Today through April 24 is National Park Week 2016 in the U.S. That means admission is FREE at all national parks! This photo is of a…
9 CommentsRelevant Fiction for Body & Soul
Author: CAstfalk
Carolyn Astfalk is a wife, mother, and author of contemporary Catholic romances, including her latest, All in Good Time. She formerly worked as a communications director and now works just to keep her head above water. Find her books on Amazon and her other words scattered around the blogosphere and social media.
With more than fifteen months of blogging under my proverbial belt, I feel as if I might now have some material worth revisiting, so I’m linking up with Theology is a Verb and Reconciled to You for #WorthRevisit Wednesday Linkup. This post, written less than four months after I began blogging, was viewed by more people than any other post of mine at the time. My reflections on our less-than-perfect marriage were timed to my wedding anniversary, as is this repost. Only this makes nineteen years.
What’s different a year later? Very little. Only that I’m already considering how to celebrate our twentieth wedding anniversary by spending our second night (and third through eighth nights) alone since 2002.
2 Comments“But I don’t want to!”
I hear that complaint frequently from one of my children. It’s an age-appropriate response to a myriad of less-than-appealing tasks: cleaning up toys, getting ready for bed, trying certain foods, or ending playtime.
One of the best measures of maturity is willingly choosing to do things that we don't want to. Share on X
Most often, my response to my child’s complaint is a variation on the theme, “We all have to do things we don’t want to.”
After all, do I enjoy the many tasks I’m responsible for? Doing dishes four times a day? Changing poopy diapers? Administering discipline?
We choose to do unpleasant things because we know we must. We choose to do those things because we have foresight and know the consequences of our action or inaction. Sometimes because we’ve made a decision to love. Ultimately, we come to learn what’s good for us, and often that means self-denial.
Leave a CommentBefore I dive into what’s being read in our household this month, I have some exciting news to share! Starting in May, An Open Book…
7 CommentsIt’s been my experience that authors and writers are a generous bunch. The vast majority of my interactions with fellow writers over the past several years has been positive. I’ve discovered support and easy camaraderie in a variety of author groups – some religious, some secular; some online, some in real life. Author friends are quick to share their experiences, advice, and sympathy. They’ll cheer your successes and bemoan your dejection, ready to boost your spirits and, if it’s within their means, your book’s success.
It’s no April Fool’s joke. I’m happy to share that my coming-of-age novel Rightfully Ours will be published by Full Quiver Publishing on April 1,…
1 CommentI’m linking up with The Broke and the Bookish (which describes me quite well) for my latest 5-star reads! I know first-hand the importance of reviews, so I review most – but not all – books I read. I reviewed each of the books listed below on Amazon and Goodreads. Each was read sometime between early January 2016 and now, and for those who are concerned with such things, all are “clean” reads. I’m kind of surprised as I look over this list that only two are standalone novels – Jenny B. Jones’s I’ll Be Yours and Quenby Olson’s The Half-Killed. Now, on to the list!
3 CommentsBest wishes for a happy and blessed Easter! Here are a few of my favorite Easter things: Easter Hymn Apparently, my favorite Easter hymn, “Christ…
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