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What happened when I tried a soft start This year we tried something new when we started back to school. Instead of diving into the deep end by piling on a full load of work from day one we did a soft start. Usually I’m an all-or-nothing kind of gal; when I make up my … Read more

the chiastic nature of hospitality We often hear advice about how to give well — how to show hospitality, how to care for those who are unable to care for themselves. There are books and seminars and retreats and videos; an endless list of resources for how to show hospitality and how to share out … Read more

In which we begin our discussion of gender Welcome to The Diner! It’s season two and you won’t want to miss out. Come sit at the counter of our virtual diner and let us serve you a slice of mental pie! It’ll go good with a cup of coffee, then you get your refreshed self … Read more

Patterns for Life audiobook Chapter 5 Educating the will, in the context of personality, means giving a child the ability to understand themselves as using their will in the service of Christ, to become saints ‘unique in the world.’ We do not want them to see themselves as merely a reductive pattern of personality that … Read more

Come to thyself, O man; be made new instead of old, and celebrate the renewal and consecration of thy soul. While there is time, let thy life be consecrated in all its endeavors. Old things are passed away; behold, all things are made new. Bring forth this fruit on the feast: be changed with the … Read more

A story of planning woes I had a hard time planning for school this summer. Patterns for Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Most years I enjoy it; I sit in the shade by the pool and make up my book-lists … Read more

If you looked into my curriculum release, Sex Ed For Sane People, you might have noticed that biology is a prerequisite and the curriculum is aimed at older high school students. The material uses higher level scientific and theological terminology and is best understood with sufficient experience and background. In the grand majority of cases, … Read more

Things have been quiet here over the summer, for many good reasons. Such special circumstances happen only in summer: Garden smells of turned earth and tomato vines, robins nesting on porches and garter snakes gobbling up fallen eggs, lengthy swims in cold pools in the rain, evening walks filled with fireflies and flittermice. We dragged … Read more

Summer has been here for over a month now in all its glory. As usual it is fun, fresh, and exciting. And also, as usual, it is busy. There are places to go, people to see, pools to swim in… you get the idea. We are taking a break from writing and podcasting for the … Read more

in order to make room for Christ Mistakes are an inevitable part of life. We live in a fallen world and none of us can be perfect. We strive with all our might to live up to the Ideal we have set before us, but again and again we fail: we make poor choices, we … Read more