17

Today I turned 17. A year ago I wrote about my sweet sixteen birthday party. I can't believe this year has gone by all ready. I don't know what it is about that small change in digits, but seventeen just seems so much older than sixteen. It's like I've crossed this invisible line between the very end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood. I've crossed over to the second-half of my teenage years.

Maybe it seems so different is because I know this is my last birthday I'll be celebrating at home (at least for the next four years). Or because I know my mom met my dad when she was seventeen. Maybe it's because I know that while I'm seventeen I'll graduate high school and go to college.

So much happened in one year. I learned how to drive, I saw NYC for the first time, I took my first newborn, senior, and family pictures, navigated five airports by myself when I flew to CA and back home again all alone, rode a 10 hour train by myself, took both the SAT and ACT, learned stick-shift, got my driver's license, started shooting in RAW, made some new amazing friends, bought two new lenses, began editing with LR3, saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time, and visited colleges for the first time. All the new experiences gave me new confidence and independence. I learned to break out of my shell quicker, be less shy, have more fun, worry less about what people think of me, and overall try to do my best at following God's will and trusting him with everything I am.

I'm excited for this next year and all the changes that will happen. I'm excited about the places I'll go, the people I'll meet and all the new things I'll do. I'm excited to see where my photography goes, what I'll do and how I'll grow.

And now because I can't publish a post pictureless...

~Mary Kate

A Taste of Home

There is no place like home and I have to say I live in a beautiful place. I finally managed to capture a picture that perfectly describes Southern-Central PA.

Rolling hills, green fields, trees, farms and distant mountains.  This is what I call home, and I love it!
And since I'm on the topic of home...here are some more photos from home this summer:

~Mary Kate

Harry Potter

This is a post I've had sitting in my draft folder, unfinished, for months. I haven't been afraid to post this - although Harry Potter can be a controversial topic - I just haven't had the time to finish it.


I started this back in November when the Authentic People Blog Party was going on. One of the girls who participated (and now I don't remember what blog this was), linked to a post she had written on Harry Potter. This post of mine started as response to her post and arguments on her view of Harry Potter.
And then my last Logic assignment of the year (yes I take a Logic class in school), was to create an argument following Thomas Aquinas's Summa argument format. We could choose any topic. After much consideration I chose Harry Potter. And I'm so glad I did. For those of you who don't know, Aquinas's Summa argument format is the following:

Question
Obj. 1
Obj. 2
Obj. 3
On the Contrary
My Answer
Reply to Obj. 1
Reply to Obj. 2
Reply to Obj. 3


If you know me than you know that Harry Potter is something I am quite passionate about, because not only is it my favorite series of books ever, but I believe it has a lot of depth and is not at all just a "kids book". Please don't stop reading this just because I said I love Harry Potter. For this logic assignment I spent a lot of time researching and analyzing both sides of the argument and did my best to present both sides fairly.


And so I know this is long but I hope you read it no matter what your opinion is on this matter.

Question: Is it morally wrong to read Harry Potter?

{The following objections are all variations of arguments I have heard or read against Harry Potter.}

>Obj. 1: It is morally wrong to go against the Bible. In Deuteronomy 18:10 it states “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft.”  Harry Potter is an entire series about witchcraft and sorcery.  We should not be supporting something so obviously sinful.  Therefore Harry Potter is morally wrong.

>Obj. 2: In Harry Potter magic isn’t just discussed and used, it is taught. Harry goes to a boarding school called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There he {Harry} and all the other students have classes where they learn how to perform spells, brew potions and control magic. There is even a class introduced in the third book called “Divination” where they study tea leaves and look in crystal balls to predict events in the future. As the previously used scripture verse clearly states, you must avoid all forms of divination, sorcery and witchcraft. In other magic filled stories, the magic takes place in an alternate universe, another world. But in Harry Potter, by having a school, in our modern day world, that teaches sorcery, witchcraft and divination, the series is exciting kids about the possibilities of possessing magic, and encouraging them to look into real occults to learn magic themselves.

>Obj. 3: Watching or reading Harry Potter poses a dangerous threat to our souls. Even if we believe there is a difference between “real” witchcraft and the “fake” witchcraft in Harry Potter, even if we are strong Christians rooted in Christ who are just “reading for fun”, it is harmful and displeasing to God. Just as watching or reading an inappropriate scene in a romance movie or book, even if we would never engage in the sinful act ourselves, is sinful, so is reading about witchcraft and sorcery, even if we have no intention of trying to do witchcraft. Sin is a part of our world, and it appears in a variation of forms in every story from lying to stealing to fighting to murders to adultery and in the case of Harry Potter, sorcery. However the morally right stories are the ones where the good is celebrated and encouraged and eventually defeats the bad. Harry Potter blurs the lines between good and evil and although the “good” side eventually wins, the “bad” and “good” side were both committing the same evil in the first place, sorcery. In this way, J.K. Rowling, cunningly disguises the genuine evil of the sorcery by having the main hero use sorcery to defeat the “bad” sorcery. This confuses kids into believing that sorcery can be used for good, and is not all evil. In Harry Potter, the “good” that is celebrated and encouraged and eventually comes out victorious is itself intrinsically evil and is not, therefore, “good” in the sense of right versus wrong. So therefore, the danger of reading Harry Potter, especially if one gets emotionally invested in the characters, is the fact that it dulls ones conscience, and blurs the lines between what is truly good and what appears to be good.

>On the Contrary:  According to Chuck Colson, Harry and his friends "develop courage, loyalty, and a willingness to sacrifice for one another-even at the risk of their lives. Not bad lessons in a self-centered world." He dismisses the magic and sorcery in the books as "purely mechanical, as opposed to occultic. That is, Harry and his friends cast spells, read crystal balls, and turn themselves into animals-but they don't make contact with a supernatural world…. [It's not] the kind of real-life witchcraft the Bible condemns." (November 2 Breakpoint radio broadcast.) The magic is not the main point or moral of the series. It is a fun background noise that adds to the level of excitement, adventure and fantasy. Instead, the truths found in Harry Potter are inherently good.

>My Answer: It is not morally wrong to read Harry Potter. Harry Potter is a classic story following the time-old plot of good versus evil with the good being victorious in the end. The series is an intricate work which weaves together old folk tales, ancient Greek and Roman myths, inherent Christian truths, adventure, suspense, mystery, and the power of sacrificial love. Harry faces many choices in the seven books and in the end they all boil down to the fact that Harry must choose between what is right and what is easy. He was born to die, and by his death and then “resurrection” he saved the world. Sound familiar? It should. This is such a clear Christian allegory. Christ sacrificed himself to save us and then rose again. Harry of course is not perfect, like Christ, but he is the Christ-like figure in the series. In the end he must sacrifice himself to the point of death to defeat the evil and save the innocent. Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, says several profound lines, such as “Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and above all, those who live without love.” (Deathly Hallows) and “As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all – the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them.” (Sorcerer’s Stone). And in Harry Potter, the power of sacrificial love is what comes out victorious and it is more powerful than the strongest magic. These truths and themes do not contradict the Bible or go against Christian teachings. Rather they exemplify and provide Christian allegories for Christians to appreciate and ponder.

>Reply to Obj. 1: Yes, witchcraft and sorcery are evil and they are very much real. And the Bible does warn against them. However, Harry Potter, while a very magic-filled book, does not contain any sorcery or witchcraft at all.  The very definition of sorcery is "the art, practices, or spells of a person who is supposed to exercise supernatural powers through the aid of evil spirits; black magic; witchery" and the definition of witchcraft is "sorcery; black magic". The magic in Harry Potter is different; the only way a person in HP can use magic is if they were born with it. Nobody who was born without magic, can later on learn how to use magic. There are no spirits, or any other supernatural power aiding in the magic, it's simply a part of their DNA, like some people are born with inherent artistic or athletic abilities and others are born without one or the other.  And while in our world, obviously anyone can learn artistic or athletic skills, again, in HP, if you are not born with magical abilities, you cannot learn them. When you come to this realization it is clear that Harry Potter does not go against the Bible, and is thus, not morally wrong. 

>Reply to Obj. 2: Hogwarts is a school of magic, and yes, the students learn how to cast spells, brew potions and “control” magic. But unlike real witchcraft, there are no supernatural powers involved. A muggle (someone who was not born with magic), would never be able to use magic, even if they attended Hogwarts, used a wand and said an incantation. Because the power of the magic is not something that can be grasped by anyone, it is either given to you at your creation, or not. And there is nothing parents can do to ensure their child has magical abilities, because there are “muggle-borns”, witches and wizards that are born to non-magical parents who had no idea that the wizarding world even existed. Students learn how to control and refine their magic, the same way that an artist learns how to control and refine their art. They do not learn how to gain more magic, or control it in the sense of evil spirits. There is a class called Divination, however it, unlike the rest of the magic in Harry Potter, is clearly implied to be mostly fraudulent. “While “true” witches may try to predict the future using tea leaves, crystal balls, palm reading, and so forth, that kind of magic, far from being endorsed, is derided by both student and teacher alike at Hogwarts and shown to be unreliable guesses at best…Even when a couple of the students claim that a prediction came true, Hermione points out that the prediction only appears to have come true, but really did not.” (Daniel Eaton). It is not until the last book that you find out the reason why Divination was allowed to be taught year after year. Harry Potter is indeed set in our modern day world; however it is in a sense its own world as well. In fact it is even referred to as the “wizarding world” versus the “muggle world”. The wizarding world is completely invisible to muggles and has its own government, education process, and lifestyle. Wizards do not have “muggle” jobs or “muggle” things. They don’t even dress like muggles for the most part, but rather wear long robes and pointed hats. This life of witches and wizards in Harry Potter is so completely different from the real witches that exist in our world.

“ Even if you were to ignore the means to getting to the school, what goes on there is obviously not “real”. Set in a 1,000 year old castle, students take their lessons via torch light using quills and parchment. A trip across a lake with a giant (who has a three-headed dog), a talking “sorting” hat, and a feast under a constantly changing ceiling first welcome the students to Hogwarts. Mail is delivered by owls and pictures and paintings will talk and move. There is no mistaking the magical nature of the environment here and the non-magical nature of the world of Muggles. Children old enough to tackle a 700 page book (the length of the latest installment) are old enough to see that this world is not real. And, according to the Wiccan Internet sites that have discussed this, the few inquiries into Wicca from folks that have read the Harry Potter books do not lead to converts as the life of a Wiccan is nothing like the life that the person is looking for. They are confused about what Wicca really is partially because of the reaction to these books. I dare say that if Christians stop characterizing the books as “witchcraft” and trying to ban them in schools as a “separation of church and state” issue because they teach the recognized religion of Wicca, most children would not think to investigate Wicca.” (Daniel Eaton).

>Reply to Obj. 3: Here again lies the fundamental difference between real witchcraft and the magic in Harry Potter. Real witchcraft goes against everything the Bible teaches and is indeed a serious and dangerous sin. However the magic in Harry Potter is not witchcraft or sorcery. It is a part of every wizard’s DNA and cannot be obtained by any means. You were either born with it or you weren’t. Since the magic in Harry Potter is not real at all, and can not be real at all, it is neither a sin nor a potential sin. The lines between good and evil could not be clearer in this series. And in this distinct magical world, there are of course, both evil and good.  But the evil wizards did not call upon spirits to gather their magic, or use sorcery, but rather they used the magic that was part of their DNA for evil purposes. Much of the thrust of what Dumbledore (the primary teacher of Harry throughout the series) is attempting to teach Harry, is that life is about what you choose to do with whatever gifts you have been given. The series does not revolve around how to get magic, as it is impossible in the series to “get magic”, but instead on how the characters choose to use their magic. “In the Harry Potter books, the magic serves as a framework for the story, a technique used by writers as far back as Shakespeare, Tolkien and de Troyes” (Daniel Eaton).

What do you think? Do you agree, disagree? Feel free to honestly state your opinion and ask questions :)

~Mary Kate

Sebastian Luke

" Our little baby, Sebastian Luke, went home to heaven today at 17 weeks gestational age." {from an e-mail my mom sent out to family and friends Sunday night}.

Sunday started out as a normal day. I woke up, got ready and headed out with my Dad at 9:15am for an all day retreat that he {my dad} was running and I was helping with.

The retreat was going great {it was our annual 7th and 8th grade end of year retreat} and everyone was having a grand time.

However around 3:00ish in the afternoon, as I was walking back through the woods up to the building we were using, I noticed my dad on his phone beckoning to me. Thoughts shot across my mind of what was wrong, I knew it had to do something with our family or close friends.

I reached my dad and then he whispered "Your mom had a miscarriage".

Five words that completely changed that day. April 29, 2012. Five words that changed this whole week.

My mom has had two miscarriages in the past, but for both of those she had only found out she was pregnant a few days before the miscarriage happened. But this time? This time my mom was already 17 weeks pregnant. Almost half-way done.

I know I didn't announce her pregnancy on my blog, I was waiting until summer started, but we've all known she's pregnant since the beginning of February.

Dad told me to get my stuff as we would be leaving in a few minutes. Two of my best friends were waiting for me at the building, concerned, and as I told them what I had just found out, they were right there to hug me and stay with me while my dad prepared for us to leave.

We were an hour north of our house and as we had been in a bus on the way up, one of the other adult chaperones, who had driven in his car, was able to give us a ride to our church where our car was.

For the hour long drive home I was unable to get more details, as my dad was talking on youth ministry matters with the other chaperone. So I had awhile to think. My first thought was when and how did this happen? Then it crossed my mind that since my mom was already 17 weeks there was going to be a body, wasn't there? So was my mom at home or the hospital? Where were my other six siblings? Did they know what had happened?

I prayed too, but mostly for my mom, and I had told my best friends to pray especially for my mom too. I knew how excited she was for this baby. Me? I was surprised, but I wasn't that sad, not at first.

Once my dad and I were alone, my dad called our pastor, Fr. Louis and I heard way more details as my dad answered questions and explained the situation.

As my mom wrote in an e-mail she sent to our family and friends:

"I then told the four youngest who were home.  Joey {age 2} was obviously oblivious, Rose {age 6} and Max {age 9} were very sad, and have spent a lot of time crying on and off throughout the afternoon. Benny {age 4} was the funniest.  He could see Max and Rose crying, and my comforting them, and he decided that he should be shedding some tears, so he tried his hardest, but his crying sounded so fake that it made Max, Rose and I laugh.  Then Benny laughed and ran off and played with Joey.

After that John Paul {age 11}came home from soccer, and a little while later Mary Kate  and Scott arrived home.  Last was Cecilia {age 14}, coming from a performance in her play.  Peggy {my grandmother} drove her home and came in.  For a while we all sat in the living room and talked and cried.  By this point I had had a chance to show Scott the baby, and he had discovered Sebastian's obvious male parts - which, for all of you who know, utterly shocked me. I have been calling little Sebastian, "Lucy", from day one, so sure was I that this baby was a girl - so much for my instincts! :)"

My mom asked me if I wanted to see Sebastian, but I decided to wait until after my parents washed him. Both of my grandmothers, however saw his body and my dad's mother wrote on facebook that night:

"I was able to gaze on his perfect little body and weep knowing that I would never be able to hold him in my arms...but knowing that he was now being held in the loving arms of our Heavenly Father. His little eyes would not see the dawn of a new day, but he was now gazing into the face of God..beholding the Beatific Vision!..His tiny little feet would not walk in the grass of this world, but now he is dancing with all the saints around the throne of our God Most High. His little ears would not hear the songs of the birds in the trees,but he is now listening to the songs of angels. Jesus said, "I am the Resurrection and the Life and whoever believes in Me will have eternal Life " and so my little baby , I can find comfort and hope in the truth of those words. This very day you are enjoying the treasures of heaven that await all of us who believe."

My parents then washed his body and gently held him and cried together in the bathroom. They laid him in a little box which we had lined with satin and then brought him down to show the five oldest kids. Being the oldest of 7 children, and having a numerous amount of younger cousins on both sides of the family, I have been around many of newborns,  with the smallest (Benny) only weighing 4 lbs when he was born. But this? This was completely different. Barely five inches long, but unmistakably a human life. I completely agree with my mom when she said that his fingers and toes were the most amazing part, each one was so perfect, so complete and soooo tiny. 

Before my parents took his body to the funeral home we wanted a picture - not of his actual body, but of the outside of his box. The bracelet my dad is wearing is one he has worn everyday for months, it says "Life is Precious". 

Today (Tuesday) at 10:00am we had a short service at the cemetery and buried Sebastian Luke. It was just our family and some of my dad's family. 

Afterwards my dad wrote on facebook: 

"Thank you to everyone for all of your love, sympathy and prayers. Today we laid Sebastian Luke to rest. I was privileged to carrying the coffin and to help shovel the dirt onto his grave. It was a simple, yet beautiful graveside service with Fr. Louis and immediate family."

Sebastian is in the gold box in the front of the picture above.

The most touching part for me, was when I saw my dad and Uncle with tears on their cheeks. I am very glad that my Uncle Brian, Aunt Jackie and their kids were able to come because Aunt Jackie found out that she was pregnant the same day my mom did, and she is due with her baby just a week and half before Sebastian was due (Oct. 10th). We were all so excited to have two cousins coming just days apart - for the second time - {Rose was born just eight days after their daughter Emily}.

As my mom wrote on Sunday:

"It has been a day filled with many tears and much sadness, but also a day where the reality of heaven, the sheer awesomeness of eternity, the overwhelming reality that we have a new Saint in heaven, our dear son and brother, who is in the fullness of his personhood, who is in the fullness of the presence of God, and who will spend the rest of our earthly lives praying for us, encouraging us, and cheering us on to be a holier and more perfectly loving family, is such an awesome reality, that the blessings of that reality flowed over and under and through all the sadness and grief for every one of us."

Dearest Little Sebastian, 

I love you so much. We ALL love you so much. While we don't understand why we will never get to know you on this earth, God does, and I know that you have already touched so many lives. I'm so happy that you will never be tainted by sin, you will never experience any pain or any suffering and you are at this moment sitting with God, His angels,His saints and our two other siblings. Your perfect, tiny, fingers will never grasp mine, we won't hear you say your first word, or take your first step. I will never hold you as a little baby in my arms, or sing you songs or read you our favorite books. But I have hope, hope that I will see you someday in Heaven, and I will know you. You may not experience any of the earthly things that make up this journey we call life, but you have already attained the greatest prize that any human being can. You've already crossed the finish line that all of us are aiming for. And while you will miss out on the joys of this world, you get to skip all of the pain, ugliness, sin, and darkness of this world and go straight to Heaven which is so much greater than all of the greatest things in this world. And that is incredible. I love you Sebastian Luke, I love you so much.  Love, Your Big Sister, Mary Kate

Pages

{from our family scrapbook I've been making}

~Mary Kate

Say What?

Oh what to blog about?  I have a bunch of ideas for posts circling inside my head, several of which have made it to drafts, but I haven't been able to finish any of them yet. I have one on Easter, one on the desserts I made with recipe links,  a nail tutorial, one filled with more flower pictures and a whole post devoted to Rose and our "vintage forest" photoshoot. (Sneak peak at bottom of this post)

I've been on break this week and while I didn't mean to, I sort of took a blogging break too. I've been working on a website for my photography. I made one I like a lot, but the host that I made it on is $10 a month which I don't really want to spend. My ten day trial has five days left (you can see it here).

And I've made some changes, first off I'm going back to a smaller image size on this blog. Secondly, I changed my logo and watermark.
My new logo:

 And my watermark can be seen on the images below. It's pretty similar to my old one, just changed it to match my logo.

And today? Today I got Rose dressed up in a dress-up dress, I fixed her hair and put make-up on her. The result?Here's a little sneak peak:

I'm entering the above image in Shoot Edit Submit (for whatever reason I couldn't get the button to work). And I"m entering it in

and in

All of the pictures were taken in our back yard in our very small wooded section.
~Mary Kate

10 Days

Today marks the beginning of my glorious, wonderful, amazing 10 day spring break. I have been looking forward to this for weeks.

These past few weeks have been extremely stressful and this feeling of freedom - even if it's just for a week and half - is amazingly welcome.

I've been soaking up this incredible weather and jumping at every chance I get to try and capture the gorgeous spring beauty around me.

All of the flowers have been blooming much earlier than last year.

And now, I'm super exited for 10 stress-free days of bliss. :)
~Mary Kate