— 1 —

First of all, thank you so much for the kind words and well wishes. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the prayers and support you’ve offered both for my neighbors and for me. I can’t speak for anyone else involved, but I know that I am still working through it, and it may be a while before things go back to normal — or, rather, until we settle into a new normal. I appreciate you bearing with me as I navigate through all of this.

— 2 —

For those of you in the Austin area, on Monday (5/21) I have the honor of joining Professor Robert Koons as part of his apologetics series at St. Louis parish. The event starts at 7:00 PM and should involve some great discussions. Hope you can join us!

— 3 —

My seven-year-old son has surprised us by showing a huge interest in learning Chinese. I found a poster of Chinese characters on sale somewhere and put it up in our homeschool room. The act of tacking it to the wall represented about 99% of our homeschool language curriculum this year, but my son took the initiative to learn about this language, and more than once I found him studiously copying the characters and trying to memorize their meaning.

I’m going to run with this and have decided that his big summer learning project will be to pick up some Chinese. (When he will have the opportunity to practice it, I have no idea. Maybe I’ll talk Jen Ambrose into letting us Skype with her kids.) Anyway, I’m adamant that the only method I’ll use is Pimsleur. I’m a huge fan of their approach, for reasons I’ll elaborate on in a moment, but here’s a video that summarizes their philosophy:

(And let me add that I have no affiliation with them and was not asked to promote their product. Though if they want to send me a check or an Ikea gift card for plugging their product that would be fine.)

— 4 —

I used some Pimsleur tapes to pick up some Czech before a trip we took to the Czech Republic a long time ago, and that’s when I became convinced that it’s extremely important not to see a language written while you’re learning it. To interpret written words uses a different part of your brain than mimicking sounds and associating them with concepts, and I think it throws everything off when you combine the two. I only listened to those Czech tapes for two weeks back in 2002, and I still remember almost everything I learned. Which is really handy, since here in Texas I’m constantly needing to ask where the subway station is in Czech.

— 5 —

You know what’s frustrating? When you get all excited about learning a language before a trip so that you can converse with the locals…then realize that you learned the wrong *$&%! language. On that trip to the Czech Republic my husband and I spent about half our time in a town right next to the German border, and everyone spoke German. The owners of our inn didn’t even speak a word of any other language…which was problematic, since we didn’t know any German. (Well, I did know a couple of curse words, and the phrase “good luck,” which would have made an odd combination.)

Anyway, that hot mess reached its apex the afternoon that we tried to explain to them that we had aired up the tires of their loaner bikes. You don’t realize how hard it is to pantomime riding a bicycle until you actually do it; same with using an air pump. We never were able to get across what we’d done, and I’m pretty sure the owners were left thinking that I told them, “I am a galloping horse who sometimes stops to pant while digging ditches.”

— 6 —

Does anyone know of a faith-based support group for mothers who have chronic illnesses? A close friend of mine has a condition that causes her to spend a lot of time feeling fatigued and/or in pain. It’s difficult enough in and of itself, but she reports that one of the hard parts is simply feeling alone in her struggles. I think it would be a boon to her spirits to know that there are other Christian moms going through the same thing. Any resources you could share would be very much appreciated.

— 7 —

I hope you all have a safe and blessed weekend. Thank you again for your support.

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“The proof of love is in the works.”

~ Pope St. Gregory the Great

*image http://www.ainglkiss.com

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˜ Feast of the Ascension of the Lord ˜

Goodbyes are very difficult to get used to, even when they are a part of your routine schedule at work. We almost always want to cling to what is good, or to those people or places that have brought out the best in us. For the past five years as director of Campus Ministry at St. Peter’s Catholic Student Center at Baylor University, with several Baccalaureate Masses yearly, I have never been able to get used to saying goodbye to our students as they graduate college or step up to other things in life. We know they have to go, but we miss their individual and unique contributions to the community.

A few of the faces moving on from St. Peter’s campus ministry as recent college graduates, Class of 2012.

Goodbyes are difficult because they imply change. When life is good we prefer the comfort of permanence rather than the uncertainty of change. The Ascension experience must have been a mixture of joy and sorrow for Jesus’ friends; joy at His glorification and return to the Father’s right hand, and sorrow at not having Him physically and visibly with them. They had to get used to a new way of experiencing Him sacramentally. Aware of their ambivalence, the Lord Jesus made this timeless promise: “I am with you always, until the end of the ages.” (Matthew 28:20)

Goodbyes can be very positive experiences, the occasion for growth and improvement. If Jesus did not return to the Father, His friends would not have been challenged to step out into the world and witness to His love. If we don’t have the courage to say goodbye to our parents, friends, and home, we will never get the blessing of a college education. If we never graduate, enjoying the comfort and security of college eternally, we never get to grow.

Leaving the love and comfort of St. Peter’s and saying goodbye to my friends and home of five years is much more difficult than I ever imagined. However, when I think of the good of studying for a Doctorate degree in Theology and the blessings that will come from it, I am consoled. Together, we have seen St. Peter’s become more and more a home to our students and permanent community members. The tendency is to want to hold on to that. However, we must always remain open to God’s will – which is always the best for all of us. What you and I must ensure, as our students graduate, and directors and other members of the community sometimes have to move on, is that the unique spirit of St. Peter’s remain and thrive.

It’s this spirit that binds us all together whether we are far or near; students or alums, permanent community members, staff or friends. It is in this spirit that the promise of Christ is realized: “I am with you always to the end of the ages.”

Blog Note: July 1, 2012, Fr. Anthony Odiong will step down as director of St. Peter’s to pursue a doctoral degree in Theology.

Reading 1

Acts 18:1-8

Responsorial Psalm

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