This & That

Wow, what a day yesterday! I’m so grateful that the white smoke started billowing out of the chimney in the afternoon, our time. I was worried that the pope would be elected and announced early in the morning while I was still sleeping. But no – I had the live stream screen pulled up on my computer at work and it was such a thrill to see that white smoke! The tension was killing me by the time they announced our new Holy Father! And I have to admit that my first reaction was…um…who? I had never heard of Bergoglio before and had no idea where he was from. Thank goodness for smart phones! I’ve been reading everything about him I can find since then, and I am so, so excited for our new Holy Father. As everyone is saying, his humility and simplicity seem so evident. Out of so many things I love about my Catholic faith, one of the biggest is how the different personalities of Christians can all contribute in their own special way to the furthering of the gospel. Pope Benedict was nothing like Pope John Paul, who was probably nothing like any other number of popes. And now we have a new pope who seems like, well, like his own person! But I’m so confident that the Holy Spirit will do great things through him – I think he already has, judging by the number of people, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, who seem very taken with his humility and strong faith.

Whew! As a melancholic, all the adrenaline and excitement of yesterday is taking a loooong time to work out of my system. I feel like I need to go sit in silence and pray for a while, and just let it all sink in that we have a new Holy Father.

In other news, lots of things lately have interfered with my ability to post regularly.

·         I’m in the middle of my blood draws. Three down, four to go. My testosterone results came back normal. Wouldn’t you know it, this cycle that I’m getting (costly) hormone testing is quite a bit different than my usual cycle: my peak day was a day earlier, and my CM was pitiful, compared to good, how it usually is. I find that annoying for a number of reasons, but partly because I wanted to get a profile on the “rule,” not the “exception.” Oh well.

·         I planted the first seeds in our garden! Peas, spinach, and lettuce. This weekend, weather permitting, I’ll plant beets, chard, carrots, and some other cool weather crops. I find gardening very therapeutic, being out in the sun and playing in the dirt. And it gives me something to nurture =)

·         Mr. M and I spoke on sexual ethics at our parish’s RCIA program. It went really well! He talked about Christian anthropology and chastity, and I talked about married love and sins against the dignity of marriage. The class was very receptive and I was pleased to be able to talk to them about how married love is always fruitful and that Napro is a moral, and more effective, alternative to IVF. Things I would have liked to have learned earlier!

·         We have a date of the archdiocesan mass for infertile couples and those who have lost a child to miscarriage! April 28, the feast of St. Gianna. If you are local to DC, please feel free to email me at eccefiat11@gmail.com for more details! I would love to meet some of you in person! It should be a great afternoon. The details are still being worked out, but what we know so far is that there will be a presentation by Kevin Wells, author of the book “Burst” and a DC local, followed by mass and optional prayers for healing by a priest well known locally for his gift of healing. I’m pushing for refreshments somewhere in there too =)