Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Weekly Update: 3/17/2023

Today's Psalm: 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14 and 17

I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
An unfamiliar speech I hear:
"I relieved his shoulder of the burden;
his hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I rescued you."

Over a year and a half later, and I still have a lot to process about my breastfeeding experience (which ended six weeks after it began). One thing that is helpful is sharing with other moms who have struggled or been unable to breastfeed (nurse and/or pump). With that in mind, I wrote an article for CatholicMom.com on St. Zélie—one of my favorite saints and the mother of another of my favorite saints, Thérèse—and her breastfeeding experience, which was more traumatic than most of us in the 21st century have had to endure. I hope that other moms find it comforting.

This will be my last newsletter in this format. I'm joining the Substack train! You can find me at everydayroses.substack.com. You will not have to do anything to continue receiving my newsletter (but as always you can unsubscribe if you no longer get anything out of it!). Thank you for reading my words.

Content I've Liked:

• This list of "12 rules for the bookish life" from Comment was just delightful. What would you add?
   

• I disagree with the notion that "Christianity deified" suffering; we had a God who was already God who sanctified suffering, which is quite different. However, by and large, I thought this article by Katherine Boyle at The Free Press was a good look at what we lose when we try to end suffering at all costs.
   

• This piece  by Nilanjana Roy at Financial Times was an interesting look at the "trauma memoir." How much "I" is TMI?

Books I've Enjoyed:

Note: Amazon affiliate links

• "Sweet Cross: A Marian Guide to Suffering," by Laura Mary Phelps
  This was a beautiful little book that packs a punch. It looks at suffering through the lens of Mary's virtue (and includes some very vulnerable storytelling by Laura Phelps). Highly recommend for anyone who is suffering (and is there anyone who isn't?).
   

• "The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control: A Path to Peace and Power," by Katherine Morgan Schafler
  This book had a couple non-Christian ideas in it and didn't have much that's groundbreaking for anyone who's been dealing with perfectionism in therapy, prayer, and Confession (like me!). But it's worth the read for anyone who is a perfectionist or loves someone who is.
   

• "How Women Decide: What’s True, What’s Not, and What Strategies Spark the Best Choices," by Therese Huston
  This book has been on my TBR ever since I heard Dr. Huston speak at a conference around five years ago, and I finally read it! Super interesting look at sex differences (and similarities) in decision-making—in particular the strengths women have.