Category Archives: Paroxysm of Giggles

Birmingham in October

Paroxysm of Giggles, Photography

Today was a beautiful day. Terry and I decided to take some pictures while we walked around Birmingham.

I loved the colors of the leaves on the trees!
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Some of the neighbors had decorated for Halloween. Oddly enough, one had a little statue of me. They must have caught me on a day I didn’t go to Mass and hadn’t been to Starbucks yet. 😛
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Then, a bunch of random photosniping:

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And there was this:
RAR! - dscn0043

We walked over to the little park they had downtown. In the middle, there was this odd statue. I’m not sure what the significance of the sculpture is, but I like to call it, “Here, honey, I’m throwing you to the birds….”
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And just look at all these cute kids in their Halloween costumes! 🙂
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My only question…
What IS this??!?
It's a....??? - dscn0072

Everything I Need to Know in Life, I Learned from Noah’s Ark…

Neat Things I Didn't Author, Paroxysm of Giggles

One: Don’t miss the boat
Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat
Three: Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark
Four: Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old, someone may ask you do something really big
Five: Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done
Six: Build your future on high ground
Seven: For safety’s sake, travel in pairs
Eight: Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs
Nine: When you’re stressed, float a while
Ten: Remember the Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals

H/T: Lindsay Mine

Detroit Institute of Arts

Art, Paroxysm of Giggles, Photography

We took Terry to the DIA for her birthday. We got to participate in Drawing in the Galleries for Adults in the African Collection! 🙂 I only had my phone camera with me and I quickly ran out of battery, so I’ll have to go again with my camera! It was a lovely evening.

Even with only a phone camera, I managed to capture this picture of the building on the way in:
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I really like how it turned out! 🙂

Terry is the artist in our group. Phyllis and I went along for fun. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to draw a thing and have it be recognizable… I think I’ll just show you and let you decide for yourself how I did.
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After we had finished our drawing session, we took some time to wander around the museum. This painting of the Seven Sacraments is one of my favorites. 🙂
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Jellyfish?

Neat Things I Didn't Author, Paroxysm of Giggles, Photography

“Quite a number of people have the abiding impression that the church’s faith is like a jellyfish: no one can get a grip on it and it has no firm center,” Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, In the Beginning, p. 7.

For how many of us is our faith like this idea of Catholicism? Pretty to look at, nice to be able to point out to our friends, but nothing with substance that can cause us to have to reform our lives?

Are we like the jellyfish? Swimming without eyes in the great ocean of life? No vision, but just reacting according to our instincts and desires as sensations come our way? No direction, no community, each jellyfish out for whatever nourishment he or she can obtain from those weaker than him or herself?

The Habit of Perfection

Neat Things I Didn't Author, Paroxysm of Giggles
Elected Silence, sing to me
And beat upon my whorlèd ear,
Pipe me to pastures still and be
The music that I care to hear.

Shape nothing, lips; be lovely-dumb:
It is the shut, the curfew sent
From there where all surrenders come
Which only makes you eloquent.

Be shellèd, eyes, with double dark
And find the uncreated light:
This ruck and reel which you remark
Coils, keeps, and teases simple sight.

Palate, the hutch of tasty lust,
Desire not to be rinsed with wine:
The can must be so sweet, the crust
So fresh that come in fasts divine!

Nostrils, your careless breath that spend
Upon the stir and keep of pride,
What relish shall the censers send
Along the sanctuary side!

O feel-of-primrose hands, O feet
That want the yield of plushy sward,
But you shall walk the golden street
And you unhouse and house the Lord.

And, Poverty, be thou the bride
And now the marriage feast begun,
And lily-coloured clothes provide
Your spouse not laboured-at nor spun.

— Gerard Manley Hopkins

What a lovely reminder of the beauty of the Lord which can come to us through our various senses, if only we fast from our usual sensual gluttony and open ourselves to the pure experience of Him.

Jiuzhaigou (镜海 Mirror Lake)

Paroxysm of Giggles

Okay, I’ve been convinced. This place is gorgeous! I would like to travel here!

Now, all I need is a financial backer and travel companion.

Just look at the water! Isn’t it amazing? Can you imagine sitting here all day, praying?

One day…. 🙂

Comic Book Theology

Humor of the Day, Jennspeak, Paroxysm of Giggles

If Lex Orandi is the law of prayer and
If Lex Credendi is the law of belief,
Then Lex Luther is the law of Luther

And he’s always the bad guy.

Therefore, Superman was Catholic.

Or maybe…
His name really was…

Sacrament Man

Sacrament Man #4

Jacob

Paroxysm of Giggles

While I was at school today, my brother helped my new boy move in. He is basically all situated, with only a few things that we still need to find a place for. I’m really excited about him living here and think we will have lots of fun together, although I am pragmatic enough to know that we will have our quarrels as well.

Pre-Lenten Questions

Holidays, Paroxysm of Giggles

Believe it or not, but Lent is just around the corner!
And I don’t even have my Christmas tree down yet!

Lent is this great period of time where we rid our lives of all the unnecessary attachments that we clutter our lives with and focus more closely on our relationship with the Lord. It should be a time of simplification and purification. It should be a time of prayer, almsgiving and fasting. It should be a time of generosity, love and charity. It should be a time of sober self-reflection.

It should be a lot of things.

What will it be?

That’s up to me.

What am I going to put into it?

God gives us grace all the time. The thing is we have to respond to that grace which is offered. It is too easy to put something off for tomorrow or rationalize our way into spiritual laxity. We can justify all kinds of neglects and omissions, particularly when it comes to our own spiritual lives, because we don’t see that as being harmful to anyone. Then, we arrive at Easter, look back at our Lent and perhaps wish that we had spent more time in prayer, or done a few more acts of charity.

What is the main reason for a mediocre Lent? Poor planning. We need to set our goals in mind NOW and work NOW to make sure that we have a rhythm to our season. Praying is most consistent if you set aside a certain time and place — every day — when and where you pray. Lent needs to be for us not some onerous thing which we take upon ourselves for 40 days. Lent shouldn’t be seen as a kind of self-imposed slavery, but as a practicing in the life which we hope to have one day in Christ. A life where we are prayerful and loving of our brothers and sisters. A life where we truly live out the Gospel. God didn’t make us for slavery, and doing things which are pleasing to Him shouldn’t be seen as such. It’s just our sinful selves which distort the truth of reality and make us to see our unhealthy attachments as the path to happiness, when they are in fact leading us in the opposite direction.

So, my challenge to myself, and to you, if you choose to join me, is to map out our plan for Lent, so that we can reap all the graces our Lord is offering to us.