{One}
So…I decided. The blogging hiatus is coming. Maybe that is stating it too strongly since you’ll still be getting two new posts from me every week. However, the direction of the blog is changing, namely, you likely won’t see the Quick Takes anymore, and my participation in the Not Alone Series will be more sporadic.
The thing is that writing Quick Takes each week takes more out of me than writing an actual blog post. I’d rather spend my time and energy on quality blog posts instead of coming up with seven random/witty things to tell you at the end of the week. (That is not a diss on Quick Takes, they just aren’t where my writing heart is at!)
There’s a part of my blogging brain that will have to adjust in the event that the stats drop (okay, I look. I find them intriguing!), but the reality of it is this: if you like what I write, you’ll share, and if not, then you won’t, simple as that. It won’t matter if I post a thousand times a day on the interwebz about my latest and greatest blog post. If I don’t like what I’m writing in and if my passion isn’t in each blog post, then you are far less likely to like what you read. So, here’s to getting back to the heart of this blog and to better posts in the future!
{Two}
Speaking of blogs…this week I wrote about Natural Family Planning (NFP) for the Not Alone Series and I got some interesting comments/e-mails about it. A few people felt that I shouldn’t be posting about NFP at all and that there is no need for a man OR a woman to learn anything about a woman’s fertility cycle until after marriage. As someone who has charted for nearly three years, I disagree. While I understand that a man might not want/need to learn the specifics of his significant other’s cycle until marriage prep, I don’t think there is anything wrong with a woman learning about her body and her cycle before marriage. Why would you not want to learn more about the way God created you and the wonder that He gives women with their fertility?
Beyond learning about fertility, it is beneficial for women to learn about their cycles because it can help her identify how her body handles stress, and charting can also identify and therefore naturally treat other medical issues.
For future reference, if a guy doesn’t want to read about NFP then I’d advise avoiding reading posts labeled “NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING.”
{Three}
Something light and funny now, perhaps?
How long should a good homily be?
It should be like a lady’s skirt: long enough to cover the essentials, but short enough to keep you interested.
{Four}
Now that I’ve been staring at the blinking cursor for longer than I care to admit…I’ll wrap up the rest of the quick takes with some thoughts and songs that have been on my mind lately.
Why does it not really feel like fall? Yes, the trees around here have finally started changing (and I’ll be hiking in/around them tomorrow!), but the weather still feels like summer. 80s? I’m not asking for the monsoon, flood inducing rain to come back, but a lovely average of 60 degrees would be perfect and give me actual reason to bust out some sweaters and light jackets. Just saying. I love fall!
{Five}
One of my friends called this week to say that he is actually enjoying my book…despite the fact that he is, you know, not a woman. Perhaps it was the way he said it, but his comment just makes me laugh and smile! The book isn’t just for women, and I know more than a few guys who would attest to that fact!
{Six}
Song of the week...
“Would You Wait For Me” by Brett Young and Tyrone Wells. Two of my favorites…oh, and Brett has a new acoustic album dropping on Tuesday. Get excited!
{Seven}
Year of Faith tidbit/thing to make you ponder…
“Finally, if we pray the Our Father sincerely, we leave individualism behind, because the love that we receive frees us from it. The “our” at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer, like the “us” of the last four petitions, excludes no one. If we are to say it truthfully, our divisions and oppositions have to be overcome.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2792
