What would you do if you had only 6 months to live?
Don't ask me why, but I've been thinking about this lately.
For me, the first thing I would do is cut back...on everything...of course the extras, but even important, good things stand in the way of the most important.
Secondly, I'd spend more time with my family. Not sure how to spend more time, as I am with my crew 24-7....but maybe I mean spending time AND being present to them more often. I would love them more and better. I can't control C. Robin's work, but I could hope he'd be home more often too. Then I could love him more and better too!
Third, though I know my olders would remember me and would remember how profoundly I love them, I would need to find a way to translate my love to Roo. I would want him to know that I love him beyond imagination. I love them all wildly, without reason.
And fourth, I would try to finish my scrapbooks. To which Pooh said, "you better start scrapbooking again then!"
And I guess I should, if it ranks on a 6 month to-do list!
-kanga
Showing posts with label simple living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label simple living. Show all posts
2.14.2008
2.03.2008
Vice and Virtue
, which is NOT a long-lost Jane Austen novel!
In the spirit of cleansing, the theme for our family this Lent is cleaning out the vice and practicing the opposing virtue. (and the CCC says that every vice is in opposition to virtue...many quotes and ideas below directly from the CCC) However, it's not that simple. There are 4 capital virtues and 3 theological virtues. They don't correlate very easily, so I tried a different angle. "The gifts of the Holy Spirit complete and perfect the virtues" and there are 7 gifts, but these also don't correlate perfectly. And, "the fruits of the Holy Spirit are perfections that the HS forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory." But there are 12 and these really don't match the vices in harmony either.*sigh* I ask myself, "why didn't we just go with giving up TV?"*deep breath*
I think we've got it though!
The Plan:
Each week we will focus on turning away from a vice and practicing a virtue. (even if "techinically" it is not categorized "virtue) When one of us practices a good or resists a bad then we place a rose petal on our Crown of Thorns. Yes, we have a very sharp crown (C. Robin cut himself 3 times with it today!) No, not real rose petals. We'll cut some out of construction paper. The more rose petals, the softer we make the Crown for Jesus.
This week: practice fortitude, root out sloth.
Week 2: practice justice and kindness, root out envy
Week 3: practice temperance, root out gluttony (this is not limited to food, but taking more than we need in anything)
Week 4: practice generosity, root out avarice (greed)
Week 5: practice purity and self-control, root out lust
Week 6: practice prudence and patience, root out wrath
Week 7: practice humility, root out pride (we thought this would be the best week to unite ourselves to Christ's amazing humility when God-who-became-man-for-our-sake humbled himself to the point of death, death on a cross.....this should make any minor humiliations I have to suffer seem miniscule in comparison!)
I will also be letting go of sweets......oh no! (this is the little something I love so much!) I need to limit of a couple of distractions, one of which is my email and computer time. Other people in my house have to limit time with their electronic of choice. Please pray for us!
Are you doing anything special?
Let me know, I can pray for you too! (this isn't easy!)
kanga
In the spirit of cleansing, the theme for our family this Lent is cleaning out the vice and practicing the opposing virtue. (and the CCC says that every vice is in opposition to virtue...many quotes and ideas below directly from the CCC) However, it's not that simple. There are 4 capital virtues and 3 theological virtues. They don't correlate very easily, so I tried a different angle. "The gifts of the Holy Spirit complete and perfect the virtues" and there are 7 gifts, but these also don't correlate perfectly. And, "the fruits of the Holy Spirit are perfections that the HS forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory." But there are 12 and these really don't match the vices in harmony either.*sigh* I ask myself, "why didn't we just go with giving up TV?"*deep breath*
I think we've got it though!
The Plan:
Each week we will focus on turning away from a vice and practicing a virtue. (even if "techinically" it is not categorized "virtue) When one of us practices a good or resists a bad then we place a rose petal on our Crown of Thorns. Yes, we have a very sharp crown (C. Robin cut himself 3 times with it today!) No, not real rose petals. We'll cut some out of construction paper. The more rose petals, the softer we make the Crown for Jesus.
This week: practice fortitude, root out sloth.
Week 2: practice justice and kindness, root out envy
Week 3: practice temperance, root out gluttony (this is not limited to food, but taking more than we need in anything)
Week 4: practice generosity, root out avarice (greed)
Week 5: practice purity and self-control, root out lust
Week 6: practice prudence and patience, root out wrath
Week 7: practice humility, root out pride (we thought this would be the best week to unite ourselves to Christ's amazing humility when God-who-became-man-for-our-sake humbled himself to the point of death, death on a cross.....this should make any minor humiliations I have to suffer seem miniscule in comparison!)
I will also be letting go of sweets......oh no! (this is the little something I love so much!) I need to limit of a couple of distractions, one of which is my email and computer time. Other people in my house have to limit time with their electronic of choice. Please pray for us!
Are you doing anything special?
Let me know, I can pray for you too! (this isn't easy!)
kanga
1.30.2008
Looking forward to Lent
I might be crazy, but I truly look forward to Lent. It is a time to deny our own selfishness and unite ourselves to Christ, expecially his time in the desert before Palm Sunday when he triumphantly enters Jeruselem. When we start the discussions about Lent, the kids usually ask, "what are we giving up this year?" And of course we are going to give up something (help me, I really like this something!) But I want to approach this more comprehensively, as an emptying of self , as a curbing selfish desires, and as a humble servant. Since Lent starts so early this year (next week!) , I want to be thinking about the following this weekend. I read this and think it a great bit to ponder:
"Clean Monday”, the first full day of the Great Fast, is traditionally a day when people prepare to go to Confession in order to cleanse the body, soul and spirit of sin. In many places and cultures, it is the custom during the First Week of Lent to clean the house, to rid our dwellings of possessions that clutter our lives, and to find things to share with the poor. The month of February gets its name from the Latin word “februum,” which means to make clean! The “theme” of Clean Monday is found in the Prophecy of Isaiah, which is read on that day during Sixth Hour: "Wash yourselves and you shall be clean; put away from my eyes the wicked ways of your souls; cease to do evil; learn to do good. Seek justice, correct oppression, care for the fatherless, and plead for the widow. Come then, and let us reason together, says the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow; and though they be red like crimson, I will make them white as wool" (1.16-18).
We are off to Dallas for the State BB Tournament, and one of the great things about travelling in a car is that there is plenty of time to talk! Hopefully we will have much of our Lent figured out by thetim e we get back home.
kanga
"Clean Monday”, the first full day of the Great Fast, is traditionally a day when people prepare to go to Confession in order to cleanse the body, soul and spirit of sin. In many places and cultures, it is the custom during the First Week of Lent to clean the house, to rid our dwellings of possessions that clutter our lives, and to find things to share with the poor. The month of February gets its name from the Latin word “februum,” which means to make clean! The “theme” of Clean Monday is found in the Prophecy of Isaiah, which is read on that day during Sixth Hour: "Wash yourselves and you shall be clean; put away from my eyes the wicked ways of your souls; cease to do evil; learn to do good. Seek justice, correct oppression, care for the fatherless, and plead for the widow. Come then, and let us reason together, says the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow; and though they be red like crimson, I will make them white as wool" (1.16-18).
We are off to Dallas for the State BB Tournament, and one of the great things about travelling in a car is that there is plenty of time to talk! Hopefully we will have much of our Lent figured out by thetim e we get back home.
kanga
1.03.2008
Less is More
Prior to Christmas this year, C. Robin and I convinced the kids that no Christmas presents were necessary for anyone other than Roo. At first they thought we were kidding, then they were perplexed, then they thought we were crazy...or cheap, and finally they were reconciled to the idea.
We just didn't want the before Christmas "I need to dream up something I ~need~ and then go about begging for it" from our beloved offspring. We were also hoping for an outward thinking about presents too. Well, it worked! Pre-Christmas was relaxed and pleasant.
Roo had written a letter to Santy asking for Hot Wheels. (hot weels as he wrote!). So one of his elves (named kanga) found a basic track, and a super-cool-wonder-dragon track and had both sent to Grandma's house. Kanga also informed grandparents that cars would be good too! Well, the package came, but the super-cool-wonder-dragon track was damaged. Very badly damaged and we hadn't checked until late Christmas Eve. oops.
On Christmas morn, however, Roo couldn't have been happier. And, he was so impressed that Santy had taken the time to set up the track! He played with the simple track and cars for hours. He still is even now. So the super-cool-wonder-dragon track is headed back with no replacement necessary. Less is More.
Pooh received a camera; she has wanted one for many moons. Tigger got a palm pilot and a watch, which he is tinkering with too much! The best moment was Piglet when she realized that she was opening an ipod nano. She was in suspended animation....too cute!
Less is truly More.
-kanga
We just didn't want the before Christmas "I need to dream up something I ~need~ and then go about begging for it" from our beloved offspring. We were also hoping for an outward thinking about presents too. Well, it worked! Pre-Christmas was relaxed and pleasant.
Roo had written a letter to Santy asking for Hot Wheels. (hot weels as he wrote!). So one of his elves (named kanga) found a basic track, and a super-cool-wonder-dragon track and had both sent to Grandma's house. Kanga also informed grandparents that cars would be good too! Well, the package came, but the super-cool-wonder-dragon track was damaged. Very badly damaged and we hadn't checked until late Christmas Eve. oops.
On Christmas morn, however, Roo couldn't have been happier. And, he was so impressed that Santy had taken the time to set up the track! He played with the simple track and cars for hours. He still is even now. So the super-cool-wonder-dragon track is headed back with no replacement necessary. Less is More.
Pooh received a camera; she has wanted one for many moons. Tigger got a palm pilot and a watch, which he is tinkering with too much! The best moment was Piglet when she realized that she was opening an ipod nano. She was in suspended animation....too cute!
Less is truly More.
-kanga
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