THE GIGANTIC, BIG, 

FIRST GRADE, BIRTHDAY PARTY

Once upon a time - well not that long ago a time - the first grade teacher - in a certain school - was going to celebrate her 50^th Birthday Party - in her first grade classroom. In her classroom. Imagine that!”

And the kids couldn’t imagine how old 50 years old was. “That is old!”, they said. “Old.”

They tried with their hands. How many fingers would you put up if someone asked Mrs. Teresa Dosomuch - yes that was her real name - if they asked her, “How old are you Mrs. Dosomuch?”

Would she go, “Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture]? I am 50 years old. Wow!”

She tried that and the kids were either amazed or confused - depending on their math skills. That many fives, that many fingers, that’s old.

The parents of the First Graders all made cupcakes - cupcakes of all kinds of frosting colors on top - with all kinds of cake mix - brown, stripped and white.

The kids couldn’t take their eyes off all  the cupcakes sitting on a fold up table off to the said  as they sang, “Happy Birthday Mrs. Dosomuch!”

The chairs in the First Grade classroom - for the party were arranged differently that day - in a circle - with Mrs. Dosomuch’s bigger swivel chair up in the front of the classroom in the center.

Then something happened that almost ruined the party. It’s always something! Isn’t it?

Yep sometimes bad things happen - even to kids in the First Grade - even by kids in the First Grade.

It started with two boys. One’s name was John and the other was James. They had a plan. They raised their hands and said, “Mrs. Dosomuch can we sit next to you - one on your right and one on your left.”

When the other kids heard this - they got angry. They got jealous. They got jumpy - and this was even before they got the sugar in all those cup cakes.

“Uh oh,” Mrs. Dosomuch thought. “What do I do now? If I put one on my right and one on my left - these other 21 kids will be jealous - very jealous.”

What to do?  She put up her hands to stop all the hands that were up. She put her finger to her lip as the signal for all to quiet down. She said a prayer inside her mind to God: “Help!”

She remembered this used to happen when she was a kid and grandpa Ed came to Thanksgiving Dinner at their home. He had a great belly and a great white beard - and looked like Santa Claus - and all the kids - including Teresa - would want to sit next to Grandpa Ed for Thanksgiving dinner.

Impossible - because only two could do that: one on his right and one on his left.

The solution was Grandpa Ed would sit at the kids table and after every ten minutes a timer bell  would go off and he would move his seat next to two others - starting with the oldest.

Mrs. Teresa Dosomuch smiled.

Mrs. Teresa Dosomuch came up with a plan. She said to herself, “I’m not that old.”

“Surprise” she said to James and John and the rest of her First Graders, “I’m not going to sit down. I’m going to serve you.”

So she pulled her chair out of the circle - completely surprising the whole class. Next she walked over to the cupcakes - which were on silver trays. 

Next she called James and John over to her and said, “James and John, it’s more important to serve than to be served, so you’re going to help me.”

She handed each of them a tray and with juice in one hand and plastic cups in her other hand, she walked around and served juice to each kid - telling James and John, “Show the kids the cupcakes. Give them their choice.”

So they walked around the circle of chairs and served all the kids.

And what a party. Each kid ate at least 3 cupcakes - each.

Then surprise! Just at the end of the party in that First Grade classroom, the principal and all the teachers in the school came to the First Grade door and opened it and said, “Happy Birthday to Mrs. Do So much.

Then they blindfolded her and led her and her whole class - all 24 of them - to a big hall - in the school. It was filled with the whole school - filled with kids - all of whom loved and missed Mrs. Dosomuch - whom they all had in the first grade. They were silent.

The principal lead the blindfolded Mrs. Dosomuch into the center of the hall - and sat her in a chair. All the kids were standing there surrounding the chair - but they were told to be totally quiet - SILENT. Then they took off her blindfold and she saw all the kids - and all the teachers - and lots of parents - and they all sang as they brought in this gigantic round chocolate covered birthday cake - her favorite - with 50 blazing candles - as everyone sang Happy Birthday to her. Amen.

OOOOOOOOOO

This is a story I wrote last night for this 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time B.

PICK IT!

Quote for Today - Oct. 21, 2012

"Mean to" don't pick no cotton."

Anonymous

FRIENDS IN THE PLURAL

Quote for Today - October 20, 2012

"Many a person has held close throughout their entire lives, two friends that always remained strange to one another, because one of them attracted by virtue of similarity, the other by difference."

Emil Ludwig

Questions:

Is this quote true to you?

If you are married, was your spouse attracted to you by similarity or difference? 

When talking with a friend or spouse, ask each other about relationships you both know about: are they married and/or are they friends because of similarity or difference?  

Do you think these questions are good conversational starters?

Do you think this they are dangerous questions?

A QUOTE 

I NEVER FORGOT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “A Quote I Never Forgot.”

Do you have a quote or a comment that you read somewhere or heard somewhere that you have never forgotten - a quote that impacted your life for life?

I think everyone would answer that question with a “Yes!”

DIG THEM UP

However, I think some quotes or comments have their impact - but we are not aware that they have an impact in our life. Let me repeat that: “I think some quotes or comments have their impact - but we are not that aware that they have an impact.”

Suggestion: dig them up. Do some self research. How? 

A good way: talk to one other person about your life quotes and their life quote.

Next way: do it by yourself - and jot them down.

Hints that help.  Here are a few hints on how to discover these quotes or comments - that impact your life.

Fill in the blank on these statements:

My mom always used to say or always say _______________.

My dad always used to say or always say ________________.

I remember in a sermon a priest once said _____________.

I remember I read in a magazine once ________________.

My favorite Bible text is ____________________________.

A proverb that I go by is ___________________________.

A teacher I once had always said, ___________________.

ONE THAT I REMEMBER

Whenever I come to a feast like today [October 19, 2012] - that of a missionary - like Isaac Jogues and John de Brebeuf and companions, I often thinking about something I read a long, long, long time ago. I think it was in an article in The Brooklyn Tablet, the Catholic newspaper for the Diocese of Brooklyn. 

Life quotes don’t have to be exact - how I remember the quote or comment and how it impacts me is what is key.

The writer of an article - perhaps it was on vocations - said, “Throughout the history of the Catholic Church - lots of men and women left home and went to foreign countries and lands - never to heard from again. 200 or 300 years later - these nameless people are the background to Christian churches in places all around the world.”

That’s the sort of quote or comment.

That has impact on me because that is what I wanted to do with my life. At first it was China - because of stories and pictures of the Church in China I noticed in Maryknoll Magazine as a kid. Then it was someday becoming a missionary in Brazil because I heard a Redemptorist who came into our classroom and told us about his work as a missionary in Brazil and he asked us to think about doing that with our life.

I never got to become a foreign missionary - but as I look back on my life at 72 I ask what everyone who makes it to 72 asks:  Was it worth it? Did I make a difference? Did I add to the world’s betterment or did I make it worse?

I’ve gone back to places where I was stationed and walked down its streets and corridors and nobody said hello or noticed me.

I’m sure parents wonder about their kids - especially if their kids’ lives fell apart - or are living a different life style. Was it worth it? Did I make a difference? What is my legacy?

So that quote from that Brooklyn Tablet helps me - because unlike Isaac Jogues and these Jesuit missionaries I won’t have a name - yet I was there and gave it my  best shot - and who knows what happened  because of me.

I look up to Jesus on the cross and realize: sometimes it looks like all death - but then there is the 3^rd day, and then there is 300 years later. Who knows, something I did or said or showed up for had an impact on someone who had an impact on someone who had an impact on someone.  I know the thing about not worrying about results, but they are nice. I know the saying, “Don’t count the sheep, feed them.”  But it’s nice to count sheep when trying to sleep. Amen.

REPOT

Quote for Today - October 19, 2012

"If a Plant's Roots Are Too Tight, Repot."

Gardening headline, The New York Times


Questions: 

Interesting quote: where does it take you?

Does it make you think of your life, a relationship, work, what?

Before repotting, whom would you talk to about what you sense you should change?

Agree or disagree: If the pot don't fit, vote to repot?

DAMNED  FUNNY

Quote for Today - Thursday October 18,  2012

"Genuine laughter is the physical effect produced in the rational being by what suddenly strikes his immortal soul as being damned funny."

Hilaire Belloc

LAUGHING  TOGETHER

Quote for Today - Wednesday October 17, 2012

"Shared laughter creates a bond of friendship.  When people laugh together, they cease to be young and old, master and pupils, worker and driver. They have become a single group of human beings, enjoying their existence."

W. Grant Lee