Don’t you hate it when they get to that distractible age and won’t focus on breastfeeding? Stop looking at the angels, Baby Jesus!
Have a look at a piece I wrote for Pray.com.au on the Nativity. It got me reflecting on what it felt like to be a new mother. Did Mary feel this way too?
Laptop on the Ironing Board 
This is exactly the way I like to think of Mary – not on a pedestal but totally human, someone who understands our anxieties and frustrations because she has experienced them herself. Kate, you say it all so beautifully! And I LOVE the humour in every line, which doesn’t in any way diminish the spirituality of your reflection… you had me at ‘such sweet-smelling hay!’, ‘such noble oxen!’ 🙂
“Noble oxen”! That gets me every time!
A bit of verbal genetic manipulation and we get sweet-smelling noble oxen – I could live with that 🙂
Lorella – I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now: I loved your article in Melbourne Catholic!!
I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to write to you about it. I praised your article to our editor over Christmas (we totally had a grown up business lunch together. It was wonderful!) and I filled out that feedback form that came with the last magazine and listed you as one of my favourite authors, but I haven’t actually told you personally how much I liked your writing. I hope you keep up with it!
Kate I am always moved by the journey you take me on when I read one of your articles. Thank you, reading this touched my heart❤️
Oh Kate, you’ve made my day – my week; my year 2019!!!! Your kind words mean more to me than I can say. Bless you from the bottom of my heart for your extreme generosity. And I hope what I’m going to say now doesn’t sound fake, but it’s TRUE, cross my heart etc etc… I was THRILLED to have my article appear in the Dec issue of MELB CATH, but when I opened the mag I turned first not to my own contribution (because I knew what it was going to say :)) but to yours, because as I’ve told you again & again, I LOVE your style of writing and hold it up as a benchmark to aspire to; and again I was not disappointed. I laughed at each & every line, so uncannily true to life and so wittily written. And to think a writer of your calibre had good words to say about my article! You’re the kindest, Kate. Bless you.
Oh, you’re so generous Lorella! Thank you!
Katie….how are you? Exciting news…my husband and daughter are coming to Sydney later this week for a huge homeschool field trip!!
Just thought it would be fun to tell you! Which I was coming, too! They’ll also be visiting the Blue Mountains and Uluru!
Xoxo
Anna
Oh Anna, how exciting! I’ve never been to Uluru or the Blue Mountains, though I’ve been to Sydney a few times. We here in Melbourne like to think ourselves ever-so-much more sophisticated than our Sydney neighbours, but even the most loyal Melburnian has to begrudgingly admit that Sydney is a very beautiful city.
Have you been learning about Australia in your homeschooling? Maybe I could help with resources?
Oh, sure, anything you could recommend would be awesome!
My daughter is so excited for the zoo, and for a real experience of the outback, camping under the stars one night!