Ohio Moms Blog

Keep Your Hands Off My Faith

It has always been rather unpopular to be Catholic, but never more so than in the last few weeks.

The claims against priests in Germany, Ireland and New Zealand have brought to light the issue of child abuse within the church.  Again.  I call these allegations "claims", but I have no doubt the abuse happened.  America has been down this road before, priests were proved guilty.  If it happened here, it happened there too.

Do I think these priests need to be defrocked?  Yes.  Do I think they need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law?  Yes.  The church should pay for therapy for the victims, they should pay restitution and they should continue to educate the clergy and parishioners, so this never happens again.

I can't begin to tell you how much these stories break my heart.  Being violated, especially by someone who is supposed to lead you in your faith, is unimaginable.

Saying Goodbye to Christmas

 I came home this morning from an overnight campout with my Girl Scout Troop - if you call sleeping in a heated lodge camping - to find that my husband had packed away our Christmas tree for the year. 

The stockings no longer hung by the chimney with care; they lay stacked on the kitchen counter, waiting to be tucked into a Rubbermaid tote and carried down to the basement for another spring, summer, and fall.

It's always a little sad to see our house stripped bare of its Christmas finery.  While we don't overdo it - you'll find no Clark Griswold inspired light displays out front - we do enjoy dressing up the inside of the house for the Christmas season.

I had the final job today of packing up our manger scene; as I put all the porcelain statues safely back into their case, I couldn't help but think about how Christmas Day is long anticipated but the actual day itself whirls by for most of us, so busy are we with our Santa duties and racing from one family celebration to the next.

As I say goodbye to the Christmas, I want to hold close this coming year what Christmas means to me: a love that is bigger and wider than anything my human heart could ever imagine or feel.

The tree may be gone, but the joy that is Christmas is mine to celebrate every day of the year.

Original post to Ohio Moms Blog.

Marianne shares her love of coupons, Kroger, deals, and saving money at The New Frugal Mom and also blogs about life as wordy mom at Writer-Mommy.