Shrovetide Celebrating

February 19, 2007 · by Christine

NOTE added 2/22: All the books have now been requested by folks and are on their way in the mail today!  Thanks to everyone who participated.  I love the image of this great circle of resources flowing freely between us. 

Shrovetide began yesterday and are these last three days before Lent begins ending with Mardi Gras.  It is a time of feasting and celebrating before we move into a desert time of retreat.  I have been thinking a lot about gifts.  In the photo above are several items that have been gifted to me by blog friends in recent weeks.  As I was sorting through things this weekend, I started making a pile of these gifts and soon realized I had quite a treasure trove and my heart swelled with gratitude. There is the wonderfully creative clipboard that Me of Those Northern Skies sent me, the two great books by the Iona Community from Rich of Pilgrim Path, the beautiful Breath CD from Trish of Story Midwife (I have several of her wonderful albums, but I won this one in a contest she had), the juicy Modern Mosaic book Rachelle of Magpie Girl gave me, the two stunning notecards Kayce of Diamonds in the Sky With Lucy brought me when she came over for tea (with photos by her very talented husband), the marvelous wood carving tools that Bette at B’Oki Journal sent me (who first got me hooked on rubber stamp carving), and two lovely books that another reader of this blog sent me with a very thoughtful note (thanks Meg!).  I believe when we don’t hold things too tightly we release our grip on the world enough to welcome in all kinds of new gifts and possibilities.  This world of blogging has opened up new friendships and gifts (both tangible and intangible) I might never have received otherwise.  So this is part of my pre-Lenten feasting – celebrating the abundance in my life.

Back in December I did two book giveaways as a way of clearing out some space.  This weekend, as part of my Lenten preparations I did some spring cleaning and found a few more things to give away.  Read over the list, select one or two titles that interest you, then leave a comment with your request.  I will email you for your mailing address and send it to you by media mail.  I will try and go in and cross off the requests as they go.  If you aren’t sure about a title, feel free to look up the description at Amazon.

Life and Holiness by Thomas Merton

Signs of Grace: Sacraments in Poetry and Prose edited by David Brown and David Fuller

Signatures of Grace: Catholic Writers on the Sacraments edited by Thomas Grady and Paula Huston

Becoming Human by Jean Vanier

Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton

Questions of Heaven by Gretel Ehrlich

Sacred Passages: Bringing the Sacraments to Life by Bert Ghezzi

Organic Spirituality: A Sixfold Path for Contemplative Living by Nicki Verploegen Vandergrift

Let Evening Come by Jane Kenyon

Divine Representations: Postmodernism and Spirituality edited by Ann Astell

Getting a Life: How to Find Your True Vocation by Renee LaReau

More Making Books by Hand by Peter and Donna Thomas

Gentle Yoga Kit by Stephen Cope

Letters of a Portuguese Nun by Mirian Cyr (historical mystery)

Shipping is on me and I’ll even mail books to my blog friends in other countries.

-Christine Valters Paintner @ Abbey of the Arts

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