Lord, Hear Our Prayer

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 week, 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.} 

Gospel

Luke 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." 
The Lord replied,
"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

"Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
'Come here immediately and take your place at table'? 
Would he not rather say to him,
'Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished'? 
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? 
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded,
say, 'We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

Think

"The prayer of the sick person is his patience and his acceptance of his sickness for the love of Jesus Christ. Make sickness itself a prayer, for there is none more powerful, save martyrdom! ~St. Francis de Sales

Pray

Lord, even when my body is healthy, my soul is weak and flowed. Help me to accept my limitations, both physical and spiritual. Remind me that, when I offer them to you, my frustrations can become a source of grace and the beginning of good health.

Act

Make a small change to day to take better care of yourself. Without worrying about "seeing result," eat your vegetables., drink water, and make time for exercise. Focus on these small steps

(from the October 6 entry in Small Steps for Catholic Moms)

needle & thREAD

Happy morning!

I think I might be addicted to the smell of steaming cotton. A part of me worries that it's actually finishes and dyes I'm inhaling and I do consider from time to time that perhaps I should only sew with organic cotton. Mostly, I push those thoughts aside. There is something about the smell of steaming cotton and the feel of flannel between my fingers that is soothing and comforting and inspiring all at once. It's Stitch Therapy and for me, it's very effective.

I spent all last week, most of this week, and much of the week before last with my heart in my throat. Every time I came up for air it seemed, someone I loved was in crisis. They were not small crises and not a one of them was within my control. I couldn't fix a thing. Instead, my role was to absorb. Fear, grief, panic, loneliness, more fear--I listened and I absorbed. Perhaps that's not my role. Perhaps I'm supposed to listen and deflect. I don't know. I just know that right now, I'm wired to absorb. And a person can only absorb so much before she is uncomfortably bloated with the pain of other people. 

Enter cotton. I can't explain it, but the creative process brings me back to a place of peace. Maybe it's the control. I can subdue the fabric. I can cut and stitch and press it into something beautiful. Or maybe it's just the peaceful relaxation that comes with inhaling the steam of fabric dyes and finishes:-). Whatever it is, keep me pointed in the direction of my sunny sewing studio, please.

I have nearly finished this top for Karoline. It could easily have been ready to wear last weekend but I deliberately didn't hem the sleeves or add the elastic to gather the shoulders. I want it to be her birthday shirt and her birthday isn't until tomorrow. If I'd finished it early, she'd have worn it early. See? There's an upside to procrastination!

I've got two books going, each very different from the other. I'm reading Living into Community in the quiet of the mornings. It's a meaty, thought-provoking book that cannot be absorbed whilst surrounded by the cacophony of life in this home:-). A quiet book that challenges me to push beyond my reluctance to enter into groups. Any groups. I'm wary of groups and yet I'm starved for community. This is a conundrum I must resolve. The author, Christine Pohl, suggests that healthy communities are sustained by four things: gratitude, promise-keeping, truthfulness, and hospitality. I'm not far into the book, but I find myself looking again and again at that list and checking it against the relatinships in my life--the ones that remain strong and enduring and the ones that have failed. Yes, those four pillars are there in the strong ones and at least one of them is consipicuously absent in the ones that have failed. Something to think upon.

The other book is a cookbook. I bought The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen years ago and then I sent it off to a friend whom I thought would get more use out of it than I would. Tonia mentioned she was reading it the other day and was kind enough to look through her copy and see if it were worth my buying again or if there were just too many wheat recipes to make it worth my while. She encouraged me to get it and I'm glad she did. Mediterranean cuisine--particularly authentic Italian food--is my touchstone. When I call to mind "home" in the sense of my family and certainly in the sense of comfort food, it tastes of tomato and basil and garlic.The essence of family has always been time in the kitchen and lots of time at the table. My cousin Ellie compellingly captures it here. This cookbook is a nice guide to embracing the best of the Mediterranean diet--the vegetables and the legumes. It's so good that I don't think anyone would miss the meat and I can easily work around the gluten. Oh, and cheese. See? I've already forgotten cheese;-). It's that good.

I welcome you to needle and thREAD. What have you been sewing lately? Or are you embroidering? Pulling a needle with thread through lovely fabric to make life more beautiful somehow? Would you share with us just a single photo and a brief description of what you're up to? Would you talk sewing and books with us? I'd love that so much. Tell me about it in the contents or leave a link to your blog. I'll be happy to come by and visit!

You can get your own needle & thREAD button here in your choice of several happy colors.

Happy Birthday, Patrick!

This is the first time I've been away from one of my children on a birthday. Michael went to college nearby and it was fairly simple to meet up to celebrate. It's a strange feeling not to see Paddy today. The day comes 'round and I can't help but remember. I have a much better memory of the day he was born than Patrick does, actually. And I probably remember his first and second birthday better, too. Oh, the second birthday! I was nine months pregnant with Mary Beth and Paddy had emergency microscopic surgery because he sliced through his hand on the computer (long story). 

He's the boy with the Guardian Angel Birthday. Sledgehammers falling on his head just glance off and leave the smallest of scars.

Even the birthday he spent away from us--his 16th, living in Florida with the U-17 National Team--we got there. It was crazy good to see him, but he was so homesick, so sad. This year, we sent cookies to Charlottesville with his dad last night and we'll see him play on Friday. He's not nearly so homesick and he sounds pretty happy. Still, here I am with my memories, missing my boy. Facebook keeps prompting us to send him coffee. 'Twould go nicely with his cookies, but I think the resident cookie-baker has already done that today. 

No, I think there's really nothing more to send than prayers heavenward--for God's protection and for His blessing. And prayers of thanksgiving for the gift that is Patrick.

Eleven Things We Love About Our Katie

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Yesterday was Katie's birthday. She turned 11. Katie told me that her fondest wish for the day was a day of shopping with me. I'm not a giant fan of shopping, but I was so touched that she wanted me for her birthday, I would have flown to the moon to go shopping if necessary. 

The day began with breakfast in bed (always does on birthdays in our house) and then we went shopping and to lunch at Whole Foods. Her grandparents had made gifts of birthday money and she happily gathered outfits that were thrifty and cute. It was a sweet, slow day that she savored for all its worth. When we arrived home, she made cupcakes to bring to her dance class. We had fish tacos for dinner. It was a Monday Night Football meal night and a pick-your-favorite-dinner-for-your-birthday night. Katie capably came up with a great menu that honored both occasions.

Sweet day. Sweet girl.

Eleven things I love about Katie:

1. Katie is cheerful. She genuinely greets the day expecting the best of it. Sometimes she's disappointed, but she's a mostly joyful soul.
2. Naturally flexible and quite graceful, Katie works really hard to be a good dancer. It's phenomenal how much she's learned this year. I love to watch Katie dance.
3. Katie is the most patient big sister a little girl could be blessed to have. She would happily spend the entire day in the sunroom with her little sisters playing. She loves those little girls fiercely and she is so glad to have them in her life. They know it.
4. In my sewing room, Katie is my kindred spirit, my best cheerleader, and often the creative spark. The girl is a very gifted little designer and is well on her way to becoming an impressive seamstress. I love the time we spend together with fabric and thread.
5. The little girls would like me to add here that she is very good example for them. I'd have to agree.
6. She's one tough cookie. Those two boys just above her in the birth order? They spare nothing in helping her to toughen up. She holds her own quite nicely.
7. Completely undaunted by gluten-free restrictions, the girl can bake. Stephen--chief brother in charge of making Katie tough--even conceded this point:
8. She loves Jesus. Loves, loves, loves Him. Her name is Kirsten Therese and she's got the Little Flower's childlike faith down pat.
9. Katie is courageous. She's always willing to try new things. 
10. She's my garden girl, both in the growing and the eating. She loves nothing more than to skip outside and gather the goods and bring in a basketfull and then, she's an intrepid eater of all. This girl thinks my vegan ways are rockin'. It's nice to have some encouraging support in the kitchen and at the table.(Note she did not, however, choose a vegan birthday breakfast.)
11. When I saw the light hit her face yesterday morning when we all brought her breakfast and sang a lusty "Happy Birthday," I thought she might just be the most beautiful sight in all the world.

Gathering My Thoughts

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I find myself:

::noticing God's glory

Nick and I went early to training Monday night to try to capture with the big camera the spectacular sunset we’ve seen at the soccer field nearly every night for the past couple weeks. Alas, not so spectacular; maybe tomorrow. (This means you get iPhone shots from the weekend for today's post. Note the very sweet, nearly perfect coffee shop in Old Town Leesburg. You can bet I'll be back there!)

::listening to 

quiet. I’m in the car while Nicky trains. I’m tempted to listen to music, but right now the quiet thumping of soccer balls off in the playing fields suits me fine.

::clothing myself in 

Yoga pants, t-shirt, Nike jacket and shoes. I’m still hopeful I’ll work out today;-)

::talking with my children about these books

We’ve moved on to the letter C. I doubt I’ll get to too many Storybook posts this week because I need to write birthday posts (my kids are big fans of birthday posts). Here’s the C book lineup. I’ll share some specifics on some of them next week. (we’re taking two weeks for every Alphabet Path letter this year).

::thinking and thinking

Wow. My brain is abuzz. I was talking with a friend the other day. She also has a large family and her first few children are young adults. We were talking about how it doesn’t always turn out how you thought it would. Actually, I think she said something like, “All those Christian parenting books are read in the 90’s? They lied.” Lots of people successfully resolve midlife crises at such a point in their lives by accepting that we didn’t know all we thought we did and trusting that God’s grace will fill in the gaps. I think my friend and I trust that there is sufficient grace, but we’re probably digging deeper than most moms to try to tweak the parenting philosophy. After all, we still have lots of children home to raise.

::pondering prayerfully

"We greatly influence others with our thoughts. We can be very good or very evil, depending the kind of thoughts and desires we breed. If our thoughts are kind, peaceful, and quiet, turned only toward good, then we also influence ourselves and radiate peace all around us. However, when we breed negative thought, that is a great evil. When there is evil in us, we radiate it among our family members and wherever we go. So you see, we can be very good or very evil. If that’s the way it is, it is certainly better to choose good!” ~Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica.

::carefully cultivating rhythm

Sunday was Michael’s birthday. Monday was Katie’s. Wednesday is Patrick’s and Friday is Karoline’s. The rhythm is likely to break cadence a bit.

I’m finding that the biggest detriment to the discipline required for rhythm is social media. As the political climate is ever more heated and ever more charged and as there is increasing debate about the Church, I’m finding that social media is a vortex. The problem—for me—is not time spent posting. It’s reading something and then trying to walk away from it and having it live in my brain for hours (or days). Where is the fine line between being educated and engaged and distracted and disturbed? I've been trying to step away from social media entirely on the weekends. On Sunday, I logged into Facebook briefly to wish Michael a happy birthday. I ended up clicking on just one link to just one article. But that one article so bothered me that I stewed on it all day. It still bothers me. Far better, I think to be a little less informed and a lot more peaceful?

::creating by hand

I’m still awaiting Katie’s fabric:-(. I did make Karoline a top last weekend and I’m hoping to get one made for Sarah today. Then, maybe I can finish one for Katie before the weekend. Maybe. Maybe.

::learning lessons in

Paths to college. Michael accumulated a huge number of dual enrollment credits before going to college, pretty much on a typical schedule. He graduated college early because of those credits. Christian began community college after homeschool high school and then transferred to a four year college, two years later. Patrick took some dual enrollment credits and then began college a semester early, in the winter of 2013. Each scenario has had its pros and cons. As Mary Beth explores her options, there is no clear-cut path, only much to ponder.

::encouraging learning 

I don’t want to let “B” week get away entirely without telling you how much I love the Jan Brett Website. We studied her wonderful books last week and took many rabbit trails down the site, especially enjoying the drawing lessons in her videos.

I think Mossy is my favorite of the Jan Brett books, but it's really hard to choose just one. It truly needs its own Storybook Year post.

• On Noah's Ark
• Gingerbread Baby
• Gingerbread Friends
• The Hat
• The Mitten

• Hedgie's Surprise
• The Umbrella
• Daisy Comes Home
• Three Snow Bears
• Honey Honey Lion
• Town Mouse, Country Mouse
• Annie and the Wild Animals
• Fritz and the Beautiful Horses
  Jan Brett's website is full of information and art and activities. 

::begging prayers

for the lonely, depressed, and discouraged.

for all the intentions of our prayer community.

And for that sweet little intention very close to my heartJ  

::keeping house

I need to craft a written housekeeping schedule once again. It’s been way too long. My obstacle? I don’t want to sit in front of the computer long enough to get it done. Same with a good recipe/meal plan. I know that doing these digitally is the most efficient; I just can’t bring myself to sit still in front of the keyboard long enough to get it done.

::crafting in the kitchen 

I thought we were shifting into autumn menus. It’s going to be 85 most of the week. Maybe not so fast..

::loving the moments

when they run all happy crazy to welcome home their big brother.

::giving thanks 

for a teenaged girl who would drive four hours roundtrip on Friday and then four hours round trip on Sunday so that her brother could come home for the weekend.

living the liturgy

Today is the Feast of St. Therese. There will be roses.

::planning for the week ahead

Lots of birthday and name day celebrating this week. And…some of us will go to Charlottesville on Thursday or maybe Friday. Paddy plays Friday night. Then to Harrisonburg for Family Weekend on Saturday. Then Mike and I have our 30^th high school reunion back in Northern Virginia Saturday night. Soccer and soccer on Sunday.