More Reading, Less Assuming



You guys, I am absolutely loving the book that I was led to for this Advent Come, Lord Jesus by Mother Mary Francis.  It is perfect.  Challenging but not too heady, faithful, and daily reflections long enough to enter in but not too long that I don't have time to read it.  Each day's reflection even flows from the Mass reading for the day.  I'm really really grateful to have found it and highly recommend it.

John Paul and I finally finished the Mysterious Benedict Society trilogy conveniently on the night before Advent.  That little set I think might mysteriously disappear from the house in a year or two.  Not awful but not all that edifying and enough of the words stupid and idiot thrown around coupled with snotty attitude for me to be uncomfortable with it.  And I find the stories just sort of irksome.  It definitely won't be one I'll be pulling out for the younger ones.  But at least we read it together and now I know, right?  Maybe?

BUT I am super happy with a spur of the moment pick for our next book together!  We started Dickens' A Christmas Carol on Sunday night and are about two thirds through.  How idyllic does that sound, right?  Can you believe I've never actually read it?  Seen the Muppet version, though.  We're enjoying it, complex language structure and all and I was surprised at how short it actually is.  I'm excited to share with him one of the movies maybe during Christmas.  Any recommendations?  I know there's like a dozen versions out there, right?

Oh, knitting.  That little round there on the side is a hat I'm attempting for Luke's birthday.  I'm sort of making up the pattern and it's not going that well.  I'm pretty confident that that little beginning there will need to be ripped out in the next day or so.  The last one I started I got a good way through and checked against his head and it was way off.  Boy's got a big head.  I wanted just a simple winter hat using the yarn that I already have and it's just not clicking.  I wanted to mix up the colors a bit and maybe stripe it but I am seriously deficient in putting colors together.  I was hoping to use lots of those little bits of leftover yarn that I don't want to throw away but aren't enough for any real project in the process.  I'm aiming to have something put together by next week, though, when the Lukapotamus turns two.  Seriously, two.


Linking up with Ginny for Yarn Along and Jessica for WWRW.


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Day 4:

Assumptions can poison the way we think.  They poison how we treat ourselves, how we treat others.  It's so easy when we're feeling not enough or like we're failing at some aspect of our lives to project that onto others, responding in anger, in cruel words or thoughts, even slandering that other person who surely wrote that post or status about me and how dare they?

  Dear Mary, not everything is about you.  

And even if someone does attack or judge me directly or passively, so what?  People may well judge me for what I write, how I write, how I live my life, my family, my past.  It's time to get over it.  I want to live this life for Him anyway, not for the accolades or appreciation of others.  The worst and most hypocritical response would be to judge them right back for it.  Today I want to let go of the assumptions.  When I feel judged or criticized or less than, I will choose to assume the best.  And instead of the snarky response or the clever mental comeback or God forbid the slander of another person, with His grace I'll whisper a Hail Mary.  One day less of judgement, of assumptions, of nursing imaginary wounds.  I could use that.



7 comments

  1. A Christmas Carol is a staple in my house =) And I think the 17th is the anniversary of it's first publication, if you want to do something fun with the boys in relation to it!

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  2. I'm reading Come, Lord Jesus and loving it too! (actually I'm reading it aloud to my family as part of our evening Advent devotion time along with the Jesse Tree stuff) It's so good, and just as you described. Really packs an intense punch but in very down to earth terms. I keep repeating the line 'Have we gone from week to week in the wickedness of not changing?' So good.
    I like to read A Christmas Carol aloud to the family too, but a little closer to Christmas. It's such great reading. (although we're a little anti-movies-about-books around here, because then you can never read the book without seeing the movie in your head, so I can't recommend a movie version)
    And I'm impressed with your knitting as I'm just learning - even simple ribbing is beyond me yet. So hooray you! ;-)
    Blessed Advent to you and yours!

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    1. I know. I've literally been seeing the Muppet version in my head as i read :) I'll have to think on it!

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  3. We read the Benedict Society and I had such high hopes, I loved the title, the premise and the cover art - but like you I just found it lacking somehow and was really disappointed. We then listened to an audio of 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' which I have been reading aloud for years - I honestly had no idea I edited SO MUCH when I read it aloud because the audio blaring without edits while we drove to pick our oldest son up from college was a little shocking to say the least. So now we are moving on to Dickens as well - A Christmas Carol, and a welcome respite from all the bad manners and sassy language.
    I am absolutely going to check out your Come, Lord Jesus - thank you for the recommend!

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    1. Oh, I'm glad I'm not just crazy uptight and other people can relate :)

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  4. My husband's family will ONLY watch the George C. Scott Christmas Carol movie, so that's the only one we own.

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