Divine Mercy Novena: Day Seven

"Today bring to Me The Souls Who Especially Venerate and Glorify My Mercy and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death."

Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your Mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident in Your Mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God: Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.

Image available at Saints Market
Divine Mercy Website

Dandelion Reprise

{From the archives. Reviving and revising a post from last year, with a mix of pictures from this year and last, before they all become "wishing flowers."}

The day began with an announcement from Karoline:

"Mama," said she, her fist full of dandelions for me to put into a tiny pitcher, "we have so many beautiful yellow flowers and the neighbors have none. I'm going to pick them all and scatter them in everyone's yard just like Miss Rumphius. Then, there will be beautiful yellow flowers everywhere."

 

We dug up a Dandelion Syrup Recipe and suggested that Karoline and her sisters and her friends gather the flowers for syrup making purposes.

 

They spent a glorious couple of hours making their fingers a lovely shade of yellow.

They stirred some "dandelion soup."

They measured until there was enough.

They brought it in to boil and steeped.

We read Miss Rumphius and Dandelions  and The Dandelion Seed and Stars in the Grass at bedtime.

The next day, we added sugar and cooked and cooked.

Dandelion Syrup.

Brings sweet tea to a whole new place:-).

When I tucked Katie into bed that night she commented, "Some people call dandelions weeds. Don't they see the flowers? Everyone should have a girl to show her the flowers when all they see are the weeds."

Everyone should.

The Recipe

250 Dandelion tops (yes, really; count them). Please be sure your dandelions haven't been treated with herbicide or pesticide

the juice of 1 lemon

4 cups of water

2 pounds of sugar

In a large pot on the stove, stir the dandelion tops with the 4 cups water, bring to a boil and then cover and simmer 1 hour. Cool and allow the dandelion tea to continue to steep in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, strain the tops, reserving all the tea. Mix the tea with two cups of sugar and the lemon juice. Simmer, stirring occasionally, on the stovetop, until the water evaporates and you have syrup. A froth will form on the top of the syrup. Turn off the heat and allow the syrup to cool completely. it will thicken as it cools. Pour into a jar. It's a got an earthy flavor that is nice stirred into tea.

 

Yarn Along Ramble

I've done very little knitting or reading since the last Yarn Along. I've done a lot of driving to the airport, some very brief hellos and way too many goodbyes. And the Triduum. That lack --ahem-- isn't going to stop me from posting a too-long Yarn Along;-).

I'm just little further on my latest Chloe (#6). I do have some plans, though. I met Ginny yesterday at Fibre Space, where a very nice guy named Micah was incredibly patient and showed me absolutely every non-animal yarn they had, all the while checking to be sure I wasn't going to go into anaphylactic shock just breathing the wool in the air. We had mixed success. I did buy a yarn to try and a sweet inexpesnive project bag to replace my Ziploc bag. I'm not really thrilled with the yarn yet, but we'll see what happens on the needles. If you are at all local, I encourage you to head to Old Town Alexandria and check out Fibre Space. It was just as I envisioned a neighborhood yarn store: warm, friendly, cheerful, everyone just happy to talk knitting. In addition to their kindness towards me, I heard them helping other customers during the time I was there. Just great folks! And a very nice selection--all those yarns I've spent hours researching online--right there to touch. (And how fun was it that they have a giant Mac right there on the counter, where I could log in to Ravelry and check a pattern? Very cool.) So well worth the trip. I drove over an hour and Ginny drove further. But I know we'd both do it again. Maybe we'll see you there.

It was a beautiful day in Old Town and Ginny and I had time to linger a bit over lunch. I thoroughly enjoyed my grown-up day out of the house. I didn't even get lost going or coming--truly I tell you, the GPS has changed my life:-). Patrick returned home late yesterday evening, ridiculously jet-lagged and dehydrated, and he flew out very early this morning. I had hoped to sit and knit while he told me all about Holland last night. But he was so tired he was incoherent. I have a sense that the next few months will be ones of intensity for him (and us). What do I bring to that this year that I didn't last year? I bring knitting. It's true that knitting is a stress-buster. Truly true. I admit to knitting through tears this morning as that early flight left the ground. Wet cotton doesn't move well. For me, all my knitting heretofore has been inextricably woven with listening to the the Word of God. Knowing that the only thing I know for certain is that there is much uncertainty ahead, I don't think I'll change my knitting rhythm even though Lent is finished.

With Paddy on his way back to Bradenton and Mike back out on the road, the bluebells all turned to green, and no plans for any further entertaining until late next month, it's time to settle into a new household rhythm. I'm reading --and applying-- Organized Simplicity. I'm also hoping to begin reading these three books on dyeing. (Just realized the links didn't work in the post on painting yarn. Sorry!). I've ordered a wee bit of alpaca to try to knit without itching. I'm really hoping that will work, because I do want to hand paint more yarn and I'd prefer an animal fiber. The books above address more than just animal yarns, though. I see some silk fabric dyeing and painting in the very near future.

I love to talk knitting and reading with you. Elizabeth, who nudges me out of my comfort zone on a regular basis, has me planning a knit-along. I wanted to knit a Chloe;-). She suggested the Baby Surprise Jacket. The pattern (which isn't really a pattern, but more like suggestions) for the jacket is available at Schoolhouse Press and in the video linked above. Included in the pamphlet is also a pattern for an adult one. My hope is to find my go-to non-wool yarn and one day knit a surprise jacket for myself. For now, though, I'll be knitting a baby jacket. If you're wanting to read an Elizabeth Zimmermann book (abundantly available at lots of libraries), the Baby Surprise Jacket is in Knitting Workshop. We're going to knit it together over the next few weeks, with Elizabeth assuring that I am successful. You know, Elizabeth has taught me that a mentor is an invaluable gift. So often women (and teenaged girls) are afraid to try new things, even though they really do want to know how to do it. We are so afraid to fail. And are we all perfectionists at heart, just a little bit? A truly good mentor, who can come alongside, and push a little while ensuring success? Unbounded blessing. Makes me stop to think about the ways we can blesss each other. Where can I mentor and help someone over her own doubts and into the sunshine of success?

Be sure to stop by and visit Ginny and see what other folks are knitting and reading.

{comments are open here for knitting and reading conversation}

Divine Mercy Novena: Day Six

"Today bring to Me The Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of  Little Children and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. Only the humble soul is capable of receiving My grace I favor humble souls with My confidence."

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy, and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls and upon little children, who are enfolded in the abode of the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight you take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Image available at Saints Market
Divine Mercy Website

It Takes Courage to Encourage

I received an note not too long ago that was an exceptional glimpse into the thoughts of some of my readers. Just a few lines that accidentally ended up in my inbox. They weren't intended for me at all and, yet, there they were.  They taught me so much. I consider that note a great blessing and I'm grateful for the insight.

Among other things, the woman who penned the note remarked that before an author published a book of small steps towards virtue she should be sure that she can do them or that she has done them already.

I promise you that I cannot do every step in my book on any given day. I can do all of them at one time or another. I can do most of them on the days for which they were written. But I will never hit them all just right. Not on this side of heaven.

And the book wasn't designed that way.

All the small steps in our book have been done by Danielle or by me at one time or another. None of the small steps in the book are done by both of us all the time. We falter. We stumble on this path towards heaven and sometimes we even fall. If I were to wait until I'd perfectly mastered all those virtues--all those steps--all the time, I'd never publish. And if I had to be absolutely certain when I ponder an idea here that I can perfectly master it--or even that I should--this screen would be mostly blank.

Instead, I think aloud about peaceful, happy, holy family life and I wonder with you how to step heavenward.

 

That takes courage. It takes courage when I know that there are people who will take my own admission of my brokenness and use it to tear me down further. It takes courage to tell you that I am a mess and to trust that you won't despise me for it. And it takes courage to keep writing even in the face of some people who do exactly that. It takes courage to send the words of my heart out into the world.  I am not, by nature, courageous. I pray daily for courage.

We wrote Small Steps to encourage. That was our primary goal. We had seen the fierce competition and unfavorable comparisons among women and we genuinely desired to come alongside and walk together towards a common goal. A goal of peaceful, happy, holy women.

So, we looked towards the saints, those holy men and women who have gone before us. And we were grateful that they wrote, despite their doubts and struggles and imperfections. They shared their brokenness; they wondered aloud. They left us with a treasure trove of wisdom. The church assures us that they did not struggle in vain. And she encourages us to dip into the font of their wisdom. So we did.

We also composed prayers. There is no greater privilege than to pray with you. When I open my book to any given day, I know that you might be praying that prayer, too. And Jesus tells me that when two or more of us are gathered in His name, He is there. There with us. Stepping beside us. In our midst. (Matthew 18:20)

And yes, there are action items. Little things that we know will add up to great strides over the course of the year, little steps that we know from our our experience to be valuable. Sometimes, we hit them all just right. Sometimes, as on the day about which the email was written, we stumble and fall. I wrote the words that I eventually read on that day. And I lived them as well as I possibly could--because I believed that step to be a valuable one. And then, I told you that I failed to meet the ideal. I told you so that if you failed on that day too, you would find comfort in not being alone. I told you so that you could pray for me as I dusted off and began again. And I told you so that I could also tell you that I persevered. That the next day was better. That yesterday was awesome. I told you so that I could encourage you. That was the whole point.

We encourage when we invite another woman into our home for a cup of tea and word of friendship, even though there might be stacks of folded laundry on the dining room table, even though the only cookies we have to offer were bought from the grocery's day-old table yesterday. It takes courage to admit we don't have it all together, all the time. We ask her in and invite her to share her heart, letting her see the sometimes ragged edges of our own. We encourage when we confide that we, too, struggle and yet we also claim the ultimate victory that is ours in Christ. We admit that we are sinners in need of a savior. And she feels welcome. She is not made to feel judged or reproved by some unattainable icon, but loved by a fellow saint on a journey. She will come again; she will invite you into the corners of her home, knowing that you will see her heart and not her shortcomings. Together, we will take small, but meaningful, steps

Genuine encouragement grants grace. Grace is our topic for May. Genuine encouragement is gentle. Gentleness is our topic for June.

I pray that we can continue to give support, confidence, and hope to one another, even though it makes us vulnerable. I pray for the courage to encourage one another and build each other up (1 Thes 5:11).

Small Steps focuses on courage this month. Would you share your thoughts with us, let us find you and walk with you? I'd be so grateful and so honored to have you as a companion. Please leave a link to your blog post below and then send your readers back here to see what others have said.You're welcome to post the Small Steps Together banner button also.