Seven Quick Takes (#9)

Lots and lots and lots going on this week. Welcome to my 9th edition of 7QT, and it's going to be pretty NFP heavy y'all. Time has ben flying over here this month. They weren't kidding when they said March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, were they?? Are we in lamb territory yet? :)
                                          

FCP Training - As you may have noticed from the counter on the right hand side of this blog, it's time for my actual FCP training. EP1 is about 1,000 miles away from where I sit as of this moment...so a roadtripping I shall go. We started this venture on Fat Tuesday and we can't believe how fast you (and God) have answered our big YES to this calling. It truly, truly would not be happening without all of you! The excitement for what's ahead (learning new stuff, geeking out on something I already really dig, and all of the unfortunate amazing car dancing in my near future is pretty palpable here. That excitement is only grounded by the gravity of the work and studying that is ahead of me. And *gulp*, just to make it all-the-more intimidating, I've just learned in the past 24 hours that the training is 100% filled with doctors.... except.... you know... ME. Nothing to see here. Just a small little freak out about how crazy that detail is. As I said before, I will never, ever forget how this career began.

What Infertile Women Eat - This was a week where I went with this logic: Can't have gluten, dairy, nuts, nightshades, or refined sugar? Eat more bacon. Big, thick, natural slices of bacon. Oink. That's not the important part of this WIWE update though. There is such an exciting food detail ahead of me, I don't know *what* to do to properly express my excitement about it. It takes a LOT to evoke excitement on the category of food anymore. So y'all funded my tuition in record time and then people started asking to cover travel expenses...then food. The Lord kept bringing you to my doorstep to help, we kept saying yes, and then it got delicious. A generous couple has donated an entire week's worth of Paleo AIP meals to me for this training. They bought it from a service called Paleo to Go. It's basically a gourmet chef who cooks exactly for your food needs, then the food is delivered to you. I'm SO excited about it because traveling involves an inevitable amount of itchiness, allergic reactions, gastro issues, etc. that come up because off-limits stuff gets hidden in your food no matter what you do. I've been on trips before where I basically had to survive on lettuce for a week. It's not fun. But not this time! This trip will be as simple as opening a custom packed box later today and putting all the wholesome safe meals into the fridge. Y'all spoiled me!

Prayer Request - Please pray for my long road trip to be safe, for my training to be fruitful, and for all of the doctors at this educational program to bring pro-life NFP in the form of C.reighton back to their hometowns.

A year of "parenthood" - It has taken a while to share news of my miscarriages openly, but I took the plunge publicly on my facebook page on our 1st child's 1st birthday. An outpouring of love from everyone ensued and my heart felt a little less heavy. It was all anxiety and tears before the post and none after it, so I know the Holy Spirit was close by.
"Today would have been the 1st birthday of our 1st child, Ruadhán Pádraig. As you all celebrate the Feast of St. Patrick this year, know that we are mourning the loss of a child who is not with us. There is no birthday cake and no balloons. There is no party or giggling baby. What I have learned from my first year of "parenthood" is that this child was not *just* a miscarriage as so many have told me. His death cannot be explained away as some trite explanation of God's "plan". And this sadness and emptiness that we feel is not something you "get over with time". There is a Ruadhán-sized hole that is cauterized right into the flesh of my heart. I am the only place he ever called home before he went home to be with Christ, so I am forever changed by the short time I was granted to be his Earthly mother. Our hearts and our minds connect with our children the moment we know they are there, no matter how tiny. Perhaps the words of Laura Bush say it all better than I can manage on a day like today: "The English language lacks the words to mourn an absence. For the loss of a parent, grandparent, spouse, child or friend, we have all manner of words and phrases, some helpful some not. Still we are conditioned to say something, even if it is only “I’m sorry for your loss.” But for an absence, for someone who was never there at all, we are wordless to capture that particular emptiness. For those who deeply want children and are denied them, those missing babies hover like silent ephemeral shadows over their lives. Who can describe the feel of a tiny hand that is never held?"







The power of prayer - At the risk of sounding like a broken record on the topic of prayers, I wanted to remind everyone to take a moment and think of someone you can pray for in your life. Sometimes, the prayers we offer, organize, and deliver can have a powerful impact on the people around us. I've done three spiritual bouquets since I initially published this card. And over 100 people have downloaded it to make their own bouquet. Do you have a Lenten prayer buddy? Is a family member sick? Is someone you know falling on hard times? Is there a reason to offer prayers of thanksgiving for something amazing in your life? All of those things are a great reason to put your prayers together in support of someone else in a tangible way. HERE is what it is like for someone to open up a spiritual bouquet. It makes a difference.














Your messages to us - This week, since I'll be on the road, I'd like to pray rosaries for my readers' intentions. If you have any intentions that you'd like me to pray for you...just throw them down in the comments of this thread or send me a message on our contact form! I'm very happy to do it. Remember that no intention is trivial - send them all my way! <3

This Ain't the Lyceum - Don't forget to visit the host of 7QT!

P.S. You get an additional one this week with the Irish Feasting and all. Go make yourself some of these. Tá tú fáilte roimh! :)

Theology of Groundhog Day

Today is one of my favorite holidays, for many reasons that I will eventually get around to writing about, but it crept up on me this year. In the meantime, here's a little Catholic fun, thanks to another brilliant blogger. Do yourself a favor and check out her Groundhog Day post here.

And do yourself another favor and give this a whirl today when you get a chance. It's a slow, rainy, gloomy day here - just the kind of day my DH loves - and just the kind where I find myself enjoying a cover like this one.

And if you are lucky enough to be wading in snow, do yourself a favor and make a snowman. No one ever regretted making a snowman. I promise. Really. Pretty sure God said that somewhere or something...

Do you want to build a snowman?

Speaking of snow, people ask me (a LOT) if it snows in Ireland. For decades, you could have easily said no. But it does every now and then, when things line up perfectly. And when it does, it's magic. Here's proof that Ireland gets snow. It's so rare, that people - nay children, grown men, and the elderly - all join in to make snowmen. This one was my DH's first ever... and he exudes a bit of Bill Murray if I do say so myself...

Quite the patriot, no?

Maybe if I get my act together and write down why Groundhog Day is special to our relationship...I can have it up by next year. Until then, I leave you with this tender thought and encourage you to hug someone you love. Life is short. Tell someone you love them while they sleep. I did and my life hasn't ever been the same since.

But what is today in our faith? Candlemas. A new beginning. Just as the snowdrops push through the snow in the cold of early February, so too are Catholics reminded of the rebirth to come. Candlemas is actually a celebration of a few things: the presentation of baby Jesus in the temple 40 days after His birth, and a commemoration of the purification of the Blessed Mother. All of this makes sense in the context of ancient Jewish law, even if it isn't our custom today. Even today though, many couples dedicate their firstborn child to God. I can't help but think of our Ruadhán Pádraig at this moment. We never got a chance to present him in our church. How it is possible to feel so close to someone you never met...I will never understand. But I digress. I always digress. Sigh. These are for you, son:

Ok, back to Candlemas. Jesus was presented at the temple. Simeon prayed over Him, and he broke out into song. I'm not making this up.
I don't think he did a jig or anything...just the song. :) It's called the Nunc Dimittis.

Simeon's Song of Praise by Aert de Gelder, early 1700s

Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum in pace:

Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum

Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum:

Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.

Lord, now you let your servant go in peace,

your word has been fulfilled:

My own eyes have seen the salvation,

which you have prepared in the sight of every people:

a light to reveal you to the nations

and the glory of your people Israel.

Isn't it amazing what happened after that song though? Luke 2:33-35 tells us "The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Right there in that moment...the crucifixion revealed. On the 40th day, as Mary looked at her newborn son, knowing He would suffer and die in her sight. Suddenly Candlemas seems a pretty heavy day...and one where I'm once again reminded that Mary is not as far from me as I might have thought. I think of all the women who have lost children when I read that passage now. Especially a woman with a recent loss. God bless her and keep her close.

So why is it called Candlemas anyways?

It's actually about candles... shocking, I know. Ok, ok, it's *kind* of about candles. Tradition actually gives us a candlelit Mass. Beeswax ones. They are generally blessed at some point before the twinkly procession with them. We still sing the song that Simeon sang all those years ago. He called Mary's Son the Light to the Revelation of the Gentiles, so it makes sense that we use the symbolism in procession during the Candle Mass. Here's the Gregorian chant version of Nunc dimittis, in case your church doesn't do the procession for some reason:

So how in the world did Candlemas turn into Groundhog Day?

There is definitely symbolism from how the winter contains dark, short days and how light comes forth pretty fast after this date with Spring just after Lent. I have to think that nature is a part of the beautiful metaphor to Simeon's prophecy, but I also think there is a fair amount of superstition involved in tying the two together as well. Candlemas' weather used to be a supposed predictor for an early Spring or a prolonged winter. If the weather was overcast (hello, Ireland?)...well then that was a sure sign that 6 more weeks of winter were ahead!

In Ireland, the day before Candlemas is actually the feast of St. Brigid. And what do we learn from that? If snakes and badgers saw their shadows on St. Brigid's feast (the vigil for Candlemas), then that's a sure sign that 6 more weeks of winter were ahead!

As time went on, and people eventually immigrated to the "new world", you can imagine that these kinds of legends and superstitions were brought with them. But I don't imagine they were finding too many badgers' shadows when they got to America. Europeans likely went with what they had when they landed. And given that a ton of Irish (and German) immigrants ended up in Pennsylvania, it doesn't seem like a stretch (knowing how many groundhogs they likely battled in those parts...) that good ole Punxsutawney Phil rose to fame. He's kind of the poor man's badger. Part of me wants to see him with an Irish hat on top of his fuzzy head...oh wait...what's that...there's the handsome lad:

What does T.S. Eliot have to do with a groundhog from Pennsylvania?

I would also be completely remiss if I didn't mention that I also think of the T.S. Eliot poem A Song for Simeon on this day. In case you've never read the poem, I'm posting it here. It really is lovely. I hope however you celebrate Candlemas and Groundhog Day, you take the time to ponder the meaning.

A Song for Simeon, by Thomas Stearns Eliot

Lord, the Roman hyacinths are blooming in bowls and

The winter sun creeps by the snow hills;

The stubborn season has made stand.

My life is light, waiting for the death wind,

Like a feather on the back of my hand.

Dust in sunlight and memory in corners

Wait for the wind that chills towards the dead land.

Grant us thy peace.

I have walked many years in this city,

Kept faith and fast, provided for the poor,

Have taken and given honour and ease.

There went never any rejected from my door.

Who shall remember my house,

where shall live my children’s children

When the time of sorrow is come ?

They will take to the goat’s path, and the fox’s home,

Fleeing from the foreign faces and the foreign swords.

Before the time of cords and scourges and lamentation

Grant us thy peace.

Before the stations of the mountain of desolation,

Before the certain hour of maternal sorrow,

Now at this birth season of decease,

Let the Infant, the still unspeaking and unspoken Word,

Grant Israel’s consolation

To one who has eighty years and no to-morrow.

According to thy word,

They shall praise Thee and suffer in every generation

With glory and derision,

Light upon light, mounting the saints’ stair.

Not for me the martyrdom, the ecstasy of thought and prayer,

Not for me the ultimate vision.

Grant me thy peace.

(And a sword shall pierce thy heart,

Thine also).

I am tired with my own life and the lives of those after me,

I am dying in my own death and the deaths of those after me.

Let thy servant depart,

Having seen thy salvation.

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Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today. - Phil to Rita, Groundhog Day

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