Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday because it lacks a commercial aspect. We focus on food, family, friends and all the blessings, too many to count. My husband cooks the turkey on the Big Green Egg and it always comes out moist and tender. We also have a tradition of pigging out with ABTs (atomic buffalo turds). These are bacon-wrapped jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese, onions, garlic and pulled pork, roasted on the Egg. I'm afraid these will lead anybody to gluttony.

 

It's easy to be thankful for all the good things in life -- family, friends, food, comfort. Alas I am not thankful "in all circumstances." This past month has been especially trying -- not much relief from the migraines. I feel pathetic and desperate. A dear friend, whose own little girl is suffering from leukemia, sent me this quote from St. John Vianney:  "We complain when we suffer.  We have much more reason to complain when we do not suffer, since nothing so likens us to Our Lord as the bearing of His Cross."

This immediately reminded me of a poem by Joyce Kilmer that I read on Faith's blog a year ago. And it made me smile. I hope the poem resonates as deeply with you as it does with me.

 

Thanksgiving
 

The roar of the world is in my ears.

Thank God for the roar of the world!

Thank God for the mighty tide of fears

Against me always hurled!

Thank God for the bitter and ceaseless strife,

And the sting of His chastening rod!

Thank God for the stress and the pain of life,

And Oh, thank God for God!

This picture was taken in St. Augustine, FL where the first *real* Thanksgiving took place Sept. 8, 1565. I can imagine the Spaniards and local Timucua tribe sharing a meal together after the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered.

 

My dear readers, I am thankful for each and every one of you. May you have a blessed, bountiful and beautiful Thanksgiving.

The Periodic Table in Song

I can impress kindergartners with my ability to sing the alphabet backwards, but I just found something that I really must master: The Periodic Table. Check it out!



Years ago, I bought a tape of biochemical cycles ... it's in a box somewhere, but I've never forgotten them. Tell me, have you ever memorized a bunch of difficult stuff to songs? Do share!

Missing You

I can imagine you singing all our favorite music and more in heaven. I pray for you still, but need your prayers ever more.

Notes from a Conference I Missed

This past weekend, my daughter and I had girlie time, cooking, baking, playing the piano, and just hanging out while my husband and son went to a Marian Eucharistic Conference in Greeneville, SC. Max got to serve at both Masses and spend time with the Fathers and Deacon, all of whom were powerful speakers, on fire for the faith and in their love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

I wish I could've gone too, because these guys did not jot any notes at all, after all the preaching I've done over the benefits of note-taking. Grrr. That is my only annoyance. Thankfully, over supper and during walks, I've gathered some of what they learned, and I'm sure more stuff is yet to come.

Max told me he met another Dwight, that is, Fr. Dwight Lewis. We were neophyte Catholics when Fr. Dwight was training at St. Jude in Redmond. He was so passionate and on fire with the love for the Lord, he fanned the flames in our own hearts. The other Dwight is Deacon Harold Burke-Silvers, who spoke of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. God becoming Man. Word made Flesh. It's a Mystery! Joy. It is infectious and exuberant. And this is why I cannot shut up about Jesus.

Oh, I wish our churches were full to the rafters because how can we not fall on our faces to thank Him? Alas, it comes from parents not teaching the faith, or living it themselves. I don't have the stats, but Fr. Bill Casey said it was shameful how ignorant Catholics are about their faith, how they know nothing about the Real Presence of Christ, how even the ones who are catechized leave without a second thought. So the stuff they learned never went into their hearts. The laws of God are written upon our hearts, not our heads. I don't have answers to remedy this terrible apathy, but I do believe we can accomplish great things through prayer.

Michael and I were atheists. But people (and saints!) were praying for us, and God found a way into our hearts. So, pray, pray, pray for your loved ones, your spouses, your children, your parents, your friends, your neighbors.

Both Michael and Max enjoyed the history lessons from Fr. Mitch Pacwa. He is also a Maronite priest. This means he knows how to celebrate the liturgy in Aramaic! How cool is that? For him, Latin must be modern! He's a polyglot; he has to be one to be a Biblical scholar.

I learned that the first denial of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist happened a thousand years after the Last Supper! This resulted in a formal definition of trans-substantiation. This mean that bread and wine, after consecration, *is* the Body and Blood of Christ. It looks like bread, tastes like bread, feels like bread, but the "breadness" (for lack of a better word) has been changed into the Body of Christ. Another mystery!

I love that Christ is with us, not just as spirit (like when two or three are gathered), but really and truly, in a way so that we can consume Him. Literally. We are what we eat.

Michael said that Fr. Pawca ended with a reflection on how it must have been for Mary to receive her Son, she, who carried Him in her womb, who gave her Son to us.

I am so thankful Michael and Max got to spend the weekend in deep devotion learning more about our Faith and Beauty. It is something they will carry with them a long time. Next time, they'll take notes.

Have you ever gone to a religious conference?
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INDIA

I was looking for some classics on Amazon this morning and decided on a lark to check my page. Several years ago, I discovered that some of my Perfection Learning books had been published in hardcover, but I was never told.

Imagine my delight to see INDIA, one of my Compass Media books as an e-book!!! I promptly purchased it for a couple of bucks!!! I hope Compass decides to make more of these books available to the public on Amazon. They are beautifully made.

I had so much fun writing this book and doing all the photo research. I still remember the first week I received the assignment. I couldn't write a single word. There was so much to absorb and to learn. How would I organize it? Once I wrote up the outline, everything flowed. I encapsulated 5,000 years of  Indian culture and history in this book. No small feat. My fifth grade teacher would be proud.

I have never excelled at history; it is only now that I find wonderful authors who make it a pleasure. I remember what torture it was to study dates and how many people died and so forth, statistics that did not matter. I always wanted to know the why of an event, what the person was like. This is probably why I adore good historical fiction because it delves more deeply into the human psyche.

Grab a chair and I'll pour you a sweet mango lassi!

Halloween, Requiem Mass, and Books

My daughter carved this pumpkin ... and the surprised expression reminds me of our tuxedo kitten, Finney-boy, whom we still miss. It was a warm night and the kids had a great time collecting candy, ten pounds in all. Gone are the days when sugar was a controlled substance in our home.

We've also had the privilege of singing at two Requiem Masses this week, Gabriel Faure's grand Mass with strings and horns, and a simple Gregorian chant. So wonderful to offer our prayers for our beloved dead, and for those who are forgotten. We only need remember the words of our blessed Lord as He hung upon the cross: This day you shall be with me in paradise.

No Halloween post would be complete without our perfect Halloween cat, but my friends, the best Halloween post comes from Faith.

The days have been misty and cool. I've been on an Irish marathon for some reason. Rosemary started it. She had mentioned HOW THE IRISH SAVED CIVILIZATION by Thomas Cahill, which has been a wonderful read for me, reminding of another book: A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ. When I picked up the first book at the library, the librarian recommended STALKING IRISH MADNESS by Patrick Tracey. It is a heartbreakingly beautiful memoir of Tracey's search for the roots of schizophrenia in his family. This book reminded me of Kersten Hamilton's GOBLIN WARS trilogy. Other books I've thoroughly enjoyed are Madeleine L'Engle's CIRCLE OF QUIET and Kate di Camillo's newest: FLORA AND ULYSSES. I almost wept tears because my children thought it was too silly. Is it possible that as they enter their teens, they are losing their capacity for the wonder and beauty of imagination? Sigh.

 

Catching up at Write 2 Ignite

In preparation for next year's conference, Sally has been catching up with some of us. Please check out her interview with me at Write 2 Ignite. I'm in awe of being on the same blog as folks like Bill Reeves, Tony Snipes, and many other artists. Lots of great tips and inspiration.

Write 2 Ignite is a conference for Christian writers of children's literature and I'm so thankful to live close enough to participate. Like the Highlights Foundation Workshop I attended this summer, we are all striving to share our Christian hope with children through our stories.

I've swiped some pictures from their fun page (all taken by Sean Earnhardt -- he's Donna's husband in the second photo ... don't they look happy together?)

 

Mark your calendars: March 28-29, 2014.
Where: Northern Greeneville University, Tigerville, SC.
List of authors, editors, agents here.

Fall

Fall is here ... The water's too cold for swimming, and the air too cool for drying clothes out on the porch. But the mosquitoes are also gone. I've not bitten in a couple of weeks. I didn't realize until now that not only do I switch from a summer writing pattern to school-days writing pattern, but that I have a different routine given whether it's hot or cold, and I'm finding this transition hard. I suspect the stack of good books I'm reading or planning to read is not helping my writing one bit. But I'm going to try to do better and write first, then read. I've also begun volunteering at school and it makes me realize how wonderful all the teachers are at school. I could never do even half the things they do with a group of children. We've been so blessed. I've not met a single teacher who has not been dedicated. The Blueboard created by Verla Kay has moved to its new digs at SCBWI in one piece! Lots of little glitches to take care of, but overall, a huge success. Check it out -- the best kid-lit community online. I've been a member nearly ten years!



Doesn't that clementine look ripe for the picking? It's in our back yard. Sun ripened and sweet. We've already eaten a couple and I wonder how many years it'll take until we no longer have to buy from the stores. Fall is here. What are you doing?

Neil Gaiman on Libraries, Reading, and Daydreaming

I'm very fond of Neil Gaiman and his books and lectures. In this article, he explains why public libraries deserve our support. "But libraries are about freedom. Freedom to read, freedom of ideas, freedom of communication. They are about education (which is not a process that finishes the day we leave school or university), about entertainment, about making safe spaces, and about access to information."

He gives a litany of obligations, and this one is especially for writers of children's literature: "We writers – and especially writers for children, but all writers – have an obligation to our readers: it's the obligation to write true things, especially important when we are creating tales of people who do not exist in places that never were – to understand that truth is not in what happens but what it tells us about who we are. Fiction is the lie that tells the truth, after all. We have an obligation not to bore our readers, but to make them need to turn the pages. One of the best cures for a reluctant reader, after all, is a tale they cannot stop themselves from reading. And while we must tell our readers true things and give them weapons and give them armour and pass on whatever wisdom we have gleaned from our short stay on this green world, we have an obligation not to preach, not to lecture, not to force predigested morals and messages down our readers' throats like adult birds feeding their babies pre-masticated maggots; and we have an obligation never, ever, under any circumstances, to write anything for children that we would not want to read ourselves."

Read the full article here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-libraries-reading-daydreaming

A Day at the Charleston Museum

A few weeks ago, we spent the day checking out the historic houses and America's first museum. Boy, would I love to spend the whole day in just this museum with my notebook and write! I've never done that but one day I will. And one day I'll also have a book set in Charleston. It may even be a historical ... though I need to learn a whole lot of history first. I already learned that it'd be a pain to go to the ladies room in a fancy skirt and hoop.







They had quite an impressive collection of Roman and Egyptian artifacts, including a mummy. If you click on the pictures, they become bigger ...

 

An entire room was devoted to quilts. I later learned it was a special display. But my all time favorite was the natural science area. When I was in high school, I prepared a skeleton of a frog for display ... my mother was mortified and threw away every single kitchen utensil I used. I love seeing the insides ... each creature is so marvelously designed.

 

 

Science and art blend for me ...  art is a reflection of the true and beautiful. Dioramas of various creatures in their natural habitat are true works of art. And the suspended eggs were magical.

Why yes! That's the skeleton of an enormous gator. And no, polar bears aren't native to SC, but this one is a permanent feature here nonetheless.

I also enjoyed the areas where they displayed life in the old days. Visiting the plantations is eye opening. We've been to a couple, and there are many more to visit.

All pictures were taken by Max, who has started his own blog to share his pictures. He's just getting started but I hope you'll visit him from time to time and encourage him. Thanks Max, for all the memories.