My Daily Domestic Diigolet 02/24/2008

And for the very first time in the Bible, we find a scene of mourning. Abraham enters her tent and weeps over his dead wife (Gen. 23:2).

When he calls Abraham, God begins to awaken sin-slumbering humanity. We are created for fellowship with him, not for the grave, and inevitably what had been accepted as a fact of life becomes a brutal, unnecessary blow. Thus the psychological paradox of faith: a belief in God’s promises heightens rather than softens the existential pain of death.

Therefore, it is not a weak faith that feels the pain of death’s enduring power, anymore than grief over one’s sins is a sign of lack of confidence in God’s forgiveness. On the contrary, the victory of Christ on the cross intensifies our sense of death’s wrongful hold on life, and faith in the resurrection of the dead sharpens rather than blunts the loss. The scroll swallowed by John in his visions is sweet to the mouth and bitter in the stomach (Rev. 10:9–10).

We are not wrong to grieve more deeply at the funeral of a child. The promise of life makes death less manageable emotionally, not more.

I’ve often felt the same at funeral Masses. I’ve known the anguish of loss and the tears of impotence. I’ve raged against death in the solitude of my mind: Why? Why? Why? I’ve brokered compromises: Nobody lives forever; She’s in a better place. I’ve felt the bittersweet presence of the dead in the caverns of my memory, as well as the numbing vacuum of their absence in everyday life. Death brings many emotions that cannot be mastered, which is why it bewitches and controls so much of our lives. And yet, after the eulogies are over, the priest prepares and consecrates the bread and the wine. When the wafer hits my tongue, I feel as though the Church has put a stick in the eye of death.

We live as we bury. It’s quite true, I think. I have little doubt that the restless humanism and volatile politics of modern Western culture stem from the ways in which Jews and Christian mourn and bury. We are not trained to reconcile ourselves to death. We do not make peace with the dark destiny of the grave. As a result, we grieve all the more intensely—and we strike back at death with all we can muster.

ISFJs live in a world that is concrete and kind. They are truly warm
and kind-hearted, and want to believe the best of people. They value
harmony and cooperation, and are likely to be very sensitive to other
people’s feelings. People value the ISFJ for their consideration and
awareness, and their ability to bring out the best in others by their
firm desire to believe the best.

It would not be uncommon for the ISFJ to remember a particular
facial expression or conversation in precise detail years after the event
occured, if the situation made an impression on the ISFJ.

ISFJs have a very clear idea of the way things should be, which they strive
to attain. They value security and kindness, and respect traditions and
laws. They tend to believe that existing systems are there because they
work. Therefore, they’re not likely to buy into doing things in a new way,
unless they’re shown in a concrete way why its better than the established
method.

ISFJs learn best by doing, rather than by reading about something in a book,
or applying theory.

The ISFJ feels a strong sense of responsibility and duty. They take
their responsibilities very seriously, and can be counted on to follow
through. For this reason, people naturally tend to rely on them.
The ISFJ has a difficult time saying “no” when asked to do something, and
may become over-burdened. In such cases, the ISFJ does not usually express
their difficulties to others, because they intensely dislike conflict, and
because they tend to place other people’s needs over their own.
The ISFJ needs to learn to identify, value, and express their own needs, if they
wish to avoid becoming over-worked and taken for granted.

ISFJs need positive feedback from others

Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type,
making it the most rare of all the types.

and constantly define and re-define the
priorities in their lives.

They are usually right, and
they usually know it.

This is something of a conflict between
the inner and outer worlds, and may result in the INFJ not being as organized
as other Judging types tend to be.

> Or we may see some signs of disarray in
an otherwise orderly tendency, such as a consistently messy desk.

there being a problem with a loved one, and discovering later
that they were in a car accident.

They may tend to internalize conflict
into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress.

They believe in constant
growth, and don’t often take time to revel in their accomplishments.
They have strong value systems, and need to live their lives in accordance
with what they feel is right.

INFJ is a natural nurturer; patient, devoted and protective. They make loving parents
and usually have strong bonds with their offspring. They have high
expectations of their children, and push them to be the best that they
can be. This can sometimes manifest itself in the INFJ being hard-nosed
and stubborn. But generally, children of an INFJ get
devoted and sincere parental guidance, combined with deep caring.

In the workplace, the INFJ usually shows up in areas where they can be
creative and somewhat independent. They have a natural affy for art, and
many excel in the sciences, where they make use of their intuition.
INFJs can also be found in service-oriented professions.
They are not good at dealing with minutia or very detailed tasks.

29. Grocery shop on the weekends

2. When you see a great toy on sale, buy several and sock them away for your child to give to friends at birthday parties throughout the year.

3. Give your grade-schooler a “homework box” with pencils, an eraser, a stapler, a calculator, and a ruler. Ask her to bring it to the table whenever it’s time to do homework.

4. Forget about addressing your party invitations by hand. Go to the United States Postal Service website to create party invitations that can be shipped to addresses you upload to the site. Or, have your own photo printed onto a postcard invitation at Snapfish and they’ll stamp the cards and mail them for you

6. Skip ironing and get wrinkles out of a shirt or pair of trousers by putting them in the dryer for 15 minutes with a damp hand towel.

12. Set up a box for bills that need to be paid and stock it with stamps and envelopes.

16. Shop for holiday and birthday gifts year-round. Whenever you see a great gift for someone you love, buy it and set it aside for giving later.

21. Chop all your vegetables, fruits, and herbs for the week’s meals at one time so everything will be ready for cooking.

22. Add important appointments and activities to a master calendar in your e-mail in-box and set up reminders for up to one week ahead. This calendar can be shared with family members via e-mail. (Google Calendar, a free Web-based system, even sends reminders to cell phones

25. Keep disinfecting and glass wipes in the bathroom for quick cleanups around toilets, sinks, and mirrors. You could even do a speedy wipe-down while you bathe the kids.