The Shepherd's fish

Getting The Shepherd's fish started was such a whirlwind that I neglected to mention it until now.  I'm working with seven friends all of us sharing our faith journeys.  I had high hopes for the blog when it started because I know my friends and how wise, loving and funny they are.  The reality surpasses my hopes every day.  Things I never knew about them, wisdom and rebuke, hope and poetry, The Shepherd's fish has it all.  Do what I do.  I roll out of bed, say my prayers and then check to see what's new.  You'll be glad you did.

Doctor Who Decor

Decorating for school is so much fun.  I've done all kinds of things.  Last year it was a pirate ship for the age of exploration.  Stepping into the period every day was very helpful in feeling a part of things.  This year I want them to soak in the ancients.  We're looking at the period through history, art and literature.  Last time we studied the ancients I put up a bulletin board about Egypt, and that was it.  The trouble with the ancients is how distinct each group is from the others.  I could recreate a ziggurat, but it'd be obsolete as soon as we moved on to Egypt.  That many costume changes for one classroom seems exhausting.  We went to see The Wolverine today, anyone who knows Kurt knows that was a must, and they were selling Dalek cutouts.  It hit me.  We are time travelers this year.  The classroom is our Tardis.  They do sell Tardis cut outs.  If I really get crazy I might try to work out some kind of teal and orange scheme.  Maybe we could get a bunch of thrift store junk to make our own control panel.  I'll have to do some research, but I'm pretty sure the Doctor will be our companion.

An Interior View

Explaining my conversion to Catholicism isn't easy.  Even trying to express it to the the home crowd, I can never get the right balance.  There is too much.

Protestant Fundamentalism/Evangelicalism is a bookish kind of life.  Dominated (rightly) by the Bible, it comes naturally to hand a book to a friend when you are trying to explain the things that matter to you and that are leading to greater spiritual growth in your life.  There are many terrific books about Catholicism that I could give to Protestant friends, but the responses would range from burning the book to politely allowing it to collect dust.  

I keep looking for books that open windows of understanding on my Catholic beliefs and practices with a simple, open-handed honesty that allows the reader to take it or leave it.  My sponsor Jane handed me the first book of this type at my Confirmation--Catholic and Christian. I have finally found a second.

My Life with the Saints tackles the very sticky wicket, the communion of the saints.  I remember discussing my prayer life with a Protestant friend who suddenly gasped and said, "You don't pray to Mary, do you?"  For the record, yes, I do.  For some of my friends that is inconceivable.  For them that means I worship the saints.  For the record, no, I don't.

Understanding how Catholics really think about the saints could be truly helpful in understanding this surprising and important part of Catholic life.  To James Martin, S.J., the saints are our models, intercessors, and friends.  He opens up the intertwining of his life with the lives of the saints, spreading all his inner thinking out for the world to see--including my Protestant friends.  The work of the saints is there to be seen in abundance, but I'm afraid evidence of idolatry is clearly lacking.

You can't convince the hard-hearted of anything, but for those who would truly like to understand their brothers and sisters a little better, this book could be helpful.

Conquering Crabs

It was another day of keeping Jimmy quiet.  We did pretty well, and so did his foot.  Our favorite maneuver was going to Charleston Crab House where Blue Crabs are in season.  We'd planned to get them in Maryland, but we had overestimated our ability to pack things in.  Finding crabs on the menu here was a great treat.  My children finally got to experience the sweet taste of Blue Crabs, and the intricacies of picking out the meat.  I'd hoped to do this in a backyard on a newspaper covered table, and to have them seasoned with Old Bay instead of garlic, but who cares about details. Mea's seventeen and nearly launched and this was her first experience with blue crab.  It was a delightful surprise in a long day.

A Moment's Peace

We park right by this little table every day, but I didn't notice it until now.  It's just the sort of place where I like to work.  The cicadas are in full song, and light has grown dim.  This is the kind of moment you always hope for, but find it hard to arrange.  We made it to the beach.  Jimmy had his super glue, his band aids and his water shoes, and at first he was too wrapped up in his sand castle to go in the water.  The siren song caught his ear at last and his daddy took him out on his hip.  He seemed to be fine, but after a few minutes at home his wound was open again.  He'll be staying home and taking it easy away from the beach from now on.  In a show of solidarity all the young ones and menfolk went to see Monsters Inc 2.  We women went out, shopping the stores downtown, and made a brief stop at Barnes and Noble.  My idea journal has disappeared and I needed to replace it.  I don't know if I'll be able to recreate all the ideas I had for three different novels, poetry, and blogs, but I have to try.  It might have to wait for home where I can find a moment's peace.

For now it's a comfort to know we are all working together to help Jimmy.  Sometimes the best peace is in a crowded living room watching mind-numbing cartoons with a foot in your lap.

Rest

Today was the beginning of the lay-on-the-beach portion of the trip.  I didn't even make it to the beach.  Jimmy's stitches meant he couldn't swim, and that he was sleepy, so we slept in, way in.  When the crew got back from the beach, they switched gears and Kurt talked me into another nap.  Dinner was quick and easy bacon and eggs.  Mea and I went to a 7:00 PM mass.  The deal is whoever goes to mass gets ice cream.  Ye Olde Ice Cream Store had some good stuff.  Uncle Doctor Peter came over to set Jimmy up with a super glue conversion on his stitches so that he can swim tomorrow.  My rest seems to be over.

Music to Speed Us on Our Way

A playlist is a very personal thing, but we are really loving the mix of music from family history that is providing the soundtrack for our journey.  There is something for everyone, from baby songs to romantic tunes.  The miles are sliding by.  I'm still grinning about singing My Love with my two oldest girls.  Take a peek.

Let There Be Peace.                      African Children's Choir

Fish Heads.                                    Barnes and Barnes

Morning Has Broken.                     Art Garfunkel/Diane Krall

Help.                                              Beatles

Paperback Writer

The River of Dreams.                      Billy Joel
Let Me Call You Sweetheart.  (2)        Bing Crosby

Do You Want to Dance?                 Bobby Freeman

The Ugly Bug Ball.                          Burl Ives

On the Front Porch 

Bad Day.                                         Daniel Powter

Volare.                                            Dean Martin

Everybody Loves Somebody (3)

Don't Bring Me Down.                     Electric Light Orchestra

Can You Feel the Love Tonight?     Elton John

Next to Me.                                     Emeli Sande
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling. (4)        Foster and Allen

Pumped Up Kicks.                          Foster the People

Straighten Up and Fly Right.            Linda Ronstadt

I've Got a Crush On You

I Love you For Sentimental Reasons

U Can't Touch This.                         M.C. Hammer

A-You're Adorable.       (1)                  Perry Como

You'll Be in My Heart.                      Phil Collins

My Love.                                         Petula Clark

Only You (and You Alone).   (5)            The Platters

Crazy Little Thing Called Love.        Queen

Stand.                                              REM

Bless the Broken Road.                   Rascal Flatts

That Where I Am...                           Rich Mullens

You Send Me.    (6)                              Sam Cooke

Skinamarink.                                    Sara Newman

You're Still the One.                         Shania Twain

The 59th St. Bridge Song.                Simon/Garfunkel 

Scarborough Fair

The Wind.                                        Zac Brown Band

Toes

Zig Zag Dance.                                 Sesame Street

Nearly Missed

Just Happy to Be Me

Caribbean Amphibian

One Small Voice

Take Me Home, Country Roads.       John Denver

Thank God, I'm a Country Boy.

Tennessee Waltz.                              Patti Page

Born to Be Wild.                                Steppenwolf

Living on a Prayer.                             Bon Jovi

Pocketful of Sunshine.                       Natasha Bedingfield

Radioactive.                                      Imagine Dragons

You Got It.                                         Roy Orbison

Scissors are evil.

I came down this morning to settle a breakfast food dispute and I looked down to find my son's foot covered in blood.  He'd stabbed it, by somehow kicking the scissors that his sister had brought for paper crafts.  Our plan to visit the National Aquarium was gone in an instant and instead he went to the hospital for stitches and then spent the afternoon sleeping on the couch.  So as not to waste the entire day we went to see Despicable Me 2.  Everyone loved it, and we had accomplished a lot of good things done with our unexpected day at home.  I'd rather we'd forgotten the scissors.

A Capitol Fourth

We really had a good time at the national Museum of the American Indian.  It was the most child friendly without compromising the quality of the exhibits.

There are certain things you want to for your children, and seeing the Capitol fireworks was high on my list.  We had a great time and got really cozy on our spot in the grass.  The show goes on and on.  The kids were in awe, and it was just the way I hoped it would be.

Love & Pizza

We spent most of the day at The National Museum of American History.  We saw a lot of great stuff, but my favorite was Julia Child's Kitchen.

I remember walking under this whale years ago thinking about how much more fun this was going to be with my kids.  I was so right.

I was missing Mama Mia's in Spring Lake, so we decided to pick up pizza on the way home.  H & Pizza was amazing offering artisan pizza I'm going to run by Mama Mia's.  you know it's good when you order gourmet pizza and your kids polish it off easy.

Spaced

The National Air and Space Museum is the museum I know best.  Every time we came to DC when I was a kid we stopped there.  When I was older my job as a day camp counselor required me to chaperone fifteen, four and five year olds throughout the building every summer.  Kurt and I came here when we were dating.  It is a place that stirs a deep nostalgia.  Watching my own kids dashing about from exhibit to exhibit, I remembered how crazy it was with my little campers, and I felt over-prepared for this moment.  We did very well, until we left.  The door closed behind me and I did a head count and Iris was missing.  Kurt took charge while I jumped through security hoops.  I looked everywhere for her neon green shirt, and finally headed to the security desk.  As soon as I opened my mouth she came dashing around the counter, and we both were close to tears.  We spent the rest of the day hand in hand, and going out again wasn't very interesting.  We'd had all the space we could handle.

Beastly Day

The National Zoo is always a good time.  It rained off and on all day, but we still got to see all the reptiles, amphibians, and pandas.  The family whistles were great, and the backpacks were helpful.

We enjoy the two sisters on DC Cupcakes, so we had to try some.  They are beautiful and beautifully packaged.  The variety they offer is amazing.

We were supposed to go to the Library of Congress, but no one wanted to go other than me.  Since I took a three hour nap when we got home I can't complain.

Too Gorge

We started Sunday with mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  The art is so beautiful and uplifting.

We went to the National Gallery of Art, and really enjoyed a tour.  I also said hello to most of my favorites.

Kurt and I wrapped up the day watching "Anything Goes" at the Kennedy Center.  I had forgotten how shocking that time period can be, but it was a great cast and they put their heart and souls into it.