As Snow Falls….

Today – It’s snowing in a very gentle way, like all the clouds up above are feather pillows. I usually don’t like snow, but today it eases me in, and I can’t help but feel a little thoughtful and thankful for the beauty of this white stuff. Carol Lynn starts humming the music from “Little Women”, convincing me that this snow fall is a good thing. Have I told you that the character Jo March from “Little Women” is my literary mirror. I remember reading the book and thinking, “wow, she’s me.”

Lately – The miller household is thankful for a visit from my sister and a couple of her friends. Tina lives down in Nashville working as a FOCUS missionary. Her fellow missionary P.J was delightful, so funny and very caring. Tina also brought home her friend Audrey who sings with Matt Maher, the talented Christian artist. She sang and played beautifully. Each night Tina, Dad, me, Carol Lynn, Tess, P.J, (on percussion) and Audrey jammed in our dining room.

So, I finished the “Twilight” series. I’m going to save my thoughts for another blog, but I definitely enjoyed about every page.

Stay warm my dear friends!

Love,

Marie

March for Life reflections…

What color are you?

I believe that the colors can really complement your appearance. Its easy to improve your look by wearing a certain colored shirt that makes your eyes stand out or a scarf that leaves your complexion glowing. I did some browsing on instyle.com and came across some celebrities wearing colors that really work for them. Natalie Portman shows that brown hair and brown eyes look great with a deep, dramatic claret, Emily Blunt reveals how well turquoise works with brown hair and light eyes, and Lauren Conrad demonstrates that blonds with dark eyes can look awesome wearing dark shades like plum or burgundy.

I think we can all agree that redheads look amazing in any shade of green, dark skin is contrasted beautifully by light colors (especially yellow!), blonds are so pretty in pink, and black hair goes great with deep reds. the right colors can definitely bring out your features. So go ahead and enhance your look with colors that complement your natural beauty!

-Carol Lynn

In Honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

The other day my friends and I took a trip to the American History Museum. We walked aimlessly for awhile, finally stumbling on an exhibit of a vintage diner style counter and chairs. I started to read the information on the exhibit and my heart jumped. This furniture was the counter and chairs used during the Greensboro sit-ins of 1960. The Greensboro sit-in’s occurred when a group of black college students sat at an “all white” counter in protest against the segregation injustices of the time. The situation caused quite a stir in the media and pretty soon many students white and black joined the protest. Staring at the exhibit, I was amazed by the courage of those young men and women. These were people no older than me.

I am thankful for the progress our country has made towards abolishing racial segregation and prejudice. Yesterday we celebrated Martin Luther King Day. I hope that we will be inspired to fight for what is right and true like Rev. King did.

If you are in need of some serious inspiration here’s a link a to the” I have a dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr.

20 great quotes from Martin Luther King

1- “A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.”

2- “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”

3- “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

4- “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

5- “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

6- “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

7- “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

8- “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ “

9- “Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.”

10- “Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.”

11- “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

12- “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

13- “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”

14- “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.”

15- “The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.”

16- “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

17- “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”

18- “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

19- “When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.”

20- “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

An Epiphany Party! Yay!

Sunday, January 4th, we performed for Sacred Heart’s youth group Epiphany party in Winchester, Va. We started the night out with some background music as the kids arrived and socialized over finger foods and desserts. Following that we gathered everyone together for some Praise and Worship. Tess did a fabulous job leading everyone in a dance that she made up on the spot! It was hilarious! She even picked a girl from the crowd and had her dance on stage. Tess definitely knows how to get a crowd started! After our performance one of the men of the parish gave a talk on the Epiphany. It was really interesting and got all of us excited about celebrating such a wonderful day. Following the talk we played a white elephant gift exchange game. It was so funny to see all the gifts laid out and everyone scrambling to be the owner of the gift of their choice. Marie ended up getting a beautiful set of earrings and a necklace, and Tess got an awesome scarf and a pair of gloves. As for me, I was lucky enough to get an alarm clock. My first reaction after opening it was, “I don’t want something that will make me get up in the morning!” Haha…in the end I was thankful to have a gift. If you think about it, an alarm clock is very practical and can be put to good use. After the game we began to say our goodbyes to all the wonderful parishioners of Sacred Heart. This was our second time playing for this church and like the first time we had a blast. The parishioners are so warm and welcoming. The girls and I love hanging out with the moms (they have cool Moms at Sacred Heart), and it was great to see the girls again. 
 
Until next time!
 
Carol Lynn

Here’s a video of the Epiphany party. This will give you a quick glance at how much fun we had!

New Year’s Update

Hey everyone! Happy New Year!
 
I hope that the New Year is treating you very well. I know at the Miller household, we are all a little disappointed that the holidays are over and that it’s time to get back to work! This semester, things are little bit different for me, Carol Lynn, and Marie. Here’s a quick update.
 
After much thought and prayer, Marie decided to not go to school this semester. She feels she needs to focus on music. I was pretty happy when I heard this because school would take Marie away from home and I would miss her sooo much! Currently, Marie is reading the 2nd Twilight book, “New Moon”, and is loving every page.
 
Carol Lynn has also made the decision to take a semester off of school to work on music. On a typical day, Carol Lynn plays her guitar and sings, prays, read up on the latest beauty tips, and helps my Mom. She is also on an indoor soccer team. I had a lot of fun watching her first game on Sunday. Carol Lynn played very well and her team won!
 
Right now, I am working hard on piano and singing. I am still homeschooling and I am being tutored by an amazing lady! Lately, I have enjoyed listening to the High School Musical 3 soundtrack and reading up on the 3G iPhone. That thing is a monster!
 
- Tess

Another Musical Semester

So on New Year’s Eve I decided not to go to school this spring semester. It was a really hard decision because I love learning. (I also love seeing my friends and hanging out after class.)  But music is calling my name, and I have to follow its voice – at least for now.

Even though I’m putting organized education on hold for the moment, I definitely plan to keep learning. As an example, two friends and I just took a trip to the National Gallery of Art and American History museums in Washington D.C.. AMAZING! Every time I go into a museum I feel like I could stay for days. This time though, our time in the museums wasn’t long enough, so I plan on going again.

Honesty, I am really excited about the New Year!  I was envisioning it being very organized/planned-out with classes and homework, but now there’s a little adventure and mystery. I’ll keep you posted.

Faithfully Yours,

Marie

What gift can I bring?

This past Sunday us Catholics celebrated the Epiphany of Our Lord. On that day we were reminded of the magi’s visit to the child Jesus. The magi were led to him by the light of a star and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This Sunday, January 11th, we will celebrate the Baptism of Our Lord. On that day we will be reminded of John baptizing Jesus , and a voice from Heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

So if last Sunday was the Epiphany and this Sunday is the Baptism, how am I to live this week? At the Epiphany Christ is a newborn babe and at His baptism he has reached adulthood and begins His earthly ministry. So from last Sunday to this Sunday Christ has sure grown a lot! I can’t even imagine all the amazing things He did. With the bits and pieces of information from the gospels, we know that He was presented in the temple, fled into  Egypt with Mary and Joseph, and was missing for three days until found preaching in the temple. Beyond that the details of the years between these two major events are a mystery to us.

Okay I think I have thought of a cool way to live this week. I’m going to begin with giving gifts like the magi but instead of gold, frankincense, and myrrh I will give my very self. Which includes giving all of my thoughts, words, actions, deeds, joys, prayers, sorrows, and sufferings. I will also follow His light just like the magi followed the light of the star. Throughout the week I will think about the growth of Jesus: a baby to an adult. I will try to grow with him too – in holiness. Lastly, I will end the week with John the Baptist when he says to Jesus during the baptism, “Lord let me decrease so that you may increase.” So ,in other words, I will try empty myself by not thinking of my own needs, and I will pray to be filled with Jesus.
-Carol Lynn

The Community of St. John

I just got back from spending a wonderful two days with the Sisters of St. John Community in New Jersey. I was really inspired by the Sisters and their love for Christ! The Brothers and Sisters of St. John are bringing Christ’s light to the World.

The Community of St. John is a religious community started by Fr. Marie Dominique Philippe in 1975. The community was first established in France but now has priories in Laredo, Texas; Orange, New Jersey; and Princeton, Illinois. The Brothers and Sisters of St. John live the evangelical counsels rooted in the three covenants revealed in the gospel of St. John – The covenant with Jesus in the Eucharist; The covenant with Mary our mother; and the covenant with Peter in the person of the Holy Father. With that being said, the community spends a lot of time in silent prayer and dedicate themselves to Mary daily . The community’s apostolic work includes helping the church and their surrounding community to discover the truth and draw closer to Mary our Mother. They host several retreats for youth, young adults, single men and women, and vocation retreats.

I attended Eagle Eye which is a seven day young adult retreat hosted by the community. During the retreat you seek the truth with the Brothers and Sisters through silent prayer and philosophy and theology classes. Spending that time with Brothers and Sisters was an amazing experience. There’s something so powerful being with people that have dedicated their entire lives to Christ. One thing that I love about the community is their immense love for Jesus. Their love for Him is so evident! It is the primary thing to them and everything that they do is based on that love. The community has helped increase my love and devotion to Christ and has truly made an impact on my life. I highly recommend that you look into their community and learn from the Brothers and Sisters who are bringing Jesus to the world. Let us learn from them, grow with them, and work together to reach our eternal home with them!

-Carol Lynn

““The Community of Saint John wants to be a community of children of the Father and of friends of Jesus, gathered together by the Holy Spirit, in order to live a fully evangelical life in the footsteps of Christ in intimate communion with Him : a life of adoration and contemplation intimately close to Mary.” –Fr. Marie Dominique Philippe (founder)