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Saturday, May 25, 2013

silence is golden



(image: countryliving.com)
Through silence, the ideas we assimilate and the words
we hear, read, and speak gain meaning. They gain in
weight, accuracy, and truth. It is only in silence that one
is able to know what one thinks and so believe to be true.

There are so many different ideas presented to us in life,
even on a daily basis. How do we sift through these
impressions without silence?  Do we even make an effort
to maintain it? Do we foster this practice in our children,
one of the greatest gifts we can give them? Habitual
periods of silence does nothing short of help one
understand life, choose a course, and stay on it. There is
nothing wrong with a little quiet time.

Silence.. Thoughts... Words....Understanding..... Growth.

Silence is golden. 
Have a great day!

Sunday, May 19, 2013

barometer

It's funny. We know how to tell when we are sick, or when our kids are sick. Something is off in our bodies, either our temperature, our heads, our muscles, our joints, our energy...

But there are so many things for which we do not know the norm. For example, what is the normal level of stress under certain circumstances? Should we only measure against ourselves or should we measure it against others in similar circumstances? And then, what do we do about it?

Similarly, we are often not good judges of behavior. Sometimes we look at others and judge their actions based on our own upbringing. But perhaps they have not have anywhere near the upbringing we have had, so they don't even have what we have as a frame of reference. And besides, who is to say what is the right frame of reference?

Here we are getting somewhere, at least in the behavioral sphere. (By the way, all of this is prompted by the gatherings after my daughter's First Communion, which was, by the way, very special!! :) So many times conversations can turn toward evaluating another's behavior. And it makes me think of what is the standard and how do we determine it? I think about growing up and it is funny because in America, we do not like the word "formation," as if we are "forming" our children or that we ourselves have been "formed." There is no common usage of the term and I have the strong suspicion that if I used it commonly, it would cause a sort of repulsion in others. We are more comfortable with "upbringing," but it only suggests manners and not the deeper parts of humanity that touch the heart, the things that are most important. What a poverty this is! And truth be told, I don't believe that most people are raising kids with the idea of "forming" them through and through. It's not a concept commonly understood which seems ludicrous, but I believe it is the case.

So if we want to be "forming" our children, what is our frame of reference? Virtue. It all goes back to this. And why is forming so much more important than upbringing? Upbringing only takes us so far and leads us to be judgemental of others without  this so-called upbringing. Whereas a more thorough understanding of human nature, both our own in particular and more generally speaking, will help us to transcend mere externals and read the heart and see people for who they are as well as to have more compassion.

Have a terrific Sunday! Please pray for my son and his team of doctors tomorrow morning as he gets his tonsils and adenoids removed!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013













What I would be wearing in DC this time of year:











(image: fabyoubliss.com)

What I sport in Miami in the summer:


(images: ahaisshopping.com, salesalertshopping.com)

































And what would work in either? 
(image: onepartgypsyblog.com)






Sunday, May 12, 2013

you have indeed grown




(Image: Catholiccompany.com)
My little girl is going to receive her First Communion this Saturday. It is something I am so happy to finally share with her, that of receiving Our Lord's very own body, to grow in her steadily and faithfully. I see her growing before my eyes, and it makes me so very proud. How lucky I am to be a Mom! Happy Mother's Day. Let's cherish this tremendous gift a little more each day!

Here's one for you all to listen with me:


Friday, May 10, 2013

Temperance

Good morning, friends!! I have been mentally checked out as of late. But it due to a good book! I am in the iPad this morning, so I have no pictures to post because I am not computer savvy. But it is entitled North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell! I can't put it down! It's too early for me to make comparisons with other authors which I am sure will come because that's what my mind tends toward, but right now I am just enjoying it for the plot.:) I will compare it to something else I tried to pick up: The Paris Wife. That story is about Ernest Hemingway's first wife and their relationship as it unfolds. And although historical fiction has been a favorite of mine since my Dad recommended Killer Angels based on the battle of Gettysburg ( part of the American Civil War for all of you out there not from the states, which I will also take time to mention I think that it is so cool that you read this!), the novel is always foreboding sadness. I think a great writer is more gentle and subtle with the point they are trying to make, but writing is tough and I will applaud the effort.

It's a good thing I went to a talk yesterday on temperance, the virtue that helps you choose the right amount- neither too much or too little. ( It is unfair to temperance that it has been so badly twisted in common usage to mean absolute rigid restriction.) This brings me back to my being mentally checked out and the book. This blog is not the only thing being neglected because of my lack of self-control with reading Ms Gaskell!!

I'm back in the fray. More to come! Have a terrific day!