{bits & pieces}

The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter! 

(This will all look and work better if you click on the actual post and do not remain on the main page.)

Currently, chez nous:

I do recommend having lots of kids so they can grow up to juggle their actual jobs with re-painting your house.

But, so many books…

Let’s not think about it — let’s have a cup of tea and read instead!

Will you be in the area (Greater Boston/Southern NH) Monday? Join the Center for the Restoration of Christian Culture for a fantastic conference on the Lessons from the Carnage of the 20th Century with Robert Royal, Amy Fahey, and Dan Mahony. This conference will held at the beautiful Mercy Hall of Thomas More College. Monday evening, Nov. 12, events throughout the day. Tickets are free but space is limited so do sign up! We’d love to see you!

 

Thomas Becket’s bloody tunic returns to Canterbury 850 years after he died

 

Original “more intense” Lamb of God revealed in Ghent altarpiece. I find this fascinating; if we think of art as the radiance of truth (which it is, or ought to be), then we can ponder the change in theology that accompanies a “restoration” that tones down the central symbol, the Lamb. The original intent of the medieval painter, it is discovered, was to express the startling Presence of Jesus Christ. Subsequent hands neutralized this immediacy — yet I have no doubt that the restorers, like most modernists, consider themselves superior in outlook to any medieval Christian (the very word “medieval” conjures up a certain patronizing attitude, but we are trying to challenge that!). It just struck me when I read this article that we always need to question what C. S. Lewis called our “chronological snobbery” and remember that we too inhabit time and as such, just as bound by its limitations.

 

Our friend Jana sent links to a fun blog that channels a lot of what we think about decorating around here. I enjoyed reading a bit about the “unkitchen” (which is also a Pattern Language idea) and some inspiration for a “modest starter home” — but I really related to this lament about the sad dearth of good handsome sturdy and not absurd club or arm chairs. Truly. I am bereft of these just right chairs. There is a huge library-chair–shaped hole (two actually) in my heart. (The truth is that I could find the chairs I like, but don’t have $4000 handy to spend on them, waaahhh).

 

Jana also sent us a link to the newly updated Carl Schmitt website. Schmitt (her grandfather-in-law) was a noted American painter whose insights enliven the conversation about art and beauty.

 

Have a college-bound student? Do check out Thomas More College’s Faith and Reason Essay contest for scholarship information. Feel free to email me if you have questions about the school.

 

Sad read, but necessary: Got a Kid? Want a Kid? Buy, Sell or Trade. I have come to see that the idea of the family with its mother, father, and children — and the normal sufferings too — is not the stable default reality we thought it was, natural law notwithstanding. No, turns out that it’s so fragile that if you give an inch, you slide a mile down into a moral pit. This means only one thing: we have to strive with all our might to fight for goodness, because the darkness is overtaking it.

 

I’ve talked a lot about modernism and the detachment from objective reality, leading to a rise of will to power (see for instance my guided readings of the two Spirits of the Liturgy). This longer read is another way of looking at the problem: A False Paradigm.

 

The “Best Bluegrass Clog Dancing Video Ever Made” — but what I really hope you notice is just the fun being had. All ages together, real people playing real music, the carpet pulled back, everyone dancing a dance that has a form, however simple and rustic it may be. As you watch, think about the “dances” you were likely to have known as a young person, the weddings you’re likely to have attended recently, and the dreary, deafening “fun” in store for your own children if we don’t do something about it. You don’t need your consciousness altered via strobe lights or mind-numbingly amplified noise; you just need some folks with the instruments they’ve been playing all their lives and someone’s living room. It doesn’t have to be bluegrass, either; any folk tradition will do, and some are fancier than others, but watch the video to see what the elements are that contribute to this sort of family and community fun — see if you can figure out ways to bring it into your life! If you already have, we’d love to hear in the comments about what you do.

 

Today is the feast of St. Leo the Great. Tomorrow is Martinmas! In this post you will find links for two hymns for you for that day.

From the archives:

If you are wondering, here are the guided readings: the Guardini Spirit of the Liturgy is linked here; the Ratzinger one here.
Maybe now that the time has changed back, you would like to get on a good schedule: How to get up on time for people who don’t like the morning.
An early distant warning/heads up: Advent is surely on its way. Maybe this year change the madness with this one sure secret, along with observing Advent: Celebrate the 12 days of Christmas. I show you how to make room for the season of preparation, how to make the day itself peaceful, and how to extend the joy in a way that doesn’t drain you utterly (just a little! but that’s only to be expected, I think!)

 

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