7 Quick Takes Friday (vol.14)

I couldn't decide what to focus on this week for this post so I decide to throw my hat and land in France.

- 1 -

"The sacred gift of prayer is held in the Savior's right hand; if you empty yourself, that is, if you are very humble, the Lord will communicate it to your heart. Be patient and walk with small steps, until you have legs for running or wings for flying. For the present, be satisfied to be simply a young bee in the hive, and soon you will become a bee producing honey. Humble yourself before God and neighbor, because God speaks to those who have their ears turned to Him. (Letters 1700; O. XIX, p. 332)"

- St. Francis de Sales, Holy Frenchman

St. Francis de Sales made an enormous impact on my life when I was in college. I read his most famous work "Introduction to the Devout Life" and in it I found a gentle and honest spiritual director who understood my heart better than I knew it. I found it very hard to lie about the real source of my actions with this book in hand. In his own life Francis was very brave, exposing himself to humiliation and failing for the sake of the Heart of Jesus.

- 2 -

I recommend French Women Don't Get Fat by: Mireille Guillard every so often on this blog because it's the only book on eating I ever needed to read (and then really only the intro and blurbs between recipes) because it changed my attitude towards food and I've never been tempted into a "diet" mentality again. No more frantic yo-yo dieting and work outs for me thank you. I also enjoy Mireille's approach to beauty and style because it's about embracing your personal beauty without a hint of trying to make your face or body look like someone else's. 

Mireille's website: http://frenchwomendontgetfat.com/content/pssst…posture

- 3 -

But my favorite quotes about prettiness are a couple of things Audrey Hepburn said who is not French, but she's beautiful!

"I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls."

and

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone. "

- 4 -

Gobelins is an amazing art school located in Paris and Noisy-Le-Grand. They produce some of the most amazing student work out there! This is just one of the amazing shorts I've seen!

- 5 -

I took Toulouse to the vet this week because he needed to papers to fly out with me. Every time I take him in the vets swoon over his apparent handsomeness. They insisted on taking a picture of him and facebooking it.

Toulouse is a freeeeench name. It counts.

- 6 -

My 25th birthday was at a beautiful French restaurant in Boston. I highly recommend it and if you are on a tight budget the Brunch Menu is much more cost effective!

Link to Miel! 

- 7 -

“Raise your intention to God in all simplicity, detaching yourself from all disordered love or dislike of any creature, then you will be more apt to receive grace and more worthy to be given the gift of devotion. Where the Lord finds vessels empty, He fills them with His blessings”

-Thomas à Kempis, greatly beloved French Mystic who wrote The Imitation of Christ

 ~


Quick Takes is hosted by Jennifer at ConversionDiary

Freshness

"Why are they so wilted?"

"They're snowdrops Your Royal Highness, that's what they look like."

"This is ridiculous, all the fuss over these little things and I can't even decorate my throne room with them."

"They're special because they're considered the bravest flowers. They begin to bloom when it's still cold and the ground is bare. Sometimes people get them as gifts when they're having a bad time or when they're sick to remind them how strong they are."

~

March   May   June

~

"We can be so preoccupied with the past that we break down the edges and identities of each thing in contemporary reality and make it all look like the past…The present is not the past. That sentence could not be clearer on the surface or more obscure in its depths. If it were truly grasped, and grasped affectively, there would be no mental illness among adults. But the past keeps running in upon us, obscuring and even obliterating the freshness and newness of everything we do."

- Images of Hope, by Fr. William Lynch

May God Grant us all rest from the sins we have committed, confessed... washed in tears. May God Grant us eyes to see the world ever new, fresh and vibrant. Come Spirit of Truth, Joy and Laughter, capture our souls and throw them into the wind to find the places where we will grow beyond our imaginings. Let us catch this breath of freedom!

I hope these little post finds you all well! 

Fabi

One Gay Guy and Once Atheist Girl

I link Steve Gershom's blog on the left but here he is being all sainty and awesome.

http://mattfradd.com/2012/06/14/catholic-gay-and-feeling-fine/

Unequally Yoked was a super smart Atheist who used to pick fights with Believers and wouldn't you know she's now a Christ Lover picking fights with Atheists.  I scanned several interviews and what not but the most thought provoking one I found was this one. + she's wearing goggles in her face shot.

http://catholicdefense.blogspot.com/2012/06/hearts-of-flesh-leah-libresco-on-her.html

Not the most relevant post to introduce my kitten but here he is! Toulouse!

I also went to see Spiderman this weekend and omigosh it was so good. I liked it even better than the Avengers... and I think it trumped Brave which was startling to my inner me being.

Have a happy July week!

Fabi

Lucia's Town

Love,

Fabi