Day 259: Morning Prayer

Our little bedroom oratory. Yes, I proudly put terrible quality photos online because
a) I've never claimed to be a photographer and b) the baby is up early from nap.

A few weeks ago, I bought Christian Prayer from my (formerly) local Catholic bookstore. With texted advice from friends, the iBreviary app, and some random blog posts, I jumped into it. My husband and I had been throwing around the idea of doing the church's morning prayer together before he leaves for work. Which is usually while I'm still sleeping. I know, bold.

I thought it would be good for me to "learn" it before we started praying it together, because it involves flipping to different parts of the book, and learning a format that is unfamiliar to both of us. I've been trying to do it during weekdays the last couple of weeks and we just started trying it together.

The one reflection I can share on it so far is that it has been an exercise in unconditional love. Or at least in understanding that I am unconditionally loved by the Father.

I sometimes imagine Him watching me with my lap full of resources, double checking the app on my phone to make sure I used the right antiphon or switched to the correct day. It reminded me of the way I laugh when my preschooler mixes up similar words, or when my toddler tries to make his body move in a way I take for granted. We chuckle a little and think, "Oh, how cute!" On a good day, I appreciate the efforts the kids are making and recognize how much they are learning.

On days when I muddle through the page flipping, or switch the invitiatory and the canticle, I just picture God looking down on me and appreciating my efforts, appreciating the time I'm giving to him, no matter how little and awkward it might be.

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Hey! Remember me?

Hey! I'm still here! I haven't given up on ye olde blog just yet, but I haven't had much to write about. I've been spending most of my time reading, mothering, household-running, reading, watching Instagram stories, and house hunting. Whew. Summer is flying by at breakneck speeds and I can barely keep up. I've read more books already than I did last year, which I think is saying a lot because I read more books last year than any year since I became a mother. I didn't set a number goal, but I did list out 10 or 15 that I wanted to get to. I've finished most, including the Harry Potters, but not all. It's a good reading year! Right now I'm reading one by a woman who gave up the Internet for a year. Insert scared emoji face. House hunting will likely be a whole separate post...someday. I have a few other posts in the rusty old brain, so we'll see if they come to fruition. I just didn't want you to forget about me!

Day 149: Date with Mom

Mom and I slipped away yesterday afternoon for a trip to town. We had a relaxing couple of hours away from all the chaos at the lake. We shopped, drove around town chatting, I visited the sacrament of reconciliation, and we picked up my favorite small-town pizza joint pizza for supper. I love my hometown so much, but don't spend much time there anymore now that my parents live at the lake. I enjoyed cruising around town catching up on the changes and updates. Mom caught me up on local news, and I accidentally bought a dress, two shirts and a travel mug. That type of thing happens when I hang with my mom, but that's OK! It was a wonderful afternoon and I'm grateful for our little escape.

Day 98: Audible

I love reading! However, as a mom with three kids under six, I don't get a lot of time to spend with my nose in a book. I do spend lots of time with my nose to my iPhone reading blog posts, which are much shorter than books and require less of a commitment. I vowed to myself at the beginning of this year that I was going to read more, since it brings me so much joy, not to mention the relaxation factor I so desperately need. I've also mentioned once or twice or fifty times that I love podcasts. Last fall, after listening to a few episodes of The Simple Show , I took Tsh up on her offer to try Audible for a month for free. The first audio book I downloaded was Patrick Madrid's "Envoy for Christ." Everything I've ready by him gets a thumb's up from me, so I loved it, and I also loved the platform. I could "read" a book while doing dishes, cleaning the bathroom, watching the kids play in the yard. I was hooked. It only took me a couple of mo...

With Praise and Thanksgiving

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