Another Voice

I really wanted to blog today. This is the last day of July, and we have less than three weeks until school starts. Stirring in me is the simultaneous mourning for the summer that is passing, and yet the sweet ache for autumn-- long cool twilights, soups and stews, trees aflame and clear blue sky over bluer mountains.

But I am reading one of those books that makes me feel like everything has already been written, like a kindred spirit, in this case, Katrina Kenison, has brushed her fingers against the pulse of what I believe and transcribed the aspirations and longings of my heart into her pages. At the end of each essay, there is a long satisfied sigh, the exhale of, "Yes! That's it-- that is it exactly!"

A sample:
"When we cultivate a mood of calm repose in our homes, we scooping out a space for reflection and wonder, for contemplation and reverie. Our children are exposed to incessant commotion in the world that exists beyond our walls. Let home be the place where they can find the peace and quiet they need to make sense of it all. A place, too, where we can nurture our inner lives without distraction. The soul speaks softly. And so I guard our quiet times. Creativity flourishes in these spaces; grace and peace reside here too."

Mitten Strings For God

I am about halfway through this book, recommended some time ago over at Eyes of Wonder. And some of my specific approaches are different than Kenison's, but the spirit of this book has been breathing a blessing over my mothering. May I suggest reading it, and perhaps passing it on to a friend, or making it a gift for a new mommy in your life?

Of course, I'll be back with my own words-- likely a riveting post on recipe organization or a rhapsody on Mrs. Meyers linen spray. :) But in the meantime, I am enjoying this friendly voice, who more than anything else is whispering, "It can be done!"