For today’s 7 Quick Takes Friday post, I would like to introduce you to one of our regular contributors, Charla. Ink Slinger Charla has graced our blog with beautiful posts and been a wonderful supporter of this blogging adventure. She’s a wife, mom, and teacher and she’s a life-long Catholic. I hope you enjoy getting to know Charla a little more!

–1–

What is your favorite animal and why?

I absolutely love wolves. I think they are beautiful and mysterious, and the family/pack aspect of their lives is intriguing. Cooperative existence and the raising of all their young together is something we humans could learn from. Wolves are majestic and awe-inspiring to me. I had a husky for 15 years and she was the closest I got to having a wolf of my own.

–2–

Who is your favorite saint and why?

St. Teresa of Avila is a beautiful writer. She is extremely poetic, and her mysticism is an example of the trust she had in our Lord. There is a “magic” about our faith that she embraced– the incomprehensible, the beauty, and the mystery of Catholicism.

–3–

Who are your favorite authors and why?

I am a fan of anything Latin American, so I love Isabel Allende and Gabriel García Márquez. They write in the Magical Realism genre which embraces the mystery and the ordinary in our lives. I obviously think in an abstract and figurative manner, so quite like St. Teresa of Avila, I embrace and accept what is surreal and indescribable.

–4–

What is your favorite prayer?

Psalm 139. While at Confession one time years ago, Fr. Ron Gonzales, a wonderful young Jesuit, reached around the screen and handed me a copy of this psalm.  This brought Psalm 139 to my attention. Not only is it a beautiful pro-life psalm, it solidifies my relationship with God and holds me responsible to Him.

–5–

Did you play a sport in high school?

Ha! Well, I was a cheerleader in high school, which is pretty athletic, I guess. In retrospect, I learned a lot about myself and my values through that activity. God continues to work in me, since essentially, I am STILL in high school as a teacher.

–6–

How many kids do you have?

I have three children: two teenaged young men, 16 and 13, and one little lady, aged 6. God gave me exactly what I needed. I am enjoying my sons so much as teenagers. (I have been practicing on other people’s teenagers for the past 15 years.) The profound growth that my kids are experiencing is a joy to observe. I feel blessed everyday.

–7–

How did you meet your husband?

Well, I first saw him in college. He was leaning against his car, wearing sunglasses with what I thought was an air of arrogance. I thought to myself, “I need to meet that guy!” It turns out, we had several mutual friends from different circles. When I finally did meet him, I never wanted to be without him. I wrote about him in my first Catholic Sistas article “Cinderella Story?”

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Charla more. To see more Quick Takes posts, go visit Jen Fulwiler at Conversion Diary. Thanks, Jen, for being a great hostess!!