What I didn't do this weekend

This weekend, I didn't see The Hunger Games since I didn't read the books. And I didn't see the season premier of Mad Men. I haven't watched any of it.

Instead, John and I saw the movie October Baby.

It was incredible.

I laughed and I cried. OK, I cried a lot.

October Baby is an extremely beautiful and powerful movie about the beauty of life and forgiveness.

Plus, the producers of October Baby have assigned 10% of the profits of the movie to the Every Life is Beautiful Fund, which will distribute funds to frontline organizations helping women facing crisis pregnancies, life-affirming adoption agencies, and those caring for orphans. Love it.

We saw the movie after hearing a recommendation by a friend and now I'm recommending October Baby to you.

Go see it!
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Remembering 9/11

9/11/01. Where were you? I was a senior in high school. I distinctly remember being in AP Calculus B/C when the announcement came over the PA. Being in a Catholic school, the entire school dropped everything for prayer. After that, we were glued to the TV in class.

I remember wondering if my aunt was OK. Sitting on the floor in the senior hallway, crying while talking on the phone. My aunt lives in New Jersey, but works in New York City. Thankfully, she was safe.

September 11 is also my Dad's birthday. I remember eating German Chocolate Cake while watching the news. I was in a daze and couldn't believe that something  this horrible could happen on a day that should be happy.

That weekend, my Dad and I were planning on flying to St. Louis to visit the campuses of Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis. Flights were grounded, so we decided to make the 9 hour drive. If we hadn't, I might not have gone to SLU or met John.

In 2006, John and I went to NYC for spring break and stopped by Gound Zero. There was a note on the fence that said,

"You can destroy our buildings, but you can't destroy our foundation."

Beyond all of the horror and pain, we must remember those who lost their lives, love the ones we have with us, and move beyond the fear. We must be people of peace and hope.

In Mass this morning, we sang "Make Me a Channel of Your Peace," which is the prayer of St. Francis.

Make me a channel of your peace:

Where there is hatred, let me bring your love,

Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord,

And where there's doubt true faith in you.

Make me a channel of your peace:

Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope,

Where there is darkness, only light,

And where there's sadness, ever joy.

O Master, grant that I may never seek

So much to be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand,

To be loved, as to love with all my soul!

Make me a channel of your peace:

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

In giving of ourselves that we receive,

And in dying that we are born to eternal life.

My prayers are with all the friends and families that lost loved ones in the events of 9/11/01.
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Travelling Lightly

Hi, friends. Thank you sooo much for the thoughtful comments, messages, and emails during this past week. As losing a grandparent is never easy, your outpouring of love and prayers are greatly appreciated. The love shown for my Grandma and family in Cleveland was also a blessing. There were sad moments, but the overall tone of the week was a celebration of her life.


Me, Grandma, and my sister at Niagara Falls

One thing I forgot to mention last week was that my Grandma loved to travel. Around the world, around the country, and around Ohio. As my aunt said during the eulogy, when Grandma could no longer travel for a week, she would go somewhere for a few days. These became overnight trips, to day trips, to a quick getaway around Cleveland. As her body began to age, she had to use a wheelchair, and this limited the places she could visit. She became worried that she wouldn't be able to visit everywhere on her wish list. 

The priest beautifully tied this love of travel into the funeral homily. As exciting as a trip may be, a traveler always looks forward to returning home. To friends, family, and familiar surroundings and routines. I know that I enjoyed my trip home to Cleveland and my subsequent return to home in Chicago. On a greater scale, my Grandma's life was an incredible journey on this Earth. Now she is returning home to Heaven where she is reunited with Christ, her husband, brother, and others that passed before her.

And now my Grandma can continue exploring the planet and the universe.

Bon voyage.
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Personal vs. Professional Life

In keeping with the somewhat serious tone from the last post, I thought I would delve into a topic that people say shouldn't be discussed in public: religion. I figured as long as I'm talking about money (another topic that is shunned in public), I might as well make things a little more interesting. As we already determined, I'm Catholic. I want to be a good person. I want to serve others. I was once asked what being "simply Catholic" meant to me. I thought of it as "living simply." Living within your means. Not wasting your gifts or resources. Sharing your excess good fortunes with others.

But I'm also an accountant. I have this gift and talent with business and numbers. In the business realm, it seems like "greed is good" (Wall Street), self-interest prevails, and capitalism leads to unfair competition. In my mind, there always seemed to be a disconnect between my personal life and professional life. That being Catholic and successful was mutually exclusive.

Fortunately, I am wrong. (How hard is that to say?)

I started to learn about the integration of Judeo-Christian truths with free market principles during a talk by R.J. Moeller. Moeller is a pastor in a Christian Church in Chicago and is currently a graduate student studying theology and philosophy in the Chicago-land area. Interestingly enough, he is a published writer and aspiring cultural commentator focused on the intersection of faith, politics, economics, and popular culture.

That night, Moeller discussed economics from a Christian worldview. He said that economics is the combination of math, morality, and experience. And that we have a unique gift to create and produce. I knew that we should be stewards of creation, but he also talked about being a steward of our time, talent, and treasure. Competition is needed for improvement in the economy, but we need to do so in a Godly way. Moeller also suggested that we should try to change hearts and behaviors before trying to change policies. One of the books he recommended was "Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism is the Solution and Not the Problem" by Jay W. Richards.

At the end of the night, I asked him how to be a better Christian worker. Moeller suggested some smaller everyday things such as being ethical and working hard. Or not working on Sundays and being a trustworthy coworker. Another suggestion was to donate money to worthwhile charities so that others can serve the needy.

But I wanted to dig a little deeper. How can I more fully integrate my faith and profession? (Please don't confuse this with my vocation. My deeper purpose is to be married and a mother.)

So I read "Money, Greed, and God" and it totally improved my view of capitalism from a Christian perspective. Turns out, Moeller is an alumnus of the Acton Institute, which seeks to gather Christians from all traditions to discuss how to create a free and virtuous society. And Richards held a leadership position at the Acton Institute. So these guys share a common message. That book debunks many commonly held myths about capitalism, even some that I held.

Not to leave you hanging, but this post is already getting a little lengthly. So I'm going to save a book review for some future posts.

Do you have troubles connecting your personal and professional life?
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