My Conversation with Kiki Latimer

Dagny's birthday was quite eventful--morning brought a delightful conversation with Kiki Latimer. You can listen on WCAT Radio or WCAT TV. How I wish I'd known about her wonderful resources on her website when I was writing Bound. But I only heard about her podcast, the Catholic Bookworm, because of the online Catholic Writing Conference I attended in January. What a joy to discover more about her--she tells lovely stories and I'm looking forward to reading her memoir: Seeing God's Face: A Catholic American Woman in India. 

Afternoon was for Adoration. I had so much to thank our Blessed Lord Jesus and pray for--my writing, my music, my family, our priests and choirs, and most of all for the conclave that is at this moment deliberating and casting their votes for the next Pope. God already knows, and we pray that the cardinals are listening to that still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. We pray our next pope will be a man after God's own heart, a good shepherd.

Evening brought choir practice. So many of our choristers are sick or taking care of others who are sick. We pray they will recover. But we had such a good time--with Palestrina and Josquin mostly. This music makes my heart sing. We went to Home Team BBQ afterwards to celebrate Dagny's birthday. Max is toasting her from NYC. My heart is full. (The two outdoor pictures were taken at Momo's at Waterfront Park over the weekend--you should know that we celebrate birthdays all month long :) 

Ascension of our Lord

Happy Feast of the Ascension!!! Where our Lord is, there we hope to be too! It is the second Glorious Mystery and we pray for the virtue of Hope. What's been lost in the new liturgy are the three Rogation days prior to Ascension Thursday. It's when we pray for blessings upon our crops, for a bountiful fruit. With the industrial food system, we don't think about these things, but when you consider how unnatural it is, how detrimental it is to have pesticides and hormones contaminating our food (no wonder an increasing number of people have chronic health problems), think about supporting your local farmers. Since the Covid crap began, we began buying our meat, eggs, raw milk, and whatever vegetables we didn't grow ourselves from local farmers. Our health is so much better and it feels good to know where our food is coming from. 

We'll also begin the world's oldest and original novena in preparation for Pentecost! That's one of the reasons I don't like that Ascension has been shifted to Sunday. It's Ascension Thursday for a reason: 40 days after Easter. Plus novena = nine days of prayer. Yeah, the numbers matter to me. Le sigh. 

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy Love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

It's hard to believe that it was only last year Dagny graduated from Ave Maria.

Summer Memories

What a summer! What a life of leisure! I've been reading, singing and playing so much, I've not taken the time to do much else, even write. But here I am on my poor, neglected blog. 

Dagny has moved farther away from her work and church and us but she's enjoying living closer to the beach with her new friends. I just love that her new home has a little stairway just for fun--just like in the song, If I Were a Rich Man in Fiddler on the Roof! I believe it must be a school project; both new housemates study here: Trades — American College of the Building Arts (acba.edu). My heart is at peace knowing she's in a good place with young women who share not only many interests, but also faith in Christ. It's been lovely to watch her grow in love and friendships and virtues.

I'm learning all kinds of new things at the library. We meet for "crafternoons" once a month and it's so fun. I get to be a kid again. I'd collected lots of pretty shells on the beach and learned to decoupage them; next, some painting! We're also learning to play the recorder in a group and purchased a tenor recorder for Michael--its tone is lovely, same range as the human voice. Luckily the fingering is the same as with the soprano, only it's twice as big, so he's getting used to having the fingers separated more--it helps to have big hands :) We continue to sing at both Stella Maris and Sacred Heart--it is our joy! I also got an invitation (from one of the ladies in the recorder group) to come listen to her women's acapella group, Charleston Sound Chorus, and since our church choir was on a summer hiatus, I thought it'd be fun. Barbershop has a unique sound. Melody (how aptly named) gave me a folder of music to sing along and I struggled my way through. But such fun! Challenging! I prayed to God that if it were His will for me to sing with CSC, He'd have to make it happen. And He did! All the details. I promised to do my part, which was to practice faithfully. Singing in three choirs is making me grow in musicianship. What's funny is that sometimes I wish I had my recorder at barbershop so that I could play the parts that I'm having trouble singing. But isn't it incredible that we're born with a musical instrument! 

Now that I'm mostly caught up with all the talented ladies in barbershop, I want to see whether I can write more productively (as in publishable material). I'm still only scribbling ideas (they just keep on coming) but I put away my historical novel...so pray that I can do it all. I want everything, yes, it's true. Sometimes I talk to St. Therese, the Little Flower, about it because she, too, wanted everything! But she also gave everything, her very self, completely to God. Do I? I try. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

Max and his friends from American Moment came for a visit in Sept. and it was such a joy to spend some time with them celebrating birthdays, solving puzzles, discussing politics and religion, making music, and of course, eating good food and drink! It reminds me of the poem by Hilaire Belloc: 

Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,
There’s always laughter and good red wine.
At least I’ve always found it so.
Benedicamus Domino!  

We all enjoyed some homebrew. Michael got some art from Tridentine Brewing Co. and it fits so perfectly with why we do what we do--for the greater glory of God. My motto is that of the Knights Templar: non nobis Domine (and we sing it often). Michael planted a fall garden and it's doing well (the bunnies haven't been able to get at it). 

Hard to believe that we're already in the last days (of the liturgical year, but also considering the chaos and evil in this world). All we can do is pray. So I leave you with a picture of the Source of my peace and joy along with some Lowcountry beauty captured by Dagny and Max. Pax Christi.   

Young Love

Our minds have been on our marriage, so I was delighted to discover this young man's intentions towards our daughter. Michael, being a typical dad, is still wondering how these kids got to this stage so quickly (they've been dating a year). It was a whirlwind weekend for Ian. He was finishing up an internship in Ohio. Dagny flew to see him and drive back with him. Here they are at Cumberland Falls in KY. We met with Ian privately on Sat. and he proposed to Dagny that evening. It will necessarily be a longish engagement because Ian is still in school (leaving today), but I've not met a more mature young man, who knows whom he wants to spend the rest of his life with and isn't afraid to make a commitment. Dagny, too. They don't have to "play the field" or get their hearts broken. It is so lovely to imagine our children entering into marriage with time to grow in virtue as they prepare themselves for this most beautiful of Sacraments.

I also love that they have a faithful community of Catholic friends who will support them as well as our wider Church family. Our families have known each other for over a decade. Ian is literally the boy next door. Of course, when they were children, they ran around in their own friend groups--Ian with all the boys in the church. At one point there were something like 15 boys at the Altar, serving. There were far fewer girls so they were a tight little group. But all our children are growing up and I'm especially grateful that for many, this is home, this is where they want to be, and where they want to raise a family.

Mass was especially beautiful with a medieval motet for Holy Communion: Maria Matrem. Deo gratias! 

Lowcountry Summer

I love summer and all the gifts of nature--from land and sea and sky. The back porch affords a lot of entertainment. Across the marsh, there's a hollow and we've been watching a mama raccoon and her two babies. It's very hard to see the babies--they peek out and she pushes them back in. Dagny showed me a trick to get pictures through the binoculars. Fun to have her visit. I love having adult children and dream of our future.

I love that Dagny can appreciate her father's beer and he can appreciate the spirits she makes. She routinely asks about gardening. Love that we get to eat so much fresh produce. I'm constantly snacking on the cherry tomatoes. And if Michael picks just one ladyfinger, I can't help but eat it right away. They are delicious raw, cooked, pickled. Soon we'll have many ready for picking all at once. The eggplant is from my sister's seeds I brought home from Texas last summer. So fun. 

While Michael works hard, the cats and I enjoy a leisurely life reading, writing, housekeeping, and praying. I still have to pinch myself every time I walk over to St. Clare for Mass or Adoration--how beautiful it is to have this life here right now. My heart knew I was home when we moved here twelve years ago. Here is what the children remember best; here is where their home is. Dagny is rooted here, and I know Max will eventually work his way down here too. 

I don't usually have my phone with me on my daily walks to the church or library, so am writing this to remember: eating fresh figs, a baby alligator in the pond looking very cute with his smiley mouth and stripes, a mother deer bounding away, her two fawns right behind her, and getting caught in a pop-up storm. How refreshing! I'm actually writing this in my wet clothes because it's so cooling. Reminds me of the monsoons in India. I've been asked several times by my neighbors why I walk in this heat; it's hard for them to understand how much I enjoy it and with a bottle of water, I remain hydrated. Of course, I sweat rivers but if I only stays indoors, I'd miss so much beauty.

With regular choir practice on hold during the summer, we've been going to the beach in the evenings. We miss our practices so have choir come over for an evening for supper and to sing our favorites--non nobis Domine (an oldie) and O Holy Jesus (A Prayer of St. Richard of Chichester). How's your summer going? What treasures will you share?