"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." Saint Francis De Sales

Friday, August 31, 2012

My Slow Takes (vol. 63)


1. Last month I wrote about Duncan, the family Labrador. On Saturday the 25th of August Duncan left for his next journey. I’ve been told that dogs do not go to heaven, but I can’t believe that God would abandon Duncan. He brought love and happiness to the Forgette clan. Although we are taught that animals have no souls, he was a creature of God.  

Duncan was my favorite of all our sons pets. He was the first and we watched him grow over the last 14 years. When he was at our house I would lay on the floor with my TV pillow watching a movie. Duncan would lay down with me laying his head on my chest so that I would scratch behind his ears. Our walks were a planned circuit that he chose and we never deviated from it. At night when Dee and I went to bed he would come upstairs. He would go on Dee’s side of the bed and lay his head next to her making sure she was there and waiting for an invitation to get up on the bed. When she ignored him he would come around to my side and repeat the procedure. Finally he would lay down near the door and go to sleep.



2. Sunday’s reading from Ephesians  5:2A, 25-32; “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” These are beautiful words that I always enjoy reading. My wife Dee is my life and soul mate. We are “joined” and have “become one flesh.” Thank you Jesus for bringing her into my life.

3. These pictures are of one of my AWI British Artillery units. The manufacturer is “Old Glory.” 




4. This weekend we are heading to New York for a family wedding. My nephew Chris and his bride-to-be Adrianne. All of our family and friends will be joining us. I’m looking forward to the celebration.

5. Next week is our annual September vacation in the Outer Banks. If you read my blog from last December you’ll remember that I was inducted into the infamous "International Order of the Red Bandannas." (IORB) Our Brotherhood has plans for the sampling of various red wines, eating of cheese, bread and sopressata, and spending many hours on the beach. Our spouses have plans for shopping and spending time on the beach and maybe sampling of the wines. It is a relaxing vacation with close friends.

6. I’m waiting for the new Apple iPhone 5. My plan is to buy the iPhone 4s, which should come down in price.

7. St. Joan of Arc in Hershey, PA has a “youtube” video about dressing for Mass. Please take the time to view Father Rothan’s Homily




Friday, August 24, 2012

My Slow Takes (vol. 62)


1. We had a tree frog join us for breakfast breakfast one Saturday morning.

2. The picture of the living room is from “Aimless Musings.” A couple bought a church and renovated it into a home. 



3. In Sunday’s second reading, Ephesians 5:15-20, St. Paul tells us, “and do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery.” The word debauchery takes into account much sin. Words like, moral decay, corruption, vice, depravity, immodesty, indecency, perversion, iniquity, wickedness, lust, and lewdness are just a few. I never really thought about the word and wonder if  anyone else ever reflected about it.

4. Our Cursillo group has been listening to Matthew Kelly's, CD, “The seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality.” His message is not really new but looks at the Catholic religion in a unique way. His ideas are interesting and are worth reflecting on. Two things that stood out to me were the following statements. 

“God wants us to become the best of ourselves.”
“Our lives change when our habits change.”

My Cursillo weekend taught me these things and I have been working on changing my habits to be a better son of God.

Watch Matthew’s video here.

5. Tim Mullaney from USA Today wrote an article about America’s middle class. “The median household’s net worth dropped 28% to $93,150.” So, how bad was it for those below the middle class? There was another interesting piece of statistic, “the top 20% of the population saw its wealth quickly rebound from the recession and incomes rise.” Something for Congress and the Presidential candidates to think about. 

6. When a house fly takes off, it lifts straight up and then flies backward. So, to catch one, grab it form the back side.

7. My ebook, "Wards of Faerie: The Dark Legacy of Shannara," has arrived. 



Friday, August 17, 2012

My Slow Takes (vol. 61)


1. Mitt Romney has chosen a Catholic as his running mate for the Presidential campaign. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. 

CatholicVote.org is endorsing Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.

The Catholic News Agency has an article on the announcement.

Deacon Greg Kandra provides his input.

We all have a lot to pray about.

2. Bonnie, over at Learning to be a Newlywed shared a Paul Simon video. This one is one of my favorites, Paul and Chevy. 

3.Dee and I attended evening Mass on Wednesday which was the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Monsignor Shreve talked about the basic parts of the “Hail Mary.” The first part being the words from the Angel Gabriel when he appeared to Mary. The second part from Mary’s greeting from Elizabeth when she traveled to her home. The last part being words developed by the Church. He suggested that we think about the words as we pray and reflect on each part. 

Saying the prayer in this way made me more aware of Mary and how important she is to all of us. I thought about her unquestioned faith upon the announcement of her gift. I tried to imagine the love her and Elizabeth shared knowing that God was with them. 

My faith and love for Mary has not always been strong. It wasn’t until my weekend that I realized the changes I had to make. The rosary that was presented to each of us is with me all the time. I have prayed the rosary more in the last two years than I ever had. Mary has listened and I am thankful for her help and forgiveness.  

4. Dee made stuffed peppers this week. It’s been a while since we have had them for dinner. I told her they were awesome!  

5. On Fridays there is a group of us that get together for lunch. My brother-in-Christ Roger showed up about a half hour late. After he sat down he informed us he had been waiting for us at another restaurant. He finally figured out he was in the wrong place.

6. I didn't get to do any miniature painting this week. Need to get back to it.

7. My gauge on the economy is when agencies start contacting me about jobs. I got a call this week. No, Im not job shopping, just listening to what is going on.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

My Slow Takes (Vol. 60)


1. These are figures from Old Glory, French and Indian War. Painted them as Hurons. I’m still learning how to work the camera.



2. Dee bought a new camera this week. She selected the Nikon D3200. The old camera, Nikon D70s, will now be the backup. She said I could use it for photographing my miniatures. 

3. From Dr. Taylor Marshall of Canterbury Tales. “Emperor Theodosius condemned and banned the Olympic Games as pagan and unworthy of Christian culture.” This was for the AD 393 Olympics.The International Olympics began in 1896.

4. Judy, Dee’s sister-in-law, has been released from the hospital. Surgery was not required. Thank you for your prayers.

5. Dee worked at our church Vacation Bible School which ended on Friday the 10th. Two of our grand daughters, Eryn and Hailey attended and enjoyed the week. I attended the closing and was impressed with the songs that children sang. Found myself singing along with them. 

6. My brother helped me install the new light fixtures in the master bathroom today. An excellent job and they look great. He has a talent for this and we completed it in half the time it would have taken me to do.

7. Jennifer’s blog about discernment made me think about myself. I sometimes wonder if I’m listening closely to hear His message. Do I miss what I am supposed to do and go off in a different direction? Probably, but I keep trying. Working toward better judgement and gaining some wisdom in the process. 



Saturday, August 4, 2012

My Slow Takes (Vol. 59)

1. I tried to photograph some miniatures that I finished painting. However, my photo talents are lacking and my photographer, Dee, is out for the evening. I’ll try for next week.
2. Dee’s sister-in-law is in the hospital taking medication in hopes that surgery will not be required. Please pray for Judy to have the strength to get through this.
3. We have a new manager for out IT team. His name is Bret and he appears to be fitting in well.
4. I have been reading the responses to the “140 characters or fewer” that Jennifer posted last Tuesday. I selected receiving emails so that I wouldn’t miss anything. My inbox has been “humming” all week. I didn’t realize how many bloggers wrote about, just about, everything and anything. Thank you Jennifer.   
5. I got a great deal on the L. L. Bean “Allagash Bison Handsewn” shoes. It was worth the wait.
6. Last night we attended Ultreya at the Church of Epiphany which is our parish. I enjoyed seeing and sharing with fellow brother’s and sister’s in Christ. 

The witness talk was presented by Patricia who spoke on where we are with Jesus. How are we different as we become closer to Him?
De Colores!
7. I preordered “Wards of Faerie: The Dark Legacy of Shannara” by Terry Brooks. He is my favorite fantasy author.