Something to Ponder on a Cold Saturday

 

We have promised to journey together through this life

and to help each other reach heaven.

We agreed to be here through the good times and the bad.

We just didn't really know then what the bad would be like

or how bad it would really feel.

It's not always happy rainbows.

But sometimes it is.

When it's not,

when there's pain and hurt and struggle and even boredom,

THAT'S when we need to call upon the Grace of the Sacrament.

That's when our faithfulness is tested.

That's when we can give God glory....

by loving when it costs us something,

when it stretches us,

when we're humbled or angry or sad.

When we choose to love through it

we grow

we love more deeply

we glorify God.

 

 

Way too many marriages end when the happy feelings fade.... including some very close to me.... and it doesn't have to be that way. God doesn't want it that way. Sometimes the "better" comes after the "worse." If only we can trust God's grace, live through the pain, and not give up on one another.

 

Help us , Lord. Help us glorify you and inspire others by our faithfulness.

God bless all marriages.

 

 

Saint John Paul the Great

Next Wednesday we will have the opportunity to celebrate the Feast day of Saint John Paul the Great for the first time. He was canonized, along with Pope John XXIII, last April. It's awesome to be able to say that I remember him as our Pope and now he is one of the great Saints in heaven. He was Pope from the time I was eight until I was thirty-five!

I have to be honest and say that through most of John Paul II's pontificate I did not appreciate what a great man he truly was. I remember being outraged at the release of Ordinatio Sacerdotalis in which he declared that it is not - and will never be - possible for the Church to ordain women to the priesthood. For so many years I thought that my twentieth century enlightened mind knew better than his and better than our two thousand year old Church.

But, ah how humility comes with age and education. When I went to graduate school in Theology I was challenged to really study these teachings with which I disagreed. And wow did my mind and my Faith deepen and change! I learned that the teachings of the Church span across all times, nationalities, and politics. The Catholic Church teaches Truth according to Natural Law and Revelation. Truth. The Pope's role is to make sure the Church maintains those Truths. He guides us beyond our narrow mindsets and toward God's mind and heart.

So then I fell in love with John Paul II, especially with his connection with the youth as he exhorted them to "be not afraid" and empowered them to be fully Catholic and embrace the New Evangelization. His Theology of the Body is revolutionary and beautiful and should be studied and embraced by our sex-crazed, out-of-whack world. And, finally the world witnessed the great dignity and beautiful Faith which he maintained through great suffering and death. Truly, this man taught us so much about what it means to be a disciple.

I found this quote in this month's Catholic Digest and it has really stayed with me this week:

"Only by praying together with their children can a father and mother - exercising their royal priesthood - penetrate the innermost depths of their children's hearts and leave an impression that the future events in their lives will not be able to efface." Saint John Paul II

There are so many things I want my children to learn and embrace. John Paul reminds me that God is in control and that the greatest thing Jon and I can teach our boys is to pray. Through prayer we all are changed in ways that can never be erased. We are brought closer to our good God who will guide us through all of life's challenges.

Thank you, JPII. We still love you.

Saint John Paul the Great, pray for us.

Psalm 104

Bless the Lord, O my soul.
O Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
wrapped in light as with a garment.

                                        You stretch out the heavens like a tent,

                                        you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, 

                                        you make the clouds your chariot,

                                        you ride on the wings of the wind,

                                        you make the winds your messengers,

                                        fire and flame your ministers.

You cause the grass to grow for the cattle,
and plants for the people to use,
to bring forth food from the earth,
and wine to gladden the human heart,
oil to make the face shine,
and bread to strengthen the human heart.

                                               The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
                                               the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
                                               In them the birds build their nests,
                                               the stork has its home in the fir trees.
                                          

 

You have made the moon to mark the seasons;

the sun knows its time for setting.

                                                

                                                       O Lord, how manifold are your works!

                                                       In wisdom you have made them all:

                                                       the earth is full of your creatures.

 

All your creatures look to you
to give them their food in due season;
when you give to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created;
and you renew the face of the ground.

 

                                             May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
                                             may the Lord rejoice in his works.

                                              I will sing to the Lord as long as I life;
                                              I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

May my meditation be pleasing to him,

for I rejoice in the Lord.

 

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Praise the Lord!

 

 

American Adventure

In Geography we're spending the year "touring" the 50 States. We're part of a class called "American Adventure" that meets twice a month to work on learning about our country. We're also doing reading and other activities here at home.

We're keeping track of the states we've covered on this map --

 

As you can see, we started in the Northeast and we're working our way West.

 

We are also working on memorizing the state abbreviations and capitals. We've got a little display in the schoolroom that helps us study these each day. 

Here are some fun craft projects we've completed in our first three American Adventure classes ---

Maine Lighthouses

Pirate Ships
Did you know that Rhode Island was a big hangout for pirates?
Some students chose to make their boats "Mayflowers."
We learned about three "nautical states" that week -- CT, MA, and RI.

 

When we studied NY and PA, we learned about American symbols.
These flags hangings have quotes about liberty.

This month we're working on a project about the saints who were born in or served in America.

 

We're using this book in class as our "text." Each page has great information about the location and basic geography of each state as well as the capital, state bird/flower/tree, important landmarks, and historical facts.  

I've got a giant Pinterest board with lots of ideas for studying the States, including the videos, games, and other resources we're using in our class. You can check it out here ---
http://www.pinterest.com/kryzenga/states-study/

God Bless America!

Up Next....

Just a quick post tonight. It's been a busy day of productive homeschooling and then "taxi-cab" driving to orthodontist, karate, swimming, and Cub Scouts. Tonight I'm getting ready for tomorrow's introduction to a new unit study. Check out this picture and guess what it is -----

 

CHEMISTRY!

Recently I was talking with Adam about possible science fair projects and he told me he just wants to "mix potions, shoot lasers, and blow stuff up." So, this should be the perfect unit for him, right?

I've been pinning and planning lots of "mad scientist" activities to weave our studies in with Halloween. It's going to be lots of fun.

I just couldn't resist the fun Chemistry-themed treats at CVS!

Stay tuned for reports on our chemistry capers.

Living the Dream

Sometimes I need to remind myself that the life I have now is a dream come true... that I spent so many years and tears hoping and praying for this family life. It is such a blessing to be married to a wonderful man and raising two amazing children. (Note: I could NOT have written this post on Friday afternoon. I was feeling quite bedraggled after a busy week of homeschooling and honestly contemplated running away for a while. But thank you God for the weekend. This has been an especially renewing one.)

 

Our living room received a bit of a (temporary) make-over this weekend. The boys had a great time playing and sleeping in this lovely fort ----

 

 

I remember when we moved into this house shortly after we were married. It was so big and empty. I dreamed of children "filling up the place." I imagined building forts with them.... and now it's happening and I have to remind myself to forget about the mess and pay attention to the magic. These are the kinds of things that they'll remember from their childhood. This is the kind of joy and fun I want to treasure with them.

 

When we first had the boys Jon and I longed and prayed for holy Catholic families with whom we could share our lives. We wanted to surround the boys with friends who share our Faith. We wanted the friendship and support of other parents facing the same joys and challenges as us. I'm choking back tears as I thank God for His overwhelmingly positive response to these prayers. We are truly, truly blessed to have the most amazing friends to share this journey with us.

 

We had a dream-come-true experience yesterday for sure. We attended such a fun and meaningful party at the home of some dear friends. They have a great home in the country with beautiful woods and farmland all around them. Every year they host a BIG hog roast and this was the first year we were able to attend. Adam has already informed us that we CAN'T miss this party ever again.

 

Many, many families gathered for food, faith, and fun. The children enjoyed a zip line, adventures in the woods, a hayride, a tree house, and a giant pile of dirt to play on. What beats a pile of dirt really? The parents enjoyed visiting and relaxing in front of a bonfire. There was a bouncer, a pony, football and cornhole games, a nail polish and face painting station, and fireworks that rivaled our local 4th of July display.

But the most awesome part of the night was something much deeper than all of that. Our friends had prepared a giant cross. We all got to etch or write our names on the cross.

 And then, all of the men worked together to hoist that giant cross up and into a hole that had been prepared.

 It was such a sight to see that cross being raised. Truly beautiful and exciting.

We all gathered around and one of the priests (there were several Dominican friars with us) blessed the cross. This cross will stand as the centerpiece of the property for years to come and our friends promised to pray for all of us often when they gather around the campfire.

This, my friends, is living the dream. Gathering with dear friends around the cross of Christ. Sharing the love, hope, challenges, and joy that come along with being His followers.

"The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy."

Living Happily Ever After

I recently wrote this article about marriage for our homeschool group newsletter.

“Living Happily Ever After”

 

     My husband Jon and I have the privilege of mentoring couples preparing for marriage in our parish. We meet with them in our home and discuss various aspects of marriage, sharing our experiences and helping them communicate effectively with one another on various topics. These couples are all so sweet. And in love. And confident in the strength and “specialness” of their relationship. And that’s great. Praise God for His Love for us and the great gift of Love and Marriage!

     Jon and I are twelve years into our “happily ever after.”  I don’t know if we’re “sweet” like the head-over-heels in love couples we mentor, but we are still in love. We are still confident in the strength and “specialness” of our relationship. There is a richness and depth of love that continues to grow as we live our lives together. As we walk together through the joys and challenges of raising a family, we come to know and love God and each other more deeply.

     That all sounds really lovely, doesn’t it? It’s all true. However, in real life that love and growth is messy and gritty and many times happens in the background and doesn’t get much attention or acknowledgement. Life is busy. We are not only raising children but also homeschooling them and running a business. The days are filled with work, activities, and chores. The needs of the children must be met every day. Sigh. So many nights we fall into bed and just check in with each other about the details of the next day before falling asleep. It’s so easy to take each other and our marriage for granted and to settle into the roles of co-captains of “Team (our last name)” while neglecting our roles of companions, confidants, friends, and lovers.  This is not the kind of relationship we anticipated when we were starry-eyed engaged people.

     It’s easy to put “important” tasks like house-cleaning and lesson-planning ahead of spending quality time with our husbands. But it’s not OK.  It’s important that we continually strive to keep our priorities in order so that we can focus on what --- and who --- really matters. Yes, all of the things we are doing for our children are good and worthy. But the most memorable and influential lessons we are teaching our children are not about academics and home economics. We are modeling and planting deeply-rooted life lessons by the ways we are in relationship, especially with our spouses.

     Our families are ultimately schools of love. By choosing each day to focus on and nurture our marriages we are showing our children that the Vocation of Marriage is special, good, joyful, and life-giving. We are teaching our children what love looks like and acts like.  Love is fun, affectionate, respectful, caring, compromising, serving, sacrificing, communicating, working together, forgiving, asking forgiveness….. It is not the casual romantic drama so glorified in the media. It is so much more messy and beautiful than that.

     And so when Jon and I meet with engaged couples we learn as much as we teach. We are reminded of how much we love each other. We are encouraged to focus more on each other and our marriage and to make it a priority to connect as a couple. The young engaged couples are so present and attentive to one another. At this point in their relationship they are able to spend great amounts of time communicating and just having fun together. Although our lives have gotten more complex, we still want and need to do those same things. Fortunately, we can tap into the Grace God poured over us in the Sacrament of Marriage. We can draw on His Love and Mercy as we continue to grow in our love and commitment to one another.

Remember, the grass is greener where you water it! What can you do today to nurture your relationship with your spouse?