Under a Rock

I picked up the diocesan Catholic newspaper last week because the front page featured a large photo and article about Monkey1's school's "Culture Day." She had gone to school that day out of uniform, wearing a traditional cultural dress of Germany called a dirndl (well, not a real dirndl, but simplified, made in a week, and close enough for the situation), and she came home with a little passport book stamped with several different countries she had "visited" and learned about that day. Apparently in Germany on the first day of school, the children receive a paper cone stuffed with treats. After school, Monkey1 shared with Monkey2 the remaining sweets, but the paper cone became much a coveted item. Seriously, it was a half circle of paper, taped into a cone!

I leafed through the newspaper, skimming the articles, but was caught by a quarter page ad announcing a pilgrimage trip to Rome for the beatification of Pope John Paul II. I had to read it several times. Really? He was about to be titled "Blessed"? He died the week before Monkey1 was born. I had "met" him at two World Youth Days, Rome in 2000 and Toronto in 2002, but as a Catholic reporter had been watching his comings and goings all during my twenties. However, I was a reporter by job only; off hours, I did not follow the news or breathe current events. So when I left television, radio, and print media behind, I lived under a safe rock while I raised two babies at four different addresses in two and a half years.

However, as the Monkeys skip off to school, or drag their feet as I stuff them pajama-clad into the car, the world seems knocking again. I need to know things so I can inform or protect my children.

Of course, the next issue of the weekly Catholic newspaper featured a phone app on the front page. Yup, slow news week. Somehow I don't think I missed that much living under a rock.