Ramblin' Saturday

As usual, my Saturday (4/30/11) was filled with lots of activies, including:

• Richard's roller hockey game.
• Lunch w/Richard at Boston Market.
• Pet store - bought comb and brush for cats (shedding season)
• Shop for hiking shoes (I bought a pair but we're still looking for some for Richard).
• A 2-hour walk.

Richard's roller hockey team had an exciting game this week. They beat the first place team 7-6 and qualified for the playoffs.

We also worked a bit on Richard's US History class project. He has to do a paper or PowerPoint presentation on Senator Joseph McCarthy. They are currently studying the Cold War.



West Hartford Boston Market.

Lunch was something of a challenge this week due to Richard's new braces (see separate post).  We decided to try a favorite place, Boston Market. This is a favorite of ours due to the delicious food and reasonable prices. In addition, the West Hartford location is one of the cleanest I have found.  The mashed potatoes & gravy was today's draw. He tried corn but it was too hard to chew. Mac and cheese worked well. The corn bread was good except for the crispy edges (I ate those). I had meatloaf but Richard ate most of it - cut into tiny pieces. We also shared some sweet potatoes (I had the melted marshmallow topping).


Pet Store in West Hartford.


We stopped at the local pet store because I wanted to get a special comb for cat hair since it is shedding season.  After carefully considering the expensive model, we opted for a less expensive comb and brush. You should have seen all the hair we got when we tried it out (I didn't take a picture) on the cats (and they seemed to enjoy it).

Last week I tried some tea when we picked up our Chinese food. The manager, Sonny, told us it was organic (loose) green tea from Whole Foods. So we stopped at the local store up the street where we found several expensive options. We are now awaiting the exact details from Sonny before purchasing. I read that green tea was rich in antioxidants and good for you. I am considering green tea as replacement for my daily cup of coffee. Any tips or suggestions?

This year, one of my goals is to do more hiking. I would like to do some of the Blue trails. So one of the day's activities was to shop for hiking shoes. Richard tried on a few but didn't find anything comfortable. He did seem to like the most expensive ones. I opted for an inexpensive pair on sale. I figure after actually I put in few miles I can better determine what my needs are for hiking footwear. Any suggestions for Richard would be appreciated. We went to Bob's clothing and Dick's Sporting Goods.

When we got back to Lynn's place, the weather had turned to good to be inside. So we (Lynn, Richard, and me) went for a walk. It turned out to be a 2-hour walk! I got a chance to break in my new hiking shoes. My legs were pretty sore by the end of the walk (but they are much better today). One of the highlights of the walk was that we found some stone markers that Lynn had told us about a few months ago. Turns out they are 13 markers for the Wallace Stevens poem, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird." We found about 4 markers; someday we will have to do the entire walk.

By the time I finally arrived home, I had put on ~140 miles of driving and I was pretty exhausted. Another satisfying Saturday.

Braces

Richard showing off his new braces.

On Thursday, Richard has braces installed on his teeth. If you look closely at the picture above, you might be able to see them (I have a closeup of them but he'd probably not want me to post it). You probably can't tell from the picture above, but the braces are (partially) orange since that is his favorite color. I think they look pretty good.

Right now, his teeth are still a bit tender and sore. So it is difficult for him to chew. This means that his diet is limited, for the moment, to soft foods like oatmeal, soup, mashed potatoes, ice cream, etc.  Hopefully, in few days things will get back to normal and he will be able to chew more solid food. If you have any tips, suggestions, questions, or good advice, let us know.

The Book of Tobit



Cassette cover of audio play of Book of Tobit.

A few years ago (actually, quite a few), my sister Susan sent me a cassette tape, entitled, "The Medicine of God." It soon became a favorite of mine and I listened to it many times. It lifted my spirits during a tough time and gave me hope. Sadly, this 45 minute audio play is no longer in print and is not available as a CD or download.

The description on the cover reads: "The Old Testament's Book of Tobias is brought to life with St. Raphael the Archangel being God's envoy to those who trust in Him. Very edifying, it promotes the virtues that Tobias himself practiced: detachment, resignation to God's Will, patience, obedience and complete trust in Divine Providence."

Today, I am starting the Book of Tobit as my next Bible study. I using an old copy of the RC Bible study magazine, God's Word Today (no longer in print), as a guide. My New American Bible (NAB) is my primary translation but I also have the Douy-Challoner Text edition in my Catholic Action Edition of the Holy Bible (which is quite different from the NAB). I am using Irene Nowell's commentary in the Collegeville Bible Commentary series (OT #25) and she also wrote the commentary in the New Jerome Biblical Commentary. I hope to finish sometime in June so I can begin to preread the Book of Job.

The Book of Tobit is a great story. It is full of romance, adventure, journey, trust, and hope.  I like that God intervenes via the angel Raphael.  I also like that the classification of the book does not affect the message of the story.  Until recently (i.e., the past 50-60 years), the RCC considered Tobit to be historical.  However, recent scholarship has altered that view and now leans more towards the wisdom literature (e.g., the Book of Job). The message of the book does not rest on historical fact but on how the writing affects the reader.

I would recommend The Book of Tobit as mandatory reading for couple preparing for the sacrament of marriage. Anyone that would like a "pick me up" would also benefit from reading Tobit. If you decide to read The Book of Tobit, I would love to hear how it affected you.

3 Weeks to go!

Harold Camping, the president of Family Radio, is predicting that the Rapture will occur on May 21, 2011. Above is a picture of a "business card" that I keep in my wallet. The flip side says: "Have You Heard the Awesome News? The End of the World Begins on May 21, 2011. The Bible Guarantees It! More information at www.FamilyRadio.com"

Now, I'm not sure what to make of this. Mainstream institutional Christianity obviously dismisses such predictions. On the other hand, since we can't "know the time or seasons" [Acts 1, 7] and of the "day or the hour no one knows" [Mat 24, 36], it does seem prudent to at least give it some serious thought since "you must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come" [Mat 24, 44].

In any case, Saturday May 21st should prove to be an interesting day. If Mr. Camping's research is correct, it will be an awesome time! If he is wrong, it will reopen the can of worms about the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible.

I don't think that Christians would be harmed by reading Mr. Camping's research on how he arrived at his prediction. It is available at the Family Radio website for free.

Roman Catholics might also break open the "Catechism of the Catholic Church." There is quite a few entries in the Subject Index for "Jesus Christ, Second Coming." A good place to start might be "The Last Judgment" [1038-1041].

Hopefully, this subject will at least cause people to ponder about the "second coming of Christ" and Judgment Day. These are subjects that all Christians should pay more attention to whether or not they they agree with Mr. Camping's interpretations. 

I'm not planning on the world ending anytime soon. It's outside of my control anyway. God is in charge and always has been and always will.