My Favorite Things – A Silent Retreat, 3 Awesome Books and All about Hospitality

Happy Easter! As practicing Catholics, Easter is the happiest season of our liturgical year. As I get older, I am learning to appreciate and even look forward to the season of denial and sacrifice that is Lent. But when Easter arrives, bring on the feasting!! I’m back to browsing dessert websites (UnwrittenRecipes is my latest obsession). Hello love handles, it’s nice to see you again.

In no particular order, I share with you my favorite things of the month:

A Silent Retreat. Last weekend I went on my annual silent retreat . A retreat is a 2-3 day event, usually spent in a beautiful place, removed from the world. It is silent (seriously, no talking allowed) because it is meant to be a personal conversation with God. Materials needs (bed & meals) are provided so that the attendee is fully able to focus on his/her spiritual journey. As my life gets progressively busier with the demands of my vocation, I find I need this “retreat” from the world at least once a year, both for rest (no cooking!) and renewal. I always attend Catholic retreats, so there is a priest available for the sacraments; as well, he provides guided meditations to help us deepen our spiritual life. My experience is that in each retreat, the Holy Spirit has a special lesson for me to ponder and bring back to my life. This time, the lesson is that my security comes from knowing that I am a daughter of God. As such, I can ask Him, my Father, for all the help and graces that I need to love and serve others, and so find happiness on this side of heaven. If you have the opportunity to attend a silent retreat, I highly recommend it.

Revolution of Mercy: How kindness changes everything by Bonnie Landry. I brought this book on my retreat, and I’m so glad I did. One of my daily struggles is how to discipline my children in a loving manner. Is that even possible? Bonnie Landry, through her blog, Homeschooling with Joy workshop, and now this book, shows me that it is. In her simple, funny, warm and relatable way, Bonnie explains how to build a home “where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule“. Lest I feel too intimidated by such lofty goals and throw in the towel before I even start, Bonnie makes a distinction between our ideals and our expectations. She states that it’s in the gap between the two “where we work out our salvation“. Wow. So the struggle IS real, but necessary! I love that Bonnie summarizes each chapter with neat bullet points at the end — so useful for scatterbrained moms like me. This book is written with a Catholic viewpoint, however I feel that every parent would greatly benefit from Bonnie’s hard-earned wisdom.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. It’s not very often that I thoroughly enjoy a modern novel. I have loved, loved, loved reading this novel. Set during and post-WWII in Guernsey Island, this love story is a delightful tribute to reading books, belonging to a community, and the goodness of human beings. Novels set during wartime both break and mend my heart; they show the very worst and very best of humanity, and we need to constantly remind ourselves that we are capable of both. The characters are wholesome, hilarious, and authentic. Each one of them has been touched, even saved, by books. This is my favorite quote: “That’s what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It’s geometrically progressive – all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. As per the characters’ suggestions, I can’t wait to read Charles Lamb, the Bronte sisters, Seneca, Charles Dickens, William Wordsworth and Oscar Wilde. There’s a Netflix movie based on the book, and while it’s entertaining, it doesn’t hold a candle to the source. So read it first!

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I’m a bit of a self-help book junkie, but I often lose interest halfway through. Well, I finished reading this one in a flash. First, because its message is super simple: “resistance”, which every human being encounters, is the ultimate inner enemy. Pressfield writes: “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” Second, the chapters are super short. Some of them take up only half a page! It was easy to read and digest during the tiny free moments of the day. What I loved most about the book, other than its wittiness and practicality, is that its premise is in sync with the Christian notion of a “vocation”, or calling from God, to become who we are meant to be. It’s about listening to the call (we all have one, or two, or more), showing up and starting. This is how we become masters of our trade, whether it’s art, engineering, or motherhood. Finally, while it’s not a spiritual book, Pressfield humbly acknowledges that all our gifts and talents come from God. A warning: the language can be crude at times, but it does not take away from the message.

9 Hospitality Thoughts. This post by Auntie Leila, one of my favorite bloggers at Like Mother, Like Daughter, is an excellent guide on how to host a good party. I very much aspire to be a good host, but I’m realizing that it takes much more than good intentions to be one. I would like my guests to feel at ease, so I’d like to keep it casual and cozy. Presenting a clean house is important, but how to achieve this with 4 rambunctious kids in the building? Good food is a huge part of our lives, but how can we provide wholesome, hot food, on time, and not be enslaved in the kitchen the entire evening? How do you keep the conversation alive and interesting? How do you help newcomers feel at home? So many questions! Fear not, Auntie Leila gives practical suggestions for how to host a gathering in a way that leaves the hosts and the guests feeling enriched by the experience. Auntie Leila shines whenever she gives advice on home management, menu planning, parenting, education, and even beekeeping and bread-making! #homegoals. If you have the time, I invite you to go down the rabbit hole of her archived posts.

I wish you warm weather and budding flowers, wherever you are!

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