Quick Lit: March '21

 

   Linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy and updating how my Lenten reads are going so far.

The Reckless Way of Love is a series of reflections on how we are called to love God and each other taken from the writings of Servant of God Dorothy Day, organized by Carolyn Kurtz,   I really appreciated how the book was laid out; with each section focused on a different aspect of the lived experience of loving as we are called to by Christ.  I again found myself marveling at Day's great commitment to live the Greatest Commandment and her honesty at how difficult the daily work of that can be.

The Quiet Companion by Mary Purcell is the story of St Peter Faber, one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).  I really enjoyed this biography where Purcell pulled from the letters to and from the saint, as well as his diary to tell the story of his life and the times when he lived. From his time at the University of Paris where he was roommates with St Francis Xavier,  to when they met St Ignacio Loyola and traveled with him to Rome to form the order and have it approved.  Later he was sent to Germany with the task of pushing back against the Reformation and finding common ground with Lutherns.  

Make My Life Simple by Rachel Balducci is a fun fast read filled with great advice to reduce the chaos and find pockets of peace in your day.  What I appreciated most about the book was the tone; Balducci offers a lot of suggestions from her experience as a mother of 6 but stresses the most important idea was for the reader to find what works for them since the comparison was the fastest way to lose your sense of peace.

Elisabeth at 13

  As I write this I'm not sure which is stranger to me; that Elisabeth is a teenager or that it has been almost a year of Covid living.   A year ago when we celebrated her birthday we were in a state of watchful waiting; the pottery place where we had her party was still open and we were not yet wearing masks.  All that changed a week later.  So as I write this 'birthday update' the unknowable question is how much living through this pandemic has affected her growth and change over the past year.   I will be fascinated in the future to someday ask my kids what this year (or possibly two) was like for them.

  Elisabeth at 13 is:

1. Very creative; she loves sketching and will sometimes spend her recess time drawing this for her fellow students or teachers.  She also has a couple of drawing apps on her iPad she enjoys using.  She is interested in animations and wondering if that might be a career future for her.
2. She is becoming more adventurous with food and while she definitely still has her favorites now eats a wide range of things. Current favorites include Chai in the morning, corndogs for dinner, and Mochi for dessert.  Bonne Mamy introduced her to iced green tea much to great effect.  
3. She still loves Wings of Fire but is reading other series ~ currently Percy Jackson.  Mostly on the page or online, she loves dragons, Minecraft, and art.
4. Favorite shows include the new Netflix She-Ra, In the Deep, and Voltron.  Still not much for live-action shows, she is happy to join a family watch of the Great British Bake-Off.
5. When her school shifted to Distance Learning last March the kids stayed home for the rest of that school year but did reopen in September with social distancing and mask-wearing.  This was good news for Lisbeth who of my 3 most missed the structure of being in the classroom.  She is also starting to look at local high schools, thinking about where she might want to go once she finishes 8th grade next year.
6. She has definitely missed being able to easily see her friends and was very disappointed that her gymnastic gym closed permanently; overall she has weathered this very strange and stressful year very well.