Hope

Have you taken a look at Pope Benedict XVI's new encyclical? It came out yesterday, and WOW! I have read it once and must read it several more times before I can absorb it, but wow, is it good stuff!

Go ye and read Spe Salvi.

Great news

The surgeon called yesterday to tell me that the cyst they removed from my arm was just that: a follicular cyst. Not cancerous at all.

Thanks be to God.

Thank you everyone for your prayers. They have been a great support to all of us.

Up and Down

The posting has been a bit slim lately, and I apologize. It has to do with how I am feeling :-).

Since several of you have asked, now that the first trimester is drawing to a close, I am feeling better. The all-day-low-level nausea is fading and my pregnancy headaches are less frequent and shorter in duration. I have a bit more energy. But because of that, I have been staying off the computer and trying to catch up on all the household chores that I let slide in the past couple of months. As is usual for me, I had to figure out the hard way that I am still not back to my usual energy level. You would think I would have this figured out by now, but no, I fooled myself again.

On Wednesday, I woke up feeling great. I got up at my pre-pregnancy time in the morning, went for a walk, started the laundry, emptied the dishwasher, and took a shower before Matthew was up. I de-cluttered the entryway, taught school, and emailed the travel agent about our Christmas vacation. I did a second load of laundry--some delicates that have been sitting in the basket since before John left for England. A lady from the chapel stopped by to pick up my report on the Thanksgiving pie social expenditures. I phoned another lady to gracefully withdraw from cooking for Lifeteen each Wednesday evening (pregnancy is a great helper in my ability to say "no" to things). I cooked pasta with white sauce, shrimp and peas for dinner. Patrick and I discussed his Theology and Latin assignments. Bedtime was only about 1/2 an hour later than usual.

On Thursday morning, I couldn't get up when the alarm went off: slammed with a headache that kept me in bed well past breakfast time. Thanks be to God for my dear older children, who fed Matthew and got to work on their lessons without me. Thanks be to God for a commitment-free day and leftover sloppy joe filling in the freezer.

Today, I did a lot of driving, but not so much doing. And I'm off to bed early tonight, since Patrick and John are at an OA campout. Patrick is on the Ordeal team and has been working hard to get everything ready the last few days. They are sleeping outside tonight--with extra-warm bags and liners and tarps. It is supposed to rain or snow by morning. For their sakes, I hope it is snow!

Before bed tonight, we will begin a Novena in preparation for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I wanted to make a candle for this, but haven't been able to yet. Maybe we will work on it a little each day during the novena instead. I have to remember to relax and readjust and do what's most important, or what will mean the most to the children. I really do want to enjoy every moment of the coming season.

Tomorrow, it will be time to change our little altar and fall table for the new season: Advent. That (and more laundry) is my only plan for the day.

How are you feeling?

It's a funny thing. Most of the time when I meet someone I know at the store or church or on a field trip, she asks, "How are you?" And, unless she is someone I know well, she expects a reply of "Fine, thanks, how are you?"

But when I am pregnant, the question becomes, "How are you feeling?" And mere acquaintances expect more than the usual answer. They want to know if I'm tired or nauseous or worried or elated. It used to annoy me when the question was asked by someone I didn't know well. I tend to be introverted, and it felt like a violation of privacy somehow. I never felt this way when friends or family asked, just people who really didn't know me or whom I didn't know well.

Now, in my 7th pregnancy, I am finally seeing the light. People want to connect with a pregnant woman. They feel the mystery of the new life growing within her. They want to say something, anything (and later in pregnancy, the anything can be horrifying!!). They want to connect with the mystery.

Who can blame them? It amazes me every time, this cooperation with God in His creation. When my sister wrote to extend her congratulations, she said, "No matter how many times it happens, it's an amazing, incomprehensible miracle every time!"

She put the feelings of my heart into words.

Happy Number Seven!

Happy birthday to Joseph!

It's hard to believe that it has been seven years since you were born. I remember that morning so clearly. You came into the world at 10:03 a.m., just as your big brothers and sister finished their Sunday Mass. They had been praying for us with Jesus and the angels and Saints throughout the last hour of your birth. Your middle name had to be Dominic, which means, "of the Lord," for you were His special gift to us on His day (and every day).

We love you!

Awww.....I wanted to be pecan

You Are Pumpkin Pie

You're the perfect combo of uniqueness and quality. You're able to relate to many types of people with many different tastes. But you're by no means generic or ordinary. In fact, you're one of the most original people around. Those who like you are looking for something (someone!) special. You tend confuse people when they first meet you. You're not as complicated as you seem. Even though you have a lot of spice and flavor to you, you're never overpowering. You are a calm and comforting force in people's lives.

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Anyone else?

Thankfulness

On our second Thanksgiving in Japan, I am grateful for


okay, yes, pie, I am grateful for pecan pie :-) yum!

-Vonage: phone calls with loved ones far away

-photos of our baby nephews over the internet--one of them is creeping now and we saw him on video--what joy!



-a warm house on a cold and snowy day

-heat in my van..for that matter, for my van, which starts up right away and can be parked in a garage so I no longer have to clear off snow before driving

-the laughter in my living room over a card game called "No Way"

-my sweet toddler's curly head and daily greeting, "Good morning Mommy, will you read me this 'tory?"

-my six-year-old who carefully helps his little brother in and out of his car seat so that they can ride together in the back.

-my ten-year-old daughter for everything she is, but especially for her thoughtfulness and for doing that g irl thing of seeing what needs to be done, and doing it (or reminding me about it)

-my 15-year-old son who stayed up late last night making our cranberry sauce for today, who does his school work diligently without complaining, and who plays games with his younger siblings

-my 18-year-old son who called home today, who is persevering in difficulty, who is growing so much this year, and who takes time to talk with his younger sister and brothers and to email them and keep up their relationships.



-the new life I am carrying within me--yet another miraculous gift from our loving Father

-the Daddy of all these children who lovingly cares for all of us in big and little ways

-the fact that he is not in the military and won't be deployed and can usually be here with us throughout the year

-and for the gifts of peace and time and joy and love

First Snow

We awoke this morning to this:



And this was the view that distracted the children in our living room/school room today:



Joseph was the first one out, quickly volunteering to shovel the walk. He finished the entire walk with his child-sized shovel, even though it was broken. He loves to be out in the snow.

After lunch, Katie, Joseph, and Matthew headed out for recess. Many snowballs were thrown and a snow fort begun.

Thankfully, the roads were fairly clear when I took Patrick out to his first M odel U.N. meeting this afternoon at the high school on base. At the moment I am praying a quick prayer for his safe arrival home from Boy Scouts. He rode in with our neighbor, his friend, who recently turned 18 and is able to drive off base now.

More snow is predicted in a few days so it looks like we may be in for a real Misawa winter this year. The kids are very hopeful, and even I would prefer it to the dud of a winter we had last year, with not even enough snow for snowshoeing or cross country skiing.

Time to stock up on tea and cocoa!

P.S. My arm feels well enough to get back to typing. Hooray! The stitches come out on Wednesday. I only had four, and the surgery was finished in less than an hour. Thanks be to God!

Prayers, please

For me this time. On Thursday at 2:00 p.m. our time (Wednesday at 12 midnight EST, 11 p.m. CST, 9 p.m. PST), I have to have a very minor surgery to remove a cyst (or whatever it is) from my right arm.

They use a local anesthetic and the surgery will be finished in less than an hour, so it really is very minor. I'm not looking forward to it, but it needs to be done. Even though no one thinks this is skin cancer, they will send the tissue they remove to be tested and we'll know for sure in several weeks.

Unfortunately, I will have stitches and won't be able to use my arm fully for about 2 weeks. This is going to limit my daily mom activities pretty much, so John, Patrick and Katie will have a lot of extra chores to do for a little while, including cooking our Thanksgiving dinner next week.

Now that I think about it, we all will need some prayers for patience, perseverance, and my speedy recovery over the next couple of weeks.

Thank you!!

Announcement!

John, the children, and I have some joyous news. We have a new baby on the way!

He or she should make an appearance in early June, if all goes well.

Please keep us in your prayers for good health (and a bit more energy for mom :-))

In the town of Harrogate

Harrogate is another old spa town I visited. The oldest part contains many shops, pubs and restaurants. The 18th and 19th century architecture makes a walk around worthwhile , even if you're not much of a shopper (like me).













The old train station is now a shopping mall, as in so many other places.

Not enough time in Cheltenham...

I only spent 3 work days in Cheltenham, so the only pictures I have are of the room I stayed in! You'll have to take my word for it that it's a lovely old spa town, famous for its Regency architecture and much grander than Harrogate.

It does my heart good

A couple of days ago, as we were preparing lunch, Katie was humming Kyrie eleison. Now mind you, the humming of chant in the kitchen is not as common at our house as I wish it were. I am also very happy with what happened next.

After a few minutes, she asked, "Mom, is that in Greek?"

"Yes," I answered.

"I thought so," she said, "because Lord in Latin is domine, and I just learned in Greek that kyrios is Lord."

It's all worth it!!

John's home

Back safe home again.

He spent the afternoon at home with us, playing baseball in the yard with the kids. How happy I was to see all of them out there together again.

It's back to work for him tomorrow, but he'll have a three-day weekend for Veteran's Day, so we'll get lots of time to reconnect over the weekend.

Field Trip

It wouldn't seem like fall if we didn't find our way to an apple orchard at some point, and today was the day. A group of families from the base--homeschoolers and others--were invited to an orchard way out in the country. The drive was as lovely as the time spent in the orchard with fall color peeking out and beautiful valley views.



It took quite awhile to get to the orchard by the time we stopped to pick up Japanese friends and to meet with a group of mentally challenged young a dults who came along with us for the day.

After a couple of hours, we finally made it to our destination. It was worth the long drive. The apple orchards here are small and often tucked away in forests and up in the hills. This is very different from the large, valley orchards we were familiar with in Yakima.

We were welcomed by both owners of the orchard, who led us down to the apples and gave a demonstration of how to pick an apple without damaging the tree. In all our years in Yakima, we had never learned this trick of holding the branch just above the apple stem and turning the apple upside-down. Off it comes, "pop".

Finally, we were set loose to pick Fuji and Golden Delicious apples to our hearts' content. With visions of apple crisp and apple pie in our heads, Katie, Joseph, Matthew, and I picked two large bags of beautiful fruit.



The generous orchard owners gave each person three apples as a gift, and we bought the rest. We had all taken gifts of baked goods and other items to give to them. In Japan, the giving of gifts is truly an art: one that I have not mastered. Thankfully, the Japanese people we have met have been very patient with our American blunders.

Before coming home with our treasures, we were served a delicious soup made by one of the orchard owners. Typical of Japanese soups, it contained long noodles and many vegetables, delicious mush rooms, and the squishy breadlike stuff that I can never identify, in a miso broth. During lunch, we learned that the gentleman who made the soup had made or grown every ingredient himself. A special gift for us. And totemo oishi des! The best treats of all were the wild mush rooms served along with the soup and the apple cider we were given to drink. Matthew slurped up his noodles as well as anyone and ate some stewed apples, which one of the Japanese interpreters stuck onto a chopstick for him, sort of like a lollypop. I wish I had taken the camera in when we ate lunch. He had a terrific time eating the apples from the chopstick.

After lunch, we started home, unsure of the way and a bit nervous. With help from Holly, another homeschooling mom who rode with me, who saw the sign at just the right moment, we found our way to the toll road. What had been a 2 hour journey on back roads in the morning, became a 45-minute ride home on the toll road in the afternoon. Thanks be to God. We had a wonderful day, but we were tired and ready to get back home.

How nice it was to get out into the autumn sunshine, breath the fresh country air, and return home safely to savor the scent of baking apples in our crispy dinner dessert!

Wells, England

On the way from Bude to Cheltenham, I stopped in Wells to see the cathedral and the old town. It was good to take a break from the driving as I tended to make at least two wrong turns every time I went somewhere.


Construction on the cathedral was begun in the 12th century and lasted for about 200 hundred years. There are many sarcophagi inside containing the remains of bishops from those early years in the building's history.

Our Anglican brothers and sisters are now caring for the cathedral and associated buildings. They are in the midst of a 6 million pound effort to restore the cloisters and make the buildings more accessible. May their work help to bring about a restoration of the unity in the Church for which we all pray.

A gate leading to the Bishop's Palace and the Cathedral

The moat around the Bishop's Palace

Well's Cathedral

Statues on the front of the cathedral

Inside the cathedral (notice the unusual inverted arch)

Madonna and Child

Stained glass windows

More stained glass

Unusual stained glass window

A street near the cathedral

One of the houses on the "Chimney Street"

Happy Anniversary...

Marriage of the Virgin (1302-1305)

Giotto

...to my dear husband so far away.

With all my love

Nejo Castle

Friday is field trip day with the local homeschool group. Yesterday, we went along on a trip to Nejo castle, a reconstructed Samurai castle in Hachinohe, a nearby city. It was a crisp, autumn day, perfect for an outdoor adventure.



First, we toured the Hachinohe city museum, which has displays of artifacts from the area dating back to 3,000 BC. The kids were fascinated by the fishing nets and Samurai armor and the vertical section of a shell pit, which our English-speaking guide explained was an ancient garbage dump.

Outdoors, we entered the castle grounds through the original gate,


and saw the two moat system. These were dry moats with very steep sides, meant to keep rival samurai, who were horseback soldiers, away by making the approach too steep for horses to traverse safely.

As we came very near to the castle wall, we crossed a log bridge to get to the entrance. We wondered why a bridge? Wasn't the point was to keep intruders out? Our guide explained that the logs of the narrow bridge would look unstable to a horse, causing it to hesitate before crossing. In that second of hesitation, archers in the castle would have time to shoot the approaching enemy.

The house inside the castle walls

was arranged for the New Year celebration, so we saw many special costumes and dishes there.

In the outbuildings, displays showed what the buildings were used for, as in the stables

and the armorers' workshop.

It was a beautiful morning to enjoy the castle replica and grounds. All of us were happy to have spent the morning outdoors, and the kids collected more items for our fall table: colorful leaves and berries.

What a shame we had to rush back to Misawa for gymnastics at noon! I would have liked to stay awhile, wander around the grounds, and eat a picnic lunch. It's a good excuse to take John and Patrick back when John gets home, though.