Splendor in the Ordinary-- List of Posts

"Learn to see the holy in the ordinary things of life"

Back in December I reviewed Splendor in the Ordinary
(you can find the Table of Contents and some preview pages here)

Hallowing the Home 
 In January, I started blogging through the book -- I resolved to take it slowly and actually finish.  Well, I did meet those resolutions!  


Sacred Domesticity
Some links to Church teachings about the home as "domestic church"

Domestic Books for Lent 
In March, I decided to focus on life skills for Lent, especially the domestic arts.    So this is a list of books I had around the house.

Splendor in the Ordinary -- Room by Room


Doors 
"Worship God through your everyday actions"

Entryways
" Behold the holiness of every person"

The Four Walls 
"Find freedom in the bonds of love"

The Living Room
"Learn the lessons of love that lead to joy -- and to Heaven "


The Dining Room
"See the Eucharist reflected in your meals"

The Kitchen 
"Find joy in humble service"

The Bathroom
"Live in modesty and purity"

The Bedroom
"Discover the principle of love in all its stages"

Speed Cleaning

Clean the House in Less Than Half an Hour
Speed Cleaning:  The Kitchen
Speed Cleaning:  The Bathrooms

Spring Cleaning Challenge


Spring Cleaning Challenge
The Entryway
The Bathroom
The Office Area
The Laundry Room
Your Own Person

What I got out of studying the book:

1. Staying the course! I have been trying to set myself semi-fun little projects and getting to the end of them since I tend to let things drop in the middle if they aren't life and death. 
2. Learning to deal with a style that didn't totally "click" with me.  I like Thomas Howard's work, but I've always had trouble reading his books.  We have several around the house and I've never finished any of them.  But it's good to be able to read things that aren't right in line with my sensibilities.  
3. As to the contents of the book -- I think I really did gain a sense of a dwelling place being a reflection of deeper truths.  
4. I am more aware that seeing the sacredness of the everyday is a habit. 
5. I gained more respect for what it takes to make a house a real dwelling place, representative of the family community..... all the jobs and small traditions that go into it, and how much more than mere efficiency goes into them.  Each house is as unique as each community of persons within it. 
6. Finally, this motivated me to upgrade my cleaning skills (see above links to Speed Cleaning) and it put me in a good frame of mind to keep up with the Spring Challenge all the way through.

Where I plan to go from here

I ended up buying another book on the spiritual/house ties.  This one is called Keeping House:  The Litany of Everyday Life and is less about the house structure itself and more about the job of "keeping house" itself.

I've found I really like cleaning the house alongside a book that helps me think about the meaning of what I''m doing.   It alleviates the boredom of repetition by giving me something to think about as I clean and also makes the household tasks and rituals show more of their meaning to me.