Spring has officially arrived. Although the weather isn't exactly cooperating to its fullest yet, the snow is gone and the thawing has begun.
I can see it out the window and I can feel it in my being.
Winter is HARD on me. Ask my hubby. I was busy enough this winter with many activities not only for myself but for a few of the kids that it went by relatively quickly and so my doldrums did not hit the low point that they have in the past.
But they were definitely there. My mood gets grey. My face has a hard time making my smile work. I spend less time praying well or going to the Adoration chapel. My thoughts are grey as well, which makes me more silent than I usually am.
This is hard on me and those that I love.
It was bad enough at that I actually hired our Caity girl to come and clean house for me. She worked hard for me getting the house in shape and livable a couple of times a month. She didn't mind doing it because she was not here to see how fast her work came undone. I was wallowing and couldn't stand doing it because it felt like no one cared if it got done or not, least of all me.
Throw Lent in there, 40 days in the desert, and life gets a little rough.
However, change is coming. I can feel it! I actually cleaned the windows today, inside and out. All the doggy nose prints are gone. The grime from the dusty road is gone and I can see the sunshine streaming in so invitingly.
I am making a mental list of things that need to be fixed and now that I'm thawing, I can actually see that these tasks are do-able and when the windows can finally be opened, it will be a joy to do them with a warm breeze blowing through house.
Twice already, I've been to the Adoration Chapel by 7 a.m. because it's not dark then anymore. I wrote in my prayer journal for the first time in a month. My prayer has become more focused and I can pray for other people more than I pray for myself because I can think about more than ME ME ME now.
We took the kids for frozen yogurt last night, and I wanted to go because, even though it was after 7 p.m. it was not dark.
God is faithful. Spring is here and Easter is right around the corner. Both awesome reasons to hope!!
Monday, March 30, 2015
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Ready?
Are you ready for Easter?
I'm not. It's not time to be ready because Easter is still 18 days away.
We're still in Lent, preparation time.
The lovely part is, the days are getting longer, and sunnier and warmer (in some places)!
That is great motivation for me to finish Lent strong.
How do we finish strong? If you're on the the right track, fasting, praying and almsgiving, then keep up the good work.
If you haven't started yet, there is still time.
You can still sign up for "The Best Lent Ever" at DynamicCatholic.com. There is a daily reading or video to watch. They are both pretty short but meaningful.
You can still open up your Bible and read the Gospel for Mass for each day that is left (USCCB)--what the heck--keep reading it after Lent is over too.
Find a good cause, and when you give up something you like for your fast, make a donation.
Not fasting? Give it a try. It changes your perspective on a lot of things.
Spend some time in quiet. Turn off your phone, computer, or tablet. Whatever distracts you from thinking about God, turn it off.
Find out when a nearby church is doing Stations of the Cross. This, too, will change your perspective on a lot of things; especially your suffering.
Eighteen days is a long time. Jump in with both feet and see what God can do in that time period. Your Easter season will be joyous and meaningful if you put in the effort to draw closer to God during Lent.
www.thatslife12.blogspot.com
I'm not. It's not time to be ready because Easter is still 18 days away.
We're still in Lent, preparation time.
The lovely part is, the days are getting longer, and sunnier and warmer (in some places)!
That is great motivation for me to finish Lent strong.
How do we finish strong? If you're on the the right track, fasting, praying and almsgiving, then keep up the good work.
If you haven't started yet, there is still time.
You can still sign up for "The Best Lent Ever" at DynamicCatholic.com. There is a daily reading or video to watch. They are both pretty short but meaningful.
You can still open up your Bible and read the Gospel for Mass for each day that is left (USCCB)--what the heck--keep reading it after Lent is over too.
Find a good cause, and when you give up something you like for your fast, make a donation.
Not fasting? Give it a try. It changes your perspective on a lot of things.
Spend some time in quiet. Turn off your phone, computer, or tablet. Whatever distracts you from thinking about God, turn it off.
Find out when a nearby church is doing Stations of the Cross. This, too, will change your perspective on a lot of things; especially your suffering.
Eighteen days is a long time. Jump in with both feet and see what God can do in that time period. Your Easter season will be joyous and meaningful if you put in the effort to draw closer to God during Lent.
www.thatslife12.blogspot.com
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
House of Bread
Did you know:
Bethlehem (where Jesus was born) means "house of bread"?
the manger that Jesus lay in as a newborn was a feed trough?
that Jesus is "the bread of Life"? (John 6:48)
that the Eucharist (Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus) is nourishment for our earthly pilgrimage?
that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life? (Lumen Gentium 11)
that Jesus waits for you in the Eucharist every day (not just on Sunday?)
there is a Eucharistic Host at Mass every single day, especially for YOU? (if you are a practicing Catholic in a state of grace.)
that Jesus said, "For my flesh is real food and my blood real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in Him"? (John 6:56)
that He really meant it?
that Jesus waits for you in an Adoration Chapel near you?
that you can go to Adoration any time day or night in most of these chapels?
that your journey on earth can be so much better with Food for the journey?
Any questions?
www.thatslife12.blogspot.com
Bethlehem (where Jesus was born) means "house of bread"?
the manger that Jesus lay in as a newborn was a feed trough?
that Jesus is "the bread of Life"? (John 6:48)
that the Eucharist (Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus) is nourishment for our earthly pilgrimage?
that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life? (Lumen Gentium 11)
that Jesus waits for you in the Eucharist every day (not just on Sunday?)
there is a Eucharistic Host at Mass every single day, especially for YOU? (if you are a practicing Catholic in a state of grace.)
that Jesus said, "For my flesh is real food and my blood real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in Him"? (John 6:56)
that He really meant it?
that Jesus waits for you in an Adoration Chapel near you?
that you can go to Adoration any time day or night in most of these chapels?
that your journey on earth can be so much better with Food for the journey?
Any questions?
www.thatslife12.blogspot.com
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Perfect Peace
Do you ever wonder if you're doing just what God wants you to be doing, and not just what you think would make you happy?
God has a way of making His will perfectly clear, even if we aren't listening well.
I've been praying and praying about putting the two high schoolers on the bus next Fall. It would save me almost 2 hours of commute time each day. It would free up my morning for chores and the middle of my afternoon to actually cook dinner.
It would also cost $1300. Sigh.
So, I prayed and I prayed and I messed with the budget and fiddled around with a couple of accounts and I made it work.
I had the checks and the bus form in an envelope to be dropped off at school this morning.
The only thing I didn't have was PEACE about the situation.
As I was brushing my teeth before my daily commute to the school, I suddenly got a very clear idea of what God wanted with the situation.
Our son will graduate next year. It would be the last year I would get to spend that much time with him on a regular basis. I would miss our morning prayer time. I would miss the quiet rides or noisy rides depending on what day it was and what time of day. I would miss the lessons I get to teach and the things I get to learn about our kids as they jabber with each other.
I would miss hearing our daughter talk about the cute boy in science or the new song by her favorite artist. I would miss what homework or test they were not looking forward to.
All of these things would be talked about on the bus, and would have been old news by the time they got home at 4 p.m. exhausted and "starving".
So, I finished brushing my teeth and went to get the envelope, which I proceeded to tear into tiny pieces.
And guess what I found? PEACE! And JOY at discovering God's perfect will. Sure, I'll still have interrupted mornings and afternoons. I've been doing this for such a long time, I probably wouldn't really know what to do with the extra time anyway. And, the money will be spent on that for which God intended in the first place.
It was what God wanted all along. I just wasn't listening.
www.thatslife12.blogspot.com
God has a way of making His will perfectly clear, even if we aren't listening well.
I've been praying and praying about putting the two high schoolers on the bus next Fall. It would save me almost 2 hours of commute time each day. It would free up my morning for chores and the middle of my afternoon to actually cook dinner.
It would also cost $1300. Sigh.
So, I prayed and I prayed and I messed with the budget and fiddled around with a couple of accounts and I made it work.
I had the checks and the bus form in an envelope to be dropped off at school this morning.
The only thing I didn't have was PEACE about the situation.
As I was brushing my teeth before my daily commute to the school, I suddenly got a very clear idea of what God wanted with the situation.
Our son will graduate next year. It would be the last year I would get to spend that much time with him on a regular basis. I would miss our morning prayer time. I would miss the quiet rides or noisy rides depending on what day it was and what time of day. I would miss the lessons I get to teach and the things I get to learn about our kids as they jabber with each other.
I would miss hearing our daughter talk about the cute boy in science or the new song by her favorite artist. I would miss what homework or test they were not looking forward to.
All of these things would be talked about on the bus, and would have been old news by the time they got home at 4 p.m. exhausted and "starving".
So, I finished brushing my teeth and went to get the envelope, which I proceeded to tear into tiny pieces.
And guess what I found? PEACE! And JOY at discovering God's perfect will. Sure, I'll still have interrupted mornings and afternoons. I've been doing this for such a long time, I probably wouldn't really know what to do with the extra time anyway. And, the money will be spent on that for which God intended in the first place.
It was what God wanted all along. I just wasn't listening.
www.thatslife12.blogspot.com
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