The Mom Weekly

Author: Mom

  • My Circus, My Monkeys (Part the Second)

    My Circus, My Monkeys (Part the Second)

    The Mom Weekly Volume 94: May 27, 2025

    You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

    Notes:

    In case you missed last week, this is Part 2 of “My Monkeys, My Circus” and I hope it makes sense. I don’t want you to get the impression that I equate having dogs with children, because I’m Team Baby, but it still was funny when it happened, and I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

    Also today, May 27, is St. Augustine of Canterbury. Remember reading “Augustine Came to Kent” together many years ago?

    And then a year or two after that, we ourselves were in Kent? I love the photo of you three sitting on the ground in three arched alcoves at Canterbury Cathedral.

    My Monkeys, My Circus (Part the Second)

    Recently I got a very well meaning and nicely worded text from a neighbor. I’m going to excerpt it here: 

     Please don’t take this message the wrong way.  Your dogs really don’t bother us …   I just wanted to share a solution for dog barking. Our new little dog was starting to bark at people walking by on the sidewalk so I got this bark collar and it worked amazing. Check it out.”

    And there was a link to a bark collar, which I think shocks the dog so that they don’t bark at all.

    For context, this was on Dad’s birthday, and I was in the middle of making the complicated entremets desserts that I was inspired to make from our watching of the Great British Bake-Off. Not only has the show gotten me into baking more complicated things, but it is such a soothing, enjoyable watch.

    Here was my response:

    (Neighbor), thank you so much! I am not offended at all. I appreciate the details, and I appreciate you as our neighbor. I don’t have bandwidth to look at this right now, as Joseph’s (husband) birthday is tomorrow and I’m in the midst of making a very complicated dessert! But I will look at this soon.

    And that’s the end of that interaction. God bless entremets for saving me from having to craft something more.

    Anyway, by the time I got to read it, I started laughing again. 

    My first thought? my monkeys, my circus. 

    You may have posited that I have zero desire to shock our dogs with bark collars. Again, this works for them and their dogs, but I cannot imagine it, and it would make at least one of our dogs so much more dramatic than he already is.

    For context: we are in the process of installing fencing that helps the dogs not see the neighbors so that they don’t bark too much. 

    And if our dogs were barking incessantly, or we kept them out at all hours of the day and night, and they barked at everything, it would be helpful to offer me ideas. But this is truly a “my monkeys, my circus” type of situation. We use our prudential judgment to manage our lives in the way we think best.

    I also feel the need to clarify that there are some things that should be brought to the attention of people. To refer back to last week, I can’t imagine a scenario in which I would actually talk to someone about their kids’ behavior at Mass. However, I might try to get to know the family, and even ask if I could help in any way, or take the offending kid out to walk around when they got busy. 

    As far as animals go:

     1. I did think the neighbor worded the request very kindly and carefully, and he meant it in good faith. But I don’t feel the least bit of curiosity about exploring the option, as I am 100 percent sure it would send me over the edge.

    Also:

     2. There are contexts in which it is a good idea to share kindly about asking people to change their behavior. In fact, I did just that, in a post in our neighborhood FB group during the pandemic about people not cleaning up after their dogs. I was really proud of this, because usually people would post something like, “Disgusting! All of you people who let your dogs do your business and not pick it up are the worst humans ever! Sad we live in such a world.”

    So I am going to share it here, and I hope you’ll agree with me. Coincidence or not, I see much less dog poop left behind when I am out and about.

     And let’s all remember that we can carefully and respectfully try to get people to see something differently. And I guess, also accept that they might not agree!

    March 2021

    Hello neighbors! I thought about putting this here when it happened to me some months back, but I hesitated as I didn’t want to be a Gladys Kravitz about it (all you younger neighbors can just google it and you’ll see what I’m talking about, LOL).

    But the last few months have helped draw us together as a neighborhood and get to know each other better. So just like I’d feel awkward but okay talking to a friend about this, I feel ready to be awkward here with all of you.

    It’s dog poop.

    Please, if you have a dog or dogs, be kind and neighborly and pick up their poop when you walk them in the neighborhood.

    What prompts my note: this morning, I stepped in some dog poop on the street during my early morning walk/run. It happens to me once every few months, though I see it a lot more than that and I’m able to sidestep it. It can be really annoying, and it’s hard to get off of running shoes!

    True confession: when we had our first dog—over 25 years ago—I actually did not understand that picking up poop was a thing. And I cringe now to think about all the places where we left poop in people’s yards, and on the street of the town where we lived. In my defense, I did not grow up with a dog and so did not know this basic etiquette. I just didn’t give it a thought. Some neighbors may also not be aware of this common practice, or grew up in the country where it isn’t done or isn’t common.

    I know better now (and did back then, after a short time of having a dog). That’s why I always have dog bags with me to collect poop when we take our dogs on walks.

    I’ve learned a couple of things. I know some of these are goofy and you’re probably thinking, duh, but bear with me:

    Dog bags are very inexpensive. I used to (and still do) save grocery bags for this purpose, but we’d have to inspect them to make sure they had no holes, etc. But a couple of years ago, I ordered some from our chewy.com Autoship and I realized it costs pennies to have ready-to-go bags for walks.

    I keep a poop bag tied to the dogs’ leads, so that if I forget to grab one, there is always one with whoever is walking the dog or dogs.

    I appreciate all neighbors listening with understanding and considering following this practice. Have a great day.

    Interesting/Notable

    The Spy Trick to Joining Any Conversation (Even if You’re Anxious)

    This is very useful information!

  • My Monkeys, My Circus (Part the First)

    My Monkeys, My Circus (Part the First)

    The Mom Weekly Volume 93: May 20, 2025

    You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

    Notes:

    As I was crafting this, it turned into a much longer reflection than I expected. And so I decided to break this up into two parts. It’s not a cliff-hanger, not really, but it lends itself to two categories. It will make sense next week, I promise!

    Remember how much I love you, 

    Mom 

    My Monkeys, My Circus (Part the First)

    When I was trying to look up the expression, “not my circus, not my monkeys,” I found

    1. That it’s an old Polish proverb. It basically is a way for people to say, “I’m not going to engage with whatever drama is being presented to me.”

    2. Then I found this recent WSJ opinion piece about how detachment from others is a good skill, and I wholeheartedly agree. It’s important to disengage from the drama of others when necessary, for our own well-being and health. 

    Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys: How I’ve Learned to Deal with the Addicts in My Life

    However, that’s not what I’m talking about here.

    You kids know that I got two anonymous letters — actual US postal service mail—when you were tiny and little, from a parish member in our old town? They were badly worded and mean missives instructing me to keep better control of my kids at Mass. That would be you! 

    I am actually laughing about this now as I write, because I’m so beyond this. 

    But for a long time, I was tender about it. And I actually saved the letters for years; can you believe it? Until one day I was going through a folder of stuff and found them, and thought, why am I saving these? I should only save good positive letters and mementos. So into the trash they went.

    The other funny story about this is that when I received the first one, a dear friend and I — who both often attended daily Mass with our kids—were trying to speculate about who could have sent such a letter. And we hit upon the idea of a cranky old lady who wore housecoats and went to daily Mass. I have blessedly forgotten her name, but was something old-fashioned like “Mabel Smith.” And then she died, and I got the second letter, and I thought, “I’m so sorry for thinking bad things about you, Mabel Smith.” LOL.

    Because of that experience, I have always been extremely supportive of families at Mass. I go out of my way to talk to families whose kids have been “busy” (which sometimes can be a euphemism for being dreadful) to say that they are doing great to bring them to Mass, and it’s okay to walk in and out of the church as needed, and to do what you need to.

    Sometimes, as you have experienced, I will point out one of you adult children and say how “busy” you were, and how even though I don’t feel like I got a lot out of  Mass then, “NOW” you are the ones “shush-ing” me if I whisper something. It’s kind of hilarious.

    Dad, God bless him, who is usually pretty easygoing about things, was always extremely firm that we would not punish kids for kid-like behavior at Mass. Not that I ever wanted to! 

    But the way he talked about never wanting you to feel shame or bad feelings related to religious things, still brings me to tears, because it makes so much spiritual sense.

    Anyway, there’s also the expression “two things can be true at the same time.” Back the, when talking about some of these things to friends, a few had the opinion that maybe I did need to crack down a little more, or find a way to make you behave. (Again, I’m laughing—you kids are all so strong willed—how could I get you to do anything?). 

    They would tell stories of how they got their kids to “behave” at Mass, and they were things Dad and I would never do. Now, some of those people I still know, and their now adult children still seem to have an active faith life, even experiencing what I consider harsh punishment when they were young. So every family is different, and lots of different approaches work.  

    Now that I am older, I see there are a lot of ways to successfully raise kids, and it’s important to do what works best for your personality, and try to be open to the Holy Spirit nudges for changes or the right thing to say. My circus, my monkeys.

    That is a VERY long introduction to what happened to me earlier this month. But I am going to save that for next week.

    Interesting/Notable:

    First “math pope” reveals unity of faith and reason

    Meet the “Stealthy Wealthy” Who Make Their Money the Boring Way

    An Action Item: Start Your Summer List

    (I’ve posted this in the past, and usually much earlier than this. But it’s still good idea!)

    Summer is fast approaching, and it’s time to think ahead about things that you would like to “accomplish” or do. And you can be creative! I haven’t even started mine, but I’m going to use this as a kind of template to begin:

    *restaurant to visit (either that you’ve never done so, or not in a long time)

    *nearby town to explore 

    *hiking trail to re-hike

    *new trail to hike 

    *savory summer recipe to try

    *sweet summer recipe to try

    *a goal to visit the farmer’s market monthly or more often; a different one each time?

    *museum to visit, especially with an intriguing temporary exhibit

  • Hope Does Not Disappoint

    Hope Does Not Disappoint

    The Mom Weekly Volume 92: May 13, 2025

    You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

    (I don’t have any notes this week, but I wanted to be sure to say)

    Remember how much I love you,

    Mom

    Hope Does Not Disappoint

    True confession: Sometimes, if I wake up too early—but not too early to go back to sleep— I will read on the Substack app. I love Substack and have a number of paid subscriptions, and even more free ones. 

    Usually in the early morning hours, I have prayers that I want to say, and if there’s enough time, I will also pray the Office of Readings. But I’m not perfect, and sometimes I open Substack, or another app, first.

    Unfortunately, Substack has a social-media type of feature called “Notes” and when you open the app, Substack takes you to Notes, not to your subscribed publications. So often, I see random links to other Substack accounts from people I may know or not, especially ones that are popular. It’s kind of like if I go onto Facebook and share someone else’s blog post, Facebook post, or others, and say, “Check this out.” That can be a real time drain!

    Anywho, the other morning I opened it before my prayer apps or even praying (mistake! I know! I’m just being honest). And several people had linked to someone’s Substack post about how AI is basically the end of the world and the end of normal jobs, etc. The looong post was telling this particular person’s story, and it was bleak, both this person and their situation, and the comments were even more so.

    Family, it really got me down! I just thought: there are so many people without hope and saying things that may or may not be true. Many if not most, of these people do not see a point to life or of living in community, much less about living any kind of faith life. Even I don’t know this person, or anyone connected to this person, it made me sad for all of them.

    So I thought, well, now it’s time to look at my subscribed publications instead of spending any more time here in this place of woe. I’m only kind of kidding! One of my paid subscriptions is Recovering Catholic (“For people seeking wholes and freedom in the living tradition of the Church.” Now there’s a tag line) I do not know the author, Sarah Carter, personally, but I like her theological style and writing, and I want to support people doing good in the world. And today it helped me.

    Sarah has a post called “Leo” about our new Pope Leo XIV. She makes the case that by choosing the name Leo XIV, he may be saying something about how he wants to engage with the world:

    In the midst of a rush of social, political, and cultural change that one can only imagine felt tremendously chaotic, Pope Leo XIII wrote a dizzying 90 encyclicals on topics ranging from liberalism and socialism to freemasonry to the Eucharist and the Rosary, and well, pretty much everywhere in between. One can detect in the writings of Leo XIII a strenuous grappling with the times in which he had been called to lead the Church, a willingness to engage with modern ideas in their positive aspects as well as their limitations, and most importantly, a desire to bring the voice of Christ to bear on the ‘joys and the hopes, the grief and the anxieties’ of the age. He recognized that Church triumphalism needed to be done away with—a new approach was needed.”

    The Holy Father, in his first address to the cardinals, a few days later, spoke to this moment, and particular to those concerned about AI (like the sad post that inspired this reflection).

    Sensing myself called to continue in this same path, I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour.”

    (Digression, but one I’m excited about: Sarah announced that she’s doing a read-along of Rerum Novarum, the famous encyclical from Leo XIII that is “a clear and compelling articulation of first principles” in social teaching. I have never read it.

    So I plan to do this read-along, and finally say I have read this great encyclical. Here is Rerum Novarum on the Vatican website. I’m going to find a way to get this into my books app so that I can take notes on it and highlight different things. End of digression!)

    Sarah’s post, as well as other coverage of Pope Leo XIV, helped get me out of the depressing place the post had left me, early in the morning. It gave me hope, and it reminded me that Pope Francis named this year the Jubilee of Hope.  (The opening line of his announcement–“Hope does not disappoint”–inspired the quote that opens this Weekly!

    And I realized that the ability to have hope and look forward to good things, is almost like a superpower. It should be the mark of every Christian. 

    Pope Leo XIV’s first words on the balcony after his election are so appropriate to reflect on here. I’d like to close with those words, and encourage you to read through them slowly:

    Peace be with all of you!
    Dearest brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the good shepherd  who gave his life for God’s flock.
    I, too, would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families, and all people, wherever they are, all of the people, all over the world. Peace be with you!


    It is the peace of the risen Christ. A peace that is unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering. A peace that comes from God, the God who loves us all, unconditionally.


    We can still hear the faint yet ever courageous voice of Pope Francis as he blessed Rome, the Pope who blessed Rome, who gave his blessing to the world, the whole world, on the morning of Easter. Allow me to extend that same blessing: God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail! All of us are in God’s hands. So, let us move forward, without fear, together, hand in hand with God and with one another other! We are followers of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him as the bridge that can lead us to God and his love. Help us, one and all, to build bridges through dialogue and encounter, joining together as one people, always at peace. Thank you, Pope Francis!


    I also thank my brother Cardinals, who have chosen me to be the Successor of Peter and to walk together with you as a Church, united, ever pursuing peace and justice, ever seeking to act as men and women faithful to Jesus Christ, in order to proclaim the Gospel without fear, to be missionaries.

    I am an Augustinian, a son of Saint Augustine, who once said, “With you I am a Christian, and for you I am a bishop.”  In this sense, all of us can journey together toward the homeland that God has prepared for us.

    Interesting/Notable

    Since there are a number of extended family members having graduations this spring, including two in our own nuclear family, I wanted to include this 

    Charlie Munger speech to USC Law School class of 2007

  • May is Full of Holidays

    May is Full of Holidays

    The Mom Weekly Volume 91: May 6, 2025

    You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

    May is Full of Holidays

    May, especially for our family, is full of holidays and celebrations. This year, we not only have Dad’s birthday, our wedding anniversary (32 years!), two graduations, and more. Also, May is replete with some great family-specific feast days, such as St. Joseph the Worker that was on May 1 (I made savoiardi, naturally), and even more birthdays and anniversaries for extended family members of aunts, uncles, and cousins.

    May is also Mary’s month, so some extra devotion and a few extra prayers can be a great way to honor her. Consider praying the Rosary with the Hallow app—I typically choose the guide Anna, who has a British accent. I find her style very helpful, and conducive to me to prayer, as I walk the dogs in the morning. I have found it a spiritually fruitful time. You can also use the rosary that came in your Easter basket. (See photo!). Per Dad’s suggestion, I’ve started carrying mine in my pocket.

    So how can you celebrate this month better? Well, for one, Dad’s birthday is only a few days away, so if you haven’t sent a card yet, today is your chance! And Mother’s Day is this Sunday, but you know I don’t need any cards or anything, because you kids are my gifts. But you might plan to be extra-available via text or phone call on Sunday, because I do love to hear from you.

    Otherwise, maybe try to plan for some fun baking or cooking this month, or some extra time in nature. You know that you will be glad that you did!

    Remember how much I love you,

    Mom

    Interesting/Notable

    Papal conclave: about the rules related to it–The Pillar

    Dad & I were talking about how news outlets are reporting about who got how many votes during prior conclaves, when it’s meant to be strictly secret.

    A Fifth of American Adults Can’t Read. Here’s How to Teach Them.

    This article is a must-read. And remember working through this book together? Teaching each of you to read was so challenging, but so rewarding!

    “The whole experience knocked me off my ideological pedestal. The most effective way to help my students, I realized, was to radically diverge from the progressive path I’d traveled my entire life. I am now as close to a traditional schoolmaster as I ever could have imagined: I drill. I test. I say things like, “No, that’s wrong. Try again.” There is a correct answer, and I want it.

    It turns out the students want that, too.”

    An Action Item: Reach out to three friends, preferably one in person

    As usual, I am adding this as an action item for myself as much as anyone else.

    While it’s great to “see” people on social media, or in other ways, there’s nothing like connecting with people “in real life.”

    Connecting with someone in real life can include texting, phone calls, or seeing someone in person. It can also include one of my favorite ways: writing people actual notes to send via “snail mail.”

    I remember hearing on podcast (surprise!) a guest offer this idea: scroll pretty far down your text messages, and see someone that you haven’t texted or talked to in a while. 

    Once you do, send them a quick text to say, “Hi! I was thinking of you and I just wanted to say Hi! How are you doing?” 

    You may find it sparks a quick conversation, or even leads to a time to grab tea/a meal or go for a walk together. 

    I just did this right now, and I can’t tell you how much it boosted my mood to do so!

    Here were my three:

    —I texted a friend from our parish that I had asked a wedding-related question to, and never responded to her (back in January!)

    —I texted (again) a woman I met at JASNA last year, appreciating her hosting the JASNA podcast (this episode in particular )

    — (in a group message) I texted three friends that I used to sing with, sending them a story from the local news about an opera singer who sings for patients in a nearby city.

    In the next few days, I am also going to try to connect with a college friend and try to chat with her while I’m walking in the next few days. That will be more “in real life,” and maybe later I can try for some “in person” time.

    Please give this action item a try! I promise you will be happy that you did.

  • Novemdiales

    Novemdiales

    The Mom Weekly Volume 90: April 29, 2025

    You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

    Novemdiales

    I had already scheduled last week’s email to go out over the weekend, before Pope Francis died on Easter Monday. I thought about revising last week. But 1. I loved “Shakespeare and Family” so much! But 2. more importantly, there would be another Weekly in a few more days, and so I could wait until then.

    By the time you read this, assuming you read it on Tuesday (as all TMW readers do! ha) is that we will be on the Fourth Day of the Novemdiales. The Novemdiales is the special nine-day period of mourning after a pope dies. This time starts on the day of the funeral, which for Pope Francis was this past Saturday.

    This article explains the Novemdiales and lists the schedule of Masses.

    Pray More Novenas (yes, it’s really a website and email service!) started a novena for Pope Francis called the Novemdiales novena. Here is the explanation: “After the death of a Pope, there is traditionally a 9-day mourning period called Novemdiales. During this period, Masses and prayers are offered for the Holy Father. “

    We are all praying for the Holy Father, and also having prayers of gratitude for his life and devotion. We should also be praying for the church and for everyone who is interested in this process; the people covering it, the people watching, and more.

    It’s definitely a time of grace and a time for conversion. I hope you will take advantage of it. I am going to try to!

    I don’t think that speculating about “who will be the next pope” or similar is that good a use of our time. But this video presentation from Catholic University of America, which Dad & I listened to on a drive last week, is an excellent behind-the-scenes about how the process works. “What Happens After a Pope Dies?” It’s by a canon lawyer and just fascinating. (At least for me!)

    Because YouTube suggests videos I might like alongside the above video , it is a more simplified explanation of some of the traditions around the conclave and the death of the Holy Father.

    What Happens in a Papal Conclave? Everything You Need to Know

    (I recognize this priest from seeing things from him on Instagram or Facebook, and he seems solid, but I have no details about him or his ministry).

    Remember how much I love you,

    Mom

    Interesting/Notable:

    Five Unusual Papal Burial Places: The Pillar

    Americans are Tipping Less—Are You? WSJ

    This was a fun interactive feature. It turns out I am average for a tipper.

    An Action Item: Move Over Clothes from Winter to Spring/Summer

    I am putting this item here mostly for me, but I know others will like this little nudge! The change of seasons is a great time to go through your clothes and pass along things that no longer “work” for your style or your life. I can usually get rid of, or sell, more than a few items, and it helps my closet & dresser seem less crowded, and more organized.

    Here’s what I don’t have: a way to get rid of things that I keep for sentimental reasons. I have some old t-shirts and items that I keep in a bin labeled “not sure/sentimental”) and it’s pretty rare that I can get rid of things there. Any thoughts of how to work through those items would be welcome!

  • Shakespeare & Family (From the Vault, 1982)

    Shakespeare & Family (From the Vault, 1982)

    The Mom Weekly Volume 89: April 22, 2025

    You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

    Shakespeare and Family (From the Vault, 1982)

    Shakespeare’s birthday is tomorrow. April 23 is the 461st anniversary of his birth.

    I came across the letter I’m going to share some time ago when I was going through my photo library. (See the “Action Item” for today!)

    It made me think about how much we have explored Shakespeare over the years. But it’s not just because I was an English major—now you can see that it is a generational thing…

    We’ve seen many Shakespeare plays, from here to England, and studied even more. One of my favorite homeschooling memories is working through How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare and memorizing all the passages that we did.

    I know a bank

    where the wild thyme grows

    Where oxlips

    And the nodding violet grows …

    Or Rosalind from As You Like It?

    “For I must tell you friendly in your ear,

    Sell when you can;

    you are not for all markets.”

    And who could forget the St. Crispin’s Day speech from (as we called it) “Henry the Vee? 

    Even though we did memorize all those passages, I can only really call to mind bits and pieces of them. But I imagine if I worked on them again, it would be easier to memorize them again.

    Anyway, this letter was written to me by my father, your grandfather. The “New Mayfield” he refers to is this. (Sadly, it closed in 1985 and has not been opened since).

    This letter is absolutely “on brand” for my dad, and for his love of classic things. I am 90 percent certain he also recited this to me at some point, because I can actually hear his voice saying the lines, and smiling at the same time.

    (Note also: he refers to stopping at a local restaurant for their famed “cookie monster,” so of course you know from whom we all inherited our sweet tooth).

    He passed on his love of literature to me, and I am pretty sure that I’ve passed it onto you kids. I sincerely hope that you pass it on to your children. It’s a treasure and inheritance, far greater than any material thing.

    Remember how much I love you,

    Mom

    Sunday Eve October 24, 1982

    This afternoon Catherine went to the St. Mary’s football game at 3 p.m. Then after a quick supper I took her to the 5:30 p.m. movie at New Mayfield—Laurence Olivier in “King Henry V.” Not one of his (Shakespeare’s) better plays, but a good movie. It was about 8 p.m. and our car somehow wandered over to Norton’s so we were forced to stop and have a cookie monster.

    Catherine asked me if there were any familiar quotations from Hamlet because we didn’t really hear any tonight, but she was struck by the familiar phrases in Romeo and Juliet. Well anyhow, among the many famous passages in Hamlet, of course, is Polonius’ advice to his son Laertes as he is about to leave to accompany Hamlet to school (in England?) Every father should, of course, pass on this advice to his son—or daughter—as they leave for school, so here it is, (over)

    “…Give thy thoughts no tongue,

    nor any unproportioned thought his act.

    Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar;

    Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,

    Grapple them until thy soul with hoops of steel;

    But do not dull thy palm with entertainment

     of each new-hatched, unfledged comrade. Beware

     of entrance to a quarrel, but, being in,

    Bear’t that the opposed may be aware of thee.

    Give every many thy ear, but few thy voice;

    Take each man’s censure but reserve thy judgment.

    Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,

    But not expressed in fancy; rich, not gaudy,

    For the apparel oft proclaims the man.

    Neither a borrower nor a lender be;

    For loan oft loses both itself and friend,

    and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.

    This above all: to thine own self be true,

    and it must follow, as the night the day,

    Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

    Love,

    Dad

    Interesting/Notable:

    An update from the Holy Land–The Catholic Traveler

    Seeing this article about The Catholic Traveler resuming tours in the Holy Land made me want to go there even more, and soon, when it is not very crowded! 

    An Action Item: Go Through Your Photos from Today

    I first heard this hack/tip years ago, and I cannot remember the source. But I do it from time to time, and it’s a fun exercise.

    Here’s what you do: open your Photos app on your laptop. In the search bar in the upper right corner, search for a day. Let’s say, April 3. This will bring up photos that have the words “April 3” in them, but also all the photos that have been taken through the years on April 3. Select “All Items,” and go through them. 

    Usually, I find that a large portion of my photos are of dogs, Spot specifically. (Really!) But for April 3, I can see my album has 64 items, including several HILARIOUS 2016 videos of child 2 and child 3 lip-syncing to Owl City songs. It’s worth it just for that. You can usually find find a few, or even a dozen or more, of blurry or “similar” photos that you can delete. 

    That’s it! I promise it’s a fun experiment, a good way to (slightly) clean up your photos, and a fun trip down memory lane.