To His Sister
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Family on Wednesday, September 29, 2010
How would you like to get a letter like this?
“Oh no! Mary Magdalene was not alone at Sainte Baume. She was no more alone than she was at Bethany. But instead of having God visible before her in mortal shape, she had him invisible in her soul, but he was no less present.
This is my life too, dearest, as much as my weakness, my misery, my meanness, my lukewarmness, my cowardice will allow. Try to... READ MORE
Quoted
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Marriage on Thursday, August 12, 2010
“Nearly all marriages, even happy ones, are mistakes: in the sense that almost certainly (in a more perfect world, or even with a little more care in this very imperfect one) both partners might be found more suitable mates. But the real soul-mate is the one you are actually married to.”
—J.R.R. Tolkien, in a letter to his son, 1941
"Charity is Hard and Endures"
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Faith on Friday, August 06, 2010
In response to Anne Rice’s well-publicized resolve to “quit” Christianity, Rod Dreher quotes a letter by Flannery O’Connor.
Like all of O’Connor’s writing, it is well worth reading. And considering the current scandals going on the in the Church, I think it’s very applicable today.
Here’s my favorite thought from the letter:
“You don’t serve God by saying: the Church is ineffective, I’ll have none of it. Your pain at its lack of effectiveness is a sign of your nearness to God. We help overcome this lack of effectiveness simply by suffering on account of it.”
But you should read the whole article.
Touching Fame, Teen-Style
Posted by Danielle Bean in Just me on Thursday, July 15, 2010
Kateri is a big fan of the Eragon series of fantasy novels by Christopher Paolini. So much of a fan, in fact, that she wrote a letter to Paolini several months ago, telling him about her life as a homeschooler and requesting an autograph.
I encourage these kinds of letters and even dare to call them “school” sometimes. Nothing motivates a writing exercise quite like the potential of “touching fame”... READ MORE
A Communication Innovation
Posted by Danielle Bean in Homemaking on Tuesday, June 01, 2010
I bemoan the demise of handwritten correspondence as much as anyone. I fully recognize the superiority of a personal, handwritten note to a computer-generated one and I note quite sadly that letter writing is indeed a dying art.
But I also recognize a really cool idea when I see one. And I happen to think Hazel Mail absolutely is a really cool idea.
At Hazel Mail, you can upload a photo, add your... READ MORE
Letters from Guernsey
Posted by Robyn Lee in Reviews on Wednesday, February 24, 2010
When I heard the name of the book that we were supposed to read for book club, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, I thought it was a joke. What could the book even be about?
As I started to read, I realized the entire book is comprised of letters. At first I was annoyed by the style. I wanted one voice and I was confused by all of the characters, but as the letters continued I was... READ MORE
What A Way To Go
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Reviews on Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Want to read something fascinating?
Here is the letter Mary, Queen of Scots wrote to her late husband’s brother hours before she was executed.
I’m struck by her concern that her servants be taken care of, her desire for the sacraments and prayers for her soul after death—and her offering of her death for her brother-in-law’s intentions.
That’s a slightly different Mary than the history books generally paint!
But then, it is easy to forget historical figures were persons.
Kids and Thank-Yous
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Generous relatives and friends sent us Christmas gifts, and so yesterday I wrote a big pile of thank-you notes.
For my own gifts I’m a fan of the classic: lots of raving about the gift and the generosity of the giver, written longhand on pretty stationery.
So far, I’ve written the same kind of notes on behalf of our children for the presents they’ve received. As Camilla gets older I keep thinking... READ MORE
Synesthesizing
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Just me on Thursday, September 03, 2009
Have you ever known someone to whom the letter ‘A’ is always red?
Yeah, me neither. Those people are crazy.
Ha! I kid, of course.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, the phenomenon to which I’m referring is called grapheme → color synesthesia. People who have it associate a specific color with each letter or number. Grapheme → color synesthesia is one of the most common types of synesthesia.... READ MORE
Simple Moments
Posted by Robyn Lee in Homework on Friday, October 24, 2008
Junior Hostess
My 7-year-old daughter, Angelina, created this Santa appetizer all on her own. She used vegetables to create an edible Santa vegetable platter. This is a great way to engage the kids in holiday food preparation.
Laura DiNorcia
Evergreen, Colorado
Advent Planner
A few years ago I purchased a book that helped me to rediscover the importance of Advent. I had tabbed page after page... READ MORE
