One of my favorite books on writing is Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird. This was one of the first books about writing that I ever read, probably in my early teens, and it was only when I re-read it in the last year or so that I realized how much the advice in this book has shaped not only my writing but also how I approach life. Lamott is not just a writer but also teaches writing professionally, and much…
This article was originally published in The Catholic News Herald of the diocese of Charlotte Sometimes the right book finds you just when you need it the most. I had not heard of Julian of Norwich before this past year, when her book “Revelations of Divine Love” was assigned for the Well-Read Mom book club, a national community with small groups all over the country (wellreadmom.com.) While I am not a mom myself, the ladies of the local group warmly welcomed me…
Things are actually starting to feel a little less isolated lately, as I have (safely and cautiously) been able to start visiting with some folks again. Because I already worked from home, it’s true that the quarantine really hasn’t changed all that much in my life, but it’s certainly nice to have some face-to-face interaction with people again. From the Homestead My new chickens are nearly big enough to go outside full-time. Which is pretty exciting, since they have been…
This article was originally published in The Catholic News Herald of the diocese of Charlotte The Lord truly invited us to enter fully into the desert this Lent. And perhaps it has been a consoling blessing that this crisis happened when it did, right as we entered into this penitential season. Hopefully it has been an opportunity to deepen our prayer lives, reflecting more fully on the Lenten fasts we had already chosen to adopt. In modern rhetoric, fasting can refer to…
The last few weeks I have been making some serious headway on my novel-in-progress, and it’s felt pretty good. But in those last few weeks I have also had a few emotional mini-crises while reading the news and thinking about the state of the world and what the future might look like, and I have had to stop and ask myself, “What’s the point? Should I really be spending my time working on a silly novel right now? Should I…
It’s my tradition to spend the month of April focused on the works of William Shakespeare, though this usually means just watching various movie adaptations of the plays. Why April? Mostly because this was the month that the Bard was born and later died. I find it helpful to have specific times during the year to focus on little traditions like this. Otherwise, it can be easy to put things off, saying that you will get to them some time…
So, the highlight of my week definitely came yesterday, when I was able to save this sweet chickadee from being toyed with by one of my cats. Now, to be fair, my cats are not exceptionally fierce, being well-fed house cats, and don’t exactly have killer instincts. But they do like to play. When I saw one of the cats out in the yard, clearly engrossed with something, I went over to investigate and found this stunned little chickadee on…
It’s hard to know what to write about right now. Everything feels uncertain and we are all struggling to find new routines, a new normal for our lives. I’ve been managing to avoid the majority of the main stream news and the hysteria contained therein, but I’ve stayed informed enough to know that these are serious times that we are living in and life will most likely look very different even once we are past the worst. For me, the…
This article was originally published in The Catholic News Herald of the diocese of Charlotte. I recently visited Washington, D.C., and was able to attend Holy Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. With more than 80 chapels and oratories honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary, there is a great deal to see at the basilica. Behind every pillar, around every corner, and every time you look to the ceiling, there is some of the most…
Hello, dear readers. I must first apologize that it has been so long since I’ve given you any serious, dedicated content. I’ve been so caught up in life and other writing projects, that this poor blog has been rather neglected. But I am now hoping to get things back on track with some re-prioritizing. With a mind to better time-management, I’m going to be suspending my monthly posts on What I Read. The truth is that I am reading so…