7 Quick Takes Friday, Volume 16

Click here to read the original post at ConversionDiary.com

*1*

Last week I told you about Patty and Phil who are looking to adopt and are printing their advertisements in many Virginia and university newspapers. Thank you, faithful readers, for clicking on the link to their website.

The attention provoked Patty, of Patty and Phil, to email me. In our exchange, it became even more clear how driven and called this couple is to adopt a new member of their practicing Catholic family (what are the odds?!). If you're new to this blog, check out Patty and Phil.

Even if you are not currently pregnant or in the situation that so many young women are in at this time, visiting the website will drive more traffic and may introduce this couple to the woman who can make their expanding family hopes come true.

You're reading this for a reason, so take it a step further and click.

Their daughter helped decorate the website!

*2*

My mom emailed this to me this week:

"Perhaps we, at times, see God as a kind of rival. Perhaps we too are blind to His signs, deaf to His words, because we believe that He puts limitations on our lives and does not allow us to dispose of our existence as we wish. When we see God in this way we end up feeling dissatisfied and discontented, because we do not allow ourselves to be guided by the One Who is the foundation of all things, We must remove all idea of rivalry from our minds and hearts, the idea that giving space to God is a limit to the self. We must open ourselves to the certainty that God is omnipotent love which takes away nothing, which threatens nothing. Quite the contrary, He is the only One capable of offering us the chance to live a full life and to experience true joy." 

-Homily, Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Vatican Basilica, 6 Jan 2011

*3*

Last Friday, my mom and I went to a fundraiser for the Catholic, all-girls school alma mater we share (I'm a third generation alumnae, whoop whoop!). It was fun and I enjoyed getting dressed up. I saw a lot of people I knew and met more that my mom grew up with in Catholic Richmond (it's a very small world and I'm related to half of it, making dating difficult).

There was a photo booth with a professional photographer snap*snap*snapping away. When he set up the picture (he put my mom on a little stool, I'm not that short), I thought he was going to make us do the classic prom picture with my back to my mom... thank goodness, he had more sense than that. 

Look at my beautiful mom! Yes, we got the "you could be sisters!" comment.

 *4*

If this was 1951, I would probably be a female failure. Good thing it's not 1951... because I'm not a cook. I'd like to get better (and not because I'm a woman. Because I'm someone who eats food) and I love the idea of being creative with food. A GUY told me about a book, Ratios, that teaches you the basics of flavor combination and the chemistry behind cooking.

I haven't gotten it yet, but I will soon.

*5*

In our Monday CCD class, I told the kids that Jesus was arrested and one boy said, "No He wasn't!" I proceeded to tell him, essentially, "Yes, huh." 

I told them why He was arrested and that the people who arrested Him hurt Him and then hung Him on the cross. The one girl who is the source of MANY of my post catalysts says, "But that's really mean. Why did they do that?" It was the cutest, sweetest little thing I've ever seen. She was so concerned for Jesus and how unfairly He was treated. 

Basically, I told her that the people didn't believe Him and they didn't like what He was saying and she said, again, "But that's so mean. Just because they didn't like what He was saying?" 

This girl asks the best questions that bring up a lot of thoughts. Just because they didn't like what He was saying, they killed Him. And He went through with it. 

"We love because he first loved us." -1 John 4:19

*6*

I don't own the rights.

I bought Jason and Christalina Evert's new book, How to Find Your Soulmate, and I'll soon write a review. I trust these co-writers of my Theology of the Body textbook will do justice to the teachings of the Church. I'm interested in doing God's will, no matter what that is...

However, I'm very excited to hear the Evert's explanation of how women called to marriage can transcend this secular world and find who God knows is best for them.

*7*

After a Twitter conversation with the lovely Julie Robison on Wednesday, I determined for the 2,546,541st time in my life that I over think things routinely.

I talked to my wise sister, Christine, who told me to pray the Hail Holy Queen every time I'm starting to over think. "It is less familiar, so it will be less automatic than the Hail Mary," she said.

It will also be good to use an already existing prayer for these moments. Otherwise, my prayers sound more like, "MARY, WHAT THE HECK?! Help me!"