The Fabulous Four are about to become the Famous Five! In just two weeks, we will welcome a new addition to our family: baby Mary Elizabeth. It’s springtime. New beginnings are the order of the day. What better time, then, to begin blogging again? Only, this time, I’m returning with a new site (because my old blog became mysteriously inaccessible), and a new focus—or set of focuses.

During the months of March to May, I worked excitedly through an online course, Called and Gifted, which aims at helping the baptized discern their particular charisms. The process introduces the over 20 most popular charisms and then participants complete an inventory to help highlight their top six charisms. From there follows a gifts interview with an expert on discernment of charisms during which I identified one charism to explore in depth. I chose writing because my inventory score for this particular charism was very high, and because I’ve always loved writing and wanted to be forced to do it with a steady purpose in mind. The beauty of charisms is that they are always meant for others. They are meant to be channels by which God blesses the world through His children. For so long, I’ve written basically to fulfill a personal need: to explore an idea, to process my world, to remember some important event. But now, as I attempt to discern if I have a writing charism, I’m forced to write for you, dear reader, with the hope of bringing beauty, goodness, and truth to your life. It’s an exciting thought and an exceptional challenge.

This latest iteration of my blog will, hopefully, be more than just the occasional ramble about the goings-on here at the Bradley Homestead. I want to include our homeschooling journey (we are just wrapping up Year 1 for my first son); information and excerpts from my current writing projects (time to dust off some old manuscripts and pen some new ones!); book reviews and discussions (as I attempt to cultivate a reading life again); and notes on the joys and sorrows of home-making—or the art of keeping a family alive and happy!

I hope you’ll come and join me in this spot. Our time is so precious and so I will try to make your visit worth it! Maybe, with time, a little community will form here. Although it cannot compensate for in-person community, in this time of COVID-19, I think we are all learning to make the best of whatever means we can to remain connected with the people we feel are most important in our lives. God bless you, and keep healthy!