Yes, I’m mildly obsessed with Pinterest. But, it’s full of so many pretty things that I can’t bear it! Since I’m off at “Cousin’s Camp” today, I thought you might appreciate some of my favorite finds of the week: I love these women: This is how I want to read with my Mister from now on… And this is how I would like to spend my first few weeks in Austin: Read more
Friends, Will you pray with me for Somer and Lance? They are friends of mine from college and Somer is a part of our Mama:Monk community. Right now, Lance is in ICU and on a respirator, as he has been for almost a week now. What began as (what doctors thought was) pneumonia in both lungs has become an unknown infection. The doctors are working very hard to find what it is, but in the meantime he is in critical... Read more
I’ve been posting a lot of book lists lately. Maybe it’s because I’ve actually had time while I’m staying with my parents (and before that, my mother-in-law’s) to think about books and consider how I’m going to spend the extra brain time I’ll have when we get settled in Austin and we don’t have commitments yet. (It probably won’t last long, so I’d better take advantage of it.) Here are the books on my non-literary wish list: Everyday Justice:... Read more
My baby has a personality and its best description is: SWEET. He likes to snuggle. He likes to smile at any and all people in his sight. He likes to grab noses. He likes to chew on his toes. And…he has started giving kisses. Yes, that’s right. He gets this dramatic look in his eyes, squints, and goes for it open mouthed. He kisses my neck, my face, my nose, and if he’s lucky, my lips. And he seems to... Read more
Last week I quoted St. Anthony and lamented that I was not only subpar in his thinking that one should not “easily leave” the place one lives, but his advice that someone who wants to please God must always “have God before your eyes.” As a mom to two little things who demand my time and my actual all-day physical presence, I was feeling like a failure in my attempts at the contemplative life. Then, this weekend, I was reminded... Read more
“Someone asked [St. Anthony]: ‘What must one do in order to please God?’ The old man replied, ‘Pay attention to what I tell you: whoever you may be, always have God before your eyes; whatever you do, do it according to the testimony of the holy Scriptures; in whatever place you live, do not easily leave it. Keep these three precepts and you will be saved.’” (From the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Benedicta Ward) Some wise sayings... Read more
Yesterday, my dear friend Katie (in San Francisco) sent me a package with two letters, a magazine, and three lovely children’s books (I mean incredibly beautiful, you’ve never seen a book so beautifully made) in the mail. Her husband works for McSweeney’s, the eccentric, progressive publishing house and magazine publisher. Really, McSweeney’s is a literary movement, but that’s beside the point. The point is that her husband has been working lately on children’s books. They’re named after Katie’s family, the... Read more
Every night when I’m putting August to bed, I pray for the man he’s going to grow up to be. Some days (especially the extremely whiny ones like yesterday) I pray with more intensity than usual. My prayer usually goes like this: Asking God to make August a man to who follows Christ his whole life, a man of gentleness, compassion and generosity. A man who loves the things that God loves. A man of mercy and justice. Last week,... Read more
Putting my 3 year old to bed when his hair is wet from bathtime and he actually smells like a sweet baby (as opposed to the rest of the time when he smells like sweaty boy). Summer evenings when it’s still in the 80s and 90s (depending on whether it’s summer in Philly or summer in Texas). I’m grateful for sitting outside at nearly 9 pm while the sun’s still out, cicadas are talking, and my dad is rocking my... Read more
There was a moment around 14 months ago, as I was flying alone with my almost 2 year old (something I have done many times), when he miraculously began to play by himself! He took his little Yo Gabba Gabba people and made them talk to each other. Then I gave him some Thomas the Tank Engine cards and one by one he dropped them onto the airplane floor. I was astounded. I was weeping in my soul! And I... Read more
Micha Boyett
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