Thankful for My Blessings - April 28

Judy at Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings hosts this gratitude meme for counting our blessings. Be sure and visit her blog. Here are my contributions.
1. My birthday - I am grateful for all that my family and friends did for me on my birthday yesterday. They helped make it special and I felt loved.
2. I am thankful for my hubby - he does so much for me every day and I pray that I never take him for granted.
3. I am thankful for this beautiful weather we have been having and being able to drive to work with the top down on my VW bug!
4. I am thankful for the chance to attend Confirmation at our parish last night. How moving to see these young people receive this sacrament.
5. I am thankful for my books and my love of reading. Lately I am inspired by books on prayer.

Sabbath Moments

It is Monday. A busy day today. I decided last night that I would get up early today in order to have time to pray before the crazy day begins.
We have Confirmation at our parish tonight and my husband will be there so I will be there. It will be a long day for me. No problem - I feel blessed to be able to go to Confirmation. But I know there is a potential problem for fatigue and stress and that yearning for home I always get as the day winds down to 5:00 pm.
So I got up early and I prayed. And I have taken short little moments throughout the day to pray. It is now 2 pm and I feel centered and at peace. I had what you might call a Sabbath moment.
Wish I had thought up that term - Sabbath Moment - but I didn’t. I found it on Terry Hershey’s website. He has a weekly newsletter he sends out called Sabbath Moment. I have enjoyed a couple of his books so I was curious to find out what his newsletter is like. You might like it. He writes about living in the present moment and slowing down and learning to just BE with the Lord. I like to write about the same thing here in my blog and in my newsletter, Prayerful Morsels.
So I like the idea of taking Sabbath moments. Those moments when we stop what we are doing and just sit still and hang out with Jesus. Moments of rest and prayer and silence.
So why not try it? Take some Sabbath moments today.

Jesus Hears Me

I felt the touch of my Savior's hand this week when I went to the chapel yesterday. I sat down in the pew in front of the Blessed Sacrament, tired and stressed. I sat in silence. I said no prayer except the name Jesus. I read a little in one of my spirituality books, but other than that, I just sat. When my break was over, I went back to my office. Nothing BIG happened. There was no AHA moment. But there was less stress and a feeling that the tired voice in my heart was being heard.
Be sure to visit Blessings for the Day who is hosting the Touch of the Savior's Hand every Friday.

Thankful for all God gives Me

I am thankful for Thankful Thursdays. They remind me of all I need to be grateful for, some of which are in my list for this week:

1. Music – so uplifting. St Augustine says when we sing, we pray twice.
2. Art - We have a new picture in our church office. Joseph is working in his carpentry shop. Jesus is playing on the floor with a nail. Sun is shining through the window and Jesus' reflection is not that of a little boy. It is in the shape of a cross. It really hits you when you see it and you can’t help but pray. I do not know who painted it but it is beautiful.

3. Books – I am a book-a-holic from way back. I love to read. And spirituality books and prayer books are right up there at the top of my list.
4. Church family - members of our church are always there for each other, praying for each other in times of joy and times of sadness.

5. My husband, whose gifts of love and laughter have made all the difference in my life.

What are you thankful for today? Check out Truth 4 the Journey who is hosting Thankful Thursdays and see others' lists of gratitude.

Be Still

It is spring and it is Easter. It is a beautiful time of renewal, a time to feel free of the cloudy days of winter.

I am having the sense that I am losing some of what I gained during Lent. I don't want to do that. I had found the silence again and I don't want to lose it. So I wonder, am I afraid of the silence? Am I afraid of the stillness?

Terry Hershey wrote a book called Sacred Necessities and in it, he talks about our need to be still. He writes that "to sit still is to practice Sabbath."

I often feel that I have to be doing something or accomplishing something. What if I just hang out with God? What if I just BE with God? Is that the problem?

I think I will practice just Being. I will practice stillness. I will practice Sabbath.

image by

A New Look But Still Messy

The poll I conducted to help choose my new blog look was inconclusive - about 50/50. I decided to take some wise advice from one of the voters and stay with Blogger. I began a hunt to find a better looking blogger template as well as one that would allow me to have extra pages and a navigation bar etc.
After days of looking, I think I have finally decided on this one (downloaded from OurBLogTemplates). I live in Florida so the water and the palms seem perfect. They also seem perfect with the theme of this blog. My husband agreed with me (or else he was just getting tired of me showing him every new one I found).
Don't worry, I will be back to writing spirituality posts very soon, maybe even tomorrow. But still, I have to ask - what do you think? Did I make a good choice?

Christ is Here

Christ departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find him. For he departed, and behold, he is here. – St. Augustine

Oh, my. What a beautiful quote from St. Augustine. Christ departed from our sight but remains with us always. We are not alone. We are like Mary Magdalene who thought she lost Jesus only to find him in a new way.
Jesus departed from our sight but he did not leave us. How often are we surprised to find Jesus in ways we did not expect?

Excuse My Mess

Excuse my mess, please. I am in the middle of re-decorating my blog. Like I don't have enough to do, for heaven's sake.

I am not sure I like this template. I like its page setup but not too sure about its "decor." So I went over to another blog platform. And I found one there I think I like better.

Of course no one likes change, and that includes me, and so I am not sure I want to let go yet and learn a new system of blogging etc. And I do not want to lose my followers and friends that I have made here at Blogger. But I know I can leave behind some links so they follow me.
What to do, what to do...

So I decided to have a poll. It is over on the sidebar. Only taking votes til Saturday because I need to decide by then. Here is link to other blog. Thanks for your help!!

Thankful for Easter

Visit Truth 4 the Journey who hosts Thankful Thursdays.So here is my list of “thankful things.”
1. I am thankful for my faith and for the Easter season. Such joy!
2. I am thankful for my blogging friends and the community I have found online.
3. I am grateful for being blessed with an opportunity to share my story as an incest survivor and the chance to help others while I am being healed at the same time.
4. I am grateful for my family and the great time we had together on Easter!
5. I thank God for the gift of his Son.

Looking Back at Lent

Now that it is Easter Tuesday, it is a good time to look back at Lent and evaluate it a little bit. When Lent started, I was so uptight and felt way out of kilter. I yearned to be back in balance – Benedictine balance. So with Lent, how is my balance now?
1. Prayer – my prayer life has improved. I took time for silence almost everyday which I think is what I was missing the most before. I also set an alarm on my PDA for every couple of hours to remind me to stop and take a deep breath and pray the name of Jesus over and over. It is like my own personal monastery bell!! It helped me to put myself in the present moment and be more aware of Jesus’ presence with me and within me. One thing I did not do as planned was the online retreat - I started it but did not finish it.
2. Work – When I was at work, I worked, and when I left work, I did my best to let it go. I did my best to make my work a prayer. I am not sure I was very successful.
3. Study - I got back into reading the Rule of St. Benedict daily along with a commentary which was very prayerful and inspiring. I was reminded of the richness of the Rule and how it can be applied to my life now, centuries after it was written.
I am not sure how I would grade myself. I am not sure that matters. I found some balance. And I found my silence again, the silence that I had been craving. That personal time with the Lord that I needed and will always need. And for that, I give thanks.
How did you do?

Happy Easter

white easter lily
Originally uploaded by Grumpy Bears Photography/Polly---playing catch up

Holy Saturday

Jesus Tomb
Originally uploaded by austinevan

Waiting time.

Good Friday

One of the most emotional days of our trip to the Holy Land was the day we walked the Via Dolorosa - the Way of Sorrows, the way of the Cross. This is the route that has been used since the Middle Ages. It begins in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City and ends in the Christian Quarter. It is a winding narrow cobblestone street, difficult to walk on, often uphill or with steps to climb. It was crowded, noisy and lined with bazaars and vendors trying to get our attention. Some people said this took away from their experience of the walk but I thought of how Jesus was yelled and cursed at and jeered at and struck with sticks and stones as he carried his cross. It was not a pleasant walk in the park for him. Why should this be pleasant for us?

Holy Thursday

A year and a half ago, my husband and I were given the trip of a lifetime: a trip to the Holy Land. One of the high points of the trip – and there were many - was our visit to the Basilica of Agony which is supposed to mark the spot where Jesus prayed to God in the Garden of Gethsemane and asked that the cup be taken from him. I had been looking forward to this place because meditating on the Garden of Gethsemane has always been a powerful prayer for me.

The garden looked like I thought it would look. The olive trees with their gnarly trunks were what I expected. The roses in the garden were beautiful. I was disappointed we could not walk through the garden but not surprised.
When we went into the church, there was Mass going on. I suddenly realized that there we were at the Last Supper.

I just read John 15:9-17. Jesus calls us his friends. No greater love, he says, then to lay down one’s life for his friends. This week, this holiest of weeks, may we remember that we are Jesus’ friends and he laid down his life for us.

Just Wondering

Just wondering …
What makes the president of Notre Dame, a Catholic university, think that honoring a pro-abortion person, president or not, is a good idea … ever? We teach our children to respect life and then we honor a man who wants to destroy life.
Huh?

Jesus Brings Us Light

Jesus has brought so much light into my life. Using the word Triduum, here are some of the ways I have experienced the light of Christ.
T - the Triduum (that was easy)
R - Reconciliation - experiencing God's mercy is like shining a light in the dark corners of my life
I - seeing and experiencing how the impossible becomes possible with God
D - discovering that I am the beloved daughter of the Father
U - the universal church (catholic meaning universal)
U - the uplifted feeling I get when I go to Mass and to Adoration and to the Easter Vigil! (OK, I know I am stretching it with Uplifted, but can you think of another U?)
M - Jesus gave us His mother, Mary. How much He must love us!
May Jesus bring light into your life! Have a blessed Easter!
First published in Prayerful Morsels

Three Reasons I Love Holy Week

1. The Triduum
Need I say more? These 3 days - Holy Thursday, Good Friday & Holy Saturday - are the 3 most important days of the church year. Through liturgy, we experience the death and resurrection of Jesus. Inspiring, holy, moving. Words are not enough. They are the highlight of my year.
2. Holy Week is, well, holy.
This week is special. This week is important. It is not business as usual. Holy Week brings my prayer life, my relationship with God, front and center. My prayers are different. My priorities are different. It is Holy Week.
3. The end of Lent and the beginning of Easter.
Holy Week is the time I look back at Lent and I look at my life and check out my heart. Did I grow during Lent? Did I follow my initial plan for Lent? Did my prayer life change? Did my prayer life grow? Did I now remember to put God first in my life? Did I love my neighbor?
May you all have a blessed Holy Week.

Thankful for Lent

It is Thankful Thursday and I am thankful!

1. I am grateful for how well my witness talk went at Magnificat last week. What a blessing. I will never forget it. I am praying I will get another opportunity to help and inspire others with my story.
2. I am grateful for Lent. I really feel like I am getting my priorities back in order. My prayer life is better. I have spent a lot of time with the Rule of St Benedict and with readings about Benedictine spirituality. I have spent more time in silence. Another blessing.
3. I am grateful for my husband. He is so supportive and does so much for me everyday.
4. I am grateful for my sons. My youngest is getting married in August. They are such good young men and I am proud of them.
5. I am grateful for my faith. What do people do who don’t have God in their lives?

Check out Truth 4 the Journey's blog where Thankful Thursdays are being hosted and read some more reasons to be thankful!