Will it work?

So, this came in the mail today. Do you think it will work?  

Rocky doesn't seem to think so.😜

Seek First the Kingdom

When I talk to politically-minded Christians they are usually shocked to learn that I do not watch the news.  They do not understand, not when I tell them that I have anger issues, nor even when I say that it triggers anxiety in me.  I have been chastised for not caring about "the issues" and had the quote by Edmund Burke thrown at me, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Actually, that is not true. Evil does not triumph. God does.  To God goes the victory.  (Amen?)

I get it, I do. The world is crap. It is 

violent, evil, insane, and scary.  Really scary.  Here's the thing: what will my watching the news do?  Will it make it possible for me to stop "them" from doing whatever it is "they" are doing?  No.  

It will rob me of peace and God commands that we not be anxious over anything for it betrays a lack of faith in Him.  If I cannot add a single hour to my life by wringing my hands in worry, why worry?  And I could worry most people under the table.  I could medal in a worry Olympics...

if I gave into it.  So, I won't.  

"But, Amelia, how will you know what is going on in the world?"

Simple, if it is really important, I will find out. See, the "news" isn't really.  There is nothing new under the sun.  Same sins. Same heresies.  Without Jesus, it is all vanity and chasing after the wind.  So, I will seek first the kingdom of God, pray, and stay away from the news.  Even during elections. Especially during elections. 

Sonic Boom

Growing up in Florida, Shuttle launches were a regular part of life.  Though I did not live on the coast, I was close enough that when a launch was scheduled on a school day my teacher would take the class out of the classroom to stand outside and watch.   Equally interesting to me was the Shuttle's reentry into the atmosphere because of the effect produced by the spacecraft reaching supersonic speeds.  I marveled that I could stand in one spot while an object passed me and I could see it before hearing it.  And then...BOOM!  The  soundwave would catch up and shake the earth and my eardrums.  It is a sound so loud, one would think that no one could miss it.  And yet, I have slept through it.   As a kid and later as a young adult, I slept soundly through sonic booms.  That was the reason I laughed when my husband sent me a link for a Sonic Boom alarm clock for deep sleepers.  Somehow, I just do not think it will work.  Oh, obviously it is worth a try because the alarm clock on my phone is not working, but I wonder if it would not simply serve to awaken everyone else in the house, but me...and my eldest daughter. She is a "Sonic Boomer", too.  I will order it, though, because I love my husband.  

To everything (Turn, turn, turn)

The kids and I read through the book of Ecclesiastes recently.  I still cannot read it without singing:

"To everything - turn, turn, turn

There is a season - turn, turn, turn

And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die

A time to plant, a time to reap

A time to kill, a time to heal

A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything - turn, turn, turn

There is a season - turn, turn, turn

And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down

A time to dance, a time to mourn

A time to cast away stones

A time to gather stones together

To everything - turn, turn, turn

There is a season - turn, turn, turn

And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time of love, a time of hate

A time of war, a time of peace

A time you may embrace

A time to refrain from embracing

To everything - turn, turn, turn

There is a season - turn, turn, turn

And a time to every purpose under heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose

A time to rend, a time to sew

A time for love, a time for hate

A time for peace, I swear it's not too late!"

That always takes me back to rockin' it to the Oldies station in my mom's car.  

Elvis was the King, man, and I thought I had been born in the wrong time period, for all I fit into the one in which I lived.  These lyrics spoke to me before I knew the author to be God, and even more after I figured it out.  I tell you what, though, reading them out of the Bible with my kids was way better than belting them out with my sister and my mom, though that was fun, too.  I may or may not have whispered a little "Turn, turn, turn"after the first verse in Ecclesiastes Chapter 3. :) If my kids think I am a nerd, they're right!

Am I a writer?

I have struggled for years between the desire to do something and the work it requires.  I have convinced myself that I have not the time for it.  The excuse du jour is that I have many children that require my attention, and while that may be true, it is nullified by the fact that when I had fewer children I did not write.  Nor did I do so when I had none.  I remember a homily given by my parish priest many years ago.  In it he spoke about playing golf.  He said he knew someone who loved to golf, who lived for it, but only did it twice a year.  This priest asked the congregation, "If you call yourself a golfer, but only golf twice a year, are you really a golfer?"
  This homily was given at Easter, and the priest was imparting to us the importance of going to Mass more than twice a year; however, I have thought about it often over the years, and have gleaned a wider meaning in it than the priest might have intended.  Thus, as I originally asked myself, "Am I a Catholic if I only choose to worship in God's house twice a year?"  I now also ask,
"Am I a Christian if I do not observe His commandments?"
Am I a good person if I do not produce good fruit?"
"Am I a writer if I only write twice a year?  Or at all?"

To be honest, no.

I am not a writer, however much I desire to be, nor however many times I may call myself one.  I am not a writer, because I do not write.

So, this is me, writing.

I am committing to it, which means I am swallowing my pride and allowing this to be seen by others who will most likely judge my grammar, my spelling, many typos, and, most frightening of all, my heart.

I am simply going to write and let it be what it is, no matter what the consequences.

In an act of sheer bravery (or stupidity), I invite you to judge my words.  You read that correctly.

Correct me.  Keep me accountable.  If I do not write in a couple of days, call me on it.  Not because I think my words are so wonderful you cannot live without them, but because I need your help.  As an introvert, I tend to become a hermit and lose contact with the world.  I retreat within myself and I need help to come out.  I cannot promise to respond here.  I will not show corrections on my blog, but I will make notes, journal your suggestions, and thus, hopefully, improve my reasoning and my writing.
In return, I shall pray for you.  Please, let me know if there is something specific you would like for me to pray about.

Pax Christi,
Amelia