Deo
A NEWSLETTER FOR SETON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Patriae
SUMMER 2012
Amicis
Unqualified Advice From Chris Black When I first started high school, I was oblivious to what it would entail, what it would do to me as a person, and I want to give some tips to those who will graduate after me. For all you freshmen, I was in your shoes once and have to warn you: enjoy high school if you can, but stay on track, because it's only 4 years long. In my freshman year I remember thinking, “Wow, four years? That is forever – there will be time to finish this tomorrow.” What I quickly learned was that when I left an assignment for tomorrow, the next assignment got put off another day, and school assignments are almost magic in how fast they can accumulate. Even though it may seem impossible, do your best to keep up because honestly it makes things much easier later on. Sophomores, how I feel for you. It was my sophomore year which I consider was my most difficult, yet my most memorable. It was in my sophomore year that I joined the Seton Message Board, fell in love with it and the people there, quickly became a member on five different Seton high school sites, and met the founders of this newsletter. With all this time spent making friends, I forgot to leave enough time for school, and again I was bit the coming year when part of my summer vacation was spent at the books. So for you sophomores I say, remember that time is valuable and if you spend time online, playing video games, or any time consuming activity, make sure your priorities are in line because it only makes life worse to be worrying about school year round. Juniors, for you I say: YOU'RE ALMOST THERE! Do not become discouraged. Maybe those history tests seem insane, or the English tests impossible, or maybe your first year of a foreign language unattainable. I felt this way for much of my junior year: fear of failing a course almost controlled my life. Keep your friends close at times like these because they offer the greatest source of encouragement and it makes the world seem a little brighter knowing you do not fight the fight alone. SENIORS!!!! YOU ARE SO CLOSE! Keep the end in sight while you fill out those college applications, apply for jobs, or just worry about finishing in time. Whenever you graduate, know that you may stand with your head held high. You will have done what others said was not possible and now have an education which will be with you no matter what comes. Regardless of how much time you have left until graduation, be it three months or three years, rejoice in your victories and offer up your defeats and no matter what, praise God.
"It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes." -Saint Thomas Aquinas
Heart Beats by Kyra C. Can’t you feel your heart beat? That steady rhythm that runs so deep. Can’t you feel it beating so? Making your body gleam and glow. Oh, don’t you love the feel of your blood, Rushing within you like a raging flood. Getting your life motivated, Cause not living is underrated. Cherish your life, Because it’s a blessing, Yes, it has occasional strife, But stop the stressing. Cause somewhere out there, Something is happening. Something that’s not fair. But few people care. The cry of a child, Has just been silenced. Oh, a face so mild, The world shall not see. Because no one was around. To plea for this soul. To stand their ground, To stop the fateful toll. Again and again!! Can’t you feel this pain?
It’s like a never ending chain! Another life, Another soul, Gone from here, Was that your goal? Though tears of many, May fall amongst earth, Nothing is worse, Than an aborted birth. Memories yearning to be shared, Shattered to pieces, Cause the parents don’t care. Giggles and shouts, That shall never come out, Silenced forever, But those doctors care not, They brush it off forever. So instead of pretending, Let’s stop all this trending. Go commit something worthy. Go do something holy. You have that beat within your heart, You have that heat, So go impart. For the lives of those, Who have not a voice. You can stop the life altering choice. Use your smarts, That God gave to you. Save that small heart; That beats anew.
Our Lady of Tears Pray For the Unborn Children! Our Lady of Tears help us. Pray for all the Unborn Souls, Given to you before their time‌ Pray for all the children,
Here on Earth. Pray for all the women, Who need your guidance
OUR LADY OF TEARS GUIDE US SO THESE MAY BE THE LAST TEARS SHED.
“There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.� -Celia Thaxter
Photos by Hannah Corrao
Understanding the Revolt of Mathathias By Daniel Dikman For those who have read the inscription at the bottom of the drawing The Revolt of Mathathias, the lower half of the drawing makes sense: a relatively older man (Mathathias) slays first the apostate Jew who attempts to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, and then kills also the king’s commissioner who is enforcing the
blasphemies. The pagan altar is broken, as was recorded in 1 Maccabees 2:25. However, I have added more to the picture than is recorded solely in the Scripture passage given, in an attempt to give the picture a symbolic meaning. The purpose of the top triangle is easy to decipher: “No strange gods before me.� It was for the sake of the 1st Commandment (Exodus 20:3) that Mathathias gave up all his possessions (1 Maccabees 2:28) and having peaceful last years (it is apparent that he died shortly
after his revolt, as one who had broken the law of the pagans.) The top left and right triangles are taken from scenes in 2 Maccabees. The top left triangle depicts two angels holding clubs. These were two of the three angels whom God sent to punish the sacrilegious Heliodorus, who dared to sack the sacred Temple of Jerusalem, and despoil it of its wealth. I did not show the first angel mentioned: an angel riding upon a horse “adorned with a very rich covering.” The other two angels I did show: “young men beautiful and strong, bright and glorious, and in comely apparel: who stood by him, on either side, and scourged him without ceasing with many stripes.” (2 Maccabees 3:26). I thought it fitting to depict these two angels, who did for God what Mathathias and his followers did for the same Lord (See 1 Maccabees 2:44 – 48). On the top right triangle another figure from 2 Maccabees is depicted: the great prophet Jeremiah. Though the vision of Jeremiah was seen at a later date than the initial revolt of Mathathias, it symbolizes the victory promised by God to those who endured the enslavement by the pagans no longer. For Jeremiah presented to Mathathias’ son, Judas Maccabeus, a gold sword, saying: “Take this holy sword a gift from God, wherewith thou shalt overthrow the adversaries of my people Israel.” The subsequent success of the Jewish revolutionaries made me want to depict that scene to point to where the victories came from. The center of the drawing is the most symbolic, and the hardest to decipher, as
its origins are not based on the Scriptural accounts, but rather on archeology. The cracked altar bears a circle with many rays surrounding it. This is the Vergina Sun; the 16-rayed star that is the symbol of the Macedonians in both ancient and modern times. It was found upon the tomb of the father of Alexander the Great, who conquered the Jews (1 Maccabees 1:1 – 5), and whose successor was forcing the Jews to abandon their faith (1 Maccabees 1:11). I found this symbol to encompass most fully the pagan oppression. However, as you can see, it is cracked like the pagan altar to which it is attached. What grows out of the cracked altar (and therefore symbolically the pagan regime) is a lily. However, it is no ordinary lily: it is the Hasmonean Lily, its image stamped upon many coins during the Hasmonean Dynasty (140 BC – 37 BC). The lily symbolized the Hasmonean kings’ priesthood, which descended from Mathathias, and in turn, from Phinehas (Numbers 25:10 – 13). For the Hasmonean kings were the grandsons and greatgrandsons of the priest Mathathias, the one who revolted at Modin. With this in mind, the centerpiece of the drawing becomes fully understood. The pagan regime (as represented by the Vergina Sun) is broken (as represented by the cracked altar) and what grows out of it is the Hasmonean Dynasty, the line of king-priests (as represented by the Hasmonean Lily), and flourishes until the Roman conquest in 37 BC, thus setting the stage for the coming of Christ.
Photo by Joe L.
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.� - John 11:26
Photo by Kyrie Kellner
"...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." -Hebrews 12:1
The Onyx Legacy By Mara Ng Part 4 “Excuse me, miss, but I think you’re talking about another game,” said the clerk in the videogame store. He pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his freckled nose and snorted. Cassidy stared at the shocking, messy red hair of the skinny man. “Zombie Warrior 3 isn’t out until this fall, miss. I think you’re looking for Warriors of the Fifth Dimension.” The clerk pulled out a box with pictures of blue, pointy-eared aliens wielding diamond-tipped spears. After seeing Cassidy’s reaction, the clerk offered another game. “Or maybe you’d like to purchase something else. We have some new games that just came
in today. Hmm… let me see, there’s The Milrivian Realm, Bloodstain: Regroup, The Onyx Legacy—” Cassidy’s ears perked up. She grasped the gemstone on her necklace. “May I take a look at that last game you mentioned?” “The Onyx Legacy?” the clerk asked. “Yes, that’s the one.” The clerk hesitated for a few seconds and then handed a small box to Cassidy. He wiped the sweat off his forehead. Cassidy looked the game over and stared at the picture on the box. It was a picture of a perfectly round, black onyx encased in a glass, octagonal prism. Cassidy couldn’t take her eyes off the picture. It was tugging at a disturbing memory, but she just couldn’t stop looking at the black stone. Cassidy looked up at the fidgeting clerk. “Um…is this game new? When was it released? And, does it have good reviews so far?” “P-p-pardon me. You mean ThThe Onyx Legacy?” He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his shaking hand. “People say that it isn’t such a good game. Most people actually say it’s sort of l-l-lame. You should just buy another game.” He glanced furtively at the door of the store. Cassidy raised her eyebrows. “Lame? What do you mean by that? It looks like a pretty nice game. Besides, it
fits my budget. So I’ll buy this one.” Cassidy offered a few dollars. The clerk stared at Cassidy with pleading eyes. “Seriously, miss. You should really buy something else! I hear Warriors of the Fifth Dimension is really amazing! Bloodstain: Regroup is awesome too, if it’s your type.” Cassidy declined politely, keeping in mind how salesmen always tried their best to sell the more expensive merchandise. “No thanks. This game will do. I’m pretty sure my brother will be fine with it.” Cassidy paid for the game, put it in her backpack, and walked out of the store. Before she left, she tensed when another customer walked in. The man was completely ripped. He had a military haircut, and wore the darkest shades Cassidy had ever seen. The man was dressed in a black suit and tie that didn’t match him at all, and carried a black briefcase at his side. Cassidy thought an orange jumpsuit would better suit him.
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Cassidy ignored the questioning looks of her siblings. They were never supposed to know anything. Their parents had made her promise that she would keep her brother and sister safe, but she failed them! She knew it was all crumbling. All the defenses she had steadily built
around her family were slowly breaking down. And it was all her fault for buying the game! She wanted to scream, but she didn’t want to scare her siblings even more than they already were. When she saw their anxious faces, Cassidy felt desperate. The peace they had known for seven years was disappearing. All the things she had to do to keep them safe and all the things she had to hide from them were all for nothing. The life they were living was just a big lie. And just when she had started to forget her past life, it was dragging her back into that miserable existence. Yes! She had nearly forced herself to forget. But everything was flooding back now. Was it shock that made her forget in the first place? Or was she just desperately trying to destroy those memories unconsciously? She didn’t know. But now she knew the truth—the truth she had tried to forget. She remembered that their parents were scientists working on a much-needed cure for a horrible disease, the Korius Disease, and that when they finally completed the cure, the OSRA was burned down. So many people died in the fire that burned the OSRA headquarters, including their parents. But before they died, they hid the data containing the cure, and got the children safely out of the building. Before she died in the fire,
their mother had given a small black stone to Cassidy, and had yelled something important before the building collapsed on them. “The key is in Orion’s Belt!” Cassidy whispered her mother’s important words. That was what everyone was looking for: the key, and the clue to find the cure. Her parents entrusted her with the key before they perished in the fire. They trusted her to be the guardian of that important secret. But Cassidy knew that they would never have given her such a big burden if they had survived. Cassidy’s eyes began to water at the memory of her parents. The tears continued to fall when she thought of the Onyx Project. She sometimes dreamed of the horrible project. She never wanted to remember the big needles, the crazed faces of the sick people, and the bloodcurdling screams that were heard every night, but she dreamed of it anyway. It was horrible. Still, it wasn’t as horrible as actually being a part of the Onyx Project, Cassidy knew. Many of the sick people went crazy before the doctors could find a cure. A lot of them died. But Cassidy was only a part of the OSRA Legacy—though her siblings weren’t. The OSRA Legacy was an elite division of the Onyx Special Research Armory. The special division was also called the Onyx Legacy. In the Onyx Legacy, Cassidy, along with a few other
children, was being trained to assist in research and in keeping the data safe. The children were not given information as to why the data needed maximum security, but they all had enough sense to stay silent. That was what life was like in the OSRA. Needles, screams, secrets… She felt trapped in that life. But when the destruction of the OSRA happened, they all knew the reason for secrecy, and they were all forced to escape that life. Cassidy often wondered if the other children of the Onyx Legacy survived the fire, and if they were all living peaceful, normal lives instead of being haunted by nightmares and enemies. She remembered a few people. Her friends: Lynette, Iris, and the genius at everything, Spencer. There was also the senior student whom everyone liked. They called her by her initials, E.T., just to tease her. “E.T.” Cassidy mumbled. She turned to look at Evelyn. “You’re E.T. Evelyn Taylor.” Nathan, Callum, Nick, and Kate all burst into laughter. “Whahahaha! It’s been so long since someone called you that!” Nathan doubled up with laughter. “Hahaha! Nathan, do you remember what we gave her for Halloween before?” Callum asked between snickers.
Nathan thought for a while, and then started to snicker with Callum. In a few seconds, the two men were roaring with laughter. Evelyn rolled her eyes at her teammates. “I guess you remember some things now, Cassidy,” she said, giving a small nod. “Okay. Let’s see how much you know.” She took a deep breath and knit her brow, trying to think of something to quiz the girl with. “What is Section 346?” “The Lion’s Den!” Cassidy blurted out. Her eyes grew wide. She was surprised at how fast she answered. It seemed as if it was only yesterday that she lived in the OSRA. Evelyn looked at her with approval. Kate and Nick were surprised, and Callum and Nathan praised her memory. Cassidy blushed. Section 346, the Lion’s Den, was where they had their sparring sessions. One student would fight against two or more training droids as a weekly quiz. The teachers would evaluate each student’s physical, mental, and emotional strengths from the results, and decide if he or she could move to the next lesson. Each quiz became significantly harder each week, but the students were suitably prepared for them.
Evelyn took her aside. “All right, if you remember that, then you should know some of the basic OSRA codes.” Evelyn borrowed a pen and started writing a weird combination of lines and dashes on her palm until it was covered in code. When she showed it to Cassidy, Cassidy paused for a while, and then whispered something that no one else could hear. Evelyn smiled. “You know your codes well! Okay. I trust you now. Do you trust us?” Cassidy nodded her head slowly. When they joined the others, Cassidy said, “Yeah, I think I can trust you now, but considering that you people broke into our house, I’ll ask the questions first.” “Fair enough.” “So, why did you come here? You were asking about codes from Nick’s game earlier. What’s so important about the codes? This about the Korius Disease isn’t it?” Nick was stunned. His heart was pounding in his ears, a sudden shiver ran down his spine, and he started shaking. It terrified him. The Korius Disease. He knew he’d heard that term before, but he couldn’t really remember. It felt like a memory that he tried to push out of his mind but always came back to haunt him. He didn’t know why he felt that way, but he was sure the disease was something terrible.
Black spots were already swimming around the room. “All right, all right. Slow down.” That’s Evelyn’s voice, Nick thought. “I’ll answer all your questions. So here’s the deal. OSRA was restored a few months ago. We’ve been trying to find the cure because there’s been a sudden outbreak of the Korius Disease in South America. We’ve taken preventive measures for the spread of the disease by keeping the sick people in quarantine. But the number of people getting sick is really increasing every day.” “That disease—what does it do?” Nick managed to choke out. Nick felt even more frightened when no one answered for a few seconds. It was so quiet that he thought he could hear his own body shaking with fright. “You don’t want to know what it is,” Cassidy said gravely. Nick sighed. He didn’t really want to know, but he just had to. “We have to know what it is…Kate and I need to know so that we can understand what’s happening. What does this disease have to do with us?! And why do you know so much about it, Cassidy?! Why?!” Kate raised her arm, “I think I’d rather not know what it really is. It might be something gross.” “Cassidy!” Nick urged. “We need to know.” Cassidy felt horrible for keeping secrets from her brother and sister.
“Fine. We’ll tell you. But close your ears if you don’t want to hear any more, Kate.” Cassidy looked at Evelyn for help. “The Korius Disease is sort of like leprosy, but it only occurs in the brain,” Evelyn started. “Once a person has been infected, the virus attacks the brain and, you could say, eats it up. When people have leprosy, their fingers and toes are shortened and deformed because the cartilage is absorbed into the body. But when people have the Korius Disease, their brain rapidly shrinks, or gets eaten up.” Cassidy spoke up. “Most of the time, the virus attacks memory cells first. That’s why it seems like people who have caught the disease have Amnesia. The virus keeps eating into the brain until it has reached the most vital part— the medulla oblongata. Once the virus reaches that part—” she stopped. Nick shivered. Now that the explanation was there, he felt like he had already known what the disease really was. Once the virus reached that part, the person would die. He felt like he had to say something to make himself less nervous, but nothing came out. “And that’s exactly why it’s imperative for us to find the cure now!” Callum added. “We need to prevent this disease from infecting more people.” “Callum’s right,” Evelyn sighed. “That’s why we’re here.”
“What do you mean?” Cassidy asked, wondering if they knew that she had the clue all along. “A few days ago, we were given an anonymous tip that we would find a clue to the cure in ‘the Onyx Legacy.’ I thought it had something to do with OSRA Legacy, but nothing turned up in the old HQ. Everything was burned beyond recognition. So we had our people look for anything related to ‘Onyx.’ A few days ago, we found a surveillance tape showing a suspicious man forcing an employee of a videogame store to sell a game titled ‘The Onyx Legacy’ to a specific person, and this morning—” “Cassidy bought it!” Kate spoke up. Evelyn nodded. “That’s why we need your game.”
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The clerk panicked. What was he supposed to do? He already tried to stop the girl from buying the game, but she just wouldn't listen. He didn’t know what was going to happen to her, but he knew it wasn’t anything good. He shook his head. It wasn’t his fault if something bad happened to that girl. He tried to stop her, didn’t he? It was obviously her own fault. Besides, the clerk thought, children should know that games aren’t good for them.
The clerk took his glasses off and wiped the lenses. While he was putting them back on, he heard the door open. When he saw the man with the briefcase, he gasped. Sweat and tears started pouring. His glasses fell from his hand and went skidding away. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!" he shouted. "I didn’t do anything wrong! I promise! I sold it to that girl already! Please…please don’t hurt me!” The man smiled at him. “Wh-wh-what are you going to do to me?” the clerk asked, shaking like a leaf. The man bent down and picked the glasses up. He spoke in a frighteningly low voice. “Why are frightened if you already carried out your mission? You know that we won’t hurt you unless you disobey our orders.” The man held the glasses in front of the clerk. “Now if you happened to be lying right now,” he crushed the glasses in his grip, making the frightened clerk yelp. The man gave the clerk a meaningful look and started to walk out of the store. “Wait, you’re not going to hurt me?” The man turned around, “No. It isn’t my job.” He walked away, leaving the clerk speechless and scared out of his wits. "But I..." To be continued…
Twenty Six Seconds By Joey Wolf
Every 26 seconds, a baby is aborted in the womb.
Wake me up when the world makes a change We are the generation with its future held at stake Now we watch the city burn Its only one wrong choice they make when they decide No voice stands for the ones that died And the place is brought to its knees Chorus: Where are we now? The small voices call out Then they took the lighter They started fire It's not our decision to make Which lives we should take And we all disappear one by one Let the shadows fade Life screams in the aftermath Their voices are calling; silence after that
Twenty-six seconds is never enough China starts with gendercide A blow torch takes so many lives It was nineteen seventy-three And the world was too blind to see Chorus: Where are we now? The small voices call out Then they took the lighter They started the fire It's not our decision to make Which lives we should take And we all disappear one by one Let the shadows fade No right, no right; you have no right To dismiss a human life And yet, it's a worldwide homicide Innocence remains inside Of the lost; hear their cry Twenty-six seconds is another life lost tonight
The Tides of Yesterday By Kyra C. The tides of yesterday do come through, Like the burning sun or morning blues. Washing onto the shores of life, Pushing back the sands of strife. Strength in the waves crashes so, Forming the land as it goes. The pounding surf that all can hear, Alerts to all that they are near.
Nearer to the calming waves, The beauty that can all amaze. Life and soul have been risked, So some may feel this soulful bliss Be not deceived by the ways, The gentle water indeed persuades. One step toward the foamy surf, Will indeed throw oneself off course. Look not to the rolling tides, The ones that whispers word of lies. As these waves are to be known, Your worries which have been condoned.
Overcome have you now, The tides of yesterday’s worries endowed. Looking back into the past, Will make your clear skies overcast. Instead look to the coming wind, Release the stress that you’ve kept pinned. Let the eager water consume, Engulf your worries into its tomb. As the sun sets to the west, The raging tide displays its best. Still consuming all that’s been given, Entombed within its watery prison. Next time one visits its shallow shore, Tarry you not near its core. Only stay to brighten your day. But never look to the worries of yesterday.
Art by Alex Besel Photos by Madeleine L.
The Marvels of God By Rebecca Holzapfel Who made the wind Blow so strong, And the rain last so long? Who created the sunset and the beautiful moon rise? How do the flowers gain Such beautiful colors in the spring, That they’re clothed better than a king? What caused the birds to sing songs All spring and summer long? What made the bees start to fly, As soon as the temperature of Summer Begins to rise sky high? Who made the deer With their coats so sheer, And who created the rabbit Who eats carrots out of habit?
Finally, Who made the human So lean and so strong, With hair that grows so long and voices that are able To sing beautiful songs? Tell me, if these wonderful Creations are not of God, Then who created them? Only God, with His magnificent Strength and amazing power, Could create such beautiful things. He’s the One, the King of Kings.
Encounter (Part 3) Suddenly, I felt a strong grip around my body. That feeling was distantly familiar and also the voice that soon after spoke to me. “Don’t faint on me yet, Kathleen,” I heard the voice say. “Lean on me and walk slowly.” I did as I was asked with much effort. Several times I felt myself stagger forward, and therefore, several times that strong grip had to save me. We walked on and on for what seemed like eternity. Finally, I felt myself led into a room. I quickly saw that it was the Castilian’s flower house before I passed out from the strain that I had undergone. My eyes opened later to find myself lying amid many blankets. Despite them, I shivered and coughed. I struggled to my feet and had to lean against the wall because of my unstable legs. I looked around me and found that I was in the garden house with the mysterious servant. He was sitting on a stool – staring at me again. “You saved me?” I asked weakly. All the servant did was nod. His gaze didn’t shift from me. “I must thank you,” I said with tears in my eyes that I couldn’t hide. “I have gotten myself into many predicaments lately.”
His answer was complete silence – which I took to mean that he agreed with me. I looked down with embarrassment. “Perhaps that person who told me I was insensible was telling the truth,” I added – more to myself than to him – with a quick, unhappy laugh following. What happened next shocked me greatly. The man threw off his mask and raced toward me. I finally saw who he truly was… Yet it was hard to believe it was truly him… “Thomas?!” I managed to say as he caught me in his arms. “Kathleen,” was all he said back. Yet, I could tell it was with much passion. “Is it truly you, Thomas?” I asked again – hoping against hope that this was not all a dream. “Yes, it is me, Kathleen,” he said as he kissed my forehead. “I have behaved so horribly – and you saved me!” I cried while my tears streamed onto his shoulder. “Well, I called you insensible, didn’t I? That definitely was not gentleman-like,” he replied soothingly. “I was insensible!” I said wrapping my arms tighter around him. “If you consider yourself insensible – then I am ridiculous!” he said with a sigh. “How could that be?” I asked while resting my head against his shoulder.
“I should have told you straight out why I didn’t want you to be here.” “You knew Davis was going to be here and our past disagreement?” I asked. “Yes. However, I didn’t want to worry you. Besides, dear little Therese did need you. She would have despaired if you weren’t there.” “Well, I think she is probably in a worse spot now.” “That is taken care of,” he said with a sly smile. “I think that young man who danced with her before you left is trustworthy enough to keep me a promise.” “How did you get that position as a servant?” I asked. “You know I am very good at managing to do what needs to be done,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “You looked so familiar – if you hadn’t had that mask… wait… did you make up that mask idea?” All he did was smile, and his eyes sparkled with mischief. “I thought so,” I said with a quick happy laugh. “Are you feeling better?” Thomas asked me next with concern. “Davis seemed to have given you a terrible fright.” “Only a little light-headed,” I responded. All of a sudden, it dawned on me – Davis… “Where is Davis?” I asked. “Out cold,” was all he replied. “You didn’t kill him?” I said with a slight tremor of fear.
“No, but I think your father probably had a few words with him,” he said easily. “Father was there?” I asked. “I contrived to get him to come without too much knowledge of what I feared might happen. I needed him there – you see – if it did happen to take place. I managed to hide him from you until I had gotten you away from Davis. Now he probably has the officers with him.” “And the party is ruined…” I reminded him. “I couldn’t help that. I tried to find a way around it.” “Well, thank you Thomas,” I said. “Oh and look…” I pulled out the ring he had given me just last night. “Would it be alright if I put this on now? I know the quarrel ended with a denial to this favor, but now…” He took it from me. “Now I will put it on you properly.” And with that, he kissed the band and slid it onto my finger. “Let’s forget about that conversation – shall we?” I smiled at him. “I thought you would never ask.” He gathered me into his arms. “Well, you are simply irresistible.” “You are always my knight in shining armor,” I whispered while I looked into his shining eyes. With that – we had our first kiss, and I can never recall a moment in all our later years together that seemed as magical as that one. We simply were in bliss. ~THE END~
10-Minute Vanilla Peach Ice Cream
Ingredients:
By Tammy Pappas
4 cups of frozen peaches ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
“This is a perfect summer treat that is quick to prepare and refreshing. The best part is that it takes only minutes to make without the hassle of an ice cream maker!”
1 teaspoon vanilla ½ cup whole milk Directions: In a food processor, process all ingredients until it is creamy and thick. Serve and Enjoy!
“A good photographer must love life more than he does photography” –Joel Strasser
Café Rescue By Kyra C. As I entered the crowded café, I could see the heat of the July sun was keeping many of the local teenagers confined to the air-conditioned internet café. As I ran my eyes over the many groups of tables cluttered together and packed with rowdy adolescents, it was obvious this was a popular hangout place for these summer breakers. In the far corner, I glimpsed an empty table, which I hastened to claim. Sitting at the table next to it, sat a pretty but apparently alone girl in a pink hoodie. She was intently submerged in her computer and seemingly oblivious to the going-on around her. As I proceeded to load my computer and start my work, I became slightly distracted by the slight rocking and nail-biting youth. She must have felt my eyes on her because she quickly glanced over at me. I offered an awkward half smile, which she returned before we focused back to our bright, electronic screens. As I started to research various sites online, the hurried sounds of keyboard buttons next to me led me to look back at the girl in the hoodie. She must not have caught my stare because her eyes were rapidly reading the screen as her fingers danced across the keyboard. No one else in the café seemed to notice anything strange about this
girl’s behavior. I suppose the other people were too engrossed in their own discussions to pay her any heed. Maybe it was the way her eyes appeared to be misted over that caught my attention. Or maybe it was because I occasionally glimpsed shadows of dark marks, when her sleeves revealed her lower arms. After a pause in her frenzied typing splurge, I mustered the courage to lean over and introduce myself. “Hi,” I said brightly, reaching out my hand. “I’m Chloe.” At first I thought I had freaked the girl out, by the look of surprise on her face. But then she smiled and shook my hand. “I’m Tasha,” she said. “Nice to meet you.” I wanted to say more, but as her eyes flew back to her screen, it was obvious she had received another message of some sort. As the hour slowly progressed, my online work was being completed to my outmost satisfaction. The loud bustling crowd around me had dwindled, resulting in a lower, quieter atmosphere, as many of the teens seemed to have gone off to the local theater or some other form of entertainment. Stretching from my cramped position, I glanced over at Tasha, who had drawn up her hoodie and was continuing to type in a fevered frenzy. Even though I knew I was invading personal space, my curiosity got the best of me and I leaned over to see what she was so intent on. I was stunned to be able to make out an IM chat consisting of very elaborate and hurtful messages and insults directed at Tasha. Without thinking, I got up and walked over to Tasha.
Touching her on the shoulder, I asked, “Are you okay, Tasha?” As she spun around, Tasha’s hood came off, and I saw her face, covered in tearstains. “Uh, yeah. Yeah I’m fine,” she said quickly, as she made an attempt to put her hood back on. “No you’re not,” I said, surprising myself with the angered tone in my voice, directed at the online offenders. “Who are these people? Why are they saying this stuff?” “Just kids from school,” she said with a shrug, though her voice sounded defeated. I felt terrible as I looked at Tasha’s face and then back to her computer screen, where more explicit and rancid messages appeared on the screen. Even though I didn’t even know Tasha, these messages felt wrong. “This is pure bullying,” I said. “These kids are trying to intentionally hurt you.” “It’s okay, I can handle it,” she replied. “I can tell,” I shot back with a sarcastic edge, glancing at her wrists. Tasha quickly drew her arms deeper into her sleeves and glanced at me. “I have no one,” she whispered, her voice starting to break. “You are the first person who has tried to help me.” “Well I am going to be the one to stop this,” I said with conviction. “I know people who can help with this kind of abusive behavior.” I could tell my words were comforting her, and I was eager to help Tasha in any way I could. As Tasha’s eyes dried and she became more alert, I asked her to show me the IM site where the bullying was taking place. As I suspected, a bunch of online
abusers were virtually attacking Tasha, who had been on the defense the entire time, as the chat became more and more elaborate. After making copies and saving evidence of the bullying, I asked Tasha to sign out of the chat. I could tell it was hard for her to leave the chat but she seemed immensely relieved once she did. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I was a stranger and you helped me. Thank you.” I felt tears of happiness fill my eyes as I hugged her. “We are never strangers in God’s eyes,” I replied. “We were put where we are on this earth to help each other.” Tasha smiled and hugged me again. “I’ll be sure to call this number later if I need further help,” she said, referring to the bullying hotline number I gave her. “Yes, do that. And remember, delete online drama, don’t suffer through it,” I said, with a wry smile. We spoke for a great length, as the café slowly emptied. And, as I was packing to leave, I couldn’t help but ponder what a strange world it was. That day, I might have unwittingly saved someone’s life. But I don’t think of myself as a hero. Just a child of God, doing an act of kindness that God wants all his children to do. As I walked outside into the humid, summer evening, I gazed at all the bustle around me and sent a silent prayer up to God. I prayed that there were many of God’s children around the world, performing unknown acts of kindness and possibly saving the lives of innocent and amazing individuals.
“This year, on May 26, I was one of over 90 Seton students to attend the Seton 2012 graduation. It was an experience I will never forget. To walk into the Christendom gymnasium with the other Seton survivors was a feeling difficult to explain. It was wonderful to know I had made it through Seton after all the endless hours of study. It was awesome to graduate, yet it was sad to know that after twelve years of homeschooling, I would no longer be a homeschooler. Hearing my name being called, receiving my diploma, moving my tassel from the right to the left side, throwing my cap into the air with my classmates, all these moments are memories I treasure. It was a day of pride, joy, and thankfulness to my parents for deciding to homeschool me and for helping me through all those years. Graduation day was truly the perfect way to end life with Seton and move on to a new stage in life.�
-Ashley Miller
"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." -Dr. Seuss
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