A.S.K. = Ask, Seek, Knock = 3 Steps Toward Praying Aloud With Others... a tip for the new evangelization

My latest column over at Patheos is an observation on the active avoidance Catholics apply when it comes to a very basic skill... leading another person in prayer for their sake, or the sake of others. It also offers a brief tutorial with the baby steps on how to overcome it... using a strategy that co-opts some of the words of Jesus: Ask, Seek, and Knock. Here's an excerpt:

I’ve learned that this praying-aloud-thing with another person is a skill that not all Catholics share an enthusiasm for. What I mean is that it is one thing to pray together at Mass, or to pray a rosary aloud with a group, or to pray a formal grace before meals. But it is entirely another experience to pray aloud, somewhat spontaneously, with the people you are with… even when they are Christians themselves, about a subject that is on their hearts and minds. 

Now, I’m not talking about my evangelical Christian friends, who are usually very open to praying-on-the-spot when asked. Their freedom to offer a word of prayer or thanksgiving in-the-moment is something worth emulating. 

Why don’t we Catholics act with the same freedom? 

I hear this thought often: We’re private. My religion is just between me and God. We Catholics love our private prayer… and rightly so. Jesus taught that when we pray we should close our doors and pray to our Father in heaven in secret. And that’s fine. That’s good. Let’s all do more of that, too. 

Maybe all that private prayer is why sharing prayer with another person sometimes feels too intimate… or we fear doing it wrong. But, really, it is nothing to fear because Jesus is there within the breaths of any group prayer… “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Mt 18: 20.)" 

Others have told me praying with others outside of Church is uncomfortable because we Catholics are raised with the formal vocal prayers of the Church -- all of which are wonderful, beautiful, and majestic -- but not with informal or spontaneous prayer -- that we don’t know any other ways to pray. 

Other times, we’re afraid to do something so spontaneous… we don’t want to be labeled as a Jesus freak, or a religious fanatic. 

From an evangelization standpoint, all these excuses are hard to square in front of Jesus who asked us to be active is in sharing the faith, when he said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Mt 28: 19.)

Check out the rest. And if you like the column, you may subscribe by email or RSS here. 

This makes me think... about how my communion in the Eucharist is incomplete without communion with others

“Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor 10:17). 

Union with Christ is also union with all those to whom he gives himself. I cannot possess Christ just for myself; I can belong to him only in union with all those who have become, or who will become, his own. Communion draws me out of myself towards him, and thus also towards unity with all Christians. We become “one body”, completely joined in a single existence. Love of God and love of neighbour are now truly united: God incarnate draws us all to himself...

Eucharistic communion, includes the reality both of being loved and of loving others in turn. A Eucharist which does not pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically fragmented. Conversely... the “commandment” of love is only possible because it is more than a requirement. Love can be “commanded” because it has first been given...

Anyone who needs me, and whom I can help, is my neighbour. The concept of “neighbour” is now universalized, yet it remains concrete... [it] calls for my own practical commitment here and now...

Jesus identifies himself with those in need, with the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison. “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). Love of God and love of neighbour have become one: in the least of the brethren we find Jesus himself, and in Jesus we find God.

--- Benedict XVI, encyclical, Deus Caritas Est ("God is Love"), 2005, par. 14, 15.

My Latest over at Patheos on Evangelization

Check out my latest column on Patheos at A Word in Season, where the word is evangelization, and where I'm talking about what the heart of the new evangelization must be in us.

Here's a snip...

The heart of the new evangelization is not the Year of Faith, or the forthcoming Synod, or the next great pope, or the next great book, or parish program, or even all new Catholic media on the internet or the broadcast bands or in film.

No. The heart of the new evangelization is an actual beating heart.

It is the heart of Jesus that burns with love for us.

And it is our hearts that yearn to be one with his.

The heart of the new evangelization is about a Person, the Person of Jesus Christ, and our encounter—our living encounter—with him.

Everything starts there, and everything must flow back there.

Read it all.

Tithing on Social Media? Well, as a strategy for the new evangelization, it might get you involved...

My latest offering at Patheos discusses the new evangelization, the generosity of God, and our response to it. How did I come to this idea of tithing on our usage of social media? Simple. It's a a matter of stewardship... and putting our resources at the service of the new evangelization.

Here's a snippet...

There’s an old joke that talks about the angels questioning Jesus about the worldwide evangelization  plan after his return to heaven following the Ascension: 

Angel: So, Jesus, you’ve just returned to heaven as the victorious Lord of Glory, King of Heaven and Earth, what’s your plan for spreading the news of salvation to the whole world? 

Jesus: Well, you see those folks down there on earth -- Peter, James, John, and the rest of my disciples? 

Angel: Yes… 

Jesus: I told them to tell everyone. 

Angel: That’s the plan? 

Jesus: That’s it. 

As it was then, so it is now. The plan for evangelization still resides with us, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 

And all of us who are baptized into the Church, have been baptized into the Church’s mission, which is our mission too. The call to be evangelizers is at once corporate and personal.  Some are called to bring the news of salvation to foreign lands. Most are called to bring it to our next-door neighbor -- or, to our next Facebook status.

Read it all. 

Don't forget, you can subscribe to my column via an RSS feed and have it delivered to your reader or to your email. Subscribe here. (Every subscription helps!)

 

This makes me think... about what gives us meaning.

The resurrection of Christ is not the fruit of speculation or mystical experience: it is an event which, while it surpasses history, nevertheless happens at a precise moment in history and leaves an indelible mark upon it. The light which dazzled the guards keeping watch over Jesus’ tomb has traversed time and space. It is a different kind of light, a divine light, that has rent asunder the darkness of death and has brought to the world the splendour of God, the splendour of Truth and Goodness.

Just as the sun’s rays in springtime cause the buds on the branches of the trees to sprout and open up, so the radiance that streams forth from Christ’s resurrection gives strength and meaning to every human hope, to every expectation, wish and plan. Hence the entire cosmos is rejoicing today, caught up in the springtime of humanity, which gives voice to creation’s silent hymn of praise. The Easter Alleluia, resounding in the Church as she makes her pilgrim way through the world, expresses the silent exultation of the universe and above all the longing of every human soul that is sincerely open to God, giving thanks to him for his infinite goodness, beauty and truth.

---Benedict XVI, Urbi et Orbi, Easter 2012.

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday... this link is all you will every need...

The definitive Divine Mercy Sunday website is here. It's got it all, the prayers, the history, articles to help you grow. Their APP is pretty cool too.

And here is a fabulous new parish initiative -- All Hearts Afire -- utilizing a program of deepening prayer and share groups.

Listen to an Among Women podcast from the archives on the Divine Mercy.... (a blast from the past!): AW #3.

I'm over at Amazing Catechists today...

Some thoughts on the power of the resurrection in our own lives...

Happy Easter! A painting and a story.

Check out this mural depicting the resurrection. (A short 5 minute video.)


And imagine all of that in the video taking place just before this moment....

Now on the first day of the week Mary Mag'dalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."
Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. 


Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;
for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
Then the disciples went back to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 


They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" 


Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."
Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rab-bo'ni!" (which means Teacher).
Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."
Mary Mag'dalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her. 
--John 20: 1-18 RSV- CE

Happy Easter, from my house to yours!

Good Friday, a pilot's story

Yes, this pilot is talking about the events of 9/11/01, but he is also talking about the great gift of the Crucified Lord...

The Jesus Moment... my latest at Patheos...

I want to wish you all a very happy Holy Week! Tonight starts the vigil that leads us into the Triduum.  Over at Patheos, I offer my latest column. Here's the front end...

I collect refrigerator magnets that capture some of my favorite moments. You’ll find many familiar faces under clear plastic frames, loved ones from far and near. The rest of the door is littered with keepsakes from favorite travel destinations. One magnet, quoting Italian author and poet, Cesare Pavese, explains them all: “We do not remember days. We remember moments.” 

The power of memory is at once a terrible and tremendous gift. I have learned that the more I recall, with gratitude and thanksgiving, the things that bring me freedom and joy, the more I am drawn to remember them when terrible things strike. Such memories bind and hold me together, anchors against strong tides. Leaning into difficult moments, I sift the value of their import, against what I hold true. 

I recently came out of the confessional after a tender, grace-filled moment with Jesus in the sacrament of Reconciliation, having released a deep emotional wound. Minutes later in the pew, after my prayers of release and relief, I sought to linger in the peaceful presence of God. 

I opened my bible to the fifth chapter of John. The words on the sacred page seemed as if they were written just for me. The text described Jesus’ instantaneous healing of a paralyzed man whose affliction disabled him for 38 years.  This, after I had just experienced something lifted from my heart that had crippled me for about the same length of time. Those verses were a second gift from Jesus, a bonus to the graces of the sacrament, given to me, no doubt, so I wouldn’t miss the point. The formerly paralyzed man didn’t keep his news to himself. And so, here I am, in imitation. 

Jesus could not have been any more real to me than if he walked into the chapel and sat down next to me. I will hold onto that for some time to come and cherish it as I, too, learn how to walk with stronger legs after Jesus. 

That moment in the chapel was just the most recent in a series of Jesus moments in my life. I could never have constructed it, or imagined it on my own. It was totally orchestrated by him. Like a lover’s spontaneous kiss that renders you speechless, it begs only to be received. 

There's more, here.

This makes me think... about how well I'm using Twitter... oh, and so much more, really.

Among Women Podcast #131 celebrates new life in Christ!

Among Women 131 celebrates women who find new life in Christ. In our first segment, "Blessed Are They", Pat relates the story of St. Mary of Egypt, a former prostitute from the 4th century whose instantaneous conversion leads her to give up her old ways for a new life in Christ.

In our "Among Women" segment, Pat is joined by Sr. Emily Beata Marsh FSP, a newly-professed sister from the Daughters of St. Paul.

Sr. Emily graciously shares her vocation story and tips for strengthening our relationship with Jesus, especially through prayer and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Pat also shares a new timeline for Among Women podcasts over the next several weeks while she meets some important deadlines in he professional life, and can attend to some important family events.

Don't miss this uplifting episode in preparation for the celebration of the New Life we receive at Eastertime.

This makes me think... about loving Jesus above all...

Love [Jesus], then; keep Him as a friend. He will not leave you as others do, or let you suffer lasting death. Sometime, whether you will or not, you will have to part with everything. Cling, therefore, to Jesus in life and death; trust yourself to the glory of Him who alone can help you when all others fail.

65Your Beloved is such that He will not accept what belongs to another—He wants your heart for Himself alone, to be enthroned therein as King in His own right. If you but knew how to free yourself entirely from all creatures, Jesus would gladly dwell within you.

You will find, apart from Him, that nearly all the trust you place in men is a total loss. Therefore, neither confide in nor depend upon a wind-shaken reed, for “all flesh is grass” and all its glory, like the flower of grass, will fade away.

You will quickly be deceived if you look only to the outward appearance of men, and you will often be disappointed if you seek comfort and gain in them. If, however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Him. Likewise, if you seek yourself, you will find yourself—to your own ruin. For the man who does not seek Jesus does himself much greater harm than the whole world and all his enemies could ever do.

-- Imitation of Christ, Book Two, Chapter 7.

The F.U.N. Quotient... a drumroll please...

Among Women ReadHER 3.3.12 ... Jesus, families, faith, miracles, poetry, motherhood, suffering...

Among Women ReadHER 

3.3.12

Wilderness Among the Pillow

By Marcia Morrissey from her column at Patheos

Touching.

The Mommy Rhythm

By Karen Rinehart at Catholic Lane

Oh, sooo humorously familiar. 

It Matters to Know We are Small

By Elizabeth Scalia at The Anchoress

I like this piece for so many reasons. There's a reference to one of my favorite beaches in the world that I know so well, there's a great music video, and a meditation by Benedict XVI. And there's this... about hurt and pain we bring to others, and its remedy.

The Family is Indispensable for Transmitting the Faith

Posted at Vatican News

So says the Pope and his bishops. This in the prelude to Benedict XVI's coming trip to Milan for the Seventh World Meeting of Families in May. 

'Why?' of Ohio Tragedy is Deeper than 'Bullying'

By Mary Beth Hicks at CatholicMom.com

In the wake of the tragedy of another shooting rampage at a school, let us pray for the dead and their families, and let us re-double our own efforts to bring faith to life.

Too Soon Gone

By Maureen Locher

Just this week I was at a women's group meeting where I was talking to a woman I've known for years.  We have middle children the same age. The only difference is that her son died 4 years ago. She has never recovered from this grief. We must keep our hearts tender toward those who have lost children, and if we ourselves are in this situation, all we can do is repair to Our Sorrowful Mother... which is what we were doing at that meeting... praying this rosary.

Poem: Heartsong

By Maria Morera Johnson at Catholic Lane

SQPN co-host from Catholic Weekend is a poet in her spare time. She's writing now at Catholic Lane. This one reminds me of the spiritual friendships I've observed between saints, such as between St. Francis of Assisi and St Clare, or St Clare and St Agnes of Prague, and others. Maria was a recent contributor AW's Special Edition for Lent.

Miracle for Jen: A video 

Posted at Fox News

A story of a young woman surviving a car accident and a coma, and now sharing her faith on national television and in a book.

Catholic Media Matters: Just because a movie, blog, or app is Catholic doesn't make it good

By Emily Stimpson at OSV

How well are we engaging the culture? In many cases, not well enough. Very important commentary on the dearth of arts and letters that speak of a Catholic Christian worldview.

+++

For the foreseeable future, it is likely we will discussing the HHS Mandate's affect on Catholics (and others) and themes of religious liberty... so I'll keep posting the things that add to the discussion... but now I'll just keep them grouped as below...

Senate Halts Bill Aimed at Conceptive Mandate

By Lisa Mascaro at the LA Times

Oh, sadness. 

The Catholic Diaspora and the Tragedy of Liberal Catholicism

By George Weigel at The Denver Catholic Register

Ultimately, this piece figures into the current religious freedom issues at hand with the Obama administration, but Weigel presents an interesting history lesson with regard to the Church's position on religious freedom (especially since Vatican II) and how it intersects US politics today.

The Bishops and the Mandate: Principled Witness vs Politics as Usual

By Robert George, Sherif Gregis, and Ryan T. Anderson at the Witherspoon Institute

I highly recommend this article.

This is strong homily on the subject of religious liberty from Fr. Sammie Malletta from Indiana. It's 11 minutes. Watch it and pray for our priests and bishops to stand up for what it right. Then pray for us to stand alongside them.

The Ripples of Generosity, Unseen - my latest at Patheos

The beauty of the Sacred Scripture is the myriad of layers that are found in every chapter. My column this week at Patheos ponders the coming of the Magi to Bethlehem, and the unexpected blessings I have witnessed, and sometimes received, from modern-day "magi" in our midst... in a kind of unseen ripple effect...

Here's an excerpt:

Generosity is going the distance with big-hearted energy. It powerfully frames the Gospel’s challenge to “love one another (John 13: 34).” 

After all, the call to holiness is supposed to imitate God’s first love for us… “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…(John 3: 16.)”  

God’s munificence leads us, like Magi-wannabes, toward charity for others. 

Generosity has a rather noble duty attached to it. It is always connected with lifting up another person. It is a chance to serve, bless, or elevate another through the sheer graciousness of giving liberally. To paraphrase Jesus’ later Sermon on the Mount: we go the extra mile. (See Mt 5: 39-41.) 

Generosity is the ability to give with no thought of getting, whether one is giving time, talent, or treasure. Fortunately, in God’s economy, giving without thought of a return is never for nothing. 

People I know have routinely offered their generosity to my family and me. I am so grateful for their unselfish love. Even if they were unable to see into the future to know if it was all going to be worth it, they didn’t stop from giving in the first place. 

The gifts of the Magi remind me of a remarkable potentiality: when we bestow generosity on those beyond our own circles, unseen exponential blessings become possible. There are many people this side of heaven who will never know that they have participated in the largesse of Providence through their own charitable giving.

Read the rest of the column here.  And please consider subscribing to A Word in Season today, and get it delivered right to your RSS reader or email inbox.

 

This makes me think... (Hint: read/buy the Compendium)

I Believe in Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God

79. What is the Good News for humanity?
422-424
It is the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the “Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), who died and rose from the dead. In the time of King Herod and the Emperor Caesar Augustus, God fulfilled the promises that he made to Abraham and his descendants. He sent “his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).
80. How is the Good News spread?
425-429
From the very beginning the first disciples burned with the desire to proclaim Jesus Christ in order to lead all to faith in him. Even today, from the loving knowledge of Christ there springs up in the believer the desire to evangelize and catechize, that is, to reveal in the Person of Christ the entire design of God and to put humanity in communion with him.

“And in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord”

81. What is the meaning of the name “Jesus”?
430-435
452
Given by the angel at the time of the Annunciation, the name “Jesus” means “God saves”. The name expresses his identity and his mission “because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Peter proclaimed that “there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we can be saved” (Acts 4:12).
82. Why is Jesus called “Christ”?
436-440
453
“Christ” in Greek, “Messiah” in Hebrew, means the “anointed one”. Jesus is the Christ because he is consecrated by God and anointed by the Holy Spirit for his redeeming mission. He is the Messiah awaited by Israel, sent into the world by the Father. Jesus accepted the title of Messiah but he made the meaning of the term clear: “come down from heaven” (John 3:13), crucified and then risen , he is the Suffering Servant “who gives his life as a ransom for the many” (Matthew 20:28). From the name Christ comes our name of Christian.
83. In what sense is Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God?
441-445
454
Jesus is the Son of God in a unique and perfect way. At the time of his Baptism and his Transfiguration, the voice of the Father designated Jesus as his “beloved Son”. In presenting himself as the Son who “knows the Father” (Matthew 11:27), Jesus affirmed his singular and eternal relationship with God his Father. He is “the Only Begotten Son of God” (1 John 4:9), the second Person of the Blessed Trinity. He is the central figure of apostolic preaching. The apostles saw “his glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father” (John 1:14).
84. What is the meaning of the title “Lord”?
446-451
455
In the Bible this title regularly designates God as Sovereign. Jesus ascribed this title to himself and revealed his divine sovereignty by his power over nature, over demons, over sin, and over death, above all by his own Resurrection. The first Christian creeds proclaimed that the power, the honor, and the glory that are due to God the Father also belong to Jesus: God “has given him the name which is above every other name” (Philippians 2:9). He is the Lord of the world and of history, the only One to whom we must completely submit our personal freedom.

--Just a sampling of all the good stuff found in the Q & A format of the Compendium of the Catechism.

Find it online here.

Find a hardcopy here.

Christmas greetings... more than a day... a season, a life.

As far as I can tell, the first Christmas greeting ever mentioned in Scripture was not a Christmas card at all. It was more of a singing telegram sung by a choir of angels near the outskirts of Bethlehem where shepherds watched their flock by night. And as far as I know, those famous Magi bearing gifts for the Christ Child arrived after the fact… and their gifts represented not just a moment or a day in time, but a life to be lived, one that would develop and grow and bless many in its wake.

Enter the wisdom of the Church’s meditation on the Birth of Christ, giving us a sense that this blessed event was really a season… that we are entering into a new time, a new era.

A new order of life opened up that first Christmas night. And we have never been the same.

The Christmas season for the Christian is everything that comes after the birth of the Newborn King. Just like the life of a family celebrates the birth of a child after their arrival. This does not discount the advent of the child’s birth as unimportant. That is an important time of patient interior nurture. It anticipates the changes to come within the family, and allows time for appropriate preparations. But a birth brings external celebrations and excitement and blessed obligations. A birth initiates changes within all the relationships of the family, and beyond to the wider community.

The real joy is not just about a birth day, but the life that it represents… a tiny soul born with a profound destiny.

So in the spirit of birth announcements arriving after the birth, and the spirit of a continued season of wonder and joy as we welcome a newborn in our midst… 


Let us be about the holding and the hugging…  


Let us practice saying his name lovingly on our lips… 


Let us take turns embracing his family and kissing and cooing the warm bundle that is ours to share.

Let us linger over this somehow… like Mary did… by pondering these things in our hearts. Even if the rest of the material world is packing up Christmas, or selling it for 75% off, we can silently be assured that something more than day has passed. And something more remains.

Christ has truly entered in, for all time.

We have been given a new life in and through this Holy Babe. May we understand this, so many centuries later, that we have a Savior who, truly, anticipated our own births. And his loving gaze and outstretched arms still await our coming into full knowledge of our profound destiny.

May the grace of Christmas be yours for more than just one day, but every day. And may your New Year mark many days where Christ enters in.

How silently, how silently,

the wondrous Gift is given;

So God imparts to human hearts

the blessings of his heaven.

No ear may hear his coming,

but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him still,

the dear Christ enters in.

(O Little Town of Bethlehem, Phillips Brooks 1835-1893)

                                                                      

image credit

                                       

This makes me think... (Absolutely one of my favorite acapella groups of all time)

Merry Christmas... May the Holy Family bless you and yours!

Photo credit: Maria Johnson

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirin'i-us was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 


And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 


And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"


When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 

But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. 

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 

--Luke 2: 2-20.

From my family to yours, a very Merry Christmas!

Bob and I

Boulder, CO, December 2011