Marriage and Men

I wrote a bit ago on my take on the role of the wife in marriage, reframing the “wives submit” to “I am my husband’s second, I have his back” and I wanted to speak on the husband but without attempting to advise husbands from my own thoughts so much as point them toward men I think who would be good for them. Enter ROMAN CATHOLIC MAN.  Here is a web site that speaks to men about being men in our culture and framed by scripture and the Catholic faith. I am impressed by it. So husbands I advise you … Continue reading

I Am My Husband’s Second

The whole concept of submission in marriage has taken on some very non-catholic baggage these days. I think we need to reframe the Catholic teaching on submission in marriage so as to avoid all the negative stuff and get at the heart of a proper Catholic understanding of “wives submit to your husbands…”(Ephesians 5: 21 etc)  Replace the language using “submit” with this: “I am my husband’s second, I have his back in the spiritual war we call life.” I chose this because in Catholic teaching men and women are of equal dignity. We are partners, we are part of … Continue reading

Everyday Beauty V: Tidiness is a result of aesthetics

An empty desk is functional but is it beautiful? A cup holding pens is functional, but a pen cup made from cut glass in a metal frame is beautiful beyond its function. So it is with all things pertaining to beauty including the art of tidying. Marie Kondo, in her book, THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP, writes of taking an object into one’s hands and asking, “Does this object bring me joy?”  That action is about aesthetics, not about function.  An object may be beautiful due to its function but what causes you joy is not merely function–it is aesthetics. … Continue reading

Visualizing A Tidy Home III–The Kitchen

Once more, I visit the topic of visualizing my space. This is supposed to help me learn the mind-set that will make keeping a tidy home possible. I am getting these ideas from the book THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP by Marie Kondo.  Today, I am visualizing my kitchen more fully. I have a lovely huge kitchen. It has granite counter-tops which are pretty. The backsplash is white tile with colored tile here and there in a random pattern. The cabinets, a bit battered, are cherry. The appliances are a mix. There are black and white and stainless finishes … Continue reading

Everyday Beauty II

People in our culture are starving for beauty.  I remember when Trudy Krise, a wonderful woman, would bring her deserts to class for the snack.  Those days we had standing room only! People stood around the table exclaiming over the beauty of her deserts. They were indeed a work of art, and what is more, they tasted BETTER than they looked! People are so starved for beauty that knowing her art would be at the next class was all it took to get standing room only. Why the popularity of the Extraordinary form of the Mass? We often call it … Continue reading

Visualizing A Tidy Home II–The Entry

Continuing with visualizing my home as directed to in the book THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP by Marie Kondo, I am thinking only of the front entry, the first view visitors have of my home, and my first sight each time I return home. Right now, the front door bumps up against some things my husband has stored there. When the things that do not belong here first arrived, it was supposed to be temporary. I can do with anything temporarily. I have, sadly, had to face the fact that what I consider temporary and what my husband considers … Continue reading

Beauty Of the Everyday Kind

Beauty is missing from our culture. Oh, there are still a few beautiful buildings put up, and you can buy pretty things, and you can find artists making art, but the everyday making of beauty is missing.  We have devalued it until it has almost completely vanished. The mentality that if your work is not producing a paycheck then your work has no value is killing off everyday beauty. Home making is both work and an art form that is almost dead from neglect because it does not bring in a paycheck. Few are those who knit or crochet beautiful … Continue reading

Looking To 2013

I love the pristine hopefulness of a new year. A New year has so many possibilities, so much potential and a whole 12 months of adventure in it. I shall make plans and enter into the New Year eagerly and energetically.  How will it turn out?  Will the New Year be a disaster, or success, or something in between? I resolve to cling tightly to my personal goals.  I plan to adhere to my healthy eating plan, geared to my issues with blood sugar, and my need to lose weight.  How?  I will combat the feelings of deprivation by pampering … Continue reading

Progressing In My Vocation

I used to wonder how I would ever know what to do with my life. Many persons have asked this question. It is a huge struggle because each of us has many possible paths we could take and are generally young and inexperienced when we make some pretty major choices. I remember looking at the wide range of my interests and abilities and despairing of ever figuring out what I was expected to do with all of that!  Which way did God want me to go? Which way did I want to go?  Were they the same?  Were all decisions … Continue reading

SCANDAL! Public Catholics promoting heresies

Catholics in public office or speaking in a public venue to thousands of listeners have an obligation to avoid promoting a known heresy. Nobody today could possibly be ignorant of the Church teachings on contraception and abortion. Possible perhaps to be confused on the Church’s teaching on marriage or the 1st Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, but NOT possible to be confused on contraception and abortion being gravely wrong, sinful, and completely contrary to Church teachings on LIFE. Catholics no matter what vocation they have are ALL obligated to know the faith and to clearly … Continue reading