Roseanna - Roseanna M. White

Where We Look

by Roseanna | Sep 8, 2022 | Thoughtful Thursdays

I am under deadline…and on vacation (my goal was not to make those two overlap, but alas! We were hit by sickness, so I now get to finish my book at the beach.) So in short, you’re getting some short-and-sweet musings today.

One thing I’m doing in September is going through some Spiritual Formation exercises with my Patrons & Peers group, led by our resident Spiritual Director, Laura Heagy. She’s starting us off with Colossians 3:1-17. This whole month, we meditate on those same verses, breaking them up into sections if we want, swallowing them whole, reading and rereading, studying, dwelling, reciting, praying them over and again to see what God shows each of us.

This morning, I focused on just the first couple verses:

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

I had no big, earth-shattering thoughts here that I’m sharing…just musing on what others have no doubt mused on countless times. But maybe they’re musings you’d like to share in, so I thought I’d write about them here. 😉

Let’s start with the basics: we were raised with Christ. Christ was literally raised–from the dead, from the tomb, from within the ground. So we too have been raised, resurrected, lifted from the ground–to a new existence, a new place.

Why, then, do we look so often to the things of this earth? To money and power and food and clothes and things? We’re not buried here anymore. We shouldn’t be living under all this rubble.

We have been raised. RAISED. And so, our gazes, our attention needs to be raised too–to Christ. Our eyes should always be on Christ. And where is He? Above, in heaven.

If that’s where He is, then that’s where I should be looking. That’s where our attention needs to stay fixed.

Where are we looking today?

Word of the Week – School

by Roseanna | Sep 5, 2022 | Word of the Week

Today is Labor Day in the US, which is the unofficial start of autumn. Specifically, it marks the beginning of a new school year for American kids (many of whom have already been back to school for a couple weeks). What better time to examine the history of the word? (I first looked at this word back in 2015, so if you’ve been around for a while, you may remember this one!)

The first time I posted about the word school, my daughter was entering 5th grade and my son 2nd. This year, my daughter will be a SENIOR and my son a FRESHMAN! Two highschoolers?! How did this happen??? Those last seven years sure have flown by, and man, has it been a journey in the school realm! The perceived irony of this word, however, continues to delight me, and I’ve been known to remind my groaning kids of it. 😉

So, school.

The word comes from the Latin schola, which interestingly enough originally meant “leisure.” (Cue the dubious looks from my kids, who insist that “school” and “leisure” cannot exist in the same sentence.) But in Roman days, only those who didn’t have to work had the leisure for learning. And in those ancient days, what was the favored pastime when one had leisure? Discussion. Conversation. Philosophy. This is where the idea of leisurely discussions came from, and where it got extended to the place for such conversations. You can see this root reflected in many different languages, and English is no exception.

By the 1300s, the English word was applied not only to this learning and the place where it happens, but also to the students engaged in it. By the 1610s it had been extended to the idea of “people united by similar principles or methods.” Hence, school of thought by the 1860s.

For my own part, I always loved school and hated to miss a day. How about you? School lover or school groaner?

Word of the Week – Cat

by Roseanna | Aug 29, 2022 | Word of the Week

Sometimes it’s fun to look up words so very common that one never really pauses to think about them. You never know what you’re going to find! So as one of my cats stared at me as I was contemplating this week’s Word of the Week, I chuckled and said, “Okay, sure, why not? Let’s look up cat.” And I did. 😉

There are times when a word’s history really surprises me. And times, like this, when what surprises me is how universal a word is! Cat (and its various forms) is nearly universal word in European languages today. Our English spelling and pronunciation comes from the Proto-Germanic (that just means “first Germanic”) kattuz. Kattuz has in turn influenced many, many other words for domestic felines throughout Europe, and did itself come from Late Latin cattus. In English, it dates alllll the way back to 700 (!!!!), when the English was Old but the cats were still cats. 😉

That Late Latin word has informed pretty much all the European languages that the German didn’t directly influence, which means that nearly every language in the Western world has a very similar world for our small feline friends–and in fact, replaced an earlier Latin word, feles, which is also familiar to us as the scientific name. The Late Latin version was borrowed from Greek, and the Greek was borrowed from the Arabic qitt. Cats have been domestic animals in Egypt since 2,000 BC, though the Greeks and Romans didn’t actually have them as pets.

Cats have had their proverbial nine lives since about 1560. The word has been applied to big cats–lions, tigers, etc–by about 1600.

And just a fun little tidbit I learned from a documentary called The Lion in Your Living Room…did you know that Vikings were not only cat lovers, but they favored orange cats? So much, in fact, that one can trace Viking trade routes by the orange cat population in different areas! How fun is that?

Are you a cat person? A dog person? Both?

Reflections

by Roseanna | Aug 25, 2022 | Thoughtful Thursdays

My summer, especially the second half of it, has been insane. And as I sit down at my computer to write out this week’s blog post, I feel a bit low on insight and inspiration. My mind and body and spirit are all longing for the vacation coming up in a few weeks…but before that, I have SO MANY things that need done. Things on deadlines. Things I can’t just put off. I’ve had a few moments of stress-out and overwhelm, I’ll admit it. And some moments of profound joy amidst it all. I’ve had friends and family wow me with their love. And I’ve had some impatient folks too, ratchet it all up again.

When I sat down to write this, the temptation to stress about even this post was strong. I have to come up with something great, after all. People are expecting it! Waiting for it! It’s one of my greatest joys to invite you all to contemplate along with me.

But…this week, I offer you exactly what I have: a muddled mind, a vulnerable heart, some things I’m stressed about, and some things I’m excited about.

A bit of context: I was just diagnosed with a small, benign tumor on my pituitary gland (in the brain). This is not a diagnosis that will change my life forever or anything. It’s treatable with medication. Having read up on it, I know it’s “no big deal.” And because of that, I told myself I shouldn’t let it bother me. But…dealing with it right now is still a big deal. And I had to give myself permission to feel that. To indulge in a bout of rare tears. To just admit that, yes, it’s distracting me. I’m reading medical articles when I should be writing a book. I’m on the phone with doctors and insurance companies when I should be doing design work. And that then adds to my stress, because I now feel behind on all that work–work necessary to pay for all the medical stuff.

But here’s the truth: This moment, like every moment, is in God’s hand. I may let some people down if I can’t get projects back to them when they expect. I am sorry for that. But maybe I need to let go of the thought that I am in charge of pleasing people all the time. Maybe I need that humbling reminder.

I’m writing this on the Saturday before it will post. On Monday, my kids start the new homeschool year. Both of them are in high school this year! A senior and a freshman! I can’t believe it. And there are still SO MANY things that need done before they start, from the very practical (rearranging Rowyn’s room with a new desk and organizing all the books) to the overarching (working out their daily schedules). Every year, I say, “We’re going to have a great year.” And every year things slip. You want openness and vulnerability? I question, every year, whether I do a good enough job with my kids’ education. Would they be better off with a “regular” school? Do I not push them hard enough? Have I done them a disservice? Are they behind their peers? Then every spring when we do portfolio reviews, I hear “Wow, you do so much. You do a great job. Your kids are doing great.” Still…funny how hearing that once a year doesn’t silence the questions, isn’t it? Those questions are always, in all we do, so persistent.

Am I doing enough? Am I doing it well enough?

But here’s the truth: We all always have room for improvement, yes. We should always strive to be and do better, not falling into complacency. But if we pour our heart into what we’re doing, if we give our best, then God says “Well done, beloved.” All the things we worry about with our kids…the truth is that most of the time they’re inconsequential. The most important thing we can ever do for them is model the love of God and teach them of the love of Christ.

One week from tomorrow as of the writing and three days as of the posting of this, my family will be confirmed in the Catholic church. (I mentioned this in my 40 Things post, but if you didn’t read that, this may surprise you, LOL.) We are SO excited and joyful at this step on the path down which God has been leading our family for years. We have a few things yet to sort out before The Day in terms of logistics, but this one is pure joy. I am so looking forward to that celebration to cap my crazy summer!

Because here’s the truth: There are many churches in the world but One Church. I have always believed that and I always will. The fractures that have split believers for centuries cannot fracture God, cannot fracture Christ. Praise God, He is bigger than our human failings and divisions, and His Truth will always see us through. We will worship now in the place we know He’s called us to, but we’ll do it knowing He works everywhere.

My final muddled thought–total product placement. 😉 When I was in Chicago for a convention a couple weeks ago, on the trade show floor I came across a group called Peace + All Good, who sell lotions, soaps, and candles. After trying the lotion (so fabulous!) I was impressed. After hearing about their mission–all their products are handmade by women who have escaped from human trafficking, giving them a fresh start–I was determined to add the products to my store. And when I realized that the book tie in was actually pretty obvious (Sally from Shadowed Loyalty!!!!!), I put in an order. They arrived this last week, and y’all…these products are amazing. I’m excited to share them with you!

I got three of each scent of each of the products I wanted to carry–bar soap, travel size lotion, and 4-oz candles–so that I can determine which scents you all like best. 😉 I hope you’ll browse the Peace + All Good products available now in my shop, knowing that each product you buy helps a woman build a new life. And when you use these truly excellent products and smell the sweet scents, you’ll be reminded too that that’s what our prayers smell like to God.

Because here’s the truth: We serve a gracious God who will never turn away someone seeking redemption. A God of second chances. A God who delights in taking our stinking mess and turning it into a sweet-smelling thing of beauty.

Thank you, Lord. I may be a muddle right now, but you are exactly the detail-oriented, always-there, ever-loving Lord you’ve always been. I may be overwhelmed, but your hand is big enough to hold it all. I may not know how to squeeze everything into the hours of the day, but you are the holder of eternity.

And thank you, too, friends, for bearing with me when I’m a muddle. For bearing me up. Thank you for never being stingy with your encouragement, for being enthusiastic about my stories, my store, my posts. Thank you for being shining lights in my life, especially in those moments when I need each sparkle to remind me of my purpose.

Because here’s the truth: You are all beautiful reminders of what this Church is that we’re a part of, and I thank God for you.

Peace + All Good Candles

Peace + All Good Lotion

Peace + All Good Bar Soap

Word of the Week – Desk

by Roseanna | Aug 22, 2022 | Word of the Week

As of the moment when I’m writing this, we’re awaiting a few fun deliveries at our house–a new bed frame and desk for Rowyn, who has been asking for about a year to update his room. We decided that starting high school was a pretty good time to get rid of the loft-bed-with-sliding-board he got when he was 5 (it was SO COOL then…but, yeah, not so useful or cool for a 14.5-year-old!) and trade out the desk he and David cobbled together from a broken bookcase into a desk (upon Rowyn’s request, mind you) for something a little sturdier.

Of course, this being me, I can’t look at desks without wondering about the word desk. So now you get to wonder too. 😉

Upon looking it up, the first thing I learned is that desk and disk are actually very closely related, from the same root: the Greek diskos, which turned into the Latin discus. Both of these mean exactly what you would expect when you consider that root: a round, flat surface, a platter.

A…platter? We write on a platter?

Yup. I personally never think of a desk as round, but the earliest desks were in fact … wait for it … a table. (DUH.) And tables being round is no surprise at all. So the evolution of the word begins to make sense. From “platter” we moved into “flat, round surface,” and from “flat, ROUND surface” we moved into “flat surface suitable for writing” by the mid-1300s, courtesy of Medieval Latin. (Which is to say, those doing the writing were likely church clerics who still used Latin.)

By 1797, it was used figuratively to mean “office or clerical work.” Desk-work (exactly what it sounds like) joined the language in the 1820s. The term desk job began being used by 1900. By 1918 it was being applied to departments within a large organization responsible for a particular thing–think help desk. A reception desk has been noted from about 1960.

Do you have a desk in your house? Do you use it often? (I spend most of my life at my desk, it seems, LOL.)