One of my friends gave me a copy of this book by Colleen Hammond a couple of weeks back: my heart sank when I got it, as right now I don't really need any distractions. Reading material which is nothing to do with either work or my Divinity course right now gets classed as a distraction. So I stuck it in my bag and decided that I'd get round to reading it, out of politeness, but not quite yet.
As luck would have it, I found myself with rather a long wait in Outpatients (I'm finally having physiotherapy on my reluctant-to-heal ankle) and as I'd omitted to empty my handbag for a while, the book was still there. So I started to read...
I showed the book to my Parish Priest - he borrowed it (on the basis that he reads much faster than I do) and he said that he was going to do a post on it. Seeing my one chance at a decent post subject slipping from my grasp, I begged him not to post on it until I had done mine (and shamelessly distracted him with the loan of another book which was more up his street post-wise anyway!) And so, here goes...
Colleen Hammond writes very well - she is a former beauty queen and model who is keen to share her concerns about the way women are forced to dress by the fashion industry, and to encourage modesty in dress. Importantly, she points out that "modest" does not mean "frumpy" and she also talks about femininity and grace, which equally have nothing to do with frills and flounces!
When I started to read the book, I thought that there was little in it for me personally, though I was interested in her views on the driving forces behind the revolution in women's fashions. I thought that, over the years, my choice of clothing had become more modest, especially since my return to the Church.
However, some of what Colleen had written really touched a nerve: I used never to go out without wearing makeup, but in the past few years I had skimped a little on this, with the excuse that I was being vain in making such a fuss, but in fact I was getting too lazy to put the makeup on. Reading Colleen's book made me realise that putting on my makeup (a small amount, nothing excessive) was a sign of respect for myself and respect for other people - neglecting my appearance is not a sign of modesty. And I know that I feel (and act) differently when I have "put my face on."
Colleen's comments about dressing smartly also struck home. Dressing for comfort is fine inside the house, but outside needs a little more attention. And what we wear to Mass is also important: sure, the externals shouldn't concern us too much, but what I wear shouldn't be a distraction to either myself or to others... and dressing in a sloppy, careless manner can draw attention to yourself just as much as being overdressed.
Hmmn. I feel a shopping trip to Bluewater might be in order...
"Truly, it is the indescribable sweetness of contemplation which you give to those who love you. In this you have shown the tenderness of your charity, that when I had no being you made me; and when I strayed away from you, you brought me back again to serve you and commanded me to love you." The Imitation of Christ
Saturday, 7 October 2006
Time to Draw Breath
Well, here I am again, at last. I realised that I've been so busy lately that not only have I not been keeping my own blog up-to-date, but I haven't even been checking out any of my favourites...
The new job is partly to blame - it doesn't matter how well you know your stuff, a new job always takes up more time and effort as you get to grips with the way things are done (invariably it is different from any other place you've ever worked in!) So by the time I have finished lesson planning and preparation, marking, chasing up absences, attending meetings and so on, I haven't got much time for anything else... And then, I actually have to add teaching to that lot!
This week has been particularly fraught: it started badly as I was away for a Residential Weekend at the Maryvale Institute, Birmingham. In my spare time I'm studying for a BA in Divinity, and the Residentials are part of the course requirement. It's probably not a good idea to start my studies again along with the new job, but I've started and stopped a few times now, as each year something seems to crop up. Last year it was breaking my ankle at the end of the summer holiday and then having a major car crash just before Christmas. So, working on the basis that something or other will always happen, I decided to take the bull by the horns and just get on with it...
The week then took a downward turn with the arrival of Section 48 Inspectors. This is the Catholic Church's version of OFSTED inspections. A bit like the Inquisition, only less friendly. Actually they weren't too bad. One of the Inspectors assured me that you have to do something really awful to fail. I had one lesson observed, and luckily for me my students didn't clam up and just sit there (this nightmare scenario did happen in one inspection I went through a while back: the class were pretty silent all the way through, instead of being their normal, boisterous selves. When challenged the next day they protested that they wanted to be "good" for me in front of the inspector!) Anyway, we passed. So now I can breathe again...
However, I notice that readership of my blog is right down: I am under strict orders to get my act together and post at least once a day - and when you get an instruction like that from a successful blogger like Fr Tim (of the Hermeneutic of Continuity), well, you just can't argue with that!
The new job is partly to blame - it doesn't matter how well you know your stuff, a new job always takes up more time and effort as you get to grips with the way things are done (invariably it is different from any other place you've ever worked in!) So by the time I have finished lesson planning and preparation, marking, chasing up absences, attending meetings and so on, I haven't got much time for anything else... And then, I actually have to add teaching to that lot!
This week has been particularly fraught: it started badly as I was away for a Residential Weekend at the Maryvale Institute, Birmingham. In my spare time I'm studying for a BA in Divinity, and the Residentials are part of the course requirement. It's probably not a good idea to start my studies again along with the new job, but I've started and stopped a few times now, as each year something seems to crop up. Last year it was breaking my ankle at the end of the summer holiday and then having a major car crash just before Christmas. So, working on the basis that something or other will always happen, I decided to take the bull by the horns and just get on with it...
The week then took a downward turn with the arrival of Section 48 Inspectors. This is the Catholic Church's version of OFSTED inspections. A bit like the Inquisition, only less friendly. Actually they weren't too bad. One of the Inspectors assured me that you have to do something really awful to fail. I had one lesson observed, and luckily for me my students didn't clam up and just sit there (this nightmare scenario did happen in one inspection I went through a while back: the class were pretty silent all the way through, instead of being their normal, boisterous selves. When challenged the next day they protested that they wanted to be "good" for me in front of the inspector!) Anyway, we passed. So now I can breathe again...
However, I notice that readership of my blog is right down: I am under strict orders to get my act together and post at least once a day - and when you get an instruction like that from a successful blogger like Fr Tim (of the Hermeneutic of Continuity), well, you just can't argue with that!