Sisters and Saints

When it came time to pick a Confirmation name, Clare wanted nothing to do with saints who passively accepted their fates; she wanted someone who went down fighting.  She said as much to the bishop who asked her why she’d picked Joan of Arc.  I doubt he understood her reasoning.  But if he had just seen her on a ballfield, he would have.

This past Sunday’s style section in the New York Times had a page-one feature on Ronda Rousey, the 28-year old mixed martial arts champion.  Guess who has the same Confirmation name?  Rousey picked it “because St. Joan of Arc was the only girl saint that killed and kicked ass on her way to martyrdom.  I was like, ‘Go Joan!’”  Rousey used to have a problem with the size of her arms, but she doesn’t anymore.  I know a homerun hitter the same way.

When Michele read the Joan of Arc quote over the phone, I could hear Clare scream “Yes!” from ten feet away.  Clare is doing a lot of screaming these days, mostly at the St. Louis Cardinals for their inept play against the Cubs.  It was nice not to hear any anger in her voice.  And who knows, the Cards could bounce back.