Time and the French Revolution: The Republican Calendar, 1789-Year XIV by Matthew ShawShare
Release Date: August 18, 2011
The French Republican Calendar was perhaps the boldest of all the reforms undertaken in Revolutionary France. Introduced in 1793 and used until 1806, the Calendar not only reformed the weeks and months of the year, but decimalised the hours of the day and dated the year from the beginning of the French Republic. (Read more.)
“I do not want pardon, I want to die,” cried the innocent child. “I see my sisters, they are ascending up to heaven. They are calling me, they are waiting for me. O, have pity, executioner, and let me die. I am guilty—just as guilty as they were. I hate the Republic—I detest it! Vive le Roi! Vive le Roi!”(Read entire article.)Share
In literary circles the emergence of the Russian novel as a powerful force in the 19th century is often described as an inexplicable phenomenon. That a country that had seemingly lagged behind Western Europe in cultural and political terms should produce in little over 40 years such eminent writers as Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy certainly demands an explication. That explication lies deep in the history of Russia. (Read entire article.)Share
This journal is the coming together of two friends who have a heart for being home and making our families the center of our lives.
It's not an online magazine, a how to [though we plan to share our ideas] or an authority on anything but our own lives. It is simply the sharing of pieces of our days and snippets of life in our homes.
It's not the full picture, it can't be, life is just so much more complicated than can be communicated on a computer screen.
I hope we will be encouraging, dare I say even inspiring, though in truth what we really want is to be authentic. Our intention is to journal about the ins and outs of our daily lives at home and share our thoughts and ideas as homemakers, mothers, and wives.
We have no time frame for posting. No schedule. No obligation. Our families come first and that is as it should be.
We're trusting that God has led us here and that He will make this what He wants it to be.
We're happy you're here.Share
The Giverny house, which Monet was too poor to buy at first, was the painter’s home for 43 years. He eventually had the money to build a greenhouse, add a studio and hire gardeners, though at first he forced his children into labor. In his later years, he guarded the garden jealously, allowing only rare visitors.
But after his death, the house was empty for decades and the gardens were overgrown and abandoned. Monet’s son, Michel, made the Academie des Beaux-Arts his heir in 1966. Ten years later, Gérald van der Kemp, who masterminded the restoration of Versailles, took on the job of restoring Monet’s estate. Efforts were made to find people who had been there in Monet’s time, to try to recreate the way it once looked. But by then, most were elderly and trying to recall what they had seen in their childhoods, Mr. Priest said.
Figuring out what was once in the garden was not always easy. “We know he had geraniums because we have a picture with geraniums,” he said. “But that was one year. We don’t know if they were always there. Monet was constantly changing things.”Share
Mr. Priest says that, to some extent, the garden is successful if it captures the essence of Impressionism — its bright colors and a feeling of gaiety. (Read entire article.)
We live in an age in which public figures have difficulty facing up to their mistakes. Not only celebrities, but all of us in general have trouble admitting our failures, blaming our sins on psychological wounds rather than taking full responsibility for our actions. In Alison Weir's biography entitled Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster
we are shown examples of how in medieval times those with wealth and power were aware of their mortality and not afraid to make public restitution for their sins. Not only does the book relate the facts behind a famous love story but it offers many details about medieval life in general, especially about how the Church was at the heart and center of existence.
, the real Katherine Swynford steps from the pages of Weir's book amid the pageantry and social upheaval of fourteenth century England. Daughter of a Flemish herald, she was raised in the household of Edward III's wife Queen Philippa until she married Hugh Swynford, an obscure knight. Being educated and especially gifted with small children, Katherine served in the household of the king's third son, John of Gaunt, who through his fruitful marriage with Blanche of Lancaster became the richest and most powerful man in the realm. When John's beloved Duchess Blanche died, and he found himself unhappily married to Constance of Castile, he began a life long love affair with Katherine, who was the governess of his daughters. At first the lovers were discreet and few knew about their liaison. As the years passed, however, they became more open, with John holding Katherine's horse's bridle in public, and a great scandal ensued. If the priest is a) the pastor and b) people ask him for the older Mass on Sundays and c) he or another priest can cover it along with the other Sunday Masses, no permission is needed… no permission is needed… no permission is needed from the chancery or bishop.Share
I have read several reviews claiming that the books are too religious and/or over-idealize the protagonists. The devout faith of Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and Madame Royale, however, is well-documented, and it would not be realistic to ignore or to downplay the role of Catholicism in their lives. Nor do I think that the royal family are over-idealized. Their spiritual journeys are presented as hard and painful and they struggle with human failings along the way. Against his conscience, for instance, the King signs the Civil Constitution of the Clergy under duress, an action he later bitterly regrets. Before maturing gracefully into a noble wife and mother, Marie-Antoinette is portrayed as a kind, charming, but imperfect young girl, apt to be headstrong and rash. Marie-Thérèse's rigidity and refusal to compromise the divine right of kings, coupled with her cold manner (although these are understandable results of her early traumas), contribute to alienating many from the cause of the Catholic monarchy. Nonetheless, the fact remains that she, like her parents, ultimately attains a high degree of spiritual heroism. (Read entire review.)(Image Source) Share
A good friend is an emotional safe haven, providing support, guidance and laughter. When someone like that is suddenly gone from your life, it can be heart-wrenching. But how do you go about rebuilding a friendship that has splintered? When do you reach out? What do you say, and what if your former friend doesn't want to hear it? Texting "I'm sorry" probably won't cut it.Share
It bears saying that it's best not to let conflict become a crisis in the first place. "A relationship is an active process, and a repair should be an ongoing process, as well," says Frederic Luskin, a psychologist, director of the Forgiveness Project at Stanford University, which researches how forgiveness is good for mental and physical health, and author of "Forgive for Good." "You need to pay attention and not just be wrapped up in what you need to say," he says. If you have an argument, address the situation right away. Acknowledge your friend's feelings. Ask him to tell you how he feels. Apologize.
If you do end up estranged from your friend, find a way to make peace—even if you feel you weren't at fault or the forgiving isn't mutual. Forgiveness—asking for it and granting it—is good for your health. Research shows it lowers your blood pressure, decreases depression and has a positive effect on the nervous system, says Dr. Luskin. (Read entire article.)
