30 Days of Thanks - 30 Days to Blog

My real-life blogging friend Autumn alerted me to the 30 Days of Thanks project beginning tomorrow. I originally thought to join through my Facebook statuses but since I plan to go dark on social media mid-November I will be writing all my thankfulness on this blog.

I have so much to be thankful for so there's no danger of running out of material (I hope!)  I also know that there will be rough days when my desire to be thankful might be overcome by grumpiness.  It's those days when I will have to truly dig deep into this Scripture passage - "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus" (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)

I have never blogged everyday for longer than seven days. When I was a new blogger I had this notion that I will write everyday and never run out of things to say.  Fool. And now this. The reality is it's hard to be thankful everyday.  Even as we keep a daily gratitude list  there are days that I have to seek out even the littlest pockets of thankful moments.  I do, however, know the value of a sacrificial, tired thanks and how generously the Lord rewards us in those times.  On those days I will just post pictures :-)

Hope to see you all here for the next 30 days!

Advent Thinking

Advent has been on my mind lately.  With all the "exciting" events this year -stories here, here and here-  I am desiring some sort of faith-immersion/retreat to thank God for the redemption story that is my life.  I don't mean just the "you are saved" redemption but a redemption of faith and from everything else that could have gone so very wrong.  Bearing the brunt of these raging storms, survival was only possible through the immense mercy and love that God has shown me. I can't even begin to dig through all the grace-filled details.  So I feel compelled to spend Advent in quiet so I can truly hear Him who speaks to our hearts in silence and thank Him and beg Him to keep the grace flowing.

I'm contemplating a fast, possibly a social media one like this past Lent.  My temporary plan is to fast forty days, as usual I will need a dry-run to avoid withdrawal convulsions!  We will once again go through the 33-day preparation for Marian consecration (renewal) in time for the feast of the Immaculate Conception. I don't think I can handle the deMontfort version this time around, my nerves are already shot so we will use Fr. Gaitley's book instead.  This book is great for the whole family, my kids love it.

We're also hoping to get our home enthroned during Advent.  The pastor of our neighborhood parish (not our home parish) will be offering it, I told him I might sign up first!  We're very fortunate to have his friendship even if we are not his parishioners.

I'm currently searching for something new and different this year, maybe a tradition from the old country.  It's almost absurd that I'm employing google for this search when really I can just think back to my childhood. We have some books and movies lined up and as always chant will be my music of choice.  I'm pretty sure chant cures everything that ails me.  And of course, there are the feast days to look forward to. I guess I better get planning!

What I'm looking forward to the most is just the quiet (with a little dose of snow please!)  I hope there are no more life emergencies before then because if something else happens I might just commit myself to a hermitage LOL.

Are you already thinking about Advent?

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When Time Is All You Have

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." - Gandalf

A couple of weeks ago our basement flooded after torrential rains.  A minor inconvenience it wasn't.  Things that couldn't be washed or salvaged had to be thrown out, none too valuable beyond sentiment, the kind you thank Mother Nature for making the decision for you to purge.  For the second time this year we had to rent a dumpster.

During a moment of utter exhaustion (and internal rage) after daily Mass, I told the Lord I didn't have time for that disaster. I had kids to school, a household to run, chores to catch up with and many other "necessary" things that I'd rather be doing than enduring the aftermath of a flood. After my litany of whine I allowed for Him to speak to me, He owes me an explanation after all!  In that moment of quiet I "heard" this response, "but what else do you have other than time? You came into this world with nothing but the GIFT of time." 

I was floored and humbled by the recognition of truth, of time squandered not only whining but in sloth.  I have allowed myself to believe that there is no time for disasters, only good things, only things that I have to do (not necessarily "want" to do, that is). Yet even in the doing of timely good things I silently complain about there not being enough time.   

My husband had an emergency angioplasty this past week. This was a routine doctor visit turned almost-nightmarish. He is recuperating while we stand in awe of the implications of this new life ahead of us. This episode has me considering even more the gift of time that I take so much for granted in the guise of a hurried existence. My time, as is my husband's, is borrowed.  How we choose to live that time is a lot to think and pray about. I have absolutely no doubt that no matter how long (or short) grace will abound and that's not something I intend to squander.