I think most of us, most of the time, don’t think about what we’re doing. I think we live our lives on inertia, nudged by forces we’re not even aware of in directions whose validity we never question. Most of what we do is done on autopilot, a series of habits we’re not even aware…
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Environment, Family, and Planning
Not that long ago I wrote a blog post called Too Big For Me. I know the world’s problems are too big and too complex to be reduced to black and white. But there is a topic that most people consider closed, no longer worth debating, that warrants another look. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=birth-control-in-water-supply I’ve shared before what…
Read MoreA Holistic, Natural Life
I’m posting today on a subject very close to my heart. I know that probably half of my readers think this topic has nothing to do with you, but I would like to invite each of you to take time to read it, even though it’s aimed at natural family planning users, because the point…
Read MorePreaching To the Choir
“Why is the “e” word (evangelism) so hard? How can the Christian faith be something you keep to yourself … or keep for yourself?” – Tweeted by @lensweet 3/16/11 “What we want is not more books about Christianity, but more books by Christians on other subjects.” – C.S. Lewis Sometimes I wonder if what I’m doing…
Read MoreNature Boy
…and he loves to be down in the woods, exploring the creek bank and throwing rocks. He doesn’t understand the frightening implications of BP’s Gulf fiasco. And I don’t think I would want him to, frankly. Not at the age of five. Imagine the anxiety a small child would feel, carrying a weight that heavy.…
Read MoreThe Everyday Environmentalist
Everybody’s thinking about the environment these days. And that is a very good thing. Whether or not you believe in climate change isn’t really the issue: as Christians, we are called to be stewards of creation. Here are 35 everyday things we can do to go “green”–and usually (though not always) save money in the process!…
Read MoreFlorida Impressions 3, and final
I realized something just now. Call me dense for not realizing it before, but I know now why Disney was so crowded. Our entire state went to Florida after Christmas. Obviously there’s something about this state that draws people. As a child, my grandparents took me on long, wandering vacations all over the West, and…
Read MoreToad Rescue
Okay, so it wasn’t a toad. It was probably a tree frog. It had been sitting on the outer sill of our upstairs window all day, its little toad chin pulsing, a brownish lump in the corner of the glass. Alex was out playing, so it wasn’t until evening, when Christian discovered it, that Alex…
Read MoreStimulating the Economy
After four months, eight stores, three babysitters and four grandparent interventions, the Basi family has triumphed! At length and at last, we finally managed to buy a couch! http://www.englandfurniture.com/ourfurniture/product.aspx?pid=42 As a matter of fact, we also bought a glider rocker and ottomon, over which I have been salivating since the day I fell asleep nursing…
Read MoreCrisis at the Circulation Desk
Scene: the circulation desk at the public library. Behind the counter, a young man and a middle-aged woman. In front of it: two very pregnant women, with small children in tow. A discussion ensues, instigated by Alex (who else?), about babies in mommies’ tummies. We share due dates, smiling and laughing, because our daughters…
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Kathleen M. Basi 