The Hidden Garden

We all have a longing to find a secret garden and to cultivate it in our lives.  Jane G. Meyer has written a lovely parable telling us that the secret garden that we long to cultivate is our heart.  She tells the story of an old man who neglected this garden for many years, until he was drawn by Christ to slowly start to take care of each plant in his garden. He reminds a young boy that this garden is already in his heart, and tells him to remember to cultivate it every day, and shows him the keys to do so.

This story is incredibly gorgeous, it offers small steps that children (and us adults too) can remember to put in place every day to draw closer to God.  Jane reminds us that we are not alone in this journey and God is calling us every day.

Beautifully illustrated by Masha Lobastov, this is a lovely book that reminds us of a simple truth. I highly recommend it for those children in your life and know that I have Godchlidren who will be receiving copies for Pascha.

Thank you, Jane and Masha for a lovely book.   

(Note to the Feds: Conciliar Press sent me a copy of this book to review)

 I am so very embarrassed at the lateness of posting this post.  My apologies, dear Kelly

On May 27^th, I hosted a launch party for the delightful book written by Kelly Lardin,  “Josiah and Julia Go to Church.”  This board book is a “Goofus and Gallant*”style comparison between two young children who attend an Orthodox Liturgy.  Although, delightfully, instead of one being Goofus and one being Gallant, they trade off.  As a parent, who can’t relate?  They go through getting dressed, entering the church, behaving during the Liturgy, receiving Communion, and meeting the priest afterwards.

I followed Kelly’s proposed template for the Launch Party and my priest was wonderful and offered our parish hall for us to use.  As the kids entered, we handed out coloring sheets of the two main characters.  I had no idea how popular this activity would be – it honestly took up the bulk of the party, and was enjoyed by adults as well.  Here’s one of the attendee’s coloring – didn’t he do a good job?

After we finished (or paused) coloring, we read the book out loud.  The kids were active and engaged in the storyline, and related to the main characters.  As they enjoyed cupcakes provided by one of the moms in our parish, a drawing was held for the copy of the book.**  The winner was one of my Goddaughter’s children.  She has since told me that her 3 year old son loves to have the book read to him, and that on the way to church (they have a very long drive) he likes to hear the story.  I can vouch that his behavior is exemplary, and it’s not just because I’m his Godmother.

Thanks, Kelly! I highly recommend the book for the Orthodox preschoolers in your life.

*thank you, Matushka Anna, for this description. It is perfect. 

**FTC disclaimer – I received a free copy from Conciliar Press to facilitate hosting the Launch Party.

Questions for Chapters 17-24 (the end) of "Persuasion" 

 

1)      This section introduces Mrs. Smith and Anne’s friendship with her. What do you think about the character and what their friendship reveals about Anne?

2)      Why do you think Austen chose to use a letter from Mary in the story, and did you think it was effective, and do you agree or disagree with Mary’s assessments?

3)      The concert is a pivotal scene in the narrative.  What does it reveal about Captain Wentworth, Anne, and Mr. Elliot?

4)      What did you think about the revelations of Mr. Elliot’s character and of the fact that it was Mrs. Smith who made them?

5)      Did you feel the novel wrapped up well and were you satisfied with the ending?

6)      Anything I’ve missed?

Questions for Chapters 9-16 of “Persuasion”

1)This section opens with Louisa and Henrietta vying for the eye of Captain Wentworth.  What does their maneuvering and the Captain’s reaction say about marriage, romance, and status? Did you feel that this contrasted with the Crofts’ marriage?

2) Did you think that Austen effectively told the back-story of Anne’s relationship with Charles, and what did you think of Anne eavesdropping?


3) Chapter 11 ends with, “When the evening was over, Anne could not but be amused at the idea of her coming to Lyme to preach patience and resignation to a young man whom she had never seen before; nor could she help fearing, on more serious reflection, that, like many other great moralists and preachers, she had been eloquent on a point in which her own conduct would ill bear examination.” What did you think of her interaction with Captain Benwick?


4) When the novel was originally published, it was in two sections.  Section I ended with Louisa’s injury and was considered to be a “cliffhanger” (source, Sparknotes online) would it have enticed you to buy the second section? What did you think of Mary’s reaction to Louisa’s injury?


5) Austen uses the imagery of autumn several times in this section.  Why?


6) What do you think of the return of Mr. Elliot, his motives, and of a potential match with Elizabeth?


7) This was quite a meaty section. What did I miss? 

Questions for Chapters 1-8 of Persuasion

These are earlier than I will usually post them, but due to some scheduling issues, I wanted to get them up. Do not feel rushed by my posting of the questions.

1)      As we begin the novel, what is your previous experience? Is this your first read or have you read it before? Have you seen any film adaptations of the story? What are your initial thoughts?

2)     There are few opening lines as iconic as “Pride and Prejudice” by Austen. What did you think of the opening line of this novel, and how did it set the stage?

3)     As we read the first few chapters we are introduced to the Elliot family, Lady Russell, and their financial situation. What do you think of the characters so far, and of the decisions that they make?

4)      Although the novel was titled by Austen’s brother posthumously, and it is not known what she wanted the title to be, how do you think the theme of persuasion is being used? Was there an instance of persuasion that has stuck out for you so far?

5)    What did you think of the scene with Mary and her son’s collar bone breaking? What do you think that Austen is saying about motherhood and the character of Mary in this scene?

6)      What do you think of the reappearance of Captain Wentworth and the effect on Anne?

7)      Anything I’ve missed?    

       A reminder that you can answer all, part, or just one or two of the questions. Do not feel like it is an essay exam. Questions for Chapters 9-16 will be posted around the 9th of March. I am looking forward to your thoughts.

 I

The read-along of "Persuasion" starts today! I will have questions up for the first 8 chapters of the novel by the end of the week!

Looking forward to everyone's participation!

A new Read-Along is starting!

Thank you to Father John for the shout-out about my blog.

I wanted to announce that I will be hosting a read-along of "Persuasion" by Jane Austen starting on Monday, February 27th.  I will run in concurrently here and on Facebook. The questions will be the same in both places, but I realize that the conversation will probably ebb and flow differently each place.  If you are not my Facebook friend, but would like to be, please let me know.  I would extend the offer to participate here, there, or everywhere.

Looking forward to starting!