Posts Tagged ‘love’
A Mercy Observed
I first read A Severe Mercy in college and fell in love with it immediately. I was a lifelong C.S. Lewis fan and I was more than willing to read a book with C.S. Lewis’s letters!
Read MoreTime Out for Friendship
Noah took time out for friendship. It is my hope in Well-Read Mom that we take time out for friendship too. Why friendship? When you really think about it, almost everything that is good, true, and beautiful in life is better through friendship.
Read MoreFather Wounds in True Grit
Why does Mattie pick Rootser? As I read True Grit, I was struck by the deep Father Wound of Mattie Ross. This realization caused me to reflect on this question. Mattie is given the names of several different marshals, and Rooster is not even listed as the best.
Read MoreWe Shall Not Cease from Exploration
If there is one work that spoke to me most this year, it would be Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot. When I came across this quote from “Little Gidding,” it seemed to me like an expansion of the famous quote by Tolkien: “Not all who wander are lost.” When I think of the word “seek,” I think of an exhaustive measure of searching, perhaps a never-ceasing exploration, as Eliot describes.
Read MoreThe Restless Human Heart in the Search for Happiness
Yesterday, while driving my lively entourage from school, I entered into a dispute with my twelve-and-a-half-year-old son. Frustrated at his mother’s cruel infringements upon, what I considered, his all-too-free speech, he passionately retorted: “What about the First Amendment?” I could relate to my son’s bristling at limitations upon personal desire. Practically, all it takes is a mother’s encounter with her unruly toddler, wailing in exasperation as a contraband item is loosened from his iron grip to vividly illustrate the universal struggle to tame our desires. From our earliest moments, we consider submission to authority as infringing upon our freedom and, subsequently, our happiness.
Read MoreThis Child’s Mama
There was a woman who, after having six children and two miscarriages, gave all her baby gear away, from clothes—to cradle—to crib. Then, at 42, she learned that she was pregnant. Though she loved being a mother, and the initial surprise of this news sparked joy, the discovery soon turned to heaviness, and she was gripped by fear and uneasiness.
Read MorePax Revisited
I realized that I was, in fact, trying to protect my children. This is a natural response, and it is largely our responsibility to do so. But it’s also our responsibility to equip our children, especially as they get older.
Read MoreHow Boldness is Both Necessary and Attainable
If “true grit” is an unflappable determination in the face of any circumstances, however horrific, challenging, or dire, the question remains: is this a natural gift or an attainable virtue?
Read MoreThe Right to Be Called Gritty
I have found myself wallowing in pity lately. I have found myself screaming to God, “Why me? Why can’t you let up? Why do we have to have one legitimate trauma after another?” I have found myself trying to reason with God, believing the maxim that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, but telling God that I think I am plenty strong enough for the time being; thank you very much. And then I picked up True Grit, and I met Mattie Ross.
Read MoreWhen 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.
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