awesome opportunity to homeschool. This morning, before the skating party, we enjoyed reading this awesome Valentine story:

It reminded us of how important it is for everyone to know that they are loved.

We talked and prayed about how we can show love for others everyday.

We made these beautiful Saint Valentine mosaic hearts:

(inspired by the book Saint Valentine by Robert Sabuda)

We did some counting and graphing using candy hearts.



I hope that you have experienced true love today... whether in simple or special ways. As the day comes to a close, let us thank God for His faithful love. Let's re-commit ourselves to recognizing and celebrating the amazing blessings of each day, especially when the blessings don't look or feel the way we think they should. After all, love is not really about roses or romance or warm-fuzzy feelings. Much of the time it's not outwardly beautiful or even inwardly peaceful. It involves sacrifice and work and self-gift. It brings joy and satisfaction that remain after the roses wilt and the memories fade.

"Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a)

This is more than a beautiful passage recited at weddings. It is God's explanation of what TRUE LOVE looks like. You can replace the word "love" with God's name. Can you replace it with yours?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

Happy Feast of Saint Valentine!

Happy Valentine's Day from our family to yours!

God Bless Baby Noah!

This afternoon we celebrated the Baptism of our friends' beautiful new baby, Noah. Jon and I were honored to stand up as his Godparents. God has richly blessed us with many wonderful family friends. It is such a privilege and a joy to share the journey/vocation/challenge of forming our children in the Faith. All of us are learning and growing together, helping and encouraging each other along the way.

 Most of the pictures from today were taken by Ray. The full set of shots is quite amusing, but having the important job of photographer did keep him relatively well-behaved. I wish I could say as much for Adam and his friend (Noah's brother) Ryan! The stressed looks on the faces of the moms reflect the behavior that was going on in the pews. ;) It's a good thing God's grace is not dependent on the perfection of the ritual and piety of all present.

May God bless Noah Christopher.

May he know many long years of health and happiness.

May he grow in faith and holiness year after year.

May he emulate the faithfulness, obedience, and courage of Noah the Ark-Builder.

May he embrace his Christian calling as priest, prophet and king.

May he always remember that he is loved by God, by his family, by us, and so many.

Amen.