My DVR is even more full than usual since I’ve been gone a few days and I am barely catching up. I haven’t watched the last two Masterpiece Theaters yet so I can’t comment on those. The previews didn’t absolutely grab me so they have been queued to the end of the line. Last night I did, however, watch the new Once Upon A Time: “The Return.” (Brian and I flipped a coin. Tonight he gets his choice – Grimm.)
Booth & Gold – I’m glad we are finally getting some background info on the mysterious August W. Booth. I’ve heard that some people think his fairy land character is Pinocchio. I thought maybe they were right and that was why he was hurting when he got out of bed in the beginning. Perhaps his legs are turning back to wood. (Plus we see a couple donkey references.)
A few weeks back I started thinking that perhaps Booth was Gold’s son. I told Brian that and he said he couldn’t be since Mr. Gold did not recognize him and he wasn’t living in the town like the rest of the characters. Then as the story went on and Mr. Gold and Booth had their father/son reunion I looked to Brian and smiled. See, he is his son! But as they were hugging and crying I thought, “No, this is going too smoothly. Something is going to happen… Gold is going to stab Booth while they are hugging. No, Booth will stab Gold…..Wait, what?? Booth is not actually his son. (I looked at Brian and this time he smiles at me.) So who is he?? Who was he calling? Well, we may not know yet but at least after seeing Rumpelstiltskin act so evilly, we were able to see a glimpse of Mr. Gold genuinely remorseful and loving towards his pseudo son. That has to count for something!
David & Kathryn – Well, anyone who has read my previous comments about OUAT know that I do not like David. I do not like him here or there. I do not like him anywhere. I am completely open to being proven wrong and shown that he is not that bad, but so far the only way I would root for David would be if he was up against Regina’s nauseating lapdog Sidney. What is it with these wimpy men with no backbone or foresight? I do feel bad for Kathryn and all she had to go through. She started out as an unlikable character but as we got to know her backstory I can’t help but hope for a better life for her.
Mary Margaret & the Party – I love when MM asks why the people are throwing her a party and Emma says they are her friends. MM asks, “Where were they yesterday?” Touché! Although, the card from her school class was classic.
Regina & Emma – Let the games begin!
There are only three episodes left until the season finale so things should continue to heat up!
Category Archives: entertainment
TV Talk: Once Upon A Time – “The Return”
Book Discussion of Style, Sex, and Substance, Chpt. 1
As I mentioned last week, for the next few weeks I’ll be doing a book study of Hallie Lord’s Style, Sex, and Substance: 10 Catholic Women Consider the Things that Really Matter . I had been making notes over the week but yesterday I was ready to forget the whole idea.
Yesterday was an awful day. Seriously, it wasn’t the usual busy and stressful day of mishaps. It was different and I couldn’t put my finger on why. When Brian came home I went to my room, locked the door and begged God to help me and literally cried myself to sleep. I haven’t felt like that in a long, long time.
A half an hour later I opened my eyes and came out of the room like a weight was off me. Brian hugged me and asked if the demons had been attacking me. It clicked. That is exactly what it felt like. The interior struggles were like familiar demons that I have not battled in a long time. In my experiences, usually when there is a “spiritual attack” it means God is preparing a turning point… some good fruit that will come out of a particular situation.
I am not sure what that situation is. Maybe it’s my own personal growth as I am studying this book. Maybe it’s the trip Bella and I are taking tomorrow. Maybe it’s something I am not yet aware of. Whatever it is, yesterday I thought I’d never post this book discussion because I was the last person that should be sharing lessons with you. But now that the fog has lifted and I am at peace again, I’ll go ahead and post what I’ve written so far. If you haven’t read the book yet, hopefully it will encourage you to pick up a copy. It truly will be one of the best $10 you ever spent. 🙂
Book Discussion Part 1: Chapter 1 – How I Fell Out of My Minivan and Found Myself
I love Jennifer Fulwiler’s writings and was pleased to see that she covered the first chapter of the book: How I Fell Out of My Minivan and Found Myself. After wiping the tears of laughter from my eyes from her Dukes of Hazzard’s van story, I was hooked by this paragraph.
“I had a specific idea of what the authentic Catholic woman was like: She was the picture of joy and grace every time she went to Mass and always had an emotionally powerful experience upon receiving the Eucharist; she kept her home tidy; and she joyfully crafted elaborate celebrations for each liturgical season.”
I could relate to Jen’s feeling of inadequacy. In fact, this is a topic God has been drilling into me for the last 9 months. It all started last summer when I wrote the post Those Perfect Catholic Moms Are Killing Me. I had been reading a number of Catholic mom blogs and seeing all their accomplishments at homemaking and motherhood was making me feel like a loser.
As days and weeks passed I told myself that I can’t help it if I was messy and disorganized and that I couldn’t sew a button or keep a plant alive more than a week. So what if I get impatient and fired up at the slightest mishap, especially on the days when I forgot to spend time in prayer because I was too busy checking my facebook and emails. That’s just how I am.
But it was bothering me. Is that it? Am I to resign myself to “just being myself.” I knew there was plenty of room for improvement. Then I started reading the book The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers – Reclaiming Our Passion, Purpose, and Sanity by Meg Meeker, MD.and the first Habit was called Understand Your Value as a Mother. In my post about it I talked about feeling inferior, rediscovering my talents and listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. In one part I wrote:
“It’s funny that once I stopped comparing myself to my perceived super moms (after all, I am seeing a tiny, sanitized glimpse of their lives,) I started seeing that I possessed some of those same talents that I admired in them. It is as if my creative side woke up. I started posting on my blog again because I love having an outlet to write. I’ve tried new recipes and found cooking fun again. I’ve started organizing small sections of the house and realized I, too, could be organized. (Relatively speaking. ;-)”
That got me to thinking – what is “me” and what’s a warped vision of me? Then I read Jen’s words:
“To uncover your unique brand of holiness, you have to sift through your God-given quirks and talents from your sins.”
Suddenly the light bulb clicked on. That’s it! (If I was an Oprah fan I’d say it was my AHA! moment.) That’s what the Holy Spirit was trying to tell me! Separate the quirks from the sins. I had my own unique calling and vocation that matched my personality and my temperament. I didn’t have to become a carbon copy of mom A, B or C. I just had to be the best version of me and slowly God is showing me how to achieve that.
Jen sums it up using one of my favorite quotes:
“St. Catherine of Siena famously stated, “Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.” We tend to focus on the second, more dramatic part of the statement, but the first is just as important: Be who God meant you to be. Embrace the one-of-a-kind brand of holiness that God has chosen for you. Reject your sins, but love your quirks.”
Perfectly stated.
At the end of the chapter, there are a number of questions for deeper reflection. I’ll share one of the questions and my reflection with you.
#4. What saint has challenged your ideas about what holy people are like? What did he or she do that surprised you?
A saint that forever changed the way I think about holiness is St. Francis de Sales. My old parish was named after him and I remember the pastor once giving a talk about his life. He said St. Francis was known as the “gentle saint.” He was a model of kindness and patience in guiding souls to Christ. He said this was ironic because St. Francis actually had a fiery, sometimes violent, temper and it did not take a lot to set him off. However, with God’s grace he was able to tame his temper, transforming his greatest fault into his greatest strength.
This also reminds me of what a priest once told me in confession years ago. I was struggling with certain temptations and feeling overwhelmed by them. He said that if we surrender ourselves to God and rely on his grace, we can turn our biggest weakness or sinful tendencies into the very path that will lead us to heaven. He gave me the example of St. Mary Magdalene. She was a prostitute, a woman undoubtedly who dealt with sins of immorality. Yet, when she gave heart to Jesus and repented of her sins, something in her shifted.
Mary Magdalene found false love in the men she was involved with, but with Jesus, she found true and pure love. Her desire became not to please men but to please Jesus. We know that she succeeded in purifying her heart and loving Christ deeply because she was granted the grace to be the first person to witness the risen Lord. Like St Francis de Sales her weakness was transformed into her strength. It doesn’t mean that they did not struggle but they relied on God’s grace and they slowly became their “true” selves.
Now that I am following Jen’s advice of separating my sins from my unique quirks, God is helping me to overcome those sinful tendencies. When I fail I like to remember St. Francis de Sales. I’m encouraged to know that God’s grace can do anything so I pick myself back up and continue on the path chosen for me.
The next post about the book:
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“My Idea of Heaven…”
Thirteen years ago on this day, after five months of writing, emailing and phone calling Brian and I shared our first meet, first date, and first kiss. Since then, he has given me a little taste of heaven every day that we are together. I love you, Sweetie! This song always makes me think of you. xoxo
TV Talk: Titanic Mini-series (2012) Part 2
Part 1: My thoughts on Part 1 are here.
Last night I finished watching the last hour of the Titanic mini-series. I must have been in a better mood because I did enjoy the last part more than Saturday night’s viewings. Although the sinking of the ship was not as flashy as other movies, there was enough drama to make me feel for those who did and did not survive. In the end, the love story that most touched me was the one between the Mantons’ maid and manservant. The fact that they always loved each other without fully realizing it until it was too late seemed plausible. His final act of love to will his house to her destitute father was touching.
The scene that most broke my heart was when Jim Maloney realized that there was no escape for him and his daughter so he would simply try to comfort her in his arms as they died. My first instinct was that he should not give up and fight to the very end but I suppose if he knew it was hopeless he wanted to give his daughter
a few last moments of peace and security in his arms until it was too late. I can’t even imagine what I would do in that situation…I don’t want to think about it or I’d lose all composure.
So all in all I would call this a “one time” movie. Something that I am glad I watched once but I wouldn’t watch it a second time. How about you? What did you think of the mini-series?
TV Talk: Titanic Mini-series (2012) Part 1
Last night I watched the first three hours of The Titanic mini- series. I had high hopes for it but I was a little disappointed.
First it was a little confusing. Things were said and done that didn’t make sense. Then in episode two they flashbacked and gave more background to what was going on. It answered questions but it still seemed odd.
Second, I am all for a good love story. I am a romantic that is ready to cheer a new couple but some of the love stories seemed a bit contrived and forced. While I could see how Paolo was instantly smitten with the maid Annie Desmond it seemed a stretch to also have Georgiana and the millionaire’s son fall in love over such a short period of time.
And did I miss something? Did Mary (Jim Maloney’s wife) know Peter Lubov beforehand? Do they have a history? That would make more sense. I don’t believe she merely looked at him and had such a “connection” that she disregarded her children and hubby to make out with him on the deck. I don’t get it. The only “love story” that seemed to make sense and held my interest was the reconciliation between John and Muriel Batley. Muriel may have been a bit nasty (although she’s nothing like Lady Manton) but at least they fleshed out her character more and I was interested in her story.
Perhaps, that was the problem. The characters weren’t developed enough for me to care about them. Or maybe I was just too tired and not in the mood to watch. Or maybe Downton Abbey set my expectations too high. Whatever the reason, I’ll finish watching the last part tonight and hope for the best. It’s not as if I didn’t like it… it was just not as good as I hoped it would be.
UPDATE: My thoughts on Part 2 are here.