Fast
Compare yourself only to the person you were yesterday, or even just this morning. Make forward progress.
Pray
The next time you go out in the car, keep the radio turned off. Listen.
Give
Clean your heart. Clean your house.
Fast
When you compare yourself to someone else and come up short, give thanks to God for the opportunity to grow.
Pray
Read a passage from Scripture and then sit, without saying or doing anything, for ten minutes.
Give
When you make dinner for your family tonight (or breakfast tomorrow), make it good enough for "company." Because they are. Just set the table nicely. Light a candle or two. Nothing fancy. All good.
I find myself:
::noticing God's glory
I slept in the girls' room last night because Mike is sick. I awoke before the alarm as the room filled with pink light. The sunrise was so stunning I woke Karoline, because she's a big fan of sunrises. It was well worth it.
::listening to
Kari humming to her cereal.
::clothing myself in
A tshirt and yoga pants. There's a morning class I'm very eager to take today.
::talking with my children about these books
some of our favorite books by and about the Pope:
Lolek, The Boy Who Became Pope. (my favorite)
And some books for Lent.
With the bigger kids, I plan to use Consoling the Heart of Jesus again this year. I cannot say enough good things about this book. It's life-changing. I read it last year, on an unexpected and unusual "retreat," and I shared these thoughts:
I spent Holy Week reading Consoling the Heart of Jesus. There are a small handful of books in my life where I remember exactly where and when I read them because those times and places are turning points. This book is one of those. It is easily at the top of that list. This incredibly readable volume makes some of the most beautiful truths and devotions of the Catholic faith understandable (at last) and accessible (even to busy mothers of large families). Fr. Gaitley brings together fine threads of several spiritual traditions and weaves them into a beautiful and exceedingly useful tapestry of a do-it-yourself retreat. It is Ignatian spirituality made accessible. It is the Little Way of St. Therese for all of us. It is consecration to Mary and devotion to Divine Mercy explained in plain language and made clear to little souls. Mostly, it is a rich volume of Merciful Words that brings Merciful Love to its readers. You don't have to have a weekend to make the retreat. You can just read a little each day until you are finished. If it's your heart's desire to get to know and understand Jesus better, tell Him.
I'm so looking forward to re-reading this book this year.
::thinking and thinking
About renewal and Lent.
::pondering prayerfully
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, People may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, They may be jealous; Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.
(This is an adaptation of the Paradoxical Commandments by Dr. Kent M. Keith, adapted by Blessed Mother Teresa)
.
::carefully cultivating rhythm
Woohoo! Yet another new rhythm this week. This one's a keeper. As I posed in a compromising position on my mat at the gym on Sunday afternoon, the instructor stood over me and offered, "I know you. We're friends on Facebook." Turns out she's a homeschooling mama of many and she teaches some morning classes and brings her kids. This could be just perfect.
::creating by hand
More prayer journal covers. And Easter dresses. I'm still in the trace-the-pattern-stage, but I hope to have something to show on Thursday
::learning lessons in
Listening well. I've found that often God has Lent planned for me; I just need to tune in. In the past week the little girls all had a stomach bug, three or four of us had colds, then the middle kids got the stomach thing, Stephen sprained his ankle, then Mike got the stomach thing... Lent began with disruptions of my plans, Valentine's Day was pitiful, and I had plenty of opportunity to think about what God might have in mind--while I folded mountains of laundry.
::encouraging learning
I'm feeling a bit of midyear pressure. I really, really want to finish the year's math for everyone. We might need to double-time math for the next few months.
::a little link for you to click ASAP
Please, please, please, check in here and see what the folks at Give Bracelets are up to. They need your help feeding orphans. And if you can't actually give right now, register for the huge GIVEAWAY and help spread the word. Usually the GIVE giveaways are enormously popular. This one is kind of fizzling and I'm concerned.
::begging prayers
for all the intentions of our prayer community.
::keeping house
I absolutely blitzed through the pantry last week and cleaned and organized. Now, I just want to stand there and look at it.
::crafting in the kitchen
I have begun Heather's workshop. The virtual classroom space is beautiful. Of course it is; everything Heather touches is beautiful. Mary Beth is taking the class with me and most of our "discussion component" is with my friend Katherine in Texas and her two girls. I've been adding grains and legumes back into my diet, very slowly. The jury is still out. I'd really like to have a more plant-based foundation. Paleo is counter-intuitive to me. But I'm very respectful of a plant's potential for inflammation and paleo has taught me that there absolutely are certain things I cannot eat. In the meantime, I'm really loving playing in my kitchen and at grocery stores again, so that's a very good thing.
Oh, and I discovered homemade almond milk. I will never miss dairy again. Ever. Ever.
::loving the moments
when friends share big news and you dream babies all night long.
::giving thanks
for daughters-in-love who try to rescue Valentine's Day with a care package of kombucha, gluten-free cookies, organic chocolate, and a bottle of gummy vitamins. She knows where to shop to fill my tank.
living the liturgy
We definitely didn't do all the right things on all the right days last week. There are mantel letters to replace, a crown of thorns yet to make, an Alleluia to hide, and more journal covers to make so we can record our gifts. God's got a plan for us this Lent. I'm letting Him lead.
::planning for the week ahead
Basketball playoffs this weekend and dance doings, too. I just want everyone healthy.
What started as a traveling surfer's promise to a child in an orphanage in Bali Indonesia became an international movement.
Please don't forget about us!
It was the plea of an older child as the surfer was leaving for the airport after an extended stay.
"Don't worry; I won't," came the answer, steady and sure.
And he didn't. And he hasn't.
Please allow me to take a moment to re-acquaint you with the good folks at GIVE Bracelets, or to introduce you for the first time. I love this company, their beautiful bracelets, and their wide-open bigger-than-big hearts. Over time, I've gotten to know a little about the people behind the business.
Christy Halsell shared how it all got started:
"When I went to Bali on my honeymoon in 2003, I had no idea it would gradually become such a pull in our lives.
"Okay, that’s a lie. I had a sneaking suspicion. Probably because my husband, Charlie, is a surfer and pulling him away from the waves in Bali is like pulling a child away from Disneyland. Or pulling me away from chocolate, to give a very realistic analogy.
"Though I knew Bali was close to Charlie’s heart, I was surprised to find his vision for this small island so intense."
Christy had married a man who had made a promise on his first visit to Bali. And it was a promise he meant to keep. If you ask Charlie, it is Christy who has made it possible for him to keep the promise in ways neither of them could have imagined when they began their life together.
“She is my constant,” Charlie shares, “I’ve always been a dreamer with only half-follow ups at best. Christy doesn’t forget the goals we set together. On her first trip to Bali – our honeymoon – I told her about my idea of starting a business to provide for the basic needs of the children, and she said ‘Let’s go for it!’ That’s when things started taking off.”
Christy picks up the story, "In fact, we ended up back in Bali a few short years later. We spent nine months learning how to live and do business in this other culture with our two small boys. As we worked, we hoped to begin fulfilling our goals of helping others in need."
Styles vary widely, as do price points. It's been nice to shop where there is something for everyone.
" During that nine months, we went weekly to an orphanage Charlie had visited years before on missions trips. Our vision for this orphanage began to take shape and today, through a few different importing/exporting business ventures, and with the involvement of Charlie’s family, we are blessed to be running a company named Give Bracelets."
Give Bracelets is a sustainable movement to provide food for children in orphanages throughout Indonesia. The vision is simple: every bracelet purchased directly benefits kids in need. So no matter what type of bracelet you choose:friendship bracelets, charm bracelet, leather bracelet, beaded bracelet, cuff bracelets or any of the other great bracelets, you’re really choosing to make a difference.
The Foss family has now purchased a little bit of everything: friendship bracelets, charm bracelets, leather bracelets, beaded bracelets, cuff bracelets and silver bracelets. And we've been very, very pleased. ( The pictures here don't begin to do justice to the silver bracelets. If you have someone special in mind--a special someone gift to buy--do consider these. I was blown away when I opened the package to check ours out and they were very well-received. I know the recipients of these bracelets care that there's more to the story: With every bracelet you purchase, Give Jewelry provides one week of nutritious food (that's 21 meals!) for a child in need. I'm not the only happy bracelet- buyer.
But all is not roses and happy packages in the bracelet business. There are downtimes. After the flurry of gift giving in December and February, people aren't as likely to purchase bracelets. But children are still hungry. Here's where this innovative new idea comes in.
There are gift-giving moments in your near future. Bracelets tuck nicely into Easter baskets. They are lovely (and much appreciated teacher's gifts). Graduates dig them. Mothers appreciate them. And it's also not a bad idea to keep a gift or two (all nicley wrapped and rpesentable already) for those moments when you want to give impulsively. Why not start buying one at a time and taking the burden off the big buying spree at the end of the year?
Join the bracelet of the month club:
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{{GIVEAWAY}}
Thanks for sticking with me so far. :-) The folks at Give Bracelets will give one Bracelet of the Month membership to a reader of In the Heart of my Home. To be entered,
Go to the site, pick your favorite bracelet, leave a comment with your favorite bracelet, link and a short description (using descriptive words like cuff bracelet, friendship bracelet, etc.)
To up your chances, you're invited to leave bonus comments:
Leave a comment for each “subscribe,” “follow,” or “like” or blog post you do!
Please help us spread the word about this wonderful organization!
Everything above will GREATLY help the children at the orphanages GIVE supports by helping to get the word out about this easy, affordable way to Give.
The winner will be posted in this post next Saturday. The winner of last week's giveaway is posted here.
The winner is Heidi.
Oooh...so hard to choose a favorite! But I quite like the tan cuff bracelet with mother of pearl and abalone center,
http://givebracelets.com/cuff-bracelets-p-489.html
I love this idea of Bracelet of the Month--so perfect for unique birthday (and other types) of gifts for a wide variety of ages, throughout the year. Thanks for doing this!
Fast
Stop looking around you for ways to affirm your self-worth. Look up.
Pray
Don't jst tell God you love him. Show him.
Give
Treat your children's feelings with the same care and sensitivity with which you expect others to treat yours.
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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