MAD POPE CRUSH

I came across this article in The Huffington Post soon after Easter and have wanted to share it ever since.  It was written by the father of Dominic Gondreau, who is the boy in the photo to the right.  Dominic has cerebral palsy, and when the Pope saw him in the crowd as he made his way to deliver his Easter address, he immediately stopped to give Dominic an incredibly tender and heartfelt embrace.  I watched the video at my office and immediately started crying, then sent it to my closest colleagues, who also shed a tear or two.  It was a pretty hilarious way to start a random Tuesday in April, but the lesson I took from observing the power of this image and the wise words of Dominic's father about the encounter have lasted me all month.    It inspired me on so many levels:  as a parent, as a human, and definitely as someone who thinks a lot about faith but often struggles with the role of the modern church. 

To be honest, I've never really given much thought or care to the role of the Pope, but I am so damn inspired and excited by Pope Francis that it's kind of weird.  I actually am starting to "get" what all the fuss is about, and why people would trek thousands of miles to see this man.  Here's a clip of his encounter with Dominic Gondreau, as well as a brief interview with his family. The Pope's interaction comes across so honest and pure in this way that someone can't fake or politician their way through.  Seriously, I love this man:

The teachable moment for me came in the father's reflection about his own growth and ability to learn about the absolute nature of love through his experience of parenting Dominic, and how Pope Francis' small gesture of a hug could serve as a reminder to all of us that spiritual wisdom truly "confounds the wisdom of the world."  This felt very applicable to my parenting life, and I know all parents, regardless of whether their children have special needs, often feel like their well has run dry and the work and sacrifice required of them is beyond what feels humanly possible.  If you don't have time to read the entire article, here's an excerpt: 

BELATED APRIL FOOLS

If you didn't get a good laugh in yesterday, I'll share the highlight of my day.  My husband (along with a billion other people I'm sure) came across this video yesterday and got me really psyched to watch it, reminding me that I'm one of five people left in the universe who still uses a Hotmail account and I should really think about upgrading.  It took probably longer than it should have, but eventually I was laughing out loud.  What do you think?  Is Gmail Blue in your future?

SOMETIMES IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS...

Like a new pair of cat pajamas.  Of course you can't actually see the cat in this picture because it's hidden behind my daughter's joyfully clasped hands, elated at the advent of short-legged onesie pajamas for spring. With stars.  And a cat.

GOOD BYE PISCES

Indicative of the last month, the original title for this post was "Welcome Pisces." Four short, busy weeks later, I'm finally able to finish the thought.  Pisces, according to Monica Berg, is considered to be the Month of Joy and also stabilizes or foreshadows the year ahead.  I've excerpted the following from her blog, which I love to read when I have a down moment:

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!

One of our colleagues from New Orleans brought us this King Cake back from the city last week.  As luck would have it, my boss got the baby.  For some reason, seeing this baby implanted face down in the doughy deliciousness really cracked me up. Thank you Nonna Randazzo's!

Here's wishing you all the luck in the world this year, a satisfying lent, and plenty of new life come Easter.

FINE LADIES OF (BRITISH) FITNESS

Good-bye, January.  Frankly, I'm glad you're gone.  It was a crazy month at our house with lots of drama which included, but was not limited to:  one ambulance ride to the ER, one sudden trip home from a girl's weekend, three cases of the stomach flu (overlapping), and a few intense and somewhat strange meetings with our local school district to see about taking advantage of their special education services for the babe.  So other than one great week at the beginning, and one awesome afternoon in Tennessee, I'm pretty much ready to flush it and just start his year anew.

Like everyone in America who has the capacity for sight and hearing, I've been totally inundated with images and stories from magazines to MSN about what fitness strategies people will be using to get in shape this year.  And I'm so over it for so many reasons.  Yet that doesn't stop me from sitting in front of the TV and googling the best ways to rid your body of cellulite, which is pretty much the most oxymoronic situation I can imagine and EXACTLY how I roll.  At any rate, during such a search I came across this article from The Daily Mail.  No matter what I do, I just can't seem to steer clear of the Brits these days.  It's like my secret Anglophile has suddenly come alive, full force. 

Apparently, 80s (British) fitness guru Wendy Stehling has made a comeback of sorts with an updated version of her 1982 tome on hot legs (as in the Rod Stewart version).  Here's a link to the article and peek at the cover of her original book.  There is seriously nothing like vintage 80s hot pants to inspire a new and previously unattained level of fitness:

The basic premise is walking every day.  This is my kind of fitness, lady.  But if walking alone doesn't do it for you, if you need something a bit more challenging and lively, I've found the perfect solution right here on our shores.  It's a craze started by Ben Aaron (a hilarious reporter-at-large for NBC) via this YouTube video and is sure to make your day, if not your entire fitness routine for 2013.  Seriously, just imagining myself busting a dance walk around Austin is enough to make me laugh out loud.  I hope you'll do the same.  Here's to second chances, and a Wonderful New Year!

GRIEF

Hatnim Lee snapped this picture on a foggy Tennessee night during her trip to my wedding in January 2009.  I love it the way I love most of her photographs, but this one strikes a chord right now as an excellent representation of how the world looked recently as I tried to find my way through a difficult time. 

There were some beautiful moments over the holiday season this year, but much of the time was colored by the pallor of fresh grief.  One of my oldest and dearest friends, someone I considered one of my best of the best, died in her sleep the weekend of December 15th.  It was a huge shock to those of us (who are many) that loved her and relied on her strength, wit, and compassion as a source of deep joy and encouragement in our lives.  I know that I am one of many people trying to understand how life is supposed to work with her, or at least be as good and fulfilling as before.

My friend is the third in a series of very wonderful, very young people to meet an early and nearly unexplainable death in my broader circle of acquaintances over the last six month.  So I’ve been thinking about grief a lot since the summer, and the heaviness of how long and arduous a process grieving can be was clear to me over the holidays as I sat with parents, friends and family members of the recently departed and we all tried to do the best we can to remember and reflect on the lives of those we love with honesty, integrity, truth, and grace.