Posts by Well-Read Mom
Reading in a Large Family
As nearly any mother will tell you, a mother’s life is certainly not easy. It’s filled with errands to run, chores to complete, emergencies to address, unforeseen “disasters” to navigate, and people to comfort, assist, and love through our words, but most discernibly through our actions of continual service. Even when our children move away from home, and we are no longer wading through toys or tackling mountains of laundry, we still offer loving assistance and care. From traveling to college games and events, answering late-night phone calls, and watching grandchildren, we make our support readily available. And this life of heroic motherly action often prompts us to frenzy: we forget the significance of rest, prayer, contemplation, and meditation in favor of accomplishing tasks—many of which are undoubtedly important—and adopting the mindset that only action is of merit.
Read MoreThe Gift of Story Reveals The Giver
To incorporate my family even more into my WRM reading life, I invited my nine-year-old son to have a mother-son book club about the WRM Family Supplement’s November selection: The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict.
Read MoreThe Ripple Effects of Reading
Human beings were made for stories. From our earliest moments, nestled in the comforting arms of our family members, we delight in the telling of age-old fairytales and silly rhymes. We are fascinated by retellings of our birth, how our parents met, and other family lore. We gravitate toward stories, whether expressed through written word, through a movie screen, or within the lyrics of a song. We enjoy hearing the entertaining anecdotes of friends and recounting moments from our past. We empathize with each other through the sharing of our life experiences.
Read MoreTransformative Love
While I’d venture to guess that most Well-Read Moms had previously read Anne of Green Gables but were new to The Violent Bear It Away, I am just the opposite. As a huge Flannery O’Connor fan who, like Flannery, read nothing but “slop with a capital S” as a child, I’d yet to experience Anne of Green Gables until it appeared on the list for the Year of the Family. As I read it aloud to my four sons, I couldn’t help but make connections between the two.
Read MoreWhy We Should Read Hard Books—Part Two
Three questions may help readers discern which literature is worthy of their time and effort. First, is the book recommended by tradition? Is it a “classic” in the broadest sense possible? Have great literary thinkers throughout history acknowledged the worth and the artistry of this book? This can be a difficult question when books which have traditionally been considered valuable and worth reading are being dismissed and replaced with other, often more contemporary books of questionable quality. G.K. Chesterton, in his book Orthodoxy, explains the problematic error of this trend, particularly when it is enacted as a way of “democratizing” the literary canon.
Read MoreWhy We Should Read Hard Books—Part One
Words, be they written or spoken, texted or tweeted, are under intense scrutiny these days. Publicly spoken or written words are met with criticism, anger, and even a rush to censor and punish the person who said them. We bristle, we shake our heads, and perhaps we even protest such unfortunate myopia, especially when we agree with the censored speech. Why, then, in certain Catholic and Christian circles, is the propriety of reading words that come at us from the other direction, from voices that challenge us or clash outright with our sense of morality, truth, and virtue, such an enduring problem?
Read MoreIllumination of the Soul Through Kristin Lavransdatter
As an ardent lover of literature, I have long been selective in my reading choices. Subsequently, I have encountered countless exceptional works communicating wisdom, truth, and beauty with surpassing skill. Occasionally, however, a novel does even more than that: it sears my very soul. I now count Kristin Lavransdatter, by Sigrid Unset, among such priceless works.
Read MoreA Literary Legacy: A Continued Connection from One Generation to Another
Growing up, I can only remember ever receiving two types of gifts from my paternal grandparents: a book or a guardian angel statue. Which gift I received depended on which grandparent was in charge of the gift. If it was Grandma, I received something related to angels. Grandpa, however, always chose books. Although both gifts have impacted my life, the love of literature has been a connection that has continued to unite me with my grandparents long after they passed away.
Read MoreTransformation Through the Guidance of Sisterhood
Following Jesus. Isn’t that what we all long to do each day? I don’t know if you are like me, but sometimes the how of the matter isn’t so clear. How do I love my teenager who is withdrawing from me? How can I follow Jesus when others in my family don’t seem to have the same desire? How do I follow Jesus when I am discouraged with the crosses He gives me? How do I follow Him in the grief of loss and loneliness that is sometimes part and parcel of my experience as a mother? How do I love Him well when the path is unclear, and my efforts do not always put forth success?
Read MoreRediscovering Catholic Traditions of Reading
We Christians tend to underrate Jesus as a storyteller. Often in his public ministry, he tells his disciples stories that help them understand who God is and how they are supposed to live. He even answers the challenging theological questions of the Pharisees and Sadducees with parables. Stories are a fundamental part of how we understand who we are.
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