Footprints *with twist*

Connors World

(As stated before in my notes, Connor is my 12 year old son who has Autism.)

We have been informed of our travel plans this summer. The declaration was put forth by our 12 year old, stated in no-nonsense terms. This is what will happen...

School ends June 10th. Then we pack the suitcase, and drive to hotel called Holiday inn. We put on swim suits and swim in the pool, go to sleep. Then have waffles and drive north to Canada.

Pretty straightforward right? It does actually fit pretty well with what we are going to do, with good reason. Connor likes for things to be static, ritualistic if you will. He does not handle change. Everyone has different ways of dealing with ambiguity, some better then others. Connor has been able to see and be comforted by finding the static within the change.

He is adaptive in his reasoning. If we go to a Quality Inn, instead of Holiday Inn, he will accept the difference, because he can see that it is still a hotel. Now if the hotel does not have a pool or the waffle maker breakfast. Things are going to begin to get dicey. Yes, we can work him through the situation and he will emerge from the other side. The thing is this, we will probably have to help him through other things, so why not accommodate what we can, as it provides him a degree of comfort and control.

Communication is something most people overlook when it comes to kids. Imagine someone obviously hurting and crying. This person is not able to relate the problem. It could be physical, it could be mental, it could be emotional. As a parent it is paramount to help and without the knowing what is wrong, the knowing how to help, is nigh impossible. It can be heart wrenching. It is...

When Connor can relate to us something like vacation plans. We engage the communication fully. We will make corrections to his expectations. We have also, purposefully, altered plans in order to teach him he can deal with ambiguity. So when unforeseen events occur he has those skills.

No one is crazy about change. The more draconian the more we push back. It is our nature. Yet, our environment is one of near constant change. I suppose the human condition is one of conflict.

Top 15 Misconceptions About Catholics

Original Posting (As a Catholic I enjoyed this read as I have heard all of these)

With nearly one quarter of the U.S. population Catholic, they make up a huge part of society and the largest Christian denomination. Yet with so many, how is it they are so misunderstood and characterized by films, television shows, etc.?

Failing to do the proper research explains a great deal of it. With a simple search on the internet, we were able to find many interesting answers to the top 15 misconceptions about Catholics. They are both from official sources, reporters, academics, and more.

1. Priests Are More Likely to be Pedophiles : The most dangerous of all myths concerning Catholics, this can lead to many negative and unfair consequences. Recently in a book entitled Pedophiles and Priests, an extensive study – and the only one of it kind – took a look at the pedophile statistics of over 2,200 priests. It found that only 0.3% of all Catholic clergy are involved in any pedophilia matter, guilty or not. This number is actually very low and according to Counter Pedophilia Investigative Unit, who reports that children are more likely to be victims of pedophile activity at school with nearly 14% of students estimated to be molested by a member of the school staff.

2. Everything in “The Da Vinci Code” is True : Even author Dan Brown himself doesn’t agree to this. In this free film from Hulu, Mr. Brown admits to writing his novel as a step in his own spiritual journey. As he confesses to being swayed by his extensive research, the experts behind the research weigh in with facts. Simon Cox is the author of “Cracking the Da Vinci Code” and tells more about his work in this documentary. If you don’t have 90 minutes to view it, you can get the real story behind Opus Dei, the villain organization in the novel, from ABC news.

3. Women Are Oppressed in the Catholic Church : Although women are still not eligible to become priests as explained by Pope John Paul II, they were still acknowledged as valued members of the church as far back as 1947. In a Papal Directive from then Pope Pius XII, he expressed his admiration of women “to take part in the battle: you have not sought to do so, but courageously you accept your new duties; not as resigned victims nor merely in a defensive spirit.” Also, in 2004 then Pope John Paul II historically appointed two women theologians to the International Theological Commission and named another as the president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

4. Catholicism and Science Don’t Mix : It has been theorized that science leads down one path while religion, such as Catholicism, leads down another. However, in the mid 1200’s Saint Thomas Aquinas was preaching just the opposite: that all paths lead to God. In fact, one of his most notable quotes “The truth of our faith becomes a matter of ridicule among the infidels if any Catholic, not gifted with the necessary scientific learning, presents as dogma what scientific scrutiny shows to be false” is listed on Brainy Quote. A modern day professor from Columbia University also gives his take on the subject.

5. Catholics Place Too Much Emphasis on Jesus’ Mother : Believing in the Immaculate Conception – the virgin conception of Christ – is a key factor in Catholic belief. But does that mean that she sits above or even at the same level as the Son or the Father? This article by Bishop Pivarunas details her role in the church and even uses actual scripture to explain why.

6. Catholics are Cannibals : The Eucharist is a sacred part of the Catholic mass and in it, followers are asked to eat the body and drink the blood of Christ. But is it a figure of speech or is there actually flesh and blood involved? In this article from Catholic Answers, two church officials certify that the answer is in keeping with the Catholic faith. The meaning of the scripture quote “”I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” is discussed thoroughly.

7. Catholics Don’t Believe in Dinosaurs : In a popular Catholic forum, the question of the dinosaur comes up. Expert Apologist Michelle Arnold tackles the age-old question in a four part answer, which acknowledges the existence of dinosaurs. It includes universal death, life after death, the opportunity to question one’s own faith, and reassessing one’s own beliefs.

8. No Meat on Fridays : Until 1983 Catholics were required to abstain from eating meat on Friday for the 40 days of Lent and the following Holy Week. However, the rule was changed to “abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays.” Which basically means that instead of foregoing meat on Fridays, Catholics can choose to give up something else. In addition, abstinence and fasting are required on both Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

9. No Alcohol for Catholics : Although a certain sense of moderation is present, Catholics are actually encouraged to feast, have joyous processions, and an elated thanksgiving for God’s grace. In fact, this priest from Saint Mary Magdalen in Brighton proclaims that champagne is the preferred drink of Catholics.

10. Catholics Worship Saints : Father Jeff explains the myth behind saint worship in this video from YouTube. He explains how prayer is different from worship and how the lives of saints are remarkable. He also uses the more modern comparison of a Prayer Line in his explanation.

11. Purgatory is Another Hell : Catholic belief in purgatory can be confusing and perplexing. More a belief on the afterlife, purgatory is believed to be where sinners go to “purge” themselves of sin before entering heaven. This encyclopedia article from New Advent has more.

12. Catholic Mass is Really Just a Homily : Father Z. is a popular Catholic blogger and priest in Philadelphia. In answering a reader’s question, he discusses the issue of the importance and meaning of the homily in Mass. In short, a homily is a sort of summary by priest or deacon after a reading and before the Procession of Faith. Father Z. explains exactly what it is and why it is important.

13. Catholics Can Confess Anything Away : A belief that confession is just a formality with no real consequence is a myth. In fact, just the act of admitting a sin can be doubly cathartic and reconciliatory. This article tells more on what is expected of a good confession. However, even the Vatican warns that a confession is not a counseling session.

14. The Pope is Perfect : Even Catholics don’t believe this and state that papal infallibility has its limitations. In an article from Slate, papal infallibility is explained as pertaining to when the pontiff is ruling on a spiritual or moral manner. There is a similar infallibility belief when ecumenical councils are ruling on similar issues. Other than that, the pope and the rest are just as fallible as the anyone.

15. Children Aren’t Allowed at Mass : In another answer from Father Z., he tackles the question of what to do with “wiggle aged” children at Mass. He addresses the positives and negatives of bringing these kids to church, what should be done, and what can be done as an alternative. Over 160 comments were left after the blog entry and tell even more on the subject.

Even if you disagree with any or all of the top 15 misconceptions about Catholics, it is important that you understand them fully so as to know why. Whether writing a paper, dating a Catholic, or just looking to understand the faith more, there is much to know and much damage to undo caused by myths.

There is also loads more to be found on the internet and a good place to start is these Twelve Catholic Myths where Michael Voris tackles even more misconceptions on Catholics.

Happy Easter Sunday!

Happy Easter Sunday!

Luke 24:1-12

Connors Birthday Party at School.

Keep in mind that at 12 years of age certain social attitudes can prevail. Unless your Connor.

We got the following e-mail from his teacher:

Hello! We just had a little party for Connor. He wanted to dance for his party so we did! We had the party from 9:25 to 10:05 so that our PE and literacy helpers/peers could be here also! They all had a blast! I think it went well. Michael, our literacy peer, taught us how to do the moonwalk, the worm, and breakdancing! Connor loved the "spinning" that I did with him. I was taking his hands and sort of showing him how to swing dance and he turned in into a spin! It was fun but boy was I dizzy!

Connor never brought up dancing for his birthday at home. However, for the last week, in anticipation of his birthday, he has broached the subject at school with regularity. Most classes have parties in the afternoon. Connor, no doubt, pushed this agenda and God Bless his teacher for understanding and getting the helpers/peers involved.

Helpers/Peers are your typical everyday Jr. High students who have a period where they assist the special needs room. The fact that they enjoyed and participated above and beyond really speaks to the infectious nature Connor wields. (Just come to a family function where we pray before meals and Connor has us do a wave, to which my family lovingly complies)

Superbowl Abortion advertisement

Copy Pasted from here: By Jeff Miller

Being both a Catholic pundit and living in Gator country by contract I am required to comment on the Im Tebow Superbowl ad. A lot of pixels and ink have already been spilled over this so I will spill some more.

Those who support legal abortion often chaff at being called pro-abortion - the much prefer pro-choice. No doubt they believe this is the case, but in reality there are few if any who see abortion and not having an abortion both a morally neutral acts of exactly the same weight. After all what was the last time you saw a Planned Parenthood Maternity Ward or a NARAL Home for Unwed Mothers.

The fuss over the Tim Tebow ad really proves this. The ad presents one side of choice so what is the big deal to them? A mother talking about the decision to choose life is not exactly controversial since all of our mothers did exactly the same thing.

The obvious reason they hate they so much is that it shows the reality of "choice" the existence or the snuffing out of a human being. Over the years more and more people whose mothers considered abortion and decided against it have been talking about this fact. They are survivors of a "choice". There is also the case of abortion survivor Gianna Jessen who lived despite the attempt to abort her. The pro-abortion side is upset that they can't run similar ads. In fact they have been able to find zero aborted babies willing to film a Superbowl or any other ad for them. They can't even find people who want to take their mothers to task for having them. Those that each day regret their mothers did not abort them.

Tim Tebow does not represent a tissue mass or any other ecumenism euphemism for a child in the womb, but the normal consequence of not stopping life while in the womb. A Heisman Trophy winner is present because he mother choose life over the doctor's suggestion. Though Joy Behar said he could just as easily have become a "racist." Great idea Joy Behar - we should kill all children to prevent such an occurrence. Seeing Tim Tebow and hearing this story can remind us of the 50 Million individual persons who did not survive their mother's choice.

The abortion industry and abortion supporters have always been about minimizing or hiding reality. Women are told across the world falsehoods about the stages of the child in their womb. Terms are used to describe this that have no bearing on the reality. Over and over Ultrasound has been called a weapon because it helps to visualize reality. Laws requiring that women be properly informed about the life in the womb and presented with factual medical and scientific information about this are blocked time and again by the pro-abortion crowd.

A mother choosing life is polarizing and divisive. What a sick culture we live in.

A rather odd fact is that Planned Parenthood is responding to this ad by having two men, an ex-footbal player and a Gold Medalist, talking about women's rights being respected. Now could you imagine the outcry of a pro-life ad involving two men talking against abortion? The pro-abortion crowd would go crazy criticizing it for being so out of touch and not being able to speak for women.

Though I guess Planned Parenthood could get lots of men who favor abortion to do commercials for them. They could speak how abortion saved them from being trapped in a relationship. How abortion enabled them to maintain their lifestyle of treating women as objects and to keep pretending their was not natural consequence of sex. Predatory males certainly love legal abortion. In the meantime pro-abortion supporters want to remain to keep their head in the sand and to deny that a women's choice determines if a person will continue to live or not. Tim Tebow should just go away and not remind them of the consequence of "choice".

For us who are pro-life it reminds us to pray for those mothers in difficult situations that are considering abortion as a solution and to help them in every possible way that we can.

Oh for the ability to talk this clearly.

Catholic Blog offers a wonderful read!

Example:

The Seven Basic Elements of the Modern Scientific Universe are...

1. Time
2. Space
3. Matter
4. Energy
5. Power
6. Prestige
7. Funding

And the greatest of these is funding.

Because of this, scientists don't always let things like "the data" get in the way of "the conclusion". Case in point, the link between abortion and breast cancer.

Angel Time!

Anne Rice has a new book that peaked my interest: Angel Time

This got me wondering about named Angels. Using the bible as a source I was struck by the name scarcity. Five of these beings are named, two of which are fallen.

Gabriel: One of the best-known angels is a messenger of God. He appears in the Book of Daniel and in Luke’s Gospel. Gabriel appeared twice to the prophet Daniel. One of those appearances was to explain the meaning of a vision that he had experienced. (Dan. 8: 16) The second visit was to explain a prophecy that God had revealed to Daniel that he did not understand. (Dan. 9:21)

Gabriel had the privilege of announcing the future births of John the Baptist and Jesus. In Luke’s Gospel, the angel appeared to Zechariah to announce the coming birth of John the Baptist to his wife Elizabeth. (Luke 1: 5-19) Gabriel said this about himself: “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, who sent me to speak to you and tell you this good news.” (Luke 1: 19) The pregnancy was a miracle because Elizabeth bad been unable to bear children up to this point.

It was Gabriel who appeared to Mary. (Luke 1: 26-38) This is the revelation of another miracle, a virgin birth. The angel tells Mary that she has been blessed among women to mother the “Son of God”. He also informs her that her relative Elizabeth is also pregnant. “For there is nothing that God cannot do.” (Luke 1: 37)

Michael: The archangel. Jude describes him as “the chief angel”. (Jude 9) Jude was teaching that even Michael does not condemn the Devil, but leaves that to God. Revelation describes a war in Heaven with Michael leading his angels in a battle victory against Satan. The Devil is thrown out of Heaven and sent to earth. (Rev. 12: 7-9)

Michael is described in the Book of Daniel as “Israel’s guardian angel”. (Dan 10: 21) A prophecy regarding Michael’s role in the end times struggle against evil is revealed to Daniel. (Dan.12: 1)

Raphael: The angel Raphael is revealed in the Book of Tobit. God dispatches Raphael from Heaven to answer the prayers of two Jewish supplicants exiled in Ninevah. Through the work of this angel a blind Tobit is made to see and a young woman is given relief from an evil spirit that keeps killing her husbands. The happy ending is supplied when Tobit’s son marries the young woman. They live happily ever after and Raphael returns to Heaven after revealing his true identity and refusing the earthly rewards offered by Tobit.

Apollyon: Is the “angel in charge of the abyss”. (Rev. 9: 11) his name means “The Destroyer”. He has a Hebrew name also: Abaddon. This is not a good angel.

Satan: An angel but, a fallen one. Revelation 12: 9 describes his fall from Heaven. Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 3:6 that Satan was condemned because of pride. Satan appears before God as the accuser and meets with The Lord in the first chapter of Job. Satan’s job is to make trouble for us but his days are numbered as we see in Revelation.

There are hundreds of instances of unnamed angels appearing and working for God as messengers and warriors. Angels visited Lot in Sodom to warn him and protect him. (Genesis: 19) Angels protect God’s people, too. (Psalm 91: 11) Angels are created beings, (Psalm 148: 2-5) don’t marry, (Luke 20:34-36) and are created holy (Genesis 1: 31; Jude 6).

Moses, suposes...

First of all, there are fundamentalist who believe absolutely in the Biblical account of the Exodus as direct revelation from God to Moses. In the more scientific and historical schools of study, even without the above literalism, the Biblical account is sufficient as the basis for both a legal system and faith system.

Could one remain a faithful servant of God and also accept the possibility that Moses, as described in the Torah, may be as much legend as historical - perhaps more legendary. It's hard not to consider this as a theoretical possibility if only because of the existence of very responsible and academically sound schools of Biblical studies (Harvard), that suggest that the books of the Bible from the time of Genesis through the time of King David were redacted by David's court historian.

"Evidence" is a complicated term. I don't know of any scientific proof of Moses. However, if the "Habiru" mentioned in some historical records are in fact the Hebrews, the children of Israel, then there is some historical evidence.

If the Hebrews lived in Goshen or thereabouts, they would have been using Egyptian materials, equipment, etc., thus it would be difficult to prove a different people lived in Egypt. Furthermore, if there were evidence, I would expect a reluctance on the part of the Egyptians to offer opportunities for Jews to look for evidence of their existence in Egypt and their successful exodus.

Thanks to Rabbi Dov.

That Christmas Spirit

Once upon a time, I recall, the holidays were just so much problem and hassle. Go here, get this, go there get that, did I get this for that? Should I get that for this? Is this "that"? This, this, this, that, that, that, the other thing.

Then comes those nattering nabobs of negativism. Those poisonous people who can persuasively call you to their way of thinking. "Commercialism!", "Consumarism", "Hypocritcalism"! Soon you can find yourself joining in the chorus of humbug.

Tis the season to be Jolly. There is so much more to focus on, you can forget that. It requires an inner flame to see this time for what you know to be true.

Peace on earth, requires inner peace. Goodwill towards mankind requires effort at an individual level, starting at home. You can just bleat out the phrase, meaning is paramount to be human.

Whenever the wrongheaded view of the season rears its ugly head, it is easily vanquished these days. Tina, my much wiser then I, wife is the keeper of Christmas flame. Her joy is infectious. Which is why I love her.

Merry Christmas Honey!

Thoughts about a 2000 year old thought.

The Myth of the Brilliant Amateur Outsider is customarily rejected by our culture when it comes to the sciences:

and eagerly and credulously believed by our culture when it comes to philosophy and theology. So, as a general rule, we don't just drop everything and say, "Wow! Centuries of science are overturned by some guy with a website who claims to have proven geocentrism, or young earth creationism!"

But the world swarms with people who seriously believe that the Catholic Church has never given any thought at all to questions like "How could Mary be sinless in light of Romans 3:23?" or "Trinitarianism is strange and mysterious. Why believe it?" or "But the Eucharist tastes just like bread and wine. How could anybody think it is the Body and Blood of Christ?" The fetching naive innocence of those who imagine they have dared to ask the Hard Questions The Church is Afraid to Face is charming

Thanks to Mark P. Shea

No Divorce for you!

I caught this AP release: Movement under way in California to ban divorce

It is a stunt centered around the audacity of those "unenlightened" of us who feel marriage is something that should be preserved. My first reaction was a small chuckle and a pang of appreciation for the cleverness of the protest. Then I started pondering the implications of such a ban.

Personally, it would be a non-issue. I have a Till-Death arrangement. However it would change the current statistic for divorce rates in America. First marriage divorce is 41%, second marriage 60%, third marriage 73%. It would certainly make marriage less likely overall, which may be a good thing given the current climate. The courts and lawyer time would be freed up from divorce proceedings.

Would it be a good thing, bad thing or just swap various good and bad? Personally I think that getting married is much too easy. The concept that getting married is proof of love and devotion makes anyone who has been married for a significant length of time burst with laughter.

Trust me when I say that marriage requires much more then feelings of love to have any degree of success. Among my many ideas that would make the world even more perfect is the legally required pre-nuptial agreement. A pre-marriage divorce settlement that would really open the eyes of those not ready to be fiscally intertwined. Hardly romantic...

She blinded me with Science!

Faith in Science Artical by Marc Shea:

Christianity in general, and the Catholic faith in particular has no problem with the Sciences. But many people without faith love to talk about "science vs. faith". They fancy the former is about what they “know” and the latter consists of bowing in blind obeisance to Authority. But, in fact, as a practical matter, what we are really talking about, for the vast majority of people, is not "knowledge" vs. faith, but two faith systems.

Take Global Warming. What interests me is that the ordinary people do not argue by having a data-filled discussion of glacier ice core samples nor by punching up the latest statistics on polar bear population density, nor by performing a statistical analysis of mid-Pacific temperature fluctuations over the past century, nor by doing a scientific evaluation of climate conditions in the past two centuries compared with global climate fluctuation estimates in carbon-dated fossil samples since the Pleistocene.

Why don’t ordinary people do that? Because we can’t. We don’t know how. We Ordinarys—you might even call us “we laity”—are wholly dependent on saying things like “The consensus among scientists is…” and then referring to our favorite rabbinic school in the scientific community to read the Holy Book of Nature, comment on it, and tell us what it means.

This holds true across the board for all the sciences when it comes to most of us. The vast majority of people who confidently hold forth on, say, the existence of gluons, or the expansion of the universe, or the various evidences for evolution, or the proposition that light is both a wave and a particle are entirely reciting hearsay they picked up from some Authority on the Discovery Channel or Popular Science.

In other words, they are behaving exactly like adherents of a religious system.

They have a certain group of people whose word they trust and they repeat what those trusted people in white lab coats tell them. They have never looked through a telescope or microscope and would not know what they were seeing if they did, nor how to interpret what they were seeing in order to derive meaning from it. They couldn’t actually describe the physics equations necessary to derive E=MC2 , nor, if you press them could they very clearly tell you what that formula means. If you ask them "How do you multiply Mass times the square of the speed of light?" the conversation quickly breaks down because they don’t know. They don’t know how sperm and egg combine, they’ve just seen some pictures and know that it happens–somehow. The last actual experiment they performed with their own two hands involved a bean seed and a Styrofoam cup in first grade. They don’t know what a “quark” actually is and have only the crudest mental picture of one, based on a show they once saw on the Discovery channel.

Now, I don’t think it’s a bad thing that believers in whatever Popular Science says this month are believing Popular Science . As a general rule, I think listening to what The Authorities say about their field of expertise is just the way human beings function: we trust each other and rely on group consensus and specialized experts to navigate a lot of our problems. So when the physicist who knows the math tells me some weird thing like, “Special relativity guarantees that travel to Alpha Centauri and back at light speed would entail the passage of eight years for the interstellar pilot and several decades for the people he leaves behind on earth”, I believe him though I don’t really understand him. He’s done the math and I haven’t. Even though I’ve never actually seen DNA, I still trust that a geneticist is not simply practicing high priestly mumbo jumbo when he discusses gene therapy.

In short, I think faith in Authorities Who Know What They are Talking About has worked pretty well over the millennia, with some hiccups. The main difference between me and the people who imagine they “trust Science, not Religion” is that I extend precisely the same courtesy to apostles who saw Christ rise from the dead and who paid for their proclamation of this truth with years of toil, suffering, persecution, and ultimately, martyrdom. Moreover, I’ve found the Christ they proclaim to make claims every bit as testable as those of the Sciences. For he says, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me; if any man’s will is to do his will, he shall know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.” (John 7:17-18). That’s the science of the saints, who wear white garments instead of white lab coats, and whose lives are themselves the evidence that Jesus is the way, the Truth, and the Life.

Happy All Saints Eve!

The origin of the festival of All Saints as celebrated in the West dates to 610AD, when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs; the feast of the dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Martyres has been celebrated at Rome ever since.

The feast of All Saints, on its current date, is traced to the foundation by Pope Gregory III (731–741) of an oratory in St. Peter's for the relics "of the holy apostles and of all saints, martyrs and confessors, of all the just made perfect who are at rest throughout the world", with the day moved to November 1.

In the Catholic Church All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, meaning going to Mass on the date is required (unless one is ill or elderly). However, in the United States, All Saints Day is not considered a Holy Day of Obligation when it falls on Monday or Saturday, as well as having no obligation at all in Hawaii.

Astounding Engimatic Happy Kid FTW!

My youngest, Connor, is a bright happy kid. He is gentle kind, enjoys the world around him. He is also language delayed autistic. So going the the dentist is very different for him. It requires him to be fully sedated. Get that? Under via IV drip for the duration of his dentist trip.

Sedation frightens the hell out of me, because I know how many things can go wrong. Now his dentist is very good and has an impeccable track record, in all ways he is a professional and damn near peerless in his skills. Still intellectualize all you want, my darling baby boy is going to be fed drugs until unconscious. It just does not sit right, and probably never will.

This is one of the few times I recognize a burden with Autism. Something that would normally require a "be brave kid" instead is Draconian. Due to some evil well meaning pre-school teachers he still cannot abide his hair being cut for as long as needed. Having them clear out the barber shop so you can restrain your kid while the understanding barber does his job is taxing, humiliating and can be viewed as cruel.

Still with diligence and modeling we have gotten him to the point were he will allow the hair cutting to a reasonable point.

The last go around they tried to induce a dream like state. No go. Then they tried Gas. No go. Then they did an IV. I have never seen someone fight against going under like he did. Seriously his will power blew me away.

He spent the next 24 hours lethargic and vomiting. I felt unevenly, because I knew this needed to be done, yet my heart broke seeing him in this situation. He had a follow-up and after the long trial of his first go around he was able to open his mouth and let them work. His legs nervously moved and his hands were on either side of his face.

Flash forward, today. Connor is going in for cleaning, x-rays and possibly drilling. I REALLY am feeling the angst. He just does not comprehend what is going on and it has to be justifiably frightening and confusing.

I really expected the worse. Lo and behold he did not need sedation. He was willing to allow them to do their job, they let him hold and look at the instruments and with mirrors observe the procedure. They were even able to get him to laugh here and there. I'm dumbfounded.

Somehow he was able to put together in his mind that this was uncomfortable but important. Imagine, if you will, the difficulty in explaining what someone is going to work in your mouth with a hook scraping your teeth? Futher, say you have to use a HIGHLY limited vocabulary and the person has no experience to draw comparisons too. Somewhere in that skull lurks a highly deductive, brilliant mind.

Thus Endeth Summer

Today I watched as Connor got into the school bus that takes him to Jr. High School. He skipped and hummed his way across the gravel driveway, sending happy river rock to and fro amidst small puffs of dirt clouds. So happy, such adventure. Of course I am having my own sense of dread, as I do whenever he is on his own.

As a parent worst case scenarios rule the day in our overactive, overprotective minds. When your kid is not festooned with the normal defense's you worry even more about someones malice. In my world view the vast majority of people are decent and helpful. So the bus heads up the hill to make its awkward U-turn, I whisper a prayer, requesting a higher power to intercede.

Tina is working the next town up. I am about two miles away.

The kids are still on hiatus from collage. When they start we will have to figure out how to get him on the bus and off the bus. I can adjust my schedule a bit, Tina has some leeway as well. So that just leaves the no school days when we work to figure out.

Life's little challenges, HUZZAH!

So lessee, I'm almost mended from my surgery. I still have annoyances from same. My job may be gone due to lack of funding in about two years. Tina was able to get a full time job with the school system. My back yard is in need of attention. The economy is sinking Government is growing. We live in interesting times.

Kennedy

With the Senators passing there has been many newspaper pendents lionizing the Senator. Two more practical writings I read came from Daniel Hannan and Susan Estrich. They have different takes from that of the state controlled press.

As a Catholic Ted Kennedy's have always been a bit of an embarrassment, his stance on abortion and the entire Mary Jo Kopechne incident. Still I want to believe that the soul of Ted Kennedy will see God face to face. I desire this for every soul. I know not all will see God.

That said…

Do rules which apply to all Catholic apply to Sen. Kennedy? He has always seemed to be the Exception. Are there special rules in the Catholic Church for the Kennedy Clan?

Does canon law and liturgical law apply to the Kennedy Clan?

I have seen it written Pres. Obama is slated to give a eulogy during a Funeral Mass for the late Sen. Kennedy. The Rite of Christian Funerals 141 says: “A brief homily based on the readings is always given after the gospel reading at the funeral liturgy and may also be given after the readings at the vigil service; but there is never to be a eulogy.”

The 2000 GIRM 338 says: "At the funeral Mass there should as a rule be a short homily, but never a eulogy of any kind. The homily is also recommended at other Masses for the dead celebrated with a congregation."

Eulogies are inappropriate during a Catholic Funeral Mass. There is no given exclusion. Further, will the sight of the most aggressively pro-abortion President in history giving a eulogy, in a Catholic church… during a Mass… for the most aggressively pro-abortion Catholic Senator give scandal to the Catholic faithful?

This is a very difficult thing to see such a wanton disregard for a groups beliefs.

Much easier is the question of should Sen. Kennedy have a Catholic funeral?

Perhaps. It depends on whether he showed some adequate sign of repentance before his death. We have to be lenient on that point. Given what I have read of Sen. Kennedy’s last hours, I would not oppose this. It is disturbing, due to his decades long unrepentant support of abortion, and the scandal that caused. However, the Church’s law is very lenient. Thanks be to God.

Today (August 20th) in HISTORY!!!

21 years ago this very date, I was fortunate to Marry Tina. I recall it as a perfect summer day in SoCal. She looked gorgous, I looked quite dapper. The ceremony was held at St. John the Babtist Catholic Church, the church of my youth. It was officated by Fr. Joe a long time priest friend (his mom was in attendance).

It was a traditional full mass with the marriage vows. My best man inquired about a script to follow along, me being a typical Catholic figured everyone knew the Mass, after all nearly everyone is Catholic right? Both of our families participated in different area's from readings to book signing, to ring bearer and in the wedding party.

Our Photog was a friend of Tina's who made several thousand quick and fun shots of the group. We then were wisked off to a German Villagish location called Old World for a lively reception, complete with Oom Pa pa band (Jolly Al) that was hosted by my Mother and Father-in-law.

There was a remarkable gathering of friends and family, a group from Germany that Tina knew from her time there, a friend from Austrailia had flown in for the wedding from NYC. Even Tina's wondering cousin Markus made the date. To date the comment we get the most is "You guys had the funnest wedding!" which always makes me smile.

It should be noted that my Nephew John was our ring bearer and it was his Birthday. It is cemented in my memory, as it should be, as a perfect day.

Of course two years later on that exact day our Daughter Diana was born. Making us a family of four (Trevor had been born June the previous year).

August 20th is a busy day. Lots of good things happened.

Responsibility.

There is a news item that seems ridiculous. The California Department of Transportation must pay out 6.3 million for being partially responsible in the wrongful death of two teenage girls.

The driver, Gina Norris, who plead guilty in juvenile court to vehicular manslaughter received no jail time. The 17-year-old girl intentionally sped on a rolling road in the San Bernardino Mountains in a deliberate attempt to get airborne, lost control and killed two passengers. A survivor and mothers of the dead girls sued Caltrans for wrongful death, arguing the road was hazardous. Caltrans argued the road was safe when driven legally.

There is defined right and wrong here that is set aside. Culpability belongs to Gina Norris. She is not an adult so her parents (or guardian) should be held accountable for certain fiscal aspects.

Your average parents would not be able to afford a 6.3 million dollars. Teens dying in a crash is a sad tragic thing. The State of California has a large cash flow, so lets compensate the loss from someone with money... What exactly does that say about this particular jury?

What example does it set when the leader of your country brings about a cutback of charitable giving and states that the government will take up the slack? We hear a lot about government responsibility and quite a bit more of the government blaming the government for what the government did and how only the government can fix this mess the government made.

Responsibility for your actions and choices is not marginalized by your ability to pay. Neither is it mitigated by which direction you point. You are responsible for yourself and your family, your community and your representatives and your fellow human beings. You can not delegate responsibility away, you can only be irresponsible in your choices.

Goverment Responsibility? Harry Truman is rotating in his grave.