The other day, the winds picked up and snow came tumbling down to cover the whole world. It was bitterly cold, the snow was icy and hard, like little frozen pellet that beat on the roof. It sounded like rain and we spent the day in the house. The fire burned hot all day against…
Month: January 2019
January Goals
Today is the feast of the Infant of Prague! We’ve been preparing with a novena especially to Him; and now, almost at January’s mid-point, I’m checking in on my commitment to renewal in 2019. Mind I’m slowly easing back into a more engaged reading list. Books that have been waiting for me to “have the…
Selling Mediocrity: Sustainability in an age of transience
I bought insulated work gloves in mid-November. They were leather, with fleece lining and oh-so-warm. The first day we used them out in the yard they tore, and we’ve been patching them ever since. At Christmas, my parents gave my husband insulated work gloves from the Army Surplus. Gloves that should have lasted more than…
Books & Papers: Shadow Play
I’m reading Clare Asquith’s Shadow Play – a book about the beliefs and politics that may be expressed in Shakespeare’s plays. It’s fascinating, especially since a recent commission of my husband’s has brought our minds back to the Elizabethan persecution of Catholics. The icon commissioned was St. Nicholas Owen, a man I’d never heard of…
Winter Skincare: Where I am, and Where I’m Going
Maine winters are hard on skin. My hands and face especially struggle against the cold winter and hot stove. I’m a careless stove-tender, and my fingers are singed often. I also seem to have slow circulation so my skin is definitely not at it’s best in the slow, sluggish months of January and February. But…
Hospitality: The Bohemian Catholic’s Benedict Option
Hospitality can be a huge struggle when you’re trying to shape an environment. We want to be welcoming, but we also want to keep our homes safe-havens for ourselves and our children. We want to be open to strangers in need, but without being ignorant of the risks involved. Hospitality is essential. As Christians, and…
Renewal
How was your 2018? Full of challenges and struggles? Full of unrealized dreams? Yeah, me too. 2018 was a rough year for a lot of us. For some, most of the struggles were frustrating and exhausting. They forced us to reach out, ask for help, and accept the generosity of friends and family. Last year…
The Bohemian Catholic’s Benedict Option: A New Year’s Resolutuon
Welcome 2019! In the dim, flickering lamplight of Midwinter we’ve been talking over our little family’s shifting focus. We’re longing to step farther outside the wide-world to build a stronger domestic monastery among the trees. We’re longing to become more radical, more gentle, and more intentional in our daily life and this longing is beginning…
Y is For Home! 