The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
We're excited and encouraged by the activity related to the Pockets Project! Yes, there have been a few hiccups for some folks, and Suki will be tuning in soon to help clarify some things about the steps on Facebook, how to invite her to be an admin, etc.
But for now I just want to encourage anyone who feels hesitant about starting a group: Just go for it! It's really not much of a commitment at all to get the Facebook group going! You don't have to be prepared to be a hostess or an organizer or any other title for which you may feel unprepared. Starting the Facebook group is just a way to get things going in your area. Once your area has a Facebook group, others can join it. Once others join, you can all start talking about how you'd like to proceed: where everyone's coming from, when you'd like to meet, who has ideas about a meeting place, etc. No decisions have to be made immediately.
But the first step is just to get that group up there. Think of it as being an enabler to the start of something — masterful leadership skills and degrees in community organization not required.
Be not afraid!
It might also encourage you just to click on some of the Pockets that are already listed on the St. Greg's Pockets page and note what a modest beginning it is for most, if not all, of us. Not intimidating!
Also, we are here to tell you that you, our readers, are actually spread far and wide not only in the US, but also across a few continents. So don't necessarily let your location hold you back.
On to the links for this week!
From the world of visual arts:
- David Clayton does some digging for us and unveils the artistic and theological richness to be found in an illuminated manuscript: The Nativity in the Initial P.
- Speaking of medieval genius: well, it wasn't infallible. A humorous look at Great Mistakes in English Medieval Architecture.
- I'm very excited about this story regarding the upcoming World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. Philly local artist Neilson Carlin received a commission from the Church for an icon of the extended Holy Family. On the one hand, I'm envious on behalf of my husband The Artist, because this is a dream commission for a Catholic painter. But on the other hand, I'm mostly just encouraged to see an artist in the figurative tradition being valued and put to good employ, as it bodes well for all of us who would like to be in service to the Church in this way. A great commission for one artist is heartening for all artists, I think. Here's to a revival of patrons enabling artists to do the good and beautiful! And I'm excited to see the final result of Carlin's work. Artist Neilson Carlin Prepares Image of Faith for World Stage.
Some deeper, philosophical reading:
- Do you know what nominalism is? It's time to think about it, for the sake of being equipped to stand for the truth. Because, strange as it may seem, we are engaged in a struggle for reality. Nominalism: not nerdy, and coming at you whether you like it or not!
- From Archbishop Chaput: on natural law, some philosophical errors of the past and where they've taken us, and how to reclaim truth in our daily lives: How Christians can Rebuild Our Culture.
Some perspectives on children:
- Shannon Whiteside explores the Charlotte Mason approach to education – specifically, not getting in the child's way of learning. For the Children's Sake Please Stand Aside. This is very thought-provoking, especially, I think, in light of a certain current movement in education that posits that the more intentional and engaged the parent is in all the child's activities, the better. From the article:
“Do we want to be obtrusive and stand in the way of our children having a mind-to-mind meeting with the great authors, poets, painters and composers of the past and present? Most importantly, do we want to get in the way of the relationship that our students develop with God and his world? Why should we limit a child to our mind, our words, our vocabulary, and our connections?”
- Part of the beauty of Whiteside's advice is the emphasis on the value and expansiveness of the soul of each child. The following article tries to draw the public attention back to such an emphasis rather than seeing children in purely economic terms: We Cannot Afford to View Children as Commodities from The Federalist. The author helps us to see how absurd it is to put much stock at all in government figures on the monetary costs of kids.
- When and where did we get into the habit of thinking of kids – human persons with immortal souls – in terms of economic productivity and cost? I recommend Why I kept my child after finding out he had Down Syndrome, in which the author draws from her family history and personal experience to shed light on the roots and effects of these dangerous ideas. A beautiful story, too!
Some miscellany:
- Punctuation humor from the Boston Globe: When a Comma Makes Life Needlessly Hard.
- Some analysis of recent studies on cohabitation and marriage. Why Doesn't Living Together Before Marrying Decrease the Risk of Divorce?
Two of our favorite things – food and humor – combined:
~We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).~
Carol Kennedy says
As usual, my favorite post of the week does not disappoint. However, there is a link problem: the link for the Nativity in the Initial P is the same as the Artist in Philadelphia.
Deirdre says
Thanks, Carol! Just fixed that.
Barbara says
As a trained journalist, I enjoyed the article on commas. I disagree with the writer, however, as I don’t think we can assume anything about relationships in this day! You know what happens when we assume. One mother, one father? Yikes, no assumptions!
Natalie says
Oh my word! That blog on comments on every food blog was hysterical. Great links!!!
Theresa Anne Korte says
Thank you for sharing the art links. I really enjoyed them. I have a 14 year old son that has developed a passion for drawing and studying art in this past year and so I am looking forward to sharing these links with him. I was wondering if you might be able to share your thoughts with me on 2 things …#1 my son has been asking for some drawing lessons…any suggestions on that? #2 any comments on nudity in art… some of the books we have checked out of the library have a section on drawing nudes. I have always tried to focus on the beauty of the body as God created it but also discuss with my children the reality of sin and how the body can be presented in way that can be an occasion of sin. We have visited a number of art museums in the last year and obviously this is a something we have had to deal with on our visits. I just wondered from someone with an art background if you have thoughts to share on these 2 topics that might be helpful. Thanks and God bless!