Recently in Sole Fide Category

For those wondering, the newest Duggar baby is reportedly doing well. Josie Brooklyn, born more than three months premature and weighing less than two pounds, is now seven weeks old.

Tomorrow, January 31, at 8pm Eastern Time, a "Special Duggar Delivery" will air on TLC. Here's a sneak peek, courtesy of TLC:

Also, if you use Tivo or a DVR, you will need to update the name of the show, which will now be called "19 Kids and Counting".

Monday, February 1 - Brigid of Kildare (patron saint of Ireland)

Tuesday, February 2 - Groundhog Day (American folk holiday) & Candlemas (Feast of the Presentation of the Lord)

Wednesday, February 3 - St. Blaise (Armenian bishop & martyr)

Friday, Frebruary 5 - Agatha of Sicily (3rd Century martyr)

Saturday, February 6 - Nagasaki Martyrs (Japanese martyrs)

Monday, February 8 - Josephine Bakhita (African nun)

Wednesday, February 10 - St. Scholastica (twin sister of St. Benedict)

Sunday, February 14 - Valentine's Day 

Monday, February 15 - Presidents Day (US holiday for Lincoln & Washington)

Tuesday, February 16 - Fat Tuesday (day before Ash Wednesday)

Wednesday, February 17 - Ash Wednesday (first day of Lent)

Sunday, February 21 - First Sunday of Lent

Tuesday, February 23 - Polycarp of Smyrna (disciple of John the Evangelist)

Sunday, February 28 - Second Sunday of Lent

Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God:
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries...

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh - Book VII

I can't say that Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a hero of mine, but long before my own body fell to ruin I admired her ability to learn, live, and grow despite illness and pain. The quotation above, taken from her nine book blank verse novel, is certainly a gem of truth.

Even a common blackberry bush is as full of God as Moses' burning bush. Some recognize this and honor the Lord; others can see nothing beyond a bush of blackberries.

I find it difficult to understand atheists. How can anyone observe the natural world and not acknowledge the Creator? Every living thing around us is born from the breath of God and possesses a touch of His majesty.

The whole world is afire with God. Let us behold His works and stand on holy ground.

⁷Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

 ⁸Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.

 ⁹Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.

 ¹⁰Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Enjoy what you have, live well, love your spouse, work hard. Advice so simple, yet so difficult to follow.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's. We managed to have a good holiday (as you can see from the children's glee shown above) despite illnesses and a death in the family.

If you follow my Twitter, you already know that my husband's last grandparent passed away right before Christmas. This is the same grandmother who gave me so many craft materials over the years, including the plastic canvas S used recently. After her death, all of her crochet yarn and metal hooks were brought to me, as she had requested. I also have many other items she had given to me over the years. I feel honored to have so many of her treasured things about me and I'm happy that she is once again at the side of her beloved husband who passed nine years ago.

Between her death and my brain surgery, I seem to have been slapped with the truth that we are all here for but a moment. It's not that I didn't take death seriously already, it's just that death is brushing too closely by me lately.

The night she passed away, H and I were sorrowful. We had not visited her as much as we should have. But while it's true that we should have made more time for her, I knew that we had always brought her a lot of joy and had worked hard to give her a close relationship with two of her eleven great-grandchildren.

Sometimes your best is not all it should be, just all it could be.

A post like this usually ends with a plea to spend more time with those you love, but I won't tell you that. Until Death comes riding down your street, such platitudes are empty. I will tell you, though, that regrets are many and days are few. Too many die with "I wish.." on their lips, but Carmen died with joy. I hope when my time comes that I do too. 

I have never tried plastic canvas, but a few years ago H's grandmother gave me a trunk of craft suplies. Among many goodies was a plastic canvas cross. S decided to try his hand at a new craft and he recently finished his project.

I thought he did well for a first try. I also think plastic canvas may be a great craft for those without the patience, eyesight, or fine motor skills needed for more delicate handwork, such as embroidery or cross stitch.

Since the materials S used were ones we already had, this craft was totally free. And now he has a cute little cross, which he hung on his bedroom wall. Best of all, he has asked to work on more plastic canvas projects. I think Charlotte Mason would approve.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving today. Betwixt the turkey and football and napping, please remember to thank our Father above who has blessed each of us with so much more than we deserve.

At Thanksgiving, I often think of a hymn I first heard while watching Little Women. You might remember it from the scene where Meg gets married.

 

For the beauty of the earth

For the Glory of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies:

 

Refrain:

'Lord of all, to Thee we raise

this our joyful hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour

Of the day and of the night,

Hill and vale and tree and flow'r

Sun and Moon and stars of light

 

Refrain

 

For the joy of human love,

Brother, sister, parent, child.

Friends on earth and friends above

For all gentle thoughts and mild.

 

Refrain

 

For each perfect gift of Thine

To our race so freely given.

Graces human and divine

Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n.

 

Refrain

Let us all, this day and every day, raise a joyful hymn of grateful praise to the Creator. For every good and perfect gift comes from above.  

Since I'm still recovering from the whole brain surgery thing, my sister-in-law invited us over for Thanksgiving. My neighbors heard and surprised us by ordering Thanksgiving for us so that I won't have to leave the house. Isn't that so sweet?

My post-surgery update:

• My stitches are out and the Dr says my incision looks great.
• My hair, where they shaved my head, is growing like mad. The rest of my thick hair covers the area.
• I left the house to get the stitches out and was very happy to go home again. I was really dreading going somewhere for Thanksgiving. That's why my dear neighbors bought us a cooked dinner.
• H is back at work but D is in charge and watches me better than a Mother Hen.
• If I bend over, it feels like my head will explode. So, I don't do that.
• I can't really spend much time at once on the internet, but I am at Twitter.

On my Free Things page, you can find my Thanksgiving Menu - if I was able to cook.

I hope to post again before Thursday. If I don't, here's Tennessee Ernie Ford singing one of my favorite harvest hymns:

I only started learning about the lives of the Saints a few years ago. Many Protestants (and Christians, in general) know too little of the history of our faith and reading about the Saints has taught me a lot. I have many favorites, but here are a few I've learned from:

Patrick - Kidnapped and sold as a slave, this Romano-Britain escaped to freedom and became a priest. Returning to the land of his enslavement, he faced danger at every turn in his quest to bring Christianity to Ireland - and act which would later allow for the preservation of learning in the Irish monasteries during the destructive Dark Ages.

Returning evil with good and suffering with mercy is never easy but can lead to amazing events we can never anticipate or imagine.

Columba - This hot-tempered prince and priest of Ireland started a dispute over possession of a book and caused the deaths of many men. His punishment was exile and Columba chose to go to Scotland. There he brought Christianity to the Picts and transformed pagan Scotland forever.

Our darkest transgressions sometimes lead to our greatest works and even an angry sinner can become the "Dove of Christ".

Margaret of Scotland - This Anglo-Saxon princess loved and married the king of Scotland and devotedly raised eight children.  She trained her children to follow Christ and encouraged learning and Christanity in Scotland. Her dedication to the poor made her beloved by the Scots. Many of her children and descendents were also Saints.

A caring, teaching mother is a missionary whose dedication is rewarded, generation upon generation.

In our desire to serve God, I think we all can learn much from those who have gone before us.