As the Italy: A Feast for Body and Soul food-faith pilgrimage gets closer, I thought I’d share some of my favorite books about Italy, and this one about Assisi is at the top of that list. If you’re planning to come on the trip — and even if you’re not — this is a wonderful book that will make you want to board the next plane for Italy.
For a long time The Sun & Moon Over Assisi: A Personal Encounter with Francis and Clare by Gerard Thomas Straub was perpetually on my nightstand, my kitchen table, my desk, my coffee table. I was almost never without it for weeks and weeks on end. I read it constantly — and over and over. It is not only the story of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi but the story of Straub’s own spiritual transformation. This book is so chock full of spiritual goodies I used it more like a prayer book, often reading a passage just before bed so I’d have something to ponder as I drifted off to sleep. (more…)
This is one of those songs. Every time I get in the car, it seems to come on. Hadn’t ever heard it up until a few days ago but fell in love with it the first time I caught a piece of it. So much so I sat in the library parking lot just listening even though I really needed to get my books and get on with the day.
“I’m only human, and I bleed when I fall down…” Give it a listen. I’m gonna let Christina Perri play us out on this Friday afternoon…
It was hard enough staying off Facebook for two days when I had multiple people emailing, texting and calling to ask why I had disappeared. Apparently when you deactivate, even when you tell Facebook it’s just temporary, your entire page vanishes, like you’ve been sucked into some black hole, like you never existed in the first place, which is a whole other existential blog post I’m not up for writing today. I heard from a few friends and relatives who wondered if I’d unfriended them or if they’d accidentally unfriended or “erased” me after they tried unsuccessfully to send me a message or write on my wall. Oh, the tangled worldwide webs we weave. (more…)
I’ve been off Facebook for only 36 hours and already I can see a monumental difference in the way I’m working, thinking, living. Sounds ridiculous, I know, but it’s true. I feel more like my old self, much more efficient, focused, forward-moving. (more…)
As I mentioned last week, I have a love-hate relationship with Facebook. I love, love, love that I get to meet up with friends I don’t get to see in real life, and this week in particular some of those friends have provided incredible support via Facebook private message. A few notes arrived exactly when I needed them most. That’s when I look at Facebook with stars in my eyes. But — and it seems there’s always a “but” with Facebook — it is a constant distraction for me, so much so I felt I needed to take a short break to get through a few tight deadlines. (more…)
