Monthly Archives: July 2024

A beehive of comical beings.

creativity, humanity, quotes,

“To be a man and live among men is miraculous, even if we know the vile deeds and crimes that people are capable of. Every day we build together an enormous beehive with our thoughts, discoveries, inventions, works, lives. Even that analogy is hardly accurate; it is too static, since our collective work is constantly changing and displaying itself in various colors, subject to time or history.

“Again, this is an insufficient description, because it ignores the most important thing: that this collective creation is given life by the most private, hidden fuel of all individual aspirations and decisions. The oddity of man’s exceptional calling rests principally on his being a comical being, forever immature, so that a group of children with their easy mood swings from laughter to crying is the best illustration of his lack of dignity.

“A few years pass, and suddenly they are adults, taking control and supposedly prepared to make pronouncements on public matters and even to take upon themselves the duties of father and mother, although it would be good if they first had an entire life of their own to prepare for this.”

― Czesław Miłosz

The Artist Painting, Surrounded by His Family – Otto Van Veen, 1584

A berry pie to celebrate summer.

food and cooking, friends, pie

When July came into view, it occurred to me that pies naturally flow from the season of summer, with its many ripening fruits, and picnics. I don’t recall ever eating pie at a picnic (unless it was a savory pie such as a pastie), but surely I’ve seen a picture in a book of such a spread…? It wasn’t from Harold and the Purple Crayon, I know that, but his is the only pie picnic I can discover at the moment.

Well, that’s how my mind ran, setting off from summertime, and how it began to spin this thread that resulted in me baking a pie last week. I didn’t use fresh fruit, but rather frozen berries, because I ended up combining it with the tradition of always baking a berry pie for my late husband’s birthday, when he was still around to eat them, and several times since.

And I didn’t take it outdoors for a picnic, but ate it with my friends Mr. and Mrs. Bread, who had helped celebrate Mr. Glad’s last birthday on this earth exactly ten years ago. That was the sweetest part. And the crust of my pie didn’t flop!

Night breathes a lullaby.

nature, poetry, ,

LULLABY

Now the day is done,
Now the shepherd sun
Drives his white flocks from the sky;
Now the flowers rest
On their mother’s breast,
Hushed by her low lullaby.

Now the glowworms glance,
Now the fireflies dance,
Under fern-boughs green and high;
And the western breeze
To the forest trees
Chants a tuneful lullaby.

Now ‘mid shadows deep
Falls blessed sleep,
Like dew from the summer sky;
And the whole earth dreams,
In the moon’s soft beams,
While night breathes a lullaby.

Now, birdlings, rest,
In your wind-rocked nest,
Unscared by the owl’s shrill cry;
For with folded wings
Little Brier swings,
And singeth your lullaby.

-Louisa May Alcott

Jean-Francois Millet

 

 

 

Mother and daughter: boundless.

prayer, quotes, saints

“Prayer… by its action it is the reconciliation of man with God, the mother and daughter of tears, a bridge for crossing temptations, a wall of protection from afflictions, a crushing of conflicts, boundless activity, the spring of virtues, the source of spiritual gifts, invisible progress, food of the soul, the enlightening of the mind, an axe for despair, a demonstration of hope, the release from sorrow.”

-St. Abba Agathon

“Abba Agathon was trained in the Thebaid by Abba Poemen when he was a young man. According to the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, he was highly regarded by Poemen, who called him ‘Abba’ (father) even though Agathon was still young. He was known for his exceptional meekness, accounting himself the most sinful of all men. He was a disciple of Abba Lot.

“Abba Agathon lived in Scetis with Alexander and Zoilus, who were later disciples of Arsenius. He moved after the destruction of Scetis and lived near Troe close to the Nile with his disciple Abraham. It was said of Abba Agathon that he often travelled taking nothing but his knife for making wicker-baskets. He, even in old age, provided everything he needed for himself by manual labor. The abba is said to have even lived for three consecutive years with a stone in his mouth to help himself learn silence and abstinence from speech.

“At his death, Abba Agathon remained for three days with his eyes open. The brothers asked him where he was, and he replied saying that he was at the Judgement Seat of God. When his disciples asked him if he was afraid, he said, ‘Until this moment, I have done my utmost to keep the commandments of God. But I am a man; how should I know if my deeds are acceptable to God?’ When they questioned him more, he said, ‘Truly the judgement of God is not that of man.’ Dorotheus of Gaza twice quotes the final words of Abba Agathon in his exhortations to his monks.

“Abba Agathon died c. 435 AD.”

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