I haven’t updated this blog much apart from posting my Catholic Weekly columns but I kind of miss the more casual documenting of the family doings and my own musings here. So this is the first of a monthly update post – then I, at least, can look back and remember what I did from month to month.

After our fun and very full week-long family road trip at the end of February, March was a busy one work-wise. I managed a weekly article or column for the CW, which had been a goal of mine. Planning for the annual FRANKLY magazine (the third issue) got underway,  and some other odd jobs popped up which took up the Mondays I had set aside as rest and planning or preparation days. Hence, the lack of blog posts written in March up to now. And not much cooking or gardening done either.

A major highlight was watching and listening to the Lenten series of talks that Bishop Greg Homeming gave in his northern NSW diocese of Lismore — introducing Carmelite spirituality through the seasonal themes of prayer, penance, and charity. My husband and I both listened to these talks over the last several weeks. We have a long history of loving this man’s spiritual talks – even before we were married.

Our youngest one fell asleep on his dad’s lap one afternoon during the Easter long weekend, while Peter was listening through his tablet to one of them. It was a very peaceful scene. “I felt a bit sleepy, but Bishop Greg actually has a really nice voice,” he told me later.

Since that trip in late February I’ve been deeply re-reading the writings of St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross – and trying not to feel too sorry for not having followed them more closely before this. It’s taken me more than 20 years to be really convinced that it’s possible to be a lay person and have a Carmelite soul. I’m very grateful that the co-founder of the reform, St Teresa, seems to have understood backsliders and malingerers like me.

What else happened in March? I did get to plant some hyacinth bulbs, some spinach, and radish seeds in my little pot garden. I caught up with a couple of girlfriends, for the 40th birthday of one of them. But mainly it was mostly lots of writing and writing-related work, and then basically helping to keep the family alive and getting everyone where they had to be when they had to be there. In terms of activity it was pretty frantic and I had a bad cold, but spiritually it was mostly lovely. I think our little pilgrimage to Lismore brought some graces for the rest of the family as well, not just me.

April so far has been a whirlwind of our big girl’s 13th birthday, extended family birthdays, and of course the Easter Triduum and Easter school holidays. I attended two very cute Easter hat parades – the four year old’s and six year old’s. I dropped some stuff off at an op-shop for my mum and ended up buying a vintage rolled-top desk, which became column material for this week…April is big month in our family. Our big boy’s ninth birthday is a few days as well, just before school goes back for Term 2.

What have you been up to?

(Pictured: A snack the three boys made brought me one afternoon when I was working at my desk – so cute! And tasty!)