Random thoughts

• Some amateur bloggers, mommy bloggers in particular but I've seen dad's do it too, tell too much about their teen aged or adult children. One Catholic blogger I occasionally read isn't shy about discussing her child's former drug problem. The constant harping on this sad time in their lives leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It comes off as passive aggression. If the kid gave permission to tell this story to the world it's not a betrayal of trust but it since the blogger uses her and the kid's real names and photos this is not helpful to the kid's future. I'm a law librarian. When I'm not looking up laws and government regulations I am sometimes called upon to search for witnesses or to find out what I can on a potential client. I always start with the free publicly available search engines, news and blogs. One day someone like me is going to do a search on this blogger's child and will read about the drug problem. The kid's resume will go straight to the trash.  Thanks a lot mom.

• How long does a person have to be dead before we can speak the truth about them? When Betty Ford died Jill Stanek wrote frankly about Mrs. Ford's abortion activities and did not wish her well. The Anchoress chided Miss Stanek on her blog and I  wonder why she thought Miss Stanek was so wrong. Betty Ford was a big time abortion supporter. How big? Well she was publicly for abortion back in the early 70s and she created a politcal action comittee to funnel money to pro-abortion Republican candidates. Betty may have been a lot of fun at parties and the epitome of charm and refinement  but slaughtering prenatal babies meant a lot to her. I see no reason to be nice about that.

• A Knights of Columbus chapter recently opened up at my parish. The head knight is a good guy and the knights do good work but Rocky won't be joining. Primarily, because he's just too busy and second, because the national leadership of the Knights just aren't what they used to be. Michael Voris has decided to leave the KoC and talks about his reasons here.

•  A friend of mine had to have a colonoscopy and she was very frightened about it. My husband dedicated his weekly  holy hour to praying for her. If you ever get gloomy about the state of the Church or if it ever seems like the people in your diocese are the biggest Candyland Catholics you've ever seen, go to Adoration. Tell you fears, worries and troubles to Jesus and He will restore you. While doing our holy hour we prayed with whites, Hispanic, Asian, old and young people. Seeing those quiet, loving, pious people always gives me such a lift.
  
  I know some bloggers are quite frank about their distaste for pious, devotional people. I can't agree. I'd rather be like the decidely unhip little woman at church who always kneels to the floor when passing the Blessed Sacrament than the cool kid, oh so sophisticated Catholics who mock her and people like her.
  
  
• This is a magnificent painting of St. Claire by Ardith Starostka.
  

*Little Way is absolutely correct. Nobody , except perhaps a humble saint somewhere who was given divine knowledge, knows where Betty Ford ended up. In her last moments she may have repented. However calling foul behavior heroic as some of her hagiographers did is going too far.