Thoughts for Thursday

What am I cooking? Pasta with meat sauce and a batch of meat balls were made all at once, so I have dinner for 2-3 nights this week. I used to cook larger batches of food and then freeze them, but have gotten out of the habit recently. I need to bring back some of those recipes – lasagna, Mexican casserole, chicken with rice (much yummier than it sounds!), and big batches of grilled chicken are some of our old favorites. Nothing gourmet, but definitely a step above the scrambled eggs that I end up serving when it’s 5 o’clock and I have nothing else prepared for dinner!

What are my weekend plans? Lots of family time at the neighborhood swimming pool! We are hosting a “Family Fun Night” at the pool on Saturday evening, and have a party there on Sunday afternoon, so we’ll be all tired out by the end of the weekend!

What are my prayer intentions for the day? For my sister and her new husband, who just got married on July 23rd! It was wonderful to witness their happiness, and even more so, to witness their dedication to each other. As the priest said in his homily, in a world of broken promises, it is refreshing to see two young people pledge themselves freely to each other, knowing that they are entering into a lifelong sacramental commitment. On a funny side note, there was some grumbling from some of the female wedding guests (who will remain nameless) upon hearing the words of the first reading from Sirach, chapter 26: “Happy the husband of a good wife, twice-lengthened are his days; A worthy wife brings joy to her husband, peaceful and full is his life…” My husband was the first reader, and the aforementioned guests thought that perhaps he had chosen the reading himself and was trying to make some sort of statement. Needless to say, the wisdom of Sirach was lost on these guests 🙂

What can my children do instead of watching TV? Like B-Mama’s kids a couple of weeks ago, my kids and I are all at VBS this week – Christopher is attending, the girls are in the nursery, and I am volunteering! One of the best parts about VBS is the music – we listen to our CD in the car all of the time, and I love to catch the kids humming “God is watching over you” or “Then sings my SOUL, my SAvior GOD to THEE!”

What have I done for my marriage this week? My husband and I danced the night away at my sister’s wedding last weekend. It was so much fun, and brought back many fond memories of our own wedding almost exactly 8 years ago!

What am I reading? I just finished “The Bells of Nagasaki” by Takashi Nagai, which I highly recommend to anyone who would like to gain a better understanding of the suffering endured by the people of Nagasaki after the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945. The author also gives the reader a beautiful understanding of the Japanese culture, as well as a great history of Catholicism in Japan – definitely worth a read! Before I forget, I would also like to  recommend “A Mother’s Ordeal” by Stephen Mosher, which chronicles one woman’s suffering as a result of China’s one-child policy.

What’s challenging me lately? I have been praying for the parents of this sweet little boy, James, who passed away tragically a few weeks ago of a sudden and aggressive brain tumor. Reading the blog posts of James’ mom and dad has brought me to tears several times. The pain of their loss is so poignant, and many of the emotions that they write about are very familiar to me – the shock upon first hearing their child’s diagnosis, their determination to remain positive and joyful in the midst of suffering, their gratitude for the prayers and support of family and friends. Although I lost my Lucy at birth and cannot imagine what it must be like to lose a baby so suddenly after nearly 8 months of life, I feel a connection with this sweet family and am praying daily for them. 

Something that made me think? I am very disturbed by the fact that, under the federal healthcare overhaul, health insurance plans will now be required to provide contraceptive services (including the morning-after pill) without collecting a co-pay from their customers. The argument is that contraceptive services are preventive health services, and that “not doing it would be like not covering flu shots or any other basic preventive services” (Kathleen Sebelius, quoted in the Wall Street Journal, 8/2/11, pg A6). Never mind the fact that my already high insurance premium doesn’t cover the annual flu shot or most other “preventive services” (I still have a co-payment)…Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston, put it very well when he said that “Pregnancy is not a disease, and children are not a ‘health problem'” (quoted from the WSJ, 8/2/11, pg A6). I could go on and on, but this is a topic for another post!