Author: Mom

“Bah! Humbug!” or, Great Quotes from A Christmas Carol, Part 1

The Mom Weekly Volume 70: December 10, 2024

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

I know how much we all enjoy The Muppet Christmas Carol (and I’m so looking forward to our annual watch of that soon!). But I kind of wish we had the tradition of every year reading the original.

Its official title is A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. Here is the frontispiece from the first edition.

(This is from Project Gutenberg, the most wonderful nonprofit source for public domain books.)

Anyway, during this “festive season of the year,” I’m going to share some of the best quotes. Who could forget the first line—“Marley was dead: to begin with.”

You’ll notice how faithful that The Muppet Christmas Carol is to the original!

Remember how much I love you,

Mom

“Bah! Humbug!” Or Great Quotes from A Christmas Carol, Part 1

“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

“Bah!” said Scrooge, “Humbug!”

“Christmas a humbug, uncle!” said Scrooge’s nephew. “You don’t mean that, I am sure?”

“I do,” said Scrooge. “Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.”

“Come, then,” returned the nephew gaily. “What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You’re rich enough.”

Scrooge having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment, said, “Bah!” again; and followed it up with “Humbug.”

“Don’t be cross, uncle!” said the nephew.

“What else can I be,” returned the uncle, “when I live in such a world of fools as this? Merry Christmas! Out upon merry Christmas! What’s Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books and having every item in ’em through a round dozen of months presented dead against you? If I could work my will,” said Scrooge indignantly, “every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!”

“There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,” returned the nephew. “Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round—apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that—as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”

……..

“You are fettered,” said Scrooge, trembling. “Tell me why?”

“I wear the chain I forged in life,” replied the Ghost. “I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?”

Scrooge trembled more and more.

“Or would you know,” pursued the Ghost, “the weight and length of the strong coil you bear yourself? It was full as heavy and as long as this, seven Christmas Eves ago. You have laboured on it, since. It is a ponderous chain!”

………

“Business!” cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”

Interesting/Notable: Be a Saint, Not a Scrooge

Peggy Noonan, WSJ Gift Article

This is from 11 years ago (maybe I should call it a Peggy Noonan “From the Vault”), but it’s still so timely! Just like “A Christmas Carol” is timely.

The pope’s message in part is: Don’t be Scrooge. He cared only for money, had no respect for the poor—he thought they should die and decrease the surplus population—wasn’t the least bit interested in treating his employees justly or with compassion, and missed out on all the real joy of life, until he wised up.

An Action Item: Consider Reading “A Christmas Carol”

A Christmas Carol has around 30,000 words, which is novella sized more than novel sized. It’s really manageable, and since you know the story and many of the best quotes, it should be an enjoyable time!

You can read it online at Project Gutenberg here.

If you want a Kindle version of it, here’s a very inexpensive one.

Alternatively, you can often find editions of A Christmas Carol at thrift stores, but here’s an inexpensive paperback version.

December 10, 2024
Two Modest (But Rewarding) Money Tips

The Mom Weekly Volume 69: December 3, 2024

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

Notes:

Yes, I realize that part of this newsletter is kind of a “repeat” of last week’s “action item.” But I expanded on it, and posted it to my neglected Your Money Mom website, and sent it to that email list yesterday (so you might be receiving it twice!). But it’s worth a look.

Also: I have pre-scheduled the next few weeks of The Mom Weekly, since as you know there will be some travel involved in the coming weeks. And I’m pre-scheduling because, for the first time in many years, I will not bring my laptop, as I do on almost every trip.

So if there is any breaking news, know that it won’t be covered in these pages—not that it ever was!

Remember how much I love you,

Mom

Two Modest (but Rewarding) Money Tips (Mom’s Occasional Money Advice )

(You can also read this on the Your Money Mom website, if you want!)

I’ve not been too active here on Your Money Mom in recent times. But that’s not because I’m not giving money advice. I’m just not doing much of it online!

Despite that, I often have valuable information to share, since I’m still the money nerd that everyone knows and loves. I just wonder what is the best way to do this well, and reach a good number of people. In the meantime two modest but “rewarding” money tip are getting me back to posting here.

I would appreciate your thoughts about what kind of content you would like to see from me, and how often, and in what form. I’m pondering options (Substack, maybe?). Your feedback is welcome! You can hit reply to this email, and it will come directly to me.

Friendly Money Advice: Always Check Friends/Family for Referrals Before Signing Up for Something

On to today’s first money tip!

Whenever you’re about to sign up for a service or get something, find out if there’s a referral link you can use to help a friend or family member. I do this often with websites I trust and want to support, but it also works well with friends and family members.

Case in point:

Less than a year ago, I heard something (for the millionth time) about Rakuten, the free online shopping portal/app/browser extension to get rebates for online shopping.

Surprisingly, I had never joined, even when it was Ebates. I think I had been using the Honey extension on my browser; and while it helped with coupon codes, I wasn’t getting many rebates.

Anyway, I thought, it’s probably time to sign up. And before I did, I stopped and thought, I wonder if anyone has a referral link? So I texted the family, and one of my kids had a referral offer that gave us each $30 for me signing up. Nice! Neither one of us would have gotten anything if I had just signed up for Rakuten.

My experience with Rakuten

Now that I’ve been using Rakuten for awhile, I’m kind of impressed at how easy it is to get some decent rebates. t’s not life-changing money, but it’s not “nothing,” and it’s worth doing, in my opinion.

For instance, I had to make a Shutterfly purchase the other day to keep my account current, and I see I got $5.32 back.

I ordered glasses from EyeBuyDirect last week, and got $31.60 back (that was because of an increased offer, which I don’t remember now—occasionally Rakuten will give you a higher percentage back, like 20 percent, on a purchase). More about EyeBuyDirect below!

Right now, Rakuten has a $40 signup bonus. That means just for signing up, the new member gets $40, and your referrer (me, if you’d like) also gets $40. Not bad! This referral link (click here) is good until December 8, 2024.

I think everyone who uses Rakuten has the $40 offer, so if you have a family member who uses Rakuten, feel free to ask them for theirs, to keep the $ in the family.

Final Rakuten hack: when I first signed up, I got “double” points back that week. I think that is still the offer, but just know when you do sign up, that clock starts. I wish I had known about it ahead of time to plan for some purchases.

Check for referral links when you are shopping

So back to EyeBuyDirect. You may have noticed it was a link—and that’s my referral code.

As I mentioned above, I got Rakuten cash back from purchasing glasses from EyeBuyDirect, something I’ve done for years. It turns out that EyeBuyDirect has a referral program.

When I was writing about EyeBuyDirect, I thought, I wonder if there is a referral link. And it turns out there is! So I have added it in here. Again, if you have a friend or a family member who uses EBD, and want to use their referral code, please do!

I just want to double underline that whenever you are spending money or signing up for something online, it’s good to check with a friend or family member to try to avoid “leaving money on the table.”

Paypal Fundraising Hub

Money tip number two!

Now that it’s almost Giving Tuesday, I hope you are all considering some charitable giving. I know we are at our house.

I have also been trying to meet the minimum spend on a new-to-me credit card so I can get the sign-up bonus. I hesitate to share the referral link, because I don’t want people to sign up for credit cards unless they are actively seeking credit card rewards, and not in credit card debt. If you have interest in my referral link, just reply to this email, or search around for the best offer for you. Donating to a charity, using a credit card that offers points and other perks, is a win/win for all.

Many charities ask you to contribute extra to cover the credit card payment processing fees, which is fair! But as I chip in, I always think, wouldn’t it be nice if credit card companies didn’t charge charities the payment processing fee?

And then I learned that there is a way to donate to (some) charities without payment processing fees for either the charity or the donor.

It’s called PayPal Fundraising Hub

What’s great about this is that PayPal covers the payment processing fees for these charitable donations. The charity doesn’t have to pay, and you don’t have to pay.

From PayPal:

PayPal covers all transaction fees. You’re donating to PayPal Giving Fund, a 501(c)(3) charity, subject to its terms. Donations can take up to 45 days to get to your chosen charity. It’s rare, but if we can’t send your money to this charity, we’ll ask you to recommend another. If we can’t reach you, we’ll send it to a similar charity and keep you updated. Your donation is typically tax-deductible in the US.

I can find at least a few of the charities I donate to here. It’s a great way to donate if you want to use a credit card (for points or other benefits, not to go into debt, of course!). It’s really a win/win for everyone.

I may also ask some of our local charities to consider joining PayPal Fundraising Hub; as far as I can tell, it’s free to join, and there are no downsides.

Your Turn

I hope you enjoyed these modest but “rewarding” money tips.

Have you had any great referral bonus offers lately? Any good tips for saving, giving, or spending money well?

Let me know!

Remember, you’re doing well with your money, and you can do better!

Nancy
Your Money Mom

Interesting/Notable

Tolkien Gives George R. R. Martin the Smack Down or Why Happy Endings in Fantasy Are a Requirement

A must-read!!!

An Action Item: Consider (continuing /starting) the St. Andrew Christmas Novena

I wrote about this last year, and so I’m going to share again. The St. Andrew Christmas novena began last Saturday, as it does every year on November 30, but it’s ongoing, so you can jump in at any time.

The St. Andrew Novena is an interesting novena. It starts on the feast of St. Andrew, which is November 30, and ends on December 24. You are meant to pray the pray 15x a day. You can read about it here on the Hallow website.

Now, 15 times a day may seem like a lot, but it’s really not. I have an album in 15 photos of different artist versions of the prayer. Some are repeated. What I do is “favorite” a prayer once I’ve said it, and come back to the album when I have a chance. Once all of the photos are favorited, I’m finished for the day. The next day, I remove them from favorites, and so on, through the novena. It’s worked really well for me. This year I decided to create my own. I quickly created five different ones in a graphic design program, and they are now part of the album.

Here’s a screenshot (from last year!) of my album of St. Andrew Novenas:

Here are a couple of individual ones that you can save if you would like:

December 3, 2024
Thank God Ahead of Time (From the Vault, 2008)

The Mom Weekly Volume 68: November 26, 2024

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

Notes

I came across this “from the vault” when I was looking around on my old blog. And I remember so vividly writing it, and even more vividly how I kept it, all these years, as a “draft” and never publishing it. That’s because at the time, it didn’t seem quite “good enough” and that it seemed too intimate and tender to share at that time.

When I read it now, 16 years later, I am in awe of my ability to write such long and (frankly) really good pieces, when I had so much going on. And it makes me want to commit to writing more about what I’m feeling and experiencing as life is happening.

I imagine that 2038 me will be so glad that 2024 me took the time to do this. That is, in the same way that 2024 me (right now!) is looking back and so grateful for 2008 me. And also, I’m giving 2008 me a big hug and saying, “Trust me, it’s good enough. It’s better than good enough. Keep going.”

Remember how much I love you,

Mom

Thank God Ahead of Time (From the Vault, November 2008)

I consider myself a thankful person in general, but I didn’t start that way on Thanksgiving Day. When Sir and I were first married—we joked about it even at the time—I once said during a disagreement, ” You know what the problem is? You’re not exactly like me.”

So I’ve left off saying that, and laugh about the young married me who said that, because of course that would be not be the problem. But I have to confess, and Sir knows, that I still have some days like that, wishing we felt exactly the same way about something or had the same ideas about….fill in the blank.

Thanksgiving morning was one of “those mornings,” even though I got to Mass, and I have to say again I was pretty grumbly. I now look back and see I was upset about my mom’s decline that I had been hearing about from two states away. I know my mom would want me to stay with my family, and I thought I was doing the right thing by staying at home.

So when my brother called around dinner time Thanksgiving Day, after having spent the day with my parents, he talked about how mom was weak but stable and doing okay, I just wanted to be there. I talked with Sir about my mom’s state, and he asked if I wanted to go out. I said, “Well, I know my mom and dad would both say, ‘stay at home,’ so I don’t need to go for them.”

And he, not me but absolutely wonderful in his kindness toward me, said something like, “What do you want to do for you?” And I realized immediately, I want to be there. Talking with him, and having him be supportive of it (which he had actually done a few days before as well) makes me so grateful for him. Of course not at the moment, because I was still grumbly, but I knew in my heart and said to myself, “I’m so glad he’s not exactly like me.”

So I threw some clothes in a bag and gave him the keys to the minivan and left at 8 p.m. in his car. I am not a nighttime driver, but I was able to stay awake for the entire drive.

When I got to the freeway about 20 minutes from our house, I started to get very emotional and felt it was probably pointless because I would not make it 400 miles in time before she died, so I started praying Divine Mercy Chaplet in song, which I have loaded on my iPod. (I have since learned from a friend that apparently it is good to say the Divine Mercy Chaplet with a dying person). As I started the chaplet, I was praying as I that I could make it in time to say goodbye to my mom. Sir had mentioned to me as I left that if I could get there in time, to speak to mom, as hearing is often the last faculty to leave. I imagined what I might say; I don’t really need to say goodbyes; there was nothing left unsaid. I think I just wanted more presence.

But by the time I got to the end of the first full chaplet, I was at peace. I didn’t want my mom to linger or suffer anymore. I felt united with her in prayer and knew that the Lord would be with her. I didn’t “have to” get there. So when my brother called a few hours later—I was not yet halfway there—that mom’s breathing had changed. He was heading down the 45 minutes to her, it was okay. I was on the phone with various sisters along the drive, and staying awake.

My brother arrived around midnight, and prayed, out loud, the sorrowful mysteries at Mom’s bedside. And a minute or two after he finished, she stopped breathing. It was very peaceful. What a beautiful sending forth.

I arrived about two hours later and was so grateful to be there and stay most of the weekend, helping begin the arrangements.

At the last minute I had put in my bag this Father Solanus Casey biography. Re-reading parts of it in the days after my mom’s death was very fruitful.

Apparently one of Father Solanus’ favorite sayings was “Thank God Ahead of Time.” A few months ago, a priest suggested I read about this remarkable man and his capacity for gratitude. And now I wish I were more a person who could thank God ahead of time, instead of realizing much, much later, how much my life, indeed, everyone’s life, is filled with grace.

The author, Catherine Odell, writes of Father Solanus’ homily at the funeral of one of his brothers, also a priest: “He spoke of death as a humiliating but purifying gateway to eternal life. Death, he told the congregation, ‘is the last of the blessings God showers upon our earthly journey toward home.’ It was his favorite theme — gratitude to God for whatever he gives us.”

The back of the book has a helpful section of “Words of Wisdom” quoting Father Solanus. This quote on death: “Death is the climax of all humiliation, when we must finally give up all and turn all over to God. Death can be very beautiful—like a wedding—if we make it so.”

And on gratitude:

“Gratitude is the first sign of a thinking, rational creature. Be sure, if the enemy of our souls in pleased at anything in us, it is ingratitude of whatever kind. Why? Ingratitude leads to so many breaks with God and our neighbor.”

There have been so many graces and help and love from people in the days following Mom’s death. I am acutely aware now, much after Thanksgiving—I started this days ago, but am writing this the night before her funeral—that I am grateful for everything. The life of my mom, her peaceful death, growing up in my terrific family, for my own terrific family, and a husband I am amazingly grateful is not “exactly like me.” And I resolve I want to be the kind of person who thanks God ahead of time.

This is surely for me, and also for the members of my family, a time of grace and a time of peace, as Advent is meant to be. May it continue to be so for all of us.

Interesting/Notable

Why I Didn’t Leave the Catholic Church—Claire Swinarski, Letters from a Catholic Feminist

Our temptation is to turn God into a being that hates what we hate and loves what we love, whose main concern is our day-to-day contentedness.

I don’t believe in that God. I’ve never known him. The God I believe in is sitting in this shit with me, staring up at the stars.

An Action Item: Consider Joining Rakuten (if you have not yet)

This is also Mom’s Occasional Money Advice: whenever you’re about to sign up for a service or get something, find out if there’s a referral link you can use to help a friend or family member. Case in point:

Less than a year ago, I heard something (for the millionth time) about Rakuten, the free online shopping portal/app/browser extension to get rebates for online shopping. Surprisingly, I had never joined, even when it was Ebates. I think I had been using the Honey extension on my browser, but while it helped with coupon codes, I wasn’t getting many rebates.

Anyway, I thought, it’s probably time to sign up. And before I did, I stopped and thought, I wonder if anyone has a referral link? So I texted the family, and one of my kids had a referral offer that gave us each $30 for me signing up.

Now that I’ve been using it for awhile, I’m kind of impressed at how easy it is to get some decent rebates. t’s not life-changing money, but it’s not “nothing,” and it’s worth doing, in my opinion. For instance, I had to make a Shutterfly purchase the other day to keep my account current, and I see I got $5.32 back. I ordered glasses from Eyebuydirect last week, and got $31.60 back (that was because of an increased offer, which I don’t remember now—occasionally Rakuten will give you a higher percentage back, like 20 percent, on a purchase).

Right now, Rakuten has a $40 signup bonus. That means just for signing up, the new member gets $40, and your “referrer” (me, if you’d like) also gets $40. Not bad! This referral link (click here) is good until December 8.

I think everyone who uses Rakuten has the $40 offer, so if you have a family member who uses Rakuten, feel free to ask them for theirs, to keep the $ in the family.

Final Rakuten hack: when I first signed up, I got “double” points back that week. I think that is still the offer, but just know when you do sign up that clock starts. I wish I had known about it ahead of time to plan for some purchases, but I was able to take advantage of it a little bit with an online purchase at Sam’s Club and I think order some shoes.

What are you doing this weekend?

So, now that it’s Tuesday, what are you planning for the weekend? I’m going to suggest trying to cover four “F”s to get ideas flowing:

*faith—when are you going to Mass?

*friends—what friends will you see or connect with?

*food—any fun recipes you plan to try, or restaurants you plan to visit?

*fun—anything interesting you are going to play, watch, or do this weekend? Now’s the time to think it through, and put it on the calendar (even informally).

November 26, 2024
Who’s On Your Personal Board of Directors?

The Mom Weekly Volume 67: November 19, 2024

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

Who’s On Your Personal Board of Directors?

The Wall Street Journal has an occasional feature called “Personal Board of Directors” that allows “ top business leaders talk about the people they turn to for advice, and how those people have shaped their perspective and helped them succeed.”

For instance, this one about the CEO of Wal-Mart is worth reading just for his work life and career trajectory. (This is a gift link).

Here are a few others:

How Carla Harris Became One of the Most Powerful Black Women on Wall Street

An Advocates for Managing Startups Differently Gets New Advice

This Former Auto Executive is now CEO of a Billion Dollar Online Pharmacy

I’ve loved this concept for some time, and often wondered who I would list on my Personal Board of Directors. I’m not a top business leader, but I still think there are people who influence me and guide me, and are just with me along life’s journey. Dad, you kids, my siblings, and a few friends.

It is a helpful thought experiment: who would you put on your “personal board of directors”? There could be a different group of people for different seasons or different parts of your life—career, personal, and so forth. I’m going to make the case that I think parents need a personal board of directors as they navigate parenting (even above-average children like all of you, kiss face emoji).

Remember how much I love you,

Mom

Interesting/Notable

The 10-2 Challenge—J. Money

You know how much I love a challenge!

I love the challenge itself—working on a project for 10 minutes, every single day, for 2 years. Even better is his addition to the challenge of noting what he did each day.

Also, my six degrees of separation—I met J. Money at FinCon 2019, and he is exactly as he sounds on his blog. And yes, he has a mohawk. He’s quirky and kind.

An Action Item: Think About Advent

Advent is right around the corner. (And this Sunday is the feast of Christ the King, Dad’s favorite!)

That means Advent starts the Sunday after that—which is December 1. How can you consider using this Advent as a way to prepare your heart for Christmas?

I don’t know if you remember the Donut Man song, “No Room at the Inn”

Here is one video of it

And here’s one with the lyrics.

For some reason, I used to get a little emotional at the line, “But you will find room in my heart, Lord Jesus.” And I still do, listening to it again. Give it a listen and see if you don’t remember it!

Some things I have tried to do in the past during Advent:

*end of year giving

*cleaning out my closet and giving things away

*trying to go to daily Mass a little more often

*celebrating the feasts in December—St. Nicholas (Dec. 6), the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8), St. Juan Diego (and G’s baptism anniversary!), and more.

*picking out some spiritual reading to focus on during Advent

The Hallow app has a kids’ Jesse Tree Tales challenge, which could be fun and light.

What are you doing this weekend?

So, now that it’s Tuesday, what are you planning for the weekend? I’m going to suggest trying to cover four “F”s to get ideas flowing:

*faith—when are you going to Mass?

*friends—what friends will you see or connect with?

*food—any fun recipes you plan to try, or restaurants you plan to visit?

*fun—anything interesting you are going to play, watch, or do this weekend? Now’s the time to think it through, and put it on the calendar (even informally).

November 19, 2024
Holy Spirit Nudges (TM)

The Mom Weekly Volume 66: November 12, 2024

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

Speaking of Holy Spirit nudges as I do this week, I plan to share and write about the election, in a general, but not a specific way. But not this week!

Holy Spirit Nudges(TM)

One morning recently, I had a thought while walking the dogs: I should invite my neighbor to ride with me to Mass.

I was planning to go to a later morning Mass than I usually do, one that I have seen her at, and she had had a hip injury from a camping accident. I wasn’t even sure if she was driving yet, and I thought, maybe I could drive her? I did nothing about it right then, and the thought passed.

As I was feeding the dogs their breakfast, the same, but louder, impulse occurred to me, and I realized that I should act on it! So I sent her a quick text (the dogs could wait), and felt glad that I did.

I confess that I thought for a second, well, I won’t have that ride time to myself, and I’ll have to explain that I want to stop at Panera for my sip club drink on the way home, etc. etc. There’s a resistance to this kind of thing, but I recognized it as a prompt from the Holy Spirit.

A few minutes later, she responded that she had been planning to drive to Mass and her Bible study, but she would rather drive with me. It turns out that while she can drive, she is using a cane, and is walking very slowly.

It would have been hard for her to navigate everything. I could drop her at the front door of church, and tell the Eucharistic minister to bring her communion at the back of church. The ladies from her Bible study took it from there.

Since she was staying at church for her Bible study, and someone else could drive her home, so I didn’t even have to explain about Panera. It seemed almost too easy.

I felt great about doing the right thing there, and especially grateful that I listened to that prompting of the Holy Spirit. Let’s call them Holy Spirit Nudges (TM).

I’m sure by writing about it I have negated any merit that I might receive from actually doing that good deed, but I will take one for the team. That’s because the concept is much more important: trying to become more aware of the Holy Spirit’s prompting in our lives, and to act on them.

I am not great at this, but I am trying to get better.

I’m not really sure how it works, but here’s how I imagine it:

The Holy Spirit sends me a nice gentle nudge to do something, pray something, or say something.

When I don’t respond, I imagine my guardian angel rolling her eyes, sighing, and telling the Holy Spirit, “Don’t worry, H.S., I’ve got this one.” She then gets up, nudges me a little more forcefully, as my guardian angel knows that I need!

Who knows if that is theologically accurate? It’s fun to imagine it that way, and to have pity on my poor guardian angel, who all too often has to repeat, in a LOUDER SPIRITUAL VOICE, what the Holy Spirit has so kindly and gently nudged me to do.

I have been slightly more aware of Holy Spirit Nudges TM (can I trademark this?) lately. To be honest, I don’t always respond to them.

Sometimes I am not sure it’s from the Holy Spirit (time to read St. Ignatius of Loyola on the discernment of spirits); and sometimes I just find myself not acting right away, and the moment passes.

It’s really important, at least for me, to not reproach myself for missing a Holy Spirit Nudge (TM). These nudges appear all the time, and there will be another opportunity often. And a terrific guardian angel to repeat it a little louder when I (almost always) need it.

Remember how much I love you,

Mom

Interesting/Notable:

42,000 Jigsaw Puzzle Time Lapse — it took this person almost a year to complete this jigsaw puzzle.

The sorting alone took 2 months. Where does one purchase such a puzzle? I definitely do not want one, I just found it very interesting to watch the time-lapse!

An Action Item: Think About Christmas Ideas

Christmas is 43 days from today. That’s quite a bit of time, but that time will go quickly. Do you know things that you want to do, bake, or see? Time to make a list.

Some ideas:

*who do you need to get a gift for? Office exchange?

*do you want to bake any special Christmas cookies or treats? Do you want to give those to others? Plan ahead for containers, and setting aside time to do the baking. Maybe invite a friend?

*any November/December events you want to put on the calendar? I have a ToDoist reminder for Shop & Stroll at the nature center. There’s also Christmas light displays like the Festival of Lights, and more.

*end of year charity giving. The approach of Advent is a great time to consider some giving to your church, a charity that you want to donate to. This could also be a good chance to volunteer, or consider an ongoing volunteer commitment.

What are you doing this weekend?

So, now that it’s Tuesday, what are you planning for the weekend? I’m going to suggest trying to cover four “F”s to get ideas flowing:

*faith—when are you going to Mass?

*friends—what friends will you see or connect with?

*food—any fun recipes you plan to try, or restaurants you plan to visit?

*fun—anything interesting you are going to play, watch, or do this weekend? Now’s the time to think it through, and put it on the calendar (even informally).

November 12, 2024
Naming a Blog (From the Vault, 2006)

The Mom Weekly Volume 65: November 5, 2024

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

Notes:

Later this week marks the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. An article I had run across earlier this year prompted me to look up what I had written, however small, about the Berlin Wall.

Please, if you do nothing else, read the account below in “interesting/notable” of the speechwriter who wrote the line, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” It’s incredibly moving.

Remember how much I love you,

Mom

Naming a blog (From the Vault, 2006)

I’m not sure if I am the only one who took a month or more before starting a blog because of ….naming issues. I went through a lot of choices, nearly chose one, and then this popped into my head and I said, “Finally, a name!” Now if the blog can only live up to it…

I chose my blog name from the title of the Rich Mullins song, “Let Mercy Lead“.

(2024 note: Here is a live version of Let Mercy Lead uploaded last year about Aiden Strasser, the baby in the original song, donating part of his liver to his sister).

Here is the chorus.

Let mercy lead

Let love be the strength in your legs

And in every footprint that you leave

There’ll be a drop of grace

If we can reach

Beyond the wisdom of this age

Into the foolishness of God

That foolishness will save

Those who believe

Although their foolish hearts may break

They will find peace

And I’ll meet you in that place

Where mercy leads

The first runner-up was “(What’s so Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”, from the title of the Elvis Costello song. There is another song that has run through my head for many years.

One of my fun dreams is to open a restaurant or coffee bar, and one of the specific details about my place is to paint this song title along the walls.

I was really into Elvis Costello my junior year abroad in England. I remember watching a documentary on British TV about youth in Berlin (this was 5 or 6 years before the fall of the Berlin Wall), and the documentary captured the sense of living in a war zone, a sense of hopelessness most felt about their future.

The presenter said, you know, for us, (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” is just a pop song, (with the Elvis Costello tune playing in the background) but for them (Berlin youth), it is really an anthem. They don’t sing it in an ironic way, he said.

I remember thinking, I don’t either! I was and am very earnest about what I thought was the meaning of the song. What I really know now is I am earnest about the title of the song.

In any case, now as a bit more of a grown-up, I had nearly decided upon this title for my blog, when I happened upon Elvis Costello tonight on “Austin City Limits.” A sign, I thought!

It was great to hear a lot of the old songs I loved, and still love. He has such a way with words. So I searched the internet for the lyrics to the song, (and nearly chose another of my favorites, “Everyday I Write the Book,” one of my all-time favorite Costello songs). But as I read the lyrics, I realized that it really isn’t a very hopeful song. I laugh as I write this because one wouldn’t ever put “Elvis Costello” in the “hope-filled artist” category.

So even though I still enjoy those Elvis Costello songs, and a lot of other music, the entire song”(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” (as opposed to the title) no longer dovetails so nicely with my view of the universe, and “Let Mercy Lead” does. I guess I’ve started this blog to help explain why.

Interesting/Notable:

How Top Advisers Opposed Reagan’s Challenge to Gorbachev—But Lost

This is a FASCINATING, FASCINATING read. I got emotional just reading it, and remembering so vividly being a 20something watching the live coverage of the Wall coming down and people throughout Berlin celebrating their freedoms.

Here’s another related article with a great quote from William F. Buckley. I’ll share the quote here:

“But they have been the aggressors,” Buckley went on, referring to the Soviets. “It is written into their charter that they are the aggressors. To say that we and the Soviet Union are to be compared is the equivalent of saying that the man who pushes the old lady into the way of an oncoming bus, and the man who pushes the old lady out of the way of an oncoming bus, are both people who push old ladies around.”

An Action Item: Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

This line from Psalm 122 keeps coming up to me when I think about the conflict in our world and all of the discord. Obviously, pray for the peace of Jerusalem means exactly that (as I wrote about last year) https://themomweekly.com/pray-for-the-peace-of-jerusalem/: praying for peace in the Holy Land. But it also means praying for peace in our homes, our country, our world.

So take a moment to pray Psalm 122. Here’s the image I made of it last year, for you to refer to.

What are you doing this weekend?

So, now that it’s Tuesday, what are you planning for the weekend? I’m going to suggest trying to cover four “F”s to get ideas flowing:

*faith—when are you going to Mass?

*friends—what friends will you see or connect with?

*food—any fun recipes you plan to try, or restaurants you plan to visit?

*fun—anything interesting you are going to play, watch, or do this weekend? Now’s the time to think it through, and put it on the calendar (even informally).

November 5, 2024