At Considerable Cost

Emmeline had a piece displayed in the district art show this year. Hers is the "E," top center:

The first time I met with my physical therapist, he told me that, in the future, I would have to weigh my pain against each situation.   Knowing I had three children, he asked me if the pain of childbirth was worth it and then told me I would have to look at each situation and decide if the pain or discomfort was worth it.  Last week, I made that decision three times.   I decided to: walk, slowly, with my children as they trick-or-treated, accompany them to our parish All Saints Day party, and drive to watch 12 Years A Slave in a cinema.   Yes, they were all worth the discomfort, which is significantly less than that which I was experiencing a few weeks ago, thanks be to God. In this post, I wanted to write about the films of 12 Years a Slave director, Steve McQueen .   I wanted to write about that film, in particular, in detail.   I have pages of notes and lots of thoughts bouncing around in my head, but I can't approach t...

Every day, I see headlines proclaiming that all is lost, each side claiming the other side is evil and the cause of all ills.   Because of my social media settings, many of these lamentations come from those who are Catholic.    And I've grown weary from it.   I can always find relief in scripture and prayer, but recently, I've found hope for literature, television, and film from some secular sources.    I watch the films of Steve McQueen who explores what it means to be human and how our actions affect others.   I read the reviews of stand-up comedian, writer, and actor,  Brett Goldstein, whose show, Contains Scenes of an Adult Nature , chronicles his addiction to pornography and his journey as he gave it up and continues to heal in the way he deals with women and relationships.   There are people out there searching for answers, for truth.   They are asking us to thi...

Last night, I watched a beautiful documentary on PBS, Defiant Requiem .   It is the true story of a 1944 performance of Verdi's beautiful Requiem Mass in Terezín, a Nazi concentration camp.   The performance was arranged by inmate and conductor, Rafael Schächter.   It was performed by a chorus of his fellow prisoners, many of whom would be shipped out to face death following the performance. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-apuzzo/voices-raised-in-resistan_b_3029488.html?utm_hp_ref=entertainment The link above is for a great article by Jason Apuzzo, of The Huffington Post. "Know before whom you stand."  A wall of the secret synagogue at Terezin. There's not much to add to Apuzzo's article, other than: 1. My favorite quote, amongst many: Survivor Edgar Krasa says of the Requiem , "It was a prayer that overcame hunger ... you were there [singing] in that cellar and you were a different person." Another survivor who sang in th...

This week, I'm glued to screens to catch a glimpse of white smoke from a little chimney.   Under that roof is to be found some of the most glorious artwork ever created.   And surrounded by the majesty of that art, specks of red in comparison, sit a group of flawed, imperfect men who have pledged to be truthful, faithful, and to let themselves be guided by the Holy Spirit.   Even through flawed creations, God can work.   It is one of my favorite images and reminders of why I am so thankful to be Catholic. This "admission" might merit being called a confession by some.    I am not just a fan, but a tremendous admirer of the AMC television series, Breaking Bad .   If you're unfamiliar with the series, it centers around Walter White, a gifted scientist-turned high school chemistry teacher.   White is played brilliantly by actor Bryan Cranston.   When Walter is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, he decides to use...

Here are my 7 Quick Takes as part of the link-up with Jennifer at Conversiondiary.com 1 The first time I noticed a post from this link-up, it was abbreviated 7qt .   I thought it was a link to a canning recipe or maybe Tupperware had a new big bowl, since I just glanced and saw what I thought was an abbreviation for 7 quarts.   Have to admit: little disappointed for a brief moment.   I really like my big Tupperware bowl. 2 My children are really getting bigger.   The girls helped me fill out birthdays on our calendar and I couldn't believe I had to write 7th and 10th on their birthdays.   I was blessed with some sleep sweetness this week and glimpses to remind me they're still little and it's not all gone by yet. The boy.   I didn't catch a pic of big sister sleeping 3 I really enjoyed an article on Word on Fire this week: Lent: What I Have Done and What I Have Failed to Do .   Ellyn ...

As part of my recent attempts to cozy up our home (since it's only been almost two years since we moved in), I finally hung up this little painting I purchased in November. I bought this from the artist at a festiv al.   It remi nded me of the rolling farmland we saw from our windows on our many trips to east Texas over the past few years.   All thos e trips we made to my parents' home after my Mama's death and after my dad went into a nursing home.   All thos e trips to check on the house, to clean out the house, and to finally sell the house.   All those heavy, hard trips which left me drained and emotionally wrung-out. But, take my word for it,  this picture is beautiful and it's bright.   It reminds me not of the heavy, hard trips, but of the glimpse of beauty and the true pleasure I took in seeing that beauty as we dro ve to our heavy destination.   It 's a reminder of God always being the re, of friends like Am ber   who would m...

I've been making up for lost time when it comes to television and cinema.   Here are a few of the works I've enjoyed recently. Silver Linings Playbook Last week, I watched a Thomas Kinkade movie on Netflix.   I wanted to watch a Christmas movie that the kids could also watch.   It was painful to watch, from the script to the acting.   I kept expecting Kirk Cameron to show up.   Topics of family, faith, hope, love, community, etc...can all be explored without being relegated to an artificial, superficial, sanitized environment.   People will be more affected when they can recognize elements of beauty and truth amidst reality that is familiar to them.   They can relate to it and are more likely to seek those things in their own very real worlds.   After watching The Christmas Lodge , I was ready for something real and something well-done. The trailer for Silver Linings Playbook drew me in after a friend recommended it and then I found o...