It’s Friday, which means it’s time to connect with Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes:
1. Habemus Papam
Lots in the news about Pope Francis so some of my QT will be about our new Pope. The more I read about him, the more I love him. Check out this article about how the new Pope is changing routines at the Vatican. Pope Francis is a man who is not only faithful to Church doctrine, he is particularly concerned about the poor. The Catholic Church is in good hands.
2. Pope Francis, in His Own Words
To read more about his thoughts on various topics, click here.
3. 10 Facts About the New Pope
10 Facts About the New Pope
4. The O’Donovan Family Saga Continues
Work continues on my novel, A Subtle Grace, the sequel to In Name Only. Kathleen O’Donovan, eldest daughter, is the main female protagonist in “A Subtle Grace.” As of 1896, when the novel begins, the O’Donovan children are listed in the O’Donovan Family Bible as follows: Kathleen Emma born 1877, William David born 1879, John Liam born 1879, Patrick Andrew born 1882, Kevin Michael born 1887, Timothy James born 1892. In the 19th century, the Family Bible served to be the information keeper for most families. It recorded marriages, births, deaths and, in some cases, baptisms. Here is the first page of an antique 1881 Douay Rheims Bible:
5. This Week’s Research: Laudanum
Since one of the main characters in “A Subtle Grace” is a physician, I needed to research common drugs and pain medication of the 19th century. One of the most common was laudanum, which is a mixture of alcohol and opium. Strangely enough, laudanum/opium were both available for purchase in the 1897 Sears and Roebuck Catalog (see below). Here is Wikipedia’s information on laudanum.
6. On My Reading Shelf
One Like Us by Jerome German
This Little Light of Mine: Living the Beatitudes by Kathleen Basi
Season of Joy by Virginia Carmichael
7. Dust Bunnies Cartoon
image copyright James and Ellen Hrkach
Copyright 2013 Ellen Gable Hrkach
Very interesting how the family Bible was so important for record keeping. Definitely a symbol of how the faith was the core of the family. And researching medicines from that time sounds interesting! Thanks for sharing. Now I am going to click on all your links and learn a little more about the pope. God bless you and your family!
Thank you, Michelle! God bless you too!
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Your cartoons always give me a smile and a giggle. I love this one!
Thanks, Carol!
Louisa May Alcott wrote in Little Women about her very ill sister taking laudanum. It doesn’t appear that the government considered the possible addiction it created to be a problem for society. But China was known for its opium dens where people literally lived until they died smoking pipe after pipe. Another interesting tidbit I learned was that Coca Cola originally contained an opiate as well.
Laudanum is included in a lot of 19th century literature and books that take place in the 19th century, Barb. By the end of the 19th century, most doctors knew it was addictive, but it was still included for sale in the 1897 Sears Catalog (and stayed there until the early 1900′s when the government regulated it)…