The Importance of Communication

So I've been thinking about communication (or a lack thereof) and wondering: Why is communication important?

No doubt there are myriad answers to this question, but today, I will simply share this quote:

I am convinced that men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don’t know each other, and they don’t know each other because they don’t communicate with each other, and they don’t communicate with each other because they are separated from each other. ~~ The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Cornell College, Oct. 15, 1962

Communication: the antidote to hate and fear.

So what are you waiting for? Communicate already!

Lent: Conversion, Fasting, & Feasting

"Lent is about conversion...Conversion means leaving behind an old way of living and acting in order to embrace new life in Christ."

(Rev. Lawrence E. Mick, "Lenten Customs," AmericanCatholic.org.)

I wonder what this Lenten season will hold for me. There are so many "old ways" I would do well to leave behind that it's overwhelming. I revisited William Arthur Ward's Fasting and Feasting and The Peace Prayer of St. Francis for inspiration, and this is what I've come up with:

This Lent I will fast from anger, complaining, judging others, and pessimism, and I will feast on patience, appreciation, acceptance, and hope.

At least I'm going to try (with the help of God's Grace), so wish me luck. Better yet, say a prayer for me. Cavemama thinks it would be easier to give up chocolate, and I'm 22 1/2 weeks pregnant.

The Red Envelope Project

My family will be participating in The Red Envelope Project as part of our Lenten observance (in an effort to promote social justice) this season.

We are a pro-life family and want to send a message to the President expressing our position on the abortion issue. The idea is simple (see below). My husband and I will definitely each send an envelope, and we're thinking of sending a red envelope for each of the 40 days of Lent.

If you're like-minded, please consider participating as well.

(1) Address a red envelope to the President:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Washington , D.C. 20500


(2) Write this message on the back of the envelope:

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception.

(3) Put a stamp on the empty red envelope, put the envelope in the mail, and let The Red Envelope Project know how many envelopes you sent (just click on the link).

Calling All Scholarly Mamas!

Remember my pitch for The Scholarly Mamas Society? Well, I have wonderful news! The Scholarly Mamas Society will meet at North Branch Library on the first Tuesday of the month from 10:00 a.m. until noon, beginning March 3, 2009.

For our first meeting, we'll be discussing an article by Dana Gioia-- "Why literature matters: Good books help make a civil society."

Please send me an e-mail with any questions.