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Overall, this past week has brought with it very strong feelings of gratitude. As I knelt in church last night, I had an overwhelming sense of joy for the many blessings I’ve received lately — Noah’s restored health, the kids’ safe return from their school trip, Noah’s many college options, my own busy work schedule, the chance to see some old friends.

I hope you have a blessed and grace-filled Holy Week. Here’s the Manic Monday run down…

Bookshelf: I’m working my way through At Least You’re in Tuscany: A Somewhat Disastrous Quest for the Sweet Life by Jennifer Criswell. As my faithful NSS readers already know, I love anything that has to do with Italy. I like this book, although I don’t love it. Yet. Maybe I’ll feel differently by the end. It’s not bad, but when I read a book about Italy I want to be transported. I want to smell the food and feel the cobblestones underfoot. Yes, I ask a lot of my books about Italy.

Menu: It’s been an unusual week of eating for us with both big kids away for five days. Lots of easy-to-make treats. Like this antipasto: 

GPS: Although I’ve been close to home, my kids are traveling far and wide. Noah and Olivia spent the past five days or so in Williamsburg, Va., with the Bethlehem Lab School. Despite rain every single day, they had a great time. Noah departs for a 10-day trip to Italy on Good Friday. I’m reading the detailed itinerary this morning and just cannot believe I don’t get to go. I am so jealous. He’ll hit spots I’ve never seen — Verona, Venice, Padua, Pisa — as well as places I have — Florence, Assisi, Rome, Naples, Sorrento, Capri. Eighty teenagers and 19 chaperones. Imagine moving that group through 10 cities in 10 days?!? Please say a prayer for their safety.

Datebook: Last night Noah decided on Le Moyne College out of the many wonderful options he had. So, come fall, he’ll be headed to Syracuse to major in biology. He picked it specifically because it is not only Catholic but Jesuit, which makes perfect sense for my science-minded faith-filled boy. I am so proud of him.

Viewfinder: A few visual highlights from the past week….

Noah and Olivia in Williamsburg, Va.

My sweetie found Chianti from the winery we visited when we were in Siena this fall — Coltibuono.

A touch of spring despite cold, wintery weather. Thank you, Paula!

A reunion of colleagues from Catholic New York during Dennis’ baseball draft.

Soundtrack: Here’s a new song Dennis downloaded for me. Funny thing is, I had snapped a photo of the artist/title of this song when it was on SiriusXM recently because I planned to download it for him. Kismet. It’s called “Made for You” by Alexander Cardinale. Enjoy.

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Menu: We prepared for Lent with Fat Tuesday pancakes at the kids’ request. There’s something especially fun about breakfast for dinner. We added in some bacon since Noah said he was going vegetarian for all of Lent except Sundays. The rest of us decided to join him in that endeavor. Well, Olivia was already there, but Dennis, Chiara and I signed on for that sacrifice as well. Chiara did it under duress and was given permission to eat meat at school when she buys lunch. I think eating school cafeteria meat ranks as a sacrifice all on its own.

Here are our yummy Mardi Gras pancakes, made with Kate’s Real Buttermilk, our favorite for pancakes and Irish soda bread:

We followed that up on Ash Wednesday by breaking our fast with loads of veggies over linguini, and we rounded out the week with vegetarian split pea soup, mushroom and onion quesadillas, and vegetarian penne a la vodka for the kids on Saturday while Dennis and I had sole Francaise at Milestone Restaurant for our weekly date night.

Bookshelf: This week I’ve got a few books going at once, which is never good because it means I’ll remember nothing. I’m simultaneously reading Home-Based Business for Dummies because I’m trying to expand my reach, as well as Adult Faith: Growing in Wisdom and Understanding because I’m taking a class at my parish during Lent. In between I’m looking at guidebooks to Italy because I’m thinking about leading another pilgrimage next year.

However, because I never seem to finish any book, I recently purchased Read More Books Now by Brandon Vogt, a 10-video course with bonus materials to help me read faster and retain more. Just started that, so check back in a couple of days for more on how that’s going. But, if you’re interested in checking it out right now, click HERE. If you purchase it by Thursday of this week, you’ll get it on sale with the bonus material, so don’t wait.

Viewfinder: Lots of fun things going on this week thanks to my children. Here’s Chiara attempting to snowboard using a regular sled. (We’ve promised to get her real snowboard lessons, if not this winter then next.) She’s pretty good, and she’s a daredevil, so I think she’ll be a natural.

And here’s my little snow bunny up close. Too cute:

As you know from earlier this week (if you stop by NSS regularly), Olivia is leaving positive post-its in random places as part of her Lenten practice. Yesterday morning we came down to the kitchen to find the one below. We also spied her leaving a “You are wonderful” note inside a worship aid at church. I love these kids.

We capped off our weekend with a winter martini in our Oval Office glasses that we found in an antique store on South Congress in Austin years ago. Austin — where it’s warm right now, or at least not -11 degrees. Did I mention that I’m not sure why we ever left? Sigh.

GPS: We head back out to SUNY Oneonta this week with Noah for a Scholars’ Day event. It’s on his short list of possible college choices along with Siena, Le Moyne, and possibly SUNY Geneseo, if they ever get to sending those acceptances out (March, we hear).

Soundtrack: Heard this on The Coffeehouse on SiriusXM this week and went directly to iTunes to buy it. Check it out:

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“All my heart is tangled all around you
When you’ve got trouble I’ve got trouble, too
All my life is arm in arm with you
When you’ve got trouble I’ve got trouble, too”

So what, what, what do you need?
I’ll kiss you awake when you’ve had a bad dream
And I’ll tell you a story… make it up as I go
Or I’ll sing you a song that I know that you know, it goes…

All my heart is tangled all around you
When you’ve got trouble I’ve got trouble, too
All my life is arm in arm with you
When you’ve got trouble I’ve got trouble, too

You and I live like the tree and the vine
Oh my darling we’re so delicately intertwined
I’ll ease your pain ’cause you’ve eased mine.”

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All I can say is this: If we don’t understand that people are moved by songs that make them feel some sort of spiritual stirring (even if the songs are theologically incorrect or not theological at all), then it’s no wonder our pews are empty. People respond first to the tug of the spirit. Then we get to theology.

Or I could put it something like this, with all due respect to my fellow Catholic blogger:

Mark Shea did you know what today’s Catholics need is not intellectual discourse?

Mark Shea did you know sometimes even a pop song can put us in touch with the Source?

Did you know God makes himself known in ways we might not think,

And the lyrics you are dissing could be the missing link?

 

Mark Shea did you know that some people hear this song and feel God’s presence?

Mark Shea did you know that we Catholics turn away more with our condescending offense?

Did you know if this song can make one person stop and in prayer clasp her hands

then I’m sure Mary and Jesus won’t mind and will probably thank the band.

But seriously, getting hung up on song lyrics like this and making a big deal of showing how off the mark the songwriter was — according to Catholic standards — serves no purpose other than to put people off and make them feel less-than. It certainly doesn’t bring people to God, and isn’t that what this journey is all about, helping people grow closer to God, deeper in faith? From where I’m standing, that’s all that matters, even if I don’t always choose liturgically or theologically appropriate songs. Music moves the soul, and sometimes the most unlikely songs can bring a person to God.

I remember when I was young and wrote church hymns for the 9:30 folk group at my parish. Every holiday I sang a new original song. They weren’t great, but they were written from the heart of a young Catholic girl who just wanted to know God in a deeper way. Then one day someone asked me to sing a particular song I had written at a special Mass, and the priest coordinating the liturgy told me I couldn’t sing the song because it wasn’t quite theologically correct. I don’t think I ever wrote another spiritual song after that, and I didn’t sing again at Mass until I was an adult with children of my own. And guess what we sang? “Mary, Did You Know?” Yes, that’s right — in a Catholic church!

And do you know what’s the real kicker? As I sang this song for the first time (it wasn’t my choice but that of our group leaders), I got chills up and down my arms as I sang the final line: “Did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect lamb? The sleeping child you’re holding is the great I AM.” Now, I didn’t get chills because this was news to me or because I pondered what Mary did or did not know about this fact. I got chills because as I sang those words, the enormity of the Incarnation hit me again, as if for the first time.

That’s what music does. It gives us an emotional, sometimes physical reaction that stirs our soul. It helps us leap across the great divide to come one step closer to heaven. It helps us look at old things in new ways, and in doing so we find joy and light and hope that wasn’t there before.

So maybe we should lighten up a bit and perhaps give people a little more credit. Maybe no one — including the songwriter — is really wondering what Mary knew. Maybe we’re all just trying to remind ourselves of what we should know and what we should be contemplating during this season of waiting.

That being said, I look forward to what I can only assume will be an upcoming post on the theological problems surrounding “The Little Drummer Boy.”  Oh, and here’s a cool new version of “Mary, Did You know?” by Pentatonix:

The post What did Mary know, and when did she know it? appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

Although I’ve long been a fan of Day and have read many of her essays and lots of excerpts of books about her and by her, I have never read The Long Loneliness: The Autobiography of the Legendary Catholic Social Activist in its entirety, just pieces here and there. Don’t ask me how I’ve gone this long without reading it, especially since it’s been sitting on the bookshelf in my office for years. That’s about to change.

In an unsuccessful battle with insomnia in the wee hours of the morning today, I wandered down to my basement office. I cleaned up papers and filed receipts, trying to do some work that didn’t require too much thinking. Then I sat down to read today’s reflection from Give Us This Day and noticed the short essay on Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement, in honor of the anniversary of her death. Having just finished a book on walking the Camino before I went to bed, I was looking for something to fill the gap. Enter The Long Loneliness. Even in my semi-awake state, I was pulled into this book by Day’s familiar story and down-to-earth writing style from the get-go. Can’t wait to get back to it later tonight.

One classic quote from Dorothy Day before we move on to a classic song from George:

The greatest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start with each one of us?

So now I’ll leave you with a song. The most likely George Harrison song to post on a spiritual blog like this one would be My Sweet Lord, but when have I ever done what’s “most likely.” Instead I will post my favorite George Harrison song: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, from the the Prince’s Trust Concert in 1987. Bonus: Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton.

I look at the world and I notice it’s turning
While my guitar gently weeps
With every mistake we must surely be learning
Still my guitar gently weeps

https://youtu.be/oDs2Bkq6UU4

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Before we get on with the rest of Manic Monday, just take a look at that beautiful July sunset over the Stewart’s Shop near our house. Don’t forget to look for God’s beauty in unexpected places — like when you’re at a gas pump a mile from home.  Anyway, away we go with the rest of Manic Monday…

Bookshelf: When I was at the library last week, working at one of the desks hidden behind the fiction section, I had the sudden urge for some easy-to-digest spiritual food for thought. One of my favorites in this category is Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, whose writing always inspires and whose Buddhist philosophy actually complements my Catholic faith life quite nicely. So I picked up You Are Here: Discovering the Magic in the Present Moment.

GPS: I had a chance to put my driving-as-prayer suggestion into practice when I hit the road on Friday and headed west to see my childhood friend, Kari, who was staying with her sister just outside of Syracuse. We have been friends for more than 40 years, although we rarely get to see each other anymore. Doesn’t matter though. We pick up right where we left off in high school. It was a wonderful almost-24 hours of friendship and laughter and sunshine, of good food on the deck and beautiful children splashing in the pool, of quiet conversations late into the night and early morning coffee shared before the kids woke up. Such a gift. I am blessed.

Viewfinder:  Syracuse one day, the Bronx the next. Dennis and I took the kids to the Bronx Zoo, an almost-annual tradition that we all love. It was a beautiful day for it, although by mid-afternoon we had surpassed steamy, as evidenced by my willingness to knot a broken hair tie and pull my hair into a ponytail because I couldn’t take it anymore. The animals were in fine form despite the heat. The grizzlies were frolicking in the pool; the gorillas were resting but full of quizzical and serious and playful looks; the tigers were on the move; the monkeys were putting on a show as they swung from vine to vine. We always become members of the zoo when we make these trips because it not only saves us money but allows us to become part of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which does amazing work to make sure animals that are endangered or close to extinction manage to survive. And in case you have issues with zoos, know this: The grizzly bear you see here, as well as the others that live with him are considered “nuisance bears” because they continually worked their way into human territory. If not for WCS and the Bronx Zoo, those bears would have been put down. Instead, they’re climbing rocks and playing together in a pond.

And here’s a lovely peacock who was walking around in the food court. You know me and peacocks. Couldn’t resist a photo when he was walking right in front of me.  Unfortunately, he was almost off screen by the time I snapped this. Still, look at those feathers! (You can click on it for a closer view.)

Menu: After our day at the Bronx Zoo, we headed to our favorite restaurant on Arthur Avenue: Dominick’s. No menu, no prices, no credit cards. They pretty much tell you what you want to eat, and we are never disappointed. We were stuffed to overflowing and took home enough for at least three more dinners. Here’s my stellar cavatelli with rapini in garlic and oil. Delish. Next time, however, we will go on a Saturday so we can go to all the other shops.

Soundtrack: This one makes me happy. And I do believe we’ll be okay.

The post Manic Monday: Rocking the Bronx. And Syracuse. appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual.

Bookshelf: Last minute change-up last week because some writers I know said they loved this book: I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron. Some of it I love; some of it bores me, but a lot of it speaks to me as a writer and as a 50-something woman who can’t remember anything.

Menu: We have been doing A LOT of eating out these days between special events and our new weekly date night, so this week we’re going to try something different: eating healthy for a while. Boring, I know. But it doesn’t have to be. And we’ve still got Olivia’s graduation dinner at Sam’s to look forward to on Thursday. Around here, even when we’re eating healthy, fresh pesto made from the basil growing on our deck is always high on the list. That bowl of glorious green over there on the right is the first batch we made last week.

GPS: We’ve been hitting the Town Pool lately, trying to make sure we get our money’s worth out of that family membership. It’s been too breezy for me to even consider jumping in the water, but I do love sitting in the warm sun, especially now that all three kids are able to handle themselves in the pool without assistance. (Last year Chiara was still a little too young, at least in my book.) When pool weather first approached, I got that queasy feeling in my stomach at the thought of putting on my bathing suit since I’m ten pounds heavier than I was last summer at this time (see weekly date night and unhealthy eating referenced above.) But for the first time in my life I have to say that I didn’t really care. In fact, Dennis has been telling how prefers me at this weight over my more angular lower weight. So it looks like a win-win for me. I went out and bought two new dresses to celebrate. Being over 50 really is pretty freeing.

Sideshow: It wasn’t really a sideshow, as far as I’m concerned. It was the main event. Lucinda Williams concert at The Egg last week. Amazing. I wrote about my love affair with Lucinda HERE, and that’s a photo from the show up top.

Viewfinder: Here’s the cool photo collage Dennis made of our overnight date night in Albany this week. So fun. (You can click on image to enlarge it.)

Soundtrack: When Dennis and I were sipping cocktails at the Capital American Lounge & Eatery on North Pearl at the start of our big overnight date night (which I wrote about HERE), I was captivated by a song playing in the background. So Dennis used Shazam to figure out what it was: Ella Eyre performing “Love Me Like You.” When we got home yesterday, I purchased not only that song but Deeper by the same artist. Both are great. I love discovering new (to me) artists. (And I love her big curly hair.) Here’s “Love Me Like You.” Enjoy.
http://youtu.be/dvMz_6UB1L4

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Here are the lyrics and then a YouTube video of her performing the song live from a show in 2009. Enjoy.

Go find a jukebox and see what a quarter will do 
I don’t wanna talk I just wanna go back to blue 
Feed’s me when I’m hungry and quenches my thirst 
Loves me when I’m lonely and thinks of me first 

Blue is the color of night 
When the red sun 
Disappears from the sky 
Raven feathers shiny and black 
A touch of blue glistening down her back 

We don’t talk about heaven and we don’t talk about hell
We come to depend on one another so damn well
So go to confession whatever gets you through
You can count your blessings I’ll just count on blue 

Blue is the color of night 
When the red sun 
Disappears from the sky 
Raven feathers shiny and black 
A touch of blue glistening down her back 
Blue

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