It's Memorial Day. A friend posted a link to this video. If you can watch it without tearing up.... you are a hard person indeed.

For all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country... let us pray for them. For their families, "Thanks" doesn't begin to express the sorrow and gratitude we feel.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace. Amen.

Sad News...

I'm sorry to report that Marie and I are splitting up. Marie has decided that she needs to spend some time on her own, pursuing her own interests and tending her own garden, so to speak. We will continue to see each other but we won't be "a couple" and we'll have to just take things as they come and see how it goes. She will be attending PSU in the fall and hopes to graduate in December '08.

In many ways I think this is a good thing for Marie, and I wish her the best of luck. She will remain very dear to me and I do hope that after some time we may be able to get back together -- something I know she would like as well. I love her very much and I know she loves me too, so this is very hard; we have been together almost 2 years.

Thanks for your understanding.

Here's a really cool essay by Archbishop Chaput of Denver, Religious Tolerance and the Common Good.

Here’s my point. People who take the question of human truth, freedom and meaning seriously will never remain silent about it. They can’t. They’ll always act on what they believe, even at the cost of their reputations and lives. That’s the way it should be. Religious faith is always personal, but it’s never private. It always has social consequences, or it isn’t real. And this is why any definition of “tolerance” that tries to turn religious faith into a private idiosyncrasy, or a set of personal opinions that we can have at home but that we need to be quiet about in public, is doomed to fail.

Bwahahaha! Check out Deacon Payne, Seminary Formationator! It helps if you are up on your obscure heresies... thanks to Catholic Light for the link!

New Car

I see I didn't actually blog it (my apologies!) but I did get the car I looked at. It will need a couple of small things done soon (brakes, etc.). Here's a picture! Every time I see it I think "Pretty car!"

It's a real joy to drive, too. It's a 5 speed and it's got a lot of get-up-and-go even though it's just a 2L engine. I'm really happy with it.

A really nice article in today's Oregonian -- Priest is a blessing to soldiers. In a time when so many can say nothing nice about the Catholic Church or the priesthood, it's nice to see something positive. God bless the chaplains, and all priests.

Car Update

I'm in the middle of purchasing a car! I just put a deposit down on a '99 Ford Escort ZX2. It's bright red and fun to drive, sporty but not so sporty I'll pay out the wazoo for car insurance. I just got the CarFax report (view it here 'til 5/24) and it's clean. Friday morning I'll have a mechanic check it out and if it's okay I'll buy it!

So, I'm back home in Portland. It was really hard to leave the sunshine and blue skies and warmth, to come back to highs in the 50s and lows in the 40s... *sigh*

I had a good visit. Saturday night was my godson Tommy's confirmation. He's 10. I was so proud of him! The priest asked them a question during his homily and Tommy raised his hand right away because he knew the answer. Later we played a game of chess and I came thisclose to losing! He's so bright. The whole family (he has 4 sisters (!)) is a real inspiration, especially when you read too many depressing stories about "kids today".

Had a good visit with my family too; my stepmom made a wonderful lunch on Saturday and all my nieces and nephew and brother and sister were there, it was great; also got to meet my Dad's cousin Laurie. Cool stuff!