{This and That}

This past Saturday was St. Lucy's feast, which we usually celebrate with a special teatime and some sweets--like this photo from last year...

...and from the year before...

I wish I had a lovely picture to share this time around, but St. Lucy's day fell on an Eat-Free-at-Ikea Saturday, so that's where we spent our morning.

But then I was thinking: St. Lucy's Day is, after all, a Swedish tradition.  And they sell cinnamon rolls.  I'm thinking our Ikea outing was actually liturgically appropriate!

Okay, so that might be a stretch.  But I did pick up some new frames for a special school-related project I hope to share here soon.  And we fed our entire family of nine for free, so there's that!

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I came across these darling Father Peter Cut-Outs (thanks to Auntie Leila at LMLD) and immediately printed out a set for my boys for Christmas.  My oldest son just started serving Mass a few months ago, and my sweet 4yo is counting down the days until he can join him on the altar, so I know they will flip over these.

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I really enjoyed Kim's thoughts on Pressing Matters.  I think we could make the same case for each of the choices we make regarding the use of our time.  I think we who educate in the liberal arts and we who home-make know all too well that just because some people "don't have time" for a task doesn't mean that task isn't worth doing.  If you're anything like me, you spend much of your day doing things other people don't have time for. ;)

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You may have heard about the crazy weather we had last week here in California.  In our area, the forecast looked much worse than the weather actually was, luckily--it was dark and rainy for a couple days, but that's about it.

I have to say, though, that we encountered a literary mirror on Thursday when we sat down to read this week's section from Kingsley's Heroes:

"Then the heroes rowed away to the eastward, to reach Hellas, their beloved land; but a storm came down upon them, and swept them far away toward the south. And they rowed till they were spent with struggling, through the darkness and the blinding rain, but where they were they could not tell, and they gave up all hope of life."

As I read the words, I kid you not, the sky darkened and the rain came pouring down.

Then an hour later, we sat down to draw and listen to another chapter from Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter.  We're in that middle stretch of the book when every time the train is about to come through, another storm rolls in and their hope for coal or food is set back a few more days until the tracks can be re-cleared.

Just before Christmas, Pa tells them that neighbor Gilbert has gone to Preston to get the mail.  They're all cheery at the prospect of letters and at the newly-cleared skies, but then Pa comes in from loading hay to eat:

"At noon, while they sat at the table, the light darkened and the wind began to howl.  'Here she comes!'  Pa said.  "I hope Gilbert made it safe to Preston."

Cherry Jones' tone throughout this book has been pitch perfect, and the way she reads this last line is no exception.  We all just deflated as we listened.  Pa and Ma, defeated at the prospect of another storm, yet trying to remain optimistic because--well, what other option is there?  And they know their girls are watching, of course.

This week's stormy weather was about as close as my kids have come and will come to a blizzard any time soon, and the juxtaposition has been sobering.

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The Golden Nights are one of my favorite liturgical observances of the Church year--and they begin this week!  I have already linked to Jenn's O Antiphon Companion, but I'll share again in case you missed it.  I'm excited to pull it out again for this year's devotions.  

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Happy Monday, friends!