• Daily Life,  Holy Days,  Movies,  Mrs. Orr,  Poems,  Prayers,  Quotations,  Reflections

    Third Sunday in Advent

    At the start of this post, I need to make a sad announcement. Our friend Laura Wood, host of the excellent blog The Thinking Housewife, has shared tragic news. Her 18-month old grandson, Trevor Joseph Wood, died yesterday morning of a sudden illness. Please remember Laura, and Trevor’s parents, and the entire family when you say your prayers. I cannot imagine the grief and loss they are enduring right now. I keep thinking of the little fellow’s Christmas presents that he will never open, of the family meals he will never attend, the books he will never read, the life milestones he will never reach. At times like this, we…

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  • Church Life,  Daily Life,  Lectio Divina,  Prayers

    The Importance of Laura Wood

    I wanted to encourage my readers to frequently visit The Thinking Housewife and to support Laura Wood’s work if possible. Since I began my oddball journey from joyless and confused Protestant to embracing the traditional Roman Catholic faith with enthusiasm and, yes, love, Laura Wood has been a steady, encouraging presence. She is one of three people who have helped me more than I can express, the other two being Father James Conner, a monk at Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey in Bardstown, Kentucky, and the lady who hosts the superb website Fisheaters. The Thinking Housewife is one of those rare sites that, every time I visit, feeds my soul,…

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  • Daily Life,  Jinx,  Photographs,  Prayers,  Quotations,  Reflections,  Saints

    Intact Routine

    Yesterday was one of the most perfect days I can remember. When we awoke, a cool front had blown in and it was raining steadily.  After feeding the dogs, my wife started breakfast (breakfast burritos from scratch…just one more element in a perfect day) and I took the spotted menace out for a soaking ramble through the hills. The mist was curling like Fafnir’s breath, silver and sinister, reaching into hidden places erupting from black chasms in the slick rock. We padded along, Jinx’s paws making a curious leatherlike sound on the wet leaves. We walked and looked and stopped and gazed and strolled and smiled — yes, Jinx smiles…

  • Reflections

    A Bird’s Vacation

    Over at The Thinking Housewife, Laura Wood has posted an exquisite meditation on one of our winged wonders. Read it and your heart will soar. ~ S.K. Orr

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