Did you get up at 4 AM last Friday and start your Christmas shopping. I didn't. I followed my normal Friday routine ... well, almost. Frank Schober had sent the link to the web site where he "Elfed Himself" and after I finished laughing I "Elfed myself" and I was hooked. Then I "Elfed myself" again, but this time with my brothers Jim and John. Wow, what a trio! See it here. I have seen strange situations in my life but not many are as strange as the one in which I find myself. I have two (surviving) brothers but they are not brothers to each other, or for that matter, related to each other in any way. Of course, the two are actually half brothers to me but I don't tend to think of them that way. A brother is a brother is a brother. I checked to see if my brothers and sisters are "siblings" since we tend to view a sibling as one with whom we have shared a childhood, However, siblings are defined as children who share a common father and/or mother even if they are not raised together. Interesting!

In any case, after I finished elfing around, I completed the update to this web site and put it on line, managing to get the update emails out before lunch. Another self imposed deadline met. Since I had enough milk and OJ to get by, and with the leftovers from Thanksgiving here to sustain me, I did not go foraging for food but remained home for the day. Saturday was much of the same, ... messing with the computer and aside from some reading, little else.

My email has a generous sprinkling of people trying to sell "Replica Watches". One came with this message:

Why would I want to buy a replica watch instead of a real one?The reason why replica watches are so popular is because
you can look classy and professional, yet not have to spend
tens of thousands of dollars doing it. These watches look identical
to the ones you will find at the jewellery store selling for prices
most people would not be able to afford. There is no reason
why these beautiful watches should only be limited to the rich,
but to everyone who wants to add a touch of class to their life style

Aside from the fact that I don't even wear a watch any more there are several things wrong here. Why would I purchase anything from an idiot? Misspellings and atrocious  sentence structure are only part of the problem. I can say that because even though I am a terrible speller, I wouldn't think of sending an email without using the spell checker on it and I do pride myself on writing coherently. and then ... as if pretending to be rich will enhance one's lifestyle. Who would I be fooling by buying one of these fakes? Maybe myself. (Did he want to say "limited to" everyone ... ?)

I did enjoy "living in the manner to which I would like to become accustomed" on our annual company management meetings but we weren't deluding ourselves to believe that we could sustain that lifestyle on our own. It was a nice treat but it was just that. And we weren't trying to impress others either. But, the ignorant people who send out these emails are trying to reach those who are at their own level. They need to reach the ones who want the reward but not the work that the reward requires. They don't even know that the reward they are seeking isn't going to bring them satisfaction and happiness. I am reminded of Gibran's thoughts on Work as expressed in The Prophet. Yes, "Work is love made visible." You may notice that Gibran does not even mention the rewards of work. He probably didn't think it was part of the original question ... and rightly so.

I am sure that they sell a lot of those "replica" watches to the greedy ones to which their pitch is directed. I wonder how long those watches actually function, ... it at all. Oh yes, I forgot ... they are replicas! They probably not only pretend to be expensive but also pretend to be watches.

I'm a trouble maker. I have been bugging my sister-in-law Peggy for information and photos of Minnie Packard since I discovered she was the subject of a "Newsboy Cabinet". As usual, Peggy came through with some old photos and some information. There is enough to add a section to the Packard Family page which will reveal something of the actress of the family and explain the "Newsboy Cabinet". See "Show Girl" The section includes several links which delve deeper into the story of my mother's great aunt "Tood" ... and beyond.

Sunday morning, my friend C. S. Lewis (I consider him a friend even though we haven't met except through my reading), spoke of the people who say they can be good without being  (an active) Christian. He says, "We need not inquire whether God will punish him for his cowardice and laziness, they will punish themselves. The man is shirking." Strong words ... but I must agree. I always felt that laziness had a lot to do with it but calling him a coward? Yes, it fits and Lewis is right on track again. These people, as good as they may seem to be, are cowards because they are afraid that God will ask them to do more than they are comfortable with. And ... they are shirking the responsibilities that entitle them to the name "Christian".

At Mass on Sunday, my friend (and this time it is mutual) Deacon Mike Kiley rendered a powerful homily. His comments on the insight of the so called "good thief" who was crucified with Jesus, brought the need for our expression of thanks to God right to our hearts. We ask much and say thanks, too little. It goes right to my heart in a very special way. I was an accident, or at the very least, the result of an accident. I was unplanned, unexpected and decidedly inconvenient to the lives of all concerned ... except me. And so, I am grateful beyond measure for my life. I was born! Thank you, God. Along with that goes due thanks to those who conceived me even though it was, for them, a shocking accident. And thanks to my mother, reluctant as she must have been, for nurturing my life when I was at my most helpless stage of growth. As to what to do next, the primary consideration is in the nature of the lives of the people involved and their circumstances. I am sure that I would have, not only survived, but thrived as the child of a single mother, or in being raised by grandparents (as my father was) or as an adopted child (as I was). That part was ultimately in my hands. To paraphrase St Augustine, 'Your life is God's gift to you. What you do with your life is your gift to God.' And so, I repeat, ... I was born! Thank you, God. Now, with Your help, it is up to me.

By the way, several friends before and after mass commented on what a great elf I am. (Yes, I sent it to everyone) See it here I realized that it fits right in with "my story" and I wish I could capture that scene and add it to Born Again  See, I can dance!

When Anne Marie called Sunday afternoon she sounded terrible and terribly tired. She did not want to have to cook and I suggested that she send one of her boys out for Chinese. She would love that but her men don't eat Chinese. Well, they would go out for something so she could nurse her cold. Of course I couldn't get the idea out of my head so when the time came I was off to Lang Lee's. Their Mongolian Beef is to die for, so to speak. I did not order my usual libation to insure that I would not be driving home under the influence, nor did I indulge myself with an egg role or their delicious egg drop soup. Even so I could not finish the deliciously spicy beef so it was enjoyed again on Monday. It was a nice change from turkey. That was gone on Saturday.

Why are people so insecure in their faith that they need to be assured that every thing written in the Bible is factual? Yes, our church teaches, and believes, that God inspired the writers to record His will, and He wants us to use the Bible to guide us in our faith and daily lives. The stories in the Bible are parables written in the language and understanding of the era of the writers and their immediate audiences. Therefore the apparent science of the story may not be accurate. If it was, it would have been unbelievable to the people of the time and would have been rejected along with the truth of its theology. The messages of most of the Hebrew Scriptures are that God has created everything and there are not multiple gods, along with the fact that He wishes us to honor Him as creator as we honor all He created, treating His creation with respect. To do otherwise is self defeating,

But, with apologies to my fundamentalist friends, as well as the quasi-fundamentalist friends,. I am reminded of the Lieutenant on my ship, who, during a serious conversation in the electronics shop, stated that he only made one important decision in his life. He decided to be an officer in the US Navy. The reason he made that decision was that he would never need to make another decision because everything was "in the book" and so if he went by the book everything would be right. Wow! This was my leader! ???

It seems to me that those who reject tradition for strict belief in the bible as factual in every respect must be thinking a lot like that lieutenant. Where is the need for Faith? It is all in the book. They forget that the only book Christians had for the first generations was the Hebrew Scriptures and that the Christian Bible grew from the traditions of the first Christians. It is also a fact that the Hebrew Scriptures had only been compiled a few hundred years prior to the birth of Jesus and that the Jewish people had to rely on their spoken traditions for centuries. It as also a fact that the Christian community did not settle on the composition of the Bible as we know it for several hundred years.

So, on what did the early Christians base their beliefs? It was the stories told by those who knew Jesus and on second and third hand retelling as it was remembered. And in each telling, only the most pertinent truths were told to make it relevant to the particular audience. Faith enters the picture when we realize that these early Christians' faith and beliefs were "to die for", ... literally. If their faith was so strong, how could we not follow? Their faith was not in all these trivial details but in the nature and existence of God, proclaimed by Jesus, Their crime was to refuse to deny God and the refusal to give tribute to false and self proclaimed gods. We waste time and effort trying to prove that the sun stood still in the sky when the message was that God can do anything and will help if we live according to His precepts. It makes no difference in how mankind was created, as long as we believe He created us. (There are two conflicting versions in Genesis as well as the one by Darwin and many others before.)

I have said my piece. Again, I have friends who do not agree with me and I may be puzzled by their beliefs, but I do respect them and their freedom to do so. I may even think I know why they think as they do, but I may be wrong. I offer these thoughts, not to dissuade them or argue with them but to foster thought and that you may know what makes me act and think the way I do. My beliefs in regard to the "facts" of the bible are, as far as I know, in accord with the current official view of the Catholic Church. By the way, all these paragraphs were generated as a result of receiving an email purportedly proving that the sun actually stood still for a day as recorded in the Bible. I was not convinced. But then, I don't think that was the defining part of the message in the first place.

Monday found me out of orange juice after breakfast, out of milk and lunch meat after eating lunch and very low on many things. So I went foraging. Remodeling of the store continues. I found beer where the milk had been. I didn't want beer. The frozen food is now the farthest from the checkout lines and I like to get the frozen food last so it stays that way. It is an adventure. I find that checking out is easier though. I am sure they have lost many customers. With the added days between visits to the store my bill was a lot higher than normal but I am all stocked up so it averages out.

Monday night the last thing I watched on TV was a program I had recorded. Since I fast forward through the commercials, I had time to check my email before the 10:00 news.  There were two from Anne Maris. She had been trying to phone but could not reach me. She called AT&T who confirmed that there was a problem. Since they could not determine if the problem was inside the house or outside there would be a $71 charge for a service call.  So, I delayed my bed time a bit and went to the line interface in the basement and unplugged my inside lines. I also disconnected the ADT line at the alarm unit. Then I connected a single phone to the outside line., or so I thought. DEAD! I emailed the info to my daughter and Tuesday morning she emailed that AT&T would be to the house before 7 PM.

I have been troubled by phone problems this year twice before this time and on those occasions the problem was with the ADT system. It was corrected without cost to me. By the process of elimination I can narrow it down and this time I was sure the problem was in the wiring outside the house. I was wrong ... again. It was about 11 AM when the service man arrived and made his checks outside. He returned to the house to ask if he could look at the wiring inside. I had done all the right things but because the last ADT technician looped my telephone wiring through their connections, when I connected to what was once the outside line, it was actually looped through the ADT connector.  It was their system that had caused the problem again. The AT&T man reconnected the phone wiring and left ADT disconnected and my phones were back in service, He was out of here in 15 minutes. 

After lunch a call was made to ADT and my service was canceled. She of course offered to send a technician out to repair the problem but having lost confidence in their technicians, I declined. They contract out their service and each time someone came it was from a different company. Three strikes and you are out. The representative suggested that I should not be without such a valuable service and I agreed, telling her that I will seriously consider finding a provider who can maintain the service they sell. In the mean time I will continue to arm the system when I go out and at night. All the contact switches and alarms still work. Should the alarm sound at night, I will dial 911 from my bedside phone until I arrange for a more reliable provider. That will be very soon..

And ... speaking of phones ... an automated call came in from Blue Cross - Blue Shield of Illinois. Their automated calls are unique in that there is no need to push buttons, you just respond by voice. This was also unique in that a guest and I were invited to a free movie at a nearby theater. A number was given for me to make a reservation. I don't generally attend movies and the one mentioned can wait until I can see it on my TV so I will not be going. Besides, I suspect some kind of sales pitch is the ultimate goal of this "free" offer. (Just because I am paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't out to get me!) Of course, I don't know what they can be trying to sell me. They are my Medicare supplemental insurance carrier as well as my Medicare Rx provider, both at the highest levels. I need that kind of coverage and they do a good job. I am very satisfied with them. I have no idea what they could sell me that I don't already have.

Another phone surprise came a few hours later. It was an automated message from AT&T telling me what I already knew and what they could not have done if it had not been accomplished. My phones had been fixed. But it did alert me to a service that I didn't know existed. By going to their web site at att,com/repair you can make a repair request. Wonderful! Now If I have a phone problem I don't need to have someone make the call for me. No, I don't own a cell phone any more.

When Barbara was here on Tuesday,  I was surprised at seeing Christmas towels in place in the guest bath room. I had carefully placed them in a zip-lock bag last January and put them in a closet in the basement. She found them. Thanks to Marc's visit last Friday, the Christmas boxes were in the corner of the dinning room. I have begun to retrieve things from them one - by - one and it's beginning to look like Christmas. (I may break into song at any minute.)

Wednesday evening there was a meeting of St Julie's Community life board. As usual community life does not always include coming to meetings, especially those that are for administrative purposes, and so, only a few of the 11 ministries of our board were represented. But the important thing is that all eleven are thriving and active in their missions. As always a bit of work for the Web Ministry was generated. We will establish a means for the parishioners to contact the Social group through the website with suggestions for social events. That will be easy. I have started to implement a new tracking system to see how visitors to the parish web site navigate through it and how many visitors visit each page. The next step will be to use this information to improve the web site ... an on-going task. We continue to look for ways to evangelize our parishioners. How do you get inactive people to be active. In other words, how do we attract the slackers? How do you convince them that it is to their benefit?

Thursday morning our regular bible study group met for a special presentation by Fr. Steve on the "Infancy Narratives" (Christmas story) in the bible. It was wonderful ... firstly, because we had to get more chairs out to provide for all the people who attended. Steve did a great job in pointing out not only what was in the bible, but what was not as well as many important aspects that are not immediately apparent. One aspect in particular stood out for me and that was in the genealogy list provided in one of the Gospels. In those days the names of women were never included in a person's genealogy. It was the males who were important. Secondly, the women who were included were not of the best reputation. One was a prostitute. The point Steve was making was that the Gospel is telling us that good comes from the sometimes unimportant and through imperfect people. A bad situation can be turned good. I immediately thought of my own birth. Please understand, I am not in any way comparing my birth to that of Jesus. I am only saying that a birth of anyone can be, and usually is, a good thing regardless of the situation of the parents or their ancestors, or anything else for that matter. In my case, I feel good about the outcome, especially when you consider my children and grandchildren resulted from the event.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sarah Ialacci and Caitlin Plefka. Congratulations to the daughters of (brother) Jim and Peggy Cecora and (my son) Tom and Diane.

The Sliders are sliding around and lost their home, such as it was. The spring season will find them homeless wandering around the Midwest to play all their games. And so the Slippery Rock Sliders have become the Midwest Sliders. The only reason for the team to exist is to provide a team #12 to round out the schedule. This is good for the league but tough on the Sliders. Anthony is looking to be traded to a team that has a home and a fan base with backers. We wait and hope.

We pray for the soul of John O'Connell. He is Karen's sister's father-in-law. We offer our condolences to Mike and all of the family.

My reading of C. S. Lewis this morning prompted further thoughts on the two theological subjects of this week. One is the value of any life brought into this world in that it has the potential for good or evil and every shade of color in-between. We can neither make judgment or control the outcome ... only influence it as best we can through our example and selflessness. The outcome is entirely up to that new life and greatly influenced by his/her acceptance of God's help. Lewis offers the picture of the individual as being a house. He can neglect himself and have it fall to ruin or he can invite God to come in and repair its faults. Lewis suggests that the first of God's actions would be to fix the defects, the bad plumbing, leaking roof or broken window. But we, if we let Him, will be surprised when He adds a wing or two, creates courtyards and erects towers and spires. God will create a palace, because you see, He intends to live there.