Come Read With Us!

Madeleine is a speed-reader.  I think she gets it from her Grandma!

Last night, Madeleine and I held the first meeting of our Mother-Daughter Book Club.  I've been wanting to start one for awhile now and a month or so ago, I finally got it organized and off the ground.  We have four mother-daughter pairs and we are reading the autobiography of St. Therese of Liseux, The Story of a Soul.  St. Therese is a doctor of the church and her "little way" is a great path to holiness for anyone--Catholic or non-Catholic.  

We all had a fun time last night.  I love seeing Madeleine with her friends and I really enjoyed getting to know the moms better.  The best part so far though is the one-on-one time I've spent discussing the book and the questions with Madeleine.  Her insights and responses surprised and impressed me.

I thought I would share our discussion questions with you in case you want to read along with us.  You can start your own Mother-Daughter Book Club, discuss the book with a friend or spouse or use the questions as topics for journaling.  St. Therese's story will change your life and your relationship with God.  Enjoy!

(Madeleine and I bought two copies of the TAN edition of the book on Amazon.  It is edited by Mother Agnes of Jesus.)

Discussion Questions for Chapters 1-4:

Chapter One:  Therese tells her sister Pauline, "So it was your example which drew me to the Spouse of virgins when I was only two"  (p.9)  We all follow the example of others.  Who do you look to as a role model in your life?

Chapter Two:  Therese writes, "earth seemed to me a place of exile, and I dreamed of heaven".  In the Hail Holy Queen prayer at the end of the rosary, we say that earth is a "valley of tears".  In what ways do you feel like an exile on earth--or do you?  What do you imagine heaven will be like?

Chapter Three:  In this chapter, Therese describes a sickness she had to undergo.  Can you think of a time you have suffered because of illness or separation from a loved one?  How did you make it through that difficult time?  Did your faith increase or decrease as a result?

Chapter Four:  At the beginning of this chapter, Therese tells us that she was confident that she would be a great saint.  God has big plans for all of us.  In what way has God used you to bring Him glory in your life so far?  Do you feel called to a particular ministry or to work on a particular virtue?

Also in this chapter, Therese talks about her extensive preparation to receive her First Communion.  How do you prepare to receive Jesus in the eucharist?  For the daughters--how are you preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation?  Do you have any ideas about things you could do to be better prepared?

At our meeting, we started with the Memorare and then listened to the song Be Still by David Kaufman.  We will take turns bringing songs that inspire us and at the end of the year, I plan to compile them into a soundtrack of the MDBC.  The girls really liked this idea.

Next, we divided into two groups--daughters in one room and mothers in another--to discuss which part of the first four chapters really struck us.  After about fifteen minutes, we came back together and shared what we'd talked about.  After that, we went through the discussion questions and shared some of the things we'd discussed at home before the meeting.

I plan to start each meeting with some kind of ice breaker.  Last night, I asked each person to tell two things the group might want to know about her mother/daughter.  That turned out to be pretty funny.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous about how this would go.  I didn't know any of the moms well beforehand and I wasn't sure how the book would go over.  I think we got off to a great start though.  Madeleine's friends left telling me how much fun they'd had* and Madeleine gave me a huge hug and a thank you.  

We meet again in June.  Order your book, start reading and I'll post more questions then!

*I think one key to the fun for the teens was the snack table I set up.  There was nothing left!