What's In My Teapot?

Thanks to random.org for its help in generating a random number, we have a winner... And the winner is none other than my very own MOM!!! Mom commented: "This book sounds intriguing! Maybe I could read this on some of these long winter evenings." Well, Mom, now that you have a book to read coming your way, all you need is a good snowstorm and a cup of tea to go with it! It is not the easiest read, but I hope you find it as inspiring as I did! Two people borrowed the book while it was still in my keeping and they both found it challenging and worthwhile, so I am hoping that this book's message can continue to inspire all who read it to choose the way of Jesus. The way of Jesus is the way of the cross, but it is also the way of joy, and just as the life of Chiara Corbella Petrillo bore witness to that reality, so can each of ours, as well. Special thanks to all who entered! I always end up wishing I could give a prize to everyone who puts their nam...

A book that was written as a witness to the life of a woman who died of cancer at the age of 28 sounds really, really sad and depressing. And the fact is, it is sad. In a perfect world, stories like Chiara's would not need to be written. But the title, A Witness to Joy gives us a hint that there is something different about this story, something greater than grief and mortality. Indeed, one cannot get away from the notes of redemption and triumph. And oh, yes, the joy! Inexplicable, holy joy that could only come from one source... The story of Chiara Corbella Petrillo is astonishing. Told by her very close friends, Simone Troisi and Cristiana Paccini, it is a personal account of her life, mainly starting with her courtship and marriage to Enrico. Then comes the first blow: their first child will not survive beyond birth. The couple refused to abort, even under pressure, and saw it as their mission to immediately accompany this baby to her encounter with God. Chiara...

Now and then, it's fun to be a part of the making of a new tradition. And when the new tradition is part an effort to send Christmas packages to children the world over, it makes it all the more worthwhile. This year was actually the third year running that my family got together to pack shoe boxes for Operation Christmas child . Those who are interested in participating choose how many boxes they want to fill and buy what they want to put in their boxes, then we get together to look at the collections, stuff our boxes to the gills, and talk about where our boxes might end up. Ukraine? Syria? India? A tribe that never heard the Gospel before? Operation Christmas Child gives wings to our gifts, and we can only dream of the delight behind the children's eyes as they unpack their goodies. Perhaps the only Christmas gift they ever received? Here are a few of the things that made their way into our boxes: a baby doll with a homemade blanket, stuffed sock monkeys and othe...

When I push the little orange "publish" button up in the corner of my screen tonight, and send this post spiralling out into the vast stratosphere of the World Wide Web, it will officially be my 100th published post!!! Hurray for the all-inspiring number 100 !!! I briefly thought that maybe I should make a list of 100 children's books in order to celebrate, but that notion lasted about 5 seconds. I may be a certified night owl, but even I want to get to bed before daybreak!!! Therefore, I decided on the number 10, which is neatly related to 100, and even looks a little like it...just missing one little zero, that's all! Since we are in the month of November (how, I am still trying to figure out!) my mind naturally went to the special holiday of the month as I considered which children's books to review. The other thing that got me on this track was that a friend of mine asked me on Sunday if I had any good Thanksgiving books to recommend for her to rea...

There are a million things to do and my house is a genuine wreck, so I decided to do the only logical thing left to do when faced with a mountain... Sit down and write about it. Writing is a genuinely soothing thing to do (most of the time) and it's even better therapy than soaking in the tub (which, by the way, needs a good scrubbing) or sitting on my bed with a good book (which, by the way, has the sheets stripped off at the moment.) Whatever happened to TGIF ( T hank G oodness I t's F riday)? Shouldn't I be excited about a weekend of work and crossing things off my weighty "to-do" list? Well, for starters, whoever coined that handy little phrase may have been a homeschooling Mom putting her books away for the weekend, but it certainly wasn't someone who had cleaning the attic on her agenda. In truth, I am pretty sure it was someone with a maid. Oh, yes...and plans to spend Saturday shopping and sipping coffee at Starbucks. My reality is a li...

When it comes to fall, I often play the part of the pessimist. Sidewalks slick with sludgy leaves? Check. Dead flowers and bedraggled tomato plants. Uh-huh. Early darkness and everlastingly cold feet. Yup, that would be fall. And yet... There is more to the story. There are days like today when the sky dares you to come up with a prettier shade of blue, and the leaves on your neighbor's Japanese Maple look like fine-cut velvet. There are days like today when the pumpkins and mums sitting around on front porch stoops actually look attractive, instead of just imposters replacing the marigolds. There are days like today when the air describes the word mild and the temperature hovers right there in that perfect zone of comfort. Maybe fall isn't such a bad idea after all? On days like these, Fall redeems itself and gives pessimistic people like me the smallest of smirks. "Lovely, aren't I?" "Take this, thou lover of hot, muggy Summer!...

Ahhh, but it's good to be back! This break with blogging has been a little like vacation, where it's good to go, but even better to be home again. And just like with vacations, I am arriving "home" with all kinds of things to say, but with so little time to say it in between regrouping and getting back into the groove! Did I miss writing? Yes. Did I learn some important things that I hope to remember in the coming days/months/years? Yes. Did I suddenly have all manner of things to say as soon as it was off limits? Yes. Was I bored without it? No. After all, there was a family wedding (Wesley's youngest sister was married on Saturday) and two dresses to sew for the occasion, a two- year- old in the throes of potty-training, four showers (you know, the celebration kind involving food and gifts!) many days of second grade, a field trip to a farmer's market with two sisters-in-law and a total of 8 children ages 8 and under, and lots of normal life th...