Be Passionate

My 6th grade homeroom students were up in arms this morning over the Superbowl - how it was a horrible game, how the commercials were terrible, yah-da-yah-da-yah-da.

After awhile (and once most of the students had entered the classroom), I stopped them and said, "If you guys would get this impassioned about your faith just once! Instead, you're talking about a football game that, in the grand scheme of life, has no bearing at all." To this, most just stopped and stared at me. And then it was pretty much time for class to begin.

But, seriously, if you think about it - imagine what a difference it would make if people...

- talked openly and passionately about their faith like they do about sports, movies, and music

- were more interested in reading about the Church teachings than the latest celebrity gossip or latest heartthrob teen novel

- spent more time in face-to-face conversations than via texting or social media

The list could go on and on, but I think you probably get my point. What has our society come to? Where are our priorities? Is this who we want to be as a whole - empty, rude, self-centered/me-focused...?

In my Bible Study small group tonight, we ended by discussing the idea of action steps - What can we do this week to try to be better Christians in our daily lives? Small, practical steps - that's all.

So, tonight, I ask myself, What can I do to make a difference of making Jesus and the Catholic/Christian faith a more important & visible part of my life this week? (And I'll give myself a little time to think about my answer.)

And I encourage you to do the same...

Catholic School Experience, Dr. Seuss Feel

Because I will likely not be reading this to the students at Wednesday's Mass (we're opting for something simpler and shorter), I decided to share my Catholic Schools Week poem with you here:

Beginning in Kinder

Going up through 12th grade -

A love for learning was nurtured,

a Catholic school girl was made.

At HFS grade school

mighty falcons were we -

We soared high and proud

in every activity.

I played every sport

that the school had to offer -

volleyball, basketball,

track, softball, and soccer.

Through student leadership board,

school news, choir, and mime,

I learned so many ways

I could serve with my time.

In high school I flourished 

with my education

Because my Catholic grade school

gave me a solid foundation.

Study skills, reading habits

and working with peers

are things that stuck with me

after all of those years.

In high school my faith

grew more with each day

with my teachers and principal 

leading the way.

It was during this time

I prayed always to Mary -

a devotion that to this 

very day I still carry.

Through the course of the school day

we'd start with prayer in each class,

and each sports team was assigned

an afterschool day for Mass.

I remember the chapel 

we had right on campus

and during my passing periods

I'd stop and say hi to Jesus.

We had retreats every year

the out of state ones were best.

Spending time in reflection,

I realized I was blessed.

Because of my success in

Catholic high school, you see,

I earned scholarships that sent me

to college for free.

My parents were glad that

all those years of tuition

turned out to be investments

in future education.

And after that time

Catholic ed was still on my brain

so I became a teacher through ACE

at the University of Notre Dame.

The money pays better

in other jobs I suppose

But being a Catholic school teacher

I deliberately chose.

Catholic School Week reminds me

it's a celebration well-deserved

for it's in Catholic Schools where

we make God known, loved, and served.

March Madness

It's crazy!

After tonight, my brackets might just be shot to you know where...

But I love this time of year.

Basketball practically 24/7 on the weekends.

Upsets, Cinderellas, and favorite teams...

No doubt in my mind.

March Madness...

#1 in my book.



What about yours?

 

Grandpa, Sparty, and Me

As a twelve year old kid, I confess I didn't know much in the ways of the world. (And perhaps I still don't, but that's another story.) The point is that it was that year when I really started watching college basketball.

And, let's face it, it wasn't just any college basketball - it was Michigan State. (I'm pretty sure I dubbed myself an honorary member of the Izzone.) A fanatic (me) was born.

Why Michigan State? You know, people still ask me that to this day, and I love telling the story.

Actually, it's not much of a story, per se. It's really just for one simple fact - I wanted something in common with my grandpa. (I guess I realized even then what an incredible man he was.) Whether watching in the same room or on different TVs across the country, I knew that we would always be able to either celebrate or lament the team's results and stats at the end of each game. Without fail, it would be something we shared.

And we did just that for 14 years.

Eh, who am I kidding? He's still watching (wherever he is), I'm sure of it.

And I'll definitely keep watching too - heck, the team picture and schedule is the desktop background on my computer.

As I'm sure my grandpa would say, Sparty on...

H and G...Hi and Goodbye

ND Grotto candles offering prayer intentions

To say that there were tons of ACErs and friends at this week's Notre Dame game would not be an understatement. To say that it was so good to see them would also be quite true.

To say that it was great to catch up and talk with them would be pretty much bologna. And I don't mean this in a bad way - it's just that it is SO difficult to have quality conversations with people at such events as football games and tailgates because you try to see too many people in too short of an amount of time. (And when I say "you" I obviously mean me as well.)

That's not to say sometimes you can't have solid conversations at these kinds of events, but, in all honesty, interactions are oftentimes reduced to something along the lines of

Person A: "Hey! How's it going? Good to see you." (hug)
Person B: "Doing pretty well. How about you - what have you been up to?"
Person A: "Oh, you know, same old, same old. How's school going?"
Person B: "The kids are great - full of energy. It's hard to get them to keep still a lot of the time, but they're a good group."
up walks Person C: "Oh hey guys! How are you?"
Person A: "Doing well, yourself?"
Person C: "Oh, you know..."
...and so on.

Is this a bad conversation? A waste of time? No. But in some ways, it can be, unfortunately, just going through the motions.

Human interactions are so important, but it is up to each of us to be more aware about the types of conversations we are having. Will it be just hi and goodbye, check I've seen you? Or will it be truly taking the time to see how someone is doing?

Yes, I realize time is one of the keys here. Wouldn't it be nice to simply add hours in the day so we had more time for being present to one another? But clearly that's not an option.

Plan B? Let's ensure we make every moment count. Easier said than done, right? But remember, time truly is a gift. And it is up to us to decide how to use it.

You Can't Win 'Em All

You can't win 'em all...even though sometimes you'd like too. 

In every football game, someone has to lose. And if two of your alma maters are playing each other, there's no way to truly end up happy. Add rain/storm delays on top of it all, and you've got yourself a long, emotionally-taxing day.

But the weekend's events were fun regardless: We met up with friends, ND and USF alike (but not together), and enjoyed tailgating and walking around campus. I even made new "friends" during the game, as a middle-aged couple wearing USF gear (their daughter attends USF but they live in Chicago) sat down right next to me in a sea of ND alumni and fans. (And it was definitely a good weekend of family - so great that my parents made it into town!)

So, as you can imagine, after such an emotional (and long) game day and a 20+ mile training run into strong gusts of wind this morning, I am quite exhausted. I'll leave you tonight with a couple of photos from this weekend's ND v. USF game:

Pre-game view of scoreboard & Touchdown Jesus

View of field after halftime rain delay - longest game in ND's history

In case you were wondering, I wore both teams' colors, and my heart was happy for plays made on both sides of the field. And yes, I will forever bleed GREEN & GOLD...and BLUE & GOLD.

Let's just pray these teams don't have another football match-up for a long time.