So many blogs, so little time.

My main blog is my xanga blog. You can access it by clicking on the title of this post. I rarely use this one anymore. There are some really good Blogger posts out there, however, and I like to have the opportunity to read and comment on them. If you are visiting this site because of a comment I have left on someone else's entry, be aware that the xanga site is where my updates most often occur.

BYE BYE OBAMA

Obama Countdown Clock

DOWNSIZED

My terrific godmother, Charlene, is the latest victim of the economy. She is a lawyer with a large Philadelphia firm. You would never guess she is an attorney. She lives very simply in her small childhood home. Charlene attends Mass every day, prays the Rosary daily, recites the Divine Mercy chaplet, too, and is a regular at Adoration. During the summer her harvest of home grown vegetables defrays the cost of grocery shopping. She cares for her frail mother, who has celiac disease. Anyway, Charlene worked 22 years at her firm, and her area was real estate. I guess this was to be expected with the economic downturn, but it was still a real shock for her. The most traumatic part of it is the loss of daily structure. Charlene is a very precise and organized woman, and her daily routine reflected that. Her last day at work was the 19th, and she is already feeling a bit unraveled. Since her job was in Philadelphia, Charlene has to go online to get her benefits. Except she has no computer, so she is using one at the house of a mutual friend, Sharon. Sharon owns a small Catholic bookstore across the street from my church. With the economic situation, I often worry that the store won't be able to survive. Both Charlene and Sharon were instrumental in my RCIA class and the subsequent continued formation after I was Confirmed in 2004. Please pray for them and for all the faithful workers and practicing Catholics who strive to live a life day to day which glorifies God. It truly is the innocent faithful who suffer when a nation's leaders and power brokers do not follow God's principles.

2009!

I make my number 8 with two circles, one on top of the other. By the time 2008 came to an end, I was dying for that 8 to disappear. At work anytime I use a needle, a lancet, or a narcotic, I have to sign it out in a special book, with the date, time, inmate name & number, and my signature. Having to write 2008 over and over was taxing my hand. Writing a 9 is sooooo much easier than the pesky number 8.

So, in with number 9, and out with number 8!

MORE ON THE TOPIC

The main argument that my son used against Christianity was tied to three stars at the bottom of the constellation of the Southern Cross. They point to the belt on the constellation of Orion. He also said the sun stands still at a place only in the Middle East. I really couldn't connect the two. [He rambled a bit because he was drunk when we had the conversation.]

I browsed the Internet for quite some time, and much of what he said brought me to sites discussing the traditions and celebrations surrounding the winter solstice. I found out (at the age of 53--duh I feel dumb) that solstice is Latin for "sun standing still". At the peak of the winter solstice, the sun "stops" its declination and begins to "rise" again. People in ancient times worshiped the sun and part of that worship centered on reversing that declination. The ways in which this worship occurred is vastly varied, depending on the culture, nation, and/or time in history where it took place.

The Catholic Church "Christianized" some of these ancient rites. Candles, lighted evergreen trees, holly, yule logs, and so on, are now associated with Christmas. My son thinks that Catholicism is a farce because of this. He never seems to be bothered by changes made to the menu at Thanksgiving. I suppose this is due to his love of pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce......