pioneering the frontier of humanity

8 months of blogging, and only 10 posts to my name. yet i still wonder if this blog is interesting, or if people bother to read it? my purpose in writing was simply to keep in touch with my east coast friends as i began my midwest life. but am i following the cardinal rule of writing? am i "knowing my audience?" what is it an audience wants? more importantly, i must ask, what does this audience want? there are many places this blog could go... reflections of a first year teacher, humorous stories from high school halls, tales of the hearty prairie which exist for my east coast friends only in the words of laura ingalls wilder? it is from wilder that this blog gets its name. as a child i loved her books. devoured them along with any other historical fiction tale i could get my hands on. i see now what attracted me to her. it was more than simply laura's pension for writing the historical novels which interested me, it was her pioneering spirit which drew me in. it is this same pioneering spirit which brought me here. i am a new type of pioneer now, but i am hardly alone. our world is one which encourages thought. in place of rote memorization we encourage critical thinking. as modern pioneers, we do not seek to tame the land on a new frontier. our frontier is humanity. as a pioneer in 21st century south dakota, i do not wish to harvest the prairie grasses, or tame the wild buffalo. my frontier is humanity. my goal is solidarity. It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all. - Laura Ingalls Wilder

A picture is worth a thousand words -- and the big picture is beautiful.

As I count down the days until Christmas break, and an east coast reunion, the stress seems to cloud the big picture. I have my own semester assignments to finish, quizzes to facilitate and grade, a paper to write, papers to read, plannng etc. It is easy in times like this to focus on the negatives. To think of all the things I don't want to do. But looking at a friend of mine's blog today reminded me - only we can control our happiness. Happiness is an attitude. Sure negative things can and do happen, and these things affect our emotion. As anyone who has even met me knows, succumbing to stress is almost an inevitablity for me. But that still doesn't change happiness - happiness is an attitude, the choice of how we choose to respond to things. No matter our situation, we always have something to be happy about! So, in my attempt to ward off all stress (and maybe, to procrastinate for a short 5 minutes), I am following the suggestion of some very smart women, and making a list. A quick and easy list, of thirty things which I can be thankful for and happy about in my life today and everyday. Can anyone really be sad after listing 30 fabulous things about their life?

1.) A guest came in to my classes today and spoke for half of each class.

2.) (Almost) all of my students were well behaved today.

3.) I recieved a care package full of cookies in the mail.

4.) I will be on the east coast in LESS THAN A WEEK!

5.) I had kluski for dinner and it was delicious.

6.) Our entire community was home for dinner tonight, and ate together.

7.) It snowed yesterday and it is very pretty.

8.) It was above 0 when I left school this afternoon.

9.) The first STM home basketball game is this week.

10.) We got to light three candles on the Advent wreath this morning.

11.) My students made comics last week - now I have something I can actually look forward to grading.

11.) The Chinese food restaurant near our house has a BOGO entree special this week.

12.) I teach in a Catholic school, and can therefore decorate for Christmas!!!

13.) My classroom is covered in Christmas lights (and 250 feet of tinsel.)

14.) I got to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Saturday, with a Bilingual Mass and Mexican food.

15.) Pandora

16.) God loves me - and He loves you too.

17.) I woke up healthy and alive today.

18.) I found a good book in the 50c sale rack at the Library this weekend.

19.) I have family and friends who love me.

20.) I will be reunion-ing in style with the bests next week at the Boynton.

21.) I made Baked Brie yesterday.

22.) Creating this list is thought provoking.

23.) A picture is worth a thousand words - and even when the details are blurry, the big picture is beautiful!

24.) I have inspiring people in my life.

25.) I have a mission for my life, and I am closer to achieving that mission today than I was yesterday.

26.) Ruby (my car) is holding out in cold weather! Perhaps better than me.

27.) South Dakota doesn't plow - but its okay, because I don't feel bad when we don't shovel!

28.) I ate two peppermint patties while writing this.

29.) I am in my comfies under a warm blanket as I write this, and a warm cuppa tea is soon to come.

30.) I have more reasons to be happy than I realised before writing this.

Think of your own life -- what are you thankful for and happy about today? What are your 30?

And one day, it was cold:

Living in New England, cold becomes something you grow accustomed to. You are used to the humid heat of summer, and just as much, used to the damp cold winter months. The dampness settles into the air, our homes, and our bones in late November and remains there through winter. Cold in South Dakota is different. South Dakota is dry, in a way that leaves the grass brown and your skin thirsty. The cold varies with each day. It was -13 Wednesday morning, and a beautiful 20 above today. The cold the beginning of this week was intense enough to require a hot shower before bed, legggings beneath pants for work, and running the car for a solid 10 minutes before leaving for school. Today however, the weather did truly seem beautiful, and not just in a 20 degrees in December type way. The sun was shining, the snow was melting, and even the air smelled beautifully fresh and new. Today was the first time in awhile, where I was simply joyous to be in South Dakota. I understand now why Kathleen Norris includes weather reports in her novel Dakota. Today was the type of beautiful day that only South Dakota could yield.

Happy New Year!

Today marks the first Sunday of Advent, in addition to that meaning I am only three weeks from heading East, it also marks the beginning of the New Year in the western Church. With the start of this New Year, we are given the opportunity to prepare for Christ's coming - not only the memorial of His coming at Christmas, but also preparation for the time at which Christ will come again. As Fr. Dave reminded all those at St. Isaac Jogues in his homily this weekend, we all prepare for things in a different way, and the coming of Christ is no exception! The Church encourages us to use the season of Advent as a time of prayer, penitence, and thanksgiving as we prepare to memorialize Christ's first coming, and that time in which we will reach our salvation with Him. Even with these general guidelines, we will each experience and reach for God in different ways. In order to reach toward God, I belive it is sometimes necessary to set specific goals. Just as we make New Year's Resolutions on December 31st, I believe it is also necessary to set "spiritual resolutions." While we can - and should - set spiritual goals throughout the year, this first Sunday of Advent, and start of our New Year seem a perfect time to begin! Here are my spiritual resolutions, for the Church year 2010. 1.) Finally finish reading Armchair Mystic! I got this book almost three years ago, and have still yet to finish it! I was really frustrated with myself over this, until I reread the introduction, in which Fr. Thibodeaux states that we are not all or always ready to begin meditative prayer, I realise that I am now more ready to begin this type of prayer life than I was in the past. 2.) To read at least one non-Jesuit prayer/spiritual book. I have nothing against the SJs, I have just realised that almost all of my spiritual knowledge and education has been from the Jesuit perspective, and I believe that the more well rounded my spiritual education is the more well developed my spirituality will be as well. Suggestons (Catholic or otherwise) very welcome!! What are your resolutions this Advent?

Some more, "only in South Dakota"

For your entertainment pleasure, I have added to my previous only in South Dakota list.... the original list I posted is below, with the additions added in green.

*You see so many grasshoppers/locusts you begin to wonder if we're reliving the Plagues of Egypt.

*The busiest WalMart in the country is a few minutes from your house and you wouldn't dare shop there on the weekend.

*You see adorable kid in full cowboy gear in said WalMart, and instead of thinking "oh cute, he's dressed up," you just think "they probably own a ranch."

*Motorcycles are as plentiful as cars.

*You order a "medium iced" in a coffee shop and they assume you mean tea.

*Bars serve tequila with lemons instead of lime and ask if you want an olive in your beer.

*Students submit pre-planned absence forms for family hunting trips. (Pheasant hunting has proven most popular).

*Your school announcements include a reminder to seniors about scholarship opportunities for those with a turkey license.

*Unleaded plus gasoline costs LESS than unleaded regular, and is closer to regular grade gas in Massachusetts.

*Catholics do not make up the largest single Christian denomination (2nd to the Lutheran Church, when the ELCA, WELS, and LCMS are combined).

*It's not unusual for gas stations, restaurants, or strip malls to have a casino, and most of these could fit in your living room.

*The capital (Pierre) is not pronounced like a French man's name, but like a "pier" on the beach.

*Everything in the state is either "near Rapid City" or "near Sioux Falls," even if they are exactly in the state, and hours from either city. (Pierre is the only possible exception).

A Month In The Life....

So despite my inital pick-up in posting upon arrival in Rapid, a month has passed since my last post. Oops. I took pictures to add, but since my camera cord is lost at the moment, they will have to wait until my another update - hopefully soon! So, what has happened in the last month? It is almost better to answer this with what hasn't happened in the last month... here's a rundown of some highlights: the good, the bad, the ugly, and the simply funny! 1.) Homecoming Week - This one was pretty foreign to me, does homecoming even exist in WMass? It certainly didn't at PHS, then again teh concept of Thanksgiving Games is completely foreign to my students! They didn't understand the concept having a consistent annual rival, or that my uncles (some of them anyway) still try to attend the Thanksgiving games... I think not having a specific rivalry can be contributed to how spread out towns are here. The closest high school in our Division is about 20 minutes away and this is a Dakotan anomaly! After that other schools are all at least an hour. 2.) Flu - The flu has been plaguing RC badly, enough to make front page of the Journal (our newspaper). 3.) No more TOB - I wrapped up teaching Theology of the Body to my sophomore girls, and was quite sad to see it end. It was a great way to start the year, and most of my girls got really into the discussions and the teachings. I've even had students try to buy the texts off the school. 4.) Sports Galore - Sports are HUGE at STM...and so over the past few weeks I've attended as many football games as my entire college career (then again STM actually wins on a regular basis, so the games are more exciting....), volleyball games, a short portion of a soccer game, and a Cheer & Dance Competition..... with fall sports wrapping up now I'm ready for basketball season! 5.) Challenges - I think this word can sum up the last six/seven weeks... I have been pushed and challenged, but I've also gotten to think, grow and learn. So far so good.... pictures coming! Hopefully in less than a month!!

The Magis Pillars - Spirituality

Like other UCCE programs (and for that matter the majority of other service programs I have seen friends enter such as JVC, Capuchin & Augustinian volunteers etc.) the Magis program is driven by three pillars - one of which is spirituality. As I have progressed through my life, and on my spiritual journey I have found that each phase of my life makes me realize the necessity of God's grace and support more than the last. This has certainly been true as I enter a phase of my life which takes me away from my home, and in charge of a classroom of teenagers even on the days I forget that I am actually a REAL adult now... As I reflect on the beginning of my time in the Magis program, I realize that the spirituality pillar is in many ways two-pronged. We are asked to expand our personal relationship with God, to make progress on our spiritual journeys, but are also given support, resources and guidance to help us along the way. During the summer this support came in the form of regular faith sharing gatherings with our chaplain Fr. Anand, shared prayer/Grace before community meals, the Magis Missioning Mass, and our summer retreat at beautiful Camp Comeca. During the school year I am supported not only by Magis itself, but also the community of my school - STM - where we have weekly Mass or prayer services, grace before Lunch, prayer at every football game, and everyday over the intercom and in classes. Just as important to my summer, as these formal spirituality activities were the ones that simply arose in our time as community - the opportunities to attend daily Mass in St. John's, the simple witness of praying before lunch in Skutt, and the casual yet intellectual conversations which managed to occur in almost any setting. Magis Teachers with Omaha Archbishop George Lucas at Commissioning: St. John's Church at Creighton University - while it was lacking in the intimacy and familiarity of the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, it was beautiful and a great place to attend Mass all summer: For more photos of Commissioning, Summer Fun, Retreat etc. check out our community photo albums on Picasa at http://picasaweb.google.com/magisphotos

South Dakota!

I have officially been in South Dakota for one month and about 7 days. The people are friendly, everyone who finds out I'm from Massachusetts wants my life story (or more often to tell me their remotely-related to Massachusetts stories - these range from "I grew up in Massachusetts" to "oh I went to New England for a day once") and now that school has started I can officially say I am working in a great school system and have awesome students! Dotted amongst my fun times and friendly faces, are some moments that I can simply think of as "only in South Dakota" or at least "you know you're outside New England when...." * You see so many grasshoppers/locusts that you actually begin to wonder if we're reliving the Plagues of Egypt. * The busiest WalMart in the country is a few minutes from your house and you wouldn't dare shop there on the weekend. (I learned this one the hard way). * You see an adorable little kid in full cowboy garb in said WalMart and instead of thinking "oh cute, he's dressed up," you just think "they probably own a ranch." * Seeing people in cowboy gear in general is just not surprising. * Motorcycles are as plentiful as cars. * You order a "medium iced" in a coffee shop and they assume you mean tea. * Bars serve tequila with lemons instead of limes, and ask if you want an olive in your beer. * Students miss school for family hunting trips (I haven't gotten any pre-plans for this yet, but I know they're coming). I'm sure there are more! I'll update this post when I think of them!

I'm Bad At This Game!

So, as some people predicted. I am not quite as good at this "blogging" thing as I had hoped! My entire summer in Omaha went fabulous, though significantly lacking in any posts. I learned more than I ever thought you could learn in seven short weeks of classes, and earned a whole semester's credits in less than two months to boot! Our summer days were filled with classes, community dinners and faith sharing - but we managed to fit in lots of time for fun as well! Magis Family Photo, during a BBQ at the Jurgensen's (Mal's family): Some fave Magis summer activities included - Wing Night at the Moon (10-cent buffalo wings and lots of hockey games! - great for our displaced Penguins fans during the Cup), Bowling, Movie Nights in our dorm's Theater Room, Cali Taco (a delicious taco place featured on the Food Network), and trips to the Old Market (a cross between Northampton and Faneuil Hall)! Cohort 8 (aka C8) after Community Dinner: (Back Row L-R: Tim, me, Austin, Urse, Jill, Mal, Jason/Front Row L-R: James, Katy)

The Big Drive

Unfortunately I didn't have the chance to update this blog during our (me and my dad's) road trip to the west - but our trip definitely deserves a post! The Sites: En-route between Palmer, MA and Omaha, NE we made a few stops. One great thing about being "out west" as well as my drive here was getting to see just how diverse our country is - the landscape, the people, the cultures. Even at rest stops in rural areas we would see people of several different ethnic/racial backgrounds and here lots of languages being spoken. The two big stops enroute were Niagara Falls and Chicago! It was my first time visiting both Niagara and "Chi-town," and I was really excited since both were on my list of places to see. To summarize in a few brief words... Niagara: beautiful and amazing! Do I really need any others? Some things really can't be described. That's what pictures are for (and why I'll be posting some very soon). And then, Chicago: the Lake was beautiful and even smelled a bit like our Atlantic (you can take the girl out of New England but she'll still be a beach lover). And my first experience driving in a city larger than Worcester? Let's just say my word choice might not have been quite so kosher if I wasn't driving with dad. Overall our visits to Niagara and Chicago, and our chance to see all the sites in between (including a LOT of roadkill - 5 dead deer and dozens of other animals if you're keeping count) was a really great experience, as was spending some quality time with my dad on the drive out. The Rest Stops: This might not seem like the most logical inclusion in a road trip journal, but we drove 1400+ miles and I drink a lot of water. We made lots of rest stops. Rest stops are a simple highway plaza on the edge of an interstate, a place where there are more people from out of town than locals, yet I feel as though these places, which seem so detached from their surroundings can say a lot about the culture of the state or area. For example, New York. The majority of the rest stops in NY had a rustic-like architecture reflecting the rural area and Adirondack mountains we were driving through. The NY rest stops were also very big on recycling. Once we hit the PA border I saw a giant sign reading, "Free Coffee" now anyone who knows me probably knows I couldn't pass up the offer for a free cuppa' joe, and so we stopped at the Pennsylvania Welcome Center. The thought entering my mind was "hey pretty cool PA keep your drivers awake and safe." The free coffee stand was actually operated by a Boy Scout troop from North East, PA (that's the town not just like saying we're from WMass) and also included free tea, juice, coffee and fruit. My bets on it being someone's Eagle Scout project, but it still showed the area's value of service. As the landscape changed and grew flatter on our journey past Chicago and into Nebraska, the rest stops again changed. In Ohio/Illinois the rest stops were huge but far apart, with mall-sized food courts and free wi-fi. After hitting Iowa the main option was truck stops or small, roadside rest centers with restrooms, picnic groves and vending machines. We also noticed that none of the rest-stops, gas stations etc. in Iowa sold magazines... Dad thinks its simply that they aren't high demand truck-stop items but I believe further sleuthing might be in order! Either way, my last advice on rest stops for cross country drivers? Expect people who usually prefer a passenger role to suddenly crave driving somewhere in the middle of flat Iowa turf fields (solely out of boredom), Niagara is definitely worth the couple hour detour, and plan a rest stop for the Boy Scout's freebie trailer in P-A. Hope you enjoyed "The Big Drive" an update about my Omahan life will be up in the very, very near future (most likely this weekend)!

Ready to Leap

Well this is it. The day it all begins. I was officially offered a position teaching Church History and Ecclesiology at St. Thomas More High School in Rapid City, SD. I visited Rapid this past weekend and while I don't have any pictures to post yet, I promise it was gorgeous! Heading out I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I knew the Black Hills were an area of Hills and Mountains, but the general geography of South Dakota is plains - Rapid City is a cross between the two. There are higher hills in the distance, and long stretches of straight roads. But the majority of the city is a series of rolling hills - a lot like Worcester! Maybe thing won't be so different after all? Either way - I've made the decision, and I'm ready to leap right in! Anyway, I'm setting up this blog as a way to keep in touch with everyone. I'll try to post on a (somewhat) regular basis, so that you can see photos and hear stories! You can also leave replies to the posts on the site as well!