sunday salonen shorties

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Doesn’t this look a little like a heart? I think our cats are trying to send a Valentine’s Day wish to us.

“Sunday Salonen Shorties” will replace “Mama Mondays” this week.

* What they say. I’ll start with a Valentine-shaped kid quote. This one came in the middle of the night not long ago, from our 4-year-old who’d been camping out in his sisters’ room:

“I have to leave. I just can’t help myself!”

Destination? Mom’s and Dad’s room to climb into bed and sleep in the middle. We’re really not discouraging this habit of his at this point, him being our youngest. We imagine that by the time he’s 25 or so, he will have stopped sneaking into our room at 3 a.m. Personally, I’m rather addicted to the feeling of a warm little body snuggling in close in the wee hours.

* On the air. I’ll be hosting “Real Presence Live” on our local Catholic radio station tomorrow, 9 to 11 a.m. CST, and it’s going to be a full two hours. At 9, I’ll interview local friends Lori and Lisa regarding a fundraising event for Lori’s husband, Ryan, who is battling brain cancer. After that, faraway friend and author Karen Edmisten will chat with us by phone about her Rosary book. Next, Father Courtright, spiritual director for our station, will lead us in prayer toward Lent. And we’ll end with a couple shorter exchanges recapping earlier interviews; one involving an upcoming pilgrimage, another regarding this weekend’s Brain Freeze fundraiser to help local Catholic school father Rusty Ouart, who sustained a brain injury while fighting for our country in Iraq. You can tune in through the Internet here.

* Saintly love. The moderator of a Catholic writers’ email list of which I’m part has been sending us daily quotes from St. Francis. Here’s St. Francis’ take on love for this love day:

“Let us love one another from the bottom of our hearts. To inspire us to have this holy love, we have a powerful motive. Our Lord poured out His blood on the cross, to the last drop. He wished, as it were, to make a sacred chalice which would hold, unite, bind and bring together all the members of His Church; namely, all Christians. He willed their union to be so strong that no division among them would ever be possible.” (Spiritual Treatises IV; O. VI, p. 65)

* Front page of your choosing. My Mom #2 (mom-in-law) learned of a way to find any U.S. newspaper’s front-page stories (and more) with one click. Just go here and click on the area where you want to know the front-page news, then you can “travel” further inside that particular paper from there. Amazing, no?

* Blog basket upset. I’m going to be changing up Peace Garden Mama a bit during the weeks of Lent. Stay tuned for more on Fat Tuesday.

* Debut video. My friend Jennifer posted her first (very short) video on her blog. She’s hoping for feedback, so if you have any, stop on by. (Trust me on this one, the short visit will be worth it!) Jennifer’s first video here.

Today’s challenge: As you go about your day today, and every day, let love rule!