1 - Travis and I watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty the other night. (It was sweet and cute and good.) I liked most of the soundtrack and this song especially caught my attention. Super mellow and delicious.
Yes, I just described music as delicious. It's lush too. How about that?!
2 - Maya Angelou died on Wednesday. May she rest in peace.
Someone shared this article of hers on FB and it was so beautiful and I wanted to share it here. She writes about being a teen mom and her relationship with her son. Please read it; it's so lovely.
3 - You've probably already read Jenny's brilliant post on vasectomies. If you haven't read Dennis' comment please go back and do so! I love that he spoke the Truth!
4 - Hey! Did you know that my blog has a Facebook page? I am 14 fans away from hitting 500 so I thought we could just go ahead and make. it. happen! It's a silly goal but it would make me happy if I hit it. So go ahead, make my day.
5 - If you live in the Peoria, IL area I hope you and your family can attend the Sheen Family Day on July 12th.
My friend Katie and I have been working with the Sheen Foundation on this and we're so excited about it. There will be snacks, age-appropriate crafts, family-friendly guided tours of the Sheen Museum, and Sheenazing tours of the Cathedral where Venerable Sheen was an altar server and later ordained. There's a suggested donation of $1 per family member - which means even my family could afford to attend! It's an open house style event so you can start at the Cathedral or the Museum or with the crafts and just move at your family's own pace. And everyone's welcome to stay for the Vigil Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral.
6 - Today we paint, tomorrow we move, Sunday we clean carpets, Monday we close. I am an odd mix of sad, excited, nostalgic, and stress paralyzed.
7 - When I published my post on not burying statues of St. Joseph I knew that I would ruffle some feathers. I didn't write anything in that post that I wouldn't or haven't said to people, including people who have buried St. Joseph. So I was more than a little surprised when it led to some people making hurtful comments about me as a person instead of just critiquing the work.
After talking to several people about it and thinking it over I've learned a few things:
- Leave any attempts at humor to others.
- When writing for the masses, remember that one sentence is just not enough to explain to people "If you don't do it this way I'm not talking to or about you."
- People are sentimental and emotional about the way they practice their faith. That's a good thing and should be respected.
- People will read "I did it this way and it was a great experience" type posts as "I did it this way and you should too because I'm holier than you" unless you word things very carefully.
I'm thinking of rewriting the post in the future to build off the lessons I learned. I still stand by what I wrote and I don't like the practice but I think a rewrite would be a good exercise in writing and humility.
I can't get over the use of Sheenazing. Makes me laugh every time.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how careful you are with writing, you'll still ruffle feathers. I think society has become overly defensive and social media/ the internet is a great shield to hide behind (and I'm guilty of it too!) I also feel that people "speed-read" things on the internet and don't stop to think about what the writer is REALLY saying.
Don't stop doing what you love just to avoid controversy. I thought your piece on St. Joseph was VERY respectfully written, especially if you read it carefully and thoughtfully.
Just my two cents. Have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND full of moving activities! :)
I believe some people are so easily offended that any time you write something they don't agree with their feelings will be hurt. You've got to keep writing what you believe!
ReplyDeleteThe more people you reach, the more opportunities to offend. I didn't find anything offensive in your post. I'd be interested to see what you do with a re-write.
ReplyDeleteLoved that post you shared re: the vasectomy/tubaligation. I've thought often of writing a straight-talk post about it, but never did find the right words. But that was excellent and I will have to share.
Also...you and I are on a similar wavelength today...I'm trying to get to 100 likes on my blog facebook page...here's to both of us hitting our goals! :)
Wow, I thought you treaded very carefully in the St. Joseph statue post, but I think I read it only after you added the little update at the end. Anyway, you are not a jerk (caught that post label at the last sec, haha)!! And I LOVED Jenny's post! I definitely go back to read the comments to her posts regularly. Dennis's comment was really really excellent. Hoping to be less awkward when I get into these discussions from now on...
ReplyDeleteI forgot I wanted to add Secret Life to my netflix queue. Thanks for the reminder. Prayers that your move goes well! Oh and I also liked your FB page so only 6 more to go. ;-)
ReplyDeleteMoving is the worst so I'll be keeping you in my thoughts as you survive it! I've been looking for new music for awhile now; do you think the soundtrack is worth buying?
ReplyDeleteThe Secret Life of Walter Mitty was beautiful. And that song is yummy. Yummy in my tummy. The whole mood of that movie made it an instant classic for me.
ReplyDeleteRIP Ms. Angelou. Wow, I loved her pro-life poetry, she was such a strong voice for femininity in our country.
Blessings, blessings, blessings for the move. At times like this, it's even more important to recharge your batteries than it is at normal times. Don't burn yourself out if you can help it!
It's a shame that humor and pithy writing (which is suitable for a blog medium) can obscure conversation. :/ I'm scared to death of the day when it happens to me, so on controversial posts, I usually put a BIG warning note, basically saying, "Be nice or else." :P I enjoyed your post; it got me thinking! It inspired me to write out my thoughts in a post of my own, here: http://www.lcricardo.com/2014/05/superstitions-sacraments-and-incarnation.html. The beautiful thing about our Church is that it leaves a lot of room. What does Chesterton say? The ten commandments are a witness to our freedom in Christ; after all, its only TEN things! c;
That's the thing about the internet, isn't it? Rarely is what we write what people actually read.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, my family has always been big on the St. Joseph statue thing, and I hadn't really questioned it (or done it, or cared about it). But, thanks to the points you make, I am going to point out that it is superstitious and a bad witness to all the people who already think that Catholics are statue-worshippers. So, I didn't read it and think, "This lady sucks!" and I didn't think that you were criticizing people who disagree with you. It would be nice if we readers could all wear our Big Girl Pants for discussions that might involve (oh horror!) two or more different opinons!
ReplyDelete"People will read "I did it this way and it was a great experience" type posts as "I did it this way and you should too because I'm holier than you" unless you word things very carefully." AMEN to that (even when you do word things very carefully).
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