Thanksgiving

Unemployment is still at 9.6%. The economy is struggling. Air travel is a near occasion of sin on SO many levels. The temperature outside right now is 20 F. Exactly what is there for which to be thankful??? Perhaps I should crawl back into bed, pull the covers up and forget the whole day.

Wait a minute! I have a bed - with covers. At least that is something for which to be thankful. And that bed is in a house with heat. And I have a computer and internet access to write this ramble. I have a dog at my feet and one on my lap. There is a turkey in the oven - and it isn't even for dinner today! No, I get to eat at the big family dinner - with FAMILY! I have three beautiful children; Jon, Jordon and Julie who are absolutely incredible. I have an extended family who care about me even with good reason to not care. Maybe I do have reason to be thankful.

In the words of the ever present infommercial, "But wait! There's more!"

After dinner I will visit with some dear friends. Yes! I do have friends! Before dinner I will do a bit of shopping (for those kiddos). When I return home (in a car that is old but runs well), I will settle in and watch some television, surf the net, eat a turkey sandwich (tradition) and return to that cozy bed.

I am alive. My health is good (for an old man). My brother is recovering well from cancer surgery. Although my Mom, Dad and sister are no longer here in the flesh, they are praying for me in the communion of saints.

Apparently I have plenty for which to be thankful! And today I give most thanks to God! He who has given me more gifts than I can fathom. There in lies the challenge. Do we watch the daily news and lament about the ills of the world? Or do we look beyond and above to the One who has given us His very Son.

"FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE US HIS ONLY SON THAT WE MIGHT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE."

THANK YOU!

Not forgotten

June15 1920 - July 24, 1982.
28 years ago today my Mom, Cecilia T. Wardle succumbed to cancer at the age of 62. Far too young and too little time with her. She taught 1st communion classes for 35 years and was one of the first recipients of the Pius X award in our diocese. I still miss her very much. (Picture is a photo of a pastel done by a friend of mine).

We're Famous

Creative Minority Report has a post about church design. There is a nice reference and photo of our local cathedral, the Cathedral of the Madeleine. We have a beautiful cathedral that combines a Romanesque exterior with a Gothic interior. It is well worth a visit if you happen to find yourself in Salt Lake City .

Monday Humor

MAN OF THE HOUSE


A husband had just finished reading a new book entitled, "You Can Be THE Man of Your House."

He stormed to his wife in the kitchen and announced, "From now on, you need to know that I am the man of this house and my word is Law. You will prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, and when I'm done eating my meal, you will serve me a scrumptious dessert.

After dinner, you are going to go upstairs with me and we will have the kind of sex that I want!
Afterwards, you are going to draw me a bath so I can relax. You will wash my back and towel me dry and bring me my robe. Then, you will massage my feet and hands. Then tomorrow, guess who's going to dress me and comb my hair?"

The wife replied, "The funeral director would be my first guess."

Happy Birthday!

Today is Tara, the Loved Sinner's birthday! She's mmmmmm years old. Hop over and say hi!

Winner!

I am a WINNER! I finally won the Weekend Kneeler Jeopardy at St Monica's Kneeler. I am proud and humbled (and EXTREMELY lucky). Thanks Swissy!

Happy Father's Day

Deacon Bud J Wardle
May 30 1916 - November 4, 2006

We're Rich!

The Vice President promised the Kenyan government that cash would flow from the U.S. if they just pass a constitutional right to abortion. He also called pro-life funding a problem we have living in a democracy. I'm SOOOO glad the U.S. isn't in debt. Wait a minute....

From Lifeite News: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jun/10061804.html

Come November

A very powerful video.

Monday Humor

And The Fight Was On!
** My wife sat down on the couch next to me as I was flipping channels.
She asked, 'What's on the TV?'
I said, 'Dust.' And The Fight Was On....

**Saturday morning I got up early, quietly dressed, made my lunch, and slipped quietly into the garage. I hooked up the boat up to the van, and proceeded to back out into a raging downpour. The wind was blowing 50 mph, so I pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the weather would be bad all day.
I went back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed. I cuddled up to my wife's back, now with a different anticipation, and whispered, "The weather out there is terrible."
My loving wife of 5 years replied, "Can you believe my stupid husband is out fishing in that?" And The Fight Was On....

**I rear-ended a car this morning. So, there we were alongside the road and slowly the other driver got out of his car. You know how sometimes you just get soooo stressed and little things just seem funny? Yeah, well I couldn't believe it.... He was a DWARF!!! He stormed over to my car, looked up at me, and shouted, "I AM NOT HAPPY!!!"
So, I looked down at him and said, "Well, then which one are you?" And The Fight Was On....

**A woman was standing undressed, looking in the bedroom mirror. She was not happy with what she saw and said to her husband, "I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly. I really need you to pay me a compliment.'
The husband replied, 'Your eyesight's near perfect.' And The Fight Was On....

Monday Humor

THIS is drunk.......
A man goes to a party and has too much to drink. His friends plead with him to let them take him home. He says NO -- he only lives a mile away. About five blocks from party, the police pull him over. They check his license and ask him to get out of the car and walk the line. Just as he starts, the police radio blares out a notice of a robbery taking place in a house around the block.
The police tell the party animal to stay put, they'll be right back and they run around the corner to the robbery.
The guy waits and waits and finally decides to drive home. When he gets there, he tells his wife he is going to bed, and to tell anyone who might come looking for him that he has the flu and has been in bed all day. A few hours later the police knock on the door. The police ask if Mr. Smith is there and the wife says yes. The police ask to see him and the wife replies that he is in bed with the flu and has been so all day.
The police still have his driver's license. The police ask to see his car and the wife asks why. The police insist on seeing his car, so the wife takes the police to the garage.The wife opens the garage door; and there, sitting in the garage...... is the police car, with all its lights still flashing.

New blog

Another Saint James-er has a new blog. One of our great young people. Here it is:
The Ramblings of a Catholic Teenager.

Monday Funny

Department of Water Resources

A Department of Water Resources Representative stops at a Texas ranch and talks with an old rancher. He tells the rancher, I need to inspect your ranch for your water allocation.

The old rancher says, Okay, but don't go in that field over there.

The Water Representative says, Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me. See this card? This card means I am allowed to go WHEREVER I WISH on any agricultural land. No questions asked or answered. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand??

The old rancher nods politely and goes about his chores.

Later, the old rancher hears loud screams and sees the Water Rep running for his life and close behind is the rancher's huge Brahman bull. The bull is gaining with every step.

The Rep is clearly terrified, so the old rancher immediately throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs.....

'YOUR CARD MAN! SHOW HIM YOU’RE CARD!!!'

HE IS RISEN!

A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER TO ALL!

Divine Mercy Novena

Today begins the Divine Mercy novena. Clink on the link for information

Obamanomics

I've been listening to Obama tell us at every opportunity how much money all his policies will save the American taxpayer. It reminded of me of an old story.

A man was telling his friend about gas saving measures he was using with his car. "I had the engine tuned up and I'm saving 35%. I checked the air in my tires and added another 10%. I got 25% improvement by never exceeding 55 mph." His friend was impressed. "But that's not all.", he continued. "I shut off the engine at drive-up windows and gained 20%. And not using the air conditioning gives me another 15%."
"That's outstanding!",exclaimed his friend. "You must be really happy!" "It's a real pain in the butt!", said the man. "I have to stop every 20 miles and drain the excess gas out of the tank!"

Confession

The Orthometer has a great post about confession. Check it out.

Hope

Tonight, as we have during Lent, my 6th grade CCD class prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Each week we have prayed for different intentions; families, the sick, priests. Tonight we prayed for our Holy Father. I told them that Pope Benedict was facing much criticism, albeit undeserved, and needed the help that our prayer would give him. They have always been good about the responses. But this evening they were even more so. 15 young people, in a large building, filled the entire church with their responses. It sounded like there were a hundred people praying. I was so surprised and moved that I had a hard time leading the prayer. As we left, some of them commented, "I really like that prayer." I knew they were really praying for the Holy Father. The evil one will not win when 12 year olds pray like this.

"And the gates of Hell shall not prevail..."

Monday Humor

Miss Sally Edwards is a highly esteemed third grade teacher at Kootenai County Elementary, in Sand Point, Idaho. In an effort to prepare her students for the all-important TAKS test, she compiled an exam consisting of 20 questions, which she administered to her class last Tuesday. The exam purposely covered a broad array of topics.
I call your attention to question # 11, which simply read:
LIST, IN ANY ORDER, THE FOUR SEASONS:
1. ________ 2. ________ 3.________ 4. ________
67% of the students gave the following answer?
1. STEELHEAD SEASON
2. DEER SEASON
3. DUCK SEASON
4. ELK SEASON
GOD BLESS IDAHO!!

For Catherine

Bacon lovers rejoice!

Weird bacon items

A Bad Diet Plan

Yesterday I was at my local COSTCO buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for my loyal pet, Biscuit, the Wonder Dog and was in the checkout line when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog.
What did she think I had, an elephant? So since I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet again. I added that I probably shouldn't, because I ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms.
I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pants pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in line was now enthralled with my story.)
Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff an Irish Setter's rear end and a car hit us both.
I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard. Costco won't let me shop there anymore.
Better watch what you ask retired people. They have all the time in the world to think of crazy things to say.

A Priest Forever

I found this post at A Catholic View. Check it out, please.

Horses Can Be Dangerous

Royal Navy Officer Saves Life of Army Colleague in Horse-Back Riding Mishap
An Army Officer assigned to the Military Academy in Sandhurst narrowly escaped serious injury recently when he attempted horseback riding with no prior experience. After mounting his horse unassisted, the horse immediately began moving. As it galloped along at a steady and rhythmic pace, the officer, Lieutenant Tommy Thomas, began to slip sideways from the saddle.
Although attempting to grab for the horse's mane Thomas could not get a firm grip. He then threw his arms around the horse's neck but continued to slide down the side of the horse. The horse galloped along, seemingly oblivious to its slipping rider. Finally, losing his grip, the Lieutenant attempted to leap away from the horse and throw himself to safety. His foot, however, became entangled in the stirrup, leaving him at the mercy of the horse's pounding hooves as his head and upper body repeatedly struck the ground.
Moments away from unconsciousness, and probable death, to his great fortune Commodore Steve Cleary [RN Ret'd] shopping at Waitrose, saw him and quickly unplugged the horse.
Wokingham News, Berkshire, England.

Lent & the Olympics

The Ironic Catholic has a great post on 10 ways Lent is like the Olympics.

10 Ways in Which the 2010 Winter Olympics is Like Ash Wednesday

That is, 10 ways beyond the obvious fact that the 2010 Olympic logo looks like a multi-colored cross.

1. It starts with a fire. Fires produce ash!


2. Canada has always struck me as a good place to do penance.


3. You can sing "Mountain of God" going up the ski lift.


4. When you're an athlete, you don't get to eat what you want. You give it up, right? Get it?


5. ...All the potential in the downhill skiing metaphors and reflecting about your slide from the summit with God!


6. ...not to mention the frequent mention and fear of "the Fall" in the figure skating competitions.


7. "Today is the appropriate time...." Just do it, now. The race is today.


8. History matters. You didn't get to today out of nowhere; it's been a journey.


9. Kinda slushy up in Vancouver, like your life.


10. The agony of defeat...video-captured and examined.

Way in which the Winter Olympics is NOT like Ash Wednesday:

1. When you repent and trust in God, you always get the gold.

--IC

Baby Gianna Part 3

Here is the third part of the compelling story of Miracle Gianna from Creative Minority Report,

Parts 1 & 2 are posted below.

Baby Gianna - Part 2

Today is the second part of Baby Gianna's story from Creative Minority Report.

(Read Part 1 here.)

The Baby Gianna Story - Part 1

Creative Minority Report is running a week long series on a crisis pregnancy. The Baby Gianna Story is well worth the read.

Happy Valentine's Day

May everyone have a Happy Valentine's Day. Remember as we head into Lent that the truest and deepest love comes only from the One who loved us first and always.

Taxi Ride

Here's a little humor for today:


A taxi passenger tapped the driver on the shoulder to ask him a question. The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on the footpath, and stopped centimetres from a shop window. For a second everything went quiet in the cab, then the driver said, "Look mate, don't ever do that again. You scared the daylights out of me!" The passenger apologized and said, "I didn't realize that a little tap would scare you so much. "The driver replied, "Sorry, it's not really your fault. Today is my first day as a cab driver. I've been driving a funeral van for the last 25 years."

Hope

One of the things that gives me hope for the future...? Watching and listening to 15 sixth grade CCD students fervently praying the Rosary in reparation for the sins of abortion.

Snow & Sunshine

Last night we had snow and today we had sunshine. A very nice combination!

When I grow up...

I remember growing up that a many kids wanted to be astronauts when they were "big". Even recently young boys AND girls could dream of being astronauts when they grew up. Apparently with the president's new budget proposals that dream is dead.

Pro Choice Catholic????

Check out this great post by Adoro Te Devote about pro-abortion catholics. Very well put!

Also check out this post by Crossed the Tiber on being proud to be Catholic.

Is it Possible?

Scott Brown: A fairly unknown (at least nationally) state senator from a state with a well known political machine. He has a pretty wife who is very successful in her own right. Two beautiful daughters. He bursts onto the national scene with message of change and transparency and is elected to the Senate of the United States. Might he be a viable candidate for president in 2012? He will have hardly served in the senate by the time the campaign begins. He will have very little experience on a national level. There will not be much of a track record to judge him. Really! What are the chances that this type of a scenario would really happen in the country? I mean, c'mon; would the American people ever elect someone with that type of background????

(Disclaimer: I am not saying that this is who I'm pushing for. Only making an observation.)

Hope and Change

Scott Brown's win in Massachusett(e)s has given me some hope that change may finally be coming.

One Word Comment

Let's see how forthcoming my blog buddies are. Leave a ONE word comment that you think best describes me. It can only be one word. No more than one. Then copy & paste this on your blog so I can leave a word about you. This should be interesting...

(P.S. Yes! Shocking! I'm still alive!)