My Brother...and Quotation of the Week

My apologies for my neglect of posting regularly to this blog. I have been so very busy, caught up in teaching the Groovy Grammar Workshop at Brave Writer, plus the Medieval History and Intermediate High School Writing courses at Class Day, homeschooling the boys, writing my little stories, and expanding my online grading/editing business at SusanneBarrett.com. In fact, I've been so consumed with the former activities that I've had to turn away larger projects (book-length editing) for my grading/editing business.

As I prepare for teaching two retreat workshops at the Pine Valley Christian Conference Center for their annual Women's Retreats, I find myself returning to the wisdom of an old friend, Brother Lawrence. I'll be presenting workshops on journaling and on blogging on two consecutive weekends in early March.

I was first introduced to Brother Lawrence through the online community I took part in for many years; his little book, The Practice of the Presence of God, enthralled me from the first page. His devotion to contemplative prayer is inspiring, and I hope to be very much like this simple brother, a dishwasher and gardener of the 17th century, as I "grow up" in our faith.

So for this week's Quotation of the Week, I've chosen a short selection from The Practice of the Presence of God (which is available as a free classic for Kindle e-readers; I just downloaded it for my own Kindle Library at Practice of the Presence of God on Kindle).

So here's my selection...although I have to admit that it's extremely difficult to choose only one quotation from such a wonderfully quotable little book:

"There is no manner of life in the world more sweet or more delicious than continual conversation with God."

--Brother Lawrence (1611-1691), The Practice of the Presence of God

So as I begin to prepare my workshop on journaling for Women's Retreat, I plan to make several points regarding Brother Lawrence, especially how his example of "praying without ceasing" as Saint Paul commands us to do, can be lived out practically through the discipline and joy of journaling.

Practicing God's Presence with you,

Poetry in Honor of MLK Jr. Day

As we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the poem slipped into my inbox by Poets.org bubbled forth memories of my favorite Harlem Renaissance artists and poets.

When I studied 20th Century American History at Point Loma Nazarene University, I selected the Harlem Renaissance as my research paper topic. The Harlem Renaissance helped to birth jazz and "the blues" as well as visual and written arts. The prolific African-American musicians, artists, and especially the poets at the heart of this movement in the 1920s piqued my interest, especially the poet Langston Hughes, one of my Top Five Favorite Poets.

So, starting with the poem that arrived in my inbox, here are some "poems for thought" on this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I shall allow the poets to speak for themselves--since they are and always will be far more eloquent than I could ever aspire....

Sympathy
by Paul Laurence Dunbar
I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals—
I know what the caged bird feels!

I know why the caged bird beats its wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting—
I know why he beats his wing!

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—
I know why the caged bird sings!




Harlem
by Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?




We Real Cool
by Gwendolyn Brooks
THE POOL PLAYERS.
SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.

We real cool. We
Left school. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We
Die soon.




The Negro Speaks of Rivers
by Langston Hughes
I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

May all our souls grow "deep like the rivers" as we remember and celebrate the men and women of talent who have brought Depth and Truth and Vibrancy to our national soul. Whatever our color, creed, or politics, we can unite in the Truth-Telling revealed through the arts, and especially through the medium of the written word...which can unmask worlds in a mere phrase....

If only we but see...hear...touch...feel...ponder...love.

Wishing you all a blessed remembrance this day,

The Dearth of Poetry

It's been a long time since I've composed poetry.

You see, I've been bitten by the fiction bug. Until late 2008 when I first challenged myself to the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), I hadn't written fiction since my creative writing professor, Dean Nelson, forced us to write short stories as a class assignment...more about Dean and his amazing writing conference here in Pine Valley later this week.

So my first experience with fiction since Dean's class in 1987 occurred when I "won" NaNoWriMo in November of 2008 with the first half of a very autobiographical novel...which I then completed during NaNoWriMo 2009. It's very, very rough and would need a great deal of work to get into proper shape for sharing...much less publication.

Then I discovered another mode of fiction writing in November 2010 and I've been writing weekly chapters ever since. It's become a lovely mode of escape for me. When stacks of essays to be graded loom over me, jotting a fantastical chapter of 3000 words relaxes me and keeps me from requesting a permanent placement in the nearest insane asylum.

Okay, it's not that bad.

It only feels like it at times.

But a rather sad side effect of the blossoming of fiction writing has been the dearth of poetry writing. Twice I've joined daily poetry challenges for a month, in April 2009 and in November 2010, and while much of the poetry written was utter crap, a couple gems-in-the-rough sidled in, looking for a home...or at least a good polishing.

But since starting the weekly fiction chapters in late 2010, I've written three poems, two of them crap.

I rather miss the ebb and flow of poetry, the thought processes required, the depth of insight and actual seeing.

Fiction writing is easier. Freer. It's like running--almost thoughtless at times, and one can get really far, really fast.

Poetry writing is more like a waltz, or even a minuet. One has to know what one is doing; one has to know the rules. It's complex, and encircling truth. Footwork is required, and technique, and grace; one must hold the head at just such an angle, etc. Much is depth is required; it must be worked and reworked and re-reworked much differently than writing fiction.

Not that fiction is easy to write. It's not. But it's a marathon versus a minuet. You have to be in it for the long haul. And as we run, the important thing is to...keep running. It's long but not as intense; it's deep, but not as deep. There's a technique, but nothing compared to a ballroom dance.

What I've found is that, for me at this particular point in my life, I can't run an marathon and dance a minuet at the same time. No, it's one or the other, but not both simultaneously.

Part of the reason for such single-mindedness is the lack of time I have for recreational writing of any sort. Perhaps when the teetering essays are graded and the poetry and Shakespeare classes are taught and the kids are homeschooled...perhaps then I'll be able to train for both the marathon and the minuet.

But not now.

No, not right now.

Perhaps later.

After all, this thought by one of my favorite poets gives me hope...hope in writing fiction as well as poetry:

"Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood."
--T.S. Eliot

I've found Eliot's maxim to be quite true. Especially in Eliot's own poetry, for example, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." I still am not sure I understand more than half of one of my favorite poems. But I enjoy it thoroughly every time I peruse it.

Wishing you a poetic week,

Death Comes to Pemberley...

Early in December I was excited to discover a new book was being published by my favorite British mystery author, PD James. Approaching her 92nd birthday this year, PD James is the Queen of the modern British murder mystery. Her main character, Adam Dagliesh, is both brilliant detective and deep poet; he is ever fascinating, as is every mystery she writes.

She writes to no formula; with great psychological insight and the usual British distance between characters, each story in the series is intriguing and revelatory.

But with PD James' advancing age, I live in fear that each mystery she writes will be her final book. So it was with great joy that I saw the listing on Amazon for her new title, Death Comes to Pemberley.

Then my Austen radar beeped to full-alert status. Pemberley, as Austen fans (or at least fans of Colin Firth's amazing Mr. Darcy) know well, is the name of Mr. Darcy's estate in Pride and Prejudice. Could this title be an inside joke of some sort? How was Dagliesh going to be involved with the world of Austen?

As soon as I learned of the new title by PD James, I rushed to our county library website and reserved a copy for myself. I've been slowly building my PD James library with 50-cent copies from library sales, but I knew that purchasing a copy of this new title was well out of my price range. I was thrilled to discover that I was ranked #3 with seven copies available; thus I would get a copy as soon as the library received it.

Death Comes to Pemberley arrived four days before Christmas, and Tawny, one of our librarian, laughed at my joy of receiving such an early Christmas gift. I practically danced home from the library, rather startling my kids when I waltzed through the front door. They didn't understand my excitement, but then, they rarely do.

And then I discovered the actual subject matter of the book; this was no Adam Dagliesh mystery; much as I adore my poet-detective, I was thrilled to read from the inside cover that Death Comes to Pemberley was set six years after Elizabeth Bennet's marriage to Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Yes, it's quite true: the famous PD James wrote a Pride and Prejudice fan fiction mystery.

Now I don't feel so shy about my own writings in the fan fiction genre. (But not enough to reveal my fan fiction pen name, thankyouverymuch!)

So the irrepressible Wickham is accused of murder in the woods surrounding Pemberley, and it's up to Elizabeth, Darcy, and Colonel Fitzwilliam to clear his iffy name and save his life from the gallows.

I finished it last night, and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip back to the Regency Age and Pemberley. Even if one is not a fan of murder mysteries, the Austen-ishness of the book makes reading Death Comes to Pemberley well-worth one's time.

Next to read (as I await being able to check out a Kindle version of Stephen King's Under the Dome from our library system) is Julie and Julia which I also picked up from the library sale for 50 cents....

Happily reading,

Quotation of the Week...and Epiphany

On Friday, the Anglican Church, along with other liturgical churches, celebrated Epiphany.

The Epiphany, January 6th, marks the close of the Christmas Season with Twelfth Night (the Twelfth Day of Christmas) on January 5th. Epiphany, then, is a kind of extension of the Christmas season as we remember the events of Matthew 2 in which "wise men from the east" come to Judea, looking for the "infant King of the Jews." Herod asks his advisers about the Messiah, and they tell him that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
--Matthew 2:1-12, ESV

The Baptism of Jesus is celebrated a week later, on the Octave (8th day) of Epiphanytide, the day in which Christ was manifested as the Son of God, as related in Matthew 3:

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest upon him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
--Matthew 3:13-17, ESV

Our Collect for Epiphanytide from the Book of Common Prayer 2011, to be prayed throughout the Octave of the Epiphany:

O GOD, by the leading of a star you revealed your only eternal Son to the peoples of the earth; In your mercy grant that we, who know you now by faith, may after this life behold your glory and power face to face; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

And the Collect for the First Sunday After the Epiphany, also from the Book of Common Prayer 2011:

LORD God, in your mercy we ask you to receive the prayers of your people who call upon you; Grant that we may perceive and know what things we ought to do, and give us the grace and the power to faithfully perform them; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and rules with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Over two years ago, I jotted a quotation into my Quotation Journal, a quote by a fellow blogger and pilgrim on the pathway to God, that I've always wanted to share on Epiphany, but it kept slipping my mind (an easy thing to do these days). So here it is for you and for me to ponder:

"Keeping the pace while finding wise silences, discernment is knowing where the bright star leads--and then maintaining the trail. But like the Magi, the idea is not to dare to encamp under the compass point, but to be lit further by the Source."
--from "The Speculator" on his blog La Vie Graphite, 9 December 2009

So as we enter Epiphanytide, the time in which Jesus was made manifest not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles--basically, the fact that He came to save everyone, no matter what sex, race, religion, creed--we welcome Him into our hearts with joy and gratitude, "for this is the day which the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Rejoicing with you this day,

Ring in the New Year!

As we ring in the New Year of 2012, I thought this lovely poem which floated quietly in my e-mail inbox, courtesy of Poets.org, just after we popped champagne following a long and brutal game of Scrabble: Booklovers Edition (thank you, Godmommy Vera!), was perfect for expressing the New Year's cliche of "out with the old, in with the new." After all, Tennyson wasn't one for cliches, thank goodness!

So as we return soon from the rush and exhaustion and joy and pain that make up the Holy Days, I thought we could especially pray the final stanza which will be posted in the sidebar as the Quotation of the Week:

From In Memoriam by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

So as we ring out all that was evil, injurious, sad, wrong, unjust, grievous, and sinful in 2011, may we welcome all that is brave, true, right, courageous, beautiful, holy, lovely, sacred, and godly in 2012!!

From the Book of Common Prayer 2011, page 61:

For Guidance
O GOD, by you the humble are guided in doing right; Your light illumines the darkness for those who trust in you; In our doubts and uncertainties, give us grace to ask what you would have us do, so that the Spirit of Wisdom may save us from all false choices; In your light may we see light, and in your straight path may we not stumble; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Sources: Psalm 26.9; 36.9; John 1.5; Jeremiah 17.7)

May God grant us all a healthy and blessed New Year of 2012 as we strive to follow the example of Christ our Lord as we live, serve, and love in His ways.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! And a Happy Ninth Day of Christmastide as well!!

Praying to follow the Light, this year and always,

Books and Movies of 2011

2011 was quite a year for books and movies. Each year far down in my sidebar I keep a list of books read and movies watched. So as I rewatch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 with our kids on this New Years Day, I'm also copying my lists of books read and movies watched.

I read 88 books in 2011, most of them fan fiction; I've bolded the non-fan fiction titles. Here's the list, in reverse order:

88. Letters to You (fan fic) (2011)
87. Do Over (fan fic) (2011)
86. Carlie's Eyes (fan fic) (2010)
85. Pressed for Time (fan fic) (2011)
84. The Private Patient -- PD James (2008)
83. The Woman in Black -- Hill (1983)
82. That Girl (fan fic) (2010)
81. Death at Devil's Bridge -- Paige (1998)
80. Sacrificial Lamb (fan fic) (2010)
79. The Decoy (fan fic) (2011)
78. Puddle Jumping (fan fic) (2011)
77. Crimson and Clover (fan fic) (2011)
76. Pros and Cons (fan fic) (2011)
75. I Thee Wed (fan fic) (2011)
74. I'll Tell You What's Up (fan fic) (2011)
73. Solace (fan fic) (2011)
72. Songbird (fan fic) (2010)
71. Turn the Page (fan fic) (2010)
70. Such Great Heights (fan fic) (2010)
69. I'll Follow You into the Dark (fan fic) (2009)
68. Everlong (fan fic) (2009)
67. Glitch (fan fic) (2010)
66. Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor -- Barron (1996)
65. The Tutor (fan fic) (2010)
64. Blood Lines (fan fic) (2009)
63. Distractions (fan fic) (2010)
62. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- Austen and Grahame-Smith (2009)
61. Stranger Than Fiction (fan fic) (2011)
60. Falling Beyond Redemption (fan fic) (2011)
59. Treason at Lisson Grove -- Perry (2011)
58. Under the Full Moon (fan fic) (2009)
57. Murder on Sisters' Row -- Thompson (2011)
56. One Thousand Gifts -- Voskamp (2010)
55. The Nightingale Journals (fan fic) (2011)
54. Desiderata (fan fic) (2009)
53. Buckingham Palace Gardens -- Perry (2008)
52. Murder on Lexington Avenue -- Thompson (2010)
51. It's a Sign (fan fic) (2011)
50. Southampton Row -- Perry (2002)
49. Duty and Desire: A Pride & Prejudice fan fic (2010)
48. Continuity (fan fic) (2011)
47. Art After 5 (fan fic) (2010)
46. We Come to Life Beneath the Stars (fan fic) (2011)
45. Legendary (fan fic) (2010)
44. And With Thee Fade Away (fan fic) (2010)
43. Forever Was Never 'Til Now (fan fic) (2010)
42. Rhapsody in B (fan fic) (2010)
41. In Transit (fan fic) (2010)
40. Intersection (fan fic) (2011)
39. The Best I Ever Had (fan fic) (2011)
38. Moonless Night (fan fic) (2009)
37. Coming to Terms (fan fic) (2008)
36. Eternal Equinox (fan fic) (2011)
35. Long Spoon Lane -- Perry (2005)
34. Seven Dials -- Perry (2003)
33. Ithaca Is Gorges (fan fic) (2010)
32. Beyond Time (fan fic) (2011)
31. The Screamers (fan fic) (2010)
30. The Wisdom Seeker (fan fic) (2011)
29. The Secret Keeper (fan fic) (2008)
28. Whitechapel Conspiracy -- Perry (2001)
27. Alphabet Weekends (fan fic) (2010)
26. In Another Life (fan fic) (2009)
25. The Courtyard (fan fic) (2010)
24. Don't Take the Girl (fan fic) (2011)
23. Macbeth -- Shakespeare (1604)
22. A Cold White Christmas (fan fic) (2008)
21. High Anxiety (fan fic) (2011)
20. Blind (fan fic) (2008)
19. The Ex Factor (fan fic) (2011)
18. World Without Sound (fan fic) (2009)
17. Edward's Eclipse (fan fic) (2011)
16. The Discovery of Bella Swan (fan fic) (2008)
15. Midnight Sun -- Meyer (2008) and Midnight Sun Continued (fan fic) (2009)
14. The Trip Home (fan fic) (2009)
13. While You Were Gone (fan fic) (2009)
12. The Healing Codes --Loyd (2011)
11. Dark Side of the Moon (fan fic) (2009)
10. Half Moon Street -- Perry (2000)
9. The Search for Myself (fan fic) (2009)
8. Worth Existing (fan fic) (2009)
7. Miss My Lion (fan fic) (2010)
6. Bedford Square -- Perry (1999)
5. Wide Awake (fan fic) (2009)
4. Only Human -- Jackson (fan fic) (2010)
3. Brunswick Gardens -- Perry (1998)
2. Blue Moon over Manka's (fan fic) (2010)
1. The Ties That Bind (fan fic) (2010)


And here are the movies watched in 2011; ones watched in the theatre are noted:

Holiday (1938)
Twister (1996)
Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011) -- in theatre
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)
The Bishop's Wife (1947)
Remember Me (2010)
Mr. Blanchard Builds His Dream House (1948)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Rebecca (1940)
To Catch a Thief (1954)
Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) -- in theatre
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (2001)
I Was a Male War Bride (1949)
Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
Shall We Dance (1937)
Super 8 (2011) -- in theatre
War of the Worlds (2005)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Water for Elephants (2011) -- in theatre
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt 1 (2010)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Jane Eyre (2011) -- in theatre
Twilight (2008)
The Haunted Airman (2006)
The Bishop's Wife (1947)
Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
Suspicion (1941)
The King's Speech (2010) -- in theatre
Gone with the Wind (1939)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Pretty Woman (1990)
The Holiday (2006)
The Ghost Writer (2010)

So there they are: my book and film lists for 2011. Now I'll start keeping track anew for 2012, starting with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

Happy New Year!!!

With love,

The Glory of Christmastide

Christmas Carols through the ages....

Christmastide is an amazing time of year. While the vast majority of Americans begin the Christmas "season" the day after Thanksgiving and pack away decorations promptly on December 26th, those of us who follow the tradition of the Christian Year have quite a different tradition, one that centers more fully around Christ and His Love for the world.

Advent begins on the 4th Sunday before Christmas and finishes at sunset on Christmas Eve. While many secular Advent calendars, covered with images of Santa Claus and filled with chocolate goodies behind each window, act more as a "countdown to Christmas," the Christian practice of Advent is so, so much more.

"Advent" means "coming" or "arrival." Thus, Advent is partially our waiting to celebrate the arrival of Christ in human form two thousand years ago on that "silent night" in Bethlehem, born of a poor virgin girl in a cave because there was no room in the inn.

But waiting to celebrate Christ's first coming is not the main focus of Advent. No, indeed! Advent is even more about our awaiting the second coming of Christ our Lord, when he "shall come in majesty to judge the living and the dead" in His "kingdom which has no end."

Advent, with its liturgical color of purple, is a kind of a "miniature Lent," a time to evaluate and re-evaluate how we are waiting for Christ's imminent return. Are we living as we should? Are we as kind and as generous as we can be? Are we focused on God in prayer and in reading, studying, and applying His Word? Have we allowed slothful or sinful habits to take a foothold in our lives? These, and many others, are the questions that Advent forces us to face as we await His coming.

My favorite Collect (a collective prayer, prayed daily for a week by the whole of the Anglican Church) for Advent comes from the Second Sunday in Advent:

BLESSED Lord, you caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Help us to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of your Holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; Which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Then Christmas Eve arrives at last, and as the sun sets and the Holy Day begins, we gather for Lessons and Carols, God's Word read aloud between the beautiful carols of the faith. By far, my favorite Christmas carol is "O Holy Night." The words are so beautiful and true--I "fall to [my] knees" in my heart each time I hear about "the night when Christ was born." Here are the lyrics:

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wise men from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Then comes Christmas morning with our reading of Saint Luke's Gospel, and this Collect which is prayed daily through the Twelve Days of Christmastide:

ALMIGHTY God, you gave your only and eternal son to take our nature upon him and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin; Grant us, who have been reborn and made your children by adoption and grace, daily renewal by your Holy Spirit; Through Jesus Christ, who lives and rules with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

But the joys of Christmas cannot be contained to only one day; we celebrate Christmas for all Twelve Days, starting with Christmas Eve and concluding on the Eve of the Epiphany, or Twelfth Night, which arrives with sunset on January 5th.

Today as I was going through my e-mail inbox, I came across my weekly dose of Anglotopia which included the Queen of England's Christmas Address. It's a bit long at 7 1/2 minutes, but I really appreciate her message of love and hope during these troubled times as well as her quotations from Scripture and Christian witness and prayer:

Yet between Christmas Day and Epiphany are additional Holy Days. December 26th marks Saint Stephen's Day, memorialized by the carol "Good King Wenceslas":

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even

Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian faith, reminds us to be bold in our sharing of the Good News and to live lives that glorify Christ, no matter the cost.

December 27th is Saint John's Day--Saint John, the evangelist and writer of several book of the Bible: The Gospel According to Saint John, the Epistles St. John I, II, and III, and the Revelation According to Saint John. So today we remember Saint John, one of the three disciples who witnessed the Transfiguration of Christ as well as the man to which Jesus entrusted the care of His mother, Mary while Jesus suffered on the cross: "When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Woman, behold, your son!' Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother!' And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home" (John 19:26-27). John refers to himself throughout his Gospel as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." The Collect for today follows:

MERCIFUL Lord, let the bright beams of your light shine upon your Church; By the teaching of blessed John, the apostle and evangelist, may we be enlightened and walk in the light of your truth, so that we may finally come to everlasting life; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

December 28th marks the remembrance of the Holy Innocents, the male children under two years of age whom King Herod ordered killed in order to destroy the prophesied king who had been born in Bethlehem: "Then Herod...sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men." But the Lord had protected Jesus by sending a message to Joseph in a dream to flee with the child and his family to Egypt where they remained until Herod's death.

Entrance to the Mission San Luis Rey Cemetery

Since the decision of Roe v. Wade in the early 1970's, the Catholic Church also recognizes the Remembrance of the Holy Innocents to be a day to also remember the millions of unborn children whose lives have been lost through abortion. When our family visits the Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside where our dear friends' daughter is resting in peace, I always stop to pause at the marker inside one of the entrances to the old portion of the mission cemetery which remembers the Holy Innocents who have died via abortion and their mothers who have suffered as a result, for whether one supports or opposes the practice, most women who have undergone the process, for whatever reason, suffer as a result. So we pray peace for them and for a happy reunion with their children in heaven.

January 1 marks the Circumcision of Christ as it occurs on the eighth day, according to Jewish Law, after Christmas Day:

ALMIGHTY God, for our sake your blessed Son was circumcised and bound to the keeping of the whole Law; Grant us the true circumcision of the Spirit, so that in heart and body, we may put away earthly desires and in all things be bound to the keeping of your blessed will; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and rules with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Another Sunday (and sometimes two) occur during Christmastide, and thus another Collect is prayed, but the Collect for Christmas Day is prayed daily throughout all Twelve Days, until the Eve of the Epiphany, or Twelfth Night. This last night of Christmas is a night for celebration and revelry as shown in Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night which was performed for Queen Elizabeth at Twelfth Night festivities. Twelfth Night is always a wonderful celebration, and we join the members of Alpine Anglican Church of the Blessed Trinity in praying in the season of Epiphany (more on Epiphanytide later) and then celebrating with sherry and trifle in the Ackers' living room.

In my e-mail signature during Christmastide, I have included a quotation from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, spoken by Scrooge at the end of the book:

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year."

--Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

So I wish you all a blessed Christmastide!!! May the glory of our Lord and Saviour shine brightly through our lives as we live and love like Jesus, during this season and always!

A blessed Christmastide to you and yours,

A Snowy Christmas Day in Photos

4th Week of Advent...our family Advent wreath


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After spending Christmas Eve with Keith's family and Christmas Morning with just the kids, Keith, and I, we drove fifteen minutes (and 2000 feet in elevation) from our little town to an even smaller one: Mount Laguna, elevation 6000 feet.

There at my parents' 600 sq ft cabin, we squeezed nineteen people for Christmas dinner. The saving grace was the foot of snow that kept almost everyone outside: sledding down the hill behind the cabin, snapping photos of sledding, creating a snow-squirrel (don't ask), or, with my extended family, smoking and drinking. ;)

Enjoy the photos!!!

My parents' cabin atop Mount Laguna



Timothy runs down the snowman in the sledding path

My brother Tom, Brooke, Grant, and Elizabeth at the back

Jonathan hurtling down the track

Benjamin trekking back up the hill....

Christmas snow

Merry Second Day of Christmas!!!

Published in Victoria's Reader to Reader

Victoria has long been my favorite magazine, and my dear college roommate and godmother of our kids keeps me supplied with annual subscriptions for my birthday each spring.

Where else can we read about travel, cooking (with recipes), gardening, home decor, fashion, antiques and collecting, and essays from the Writer-in-Residence, all in one magazine?? The photography is incredible, the writing style elegant, and the values of the handwritten word and leather-bound journals are close to my heart.

So to be published in my favorite magazine??

Priceless.

Yes, the January/February 2012 issue of Victoria published a little piece of my writing--something I sent in response to an e-mail call for pieces on "Winter Comfort Food." So over lunch one day, I jotted a little essay on Keith's amazing Tortilla Soup, describing his techniques and the value of warmth and family around the kitchen table he built.

Then I received an e-mail informing me that they were publishing my little letter/essay. Months past the composition, I had little memory of what I had written, so I was thrilled to receive the issue in the mail yesterday.

So I took a few (ha!) photos to show you the spread on which my writing appears....

The January/February 2012 issue of Victoria which also contains touring information on San Diego, including the historic Hotel del Coronado, beautiful Balboa Park, and scenic La Jolla, all of which are favorite stomping grounds and landmarks in our own family history as the Quayle Brothers Architectural Firm designed buildings in Balboa Park and parts of the Hotel Del, including the famous Crown Room.

Victoria's Reader-to-Reader spread on Cold-Weather Comfort Foods

I love Victoria's beautiful photography and layouts

My little essay sketch on Keith's tortilla soup appears on page 11 of this issue of Victoria

Here's the first column of my little piece

Here's the second column of my little piece

Here's the quotation in the inset



I'm sooo excited about the first publication of my prose in a major magazine!! It's just a little thing in a readers' column, but I'm still thrilled to see my name in print in my favorite magazine!!

Wishing you a blessed Christmas!!!