Fast: Giveup your pride. "A soul does not benefit from the sacrament of confession
if it is not humble. Pride keeps it in darkness. The soul neither knows how,
nor is it willing, to probe with precision the depths of its own misery. It
puts on a mask and avoids everything that might bring it recovery." St.
Faustina
Pray: Go
to confession.
Give: Take your children to confession.
Last night, I went to bed thinking about Charlotte's thoughtful post. I'm still thinking about those lines from Amy's blog and Ann's blog. And I'm thinking about my day of relative quiet yesterday, away from the chattering noise.
I've never been much of a chatterer. Too serious, perhaps. Or too shy. Or too introverted. Or perhaps it's just that I only have one ear and extra noise makes it very difficult for me to hear what's really important. I'm a deliberate, focused listener from way back.
I had two friendly conversations yesterday and I'm still giggling at God's plan for the day. In the first conversation, a little bird told me that another bird really thought it best that I not "tweet." We talked about all the reasons and I much agreed. Twitter is a fun way to give glimpses into one's day and to see little glimpses of another's day. It works for getting prayer requests out there and that's never a bad thing. It's a totally ridiculous way to actually have a conversation. I'll save my conversations for email and telephone calls. And thanks, little birds, for caring.
The other conversation was with a friend whom I've long admired as an excellent blogger. She is one of those rare souls who just plain makes life beautiful. Her blog was always worth my time--always offered something of value. But she, too, is a quiet soul and she needed some time to retreat and reflect. She's an artist and a poet and a thinker and when she prayerfully shares we all benefit. We talked at length about blogging and blessing and we came to the conclusion that blogs can indeed be spiritually beneficial. We also affirmed again that blog friends are real friends.
I think that some of what Charlotte values in blogs is sensitivity. Of course not every blog author is sensitive and not every blog exudes sensitivity, but I find myself drawn to the ones that do. Blogs are blank slates, templates upon which we can express ourselves. We can share the joy of life lived intentionally. We can share tough times, too, if we are honest. And both those things can be read by our friends with an abundance of grace. That's when blogs rise to their greatest mission. They offer encouragement for the journey towards heaven.
I'm grateful. I'm grateful for the tips on curriculum and great books. I'm grateful for the kick in the pants to get my house clean. I'm grateful for the deep philosophical ponderings of women wiser than me.I'm grateful for a hearty laugh now and then. I'm grateful because I know that when I feel burned out, tapped out, and stressed out, I can click around and predictably find a friend.I'm grateful for encouragement and inspiration I could have never even imagined when I began this journey--gosh, a generation ago.
Can a blog be a blessing? Oh, yes it can! I know those blessings well. I fell asleep last night counting those blessings by name. Imagine my delight when I awoke this morning to discover that the artist and poet and thinker I love so much has decided to blog anew. And imagine how right it all seemed when I learned that her new blog is named evoglia~the Greek word for blessing.
Go visit. Be blessed!
(Be sure not to miss this.)
Fast: Don’trob your family of yourself in order to impress others. That’s not impressive.
Pray: Give
your troubles to God who is infinitely powerful and can transform them.
Give: Be
Christ to your family today. Feed their minds. Fill their hearts.
Before you roll your eyes and wonder if I'm going to blog every single milestone of this baby's life: well, yes, actually, I am. I wondered if I'd ever hold her, wondered if we'd both live to talk about her birth,wondered if she'd be "OK." And then, she was here. She was very still and quiet. She didn't look at me. She didn't smile. She didn't coo.For what seemed like a very long time.Who was she? What was she thinking? Did she know how much I loved her?
My friends reported on their babies' smiles--babies born long after my sweet Sarah was.
Has it only been four months since that late October day? Seems like forever.
So, when she giggles, my world stands still. I know God is giggling with us.
And I just have to tell someone.
Thanks for listening.
I received several emails asking about Lenten cleaning. Danielle and I briefly toyed with the idea of adding it to our Lenten prompts but quickly recognized that our homes were so different, it wouldn't really work. I bumped into this list today at Charming the Birds from the Trees (an aptly named blog, by the way, since it's always so very charming). It's an ambitious list and, since Emma is an Orthodox Christian, her Easter is a week later than mine, so she's got a bit more time. She also started on Monday. Today is Thursday. I did indeed manage to do a few things this week before seeing her list (note my Small Successes), so I did a little cut and paste. I'm also going to have some time on Saturdays, so I did some more cut and paste. And, not all of my spaces to clean match up with hers, so I tweaked just a little more. It's still a very ambitious list but I figure I have a few children around here who can be pressed into service and, together, we might be able to keep pace with Emma.(Unless the chief mess-maker, pictured above, continues on her current path of destruction.)
What does spring cleaning look like for you? Take the list below or the original at Charming the Birds from the Trees and make it your own, then come back and leave a comment and a link and I can see all the things I missed putting on my list:-). It's not a perfect system, nor is it comprehensive, but I do think that if I stick with it, my house will be far cleaner Easter Sunday than it is now.
March 2nd: Desk
March 3rd: Dressers
March 4th: Family Closet
March 5th: Master Bedroom Closet
March 6th: Mudroom
March 7th: Clean Van
March 8th: Sunday
March 9th: Master Bedroom
March 10th: Nursery Bathroom
March 11th: Learning Room
March 12th: Learning Room
March 13th: Hallway and Steps
March 14th: Entrance and Closet
March 15th: Sunday
March 16th: Linen Closet
March 17th: Basement
March 18th: Library Closet
March 19th: Living Room
March 20th: Craft Cupboards
March 21st: Storage shelves
March 22nd: Sunday
March 23rd: Dining Room
March 24th: Baseboards
March 25th: Windows
March 26th: Master Bathroom Drawers and Cabinets
March 27th: Kitchen
March 28th: Family Room
March 29th: Sunday
March 30th: Pantry(both)
March 31st: Freezer
April 1st: Refrigerator
April 2nd: Drawers
April 3rd: Cabinets
April 4th: Paschal Baskets and Clean Garbage Cans
April 5th: Sunday
April 6th: Master Bathroom
April 7th: Children’s Artwork
April 8th: Garage
April 9th: Launder Spring Bedding
April 10th: Clean Car
April 11th: Plant Flowers for Hanging Baskets
April 12th: Easter
Easter clothes:already finished (Ooh, I'm good. Hah! Mike did all the hunting and gathering for me.)
I'm Elizabeth. I'm a happy wife and the mother of nine children. I grab grace with both hands and write to encourage myself and others to seize and nurture the joy of every day. I blog here with my daughter, Mary Beth, a wholehearted young lady on the brink of adulthood.
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