Keep On Singin'

While reading people's tweets and blogs, I came across this...

I'm sure your reaction will be the same as mine...*sigh*

A time for preparation...

My best friend told me recently: "You know, I'm a little sad that you are not the Catholic that you once were. I mean you are still a really good Catholic, but you used to teach CCD, run a youth group..."

For more than 12 years, my husband and I were those "crazy Catholic" twenty-somethings who would inspire youth to get fired up about their faith. To be Soldiers of Christ and fight the good fight. When our parish needed something done, the priest would look to us to get things moving. Parents made us examples to their children; we were the last resort to bring their kids back into the fold. Before those years, I participated in the youth group, retreats - you name it. Heck, I was always at the church. I was one of "those" church kids. My family sat in the same pew every Sunday and everyone knew who we were.

My pal's statement alone made me ponder. What am I doing now? I go to church every Sunday. I make sure my son is learning the foundations of our faith. Each night we saw prayers together. Yet, could I be doing more? Focusing just on myself, I remembered how my morals were what set me apart from the crowd. I stood up for my faith even when it made me the outcast. The fact that I "waited until marriage" is still a topic that causes to shock people. To sum it up, my faith made me special. In the past, my BFF would constantly state "I'm going to heaven on your coat-tails." Would they still be able to?

With Lent a week away, I've set forth a challenge to myself. To do my best to become that pillar of faith I once was. Nothing radical. Just a small start to go back to the person I once was.

You Found Me

Those of you who know me personally, know I love The Fray. I was lucky enough to see them in concert a few years ago while they toured with smaller bands like Mute Math. They were part of my beloved Independent Rock scene...then Grey's Anatomy skyrocketed them into the world of mainstream music.

No, I didn't throw them out like other bands who crossover into Top 40 playlists. I have a special place for this band. Even more so with the release of their latest self-titled CD...it's a really great album. The songs are somewhat introspective of some of the band members - but that's what got them noticed to begin with.

As of right now, my favorite song is "You Found Me". There are a couple of others on the album, but this one seems to fit the mood at my current point of life.

Taken from Wikipedia:

In an interview, Isaac Slade expressed his meaning behind the lyrics of the song:

"You Found Me" is a tough song for me. Its about the disappointment, the heart ache, the let down that comes with life. Sometimes you’re let down, sometimes you’re the one who lets someone else down. It gets hard to know who you can trust, who you can count on. This song came out of a tough time, and I’m still right in the thick of it. There’s some difficult circumstances my family and friends have been going through over the past year or so and can be overwhelming. It wears on me. It demands so much of my faith to keep believing, keep hoping in the unseen. Sometimes the tunnel has a light at the end, but usually they just look black as night. This song is about that feeling, and the hope that I still have, buried deep in my chest.^[4]

Additionally, in another recent interview Isaac Slade declared that:

"I kept getting these phone calls from home - tragedy after tragedy... If there is some kind of person in charge of this planet - are they sleeping? Smoking? Where are they? I just imagined running into God standing on a street corner like Bruce Springsteen, smoking a cigarette, and I'd have it out with him.".^[5]

Furthermore, in a Reuters article about the new album, Slade says that the lyrics for "You Found Me" were written two and a half years ago, and that the song asks about the problem of evil, why bad things happen to good people, after some of their friends and family went through very tough times.^[6]

25 Random Things...

Oh you know something is popular, or on the verge of, when it makes the NY Times.

Check this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/fashion/05things.html?_r=1

Random Quotes: Adopted Kids

Gilda Radner - "Adopted kids are such a pain - you have to teach them how to look like you."