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Mother Teresa on Smiling
Mother Teresa’s canonization is just over one week away! Here’s a favorite quote of mine because it’s a quick way to make a big difference in the world — and anybody can do it! Short but sweet! Let’s get smiling, people! “We can never know how much good a simple smile can do.” ~Mother Teresa~
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Are You a Judgy Judge? Part 2 (Now What?)
If you haven’t read part 1, start here. If you have read part 1, and are back for more, God bless you 🙂 So yesterday I shared a little about how I got to that place of becoming a little too “judgy” for my own good. Now, how to deal with it so that you can share the truth, defend the truth, and still love the people who don’t necessarily agree with you. It’s the Year of Mercy, people, and sometimes I think we get mercy wrong. It’s not merciful to allow someone to continue in their ways when those ways are harmful to themselves and others — is it? Our job…
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Are You a Judgy Judge? Part 1 – (How I Got There)
Public Service Announcement: I’m about to rant about Catholicism in the 80’s, but let’s be honest, EVERYTHING WAS BAD IN THE 80’S! I do have a point to the rant, and I hope you’ll read to the end. I was a parishioner of a typical 80’s parish in the suburbs of Chicago. We used to sit right up front for Mass, and I can remember the countless times my mother looked at our parish priest with laser eyes, knowing that she and my father were going to have to correct the heresy that he had stirred up with his homily — yeah, she could never hide her thoughts very well. I like that…
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Mother Teresa on Finding Calcutta
Mother Teresa’s Canonization is just over 2 weeks away! Part of a series of her amazing quotes — Enjoy! Mother Teresa on finding Calcutta: “You will find Calcutta all over the world if you have eyes to see. The streets of Calcutta lead to every man’s door. I know that you may want to make a trip to Calcutta, but it is easy to love people far away. It is not always easy to love those people who live beside us. What about the ones I dislike or look down upon?” ~Mother Teresa~
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Mother Teresa On Emptiness
We are about three weeks away from Mother Teresa’s canonization! I love this woman so much, and I really can’t wait! Over the next few Fridays, I am going to post a few simple quotes of hers, because they really are worth contemplating. I won’t try to add to it — her words will do a much better of job of speaking to you right where you are. Enjoy! On Emptiness: When we have nothing to give, let us give Him that nothingness. Let us all remain as empty as possible, so that God can fill us. Even God cannot fill what is already full. God won’t force…
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Surviving Houseguests
I recently survived 6 days of guests at my house! If you’re thinking, “Um, I fail to see the difficulty in that feat” — then you’re most likely an extrovert and you are going to want to read this to gain perspective on your poor, introverted friends. If you are an introvert — well, you get it already, but I’m going to share my tactics for surviving and actually enjoying (yes, it is possible) houseguests from time to time. I have to begin by saying that introverts are a thing, and I’m making that point right up front because my husband tries to insist that introverts don’t really exist. If you fall into that…
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Whole 30 And Dying…
I don’t know what it is, but I feel like writing a post about food is kind of superficial — why is that? Is it a Catholic thing? A mom thing?– I don’t know. But just because some people might focus too much on their bodies, it doesn’t mean that we have to go to the other extreme and shun anything to do with our bodies, right? After all, our bodies are the way that we give and receive love, they help us to serve God, and they are intimately linked to our souls. Our bodies are temples, they are holy, they are sacred to God, and they deserve our respect. Based on all…
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Facing Our Fears
There have been a lot of really tragic events in the news lately, and it’s enough to make me want to stock up on canned goods and build a bunker — a place where everybody I love would live in relative peace, away from the rest of the world. Does anybody else feel that way? But the thing is, we’re not meant to hide away in our homes because of the fear of what might be. We aren’t supposed to have a spirit of fear or timidity, but one of power and love and self-control (2 Tim 1:7). But when I look at my life, there are times when I definitely have…
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Making Time for Prayer
Why should I make time for prayer? It’s a worthwhile question to ask yourself. I mean, we can try to do this day on our own –we can try to be patient and kind when faced with those moments we want to scream and yell –we can try to hit that never-ending “to do” list–or make that difficult decision we’ve been worrying about –but why try to do it alone when you can walk through all those moments with Someone who loves you and knows you better than you know yourself? Life is very busy– homeschooling, raising 6 kids, working in the family business, writing — they all take more time than I have to give.…
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Mother Teresa: Why Beauty Matters
You may know this already, but Mother Teresa is being canonized in Rome this September. Granted, it’s one of those “um, yeah, we all knew she’s a Saint” kind of canonizations, but it’s still a really important moment in the Church. I mean, if this little old nun who literally picked dying people off the streets of India, removed maggots from wounds, offered the sacraments, fed the hungry, and allowed the poor and forgotten to die with dignity and joy — if this woman isn’t a Saint, well then there’s very little hope for us, amiright? I mean, we should give up right now…because I still grimace and moan about my three years olds dirty…
