Comel Thou Font of Every Blessing

This gets better every time I watch it.

Another quote (I hope you don't mind)

For some reason, this quote speaks to my better self:

Be pleas­ing to Him for Whom you are sol­diers, Him from Whom you will receive your reward. None of you must be a deserter.

Let your bap­tism serve as a shield, faith as a hel­met, love as a spear, endurance as full armor. Your works are your deposits so that you may receive the full sum due you.

–- St. Igna­tius of Antioch

I found this at a blog by an Orthodox woman entitled This Side of Glory. You can also check out her The good Orthodox girl’s guide to getting rid of ants.

Enjoy!

Today's quote:

"If you are what you ought to be,
you will set the whole world on fire."

--St. Catherine of Siena

The Inner Life of my Daughters

I have found it quite enlightening to discover that two of my daughters are putting their thoughts on blogs these days. As my daughters have gotten older, it seems like I know less and less what goes on in their hearts. I think this is natural, but still unfortunate. I miss the days when they were like open books. So I am happy to have a chance to read Amanda's and Emily's blogs. Good stuff! Keep up the good work, girls! I hope you don't mind my reading over your shoulders...

Favorite Quote Friday

I have some quotes for you today:

Jesus did not come to do away with suffering or to remove it. He came to fill it with His presence

- Paul Claudel

Man has places in his heart which do ot yet exist, and into them enters suffering, in order that ehy may have existence

- Leon Bloy

Trust the past entirely to the mercy of God,
the present to His tender love,
and the future to His providence and care over you.

- St. Augustine

My Blog

Hi, all!!

I just wanted to let you all know that I now have a blog of my own.  Here's the link:

amkopff.blogspot.com

If I had all day

I could spend it just following a daisy-chain of links. I end up places and it becomes a real challenge to figure out how I got there. Here, for example, is an interesting blog called, simply, Betty Duffy. I think I got here from Happy Catholic, but I'm not positive. Well, best get back to work even though it is Friday...

Change is...

Change is that mysterious wedding between my willingness and God's grace.
I really believe that even my willingness is a grace, too.

From the blog A Song not Scored for Breathing

Lines and Colors

This looks like a website Caroline would like. It describes itself as "a blog about drawing, sketching, painting, comics, cartoons, webcomics, illustration, digital art, concept art, gallery art, artist tools and techniques, motion graphics, animation, sci-fi and fantasy illustration, paleo art, storyboards, matte painting, 3d graphics and anything else I find visually interesting. "

Seven Favorite Christmas Carols

Seven of my favorite carols, chosen at random:
1. Hey for Christmas Baltimore Consort, Bright Day Star Custer LaRue: What a name. what a voice!
2. While Shepherds watched Sherburne If you've never heard this shapenote version—do yourself a favor--marvelous!
3. Silent night , Johnny Cash -- just listen
4. Il est ne , The Bells of Dublin, The Chieftains. I used to imagine my daughters doing a circle dance to this, as they sweetly sang! never happened...I love this album because it sounds like a bunch of friends getting together and making music and having fun!
5. Daquin’s Noel (for organ) I would love to hear this before Midnight Mass some year.
6. Lo how a Rose e'er blooming
7. Christmas is Coming A Christmas Together, John Denver and the Muppets. This whole album is fun---this song gives you a taste.

The peaceable kingdom!

I’ve been thinking about this prayer because the opening line was quoted several times during the Pope’s recent visit to Great Britain. Fr. Larry had it printed up on his ordination cards, and I’ve always liked it, but had forgotten about it:

The Mission of My Life
God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.

As one who often feels perplexed, I especially like the reference to how my perplexity may serve Him.

This and more of Newman’s prayers can be found here.

"Is Kristin a Brat?"

I was reading this post about Kristin Lavransdatter, (one of my all-time favorite books, highly recommended), which I got to from here (another post about KL) when I read this quote from KL's author Sigrid Undset:

Is there something we ought to have known but weren’t told, and is that why we do such terribly stupid things with our lives?

Boy, can I relate to that! It so often seems like I'm wandering around in the dark...

Be Bold!!!

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"To write is to think, and to write well is to think well," David McCullough once said in conversation. - - read this morning in an article by Peggy Noonan

Words to live by...

Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
.....Howard Thurman

Thanks to Happy Catholic!

just for fun...

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Words to ponder...

Dame Gertrude More, Spiritual Exercises

O lett me sitt alone, silent to all the world and it to me, that I may learn the song of Love.

Dame Gertrude More was the great-great-granddaughter of St. Thomas More.

Thought for the Day

Feeling is the tentacle we stretch out to the world of things

---Evelyn Underhill, Mysticism, ch. 3

Words to Ponder

I heard this today on EWTN:

Jump and the Lord will catch you.

This was Dr. Douglas Grandon talking about his journey from Anglicanism to Catholicism. You can listen to the interview on "The Journey Home" . I don't think this means we act irresponsibly, but rather that if we are seeking to follow the Lord, don't let our fear stop us.