June 2022

Greetings, my curious friends,

Have you heard of the Examen? If so, do you use this tool to pray? If your answer is yes, do you have a favorite way to walk through that prayer time?

If you are like me, before I read the Sensible Shoes novel series, you may not know what I'm talking about.

The Examen is a simple guide developed by Ignatius of Loyola to recognize God in your daily life. It goes something like this: Begin by asking God to help you see the day as He sees it. Play back the day in your mind, like a movie. Notice any "consolations and desolations" (high points and low points with their various emotions.) Become aware of God's presence in the beautiful as well as the brutal things that happened. Talk to God about your day and then about tomorrow. End with a few quiet moments with God as you rest and listen for Him.

I love the idea of the Examen, yet have a difficult time remembering to end my day with it. Plus, I've not found a guide that seems to fit me well. Pray As You Go Examen for children is one I've used with my nephew and niece at bedtime. If you are unfamiliar with the examen, this calming, six-minute audio is a good introduction.

You already may be doing some form of the Examen. For example, during an Alaskan cruise vacation, our friend, Brandi, would ask each person in our group to share their "Top 5 for the day." And, a writer-friend told me that her grandson reviews his "Roses and Thorns" at bedtime.

As soon as Marie mentioned "roses and thorns" I thought, "What a great children's book idea!" So, along with writing Aunt Kitten, this has been rolling around in my head.

I'm brainstorming the idea of incorporating Aunt Kitten into a child's examen guide. What made you purr today? What made you feel like hissing? What hurt like a nail-scratch? Stretching towards tomorrow, what are you excited or nervous about? Now, as you fall asleep, imagine you are a kitten curled up in God's loving and safe lap. "Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever. Amen."

Would you or your child be interested in a book and/or audio of an examen? If so, do you think the cat analogy would be helpful or not helpful? Hit reply to this email with any Examen thoughts, suggestions, or comments. Thanks for your honest feedback as I consider whether this is a project to pursue.

PICTURE BOOK NEWS

I'm Glad You're Here 'Cause There's Only One You with Aunt Kitten

I'm participating in a 7-week HopeCircle on writing and publishing children's picture books. Before seeking out an editor, our teacher recommends having ten people review the manuscript and offer honest feedback. Some of you have done that on a previous edition and I appreciate your help. If you are willing to review the current updated version, please hit reply to this email and I'll send you a link. Additional huge thanks if you read it to children and share their impressions.

PONDERING FRIEND TO FRIEND

​Memories Monday is my ongoing memoir project, writing about one year per week. I also create an audio version of each post on YouTube which contains additional photos from that year. My memories through age 21 can be found on Instagram and Pondering Friend to Friend.

ICE CREAM ENTHUSIASTS

We arrived in PA Memorial Day weekend. We made banana pudding ice cream for a family picnic and they gave it a thumbs up. We've not made much homemade ice cream since then because we've been enjoying soft serve ice cream at local snack stands. I'm obsessed with a vanilla sundae with peanut butter sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

The Pennsylvania Ice Cream Trail has issued a new challenge: visit 10 different creameries on the trail and be rewarded with a special ice cream scooper. The closest creamery on the list is over half an hour away so it isn't an easy goal. I'll keep you posted if we earn a scooper.

TRAVEL

Planning our road trip in August has begun! Our first main stop will be Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine. Then we head into Canada towards Prince Edward Island followed by Newfoundland. We aren't museum people but enjoy seeing sights from the outside and love to be out in nature. Gregg sums up our traveling focus with 4-C's: Creation, Culture, Cuisine, and Challenges (I prefer to leave the challenges to Gregg, like trying to communicate when we don't speak the language.) If you have any tips of places to go, cuisine to try, ice cream stops, or what to see in Eastern Canada, we'd love to hear your suggestions.

Stay cool, refreshed, and eat more ice cream,

Kristin Emily Friend

​www.KristinEmilyF​riend.com​