Take Up and Read

A Wee Bit of Humor

2012-03-03T06:25:00.001-08:00

These cartoons must be a new kind of meme, because right after a friend sent me the homeschooling one, my husband showed me the World of Warcraft one. I thought they were both funny in different ways!

Friday Feature: There Be Dragons

2012-03-02T00:30:00.000-08:00

When Chari and I planned this blog, one regular feature we planned to have was going to be called something like "Friday Family Feature" and was going to be about movies we watched with our family.

We weren't going to write a review, just share what we were watching and maybe some of our reactions.

So I'm launching the feature with There Be Dragons.

It is now available to rent -- probably on Netflix, but my family rented it at our local Redbox. Perhaps some of you have already seen it? I chose the Spanish version of the cover because I thought it looked cooler than the American version.

What we thought, in a nutshell:

Acting: Competent to Excellent   -- Derek Jacobi and Charles Dance had supporting roles and the main characters were actors I hadn't previously seen in movies (not that this says too much, because I don't watch very many movies!)
Filming: Finely done, great visuals.

This review sort of sums up what I thought about it as a film. Though I thought it worked better than what most of the reviews said about it.

It had a sort of distant, montage-mosaic feeling, because a lot of the story was told in backflashes. It totally makes sense in light of what the story was about -- digging into the unexplored territory of the past.   It had a bit of the confessional format of Amadeus with the contrast between the two main characters but with a ambiguous mixture of exterior and interior conflict rather than the sparkle and weirdness of Amadeus.     What the film-maker was trying to do struck me as very ambitious and complex, and so I thought that the issues the reviewers noticed stemmed from the limitations of movie format.   Plus, I thought the director was too experienced with pain and remorse to settle for a crashing resolution, so it seemed to me that many themes were brought in but only partially resolved.

The title seems to bring that out since "Hic Sunt Dracones" is what the mapmakers used to write on the unexplored outskirts of known territories where anything could take place.

All that being said, I think the movie is very well worth watching with your teenage children.    For one thing, here is a wholesome movie portrayal of a modern saint.    I think actor Charlie Cox must have studied film of the real Josemaria Escriva because he manages to get across his quirky, down to earth mixture of humor and frankness and plain practical fortitude.

After we watched the movie, my husband Kevin went to YouTube and showed us this 4 part video of Josemaria Escriva answering questions. Kevin said he had seen it several years ago and especially valued the part (I think it was in Part 2) where a mother of a special needs 7 year old asks what the saint has to say to parents of children who have medical or developmental problems.    Escriva says quickly and plainly that they should thank God, for these parents have been particularly chosen by God and are blessed! It is what Kevin and I had thought about having Aidan in our lives so I think Kevin felt that the saint was talking directly to him!

For another thing, the movie evokes the brutality and grimness of a war where no side is the "good one" -- a war between Communists and Fascists, no less! -- but it doesn't go into shocking detail.    There are plenty of battle scenes and some blood and on-screen killing, which is why the movie has a PG13 rating, but it is far from being as shocking as it could be given the topic of the Spanish Civil War.

A couple of days after we watched the movie, I discussed it with my 16 year old and he said he had particularly noticed this aspect of it, the grimness of a war where both sides are violent and unbalanced in their views.   Since my son has been thinking a lot about morality in crisis situations -- something that I think lots of teenagers are interested in -- this gave him new input for his thinking. In the movie, Escriva speaks to this by saying that it is up to the individual person to do what is right -- certainly a key part of his general message to the world, and the movie shows him living this out.   I hope that attitude will be an influence on my sons as they face their own battlefields in life -- Escriva certainly emphasizes how ordinary individuals doing humble, ordinary things are just as much part of God's work as those in the foreground of history.

I had never seen Josemaria Escriva on video before, only read some of his writings, and so I was very glad to get a better picture of what he was like personally. His writings often sounded severe to me, and I usually felt a bit discouraged and bewildered after reading them, even though I saw that the substance was good. But after seeing the YouTube conversation with the real saint and the movie portrayal of the younger Escriva, I got a sense that what I had taken for severity was more a kind of good-humored bluntness.

At the Opus Dei site you can subscribe by email and get daily messages from Escriva's writings. I did this a couple of Lents ago but unsubbed because of the previously mentioned feelings of discouragement. But after watching the movie I resubbed and am finding the messages very timely and helpful.     For example, today's message said that God calls each of us to holiness and the way to holiness is to pray to God and tell Him what is in your heart.   I especially needed that reminder because of a few things going on in my life right now that made me troubled and discouraged.

Finally, I wanted to mention a coincidence! In January, inspired by Chari's Heart's Haven Family Patrons of 2012, I picked out saints for each member of my family thinking that I could particularly seek the intercession of those saints for those particular family members.   I didn't publish it, but I put it in a document where I promptly forgot about it. Today I just happened to find the document and find that the saint I chose for my husband was St Josemaria Escriva! That seems rather remarkable to me especially since it turns out that my husband, unbeknownst to me, had had this previous connection with the saint through watching the video of conversations. So thank you dear Lord and St Josemaria for giving me a new friend/saint to invoke when I am petitioning : ).

Well, I certainly hope my next movie post will be somewhat shorter and less rambling, but I wanted to share our reactions to the movie (hopefully without any major spoilers...)

March: Pray for Our Husbands' Employment Situations

2012-03-01T02:48:00.000-08:00

In January, I introduced the idea of praying themes for a year of praying for our husbands. Today I bring the theme of March to you.......

March: Pray for our husbands' employment situations, and for his finances.......and our own, under the patronage of Saint Joseph.

We beg for these intentions, in honor of Saint Joseph.

Our dear husbands have so much weight on their shoulders. They are called to be providers for their families. This is a huge responsibility, and often a huge cross. For those out of work, the cross must be often too heavy to carry. Let us ask our Dear Lord, to help them to shoulder the weight, and to help them to find a job....the perfect job for them, to support their families and to save their souls.

For those that are employed, they are often unhappy, underappreciated, and exposed to the horrors of the world. Let us pray for them, to find appreciation in God's eyes, and to fight the temptations of the world that are thrown at them in the work environment. Let us remember to frequently remind them of how grateful we are for all they do for us, their family. Let us try to meet their needs when they return home to their domestic church, where they can find a happy and holy haven in this respite from the world. Remind their children to pray frequently for their father, usually away from them all the day. If you have not already instituted a daily prayer for the father who is away from the family, this is a good time to begin.

For those fathers who have jobs that are "works of charity"...........let us pray they can meet the needs of those they serve.

Let us pray for our husbands to be the "light on the hill"..........to be strong in their faith, and a good example to all, especially their co-workers, and to their sons.

For those happy in their work, let us pray they may always be so!

Let us pray our husbands are able to pay their bills, pay off debt, avoid debt.

We also ask this for ourselves, as well.

Remember to take all of these intentions to our Dear Lord in the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday.

Please leave any special prayer requests in the comments.

Printable Litany of Humility

2012-02-29T09:18:00.001-08:00

I made a printable version of the Litany of Humility that Chari posted in case you want to download it for your homeschool or prayer book or whatever. Please let me know if you have a suggestion for a change in the format -- I did this quickly and it is easy to change! I took the icon and made it a black and white sketch so it would use less ink.

PDF Litany of Humility
MS Word 2010 Litany of Humility

The Litany of Humility

2012-02-29T01:27:00.003-08:00

The Virgin of Humility
by
Cenni Di Francesco Di Ser Cenni
circa 1380

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart,
Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected,
Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930)

Oh! Isn't this painting simply wonderful! Our priest is quite fond of using this prayer for penance for confession. I think it is a wonderful meditation for dueing Lent. Print it so you can use it this Lent for your personal prayers.

Lenten Blessings......

The Bedside Table Reading Challenge: March 2012

2012-02-28T02:52:00.001-08:00

The Bedside Table Reading Challenge of 2012

The letter for March 2012 is:

The book on my "bedside table" that I will read for this month is.........

The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins

I will admit that it only lately arrived on my shelf........so I am not exactly reading a book that has been sitting there for awhile.....but, it WAS on the shelf! Even if it was only a day or so.

If you have not finished the previous month's book....keep plugging away and do the next letter when you are done....or skip a letter altogther.

Post this on your blog, if you have one........and/or leave a comment on this post, stating that you are joining in.....and what book you have chosen for this month. Please post a picture of your stack!

When you are finished reading....share a few thoughts about the book, if you wish. I will post a new letter each month.....probably in the last week of the month.......

If you have more than one title starting with the letter.......just choose one.....or choose the one first that is first in alphabetical order.

Are you in??? Please join me! Join in anytime.......

Please share with other bibliophiles......

Reading Blessings,

Chari

If you like to read in list form.......instead of conversational........

To join:

Post the title and the picture above on your blog post.
Pick the book from your stack that starts with that month's letter.
Pick alphabetically if you have more than one with that letter.
Pick up-the-alphabet if you do not have any with the chosen letter.
List your book choice.
Post a link to your post in our comments.
Share your thoughts about the book after reading the book, if you desire.

What I'm Reading for Lent

2012-02-27T08:22:00.001-08:00

Chari is going to post about what she's reading for Lent, but when I found this topic in our drafts file I decided that I have some things to write about that, and that she (Chari) would like to hear what I'm reading (a favorite topic of conversation between us!) and that our readers are probably interested in that type of thing, too. If you have a book or books you are reading for Lent, please mention in the comments!

--------------------------

The first book I started reading before Lent even started is called The Rosary of Our Lady by Romano Guardini. I found a really interesting review of this little book at New Oxford Review. It begins with this piece of information:

In a letter dated December 26, 1954, Flannery O’Connor wrote to Sally Fitzgerald, “I am reading everything I can of Romano Guardini’s. Have you become acquainted with his work? A book called The Lord of his is very fine.” By the next summer, O’Connor may have been reading Guardini’s The Rosary of Our Lady, first published in English in 1955

I have read several books about the Rosary, but this is probably my favorite so far. It is meditative and perceptive. The spirit of it reminds me of the description of Mary in the Gospels:

But Marytreasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

You can find out more about Father Romano Guardini and read excerpts from his writing here.

------------------------

Another book I am reading is called Your Neighbor and You: Our Dealings with Those About Us by Edward Francis Garesche SJ.    It is from 1919 and in public domain! That link takes you to the Google bookshelf, or if you have a Nook or a Nook app, you can download the book from Barnes and Noble too.

If Garesche's name sounds familiar it is probably because he also wrote The Catholic Book of Character and Success, reprinted by Sophia Institute. I usually have my young teens read this book in late middle school or early high school. Garesche has a way of writing directly and kindly but honestly to the ordinary person.    I started reading Your Neighbor and You last Lent and want to read some more this Lent -- lots of tips about how to live as a Catholic layperson, very practical and sympathetic. Fair warning, I may be quoting some of it on here!

--------------------------

Also, I have been trying to read some of John Cardinal Newman's sermons at The Newman Reader, which is online and contains a meticulously arranged collection of many if not all of Newman's writings organized in several different ways.   I am reading his Lenten sermons.

----------------------------

And last but not least, I am still plodding through the Bible.   You remember, I was going to try my daughter's Bible in a Year Plan. My modified version involved starting with the Gospels and working through the New Testament before going back to Genesis. I have just started the First Epistle to the Corinthians.

--------------------------

In past years I have not restricted reading during Lent but this year I have picked up a mystery habit so I'm cutting back on fictional reading.

Something Around My (Mom's) House: Our Lamb Has Conquered

2012-02-26T20:00:00.001-08:00

This "Something Around the House" is from Wasilla where as Chari mentioned I (Willa) am staying at my Mom's house!

This glass ornament is hanging on the back bay window of my parents' house in Wasilla. After I took the picture I started wondering what the inscription stood for. If you look here, you see that it is the Moravian seal and says:

Vicit agnus noster, eum sequamur
("Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow him.").

The image itself is very old, dating back to the Middle Ages.

I thought it was timely for the Lenten season! And how Eucharistic it sounds, though the Moravians unfortunately are among our separated brethren.

I don't know where my parents got the seal -- when my father worked in the Alaskan bush when I was a toddler, my parents had several Moravian friends, so maybe it was a gift from one of them.

You can see beyond the Lamb the outdoor landscape which is very bleak and grey. It has been snowing pretty steadily the past week here in Wasilla. On the bright side: snow keeps the air way warmer! Whenever the snow stops, the temperature drops, or is it the other way around! Another bright side: Wasillans don't get the same kind of snow that Sierran Californians do! They have totalled maybe 6-8 inches in this past week, where we might easily get 5-10 times as much in the same time interval?

Now I had really planned to blog frequently during Lent, but instead, Chari has been doing most of it, in addition to her job and homeschooling. I hope to participate more frequently now but it may be sort of scattered and impressionistic, like this post has been.

I love getting the chance to spend quality time with my Mom -- though I miss my boys who are with their father down in the Lower 48.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us!

If you have "Something Around the House" that you want to blog about, please do play -- and leave a link in the comment box!

Willa

Prayerfully Yours

2012-02-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

     I just want to pop in here for a few moments to ask for some prayers.

     Willa and I picked the date to start TUAR.....having no idea that on that exact date.......one of us would be given a small cross to bear......and then, one thing after another, often small crosses, but sometimes happy things, like a vacation, would come up unexpectedly. An interesting turn of events was that at any given time, one of us was not able to blog, but the other was.

     We have many articles started and planned.......but for the moment, some of our crosses have overlapped.......and there may be some small spaces in between posts. Please bear with us.

     At this moment, Willa is in Alaska visiting with her mother again. Her mother is quite ill. They could use prayers. And also for the young boys that Willa leaves behind, missing their mother.

     My mom is chronically ill as well.......

     There are some employments changes in both of our families.......very much need prayer there.

     We offer a daily Memorare for Expectant moms:

      Gloria G due with # seven in August
      Gloria L due with # nine in July
      Stacey N due with # five in September

     Please let us know if you are expecting, or someone else that you know, so that we can add you to our expectant moms list!

     Please let us know if you have any special prayer requests. We would love to pray for you. For now, we will offer our prayers and sufferings for you and your special intentions.

      Thank you for your prayers!

Lenten Blessings,

                   Chari & Willa

A Wee Bit of Humor

2012-02-25T15:54:00.000-08:00

I know. Pathetic.

Prayers for the Season of Lent

2012-02-22T00:38:00.000-08:00

I peeked around the internet and gathered together these wonderful prayers, just for Lent. Most of them are new to me and are simply lovely. Hope you enjoy them and can find one or two to add to your daily prayers during this Lent. I especially enjoy that so many of these prayers came from saints. They are quite old! Lenten Blessings!

Penitential Prayer of St. Augustine

O Lord,
The house of my soul is narrow;
enlarge it that you may enter in.
It is ruinous, O repair it!
It displeases Your sight.
I confess it, I know.
But who shall cleanse it,
to whom shall I cry but to you?
Cleanse me from my secret faults, O Lord,
and spare Your servant from strange sins.
St. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430)

Collect for the First Sunday in Lent

Father,
through our observance of Lent,
help us to understand the meaning
of Your Son's death and resurrection,
and teach us to reflect it in our lives.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son.
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
International Committee on English in the Liturgy (ICEL)

Penitential Prayer of St. Ambrose of Milan

O Lord, who hast mercy upon all,
take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me
the fire of thy Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone,
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore Thee,
a heart to delight in Thee,
to follow and enjoy Thee, for Christ's sake, Amen
St. Ambrose of Milan (AD 339-397)

Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian

O Lord and Master of my life,
give me not the spirit of laziness,
despair, lust of power, and idle talk. (prostration)
But give rather the spirit of sobriety,
humility, patience and love to Thy servant. (prostration)
Yea, O Lord and King,
grant me to see my own transgressions
and not to judge my brother,
for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen (prostration)
St. Ephraim the Syrian (AD 305-373)

Prayer for Aid in Fasting

Hanging as a vine upon the Wood,
O Christ our Saviour,
Thou hast made the ends of the earth
to drink from the wine of incorruption.
Therefore do I cry aloud:
I am darkened always by the hateful drunkenness of sin;
Give me to drink from the sweet wine of true compunction,
and grant me now the strength, O Saviour,
to fast from sensual pleasures,
for Thou art good and lovest mankind.
St. Joseph Studite, Lenten Triodion

Prayer of St. John Chrysostom

O my all-merciful God and Lord,
Jesus Christ, full of pity:
Through Your great love You came down
and became incarnate in order to save everyone.
O Savior, I ask You to save me by Your grace!
If You save anyone because of their works,
that would not be grace but only reward of duty,
but You are compassionate and full of mercy!
You said, O my Christ,
"Whoever believes in Me shall live and never die."
If then, faith in You saves the lost, then save me,
O my God and Creator, for I believe.
Let faith and not my unworthy works be counted to me, O my God,
for You will find no works which could account me righteous.
O Lord, from now on let me love You as intensely as I have loved sin,
and work for You as hard as I once worked for the evil one.
I promise that I will work to do Your will,
my Lord and God, Jesus Christ, all the days of my life and forever more.

Prayer of Love for the Crucified Lord

O Jesus, it is not the heavenly reward you have promised which impels me to love you; neither is it the threat of hell that keep me from offending you. It is you, O Lord, it is the sight of you affixed to the Cross and suffering insults; it is the sight of your broken body, as well as your pains and your death. There is nothing you can give me to make me love you. For even if there were no heaven and no hell I would still love you as I do. Amen.

Prayer to Jesus on the Cross

O Jesus, for how many ages have you been on the Cross and yet people pass by in utter disregard of you except to pierce once again your Sacred Heart. How often have I passed you by, heedless of your overwhelming sorrow, your countless wounds, you infinite love. How often have I stood before you, not to comfort and console you, but to offend you by my conduct or neglect of you, to scorn your love.

You have stretched out your hands to comfort me, and I have seized those hands - that might have consigned me to hell - and have bent them back upon the Cross, nailing them rigid and helpless to it. Yet I have only succeeded in imprinting my name on your palms forever. You have loved me with an infinite love and I have taken advantage of that love to sin all the more against you. Yet my ingratitude has only succeeded in piercing your Sacred Heart and causing your Precious Blood to flow forth upon me.

O Jesus, let your Blood be upon me, not for a curse, but for a blessing. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on me. Amen.

Prayer for the Grace of the Passion

O Lord, for the redemption of the world, you willed to be born among human beings, subjected to the rite of circumcision, rejected by the people, betrayed by Judas with a kiss, bound with cords, led like an innocent lamb to slaughter, shamelessly exposed to the gaze of Annas as well as Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod, accused by false witnesses, tormented by scourges and insults, spat upon and crowned with thorns, struck with blows of hand and reed, blindfolded and stripped of your garments, affixed to the wood and lifted high on the Cross, numbered among thieves, given gall and vinegar to drink, and pierced by a lance.

Lord, by these most holy sufferings which we, your unworthy servants, devoutly call to mind, and by your holy Cross and death, deliver us from the pains of hell, and be pleased to take us where you took the penitent thief who was crucified with you. You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.

Prayer for Pardon

O Lord, the hour of your favor draws near, the day of your mercy and our salvation - when death was destroyed and eternal life began. We acknowledge our sins and our offenses are always before us. Blot out all our wrongdoings and give us a new and steadfast spirit. Restore us to your friendship and number us among the living who share the joy of you Son's risen life.

Prayer for Avoiding Sin

Hear, Lord, the prayers we offer from contrite hearts. Have pity on us as we acknowledge our sins. Lead us back to the way of holiness. Protect us now and always from the wounds of sin. May we ever keep safe in all its fullness the gift your love once gave us and your mercy now restores. Amen.

There is a long list of prayers for Lent here. Some of these came from this webpage.....

THE HISTORY OF LENT

2012-02-21T03:48:00.000-08:00

....an excerpt from The Liturgical Year

By Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B.

(Dom Guéranger, abbot of Solesmes from 1837-1875, was one of the leading monastics and liturgists of his generation, and his writings were highly influential both in France and abroad. He is perhaps best known today through the pages of his L'Année Liturgique - The Liturgical Year - which he began in 1841 in order to make the riches of the liturgy more widely known by the faithful. In fifteen volumes (which he did not live to complete) he follows the cycle of the liturgical year, illuminating the traditional liturgy with interpretations, commentaries, and riches collected from other liturgies both of Eastern and Western Christendom.)....copied from the above website

The Forty Days’ Fast, which we call Lent [In most languages the name given to this Fast expresses the number of the day, Forty. But our word Lent signifies the Spring-Fast; for Lenten-Tide, in the ancient English-Saxon language, was the season of Spring. Translator.], is the Church’s preparation for Easter, and was instituted at the very commencement of Christianity. Our Blessed Lord himself sanctioned it by his fasting forty days and forty nights in the desert; and though he would not impose it on the world by an express commandment, (which, then, could not have been open to the power of dispensation,) yet he showed plainly enough by his own example, that Fasting, which God had so frequently ordered in the Old Law, was to be also practised by the Children of the New.

The Disciples of St. John the Baptist came, one day, to Jesus, and said to him: Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but thy Disciples do not fast? And Jesus said to them: Can the children of the bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast. [St Matth. ix. 14,15].

Hence, we find it mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, how the Disciples of our Lord, after the Foundation of the Church, applied themselves to Fasting. In their Epistles, also, they recommended it to the Faithful. Nor could it be otherwise. Though the divine mysteries, whereby our Saviour wrought our redemption, have been consummated, - yet are we still Sinners: and where there is sin, there must be expiation.

The Apostles, therefore, legislated for our weakness, by instituting, at the very commencement of the Christian Church, that the Solemnity of Easter should be preceded by a universal Fast; and it was only natural, that they should have made this period of Penance to consist of Forty Days, seeing that our Divine Master had consecrated that number by his own Fast. St. Jerome [Epist. xxvii. ad Marcellam], St. Leo the Great [Serm. ii, v, ix. de Quadragesima], St. Cyril of Alexandria [Homil. Paschal.], St. Isidore of Seville [De Ecclesiast. Officiis, lib vi., cap. xix.], and others of the holy Fathers, assure us that Lent was instituted by the Apostles, although, at the commencement, there was not any uniform way of observing it.

We have already seen, in our Septuagesima, that the Orientals begin their Lent much earlier than the Latins, owing to their custom of never fasting on Saturdays, (or, in some places, even on Thursdays). They are, consequently, obliged, in order to make up the forty days, to begin the Lenten Fast on the Monday preceding our Sexagesima Sunday. These are the kind of exceptions, which prove the rule. We have also shown, how the Latin Church, - which, even so late as the 6th Century, kept only thirty-six fasting days during the six weeks of Lent, (for the Church has never allowed Sundays to be kept as days of fast,) - thought proper to add, later on, the last four days of Quinquagesima, in order that her Lent might contain exactly Forty Days of Fast.

The whole subject of Lent has been so often and so fully treated, that we shall abridge, as much as possible, the History we are now giving. The nature of our Work forbids us to do more, than insert what is essential for the entering into the spirit of each Season. God grant, that we may succeed in showing to the Faithful the importance of the holy institution of Lent! Its influence on the spiritual life, and on the very salvation, of each one among us, can never be over-rated.

Lent, then, is a time consecrated, in an especial manner, to penance; and this penance is mainly practised by Fasting. Fasting is an abstinence, which man voluntarily imposes upon himself, as an expiation for sin, and which, during Lent, is practised in obedience to the general law of the Church. According to the actual discipline of the Western Church, the Fast of Lent is not more rigorous than that prescribed for the Vigils of certain Feasts, and for the Ember Days; but it is kept up for Forty successive Days, with the single interruption of the intervening Sundays.

We deem it unnecessary to show the importance and advantages of Fasting. The Sacred Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament, are filled with the praises of this holy practice. The traditions of every nation of the world testify the universal veneration, in which it has ever been held; for there is not a people, nor a religion, how much soever it may have lost the purity of primitive traditions, which is not impressed with this conviction, - that man may appease his God by subjecting his body to penance.

St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom, St. Jerome, and St. Gregory the Great, make the remark, that the commandment put upon our First Parents, in the earthly paradise, was one of Abstinence; and that it was by their not exercising this virtue, that they brought every kind of evil upon themselves and us their children. The life of privation, which the king of creation had thenceforward to lead on the earth, - (for the earth was to yield him nothing of its own natural growth, save thorns and thistles,) - was the clearest possible exemplification of the law of penance, imposed by the anger of God on rebellious man.

During the two thousand and more years, which preceded the Deluge, men had no other food than the fruits of the earth, and these were only got by the toil of hard labour. But when God, as we have already observed, mercifully shortened man’s life, (that so he might have less time and power for sin), - he permitted him to eat the flesh of animals, as an additional nourishment in that state of deteriorated strength. It was then, also, that Noah, guided by a divine inspiration, extracted the juice of the grape, which thus formed a second stay for human debility.

Fasting, then, is the abstaining from such nourishments as these, which were permitted for the support of bodily strength. And firstly, it consisted in abstinence from flesh-meat, because it is a food that was given to man by God, out of condescension to his weakness, and not as one absolutely essential for the maintenance of life. Its privation, greater or less according to the regulations of the Church, is essential to the very notion of Fasting. Thus, whilst in many countries, the use of eggs, milk-meats, and even dripping and lard, is tolerated, - the abstaining from flesh-meat is everywhere maintained, as being essential to Fasting. For many centuries, eggs and milk-meats were not allowed, because they come under the class of animal food: even to this day, they are forbidden in the Eastern Churches, and are only allowed in the Latin Church by virtue of an annual dispensation. The precept of abstaining from flesh-meat is so essential to Lent, that even on Sundays, when the Fasting is interrupted, Abstinence is an obligation, binding even on those who are dispensed from the fasts of the week, unless there be a special dispensation granted for eating meat on the Sundays.

In the early ages of Christianity, Fasting included also the abstaining from Wine, as we learn from St. Cyril of Jerusalem [Catech. iv], St. Basil [Homil. i. De Jejunio], St. John Chrysostom [Homil. iv. Ad populum Antioch.], Theophilus of Alexandria [Litt. Pasch, iii], and others. In the West, this custom soon fell into disuse. The Eastern Christians kept it up much longer, but even with them it has ceased to be considered as obligatory.

Lastly, Fasting includes the depriving ourselves of some portion of our ordinary food, inasmuch as it only allows the taking of one meal during the day. Though the modifications introduced from age to age in the discipline of Lent, are very numerous, yet the points we have here mentioned belong to the very essence of Fasting, as is evident from the universal practice of the Church.

It was the custom with the Jews, in the Old Law, not to take the one meal, allowed on fasting days, till sun-set. The Christian Church adopted the same custom. It was scrupulously practised, for many centuries, even in our Western countries. But, about the 9th century, some relaxation began to be introduced in the Latin Church. Thus, we have a Capitularium of Theodulph, Bishop of Orleans, (who lived at that period,) protesting against the practice, which some had, of taking their repast at the hour of None, that is to say, about three o’clock in the afternoon [Capitul. xxxix. Labb. Conc. tom. viii.]. The relaxation, however, gradually spread; for, in the 10th century, we find the celebrated Ratherius, Bishop of Verona, acknowledging, that the Faithful had permission to break their fast at the hour of None [Serm. 1, De Quadrages. D’Archery. Spicilegium, tom. ii.]. We meet with a sort of reclamation made as late as the 11th century, by a Council held at Rouen, which forbids the Faithful to take their repast before Vespers shall have begun to be sung in the Church, at the end of None [Orderic Vital. Histor., lib. iv.]; but this shows us, that the custom had already begun of anticipating the hour of Vespers, in order that the Faithful might take their meal earlier in the day.

Up to within a short period before this time, it had been the custom not to celebrate Mass, on days of Fasting, until the Office of None had been sung, (which was about three o’clock in the afternoon,) - and, also, not to sing Vespers till sun-set. When the discipline regarding Fasting began to relax, the Church still retained the order of her Offices, which had been handed down from the earliest times. The only change she made, was to anticipate the hour for Vespers; and this entailed the celebrating Mass and None much earlier in the day;- so early, indeed, that, when custom had so prevailed as to authorise the Faithful taking their repast at mid-day, all the Offices, even the Vespers, were over before that hour.

In the 12th century, the custom of breaking one’s fast at the hour of None everywhere prevailed, as we learn from Hugh of Saint-Victor [In regul. S. Augustini, cap.iii]; and in the 13th century, it was sanctioned by the teaching of the School-men. Alexander Hales declares most expressly, that such a custom was lawful [Summa, Part. iv. Quaest. 28, art. 2.]; and St. Thomas of Aquin, is equally decided in the same opinion [2a 2ae Q. 147, a. 7].

But even the fasting till None, (i.e. three o’clock,) was found too severe; and a still further relaxation was considered to be necessary. At the close of the 13th century, we have the celebrated Franciscan, Richard of Middleton, teaching, that they who break their fast at the Hour of Sext, (i.e. mid-day,) are not to be considered as transgressing the precept of the Church; and the reason he gives, is this: that the custom of doing so had already prevailed in many places, and that fasting does not consist so much in the lateness of the hour at which the faithful take their refreshment, as in their taking but one meal during the twenty-four hours [In iv. Dist. xv., art. 3., quaest. 8].

The 14th century gave weight, both by universal custom and theological authority, to the opinion held by Richard of Middleton. It will, perhaps, suffice if we quote the learned Dominican, Durandus, Bishop of Meaux, who says, that there can be no doubt as to the lawfulness of taking one’s repast at mid-day; and he adds, that such was then the custom observed by the Pope, and Cardinals, and even the Religious Orders [In iv. Dist. xv., Quaest. 9., art 7]. We cannot, therefore, be surprised at finding this opinion maintained, in the 15th century, by such grave authors as St. Antoninus, Cardinal Cajetan, and others. Alexander Hales and St. Thomas sought to prevent the relaxation going beyond the Hour of None; but their zeal was disappointed, and the present discipline was established, we might almost say, during their life-time.

But, whilst this relaxation of taking the repast so early in the day as twelve o’clock rendered fasting less difficult in one way, it made it more severe in another. The body grew exhausted by the labours of the long second half of the twenty-four hours; and the meal, that formerly closed the day, and satisfied the cravings of fatigue, had been already taken. It was found necessary to grant some refreshment for the evening, and it was called a Collation. The word was taken from the Benedictine Rule, which, for long centuries before this change in the Lenten observance, had allowed a Monastic Collation. St. Benedict’s Rule prescribed a great many Fasts, over and above the ecclesiastical Fast of Lent; but it made this great distinction between the two:- that whilst Lent obliged the Monks, as well as the rest of the Faithful, to abstain from food till sunset, these monastic fasts allowed the repast to be taken at the hour of None. But, as the Monks had heavy manual labour during the summer and autumn months, (which was the very time when these Fasts “till None” occurred several days of each week, and, indeed, every day from the 14th of September;) the Abbot was allowed by the Rule to grant his Religious permission to take a small measure of wine before Compline, as a refreshment after the fatigues of the afternoon. It was taken by all at one and the same time, during the evening reading, which was called Conference, (in Latin, Collatio,) because it was mostly taken from the celebrated Conferences (Collationes) of Cassian. Hence, this evening monastic refreshment got the name of Collation.

We find the Assembly, or Chapter of Aix-la-Chapelle, held in 817, extending this indulgence even to the Lenten fast, on account of the great fatigue entailed by the Offices, which the Monks had to celebrate during this holy Season. But experience showed, that unless something solid were allowed to be taken together with the wine, the evening Collation would be an injury to the health of many of the Religious; accordingly, towards the close of the 14th, or the beginning of the 15th century, the usage was introduced of taking a morsel of bread with the Collation-beverage.

As a matter of course, these mitigations of the ancient severity of Fasting soon found their way from the cloister into the world. The custom of taking something to drink, on Fasting Days, out of the time of the repast, was gradually established; and even so early as the 13th century, we have St. Thomas of Aquin discussing the question, whether or no drink is to be considered as a breaking of the precept of Fasting [In iv. Quaest. cxlvii. art, 6]. He answers in the negative; and yet he does not allow that anything solid may be taken with the drink. But when it had become the universal practice, (as it did in the latter part of the 13th century, and still more fixedly during the whole of the 14th,) that the one meal on Fasting Days was taken at mid-day, a mere beverage was found in sufficient to give support, and there was added to it bread, herbs, fruits, &c. Such was the practice, both in the world and the cloister. It was, however, clearly understood by all, that these eatables were not to be taken in such quantity as to turn the Collation into a second meal.

Thus did the decay of piety, and the general deterioration of bodily strength among the people of the Western nations, infringe on the primitive observance of Fasting. To make our history of these humiliating changes anything like complete, we must mention one more relaxation. For several centuries, abstinence from flesh-meat included likewise the prohibition of every article of food that belonged to what is called the animal kingdom, with the single exception of Fish, which, on account of its cold nature, as also for several mystical reasons, founded on the Sacred Scriptures, was always permitted to be taken by those who fasted. Every sort of milk-meat was forbidden; and in Rome, even to this day, butter and cheese are not permitted during Lent, except on those days whereon permission to eat meat is granted.

Dating from the 9th century, the custom of eating milk-meats during Lent began to be prevalent in Western Europe, more especially in Germany and the northern countries. The Council of Kedlimburg, held in the 11th century, made an effort to put a stop to the practice as an abuse; but without effect [Labbe, Concil., tom. x.]. These Churches maintained that they were in the right, and defended their custom by the dispensations, (though, in reality, only temporary ones,) granted them by several Sovereign Pontiffs: the dispute ended by their being left peaceably to enjoy what they claimed. The Churches of France resisted this innovation up to the 16th century; but in the 17th, they too yielded, and milk-meats were taken during Lent, throughout the whole Kingdom. As some reparation for this breach of ancient discipline, the City of Paris instituted a solemn rite, whereby she wished to signify her regret at being obliged to such a relaxation. On Quinquagesima Sunday, all the different Parishes went in procession to the Church of Notre Dame. The Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, and Augustinians, took part in the procession. The Metropolitan Chapter, and the four Parishes that were subject to it, held, on the same day, a Station in the court-yard of the Palace, and sang an Anthem before the Relic of the True Cross, which was exposed in the Sainte Chapelle. These pious usages, which were intended to remind the people of the difference between the past and the present observance of Lent, continued to be practised till the Revolution.

But this grant for the eating milk-meats during Lent, did not include eggs. Here, the ancient discipline was maintained, at least this far, - that eggs were not allowed, save by a dispensation, which had to be renewed each year. In Rome they are only allowed on days when Flesh-meat may be taken. In other places, they are allowed on some days, and on others, especially during Holy Week, are forbidden. Invariably do we find the Church, seeking, out of anxiety for the spiritual advantage of her Children, to maintain all she can of those penitential observances, whereby they may satisfy Divine Justice. It was with this intention, that Pope Benedict the Fourteenth, alarmed at the excessive facility wherewith dispensation were then obtained, renewed, by a solemn Constitution, (dated June 10, 1745,) the prohibition of eating fish and meat, at the same meal, on fasting days.

The same Pope, whose spirit of moderation has never been called in question, had no sooner ascended the Papal Throne, than he addressed an Encyclical Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic world, expressing his heartfelt grief at seeing the great relaxation that was introduced among the Faithful by indiscreet and unnecessary dispensations. The Letter is dated May 30th, 1741. We extract from it the following passage: “The observance of Lent is the very badge of the Christian warfare. By it, we prove ourselves not to be enemies of the Cross of Christ. By it, we avert the scourges of divine justice. By it, we gain strength against the princes of darkness, for it shields us with heavenly help. Should mankind grow remiss in their observance of Lent, it would be a detriment to God’s glory, a disgrace to the Catholic religion, and a danger to Christian souls. Neither can it be doubted, but that such negligence would become the source of misery to the world, of public calamity, and of private woe.” [Constitution: Non ambigimus.]

More than a hundred years have elapsed since this solemn warning of the Vicar of Christ was given to the world; and during that time, the relaxation, he inveighed against, has gone on gradually increasing. How few Christians do we meet, who are strict observers of Lent, even in its present mild form! The long list of general Dispensations granted, each year, by the Bishops to their flocks, would lead us to suppose that the immense majority of the Faithful would be scrupulously exact in the fulfilment of the Fasting and Abstinence still remaining; but is such the case? And must there not result from this ever-growing spirit of immortification, a general effeminacy of character, which will lead, at last, to frightful social disorders? The sad predictions of Pope Benedict the Fourteenth are but too truly verified. Those nations, among whose people the spirit and practice of penance are extinct, are heaping against themselves the wrath of God, and provoking his justice to destroy them by one or other of these scourges, - civil discord, or conquest. In our own country, there is an inconsistency, which must strike every thinking mind:- the observance of the Lord’s Day, on the one side; the national inobservance of days of penance and fasting, on the other. - The first is admirable, and, (if we except puritanical extravagances,) be speaks a deep-rooted sense of religion: but the second is one of the worst presages for the future. No:- the word of God is too plain: unless we do penance, we shall perish [St. Luke, xiii. 3]. But, if our ease-loving and sensual generation were to return, like the Ninivites, to the long-neglected way of penance and expiation, - who knows, but that the arm of God which is already raised to strike us, may give us blessing, and not chastisement?

Let us resume our History, and seek our edification in studying the fervour wherewith the Christians of former times used to observe Lent. We will first offer to our readers a few instances of the manner in which Dispensations were given.

In the 13th century, the Archbishop of Braga applied to the reigning Pontiff, Innocent the Third, asking him, what compensation he ought to require of his people, who, in consequence of a dearth of the ordinary articles of food, had been necessitated to eat meat during the Lent? He at the same time, consulted the Pontiff as to how he was to act in the case of the sick, who asked for a dispensation from abstinence. The answer given by Innocent, which is inserted in the Canon Law [Decretal., lib. iii. cap. Concilium; de Jejunio. Tit. xlvi.], is, as we might expect, full of considerateness and charity; but we learn from this fact, that such was then the respect for the law of Lent, that it was considered necessary to apply to the Sovereign Pontiff, when dispensations were sought for. We find many such instances in the history of the Church.

Wenceslaus, King of Bohemia, being seized with a malady, which rendered it dangerous to his health to take Lenten diet, - he applied, in the year 1297, to Pope Boniface the Eighth, for leave to eat meat. The Pontiff commissioned two Cistercian Abbots to enquire into the real state of the Prince’s health: they were to grant the dispensation sought for, if they found it necessary; but on the following conditions: that the King had not bound himself by a vow, for life, to fast during Lent; that the Fridays, Saturdays, and the Vigil of St. Matthias, were to be excluded from the dispensation; and, lastly, that the King was not to take his meal in the presence of others, and was to observe moderation in what he took [Raynaldi, Ad ann. 1297].

In the 14th century, we meet with two Briefs of dispensation, granted by Clement the Sixth, in 1351, to John, King of France, and to his Queen consort. In the first, the Pope, - taking into consideration, that during the wars in which the King is engaged he frequently finds himself in places where fish can with difficulty be procured, - grants to the Confessor of the King the power of allowing, both to his majesty and his suite, the use of meat on days of abstinence, excepting, however, the whole of Lent, all Fridays of the year, and certain Vigils; provided, moreover, that neither he, nor those who accompany him, are under a vow of perpetual abstinence [D’Archery. Spicilegium. tom. iv.]. In the second Brief the same Pope, replying to the petition made him by the King for a dispensation from fasting, again commissions his Majesty’s present and future Confessors, to dispense both the King and his Queen, after having consulted with their Physicians [D’Archery. Spicilegium. tom. iv.].

A few years later, that is, in 1376, Pope Gregory the Eleventh sent a Brief in favour of Charles 5th, King of France, and of Jane, his Queen. In this Brief, he delegates to their Confessor the power of allowing them the use of eggs and milk-meats, during Lent, should their Physician, think they stand in need of such dispensation; but he tells both Physicians and Confessor, that he puts it upon their consciences, and that they will have to answer before God for their decision. The same permission is granted also to their servants and cooks, but only as far as it is needed for their tasting the food to be served to their Majesties.

The 15th century, also, furnishes us with instances of this applying to the Holy See for Lenten dispensations. We will cite the Brief addressed by Xystus the Fourth, in 1483, to James 3rd, King of Scotland; in which he grants him permission to eat meat on days of abstinence, provided his Confessor consider the dispensation needed [Raynald, Ad ann. 1484]. In the following century, we have Julius the Second granting a like dispensation to John, King of Denmark, and to his Queen Christina [Ibid. Ad ann. 1505]; and, a few years later, Clement the Seventh giving one to the Emperor Charles the Fifth, [Ibid. Ad ann. 1524], and, again, to Henry the Second of Navarre, and to his Queen Margaret [Ibid. Ad ann. 1533].

Thus were Princes themselves treated, three centuries ago, when they sought for a dispensation from the sacred law of Lent. What are we to think of the present indifference wherewith it is kept? What comparison can be made between the Christians of former times, who, deeply impressed with the fear of God’s judgments and with the spirit of penance, cheerfully went through these forty days of mortification, - and those of our own days, when love of pleasure and self-indulgence is for ever lessening man’s horror for sin? Where there is little or no fear of having to penance ourselves for sin, there is so much the less restraint to keep us from committing it.
Where now that simple and innocent joy at Easter, which our forefathers used to show, when, after their severe fast of Lent, they partook of substantial and savoury food? The peace, which long and sharp mortification ever brings to the conscience, gave them the capability, not to say the right, of being light-hearted as they returned to the comforts of life, which they had denied themselves, in order to spend forty days in penance, recollection, and retirement from the world. This leads us to mention some further details, which will assist the Catholic reader to understand what Lent was in the Ages of Faith.

It was a season, during which, not only all amusements and theatrical entertainments were forbidden by the civil authority [It was the Emperor Justinian who passed this law, as we learn from Photius; Nomocanon. tit. vii., cap. i. It is still in force in Rome.], but when even the Law Courts were closed; and this, in order to secure that peace and calm of heart, which is so indispensable for the Soul’s self-examination, and reconciliation with her offended Maker. As early as the year 380, Gratian and Theodosius enacted, that Judges should suspend all lawsuits and proceedings, during the forty days preceding Easter (Cod. Theodos., lib. ix., tit. xxxv., leg. 4.]. The Theodosian Code contains several regulations of this nature; and we find councils, held in the 9th century, urging the Kings of that period to enforce the one we have mentioned, seeing that it had been sanctioned by the Canons, and approved of by the Fathers of the Church [Labbe, Concil., tom. vii. and ix.]. These admirable Christian traditions have long since fallen into disuse in the countries of Europe; but they are still kept up among the Turks, who, during the forty days of their Ramadan, forbid all law proceedings. What a humiliation for us Christians!

Hunting, too, was for many ages considered as forbidden during Lent;- the spirit of the holy season was too sacred to admit such exciting and noisy sport. The Pope, St. Nicholas the First, in the 9th century, forbade it the Bulgarians [Ad Consultat. Bulgarorum. Labbe, Concil., tom. viii.], who had been recently converted to the Christian Faith. Even so late as the 13th Century, we find St. Raymund of Pegnafort teaching, that they who, during Lent, take part in the chase, if it be accompanied by certain circumstances, which he specifies, cannot be excused from sin [Summ. cas. Poenit., lib. iii, tit. xxix. De laps. et disp., §1]. This prohibition has long since been a dead letter; but St. Charles Borromeo, in one of his Synods, re-established it in his province of Milan.

But we cannot be surprised that Hunting should be forbidden during Lent, when we remember, that, in those Christian times, War itself, which is sometimes so necessary for the welfare of a nation, was suspended during this holy Season. In the 4th century, we have the Emperor Constantine the Great enacting, that no military exercises should be allowed on Sundays and Fridays, out of respect to our Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered and rose again on these two days, as also in order not to disturb the peace and repose needed for the due celebration of such sublime mysteries [Euseb. Constant. vita, lib. iv.. cap. xviii. et xix.]. The discipline of the Latin Church, in the 9th century, enforced everywhere the suspension of war, during the whole of Lent, except in cases of necessity [Labbe, Concil. tom. vii]. The instructions of Pope St. Nicholas the First to the Bulgarians recommend the same observance [Ibid. tom. x]; and we learn, from a letter of St. Gregory the Seventh to Desiderius, Abbot of Monte Cassino, that it was kept up in the 11th century [Ibid. tom. x]. We have an instance of its being practised in our own country, in the 12th century, when, as William of Malmesbury relates, the Empress Matilda, Countess of Anjou, and daughter of King Henry, was contesting the right of succession to the throne against Stephen, Count of Boulogne. The two armies were in sight of each other;- but an armistice was demanded and observed, for it was the Lent of 1143 [Willhelm. Malmesbur. Hist. nov. no. 30].

Our readers have heard, no doubt, of the admirable institution called God’s Truce, whereby the Church, in the 11th century, succeeded in preventing much bloodshed. It was a law that forebade the carrying arms from Wednesday evening till Monday morning, throughout the year. It was sanctioned by the authority of Popes and Councils, and enforced by all Christian Princes. It was a continuing, during four days of each week of the year, the Lenten discipline of the suspension of war. Our saintly King, Edward the Confessor, gave a still greater extension to it, by passing a law, (which was confirmed by his successor, William the Conqueror,) that God’s Truce should be observed, without cessation, from the beginning of Advent to the Octave of Easter, from the Ascension to the Whitsuntide Octave; on all the Ember Days; on the Vigils of all feasts; and, lastly, every week, from None on Wednesday till Monday morning, which had been already prescribed [Labbe, Concil. tom. ix.].

In the Council of Clermont, held in 1095, Pope Urban the Second, after drawing up the regulations for the Crusades, used his authority in extending the God’s Truce, as it was then observed during Lent. His decree, which was renewed in the Council held the following year at Rouen, was to this effect: that all war proceedings should be suspended from Ash Wednesday to the Monday after the Octave of Pentecost, and on all Vigils and Feasts of the Blessed Virgin and the Apostles, over and above what was already regulated for each week, that is, from Wednesday evening to Monday morning [Orderic Vital. Hist. Eccles. lib. ix.].

Thus did the world testify its respect for the holy observances of Lent, and borrow some of its wisest institutions from the seasons and feasts of the liturgical year. The influence of this Forty-Days’ penance was great, too, on each individual. It renewed man’s energies, gave him fresh vigour in battling with his animal instincts, and, by the restraint it put upon sensuality, ennobled the soul. Yes, there was restraint everywhere; and the present discipline of the Church, which forbids the Solemnisation of Marriage, during Lent, reminds Christians of that holy continency, which, for many ages, was observed during the whole Forty Days as a precept, and of which the most sacred of the liturgical books - the Missal - still retains the recommendation [Missale Romanum. Missa pro sponso et sponsa].

It is with reluctance that we close our history of Lent, and leave untouched so many other interesting details. For instance, what treasures we could have laid open to our readers from the Lenten usages of the Eastern Churches, which have retained so much of the primitive discipline! We cannot, however, resist devoting our last page to the following particulars.

We mentioned in the preceding Volume, that the Sunday we call Septuagesima, is called, by the Greeks, Prophoné, because the opening of Lent is proclaimed on that day. The Monday following it is counted as the first day of the next week, which is Apocreos, the name they give to the Sunday which closes that week, and which is our Sexagesima Sunday. The Greek Church begins abstinence from flesh-meat with this week. Then, on the morrow, Monday, commences the week called Tyrophagos, which ends with the Sunday of that name, and which corresponds to our Quinquagesima. White-meats are allowed during that week. Finally, the morrow is the first day of the first week of Lent, and the Fast begins, with all its severity, on that Monday, whilst, in the Latin Church, it is deferred to the Wednesday.

During the whole of Lent, (at least, of the Lent preceding Easter,) milk-meats, eggs, and even fish, are forbidden. The only food permitted to be eaten with bread, is vegetables, honey, and, for those who live near the sea, shell-fish. For many centuries, wine might not be taken: but it is now permitted: and on the Annunciation and Palm Sunday, a dispensation is granted for eating fish.

Besides the Lent preparatory to the feast of Easter, the Greeks keep three others in the year: that which is called of the Apostles, which lasts from the Octave of Pentecost to the feast of Saints Peter and Paul; that of the Virgin Mary, which begins on the first of August, and ends with the Vigil of the Assumption; and lastly, the Lent of preparation for Christmas, which consists of forty days. The fasting and abstinence of these three Lents are not quite so severe as those observed during the great Lent. The other if Christian nations of the East also observe several Lents, and more rigidly than the Greeks; but all these details would lead us too far. We, therefore, pass on to the mysteries which are included in this holy season.

Did you learn anthing that you did not already know? Will reading this excerpt change how you look at Lent or expect to experience it? I left high-lighted the thoughts that I found interesting or "food-for-thought.......perhaps this would be better called: "the history of fasting in Lent." What does fasting during Lent look like in your home?

Lenten Blessings.........

Thinking of the Lenten Season......

2012-02-20T00:15:00.006-08:00

“Through fasting and praying, we allow Him to come and satisfy the deepest hunger that we experience in the depths of our being: the hunger and thirst for God.”
–Pope Benedict, Lenten message, 2009

     Of course, the season of Lent has been on my mind........I have dug out of my files, things I have used in the past....and I have been tripping around the 'net, looking for other resources. Let me share!

This website has a wonderful list of opportunites to gain grace during Lent. Read through it....what do you already do on this list? Are you inspired to add anything on this list?

Oh! here is a very complete list of the possibilties for observing Lent! This website is a must-read.

Another must-read from a Facebook post.
Lenten Ideas for Kids is an excellent resource! Do check it out! Catholic Icing can always be counted on for wonderful ideas. This year's Lenten page is right here.

We have used a Lenten countdown calendar in the past.....and I have one pulled out now for my little guy. This is a lovely little calendar you can print for your family, or one for each child. Another version using cotton balls.....

Lovely ideas at Three Sided Wheel blog.

The kids and I have made a salt dough crown of thorns in past Lents. How nice that Holly has created a tutorial for us!

     Like Holly, our family uses a bean jar during Lent. It sits on our home altar where it is always in view to remind us...it needs filling! We use those red beans that are almost purple, but I know that some families have dyed white beans to a lovely purple hue. I am too lazy for that....so I go to straight to the red beans. :)   Inspired by this post, I am going to use a flower vase for the beans this year, instead of a canning jar. I use a candy dish given to me by my grandparents to hold the beans for putting into the bean jar.

I love this article: Lenten Scrapbook

I have never made these Stations of the Cross boxes, but I have seen them for years. A good idea! Especially for little ones.

I love felt so this project about a grape vine is a fine fit for me. What do you think? There are so many wonderful ideas for counting through the Lenten days.

If YOU are writing about Lent on your own blog, would you please leave a link in the comments?

Lenten Blessings,

                            Chari

Message From the Holy Father

2012-02-19T11:23:00.000-08:00

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVIFOR LENT 2012

“Let us be concerned for each other,
to stir a response in love and good works” (Heb 10:24)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian life: charity. This is a favourable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments. This journey is one marked by prayer and sharing, silence and fasting, in anticipation of the joy of Easter.

This year I would like to propose a few thoughts in the light of a brief biblical passage drawn from the Letter to the Hebrews:“ Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works”. These words are part of a passage in which the sacred author exhorts us to trust in Jesus Christ as the High Priest who has won us forgiveness and opened up a pathway to God. Embracing Christ bears fruit in a life structured by the three theological virtues: it means approaching the Lord “sincere in heart and filled with faith” (v. 22), keeping firm “in the hope we profess” (v. 23) and ever mindful of living a life of “love and good works” (v. 24) together with our brothers and sisters. The author states that to sustain this life shaped by the Gospel it is important to participate in the liturgy and community prayer, mindful of the eschatological goal of full communion in God (v. 25). Here I would like to reflect on verse 24, which offers a succinct, valuable and ever timely teaching on the three aspects of Christian life: concern for others, reciprocity and personal holiness.

1. “Let us be concerned for each other”: responsibility towards our brothers and sisters.

This first aspect is an invitation to be “concerned”: the Greek verb used here is katanoein, which means to scrutinize, to be attentive, to observe carefully and take stock of something. We come across this word in the Gospel when Jesus invites the disciples to “think of” the ravens that, without striving, are at the centre of the solicitous and caring Divine Providence (cf. Lk 12:24), and to “observe” the plank in our own eye before looking at the splinter in that of our brother (cf. Lk 6:41). In another verse of the Letter to the Hebrews, we find the encouragement to “turn your minds to Jesus” (3:1), the Apostle and High Priest of our faith. So the verb which introduces our exhortation tells us to look at others, first of all at Jesus, to be concerned for one another, and not to remain isolated and indifferent to the fate of our brothers and sisters. All too often, however, our attitude is just the opposite: an indifference and disinterest born of selfishness and masked as a respect for “privacy”. Today too, the Lord’s voice summons all of us to be concerned for one another. Even today God asks us to be “guardians” of our brothers and sisters (Gen 4:9), to establish relationships based on mutual consideration and attentiveness to the well-being, the integral well-being of others. The great commandment of love for one another demands that we acknowledge our responsibility towards those who, like ourselves, are creatures and children of God. Being brothers and sisters in humanity and, in many cases, also in the faith, should help us to recognize in others a true alter ego, infinitely loved by the Lord. If we cultivate this way of seeing others as our brothers and sisters, solidarity, justice, mercy and compassion will naturally well up in our hearts. The Servant of God Pope Paul VI stated that the world today is suffering above all from a lack of brotherhood: “Human society is sorely ill. The cause is not so much the depletion of natural resources, nor their monopolistic control by a privileged few; it is rather the weakening of brotherly ties between individuals and nations” (Populorum Progressio, 66).

Concern for others entails desiring what is good for them from every point of view: physical, moral and spiritual. Contemporary culture seems to have lost the sense of good and evil, yet there is a real need to reaffirm that good does exist and will prevail, because God is “generous and acts generously” (Ps 119:68). The good is whatever gives, protects and promotes life, brotherhood and communion. Responsibility towards others thus means desiring and working for the good of others, in the hope that they too will become receptive to goodness and its demands. Concern for others means being aware of their needs. Sacred Scripture warns us of the danger that our hearts can become hardened by a sort of “spiritual anesthesia” which numbs us to the suffering of others. The Evangelist Luke relates two of Jesus’ parables by way of example. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite “pass by”, indifferent to the presence of the man stripped and beaten by the robbers (cf. Lk 10:30-32). In that of Dives and Lazarus, the rich man is heedless of the poverty of Lazarus, who is starving to death at his very door (cf. Lk 16:19). Both parables show examples of the opposite of “being concerned”, of looking upon others with love and compassion. What hinders this humane and loving gaze towards our brothers and sisters? Often it is the possession of material riches and a sense of sufficiency, but it can also be the tendency to put our own interests and problems above all else. We should never be incapable of “showing mercy” towards those who suffer. Our hearts should never be so wrapped up in our affairs and problems that they fail to hear the cry of the poor. Humbleness of heart and the personal experience of suffering can awaken within us a sense of compassion and empathy. “The upright understands the cause of the weak, the wicked has not the wit to understand it” (Prov 29:7). We can then understand the beatitude of “those who mourn” (Mt 5:5), those who in effect are capable of looking beyond themselves and feeling compassion for the suffering of others. Reaching out to others and opening our hearts to their needs can become an opportunity for salvation and blessedness.

“Being concerned for each other” also entails being concerned for their spiritual well-being. Here I would like to mention an aspect of the Christian life, which I believe has been quite forgotten: fraternal correction in view of eternal salvation. Today, in general, we are very sensitive to the idea of charity and caring about the physical and material well-being of others, but almost completely silent about our spiritual responsibility towards our brothers and sisters. This was not the case in the early Church or in those communities that are truly mature in faith, those which are concerned not only for the physical health of their brothers and sisters, but also for their spiritual health and ultimate destiny. The Scriptures tell us: “Rebuke the wise and he will love you for it. Be open with the wise, he grows wiser still, teach the upright, he will gain yet more” (Prov 9:8ff). Christ himself commands us to admonish a brother who is committing a sin (cf. Mt 18:15). The verb used to express fraternal correction - elenchein – is the same used to indicate the prophetic mission of Christians to speak out against a generation indulging in evil (cf. Eph 5:11). The Church’s tradition has included “admonishing sinners” among the spiritual works of mercy. It is important to recover this dimension of Christian charity. We must not remain silent before evil. I am thinking of all those Christians who, out of human regard or purely personal convenience, adapt to the prevailing mentality, rather than warning their brothers and sisters against ways of thinking and acting that are contrary to the truth and that do not follow the path of goodness. Christian admonishment, for its part, is never motivated by a spirit of accusation or recrimination. It is always moved by love and mercy, and springs from genuine concern for the good of the other. As the Apostle Paul says: “If one of you is caught doing something wrong, those of you who are spiritual should set that person right in a spirit of gentleness; and watch yourselves that you are not put to the test in the same way” (Gal 6:1). In a world pervaded by individualism, it is essential to rediscover the importance of fraternal correction, so that together we may journey towards holiness. Scripture tells us that even “the upright falls seven times” (Prov 24:16); all of us are weak and imperfect (cf. 1 Jn 1:8). It is a great service, then, to help others and allow them to help us, so that we can be open to the whole truth about ourselves, improve our lives and walk more uprightly in the Lord’s ways. There will always be a need for a gaze which loves and admonishes, which knows and understands, which discerns and forgives (cf. Lk 22:61), as God has done and continues to do with each of us.

2. “Being concerned for each other”: the gift of reciprocity.

This “custody” of others is in contrast to a mentality that, by reducing life exclusively to its earthly dimension, fails to see it in an eschatological perspective and accepts any moral choice in the name of personal freedom. A society like ours can become blind to physical sufferings and to the spiritual and moral demands of life. This must not be the case in the Christian community! The Apostle Paul encourages us to seek “the ways which lead to peace and the ways in which we can support one another” (Rom 14:19) for our neighbour’s good, “so that we support one another” (15:2), seeking not personal gain but rather “the advantage of everybody else, so that they may be saved” (1 Cor 10:33). This mutual correction and encouragement in a spirit of humility and charity must be part of the life of the Christian community.

The Lord’s disciples, united with him through the Eucharist, live in a fellowship that binds them one to another as members of a single body. This means that the other is part of me, and that his or her life, his or her salvation, concern my own life and salvation. Here we touch upon a profound aspect of communion: our existence is related to that of others, for better or for worse. Both our sins and our acts of love have a social dimension. This reciprocity is seen in the Church, the mystical body of Christ: the community constantly does penance and asks for the forgiveness of the sins of its members, but also unfailingly rejoices in the examples of virtue and charity present in her midst. As Saint Paul says: “Each part should be equally concerned for all the others” (1 Cor 12:25), for we all form one body. Acts of charity towards our brothers and sisters – as expressed by almsgiving, a practice which, together with prayer and fasting, is typical of Lent – is rooted in this common belonging. Christians can also express their membership in the one body which is the Church through concrete concern for the poorest of the poor. Concern for one another likewise means acknowledging the good that the Lord is doing in others and giving thanks for the wonders of grace that Almighty God in his goodness continuously accomplishes in his children. When Christians perceive the Holy Spirit at work in others, they cannot but rejoice and give glory to the heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5:16).

3. “To stir a response in love and good works”: walking together in holiness.

These words of the Letter to the Hebrews (10:24) urge us to reflect on the universal call to holiness, the continuing journey of the spiritual life as we aspire to the greater spiritual gifts and to an ever more sublime and fruitful charity (cf. 1 Cor 12:31-13:13). Being concerned for one another should spur us to an increasingly effective love which, “like the light of dawn, its brightness growing to the fullness of day” (Prov 4:18), makes us live each day as an anticipation of the eternal day awaiting us in God. The time granted us in this life is precious for discerning and performing good works in the love of God. In this way the Church herself continuously grows towards the full maturity of Christ (cf. Eph 4:13). Our exhortation to encourage one another to attain the fullness of love and good works is situated in this dynamic prospect of growth.

Sadly, there is always the temptation to become lukewarm, to quench the Spirit, to refuse to invest the talents we have received, for our own good and for the good of others (cf. Mt 25:25ff.). All of us have received spiritual or material riches meant to be used for the fulfilment of God’s plan, for the good of the Church and for our personal salvation (cf. Lk 12:21b; 1 Tim 6:18). The spiritual masters remind us that in the life of faith those who do not advance inevitably regress. Dear brothers and sisters, let us accept the invitation, today as timely as ever, to aim for the “high standard of ordinary Christian living” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 31). The wisdom of the Church in recognizing and proclaiming certain outstanding Christians as Blessed and as Saints is also meant to inspire others to imitate their virtues. Saint Paul exhorts us to “anticipate one another in showing honour” (Rom 12:10).

In a world which demands of Christians a renewed witness of love and fidelity to the Lord, may all of us feel the urgent need to anticipate one another in charity, service and good works (cf. Heb 6:10). This appeal is particularly pressing in this holy season of preparation for Easter. As I offer my prayerful good wishes for a blessed and fruitful Lenten period, I entrust all of you to the intercession of the Mary Ever Virgin and cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 3 November 2011

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

I have not had a chance to read all of this yet.....but I hope to get to it soon.

Lenten Blessings!

Chari & Willa

More Help with Saying the Rosary

2012-02-18T09:37:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we are halfway through the 54 Day Rosary Miracle Novena! (or if you started on January 25 because of Leap Year, Monday is the halfway point).

If you love the Rosary but are not good at saying it, here are some more thoughts and suggestions from the saints, in the spirit of GK Chesterton's "Anything worth doing is worth doing badly."

I love that maxim of GKC's, NOT because it encourages me to slack off and settle for less, but because it encourages me to risk trying something, or persevering in something, even if I don't think I am very good at it. After all, that's the only reason I am a Mom 7 times over : ) and it applies to my prayer life too!

St Louis Marie de Montfort -- "Say a Decade Here and a Decade There"

One thing you can do if it is very difficult to say an entire Rosary at a sitting is to break it up into decades and say one decade at a time. I found this out from a priest when I told him of my difficulties and distractions in saying a complete Rosary at a sitting. The priest recommended breaking it up into decades and then focusing on completing each decade with as few distractions as possible.

More in St Louis de Montfort:

I advise you to divide up your Rosary into three parts and to say each group of five decades at different times of the day. This is much better than saying the whole fifteen decades at once.

If you cannot find the time to say five decades all together, say a decade here and a decade there; you will thus be able, in spite of your work and the calls upon your time, to complete the whole Rosary before going to bed.

St Therese de Lisieux -- "Little Children are Just As Pleasing To Their Parents Asleep As Awake"

Suppose that you fall asleep before you finish praying? St Therese of Lisieux answers:

The fact that I often fall asleep during meditation, or while making my thanksgiving, should appall me. Well, I am not appalled; I bear in mind that little children are just as pleasing to their parents asleep as awake; that doctors put patients to sleep while they perform operations, and that after all, "the Lord knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust."

This gives me a glimpse into how God thinks. To Him, all our greatest works are as nothing except as done simply for His sake. That's why He is so often pleased with a small thing done lovingly and humbly more than with some grand gesture or large undertaking.

St Therese de Lisieux -- "My Mother ..Must See My Good Will and Be Content With It"

A bit more that I found that St Therese said about her struggle saying the Rosary:

"Reciting the Rosary costs me more than using an instrument of penance. I feel I say it so badly; in vain do I strive to meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary; I am unable to fix my attention For a long time I was sad because of this lack of devotion which surprised me, for I love the Blessed Virgin so much that it should be easy for me to say in her honor prayers which please her so much. Now, it saddens me less; I think that the Queen of Heaven being my Mother, she must see my good will and be content with it."

As for me, I missed some days saying the Rosary while we were traveling (first to Disneyland, then up to Oregon to visit grown sons, then I am going up to Alaska again!). But I am picking up again and uniting my efforts with those of others who either were entirely consistent or are hardly able to say the Rosary at all, for whatever reason : ).

A Wee Bit of Humor

2012-02-17T15:50:00.001-08:00

Oh! This one just cracks me up!

Saint Valentine Table and Other Ideas......

2012-02-12T09:56:00.000-08:00

I finally got our table ready for an inbetween time.....between Christmas Season which ended on February 2nd and Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22nd this year.

I remembered the little Valentine Tree decor that Sarah, Malachy and I created for last year, inspired by this post at Cherished Hearts at Home. It was right where I stored it! No small feat, that! The branches were recently trimmed from our apple trees....so that was an easy find as well.

Since we were having a family dinner last night (meaning all who live in this country were present for the meal), I tried to pretty the table up with a red Valentine theme. We can enjoy this for a couple of weeks, before we go with the purple Lenten theme.....which really is a dark burgundy theme for my table since I have not yet found a purple tablecloth.....

I had heart-shaped candle holders from a Christmas gift from my girls in 2010 and red candles, too. The white candles were made by the offspring at a Pioneer Days outing at a local state park.

All simple. But perfectly lovely.

Since my sweet Sarah is gone from us for a year, spent in Austria as a Rotary youth exchange student, and her 19th birthday is the day after St. Valentine's day.....it also has a nice way or reminding me of her, every time I see it. We miss you, Sarah.

Gae has a lovely blog at Cherished Hearts at Home. I subscribed to the email from the blog so it is one of the blogs that I actually read. :)

Gae has other St. Valentine ideas, too, all of them easy and sweet. This year she posted this Valentine Ribbon Banner. It is adorable, and if I had time, I would do it. Maybe next year......though it is inspiring me for a possible Lenten version......maybe take one of the ribbons off each day of Lent?

The rest of her Valentine's Day ideas are here.

On another St. Valentine note........there are a few links explaining who this dear man is......

Here....and here.

And finally here....not too bad for a Wikipedia page.

The Story of Valentine by Wilma Pitchford Hays was a favorite book of ours when my children were younger. I found it at out local library.

I know it is only a few days till the feast day, but some of these ideas are very easy to carry out....and you can enjoy them till Lent starts! Do not think you do not have enough time to do a little

something. You can!

Last year, I searched and searched for my heart-shaped cookie cutters, to make some Valentine cookies...but they were no where to be found.......a dear friend was going to lend hers to me....but she could not find them....so she went and bought a set for me......and of course, I finally found my own!

And, just now when I went and looked for those heart-shaped cookie cutters......they were not there! Looks like I am in the same place as last year, shoot! Oh, St. Anthony, where are you????

Prayer to St. Valentine
Almighty God, grant we beseech You,
that we who celebrate the glorious martyrdom of St. Valentine, Your
servant, may by his intercession be filled with the love of God and
neighbor and be delivered from all the evils that threaten us.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

O glorious advocate and protector, St Valentine,
look with pity upon our wants,
hear our requests,
attend to our prayers,
relieve by your intercession the miseries
under which we labour,
and obtain for us the divine blessing,
that we may be found worthy to join you
in praising the Almighty for all
eternity: through the merits of
Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

A PRAYER TO ST. VALENTINEDear Saint and glorious martyr; Teach us to love unselfishly and to find great joy in giving. Enable all true lovers to bring out the best in each other in God and in God in each other.

LOVE
Love is Patient and Kind,
It doesn't envy or Boast and it's never proud,
Love is not rude or selfish,
It doesn't get angry easily or keep track of wrongs.
Love doesn't delight in bad things
But it rejoices in the truth.
Love always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres.
Love never fails.
--- St. Paul to the Corinthians

Saint Valentine prayers for you,

Chari...........who will be spending all the day trying to figure out where those cookie cutters have been hidden!

Words of Wisdom

2012-02-12T00:36:00.000-08:00

Sweet Siblings

2012-02-11T00:30:00.000-08:00

My oldest (23 years) and my youngest (10 years)

A photo story of two siblings whose Love Language is touch....

Anne, the Dark & Malachy, the Light

Familial Blessings,

Chari

A Wee Bit of Humor

2012-02-10T02:19:00.000-08:00

...... To a homeschooling mom, perhaps, though it is a very serious issue.

What a surprise to find this on the front page of our local paper last week:

Why can't they write what they really mean??? I don't send my child to school. Neither do any of my other homeschooling friends. This title is too general.......and it makes me laugh. Oh, brother. Where the heck was the Editor????

The story is about a woman, and a couple of other parents, who had their kids signed up for a local public school, but did not always send them to the school. Even after being warned, and signing a contract that they agreed to make sure their children got to the school, they still did not bring their kids to school often enough. So, now, they spend a year in jail. This part is not funny. Poor parents........they must have some serious issues.......poor kids. This is such a traumatic thing.....

The Mountain in January.....and a bit more

2012-02-09T01:29:00.000-08:00

We finally got our first snow storm of the year.....basically of the winter.

Historically, Blogger and I have a issues whenever I want to add pictures or edit anything, and sometimes even when I attempt to save my posts........so, rather than fight the fact that Blogger cannot manage to place my photos in the order in which I have uploaded them.....today I will them serve them up as is. So there, Blogger!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last week the sky to the west was a gorgeous pink above the mountains, the view in my backyard. Of course the iPhone camera could not quite pick up the very strong pink color...but you can get the idea......chicken coop in the foreground. This is one of my favorite views of the area in which I live......gorgeous sunsets year-round!

Black Butte is between my home and Mount Shasta. Many people call it a cinder cone, but it actually an extinct volcano in its own right. It can be quite lovely......as it was a few days ago as we were driving home from town.....so I snapped a few frames. Loved the sun shedding a bit of light on it, peeking through the thick gray clouds.

The ones below, till you get to the line, were taken with my really nice camera.......not as easy to upload....but boy! the picture quality is preferred!

I had more to upload, but I am so far into February now......I am just going to post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two photos below are from a very early morning arrival to my job.

The mountain view each time I walk into work.....ah, sigh.

Black Butte to the left and The Mountain in the background. From my property.

Black Butte as we were driving up the freeway off-ramp......

Just before dusk......

There was this amazing rainbow within this cloud while I was driving on the freeway, dying to take the photo! When I finally got off the road, it had diminished......but you can see that it was an amazing sight to see!

The small streak of cloud to the left is the rainbow cloud....

.....the view from my house once I arrived home.

There were lovely ice designs on the window in my garage one morning.....

More rainbow cloud.......not the close-up, but where it was in perspective to everything else.

LOL.....I did get this photo below while I was driving, but not looking at how I was photographing...you can see it was brighter at first, that rainbow cloud.

Blessings from one of the Sacred Mountains in the world, seriously :)

Chari

A Sweet Little Surprise.......

2012-02-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

Last week I ordered a DVD from our library.....and when I opened it later to watch.....I found this sweet little note tucked in behind the DVD:

A very dear old RN friend, who I hardly ever see anymore since she retired and moved farther north.....is now a librarian in her little town.

Isn't it sweet that she took the time to write this note?

What a pleasant surprise!

Blessings,

Chari

PS: She is an old friend, not a friend who is old..... :)

Chapter Study: Ideas?

2012-02-06T12:43:00.000-08:00

Chari and I had an idea for this blog. Actually, we have many, but here is one I wanted to bring up now that we are in ordinary time and getting into the swing of blogging regularly.

Liking the idea of book studies, but hesitant to jump into a full book discussion since those take quite a lot of commitment, we thought of the idea of a "Chapter Study". For this we would take a chapter of a book, either public domain or one that we thought a lot of our readers might have on their book shelves, and just post on that chapter.

This is something we've done by ourselves several times. Once we studied the high school chapter of Laura Berquist's book Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum. Once we studied the first couple of chapters of Charlotte Mason's book Formation of Character.

Chari has even taken the idea and with another dear friend of hers, much to my jealousy : ) studied a chapter of Francis de Sales' great book Thy Will Be Done: Letters to People in the World. Not to be completely left out, I reread a few chapters of this book on my own.

It works great! Often we end up rabbit-trailing all over the place, but having a sort of "spine" for the discussion helps us to keep it from just being simple chattering or venting. And probably Chari, who is an extrovert, knows that for me, an introvert, it is easier to talk and remember when there's some sort of continuous topic to keep all the ideas connected.

Here is a variation also suggested by what we do on our occasional visits.

The variation is one-time book study. In other words, instead of going through a book chapter by chapter, sometimes we look at a book together (or, often, a curriculum resource) and talk about how we like it, what we get out of it, and how we think we could adapt it to our kids.

This is probably a glorified version of what many homeschoolers do when we visit other homeschoolers -- scan through their curriculum shelves and ask how they like X or Y resource, and sometimes borrow it for a week or a year!

Maybe we can help each other through the February blues and gain some inspiration to take us through the rest of the homeschooling year!

My question right now is:

Do you have any ideas for chapters, books, resources, that you think would be fun/rewarding to study this way? We'd love to hear any suggestions.

If you don't have any ideas, that's all right too. I am sure Chari and I both have a whole list of things we'd love to discuss together and having a blog to share on just makes it better : ).

A Prayer Before a Crucifix

2012-02-05T23:00:00.000-08:00

I am so fond of this lovely little prayer. I pray it after every mass. My children pray it after every mass. It is a family favorite. Is it a favorite of yours?

Behold, O good and sweetest Jesus,

I cast myself upon my knees in Thy sight,

and with the most fervent desire of my soul

I pray and beseech Thee

to impress upon my heart

lively sentiments of faith,

hope and charity,

with true repentance for my sins

and a most firm desire of amendment.

Whilst with deep affection and grief of soul

I consider within myself

and mentally contemplate

Thy five most precious wounds,

having before mine eyes that which David,

the prophet, long ago spoke concerning Thee,

“They have pierced My hands and My feet,

they have numbered all My bones.”

"A plenary indulgence is granted on each Friday of Lent and Passiontide to the faithful who, after Communion, piously recite the above prayer before an image of Christ crucified; on other days of the year the indulgence is partial." — Enchiridion of Indulgences, No. 22

and pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be for the Holy Father's intentions

......under the "usual conditions" regarding a plenary indulgence

You can find more information regarding the indulgences at this website.

Blessings,

Chari

February: Pray For Our Husband's Physical Health

2012-02-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

Last month, I introduced the idea of praying themes for a year of praying for our husbands. Today I bring the theme of February to you.......

February: We pray for our husbands' physical health......and ours, too, under the patronage of The Holy Family & Our Lord's Passion

The Holy Family by Bartolome Esteban Murillo

Dear God, please keep our husbands healthy in body as well as in spirit. They have so much responsibilty in caring for our families, and so need a healthy body with which to work, and provide, and play with us.

Please help them to do what they need to do to maintain, or regain, their health. Please guide us, their wives, in being of service to them, so they may reach their healthy goals.

And, if You prefer they must have crosses to carry in regards to their health, please give them the graces necessary to carry these crosses, for You. And, for the salvation of their own souls.

The Crucifixion of Christ by Simon Vouet

We ask this for ourselves, as well.

We beg for these intentions, in honor of the Holy Family & Our Lord's Passion.

Remember to take all of these intentions to our Dear Lord in the Blessed Sacrament on every Sunday.

Please leave any special prayer requests in the comments.

Running (or walking or working) with the Rosary

2012-02-03T11:12:00.000-08:00

St. Louis de Monfort

After my last post about the Rosary for those who, like me, have difficulties in saying it, I kept thinking about the topic, and I wanted to bring up a couple of things that I was musing over.

One question that I have been pondering:

Is it "OK" to say the Rosary while doing something else, like walking or running or driving or even working, or even lying down?

I wondered that because I have so often said Rosaries while nursing a baby, or driving long distances in the car, or sometimes even while doing the laundry or washing the dishes. Recently I have been saying the Rosary while walking or while riding the stationery bike. All of these things occupy my body but leave my inner self fairly peaceful and quiet, so prayer seems to come naturally while doing them. While when I am stationary and unoccupied while praying, I often fall asleep or inadvertently daydream.

I found an answer, again, in the writing of St Louis Marie de Montfort.

I would like to add that the Rosary ought to be said reverently, that is to say, it ought to be said as much as possible, kneeling, with hands joined, clasping the rosary. However, if you are ill, you can, of course, say it in bed; or if one is travelling it can be said while walking; if, on account of some infirmity, you cannot kneel you can say it standing or sitting.

You can even say it while working if your duties do not allow you to leave your job, for work with one's hands is not always incompatible with vocal prayer.

I agree that, since the soul has its limitations and can only do so much, when we are concentrating on manual work we are less attentive to the activities of the spirit, such as prayer. But when we cannot do otherwise, this kind of prayer is not without its value in our Lady's eyes, and she rewards our good- will more than our exterior actions.

So the answer would be that it is indeed "OK" though the norm is still kneeling with the rosary clasped in hand.      "OK" would mean that the practice of praying the Rosary while doing something else can be reverent and have spiritual value.

On the other hand, as one would expect, multi-tasking is probably not the ideal with anything.     If you can, it is best to devote your entire body to prayer, or so I understand it.

If you can't manage this, for whatever reason, you can still say the Rosary while doing something else that leaves your mind and heart free for prayer.

While searching for things on praying while running, I found a nice story about Alberto Salazar and the Rosary.   My husband and I really admired legendary long-distance runner Salazar as University of Oregon students back in the early 80's. Salazar lived in Eugene for several years and I even taught his son in CCD for a couple of months before the family moved to Portland.   This is from the article:

“I was…the average Catholic,” Salazar told me. “I told people I had faith, but everything else was second place to running. I could usually fit in both Mass and my 20-mile runs on Sundays, but if there was a conflict, the 20-mile runs would win. Intellectually, I knew that God, my wife and child were most important, but in my heart, running was my god.” But when a series of serious injuries kept Salazar out of the winner’s circle for twelve years, Alberto regained his Catholicism and signed on for one last race, the 53.75-mile Comrades Ultra Marathon in South Africa.

While some in the press laughed at him for being too old, and many in the crowd booed him as a “brash American,” the jeers miraculously turned to cheers, when, after briefly dropping out at the 30-mile mark, Alberto resumed running, now praying the rosary out loud. “The crowd saw that I was humbled and could actually see there was a higher force working within me,” Salazar recalled “and not only did they start to cheer, many even began praying the rosary with me,” spurring Salazar on to victory in his final competition.

It does seem to me that there is an integral connection between exercise and the prayer life, and perhaps especially between regular exercise and the Rosary. Both can be difficult, tedious and somewhat humbling; both are very valuable, one to strengthen the physical fibre, the other to strengthen one spiritually.

A couple of years ago I read Bernanos' Diary of a Country Priest and I was very struck by this from an older priest to a younger, suffering one.

"If you can't pray -- at least say your prayers! Look! I've done some struggling in my time, too. The devil used to make me loathe prayers, so, once, that I would sweat all over my rosary getting through it. Try to realize that!"

That reminded me that the Rosary, while difficult to say regularly for some of us, is also very suited to the most difficult of circumstances. It is in many ways a prayer for regular folk in the world, a sort of heartbeat of ordinary life, an aerobic exercise for the spirit. Though it is important to say it with reverence and attention, it is meant to be part of the ordinary rhythm of ordinary life; its flexibility allows it to be incorporated into many different daily routines.

ETA: Faith mentioned that Pope Benedict XVI says the Rosary while walking and it's true!

Benedict XVI has a deep devotion to Mary, the spokesman said, noting that the Pontiff prays the rosary walking every day with his secretaries.He "invites us to us this prayer," Father Lombardi affirmed, "simple, humble, daily, which everyone can pray with devotion and which helps us also to meditate on the mysteries of the life of Christ together with Mary, who is obviously the person closest to Christ.

For Any Remedial Rosary Sayers

2012-01-31T00:30:00.000-08:00

Maybe you are like me, Willa, and have much trouble saying a daily Rosary.   You want to join in the 54 day Miracle Novena but you have failed often before.   Is there any help?

Chari already posted some inspirational thoughts, but I thought perhaps for my own sake and in case it helps any of our readers, I might try to regularly post inspiration or trouble-shooting tips for making the Rosary a bigger part of one's life and for persevering to the end of the Rosary Novena.

Even if you are a failed Rosary sayer, don't be discouraged.   As Chari said, we are something like an army when we are saying the Rosary together. If one of us stumbles and falls, our friends and our angels are there to help us up again.

Today I found this quote from St Louis Marie de Montfort's Secret of the Rosary and wanted to share. It talks about why the Rosary is so difficult (for some of us, anyway) and why it is worth it even if it is so difficult. He seems to tell us that it's worth it to persevere, even or especially when it's very hard.   What he said made a lot of sense to me and spoke to why the Rosary is so difficult for me!

WHEN THE ROSARY is well said it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and it is more meritorious for the soul than any other prayer. But it is also the hardest prayer to say well and to persevere in, owing especially to the distractions which almost inevitably attend the constant repetition of the same words.

When we say the Little Office of Our Lady, or the Seven Penitential Psalms, or any prayers other than the Rosary, the variety of words and expressions keeps us alert, prevents our imagination from wandering, and so makes it easier for us to say them well. On the contrary, because of the constant repetition of the same Our Father and Hail Mary in the same unvarying form, it is difficult, while saying the Rosary, not to become wearied and inclined to sleep or to turn to other prayers that are more refreshing and less tedious.

This goes to show that one needs much greater devotion to persevere in saying the Holy Rosary than in saying any other prayer, even the Psalms of David.Our imagination, which is hardly still a minute, makes our task harder and then of course there is the devil who never tires of trying to distract us and keep us from praying.

To what ends does not the evil one go against us while we are engaged in saying our Rosary against him. Being human, we easily become tired and slipshod----but the devil makes these difficulties worse when we are saying the Rosary. Before we even begin he makes us feel bored, distracted or exhausted----and when we have started praying he oppresses us from all sides. And when, after much difficulty and many distractions, we have finished, he whispers to us: "What you have just said is worthless. It's useless for you to say the Rosary. You had better get on with other things. It's only a waste of time to pray without paying attention to what you're saying; half an hour's meditation or some spiritual reading would be much better. Tomorrow when you're not feeling so sluggish you'll pray better; don't finish your Rosary until tomorrow." By tricks of this kind the devil gets us to give up the Rosary altogether or else hardly say it at all, and we keep putting it off or else change to some other devotion.

Dear Rosary Confraternity members, do not listen to the devil, but be of good heart even if your imagination has been bothering you throughout your Rosary, filling your mind with all kinds of distracting thoughts----as long as you really tried hard to get rid of them as soon as they came. Always remember that the best Rosary is the one with the most merit, and there is more merit in praying when it is hard than when it is easy.

.... Even if you have to fight distractions all through your whole Rosary be sure to fight well, arms in hand: that is to say, do not stop saying your Rosary even if it is hard to say and you have absolutely no sensible devotion. It is a terrible battle, I know, but one that is profitable to the faithful soul.

A Wee Bit of Humor

2012-01-30T15:28:00.000-08:00

I have two sisters........one lives about four hours away, in a place like me........brrrrrr.......although she does not get as much snow as we do........but she does get cold and she does get some snow.

That other sister, the middle one......gets to live in Hawaii.....Oahu to be precise.

She tortures the two of us.....with pictures of warm weather, year round.

Yesterday, when my yard was still full of snow........she and two of her daughters were lounging at the beach. They found this "Sandman" most amusing......and certainly wanted to make sure that those of us who were cold......were entertained by the vision.

I loved it!

Clever!

and then........she shared this photo below of a sea turtle sculpted by her daughters.

It is adorable!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And, since we are on the topic of Hawaii.....here is another lovely photo that she sent not too long ago.....oh, am I jealous!! How about you???

Warmest Blessings to you,

from a balmy Northern California,

where we are hanging out in the fifties* in January,

Chari

Willa's 2011 Book List - Nonfiction

2012-01-29T12:55:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I posted my fiction book list for last year but I never got around to posting the non-fiction book list. So here we go now. I started off by commenting on each one but it was getting too looong and I was often just repeating the subtitle. Whew, a lot of books! Please comment if you've read one of them, or HAVEN'T read one and want to know more about it.

Catholic

The Consolation of Philosophy

By Boethius.... apparently my kids didn't much like reading it at TAC but I enjoyed it. Public Domain.

Your Neighbor and You; Our Dealings with Thoseabout Us

This was one of those books written by a priest to laymen from around the turn of the century. Very kind and encouraging, good advice. Public Domain.

ASpiritual Aeneid

Father Ronald Knox's story of his conversion from Anglican to Roman Catholic. I love Ronald Knox. Public Domain.

Familiaris Consortio

An encyclical by Pope John Paul II about the role and vocation of the family. This was a reread. You can find lots of encyclicals online.

Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII (of 8)

A collection of Cardinal Newman's sermons from his Anglican days. He is an amazing sermon writer. He takes a scripture and develops it beautifully and with so much learning and insight. Public Domain.

>All You Who Labor: Work and the Sanctification ofDaily Life

A trasnlation from Sophia Institute Press of a book by a well known Polish cardinal (whose name I can't remember at the moment). I've read this before too, at least in parts.

Philosophy, Science, Commentary

Superheroes: The Best of Philosophy and PopCulture

A Kindle limited time promotional. The author takes different superheroes and discusses them in terms of philosophical concepts. For example, the story of Batman brings up the question of whether it's justifiable to kill the Joker to prevent him doing any more evil. Can you do violence to forestall violence without becoming a violent criminal yourself? Fun to discuss with teenage sons.

The Myth of the Garage

A collection of essays. I enjoyed reading them but don't remember too many of the details.

Beyond Good and Evil

I decided I really should read something of Nietzsche and this one was at our house. Very interesting.

The Grand Design

By Stephen Hawking and someone else. Physics interesting, philosophy simplistic.

The Gifts of the Jews

This is by Thomas Cahill, author of How the Irish Saved Civilization. It was not as good as that one, but still interesting as a sort of survey of Old Testament history and its legacy.

Zen Culture

This was really interesting but took a long time to read. It was about how Zen Buddhism has influenced Japanese art, particularly, but also other things.

Parenting

A Family of Value

This book bothered me a bit but I don't remember quite why. I think it was because it was one of those parenting books written by choleric men that seem to cast the children more or less in the role of the enemy barbarians.

Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys

Interesting book on how raising boys is different from raising girls.

Simplicity Parenting: Using the ExtraordinaryPower of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids

This book is extremely insightful. I read a lot of parenting and simplicity books and they start sounding somewhat alike, but this one was different. It made the fascinating point that more parenting issues than you would think come from the frenzied level of overstimulation that our children are bathed in without us even noticing. It covers issues like Too Many Toys, Extreme Food, Media Barrage of Information, and more.

Life Skills for Kids: Equipping Your Child forthe Real World

Divided into different topics, about the nitty gritty of teaching life skills to kids. Ideas for projects and discussions. It's the kind of book I have trouble reading because it doesn't really have the "big picture", but if you are one of those practical hands on people, you might find it very valuable.

RaisingCharitable Children

An inspiring and short book about introducing your children to charitable giving and service.

Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to MatterMore Than Peers

A reread. This is one of my top five parenting books.

Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the FreedomWe Had Without Going Nuts with Worry

Funny and interesting, making the point that statistically, we don't live in such dangerous times for children as we thought, and that we are not doing any favors to our kids by keeping them at home and protected from any possible harm.

Reaching Teens in Their Natural Habitat: A FieldGuide for Savvy Parents

This was an OK book. The author has a real interest in teenagers, but I didn't really get into it much, maybe because I picked it up on impulse at the library and didn't have any specific motivation for reading it.

Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising HealthySons

Pretty good book. I have heard that some people really love the book, but to me the secrets seemed fairly obvious.

The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers: Reclaiming OurPassion, Purpose, and Sanity

Again, a good book, but didn't really grab me. All the habits seemed quite obvious. I guess my life is so much different from those of the moms in the book that the advice didn't seem targeted to me.

Education

Unschooling Rules: 55 Ways to Unlearn What WeKnow About Schools and Rediscover Education

I liked this! It was divided into 55 short chapters of "Ways" or "Rules" but the author managed to connect them so they didn't seem random or scattered.

Hothouse Transplants

The self-told stories of several grown homeschoolers. Most of this kind of book is written by unschooling graduates, but this one was centered on homeschoolers who received a Protestant, more or less "school at home" type of education. Cathy Duffy's son Matthew pulled together the collection and wrote one of the chapters.

ALittle Way of Homeschooling

I have a chapter in this book -- the stories of Catholic unschooling families, and some who partly unschool (like me). I go back and reread the book regularly for refreshment. I think it can be a good read even for non-Catholics and non-unschoolers.

The Education of Catholic girls

Public domain, written by a Catholic teacher of girls. Very wise and practical, reminds me of Charlotte Mason and Laura Berquist both.

The Teachable Moment: Seizing the Instants WhenChildren Learn

See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers byTeachers

These books were all available for free on Kindle for a limited time. They were all collections by and for school teachers. Fascinating even for a homeschooler.... some things are the same, some things so different

TheMoral Life of Children

Famous book by psychologist Robert Coles.

The first one is about the virtues of Asian education compared with American. I enjoyed reading it but I don't quite think it made a convincing case.

The second one is famous, and controversial: ). It was a real page-turner, and thought-provoking, slightly sad to me

The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of DrivenKids

Very interesting! And again, a bit sad. These young students are impressive, but also sacrifice much in their effort to reach the top tier of college applicants -- and for what? That is never quite clear.

The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity,Quirk Theory and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School

Makes the case that geekiness is a survival trait in the long run, even if it isn't always a plus in the typical American high school.

Doing School

Another book that "shadows" several kids during a year of school. It makes the case that school doesn't really serve the purposes intended for and that students achieve more by "gaming the system" than by actually trying to get an education.

Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of AdolescentGirls

Makes the case that girls lose their inner selves as they reach adolescence, not typically because of their families, but because of peer environment and media saturation. It was interesting to read a book with a feminist take that also is strongly pro-family.

Fasting Girls: The History of Anorexia Nervosa

About the history of girls starving themselves. Apparently in the 19th century "fasting girls" were often thought to have special sanctity and were much celebrated by the media.

Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression inGirls

Very interesting book about social dynamics in girl groups. No matter where you were in the high school girl crowd, you might find it enlightening to read this book.

Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your DaughterSurvive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence

This is on the topic of girl bullying and tries to lay out strategies and survival skills -- as with all bullying issues, probably not a cure-all but a coping guide.

Schooled

Actually this was a fiction book -- it was about a homeschooled kid raised by an aging hippie, who starts attending a typical middle school and ends up revolutionizing it. Fun, intended for middle school readers. My 15 year old enjoyed it too.

Special Needs

Adopting the Hurt Child: Hope for Families WithSpecial-Needs Kids : A Guide for Parents and Professionals

About adopting older children who have been abused and neglected.

Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention

A sort of memoir by an ADD journalist mom with an ADD son who tries various therapies out there.

Driven To Distraction : Recognizing and Copingwith Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood

Delivered from Distraction: Getting the Most outof Life with Attention Deficit Disorder

Both by a psychologist with adult ADD, who thinks of ADD as a condition with some positive aspects -- telling how to make the most out of life with ADD.

The Disorganized Mind: Coaching Your ADHD Brainto Take Control of Your Time, Tasks, and Talents

Encouraging book telling how to cope with adult ADD.

10 Simple Solutions To Adult Add

Another encouraging book that covers the basics. My problem is that even the simplest organization solutions sound too complex to my somewhat ADD brain.

Asperger's on the Job<

About work life with Asperger, telling about the work experience of adult Aspergians.

The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships

By two adults with Asperger's, telling about what they learned about social life as teens and adults.

Thinking in Pictures and Other Reports from MyLife With Autism

By Temple Grandin -- interesting account of life with autism and how she and her support system made it work.

Scattered: How Attention Deficit DisorderOriginates And What You Can Do About It

By Gabor Mate, who co-wrote Hold On To Your Kids. I really like his writing style so while this book probably didn't contain much new information, I enjoyed reading it.

ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life

Wonderful book even if you don't have ADD. Doesn't take anything for granted and is full of useful strategies for organizing time, space and other things that are difficult for disorganized/ADD types.

Organizing Solutions for People With AttentionDeficit Disorder: Tips and Tools to Help You Take Charge of Your Life and GetOrganized

Had some helpful tips, but again, almost assumes some organization before you can get organized.

Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program That AllowsYou to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD<

This is from the perspective of a neurologist who looks at brain scans of people with ADD. He has identified several different types of ADD and proposes solutions that vary according to type.

What You Must Think of Me: A Firsthand Account ofOne Teenager's Experience with Social Anxiety Disorder

Pretty much a personal memoir. Interesting to read, perhaps a little dated.

Miscellaneous Psychology

Ahh, it is taking too long to write something out for each title. These were all psychology books, many of them dealing with dysfunction n of various types. ...addiction, social anxiety, dysfunctional friendships and family life, stress and its relation to disease, and so on.

Self-Help/Lay Psychology

Mostly self-help or productivity books. Some were commentaries on various aspects of modern life -- like The Shallows (about internet use) and Drive (about the newest research on motivation), and American Nerd (a reflection on nerdiness in modern American life). Helping Me Help Myself was a kind of journalist memoir on various self-help movements. Empty Nest was a collection of essays by various journalists and writers on their experience of their kids moving out of the house.

Health and Fitness

I try to read about one diet/fitness book a month. Why We Run was a little different from the rest -- it was written by Bernd Heinrich, a biologist, and was more of a memoir/natural history about running.

Writing

This year I read quite a few books about writing! I enjoyed the Stephen King one and the Anne Lamott one particularly.

Memoir

If you aren't going to read fiction, then a personal account or memoir is the next best thing. Sometimes they can be almost better than fiction in that they give you experience of a life very different from your own, like "Display of Power", the story of an inner city African American guy who made it big in the fashion industry. There were some memoirs/personal accounts scattered in the other categories, but these are the ones that didn't fit anywhere else.

The Bedside Table Reading Challenge: February 2012

2012-01-28T09:26:00.000-08:00

The Bedside Table Reading Challenge of 2012

The letter for February 2012 is:

The book on my "bedside table" that I will read for this month is.........

The Tale of Holly How

The Cottage Tales of Beatirx Potter
by

Susan Wittig Albert

I am posting the February letter early for those who did not start the January one or for those who are already looking forward to their next selection.

If you have not finished the previous month's book....keep plugging away and do the next letter when you are done....or skip a letter altogther.

If you have more than one title starting with the letter.......just choose one.....or choose the one first that is first in alphabetical order.

Are you in??? Please join me! Join in anytime.......

Please share with other bibliophiles......

Reading Blessings,

Chari

If you like to read in list form.......instead of conversational........

To join:

Post the title and the picture above on your blog post.
Pick the book from your stack that starts with that month's letter.
Pick alphabetically if you have more than one with that letter.
Pick up-the-alphabet if you do not have any with the chosen letter.
List your book choice.
Post a link to your post in our comments.
Share your thoughts about the book after reading the book, if you desire.

54-Day Rosary Novena to Start Tomorrow, January 24th

2012-01-23T15:03:00.000-08:00

I am SO ready for this!!

Who else is in???

     Tomorrow we will start the 54-day Rosary Novena to purposely end on the vigil of St. Joseph's feast day. Hopefully the automatic reminders on Happy is the Husband will kick in! Join the list now to get those reminders. You can probably start on the 25th because the reminders do not necessarily have Leap Day taken into consideration.

    Please leave your intentions.....listed or private.....or annonymous...through
me........even if you cannot pray the novena.......we can pray for you!

     More information about the Rosary Novena:

The "54-day Rosary Novena" is an uninterrupted series of Rosaries in honor of
Our Lady, revealed to the incurably sick Fortuna Agrelli by Our Lady of Pompeii
at Naples in 1884. For thirteen months Fortuna Agrelli had endured dreadful
sufferings and torturous cramps; she had been given up by the most celebrated
physicians. On February 16, 1884, the afflicted girl and her relatives commenced
a novena of Rosaries. The Queen of the Holy Rosary favoured her with an
apparition on March 3rd. Mary, sitting upon a high throne, surrounded by
luminous figures, held the divine Child on her lap, and in her hand a Rosary.
The Virgin Mother and the holy Infant were clad in gold-embroidered garments.
They were accompanied by St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena. The throne was
profusely decorated with flowers; the beauty of Our Lady was marvellous. Blessed
Virgin said: "Child, thou has invoked me by various titles and hast always
obtained favours from me. Now, since thou hast called me by that title so
pleasing to me, 'Queen of the Holy Rosary,' I can no longer refuse the favour
thou dost petition; for this name is most precious and dear to me. Make three
novenas, and thou shalt obtain all."

Once more the Queen of the Holy Rosary appeared to her and said, " Whoever
desires to obtain favours from me should make three novenas of the prayers of
the Rosary, and three novenas in thanksgiving."

The Novena consists of five decades of the Rosary each day for twenty-seven days
in petition; then immediately five decades each day for twenty-seven days in
thanksgiving, whether or not the request has been granted. The meditations vary
from day to day. On the first day meditate on the Joyful Mysteries; on the
second day the Sorrowful Mysteries; on the third day the Glorious Mysteries; on
the fourth day meditate again on the Joyful Mysteries; and so on throughout the
fifty-four days.

This is an old website, add the Luminous if you wish.

      If you put "54 day rosary novena" into Google.........you will find some great
info

     For those of you in unhappy marriages, or feeling desperate.......perhaps
for a conversion of a dh....or for a wayward child........this is a VERY efficacious prayer................the graces just abound! Many times in ways you might least expect it. Keep in mind that many people I know sometimes feel like things get worse when they start the Rosary novena....before they get better......we think it must be the Devil wanting to interfere with our prayers!

      PLEASE consider joining us if you are feeling low.

     We will offer it up for all of those on the happyisthehusband list, those reading this blog and others we know, for our vocations, our husbands and our marriages...............and our offspring!!

     I know that many often feel bad if they forget to pray their rosary once starting the novena................here are my thoughts:

      Just ask for the graces to remember to pray it every day...................the grace to pick yourself up and just join in when you DO remember. I ask my guardian angel to pray it with me, to remind
me........and, to pray it for me, if I should forget. And, if you do forget, those of us who do remember, have you covered......just jump back in! If I only forget one day, I sometimes try to make it up over the next day or so.

      There are graces available to you from every rosary you DO say.....is so worth it.
     You can use an audio version of the rosary to help keep you focused. I have downloaded these from The Rosary Army to listen to on my iPhone. You can listen on your computer, your iPod or save to a CD. I use it when I work or drive if it looks like I will have trouble finding a time to stop and pray at home.
     Looking forward to praying with you and for you!

Blessings,

                 Chari & Willa

The Bedside Table Reading Challenge: January 2012

2012-01-21T15:47:00.000-08:00

How many of you have a stack of books that you are going to read "someday"?

I know you are out there.......because in past years I have been part of several internet discussions of...........

"How many books are on your bedside table?"

Perhaps your books are not on an actual bedside table.......I do not even have a bedside table. But my desk is nearby.......and they used to be stacked on that desk.........till my husband built four shelves above my desk. Now I keep the books there........and they, the books, are making me crazy! I just added about five more at Christmas. There is no.more.room.for.more.books. And we all know that there will be more! The scary thing is........earlier this year, I had to move at least twenty of them to another spot. I have no less than seventy vying for my attention......and in all genres. Other books, especially classics, keep coming between me and this "stack".

I have vowed to read through at least ten this year......maybe more. But because it is challenging and perhaps even overwhelming......to choose which ones to read first.......I came up with a random way of picking what to read first. I thought it would be fun to do this this with other bibiliphiles.....and so, I have started......

The Bedside Table Reading Challenge of 2012

I will randomly pick a letter from the alphabet........and whatever letter that is......say M for January....we will read a title from our stack starting with that letter.

If you do not have a stack, just choose from your book shelves.....or make a stack and get started!

Post this on your blog, if you have one........and/or leave a comment on this post, stating that you are joining in.....and what book you have chosen for this month. Please post a picture of your stack! When you are finished reading....share a few thoughts about the book, if you wish. I will post a new letter each month.....hopefully in the first week of the month.......

If you have more than one title starting with the letter.......just choose one.....or choose the one first that is first in alphabetical order.

I know there is not much time left in January, but I am aware that some of you read voraciously and can probably still fit a book in before the end of this month. I can. I will. I ought. :)

The letter for this month, January 2012 is:

The book on my "bedside table" that I will read for this month is.........

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Kim Edwards

      Are you in??? Please join me! Willa?

     Please share with other bibliophiles......

      Happy New Year Reading Blessings,


                              Chari

If you like to read in list form.......instead of conversational........

To join:

Post the title and the picture above on your blog post.
Pick the book from your stack that starts with that month's letter.
Pick alphabetically if you have more than one with that letter.
Pick up-the-alphabet if you do not have any with the chosen letter.
List your book choice.
Post a link to your post in our comments.
Share your thoughts about the book after reading the book, if you desire.

A Wee Bit of Humor: Real Men Dance With Their Brothers

2012-01-21T11:26:00.000-08:00

     I cannot find a way to get the Facebook video into Blogger.......so I will send a link for you, for now.

     We were at a New Year's Eve Ball thrown by the ballroom dance instructors. It took place in a building at least 100 years old. Since there are not alot of people present at these balls, sometimes my kids will dance with their siblings. For this dance, Save the Last Dance For Me by Michael Buble, my two girls, seen in the background began dancing. Then, my boys partnered......as seen in the foreground.

      My boys, the younger aged 14 years, and the oldest, on his birthday here, turned 21 years. They provided much humourous entertainment.....enough that the girls sat out to give them the floor. As you can see, especially as the song nears the end.....the boys are vying for who is to lead this dance......ultimately, the older maintains that he is still yet, the stronger of the two. :)

      Please watch and laugh with me.......it is hilarious! And encourage your kids to learn to ballroom dance......it is great family fun!!!

Click here: Real Men Dance With Their Brothers

Happy new year blessings,

Chari

First Snow of the Year at Hearts' Haven!

2012-01-19T16:36:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, we have had unseasonably sunny weather here, week after week, for weeks, 12 maybe......sometimes it was even warm!

Yesterday, that all came to an end.......

It is not much snow, but this week we celebrate the first precipitation of the new year!

I had to drive to town today for a meeting. I took a couple of photos of the road before me......

Utterly fairylike in its beauty.

Below is the road that leads to my dirt road.

I love driving that beautiful country road in all seasons.

And a couple of photos from Our Hearts' Haven......

Cute boy and cute dogs.

Our Hearts' Haven & a Shoveling Duo

Blessings from Northern California, where winter has definitely made itself known,

Chari

PS: It really bums me out that we have finally started this blog and each month we, at Hearts Haven, struggle with Internet issues (as a result of living in the country....a forested country). We are on another fast......we are attempting to figure out more improved ease of Internet use here......

The View from Up Here

2012-01-16T04:49:00.000-08:00

I have gone up to Alaska to be with my mom whose health took a turn for the worse. As Chari mentioned, prayers would be very welcome! Since Chari has been talking about praying for husbands, my husband is holding the fort with the kids back in Oregon so he probably would benefit from some prayers too.

I thought I would post some pictures I took yesterday during a long, beautiful sunset. The chill has been unreal, in the negative double digits at night, and it makes the air look almost dreamlike. I only have my IPhone camera up here and I was taking these pictures from INSIDE, thank you very much, so the quality isn't that great, but it gives you an idea.

Now that every day isn't quite so busy maybe I will have a chance to get back to posting. Hopefully!

The little light is a ski-mobiler out on the frozen lake. Chilly!

January: Pray for our husbands' spiritual health

2012-01-16T01:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I introduced the idea of praying themes for a year of praying for our husbands. Today I bring the theme of January to you.......

January: Pray for our husbands' spiritual health......and ours, too
under the patronage of the Holy Name of Jesus

Dear God, please bring our husbands to the Sacraments frequently. If
our husbands are away from the sacraments, please bring them back. If our
husbands are not yet Catholic, please call them to Your church.

Please help us, as their wives, to do what You will have us do, to aid our
men,on their spiritual journey. To help them to save their souls, to be with You
forever in heaven.

Please help us to say what needs to be said. Please help us to be silent when
necessary. Please help us to lead by example.

Please help us to pray more often together.

We beg for these intentions, in honor of the Holy Name of Jesus.

Remember to take all of these intentions to our Dear Lord in the Blessed
Sacrament on Sunday.

Please leave any special prayer requests in the comments.

A Year of Prayers for our Husbands and Ourselves

2012-01-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

I am not sure that I can actually do this on TUAR, but I can try. On my email list Happy is the Husband, which I wrote about yesterday, I have a year long plan of prayers for each month. I thought I would share about it on the blog and then try to post in the first week of each month, the prayer theme for that particular month.

What am I talking about??? Well, you can read below, a post that I wrote for the email list, quite a few years back. And then later today or tomorrow, I will post the theme for January. It is all ready to go!

Originally written in 2006:

I am usually awake too early, every morning (hormonal issues, I guess
:/)......and my thoughts are usually just below the waking level, and often seem
inspired by the Holy Ghost...........almost like the thoughts are INFUSED into
my mind, rather than me purposely thinking the thoughts...........this is has
been going on for years, actually. I just wish I always remembered the
thoughts. In fact, I often do forget them, till something reminds me later that
day.

So, Friday morning, I was inspired with the following idea:

Kind of like how Holy Mother Church provides us with a special focus for prayer
and devotion each month, like the Precious Blood in July, Sacred Heart in June,
Holy Rosary in October, Holy Souls in Nov...............I was thinking, or,
GIVEN :) the thought, that we could apply this to our email group. Each month
could be a special prayer focus for us, for our husbands. It could keep us
always thinking about praying for them. And, of course, if we do it as a group,
our graces and prayer power would be multiplied. I always like that! Great
visualization!

I could send an email every Friday night, when I remember (hormones again,
messing with my memory :})......so, that you would find it in your email boxes
on Saturday...........to remind you to take the prayers & intentions to Our Lord
in the Blessed Sacrament on Sundays.

here is the happyisthehusband calendar I was thinking of doing:

January: Pray for our husbands' spiritual health......and ours, too
under the patronage of the Holy Name of Jesus

February: Pray for our husbands' physical health......and ours, too
under the patronage of the Holy Family & Our Lord's Passion

March: Pray for our husbands' employment situations, and for his
finances.......and our own
under the patronage of Saint Joseph

April: Pray for our husbands' emotional health......and ours, too
under the patronage of the Holy Eucharist

May: Pray for our husbands' relationships with their children..............and
our own
under the patronage of Our Blessed Mother Mary

June: Pray for our husbands' leadership role in the family.......and our own
role, as the heart of the family
under the patronage of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

July: Pray for our husbands' purity, and protection from the world.......and
for ourselves
under the patronage of the Most Holy Precious Blood of Jesus

August: Pray for our husbands' relationships with other family
members.......and our own
under the patronage of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

September: Pray for our marriage
under the patronage of our Sorrowful Mother & the Holy Angels

October: Pray for his own private intentions, whatever they may be........and
for our own
under the patronage of Our Blessed Mother & her Holy Rosary

November: Pray for our husbands...........a happy and holy death........and for
our own
under the patronage of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

December: Pray for our husbands' future............and our own
under the patronage of the most Holy and Divine Infant & His Mother's Immaculate
Conception

no huge commitment on our parts...............and, having the opportunity to
pray for others (our husbands)............helps us to become more
holy..........we cannot but become closer to God, just by talking to him more
frequently. I think you will find an improvement in your own spiritual life,
just by partaking in this opportunity.

We are so blessed to be here, together, praying. I find it an incredible, and
awe-inspiring privilege. And, I give all thanks to God. He is amazing in His
graciousness!

Let me know what you think.........

In the sweet heart of Mary,

Chari

PS Just as an update, I DO sleep better these days......but God still talks to me in the stillness of the early morning. : )

Happy is the Husband.......

2012-01-14T11:57:00.000-08:00

......of a good wife: for the number of his years is double. A virtous woman rejoiceth her husband, and shall fulfil the years of his life in peace. A good wife is a good portion, she shall be given in the portion of them that fear God, to a man for his good deeds. Ecclesiasticus, Chapter 26, 1-3

     In 2005, I started an email list called Happy is the Husband. The description from the group is below:

      This email list is for Catholic women of all ages, to have a special place to pray for each other's husbands and marriages. We can also use this forum to discuss our vocations as wives.....supporting each other, asking for advice. Those who have happy marriages, or long marriages, can guide those who are struggling, or who are newly married. We can bring to our group: books, prayers, Bible verses, articles, ideas...to support our vocation. Each month, we will start with a Novena for our husbands, our marriages and our vocations. There may be an occasional book study. Perhaps a once a month topic. Hopefully, once a year we will pray a 54 Day Rosary Novena. Everyone should feel safe here, to ask for any prayer or advice. You may email the list owner privately and an annonymous request or question will be sent to the list on your behalf. Two requests: we always stay focused on the topics mentioned above....and no husband-bashing.

     All prayer requests are welcome, especially those for our husbands, and ourselves as wives. The motivation for starting this list was, I believe, divinely inspired. God has been pressing on my heart the need that I, and other women have, of courage to fulfill our vocations. All of you on this list will be in my daily prayers.

     Our Patrons: The Blessed Virgin Mary, our guide and holy example of a perfect wife; Saint Joseph, her spouse, and the holy example of the perfect husband; Saint Anne, patron saint of wives & mothers, an ideal role model for all mothers & housekeepers; Saint Monica, for her perseverance in prayer & Blessed Anna Maria Taigi and Elisabeth Leseur.


      I am taking the time to share this information with you right now because I would like to invite you to pray with us later this month. We pray a 54-Day Rosary Novena twice a year. The first one starts on January 24th so that it can be completed in time for St. Joseph's Feast Day in March. The second one starts in August and is finished on the Feast of the Holy Rosary ( I think!). There are daily emails for the Rosary Novena.

     I am sad that I do not get to much else on the list at this time, but someday, probably when I no longer have kids to homeschool, I hope to make it a more active ministry. I love the idea of this list. I love to pray for others and I love praying for my husband. This is a wonderful way to combine both.

     This email list does not generate a lot of emails so you should not find it a burden to join. There are the occasional prayer requests as well the Novena reminders, mostly.

     In years when I am on top of things, we have monthly prayer topics and weekly reminders. I hope to put out a bit of effort to work on that this year.......a challenge when we have just started this new blog!

     Please join us for prayer at Happy Is the Husband. Even if you cannot join the novena at this time, at least come and bring your intentions to us so that we can pray for you.

     Christmas Blessings, till February 2nd,


                                        Chari

Prayerfully Yours

2012-01-11T00:31:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in the last Prayerfully Yours post that Willa's mom could use some prayers. Willa is spending this week with her mom in Alaska. Please keep them in prayer as they spend quality time together. I came here just to ask this favor of you......

Most of the other prayer requests are still in effect....I will repost those ones below:

      My cousin who is only 43 years old and has had major health problems for the last ten years of her life, has been found to have cancer cells in her lungs. Please pray for her and her loved ones as they work through this. Perhaps they could find God in all of this......she is having a real rough time.

      I know too many husbands out of work. Some of it is quite close to home. Please pray that these men find the jobs God wants for them.....and that they can still live with their families while they do so.

       For closure of law suits for two young adult Catholic (formerly homeschooled) kids.......who were in car accidents that were not their fault and now dealing with insurance companies not taking responsibility for their clients. Both of these young people are having lingering health issues related to this as well. One of them is mine. : /

     Both of us have ill mothers.........

     For all of our private intentions....... yours, mine and hers.......

And a couple of new ones:

For all of our young adults, as they try to figure out God's plan for their lives. I know of two college seniors, both former homeschoolers, who could especially use prayers as they finish up this last semester.

For these expectant moms, we offer a daily Memorare:

One of my dearest friends: Gloria, due with number seven in August

Another dear friend: Maria, due with number ten in March

Please let us know if you have any special requests to add. Please let us know if we can add you to our expectant mom list. We would love to pray for you!

Prayerfully yours,

Chari & Willa

PS: With Willa out of town, and with me working a lot this week, we may find that we are having trouble finding time to post. Please bear with us.....

Willa's 2011 Book List -- Fiction

2012-01-06T19:48:00.000-08:00

Chari and I want to share our lists of books we read in 2011.   Chari is compiling her list. She read less than I did last year because last year was especially busy for her and especially out of the ordinary for me.    I did a lot of traveling, and read in the car, in airports, and at the places we visited.   Also, I got a Kindle with my Christmas money in January.

I tried to categorize them for this post, since it's hard to take in a random (long) list of things, and I am breaking it up into two posts. This is the fiction list. In a future post I will list the non fiction.

Doing this took a long time! Next year I'll be sure not to read so much : ).

By the way, I keep track of what I've read on Goodreads.   If you are on there please feel free to friend me, or give me your username and I will try to seek you out; I love seeing other readers' book lists.

Also if you want to talk about a book you particularly enjoyed, or ask about a book, or you have a blog where you've listed your 2011 reading, please do share.

So here's the Nearly Interminable Fiction Book List of 2011

Classic (Public Domain)

The Little Prince

A classic! I read this as a teenager, and even dressed my toddler brother up as the Little Prince and did a photo shoot (a patient little kid). I assigned it to my 15 year old, so I thought I would read it again to keep him company. (this one actually isn't public domain; I did find an online version though).

Waverley

Sir Walter Scott. I was interested in the book because Charlotte Mason mentions it as an example of a novelist talking about education. (I put some quotes here).

I hadn't read anything by Tolstoy before, though I even took a class on Russian literature in college. So getting a Kindle gave me a good opportunity, since I didn't have to lug around a huge book.

The Scarlet Letter

I read this in college, but I thought it was a good time to reread.

Vanity Fair

I liked this book! Becky Sharp was like a heroine in a soap opera... incorrigible.

I've read several George Eliot and thought I would read these after watching the movie versions with my daughter during the 2011 Christmas break.

Nicholas Nickleby

I read this during this year's Christmas break after watching the movie version with my daughter. Good book! I really liked it.

What Maisie Knew

By Henry James. This is told from the perspective of a child, the young daughter of a divorced couple who are bitterly antangonist to each other. Wow, this is a dysfunctional family and the girl is caught in the middle.

Mr. Hogarth's Will

A really interesting novel about two young women who are intentionally left penniless by their rich and eccentric uncle, who believes women should be able to make their way in the world without living off a man. The story moves from Scotland to Australia and has a lot of twists and turns.

Mrs. Day's Daughters

I read this book really hoping I wouldn't raise children like this. Mrs Day is widowed when her husband is convicted for business fraud and shoots himself. Her three grown children and one younger son have to try to survive in the real world. It's a romance as much as anything, and was interesting reading.

The Rectory Children

A tale for children. I blogged about it here.

Under the Greenwood Tree

An Eye for an Eye

I blogged about these here.

Both by Kathleen Thompston Norris. Mother is about a girl who gets to have a glamorous career and the contrast with her mother who is raising a large family in relative poverty and obscurity -- nice SAHM message. The Treasure is about the trials of an upper middle class wife and mother trying to find the perfect household servant. Both light and short but interesting.

The Lodger

Based on the case of Jack the Ripper, by Marie Belloc Lowndes, sister of Hilaire Belloc. Somewhat creepy but doesn't quite qualify as a horror story.

The Rosary

I thought this was a Catholic book, but it isn't. The "Rosary" of the title is actually from the title of a real song, which is sung by the heroine.

I read some Christmas type stories and these were the public domain ones.

Charlotte Yonge

This year I read a lot of books by Charlotte Yonge, who was an Anglican writer who wrote voluminously for children as well as adults. These were fascinating. She has an intense interest in education and many of the young people in the books are home tutored in one form or another, either by their parents or by tutors or governesses. She was also very interested in character and in Christian living so many of her stories are deeply connected with moral and spiritual issues.

Catholic Fiction

In the Dark Before Dawn: New Selected Poems

Poems by Thomas Merton. Some really , really good, and some not so good. I was lent this book by someone at my church. I love his best poems but don't much care at all for his worse ones.

The Comedians

By Graham Greene. Sort of a book noir.

Morte D'Urban

I knew about JF Powers from reading Flannery O'Connor's letters. He was a contemporary of hers. This was a really, really good book, about a sort of worldly priest who changes during the course of the novel. I loved it. Highly recommended.

CALLISTA: A Sketch of The Third Century

By John Cardinal Newman, a novel about life during the early days of Christianity. Actually a really good book, will go on my bookshelf along with Fabiola.

Decline and Fall

Evelyn Waugh's first novel. Horrifying and funny.

Loss and Gain. The Story of a Convert

By Cardinal John Henry Newman. Semi-autobiographical novel about the conversion of a young Oxford scholar to Catholicism, and what happens as a result.

The Betrothed

This is an excellent Catholic novel that Chari recommended. I'm not sure why it's not more of a household word among Catholics. It is certainly very appropriate for teenagers, and has a nice love story as well as a depiction of a heroic priest and a not-so-heroic one.

Quo Vadis

Another novel about the early days of Christianity and the persecutions under Nero. Features Petronius, the real author of the Satyricon, and his fictional nephew who falls in love with a young barbarian Christian woman.

Fantasy (YA)

The Saint of Dragons (Simon St George #1)

OK book -- it was the sort of book written by a teenager, or in this case, a film-writer.

His Dark Materials Trilogy: The Golden Compass /The Subtle Knife / The Amber Spyglass

I read these because I had heard about Philip Pullman's atheism and his criticism of CS Lewis. The books aren't bad. Not all the plot elements came together at the end, but I can live with that when a trilogy has as many elements as this one does. The bad part is that he was torn between his storytelling acumen and his desire to write anti-Theist propaganda. So having an "Almighty" who turns out to be frail and pathetic is great, but identifying him as the Jehovah of the Old Testament is just silly. And the same when he tried to make a case for immorality -- it just sounded contrived, especially since the plot only convinced when the characters worked with the basic moral compass.

A Tale of Two Castles

This is a good author. I really enjoy her books. They are like fantasy fairy tales.

Closer (Tunnels, #4)

Science Fiction

A Voyage to Arcturus

CS Lewis mentioned this book. It is very odd, almost Satanistic.

ACanticle for Leibowitz>

A reread. A Catholic science fiction classic. An older teenager could read this. I recommend it.

General Fiction

The Help

Good first novel. Probably everyone's heard of it. There's a movie out but I haven't seen it.

Hunger

A collection of stories by a Chinese-American author, very good. Mostly about the stress of immigration and how it affects various families.

Hard Laughter>

;By Anne Lamott. A good first novel, semi-autobiographical, about an odd set of siblings whose faither has brain cancer. Some language and sex.

Walking on Broken Glass

;I think this was about an alcoholic wife in a troubled marriage but I can't remember for sure.

Remembering Christmas: A Novel

Two free Kindle books I read during Advent. Both pretty OK.

Perfect Match

I found these two Jodi Piccoult books on my library discard match. Page-turners, fun light reading, I skip through the romance scenes.

When You Went Away

A pretty good romantic story about a widower raising a small son.

Riven>

I didn't much like this book by one of the authors of Left Behind. There are two parallel stories, one about a failing pastor whose daughter has lost her faith and whose wife is diagnosed with cancer. The other is about a juvenile delinquent. I liked both the storylines, and both struck me as very plausible, but the pacing was sort of plodding, and the ending was just implausible and religiously wrong to me.

TheApothecary's Daughter

A Regency Romance, quite good. Until the end you really don't know which of the three main guys in the book will be "the one", which made it interesting and different. It had a Christian emphasis too.

Mystery

My Mom gave me these ones (above) after she read them. I like Margery Allingham and Alexander McCall, and liked these books, very readable airplane fare. First Family was all right if you like fast paced thrillers.

Invisible (Ivy Malone Mysteries, #1)

These last ones were all free for a limited time on Kindle and they were all fairly decent light reading.

Literarily Yours,

Willa

Blessing the Children

2012-01-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

“The little ones, the poor in spirit: they are the key figures of Christmas, in the past and in the present; they have always been the key figures of God’s history, the indefatigable builders of his Kingdom of justice, love and peace.” Benedict XVI

I started writing this on the Feast of the Holy Innocents but got busy and missed the occasion. But I still wanted to talk about one of the devotions mentioned at Catholic Culture for the Childermas -- the institution of the parental blessing. From the article: :

As I go from bed to bed at night, I just make the sign of the Cross with my hand over each child while saying: "May God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost keep you safe this night."

The custom of blessing children is easiest to establish with a baby or toddler and it grows with them. For older children the realization that parental blessings are as old as the human race can be established from reading the Old Testament. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob blessed their children.

Before his journey Tobias blessed his son with the words: "May you have a good journey, and God be with you on your way, and His angels accompany you." I have seen a newly ordained priest kneel for his parents' blessing and then give them his first blessing. It is easy for a child who receives his father's or mother's blessing to see them as God's representatives.

Encouraging parental blessings, St. Ambrose says: "You may not be rich; you may be unable to bequeath great possessions to your children; but one thing you can give them — the heritage of your blessing. And it is better to be blessed than to be rich."

I too have been giving a blessing to my children at bedtime almost since we started homeschooling, starting when my older children were young and now doing the same with the younger children. It felt awkward to me at first, but it was worth it, especially as it is very simple and fits in well with the ordinary bedtime ritual. As they get older usually the bedtime blessings fade away as the older children become responsible for their own bedtime routine. though one of my older ones kept asking for a nightly blessing up till he was over 18. It was very sweet and I think helped him grow in grace and our relationship stay strong.

My youngest always blesses me back when I bless him. We have a sort of nightly litany:

God bless you. God bless you too!

Guardian angel protect you. Guardian angel protect you too!

I pray that you have good dreams or none at all. I pray the same for you!

And so on, sometimes at great length, with all kinds of variations! It is a good way to end the day!

My special needs 12 year old is presently a bit embarrassed about receiving the blessing, but if I forget he sometimes calls out from the door in the form of a question:

"Guardian angel protect me?"

So I think he does not mind even if he is at that awkward pre-adolescent age.

Here are some more formal blessings of children, including a sick child, at ETWN.

Yours in the Catholic faith,

Willa

Choosing a Friend-Saint for the Journey

2012-01-03T00:30:00.001-08:00

And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us Hebrews 12:1

I love the Saint's Name Generator created by Jennifer Fulwiler that Chari mentioned, and I regularly go to it when I want to have the particular patronage of a saint for some endeavor or other.

I particularly like the way Jennifer has you click a button twice and in the interim (before your final pick) you are reminded to pray. I have been surprised how close the choice is to something going on in my life or heart.

I also admit that I love randomizers in general, so a randomizer that helps me grow closer to God and His Communion of Saints is an All-Win for me.

A couple of stories about how I have used it recently -- hoping to inspire you to choose a friend for any trial or difficulty if you feel so called....

--1--

Just before Christmas I was praying about various family difficulties, including my mother's struggle with cancer, and the name generator picked the beautiful Chiara Luce Badano as a patron for me.

Chiara was an athletic Italian teenager who was diagnosed with cancer at 17 and suffered much pain with great patience, offering it up in participation with Jesus's suffering on the Cross.

How timely for me to reflect on her life, especially now that I have teenagers and grown children and my role as mother has changed accordingly! She was born when I was nine.

Her parents wanted many children, but she was their only child, born 11 years after they married. Of her upbringing her mother said something I want to remember:

"She was not only our daughter. She belonged, in the first place, to God and as such, we had to educate her, respecting her liberty."

Like my daughter, Chiara was named after St Clare of Assissi, since Chiara is the Italian form of Clare.

--2--

For several years I have had a tradition of choosing a saint for the year for our homeschool. I don't usually choose randomly -- I pick the saint, usually connected with education, who I want to think about and have the intercession of as I go about the school year.

This year I forgot to choose a patron saint for the school year, so I thought I would do it differently and let the saint's name generator decide.

The choice? Wow! It's Ignatius of Loyola. !!! He is an old favorite, having been my non-random pick for homeschool patron of the year at least once, and maybe twice.

In contrast to Chiara Badano, Ignatius was the youngest of 12 children and lived around the time of the Reformation. As a soldier, he was wounded, and while recuperating and bored, he read a book about the saints which changed his life forever. He went back to school as a grown man to get the education he missed the first time around, so he is sort of a patron of late learners for me.

I almost always say his Suscipe after receiving Holy Communion.

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.
You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.

I only wish I could live it well, but my progress is slow, not a dramatic conversion as his was. Still I think God has different plans for everyone, as these two saints show in their lives. In my case, I probably need to learn to make progress in slow motion, for a lot of reasons. I am very grateful that He hasn't given up on me though and that our Church allows us to ask for prayers from those who have gone before us!

The nice thing about choosing a saint as a patron is that the "new" saint only adds on to the old ones. I am still friends with dear St Therese, SS. Francis and St Clare, St Joseph, St Francis de Sales, St Thomas Aquinas, St Augustine, St Anthony and all the others that have helped and guided me along the way. I feel that if I am so blessed as to enter heaven someday I will see so many familiar faces.

Surrounded by the cloud of witnesses,

Willa

What is Your Word for 2012?

2012-01-03T00:30:00.000-08:00

Mariana in the Moated Grange

(The painting is by John Everett Millais and refers to the poem Mariana by Alfred Lord Tennyson)

For several years I've followed the example of some friends in choosing a word or motto for the year. I usually start praying right after Christmas and by the New Year I have some idea of what my word or motto will be. Often God shows me through reading or in some other way what He wants me to be aware of. It is a great blessing!

Last year my word was "Cultivation". When I look at last year, at first I was not sure if I had lived my word the way I wanted to. But after some thought I think the word did have an effect. For one thing, I planted a garden for the first time ever! And there were some other things, too. I think the word was probably a challenging one for me so the steps I took were small, but would have been smaller still if I hadn't been thinking of that word.

This year the word that came to mind as I reflected was "Diligence". Diligence is the virtue opposed to the deadly vice of Sloth. A lot of my most severe struggles -- or, oh well, being honest, culpable LACK of struggles, come from sloth.

From an article on diligence --

The word "diligence" comes from a Latin word meaning "to love." A related Latin word gives us "delight." In its original meaning, diligence is attentiveness, care, and concern in what we do, and eagerness, quickness, and zeal to do it. In consists in making the most of God’s gifts out of love for him and his Kingdom.

Aquinas says that Sloth is opposed to Joy, This isn't quite the way we usually think of it, as a form of laziness or idleness, but it fits in with the idea that diligence is related to delight, and opposed to sloth. Anyway, I think this word will give me plenty to think about during this year, and perhaps help me adjust my attitude about various less-loved household and family duties.

If you've picked a word or motto for this year, I would love to hear it!

Willa

(Soooo, I (Chari) am hacking into Willa's post to say: I think I will take her word for the year, too. I will also attach to that: SERVICE. I really want to focus more on being of service to my family......even with just such simple things as meals..... I am SO NOT a Miss Acts-of-Service for a Love Language. Sloth comes between me and that service. So, Willa, please do forgive me for this hacking.....and let us have much discussion and accountablity with the same word. Ummmm, let's start in February. : ) )

The Hearts' Haven Family Patron Saints of 2012

2012-01-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

Inspired by I-do-not-know-where, we choose patron saints for each year, for each member of our family.

     We did not always do this……I suppose we have been doing it for the last ten years, maybe more, perhaps less……..it just feels like a long tradition for our family.

     We learn about that saint and share the knowledge with the rest of the family. This is casual, and sometimes does not happen. We will try to be better this year. :)

    Until last evening, our method has been to pull out all four Butler’s Lives of the Saints and, one at a time, have each person choose a book, and then a page. The saint listed on the page becomes that family member’s patron saint for the year.

     This year, our family agreed to go with the Saint Generator.   We decided to utilize it for 2012 in order to have an opportunity to receive patrons who are newer to the Calendar of Saints. It was a lot of fun.......because we could see what the saint was patron of and then click "learn more about your saint" right away and learn even more. We had another Catholic family with us during this past week so they picked saints, too.

     Some of my friends, especially those with younger children, pick saints from "saint cards" or from smaller saint books with the more familiar saints.

     With our evening prayers, we usually do a “litany” of the family saints, with each stating their own. This helps us to keep our saint in mind. When one of our members is not home, we beg their saint's intercession in their place.

     It is funny, but some saints seem to come up frequently……which is interesting considering there are over 1,000 saints listed.
     St. John Chrysostrom and St. Oswald have each been chosen twice. St. Augustine and St. Louis have each been picked three times! That makes all of them old family friends! :) This was one of the motivators for using the Saint Generator.......everyone is suspicious that saint names are being repeated so much when we use Butler's Lives of the Saints.
     We try to do it on or as close to New Year’s Day as possible. I write the names and pages in one of my journals so there will be a permanent place for the list. Most years, that is all that is in my journal. :)

Our family Patron Saints for 2012:

Marty------------Blessed Margaret of Castello, April 13th

Chari------------St. John Bosco, January 31st

Anne-------------St. John of Capistrano, October 23rd & Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa, October 13th

Matthew--------St. George, April 23rd

Sarah------------is in Austria......we are awaiting the announcement of her chosen saint

Maddelyn-------St. Dorothy of Montau, October 30th

Garrett-----------St. Barabtus of Benevento, February 19th

Malachy---------St. Matthew the Apostle, September 21st

     A young adult friend was visiting at the time, and she picked a saint, too: St. Wolfgang of Ratisbon!

      Blessings to you & yours, from me and mine.....and our saints....... in this new year!

      May all of the saints & angels in heaven, pray for us!

     With love,

                       Chari

P.S. I would love to know who else does this.....leave your name in the comments! Who is YOUR saint for this year? What is YOUR tradition?

Thankfulness Times Ten

2012-01-01T14:38:00.000-08:00

Research shows that folks who use journaling to write what they are thankful for........instead of just a place to vent, find their lives are more happy, more satisfying. So, we will use this somewhat monthly column to share.........and be more happy and satisfied! : )

These are the guidelines we have for this thankfulness theme……

Just find ten things we are thankful for, in the moment.There are no rules......we may go over ten, if we cannot help ourselves......we may repeat ourselves over time.....and, we will write in no particular order of importance. If you feel inspired to do the same.......do link yourself here in the comment section. We can spread the happiness.

     With the introduction of this column, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at 2011 as a focus for our thankfulness.........

     Not in any particular order, we are thankful for.....

1. The abundance of time to spend with my husband & quality time with my offspring. Unemployment can bring many blessings, and this is one that has been ours, even in spite of the hardship it may also be at times....you know, too much of togetherness...... ~Chari

2. Job and schooling opportunities for husband and children.   God must have wanted the Ryans to have a northern outpost. First my oldest son got a job up in Oregon, then my husband also got a job up in the same area, then my high-school and college-age sons both relocated up to the same area to go to school there. This has meant a chance to reconnect with old friends and has brought some new adventure into our lives. ~ Willa

3. To my husband for the amazing opportunity to have an amazing sixteen days in Hawaii with my two youngest daughters. We saw so much and learned so much. While there, we welcomed a new nephew into the family at a lovely wedding in Maui and we made wonderful memories with my sister and her family on Oahu. Oh! how do I miss Hawaii!!! ~Chari

Sarah & Maddelyn in Oahu, Summer 2011

4. My Mom's great example of trust in God during illness, and for my great brothers and their wives and children. My mother was diagnosed with cancer last spring and while I would much prefer her to be healthy, her health challenges have brought our family closer. I pray to be as patient and trusting as she is if and when I am enduring sickness ~ Willa

5. The wonderful memories we made during a week long visit to San Diego in the summer. My husband's sister brought a new brother/uncle into our family at their beautiful and lovely wedding at the San Diego Mission. The wedding was only a day, but the celebration was a full week. All of my husband's siblings made it for the wedding, with their spouses and many of their children. My 87 year- old father-in-law had 19 of his 24 grandchildren present as well as five of his great-grandchildren. Though cousins may not have grown up together, they met and related as if they had been best friends their whole lives........ages 9 years (my little man is the youngest) up to 37 years. They worked as an amazing team preparing for the wedding reception and then played the rest for the week. Memories were made at the beach, the zoo, on an aircraft carrier and over many, many community meals. It was probably our best family reunion ever. And totally spontaneous. We just love our family and cannot wait to see them all again. ~Chari

My family with the bride, my husband's sister, Aunt Beth

6. After last winter, when our mountain area was buried in snow from November to June, I prayed for a respite this year.   And indeed, we have had a very mild winter so far -- like an extended fall, my favorite season of the year! Looking out my window at bright blue skies and green conifers, I remember last New Year's Day when we were outside all day with the snow-blower. I know there are good things about snow, too, but right now am rather happy about our green Christmas ~ Willa

7. A well-paying job..........I am so grateful that even though I have to put in more hours at my job, at least I can make a significant contribution to the bill-paying pot. ~Chari

8.  Technology that makes it easier to communicate, connect, read and write . This was the year when I got a Netbook, a Kindle and an IPhone. Social media can be a problem but it can also be a blessing, and I have felt many of its blessings during this last year ~ Willa

9. This fun opportunity to write with one of my favorite homeschool moms......and one of my favorite friends...........I think you can guess to whom I am referring : ) .......... ~Chari

10. Our wonderful Catholic Faith that makes everything in life so rich in hope and grace. Which incidentally is one of the things that I have in common with my co-blogger!   It is such a blessing to be able to pray for each other and know it really makes a difference. ~ Willa

The sanctuary of the San Diego Mission.....
the first of the Californian missions built by Saint Junipero Serra in the late 1700's

Bonus thankfulness: We both got iPhones the same week! Unbeknownst to either of us....our husbands, in the same week, each bought an iPhone for us (the respective wife!). It has multiplied our ability to communicate with each other immensely........we can "visit" a couple times a week....or even in one day.......instead of by telephone once a month, or less.

Love it!!!

Deo Gratias

New Year Blessings to you and yours,

Chari & Willa

The Mountain In December

2011-12-31T22:07:00.000-08:00

I waited most of December to have a change in the way the Mountain looked.....but we had mostly sunny weather for about seven weeks.....so no new snow on the beautiful mountain.

Until two days ago.

We took photos while driving to Mass on Christmas.....of The Mountain......it was lovely with those clouds........the car was moving & I only had my cell phone camera (shame, shame, shame on me! I knew I should have brought the good camera...but I talked myself out of it.)

This is the opposite side of The Mountain from what we usually view.

The following two pictures were taken on Christmas Eve....

The next three photos were taken on New Year's Eve.......

......the first time we saw the newly whitened Mountain after the clouds lifted.....

........taken from the site of my future gazebo......

....and just in time to bring a change to our December photo option....

Christmas Season and New Year blessings to you,

Chari

....who has another ten-day forecast of mostly sunshine..........poor ski park has yet to open here........pray for snow!!!

Bible in a Year

2011-12-29T19:37:00.000-08:00

My daughter has put together a plan for reading the Bible straight through in a year.

Here is the plan. Basically, it means reading about 4 chapters a day.

I think I will join in. She is starting on January 1. How about you?

Nowhere is there anything more full or more express on the subject of the Savior of the world than is to be found in the whole range of the Bible. As St. Jerome says, "To be ignorant of the Scripture is not to know Christ." In its pages His Image stands out, living and breathing; diffusing everywhere around consolation in trouble, encouragement to virtue and attraction to the love of God. Pope Leo XIII, Providentissimmus Deus

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T21:50:00.000-08:00

‘You have also lingered, bent your knee, adored the Lord God, venerated His Mother and greeted Joseph, the holy old man, with reverence. Therefore, kiss the feet of the baby Jesus, who lies in the manger, and pray that the Holy Virgin will allow you to hold Him. Take Him between your arms, hold Him and see His lovable face, kiss it with reverence and rejoice with Him. You can do this because He has come to bring salvation to sinners and He has humbly conversed with them, finally giving Himself as food’. St Bonaventure, quoted at Catholic Culture.

Here are some pretty vintage Christmas cards by Margaret W Tarrant.

Merry Christmas to all,

from the Ryans and the Bryans!

All the Ryans together for the first time in a year!

Contemplating Jesus in the Womb

2011-12-23T12:39:00.000-08:00

Motherly Care, by Haynes King, 1834-1904

I have been reading an essay called Sedeo, Ergo Sum: Reflections on Certitude by a Catholic philosopher called Charles De Koninck. The article is very good, but I won't ask you to go and read it just two days before Christmas. I will just tell you that it is about the power of our humbler senses, the sense of touch, especially, and also of taste. Since the senses of sight and hearing are more directly intellectual and abtract, we sometimes forget how our more personal senses are indispensable.

He writes, speaking of the story of Christ resurrected and how St Thomas the Apostle demanded to touch before believing that Jesus was truly resurrected:

The attitude of St. Thomas the Apostle is not an example to beimitated, yet in it we recognize a familiar experience: whenever wewish to be very certain about the reality of a thing, of theexistence of a sensible object, we want to verify it by touch.And it is especially for this reason that touch is called the senseof certitude, while sight is the sense of distinction, of clarity,and of representation. Where the brute fact of physical existence isconcerned, sight, notwithstanding its accuracy of discernment and itscertitude of distinction, yields less assurance than touch. The words“phantom” or “ghost” usually stand for things visual yetunreal, intangible, and we compare them to the kind ofrepresentations we have in our dreams.

Now why am I thinking of this, especially at this time of year? It is because I am thinking of pregnancy and waiting for a Baby to be born.

I found this meditation called "Praying with Jesus in the Womb" and reading it along with the De Koninck article made me think of how a baby, pre-birth, is radically immersed in touch.   If his eyes see at all, they see only the small universe of his mother's womb. But most of his information comes from his sense of touch, of surrounding.   And to his mother, though she may see the swelling of her body, the primary sensory evidence of his existence comes from feeling, from touch.

Even after the baby is born and can see and hear and smell, his primary sense is initially of touch and taste.   His mother relates to him by touch.   She wraps him in blankets, or swaddling clothes, and holds him in her arms, surrounding him with touch.    In the story of the Nativity, Our Mother places the Infant in a manger, which has seemed odd to me as a mother because cribs are not necessary for newborns.

But there are other reasons -- the Manger has been thought of in Eucharistic terms, and certainly Mary didn't put Him there so she could go tidy up or go back to her job, but because He belonged in the center of the world, and she belonged in the circle around Him.   She wasn't relegating Him to the perimeter of her circle, but putting herself in a subsidiary place around His circle, even if as a Mother she was in a very particular way the primary element in His circle.

The meditation goes on:

As we conclude this contemplation of Jesus in the womb, we pause for a moment to reflect upon his heart, which developed, just like our hearts did, but which became not only the organ which pumped blood to invigorate the rest of his body, but which became the very image of his self-sacrificing love. In the West, we speak of the heart as the center of our emotions and feelings and the source of our loving. This little heart became a heart big enough to love sinners, the sick, the marginal. This heart was “on fire” with compassion and mercy. The heart of Jesus, which began beating in the womb of Mary, was eventually the sacred heart which was pierced with a lance on the cross and which, in the eyes of faith of John the Apostle and Evangelist, poured out the blood and water of the sacramental life of the Church which sustains us now. Into that wound in his side, the Risen Lord invited Thomas to put his hand and to believe. He told us that we are blessed who have not seen with our eyes, yet believe.

De Koninck, in his article, makes the point that art and science and politics and many other things go wrong when sight becomes the key or only element, and touch is ignored. Many of the great heresies also came from minimizing touch and the real, physical nature of the Incarnation. As Our Lady prepared to give birth to her Infant, she was surely aware of the physical reality of her infant, "knitted in the womb" like all of us, even though as yet unseen. As mothers we can participate in that understanding in a very deep way; and as Catholics, we can "taste and see the goodness of the Lord" as we receive Him in the Holy Eucharist on Christmas. We are so blessed to "not have seen with our eyes, yet believe."

Vintage Tale: The Abbot's Ghost, a Christmas Story

2011-12-22T00:30:00.000-08:00

Before Louisa May Alcott became known for Little Women and other works of the kind, she wrote several Gothic novellas under the pseudonym AM Barnard. This long short story, or short novel, is one of those. If you are looking for something light and fast-paced and somewhat seasonal to read, this might be a good pick.

The story centers around Maurice Traherne, a young man badly injured in a tragic accident, who was mysteriously disinherited by his uncle just before the latter died. No one knows why, and everyone pities him for his fall from rich eligible bachelor to poverty-stricken cripple.

In a Christmas gathering at his aunt's house, several key people come together, both from his past and present, and the story goes from there with several revelations and interesting events, and in the style of romance, resolves fortuitously in the end.

This is basically a romance with some elements of gothic mystery (the ghost from the title, and a lady with a mysterious and not entirely savory past) and was a fun read. If ancient curses and unquiet spirits and hints of disreputable pasts aren't a problem, the story might be enjoyable for a teenager. The main characters are properly noble, and the people with shadier backgrounds end up properly repentant. It probably wouldn't be too interesting to boys or younger children since the plot mostly concerns romance and mysteries of past days.

There is a mild religious flavor -- and as previously mentioned, virtue and sacrifice triumph over selfishness and temptation in the end.

The Abbot's Ghost (free on Amazon for Kindle)
The Abbot's Ghost (Librivox -- links to audio version and other versions)

An excerpt from the story:

"You know it was supposed that old Sir Jasper, being a bachelor, wouldleave his fortune to his two nephews. But he was an oddity, and as thetitle must go to young Jasper by right, the old man said Mauriceshould have the money. He was poor, young Jasper rich, and it seemed butjust, though Madame Mère was very angry when she learned how the willwas made."

"But Maurice didn't get the fortune. How was that?"
"There was some mystery there which I shall discover in time. All wentsmoothly till that unlucky yachting trip, when the cousins were wrecked.Maurice saved Jasper's life, and almost lost his own in so doing. Ifancy he wishes he had, rather than remain the poor cripple he is.Exposure, exertion, and neglect afterward brought on paralysis of thelower limbs, and there he is—a fine, talented, spirited fellow tied tothat cursed chair like a decrepit old man."
...
"The old man must have been demented. What in heaven's name did he meanby leaving Maurice helpless and penniless after all his devotion toJasper? Had he done anything to offend the old party?"

"No one knows; Maurice hasn't the least idea of the cause of this suddenwhim, and the old man would give no reason for it. He died soon after,and the instant Jasper came to the title and estate he brought hiscousin home, and treats him like a brother. Jasper is a noble fellow,with all his faults, and this act of justice increases my respect forhim," said the major heartily.

We are officially Versatile Bloggers!

2011-12-21T09:59:00.000-08:00

Erin at Seven Little Australians and Counting awarded us with a Versatile Blogger Award!

Thank you so very much, Erin!

Here are the rules:

Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.
Tell your readers 7 things about yourself.
Give this award to 15 recently discovered bloggers.
Contact those bloggers and let them in on the news.

Since there are two of us running the blog we thought it might be fun to list 7 random things we have found that we both have in common: There are way more than seven, but these are some we came up with:

We both grew up in families that moved a lot, so we attended many different schools. Chari's travels were mostly in California, while Willa's family moved from Boston to Maryland to Oklahoma to Arizona to Alaska to Switzerland.
We were both first-borns of three in our families. Chari was the oldest of three girls and Willa was the only daughter with two younger brothers.
We both gave ourselves a "living books" education without even knowing what that was. We read as much literature as we could get our hands on -- as CS Lewis said of his own reading boyhood, "some books suitable for children and some most decidedly not." We both did nature study, kept copybooks, and loved the fine arts. Consequently when we first discovered Charlotte Mason education, we both "recognized" it as what we had wanted for ourselves when we were growing up.
We married in the same year.... 1985.
We both married Catholics, and we both converted to Catholicism -- Chari before she married, and Willa a few years afterwards.
We both went to Ireland and at very close to the same time! Chari was pregnant with her oldest, now 23, and Willa's second-born, also 23, was just a few weeks old when she went.
Both of us had children born with rare and unexpected medical conditions. For that reason, when Aidan was transported to UCSF hospital in California for his liver transplant, in 1999, Willa and Aidan almost overlapped with Chari and her daughter, who had just left the hospital after heart surgery.

All these things happened before we actually met in person.

Now for the 15 recently discovered bloggers. Since Chari and Willa are longtime bloggers who have just started this particular blog, we are still in the process of collecting our TUAR reading list. We both have favorite blogs and have many favorites in common, but haven't really gotten together on what blogs represent our shared identity. Here are a few and hopefully we will add more over time either in this post or in future ones.

In House: A Homemaking Journal. Michele is co-designer of Mater Amabilis and also runs Family Centered Press. We have known Michele online since even before we met each other. This blog is about simple things to do with homemaking and is so refreshing to the spirit to read.
Sparrow Tree Square: Thoughts on Literature, Learning and Life. By a grown homeschooler who started an online seasonal literature anthology when she was only a teenager. The archives are available if you look at the links on the blog. Very sweet, and very literature-based.
Moments with Mother Culture. Karen Andreola's blog. She doesn't post often but when she does it is nice to read.
My Summer Notebook. This is a beautiful blog by Susan who formerly blogged at High Desert Home. Unfortunately, she is not going to be posting on either blog anymore, but we are still linking to it, because it is a treasure trove of wisdom. She has homeschooled several children who are now grown and having children of their own.
The Catholic Young Woman. Willa's daughter's blog. She has several contributors and the posts are targeted towards yes, young Catholic women from teens to young adults.
Love Notes for Teens. A Year of Encouragement from Mom. By our friend Angie.

More to come later,

Willa & Chari