Worth Doing

“If a thing's worth doing it's worth doing badly.” ~~G.K. Chesterton

Today they buried my friends, Rose and Dave. In spite of how violently they died, how much publicity the crime has received, and how packed the church was, it was a solemn, beautiful Mass of Christian burial followed by full military honors for Dave who retired from the Air Force after 24 years. The Freedom Riders turned out in large numbers to line the street with flags and stand at attention for the salute and playing of Taps.

The weather also cooperated. It’s a perfect spring day here in Oklahoma—the sun’s shining, there’s a crisp breeze and yet it’s still not too hot.

So why the quote?

The funeral was lovely, a fitting tribute to my unforgettable friend, Rose and her devoted husband—all anyone could have asked for and more.

This morning as I was getting ready to go, I felt so strangely at peace, more so than I’ve been since I first heard the awful news. I knew without a doubt I was supposed to be a Communion minister today. I’ve never been a Communion minister at a funeral before; very often they don’t need extraordinary ministers, especially not when you have two priests and a deacon presiding as was the case today. When one is required, usually it’s the Mass Coordinator. But somehow, it just seemed right. Rose was the one who told me I could bring Holy Communion to the homebound years ago when I couldn’t fathom such an honor.

“But what if I mess it up?” I think I probably asked her back then.

“How will they know?!” She probably answered. I can just imagine her thinking, “Silly rabbit! Stop worrying and just bring them Communion! These sick people need your help. Perfectionists! Yeesh!”

She gave me a pyx, a book of prayers, a bunch of holy cards and sent me on my way. I was hung up on doing things “right”. Rose didn’t worry about that so much. Oh sure she tried to follow the big rules so far as they went. But she was more about visiting the person, seeing that each sick friend—and anyone in a hospital bed was her friend, whether she knew them or not—had Communion if they were Catholic, and magazines, candy, fast food or whatever else she could smuggle into the hospital, if they weren't.

Today I was the only lay extraordinary minister at my friend’s funeral. This morning, I told her that if it was God's Will, I'd really like to do it. I guess it was. Anyway, like so many other things I know I’ve done, it was worth doing—however I did it—because it wasn’t about me. None of it is about us, which is why it doesn’t matter so much how well we do it, but the love we put into it. Rose—and God—know how much her gifts meant to me over the years. Oh sweet Lord, let me be a ‘Rose’ for others.

And now she gave me another gift by helping me discover the courage to do something else I’ve never done. Thank you dear friend. One of the most beautiful things about getting older and losing dear ones is that it makes your own death less scary. Each time I can count one more soul ‘over there’ to welcome me when it’s my turn. Not such a bad thing when you think about it.

Thank you God for letting me be Catholic. Help me keep on ‘doing it’...however badly.

This Jesus Challenges Me

I use force, and He says, Forgive.

I am afraid, and He says, Take heart.

I doubt, and He says, Trust.

I feel anxious, and He says, Be calm.

I desire to be left alone, and He says, Come, follow me.

I make my plans, and He says, Let's go this way.

I want security, and He says to me, You will be persecuted for my sake.

I want to live, and He says, Give your life.

I believe I am a good person, and He says, That's not enough.

I want to be in charge, to give the commands, and He says, Serve, obey.

I want to understand, and He says, Believe.

I want clarity, and He speaks to me in Parables.

I want poetry, and He speaks of Realities.

I want tranquility, and He wants me To be disturbed.

I think of revenge, and He says, Turn the other cheek.

I speak of peace, and He says, I have come to bring a sword.

I want to hide, and He says, Let your light shine.

I seek out the first place, and He says, Sit in the last place.

I want to be seen, and He says, Pray in secret.

I want to hang on, and He says, Let go.

I want to win, and He says, Surrender.

No, I don't understand this Jesus. He provokes me. He confounds me.

Like many of His disciples I, too, think I would like to follow a different teacher; one who would be more clear, and who would ask less of me.

But it is as true for me as it was for Peter. When Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" Simon Peter answered, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.

I wish I could claim to have written this, but I didn't. I can only say that every word of it is as true for me as it was for the actual author, a Kenyan priest. My friend, MAM sent it to me and I love it!

Good Question

Uh...? I don't know. Do you?

Mental Prayer, Part 7

A leper came to him (and kneeling down) begged him and said, "If you wish, you can make me clean." ~~ Mark 1:40

Today I finally—and somewhat reluctantly—finished Dom Chautard’s, The Soul of the Apostolate. I’m also almost finished with Pope Benedict’s The Spirit of the Liturgy. Both books have been long, slow, meditative reads—unlike what I usually do, which is to “gobble” my books.

It’s interesting when you read two classic works simultaneously; you get to see how the thoughts of Great Minds—separated by time, space and even death—can sometimes synchronize. The Scripture above, interestingly enough comes from a selection I was reading in the Pope’s book and not Chautard’s, but it seemed a very appropriate lead in to what will be the last post in this particular series, and hopefully just the beginning of something even bigger.

In his book, Chautard recommends daily Mass; in his book, the Holy Father shows us why participation in the Liturgy is essential to our ‘transformation by it into the Logos (logisiert), conformed to Him and made the true Body of Christ.’ (page 174)

Making time for Mass is one thing, participating is another. For a fuller appreciation of our Catholic Liturgy, I cannot recommend a better guide than this incredible book by Pope Benedict, for all it is not the easiest text by him, nor is he writing at the usual 8th grade level of most popular Christian books today.

However, this series being about mental prayer, I want to leave you with what I have learned—thus far—from my repeated efforts to persist in fidelity to mental prayer. Some of these “lessons” are practical and some philosophical. I debated dividing them up but found that impossible, so here they are. The list is in no way authoritative, nor definitive, nor do I claim originality. Most likely everything I write has been recorded before by those much holier, wiser and more experienced than me. That’s just fine. This is my list and my experiences. If they are helpful to anyone, I am most humbly grateful; if not, it has still helped me to compile this list. Mostly I'm just deeply humbled and grateful for all I've learned. What I share below is just a fraction of it.


1. Schedule time for mental prayer every day-no matter what! Some sources recommend thirty minutes; others say we should give a minimum of an hour to our mental prayer each day. Seek the counsel of your spiritual director and/or confessor based on your particular vocation and current life requirements. But whatever, you decide, be faithful to daily mental prayer. If you know you will not be able to accomplish your prayer first thing in the morning, make sure you do it as soon as possible.

2. Prepare for the next morning’s mental prayer by thinking and praying about it the night before. Lay out your materials: breviary, rosary, Bible, prayer books, cards, icons, notes, lists, etc. Decide (if possible) what will be the focus of your prayer time. I found this to be a vital first step as I often wasn’t sufficiently awake first thing in the morning to make important decisions. However, if everything was organized and ready, things went much more smoothly.

3. Begin by asking the Holy Spirit for the Grace to pray well. Invoke your Guardian Angel’s protection. Often formal prayers are/were a good way to start, especially if I was tired. Many days I read from the Daily Readings and used those as ‘launching pad’ for discussion. However, it wasn’t long before, I found my own faults and failings provided plenty of material! This brings me to the opening quote from the leper—when I read that today it jumped out at me because it reminded me of something God and I had been talking about earlier today. Since I’ve begun mental prayer, the daily readings at Mass have come ALIVE! They breathe with the fire of the Holy Spirit, like they never did before.

4. Invite Jesus to sit down next to you or across from you. Find or place a favorite chair near yours so that you may talk to Him one-on-one. Or, if you prefer, kneel down in front of Him. Sitting or kneeling, you are in His Presence and He is in yours. Be with Him. He is with you. Close your eyes if you want. See Him in your mind. Talk to Him ... silently or aloud. Begin by telling Him how much you love Him and need Him. Know He loves you as well!

5. Accept that you are with Jesus . . . wherever your mind goes. This is NOT to say we shouldn't bring our attention back to Our Lord each and every time we become aware it has wandered off; it is only recognition and acceptance that, in His eyes, we are but spiritual children and He knows our weaknesses and understands our struggles. I will write more about this later when I begin a new series on the Interior Life, delving into Santa Teresa’s beautiful book, Interior Castle, but for now, think of Jesus as you would a benevolent parent or trusted spouse. Even when you are with your beloved, you have your moments of time where each of you think your own thoughts. This is understood and accepted by married couples and loving families everywhere. Why should Our Lord, who made you, knows and loves you better even than your own mother, expect what is impossible from His children? The answer is, He doesn’t. He wants us to strive and keep striving for perfection. With His Grace, may we always do as much. There is much more to be said on this particular point. However, in the meantime, let no one be unduly harsh with him/herself in this matter, nor set unreasonably high expectations.

6. Use holy objects which help you begin or refocus your prayer. These items may include, but are not limited to: candles, icons, prayer cards, rosaries/chaplets, statues, spiritual reading(s), and lists of things to talk about and/or people to pray for. If such aids will or might help you, consider keeping them near your prayer chair for those particularly dry times; it’s comforting to have something to fall back on.

7. And last but not least, what about Interruptions? Interruptions used to throw me into a positive tizzy! I tried turning off the phone, locking myself in my room, putting signs on the front door, wearing ear plugs, etc., all in an effort to get myself some quiet in a noisy home with children. Sooner or later, all my efforts backfired. Finally I settled on a simple rule of thumb: all interruptions come from God to further test my patience. I can either accept them gracefully or what is the point of my prayer time? However, accepting them, doesn’t mean I have to respond to them all equally. Now I start my prayer time before anyone else (except my dear hubby) is awake so the kids, phone and doorbell usually aren’t the problems they once were. Still, if the phone or cat or child(ren) do happen to enter during prayer time, I deal with it/him/her/them accordingly. Then, if the prayer session is less than ½ over, I go back and finish it; if the interruption occurs after the midway point, I call it a day.

‘Mental prayer is a furnace, in which the watch-fires of vigilance are constantly rekindled. Fidelity to mental prayer gives life to all our other pious exercises. By it, the soul will gradually acquire vigilance and a spirit of prayer, that is, a habit of ever more frequent recourse to God. Union with God in mental prayer will lead to intimate union with Him, even in the midst of our most absorbing occupations.

The soul, thus living in union with God, by custody of the heart, will draw down into itself, more and more, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the infused virtues, and perhaps God will call it to a higher degree of prayer.’ ~~ Dom Chautard, page 292, "The Soul of the Apostolate"

This is my closing prayer for this series . . . and the promise of more to come!

In Him,

Mental Prayer, Part 6

“Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices.” ~~ St. Teresa of Ávila

“Be gentle to all, and stern with yourself.” ~~ St. Teresa of Ávila

One of the (many) things I like about Santa Teresa de Jesús is the way she seems to contradict herself. I contradict myself too. But then if you read Jesus carefully in Holy Scripture even He seems to say one thing and turn around and say almost the opposite a few chapters later. Know what I mean?¹

We humans are a complicated and contradictory lot. But then Life is a strange and confusing journey at times, isn’t it?

So what does Teresa mean when she says on one hand that patience attains all, but on the other to be stern with ourselves? Which is it? And is she even referring to prayer in these quotes? Good questions! With Teresa, one never knows ... exactly—which is why it is very dangerous to take her out of context, just as it is to take Our Lord's words apart from, or out of, Holy Scripture. And even reading her writing in context, one must be very careful, as she freely admitted, which is why she was stern with herself; she knew herself. She knew and recognized her own shortcomings—and that is the real point of that second quote.

Recently when I was reading Father Christopher Renger's The 33 Doctors of the Church, I discovered Teresa’s title was “Doctor of Prayer”. In light of what I've been trying to write about and do in my own life, I was amazed by this. And yet, why so? If we Catholics truly believe that it's God who passionately loves us and initiates all, then why is it so strange to think that our patron saints choose us and are actively involved in our lives?

Ever since watching the mini-series on Santa Teresa many years ago, I’ve been drawn to her like a fly to honey. I share her enthusiasm for books, love her sense of humor, have a deep affection for my brother and know I possess all of her faults without having yet acquired her virtues. Still, when I visited her home town of Ávila (in 2007) I begged for her help and protection—and believe she is giving it to me every day.

In a previous post, I spoke about my firm belief in the Communion of Saints. Every time we say the Rosary or the Creed, we say, “I believe in the Communion of Saints!” Do we mean it? Do we really mean it?! We call – and call on – our earthly friends all the time, but what about our Heavenly ones? They are nearest Him who we profess to love. They long to help us in our prayer. Ask them to help you. Beg for their help every time you pray ... which is also becoming the poor beggar.

Begin all things in prayer and be a beggar when you pray.

'“To make a lame man walk without a limp is less absurd than to try and succeed without Thee, my Savior” (St. Augustine). Why do my resolutions bear no fruit? It can only be because my belief that “I can do all things” is not followed by; “in Him Who strengtheneth me.” And this brings me, then, to that part of my prayer which is in certain respects the most important of all: supplication, or the language of hope.

Without Your grace, Jesus, I can do nothing. And there is absolutely nothing that entitles me to it, Yet I know that my ceaseless prayers, far from irking You, will determine the amount of help You will give me, if they reflect a thirst to belong to You, distrust in myself, and an unlimited, not to say mad, confidence in Your Sacred Heart. Like the Canaanite woman, I cast myself at Your feet, O infinite goodness. With her persistence, full of humility and hope, I ask You not for a few crumbs but a full share in this banquet of which You said: “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me.”' ~~DOM JEAN-BAPTISTE CHAUTARD, O.C.S.O.

Which Beloved of God has chosen you? Is calling to you ... asking you to continue 'to do the will of Him' by following in that Saint's footsteps?



¹ Matthew 10:34 and Matthew 26:52

Mental Prayer, Part 1

Beginning again...

'What a wonderful Ideal is that which I behold in You, my Jesus. But is my life in harmony with that perfect Exemplar? That is what I now set out to discover, under Your earnest gaze, O my Divine Companion. Now You are all Mercy; but when I come before you in Particular Judgment – then at a single glance You will take in all the secret motives underlying the smallest acts of my life. Am I living according to this Ideal? Jesus, if I were to die right now, would You not find that my life is in contradiction with it?

Good Master, what are the points that You want me to correct?'

~~Dom Jean Baptiste Chautard, O.C.S.O.

I was hoping to find the text to The Soul of the Apostolate on-line somewhere. Sadly, it doesn't seem to have made the jump yet.* I'm not sure exactly why that is; it's an indescribably accessible book on prayer and the spiritual life. In fact, I can see how an ordinary soul (like me) with nothing but Holy Scripture, this book, and the help of the Holy Spirit, could make great progress ... if I would but apply myself.

Published in 1946, just at the end of World War II, The Soul of the Apostolate was translated by the youthful Thomas Merton, whose spiritual autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, was written only two years later. I hope to return to that classic as well and see if I can detect French Dom Chautard's influence on the American Trappist.

Ah! But again I digress! This is how a booklady gets herself in trouble. The point of this post was the opening quote (above) from page 206 and that all important question:

Good Master, what are the points that You want me to correct?

* After publishing this, I am happy to report, I discovered the text on-line here.

The Obama Sandwich

This picture is compliments of my dear husband. Here is what he writes: For those of you who haven't been here in Okieland, JT's barbecue is about the best there is. (It's located on Sunnylane; I had my retirement feed catered by them). Here's a sign that was out there a while back... This mailing was making the rounds at Tinker, had to send if forward.

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Happy Women's Day!

Did you know today is "Women's Day"? I didn't. And I've been a woman for, well for a number of years now. But I received this today among my prodigious e-mail and I thought I'd share it with anyone else who might not be in-the-know.

"Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." -Ps 127:1

Hi and HAPPY Women's Day to YOU, especially if you're a woman! International Women's Day has been celebrated since 1909 every March 8th, to recognize the social, economic and political achievements of women.

I just want to thank all of the women out there who carry God's heart in intercession, and encourage you today to never shrink back from what God has placed on your heart. Your contribution to the Body of Christ and His purposes is essential. We need you!

On behalf of men and ministers everywhere, I want to ask your forgiveness for the times you have been held back because of your gender. Christ honored women to be the first to carry the good news of His resurrection, and when we restrict your involvement in His great commission, we dishonor Him. Please forgive us.

I think it's safe to say that all through history, women have been the backbone of the Body of Christ. It was William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, who said, "My best men are women." There may be more men in the pulpit, but there are more women in God's throne room, and there are more heartfelt, tear-soaked prayers laid at His feet by women, than men would ever dare to count.

Your efforts may go unnoticed by men, and you may not be properly honored for your contribution by the local church, but God has seen it all, and your crowns await you. Please do not lose heart, just keep serve Your King, and praying out His heart, and blessing those you serve. None of it is being overlooked by Him.

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. -Hebrews 6:10

"May the Lord surprise you with His goodness, and grant you wisdom and light for your pathway; may His peace that surpasses understanding guard your heart and mind, and shield you from anxiety;

may solutions be released in a fresh measure, and next steps open before your feet; may grace shower down upon you to forgive, trust, endure, and give thanks even during difficulty;

may vision and passion for His purposes over your life spring up and usher you ahead unlike any other time in your life. May you feel the embrace of God's love and be fired up with a courage and faith that won't be denied it's reward."

May the Lord be gracious to you, and bless you and make His face shine upon you (Ps.67)

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY TO YOU!!!

from Delhi,
Rev. Wayne Dillard
Prayer Central

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My German Shepherd

Prayer is not something accessory,
it is not “optional,”
but rather a question of life or death.

Only one who prays,
that is,
who entrusts himself to God with filial love,
can enter into eternal life,
which is God himself.

Pope Benedict XVI (March 3, 2007)

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Book Lover PJs

Can you tell these are Book Lover’s Pajamas?

Acorn advertizes them here:

'Invite sweet dreams of books you’ve read, books you want to read, and books you’re reading right now. Crisp 100% cotton poplin is printed all over with rows and rows of books —history, mystery, biography, romance. Shirt with contrast
piping on notched collar, button front, and patch pockets; pants have an elastic drawstring waist. Roomy, relaxed fit. Sizes S(6–8), M(8–10), L(12–14), XL(16–18). Imported.'

But for $69.00 I think I'll have to pass. Thanks Mary Alice! We can both dream about them . . . while we live like Erasmus who said, "When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes."


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Way of Perfection

Belatedly, I thank my friend, Mara, for the last post--the wisdom of Merton quote. I have loved Thomas Merton for a long time--ever since reading Seven Storey Mountain twelve years or so ago. I have taken this little exerpt of wisdom to heart--as if it was directed to me personally--in a good way I hope. 'A reproof makes more impression on a person of understanding than a hundred strokes on a fool.' (Proverbs 17:10) I pray that I have a little understanding.

On Thursday, I meditated on the passage as a good one for the Easter season. I don't know about anyone else, but I always have a very difficult time with the Easter season. We are supposed to be Joyful and while I am, it seems to unfocus my spiritual life--especially after the discipline of Lent. Laugh at me, but I often find myself missing Lent when Easter comes. So I was grateful for the 'suggestion' because it seemed to fit me so perfectly and seemed to be a message from God. At Adoration on Thursday, Santa Teresa gave me these words as well which seemed further elaboration of Merton's words,

From Way of Perfection, Chapter 19: There are some souls, and some minds, as unruly as horses not yet broken in. No one can stop them: now they go this way, now that way; they are never still. Although a skilled rider mounted on such a horse may not always be in danger, he will be so sometimes; and, even if he is not concerned about his life, there will always be the risk of his stumbling, so that he has to ride with great care. Some people are either like this by nature or God permits them to become so. I am very sorry for them; they seem to me like people who are very thirsty and see water a long way off, yet, when they try to go to it, find someone who all the time is barring their path—at the beginning of their journey, in the middle and at the end. And when, after all their labour—and the labour is tremendous—they have conquered the first of their enemies, they allow themselves to be conquered by the second, and they prefer to die of thirst rather than drink water which is going to cost them so much trouble. Their strength has come to an end; their courage has failed them; and, though some of them are strong enough to conquer their second enemies as well as their first, when they meet the third group their strength comes to an end, though perhaps they are only a couple of steps from the fountain of living water, of which the Lord said to the Samaritan woman that 'whosoever drinks of it shall not thirst again'. (St. John iv, 13.) How right and how very true is that which comes from the lips of Truth Himself! In this life the soul will never thirst for anything more, although its thirst for things in the life to come will exceed any natural thirst that we can imagine here below. How the soul thirsts to experience this thirst! For it knows how very precious it is, and, grievous though it be and exhausting, it creates the very satisfaction by which this thirst is allayed. It is therefore a thirst which quenches nothing but desire for earthly things, and, when God slakes it, satisfies in such a way that one of the greatest favours He can bestow on the soul is to leave it with this longing, so that it has an even greater desire to drink of this water again.

Blessings on Divine Mercy Sunday!

Sermon in a Sentence

A Treasury of Quotations on the Spiritual Life

VOLUME 4 ST.

TERESA OF ÁVILA

Selected and Arranged by John P. McClernon

My dear friend, Morning Star, got this book for me at the Oklahoma Catholic Women's Conference. I started reading Sermon the moment she gave it to me and haven't stopped reading from it since. It is the fourth in a series of books of collected sayings from Saints who also happen to be doctors of the Church. I’ve always loved quotes and as I’ve gotten older this love has only grown. Since I returned from pilgrimage last fall my love of the saints has grown deeper and stronger. I feel drawn to call on their superior strength and wisdom constantly.

Another very dear friend suggested adding inspirational quotes to the end of messages, as a means of encouragement to souls struggling to persevere. In my younger days I know I would have shied away from such blatant evangelizing. I was a lukewarm Christian in those days. Now I don’t hesitate to wear my faith on my sleeve. If someone else doesn’t like what I believe and Who I believe in, they have the problem, not me.

In any event, I have not heard that anyone doesn’t like my quotes. In fact, I’ve had several compliments about my quotes and – since I started using Sermon in a Sentence – more than one person wanting to know where all my good quotes come from. But truthfully, I don’t put them there for anyone but myself. It's my primary responsibility to get myself to Heaven…and from what I’ve seen so far, that’s going to be challenge enough!

God bless you dear Morning Star for this book, your prayers and your constant, supportive friendship and trust!

Simone Weil

"The man who has known pure joy, if only for a moment... is the only man for whom affliction is something devastating... But, after all, for him it is no punishment; it is God holding his hand and pressing rather hard. For, if he remains constant, what he will discover buried deep under the sound of his own lamentations is the pearl of the silence of God."

~~ Simone Weil, Gravity and Grace

"All human suffering is an act of repentance."

"The Keys of the Kingdom" by A. J. Cronin

Started: 27 September 2007
Finished: 23 October 2007

Tears filled my eyes when I read that quote -- flying somewhere over Europe -- which I put in the title line. I prayed silently that it may be true. 'Dear God, please let it be the case! Let us be able to repent for our sins through what we suffer. Then human pain and misery will not be such a mystery and a seeming waste.'

I watched the sublimely exquisite movie, starring Gregory Peck, made from this book some years back. In it, he plays the gentle, unambitious, and frequently-misunderstood Scottish priest, Francis Chisholm. Well...perhaps to call Father Chisholm 'unambitious' is misleading; he does have his desires and goals, the same as any human being. He just doesn't have the usual ones for a priest. Not that he doesn't want to win souls to Christ. He does. But that's just it--that is his sole aspiration. He is not concerned with: rising in the Church, making money or influential friends, nor even converting at any cost, but only in genuinely changing minds and hearts. Therefore, he is constantly at odds with the world around him--even with those from inside his own Church.

But to speak of the movie again; it was delightful as I remember. I haven't watched it recently. Now that I've finished the book, I must watch it again. As I recall it, however, it is nowhere so complete as the book of course. Books, by their very nature, can go into so much more detail than movies--although movies have their place as well.

The Keys to the Kingdom is achingly beautiful, packed with lines like the one above which just pierce the heart with their Truth and Wisdom. I read the quote above to several individuals on my recent pilgrimage and it struck them as it did me. To put the quote in context makes it even more poignant. Fr. Chisholm's childhood best friend, Dr. Willie Tulloch, has journeyed from Scotland to China to visit, only to find the land in the midst of the plague. Dr. Tulloch, although raised in a devout Catholic home like his friend, Francis, has grown up to be an agnostic--or perhaps an atheist--it's not really clear. In any event, near the end of weeks working side-by-side, treating hundreds of Chinese with the plague, Willie finally succumbs and lays dying in Francis' arms. Here is their conversation.

(Willie) '..."ye'll write the old man and tell him that his son died game. Funny . . . I still can't believe in God."

"Does that matter now?" What was he saying? Francis did not know. He was crying and in the stupid humiliation of his weakness, the words came from him in blind confusion. "He believes in you."

"Don't delude yourself . . . I'm not repentant."

"All human suffering is an act of repentance."

There was a silence. The priest said no more. Weakly, Tulloch reached out his hand and let it fall on Francis' arm.

"Man I've never loved you so much as I do now . . . for not trying to bully me into heaven. You see-" His lids dropped wearily...'

There are many other quotes by and about the good priest which I'd like to share with you; here are just a sampling. Fr. Chisholm says to the gardener, after he complains all his plantings are lost and he must begin all over again. 'That is life . . . to begin again when everything is lost.'

Another time he writes in his journal, 'But the joy of knowing that to one person at least one is dear . . . indispensable . . . ' Yes! I can agree, that is Joy!

And this after he had been captured by bandits, held hostage, tortured and had his leg broken, 'Clumsily, a stiff ungainly figure, he knelt down, and begged God to judge him less by his deeds than by his intention.'

Keys is such a superb story--elegant in its exemplification of the simple. It will wrap itself around your heart, touch places deep inside and stay with you long after you close the cover. If all priests were like Fr. Chisholm, there would have been no need for the Reformation. He truly carried the love of Christ wherever he went.

God bless you!

*****

Gift from the Sea (RR)

by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Started: 26 September 2007
Finished: 2 October 2007


There is so much I'd like to say about this book, but I think it's best to just let this marvelous lady speak for herself. Some of my--and other's--favorite quotes include the following...

'After all, I don't see why I am always asking for private, individual, selfish miracles when every year there are miracles like white dogwood.'

'By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class.'

'Don't wish me happiness-I don't expect to be happy it's gotten beyond that, somehow. Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor-I will need them all.'

'For happiness one needs security, but joy can spring like a flower even from the cliffs of despair.'

'For sleep, one needs endless depths of blackness to sink into; daylight is too shallow, it will not cover one.'

'Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.'

'Grief can't be shared. Everyone carries it alone. His own burden in his own way.'

'I believe that what woman resents is not so much giving herself in pieces as giving herself purposelessly.'

'I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness and the willingness to remain vulnerable.'

'I feel we are all islands - in a common sea.'

'I have been overcome by the beauty and richness of our life together, those early mornings setting out, those evenings gleaming with rivers and lakes below us, still holding the last light.'

'I must write it all out, at any cost. Writing is thinking. It is more than living, for it is being conscious of living.'

'If you surrender completely to the moments as they pass, you live more richly those moments.'

'It takes as much courage to have tried and failed as it does to have tried and succeeded.'

'Life is a gift, given in trust - like a child.'

'Men kick friendship around like a football, but it doesn't seem to crack. Women treat it like glass and it goes to pieces.'

'One can never pay in gratitude: one can only pay 'in kind' somewhere else in life.'

'One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.'

'The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere.'

'The only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping, even. Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what it was, nor forward to what it might be, but living in the present and accepting it as it is now.'

'The punctuation of anniversaries is terrible, like the closing of doors, one after another between you and what you want to hold on to.'

'The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach - waiting for a gift from the sea.'

'The wave of the future is coming and there is no fighting it.'

'To give without any reward, or any notice, has a special quality of its own.'

To be able to write like that...Wow! Give yourself a treat! Give yourself 'Gift from the Sea'!

*****

As a Man Thinketh (RR)

by James Allen

This is one of those charmingly quaint little books which is worth owning. I have a Longmeadow Press edition (postcard size, 4 x 6 inches, 64 pages) which I bought at least 15 years ago and have read many times. Last evening I read it again in one sitting of approximately an hour.

Every time I've settled down with this magnificent meditational masterpiece, I have been in need of its author's gentle influence and it has yet to fail me. I tend to suffer from negative, or out-of-balance, thinking. So many miles of 'driving' with my thoughts and they get even more shaken-up, or inclined towards the wrong direction. When this happens, I know it's time for a mental realignment. A quiet but firm reminder from this eloquent author that our thoughts are the parents of our actions usually does the trick.

As you will have noticed from the title, Mr. Allen lived and wrote a while ago--a century to be specific. He wrote before the days of Political Correctness, so even though he referred to 'man' and 'men', in actuality, he had all of us in mind. Please forgive me if I adopt his all-encompassing parlance in speaking about people of both genders; it is what I grew up with and it does not seem offensive to me, a woman, to be included with all of mankind.

Our author was born in 1864 and only lived to be 48; he wrote 19 books in his obscure literary career of 9 years. When James was still a young boy, his father left the family home in England and went to America to earn enough money to recoup the losses from the failed family business. Unfortunately, he was robbed and murdered before he was ever able to fulfill his plans. The family's ensuing financial crisis forced James to leave school and go to work as a private secretary, a position which would be known as an administrative assistant today. He continued to work in this capacity until 1902, when he devoted himself full-time to his writing. After the publication of his first book, From Poverty to Power, he moved to Ifracombe, a little town on England's southwest coast. As a Man Thinketh was his second book and his most famous. His wife, Lily, apparently had to convince him to publish it; he wasn't persuaded it was good enough! How ironic! It would seem that the author suffered from the same problem as yours truly! He must have needed to read his own book!

When I learned these few stark facts about our author, I was touched and even more moved by his book. He wasn't writing from the top-down, but from the bottom-up. He knew what it was to see life from the 'depths of despair' as my dear friend Anne (with an "e") Shirley from the legendary Green Gables would say. All joking aside, Mr. Allen's life was no picnic; it was short and full of disappointment, loss and pain. Yet, he has left us a work of poignant human testimony, inspiration and wisdom.

Each time I've read As A Man Thinketh, I've been in a different place in my life and needed something unique from the book. Therefore, a new chapter has jumped out at me at each successive read. At this particular juncture, the fourth chapter, Thought and Purpose, offered the critical insight I was seeking. At another time when I was suffering from ill-health, the third chapter was more relevant.

There are 7 chapters in all, plus a forward and you can see them listed below:

Foreword by James Allen
1. Thought and Character
2. Effect of Thought on Circumstances
3. Effect of Thought on Health and the Body
4. Thought and Purpose
5. The Thought-Factor in Achievement
6. Visions and Ideals
7. Serenity

To call one a 'chapter' is to put a grand title on a small creature, yet each is a little nugget of wisdom, complete unto itself.

And without further ado, let me let Mr. Allen speak for himself.

'Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself.' p19

'Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but unwilling to improve themselves. They therefore remain bound.' p20

'A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life. And as he adapts his mind to that regulating factor, he ceases to accuse others as the cause of his condition, and builds himself up in strong and noble thoughts.' p27

'Let a man cease from his sinful thoughts, and all the world will soften toward him, and be ready to help him.' p30

'To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all conditions serve them and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly and accomplish masterfully.' p42

'There can be no progress, no achievement without sacrifice.' p48

'The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg; and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.' p55

God bless you Mr. Allen for this wonderful little book which has given me so much encouragement, genuine help and profound insight when I most needed it!

I happily and readily award you my 5 star award as the best of books and include this book on my list of books to read again and again and again! I hope you will too!

*****

A Cornucopia of Book Quotes

Yesterday my oldest daughter came home saying her English teacher didn't like for them to use the expression 'a lot' when speaking about plenty and they were supposed to come up with as many alternative words and phrases as possible.

She proceeded to name off many of the following words and I added a few as well: many, abundance, ample, copious, plenty, plenteous, plentiful, profusion, overflowing, bounty, plethora, bountiful, teeming and rich.*

Then she said that someone in her class suggested a strange "c" word no one had ever heard of.

"Oh! 'Cornucopia'!" I said triumphantly.

"Yes!" She looked at me in surprise, "How did you know that?" Why do our children think we were born yesterday?

A cornucopia, I proceeded to explain to her, is an overflowing horn of plenty--like what you see pictured in many Thanksgiving pictures.

And then, because life is stranger than fiction, I happened to notice that on the cover of one of my favorite book catalogs, Bas Bleu, I saw the picture of -- yes -- a cornucopia of Books! Now what could be nicer?

So I shall put that at the top of my post where I'll begin to collect my favorite book quotes!
Here are just a couple to begin with:

"That is a good book which is opened with expectation, and closed with delight and profit." ~~Bronson Alcott

"An elegant sufficiency, content, retirement, rural quiet, friendship, books." ~~James Thomson

"I have sought for happiness everywhere, but have found it nowhere except in a little corner with a little book." ~~Thomas à Kempis

"My book and heart must never part." ~~The New England Primer (oldest known copy extant is dated 1737)

"Classic." A book which people praise and don't read. ~~Mark Twain

"Knowing I lov'd my books, he furnish'd me, from mine own library with volumes that I prize above my dukedom." ~~Skakespeare: "The Tempest"

". . . be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue." ~~Rainer Maria Rilke

"The best books, he perceived, are those that tell you what you know already." ~~George Orwell, from 1984

"A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever." ~~Martin Farquhar Tupper

* If you can think of more, please let us know!

Water for Elephants

by Sara Gruen

Started: 28 August 2007

Finished: 29 August 2007

It's been a long time since I've read a novel in two days. I must confess it's kind of fun and feels a little decadent. If I did it all the time, it wouldn't be so enjoyable...not that it would even be feasible. In fact, if I didn't have a four day week-end coming up there's no way I could have managed it. But I've been rereading so many books recently, I decided it was time to branch out a bit and try something a little different...a new author...a book I knew nothing about and something which has been written and published recently.

My Bookmaster's Book Club will be reading Water for Elephants the first two weeks of September. Not wanting to take my chances on buying it, I requested it from the library, got it last night and haven't been able to put it down since.

Not that it's great fiction per se--just a fascinating and well-told story. Ms. Gruen has done an exceptional job researching the old train circuses of the early 1930s. The story is told from the perspective of 93 year-old Jacob Jankowski, currently residing--very unhappily I might add--in a senior citizen center. Jacob recalls the events that led him to the circus train of the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.

For the remainder of the book, the plot unfolds, alternating between the two very different time frames and settings: 1931 circus life and present day resident care. Gradually we come to know the economic realities of that long ago era and how the Great Depression and Prohibition affected both people and animals who rode the rails. In particular, we meet an extraordinary elephant named, Rosie, who is supposed to be the salvation of her company, but frequently seems to be their curse and downfall. Jacob's job and future depend on solving the mystery of how to get Rosie to perform, so that she can begin to pay her way before she eats everyone, including herself, into bankruptcy and ruin.

While the action of 1931 was certainly faster, I found the aged Jacob's wisdom and wry observations an ironic and interesting interlude.

A few of his sage observations, some sombre, all poignant, are...

"Age is a terrible thief. Just when you're getting the hang of life, it knocks your legs out from under you and stoops your back."

"So what if I'm ninety-three? So what if I'm ancient and cranky and my body's a wreck? If they're willing to accept me and my guilty conscience, why the hell shouldn't I run away with the circus?"

"....and open my vanity mirror. I should know better by now, but somehow I still expect to see myself. Instead I find an Appalachian apple doll, withered and spotty, with dewlaps and bags and large floppy ears....It's no good. Even when I look straight into the milky blue eyes, I can't find myself anymore. When did I stop being me?"

"Although there are times I'd give anything to have her* back, I'm glad she went first. Losing her was like being cleft down the middle. it was the moment it all ended for me, and I wouldn't have wanted her to go through that. Being the survivor stinks."

* Jacob remembering his wife.

Overall assessment: interesting and very different; not bad. Loved the knowledge and appreciation of animals and the sensitivity Ms. Gruen demonstrated for her elderly Jacob. Probably won't read this book again. Contains violence, profanity and adult themes, most of which was unnecessary. Story would have been much better without.

***

Vanishing Acts

by Jodi Picoult

Started: 10 July 2007
Finished: 20 July 2007

Overall Assessment/Synopsis: Hardly Picoult's best. Interesting. Wouldn't read again or recommend. About a young woman who discovers her father kidnapped her as a four year old and brought her up under an alias in New Hampshire although her mother was alive and living in Arizona; plot covers her discovery of the crime, the trial and its impact on all involved.

Memorable quotes listed below:

How little remains of the man I once was, save the memory of him! But remembering is only a new form of suffering! -Charles Baudelaire, La Fanfarlo (p71)

Nothing stands out so conspicuously, or remains so firmly fixed in the memory, as something which you have blundered. -Cicero (p133)

Is it a crime when you love someone so much that you can't stand the thought of them changing? Is it a crime when you love someone so much that you can't see them clearly? (p154)

Marry a man who loves you more than you love him. Because I have done both now, and when it is the other way around, there is no spell in the world that can even out the balance. (p159)

I never stopped hoping that you'd come home, but I did stop expecting it. (p163)

Memories aren't stored in the heart or in the head or even in the soul, if you ask me, but in the spaces between any two given people. (p225)

It is also a terrifying prospect: that the relationships we use as the cornerstones of our personalities are not given by default but are a choice; that it's all right to feel closer to a friend than we do to a parent; that someone who betrayed us in the past might be the same person with whom we build a future. (p231)

...it's crazy, isn't it, the way we always say that children belong to their parents, when it's really the other way around? (p280)

Why do they call it a mobile home if it never goes anywhere? (p388)

**

the five people you meet in heaven

by Mitch Albom

Some of my favorite quotes:

-- It might seem strange to start a story with an ending. But all endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time. (p1)

-- Every life has one true-love snapshot. (p9)

-- How do people choose their final words? Do they realize their gravity? Are they fated to be wise? (p13)

-- No life is a waste. The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone. (p50)

-- Dying? Not the end of everything. We think it is. But what happens on earth is only the beginning. (p91)

-- Sacrifice is a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to aspire to. (p93)

-- Sometimes when you sacrifice something really precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else. (p94)

-- All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair. (p104)

-- Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them. They move on. They move away. The moments that used to define them-a mother's approval, a father's nod- are covered by moments of their own accomplishments. It is not until much later, as the skin sags and the heart weakens, that children understand; their stories, and all their accomplishments, sit atop the stories of their mothers and fathers, stones upon stones, beneath the waters of love. (p126)

-- Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves. (p141)

-- People say they "find" love, as if it were an object hidden by a rock. But love takes many forms, and it is never the same for any man or woman. What people find then is a certain love. (p155)

-- Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different form, that's all. You can't see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those senses weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it. (p173)

Highly Recommend! ****