Thinking about....

Did I Get Married Too Young? , Wall Street Journal, February 11, 2010

"As focused as we young adults are on self-development, what if the path to that development is actually learning to live with and love another person? We may be startled to find that the greatest adventure lies not in knowing oneself as much as in knowing and committing to another person. Sure, freedom is great—but as John Paul II reminded us, 'Freedom exists for the sake of love.'"

When is young too young?
What do young people need to have accomplished before marriage? Why do I think whatever I answered for that question?
What does that mean for the years leading up to marriage?
What's it all about, Alfie?

Thinking and wondering and happy that someone is writing interesting articles to make the dinner time conversations lively and opinionated.

Can Money Buy Happiness?

By Arthur C. Brooks
From the May/June 2008 Issue of The American

America as a nation has struggled and striven all the way to the top of the world economic pyramid. Are we suffering from some sort of collective delusion, or is it possible that money does buy at least a certain amount of happiness?

Find the whole article here.


Not an article necessarily expressing my opinions, but one that makes me think. I suddenly have children wondering about how they'd like to make a living, how they'll pay for their summer adventures or college in the future, and learning about budgeting, saving, and responsible spending.

"Do I choose a career that pays well, or do I pursue what I love?" How would you answer that? Probably better than my non-committal babbling. I like being able to pay my bills, but I also know the satisfaction of doing important work; is it possible to do both? Of course...but sometimes we have to learn to live with less than we thought we would. Can we do that with grace and cheer? Ah, important questions!

We'll just keep babbling and reading and thinking. I'm excited to see what our next generation comes up with.

Articles

Mom gave me a ditty from Good Housekeeping last night - a short article from the blogger at Notes from the Trenches and In the Trenches of Motherhood.

The article was a hilarious list of nine rules for throwing out the garbage. My husband sat with his jaw dropped as I read it aloud; he had that creepy, someone has been listening at the door, feeling as I read. It was way too familiar. My favorite was one suggestion I had yet to think of: "If you throw garbage into the empty can because you 'can't find' the bags, I will make you wash out the can...with your toothbrush." If you want to know the garbage scenarios at our house, grab the Good Housekeeping with Princess Diana on the cover. Page 189 will have the dialogue ready for your amusement.

I traveled over to the blogs linked above and was delighted to find beautiful photography, humorous reflections on the homeschooling life, and plenty of practical ideas for living and learning. I'm adding these to the destinations list in my sidebar.

We've also received the May issue of Touchstone Magazine.



My favorite article is, once again, not linked on the website, so you'll just have to order a subscription to read Reduced to Tears: on Taking the Body Too Seriously by Annegret Hunter. But, you should subscribe anyway. You won't be sorry.

Another article worth the cost is Pilgrim's Illness: on the Spiritual Journeys of the Sick & the Dying by Jim Forest.

Touchstone Magazine: March 2007

Simply Lews: Reflections on a Master Apologist After 60 Years

Part of the reason for the appeal of Mere Christianity is of course that—like virtually everything Lewis wrote—it remains a splendid read. Lewis is feisty and lyrical, funny and moving, full of brilliant images, similes, and extended metaphors.

Even when they don’t work as well as they might (he regularly uses maths, or “sums” as he calls it, as an illustration, and I found myself wondering whether theology and maths are really the same sort of thing), they take our minds darting to and fro, leaping over hedges and ditches, constantly glimpsing the countryside from new angles and with the fresh air of intelligent argument in our lungs.

Another great article, not linked on their site, is by Thomas Howard: The Light of Eventide. It is a gentle reflection on aging, a theme that was brought home once again by my mum's hospital stay.

What is Touchstone Magazine? From their website:

Touchstone is a Christian journal, conservative in doctrine and eclectic in content, with editors and readers from each of the three great divisions of Christendom — Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox. The mission of the journal and its publisher, the Fellowship of St. James, is to provide a place where Christians of various backgrounds can speak with one another on the basis of shared belief in the fundamental doctrines of the faith as revealed in Holy Scripture and summarized in the ancient creeds of the Church.

To subscribe, click here. In case you needed another reason to subscribe, I just heard that friend Amanda Witt (of Wittingshire fame) will have an article in the April issue on "the careful line parents have to walk in protecting the innocence of their children and teaching them about the more difficult matters in life." (from Mere Comments, Touchstone's blog.) What are you waiting for?