Meme: Alphabet Info

Julie D. tagged me with this one in January. Sorry it's taken so long to prep:

A is for Age: 44.

B is for Beer of choice: Tee-totaler here.

C is for Career: Currently a clerk in a convenience store and a sports official. Hopefully in the future a choir director at a university.

D is for favorite Drink: Chocolate Milk.

E is for Essential item you use everyday: Eyeglasses (yes, Julie someone in the 'blogosphere is going to have a different answer for this one!)

F is for Favorite song at the moment: Nothing at this time.

G is for favorite Game: Any board or card game in general. Monopoly and Scrabble top the list at the moment.

H is for Home town: State Center, IA. The place where I left my heart.

I is for Instruments you play: Voice--the only instrument created by God. I also played the trumpet from 5th. Grade to my 5th. year as a college student. Still have it.

J is for favorite Juice: Orange, with Grape a close second.

K is for Kids: Zero.

L is for Last Kiss: A gentleman never kisses and tells.

M is for Marriage: Still single and never married.

N is for full Name: Ronald Joseph.

O is for Overnight hospital stays: Never.

P is for Phobias: Succeeding and Failing.

Q is for Quote: I found this on the facade of the Auditorium in Sioux City, IA; it has made a great impression on me: "There is no conquest greater than that of self."

R is for biggest Regret: Not one big one, but I seeming say "what if..." quite a bit.

S is for Sports: Running and Bicycling as a participant; just about anything as a spectator.

T is for Time you wake up: Between 7 and 8:30 AM.

U is for color Underwear: Isn't this along the lines of the "boxers or briefs" question asked to former President Bill Clinton? No comment.

V is for Vegetable you love: Corn.

W is for Worst Habit: Procrastination.

X is for X-rays you've had: Right Foot (Sprain), Left Hand (Fractured Index Finger), Abdomen (Kidney Stone).

Y is for Yummy food you make: I make a very simple goulash: 3 cups elbow macaroni, 1 pound ground beef (sometimes 1.25 pounds ground turkey or 7 ounces small shrimp), and a 28 ounce can of spaghetti sauce. Other than that, I have the sharpest can opener in town.

Z is for Zodiac sign: Cancer.

Play along if you wish.

Funny Strange?

This is neither practical nor a joke.

More details to follow, perhaps.

Lenten Reading

As part of a person's Lenten devotion, some people take on additional reading materials, whether it be a more in-depth study of the Bible or some other spiritual materials.

I have a book which has been sitting on my shelf waiting to be perused. This is the perfect time for it.

From the Preface:

If we leave the Cross out of the Life of Christ, we have nothing left, and certainly not Christianity. For the Cross is related to our sins. Christ was our "stand-in" on the stage of life. He took our guilt as if He were guilty and thus paid the debt that sin deserved, namely, death. This made possible our resurrection to a "new life" in Him. Christ, therefore, is not just a teacher or a peasant revolutionist, but our Savior. Our modern world does not like the word "sin."

"Who Loves You, Baby?"

Yesterday, as I sat in class, I began to realize the formation component of our education; we cannot truly learn about God without entering into the mystery of who He is and allowing Him to penetrate our souls. So, in order to discuss God and his will for us, we first have to understand his love for us. His all-encompassing love.

Here's a nugget from our class notes (a bound volume):

"In the end, then, all questions really boil down to: 'Won't somebody love me?' 'Isn't there a God with real, effective, powerful love?' 'Who can fulfill all the aspiration I find in my heart?' 'Am I loveable, despite so much evil within?' 'Who will rescue me and purify my conscience?'"

These are questions I am asking of myself.

Go read the rest of this post from another Minnesota 'blogger, Adoro te Devote, and see if they truly resonate with you as well.

"When You Fast..."

The link will take you back to my post of Ash Wednesday 2006, where an article provided suggestions on things from which to fast and abstain.

Challenged

Leticia Velasquez, the 'blogmistress of Causa Nostrae Laetitiae, has challenged me to take the quiz she designed.

The results?

You are a 100% traditional Catholic!

Congratulations! You are more knowlegeable than most modern theologians! You have achieved mastery over the most important doctrines of the Catholic Faith! You should share your incredible understanding with others!

Do You Know Your Baltimore Catechism?
Make Your Own Quiz

Predictable? "Memory indeed is a sad privilege."

Triple Play

Thank God for my e-mail acquaintances. They can supply me with material to post when my well runs dry. With minor editing, here is the latest:

**********

Three things in life that, once gone, never come back:

1. Time
2. Words
3. Opportunity

Three things in life that can destroy a person:

1. Anger
2. Pride
3. Being Unforgiving

Three things in life that you should never lose:

1. Hope
2. Peace
3. Honesty

Three things in life that are most valuable:

1. Love
2. Family & Friends
3. Kindness

Three things in life that are never certain:

1. Fortune
2. Success
3. Dreams

Three things that make a person:

1. Commitment
2. Sincerity
3. Hard work

Three things that are truly constant:

1. Father
2. Son
3. Holy Spirit

**********

While redundant, I add three things which endure (see 1 Corinthians 13:13):

1. Faith
2. Hope
3. Love

Prayer Request

She is an occasional commenter to some of my posts.

She is a member of the "B-Team".

She has more faith in her operated-upon toe than I have in my entire body.

She knows how to live the Faith.

She knows the Father, His Son, and His Mother better than I can ever imagine or hope.

She is battling a severe case of pneumonia.

She is scared.

(She is not the only one.)

She is Catherine Garcia, the 'blogmistress of "Life Behind The Zion Curtain".

She is in need of your prayers.

Here is mine for her, spoken over a year ago for someone else and written for anyone:

Lord Jesus Christ, You came to earth as the Divine Physician, to cure not only our spiritual ills but our physical ones as well. Look kindly upon Your servants who are ailing. Grant them the Grace to carry the cross they bear at the moment. Bring healing and hope to their body and spirit. Be with them; allow them to touch the hem of Your garment. Comfort them in their fears and anxieties. Let Your mercy show forth in the works of those in the healing arts, where people can encounter You. May they be brought back to wholeness, so as to continue their mission to serve others. We ask this in union with the Father and the Holy Spirit, our Triune God, forever and ever.

Kyrie, eleison.

(UPDATE 2/13/07) Catherine was released from the hospital Sunday and is now continuing her recovery at home.