Weekend Word

Father’s Day is this weekend, which means many children will be taking the time to recognize the important man in their life. As society changes, the term father is taking on new meaning throughout the years. While children will always have at least one biological father, there are many other ways that a man can take on a fatherly role in their lives.

In a special edition of Weekend Word, we’ll be taking a deeper look at the meaning of father in dedication to our own Father Mugagga Lule.

fa·ther
ˈfäT͟Hər/
Heart
Härt
Noun

1. a male parent.
2. a father-in-law, stepfather or adoptive father.
3. any male ancestor, especially the founder of a family or line; progenitor.
4. a man who exercises paternal care over other persons; paternal protector or provider.
5. a person who has originated or established something.
6. a precursor, prototype, or early form.
7. one of the leading men in a city, town, etc.
8. (often as title or form of address) a priest.

As you can see, the definition of father can mean many things, but at its core it means a male figure that has nurtured something or someone. Father Mugagga Lule represents many of these definitions. Father Mugagga Lule serves members of The Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas in a religious capacity. He also serves a paternal care over the children in the schools that Hope for Hearts supports.

Think about the role of a good father, biological or not: he provides protection, shelter, food, clothing, education, guidance and other basic necessities to his children. Father Muggaga Lule works tirelessly to raise funds and ensure that the orphans at our schools have the resources they need to live a stable life and earn a good education. He also regularly returns to Uganda to visit and mentor the children and ensure they are receiving the proper care. In that capacity, he really serves as a father to these children as well.

Whether you’re biological, step, adoptive, in-law, creator of something, or a leading man, Happy Father’s day to all the father’s out there.

With Peace and Love,
Cristen

Originally posted June 20,2016

Paraskevidekatriophobia affects at least 10% of the U.S. population, causing people to miss work and even avoid travel and special events that results in economic losses of over $800 million annually. What is it that causes such a disruption in the lives of one in ten of Americans? Friday the 13^th.

For many years, western cultures have had a fear of the number 13. Throughout history the number 12 has been thought to be the perfect number. Our calendar has 12 months and our days are split into two 12-hour segments. Twelve is quite literally the number on which we run our lives. So how did 13 become so unlucky?

It all started with a clerical error. One of the first translators of the Code of Hammurabi, one of the world’s oldest legal documents, forgot to include a line of text, which sparked an early myth around the fear of the number 13. After that two significant events happened that perpetuated the superstition. Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus Christ, was the 13^th guest to arrive at The Last Supper, and in Norse lore the mischievous god Loki brought evil and turmoil into the world when he showed up as the 13^th guest at a dinner party and upset the balance of 12 gods. If 12 is the perfect number, then it seems there can be too much of a good thing.

It’s crazy to think that three seemingly separate world events throughout history can cause so much superstition and affect people’s buying habits. Even more shocking that this stems from a clerical error made centuries ago. What is it that drives superstition? Let’s examine in this week’s weekend word.

su·per·sti·tion
ˌso͞opərˈstiSH(ə)n/

noun

1. excessively credulous belief in and reverence for supernatural beings.
2. a widely held, but unjustified belief in supernatural causation leading to certain consequences of an action or event, or a practice based on such a belief.

Superstition is nothing more than an unjustified belief. Like the fear of the monster underneath our beds we felt as a kid. While the power of superstition can be very strong, we must try our best to keep it at bay and not let it control our lives. Superstition does not control our lives – we do.

A great example of taking control of life is our children at St Elizabeth. They are committed to their education. I am committed to providing a hand up in support. If you would like to join me today, $13 is a lucky amount. Support a child.

Have a SUPER day,
Cristen

P.S. If you want to read more about the “unlucky” number 13 visit: http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/whats-so-unlucky-about-the-number-13

This weekend is all about mom, so I want to spend some time talking about what it means to be a mother in the Weekend Word.

moth·er
ˈməT͟Hər/

noun
1. a woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has given birth.

verb
1. bring up (a child) with care and affection.

It’s important to note that there are two different definitions of a mother. There’s the woman who gives birth, and the women who raises a child. The first definition is rather passive, requiring little effort beyond the birthing process. The second definition is active, requiring significant action over an extended period of time.

Everyone has a mother who gave birth to them, and most people have a mother who raises them. Sometimes these two are the same, and many times, they are not. Many women have stepped up to the plate to help foster, adopt or serve as a mentor/role model children in need of a strong mother figure. Our nuns are some of those women. While we serve many orphans at our school – they are not motherless. They look to our nuns who have taken on the motherly role providing affection, care, education and guidance. Our nuns work hard day in and day out to raise some amazing kids at our school. We’d like to take this moment to celebrate their efforts and thank them for all that they do.

People have been celebrating mothers for thousands of years – from the ancient Greeks and Romans who honored the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, to the early Christians in the UK who celebrated Mothering Sunday in honor of the Virgin Mary, and later all mothers.

During the 19^th century civil war era, the celebration expanded to the US and began taking on a different role. Rather than being a simple celebration of Mother’s, it became an opportunity for action. Mother’s Day workshops were held to teach mothers how to properly care for their children. Eventually, mothers would start forming small groups aimed at reconciling the Civil War and later promoting peace and friendship in the world.

It wasn’t until 1908 when Anna Jarvis, upon her mother Anna Reeves Jarvis’ death, decided to push for Mother’s Day as a national holiday to honor the sacrifices mothers made for their children. Thanks to Anna’s efforts, Mother’s Day became an official holiday in 1912 in the US and we’ve been celebrating by showering moms with gifts, cards, etc. ever since.

Any way you celebrate, this weekend make sure you thank the mom in your life for all her hard work.

With Love,
Cristen

How exciting, a live-action version of The Jungle Book!  A young orphaned boy is raised by a pack of wolves in the jungle. Along his journey to manhood he meets a few pals in the animal kingdom… some friendly, and not-so-friendly. The trailer features Balloo humming a favorite song from the cartoon… “The Bare Necessities.”

This got me thinking… What are the bare necessities of life? It seems like everyone has a different idea of what really is a necessity. Let’s explore necessity in this week’s edition of the Weekend Word and see if we can’t find some common ground.

ne·ces·si·ty
nəˈsesədē/
noun

1. the fact of being required or indispensable.
2. an indispensable thing.

A necessity is something or someone that is required or indispensible, presumably for something else to occur. This leaves a lot of room for debate. How many times do you hear your children say “but I NEED this curling iron, or that game.” Is it really a necessity? There are perceived necessities and real necessities.

Perceived necessities are things that we think we “need,” but in all actuality, we could really live without. For example, we need shelter, but we don’t necessarily need a mansion for survival. Yet, to a celebrity trying to “keep up with the Kardashians,” not only is a mansion a necessity, but several of them are. A teenage girl just “can’t live” without her hair or makeup products. To her, they are vital to her happiness, but she could live without them. Cars are even a subjective need. In today’s society it is harder to travel to and from work, school, etc. without a car – especially if you live miles away from your destination. However, with public transit, bikes and good old fashioned walking – it’s not a bare necessity.

So what is a bare necessity? As humans, we share a few basic biological necessities such as food, water, air, energy, rest and shelter. The list of real necessities varies from there. Culturally, we’ve grown accustomed to seeing clothes as a necessity, although they are not necessarily a requirement for sustaining life (unless you live in a cold/harsh weather environment). For those who are living with an illness, certain medicines may be a necessity to sustaining life.

Imagine if you had to live without these basic necessities? What would you do if you were homeless on the street, no job/money, no access to food or shelter, possibly torn and ratty clothing or no clothing at all? What lengths would you go to in order to get these basic necessities? As hard as homeless people have it in a first world country like the U.S., those in third world countries where people have even less to share with each other have it worse.

In a country like Uganda where the lower to middle class struggles with poverty issues like disease, sanitation control, food insecurity, etc. the general population has less to give out of the goodness of their heart, so simple panhandling may not often be enough. Orphaned children, like those who often end up at our school, often find they can’t get access to basic necessities by simply asking for help because so many others don’t have the means to give back for nothing in return. All alone, they end up having to barter services, often resorting to performing services at a much lower rate than the norm, or resorting prostitution in order to gain access to the bare necessities.

Just like Mowgli’s animal friends helped provide him with the “bare necessities,” we’re doing the same for these orphaned children in Uganda. We believe so passionately in what we do because nobody should have to put themselves at risk or go without the basic necessities such as food, water at shelter. At our schools, orphans who previously lived on the street are not only given access to these basic necessities, they’re also given a second chance and a hand up to eventually provide for themselves.

Next time you find yourself, or perhaps your child, upset about not having or losing a perceived necessity, be thankful for the bare necessities you do have. And consider providing the same opportunities to another child in need by donating here: https://hope4hearts.org/support-us/. In fact, you could even purchase one of our handmade necklaces and wear it as a reminder to be thankful for of all that you do have.

With Love,
Cristen