Hacienda Dreams

This year Advent is a short season, and it's speeding by. My home is decorated for the rest of winter, so I can nestle in and enjoy the cheerful colors and lights. My teenage daughter inherited the decorating knack from my mom, and she is a wonderful help with beautifying the house. I can now dream of the new interior colors and decor I'll start implementing come February, when the crocus flowers usually appear in my yard, the first sign of spring! 

I'm feeling very drawn to a Mexican country palette and style. I already have some decorative items for this motif, so with a renewal of wall colors, my hacienda dreams will come to fruition. I began with my kitchen over the summer, painting my cabinets a vivid blue, but it didn't go so well. My back can't handle it, and the paint wouldn't stick because of the humidity and easily chipped. I'm going to hire a friend of my husband who loves to paint to take over the project! I will be the visionary artist...

To update on my housekeeping goals, I definitely like this plan of having specific days for certain chores. And you don't necessarily have to do the chore on its day if it doesn't need to be done. If there isn't visible dust on the shelf or dirt on the floor, skip it! Just check what you're supposed to do on that day, and do what you can or what most needs attention. Remember, housework must have boundaries. When you are finished with the day's assigned tasks, be done! Progress, not perfection.

I started going through my jewelry to pare down and give away, or throw away if necessary. That's another lesson I'm learning--that it's okay for some items to go in the trash. We recycle or give away everything possible at my house, so I feel guilty tossing things that will go into a landfill. But maybe that painful lesson has its place. Be very intentional about what you buy, and you won't have as much to put in the trash in the long run. 

I hope you're all having a blessed and Spirit-filled Advent season!  What are you dreaming for spring?

 

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

When God forgives us, our sin in gone. He does not "remember" it. This was a theme of discussion on Catholic radio yesterday. And I took it as a sign and went to Confession. This is a Catholic sacrament that is also called Penance or Reconciliation. The faithful must receive this sacrament at least once a year, and Advent is a season in which it is common to go to Confession, as is Lent. Each time I go I wonder that I don't do it more often, as it benefits me spiritually in such a profound way! I want to commit to a monthly practice. I think I will make that a New Year's resolution!

Confession absolves one of sin and cleanses the soul. It is a supreme vehicle for spiritual healing. Sure, we can, should and do ask God for forgiveness of our sins privately, and of course we do this together at every Mass and every time we pray the Our Father. But the sacrament of Reconciliation provides a superabundance of grace, and it is the normative way for the forgiveness of sins, established by Jesus himself (John 20: 21-23).

When we go to Confession, we emerge with a clean soul, like a renewal of our Baptism. And having been absolved of our sins, we are no longer to call them to remembrance. I am realizing with increasing awareness that carrying guilt around for not being perfect puts an obstacle between myself and the Lord. The Holy Spirit can't work in me if I am replaying the same old, painful stories in my mind as if on a loop. They pile up, one upon another, until my shoulders sag. Depression looms, maybe even physical illness comes as a result. The Our Father tells us that we are forgiven by God in the same measure that we forgive those who trespass against us. Whether I fail to forgive myself or hold onto a grudge against another, I cannot be free. I cannot be the person that God has created me to be.

Do not hesitate to go to Confession. I know that sometimes we procrastinate because we are embarrassed about what we must confess. That is where humility comes in. This sacrament is such a treasure of the Church. And remember, not everyone you encounter has access to this superabundance of grace, so be kind and gentle, especially while setting necessary boundaries. Let's go to meet the baby Jesus with clean souls. Allow him to heal you. And let's stop living in the past. It is gone. The birth of Jesus is a great gift that reminds us to live in the present. It is only Satan who wants us to keep looking back over our shoulders, cringing with guilt and remorse.

Brethern, I do not consider that I have laid hold of it already. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind, I strain forward to what is before, I press on towards the goal, to the prize of God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3: 13-14

A Charlotte Mason Advent

We had an excellent beginning to our Charlotte Mason homeschooling winter term today. Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent, so naturally this season of the liturgical year is a major theme at this time in our studies. We went to Mass Saturday evening and picked up the last two purple candles to be found anywhere on the way home. Luckily we still had a pink and a purple one left from last year, so our Advent wreath was complete! We blessed the wreath with holy water, and we say special prayers and light the appropriate candle or candles at dinner each night. Beezy had brought home an Advent pamphlet from religious education class, so we are using that as our guide. She also brought home a small Advent calendar with a flap to open, revealing a picture and a Bible verse, each day.

We began lesson time this afternoon with Beezy reading the "Prayer During Advent" from Prayers for Young Catholics (Daughters of St. Paul). I then read the selection on the beginning of the Church Year and Advent from The Church Year for Children (Rev. Jude Winkler), and we discussed it. Her American Cardinal Reader (Neumann Press) contains a few Christmas stories, so she began reading one of these.

Beezy practiced her piano. She had a math lesson; a science lesson from One Small Square: Coral Reef (Silver), supplemented with an online article about algae from the Kids Research Express blog; and a read aloud which she narrated from Leif Erikson the Lucky (Kummer). We finished with a Rosary lesson. We are currently praying the Luminous Mysteries (read directly from the New Testament) and using the wonderful 5th grade book from Seton, The Rosary in Art, for picture studies and artist biographies. Beezy did copy work from the story of the Wedding at Cana.

This is to give you a sampling of a particularly Catholic CM day of learning in our home. I have ordered several books from Elizabeth Foss' elementary lists for December, found in her Catholic CM manual, Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home. So far I have received The Way to Bethlehem (Biffi); Letters from Father Christmas (Tolkien); and The Huron Carol (Jean de Brebeuf). This last selection is especially timely, because we are reading the biographical novel, Saint Isaac and the Indians (Lomask). St. Isaac Jogues goes to live among the Huron in Canada in this book. The music to the Huron carol can be found at the end of the de Brebeuf picture book, which contains the lyrics and beautiful illustrations, so I'm going to encourage Beezy to play it on her keyboard.

I hope this inspires you, especially if you are having trouble finding ideas and resources for observing Advent. I plan to keep it simple. Go to Mass, light the Advent wreath at dinner, pray Advent prayers to open our lessons each day, and read living books for the season. I also plan to incorporate Tea Time, using Advent hymns found on youtube, and watch good holiday movies together as a family. Since we only have three weeks until our Christmas break begins, it's also a good time to finish up some of the books we have been reading, and then start with new things after the New Year.

I wish you all a blessed and joyful time of preparation for celebrating the coming of our Savior into the world!

A Pause Before Advent

Yesterday my village became a winter wonderland. My daughter's snow boots from last year are, alas, too small. But that does not stop her from embracing what she says is her favorite season! She inspires me. Winter has never been my favorite season. I like neither the wind nor the cold, though I do love the beauty outside my windows and the coziness of a fire.

We wrapped up our fall homeschooling term on Friday. I decided we would take all of the coming week off for a Thanksgiving break. We can decorate the house for Christmas and shop for our harvest meal. We may be traveling, but as of yet we aren't sure.

In Teaching from Rest, Sarah Mackenzie encourages home educators to "bake in review time." In this week before Advent begins, it seems to me the perfect time to reflect upon how our living education goals are panning out. What books have been a grand success, and which were a flop? Which methods are bringing about the desired results, and what needs to be modified?

Our fall term just happened to end up being exactly 3 months. You may wish to make your terms shorter or longer. But I do believe that regular breaks for refreshment and reflection are necessary. We all need periods of rest and a change from the usual routine.

Take a little time today or another day soon and write down a review of your homeschooling year so far. Pray over your efforts and assess with gentleness the areas where you've been successful and where you need to grow. When the first Sunday in Advent arrives next week, you will be prepared to fully enter into this holy season.