Monthly Archives: February 2013

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Book Review: Cultivating God’s Garden Through Lent

Lent and Advent are good times during the liturgical year to read books of reflections on our relationship with the Lord.  So, when I saw that Marageret Rose Realy had just published Cultivating God’s Garden Through Lent, I downloaded it onto my Kindle and made a quick survey of it, to see whether I wanted to use it this year.  From the first page, I was hooked.

cultivating God's gardenThis book, despite the title, isn’t just for gardeners.  And I’m thankful for that, because I have what they call a black thumb.  In fact, I’m so toxic to anything that grows, I’ve been banned from the family garden.  But that’s okay with me, because mostly everything about gardening (having to go outside, for example), doesn’t match my personal tastes.  Except for the flowers, of course.  I love having fresh cut flowers on my table.  I just like when they come from somewhere else and I don’t have anything to do with the process that happens before they appear in a vase in my dining room.  But I digress…

Margaret Rose Realy is a talented writer, who brings readers gently through the season of Lent, encouraging us, with earthy metaphors, to look at ourselves in a new way.  Realy’s reflections reveal the presence of God through nature and draw us closer to Him as we ponder her musings on gardening, neighbors and the cycle of life.  There is a peace that comes from meditating on Realy’s entries that I haven’t found in a book like this in quite sometime.  In this brief encounter with her thoughts, I was reminded that the Lord is often found in a whisper or a gentle breeze.

Pick up this book for Lent–in fact, download it right now— if you are looking for an oasis of peace in our often chaotic world.  You will be rewarded greatly.

 

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7 Quick Takes Friday, vol. 4

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Once again, I’m linking up with Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary for a  7 Quick Takes post.

1. Valentine’s Day is coming up.  I honestly don’t like this holiday.  Well…at least the secular version of it.  If it were really all about how we should love our fellow man and have deep concern for his soul and pray for him to know Christ, like St. Valentine, then I’d be okay with it.  But the reality is that it’s all about trying to get someone into bed.  And I’m not talking about tucking in Grandma…

2. This blog post, 3 Things I Want My Son to Know About Porn, is amazing.  If you have kids, you should read it.  If you don’t have your own children, but know people who do, you should read it.  Heck, if you’ve ever even seen a child, read the post.

3. I love this website.  On Facebook, their page is called Bring Sexy Back.  According to the ‘About’ section on their Facebook page, they are “a grassroots movement in opposition to the use of artificial contraception within marriage, dedicated to bringing great sex to the entire universe.”  Cool!  Their blog posts cover a wide range of topics such as the effects of hormonal contraception,  fertility awareness, male reproductive health and any number of related topics.  It’s a great resource.  Check it out.

4. I’m still working on my second novel.  The working title is Finding Rita.  This story will be grittier than Angela’s Song and tackle the topics of sexual abuse and sexual addiction.  Heavy topics, I know.  But, not to worry.  There will be some humor in it and lots of food.  Life, after all, is made up of happiness, sadness and food as well.

5. So, what are your ideas for Lent?  If you don’t yet have any, here are a few suggestions:  say an extra prayer each day…turn off the TV once a week…that person behind you on the checkout line who only has 5 things–let him go ahead of you…set up the coffee pot for your spouse so the next day they can have a nice hot cup at the push of a button…read The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (it’s free on Kindle)…go to confession more often…use foul language less…keep up with the laundry…stop eating junk food…eat more veggies…pay a compliment (make it genuine) to someone you don’t particularly like…spend more time with your spouse and kids…tithe 10% of your income…volunteer for a ministry at church…  The goal is to grow closer to the Lord.  Go for it!

6.  Speaking of Lent, it has actually started early this year, based on the incident that happened last Monday evening.  Our cute little Shihtzu-Poodle mix came in from the yard and wiped her little bottom all over the living room carpet.  Ewww.  So, I scrubbed the carpet and got it all clean.  A little while later I picked her up and was bowled over by the malodorous cloud that enveloped her.  After some investigation, I realized–much to my horror–that the…uh…product of digestion…was never actually completely eliminated.  So, I had to perform an…extraction…of sorts.  I got the deed done, with the help of my very brave 11 year old daughter.  However, there was quite a bit of dry heaving going on during this process.  I felt like Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws.  You know, the scene where they cut open the shark’s stomach and he has to examine the contents and he’s on the verge of vomiting the entire time?  That.  That’s how I felt.

7.  Still speaking of Lent, as one of our sacrifices, our family has decided to go wheat free this year.  Not gluten free (although I, personally, cannot eat grains at all), just wheat free.  So I bought a 25 pound bag of spelt flour.  We’re going to bake bread and make pizza dough using spelt.  My family’s sacrifice is that they’re giving up the wheat, but mine is that my workload increases because of the baking.  So, off I go to buy a couple more bread pans…

 

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7 Quick Takes Friday, vol. 3

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1. What are you reading? I try to strike a balance between fiction and non-fiction. If I read too much non-fiction, my head starts to feel like it’s too heavy for my neck and then I get sleepy. Not a good way to live, especially for a busy mom of five. Right now, I’m in the middle of reading Wrapped Up: God’s Ten Gifts for Women, by Teresa Tomeo and Cheryl Dickow. So far, so very good! I plan on posting a review when I’m done.  By way of fiction, I’m currently re-reading Sons of Cain by Val Bianco.  This is a book I never get tired of.  It’s got everything…action, spiritual warfare, politics and even a bit of romance.  If you haven’t picked this one up, I recommend you do.

2. Have you seen the Youtube clip of JPII autotuned to Dynomite?  It’s amazing!  I teared up a bit watching it, because I remember the emotion he stirred up in me and every other youth in the 80’s…and that was even before I experienced my personal conversion.  That man was a walking, talking bundle of charisms.

3. Some of the readers of my book have questioned the practice of praying before marital intimacy.  They say it’s ridiculous, no one ever does it, etc.  Do you pray before you’re intimate with your spouse?  If not, I challenge you to try it for a month.  Just one month.  Every time you have relations, pray together and offer your union to God.  I bet you’ll see a difference.  And I mean that in a good way.

4. I’ve shamefully come to the conclusion that my children are much more well-read than I am.  My teen daughter got an Amazon gift card for Christmas and she enthusiastically used it to buy several of Shakespeare’s works.  And the other day I had to reprimand my teen son for reading Chesterton instead of doing his Latin assignment.  I never read Shakespeare or Chesterton at their ages.  Heck, I still haven’t read any Chesterton (an appalling admission by a Catholic writer, isn’t it?).  So, I promised myself when the Amazon shipment arrives, I’m grabbing Twelfth Night and hunkering down with a cuppa tea.

5. Lent is coming.  Come on…you know it is.  And it’s early this year.  Ash Wednesday is on Febraury 13th…as in 12 days from now.  I’m trying to come up with something good to give up.  A big sacrifice.  I usually don’t do food items because I can barely eat anything to begin with and I’d like to stay healthy, thank-you-very-much.  So, what do I give up?  I need to pray about this one.  How about you?  Have you started to pray yet, about your Lenten sacrifice?

6. We have been sponsoring a young boy from Colombia for about 5 years now.  It’s been encouraging to see him grow and mature and to exchange letters.  Last week, a priest from the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging came to our parish and asked for more sponsors.  We volunteered to help out after Mass at the tables with the pictures of the people–both young and old– who were in need of monthly help.  I have to tell you, I wanted to gather up all the pictures and sponsor all of them.  My kids begged us to sponsor one more; this time, a girl.  So we chose an 8-year-old girl from Honduras who happens to be deaf.  Yesterday I got a call from the foundation telling me that 34 more people were sponsored this weekend at our small parish.  Thirty-four more lives improved!  In the scheme of things, it’s not all that expensive to sponsor someone, especially if you adhere to the biblical practice of tithing 10% of your income.  Think about it!

7. My two younger girls have turned into super duper baking machines.  They have been baking cookies, muffins and cupcakes like there’s no tomorrow.  Of course, I can’t eat any of these, having a medical condition that prevents me from eating grains; but it’s fun to know that they’re using their time to be creative.  Today they’ve made some chewy chocolate cookies that smell heavenly.  I don’t see this hobby waning, so I’ve just ordered another 25 lb. bag of spelt flour.  Come to think of it, I need to add butter to my shopping list…