Ready for High School

Bridget's 8th grade year was all fits, starts, stumbles and muddling along. Baltimore County struggled this year with making decisions amid the pandemic and then was hobbled by a major cyber attack back in the fall. Catonsville Middle School administrators and teachers kept things going and Bridget thrived in some ways and suffered in others. The academics are what they are: thin, but the other missing piece was being the big kids on campus. This year lacked the clout that 8th graders collect through their experience. It lacked the teacher bonds, with screens off most of the time. It lacked the comradery of students who get through a middle school experience together.  They are all doing it but the isolation has taken a toll. The year also lacked the special events, no 8th Grade Dance, no trips to Hershey Park or Mount Vernon. It lacked the moments of pride, NJHS inductions, band performances, art shows, competitions, award ceremonies. And these kids persisted, they persevered, they survived. They mastered online environments and figured out how to deal with incessant school network outages. 

Bridget found support in her friend group and treasured being able to get back in the building and make eye contact again. She talks of lunch time, first in the library and now in the maker space and is grateful for what they do get, like an art assignment with actual clay. She hit rough patches in some classes and loss of motivation. But she has gotten through it and recovered. She used her asynchronous Wednesdays to catch up on school work and one day to sew herself a skirt.

Through the tough year we began talking about High School, what she wanted, and what she needed. She applied to and got into Mount de Sales Academy but Bridget was leaning toward the familiarity and opportunities at Catonsville High School.   Bridget applied to multiple scholarships at Mt de Sales including an Art Scholarship that required the submission of a portfolio. Bridget worked hard on these and was awarded with 4 scholarships. Those plus financial aid made Catholic tuition a possibility. In the end we determined that smaller class sizes and dedicated assistance to succeed in full knowledge of her learning disability was what made the most sense. Bridget enrolled at Mt de Sales.

Our parish Ladies Auxiliary offered a scholarship as well, so Bridget applied. Just this past weekend she was awarded the scholarship and the Women of Victory Ladies Auxiliary made the presentation after Mass. We are very proud of Bridget and I cherished getting the opportunity to see her publicly acknowledged. 

Soon the end of middle school will be upon us and we look forward to the new experiences of high school. 

Brood X - the 17 year cicada

 I tend to be fascinated by the things and sometimes my family laughs at me. Well I am giving them all kinds of opportunities right now.     - Because cicadas -

A few months ago our local news started talkin about Brood X and it's impending emergence. The anticipation began building, I began looking for holes in the yard and for signs that it was time. Originally they said we should see them around May 10th, but we got a week of cold weather and it delayed their arrival.  In the mornings I would go out, still in my pjs, and take a peak at the base of our big maple. And then I saw them. Of course I had to report this to the whole family, sadly they aren't as excited as I am but thankfully they enjoy my excitement.

The brood started slowly with handfuls of nymphs climbing the nearest thing they could find. Most of the nymphs come out early in the morning. I would usually see them as they emerged and I was always thrilled to see them when they got out of their exoskeleton and they were still white. If I timed it well I would get to see some as they unfolded their white wings. These bugs survive purely because of a numbers game. They are easy pickings for the squirrels and birds. They are prone to falling, and failing to emerge all of the way, a lot of them don't have well developed wings when they do get out, and these are the ones that are littered across our side walk and driveway. But there are also a ton of successful cicadas who shed the exoskeleton and leave a crunchy layer in our grass and at the base of the tree.

It is not that often that easy to see bugs go through their life cycle on full display in great numbers. Their evolutionary development is fascinating, somehow they landed on a prime number for the likelihood of survival. They wait for 17 years to keep their species going, and it has been working. The last time they were up I had 3 young children. Megan was an infant. I remember pointing out the cicadas to the girls in the back yard. Before that is was 1987 and I was an eighth grader at OLV. From that year I remember Mary telling of the difficulty of mowing Uncle Henry's grass as they flew into her hair. Before that it was 1970, the year my parents got married. My Dad tells of the cicadas being a topic of intrigue and disgust for the visiting Wisconsin relatives in Grandad and Grandmom Debaugh's back yard at my parent's rehearsal dinner picnic. In 17 years we will all be at new unknown stages in our lives and I am hopeful that this Brood will be as strong as ever. 

I root for these awkward fascinating bugs. I tip them upright when I come across one on it's back. I sweep them off of Jim's tires. I move them out of the walkways and onto the trees. To me they are a sign of resilience and patience and purpose.  The cicadas song began in earnest last week and honestly it was a bit deafening. They are only just now beginning to haphazardly fly around. I don't love being startled by them but I do love them. They get quiet when it rains and volume increases as their wings dry out in the heat. They'll only be around for a few more weeks, so I will enjoy them while I can, as the family laughs a bit in the process.

Johanna's 1st Holy Communion

May 2, 2021

Welcome to the Table of the Lord 

What a joyous day! It was a bright, sunny day full of newness and the promise of Christ's love for us and the gift of Himself. Johanna was prepared and anticipating receiving Jesus. We spent a few months working through a book together. Grampa and Jim helped do chapters with her too. She attended two workshops and made a banner to hang on the end of the pew. Her banner kit had enough supplies to make 2 banners so she made a second to hang at her party. We had a bag of unconsecrated hosts and Johanna practiced receiving and managing her mask. We tried on the dress, veil, shoes and tights in advance and were thrilled that the dress and veil were still in good shape and fit well. Initially Johanna wasn't keen on the ensemble, but within moments she was smiling at herself in the mirror.

This would be the first party we would host in 15 months and I felt a bit rusty. I ordered invitations but with continued problems with the postal system, they arrived 3 weeks late and not in enough time to mail out. We decided they would just go out with Thank you notes afterward. As the day approached we got the house and yard ready.  It was Jim's last week working at Guinness, so he wasn't available to help much, but I made a list and things were getting checked off. The day before I headed to Sam's club to get the food. With our food on the check out belt, the power went out. We waited and there were a few flickers of hope but inevitably they said we had to leave. I left without any food. I called the girls and told them I was held up and asked them to work through the list. I drove to another Sam's and shopped again. My normally 45 minute task turned into 3 hours. I was expecting it to be a long evening of prep. I came home to a clean house and a mostly completed list. Megan and Bridget did a great job and I felt really blessed. The girls and I then got to do the fun prep. We arranged flowers and made cupcake toppers and got out decorations.

 

On Sunday morning a beautiful day greeted us. Johanna was eager to get dressed and enjoyed having just a little bit of hair braided and pulled back so we had a good foundation to attach the veil. We used as few bobby pins as possible. We got to church early as requested, and I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures of Johanna before Mass started. Johanna was happy to not be sitting still. We were in the farthest forward pew and squeezed in it's short length. Mass was reassuring and familiar with a layer of excitement. Hanna leaned over and said it was going faster than usual. As we progressed through the liturgy of the Eucharist Johanna got more talkative and wiggly. And then it was time. She filed out of the pew just as we practiced and she extended her hands to receive her Lord. 

At the end of Mass they invited the 3 kids who received First Holy Communion to come forward to receive certificates. Next month 2 more kids will be welcomed to receive Eucharist as well, it is a small group which is a little sad but it is also more personal. All of her Baltimore aunts and uncles were able to attend and we were looking forward to hosting them for a lunch back at the house.

It was so nice to be able to have people celebrate Johanna's joyous day. We took a few more pictures at the house and then a number of people changed to t-shirts. It was already hot out. Johanna decided that she wanted to stay in the dress, and since she is our youngest I was not as worried about her getting it messy. We scrambled to get the food and drinks out and Becky was immensely helpful. We said grace and Jim offered a special blessing for Johanna.  It was an unseasonably hot day so we all sought out shady spots in the backyard to eat our lunch.

Cousins played games and ran around and ate lots of watermelon. The adults visited, we got caught up on summer plans and vaccination stories, and life in general. It was so nice to have Jim with us and not worry about him heading to work. Cornhole was played. My dad and Mary were both serving at the 12:30 Mass so they arrived later. After they ate everyone was ready for dessert. Johanna and Sarah carried the cake and cupcakes out and Johanna was ready to cut the first slices.

We waited until Rachael returned from work to open gifts. We had given Johanna a cross necklace before Mass with 4 images on the edges surrounding a Chalice in the center: Miraculous medal, Sacred Heart of Jesus, St Joseph and St Christopher. She received some lovely gifts, religious articles, and books. Rachael gifted Johanna the Hogwarts castle and Hagrid's Hut which Rae had gotten in kindergarten. Johanna is blessed by the generosity of the people in her life and is especially blessed by their prayers.

It was such a lovely day and I am so happy to have Johanna join us in experiencing the fullness of Mass and join us for the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

Lord Jesus Christ, in the Sacrament of

the Eucharist You left us the outstanding

manifestation of your limitless love for us.

Thank You for giving our child the

opportunity to experience this love

in receiving the Sacrament for the first time.

May your Eucharistic presence keep her

ever free from sin, fortified in faith,

pervaded by love for God and neighbor,

and fruitful in virtue, that she may

continue to receive You throughout life and

attain final union with You at death.

Amen

New Job- Bond

It has been coming for a while and conditions were right for a shift in employment. But that decision to shift was still difficult. Jim loved working at Guinness but it was time to move on. Jim was amazing at being a tour guide but he wanted more and had hopes to move up in the company.  The pandemic brought changes moving his position under retail and it became apparent that there wasn't a path to advancement at Guinness for him. We were also getting really tired of him working weekends, holidays and evenings. It was wearing on our family. Jim's employment path has been covered in blessing and we trusted that the next step was no different.

He started looking at jobs in the sales/ distribution side of the industry and immediately got interviews. He got a job offer with Bond Distributing as a merchandiser and decided to say yes. The sales profession side of the industry will give him exposure to a whole new aspect of the industry and he will gain a whole new set of business skills. Being back at a salaried job with benefits and a regular weekday work schedule is also really appealing.

Leaving Guinness though was hard. He loved being a part of the Guinness brand. He loved getting to talk about his favorite beer and he enjoyed his co-workers. Jim told innumerable stories of his co-workers, their varied lives, struggles and journeys. Most of them were much younger than him and he became a solid source to them. When talking with them it came across that they really valued his solid decent presence and he became an example for them. It was hard to leave. On his last day his co-workers got together at the local after work hangout, State Fare. Lots of people turned out to send him off, buy him a drink, give a gift, and get a hug. I got a chance to join him that night and I was glad he got a good send off.

Jim's off-roading continues as he learns the ropes of a distributing company. The Rav-4 that we bought this past summer is coming in very handy as his office on the road. I see God's hand in all of this. God has us and I am so grateful.