by Mary | Feb 3, 2011 | book review
I love it when I open an email only to find an unexpected and wonderful surprise. That’s what happened today when I was sent the link to this review of “Walking Together” by Sarah Reinhard over at just another day of Catholic pondering. Thank you, Sarah.
Here’s what she had to say:
I remember, years ago, being shocked to silence when my boyfriend (who’s now my husband) told me that his best friend was his older brother. He said it so matter-of-factly, in such an “of COURSE he is” way.
I didn’t yet consider any of my siblings friends, and couldn’t quite picture what he meant. Now, many years later, I have a glimpse of it. I’ve become friends with some of my siblings and some of his.
It’s a wonderful thing, this siblings-as-friends experience. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I’ve come to realize, over time, that I have quite a few different kinds of friends. There are friends who are with me for a season, friends who I know through social media, and friends who I have the joy of being related to. There are friends who are more like acquaintances and friends who are more like family.
One of my favorite recent reads, Walking Together: Discovering the Catholic Tradition of Spiritual Friendship, by Mary DeTurris Poust, which I received as a review copy, has made me consider another kind of friendship that’s essential: spiritual friendship.
And you know what? After reading this, I realized something wonderful: I have a spiritual friend! I do! (Actually, I think I may have more than one, but one came to mind right away.)
This book is a gem of wisdom and insight, especially in an age of digital isolation. We need true spiritual friends now more than ever, when information is instant and feedback is constant. We need to be able to tap into the holy and sacred in other people, and this book will guide you.
You might find yourself nodding and recognizing those spiritual friends who already exist in your life. You might, on the other hand, find yourself longing for a spiritual friend after reading Walking Together.
DeTurris Poust offers suggestions that will strengthen existing friendships and help you take them to the “next level” and perhaps transform what began as “BFF” into “BFF…eternally.” She taps into both the ancient stories of saints and current lives of living Catholics to build what I’ve come to think of as a manual for growing into a better Christian.
I highly recommend this book, whatever your state in life.
Now, go visit Sarah’s blog. She’s got lots of great stuff there. Click HERE.
by Mary | Feb 2, 2011 | Uncategorized
Looks like Our Lady of Guadalupe will not disappear under the snow, as previously expected, due to a winter storm that turned out to be more of a dud than a monster, at least here. The kids so could have gone to school today. Snow and sleet stopped a while ago. Now it’s quite lovely out. Looks like it will be an early spring based on Our Lady’s predictions.
Here’s what Our Lady of Guadalupe looks like right now:
Here’s where she was yesterday around this time:
So there’s been some significant snow build-up but nothing to make us upstate New Yorkers slow down. Plus I think her snow totals are benefiting from some drifting, or possibly the intervention of a Higher Power.
In other news at the Poust house. Here’s the teenager getting a lesson in how to use the snow thrower:
Here are the girls making the requisite snow angels and going down the slide:
Here’s a view of our sun porch, which is heating up right now so I can enjoy the snow from the warmth of the cozy house.
by Mary | Feb 1, 2011 | Uncategorized
Okay, things are not looking good for Our Lady of Guadalupe as she stands vigil over our backyard as the snow encroaches. (That’s her out there right at the bottom of the big tree.) We are using her as a barometer of the storm.
Here’s where she was around 10 a.m.:
Here’s where she is now:
Check back tomorrow to see how she fares…
by Mary | Feb 1, 2011 | Uncategorized
I just finished shoveling out our driveway. It started as an effort simply to get through the icy snow bank left by the plow at the end of the driveway so I could get the van out and pick up Noah from school. (I was afraid he’d get hit by a car or plow while walking home from the bus stop.) When I got home, I decided to continue where I left off and just kept shoveling.
We have a gas-powered snow thrower, although I have to admit that I’ve never used it. Dennis does all the snow throwing, and leaf blowing. I prefer the old-fashioned way — shoveling and raking. There is something very meditative about both chores. They are, in a sense, very zen. You shovel snow while snowflakes fall covering up the space you just cleared with more snow. Same thing with autumn leaves. If you’ve ever raked a yard in the northeast, you know that raking can be an exercise in futility. Your efforts are quickly lost in a swirl of brown and orange and red.
Noah was not so charmed by this zen twist on shoveling. He just stared at me with that 14-year-old look. So I tried another approach, as he struggled to help with the snow removal. I suggested that knowing how to shovel a driveway might come in handy if ever he had his own place and no snow thrower to get the job done. Still not impressed. Finally I gave him some pointers on the art of shoveling and told him he should take pride in his work. “In shoveling snow,” he asked, incredulous. Yes, even in shoveling snow. Or maybe, especially in shoveling snow.
So the driveway is clear. For now. It was a nice little exercise — mental and physical — on this day when I couldn’t get to the Y. But it’s even nicer to know that Dennis will be around to handle that big snow tomorrow.
by Mary | Feb 1, 2011 | Uncategorized
I don’t know what Our Lady of Guadalupe did to deserve such treatment. Normally she winters inside with St. Francis of Assisi. But this year, while St. Francis is snug and dry and relatively warm in our garage, Our Lady has been left to fend for herself in the backyard. And she’s not used to this kind of weather where she comes from.
It is snowing like crazy here, but the kids are at school and Dennis is on the way to work. Things promise to get worse by tomorrow. I thought we could use Our Lady of Guadalupe as a barometer of the storm here. We’ll check back in tomorrow to see if she’s up to her ears yet.
Here’s the long view of her location:
Here’s one of her backyard partners, digging out acorns from a snowbank on our deck:
Here are the pines behind our house. Let’s hope the storm doesn’t break their branches, which hang precariously over our power lines.
