Summer structure, and Harry Potter knits. Because apparently that is a summer activity for me...

Hello, and happy week to you all! I'm in full out summer mode - absolutely LOVING the quiet campus where I work, the kids are winding down their school year, I'm preparing for our Summer Book Club and starting my Christmas crafting in July list, dance routines for summer festivals are being firmed up, and Mike and I are finalizing the details of our summer road trips.

*woo hoo!*

It's all good.  So, in terms of our little blog here, these are the updates: last week I asked for opinions on a timeline for our Summer Book Club, in which we will read How God Hauled Me Kicking and Screaming into the Catholic Church, by Kevin Lowry. Our options are either a month long read-along, or tackling it in a 2 week time span in mid-July given that it is a shorter book. Most people said either option was fine, though they were unavailable surrounding the 4th of July holiday.

I'm inclined to go with the second, 2 week, option. The book is 160 pages, and divided into 2 parts. That's about 80 pages per week, and we can just read part 1 and then part 2. Boom! Hearty dose of summer apologetics. It would break down like this:

July 12th - Part 1
July 19th - Part 2

Sound good? If so, we all have our mission...go in search of the book! I'm going to start reading in early July. *virtual high five*

In other community news, I've been doing a lot of thinking about the Tea Time podcast for the summer. To be honest, I haven't been struck by any fancy inspiration. The thought of a saint series came to mind, and I like that idea, but it just did not summon the energy needed to actually make it happen. I'm taking that as a sign that it just isn't meant to be right now. I've been very busy lately with my family, and at work with finishing up my scripture study for women that is BEING PUBLISHED THIS YEAR, stay tuned for more information on that. :0 We're also, yet again, redesigning the course that I teach for the fall, and so available time for recording, editing, and getting out podcast episodes just doesn't seem feasible right now, even for short episodes. It's possible that inspiration may strike before the end of the summer, I'll keep you posted. If it doesn't, I still plan to do special series during Advent and Lent each year in video/audio form. I really enjoyed those this past year, and the liturgical seasons really lend themselves to special themes. It's nice to set aside that time during penitential seasons to focus on faith and community, which is what we do in the Tea Time podcast. So, that's where that all stands. Like I said, I'll keep you posted! My priority is blogging each week, and hosting the book club. That is the foundation of why I started this blog to begin with, and so I want to prioritize time for those things. *heart*

All right, in crafting update, I finished the Little Shoreline baby vest I mentioned last week:

I'm very pleased with how this came out! It is being packaged with a bear cub hat and sent off to it's new owner! I already cast on for a cardigan for my new nephew. *gold star* He lives in Maine, so I figure he needs sleeves. ;-)

I've been really enjoying my crafting lately. I had lost my craft mojo a bit this spring. Has that ever happened to anybody else? I just felt sad and uninspired by it. But it always comes back, and it is back with a vengeance. The baby knitting has really re-energized me. As well, the kids and I are planning to rewatch the Harry Potter movies this summer, and are excitedly planning a HP themed snack menu for the big event, which got me to re-seeking out a Harry Potter community on Ravelry.

I had peeked at them last summer when I was reading the books and watching the movies with my family, and there are several forums on Ravelry devoted to Harry Potter. It's a bit complicated, they all involve "taking classes" and submitting projects in specific ways to get your house credit for your efforts, and I was a bit overwhelmed and confused as to how to become involved. You need to "be sorted" to belong to a certain house, and that can only happen at specific parts of the year. Before then, you need to participate as a non-sorted student to be eligible for sorting, and that's about as far as I got before I panicked and gave up. 😂

This time, I poked my nose into a group called Hogwarts at Ravelry, and though it functions much the way I described above, I found it less confusing this time after thoroughly reading through the instructions. I've been participating in the Platform 9 3/4 thread for unsorted students, and even managed to successfully submit my first project over there!

Socks to keep my feet warm once school starts back up in September!

Thus, I am now eligible to be sorted in late June, and thus I am VERY EXCITED! I also encountered our beloved CL community member Melanie over there in Hufflepuff house, hi Melanie!!

*waves enthusiastically*

This is all to say that I now have extra motivation to actually *finish* the projects that I start, and I also have the warmth of a crafting community supporting me, and it's a giant warm and fuzzy. It's been making me very happy, and I feel super grateful. I can't wait to see which house I get sorted into!

*beams* 😇

OK, your turn. What's going on with you this lovely June day? Are you excited for the book club? Let's hear all about it!

Life is good when you are awash in delightful Tweetups

Hi all! I had a JAM PACKED weekend, filled with the funnest of activities, and I've been anxious to fill you all in! Let's settle in with our beverages.

The weekend began with a Twitter meetup, but we also had a dance performance in there and a Father's Day with that was busy enough to exhaust the children for the duration of the summer. ;-) Soooo, what I think I'll do is talk about my SUPER FANTASTIC Tweetup on Saturday afternoon, then save the dance hafla for either a separate post or episode of Tea Time. What do you think? Do you prefer the dance frivolity in post form or podcast? I want your input, so do write in.

All right, so the Tweetup! You all know how much I love and value our Catholic community on Twitter. I find it incredibly supportive and soothing. And through the years, I have had the privilege of meeting some of my Twitter friends in real life. It's not as often as I like, but when it happens it really packs a punch.

Some years ago, I became Twitter friends with a very nice fellow named Mike Gannon. We shared other common Twitter friends, as well as a Catholic podcast we both loved called This Catholic Life. I knew that Mike was potentially interested in the religious life, and had a deep love of the Carmelites, so it wasn't a huge surprise in the fall of 2014 when he joined a community of Carmelite brothers as a Postulant. We missed him quite a bit when he was off of social media for the duration of his postulancy, but he happily has been back since he became a Novice.

Several months back, Mike (who is now Brother Joseph!) let me know that he'd be in my area visiting some family during his vacation time. Naturally, I leapt at the chance to meet him in person!

And so Saturday afternoon, Henry and I traveled to a local Mexican restaurant to meet up with Brother Joseph. Mike (my husband that is, this is terribly confusing with all these Mikes, isn't it?!) offered to entertain the kids elsewhere so that I could eat lunch uninterrupted, and let's face it, that's a TEMPTING offer. You mean, I can eat lunch without someone crawling around under the table in search of lost crayons, and Anne telling Henry to "STOP IT!!!!" on constant repeat for 60 straight minutes?

What I ended up doing was having Mike take Anne for a Daddy/daughter date, and I brought Henry with me solo. I figured: when else am I going to get a free, up close and personal, advertisement for the religious life? So I asked Henry if he wanted to come, and he asked what kind of food the restaurant served. That shows you where Henry's mind is at in terms of this process, but no matter. He wanted to come, and that was good enough for me.

So we arrive. We peer into all of the other cars in the parking lot as we circle, trying to be discreet. Henry offered to go and physically look into the window of one intriguing-looking contender, but I told him that we were trying to be clandestine. :0 We headed into the restaurant and texted Brother Joseph. Two minutes later:

ALL the excitement!! How cool do you feel when your friends wear habits?!?!

I think that anytime you meet someone in real life whom you have only ever communicated with on social media, you're curious as to what they will be like. Will they be exactly as you picture in your mind? Or will they be completely different?

Brother Joseph was exactly as I pictured. :) We had a lovely, easily flowing conversation, and enjoyed good Mexican food and beer. We talked about religious life like there was no tomorrow, and Henry asked some thoughtful and interesting questions.

Granted, sometime after Henry had scarfed down his entire quesadilla, plus chips, plus a churro for dessert, he grew bored. I suppose there is only so much in-depth talk of Carmelite spirituality a 10 year old can take. ;-)

It was smashing. Anew, I felt intense gratitude for the gift of friendships that God has given me. Some of our Twitter friends I may never meet in this life, yet I know that if I ask for their prayers they will give them to me in a heartbeat, and that if I need some levity in my day all I have to do is log on and check my timeline.

Glorious, I tell you, glorious! It is such a rush to meet social media friends in person for the first time. And we may get another opportunity next fall! Craft beer will be involved, for sure and for certain.

If you're ever in Western New York, you MUST let me know. I will be hurt and offended if you do not. :0

A blessed & contemplative Easter, and reflections on the impact Mother Angelica had on my faith life...

A beautiful (but dreary skies) good morning to you all on this Easter Monday. *heart* I know, I know, my schedule has been all wacky lately. I'm back to my usual teaching schedule and yet I'm blogging on a Monday. Why, you reasonably ask? Well, I'm *making* time, because I have a lot on my heart this morning, and when that happens, I simply HAVE to write about it.

I'll start back with the Triduum and work my way forward in time, if that's OK. Grab your tea. :)

I was able to attend all of the Triduum liturgies at my parish, and it was SUBLIME. I was mostly solo this year, aside from the Good Friday service which Anne attended with me, and then Easter morning when all four of us attended as a family (bliss). So it gave me a lot of time for prayer and thinking.

 On Holy Thursday, I was sitting in the pew and teared up when the Gloria began for the first time since back in Ordinary Time. I spent some time by the altar of repose after the Mass, thinking about how quickly life goes by, and how grateful I am for my own. And on Good Friday, with a very active Anne squirming around in the pew with me, I was humbled beyond measure when we returned to our seats following the veneration of the cross:

"Mommy, I didn't get a turn! I want to kiss Jesus too!"

"Oh! I didn't know you wanted a turn too, Honey. The line is rather long right now, but when the end comes closer to us, we'll slip in the back of it, OK?"

"Yes. That's our chance, Mommy."

I mean, did you ever? SO.PRECIOUS. I just couldn't stand it. And indeed, when a break came in the line, Anne hustled me up for her chance to kiss Jesus.

And then came the Easter Vigil. It's just...

*tears!*

We didn't even have any Catechumens receiving the sacraments this year, and that's when the waterworks REALLY come out! But even still, that liturgy just brings me to my knees.

My parish, just after the Easter Vigil concluded.

I arrived early, so that I could finish praying my rosary before Mass began. Excitement is always in the air during the preparation for the Easter Vigil, and I wanted to be a part of it. Indeed, as you can see from the photo, Father starts the fire INSIDE our church, lol! We live in WNY. It's COLD here frequently for the Easter Vigil. And this year was no exception, a biting wind howling outside.

When the procession began from the back of the church with the Easter candle, all of us lighting our candles from that one, the church completely dark aside from those little flickering flames, I couldn't help but think of... all of you. I thought about each of you who has reached out to me over the course of the past year or so via the blog or email. I also thought of my Twitter community, who I cherish so deeply. Just before the vigil, I was tweeting with a friend who may be coming to WNY to visit family this summer, and so I may get to meet him in person! (BROTHER JOSEPH!! :0)  A few of our mutual friends joined in the string, and several of them had all met in person prior to this, and thus we were comparing notes as to who has met who in real life.

And so all of you were on my mind and heart as those little candles increased in number, and the Exsultet began. As anyone who has attended the Easter Vigil knows, the Exsultet is, ahem...LONG. ;-) But beautiful! And standing there with my small candle, I thought about how close I felt to people who are geographically very far from me. But we are all united together in the faith, and in our prayers. We are the Church Militant! And I feel SO BLESSED to have you all as a part of my life. So then I cried again, about that. :0

#SoEmotional #GodBlessMyPatientHusband

Easter morning we hid baskets, ate chocolate, and headed to 10 am Mass as a family. An absolutely beautiful day followed, including an egg hunt and a dinner that we hosted for our parents, complete with a preparatory tornado session of me spring cleaning the house. ;-)

Yesterday evening after our company left, all of the dishes were washed, and the kids were in bed, I sat down to lose myself in my Twitter feed for a short respite. Immediately, I saw that Mother Angelica had passed away.

Mother Angelica, to sum it up in two sentences, is very important to me. She was also, in the years before social media came and blessed us all ;-), partly responsible for me coming back to my Catholic faith and feeling a part of the global Church.

So I saw the article, and everyone talking about it on Twitter, and then I started crying again. Do you see a theme here for this Easter season? :-)

Mother Angelica was one of those people that lived during my lifetime, but whom I never had the opportunity to meet in person, yet had an enormous impact on my life. When my spiritual life was at its' lowest, and I saw an Advent candle icon on the corner of my television screen on EWTN, it evoked a strong emotional reaction in me toward my childhood faith. I count that moment as critical in my reversion back to the Church. And that moment happened as a result of EWTN. And EWTN happened because of Mother Angelica.

I started watching the evening shows: "Mother Angelica Live," "The Journey Home," "The World Over," and "Life on the Rock." By watching those, I felt a part of something larger. There were *other* people out there who loved the Lord and who loved their Catholic faith. And by watching those shows, recorded live, I felt like I was a part of it in some small way. I felt part of a *community.* Long before Facebook and Twitter, this provided meaning and depth to me in a way I couldn't articulate back then. I just knew that it was terribly important to me.

Now, I can see how this has all come full circle for me. My community here and on Twitter feed my desire for fellowship with our larger community of faith. But EWTN got that all started for me at a time during which I needed it the most. Just prior to that, I was headed down a dark path. If that small seed of faith within my heart had not been reawakened, who knows what would have become of me.

I absolutely loved Mother's joyous laugh, her sense of humor, her ability to seemingly put everyone at ease and have straightforward, off-the-cuff conversations with them. Her faith made mine come back to life. I will always be grateful to her for that.

And so, with the rest of her global community of fans, both Catholic and non-Catholic alike, I mourn her passing. The poignancy of her death coming on Easter has not gone unnoticed. I miss her already.

How about all of you? How was your Easter? And do you have any memories of Mother Angelica to share? I'd love to hear all about it in the comments. :)

CNMC 2015 - Affirmation & Friendship. And apparently tears...

Wow. I don't even know where to begin. Well, I'm BACK, there's that, and I had a fantastic time. It was, gosh. It was wonderful. I met so many kind people, and I received so much inspiration from my time there. But I have no idea how to fully encapsulate the depth of my experience. I think what I'm going to do is this: I'm going to chronicle my time in Atlanta chronologically to the best of my ability. At the end, I'm including a short video that I recorded this morning. I'm going to warn you - I cry during it. A LOT. :0 It's a pretty vulnerable piece. But I'm putting it out there because it's genuine emotion and I don't see sharing that with you as a bad thing at all. So here we go!

I arrived in Atlanta on Saturday all hyped up on coffee and adrenaline. I didn't even need any alcohol on my flight, which is a pretty surprising thing right there, given my feelings about flying. ;-) I met up with my lovely roommate Sarah, and we dropped our stuff at the hotel before making a beeline for the Georgia International Convention Center, and the SQPN booth set up in the Exhibit Hall as part of the Eucharistic Congress taking place there this weekend as well:

We immediately began our socialization efforts, and I spent the weekend forcing people to take ridiculous selfies with me, like this one:

That would be Fr. Cory Sticha (@FrCorySticha), Fr. Darryl Millette (@frdarryl), and Sarah (@mssarahkp).

There are a bunch more of my photos on my Twitter timeline if you want to take a peek, and a special Tagboard for the conference with all of the mentions compiled in one spot using the hashtag #CNMC15. Sweet, right? 

From that point on, I took stock of my personality: reserved, quiet, can be kind of a dud. What I wanted from this weekend was: fun! frivolity! fantastic! So I made the decision to really push myself to be as social as possible. I wanted to meet people, and I wanted to enjoy their company. This means that I would have to TALK to them. That doesn't necessarily come naturally to me, so my social switch had to be set to: "MEGAWATT!" Annndddddd...I think it worked. :)

I met a LOT of people. Wonderful, funny, kind people. Saturday before dinner I hung out in the hotel bar and introduced myself to people. I forced them to take yet more choppy photos with me:

Dee Fox from "Catholic Vitamins!" And Stephanie Zimmer (@angelsteph), and Marika (@oneeyedsmiley)

Over drinks, yay! with Allison Gingras (@reconciledtoyou)

We then went to dinner Saturday night to commemorate the 10th Jubilee anniversary of SQPN. I forced my camera on people again:

...and it was rather an emotional night. That is a theme, right there. ;-) During his short speech at dinner, Greg Willits (one of the founders of SQPN) made me tear up. The problem with my sensitive personality is that I very much absorb the emotional reactions of others and feel them keenly. Then I desperately want to soothe them and make them feel better. So when I see someone else cry, I get all:

*gulp!* "You are crying?! NOW I AM CRYING! We are crying together!! Is this making you feel any better, I can't imagine that it would?! How do we stop now??"

So that happened. Twice. But it was a lovely night and I talked to a TON of great people. I was so tired by the end of the night (early flight + Megawatt Social Tiffany = exhaustion) I could hardly keep my eyes open. And then I didn't even sleep all that well, because I am freakish and never sleep well when I'm away from home. And hello, MASS AT 8 AM! How nice to see you. ;-) So I was tired the next day too.

However, it was so worth it. Mass, conference sessions, more socializing and networking. I taught Stephanie how to knit socks during lunch, because isn't that what everyone aspires to do, knit during conferences? If you don't, then you don't know what you're missing. ;-)

I learned some things about recording audio, and about writing, and about team building. Greg Willits made me cry again, and so did Lisa Hendey, and Fr. Roderick's video keynote speech.

Two of the guilty tear-inducing parties featured in this hilarious photo

I learned a lot. But more importantly, I learned FROM the people that I met. The people who absolutely touched my heart and made me feel welcome and included.

Sunday evening I went to dinner with a bunch of my new friends. And then had drinks in the hotel bar with some others, one of whom is an absolute dear friend, Capt. Jeff:

...and he is also one of my *very* favorite SQPNer's, but SHHHH! Don't tell him. ;-)

By the end of the night, I was absolutely exhausted, but at the same time couldn't have been more content. Good things are coming from this, I just know it. And the friendships that were cultivated just make me smile every time I think back on our time together.

Whenever I come back from an event like this, I feel blue. I was so glad to get home to my family, but I miss the fellowship with my friends, and I don't know when I'll see them in person again. But I hold on to the warm feelings, and the prayers, and all of the support that I'll continue to get from them online, deep in my heart.

And so, this morning, I recorded this video. To say thank you. If you were there with me at the CNMC, I'm speaking directly to you. If you weren't, but read this blog, I'm speaking to you too. We are all a community in the Body of Christ, and you all matter to me. So much. I'm going to warn you that I cry in this video. Quite a bit. :0 So if emotional things like that bother you, skip this one. But I hope you'll watch it. Because we're all in this journey of life together, good times and bad, joy and sorrow. There's no sorrow coming out of this weekend, only joy, but sometimes joy causes tears too.


So. What did you think? Got any new ideas regarding ministry and evangelization, collaboration and creativity? I hope you'll write to me. *hug*

Tea Time with Tiffany Episode 3 - New media & a sense of community!

Hi all, it's that time again!

Today I'm talking about community of the new media variety - so blogs, podcasts, friendships via social media, all that good stuff. My own initiation into this sphere was via SQPN and Catholic podcasts, so I talk about that, as well as my amusement-inducing first experience at a Catholic New Media Conference, and how I'm headed to my second installment this weekend! Join me!


Links mentioned in this week's episode:

Star Quest Production Network (SQPN)
Catholic New Media Conference (CNMC)
My first experience at the CNMC in 2013 (shy nerd alert!)
Sacred Heart Novena
Follow me on Twitter at @CatholicTiffany

If you've been to a CNMC, or are going *squeals!* do write in and let me know! Also, what are your thoughts regarding online community? Is it as meaningful to you as it is to me? Looking forward to hearing from you. :)

Car rosaries, and reflecting on my happy Catholic community...

Hello all! Very happy to be back with you. I had an absolutely smashing Memorial Day weekend, and as ever, despite my love of routine, it was difficult to come back to work today. But we persevere, no?

As I spent time with Mike and the kids this weekend, I got to thinking other happy thoughts. This is always dangerous, when I think too much. ;-) But I was thinking about how much it means to me that I have not only my parish community, but my Catholic online community whose support is so, so valuable to my day-to-day spiritual life. I have written about this before, shortly after I returned from the 2013 Catholic New Media Conference, wherein I met people whom I had only ever heard on a podcast or "seen" on Twitter. Knowing that all of these people are out there with whom I share such a pivotal common interest, that we can encourage each other via our blogs, Tweets or Facebook posts...this just truly picks me up when I am down. To know that all of these friends are out there, who care about what is going on in my life and I in theirs, who pray for me and make jokes on Twitter to make me laugh...it just means the world to me.

My new car rosary in action...

And so, this is where my new car rosary comes into the story, pictured above. Allison, of Rosaries by Allison fame :) made it for me, as she had many other rosaries that I own or have gifted to others. The car rosary that had been currently residing in my car was looking old in the tooth, and to be frank, was a giant pain in the backside. It never sat right, and anytime I had to add a new parking tag or something to my review mirror the rosary got ticked off and hung all disjointed. Trying to adjust it was a nightmare since the fastener was up at the top, and there is no room up there to either manuever or see what I was doing. So I asked Allison to come to my rescue. Could she make me a new car rosary?

She did, exactly to my specifications. Pink and green please, and long enough so that I can actually see it when my parking tag is hanging up as well. I got to pick the centerpiece, and I chose a Guardian Angel. :)

*heart*

Allison used milky pink pressed glass beads, and a light green pearl for the Our Father. The fastener is down near the centerpiece, so I can ACTUALLY ADJUST THE ROSARY WITHOUT SWEARING. I would say this is a very good quality in a car rosary. :0.

I LOVE it, and every time I look at it, I think about Allison, and wing up a prayer for her. I have never met Allison in real life, but I feel like I know her very well on Twitter and Facebook. And thinking about Allison makes me think about all of the other Catholics that I know on Twitter and Facebook, most of whom I've never met in real life, and who all know each other on there as well (a very happy Catholic circle :)). I hope to meet more of them in coming years at conferences and such, but regardless, even if I never meet them in person, I have a relationship with them that is *meaningful*. They lift me up, and hopefully I do the same for them. I love thinking about that every time I get into my car now. I am part of a much larger community, one that I value immensely and the people therein see little old me as a meaningful contributor. And for that I am so grateful.

If you don't already follow me on Twitter, I'm @CatholicTiffany, and I'd love to meet you on there. :) It's my favorite of the social media sites. I check it every day and interact as much as I am able.

Anybody else find other Catholics on social media? Leave me a comment! And come back tomorrow for the Catholic Book Club. I'll be reviewing Vocation in Black and White: Dominican Contemplative Nuns Tell How God Called Them. See you then!

The value of our online Catholic community: a linkup!

Good day all! As I continue to reflect on my experience at the Catholic New Media Conference, it got me to thinking...

I so value what I receive from my online faith community, i.e. all of YOU. I also met some people at the conference who I "know" via podcasts and Twitter that I consider part of my Catholic community. Whether it be in a podcast, or on a blog (such as this one), when you share your life online with others, you feel bonded to them in a special way, even if you never or rarely see each other in real life. This has gotten even more pronounced for me in the past year as I have become active on Twitter and linkups on other blogs.

It makes me feel so...very ME to be a part of this community. My Twitter handle is @CatholicTiffany for a reason. That's a gigantic part of my identity, and it feels good to have people accept that about me. When I was a child (you knew it was coming, it's THE TIFFANY ANECDOTE, the train derails temporarily and you sigh, settle in, and hope that I remember where I was originally going with all of this...), I never felt as if I belonged in the community of which I was a part, namely school. My family, yes, that was always a warm and supportive environment, but the only other piece of the puzzle that I had when I was growing up always felt...not quite right, sort of like a handknit sweater in which you accidentally knit one sleeve longer than the other (not that I would know anything about that *delicately clears throat*). I hid a lot of things that were important to me because I feared that I would not be accepted because of them:

I'm a reserved person. I was voted Shyest in my senior class if this is any indication of the exact state of affairs. I didn't know my male counterpart when we went to get our photo taken for the yearbook, because, you know, we were SHY. We had never talked to each other before.

I'm Catholic and proud of it.

I like to read and I'm a bit of a nerd. Hence the subsequent librarian thing.

I knit in public.

I'm a belly dancer. I do that in public too. Yes, it's modest and family friendly, I promise.

I'm a wife and mother, and I believe that these roles are instrumental in the morality of our society. As is a chaste religious or single life.

Any one of these things could make people who don't know me scratch their heads in wonder (or perhaps annoyance) but I finally know that those who take the time to get to know me, whether in real life or online, appreciate and accept me for all of the above. And I adore you. :)

And so this week I want to celebrate our online community. A few quick plugs and then I'll get to the heart of this post. I listen to a lot of Catholic podcasts, and my CNMC socializing has garnered me a few mentions amongst online friends who have my utmost admiration:

Catholic Weekend is one of my favorite podcasts, I've listened for years. In episode 195, the CNMC Wrap-up, Maria Johnson mentions the Catholic Librarian, and let's just say that I nearly snorted out my tea in surprise and joy as I listened. I'm just very subtle and lady-like that way.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Fr. Darryl Millette at the CNMC, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He has a podcast called The SportsFathers in which he and other priests talk about current sports goings on, and yours truly gets a shout out in his most recent episode, #24!.

Ok! Do you have a blog or podcast? Yes? Write a post and linkup so that we can all get to know each other better! You can write about:

(1) How you got started in social media (don't forget to mention how we can find you on there), or

(2) How you started your blog or podcast (and don't worry if it's not Catholic focused, you can still linkup!), or

(3) Why you value our online Catholic community.

Don't forget to include a link back to this blog, many thanks! All right, you are officially set loose...

The value of community

I often think about a blog topic each morning as I drive in from home to work. It's a short ride, but I listen to Catholic podcasts while I go, and it will usually spur an idea. This morning, I was listening to a podcast in which the person was talking about adding in a simple morning offering prayer to his day. He is a convert, and mentioned that subleties that are second nature to cradle Catholics sometimes elude him. He hadn't heard of the traditional Catholic morning offering prayer before. I have a prayer card with the morning offering written on it in my office, but this cradle Catholic had fallen off the wagon with saying it. The offering in question is this one (or something very close to it):

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, and the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.

This morning when I got into work, I located the prayer card and taped it the side of my computer monitor. It's a happy reminder to me to say the morning offering, but I found that it also reminds me how very grateful I am for our online/technologically advanced world these days. I'm a bit of an old fashioned curmudgeon in some ways (no smart phone, no tablet) and I find that I often secretly resent it when people pull those devices out when I'm trying to have a conversation with them. We can look up an item of information *later*, right now I just want to talk to them without an electronic device coming between us.

However, that aside, I truly appreciate and feel blessed by our modern ability to connect with others whom you may never physically meet that person in this life. The Catholic blogs that I read and podcasts that I listen to (my blogroll is up to date if you are interested; I ready each of those blogs every single day)? I feel like I *know* each and every one of those people. And I treasure that.

Ravelry is another source of joy to me, for the knitters and crocheters that I meet there. We are so lucky in that way. We are not limited by physical boundaries now in reaching out to communities of people with whom we share common interests.

Relatedly, I thought I would mention a blog and a mom that I've spoken of on here before. Back when I was pregnant with Anne, I lurked over at The Bump's May 2011 board. I found a woman on there who had a due date within days of mine, but who at 20 weeks of pregnancy received a dire diagnosis for her unborn son. He had a serious congenital heart defect associated with Downs Syndrome. My heart just broke for her. The doctors told her that her baby would die prior to birth. She held on to hope and carried him to term.

That baby is nearly 2 years old now, and he's doing great. I've followed the mom's blog ever since, which is Prayers for Mason. I love being able to keep up with the family and find out how Mason is doing.  She writes today a touching post about her new pregnancy (yay!) and the emotional weight she has carried in her heart worrying that this new baby would also suffer from a heart defect. This baby is a boy (they also have a son who is older than Mason, so this is baby boy #3!) and is in perfect health. Definitely check out her post.

So, to wrap it up for today, I'm feeling very joyful and hopeful. Challenges come up in life (some of which are on my heart right now, things going on in my life and in the lives of my family and friends) but our community of friends can help us to remain strong.