by Mary | Oct 29, 2008 | Uncategorized
Well it turns out that all those friends had very good reasons for not inviting me to their jewelry parties all these years. I’m not going to say I’m cheap because I’m not when it comes to important stuff, but let’s just say that I cannot justify $150 on a piece of costume jewelry that I might wear once a month, at most. Although, if I spent that much on a piece of costume jewelry, I think I’d find a way to wear it every day, maybe even to bed each night. I was wildly disappointed. I had hoped to get a lot of Christmas shopping done and maybe even buy something for myself, but I knew I was in trouble when I walked in and saw that none of the pieces had prices on them. There are only two reasons not to put prices on things: Everyone who’s attending has so much disposable income that they don’t have to consider cost, or everyone who’s attending will be so stunned by the prices that if they see the price tag before they try anything on, you won’t sell so much as one earring. I think the small group fell into the latter category, although I’ll speak only for myself.
I tried on a few very lovely necklaces, and then the saleswoman showed me how I could make those necklaces look even better by layering more necklaces – and hundreds of dollars — on top of the original. Some of the combos would have been upward of $400, which I find absolutely shocking. I just can’t believe people have money to throw around like that.
Of course, I felt like a heel not buying anything, which is sort of the point of these parties. You have some crackers and cheese, drink a glass of wine, talk a bit with the other guests, and suddenly you feel as though you will be ridden out of town on a rail if you don’t buy something. So I found one of the elusive catalogs and flipped through until I found some small earrings that were not on display but were reasonably priced. I bought some Christmas gifts for my nieces and called it a night.
I’ll be back later with some thoughts on something other than necklaces.
by Mary | Oct 28, 2008 | Uncategorized
So I’m heading to my first jewelry party tonight, which is a big deal for me. Not that I’m so into jewelry. I’m not. But for the eight years I’ve been living in this town I’ve been waiting to get invited to a jewelry party, any jewelry party. This doesn’t say much for my social skills since you can’t swing a cheap necklace without hitting someone who’s hosting one of these things. I have been invited to a couple of parties second-hand, but that always makes me feel so cheap. How pathetic are you if you have to sneak in on someone else’s invitation? Actually, I do have to admit that I was once invited to a jewelry party given by the sister of a dead friend who lives two hours away — the sister, not the dead friend. But that didn’t work out, and besides, I’m not so desperate that I’ll drive two hours to look at some silver earrings.
I have been invited to Pampered Chef parties, decorating parties, skin care parties, make-up parties, and even a couple of Jockey clothing parties. For whatever reason I have not been able to score the big jewelry party invite. Maybe they’ve seen the jewelry I wear and figure it’s pointless to invite me. Anyway, big thanks to my neighbor for taking a chance on me.
by Mary | Oct 27, 2008 | family
OK, I believe this falls under the category of “You Can Dress Us Up, But You Can’t Take Us Out.” If you’ve been with us through the summer, then you know that my cousins and I are prone to forming human pyramids, which seemed quaint when it was happening at a summer picnic. Now, captured in formal wear at one cousin’s wedding, it seems a little insane. But, hey, we had fun.
The wedding was great. Lots of good food. Lots of dancing. Lots of family. Perfect recipe. Chiara found a friend in the flower girl and danced the night away. Noah couldn’t believe the cocktail hour was not the dinner, and Olivia enjoyed dressing up and stepping out. A good time was had by all.
by Mary | Oct 23, 2008 | Uncategorized
Thank you to everyone who left comments on the blog or emailed me privately to talk about the “lost generation” of Catholics and what you remember from your years in religious education. I’d like to keep the comments on this one open for a couple more days, in part because I’m hoping for more but also because I’m heading to my cousin’s wedding tomorrow and won’t be around to post.
So…if you have no idea what I’m talking about right now, please read the previous post and join in. If you’ve already read or commented, please pass the post on to someone else who might have something to say. I’m not necessarily looking for only negative memories. If you had a great experience in religious education or Catholic school and have never felt disconnected from the Church, tell us about that and what you think made it all work.
And thank you again. To those of you who emailed me directly: I’m trying to get back to each of you personally but it may take me a little while to catch up.
by Mary | Oct 21, 2008 | faith
Here’s the chance to have your say about being raised Catholic. In the next few months, I will be speaking at conferences in New Jersey and Colorado, and, in anticipation of that, I’m looking for input from Catholics — practicing or non-practicing — between the ages of 30 and 50, although if you fall outside that window and have something to say anyway, feel free.
My topic is the “lost generation” of Catholics, those people who came of age soon after Vatican II, when religious education was rapidly changing and not always in the best ways. Yes, the Church gave up the harshness of the Baltimore Catechism but they sort of threw the baby out with the bathwater. In an attempt to help young Catholics develop a more personal relationship with Jesus, a lot of the basic teachings of the faith got left by the wayside. I always say I came of age in the Era of the Collage — lots of cutting and gluing pictures of happy people, not so many lessons on actual faith basics. I got almost all of that directly from my family, specifically my mother.
Since the publication of my second book, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Catholic Catechism,” I have been hearing from lots of adult Catholics who say that they were never taught many of the things that are contained in the catechism. So my question for you is this: Do you have any recollections of religious education (or Catholic schooling) that make you feel as though you were not sufficiently grounded in the faith? Do you feel disconnected from the Church now because of this? Is there anything specific the Church (meaning worldwide) or your church (meaning local) could do to help you become more involved in your faith or catch up on what you missed out the first time around?
Now remember, this is not a gripe session about specific Church teachings you don’t like or don’t agree with. This is about the overall approach of faith formation that you experienced and whether you feel you were given the necessary education to understand your faith. If you have children, do you feel they are getting a better education in the faith now than you did years ago?
You can respond via the comment section in this post, by e-mail, or, if you don’t like to write and want to talk, email me and let me know and I will gladly give you a call. For those who live close by, I would like to hold a “focus group” within the next few weeks, where I can have some of you over to my house to discuss some of these things in person. Coffee, tea, wine and desserts will be provided, if that helps draw you in.
So please, respond — write, call, e-mail, send smoke signals, whatever it takes to get you to tell me your Catholic faith story. I will not use any names if/when I incorporate information into my presentations. Everything is as confidential as you want it to be. Thanks!
