"People nowadays seemed to busy for gaiety, and what was worse, appeared to frown upon innocent enjoyment.  Life was too dreadfully real and earnest these days, thought Mrs. Bailey, and all the young people were middle-aged at twenty. 

If only people would realize that the light hearted…things were not any less significant than the violent and brutish, what a step forward it would be,,. Because a song, a book, a play, a picture, or anything created was gay it did not necessarily follow that it was trivial.  It might be, mused Mrs. Bailey gazing into the moving sunshine with unseeing eyes, a finer thing because it had been fashioned with greater care and artifice; emotion remembered and translated to give pleasure, rather than emotion remembered and evincing only an involuntary and quite hideous howl."    - Miss Read, Thrush Green

Yesterday was the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.  While it took me longer than hoped to sit down here I did want to still share a bit about this devotion that rather found me.  You see, not only was it not on my radar but I fancied that the joyful images were more appealing to me.  This was another one of those things that I felt was for other people but not me.  I can only chuckle at my own ignorance now, which I seem to do more and more the older I get. 

About a year and half ago my friend, Suzanne, mentioned her boys had brought her information about devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows and special graces for mothers.  I searched all over the internet at the time but was not finding this information myself.  Frustrated, I dropped it as life picked up again.  Then some months later a small package arrived in the mail from our daughter's godmother, a busy mother of many herself whom I don't speak with often.  She thought I might be interested in…… devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows.  She sent me prayers and blessings from her chapel and mentioned the Mother Love book.  

Now, I love this little volume, given to me many years ago by yet another dear friend.   I somehow had not until that moment connected the dots that the Mother Love book was, back in the day, a handbook of sorts for the Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers. At that point I stopped cherry picking through the book for relevent prayers and began to use it as the handbook it is, following the daily prayers and carefully reading the instructional part for fresh inspiration on the vocation of a wife and mother. 

This weekend we said the Litany of Our Lady of Sorrows from the Mother Love prayers.  A copy from a beautiful vintage book is here. The various titles never cease to draw me in and inspire emulation.  The Litany of the Seven Sorrows is here. 

More information on the history of this devotion, including the connection to Fatima here. 

We sometimes joke that we could have used a manual for this job.  I am reminded again and again that this one works pretty well. 

It was late in the evening by the time we all sat down around the table tonight and not all of us were here.  Still, the girls and I decided to set the table with the red transferware to go along with the roses and rose covered cake we found.  

Fr Weiser, SJ (via Catholic Culture) shares:

Since September 8 marks the end of summer and beginning of fall, this day has many thanksgiving celebrations and customs attached to it. In the Old Roman Ritual there is a blessing of the summer harvest and fall planting seeds for this day.

The winegrowers in France called this feast "Our Lady of the Grape Harvest". The best grapes are brought to the local church to be blessed and then some bunches are attached to hands of the statue of Mary. A festive meal which includes the new grapes is part of this day.

In the Alps section of Austria this day is "Drive-Down Day" during which the cattle and sheep are led from their summer pastures in the slopes and brought to their winter quarters in the valleys. This was usually a large caravan, with all the finery, decorations, and festivity. In some parts of Austria, milk from this day and all the leftover food are given to the poor in honor of Our Lady’s Nativity.

Excerpted from The Holyday Book 

The new school year is beginning – or has begun – for most people around the country.  We have had a soft start consisting mostly of  "Morning Time +" meaning we pray, read, discuss, do math, practice dance/music etc, and do our chores.  It has made for some solid days with a reasonably tidy house, appointments kept, needs met, and awesome conversation had.  More will follow but it's a very gratifying start.

Cindy Rollins' reflection from a few years back rings so true here.  Morning time, done right, is an organic process.  It grows naturally.  Please don't think of it as another curricular checklist item.  Better to think about how you naturally catch up with good friends.  Do you share recipes or patterns?  Maybe you pass particularly inspiring books back and forth?  There might be articles or quotes you share with some you know will appreciate them. Ideally, as our children grow, some of our best sharing happens with the fascinating people around our table.  You wouldn't pummel your luncheon guests with data and it won't feel any better when they are your kids.  

Start small.  Read them your favorite stories, the ones you really get into.  Show them work by your favorite artist.  Listen to a rendition of a musical piece that moved you.  Maybe share a cool tidbit about the composer while you are at it.  Watch a youtube tutorial together.  And here is the thing: it isn't about chronology or themes.  It's about genuine, thoughtful conversation.  It is about learning to consider new topics or positions and to express your feelings about them.  It's cross-training in your homeschool.  You can't screw this up. You won't "miss" anything. As she says,

"Stop planning your school and go do it.

Read a chapter of a book to your children.  

Now. 

There is tremendous power in doing something for a short period of time consistently."

notes:

We use plain heavy paper sketchbooks for our timelines.  As we read a chapter in A Child's History of the World (currently) they draw or print a clipart picture of one thing to paste inside.  

The graffiti book was EXCELLENT for Socratic discussion.  It has lots of open ended questions which help students consider what art is and does not lead them to a particular position.  

Not pictured is the saint of the day book, the next Ralph Moody title, and a volume of Longfellow's work.  We read "Evangeline" this summer and I predictably wept at the end.  Now we are enjoying "Hiawatha."  As it turns out our elderly houseguest is enjoying our reading and discussion time most of all.