Spiritual Communion (Reposted)

Not far from my house is a bakery, and when the wind is right,
I catch the scent of cookies when I am sitting on my porch. I sniff the air, the better to enjoy the smell. And I do take great pleasure in the scent of cookies, the spicy, sweet, buttery, vanilla-y scent. Yet with the pleasure is also the desire. I don't want to merely smell
those cookies. I want to eat at least a few of them!
This can, in a way, be compared to Spiritual Communion. I get great joy from an Act of Spiritual Communion, yet each Spiritual Communion makes me long to receive the Body of Our Lord.
The difference between smelling cookies and making an Act of Spiritual Communion is that
my body gains nothing by smelling cookies, but my soul gains much with each Spiritual Communion.

Mom's 86th Birthday

Mom's 86th birthday was one year ago today.  I'll always like to remember.... I telephoned her and said, "Mom, I have a message from Winky."  

And then I sang "Happy Birthday," not in the English words, but in meows!

I didn't know, then, that that was to be Mom's last birthday.

Books Read In the Past Week

Books read for the first time are marked with  a #

Books are grouped in their sections by author,
and not necessarily in the order read.

Sunday book(s) 

"Least of All, Me"

by Sr. Anthony Marie, OSF

[Catholic fiction, based on fact]

(a great favorite of mine!)

"The Happiness of Heaven"
by Fr. J. Boudreau, S.J.

"Cottage Evening Tales,
For Young People" #
by M. L. M.
(free online book)

Weekday Books

"Dandelion Wine"
by Ray Bradbury
[fiction]

"All Because of Raizy"

"Families, Etc."

"Thanks to You!"

by Miriam L. Elias
[children's/young teen fiction, Judaica]

(in "A Classic Trio, 3-in-1, second volume)

"Dear Pen Pal"
{carried over from last week}
(Kindle book)
by Heather Vogel Frederick

[children's books, series, interesting for adults as well]
I wish there had been  Mother-Daughter Book Clubs when I was a kid.  There were enough mothers and daughters for such a club right on my block; even right in my building. Perhaps we would have called it The Commodore Mother-Daughter Book Club, since the building's name was The Commodore.

"That Dodger Horse" #
by Delos Wheeler Lovelace
[children's fiction]
(openlibrary.org loan)
I've read Maud Hart Lovelace's
Betsy-Tacy books so many times,
but this is the first time I've read one
of her husband's books.

"Emily of Deep Valley"

by Maud Hart Lovelace

[YA fiction]


"The Tale of  Pigling Bland" #
by Beatrix Potter

[picture book.
( in "Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales") ]

(Kindle book)

"A Tree Grows In Brooklyn"
by Betty Smith
[fiction]
(the first modern, as opposed to classic, adult book I ever read;
I was twelve at the time.)
{carrying over into next week}

A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays

"The Imitation of Christ"

by Thomas A Kempis

[Kindle book]

This Week's Fan Fiction

Unsuited to Each Other
A Katie Rose and Stacy Belford fic.

Chapter 6 is FINALLY up!

Books Read In The Past Week

Books read for the first time are marked with  a #

Books are grouped in their sections by author,
and not necessarily in the order read.

Sunday book(s) 

"Least of All, Me"

by Sr. Anthony Marie, OSF

[Catholic fiction, based on fact]

(a great favorite of mine!)

"The Happiness of Heaven"
by Fr. J. Boudreau, S.J.

"Ethelred Preston

or The Adventures of a Newcomer"

by Fr. Francis J. Finn, S.J.

[children's fiction]

(online book)

"Outnumbered!
Raising 13 Kids With Humor and Prayer"
by Mary Ann Kuharski
(biography/autobiography)

Weekday Books

"Much Ado About Anne"
(physical copy)
{carried over from last week}

"Dear Pen Pal"
{carrying over into next week}
(Kindle book)
by Heather Vogel Frederick

[children's books, series, interesting for adults as well]
I wish there had been  Mother-Daughter Book Clubs when I was a kid.  There were enough mothers and daughters for such a club right on my block; even right in my building. Perhaps we would have called it The Commodore Mother-Daughter Book Club, since the building's name was The Commodore.

"Carney's House Party"

by Maud Hart Lovelace

[YA fiction]


"The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse" #
"The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes" #
"The Tale of Mr. Todd" #
by Beatrix Potter

[picture books.
( in "Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales") ]

(Kindle book)

"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie"
by Muriel Spark
[fiction]

"Roxie and The Red Rose Mystery"
"Kathy's New Brother"
"A Made-Over Chelsea"
"No Friends for Hannah"
by Hilda Stahl
[children's fiction, Christian, Protestant {denomination(s) not specified}, series]

A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays

"The Imitation of Christ"

by Thomas A Kempis

[Kindle book]

Books Read In the Past Week

Books read for the first time are marked with  a #

Books are grouped in their sections by author, and not necessarily in the order read.

Sunday book(s) 

"The Happiness of Heaven"
by Fr. J. Boudreau, S.J.

"Ethelred Preston

or The Adventures of a Newcomer"

by Fr. Francis J. Finn, S.J.

[children's fiction]

(online book)

"Outnumbered!
Raising 13 Kids With Humor and Prayer"
by Mary Ann Kuharski
(biography/autobiography)

Weekday Books

"P.S.  Longer Letter Later"
"Snail Mail No More"
by Paula Danziger 
and Ann M. Martin
[children's fiction]
(openlibrary.org loans)

"Try For a Dream"
"And Then There Were Four"
"Goodbye My Friends"
by Miriam L. Elias
[children's/young teen fiction, Judaica]
(in "A Classic Trio, 3-in-1, first volume)

"The Mother-Daughter Book Club"
"Much Ado About Anne"
{carrying over into next week}

by Heather Vogel Frederick
[children's books, series, interesting for adults as well]
I wish there had been  Mother-Daughter Book Clubs when I was a kid.  There were enough mothers and daughters for such a club right on my block; even right in my building. Perhaps we would have called it The Commodore Mother-Daughter Book Club, since the building's name was The Commodore.

"How To Be A Clubwoman" 

by Helen Cowles Le Cron

and Edith Wasson McElroy

[nonfiction]

"Ginger & Pickles" #
by Beatrix Potter

[picture book.( in

"Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales") ]

(Kindle book)

"The Stinky Cheese Man

and other Fairly Stupid Tales" #

by John Scieszka 

[children's fiction]

(openlibrary.org loan)

"Don't Call Me Katie Rose"

by Lenora Mattingly Weber"

[YA fiction]

"The Friendly Persuasion"

by Jessamyn West

[historical fiction, Quakers]

{carried over from last week}

A Book for Weekdays AND Sundays

"The Imitation of Christ"

by Thomas A Kempis

[Kindle book]

A VERY Belated Post

I really meant to blog about this on Easter Monday, but the death of my Mom on Easter Sunday (which I didn't write

about until more than a month later), put it completely out
of my mind.

One of the things I gave up this past Lent was sugar in my tea. (I haven't put sugar in my coffee for years.)  Well, on Easter Sunday, I fixed a cup of tea with sugar, anticipating the sweet

taste.  Well, guess what!  I could not drink it!  I'd become too

used to the taste of tea without sugar.

Since then, I haven't been able to drink tea with sugar unless it also has lemon or lemon juice in it. 

And oh, how I love the smell of tea with lemon!