Moments Of Grace

Joining with Jenny over at Plain Grace for today's journal!

Moments of Gratitude:

* Sunshine and finally some warmer weather.  It isn't supposed to last long, but we'll take it!
* Finally getting to re-pot some indoor plants
* Ticket sales finally picking up
* Having our driving schedule work out without much fuss
* Although it is now over, having the older three girls home a bit more last week for their Spring break
* Ms 22 yo making breakfast for us on Sunday

Praying For:

* Our upcoming performance.  Whenever we do a performance such as this, the devil is always out to cause trouble.  There has been a lot of it lately.  If you wouldn't mind joining me in saying a prayer that some necessary items that are lost be found in time.  Thanks! 
* Discernment on a few things

Listening to:

Mr 8 yo trying to find someone to dry the dishes for him.  His dish drying partner isn't home right now, so his pleading for help from his other siblings is falling on deaf ears.  Oh wait, I now hear help coming in the form of his oldest sister!

Pondering:

What I saw yesterday that made me sad.  I was in the narthex of a very large Catholic church near us during one of their Saturday evening Masses while we were waiting to sell tickets after Mass.  Right after communion, a good 50% of the people left the church.  Another 20% left after the final blessing but before the priest walked out.  I was amazed and saddened that people were in such a rush to leave and have been pondering what, if anything, the solution is to that type of mass exodus (pun intended :)

Reading:

I'm trying to get into St. Teresa of Avila's "Interior Castle".  To say it is slow going is an understatement.  (that actually sounds funny the way I wrote it...I'm not trying to get into HER castle, although I'm sure it is amazing there, but into the book she wrote about it!)

I'm also re-reading "The Pain of Christ and the Sorrow of God" by Gerald Vann.  This is an excellent book and I try to read it all the way through every Lent.

The Week Ahead:

* We have our co-op photography class and it looks like we'll get to be outside taking motion pictures!
* This week is also our last writing class.  This class has been such a blessing to me because Ms 15 yo and Mr 13 yo have gotten a lot of instruction in writing and I haven't had to grade one paper!!!
* Three, count them, three practices this week with the first performance on Saturday.  I'm tired already.
* For some reason I have a lot of phone calls to make this week.  Hopefully they'll be fruitful ones.

Captured:

I was messing around with my camera the other day and I took this photo of my lamp.  What I liked about it is that I got the effect by underexposing the picture, which made the background black.  There was enough light, however, to light up the glass part of the lamp.  In this picture, I changed it to black and white as the original had that yellow, lamp tinge to it.

God Bless!

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Moments of Grace - Online Daybook

A little late to the game, but joining up with Jenny and other great women over at Plain Grace!

Thanking God for:

* Getting our bathroom demolding project finished.  We were able to repaint and clean it from top to bottom.  Now to hang everything back up so we can shower in civilized conditions, instead of in the shower downstairs, in the basement, with the critters, and the cold.
* A warm house to weather the polar vortex II.  
* Writing class cancelled for tomorrow - okay, so my kids are more thankful for this one than I am.
* A month with an extra paycheck - at least by my budgeting method :)
* A game day today for our school snow day.  Yahtzee for math skills, Across America for Geography, Great States for Geography and Clue for critical thinking skills.  
* A digital antennae that allowed us to watch Downton Abbey and Sherlock last night without internet loading interupptions.

Listening To:

* Mr 8 yo whooping it up because he actually won the game of Clue.
* The theme from "Sherlock" running through my head.  Love that song! 

Reading:

I have to say that since getting my Kindle, I have been reading a lot more.  I wish I could say the same for finishing the books.  I currently have the following going right now:

* The Napoleon of Notting Hill by Chesterton .  I thought I'd give him a try.
*  The Rule by St. Benedict.  I've been wanting to read this for awhile so for $.99 I couldn't resist. 
* The Life and Prayers of St. Padre Pio by Wyatt North. 
I just read a little bit each day, or every other day.  Okay, so maybe once a week if I'm lucky.  But hey, I'm reading more than I used to. 

Pondering:

* Why the italics keeps turning on every time I start a new line.  
*  The winds of change are blowing in certain areas of our life and I'm not sure any of us are all that excited about it.  Pondering what direction we need to take.

Praying:

* That God will make His will known for us in this pondering situation.
* For all of the people who are suffering in so many different situations.
* For friends of ours and their car situation.
* For a friend of mine, mom of 10, who just got two compression fractures on her spine.  Can you say, "OUCH"????

The Week Ahead:

* Cold, cold and more cold.  And then warmer and probably more snow.  And then maybe some wind.  At least it looks pretty outside (see below).
* When the cold breaks, we have the usual to look forward to:  basketball, Blue Knights for the boys, and theater and dance classes
* However, on Saturday is our yearly Father/Daughter Ball and this is a highlight for all of us, boys included because they get to go stay with Grandma!

Captured:

God Bless!

Moments of Grace

I haven't done one of these in awhile, and I wasn't quite up for a full 7 Quick Takes, so here goes.

This past week brought home a good lesson for me.  I've been praying and praying and praying about a certain situation for what seems like a very long time and yet, nothing changes.  Things don't necessarily get worse, but they really haven't gotten any better.  Situations like this do a number on my faith.  I won't go into details, but let's just say it isn't pretty sometimes.

Once in awhile, however, I throw out an off-the-cuff prayer that gets answered quickly and to a tee.  Hmm.  This is when everything gets put into perspective for me.

See, that situation that I pray ceaselessly for and yet never changes is right where I need to be right now.  Am I happy about it?  No. Do I need to be reminded that it is God's will for me and I need to accept it and when His timing is right, things will change?  Yes.

And that is what this quick and profound answer to my off-the-cuff prayer has done; reminded me that God will answer prayers when the time is right - when HIS time is right (which it always is) and not when I THINK He should answer them.  It also reminded me that He is always listening, even when I think He isn't.  Amen.

Have a great weekend!

God Bless!

Moments of Grace

Joining with the ladies over at Sucipio again today!

Have you ever gotten frustrated because you can't seem to finish any books?  It seems to me that I have a hard time finishing many of my non-fiction books.  Now, give me a good fiction book and I don't seem to have that problem, but if you look around my house right now you will find a trail of half-finished books.

Sometimes, though, we put those books down so that when we need it most, we are inspired to pick the book up again and read something that we really need to hear.  

I have read before that God speaks to people in different ways but that He usually has one typical mode of speaking to a person.  God usually speaks to me through the written word.  When I need to hear something or learn something from Him, I will inevitably read it.

This week I came across a book just like that.  I had started this book last summer, I believe.  I got through all but the last chapter and a-half.  The other day I picked it up and with a moment of determination, vowed to finish it.  Well the first page I read pretty much blew me away because it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear!!  I just had to stop and praise God for being so good to me.  That was a total moment of grace for me this week.

So the next time you are frustrated because you can't seem to get back to that book - don't be.  God just might be putting the brakes on so that you can pick the book up again just when you will need it most!

God Bless!

God's Hand in the Small Things

We have been undergoing a trial for a number of years now but the last year it has been much more intense.  We've prayed, we've done novenas, we have others praying for us, too, but nothing ever seems to change.  There are no answers, no direction, no lightening of the load.  

Has this ever happened to you?  When it does do you feel as if your prayers are ineffective?  Do you feel as if you've reached a busy signal on the line to Heaven?

I don't know about you, but at times this is exactly how I feel.  Then God goes and does something small and seemingly insignificant in my life that makes me smile because it reminds me that He really is there listening and He's just waiting to help us in ways we can't even imagine.  

Today I was discussing this photography contest I want to enter but I've been stuck on one of the entries and just haven't had time to do some research on it to get an idea of what I should do.  The category is to use "motion blur" in a photo.  I just wasn't clear on what that meant:  is the subject blurry, do I move, do they move, what???

After that I was checking my email when I received a photography newsletter and what do you think the topic was?  You guessed it, motion blur.  I read the newsletter, ran outside with my camera, tried out the suggestions and was happy with the results!

See, not very important in the grand scheme of things, but believe me, it meant the world to me to know that God is there, even in the small things.  Now I just need to sit back and wait for Him to intervene in the big things!

 

Moments of Grace

I am doing something different this Friday by linking up at Sucipio for their Friday "Moments of Grace".

This past week I had one of those moments where Heaven touches earth; a pure, peaceful moment that I wish would have lasted a lot longer.  We were at Mass on Wednesday at a church that has adoration.  After Mass the priest exposed the Blessed Sacrament and we all knelt and sang "O Salutaris Hostia"

O SALUTARIS Hostia

Quae caeli pandis ostium.

Bella premunt hostilia;

Da robur, fer auxilium.

Uni trinoque Domino

Sit sempiterna gloria:

Qui vitam sine termino,

Nobis donet in patria.

Amen.

It was at that moment that grace descended upon me and a huge amount of gratitude filled my soul.  Gratitude for all the priests who have taken time to bring us Adoration and to teach us Latin hymns to sing.  For all the priests who have brought other beautiful Latin hymns into the Mass.  There is something supremely beautiful and haunting about a mass of voices singing a hymn in Latin.  I know I said last week that I really enjoy praise and worship songs, but another part of me can't get enough of singing these hymns.


My daughters are part of the choir at our church and the new choir director asked the singers how many of them knew this song in Latin.  I found it surprising, but only my two girls raised their hands.  Thank you, Lord, for giving us the opportunities to be exposed to this kind of beauty.