Please pray for Barbara Curtis--a neighbor, a blogger, a friend--who has suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. Her condition is very grave. Pray for her family and for her doctors. Pray, pray, pray.
I promise to post details as I am able.
I find myself:
::noticing God's glory
I admit that storms fascinate me. I really do love weather. This storm is awesome in the truest meaning of the word. Right now, it's just a rainy morning. We shall see what the day brings...
::listening to
The Weather Channel. I'm resisting the urge to switch to Fox News. Election news, Benghazi news, and political advertising has seeped deep into me. It's makes me cranky and sad. I'm going to try a news fast. That "First Time" ad was my undoing. I'm so sad for my kids. We have become a culture where political ads are totally inappropriate for school-aged children.
::clothing myself in
Jeans and a hooded sweatshirt.
::talking with my children about these books
::thinking and thinking
about how different life looks at this stage than the way I envisioned it.
::pondering prayerfully
::carefully cultivating rhythm
I watch footage of the surf in Virginia Beach right now and I can't help but feel like that's how I have felt for several months. Up and over and crash and then recede. There has been so little rhythm. I have almost no control over the rhythms of the lives of my big kids, but they live here, and so I am at the mercy of what to me seems like a chaotic way of life with them. On the other hand, my little ones desperately need rhythm and I'm nearly exhausted trying to protect it for them.
But that's the kids. I need rhythm. And I need silence. When I have neither, I truly feel it physically, emotionally, and spiritually. There is a fine line between being available to my children and meeting their needs and setting myself up for devastating burnout. The careful cultivation of healthy rhythm has to be a priority. I'm revisiting this post over and over and over again, with the hope that I can truly live it and truly heal.
::creating by hand
I've been knitting away on my California shawl. It's slow going, but I'm taking the bag everywhere I go and trying to knit a few rows many times a day. Knitting has a rhythm of its own and if I can settle myself into it throughout the day, I find it helps me to be peaceful.
The drapery fabric has arrived and hopefully, if Sandy allows, my friend Cari will come at the end of the week and we can start sewing. The fabric is just beautiful and I'm so excited by the prospect of draping it around my windows.
::learning lessons in
children.
::encouraging learning
School is canceled today for public school students and my college students, as well. We will build a fire and listen to the wind and proceed with our lessons.
::begging prayers
for my peace of heart and others' gentle forgiveness as I try to catch up on things let go during the firestorm of the last couple weeks. I let more than a couple people down and I'm going to need a huge infusion of grace to regain equilibrium.
::keeping house
I'm trying a new (to me) app. It's very much like FlyLady, but it's on my phone. It's been a long while since I gave Fly Lady a sincere effort. Perhaps she has an app, too. This app lays out the chores and there is a way to tailor it, but for now, I'm just doing the next thing. There doesn't seem to be a way to make kids' chores assignments, so I'm just going to delegate as I go for now. Speaking of kids' chores, I've noticed that most of my children's friends don't have chores. When my kids discover this, there are lots of quesitons. I've got answers. I think chores are super important. (Oh, look, I didn't know it but here's something I wrote ages ago. I just googled my name and chores. Maybe I'll take this piece and blog it. Or maybe I'll just sit here with my tea and try to be amused at my confident 28-year-old self.)
::crafting in the kitchen
We are so stocked up for this storm! Nick had a soccer game in Maryland yesterday. I felt the temperature drop significantly and the winds pick up during the game. The children could sense it, too. We made a quick stop at Trader Joe's on the way home. The plan was to get lunch. But we all seemed to feel this need to stockpile baking supplies. I had already done my storm shopping, so this was just icing on the cake. Or more cake, as the case might be. I had already made it clear that much of this food was not to be touched before the storm. Needless to say, there was great delight last night when it began to rain just before bedtime. Daddy complied with pleas for a fire and s'mores. Let the hurricane party begin!
::loving the moments
when I awaken early enough to enjoy the sounds of wind and rain before the house fills with the noise of children trapped inside.
::giving thanks
for a big, strong house; buried power lines, good books, lovely fabric, and plenty of yarn.
living the liturgy
Have you heard about the Advent Workshop? Do come hang out with us!
Incidentally, I love All Sants Day. This is one I want to live fully every year. One of my dearest internet memories is a friendship begun with a blog post on All Saints Day.
And...I'm doing a happy dance. Our mission has relocated daily Mass (again, I know). This time, it's five minutes away with no chance of traffic. Happy, happy, happy! This my friends, is truly living liturgy!
::picture thoughts
come from my iPhone. Mary Beth took some beautiful pictures with the "real" camera. I don't want to risk waking children to find said camera and cord. These are my calm before the storm pictures.
::planning for the week ahead
Sarah will turn four on Wednesday. Seems like little else is important enough to note.
~~~~~~~~~~
My children surprised me with this video a few years ago. They decided to offer our All Saints litany to our family's special saints. This one's a keeper--those dear voices do me in every time. (Apparently, even Karoline's favorite doll has a patron saint.)
Blessed Feast to you all!
Four years ago, I spent most of the election season on bedrest. I read way too many political blogs and watched way too many talking heads. It was an election about which I felt deeply. And, so, I wrote about it. I'm pretty sure I offended some people. This time around, I've not blogged politics at all. I've watched with certain sense of proud bemusement as Patrick, in particular, has become a politico. I remember fondly an internship on Capitol Hill at his age. But (with exception of Twitter parties during debates--can't help myself) I've not gone there this time. There is so much other chaos in my life just now that I'd prefer to opt out of election drama online.
Last weekend, my pastor offered a powerful homily and he gave me pause. He unequivocably said we have to speak up. All week, I've prayed about how to do that.
Let's just pray. From now until election day, let's just pray.
|
Archbishop Chaput on the election.
And here's a small smile. Patrick and Mary Beth have been in charge of civics lessons for the preschool set;-)
The internet is a formidable force for bringing the comfort and consolation and hope of the Lord to all of us. It can be an incredibily powerful medium for community. There is an unfathomable resource for prayer here. We have on the 'net the privilege of praying for people and of being witness to the miracles brought forth when fervent, faith-filled people pray for one another.
Let's be that community of hope and faith for one another.
How about this idea? What if I pop in here every weekend, share Sunday's gospel and talk a wee bit about how we can live it and pray it in our homes? And then you tell me how we can pray for you that week? Deal?
{And please, do return and let us know how prayer is bearing fruit.}
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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