Ellen Gable's Blog, page 94

Trust, Fertility and Advent

image copyright James Hrkach/Josh Hrkach

My latest post at Amazing Catechists and Catholic Mom is entitled “Fertility, Trust and Advent.”

One of my favorite shows is “Mayday,” a documentary which recounts stories of plane crashes or near crashes. My favorite episodes are the ones where everyone (or most) survives. Survival often depends on the skill and precision of the pilots and flight engineers. I find it fascinating just what can bring a plane down and what can also save a plane.

It dawned on me recently when I was flying back from New Jersey that it takes tremendous trust to get on a plane: trust that the pilots are trained to fly the plane with precision, trust that the builders created a solid, well-performing plane, trust that the mechanics have serviced the plane properly. After all, which one of us wants to be 20,000 feet in the air when a mechanical problem happens or when a pilot encounters a situation he’s not trained to handle?

Of course, the same can be said for any situation. We trust our doctors, food companies, school bus drivers and many others. On a daily basis, we are called to trust those who are human and have the potential of making mistakes.

Consider how most couples “trust” with regard to their fertility. They take pills, get injections, apply chemical patches, insert devices, consent to operations. Instead of working with their fertility, they try to destroy it. Instead of embracing their fertility, they fight it. They “trust” that by using contraceptives, they will be able to “control” their fertility.

Newsflash: none of these chemicals, devices or operations are 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. No method, except for complete abstinence, is 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. And yet millions of couples put their “trust” in contraceptive methods on a daily basis. If the methods “fail,” and a child is conceived, many will resort to abortion.

So what does this have to do with Advent?

Well, a lot. When told that she would be the mother of our Savior, Mary replied, “Be it done to me according to your word.” That took tremendous trust in God’s plan for her. She didn’t say, “Hmmm, let me think about that for a few weeks and I’ll get back to you.” Without her trust, without her yes, we would not be preparing to celebrate Christmas.

Admittedly, the times I’ve appreciated Our Lady’s fiat the most have been when I was expecting a child during Advent and Christmas. I loved being pregnant and feeling the movement of my babies. It definitely helped me to be more empathetic to what Mary went through: nine months pregnant, on a donkey and making a long journey away from home. It was equally difficult for her to give birth in a stable, surrounded by the smells and sounds of animals. And yet Mary trusted that this was God’s plan for her and accepted it without question.

So what is God’s plan for us especially regarding our fertility? I can tell you what it is not: God’s plan is not for us to destroy the gift of our fertility with devices, behaviors, chemicals or operations. This “trust” that many couples place in contraceptives can sometimes result in an unwanted, permanent loss of fertility and can lead to numerous other consequences as well. Pope Paul VI, in his encyclical Humanae Vitae (On Human Life, 1968) talks about one of the most common consequences of contraceptive use: “A man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.”

God’s plan is for couples to embrace their fertility and to be generously open to life. Does that mean that God wants us to have as many children as possible? No, it doesn’t. God gave us the gift of reason and he also gave us a built-in natural method of avoiding pregnancy that works with fertility and not against it. God, the Author of life, wants to be part of our decisions regarding our fertility.

What about us? Who do we trust with our fertility? Is it God or is it a device, operation or contraceptive behavior?

Couples who want to trust God with their decisions will trust Him with all of their decisions, including the beautiful gift of fertility. When couples have serious need to avoid pregnancy, Natural Family Planning is a moral way to do so. NFP uses no devices and works with God instead of against Him. Wives who use NFP seldom feel used by their husbands. NFP also works well to achieve pregnancy. It’s healthy, effective and safe. NFP encourages good communication and strengthens marital relationships.

Advent is the ideal time to rethink who we trust our fertility with. Do we trust a chemical company? Do we trust a condom manufacturer? Or do we trust God, the Author of Life?

Learning Natural Family Planning nowadays is as simple as turning on your computer. My husband and I teach NFP online through the Couple to Couple League. For more information on NFP classes or NFP in general, please comment below or email me: info(at)fullquiverpublishing.com.

Copyright Ellen Gable Hrkach 2012

7 Quick Takes Friday – Vol. 51

I’m heading over to Conversion Diary to participate in 7 Quick Takes Friday with other Catholic bloggers.

1. Ski Hill Fun

Last Saturday, I spent the afternoon at the local ski hill with my youngest son. I don’t ski, but he enjoys skiing, so I stayed in the lounge beside the fireplace with this view (photo) listening to Christmas songs on the radio. Because it’s the beginning of the ski season, very few people were on the hill and no waiting for the ski lift. It was a relaxing time for me and an exciting time for him.

2 and 3. Pakenham Five-Span Bridge

We live in the country near Pakenham, Ontario. Pakenham is a beautiful little town with a unique five-span stone bridge.

photo copyright Josh Hrkach

Photo copyright Josh Hrkach

4. Jell-O Cookies

Since she worked from home full time, my mother rarely baked cookies. The exception was Christmas time. In the 70′s, she began making festive pink and green Jell-O cookies. Here’s the recipe.

Photo credit: Kraft

5. Upcoming Reviews

I’m working on reviews for the following books:

The Life I Dreamed by Kari Burke

Facing Infertility: A Catholic Approach by Jean Dimech-Juchniewicz

6. No Room at the Inn Cartoon

This was actually the very first cartoon we created for Family Foundations Magazine six years ago. It wasn’t the first cartoon we ever did, however. We have about 25 years worth of Christmas card cartoons (I’ll be sharing some of those next week…)

Image copyright James and Ellen Hrkach/FQP

7. Carol of the Bells 2010

My husband and three of my sons performing “Christmas Eve at Sarajevo” Carol of the Bells back in 2010.

Copyright 2012 Ellen Gable Hrkach

Stealing Jenny FREE on Kindle Today & Tomorrow

My third novel, Stealing Jenny, will be FREE today and tomorrow on Kindle.

After three heartbreaking miscarriages, Tom and Jenny Callahan are happily anticipating the birth of their sixth child. A neighbor, however, is secretly hatching a sinister plot which will find Jenny and her unborn baby fighting for their lives.



“Stealing Jenny is a gripping novel filled with engaging characters, a compelling mystery and a message which underscores the precious dignity of life. I literally couldn’t put it down and give Stealing Jenny my highest recommendation.” Lisa M. Hendey, author of “A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms”

“Ellen Gable is a masterful storyteller.Stealing Jenny is a smoothly written, chilling tale of gripping suspense. There are terrifying moments and heart-wrenching moments. Catholic faith and hope are tested. Above all, the sacredness and privilege of precious new life is made indisputably evident I never wanted it to end!” Therese Heckenkamp, author, Frozen Footprints and Past Suspicion

To download your Kindle copy for FREE, click here.

Self-Publishing and Web Presence

image purchased from iStock

My latest post at the Catholic Writers Guild Blog is about web presence.

Since I self-published my first book eight years ago, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of self-published books being released. In 2009, nearly 80 percent of all books released were self-published. And with the e-book revolution, there are even more independently published books released each year. Many authors are choosing this route, so I wanted to focus on web presence in promoting a self-published book. Keep in mind that this assumes the self-published author has hired a competent editor and book designer in order to produce a high quality book. No amount of web presence will help you promote a low quality book.

Having a web presence before you publish is essential, although you can build a web presence after you publish.

Here are a few helpful sites the self-published author should have…below each one are several examples from self-published authors I know.

Author Page

Author pages should list information about the author: books, awards, biography and special interests.

TM Wallace

Gerard Webster

Blog

A blog takes a lot of time. And if you’re only posting to it once a month or less, you are unlikely to gain many followers. Try starting out at once a week. Comment and “like” other bloggers’ posts. There are several free blogging sites an author can use. I use WordPress (first example below). Another option is Blogger (second example). I know several bloggers who were approached by publishers because of their blog’s popularity.

Plot Line & Sinker

Cause of Our Joy Blog

Book Page

Book pages list reviews, synopsis, excerpts, ordering information and freebies for readers. A web professional can set up a book page or you can do it through a free WordPress site. As well, Vistaprint offers websites (the second site below is a Vistaprint site).


The Cameo Web Page

Facebook Page for Author and/or Book

A Facebook author page is a great way to let fans and others on Facebook know what’s going on: book signings, freebies etc.

Ann Frailey’s Facebook Page

Ellen Gable, Author’s Facebook Page

Twitter

Twitter is a social networking site where you can post short posts, “retweet” others’ posts and it has the potential of helping you gain a following.

Leticia Velasquez on Twitter

Susi Pittman (Catholic Steward) on Twitter

Goodreads

Whether you’re self-published or traditionally published, Goodreads is one of the best sites for authors and readers. You can become a “Goodreads Author.” Goodreads will also link your blog to your profile page.

Ellen Gable’s Goodreads Author Page

Elena Maria Vidal’s Goodreads Author Page

Linked In

Linked in is a social networking site that connects business and professional contacts. Your contacts can now “endorse” you for various jobs and skills you have.

Gloria Winn’s Linked in Profile

Nancy Carabio Belanger’s Linked In Profile

Amazon Author Page

Amazon Author pages include a biography of the author, along with all the books that have been published and that are available on Amazon. The Amazon Author Page also connects your blog to your page.

Ellen Gable’s Amazon Author Page

Karen Kelly Boyce’s Amazon Author Page

Other “pages” include Google Plus and a You Tube Channel.

Some of these links/pages take time to maintain and keep fresh with material, but some, like the Amazon Author Page, take only a few moments to update every six months or so. All of these links can be very helpful in finding your target audience.

There are many self-published authors I didn’t mention. If you are a self-published author and wish to include your links, please feel free to comment below!

To read the post in its entirety at the CWG Blog, click here.

copyright 2012 Ellen Gable Hrkach

Sunday Snippets – December 8

Image copyright Ellen Gable Hrkach

RAnn is hosting Sunday Snippets again at her blog. Check out the other Catholic bloggers’ links!

Today is the beautiful feast of the Immaculate Conception! Check out my post from last year on the Immaculate Conception .

Here are my posts this week:

7 Quick Takes Friday – Vol. 50

Donkey Bells by Catherine Doherty My favorite Advent Book is Donkey Bells by Catherine Doherty. This short story is from that book.

7 Quick Takes Friday – Vol. 50

As usual, Conversion Diary is hosting 7 Quick Takes Friday. Check out some of the other Catholic bloggers’ posts!

1. Loreena McKennitt

The most exciting news from last week is that my husband and I attended the Loreena McKennitt concert at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa (seventh row center) and we were fortunate to be able to get backstage passes to meet Loreena (thanks so much, Aynne and Carne). I’ve been a fan of hers for about eight years and I listen to her music while I’m writing. She is a wonderfully warm person and was kind enough to pose for a photo. You can read more about the concert here.

2. More Photos from Backstage at the NAC

Here are a few more photos backstage at the NAC; the first is a photo of Loreena’s dressing room:

3. Stealing Jenny Free

This Tuesday and Wednesday, December 11 and December 12, Stealing Jenny, my third novel, will be FREE on Kindle.

4. EWTN Bookmark Appearance

This past August while I was at the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show in Dallas, Texas, I was interviewed (along with a group of

5. Donkey Bells by Catherine Doherty

I recently posted a beautiful article by Catherine Doherty entitled “Donkey Bells.”

6. Blue Lights

This photo was taken last year after freezing rain turned our blue lights into blue icicles.

photo copyright James Hrkach

7. Carol of the Bells at ADHS (2009)

It’s Christmas time again, so I’d like to share this video of my husband and two of my sons performing “Christmas Eve at Sarajevo” or “Carol of the Bells” for the ADHS students and staff back in 2009.

Copyright 2012 Ellen Gable Hrkach

The First Church Bells by Catherine Doherty

This beautiful article is entitled “The First Church Bells” from the book “Donkey Bells” by Catherine Doherty (my all-time favorite Advent book) which is available from Madonna House. Enjoy this beautiful story from Catherine:

It came to me, during these days of Advent, that I should share with you a custom which is not necessarily liturgical but which adds to the enjoyment of this lovely season. It has deep spiritual connotations; at least it did for our family, and for many others I knew when I was a young child.

When I was a little girl, my mother used to tell me that if I was good during this holy season of Advent, and offered my little acts of charity and obedience throughout Advent to the little Christ Child for a gift on his birthday, then sometime during Advent, at first very faintly and then quite clearly, I would hear bells. As she put it, the first church bells.

These were the bells around the neck of the little donkey that carried Our Lady. For mother explained that Our Lady carried Our Lord. She was the temple of the Holy Spirit, the first ‘church’ as it were, since Christ reposed in her. And the donkey, carrying Our Lady and sounding his bells as he walked, wore the first church bells.

Around the second week of Advent, mother wore a little bracelet that had tinkling bells. As she moved her hand I could hear them tinkle, and I got excited because I associated them with the donkey’s bells.

As young as I was, my imagination would build up a lot of little stories about the trip of Our Lady from Nazareth to Bethlehem — stories which I would share with my mother, and which would spur me on to further good deeds and little sacrifices.

During the third week of Advent, mother’s bracelet miraculously got many more bells on it. Their sound grew louder and louder as Christmas approached. It was wonderful.

My brother and I used to listen. Mother’s bells were first around her wrist and then around her knee too. Then more bells, as it got closer to Christmas. We were really excited about them.

I introduced this little custom in Madonna House. During Advent, I wear a kind of bracelet that can be heard as I walk or move, in whatever room of the house I may be. The members of our family tell me that it spurs them on, even as it did me when I was a child, to meditate more profoundly on the mystery of Advent.

Here at Madonna House, we have begun in these last few years to make a collection of miniature donkeys — of wood, glass, ceramics, rope — you name it. And we have an album of Christmas cards (which we save from the many we receive) that depict the donkey in the manger scene.

The presence of the donkey and the ox in Scripture is symbolic of the prophets who foretold the Incarnation. And also of the fact that “the ox and ass know their Master’s voice, but Israel doesn’t know the voice of God” (Isaiah 1:3). So, you see, there is some spiritual foundation for my love for the donkey which brings such great joy to my heart.

I’m sure that, as a child, Christ rode on a donkey many times. And also as a man, of course. In Scripture we know of only two times: one was when the donkey carried Our Lady, who in turn carried God, from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The other was when the donkey carried Christ into Jerusalem as the people laid palm branches before Him, proclaiming him king.

Let us think for a moment: What kind of animal is a donkey? It is a beast of burden, the animal of the poor. Once again, the immense theme of poverty is illustrated in an animal. God chose the humblest, the smallest in status, because among the animals the donkey is considered very low. So God is teaching us a lesson here — a lesson of humility, of poverty, and of simplicity.

Have you ever seen a newborn donkey? Well, every donkey has a black cross on its gray fur, a marking which is especially noticeable just after it is born from its mother’s womb. It gets less clear as the donkey matures, but still is visible. I share this fact with you to teach you to open your heart to the bells of the donkey that carried Our Lady and also God.

The breath of the donkey and the ox made the stable warm. So we meditate on several things at once: the poverty and humility of the donkey God chose, and which should be our poverty and humility; and the breath of our love, which should warm God in our neighbor constantly.

Let us remember that the donkey also had no room at the inn. Neither woman, nor man, nor donkey had a place at the inn. So they went to live in a poor stable that wasn’t too well prepared for animals, let alone as a decent habitation for human beings.

Now, another meditation comes to us. Think of the millions of people who are left homeless on our streets. Tragic is this situation. We, as apostles, must be very careful that we do not exclude anyone from the inn of our heart.

I pray that our heart, our soul, our ears will hear very clearly ‘the bells of the donkey,’ not only in Advent but throughout the year. For whoever who is pure of heart and childlike shall hear the bells of the donkey ring in their life.

This article is free to use under the Creative Commons Licenses

Sunday Snippets – December 2

Image copyright Ellen Gable Hrkach

Please join me and other Catholic writers as we share posts from the previous week at RAnn’s Place.

NFP and Communication

Side Effects Cartoon

Bread Upon the Water Book Review

Come My Beloved Photo Endorsement

7 Quick Takes Friday

7 Quick Takes Friday – November 30

Please join me and other Catholic bloggers at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday.

1. Advent is almost here!

Image copyright Full Quiver Publishing

2. Snow, Snow, Snow!

We woke up to this winter wonderland a few mornings ago!

3. Loreena McKennitt Concert

Tomorrow, my husband and I are looking forward to seeing Loreena McKennitt in concert at the National Art Centre in Ottawa. Here’s a beautiful video of her performing “Snow.”

4. Favorite Advent Books

It’s that time again! Here are some of my favorite Advent Books:

Donkey Bells – Catherine Doherty (Madonna House)

Welcome Baby Jesus - Sarah Reinhard

Joy to the World: Advent Activities For Your Family - Kathleen Basi

Advent, Christmas and Epiphany in the Domestic Church – Peter and Catherine Fournier

O Radiant Dawn – Lisa Hendey (Just released this year!)

Advent and Christmas with Fulton Sheen

5. Make Your Own Advent Wreath

Years ago, my husband made our advent wreath and we have been using the same one every year (we replace the candles). Our wreath uses the shorter votive type candles. To learn how to make your own advent wreath, click here: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=954

6. Stuffed French Toast

A favorite of ours every Christmas morning is this easy-to-make, easy-to-serve breakfast. I usually prepare it the day before, then pop it in the oven just before the kids wake up to open presents Christmas morning. There are many different variations, but here’s the one I use because it serves our large family.

7. New Blog Photo

Regular readers may notice that my “water” blog photo above has been changed. This photo from Venice was taken five years ago when we traveled in Italy.

Copyright 2012 Ellen Gable Hrkach

Come My Beloved Photo Endorsement

Special thanks to Leticia Velasquez, author of the wonderful book, “A Special Mother is Born,” for this photo endorsement of my book, “Come My Beloved: Inspiring Stories of Catholic Courtship!”