During this advent season we discuss another great read, Noticing by Kobi Yamada. This story again showcases a friendship between an older woman who is a painter and a young girl. The young girl is impacted by the painters view of the world. The painter encourages the young girl to slow down, to wonder, and notice things-even those we can't see. These practices felt fitting for advent as Pope Benedict XVI reminds us in Advent Calls Us to Silence that this season is about slowing down and taking notice to the ways the Lord is pursuing us. We hope this conversation aids in creating more slowness in your season of life and a deeper desire for growth in the art of noticing.

Advent Call Us to Silence: https://tandirection.com/pursuit-of-perfection/advent-calls-us-to-silence/

Reading of Noticing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwn5g5i9M74

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We thought we would keep the children's books for adults theme going with another amazing read: Trying by Kobi Yamada. This beautifully illustrated book shares the story of an older sculptor encouraging and walking with an aspiring sculptor. The book touches on the importance of mentors in our life and how to be one while also reflecting on the power and importance of failure. We dive into both of these topics and spend time reflecting on the beauty and need of the relationship between the young and the old. We hope these are fun conversations for you and that you are curating a little list of children's book to read.

If you want to listen to the book read outloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy5B3dzJFg8

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We spend time in this episode talking about journeying alongside people in our life through the lense of a children's book titled The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld. The story is about Taylor who built something he was really proud of only for it to be destroyed. Many different characters come along and want to help Taylor process his emotions in the wake of his loss. The character that makes Taylor feel the most safe though is the rabbit who listened. We discuss helpful tips this book gives when accompanying people in our own life, some ways we try to help that aren't always helpful, and why children's books sometimes are the best vehicle to teach us.

Be sure to listen to the book here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBjAWkog9n0

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We are back for our 11th season and filling everyone in on our summer. The summer always seems to be a season where big changes happen in our lives and we love taking time to think about how God is intentionally pursuing and stretching us. God has shown up for us in a move across the country and a new job to more schooling and unlocking new skills. We also talk a little bit about what we hope to dive into this season: stories. Certain stories in different seasons resonate with our hearts and can give us delightful nuggets to chat about with our friends. So we are looking forward to doing just that!

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We see Mary display penetrating intuition as she visits Elizabeth shortly after finding out she is expecting in her old age. Given that Elizabeth's husband had lost his ability to speak, Mary's supportive and encouraging words were probably needed in the hard months of preparing for birth. As women, we have a great gift to offer the world of pouring kind words and blessings over others in our life. We can allow these words of encouragement to be an outpouring of the ways we feel encouraged and pursued by Jesus himself. In this episode, we talk about how as mothers (spiritual and physical) our role is to hold space for other souls to flourish. We have done that for people in our lives and others have done that for us!

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What does it look like to show limitless fidelity and tireless devotion to our work? Mary was a mother of one son who spent her days caring for her family and keeping their home in Nazareth. We can assume her days would have been filled with many ordinary and mundane tasks. In this episode, we reflect on how Mary is the model that the Lord gives us to imitate as a measure of living out authentic femininity. Mary is a "gentle mirror" of femininity that gives us permission to claim the limitless fidelity and tireless devotion it takes to care for our spouses, children, and others as service to God.

Redemptoris Mater

Image of Mary Hanging Laundry

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We continue to reflect on Mary as she "mirrors the loftiest sentiments of which the human heart is capable." This episode we unpack "the strength that is capable of bearing the greatest sorrows." During Lent, we are all invited to visit places of suffering in our own hearts and reflect upon them. How do these places make us feel? To what capacity have we invited others into our sorrows? What role do we allow Mary to play in our places of sorrow? Andrea and Lizz were also both drawn to deeper mediation through pieces of artwork and invite you to be aware of what is aiding you in your meditation.

The Return from Calvary by Herbert Gustave Schmalz

Rachel Weeping for Her Children

Redemptoris Mater

*apologies for Lizz's mic quality, it was not working during the recording but the content was so good we just rolled with it

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As we enter the season of Lent, we are given a time to reflect on our spiritual lives and the ways we want to prepare our hearts for the Easter season. What better way to prepare our hearts than with the help of Mary. She plays a maternal role in the "birth and development of divine life in the souls of the redeemed." She is the role model for us always as women in the Church. In this episode, we dive into one aspect of Mary, her self-offering totality of love, which we pull from Redemptoris Mater by St. Pope John Paul II.

In the light of Mary, the Church sees in the face of women the reflection of a beauty which mirrors the loftiest sentiments of which the human heart is capable: the self-offering totality of love; the strength that is capable of bearing the greatest sorrows; limitless fidelity and tireless devotion to work; the ability to combine penetrating intuition with words of support and encouragement.

Find the full encyclical here: https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031987_redemptoris-mater.html

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