![]() ![]() Precipitous drops in the marriage and birth rates across the developed world testify to love frustrated by selfishly imposed limits. ![]() Too often this leads to a love of others enveloped within a greater love of self-what Aristotle called not love, but friendship of utility. Yes, people today are still capable of loving, but the way we love is influenced by the culture around us. The modern world, with its exaltation of the individual and his will as masters of the universe, has difficulty understanding love, which is classically defined as willing the good of another. ![]() As the pope’s letter makes clear, the saint’s spiritual counsel remains as poignant as ever in a world that has forgotten how to love because it has forgotten the God who is love. The French bishop devoted his whole life to teaching men and women how to devote themselves to God. Francis de Sales (1567-1622), the bishop of Geneva after Calvinism had overwhelmed the region, with a spiritually rich apostolic letter. Last month on the fourth centenary of his death, Pope Francis honored St. “If a man know that he is beloved, be it by whom it may, he is pressed to love in his turn.” Francis de Sales, whose feast day we celebrate today, in Treatise on the Love of God. “Nothing so much presses man’s heart as love,” wrote St. ![]()
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![]() ![]() If you love the Continuing Bonds Theory (which we know many of you do!), you may be looking for ways to continue bonds with your loved one. We have some ideas here, and we hope you will add others that we missed by leaving a comment below. Check out the post here if you missed it. If you read the post, hopefully you know that-when it comes to grief theory-oh the times they are a ’changin’! Many now believe that healthy grief involves finding a new and different relationship with the person who died. We posted a few weeks ago about the Continuing Bonds Theory of Grief. With decades of grief theory that focused on closure, acceptance, and moving on, it is no wonder that so many grievers feel self-conscious about maintaining ties with their deceased loved one after a certain period of time. ![]() ![]() ![]() The narrators were excellent.Įmma Bull seems to know most of the essential facts and speculation about the famous event, and she invents new theories about the how and why of the known facts, especially about the stagecoach holdup on March 15, 1881. Part of this is due to my love of the Tombstone myth, and part due to a good story with good characters. Territory was entertaining enough that I wanted to stay plugged into my iPod every free moment last week. Now I have read many non-fiction books about Wyatt Earp, read many fictional accounts, and I have seen most of the major film stories about Wyatt Earp and the gunfight at the O.K. It’s a historical fantasy novel that takes place in Tombstone, Arizona during the legendary year of 1881. I just finished listening to a new novel by Emma Bull called Territory. ![]() ![]() ![]() The protagonist, Nic, is a slave working in the mines outside of Rome. It is in this world where Jennifer Nielsen combines magic, carefully conducted research, adventure, and sarcasm to deliver a heart-pounding adventure tale. In Ancient Rome, slaves were used to build up the empire, serve the Senators, and provide gruesome entertainment as gladiators. This is evident in intricate crafting of the characters and plot in her most recent publication, Mark of the Thief. In her eloquent and enthusiastic response, she compared writing to a jigsaw puzzle. Nielsen at a small independent bookstore in my hometown. ![]() Nielsen, what do you find enjoyable about writing and what do you find difficult?” These were the questions I wanted answers to when I meet Ms. Mark of the Thief (Book I) by Jennifer A. ![]() |