Lord, Hear Our Prayer

Gospel

Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events
that have been fulfilled among us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning
and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
I too have decided,
after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,
most excellent Theophilus, 
so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings
you have received.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom 
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me 
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Think

“I chanced on a wonderful book by Marius von Senden, called Space and Sight. . . . For the newly sighted, vision is pure sensation unencumbered by meaning: "The girl went through the experience that we all go through and forget, the moment we are born. She saw, but it did not mean anything but a lot of different kinds of brightness." . . . In general the newly sighted see the world as a dazzle of color-patches. They are pleased by the sensation of color, and learn quickly to name the colors, but the rest of seeing is tormentingly difficult. . . . The mental effort involved . . . proves overwhelming for many patients. It oppresses them to realize, if they ever do at all, the tremendous size of the world, which they had previously conceived of as something touchingly manageable. . . . A disheartening number of them refuse to use their new vision, continuing to go over objects with their tongues, and lapsing into apathy and despair. . . . On the other hand, many newly sighted people speak well of the world, and teach us how dull is our own vision.” 

~Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Pray

Jesus, Open my eyes. Help me to recover my sight. To see. Truly see.

Act

Slow down. Look around. And really see.

Snow Day (Well, sort of)

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Once upon a time, when there were just three little boys in my tiny little house, there were grand predictions of a big snow. I got those little boys all hyped up on the idea of snowballs and snow angels and snowmen. And then it snowed less than an inch. Those boys were so bummed. In an effort to make snowballs indoors, we popped some popcorn and introduced it to marshmallows. Very yummy fun. Like so many things, we did it once and it became a sort of tradition. I think there are children here who might just hope the forecast is wrong. They know the consolation prize for just a little snow.

Still, I'm wishing for a big snow. Really wishing.

Below is the recipe for popcorn snowballs and then a list of great books that will make even the most tropical among us hope for just a little "playable" snow.

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Popcorn Snowballs

2 sticks of butter, plus some to butter your hands

1 cup popcorn kernels 

1 bag mini marshmallows 

Pop 1 cup of popcorn kernels, set aside.

Melt both sticks of butter. Add marshmallows. Once marshmallows are melted, add the popcorn. Mix ingredients together. Butter your hands and then form the popcorn mixture into balls and set on a buttered baking sheet to cool. 

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The Snowy Day. Everyone loves Peter and his dog Willy and the adventures they have on a sweet snowy day.

The Story of the Snow Children The snowflakes are snow children who are swept into the Snow Fairy's kingdom on a winter day. You'll never look at swirling snow the same way again.

Flannel Kisses This one reminds me a little of Peter's Snowy Day above, but warmer and softer, I think.

Owl Moon A little girl and her father venture into the stillness of a winter's night and experience a lyrical, almost magical (but real) adventure.

My Brother Loved Snowflakes This is the true story of Wilson Bentley told through the eyes of his older brother. It's a wonderful companion to Snowflake Bentley. We love the both. Together:-).

Winter Days in the Big Woods I just ordered a new copy of this one for our library. My children have all loved, loved, loved Laura's stories come to life in these picture books. This one is a keeper and one to replace when it gets loved to death. 

A Farmer Boy Birthday See above. Love, love, love. Almanzo gets a new sled for his birthday. 

The Mitten (and The Hat) Beautifully illustrated whimsical stories in snow. These feature handknits and, well, there is just so much inspiration to be had here;-)!

Snowsong Whistling. Well worth the hunt. 

Snow Cynthia Rylant. I'm a big fan of Cynthia Rylant. This book lives up to my high expectations. The text is brief, but lyrical, and the author wrings meaning out of every drop of word. A little girl, her friend, and her grandmother appreciate an incredibly beautiful snowfall. 

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening. Read through this bpicture book, lingering on lovely illustrations, just for a few days in a row and suddenly, you and your children will have memorized Frost, so that his poetry comes to mind every time it snows, forever.

She inspires me.

You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,

Love like you'll never be hurt,

Sing like there's nobody listening,

And live like it's heaven on earth.

~William W. Purkey

Because there are names and faces and stories...

The pro-life movement is not a political entity. It's an anthology. An anthology of stories of women who have made sacrificial choices over heart-wrenching objections. On occasion, I am priviliged to share stories here. Today, Ginny is sharing grace-filled stories. Do go visit. The stories call you.

needle & thREAD

Not much more to report here. Above, you can see the sum total of all the progress I've made on those flannel nightgowns. This Butterick pattern is marked "very easy." I cannot understand the directions. Cari came to my rescue and stepped me through the first few steps. Even she said those directions were hard to understand. I so, so wish that Oliver + S had a nightgown pattern. I'm seriously considering making these pjs for the other two girls. But I love granny gowns...

A few weeks ago, two different people from two completely different circles of my life suggested I read Brene Brown. I checked out her blog and read reviews on Amazon and then I downloaded the audio versions of the Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly to my iPhone. I started with Gifts of Imperfection. I only listen when I'm at the gym. It's like a mini-retreat several times a week.

I really, really like Gifts of Imperfection. The slim volume is full of insight for people pursuing a "wholehearted" (the author's word) life. Some of her anecdotes were so spot-on it was eerie. And the Audible version is very well read. The problem with listening while working out is that I do get distracted. I start paying attention to heartrates and exertion levels and the lady two rows in front and three columns over who is running about 10 times harder and faster than I am. I'm definitely going to listen to it again. But... like so many books on Audible, I got the print version, too. I know that I want to highlight quotes and copy some of them into my journal. I just can't do that with the auditory version, especially while exercising. I really like auditory books; but I like to read them, too. Bad, I know.

What are you sewing and reading this week? I really do want to hear all about it!

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