Archive for October, 2006:
The Loveliness of Autumn
“Go, sit upon the lofty hill,
And turn your eyes around,
Where waving woods and waters wild
Do hymn an autumn sound.
The summer sun is faint on them —
The summer flowers depart —
Sit still — as all transform’d to stone,
Except your musing heart.”
So begins Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem “The Autumn” and so begins our Loveliness of Autumn Fair.
We have many wonderful entires for this fair and it promises to be a real treat. Grab a cup of tea or cider and sit back and enjoy!
Autumn is my favorite season. The cool crisp air, the bright and beautiful tress with their falling leaves raked and piled high ready to be jumped in. Sweet crisp apples, warm apple cider, orange, yellow and red mums and fresh pumpkin pie are just a few of the things that remind me of fall.
Autumn is Cheryl’s favorite season too and she has some wonderful ideas to share over at her “Thoughtful Spot“.
Joanna at Parente adventures says Fall is the the air - even if just barely. She’s posted some lovely pictures.
Elena at My Domestic Church writes about one of the well known challenges fall brings - the changing over of seasonal clothing! The nip of fall isn’t yet in the air in her part of Ohio but soccer season is in full swing.
Marjorie at Lettres de mon Moulin asks the ever important question, ” If Summer is Ice Cream for Breakfast, What is Fall?” The answer? You’ll have to read to find out!
Jenn at Family in Feast and Feria ponders how it is we “live our lives during Autumn, simply and elegantly?” For her it’s Fall, Family and Football.
Over at Joyful Chaos an apple frenzy has begun and the apple butter they’re making looks delicious!
Bridget at Our Magnum Opus gives us a beautiful post on the textures, scents and images of fall, while Andrea shares her fall decor and 2 tempting recipes for chilly evening dinners.
It’s Autumn on the Great Plains over at Plainsong and Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight gives us two entires with Meet me at the Fair and A Harvest of Autumn Delights.
Angela at Three plus Two shares her well stocked pantry while Suzanne at Gladdest Hours gives us the ambiance of a chilly autumn evening fire and Minnesota Mom Margaret and family spend a Sunday Afternoon at the Orchard.
And finally, Gwen shares this beautiful picture with us. 
She writes: ” Little did we know when we first moved into our suburban cul-de-sac what kind of beauty awaited over the back fence. But within our first two months this scene would await us through the kitchen window, if only for a (too) short time. The stunning scene replays each year on the old homestead next door and inside none of my considerate displays of pumpkins and candles, leaves and raffia fill up our eyes like our Autumn tree. Poor tree. It’s fading fast and will soon be wind blown and bare until Spring. And that’s another lovely post!”
As we close this Loveliness of Autumn fair I leave you with the last lines of “the Autumn”.
A fitting ending to our lovely season:
“Come autumn’s scathe — come winter’s cold —
Come change — and human fate!
Whatever prospect Heaven doth bound,
Can ne’er be desolate.”
Subscribe to the comments for this postFeast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
“It is as if every year Our Lady invited us to rediscover the beauty of this prayer, so simple and profound,” The rosary, a “contemplative and Christocentric prayer, inseparable from the meditation of sacred Scripture,” is “the prayer of the Christian who advances in the pilgrimage of faith, in the following of Jesus, preceded by Mary,”
Pope Benedict XVI invited the faithful “to pray the rosary as a family during this month,” and in larger spiritual families, “in communities and parishes,” “for the intentions of the Pope, for the mission of the Church, and for peace in the world.”
Postponed - Loveliness of Autumn
The Loveliness of Autumn fair has been pushed back a week until Oct. 9th.
Several people weren’t ready so we decided to wait.
I apologize for not posting this sooner, I have been distracted by a local tragedy.
Please keep everyone involved in your prayers.
Guardian Angels
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Guardian Angels. Because we all have a guardian angel it is essentially everyone’s feast day!
from Catholic Culture:
It is a teaching of our faith that the providence of almighty God cares for the souls of men by means of the angelic spirits. At birth each child receives as custodian and guide a prince of the heavenly court, a member of that celestial hierarchy who adore before the throne of God.
Our first obligation toward the angel whom God has assigned to us is reverence for his holy presence. This blessed spirit is witness to our every word and act. What we would not say or do in the presence of those we respect, we should hesitate to perform before our angel guardian. Let us cultivate an appreciation of the attention given us by a spirit who abides continuously before the face of God and strive to awaken in our souls a consciousness of the angelic presence.
“Glory be to God the Father, who protects through the angels those whom the Son has redeemed and the Spirit has anointed.”
Although the angel who abides before God with perpetual attention toward us is witness to our every word and act, he cannot know our thoughts unless we manifest them. God alone has entrance to the sanctuary of our soul. Our angel presents good suggestions to our senses and imagination to strengthen our faith and increase our charity.
The care with which God provides angelic guardians for our benefit and yet does not violate by their presence the dignity of our human nature should lead us to great respect for our own souls and for the souls of others. Toward those entrusted to our guidance we should manifest the same regard as that shown by God. Aware of the infinite worth of each soul and of its possibilities for union with God by divine grace, we should, in the manner of the angelic guardians, look upon each one with respect for God’s presence within his soul. Let us examine the motives in our relationship with the souls to whom our apostolic vocation calls us. Let us ask ourselves whether our words and actions toward them merit the approval of their guardian angels.
“See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.”
St. Bernard teaches that we have toward our angels the obligation of grateful devotion and loving confidence. Though our heavenly guardian, ever attentive to our welfare, is always watching over us, we are usually unaware of his presence and fail to appreciate his care.
How often do we call upon our guardian angel for assistance in our efforts toward holiness or for guidance in our apostolic work? Confidence in his help requires that we share with him our intentions and problems, our successes and failures. Let us learn to cultivate the friendship of our guardian angel and to seek his cooperation in our efforts toward sanctity and in our work for souls.
“O God, who…didst send Thy hold angels to be our guardians, grant that we…may enjoy their eternal company.”
Respect Life Sunday
22 years ago I was 17 years old and a senior in high school. My boyfirend was a star soccer player and I was a cheerleader. We planned to get married after high school and he was already enlisted in the Army. In less than a month our lives would be turned upside down as I discovered I was pregnant.
Shocked and scared we would spend the next nine months listening to the well meaning voices who told us that getting married was foolish and having a baby at so young an age even more foolish. Several people suggested an abortion and one person even offered to pay for it.
But thanks be to God, 22 years ago my parish had a pro-life group and I had seen the pictures and heard the facts. I knew it was baby and I felt strongly that killing it wouldn’t make my life better. I had already made one mistake and making another one wasn’t going to fix it.
I’ll admit it wasn’t easy to go through my senior year with an expanding belly or to stand on stage and receive my diploma at 8 months pregnant. But I did and it was surely worth it. No, it hasn’t been easy, but then life rarely is and frankly I’ve stopped expecting it to be so. I’m still married to that star soccer player and he is the love of my life. The baby is our now 21 year old son who, along with his eight other brothers and sisters, is eagerly anticipating the birth of his baby sister in December.
Today is Respect Life Sunday. If your parish has a pro-life group please support them. If they don’t, consider starting one. You never know whose heart you may touch and whose life you might save.
