Posts by Well-Read Mom
When Following is Freedom
We are a lonely culture that values “being rebellious” over true, deep happiness and fulfillment. Really, it all boils down to pride, yes? But truly, I need people. I always have and always will need people—and there is true freedom in following something proposed in love.
Read MoreBooks: the Avenue to Making Space to Seek
Reading the same books together gives people a common language with which to facilitate broader discussions. It builds culture and community.
Read More“One Cannot Become Holy All at Once…”: Brother Lawrence’s Guide for a Recovering Perfectionist
And while there is nothing wrong with wanting to avoid sin and seek spiritual perfection, if not motivated more by the love of God than by personal pride, we can vitally miss the point. “The Practice of the Presence of God,” by Brother Lawrence—a 17th-century Discalced Carmelite who offered spiritual direction to others through his counsel and writings—emphasizes the importance of serving God in trust and love rather than cowering before him in fear and inadequacy.
Read MoreThe Thoughtful Home
We want to have thoughtful homes; we need to have thoughtful homes. Every human being has needs—fundamental and yet specific to the individual. Our culture is fast losing the practices and routines that for generations fostered this necessary human contact. So what can we do?
Read MoreDracula: The Inspiring Power of Tangible Beauty
More than a mere horror story, Dracula invites the reader to examine what is required to seek and protect the Good from the evils which are always present, though not always easily recognized or seen, in our world. What fascinates me most, particularly during this latest encounter with the novel, is Stoker’s proposition that the most potent methods of promoting the Good are also some of the most ancient and timeless.
Read MoreHumility & Wonder—the doorway to experiencing poetry
When we encounter a poem that is challenging, we practice bearing the tension of not understanding and approach it with humility and wonder.
Read MoreSeeking to See the Gift
“Everything is gift.” The theme of last year’s Well-Read Mom conference for the Year of the Giver seemed perfect. The idea sounds so beautiful. And yet still, I sometimes wonder, is everything a gift?
Read MoreHome: A Reflection on Seeking Amid Family and Motherhood
Listening to my husband read aloud “Two Old Men” to me and our children was one of my sweetest memories of 2022. And this introduction to Tolstoy led me to read Anna Karenina, my favorite book of 2023. This story of two old men, with all its beautiful lessons about pilgrimage, true worship, hospitality, and corporal works of mercy, seemed to me a story about motherhood and being a stay-at-home mom.
Read MoreWonder Makes Us More Human—and More Fun!
Women who live with wonder have a unique ability to impact their surroundings; they are the ones who create an environment in which people can thrive. Children are good at reminding us to see. Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s Little Prince teaches the narrator, “It is only with the heart that one sees rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eyes.”
Read MoreGrateful for the Journey
As we enter into this holiday season, Well-Read Mom invites you to pause with us and reflect in gratitude on the many ways our Well-Read Mom family has been a blessing. It is our sincere hope that as we embark on this Advent journey you may enter into the seasonal preparations as a pilgrimage—seeking an intentional journey to the manger. It is our prayer that you may reclaim the busyness of the holiday season as a time of preparation and peace which deepens your connections with family, friends, and the true reason for the season. Happy Thanksgiving!
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