I just finished reading The Secret Garden to Ramona tonight. She applauded when I finished.
Happy sigh.
Reading is good.
Ramona also left a hilarious comment on my Mockingjay discussion post (don't click, though, if you can't risk a glimpse of spoilers!)
What did I do to deserve these kids?
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Mockingjay Discussion (Spoilers Abound, But Only in the Comments)
Head to the comments to join the discussion.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
St. Augustine
"We ought to be persuaded that what God refuses to our prayer, He grants to our salvation."
"When I am completely united to You, there will be no more sorrow or trials; entirely full of You, my life will be complete."
"You have made us for Yourself and our hearts are restless til they rest in You."
"Thus I was sick and tormented, reproaching myself more bitterly than ever, rolling and writhing in my chain till it should be utterly broken. By now I was held but slightly, but still was held. And thou, O Lord, didst press upon me in my inmost heart with a severe mercy, redoubling the lashes of fear and shame; lest I should again give way and that same slender remaining tie not be broken off, but recover strength and enchain me yet more securely."
"Wake up, O man! For your sake God became man!"
"There is another inward kind of prayer without ceasing, which is the desire of the heart. Whatever activity you happen to be engaged in doing, if you only long for that Sabbath then you do not cease to pray. If you do not want to pause in prayer then never pause in your longing."
Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you!
You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all.
You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed you fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you.
I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.
"When I am completely united to You, there will be no more sorrow or trials; entirely full of You, my life will be complete."
"You have made us for Yourself and our hearts are restless til they rest in You."
"Thus I was sick and tormented, reproaching myself more bitterly than ever, rolling and writhing in my chain till it should be utterly broken. By now I was held but slightly, but still was held. And thou, O Lord, didst press upon me in my inmost heart with a severe mercy, redoubling the lashes of fear and shame; lest I should again give way and that same slender remaining tie not be broken off, but recover strength and enchain me yet more securely."
"Wake up, O man! For your sake God became man!"
"There is another inward kind of prayer without ceasing, which is the desire of the heart. Whatever activity you happen to be engaged in doing, if you only long for that Sabbath then you do not cease to pray. If you do not want to pause in prayer then never pause in your longing."
Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you!
You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all.
You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed you fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you.
I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Poetry Friday: About Two Things I Love: Billy Collins and My Dog
Now that I have a dog I love so much, and now that it's Poetry Friday, and now that I've found this poem by Billy Collins (whom I also love so much -- do I toss that word "love" around too casually?) and since I think of my own dog, too, as a "paragon of detachment" (except when she isn't), I find this to be the perfect poem for today.
Dharma
by Billy Collins
The way the dog trots out the front door
every morning
without a hat or an umbrella,
without any money
or the keys to her dog house
never fails to fill the saucer of my heart
with milky admiration.
Who provides a finer example
of a life without encumbrance—
Thoreau in his curtainless hut
with a single plate, a single spoon?
(Read the rest here, at The Writer's Almanac.)
The round up is at Book Aunt.
Memorial of St. Monica
~~ a bishop, to St. Monica
"Son, as far as I am concerned, nothing in this life now gives me any pleasure. I do not know why I am still here, since I have no further hopes in this world. I did have one reason for wanting to live a little longer: to see you become a Catholic Christian before I died. God has lavished his gifts on me in that respect, for I know that you have even renounced earthly happiness to be his servant. So what am I doing here?"
~~ St. Monica
"Son, as far as I am concerned, nothing in this life now gives me any pleasure. I do not know why I am still here, since I have no further hopes in this world. I did have one reason for wanting to live a little longer: to see you become a Catholic Christian before I died. God has lavished his gifts on me in that respect, for I know that you have even renounced earthly happiness to be his servant. So what am I doing here?"
~~ St. Monica
More links about St. Monica can be found in this post.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Book talk at 2:30 in the morning
I was an extraordinarily mean mom and read Mockingjay (under the pretense that I was previewing for their well-being, but really, of course, I was just stealing my daughters' book from them) before I let my daughters get their hands on it. I finished it yesterday afternoon, and then the girls started reading.
Anne and Betsy took a break to be sociable. We had a friend over for dinner, but after he left, they dove in again. Anne, apparently tired, read awhile but then drifted off. Betsy plowed through and at 2:30 in the morning, she appeared at my bedside whispering, "Mom ... I finished it!" and (this is what enormous book geeks we are) I hugged her, then got up and talked about the book with her for an hour.
So.
Yeah.
We liked it.
Still processing everything I want to say about it, though.
Anne and Betsy took a break to be sociable. We had a friend over for dinner, but after he left, they dove in again. Anne, apparently tired, read awhile but then drifted off. Betsy plowed through and at 2:30 in the morning, she appeared at my bedside whispering, "Mom ... I finished it!" and (this is what enormous book geeks we are) I hugged her, then got up and talked about the book with her for an hour.
So.
Yeah.
We liked it.
Still processing everything I want to say about it, though.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Bits and Pieces of Our Day: The Mockingjay Edition
Two copies in our house.
I'm done reading.
What did I think?
What did you think?
No discussion here in this post.
In the comments only!
Priest coming for dinner tonight.
Must go cook something.
Note to self: Shouldn't discourage daughter from doing her Spanish assignment just so that I can read uninterrupted.
I'm done reading.
What did I think?
What did you think?
No discussion here in this post.
In the comments only!
Priest coming for dinner tonight.
Must go cook something.
Note to self: Shouldn't discourage daughter from doing her Spanish assignment just so that I can read uninterrupted.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Anxiety, Stevie Wonder, and Some Assembly Required
Yesterday, at Mass, these words leapt out at me:
"Protect us from all anxiety ...."
I hear the words every Sunday. Right after the Lord's Prayer:
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
and grant us peace in our day.
In your mercy keep us free from sin
and protect us from all anxiety
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Some days I find that certain prayers or parts of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are like a familiar song. Instead of really hearing the words, I feel a rhythm: "Ba dum, ba dum, ba dum. Ba dum ba dum, Amen."
Other times (better times) I don't just feel a rhythm, I enter it. Instead of riding a wave I dive into the deep, break through the water, stop skimming and start swimming. And I hear things in a new way.
Yesterday I was struck by the fact that our Lord doesn't simply "wish" we would avoid anxiety-- He actually directs us to pray for protection from the evil of it.
and protect us from all anxiety
Protect us. From all anxiety.
Switching gears for a moment:
The other day, I assembled a futon couch. As I tweeted, "assemble-it-yourself" furniture has been known to cause divorces. However, this time, Atticus and I didn't risk our marriage. I tackled the project with my girls (because Atticus wasn't home) and we cranked up some music. Music is such a mysterious gift, isn't it? That day, it was a fun mix that a friend had just given me. How can you get tense when you're listening to Stevie Wonder singing For Once In My Life?
And, it's not just good accompaniment for furniture assembly. For me, it's a spiritual song, though my friend didn't know that.
For once unafraid
I can go where life leads me
Somehow I know I'll be strong
At some point in my conversion, Stevie and God converged on me one day:
For once I can touch
What my heart used to dream of
Long before I knew
and they were both talking about Him.
Someone warm like you
Would make my dreams come true.
And about me:
For once in my life
I won't let sorrow hurt me
Not like it's hurt me before
That day, I knew I'd never hear that song in the same way again.
For once I can say
This is mine, you can't take it
Long as I know I have love
I can make it
Music does this. Leads us and enlightens. It shows us something new, shines light on a dark corner, jolts us into a new vision.
And prayers do it, too. Sometimes, a prayer I've heard countless times is inexplicably a new lyric, a profoundly played note that wrenches a corner of my being and is forever changed for me, forever changing me.
Protect us from all anxiety.
As we wait in joyful hope.
A cd from a friend, time with my daughters, cheap furniture that needs to be assembled, Stevie, a familiar prayer walloping me anew -- the simplest things can be the most mysterious.
"All art aspires to the condition of music." ~~ Walter Pater
"Anxiety comes from an irregulated desire to be delivered from the evil we experience. Therefore, above all else, calm and compose your mind. Gently and quietly pursue your aim." ~~ St. Francis de Sales
"Protect us from all anxiety ...."
I hear the words every Sunday. Right after the Lord's Prayer:
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
and grant us peace in our day.
In your mercy keep us free from sin
and protect us from all anxiety
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Some days I find that certain prayers or parts of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are like a familiar song. Instead of really hearing the words, I feel a rhythm: "Ba dum, ba dum, ba dum. Ba dum ba dum, Amen."
Other times (better times) I don't just feel a rhythm, I enter it. Instead of riding a wave I dive into the deep, break through the water, stop skimming and start swimming. And I hear things in a new way.
Yesterday I was struck by the fact that our Lord doesn't simply "wish" we would avoid anxiety-- He actually directs us to pray for protection from the evil of it.
and protect us from all anxiety
Protect us. From all anxiety.
Switching gears for a moment:
The other day, I assembled a futon couch. As I tweeted, "assemble-it-yourself" furniture has been known to cause divorces. However, this time, Atticus and I didn't risk our marriage. I tackled the project with my girls (because Atticus wasn't home) and we cranked up some music. Music is such a mysterious gift, isn't it? That day, it was a fun mix that a friend had just given me. How can you get tense when you're listening to Stevie Wonder singing For Once In My Life?
And, it's not just good accompaniment for furniture assembly. For me, it's a spiritual song, though my friend didn't know that.
For once unafraid
I can go where life leads me
Somehow I know I'll be strong
At some point in my conversion, Stevie and God converged on me one day:
For once I can touch
What my heart used to dream of
Long before I knew
and they were both talking about Him.
Someone warm like you
Would make my dreams come true.
And about me:
For once in my life
I won't let sorrow hurt me
Not like it's hurt me before
That day, I knew I'd never hear that song in the same way again.
For once I can say
This is mine, you can't take it
Long as I know I have love
I can make it
Music does this. Leads us and enlightens. It shows us something new, shines light on a dark corner, jolts us into a new vision.
And prayers do it, too. Sometimes, a prayer I've heard countless times is inexplicably a new lyric, a profoundly played note that wrenches a corner of my being and is forever changed for me, forever changing me.
Protect us from all anxiety.
As we wait in joyful hope.
A cd from a friend, time with my daughters, cheap furniture that needs to be assembled, Stevie, a familiar prayer walloping me anew -- the simplest things can be the most mysterious.
"All art aspires to the condition of music." ~~ Walter Pater
"Anxiety comes from an irregulated desire to be delivered from the evil we experience. Therefore, above all else, calm and compose your mind. Gently and quietly pursue your aim." ~~ St. Francis de Sales
Friday, August 20, 2010
Poetry Friday: It's Good We Only See Each Other Once a Week
It's Good We Only See Each Other Once a Week
by Phillip Lopate
It's good we only see each other once a week.
A young man about to move in with his fiancée
died of a sudden heart attack at twenty-six.
One hears these stories all the time.
The heart is trained to handle deprivation,
not unforeseen happiness. Just as when you
throw your arms around me I start to overflow,
but then I think of course, where was she before?
I deserve it and a lot more besides—
your love gets soaked up quickly
and I pull back brooding over something
I never had.
But don't stop on that account, keep going.
(Read the rest here, at The Writer's Almanac.)
The Poetry Friday round up is being hosted today at Teach Poetry K-12.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
St. Jane Frances de Chantal
Some calendars show August 18th as the feast day of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, while others celebrate her day on August 12th.
Whatever the feast day, can you imagine what it must have been like to have St. Francis de Sales as your spiritual director?
I've long felt a special attachment to St. Jane and I'm not sure I can articulate why. I can't say we share a great deal in common. I didn't marry a baron, didn't lose my husband after only seven years of marriage. I've not become a nun or founded a religious community.
But, St. Jane strikes me as so real, sturdily grounded in her faith. She lived through dark nights and spiritual dryness, but she grasped that her faith was not rooted in her feelings about faith. Her faith was rooted in Him. The reality of hanging on, even when we don't feel like hanging on, always resonates with me. ("Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted," said Clive Staples Lewis.)
I love this:
The emphasis above is mine. I love that even though she wanted to become a nun, she listened to her spiritual director's counsel and put off following that dream. Three years later, he proposed the thing that would become the rest of her life.
(Find more quotes from St. Jane at the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales.)
Whatever the feast day, can you imagine what it must have been like to have St. Francis de Sales as your spiritual director?
I've long felt a special attachment to St. Jane and I'm not sure I can articulate why. I can't say we share a great deal in common. I didn't marry a baron, didn't lose my husband after only seven years of marriage. I've not become a nun or founded a religious community.
But, St. Jane strikes me as so real, sturdily grounded in her faith. She lived through dark nights and spiritual dryness, but she grasped that her faith was not rooted in her feelings about faith. Her faith was rooted in Him. The reality of hanging on, even when we don't feel like hanging on, always resonates with me. ("Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted," said Clive Staples Lewis.)
I love this:
When she was 32, she met St. Francis de Sales (October 24), who became her spiritual director, softening some of the severities imposed by her former director. She wanted to become a nun but he persuaded her to defer this decision. She took a vow to remain unmarried and to obey her director.
After three years Francis told her of his plan to found an institute of women which would be a haven for those whose health, age or other considerations barred them from entering the already established communities. There would be no cloister, and they would be free to undertake spiritual and corporal works of mercy. They were primarily intended to exemplify the virtues of Mary at the Visitation (hence their name, the Visitation nuns): humility and meekness.
-- Saint of the Day.
The emphasis above is mine. I love that even though she wanted to become a nun, she listened to her spiritual director's counsel and put off following that dream. Three years later, he proposed the thing that would become the rest of her life.
"If we patiently accept through love all that God allows to happen, then we will begin to taste even here on earth something of the delights the saints experience in heaven. But for this we must serve God willingly and lovingly, seeking to obey the Divine Will rather than to follow our own inclinations and desires. For the perfection of love demands that we desire for ourselves only whatever God wills. Let us implore the good God unceasingly to grant us this grace!"
~~ St. Jane Frances de Chantal
(Find more quotes from St. Jane at the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales.)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Inspire Me in the Kitchen
Because I need inspiration.
You know I do.
In an effort to reignite a spark, I've added a couple of new cookbooks to my kitchen counter. Let's hope they don't just sit there:
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (I already bake bread, and I already take a lot of shortcuts, but I want some confirmation and new ideas about the shortcuts from the pros.)
From a Monastery Kitchen
Twelve Months of Monastery Soups
If you have any extraordinarily inpsirational ideas, I'd love to hear them.
You might start with, "Karen, open the cookbooks."
To which I'll smugly reply, "That's how much you know. There just happens to be a huge batch of bread dough in my fridge right this very minute. So there."
I'll keep you posted. And I'll try to stop talking like a third grader.
You know I do.
In an effort to reignite a spark, I've added a couple of new cookbooks to my kitchen counter. Let's hope they don't just sit there:
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (I already bake bread, and I already take a lot of shortcuts, but I want some confirmation and new ideas about the shortcuts from the pros.)
From a Monastery Kitchen
Twelve Months of Monastery Soups
If you have any extraordinarily inpsirational ideas, I'd love to hear them.
You might start with, "Karen, open the cookbooks."
To which I'll smugly reply, "That's how much you know. There just happens to be a huge batch of bread dough in my fridge right this very minute. So there."
I'll keep you posted. And I'll try to stop talking like a third grader.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Bits and Pieces of Our Days
We had some company here this weekend -- Jack and his family came for a visit. During a game of charades, we were treated to Ramona as a pile of embers, Jack's daughter trying to convey "fez" (to which her father said, "You don't build a fez, you wear it!") and several children collapsing into helpless laughter as they tried to mime bears.
The next day, the kids listened to Jack and me tell a couple of stories about our high school days, such as the one in which, on our way to a cast party after the spring musical we were cornered by the police, who for some reason were alarmed by a group of loud teenagers wearing stage make-up and storming into a convenient store at one in the morning. They let us go once they found that the most dangerous weapons in the trunk of the car were a cake and a spatula.
Visit plans were interrupted by illness, however. The original plan was for Jack and Holly to leave one of their daughters here with us for an extended stay into the week. But, she got sick and had to go home early with the rest of the family. Hope you're feeling better, sweetie!
*****
Speaking of feeling better, today I face the delightful duty of collecting a sample from my dog so that we can see if she's over her bladder problems. Wish me luck.
*****
Anne-with-an-e starts her first early enrollment college class today, via the magic of technology and online classes. Huzzah!
*****
Woe is me! My husband is back at work! My meal planner/chef is gone! I have forgotten how to cook! I don't know what a meal plan looks like anymore! Do I really have to feed these people three times a day?! Am I pathetic or what?! I wasn't born with the cooking gene! Thinking about meals and plans and cooking transforms me into someone who uses an excessive amount of exclamation points!!! How many frozen pizzas are in the house?! Do I really have to think about this again already??!! Why can't my husband be The Next Food Network Star?! Then he could cook for us and for a living and I could just read with my kids and eat whatever he puts in front of me!
I have to go now! It's 8 a.m. and I have no idea what's for dinner today! Or tomorrow! Or ever!
The next day, the kids listened to Jack and me tell a couple of stories about our high school days, such as the one in which, on our way to a cast party after the spring musical we were cornered by the police, who for some reason were alarmed by a group of loud teenagers wearing stage make-up and storming into a convenient store at one in the morning. They let us go once they found that the most dangerous weapons in the trunk of the car were a cake and a spatula.
Visit plans were interrupted by illness, however. The original plan was for Jack and Holly to leave one of their daughters here with us for an extended stay into the week. But, she got sick and had to go home early with the rest of the family. Hope you're feeling better, sweetie!
*****
Speaking of feeling better, today I face the delightful duty of collecting a sample from my dog so that we can see if she's over her bladder problems. Wish me luck.
*****
Anne-with-an-e starts her first early enrollment college class today, via the magic of technology and online classes. Huzzah!
*****
Woe is me! My husband is back at work! My meal planner/chef is gone! I have forgotten how to cook! I don't know what a meal plan looks like anymore! Do I really have to feed these people three times a day?! Am I pathetic or what?! I wasn't born with the cooking gene! Thinking about meals and plans and cooking transforms me into someone who uses an excessive amount of exclamation points!!! How many frozen pizzas are in the house?! Do I really have to think about this again already??!! Why can't my husband be The Next Food Network Star?! Then he could cook for us and for a living and I could just read with my kids and eat whatever he puts in front of me!
I have to go now! It's 8 a.m. and I have no idea what's for dinner today! Or tomorrow! Or ever!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
All Quiet on the Bloggern Front
Because we've been busy with company at the house!
I'll be back as soon as I can ....
I'll be back as soon as I can ....
Thursday, August 12, 2010
More Plannerful Time
Planning for the upcoming school year continues.
I have an old lesson planner from somewhere. I don't actually use lesson planners; they don't work for me in the way that lesson planners are supposed to work. But, I need to use some kind of paper, so I've been using it to jot down notes to myself. The other day I decided to fill in the page for Seating Charts (click to enlarge):
As you can see, I plan to station students around the kitchen table for plenty of reading. And, if I have to separate anyone for talking (wait -- that would be all of us ... we all discuss as we read) then I'll just send the offenders to the alternate seating chart in the living room. We'll all be separated together.
I love what I have lined up for Anne and Betsy's reading in the area of faith. On the list so far:
The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, and Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
By What Authority: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition, Mark Shea
Discovering Mary, David Mills
The Journey, Peter Kreeft
The One-Minute Philosopher, Montague Brown
Making Sense Out of Suffering, Kreeft
Made for More, Curtis Martin
Ten Dates Every Catholic Should Know, Diane Moczar
Selected readings from Thomas Merton
Because God is Real, Kreeft
Signs of Life: 40 Catholic Customs and Their Biblical Roots, Scott Hahn
(thanks to Theresa for the idea of using these last two)
More planning posts to come as I progress ....
I have an old lesson planner from somewhere. I don't actually use lesson planners; they don't work for me in the way that lesson planners are supposed to work. But, I need to use some kind of paper, so I've been using it to jot down notes to myself. The other day I decided to fill in the page for Seating Charts (click to enlarge):
As you can see, I plan to station students around the kitchen table for plenty of reading. And, if I have to separate anyone for talking (wait -- that would be all of us ... we all discuss as we read) then I'll just send the offenders to the alternate seating chart in the living room. We'll all be separated together.
I love what I have lined up for Anne and Betsy's reading in the area of faith. On the list so far:
The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, and Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
By What Authority: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition, Mark Shea
Discovering Mary, David Mills
The Journey, Peter Kreeft
The One-Minute Philosopher, Montague Brown
Making Sense Out of Suffering, Kreeft
Made for More, Curtis Martin
Ten Dates Every Catholic Should Know, Diane Moczar
Selected readings from Thomas Merton
Because God is Real, Kreeft
Signs of Life: 40 Catholic Customs and Their Biblical Roots, Scott Hahn
(thanks to Theresa for the idea of using these last two)
More planning posts to come as I progress ....
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Responsible Ramona
Last night, the girls were making sundaes, and Betsy was adding the final touch -- whipped cream -- to hers. I noticed that Ramona had only a dab of whipped cream on her sundae so I asked if she'd like me to help her with that.
"No," she said, "I already ate mine. I put it on by myself, and I got a responsible amount."
"No," she said, "I already ate mine. I put it on by myself, and I got a responsible amount."
Monday, August 09, 2010
Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
"My longing for truth was a single prayer."
~~ St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
(Edith Stein)
I love her.
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Your Favorite Catholic Devotions and Prayer Practices?
Mary de Turris Poust tagged me for a meme. The original question was,"What are your five favorite Catholic devotions?"
But Mary responded, "To be honest, my devotions are not going to look or sound like traditional devotions. That's why I added 'prayer practices' to the headline."
Sounds good to me. I never seem to fit neatly into categories either, so I'll follow Mary's expansive lead. And some of my answers arestolen from similar to Mary's.
1. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
I love this prayer. Years ago, before I was a Catholic, I was struggling with an enormous problem and my marriage was on shaky ground. I had stopped attending the Episcopal church, and had no place to call my spiritual home. My friend Jack gave me a copy of the chaplet saying, "Here. Pray it every day for the next month." I shrugged and supposed it couldn't hurt. I prayed daily and at the end of that month, it seemed that my problem had miraculously been dealt with and my marriage was getting a new start.
Ummm ... okay.
I knew the prayer wasn't a magic charm but it did seem to be a Catholic road sign. A big, neon one. A sign among many that had been piling up. Nine months later I was Catholic.
2. The Rosary
A no-brainer since I wrote the book on it ....
But, seriously, I do love it. I love that the Rosary meets me where I am. If I'm in a hurry, Mother Mary takes my hastily tossed up prayers and delivers them quickly to her Son, as if she were the head of a holy bucket brigade. If I have the luxury of time and contemplation, I am rewarded with sublime immersion into the life of Jesus. He visits me through the Rosary, holds me, accuses me, redeems me. And He does it all through the mysteries that are His life and the life of the woman He honored enough to ask Her to be His mother.
3. The Liturgy of the Hours
As Mary noted this isn't technically a devotion but since I do have a great devotion to the Liturgy of the Hours, I have to include it. I wrote more about it here (in the second part of that post.) And, thanks to pal Lissa, I now have iBreviary on my iPod Touch. As much as I love my set of prayer books, I must admit that iBreviary has saved Atticus and I many ribbonless minutes on busy workday mornings.
4. Music
Mary also mentioned music and said that "it's a rather odd choice even as a prayer practice, but it's true." I don't think it's odd at all! I can't imagine not including music as part of my prayer life and devotions. If I am feeling that something's missing, if I am drifting from God, if my prayer life needs a booster shot, I can almost guarantee that certain songs or kinds of music will transport me to the place I need to be: gratitude, yearning, love, attachment, detachment, awe, charity, mystery, hope. It can range from Bach to Matt Maher, from chant to Jill Phillips.
And by the way, dancing in the kitchen is a holy experience, too.
5. Embracing My Vocation
This should possibly be #1 on my list. It is so very Catholic to think of life in terms of vocation. We are all called to something. In my case, I was called down a circuitous path to marriage and motherhood. When I embrace that vocation as a holy calling, when I have a devotion to my duties, seeing each duty as a prayer, when I offer up every suffering large and small, when I pray through every challenge and triumph, when I talk to God about everything from the laundry to an illness in the family, from dishes to writing deadlines, I am practicing a truly Catholic devotion.
Now it's your turn.
Instead of tagging others, I'm asking you to send me a link if you blog this meme. Then, I'll put the respondents together in a post.
But Mary responded, "To be honest, my devotions are not going to look or sound like traditional devotions. That's why I added 'prayer practices' to the headline."
Sounds good to me. I never seem to fit neatly into categories either, so I'll follow Mary's expansive lead. And some of my answers are
1. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
I love this prayer. Years ago, before I was a Catholic, I was struggling with an enormous problem and my marriage was on shaky ground. I had stopped attending the Episcopal church, and had no place to call my spiritual home. My friend Jack gave me a copy of the chaplet saying, "Here. Pray it every day for the next month." I shrugged and supposed it couldn't hurt. I prayed daily and at the end of that month, it seemed that my problem had miraculously been dealt with and my marriage was getting a new start.
Ummm ... okay.
I knew the prayer wasn't a magic charm but it did seem to be a Catholic road sign. A big, neon one. A sign among many that had been piling up. Nine months later I was Catholic.
2. The Rosary
A no-brainer since I wrote the book on it ....
But, seriously, I do love it. I love that the Rosary meets me where I am. If I'm in a hurry, Mother Mary takes my hastily tossed up prayers and delivers them quickly to her Son, as if she were the head of a holy bucket brigade. If I have the luxury of time and contemplation, I am rewarded with sublime immersion into the life of Jesus. He visits me through the Rosary, holds me, accuses me, redeems me. And He does it all through the mysteries that are His life and the life of the woman He honored enough to ask Her to be His mother.
3. The Liturgy of the Hours
As Mary noted this isn't technically a devotion but since I do have a great devotion to the Liturgy of the Hours, I have to include it. I wrote more about it here (in the second part of that post.) And, thanks to pal Lissa, I now have iBreviary on my iPod Touch. As much as I love my set of prayer books, I must admit that iBreviary has saved Atticus and I many ribbonless minutes on busy workday mornings.
4. Music
Mary also mentioned music and said that "it's a rather odd choice even as a prayer practice, but it's true." I don't think it's odd at all! I can't imagine not including music as part of my prayer life and devotions. If I am feeling that something's missing, if I am drifting from God, if my prayer life needs a booster shot, I can almost guarantee that certain songs or kinds of music will transport me to the place I need to be: gratitude, yearning, love, attachment, detachment, awe, charity, mystery, hope. It can range from Bach to Matt Maher, from chant to Jill Phillips.
And by the way, dancing in the kitchen is a holy experience, too.
5. Embracing My Vocation
This should possibly be #1 on my list. It is so very Catholic to think of life in terms of vocation. We are all called to something. In my case, I was called down a circuitous path to marriage and motherhood. When I embrace that vocation as a holy calling, when I have a devotion to my duties, seeing each duty as a prayer, when I offer up every suffering large and small, when I pray through every challenge and triumph, when I talk to God about everything from the laundry to an illness in the family, from dishes to writing deadlines, I am practicing a truly Catholic devotion.
Now it's your turn.
Instead of tagging others, I'm asking you to send me a link if you blog this meme. Then, I'll put the respondents together in a post.
Friday, August 06, 2010
Difficulty Commenting?
Blogger is being testy this morning -- if you try to leave a comment and get a message that "the requested url is too long" it appears that the comment is actually coming through, despite the error message.
If you're having any other kinds of difficulties, let me know!
If you're having any other kinds of difficulties, let me know!
Poetry Friday: Her First Novel
Every writer has felt it.
This poem is hilarious.
And true.
And kind of heartbreaking, in the way that writers understand heartbreak.
But funny. Really funny.
And don't you want to go have a drink with Connie, too?
And maybe buy her something really chocolatey.
Her First Novel
by James Tate
When Connie finished her novel she came
over to my place to celebrate. I mixed up a
shaker full of Manhattans and we sat out on the
porch. "Here's to … What's the title?" I
asked. "Well, that's a problem. The title's
kind of awful. It's called THE KING OF SLOPS."
"Gosh," I said, "that's unfortunate. I think
you can probably do better than that." We took
a drink and reflected. "It's about a hospital
orderly." "Ouch," I said.
....
(Read the rest here, at The Writer's Almanac.)
Laura has the round up at Author Amok.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
It's the Most Plannerful Time of the Year!
I love to plan.
And I'm currently planning for the school year to come.
And today I plan to rerun a post from '06 that sums up what goes into my planning.
I'll be back soon with planning updates.
~~~~~~~
Maureen Wittmann pointed me toward Maureen of Trinity Prep School's "Seven Habits" meme. This one's more than fun, though -- it's full of encouragement and ideas from all kinds of homeschoolers.
Trinity-Prep-Maureen used a literature theme for her list, so I decided to go with a fun theme, too -- haiku. If badly written haiku annoys you, just click away right now (or, as my kids love to say: "Don't look at me! I'm hideous!")
Here's my list:
1. Pray
Can't do it alone
Must turn to my God for help
He is always there
2. Look back
Hindsight sure does help
I can see what worked last year
and the failures too
3. Look ahead
Our destination:
Are we just filling a pail?
Or lighting fires?
(with thanks to William Butler Yeats who said, "Education is not the filling of the pail, but the lighting of the fire.")
4. Talk to the kids
What delights my kids?
How can I include passions?
I must know their hearts
5. Find the right books
We so love our books
Books, like friends, enrich our lives
We'll read loads this year
6. School supplies
Supply shopping's fun
No matter where your school is
New stuff still delights
7. First Day
(this one will require two haikus)
We start out with Mass
Then we go out for breakfast
It's a tradition
With God and coffee
Our year starts out perfectly
Who could ask for more?
And I'm currently planning for the school year to come.
And today I plan to rerun a post from '06 that sums up what goes into my planning.
I'll be back soon with planning updates.
~~~~~~~
Maureen Wittmann pointed me toward Maureen of Trinity Prep School's "Seven Habits" meme. This one's more than fun, though -- it's full of encouragement and ideas from all kinds of homeschoolers. Trinity-Prep-Maureen used a literature theme for her list, so I decided to go with a fun theme, too -- haiku. If badly written haiku annoys you, just click away right now (or, as my kids love to say: "Don't look at me! I'm hideous!")
Here's my list:
1. Pray
Can't do it alone
Must turn to my God for help
He is always there
2. Look back
Hindsight sure does help
I can see what worked last year
and the failures too
3. Look ahead
Our destination:
Are we just filling a pail?
Or lighting fires?
(with thanks to William Butler Yeats who said, "Education is not the filling of the pail, but the lighting of the fire.")
4. Talk to the kids
What delights my kids?
How can I include passions?
I must know their hearts
5. Find the right books
We so love our books
Books, like friends, enrich our lives
We'll read loads this year
6. School supplies
Supply shopping's fun
No matter where your school is
New stuff still delights
7. First Day
(this one will require two haikus)
We start out with Mass
Then we go out for breakfast
It's a tradition
With God and coffee
Our year starts out perfectly
Who could ask for more?
What Playing Sounds Like When Your Kids Pay Attention to Everything
Ramona had two friends over yesterday, and they played Vet.
"I can see your dog now," I overheard Ramona say.
She disappeared into the exam room with a stuffed animal and all was quiet for a moment. Then she emerged and I heard:
"I'm sorry -- your dog has crystals and bacteria in her urine and she'll need to take these two medicines."
Art imitating life. Get well soon, Sydney!
"I can see your dog now," I overheard Ramona say.
She disappeared into the exam room with a stuffed animal and all was quiet for a moment. Then she emerged and I heard:
"I'm sorry -- your dog has crystals and bacteria in her urine and she'll need to take these two medicines."
Art imitating life. Get well soon, Sydney!
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Ramona, on Dangerous Manicures
Ramona has been wearing some fake fingernails around the house (a princess design -- a birthday purchase from Claire's.) She gushed about how much she loves long fingernails.
I then explained to her (was I feeling Short-Fingernail-Defensiveness?) that when I was younger, I wore my fingernails long. But after becoming a mommy and having to do so many practical things with my hands ("Like changing diapers," I told her, "and cuddling my babies, and brushing their hair, and cleaning, and cooking, and so on ....") I finally settled on a trim length that works for me.
She nodded sagely, getting it. Then she said, "Mommy! There's a lady at church, and she has really long fingernails. And she's a mom! She could impale one of her children!"
I then explained to her (was I feeling Short-Fingernail-Defensiveness?) that when I was younger, I wore my fingernails long. But after becoming a mommy and having to do so many practical things with my hands ("Like changing diapers," I told her, "and cuddling my babies, and brushing their hair, and cleaning, and cooking, and so on ....") I finally settled on a trim length that works for me.
She nodded sagely, getting it. Then she said, "Mommy! There's a lady at church, and she has really long fingernails. And she's a mom! She could impale one of her children!"
Sunday, August 01, 2010
The Rest of the Vacation -- The No Tears Edition (except for those moments when we drove away from family ....)
We have family in Oklahoma and Arkansas (and that's just on my side -- Atticus' family has spread out all over the country) so we headed south for a visit.
There's not a lot to show you about the drive to Oklahoma. Most of it looks something like this:
So we'll move on.
Here's Ramona, getting ready for Mass and deciding whether or not her silver sandals match the new dress her Aunt Kathy gave her:
Here is Atticus, jailed by Sheriff Ramona (at a history/children's museum to which my sister took us):
And here I am with my sister, who is beautiful, an amazing hostess, and one of my very best friends in the world:
From Oklahoma, we moved on to Arkansas to see my parents. They live in the middle of nowhere, though it's a beautiful kind of nowhere. But, beautiful or not, please join me in bugging them with the express purpose of getting them to move closer to civilization (i.e., us, and roads that don't make Anne-with-an-e and me carsick.)
We had a great visit. Here are my father's feet, next to Mom and Dad's 15-year-old cat, who apparently loves to stick close to tennis shoes. Doesn't she look brighter and younger than 15? She takes after her people, who also look much younger than their grandparently ages.
When we arrived, Mom and Dad had a birthday cake waiting for Ramona -- her third cake of the month (the others included one at her party and one from Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jim upon arrival in Oklahoma.) Before we left for the trip, Ramona complained that she didn't want to travel on her birthday, as "We always drive on my birthday!" By early last week, however, she was on board with the whole plan.
From Arkansas, we headed to Mansfield and took the scenic route, despite the sensitive stomachs in the family. We were rewarded with a gorgeous drive through the Ozark Mountains:
As long as Anne stayed in the front seat, she handled the climbing, winding roads. I sat next to Ramona in the middle of the van, and as long as I kept looking straight ahead, I was able to stomach it, too. The views were worth it all:
And now, Ramona is urging me to help her cut out some paper dolls, so my travelogue has come to an end.
There's not a lot to show you about the drive to Oklahoma. Most of it looks something like this:
So we'll move on.
Here's Ramona, getting ready for Mass and deciding whether or not her silver sandals match the new dress her Aunt Kathy gave her:
Here is Atticus, jailed by Sheriff Ramona (at a history/children's museum to which my sister took us):
And here I am with my sister, who is beautiful, an amazing hostess, and one of my very best friends in the world:
From Oklahoma, we moved on to Arkansas to see my parents. They live in the middle of nowhere, though it's a beautiful kind of nowhere. But, beautiful or not, please join me in bugging them with the express purpose of getting them to move closer to civilization (i.e., us, and roads that don't make Anne-with-an-e and me carsick.)
We had a great visit. Here are my father's feet, next to Mom and Dad's 15-year-old cat, who apparently loves to stick close to tennis shoes. Doesn't she look brighter and younger than 15? She takes after her people, who also look much younger than their grandparently ages.
When we arrived, Mom and Dad had a birthday cake waiting for Ramona -- her third cake of the month (the others included one at her party and one from Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jim upon arrival in Oklahoma.) Before we left for the trip, Ramona complained that she didn't want to travel on her birthday, as "We always drive on my birthday!" By early last week, however, she was on board with the whole plan.
From Arkansas, we headed to Mansfield and took the scenic route, despite the sensitive stomachs in the family. We were rewarded with a gorgeous drive through the Ozark Mountains:
As long as Anne stayed in the front seat, she handled the climbing, winding roads. I sat next to Ramona in the middle of the van, and as long as I kept looking straight ahead, I was able to stomach it, too. The views were worth it all:
And now, Ramona is urging me to help her cut out some paper dolls, so my travelogue has come to an end.
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