Yarn Along ~ Sunshine Squares Blanket and Dakota: A Spiritual Geography

 And this is where I am with the blanket.

A bit bunched up by the middle of the 'sun' but

well, one thing at a time.

I have to continually let go of 

wishing for perfection right now.

*

I've been thinking a lot about this.

How things are not perfect but they can still be good; 

a bit lopsided at times but full of love.

*

So... reading.

I finished Kathleen Norris' book

Dakota.

I really enjoyed it.

I see it as a well written first book 

as it were;

her first book articulating where she is

now, or where she was in 1993 at any case.

*

It is full of beauty,

of understanding that even imperfect or 

plain old deprivation within circumstances 

can be a place that a flower can grow 

or a word of life can come. 

*

It's like she is examining the breeze:

how it can be stifled and how it can be let loose

to come unexpectedly and provide

blessed relief.

*

It made me think of the farmers and there

yearly struggle and how good it could be for 

those who are the farmers wives to read this book;

or how it could be good to read when one is

feeling impatient within oneself,

still wishing for a more instant transformation of

what weights us down;

or if things in the job market are just not picking up

or things are just plain splintering everywhere...

it faces this;

it reminds one of the verse

possess one's soul in patience. 

*

Well, I don't know if

Kathleen lives much on the Dakotas now,

though perhaps in summer....

Her husband and her father are gone.

I could see all of her books in this first one,

the themes that she took further and made

beauty out of in her books.

I can see I should read her book on acedia again... 

*

She does a lot in this one;

challenging us to not become insular where we are

or to allow silence in our lives

or to see places we perhaps did not know, like

the Dakotas of 1993.

I had such an awareness of time,

reading this book,

years before so much would happen in her life...

before she published some of my favourite books

that often help me maintain faith when in difficult 

situations.

*

So a very good and thoughtful read.

*

What are you making and reading? 

Yarn along with us :)

*

Our Friday ~ Rest, Rain, Storm and Pie

By late afternoon/early evening 

it did more than rain, it stormed! 

I am reading more of Kathleen Norris' Dakota...

I can see how this was one of her earlier books...

she is learning a lot and putting it into words...

you can see the seeds of both

the cloister walk and amazing grace: a vocabulary of faith...

I put together some IKEA boxes...

Mr. Husband came home the other day with this

sweet wild flower bouquet :)

I made pie.

Trying to replicate what I did here.

But I did not have the whipping cream, the third

cream cheese or as many strawberries, so

it's a different pie.

I used half and half and sour cream, two things of

cream cheese... I like the other one better,

but this is still good, if a bit too sweet....

I hope to do it again after the fast;

It was good to make something though and 

this pie is the first thing I made in our new home!

*

I am still doing lots of resting;

in someways I feel like I am in a slump, 

all this resting and not getting as much done...

but I know if I don't rest, 

then nothing will get done or I will get sick

(the mono last year was enough for me, thanks)

or I will just stay tired.

So rest it is. Reading. Simple things.

*

Clean laundry is piling up. Mr. Husband is helping with dishes.

I really need to research dishwashers.

We are having the last fast-free week food...

dominos and their chicken too;

we call it mordor meat ;)

Well, at least it tastes good...

*

Wishing everyone a peaceful weekend!

Making a home: one box, one icon at a time

Can you see Cleo Cat in the back? :)

It may not look it, but more boxes

have been unpacked.

In our first home our wedding icons were like this,

with the cross in the centre:

We put up our icons...

but not in the way they were before, 

as the corner is very different...

*

We have yet to find our Cross...

I remember packing it!

We looked and looked yesterday...

We are thinking the Cross will go above 

these two icons and the wedding

Rushnyk above this, as similar as we can make it to what

we had in our first home. 

*

We had to pull the prayer stand out with a rug

and do not wish to put it back until the Cross is up,

so I do hope we find it soon!

Today I hope to unpack many more boxes,

with Cleo near by of course...

It's a cloudy rainy day today.

I woke up to the sound of rain;

very soothing.

Praying for some dear friends today

who are having some tests done for health....

Got Kathleen Norris' early book

Dakota: a Spiritual Geography 

from my local library branch,

which is a mere 5 minute walk away!

I had never read this one and it is a delight....

I still am hoping and praying that she writes and publishes more soon!

*

Well, Cleo is listening to the rain, looking at the window 

in our office as I write.

It's not yet 9 AM (we are changing our schedules a bit now)

and I have many boxes to attend to....

Books that change one's life

 

Today is yet another wonderful
memory of a year ago with
Mr. Husband.
We went to church for vespers a year ago,
it was a sunny beautiful day.
*
I am reading Kathleen Norris slowly
again.... her books plunged me into a new reality
and indeed opened the door for me
to be in the Orthodox church
ten years ago...
*
She opened the world of the early church fathers for me
and I suddenly was seeing everything
new and a lot of my old questions
fell right away ~
feminism for one.
*
It was such a gentle turning.
After years of studying literature,
stalking figures in books to see
how they portrayed men, women and
what it all meant,
suddenly I met many who lived long ago
like St. Jerome,
who Norris says 'feminists love to hate' and
his rich friendships with woman and her
deft exploration of these things
led me to see that feminism of today
is something that had not only narrowed things
but had lived only on the surface of things
and suddenly a brilliant complexity and
a much wider open world opened to me
and things were pulled away and
I saw a world where
freedom was and is
and saw that it surely was not
where I had thought it was;
the feminism I followed so long
through so many texts...
not realizing the worlds I was missing
by reading with such a narrow lens.

May is here

I've mentioned before that I have a very good

Grandmother.

I talked with her tonight

and she understood that I could be feeling a bit down

but that she was still praying for me.

Then she told me about a woman's devotional she read

and that the woman author loved the Month of May,

how everything is new and changing every day;

the leaves on the trees start to grow.

My Grandma said it is here favourite month and that she wishes

it could stay longer.

She told me to enjoy this, to take joy in it.

I looked out my window and

realized, sure enough, the leaves on the trees

are beginning to bud.

Then later on I told one of my best friends

about Elizabeth Goudge's book

the scent of water

and I read her the quote from the book of Job

that is the beginning of this book.

On my last post, T-A commented to

enjoy this time

as it is not often we get it.

*

Well, I am not sure what I would do volunteering

and I do need a job,

but I have started writing again.

Actually I never stopped but I started writing

a non-fiction piece.

Then my computer ate it.

Gone. Poof! Sob.

But I am starting over on it;

I have a feeling I will have lots of starts on it.

I dream though of writing something worth reading.

*

Ultimately I want to write something meaningful

like Kathleen Norris books were and are to me;

or restorative like Elizabeth Goudge.

*

In Spring we dream

for who knows what may come of it,

maybe even something of beauty.

Kathleen Norris

I heard Kathleen Norris speak last night. She spoke well. She signed my books. We even talked briefly.

It was good. I am thankful.

The hard, good and um, funny...

The funny first. I was having a good day at work - when I realized that I was wearing one brown shoe and one black. Sigh. Good thing I find this funny...

The good Fr. Lawrence's podcasts have begun! It is wonderful to hear his voice and listen to him explain the Scriptures. He was there at the beginning of my journey into the Orthodox Church and I thank God for him.

Also I found a copy of Madeleine L' Engle's book A Wind in the Door today at public library book sale! I am not sure if I have read this one or not - I probably have but it has been a long time. I also found a copy of Dragons in the Waters which I am giving to a friend.

I am reading a lot of books right now - Kathleen Norris's book, an Amanda Cross mystery (No word from Winifred), Ulysses by Joyce (wanted to be more in the know as one of my friends is reading it for class; I know it is long and at times said to be unreadable), and I recently obtained, from 8th day books, St. Ephriam's Spiritual Psalter. Ancient Faith Radio reads some of these prayers throughout the day; I am grateful to have a copy. I am reading this book very slowly.

New and old books - L' Engle I have been reading more or less avidly for the last 12 years - Amanda Cross is great for thinking about the academic world, esp. English departments. One gets a real sense of the time period through reading popular mysteries and she deals with a lot of questions, including about the self, feminism, youth, and the current states in culture.

I picked up her book on Winifred when I was in Halifax, at the most overwhelming, real, wood floor and shelves with books that seem to almost cascade down tottering piles bookstore. I would go back, I think, almost solely to see this store again! It was lovely. Their mystery section had classics, they had a small wall of orange Penguins and a small corner with lots of editions of the Bible. I am hunting for a good edition of The Jerusalem Bible as I find that translation of the Psalms very tender. (Through another wonderful translation, which I do own, from 8th day books, is the Psalter of the Seventy).

Okay, the hard. As in hard to know how to process - I am going to have a panihida soon (if all goes as I hope) for my spiritual mother who died ten years ago last week. This is hard to know how to process as grief and as a prayer and not as any form of self-pity, which will hinder real growth, grief and prayer.

A lot is going on for me - preparing for a move, learning my new job - and figuring out how to live and not let go of the reader/bookish/writer side. God is good and I am thankful; He has given me so much.

ps: still working on downloading the Halifax pictures. Soon, I hope!

Books, podcasts and tea

I am still slowly reading Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life by Kathleen Norris. I will try to blog about this. For now suffice to say that I keep thinking I need to quote or tab (I can't bring myself to write in a first edition) on every page. It is a book that is worth reading slowly.

I am re-reading Agatha Christie's Murder at the Vicarage; I love mysteries and really felt like reading one with Miss Jane Marple.

I listened to two podcasts by Fr. Thomas Hopko on Ancient Faith Radio - really good. One on the saints and their intercessions and one on what he would say for a commencement address. I found myself listening and thinking why did no one tell me what he is telling me when I was in University!!

Must go to bed early; feel like I could get a cold again and am to fly to Halifax DV this weekend. I bought a box of lemon tea in hopes of avoiding sickness. It does not help that my apartment building does not have the heat turned on yet and it is COLD. There is a Frost Warning for tonight. Did I mention that I am moving?

Thank God for such blessings in books, podcasts, good teaching on the spiritual life, and the simple enjoyment of a cup of lemon tea.

Long Jean Skirt

I ordered a Jean skirt and it fits! How is it that a long to-the-tops-of-my-feet skirt is so exciting?

It is strange to realize that I have just gotten some really classic durable clothes that I plan on wearing for years.

I feel like I am still slowly entering my thirties...

Kathleen Norris' latest book is quite fascinating. I will try to post about this later.

Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life by Kathleen Norris

Kathleen Norris just published a new book - Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life - published in 2008 by Riverhead books.

A dear undergrad friend, ten years ago, wrote me letters when I worked at camp. Every letter included something about Norris' Cloister Walk. I remember reading my friend's copy later that year; I remember reading Norris' Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith in a hotel in Missouri when the second leg of my flight home was cancelled. Her books changed my life and, without my knowledge, prepared me for the Orthodox church.

Wow. I just found out her latest book, Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life was published. I began reading it tonight. I can honestly say if I take this book seriously, as I pray I will, my life is going to continue changing. But with time, a lot of time and struggle. It is examining parts of life that I had never considered the ramifications before. It is exciting but I know also that it will take a lot of pondering, deliberation and choices on how I live.

Needless to say, I strongly recommend this book... and I am only on page 18 (well, okay I cheated and looked ahead a bit too...). Thank God for writers such as she.