An Open Book: November 2024 Reads

I hope you all are having a peaceful Advent so far! With another month here, it's time to link up with An Open Book to share about my reading stack in November. It was a fun mix of comforting fiction and some fascinating nonfiction. Let's dive in! 

Postpartum: An invitation to rest

Last February at the online Catholic Writer’s Conference, I gave a talk about the importance of rest. One of the elements of rest that I discussed was “unproductive leisure" that does not prioritize productivity but instead focuses on resting and letting ourselves be rejuvenated in God. Unproductive leisure invites us to fully live in the present moment, to simply be.

As I spend day after day curled up on the couch with my newborn baby, my thoughts drift back to this concept. In our current American culture, this unproductive leisure can be difficult to pursue. Whether explicitly or implicitly, we often receive pressure to be productive and “get stuff done.” Yet, we are not robots with the sole purpose of creating products or performing certain functions; we are human beings, made in God’s image and likeness. When we rest and engage in unproductive leisure, we can remember our intrinsic worth and dignity. We also can remember that God invites us to rest in him.

Not only does this unproductive leisure benefit us, but it’s a witness to others; an encouragement that they, too, can rest. As much as I believe in the importance of rest, it can be hard to prioritize it at times. I’m grateful that some women I know have outright encouraged me to rest and really take it easy after having a baby. This precious postpartum time is an invitation into rest, and with each child that I birth, I plunge deeper into unproductive leisure. 

An Open Book: October 2024 Reads

Another month has begun, so it's time to link up with An Open Book to chat about what's crossed my bookshelf! In October, I read a delightful mix of fiction and non-fiction as I walked through the final weeks of pregnancy, and I enjoyed a lot of what I read. Let's dive in! 

Tuesday Newsday is Overrated

My husband navigated our minivan down the long winding road that led away from the monastery. Our hearts and souls were filled with joyful peace from our time of prayer, and our shopping bag was filled with delicious treats that we purchased from the monks. 

Suddenly, as we drove into town, our gaze was hit by the chaos of culture: noisy cars, marijuana dispensaries, and billboards that cluttered the wide Oklahoma sky. 

"The monks aren't really missing much," I mused. 

Earlier that day, we had knelt in the dark immensity of the abbey's upper church. Amidst the flickers of candlelight, monks in flowing robes had filed into the church. I was filled with an overwhelming sense that I had stepped back in time. The monks soon filled the air with chanting, and as I joined my own silent prayers to the Latin chants of the monks, I thought about how small my problems really were. Yes, whatever problems and challenges I was undergoing were valid, but in the grand scheme of things, were they really that big of a deal? The cares and concerns of my daily life melted into the great stillness and peace of this monastery. 

That day at the monastery offered a chance for prayer and relaxation as a family as we hiked across the grounds, prayed in the church, and looked at the sheep and cows that grazed nearby. Yet, while our monastic outing was a good opportunity for prayer and contemplation, it also provided a good way to gain perspective. All of the stresses in my life and the culture seemed so small when I thought about them from the distance of the monastery. The choir stalls were filled with young monks, old monks, and young men who are discerning vocations to monastic life. These men spend their lives in contemplative prayer and work, offering life-giving hospitality to all who approach. Their lives are centered wholly and completely on God as they actively prepare for eternal life. 

An Open Book: September 2024 Reads

As I pray for world peace and for all those suffering due to natural disasters, I'm grateful that we've reached the lovely month of October. With the start of this month, it's time to link up with An Open Book to chat about the books that took me through the hot September days. Since I read a lot of nonfiction in August, I tried to focus on fiction in September (though I naturally got some nonfiction in because I couldn't resist haha!). It was a fun reading month, so let's dive in!

An Open Book: August 2024 Reads

Another month has arrived, so it's time to link up with An Open Book to share what I've been reading. August was a fantastic month of festivity (we attended a Catholic family conference, celebrated a bunch of birthdays and our wedding anniversary, and baked delicious treats) and it was a fascinating reading month. For some reason, other than one children's graphic novel, I only read nonfiction books! Some were excellent, some were tedious, but they all were really, really interesting. 

(A segment of the nonfiction books comprises the beginning of my crash-coarse in mathematics. I'll probably make a blog post about this at some point, but in short: I want to help cultivate a beautiful, holistic view of mathematics in our family's homeschooling life, so I'm beginning my own preparation by reading and thinking and diving into the world of math.)

Let's dive in! 

A Education in Life

"You need to bring the kids over. Come anytime!" From beneath her white veil, the religious sister smiled at me and continued to insist. "Bring the kids over!" 

I knew that I needed to finally do it. 

When I had first learned that this woman had opened a home for elderly people and those near death, I was excited. The life-affirming mission of this home was beautiful. Yet, I hadn't taken my kids; it was hard to determine the "perfect" time to make a trip. However, that day after Mass, the answer popped in my head. 

"What if we just came and brought our schoolbooks?" I said slowly, turning the idea over in my mind. Instead of meandering home or heading to a park after daily Mass, once a week we could drive over to this home for the dying instead.

It would be, I realized, an answer to a prayer that dwelled in the depths of my heart.  

When we visited relatives last Christmas, I thought about how good it is to be with others, even if we aren't constantly doing an activity together. There's something reassuring and comforting about curling up on a couch with a book and seeing a couple other people playing a game nearby or watching a show together. Just being around other people, in community, is a beautiful and consoling thing. 

An Open Book: July 2024 Reads

Welcome to August! Now that the new month has begun, it's time to link up with An Open Book to talk about what I read in July.  Since it was so hot outside, my kids and I spent A LOT of time inside reading ;) I was excited that I finally finished two books that I've slowly been reading for a couple of months! I also read a lot of fantastic books, from children's literature to classics to historical fiction. Let's dive in! 

Rest and the Great Commandment

This scene has played out in my home more times than I can count:

I’ll be trying to accomplish something—put dinner on the table, take care of a crying child while other kids are asking me questions, respond to a month-old message from a friend—and my voice pierces through the crying and clamoring: “I’m trying, I’m working so hard, please just be patient.” I have a smile on my face, but the tension in my voice and shoulders quickly spreads throughout the room. I know that I'm on the brink of exploding into frustration. Sometimes, the dam breaks and my exhaustion and anger burst out into biting words. 

My husband’s voice calls out as he enters the room. “Do you need to go sit by yourself in your room?” 

Good man that he is, he sees through my attempted charade of patience and handles the situation while I dash down the hallway for respite. The overstimulation of the moment begins to dissipate as I let my body and my mind rest. Despite my best efforts, I struggled to patiently love others when I was wound up and filled with unrest. 

Just moments later, I am refreshed by my rest. I am renewed and once again can care for my children with patience and charity.  

While I continue to fall short of how God calls me to love, it always comes more naturally and easily when I’m encountering others from a place of rest and peace.

We often refuse to rest or even believe that we haven’t “earned the right” to rest. All sorts of excuses and objections fly up that hold us back from experiencing deep, healing rest in God. Yet, the more I explore this topic in my prayer and work, the more convicted I grow that rest is absolutely necessary for each and every one of us. While there are many mental, physical, creative, and professional benefits to regular rest, one of the most important fruits of rest slammed into my brain only a few months ago: Rest helps us live out the Great Commandment.

An Open Book: June 2024 Reads

We've been living in a stretch of triple-digit temperatures, so I think summer has finally decided to officially arrive :) In the past few weeks, I picked up some interesting books that I'm excited to share about! I'm linking up with An Open Book to talk about the fiction and non-fiction that crossed my shelf the past month. Let's dive in! 

An Open Book: May 2024 Reads

It's the beginning of the month, so I'm linking up with An Open BookAn Open Book to discuss the books that accompanied me in May. It was an extremely fun month for reading, with memoirs, historical non-fiction, historical fiction, and novels forming my reading stack. Let's dive in!