Seven Quick Takes of Grace

It's a dual meme today-I'm joining with Jennifer Fulwiler's Conversion Diary's Seven Quick Takes(which is hosted at Betty Beguiles today) and Suscipio's Moments of Grace with this post about the grace-filled moments of the past week...

1. I've been feeling unusually quiet lately with no impulsive desires to write my heart out every five seconds. I pray that peaceful quietness remains throughout Lent-it's a richness I would like to cultivate.

2. Thursdays used to be my most dreaded day of the work week-despite being incredibly busy they would drag along as if seven hours were really seven days. But now, the geniuses who manage the food service department at the hospital in which my WIC Clinic is located (and truthfully, in my opinion, all food service employees are geniuses, of course that's a biased opinion because of my degree in dietetics and my vocation as wife to a chef, as well as being the mother of two sons who currently work as dietary aides at a nearby nursing home to save for their college careers-I guess food service work is in our blood) have begun to offer free flavored water every day of the week and Thursdays flavor-lime mint-it tastes like a mojito (my favorite drink) without the alcohol, is my favorite! So I've become the designated water-girl every Thursday carefully balancing a tray of cups of ice water from the cafeteria to my office for all of my 11 co-workers and myself. It's like a little party at work every Thursday! If a little innocent enjoyment in the middle of a hectic day isn't a grace from God then I really don't know what is!

3. Besides the refreshing water, my fabulous place of employment has also recently begun to play chimes three times in succession that can be heard throughout the hospital every time a baby is born. I love it! What a beautiful way to celebrate new life! It reminds me of "It's a Wonderful Life"-you know, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings!" It also reminds me to pause for prayer and so I pray the Hail Mary in gratitude for the precious little life that has just entered the world because the chimes remind me of the Angelus regardless of the time of day when they might ring.

4. In my last post, A Deeper Embrace, I mentioned that after my private time of prayer which felt like an embrace with the Lord last Friday, I had left church without lighting a candle but I vowed to complete that embrace with the Lord by sealing it with fire. This morning I was blessed to repeat the prayer of deep embrace which so moved me last week. Once again I found myself alone in the darkened church, kneeling directly in front of the tabernacle as close as I could possibly be to my Eucharistic Lord. Following my silent prayer, I immersed my hands in the holy water and brought it to my face as in a kiss and then this time, I deposited enough money to light five votive candles, each an offering of the fire of the love which burns within my heart. I held my hands over the candles and, now warmed, I raised them, too, to my face as in a kiss. I believe that if I continue to make this embrace of prayer sealed with water and fire into a weekly ritual it will become the greatest act of love that I have ever known and it will keep me forever close to His Sacred Heart. How blessed we are to be members of a Church that makes use of physical forms of prayer and sacramentals allowing us to love the Lord with all that we are!

5. I'm finding that staying for ten minutes of silent prayer offered in thanksgiving for the Eucharist after each Mass I attend, even when the church is filled with the chatter of those who linger after Mass to visit with their friends making real silence a rarity, is becoming more and more special to me as time continues on. I know it won't be long before I won't be able to believe that there was ever a time when I didn't want to give those ten minutes to God.

6. My son John is currently in the process of applying to college seminary. It almost seems too good to be true to be the mother of a son who is so in love with God that he would want to devote his entire life to His service through the vocation of the priesthood and of course, there is the fear that this might not be God's will for him and he might not be accepted. The application process has been long and the wait since he first applied last November has been difficult. But both John and I have been coming to learn that God was in John's desire to apply to seminary, God is in the waiting for the decision, and God will be in either the acceptance or the rejection, so no matter the outcome, John's desire to know and to love God's will is a treasured gift with which God will do so much good! I do ask for your prayers for John in a special way on March 21st which is the day that the seminary board will meet to decide whether or not they will accept him.

7. This is the last new post that I will be writing until Easter. This year I will be fasting from Imprisoned in my Bones for the Lenten season in an effort to draw closer to Christ, to experience a Lent that will hopefully be filled with many moments of grace. I've scheduled some re-posts to publish intermittently throughout Lent, most of them poetry that I am especially fond of. If you're looking for something new here, I suggest you visit on February 25th when I will link to a post that I wrote for Suscipio. So unless something magnificent happens over the course of the upcoming 40 days, I bid you adieu, dear reader, and wish you a great and spiritually uplifting Lent!

Please do visit Betty Beguiles for more Quick Takes and Suscipio for more Moments of Grace.

Seven Quick Takes-It's Summer!

I'm living easy these days, or at least,I'm trying to. The kids are home for summer break and so I thought a summer quick takes would be in order...

1. When the kids are home and Paul and I are at work, we do quite a bit of communicating through e-mail. It's a great way for me to silently keep tabs on the home life while not interfering with my work. I like to call it e-tattling since that's what the majority of the messages I receive contain. On the first day of summer break, it was my two youngest who were home while the three oldest were finishing up their final exams at school. I received an e-mail with a very interesting question: "Do eyebrows grow back?" Sometimes an e-mail reply won't suffice and a phone call is in order. Let's just say we are grateful that it is summer break and the eyebrowless child won't be fodder for classroom teasing!

2. I had forgotten how beautiful my son Joe's eyes were because for the past year he kept them hidden behind a mop of hair. He took it upon himself to hike on over to the $5.00 haircut shop (not Otto the Barber-but a deal just the same) after his final exam for the year and I didn't recognize him when he walked in the door. It was $5.00 very well spent and the sight of my handsome son with short hair is the best part of my summer so far!

3. So, between shaving eyebrows and fabulous haircuts, I got to wondering about the mystery of hair. Why is it that hair on our extremities quits growing after it reaches a certain length, but the hair on the top of our heads would continue indefinitely unless we lose it? Maybe that's a good summer research topic!

4. My family and I had been struggling with the decision of whether or not to pull our two youngest out of Catholic school next year in favor of tuition-free public schools. I had gone so far as to enroll them at our neighborhood public schools when I learned that the grade school only offers split classes. Being quite biased from my own negative childhood experiences in split classrooms, I decided to quit fighting my husband (who was against the idea of public schools to begin with; and what kind of Catholic mother am I anyway for even considering public schools?) and sacrifice the finances to keep the little ones in the Catholic school. This decision was met with great joy by Jack and Mary and was blessed with a little sign from God in the form of a small scholarship check that arrived in the mail on the very same day the decision was made. God does answer prayer!

5. It's a well known fact that all mothers earnestly pray for the well-being and success of their children and often ask others to pray for their children as well. Now, I've a spiritual son for whom I'd like to ask prayers. John Howard, the brainchild behind the (now-closed) worldwide website A Vocation to be a Priest has completed his high school exams and is off to the seminary to begin preparation for the priesthood. Please keep him and all seminarians and those discerning a call to the priesthood in your prayers!

6. And while you're praying for seminarians and those in discernment, perhaps you'd like to pray for an increase to vocations as well. If you happen to be in the Milwaukee area this weekend, it would be a thrill to meet you at the Holy Hour for Vocations at St. Francis de Sales Seminary (3257 S. Lake Dr.) at 2 PM on Sunday. These monthly holy hours are hosted by Roses for Our Lady and we will be honoring Bishop-elect Hying, our spiritual director, at the social that follows prayer. Stop in and offer a word of congratulations to Milwaukee's newest bishop!

7. I've been devoting all of my spiritual reading to the subject of the Sacred Heart of Jesus this June. I have currently plunged into The Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alocoque. I think that the letters written by the saints reveal their true hearts and souls in a far deeper manner than the words written about them in biographies. I was particularly moved by this passage:

"Go on blindly, forget yourself, let Him act in you, for He loves you. If you try to do too much you will only prevent Him from furthering the work of your perfection."

So, dear friends, I plan to enjoy a summer that has a little less hair, a lot more prayer and the quiet peace that comes from letting the Sacred Heart of Jesus work within me. Perhaps, I will also enjoy soaking up a bit more sunshine, since the very kind Holly at A Lifesize Catholic has bestowed a "Sunshine Award" upon me and my blog and shared the following words:

"I’m drawn to Anne and her posts because she makes serious religion engaging. I fear that many are lost to religion because when you start getting past what I teach in 1st grade, it gets a little, uh … shall I say, challenging, demanding, and serious. Somehow, Anne is able to be in the realm of the latter, and still get to people like me—the academically-religiously-challenged—engaged. Her light is a bright beam in my world."

Thanks Holly! I'm feeling significantly warmer from the light in your words! Visit Jennifer for more Quick Takes.

Seven Quick Takes-Seven Quick Quotes

Another version of seven great quotes for my seven quick takes contribution:

1. "Nothing awakens our deepest feelings of terror like the experience of separation from love." Gary W. Moon~Falling for God

2. "An act of love that fails is just as much a part of the divine life as an act of love that succeeds; for love is measured by its own fullness, not by its reception." Harold Loukes

3. "Every vocation to the priesthood comes from the heart of God, but it goes through the heart of a mother." Pope Pius X

4. "But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls." Kahlil Gibran

5. "God takes our prayer or faithful gesture, whatever it is, and embraces it the way a parent takes a piece of artwork from a preschooler, fusses over its beauty and gives it a place of prominence on the refrigerator. And then God, like a good parent, does what is in the best interest of the child." Mark Neilsen

6. "No matter how far away you are from God, just turn around and God will come after you, because God is your Daddy and all Daddy's love their children. He will help you." Toby Mac

7. "There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness." Josh Billings

Visit Jennifer Fulwiler's Conversion Diary for more Seven Quick Takes

Seven Quick Takes-Seven Quick Quotes

It' s been a long, long time since I participated in any meme's on this blog. One that I particularly enjoyed doing was my own version of Jennifer Fulwiler's Conversion Diary Seven Quick Takes, not as a recap of my week, but rather, with a collection of some quotes that I particularly enjoy-some of them comforting and others challenging- and would like to share with others. So, here goes!

1. "Try to believe that life is in you like a seed, pushing, striving, struggling up to light. Instead of fighting yourself, let this seed of supernatural life fight it's way out through darkness, just as an ordinary seed fights up through the darkness and heaviness of the hard, frozen earth. First it has to sharpen its own green blade in the night and cut through the ground, or pierce the wood if it is a leaf on the tree, but suddenly it breaks into flower or leaf; and when it does that, it does not see its own beauty-the world outside it sees that; what it sees is the glorious sun that drew it up out of the darkness. Light. So too will it be with you; your soul, your mind will break into flower and you will find it is flowering in the midst of light, the light of Truth and Beauty and Life." Caryll Houselander: The Seed of Supernatural Life

2. "A mother is the most important person on earth. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any Cathedral-a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body." Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty (Think of how, even more so, this applies to our Blessed Mother, Mary.)

3. "The greatest grace God can give such a man is to send him to a trial he cannot bear with his own powers and then sustain him with His grace so he may endure to the end and be saved." Walter Ciszek: He Leadeth Me

4."Stop entertaining those vain fears. Remember it is not feeling which constitutes guilt but the consent to such feelings. Only the free will is capable of good or evil. But, when the will sighs under the trial of the tempter and does not will what is presented to it, there is not only no fault, there is virtue." St. Padre Pio (I find this to be incredibly comforting-don't you?)

5. "Contempt and persecution are blessed signs of divine favor, but there is no proof or sign of favor more beautiful than this: to pass unnoticed." Josemaria Escriva: The Way

6. "One sign that we are not in God's will is the experiencing of what we are doing as a burden." Monsignor Charles Pope

7. "It is very hard for love not to become possessive because our hearts look for perfect love and no human being is capable of that. Only God can offer perfect love." Henri Nouwen

Much to ponder here...I hope you found that at least one of these quotes struck a chord within the music of your heart and that you will feel prompted to ponder it as it becomes music to your soul.

Seven Quick Takes-Good Things

1. My son Jack had a doctor appointment this week to check on his progress with his attention deficit medicine. (All is well!) I have to take a minute to praise our wonderful pediatrician! Dr. S. is the father of nine children and he must be a wonderfully gentle and loving father. We can never leave his office without his kind reminders to my son: “Now Jack, remember, no TV or video games, go outside every day and play for an hour (after you change out of your school clothes), eat all of your vegetables, when mom and dad ask you to do something-always do it right away with a smile on your face-no grumbling, and make sure you go to bed early every night and get a good nights rest."

I am so grateful for all of the adults in our community who act as good role models for children and assist parents by speaking kind words of encouragement to the little ones in their care.

2. Four of my sisters and my niece Jenny, who is like a sister to me, and I had our monthly rosary night this past week. Each month we take turns meeting at one another's houses for treats, conversation and prayer. This time it was at my house and I was so honored that my best friend (and now honorary sister) Danette (as in, when you go fishing-don’t forget da net!) could join us for the first time.

I’ve been trying to make this a Lent of forgiveness and was given a big boost from my sister Cindy. I’m ashamed to admit that I have a long held hurt towards my mother that goes back 25 years and it continues to bother me even though my mom has been deceased these past 11 years. Mom was a wonderful saintly woman, who did her best to raise nine wild children while caring for an ill husband. In spite of all of the wonderful things she had done for me, I held on to the one time when she let me down, when she wasn’t there for me in the way I wanted her to be.

Cindy gave me a beautiful ring that had belonged to my mom and told me that whenever I wear it, it will be just as if my mom were right there with me! Knowing that she would have been with me if she could have at that time in the past when I needed her, wearing this ring makes up for her absence, because I can feel her love for me, and reciprocate my love for her with a prayer each time I feel the weight of the ring on my finger and I think of her. It is a precious gift that will always remind me that forgiveness is life's real treasure.

3. Today is my son Justin's 15th birthday. Justin is a real card who loves nothing better than to make people laugh. He likes to call himself "PJ" for "Paul Junior" since he favors my husband very strongly in both looks and personality.

The other night when my sisters were over for the rosary, my husband Paul took Justin and John to the library. The girls and I were in the midst of planning a pilgrimage to Chicago to explore a weeping statue of Mary and the World's Largest Monstrance, when the phone rang. It was Justin. "What are you doing Mom?" he wanted to know. "Well, what do you think I'm doing? You just left here two minutes ago and I was visiting with my sisters, and...I still am!" I replied. When I asked him what he was doing he told me that Dad and John were in the library. "Where are you, then?" I wondered. "Just sitting in the car, I didn't feel like going in the library," he said. Nice conversation. Who ever thought it was a good idea to let kids have cell phones for necessities? Oh, I guess that was me. Oops!

I hope this counts for Lucy's "Kids Say the Darndest Things" blog-hop.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUSTIN!!!

4. When my family began attending daily Mass there was a lovely elderly couple who used to sit right in front of us. I always got such a kick out of their names-Anne and Gilbert, just like those of my favorite characters in the Anne of Green Gables series! Last year, Anne and Gilbert left our parish as they moved out of state to care for their critically ill son. We’ve been feeling nostalgic for them lately as we remember how Anne was always so kind and shared treats, seashells and books with us, and how Gilbert was so funny and he would always make us smile. Mary, my eight year old, told me that she hopes that Paul and I grow old just like Anne and Gilbert. Her hope is that I will be sweet and kind to children and that Paul will make kids laugh. Sounds not only feasible but also very enjoyable to me!

5. I’m looking forward to attending the Catholic Youth Rally this Saturday with my two oldest boys and our good friends Steve, and his daughter Jessie. It’s a full day event with a Christian rock band, Mass with the Archbishop, speakers and adoration. Sounds like a powerhouse of prayer! I can't wait!

6. Last Sunday, my oldest son John and I spent the afternoon at one of our favorite places, the Seminary of St. Francis de Sales for Vocationfest. We were there promoting the annual summer camp for boys who are interested in the priesthood. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon and I met so many wonderful people who have an interest in the priesthood.

Here’s where I want to give a little shout out to our young friend John H. over in England who works so hard to promote vocations through his fabulous website “A Vocation to be a Priest.” If you haven’t done so already, please pay his website a visit! You’ll find lots of good information and inspiration there!

7. I’ve got to end with a favorite quote that is timely to the upcoming Holy Week. This is from one of my favorite authors, Fr. Robert Barron: “This is the meaning of the cross: God is heartbroken love.” Sigh...Gives me goosebumps!

Thanks to Jennifer at Conversion Diary for this MEME

Seven Quick Takes

1. Thanks for all the prayers! I passed my examination and am now a Certified Lactation Counselor! I will still have to make the 80 mile trip to Madison next month to complete the afternoon hours that I missed at the training, but I know that my son's beautifully repaired teeth are worth it!

2. Last Saturday, I was asked to bring lunch to my sons, John and Justin and several other boys who were touring the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist as part of the Seminary's Vocation Office efforts to bring about interest in the priesthood. Little did I know that Archbishop Listecki would be there, and I would have the opportunity to meet him and listen to him talk with the boys for a while. It was a blessing! He is a kind and interesting man with a wonderful sense of humor! In the future, when I'm asked to help, I will always say "Yes"! After all, wasn't Mary greatly blessed in her positive response to the Angel Gabriel? She sets the standards that I know I must follow!

3. Basketball season is over! No more running to 5 practices a week and 3-10 games on the weekends! No more admissions and concessions draining my wallet dry! I don't know what in the world my family will do with all of our spare time and spare money! :)

4. During Lent, we have a tradition in our family of watching a weekly movie about Jesus. No matter which movie we have watched this year (although Paul and I have watched the Passion, we have not shared that one with the kids), our eleven year old, Jack, ends up in tears at the cruxifixion. I am glad that he is so sensitive and has such a deep love for Jesus, but I worry that maybe it is all too intense for him. He cries quite a bit at Eucharistic Adoration as well. We also pray the Stations of the Cross at home as a family quite a bit during Lent, and I remember that when my two oldest sons were younger, they were in tears by the end as well. Is this a normal process of growing up? Anybody else experience this with their kids and/or have an opinion about it?

5. The weather here has been gorgeous this week! We've enjoyed temps in the 50's with blue skies! On Monday, just before my appointment with my spiritual director, I had the joy of spending thirty blessed minutes alone on the shores of Lake Michigan engaging in my favorite activity-searching for sea glass! Winter feels so long when the sands are snow covered and I am so grateful that I can partake in the peaceful pleasure of beach combing once again!

6. More Archbishop Listecki...he came to my parish for a Reconciliation Service this past Wednesday. The church was packed! In spite of the crowd, my family and I were able to be in the Archbishop's line for confession. I just have to say ditto to my comment in number two! He really is kind and loving. He gives great advice and reminded me of God's love for me. I love confession and the peace it brings and receiving the sacrament from the Archbishop was icing on the Lenten cake!

7. Speaking of cake, today is the feast day of St. Joseph. It was this great saint who helped my husband find a job all those years ago when I was pregnant with my third son in three years, so of course we named him Joseph! Today we celebrate my son's feast day with great joy and a little cake! Happy Feast Day of St. Joseph!

"O St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires. O St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, our Lord; so that having engaged here below your Heavenly power I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most Loving of Fathers. O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine Head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen."

Thanks to Jennifer at Conversion Diary for this MEME.

Seven Quick Takes-Links and Quotes

I've got some great links I want to share, and a few more favorite quotes that have been working my heart this week, so today's quick takes is a mixed bag.

1. My sister Debby has an awesome blog, Heavenly Humor. She has been working on a children's book called "The King's Kids" and has been posting pages of it on her blog. Today's page features none other than my precious daughter, Mary. (It's the same picture from my sidebar with some lovely additions.) Won't you check it out?

2. A quote for Lent that helps me feel better about my failures comes from my own parish Pastor, Fr. Dave...“Flunking Lent is still a gift from God. When you do well following your Lenten observances, that isn’t goodness on your part. It is God who gave you the strength to do it. So, when you fail to have the strength to follow through on your Lenten observances, that too, is a gift from God.” Fr. Dave Cooper, Pastor St. Matthias Parish, Milwaukee

3. A blog that I have recently begun to follow that lifts me up tremendously with daily reflections on the readings is Redemptorist Preacher written by Fr. Jon. It is always a source of great inspiration, both uplifting and convicting. I highly encourage you to pay him a visit!

4. I've been working on the freedom that comes from forgiveness this Lent, and this quote really speaks to my heart. It's from Creighton University Daily Reflections, which, by the way, is another awesome resource that I can't miss! I've been reading the reflections daily for the past few years. “Forgiveness happens in layers, especially when it is a huge or deep hurt. We can forgive, and then years later a triggering event happens and the old wound resurfaces. Again, we pray to forgive.” Joan Lanahan, Creighton University Daily Reflections

5. I've written about a lovely Holy Hour that I attended last weekend at our Seminary. The Holy Hour was sponsored by The Missionary Servants of the Holy Family, a new lay group whose focus is to pray for the sanctity of families. It is a beautiful effort run by a sweet young girl, Maryclare Stephens who has a wonderfully large heart and a deep love for God and for families. Please visit her website and join her in prayer for families and for the success of her lay effort. When you visit, be sure to check out the photos link, they're very inspirational!

6. This Lent the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is celebrating "The Season of Mercy". I think this quote is awesome and very fitting, and I highly recommend the book it is from-it's wonderful! “In a careless moment, when we accidentally leave the door to our hearts slightly ajar, God comes barging in and corners us and tells us the truth that strips all the lies and deception and pretensions away: we are loved to the core of our being. We are loved despite all of our weaknesses and failures, and we are not going to change God’s mind about this matter. Nor are we going to change His heart. The only question left for us to answer is this: will we accept God’s mercy?” Patrick Hannon, The Geography of God’s Mercy

7. Just a Minute is a lovely blog with great writing and fabulous pictures. Jenny H. prays with the Psalms every Saturday. This week she is praying and reflecting on Psalm 9. Won't you join her?

Thanks to Jennifer at Conversion Diary for the MEME! Have a wonderful weekend!

Seven Quick Takes-Favorite Quotes

This past week I spent some time looking through all of my prayer journals and found lots of quotes that I had jotted down from books, homilies and websites that had touched my heart in a deep and meaningful way, so I decided to share them on the quick takes. I so enjoyed looking through my journals of favorite quotes to choose these seven, that I just might make this my weekly quick takes theme. I hope you are as inspired by these words as I am, and that they help to draw you close to the heart of God.


1. Dive deeply into the miracle of life and let the tips of your wings be burnt by the flame, let your feet be lacerated by the thorns, let your heart be stirred by human emotion, and let your soul be lifted beyond the earth. ~Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, Call of the Dervish

2. How did the rose ever open its heart and give to this world all of its beauty? It felt the encouragement of Light against its being; otherwise we all remain too frightened. ~Hafiz, Love Poems from God (translated by Daniel Ladinsky)

3. For that contrariness is cause of our tribulations and all our woe, and our Lord Jesus taketh them and sendeth them up to Heaven, and there they are made more sweet and delectable than heart may think or tongue may tell. ~Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love

4. When perplexed, always decide I will combat it by humble love. You can conquer the whole world. Loving humbly is a terrible force-it is the strongest of all things and there is nothing else like it. ~Kenneth Leech, Soul Friend

5. When we break open the alabaster jars of our lives, the world is filled with the fragrance of Christ. ~Fr. Don Hying, Rector, St. Francis de Sales Seminary, Milwaukee

6. God asked me to show Him where it hurt, and every cell in my body burst into tears before His tender eyes. ~Rabia, Love Poems from God (translated by Daniel Ladinsky)

7. And when the turmoil becomes too great and I am completely at my wits end, then I still have my folded hands and my bended knee...it is my most precious inheritance...the girl who learned to pray. That is my most intimate gesture, more intimate than being with a man. After all, one can't pour the whole of one's love out over a single man, can one? ~Etty Hillesum, An Interrupted Life

Thanks to Jennifer at Conversion Diary for this MEME

Seven Quick Takes-In Gratitude

Those things for which I am thanking God today...

1. My husbands goatee is turning gray. He looks so handsome and manly in gray. I think God is a fabulous artist the way he makes the hair on the bottom turn completely gray while the sides are simply peppered with it. Paul's goatee makes me smile every time I look at him and I can never resist reaching up to touch it.

2. Even though we had a recent snowfall and it is as cold as cold can be outside, I know that Spring is just around the corner. I can hardly wait!

3. I love Lent! I love the simplicity and the doing without. I love it that Jesus takes my little Lenten hurts and turns them into Easter joy!

4. Basketball season is almost over! No more nightly running to practices, no more concession stand duty, no more sitting on the hard bleachers covering my eyes every time it looks like one of the boys are going to get hurt. My son Justin will be playing golf this Spring. We've never had a golf player in our family before. Doesn't golf sound a little more tame than basketball?

5. Need I say more?

















6. The kids are off of school today and so they are all sleeping in, and Paul has left for work. For one blessed hour I have the house to myself in the early morning hours before I have to leave for work. Today I don't have to listen to cries of "I can't find my uniform!" and "I don't know what to make for my lunch!" and "Mom, I need $10 for a field trip today, sorry I forgot to tell you last week!" and "Can you check my homework?"-all as we are trying to race out the door! Today I am enjoying an hour of silent bliss and joy!

7. No sooner had I typed the word joy, when I heard a little voice behind me ask "Momma, are you up? I had a really bad dream." Mary climbed into my lap and threw her arms tightly around my neck and buried her sweet face in my own. I asked her if she wanted to tell me about her dream, and she began. It had a dark night, lions in cages, a stranger offering her candy, and a house of graves. I am go glad that I was awake and alone and able to offer comfort to my dear little one after a dream like that. Being here for Mary when she needs me the most is worth more than any time alone in silent bliss and joy.

For all these gifts and more- I thank you, Lord!


Thanks to Jennifer at Conversion Diary for the MEME.