Christmas Holidays

This Christmas is lovely. Dinner parties, puzzles, a movie, a trip to the aquarium and cookies! My daughter has become a baking fiend. These Russian teacakes rival Grandma's.







I hope you're all enjoying the Christmas season. Here's wishing you a most sparkly and beautiful New Year, filled with God's abundant graces. May you all be refreshed and renewed for 2012.

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Touched by God

 An excerpt from Msgr. Charles Pope:

A magnificent mystery is before us. The infinite is an infant. He who looks down upon all creation now looks up from a cradle. He who spoke worlds into existence, now sounds forth with the cry of an infant. Another old Latin hymn captures mystery and the warmth of the moment: Alpha et O, matris in gremio (Alpha and omega is sitting in mommy’s lap). And from his mother’s lap he beckons us to approach and touch him. This day, we touch our God, and God touches us.God bless you all.

We desperately need this touch, this contact with our God, this hand is stretched out to heal and save. We had grown old in our sins, and this infant child draws us back to the joy and innocence of our youth. This outstretched hand of our God will heal the sick and the leprous, raise up the paralyzed and the dead. This hand will drive out demons and rebuke the storm tossed waves. This hand will be nailed to a cross to save us.


Please go here to read the full reflection.


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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Bodachs. I'm posting some creative work from my son:

The Reason for Christmas

Searching, searching, all night long,
for a sleigh that will never come.

Parents creeping down the stairs,
avoiding curious children's stares.

Wrapping, wrapping, an hour straight,
fulfilling children's sleepless wait.

Oh joy, oh joy, it's Christmas morning!
Ripping, tearing, shouts of delight.

But through the hubbub, promotion, and noise,
they forget the real reason, those girls and boys.

A Child was born under a star so bright.
He brought peace, hope, and light.

So this Christmas, ponder my thoughts,
and keep the real reason for Christmas inside your hearts.

                                                                                        -- mkb

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MuttCracker

Friday night we got to see the Nutcracker. Sharing the stage at the very beginning were three dogs. This is the first time for my daughter to see the Nutcracker and she was delighted. I will forever think of it as the Muttcracker from now on. Adopt a mutt from the shelter if you're thinking of getting a furry companion.

The music of course, is wonderful, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, marvelling at the pirouettes, the jumps and the beauty of the dance form, and remembering my own days taking dance classes during graduate school. Nope, it wasn't part of the biochemistry curriculum and I even had to have a talk with the head of the department to okay it, but it was great fun.

The last time I'd gone to see a ballet was nearly twelve years ago. My neighbor had an extra ticket because her husband was travelling out of town. My son was just a few months old and I was still nursing him every 2-3 hours. I thought I'd be fine. I'd pumped milk beforehand for the baby. I was excited to go out without a diaper bag. However, after intermission, the top of my dress began to strain to the point I feared the buttons would pop. And to my horror, I was leaking milk. My neighbor wanted to take me out to eat since I didn't get out much, but after seeing the state of my dress, we came home. I don't think I ever went to any ballet after that.

Until now ...

Methinks we'll have to do this again sometime.

Here's a video of our sweet mutt (thanks to my son).

The video gives me a taste of what I missed. My husband took the kids to the beach on Saturday so that I could finish up a work-for-hire project. And as my friend Marcia would completely understand, to reward myself for finishing, I'm going to spend some more time writing! And baking, cleaning house, and putting up more pictures on the wall. And let's not forget singing Christmas carols.

So tell me, what are you doing this last week right before Christmas?
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Coloring Books

I have a new critique partner -- Dominic De Souza. We met at Church a couple of months ago and discovered our passion for children's literature. I feel incredibly blessed to talk about books and works-in-progress critically with another children's writer, especially one as talented as Dominic. Please check out his website. And while you're at it, please think about buying his coloring book -- a beautiful Christmas gift to inspire children to Truth.

Another Treasure

This book along with Mystic Monk coffee arrived in the mail yesterday! Haven't brewed the coffee yet, but read a few pages and it is marvelous. Quintessential Fulton Sheen. Scripture, reflection and prayer. Reflection for Day 1: God walks into your soul with silent step. God comes to you more than you go to Him. Never will his coming be what you expect, and yet never will it disappoint. The more you respond to his gentle pressure, the greater will be your freedom.

This is a busy season for many, including us. It's all too easy to become distracted by the things of the world. Archbishop Fulton Sheen is a wonderful companion to our little Advent village -- inside the cubbies I tuck in chocolate kisses, little animals and selected Scripture passages for the children.

So much for staying off the Internet, but sometimes I just have to share all this goodness.

Tell me, how do you maintain the spirit of Christmas in the midst of all the secular noise?
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Treasures

I love this time of year, even though it's always busy. For some reason, I've always been on tight deadlines for the past few years. All self-inflicted of course, but I do enjoy the work and I can focus better on short projects at this time than the novel, so it all works out in the end.

Congratulations to all those who wrote entire novels or skeletons of novels in Nov.

Here are some treasures for you:

I won't be online much (except for work) so here's wishing you all a beautiful and blessed Advent.

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