Open Book ~ May '17

Trusting God with St. Therese by Connie Rossini proved to be a very enjoyable Lenten read. Rossini balanced the biography, with the devotional and self-help aspects very well.  I am enjoyed Rossini's approach as she highlights how St Therese's "Little Way" is grounded in complete trust in God's love and how we can better strive for that kind of trust in our lives.  The reflections and exercises at the end of the chapters were insightful and helpful.

Belonging and Becoming by Mark and Lisa Scandrette was a bit of a risk for me as I tend to dislike most parenting books but this one lived up to its stated intent and its fans.  The book doesn't focus so much on behavior modification but rather how parents can create a culture within the home that reinforces the virtues they value and desire their kids live by.  While not Catholic it is centered in the gospel and the idea that God is present and acting with us to bring about a thriving family culture.  While they share about their failures and successes as parents the book is full of practical exercises to allow each couple (and family if kids are old enough to participate) to determine what their family culture should look and feel like. A useful book now as my kids move beyond the basic keep them feed and clothed; and in the future as they ideally join in the discussion how we as a family want to exist in the world.

Please head over to Carolyn's for more Open Book.

Open Book ~ March '17

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah; a wonderful story of loss and redemption. Anya struggled to be a  warm or outgoing mother to her daughters but deeply loved her husband and a promised him that she would begin again to tell their grown daughters the Russian fairy tales she told in their youth.  This book moves smoothly from 1941 Leningrad to 2000 Pacific Northwest and speaks elegantly of the harm that is done when we don't trust those we love with our past and truths.  This is the first book I've read by this author but will definitely be seeking out others.

   
Currently reading Trusting God with St Therese which meets my dual Lenten goals of giving up reading fiction and being less fearful.  While only a third of the way through I am enjoying Rossini's part biography part self-help approach as she highlights how St Therese's "Little Way" is grounded in complete trust in God's love and how we can better strive for that kind of trust in our lives.

As I'm reading Trusting God on my kindle I've also ordered Bring Lent Home with St. Therese as a companion and place I can make notes for future reflection.

Please head over to Carolyn's for more Open Book.

What I've been reading this Lent

 
  This Lent I've taken a sort of two prong approach and it has actually worked out really well. I got and have been using the Blessed is She journal which based around reflecting on a word inspired by the daily readings; reading the daily readings is something that had fallen away as more little people filled my home and day ~ and one I'm so glad to have returned to.  Often it worked best for me to read the readings in the afternoon and take the rest of the day to reflect and actually journal in the evening once everyone was tucked in for the night.

  The second part was a commitment to be intentional about reading about and reflecting on a saint featured in A book of Saints for Catholic Moms.  Initially it took me awhile to appreciate Lisa Hendley's wonderful book. I did like the format of biography, reflection, quotes from the saint, followed by a scripture passage and suggested activities; and the idea of spending the week with a given saint. Reading it straight front to back felt a bit dry, however once I went 'off-roading' so to speak and just let the book open at random I came to really appreciate the wonderful range of people the author chose to feature. Among the fifty-two are many I knew, such as Saint Joseph, Saint Francis of Assisi, and Saint Joan of Arc, but many more I'm meeting for the first time, such as Saint Margaret of Scotland, Saint Zita of Lucca, and Saint Sebastian.  Each is presented with attention paid to both their successes and failures. But what makes this book so much more than a collection of saints' biographies are the useful reflections that Hendley includes and the questions to ponder, building on the particular cause or charism of the saint being profiled. While these are aimed at mothers, the author does include suggested activities for the entire family to do, as they learn more about each particular saint.

   Another nice feature of the book are the indices in the back where Hendley lists all the saints first alphabetically, then according to their feast days and patronages, and finally by whether they could be considered companions of the heart, mind, body or soul.  With so much information the reader might meet the saints in the order they are presented in the book, at random, or according to a particular intention or struggle of the moment.  I'm truly happy to have this book in my library and look forward to mining its depths more and more over the years.

Linking up with Micaela of California to Korea

What have you been reading this Lent?

Quick Takes #149

1. So how is 2014 treating you so far?  So far it is crazy here; nothing like getting ready to return to work, while your husband is revving up a big project, while cleaning-up from Christmas, while celebrating a first birthday...while surviving an Arctic Vortex!!
2. My Saint for the Year selected for me by the Saint Generator is Saint Angela Merici whose primary mission was teaching young women ~ yup sounds about right!  Seriously excited to learn more about her and see where her help brings me.
3. Word for the year I'm still working on but in the meantime still working on gratitude; I met my goal of recording 500 gifts on my 1000 gifts app last year; and am curious to see how long it will take me to reach the 1000 gift mark.
4. My mom is safely home from her trip to visit family and spend Christmas in Belgium.  She had a wonderful time and I'm enjoying see the pictures and hearing the stories about my cousins and their children ~ and my chocolate drawer is restocked!!
5. We had a nice little family party for Caitlin this week on her actual birthday where she got to feast on a birthday cupcake.  She will get another chance this weekend with our Church family.
6. Since the Giants (Charlie) did not make the playoffs and the Eagles (Elisabeth) went out on the first round we are now a house united.  Go Patriots!!!
7. Kid Shot: I think she liked her cupcake

Please head over to Conversion Diary for more 7 Quick Takes.

Quick Takes #136

1. Bathroom is 80% complete, woo hoo! The process never goes exactly as planned but overall am happy and will post pictures soon.
2. Yesterday was the anniversary of the assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy.  Really enjoyed this article by Elizabeth Scalia of The Anchoress.  Will we see his like again? Hope so.
3. World Day of the Priest is today, Sarah of With a Hopeful Heart has a great list of suggestions.  We are coloring pictures to deliver Sunday and I'll be sending some texts.
4. Upon seeing that her brother had rearranged some of her Legos Lisbeth said "I am so peeved at him" Okay then! Thank you Word Girl!
5. Cherry Lemonade cupcakes, yummy!
6. While I have struggled in the past settling on a Patron Saint for the kids, this time I've known since the pregnancy whose intercession I would seek if the baby was a girl; Saint Therese de Lisieux ~ her 'simple way' so speaks to me and what I want for my kids as they hopefully grow in faith.
7. Do you know this song "Simple Prayer"? Either way ~ enjoy!

Real Women, Real Saints: a review

   Gina Loehr's book Real Women, Real Saints collects short biographies of 100 women saints, divided according to the seven cardinal virtues: women of hope, faith, temperance, etc. By selecting women from throughout Christian history, and highlighting how their lives demonstrate a particular virtue well-lived, Ms. Loehr helps us to discover these virtues in our lives. However, given that the author emphasizes so much the ordinary beginnings of these women, I do wish that there had been room in the synopses for more discussions of how conflicts were faced and overcome, for example Saint Monica's arranged marriage to a non-Christian, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton's early widowhood, or Saint Therese of Lisieux's debilitating illness. Such stories of courage in the face of adversity can be as valuable as examples of virtue perfected.
     I also really liked her review of the stages of canonization; while most biographies are of canonized saints, women whose causes are at stages from servant of God to venerable to beatified are included. This reminds us of the process through which we recognize saints today, and helps us to see their virtue grounded in the everyday world.  A page and half biography is not long enough for more than a brief overview of these remarkable women's lives. However, the book could serve as a helpful springboard for those choosing their confirmation saint or patron for a new baby, as well as those seeking inspiration or guidance on prayer for a particular intercession. The collection is potentially also useful for someone wishing to focus their reflection on a particular virtue, as it has 10-15 examples of how others sought to live out each cardinal virtue.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to anyone seeking to learn more about some of the diverse women included in the Church's calendar of saints.

I wrote this review of Real Women, Real Saints for the free Catholic Book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods. Aquinas and More is the largest on-line Catholic bookstore. I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.