Lagniappe: The familiar face of the little devourer

All the items being devoured are gingerbread cookies, just to help orient you. This is one of those passages that made me appreciate Hawthorne did indeed have a sense of humor.

Phoebe, on entering the shop, beheld there the already familiar face of the little devourer — if we can reckon his mighty deeds aright — of Jim Crow, the elephant, the camel, the dromedaries, and the locomotive. Having expended his private fortune, on the two preceding days, in the purchase of the above unheard-of luxuries, the young gentleman's present errand was on the part of his mother, in quest of three eggs and half a pound of raisins. These articles Phoebe accordingly supplied, and — as a mark of gratitude for his previous patronage, and a slight super-added morsel after breakfast, put likewise into his hand a whale! The great fish — reversing his experience with the prophet of Nineveh — immediately began his progress down the same red pathway of fate whither so varied a caravan had preceded him. This remarkable urchin, in truth, was the very emblem of old Father Time, both in respect of his all-devouring appetite for men and things, and because he, as well as Time, after engulfing thus much of creation, looked almost as youthful as if he had been just that moment made.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables

Well Said: The Man With Utmost Daring

I am the man who with utmost daring discovered what has been discovered before.

G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

That's the story of my life. But I guess it doesn't make the discovery any less valid or exciting.

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How my mother raised 10 kids on 25 words or less by Terry Ryan

Having seen the movie I was curious about how closely it hewed to the book. It turns out to have been a surprisingly close telling that captured the feel of the book well.

The book itself has the same feel as Cheaper By the Dozen, if that family's father had been an alcoholic, putting them always one contest win away from abject poverty. It is also a look back at small town life in the 1950s and 60s.

Evelyn Ryan's story is woven through the humorous tales of raising ten children. She parlayed her writing skill and determination into enough income to overcome one financial crisis after another. Ryan did this in a way unique to the time, by entering numerous jingle-writing contests, and submitting poems and humorous stories to publications. Many of these are scattered through the text and they almost serve as a mini-history of product contests.

Along the way Ryan taught her family a precious lesson about how to live a full, rich life no matter your economic status. Author Terry Ryan, one of the daughters of the family, pulls off telling a positive, upbeat story without denying the reality and severity of the trials that had to be overcome.

At that moment we knew that as long as we used our brains, we were not victims. By striking out to write our own ticket, we would grow up to be like our mother, winners.

I listened to the audio book and enjoyed it. I've seen people complain about the narration as over the top and too enthusiastic but I don't agree. I thought the straight forward feel perfectly reflected the tone of the book.

Worth a Thousand Words: After Dark

After Dark. Wilkie Collins. London: Smith, Elder, & Co., 1876.
via Books and Art

I don't know what this story is about but the cover makes me want to find out. It's creepy but what kind of creepy? What is that paper? Are they just reading it or signing an agreement?

Worth a Thousand Words: Indonesian Volcanoes, Night and Day

Indonesian Volcano, Milky Way
taken by Thierry Legault
shared by permission

I discovered Thierry Legault in a Wall Street Journal article several years ago. He very graciously gave me permission to share his wonderful photography here.

I highly recommend that you click through the links to go look at these volcanoes up close. There is also video there which is fascinating.

I couldn't choose between all the images so I indulged myself and shared two today.

Indonesian Volcanoes, Fog
taken by Thierry Legault
shared by permission

Well Said: Letting ourselves be transformed in love

“The problem is not in being sinners, the problem is when we don’t let ourselves be transformed in love by the encounter with Christ.”

Pope Francis, Encountering Truth: Meeting God in the Everyday

Blogging Around: The "I Didn't Know That" Edition

How Does an Adult React When They See Red for the First Time in Their Life?

In design you tend to think of colors as evoking emotion. This video, however, goes way beyond that as special glasses help the color blind actually see color. Tom discovered this and wrote about it it at General Glyphics website for our advertising business.

It's a Girl documentary

From my inbox:

Have you heard of the documentary "It's a Girl"? Our parish recently had a viewing of it. It's all about the abortions and infanticide of baby girls in India and China. It's hard to say that I would "recommend" it because it was so disturbing. But, I'd be curious to hear what you think if you see it. Your pro-life readers may be interested in it, too.

I'm too much of a wimp to seek this movie out but it is streaming on Netflix and can be rented digitally from Amazon. Here is the official website.

The New York Post and the Terrible, Awful, Don't-Believe-Everything-You-Read-About-the-Church Story

This story makes it sound like Catholic projects to help women who have had abortions are brand new, that this is some kind of theological innovation and even (wink, wink) that this implies the church may have moved closer to modernizing its stance (that "catch up with modern times" riff was amazing) on the sanctity of unborn life.

As GetReligion breaks it down, we see the problems inherent in the NY Post's "The Catholic Church Will Now Forgive Your Abortion" story. They've got links to the original story and good commentary on the truth and the misrepresentation in the piece.

Survivor of Jihadist Attack to be Canonized Sunday

Blessed Mariam Baouardy, a Melkite/Greek Catholic Palestinian who miraculously survived being throat-slashed by a jihadist as a teenager, through the intervention of the Virgin Mary, is going to be canonized as a saint on Sunday. Her religious name was “Sr. Marie of Jesus Crucified.”

She was born in 1846 and died in 1878. She had a very eventful life, traveling from Galilee to Alexandria, Egypt; from there to Jerusalem; from Jerusalem to Marseilles, France; from Marseilles to Pau, where she became a Carmelite; from Pau to Mangalore, India (where she helped found a convent); and eventually back to the Holy Land, where she helped found convents in Nazareth and Bethlehem.

She did all this after resisting an arranged marriage to an uncle, because she felt she was called to serve Jesus and not a husband. She is also one of the few saints who has been a member of both Eastern and Western rites of Catholicism. She had a deep spirituality of devotion to the Holy Spirit.

St. Marie of Jesus Crucified, pray for us! There is much, much more about her at Aliens in This World.

Worth a Thousand Words: Well, I've Never Been to Spain ...

... but I like the photos my brother's taken there. This one is especially striking.

Well Said: The Holy Spirit bothers us.

“To put it simply: the Holy Spirit bothers us. Because he moves us, he makes us walk, he pushes the Church to go forward. And we are like Peter at the Transfiguration: ‘Ah, how wonderful it is to be here like this, all together!’ ... But don’t bother us. We want the Holy Spirit to doze off ... we want to domesticate the Holy Spirit. And that’s no good. because he is God, he is that wind which comes and goes and you don’t know where. He is the power of God, he is the one who gives us consolation and strength to move forward. But: to move forward! And this bothers us. It’s so much nicer to be comfortable.”

Pope Francis, Encountering Truth: Meeting God in the Everyday

That's the story of my life: "It's so much nicer to be comfortable."

You know there is that excitement and fervor of the new encounter with Christ, with the Holy Spirit. And one knows what one must do, one promises and means it. Then comes the daily efforts of carrying out one's promises. We don't always have that excitement and to move forward seems so much effort.

Yes, Pope Francis nails it on the head. That's the faith the saints have, I suppose, they listen and move forward no matter what. I must allow myself to be bothered, to move forward.

I'm really enjoying this book, by the way, which will come out June 16. It's making a heckuva daily devotional. Every time I think I know where Pope Francis is going, he throws a little twist in there. We may still go to the destination I expected, but with a heightened understanding.

Happy Birthday to Rose!

Yellow Rose Cake from Williams-Sonoma

This is strikingly similar to last year's birthday post for Rose ... largely because I tend to have the same thoughts about her on her birthday so far away from home.

This cake is because I was thinking of how much fun it would be to celebrate Rose's birthday with her in person.

Alas and alack, she is in the city of the angels and we are in Dallas. But it made me think of how she loves Texas. All the Texas cakes I found were rather uninspiring. Not that there is anything wrong with the Texas flag on a Texas shaped cake. In fact, that is the height of Texas love, but I couldn't find any photos that looked as if I wouldn't be ripping off a family cake photo.

So I naturally turned, for my Rose, to thinking of the yellow rose of Texas and it turns out that Williams-Sonoma has made the ultimate yellow rose cake. Ultimate.

Happy birthday my sweet Rose. 25 years old? How did that happen?

I know this year she will be alone on her birthday. Luckily that prospect didn't seem to bother her when we talked yesterday. Maybe she was eyeing the birthday box I sent. We'll talk after she opens it.

Until then this will have to do: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

The Lord by Romano Guardini

That Jesus’ task “is consummated” must be true, because he says so (John 19:30). Yet what a spectacle of failure! His word rejected, his message misunderstood, his commands ignored. None the less, his appointed task is accomplished, through obedience to the death—that obedience whose purity counterbalances the sins of a world. That Jesus delivered his message is what counts—not the world’s reaction; and once proclaimed, that message can never be silenced, but will knock on men’s hearts to the last day.

How does one adequately review this magnificent book? I'm not really up to the task.

Romano Guardini set out to explore the life and words of Jesus in the gospels. He has a clarity and depth that often turns our view upside down to show the deep meaning of Jesus' words and actions. All this is done with a completely reverent viewpoint that never leaves Catholic teachings but yet shows us something new and startling.

Such then the Firstborn of all creation. In him may be found the prototypes of all forms, beings, values. As white light contains all colors, the Word virtually contains everything distributed over the breadth of the universe, the length of time, the depths of intelligence, the peaks of the ideal. Christ is the creative hand of the Father into which are graven the lines of the world's destinies from the beginning on. Each line or thread is separate, yet together they compose the universal tapestry whose forms go back to him, the Weaver. In his hand lie also the decisions of grace, the impenetrable warp and weft of sacred history with its revelations, its prophecies and warnings, the infinite fabric of that which is to cooperate for the good of those who love God. What a thought!

Bearing all this within him, that same Christ entered into history, loved and died in the narrow confines of a human life. ...

It is the book that delved into the Beatitudes in such a way that I finally related to them. It opened up the Book of the Revelation in such a way that moved the symbolism into how Christians live and strive to know Christ better. It left me knowing more about Christ, with a sense of excitement and inspiration about the Church and being Christian, and more insight into the eternal.

That's a lot to ask but I now understand why this book was considered personally important into forming both Pope Benedict's and Pope Francis's Catholic foundations. If one wonders how two such different-seeming popes can have one book so much in common (aside from the Bible, of course), then it begins to give a feel for the depth and breadth of this work.

I began this in Lent and am finishing close to the end of the Easter season which is very fitting. Most of the chapters were 4-5 pages and those were rich enough that they fueled my thoughts for the day. Thus it makes a perfect devotional.

NOTE: I can recommend this book to any Christians, not just Catholics.

Worth a Thousand Words: They Are Out!

They Are Out!
taken by Remo Savisaar

It is no wonder that this talented photographer has begun winning awards:

Dear friends, I am very happy to announce, that two of my photos received high prize in Estonian biggest Nature Photo contest!

Winner in "Animal behaviour" category and Winner in "Creative Visions of Nature." Also one photo was Highly Commended.

Biggest news was that I became Overall winner and received Grand Prix! :)

My sincere congratulations go to Remo Savisaar for this well deserved recognition. I also sincerely thank him for allowing me to share his work here over the years.

Worth a Thousand Words: Muzzle Nuzzle

Muzzle Nuzzle
taken by Valerie at Ucumari Photography
Some rights reserved

Well Said: What is certain in life and death

If anyone should ask: What is certain in life and death — so certain that everything else may be anchored in it? Life teaches us that this is the only true reply. Not people — not not even the best and dearest; not science, or philosophy, or art or any other product of human genius. Also not nature, which is so full of profound deception ...  The answer is: The love of Christ. … Only through Christ do we know that God’s love is forgiving. Certain is only that which manifested itself on the cross. The heart of Jesus Christ is the beginning and end of all things.

Romano Guardini, The Lord

I am certain that the love of Christ is my anchor to true reality in this world. When I look at life without focusing on Jesus is when I go astray, lie to myself, get fooled.

The full manifestation of his love is truly on the cross. It always comes back to the cross. That shadow looms over all. I cannot look away. Not from horror, but in gratitude.

Pesto alla Genovese

Or as we now know it in America, Pesto. Get this classic recipe at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

Blogging Around: The "I Just Liked This Story" Edition

The Papal Nuncio and Sparkly Kitty Shoes

He help up his hand and silenced the mother, and leaning forward on the crozier, he asked the girl, “Those are special shoes. Do you like them?”

She pulled the thumb from her mouth and chirped “They’re spark-a-we.”

“Ah. Sparkly is important in shoes.” He told her. “Are they your favorite?”

“She never takes them off.” Her mother confessed.

“They’re my booful shoes!” the girl shrieked to the amusement of a growing crowd.

The Papal Nucio placed a hand on the girl’s head, looked at her mother and then around at the rest of us and said, “This child is teaching us two important lessons today. The first is – do not be conformed to the rules of this world - the rules of this world are meaningless. And the second is – always offer to God your best. Even when the best you have is sparkling cat shoes.”

There's a third lesson but you can read that for yourself at Shoved to Them.

From the Corner of the Eye

“Evil-ution,” said Danny Mulloney to his beer, “is just plain wrong.”

The O Neil and I exchanged looks. There is a certain way that people have of inflecting their voices, a way of lilting this vowel or that, or stretching the odd syllable or two, that lets you know that they’ve said more than they’ve spoken. ...

This is a wonderful short story in the best tradition of one of my favorite genres, tall tales told in taverns. When the tale is told by Michael Flynn then you know you're in for a good 'un. This one did something I've never seen before and it really shocked me. (Just from the story point of view; the story is perfectly safe for general consumption.)

Read From the Corner of the Eye and find out more about the story at Michael Flynn's blog.

This is How It Is

Rage.

Rage that I should have just been selfish and eaten the leftovers myself. Rage that I was really being just about as selfish now. And rage that we ever let those damn freezer pops into the house that people have been harassing me about all morning.

Go, son, into the outer darkness! No, you may not have your popsicle now. You may have it when your father has recovered from the urge to strike you and when you have waited out the penance for your own hastiness and waste.

Darwin's been minding the kids, over at DarwinCatholic, and the results are blindingly honest, familiar to any parent, and sidesplittingly funny. Go and enjoy.

18 Free Audiobooks Over the Summer, Classics and Modern

It's SYNC time again!

They give away 2 free audiobook downloads every week of the summer. Beginning this week!

SYNC is promoting literacy for listeners 13+ so the novels pair a current young adult title with a classic or required summer reading list title.

For example, this week Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is paired with Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

Each set of titles is available free for only one week so if you see something you want then get it while you can. These are professionally produced audiobooks which are donated by the publishers.

The program isn't limited to anything except your willingness to use OverDrive, which many library systems already use to allow online audio borrowing.

I discovered this program through Jesse at SFFaudio. Here's a link to his initial post which details the steps necessary to use OverDrive. It's a bit of a pain but not bad once you get used to it.

Read all about SYNC and sign up for their emails at their website.

Worth a Thousand Words: Easter Island Heads ... And Bodies!

Excavated Moai Photo: Easter Island Statue Project
via Your Daily Art

Holy cannoli, Batman!

Who knew the Easter Island heads were just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak? They are just what is visible of gigantic buried statues.

According to the ArtNet story, this isn't a new story although it is the first I've heard of it. There are a lot more photos and information at the link.

The Perfect Confirmation Gift: Happy Catholic

Happy Catholic: Glimpes of God in Everyday Life is beautifully written. The style, which achieves the admirable feat of being both ice-cold and white-hot, is electrifying. Julie Davis is never preachy, condescending, or, worse, sentimental. She states her arguments elegantly and clearly, and she has the wit and grace to remember that there are, after all, other opinions, other worldviews.

This book is a collections of quotes. It's been too long since I've read a non-formulaic, original work, let alone one that openly bares the soul of the author and makes you respect them for honestly portraying life as filled with shades of grey instead of being just black or white. Julie Davis writes like Roseanne Barr does standup. No foolin' and to the barbed point with lotsa chuckles along the way.

Think beach book, think train tome, think plane paperback, think graduation gift, think library literature! Absolutely recommend this book.

I'm indebted to Mary Ann whose Amazon review makes me very happy indeed.

Happy Catholic (the book) still makes a great confirmation gift or even a belated Easter gift to new Catholics.

And even if you've been reading the blog all these years, there isn't any duplicated content. It was all written specifically for the book.

Just thought I'd put that reminder out there!

Dante's 750th Birthday, Pope Francis and Some Good Reading

On the eve of the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the Holy Father expresses his hope that during this year the figure of Dante and his work will also accompany us on this personal and community path. “Indeed”, he remarks, “the Comedy may be read as a great itinerary, or rather as a true pilgrimage, both personal and interior, and communal, ecclesial, social and historical. It represents the paradigm of every authentic journey in which humanity is called upon to leave what Dante defines as 'the threshing-floor that makes us so ferocious' to attain a new condition, marked by harmony, peace and happiness. And this is the horizon of every true humanism”.

“Dante is, therefore, a prophet of hope, herald of the possibility of redemption, of liberation, of the profound transformation of every man and woman, of all humanity. He continues to invite us to rediscover the lost or obscured meaning of our human path and to hope to see again the shining horizon on which there shines in all its fullness the dignity of the human person. Honouring Dante Alighieri, as Paul VI has already invited us to do, we are able to enrich ourselves with his experience in order to cross the many dark forests still scattered on our earth and to happily complete our pilgrimage in history, to reach the destination dreamed of and wished for by every man: 'the love that moves the sun in heaven and all the stars'”.

That's not all Pope Francis had to say so just click over to the Vatican Information Service for the whole scoop.

How Dante Can Save Your Life: The Life-Changing Wisdom of History's Greatest Poem by Rod Dreher

I recently got interested in rereading The Divine Comedy because of Rod Dreher's new book.

However, before I get to that book I have a couple of others I'm interested in. Why I feel I need to read them first I don't know. I'm just going with the (internal) flow on this.


Heaven and Hell: Visions of the Afterlife in the Western Poetic Tradition by Louis Markos

I really enjoyed Louis Markos' On the Shoulders of Hobbits. Having begun this I'm hooked. The way Louis Markos examined the Hebrew and Greek views of the afterlife are insightful and exciting. Dante's Divine Comedy takes up the middle of the book and I'm looking forward to that part quite a bit.

You'll be seeing excerpts from this show up soon as daily quotes.

Also it didn't hurt that he gives my favorite John Ciardi his endorsement as best Dante translation and notes. In fact: "Ciardi is really the only guide you need to Dante." (I've been so beaten up for not preferring other translations that Markos' recommendation was balm to my wounds.) Not that he doesn't comment on many other translations also. When the bibliography is as invitingly written as this, then you know the book's got to be good.


Reading Dante: From Here to Eternity by Prue Shaw

I can't remember where I came across this. Possibly from my pal Garry Wilmore on Goodreads. He began learning Italian in order to read Dante in the original. That's how much he loves his writing.

So when he gave this 5 stars I knew it had to be good.


The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

Ultimately, I'd be remiss not to include the actual book itself. We don't want to forget in reading about The Divine Comedy that ultimately it is a book we should read for itself. I'm not going to ever get into a translation battle because I don't know enough to advise others. I do know what worked for me, though, and on that basis I can highly recommend John Ciardi's translation with the excellent notes.

As I mentioned above, Louis Markos has a few words of recommendation also, which I'll include here. Because Markos does know about translations.

Many great translators have turned their sights to Dante, but I still think that the best English version of the Divine Comedy (Inferno, Purgatory, Paradise) is by John Ciardi. In addition to his excellent and powerful translation, Ciardi supplies a wealth of notes that help make the work come alive; he even teaches us how to pronounce all the Italian names properly. Indeed, Ciardi is all you need to understand Dante, for his notes draw together much of the best criticism. The introductions and afterwords to all three editions are particularly good.