Family Dinners

I haven't blogged in a while...and people are inquiring about my whereabouts...so here I am.

The current topic amongst many moms is the new movie, "The Golden Compass," due to arrive in theaters in early December. There has been extensive debate over the dangers presented in the Harry Potter books, with sorcery, the occult, etc. No matter where you fall in your opinion about Harry Potter's appropriateness for children, most agree that it is basically a story of good vs. evil and good wins. The love Harry's mom had for him is more powerful than all the evil of Voldemort (a love that had her sacrificing her life for his). "The Golden Compass" has been compared to the Narnia and Lord of the Rings series. Both of those series are accepted Christian analogies. "The Golden Compass" is written by a professed atheist, Philip Pullman (I don’t profess any religion; I don’t think it’s possible that there is a God; I have the greatest difficulty in understanding what is meant by the words ‘spiritual’ or ‘spirituality’) His stories are anti-God, and anti-church. I can agree that some stories are simply that, stories. I can agree that a single movie seen once by a child will probably not be a pivotal point in their spiritual growth. I also know that evil exists and that evil spreads in insidious ways. I haven't decided whether my girls will be able to see this movie..."banning" it gives it a great allure. And the Singer is 17. She 'll be off to college in the fall and will be deciding these things for herself soon. But, I will discuss the movie with them and tell them why I have reservations about them seeing it, and for them to be aware that the author does indeed have an agenda.

The past few weeks have been great family/home time for us. With swim season over we have a lot more time together and that time is less rushed. Our dinnertimes have returned to being a leisurely family event. Last week we somehow ended up talking about marriage and we shared with the girls that we had written our own vows. The Imp smiled and shook her head. "What are you smiling about?" I asked. "You guys are our own personal chick flick." We all laughed and it was just good fun. Last night, the Singer shared that Mr. Shindler (brother of the famous Terri Schiavo and former teacher at her school) had come to speak to her religious ethics class. So we spent an hour talking about end of life issues. The Singer asked us if we had Living Wills..and we had to admit we didn't. Updating our wills is on our "List of things to do" and has been for years. Now that the girls have asked us, I'm sure it will get done in the near future as they'll continue to ask. It is wonderful to be able to discuss such topics with my children. And it gives great insight into where they are in their spiritual development and beliefs.

The Singer is going on a "homeless retreat" this weekend. Her youth group is going to a church in a poor area of town and in addition to other activities, will have a dinner similar to what a homeless person would get at a 'soup kitchen' and will spend the night outside in simple tents on the church grounds. They are allowed to bring the clothes on their backs (and they are allowed to dress warmly) plus 3 additional items (not bags filled with items, but individual items). I am already praying for the "success" of this retreat. The Singer was lamenting that most of her close friends from the youth group won't be attending. I told her that being alone was a big part of homelessness for many. She's just glad there is a "Praise and Worship" time scheduled (she'll go anywhere if she's allowed to sing...especially praise and worship songs).

The Imp spent the day at Bishop McLaughlin High School yesterday. We're trying to discern which high school would be the best for her. She had a good time and the school is really state-of-the-art. She takes the entrance test for Tampa Catholic this Saturday and took the writing test for the IB program last Saturday.

A friend of ours, a radio talk-show host, will have Zig Ziglar on his show soon (I don't remember exactly when). I am envious of all the neat people he gets to meet in his job.

I am glad I don't live in Maine. The Portland school system wants to give the pill to middle school students, and another wants to require every high school senior apply to college. A group of parents were discussing condoms being available at middle schools, and a mom said, The supporters of this say 'IF they're going to have sex, we want them to be safe. We're not encouraging sexual activity.' She wanted to ask the supporters if their husbands' travelled for business would they give their husband a condom before he left and say, "Honey, I know you won't cheat on me and have sex, and I don't want to encourage you to have sex, BUT if you do..please be safe." I know it's not a perfect analogy, but it made me laugh.