Category Archives: Jennspeak

Vocation Week Smacking Me in the Face!

Jennspeak, Of Trials Opportunities and Gifts, Prayer/Prayer Requests

Here’s a little teaser for you: I think I was just called to do something. Oh boy. Now I am all excited and nervous at the same time. I have no idea how I am going to do this, but if God wants me to do this, then He will find a way to make it happen.

Here I was, worrying about my status. You know, should I be single? Looking for marriage? Finding out about religious life? I felt like I was sitting at a crossroads, waiting for God to push me in one direction or the other. Like I had a big sign on me reading, “PENDING.”

Well, I asked for a vocation. A clear indication of what He wanted me to do. And I got one…I think. But it has nothing to do with single/married/religious life — in fact, I could fulfill this vocation in any of those states of life.

More on this when I finish freaking out! 🙂 Pray for me that I cooperate with His call, and that I follow through — because this will take a while, like the rest of my life. Thanks!

Bible Study – Session 15, Adventures in Matthew

Bible Study, Critical Mass, Jennspeak, Neat Things I Didn't Author, Prayer/Prayer Requests

This was a really productive Bible study for me this evening. I really enjoyed answering my questions and reflecting upon the Word of God. Here are three things which I came across this evening that were of particular significance to me:

1. “To deny oneself is to disown oneself as the center on one’s existence.” — The Catholic Study Bible (Pg. 1283; MT 16:24)

2. Sin thwarts us in our vocation as God’s children. Pp. 549, Catechism of the Catholic Church

3. Regarding the Transfiguration: “Peter did not yet understand this when he wanted to remain with Christ on the mountain. It has been reserved for you, Peter, but for after death. For now, Jesus says: ‘Go down to toil on earth, to serve on earth, to be scorned and crucified on earth. Life goes down to be killed; Bread goes down to suffer hunger; the Way goes down to be exhausted on his journey; the Spring goes down to suffer thirst; and you refuse to suffer?'” — St. Augustine, Sermo 78, 6: PL 38, 492-493, cf. Lk 9:33

Sin is, to me, a fixation on self. A feeding of that which is of the earth and of ourselves. A selfishness of mind, body and spirit. A turning from His will, in the preference of our own. By pleading with God to remove all suffering from our life, we are asking not to be a part of Christ’s redemptive suffering on the cross. And to choose not to take up our cross and suffer alongside Him, we are choosing also not to share in his Resurrection and kingdom. Instead, we should choose to take up our cross, and suffer alongside our Lord — but not blindly. We should always unite our suffering to his for a purpose. Somehow, God will make our suffering efficacious for those purposes. We should not waste our suffering, but have it be used as redemption for others. Enter fully into the body of Christ and give fully of ourselves — not only the good parts and the surplus of ourselves and our possessions, but of our suffering, pain and need. When we have given of ourselves until we are empty and wrung out, will we truly know what it means to submit completely and receive back all the grace of our Lord. The more we empty of ourselves, the more we have room for Him.

Lord, in the words of John the Baptist on this day of the Baptism of our Lord, help me to decrease in myself, so that He who dwells within me can increase.
Amen.

Also, at the beginning of Vocation Week, let us remember the words of Fr. Mark’s homily today (he quoting someone else, I just forget who): “There is no VAcation from your VOcation.” How true. May we always live according to God’s plan for our life. Please join me in praying for people’s discernment of the vocation God has in mind for them, and the acceptance of this calling, whether to the priesthood, diaconate, religious life, married life or single life; may all of God’s people live for the glory of Him according to their state of life.

Dinner of Champions!

Humor of the Day, Jennspeak, Photography

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Orville Redenbacher, you have disappointed me. I thought your easy microwaveable treats would make a fine, warm dinner. However, they quickly cooled and was not nearly as tasty as the popcorn I can pay a billion dollars for at the movie theatre. Oh how I wish you would work on your Secret Recipe just a little bit more so that bachelors as myself can have an enjoyable meal on nights when they are too cold to get out to the store, too broke to order a pizza and too lazy to cook using more than one pan.

So, What Did You Do for New Year’s Eve?

Jennspeak, Photography, Tales of My Amazing Priests

Originally uploaded by CadyLy

I went out to the store needing mundane items like, oh, deodorant, so I wouldn’t stink, and ended up buying hair stuff that supposed to eliminate frizz, make my hair soft, act as a weak hairspray, take 5 pounds off me and give me an instant face lift — or something like that. And for $20 — it had better live up to it! 🙂

I also got some new make-up, since the stuff I have laying around the house is over a decade old (gasp!). Ended up finding the best eyeliner ever! Ever! Now, don’t judge by these pictures, since my skill in applying said eyeliner is LACKING, but it really is good stuff. And new foundation in Natural Ivory. Hmm. Me. Ivory. You wouldn’t think with as dark of eyes and hair (well, normally), but yes, I am very Snow White like that. And new lip gloss.

Well, I have to be girly SOMETIME, give me a break! 🙂

After my fit of narcissism, where I playfully took about a billion pictures of myself and my new make-up, Terry came over and we went out to dinner at Shield’s and then saw “Seven Pounds” with Will Smith at the theatre. It was a really good movie. A little slow, very dramatic, very emotive. It didn’t have any real surprises to it — you could figure out what was going to happen the entire way through — but it was very well done. Go Will! You are one of my favorite actors. 🙂

After Terry dropped me back off home, I danced around the living room for a short while, then got ready to go to Mass.

Oh yeah. Did I tell you? There’s a MIDNIGHT MASS for Mary! I’d never heard of that before, only midnight Mass for Christmas. I was so excited! 🙂 For weeks, I was dancing in anticipation of going to this Midnight Mass. I mean, what was the alternative? I could go to some parties with some friends — and don’t get me wrong, I love my friends — but I’m not really the drinking type and bar scenes are not really for me, and I am allergic to cigarette smoke and this was FAR COOLER! (Sorry guys, I am just that kind of Catholidork.)

So, I drove out about half an hour to Plymouth to Our Lady of Good Counsel. Since I had gotten up way early to go to work in the morning, I was yawning on my way in. I got there about 11:15 pm and everyone was gathered in the Day Chapel, praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament. I prayed for many things in that 45 minutes, but one of them was, “Please, Lord, help me stay awake for Mass.”

I did manage to stay awake through Mass, and it was lovely. I do have to admit to fantasizing about sleeping in front of the tabernacle, since I wasn’t sure that I would be awake enough to drive home. But God provided for me by having a little reception in the Social Hall after Mass, where I could load up on sugar — at least enough to get me home. I met a woman named Delphine, and a boy named Mark came up to me and chatted for a little while.

Fr. Lee came up to me when I was talking with Mark. After he met Mark, he turned to me and said, “Oh. I’ve met you before.”

What and that once was enough? Sheesh. Between you and Fr. Mark, I’m beginning to get suspicious of your entire ordination class. 🙂 But, giving Fr. Lee the benefit of the doubt, I will edit that phrase in my mind (and yours now too) to read: “Oh! Nice to see you again!”

There. Isn’t that better? 🙂

May you have a happy New Year filled with peace and love! 🙂
Hugs and Kisses,
— Jaibee

Proverbs and Theology of the Body

Bible Study, Jennspeak, Theology of the Body

As long as I am reading into things….  🙂

Proverbs 16:30
He who winks his eye is plotting
trickery;
he who compresses his lips has
mischief ready.

This shows how we are able to lie with our bodies. It brought to mind for me teachings from the Theology of the Body almost immediately, especially when you are speaking of conjugal union between two people who are not married. For in that act, your body is saying to your partner, “everything I have is yours.” If you are not married, this is not true. And, whether you are married or not, if you are contracepting, you are still making a lie of this in that you are withholding your fertility from your partner. You are saying, in essence, “You can have all of me…except this.” So, in the very act in which we are to make ourselves vulnerable and open completely to the other person, we are holding back. We are not making a gift of ourselves, but rather a leasing of ourselves, with stipulations and conditions. Which would you rather have? The free and complete gift, or the conditional lease?

The End Times in the Song of Songs

Bible Study, Jennspeak

I may be completely out to lunch here, but this struck me while reading my Bible:

Song 2: 12
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of pruning the vines has come,
and the song of the dove is heard in
our land.

The pruning of the vines just sounded so very end-times to me, where the unworthy would be forcibly separated from the vine, while the good fruit would remain with the vine. The flowers appearing on the earth, as a pointing to the New Earth and the New Jerusalem. My favorite part is “the song of the dove is heard in our land.” For in that, I see the Holy Spirit being heard and felt and known by all who dwell within the land. That time of complete unity with God. Here now, so often is the Holy Spirit suppressed and not heard — how wonderful it will be when we are all able to hear the song of the dove throughout the land! 🙂

Dear Diary,

Jennspeak

Tuesday, Jan. 2, 1990
Today Me and Clint were playing chess he quit after 2 games 1st a draw 2nd he won. Afterwords I played by myself. Mom said you have to put it away when your done. When I finished I put it in it’s box and went in Clints room and set it on his desk. He said put it all the way away, I’m not going to do it. I said No I cleaned it up its in your bedroom and I’m done. I walked out and banged my right ankle against the space heater near the bathroom, went into the living room where Dad said whats going on we went back to Clints room where I explained what I’d done and shouldn’t he put it away because I didn’t know where it should go and also because I didnt take it out. Dad took me in the hallway and told me to work on my attitude after I huffily said Okay where does it go and put it there. He said no one like a person with an “I’m better” attitude and left. I didn’t have an I’m better attitude and just went to my room and started writing. Its now 12:52 pm.

Sunday, Jan. 7, 1990
Tomorrow I’m starting a paper route of 37 customers. I’m taking over for Eva Kasmarack, 14 years old. We collect every 2 weeks and make about $36 a week. I’ll try to keep you posted.

Thursday, Jan. 11, 1990
I LOVE Aaron, Mom doesn’t know quite how much I do though. She just knows that I like him that sort of true, I’m heads over heels in LOVE with the sandy-haired blue-eyed 12 yr. old 7th grader. [Which, of course, was the beginning of a life-long attraction to sandy-haired, blue-eyed boys….] He’s in 3 of my classes 2nd, 5th, 7th Hr. I sit kitty corner to him in Math 5th Hr with Mr. Koehn. [Insert diagram here of seating arrangements]
Mr. Mason In Science 2nd Hr [Insert diagram here of seating arrangements]
7th Hr. L.A. Mrs. Milton [Insert diagram here of seating arrangements. Also of note, is the fact that I met up with Mrs. Milton again when I was going through RCIA a year and a half ago to enter the Catholic church…. 🙂 Small world….]
I even wrote a story about us [Oh boy] using the names Aaron Debrowski and Hart Freshwater in which in 5th Hr. Hart faints and Aaron gets concerned and everyone finds out. Later they go together, wouldn’t that be cool if it did happen. I wish it did. [Obviously, I’m a foolish romantic in need of saving….] I wish so much that we would go together. I probably would be very happy if that happened. Please…
Last year I had Aaron in 4 of my classes 1,4,5, + 6th Hr.

Wednesday, Jan. 17, 1990
I’m
[…obviously distracted.]

Sunday, Jan. 28, 1990
I’m scared, somethings happening to dad he even had to wear a heart monitor, we don’t know what it is yet, I hope it’s not serious.
Grandma’s going too her eyesight is getting extremely bad and everyone knows it’s from her diabetes. She eats sweets all the time, She’s going to kill herself.
My Grandma Barnard died (from cancer) before I was born or maybe I just don’t remember, my parents only talk about her when I ask questions. [Actually, before my parents were married.]
Memere (memay) is slowly losing it mentally, [Obviously, I’m the Queen of Tact at this age.] the way Uncle Jerry keeps a tab on her medicine she might die in a year or so, probably not but what do I know she’s 83 something (Alzheimer’s disease). [I loved my Memere. It sounds harsh, but I was trying to document things as I saw it.]
Pepere [Okay, I had no clue how to spell this.] (pepay) died of diabetes like Grandma’s going to. He made it to see me when I was 1 week old. I smiled at him. [What a morbid little entry, Little Me!]

A String of Recent Unrelated Thoughts from the Mind of Jaibee (Also Known as “Catching Up”)

Jennspeak, Photography

Yeah, yeah, long title. Deal. 🙂 I just didn’t want to have a billion blog postings, so I am going to squish a bunch in here. 🙂

While I loathe the coming of the coldness, I like watching the leaves turn colors. So, I will get a couple of photos of the leaves every year, but not too many, since my poor Floridian blood just can’t take it to be outside for too long. 🙂 For your viewing pleasure in the warmth and comfort of your ?desk, I bring you:
Fall Colors -- DSCN4980 and DSCN4979

Last week (see how behind I am?), I took a few photos of our church, as they have recently redone an area in front between the main church entrance and the entrance to the pastoral center. I think technically, they are two “reflection gardens,” one for Mary and the other for the unborn/victims of abortion. Very pretty. I like how this turned out:
DSCN4984

And since I have a tendency of airing out my dirty laundry anyway, you might as well take a peek at the task I had before me last weekend. Just don’t get too excited, while I *did* do all 5 loads, I haven’t yet managed to put them away quite yet, but I *did* manage to fold them yesterday, and they are currently sitting in my bedroom in neat little stacks.
DSCN4989

Now, I am not a fan of bugs in general. They usually creep me out. But, when I came home late on Friday, I saw this guy at my back door, and decided to leave him there, since — obviously — he was praying for me. And I can use all the prayers that I can get right now. He graced me with his presence until the following day, when I could photograph him. Shortly after I took his picture, I came outside again and he was gone — just like that.
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Final topic: here’s a picture of my bed (now, don’t get all excited, I’m not inviting you in):
DSCN4997
We got this comforter as a wedding present, so now that it has outlasted the marriage, it is showing signs of wear:
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So, I finally broke down and bought myself a new comforter, because I didn’t think that the old one would stand up to another go in the washing machine:
DSCN5000
See how amazingly, uncharacteristically girly it is? But, it makes me smile in it’s optimistic, girly way.

Dear Diary,

Jennspeak

So, I totally ripped off this idea from Sarah’s blog.  If you haven’t checked her out yet, please do! She’s full of awesomeness.

Every so often, she will write an excerpt from a diary.  So, I happened to run across my childhood diary, and here you go!:

Sunday, Dec. 17, 1989
Today is my birthday, 12 years today. I got 2 board games. Sweet Valley High and Life, an outfit from Marilyn spandex cotton pants and a cotton shirt that comes to my knees. [Oh boy, yes, I was always a wardrobe malfunction.] I got the board games from Mom, Dad and Clint [my brother].  This diary set from Jim and Carol, a pair of gloves from Grandma, a set of Sweet Valley Twins books, a set of Sweet Valley High books from Grandaddy. [Not that we see a theme here, or anything!]  A Christmas ornament and ring, also from Jim and Carol.

As we can tell, I am all about the listing of things.  Must.  Document.  Everything.  🙂  Well, so that hasn’t really changed.  Now, I just also do it photographically.  🙂

Monday, Dec. 18, 1989
Today was pretty normal, in 2nd hour Kory Kettlehut’s sister Cameron talked to us about drugs, and in 7th hour, Jeremy Epple was chasing Aaron Starr around it was funny.  [Did I ever have the crush on Aaron Starr!]

Tuesday, Dec. 19, 1989
Today, Mr. Koehn [advanced math teacher] gave us a test afterwards he threw some rubber bands around, soon every one was doing that and paper + eraser also. Tommorrow we’re going to get him back and I’m going to be the rubber band supplier. [Oh the trouble I was!]

Friday, Dec. 22, 1989
Today me and Clint were playing and I went into his room. He got all mad and kicked and punched me. We then got mad and I went to tell dad. But I didn’t because we had company and Clint was hanging on to me trying to be my best buddy. [Ah, siblings.]

 Sunday, Dec. 24, 1989 [Picture of a sun, here]
Today’s Christmas Eve and these are the things I got… [Priorities, you know… :)]
Jim + Carol – a big unicorn box-trunk [still got it, it’s in the garage full of pictures]
Grandma + Granpa – a yellow turtleneck shirt [not a fan of turtlenecks, but I did wear this quite a bit in the winter, paired with jean shorts, because I was cool like that (note that I live in *Michigan*)]
Marilyn + Matt – red spandex pants + a top + a New Kids on the Block pin
Mikey – a teddy bear calander [sic, for all of it, I’m leaving things as accurate as I can]
Diane, + family – a sweater black
Craig Cameron – a wooden horse

Dec. 25, 1989
Christmas Day!
I got
Santa – N.K.O.T.B., T-shirt a pink/melon robe, socks, scientific calculator for the Sats [SATs].
Mom + Dad – calculator [another one??], nightie
Stocking – Necklace, Nail Polish, Bracelet, Hair Spray, Chess game, Candy, Combos, Almond Joy,
Clint – 10 color pen
Grandaddy – 4 C batteries, NKOTB Hanging tough tape, SVH Deadly Summer, Mancy Drew, Babysitter Club #6 + #22, Spell of sorcerer’s skull [Reading and music – still some of my favorite things to do!]
Aunt Vivian – Earrings

Saturday, Dec. 30, 1989
Today we went to a birthday party for Marilyn [her 40th]. We rented a hall at Freedom Hill with a DJ. It was fun, started at 7 pm ate at 8 pm ended around 12 am.

Stay tuned for more exciting adventures in the life of Jaibee. 🙂

A Word About Words…

Jennspeak, Right to Life Issues

Opening a can of worms, now….

Okay, so the elections are not too far away. Here’s my little rant about terminology regarding, for me, the biggest issue in this election: the pro-life versus pro-choice issue.

Now, seriously. Is it fair that the two sides are answering different questions for self-identification? No! That just confuses the issue and tries to sway people one way or the other based on sentiment — appealing to their emotions, rather than their reason.

Let me try to explain:

Pro-life: well, who wants to be pro-death?

Pro-choice: who wants to be anti-choice?

This makes for a conflict for people when they are trying to vote for candidates, and are really looking at this issue to try and see what is the most moral, correct thing to be voting for. And the “other side” takes horrible advantage of this naming inconsistency with one side saying that the other side is “pro-death” and the other side saying that their opposite is “trying to take away the rights of women” — Wow! I don’t want to be pro-death OR take away women’s rights, so how do I vote? Is there a position that I can take that I can live with?

Let’s take a look at the naming inconsistency for a moment. Pro-life. Okay, whose life? The fetus. So, they are “pro” the life of the fetus — under all circumstances. Let’s apply that to the other appellation. Pro-choice. So, they are “pro” the choice of the fetus. I don’t think so. The fetus never gets to choose if it will be carried to term or not. So, if we are being consistent in the question we are asking, the “other side” cannot be labeled “pro-choice” because this does not fit. And to say pro-death is a little harsh and tries to persuade to emotional shock. But is it accurate? Well, certainly in some instances, that’s exactly what’s going on. In an abortion, the woman is “pro” the death of the fetus. But — to confuse the issue — not all women who are “pro-choice” are “pro” the death of the fetus — some actually have children of their own whom they love very much and are very much in favor of other people also having children. I suppose a more accurate name would be “pro-situational-death,” since this group wants to retain the “right” to kill the fetus in certain situations, often citing the situation of a very young girl who finds herself pregnant after a rape (talk about emotional assault with that one!).

Let’s go the other way. Pro-choice. Choice of whom? The woman. Okay. So, the other side is “pro” the life of the woman? Boy, will they be happy to hear that! You can either have choice, or have life! You pick! And to a degree, this may not be an inaccurate thing. There are many women out there who do not realize the emotional impact an abortion will have on them and it does tear them apart from the inside, to know that they have killed their child. And, I know, some people may be getting upset the way I am saying “killing,” but when you are stopping a heart from beating — that’s killing. Seriously. It’s not “removing a clump of cells,” as if they were just skin cells in need of exfoliation. Skin cells will never become their own living, breathing, thinking person — no matter how well you nurture them.

There is the additional argument, “what if the mother’s life is in danger?” often made by proponents of the pro-choice cause. This is a real consideration. This really gets down to the crux of the matter. Are all lives equally important? Or are some lives more important than others? Even in the pro-life camp, if there is a situation where continuing the pregnancy would result in death of the mother, and/or death of both the mother and the child — they concede that there may be just cause for killing the child so as to preserve the life of the mother.

While I could probably go on at length for a while longer, I will end this post with an appeal: please look at all issues out there, including this most important issue of life, and vote — not according to your emotions — but according to your reason.