Cottage Blessings

For the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas

A story about the good saint--from my own childhood!

Worth reading

I found this Wall Street Journal opinion piece important enough to pass along:

A 40-Year Wish List

How Lissa knew I was having trouble with the internet today

Lissa called this afternoon saying she knew my internet connection must be out.

As a matter of fact it was--since last night.

How did she know?

Because there is no way in the world I wouldn't have posted a link to Mary Ellen's joyful news!

Welcome baby Brendan Michael!

Very humorous clip

Creative Minority Report:  Is this what you call change?

Pope Benedict XVI on socialization and education

In Haystack Full of Needles: A Catholic Home Educator's Guide to Socialization, I devote a chapter to explaining the lessons of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on socialization for each individual child.  Our Catechism calls the family "the original cell of social life," emphasizing that "[t]he family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom." [CCC 2207.]  It goes on to teach that "[t]he home is the natural environment for initiating a human being into solidarity and communal responsibilities," and emphasizing that "[p]arents should teach children to avoid the compromising and degrading influences which threaten human societies."  [CCC 2224.]

In other words, far from promoting the conventional wisdom that traditional school is a necessary introduction to society, our Church teaches that home is the most important and irreplaceable place for learning how to relate to others.  Perhaps most importantly, all parents--whether home educating or not--are called to vigilance in maintaining our children's faith and purity.  [Just to be clear, I do not mean to imply that the Catechism is saying children should never be sent to school, but only pointing out that it is surely not saying they must be sent to school to become properly "socialized."]

Our wonderful Pope Benedict XVI made this point even more strongly in a video-linked talk to crowds attending The Sixth World Meeting of Families in Mexico this past weekend.  The Holy Father stated that the family:

"occupies a primary place in the education of the person . . . [and] is a true school of humanity and perennial values. No one has given being to himself. We have received life from others, which is developed and matured with the truths and values that we learn in relation and communion with the rest. In this sense, the family founded on the indissoluble matrimony between a man and a woman expresses this relational, filial and communitarian dimension, and is the realm where man can be born with dignity, grow and develop in an integral way."

More from Pope Benedict's talk may be found in this Zenit article:  "There's no place like home says Benedict XVI, Notes Educative Role of Family is Irreplaceable"

Interestingly, the theme of the five-day event in Mexico City was "The Family as Educator in Human and Christian Virtues."  Wish we all could have been there!

Hat tip for Zenit article:  Headline Bistro

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Haystack Full of  Needles is available through Hillside Education, Catholic Heritage Curricula, and Amazon.

Haystack Full of Needles: Surprise Party Edition

Hard to believe as it is, Agnes will be turning fifteen next month. With a new baby coming any day now, I realized if we were to do anything for her, we would have to do it quickly. 

When I turned fifteen, my mother had a marvelous idea. She rounded up my closest friends from the neighborhood, gave them a few dollars, and asked if they would plan a surprise party for me. Laurene, my buddy from across the street (who remains like a sister to me), was only too happy to take on the job of shopping and inviting, and the party was held at our friend Monica's house. I still remember the bewilderment and joy of arriving at Monica's to a barrage of flashbulbs and shouts of "Surprise!" I had not suspected a thing. (Somewhere in this house are photos of this grand event, but it would take forever to find them now.) 

With my mother as inspiration, I fired off emails to Agnes's friends from our local homeschooling group, apologizing for the short notice. I thought we would be lucky if half the girls were able to show up, but, to my surprise, twenty girls said yes! As you will see, there was never a more wonderful gathering! 

This expression is classic: 

as is this video of the big moment:

It is hard to even find Agnes in the aftermath:

There were too many special gifts to mention, like this broken heart necklace from her very best friend:

A scrapbook page showing the girls growing up through the years (we've known so many of them for a decade or more!):

Only in a Catholic Homeschooling Group--St. Louis de Montfort's Secret of the Rosary and a Catholic Prayer Journal (I told you I love these girls!):

A lovingly cross-stitched and handmade pillow:

And an array of beautiful sweaters:

From the world's most lovely friends:

Agnes managed to blow out all fifteen candles in one breath (let's see if she can still do that when she's forty!):

And a good time was had by all!

Major news alert

Available on Twitter!

(Hint:  It is a birth announcement, but not mine!)

Reading for a snowy night

Martyred mother and four daughters role models for World Meeting of Families

Pope Paul VI, a prophet for modern times

July 25, 1968:  Humanae Vitae

January 9, 2009:  Co-inventor of Birth Control Pill Now Calls It "a Catastrophe"  

HT:  Headline Bistro

[Update:  story with photo from Catholic News Agency]

I must admit to being jealous

Honestly, I once thought that no matter how far away Lissa moved, no friend(s) could ever truly replace me in her heart. 

Now I see I was wrong.