Whew, Friday, welcome. You are most welcome here in this house.
I don’t know about you guys but I need a weekend to recover from the week behind us, and by weekend I do not mean the actual “weekend” that life with a house full of small children looks like, and which generally involves early wake ups, limited structure, and too many carbohydrates.
But, this is life. And it’s good.
And here’s some other good stuff to fuel your pondering as you wind down on this Friday afternoon and reach over to uncork something special.
1. I loved this piece from Jen Fulwiller when she first wrote it, and I loved it again today. The real question is, why haven’t I internalized it more deeply yet? Bl. Mother Teresa, pray for all of us overwhelmed mothers and workers!
2. Did you know that children are a kind of “recent” invention in the grand scheme of human history? And did you know that Jesus’ instructions to revere and even imitate them were profoundly, earth-shatteringly transformative, to such a degree that He effectively created (a second time, you know, not from scratch) the concept of the child? This piece is a fascinating exploration of life in the ancient world and the concentric circles of influence which determined a person’s worth, and indeed, their very status of personhood.
Let the little children come to Me, indeed.
3. Okay, if you’re too squeamish to see a 10-month-pregnant-woman in a bikini, don’t click here. (But if you are a mom or you happen to be married to one or have one in your family, I strongly urge you to give it a read, because no matter what your personal feelings on swimwear may be, her words are profound and powerful.)
4. This one has kind of a weird, dull-sounding title, but it left me making audible declarations of “YES, THAT’S WHAT WE’RE DOING WRONG!” about so many different aspects of catechetical instruction and teaching within the Church. Super insightful, sort of depressing, filled with good brain food.
5. Finally, I’m sorry, but here’s another poor choice in (swimwear? Lingerie? Business-super-casual? Bring your demon to work day?) that you really ought to read. If Madonna’s bare legs are too much for your eyeballs, just scroll down real quick. It’s a wonderful reflection on sexy vs. beauty vs. why, exactly, do we care so much about the former and do so little to cultivate the depth of the latter?
Jealous of all you east coasters and my Euro friends, because I know it’s nearly 5 o’clock or beyond in your kitchens right now, and the appertivos are flowing.
Cheers to a relaxing weekend.
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