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1.
I’ll admit it – It was a sad and disturbing week.
We had a drive-by shooting in my city. A young, beautiful, talented young lady, Na’Kia Crawford, was shot in her car on a Sunday afternoon as she did errands with her grandmother. Another car pulled up next to her and opened fire. This was literally 5 minutes from my home by car, on a route my husband and daughter take every day on their way to work. Facebook was just insistent that this had to be the work of a white supremacist. Both sides of the BLM movement posted comments. Miss Crawford was African American. You can imagine the vitriolic discussion that followed.
The reality was a group of young teens, all African American, thought she was someone else. Who knows why they thought firing a gun into a car was the answer.
A brand new Black Lives Matter sign has been painted in the street, which was shut down for a couple of days while people completed the work. They started before the murderers were identified and the rumors of a white supremacist abounded. It’s been completed even though this was NOT a racially motivated shooting. A memorial for Na’Kia will be later this coming week.
2.
We are not allowed to sing at mass right now so that we can’t unknowingly spray each other with the COVID-19 virus. Hilarity ensues when we get to the Gloria because nobody knows how to say the words! Pre-COVID, we always sang it. Even the priest had a little stumble with it. I can do it if I’m running the music in my head at the same time, OR if I have my missal with me and I can just read the words.
So maybe if a music scandal was going to happen, this was a good time for it to come out. David Haas, prolific composer of such hymns as Blest are They, and You Are Mine (two of my favs) and We are Called (yuck!) has been accused of sexual misconduct.
Nothing surprises me anymore and I guess they’ll have to sort out whether he actually did it or not. As a church musician, it affects me because both GIA and OCP are going to drop his music – which means it won’t be played at least in my parish anymore. And while part of that saddens me, the other part of me thinks maybe this is the opportunity to get some new music in. I’d love to learn something new as I await the chance to play at mass again.
3.
As if that wasn’t enough to rock the American Catholic world, we also got a big Facebook announcement by Tim and Michelle Quigley, a prominent Catholic homeschooling family, that they were leaving the Catholic Church. I’m not even sure that they’re sticking with Christianity. The original announcement was for friends and friends of friends. But this one was public:
A number of others have had their say on the Quigleys’ Decision. Chastising them harshly when they were already feeling that the faithful were less than Christlike, probably isn’t doing anyone any favors.
I also had this observation: Several of the older Quigley children had already left the church and Christianity. In fact they were quite active on their father’s FB page putting naysayers in their place. A few days later I heard one of my favorite conservative radio hosts talk about conservative parents who are being lead away from conservatism by their adult and college-educated children. I didn’t know that was a thing! And just by reading the comments for a few days on all of the Quigley’s pages, I think that’s what might have happened here.
4.
I took my dog to the vet this week because she was peeing all over the house. I wasn’t sure what to expect because I haven’t been to the vet in a while, so I wore my new scarf/facemask and was ready to meet the veterinary assistant. I was told that they would come to the car to get the dog. When the assistant came out, she wasn’t wearing a mask, so I took mine down quickly. Which was great because my skittish pup slipped out of her harness and ran away with me chasing after her! Eventually, we caught her, got the muzzle on, and the slip leash and she had a good visit with the new vet. If I had been wearing a mask, it would have been wet from sweat and heavy breathing from running after the dog, which would also have made it useless.
Every morning Rosie is going to cross country practice and I am walking the trail with other moms – and we are not wearing masks.
Other than that and the weekly outdoor mass and little trips to the grocery store during slow hours, I am not really out of my house. Our cases are dropping and the infection rate is less than 1 to 1. So for ME the risk of acquiring the virus is low.
BUT If i were living in Arizona or Florida, I would probably stay in side all the time and wear a mask going out.
I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all approach to wearing a face mask. It’s a big country and every place looks a little different. In my part of Ohio the infection rate is super low and dropping. Knowing that Facemasks are very not really that effective in stopping microscopic particles and present other problems, I don’t wear one if I can avoid it. I still think social distancing is a good idea as is the handwashing, and I practice those.
5
My son, Noah, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Walsh University. There was no ceremony AT ALL, not even a drive by or a picture op. They literally did the very least that the could do. But when his diploma came we got him all dressed up and went down to the church to take some proper graduation pictures. So at least we have that!
Last week Noah started a new job. It’s not really in his field but he’s got a good wage and the ability to get benefits in a few months. It’s a first step in paying off student debt and getting starting his future!
6.
We spent most of the weekend celebrating Father’s Day, so I want to give my husband, Mr. Pete, a big shout out on the blog here for all the love and support he has given me and our family over the years.
Last week, after I asked him, he did a major car repair for a single mom, a task that ate up his entire Saturday. A few weeks ago he helped a stranded motorist on the side of the road and got her car running again. He also helped our son the restauranteur, remodel his space and get reading for opening after the COVID shut down, spent three hours reconnecting with his godson and still found time to go on a walk with me. He’s just very generous with his time and talents and I really appreciate that in him.
7
Two big specials this week.
Designed for children in grades 1-4, Our 50 States – Elementary U.S. Geography Curriculum is a one year U.S. geography course. It features simple lessons with easy-to-follow instructions, full-color photographs and illustrations, and engaging supplemental activities.
Notgrass is now taking pre-orders for this curriculum, with shipping in August.
Through the end of June, save $10 and get free shipping.
Visit the website to watch a video and learn more about this curriculum.
Also, get your free ebook – Homeschooling through a Financial Storm.
