As you may have noticed, I have been working on making my life mean something, look for the positive in all situations, and learning to love life without the material gain attached. I have been meeting weekly with a jesuit at Loyola, to learn about "reflection" and "meditation" and "conscious ethics." He has really opened my eyes and heart to what it means to dedicate my life to social justice. I look forward to rushing home after each session to pass on what he has taught me to Jamie and the kids. On Friday, the Jesuit and I talked about finding the soul of a person before making a decision abut them. I learned to recognize that each person has spirit. Each human being has goals, hopes, fears, dreams, and expectations. When you look past your own nose and seek to find another person's soul you open a line of communication seldom opened these days. All to often we place material and monetary value on the worth of a person's spirit. A big house, a new car, designer clothes, fine jewelry, etc. are items we place in high esteem. How often do we look for integrity, honesty, compassion, friendliness, or courage in a person before we look at material wealth? I was challenged to start my weekend off by noticing emotions, communications, and personality before noticing material when I encountered another person. And on my way home from school, I sat next to a woman on the bus who probably didn't speak much English, but smiled when I said "hi" and offered her one of the Reese Cups in the package I bought out of the vending machine. She said "Thank You, how sweet," and patted my hand with her ice-cold fingers. I never even noticed what she was wearing, or what kind of purse she was carrying, or if she had on jewelry. And when I exited the bus she said "goodbye" and I realized I accomplished my goal, but needed to keep accomplishing it everyday.
The Jesuit also shows me how to reflect on my day and what has happend to me and how I have affected others throughout the day. So I have begun to meditate nightly. It is really calming and comforting to look back on the day's events and recognize where I need to do better and where I have grown. Keeping a journal of all the things I notice now and all the things I wish to change has made me aware of how much I am changing already. I am so excited to report that life has been much less chaotic in the LaFramboise household in the past couple of weeks. We are all learning how to appreciate others' souls and recognize that we are fortunate to have the means to be persons for others.
This morning Jamie asked me to look into vacation ideas for this year. Immediately I thought of Disney World. Then I checked prices and was shocked to see that ith airfare it would be $7000 for the five of us to go for Thanksgiving. So I looked at alternatives. After surfing some of my old favorite travel agent sites I found a reat deal to Cancun, Mexico. But of course with my new outlook on life and a new family paradigm, I wondered how ethical it would be for us to go to Cancun on vacation. So I emailed my Jesuit and was very happy to learn of a program in Cancun where for 2 days of our trip we can work at a tortilla kitchen (a soup kitchen) and be of service to the community members wher the resort is located. He also reminded me that Chitzanitza (sp.?) is nearby andwould be a great educational tool for my family to learn about the ancient Mayan civilization and the hard work of the Mexican government and archaeologists to preserve the rich cultural history of the region. So with very little nudging Jamie and I decided it would be a great vacation destination. But the hardest part will be waiting until November. So we will have to think of something to do over the summer months to bide our time.
As soon as I can figure out how to get the pictures off my 35mm camera developed and put onto a flashdrive (hopefully I will learn how this week in photography class) I will post them on here. I had to take two rolls of B&W film of my neighborhood. For those of you who have not had the chance to visit us out here in Chicago, I think you will learn a lot about our little life here in the big city!
Until then I wish you peace, warmth, love and kindness.
Kelly
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
A big fat "W"
I am irritated beyond belief. The academic calendar for Loyola states that the last day to drop a class with 100% refund from the bursar is on January 25th. So today I dropped PSYC 101 for various reasons, and now my transcript has a big fat "W" on it. I thought dropping a class was different from withdrawling? Is this going to hurt my chances of getting into a grad program?
I am annoyed. But I made the right decision. I have priorities that mattered more to me than a class that is not required and is taught by a tyrannt.
On a happier note:
Simon's birthday is on Wednesday. If you know Simon (or any other almost-6-year-olds) you know that he is bouncing off the walls with excitement and consumed with disappointment that each morning he wakes up is not yet the actual day he is waiting for. We are having a Chuck E Cheese party. We haven't been to Chuck E Cheese since November of 2006. I'm not kidding. I know, it is a Michigan family value to take the kids to Chuck E Cheese, especially on special ocassions. But in Chicago - not so much. My best friend, Slavica is from Serbia. She has never been to Chuck E Cheese. So we decided to innitiate her into the All-American traditional birthday party. But get this: Simon is requiring her to wear a fancy dress. (Like a prom dress!) He told Jamie he was supposed to wear his suit and tie. He told me I needed to wear a dress and heels. And he is asking us to buy him a black suit, white shirt, red tie, and put a rose in the jacket pocket! I don't know what to say about this kid. He has seen too many movies, I guess. I told him we could dress up for dinner on Wednesday, but at Chuck E Cheese we would wear comfortable clothes for playing. He pouted for a while but eventually understood.
As I write this, I am seated in front of a full scope, panoramic, all-glass wall overlooking Lake Michigan. Most of the ice has melted, but it still looks cold and dreadful. As far as I can see out, and as wide as I can see left-to-right is water. It reminds me of the endless possibilities there are for living a life of meaning. I am happy to report that the big "W" on my transcript will not hold me back. I am happy with my new decisions about life and cannot wait to keep you posted about the epiphanies, reflections, and thoughts I have about living simply, living for others, and loving moments - mot materials.
I am annoyed. But I made the right decision. I have priorities that mattered more to me than a class that is not required and is taught by a tyrannt.
On a happier note:
Simon's birthday is on Wednesday. If you know Simon (or any other almost-6-year-olds) you know that he is bouncing off the walls with excitement and consumed with disappointment that each morning he wakes up is not yet the actual day he is waiting for. We are having a Chuck E Cheese party. We haven't been to Chuck E Cheese since November of 2006. I'm not kidding. I know, it is a Michigan family value to take the kids to Chuck E Cheese, especially on special ocassions. But in Chicago - not so much. My best friend, Slavica is from Serbia. She has never been to Chuck E Cheese. So we decided to innitiate her into the All-American traditional birthday party. But get this: Simon is requiring her to wear a fancy dress. (Like a prom dress!) He told Jamie he was supposed to wear his suit and tie. He told me I needed to wear a dress and heels. And he is asking us to buy him a black suit, white shirt, red tie, and put a rose in the jacket pocket! I don't know what to say about this kid. He has seen too many movies, I guess. I told him we could dress up for dinner on Wednesday, but at Chuck E Cheese we would wear comfortable clothes for playing. He pouted for a while but eventually understood.
As I write this, I am seated in front of a full scope, panoramic, all-glass wall overlooking Lake Michigan. Most of the ice has melted, but it still looks cold and dreadful. As far as I can see out, and as wide as I can see left-to-right is water. It reminds me of the endless possibilities there are for living a life of meaning. I am happy to report that the big "W" on my transcript will not hold me back. I am happy with my new decisions about life and cannot wait to keep you posted about the epiphanies, reflections, and thoughts I have about living simply, living for others, and loving moments - mot materials.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
computer woes...
Sorry it has been so long guys. My laptop died - this time it is for real. It won't even turn on. So I am forced to use our old desktop dinosaur until I get the chance to go shopping for a new computer. And with 18 credit hours, volunteering 2 days a week, 3 kids, a home to keep up, and the Pine Ridge trip... I don't have time for shopping! Nor do I have the cash since 18 credit hours meant 6 classes worth of over-priced textbooks. Alas, here I am on the dinosaur. I shouldn't complain. I am healthy, warm, well-fed, and very blessed to have a back-up computer. Things could be much worse. However, pictures won't be posted until a new computer arrives. And I am hoping and praying that my old harddrive can be restored so I can retrieve the millions of pictures I had stored on it.
I have been volunteering from 9am-1pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the American Indian Center. While the AIC's main goals are to provide services and education for the Native American community in the Chicago area, they also run a food pantry out of the basement for the local people needing assistance with food, clothing, medical supplies, and so on. That is where I volunteer. I process donations of clothing and household items and help with paperwork on Tuesdays. On Thursdays I fill bags with the food items and pass them out to the community members. I am endearingly known as "Blue Eyes" by both the Natives that operate the center, as well as the community members that come to the pantry. I have made some wonderful new friends and actually look forward to going every Tuesday and Thursday. It has really changed my life. I think before I make every purchase, "Do I NEED this, or do I just WANT this?" I also have learned to look beyond advertising and packaging and consider who and what went into the process of the items I am purchasing and consuming: a farmer, a migrant worker, a factory employee, a truck driver, a grocery store employee... Therefore I have really started to make conscious decisions about what I buy, where I shop, and why I am buying certan things. Things like "fair trade," "organic," "locally grown," and "environmentally friendly" are all items I look for now. It is a little bit more expensive than what I used to buy, but I m trying to waste less, purchase less, and only buy what we NEED - not so much what we WANT. I actually felt guilty about all the stuff I had in my closets and on my shelves after my 2nd or 3rd day at the AIC. So I cleaned out all the stuff I never wear, use, or even remembered owning and will take it to the AIC for the people who come on Thursday. And I am asking my kids to do the same. To my surprise, they all came with no less than 5 good-condition toys within 10 minutes of my asking. And they promised to do more this weekend when they have more time to devote to the task. My goal is to reduce the amount of stuff we have collected over the past 12 years out of that American consumerism mindframe - that "He who has the most stuff is the winner" ideology. The LaFramboise's are going to live simply from now on. That doesn't mean we are going to starve our children, never buy them a gift, or never go on vacation. It just means we are going to reduce our materialism and make ethical decisions about each and every purchase.
And today - I have to really stop and debate an apple fritter at Dunkin Donuts on my way to class. :-)
Also, more good news...
The participants of the Pine Ridge trip have been announced.
1. Stephanie Weis
2. Taras Kozbur
3. Alicia Atteberry
4. Slavica Petrovic
5. Chris Walsh
6. (ME!)
We leave on May 15th for 2.5 weeks of service-learning at the poorest place in America. I can't wait. Seriously, it is growing more difficult everyday to contain my excitement. I think I am driving Slavica, Jamie, and Dr. Amick crazy.
Update on the kids:
Andrew tried out for the basketball team yesterday. He should know by next Monday if he made the cut. He is growing his hair out. He wants it to look like a surfer or soccer player, whatever that means. I don't mind as long as he combs it and doesn't ever ask me for a perm.
Sarah is the same as always. CRAZY about Joe Jonas and Selena Gomez. She will be 9 in a few weeks. That means I am old.
Simon will be 6 next week. He has strep throat and a double ear infection. Poor thing. But the yummy pink medicine has made him feel much better and his energy has returned. He even helped Jamie put together 2 bookshelves and relocate my monsterous desk to the master bedroom so I have a quiet place to study. He was "Handy Manny" and Jamie was "Bob the Builder."
That's about it for now. I have to get to Photography class soon. I am not sure how I feel about this class. It is not what I expected. But I will try my hardest to keep up and figure out what the heck the instructor is talking about. :-)
Have a good week,
Kelly
I have been volunteering from 9am-1pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the American Indian Center. While the AIC's main goals are to provide services and education for the Native American community in the Chicago area, they also run a food pantry out of the basement for the local people needing assistance with food, clothing, medical supplies, and so on. That is where I volunteer. I process donations of clothing and household items and help with paperwork on Tuesdays. On Thursdays I fill bags with the food items and pass them out to the community members. I am endearingly known as "Blue Eyes" by both the Natives that operate the center, as well as the community members that come to the pantry. I have made some wonderful new friends and actually look forward to going every Tuesday and Thursday. It has really changed my life. I think before I make every purchase, "Do I NEED this, or do I just WANT this?" I also have learned to look beyond advertising and packaging and consider who and what went into the process of the items I am purchasing and consuming: a farmer, a migrant worker, a factory employee, a truck driver, a grocery store employee... Therefore I have really started to make conscious decisions about what I buy, where I shop, and why I am buying certan things. Things like "fair trade," "organic," "locally grown," and "environmentally friendly" are all items I look for now. It is a little bit more expensive than what I used to buy, but I m trying to waste less, purchase less, and only buy what we NEED - not so much what we WANT. I actually felt guilty about all the stuff I had in my closets and on my shelves after my 2nd or 3rd day at the AIC. So I cleaned out all the stuff I never wear, use, or even remembered owning and will take it to the AIC for the people who come on Thursday. And I am asking my kids to do the same. To my surprise, they all came with no less than 5 good-condition toys within 10 minutes of my asking. And they promised to do more this weekend when they have more time to devote to the task. My goal is to reduce the amount of stuff we have collected over the past 12 years out of that American consumerism mindframe - that "He who has the most stuff is the winner" ideology. The LaFramboise's are going to live simply from now on. That doesn't mean we are going to starve our children, never buy them a gift, or never go on vacation. It just means we are going to reduce our materialism and make ethical decisions about each and every purchase.
And today - I have to really stop and debate an apple fritter at Dunkin Donuts on my way to class. :-)
Also, more good news...
The participants of the Pine Ridge trip have been announced.
1. Stephanie Weis
2. Taras Kozbur
3. Alicia Atteberry
4. Slavica Petrovic
5. Chris Walsh
6. (ME!)
We leave on May 15th for 2.5 weeks of service-learning at the poorest place in America. I can't wait. Seriously, it is growing more difficult everyday to contain my excitement. I think I am driving Slavica, Jamie, and Dr. Amick crazy.
Update on the kids:
Andrew tried out for the basketball team yesterday. He should know by next Monday if he made the cut. He is growing his hair out. He wants it to look like a surfer or soccer player, whatever that means. I don't mind as long as he combs it and doesn't ever ask me for a perm.
Sarah is the same as always. CRAZY about Joe Jonas and Selena Gomez. She will be 9 in a few weeks. That means I am old.
Simon will be 6 next week. He has strep throat and a double ear infection. Poor thing. But the yummy pink medicine has made him feel much better and his energy has returned. He even helped Jamie put together 2 bookshelves and relocate my monsterous desk to the master bedroom so I have a quiet place to study. He was "Handy Manny" and Jamie was "Bob the Builder."
That's about it for now. I have to get to Photography class soon. I am not sure how I feel about this class. It is not what I expected. But I will try my hardest to keep up and figure out what the heck the instructor is talking about. :-)
Have a good week,
Kelly
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
I'm back!
Sorry for the long wait! I have been busy, busy, busy!!!
I made 12 different kinds of cookies, fudge, truffles, and candies to give away to friends and family for Christmas. Sarah, Simon, and I worked all week to get them made and assembled into pretty packages. By now, we are very tired of cookies and chocolates if you can even imagine!
We had a wonderful Christmas Eve spent with my best friend, Slavica. We made a seafood feast for dinner and watched Elf for the "bazillionth" time! My two boys can quote almost every single line from that movie now.
Then Christmas morning the kids opened their gifts and we packed the car to head to Michigan. Santa was proud of the kids this year because they wrote him a letter asking him to give some of their new toys to the kids at Pine Ridge instead of leaving them under our tree. It was a moment that a mother could only cry tears of joy about! Santa granted their request and left a note of pride and gratitude in their stockings.
Michigan was not pleasant. We did not really enjoy our visit. In fact, it may have been the most depressing 10 days of our entire year. Family drama, the slow economy, pending divorce of our dearest brother and sister-in-law, and family feuds made for a very dramatic week. 3 nights in a row we did not get to bed until 3:30am trying to comfort hurting family members. And to top it all off, I came down with the flu on our last night. If you want all the gory details, email me and I will tell you. But it isn't really appropriate for blog material. Let's just say I am happy to be back in Chicago. I am looking forward to the routine and schedule of a new semester. I have 18 credit hours, and also plan to volunteer 2 days a week at the AIC (American Indian Center). So I will be quite busy and may not have time to blog as often as I'd like to.
I have a few New Year's resolutions:
1. Lose weight (I know, every year I say the same thing...)
2. Save money, or at least spend less frivolously.
3. Take more pictures of the kids and family functions.
4. TRY to keep up with laundry and dishes daily. (I know, it will never happen. Homework + kid's clubs and sports = no time for housework!)
I have 6 awesome classes lined up for this semester:
1. Directed Readings in Anthropology (Preparing for the Pine Ridge trip)
2. Sociology - Social Problems (For student leaders of alternative break immersion trips)
3. English Literature - Human Values
4. Theology of Moral Problems - Poverty
5. Photography I
6. Psychology 101
Well, that's about it for today. Tomorrow Dr. Calcagno and I are going to Andrew's social studies class to talk about early man. Then I will go up to Dr. Amick's office to work on the Pine Ridge trip details and buy my textbooks- then come home and take down the Christmas tree. Life is back to normal - just the way I like it!
I made 12 different kinds of cookies, fudge, truffles, and candies to give away to friends and family for Christmas. Sarah, Simon, and I worked all week to get them made and assembled into pretty packages. By now, we are very tired of cookies and chocolates if you can even imagine!
We had a wonderful Christmas Eve spent with my best friend, Slavica. We made a seafood feast for dinner and watched Elf for the "bazillionth" time! My two boys can quote almost every single line from that movie now.
Then Christmas morning the kids opened their gifts and we packed the car to head to Michigan. Santa was proud of the kids this year because they wrote him a letter asking him to give some of their new toys to the kids at Pine Ridge instead of leaving them under our tree. It was a moment that a mother could only cry tears of joy about! Santa granted their request and left a note of pride and gratitude in their stockings.
Michigan was not pleasant. We did not really enjoy our visit. In fact, it may have been the most depressing 10 days of our entire year. Family drama, the slow economy, pending divorce of our dearest brother and sister-in-law, and family feuds made for a very dramatic week. 3 nights in a row we did not get to bed until 3:30am trying to comfort hurting family members. And to top it all off, I came down with the flu on our last night. If you want all the gory details, email me and I will tell you. But it isn't really appropriate for blog material. Let's just say I am happy to be back in Chicago. I am looking forward to the routine and schedule of a new semester. I have 18 credit hours, and also plan to volunteer 2 days a week at the AIC (American Indian Center). So I will be quite busy and may not have time to blog as often as I'd like to.
I have a few New Year's resolutions:
1. Lose weight (I know, every year I say the same thing...)
2. Save money, or at least spend less frivolously.
3. Take more pictures of the kids and family functions.
4. TRY to keep up with laundry and dishes daily. (I know, it will never happen. Homework + kid's clubs and sports = no time for housework!)
I have 6 awesome classes lined up for this semester:
1. Directed Readings in Anthropology (Preparing for the Pine Ridge trip)
2. Sociology - Social Problems (For student leaders of alternative break immersion trips)
3. English Literature - Human Values
4. Theology of Moral Problems - Poverty
5. Photography I
6. Psychology 101
Well, that's about it for today. Tomorrow Dr. Calcagno and I are going to Andrew's social studies class to talk about early man. Then I will go up to Dr. Amick's office to work on the Pine Ridge trip details and buy my textbooks- then come home and take down the Christmas tree. Life is back to normal - just the way I like it!
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