A Ridiculously Long Yarn Along

~California Car Knitting~

Hello, there! I haven't yarned along in a long, long while. It's good to be knitting again. In a most encouraging note, Beth observed that the old ladies at the quilting store and the yarn shop have gnarled arthritic hands. And still, they create their art with them. (Seriously, Beth herself is such an inspiration. She knits and quilts and trains for a  triathalons--all with arthritis.). So, I'm knitting. It hurts in the beginning and I can't go for very long at at all, but I'm doing it. 

I started a much bigger version of this shawl while in California. I chose the yarn ahead of time--a Pakucho cotton in Forest. Pakucho cotton is 100% organically grown in Peru by rural artisan and Indian farmers, using sustainable methods, on small farmyard plots. And it's entirely fair trade. But, wait! There's more. It's not dyed. It's naturally colored yarn that grows in eight earthy colors. Colored cotton has grown in Peru for 4,500 years but it's recently been revived. Intrigued? Read all about it here.

The poet in me was pretty thrilled when my yarn perfectly captured my impression of the hues of California's landscape. It's a lovely gray-green-with-a-touch-of-brown.

I've made a little--just a little- progress on it since arriving home. I'm still settling into a workable fall routine and part of that is seeing where my knitting pockets are. I finished reading Interrupted on the trip. I have to admit that I was very inspired by  7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess and very bothered by Interrupted. [Caveat: among the heavy influences listed in Interrupted was Richard Rohr.]. What bothered me, I think, was the impression that somehow we are all called to flee the suburbs and serve the poor somewhere else. After reading the book, I looked at my homeschooling-mother-of-many-life and wondered if I wasn't totally missing the mark because I wasn't feeding the hungry in Africa or at least in downtown DC. Somehow, taking a baby from a weary mom at our dance school and rocking her for awhile didn't seem as worthy as rocking an orphan in Ethiopa. But God loves that mom at dance and He loves that baby, too. There are spiritually starving people right here in my midst. I know them and He calls me to love them well. To love them wholeheartedly. Some of us might be called to encourage and love and educate and support and feed and disciple right here in the midst of the minivans. Interrupted distracted me from my vocation. I don't think that was the author's intention. I think it was my overzealous interpretation. There's probably much more to say about that. I tend to get distracted...

Other things that try to distract me from hearth and home and this needy bunch of kids who all look astonishingly like my husband are opportunities to write and speak and work in the online and between-the-covers world of Christian publishing and ministry. In order to go to California, I had to say "I'm sorry, I can't do that." Again. Twice. I couldn't go to the Catholic New Media Conference in Dallas, despite prior plans to do so. And I couldn't join Sally Clarkson and the other writers from MomHeart at Sally's home for a leadership intensive.  Both were good things. Very good things. A week in California with my husband? It was the better thing. It was the thing God intended for me. Sally was so very encouraging when I told her about the trip. And I know she's held me in her heart and her prayers. So, I'm revisiting my copy of The Ministry of Motherhood.

I can hear Sally's voice reminding me that God calls me home. I keep saying "no." Or "not just yet." Just as I was certain all those many years ago that God was calling me to raise a large family for His Glory, I am reminded that He still wants me here. There are many, many opportunities to serve Him in my neighborhood and on the soccer field and even in the grocery store. My children are learning to recognize those opportunities right alongside me. I am still wholeheartedly investing in my home and family because my family still needs me. Their needs are numerous and important and my job is far from finished. This is my Africa. 

Join Ginny for more yarns:

St. Luke's Brush: A Free Peg Doll for Your Scholar

In honor of their 2 year anniversary today, St. Luke's Brush has generously offered us a special promotion. For every purchase of $100 or more this month, you will receive a free handpainted St. Thomas Aquinas doll with your order! 

About St. Luke's Brush:

St. Luke’s Brush specializes in hand-painted Catholic toys, Wooden Saint peg dolls,religious art, and gifts. High quality, one of a kind toys and gifts inspire your child’s love and understanding of the Faith. They offer a large selection of gifts, perfect for Christmas, Feast Days, Easter, Sacrament Gifts and other special occasions. Excellent for use with Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Custom orders are welcome!

So please, hurry over and make an order before September 30th to celebrate two years of this wonderful business! 

God in the Vineyard

There is a large statue of Our Lady overlooking the vineyard, a chapel on the grounds for daily Mass, and a wine named for Pope Benedict. This is Trinitas. And it is beautiful. Trinitas Cellars has a small vineyard of its own, but sources out for most of its grapes. On the grounds of the Meritage Resort and Spa is the Trinitas Tasting Room, a cave that is home to a beautifully appointed bar. There, we met an incredibly personable (and knowledgeable) young man named Michael, who introduced us to the wines. 

Among the Trinitas wines is one called ratZINger. Every year, the founders of Trinitas travel to Rome to present bottles of the wine to Pope Benedict. Steph and Tim Busch are very active in Catholic ministries and organizations in the United States and this winery truly reflects their authentic Catholic sensibilities.

A sweet picture book on the shelves amongst the wine bottles captured my attention while Mike was chatting wine and baseball with Michael. The Grapes Grow Sweet is the story of a family bringing in California grapes at harvest time. Beautifully illustrated with rich, watercolor pictures, the book tells the story of Julian and Adrienne Rossi, two children growing up in the fourth generation on a Napa vineyard. The story is tenderly told and every time I read it aloud to my children, I'm drawn into the warmth of this family and the love and respect they have for the people who work with them. The pictures are incredibly detailed and with each reading so far, we've noticed something new. My girls were so inspred by this book that we took off last week for an impromptu visit to some Virginia vineyards, hoping to see the harvest gondolas. 

But back to Trinitas:-). After we spent a very long time learning ever so much in the tasting room, Mike and I walked the vineyards. We read each of the placards and got to know the grapes a little better. We also introduced ourselves to an impressively large jackrabbit. I was surprised by how large and muscular those rabbits are compared to my Virginia garden bunnies. Alas, no picture. He was much too fast for me!

In a place like Trinitas, it's impossible not to think of the first part of John 15. I was disappointed in my (in)ability to recite it from memory on the spot and have since endeavored to commit it there. 

The Vine and the Branches.

 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.  Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends,  because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.

This time away with only Mike gave me the space I needed to really consider what God has been trying to prune and how He calls me to lay down my life (and for whom). We don't, of course, need a vineyard and a wine named for the rosary to do that, but I am astonished at the generosity of both God and my husband, who provided them well before I even knew to ask.

Lord, Hear Our Prayer

The internet is a formidable force for bringing the comfort and consolation and hope of the Lord to all of us. It can be an incredibily powerful medium for community. There is an unfathomable resource for prayer here. We have on the 'net the privilege of praying for people and of being witness to the miracles brought forth when fervent, faith-filled people pray for one another.

Let's be that community of hope and faith for one another.

How about this idea? What if I pop in here every weekend, share Sunday's gospel and talk a wee bit about how we can live it and pray it in our homes? And then you tell me how we can pray for you that week? Deal?

{And please, do return and let us know how prayer is bearing fruit.}

Gospel 

Mark 8:27-35

Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that I am?"
They said in reply,
"John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets."
And he asked them,
"But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said to him in reply,
"You are the Christ."
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the gospel will save it."

Think

What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.

  ~Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Pray

"Dearest Lord, may I see you today and every day in the person of your sick, and whilst nursing minister to you.  Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, the exacting, the unreasonable, may I still recognize you and say: ‘Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you.’  Lord, give me this seeing faith, then my work will never be monotonous.  I will ever find joy in humoring the fancies and gratifying the wishes of all poor sufferers.  O beloved sick, how doubly dear you are to me, when you personify Christ; and what a privilege is mine to be allowed to tend you.  Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation, and its many responsibilities.  Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness, or impatience.  And, O God, while you are Jesus, my patient, deign also to be to me a patient Jesus, bearing with my faults, looking only to my intention, which is to love and serve you in the person of each of your sick.  Lord, increase my faith, bless my efforts and work, now and for evermore.  (Daily prayer of Mother Teresa of Calcutta) 

Act

Mothers and fathers every day have an opportunity to lay down our lives for each other and for our children. We find our irritable, our exacting, our unreasonable and our sick--not in the streets of Calcutta--but in the halls of our own homes. These children God gave especially to us? They are the path He wants us to follow to heaven. In order to follow Him, we have to recognize that our primary vocation is to be good spouses and good parents. It's easy to be distracted, to think that there are bigger and better blessings (and crosses) to scurry after, but we have to be focused. There is no doubt that these children are entrusted to us alone. We are called uniquely to be the parents in our families. That is the only ministry that is ours alone. These are turbulent times. We all want to work for peace. As mothers, our first steps towards world peace is to create peace in our homes. Then, we step out into the world with our children to work for justice. In doing so, we guard our souls and the souls entrusted to us and we begin to change the world and claim the peace of Christ. This is serious business. There is no doubt that we must lay down our lives for those God has given to us  (family and then neighbor), lest we lose our lives forever. 

The One Where Napa Valley Wins my Heart

On our first day in California, we touched down at the San Francisco airport. We'd left home in the dark before dawn and flown across the country. Upon arrival, I checked my trusty iPhone to see if my children missed me yet and discovered that my phone, too, had gone along with the plan to spend the week in California. Everything had shifted to the new time zone. I had arrived. And it was still early in the morning. I've always wanted to gain three hours in a day.

Before I left, I'd set up a very private Instagram account for just my children and three friends. It was really the only social media/phone/computer I used all week. And I'm so glad I did it. Instagram was a very convenient way to take pictures, tag them with locations, and stay in touch with the people I loved. One of the friends was Beka, who lives in northern California. She was able to follow our journey in real time and offer so very many useful suggestions along the way. It was a deliberate and well-considered decision to leave the fancy Nikon at home. I didn't want to get so caught up in the perfect shot that it got in the way of the perfect moment. And I really didn't want to have to protect and carry my camera everywhere. So, the net photo result is "Northern California in Lo-Fi."

After landing, we drove the short distance across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. There, we had lunch at a charming waterfront restaurant called Scoma's. Lunch was delicious and the service wonderful--and sometime in that restaurant, I really started to believe I was on the trip of a lifetime. All the anxiety (and there was so very much of it) ebbed away into that bay. 

{view from our table in Sausalito}

From Sausalito, we drove to Napa. Initially, as we approached Napa, I was disappointed. Everything seemed so brown. Dusty brown hills. I even dared to speak aloud that Virginia was far more beautiful. As we drove further into wine country, the color deepened a bit and somehow the brown hills became a lovely green. Not a Virginia green, not at all, but a different gray-green, beautiful in its own right. I had hoped to conquer jetlag and keep chugging along until bedtime, but by the time we got to the hotel, I was truly grateful for the suggestion of a nap.

Our evening began with a reception in the hotel lobby. Wine, veggies and dip, and some lovely black swans welcomed us to Napa Valley. We had dinner that night at a restaurant called Fish Story. I promise not to bore you with the details of every meal, but this meal was worth noting. Amazing. I had trout with figs and hazelnuts on a bed of greens. I cannot do it justice (clearly, I'm no food critic). I assure you though, I'm on a mission to replicate that recipe. Our server was so nice and I quickly learned that everyone we met had a story; all the stories were love stories. The people of Napa Valley truly love where they work and live. We got to know several of them. I was sorry to say goodbye.

We went to three wineries the next day. Each one had its own distinct character. The first was a large winery whose wine is readily available in east coast supermarkets. We took a skytram up to the winery, where we had an automated tour. The views were breathtaking--literally. I was just plain astonished by how beautiful it all was. And I thought to myself how silly my comments of the day before sounded now. On the way down in the tram I remarked to Mike that the tour was just exactly what I'd hoped it would be. I had seen a lot and learned a lot and tasted a bit, too. He remarked that the views were exceptional, but that he had hoped for a more personal perspective than the one offered by the automated tours. He also commented about the odd lack of bugs and birds. Turned out his comments were the perfect segue to the next place.

Beka had suggested Grgich Hills Estate, a small biodynamic and organic farm and winery. Oh, I'm so glad we took her suggestion! At Grgich, we were treated to a personal tour given by a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic woman named Nicky. She introduced us to "Mike" Grgich, the 89-year-old Croatian immigrant who put Napa wines on the map by beating the best of the best in a 1976 Paris tasting. Mike Grgich was the youngest of eleven children who left Yugoslavia with wine knowledge, a love of freedom, and $39.00 in the soles of his shoe. And he has created a dream come true in Napa Valley.

When I expressed an interest in biodynamic farming and mentioned Rudolf Steiner, Nicky's eyes lit up.  Grgich Hills Estate uses biodynamic farming practices pioneered by Steiner. They sound a little crazy, but they produce amazing fruit! My Mike is ever the skeptic when I get too crunchy, but he enthusiastically conceded that this was some amazing wine. And he promptly invested in a plan to ensure we'd remember our time at Grgich with wine for... I don't know...ever?

We went to a third tasting that day, but I think perhaps I've gone on long enough and that place deserves a post of its own.