Simplifying your life...actually my life needs simplifying

This is a fantastic blog post listing 5 ways to simplify ones life.  I am in the process of starting to do this and found this post to be spot on perfect.  Enjoy..........




http://mystified-musings.blogspot.com/2010/07/basics-of-simple-life.html#comment-form


Lord, please help me (and everyone reading this post) to simplify my life in order to glorify you and to practice detachment to material items and anything else that keeps me from communion with you.

St. Augustine's Feast Day - August 28

A BEAUTIFUL PRAYER BY ST. AUGUSTINE

I beg of You, my
God, let me know You and love You 
so that I may be happy in You. And though I cannot do this fully
in this life, yet let me improve from day to day till I may do so
to the full.
Let me know You more and more in this life, 
that I may know You perfectly in heaven.
Let me know You more and more here, so that I may love you
perfectly there, 
so that my joy may be great in itself here, and complete in
heaven with You.
O Truthful God, let me receive the happiness of heaven 
which You promise so that my joy may be full.
In the meantime, let my mind think of it, let my tongue talk of
it, 
let my heart long for it,
let my mouth speak of it, let my soul hunger after it, 
let my flesh thirst after it,
let my whole being desire it, 
until such time as I may enter through death into the joy of my
Lord,
there to continue forever, world without end. Amen.

This is a link back to the host of 7 Quick Takes Friday:  Conversion Diary

Well, this is now my 2nd Quick Takes Friday.  I'm sitting here wondering what in the world I will write about.

My patience has been tested almost beyond it's breaking point.  I spent over an hour composing 5 items for this quick takes and my laptop went off line and all my pictures and words went "poof" into cyberspace.  Since I am more than annoyed, I will compose this again in the morning....maybe.  I'm thinking that I should be able to clean out Purgatory by offering up how extremely annoyed I am right now.  :o)

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I'm going to try this one..more..time.   ;o)

                                                      
I have finally located my old Flylady Control Journal.  I'm happy to see that it remains in pristine shape, without a trace of ever being used after I spent all that time creating it.  No wonder my house is in CHOAS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)...I couldn't even find my organizing tool.  If you would like to fly with me, you can find Flylady and all her wonderful advice here:  Flylady





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I discovered a new book and author about a week ago.  "Rediscovering Catholicism", by Matthew Kelly looks really interesting.  The book is sitting on my kitchen table looking at me, but I haven't had time to open it up yet.  Anyway, this is a book written for fallen away/questioning Catholics to bring them back into the faith, or at least to explain the Catholic faith.  We have so many friends and close relatives who have left the Church/don't attend/think it's no big deal that I would like to find subtle ways to give them information if they ask.  I will probably leave the book out on the coffee table.....how's that for subtle?  LOL!!!  Matthew Kelly also has a website that looks interesting and provides quite a lot of information:
Dynamic Catholic

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Father Corapi just keeps coming up in my blog.  i love this man and his message.  I tend to like well-mannered, more subtle & kinder people in real life, BUT when it comes to my faith I want a priest who "tells it like it is" and who isn't afraid to pull punches.   That priest is Father Corapi.  Luke-warm faith does nothing for me....priests who are not loyal to the Church, their bishops and the pope do nothing for me.  Father Corapi feeds my soul.

I purchased his Mercy series and the first 16 pack of talks a few years ago, and promptly put them away for a rainy day. (you wonder how I lost my control journal....do you see a pattern here?)  ;o)   My husband found the Mercy series quite by accident and left it out for me.  I decided to listen to the series in my car, driving to and from work.  Then I hunted down the 16 pack I remembered I had also purchased.
I went onto Father's website and found that he is having a summer sale (40% off) and bought myself an early birthday present.  I am now the proud owner of the entire Catechism series and part II of the 16 pack.  This is the link to Father's website:   Father Corapi

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Yet another awesome book.  Fr. Calloway was a real bad boy and the fact that he is now a very holy priest is nothing short of a miracle.  We have another St. Monica/Augustine miracle.  This book is an excellent read.  I loved it so much that I sent a copy to a good, Catholic friend right from Amazon so she could read it.

You can find it here on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/No-Turning-Back-Witness-Mercy/dp/1596142103/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282904559&sr=8-1


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"No Excuses Workout".  I found this guy through Flylady and signed up for his 12-week challenge, which starts on Sept 6.  I'm finished with work on Sept 3rd, so this challenge is just in time for me to begin my new life as a SAHW (Stay at home wife....I'm not a Mom) .  He has a paying part of his website, but he also has several free areas. That's where you'll find me.

My goal is to get to the gym in the morning.  I'm aiming for 3-5 times a week at around 7am.  I love the gym early in the AM when it's quiet and the crowd is older....some older than me.  LOL!!!  You can find Jonathan, the groups and the challenge here:  No Excuses Workout and Flylady


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I'm out of Quick Takes for this week.  This weekend will be fun.  I need to get to the gym, Confession, Mass, tackle my house and visit my niece in her new apartment.  I'm taking her an old Pfaltzgraft set of dishes that has more accessories than a store.  Handing these over to her will clear out a huge space in my garage.....Yay me!!!!  The dishes will provide her with something to eat off, which I have found helpful.   ;o)

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend.  Thanks for reading my blog.  I am humbled and grateful for anyone who actually clicks in here and reads something...anything.  Take care!!!!

Archbishop Chaput: "Systematic Discrimination Against Church Now Seems Inevitable"

Patrick Madrid posted a link on his Facebook page to a talk given by Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput at the 15th symposium for the Canon Law Association of Slovakia on Tuesday.  He spoke about discrimination against the Church, and the effect this is having on the world and the Church.

I highly recommend this very interesting, albeit disturbing article.  The link below is to the shortened version of the talk.  At the bottom of the article is a link to the 12 page talk.
 
Lifesite News Article

We need prayer more than ever in these dark days.  I wonder if our Lord will allow it to get even darker before we find relief, and I am left wondering in what form that relief will come to us.

Pray without ceasing....please pray the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Offer up Holy Communion and your sufferings for the world. At the very least pray, "Jesus, I Trust in You"and "Jesus, Mary, save souls" non-stop.  God Bless you!

This is my first "7 Quick Takes Friday".

I am working to change my life of "sloth" one baby step at a time.  I don't have children, and there really is no excuse for the state of my house, mind & soul.  ;o)

For the house, I have rejoined Flylady.  This will help with my "flight plan" for getting my house under control while (gasp!!) learning to become more organized.  I might even learn to make a list or two and not lose said list....we'll see.  There could be hope for this SHE who was not BO yet. (for definitions of those acronyms, you need to visit her website)  ;o)

For my mind, I will begin reading books written by the saints.  Well, OK I admit to starting quite a few, but I never seem to finish since I would rather read good Christian fiction...oops!  Because of this I will work on *finishing* and applying the knowledge gained in said book to expand my mind, which could help my soul too.  ;o)

For my soul, we plan to continue making frequent pilgrimages to the Shrine of the Divine Mercy.  I will add daily reading of the Bible and praying the Rosary. I already am completely faithful to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy (one good habit gained over the past year....thanks Mom!!).  I have also been listening to Fr. Corapi on CD to and from work.  He sure does make the time pass quickly, and I feed my soul at the same time.

I had a peaceful week at work; my manager was on vacation, and my projects are humming along nicely.  I should be finished with them by Sept 3rd, which is my last day of work--hopefully for a long time.

It's hard to believe that summer in winding down here in the NE and fall is right around the corner.  Thankfully, it is still warm, but other than at night the AC isn't on as much.  I'm looking forward to all the fairs (Big E is the BEST!!) and other fall "stuff".

One last thought....I sure hope I start meeting more wonderful Catholic ladies through blogging.  I don't think I write much of anything worth repeating, but it is fun to share thoughts and laughs with "like-minded" people.  Gosh, does that read like one of those "ads" in the free paper?  LOL!!!

Happy Friday to anyone who may wander over here.  Please say "hi".  I'm looking forward to meeting you.  God Bless!

Time to lighten up......the gift of laughter...

Growing in holiness does not mean life has to be serious all the time.  I realize that I have been way too serious for the past year and that it is now time to lighten up, especially since I have made a life-changing decision to leave my place of employment....yah me!  ;o)  My full-time job will be to get the CHAOS in our lives and house under control.  The Lord and our Blessed Mother will provide the support and Grace I need, and this lovely lady will give me the "project plan".  Flylady

This lighthearted picture reminds me that our Lord gave us the gift of laughter and we should use this gift daily.  I must have been the only person in the world not aware that the people who take care of the cabins, on cruises, create animals out of towels--a different one each day.  When we returned from dinner this guy (wearing my sunglasses) greeted us.  I was taken by surprise and just couldn't stop laughing.

Have you used your gift of laughter today?

Lord, please help me remember that everyone around me benefits when I remember to laugh.  Thanks to your Grace I smile a lot, but I forget to laugh.  God Bless!

One year ago today, God called you home......

‎


"God saw she was getting tired, and a cure was not to be; so He put His arms around her, and whispered, "Come with me." With tearful eyes we watched her suffer, and saw her fade away; Although we loved her dearly, we could not make her stay. A golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands to rest; God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the Best!


Today is a bittersweet day.  One year ago today, on the Feast of the Assumption at 3:00 pm, the Lord called this wonderful woman home to him.  I never ask the Lord for "signs", and I know that Mom was a good Catholic-Christian woman, but still I wanted to be certain she truly was in "good standing" with the Lord.


When she began to rapidly go down hill in August I asked the Lord to take her on a Marion Feast day, but I begged him not to take her before her birthday.  You know Lord, there are quite a few Marion days coming up, please get her through the Assumption and take her after her 80th birthday, which was August 26th (she shares a birthday with Bl. Mother Theresa).  


Several days later, I asked for a second "sign"--in that she would be taken at 3:00 pm. I have to admit that I felt very guilty asking our Lord for two signs, but he knows how important this was to me.  The night before she passed (August 14th) while I was praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet I heard the Lord tell me that she would be taken tomorrow at 3:00 pm.  Whoa! "Tomorrow" was not only too soon, but it was also the Feast of the Assumption and at 3:00 pm!!!!  The next morning when I met my husband at the nursing home (he worked the midnight shift) I told him what I had heard.  His eyebrows went up, but he too has learned to completely rely on the Lord.


We turned on EWTN and waited.  We prayed, talked to the nursing staff and watched.  Mom could not speak, but for the 1st time in a week her eyes were open and she looked at me/us the entire time.  Her breathing was so labored that it was heartbreaking to watch her.  At 3:00 the contemporary version of the Chaplet began.  My last words to her were, "Go home to God--he's waiting for you."  "I'll miss you every day of my life, but I'll be OK...now go." And she did.....  But, before she left I suddenly felt "someone" give me the biggest hug. My shoulders went up and tightened against my body.  I know our Lord had granted both of us one...last...miracle...


I have to share the words she had picked out for her prayer cards.  Several years prior Mom had bravely gone to the funeral home by herself and planned her entire funeral.  She picked all the tear jerker songs that we all love for funerals...On Eagles Wings, Ave Maria, etc.  Her prayer card surprised me at first.  I was picturing a very "Catholic" and holy prayer.  She was a simple woman, with a child-like faith in God, and a deep love for her only child.  Some people who are more "new-age" would choose this poem for different reasons, but I know why she picked this poem...it was for me...... She wanted to let me know that she would be in Heaven praying for me, and that she would always live in my heart.


"Do not stand by my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentile autumn rain.
When you awake in the morning's hush
I am the swift up-flinging rush,
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the solft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die."

Pray for our Priests and Religious

I know we should pray for our priests, especially since they are on the front line in the war against evil.  We, the common people, know we are tempted and spiritually attacked on a daily basis; just think of the spiritual beating our priests and religious take.

I am sorry to admit that although I fully understand and support the need to pray for our priests and religious, I just didn't spend a lot of time doing this.  Side note;  I think I'm going to spend eternity in Purgatory making up for all the things "I have failed to do".  Even last year, during the Year of the Priest I picked up several prayer cards at different times during the year, but I didn't pray the prayer.  I watched my mother pray for priests every single night, especially when her cancer was getting really bad, but still I failed to pray.

What I witnessed in Mass today I feel is a direct result of this failure to pray.  We are each responsible for our own sins, but I share in the responsibility because my prayers bring Grace to others as well as to me.  We have an elderly, retired priest in residence who still says Mass every Sunday.  He is a bit too liberal for my taste and I have found myself annoyed with him on more than one occasion when he gently reprimands the Bishops for "covering up" the priest scandals. He brings this subject up every time he preaches.  I do realize that Fr. N hurts deep down in his soul about the details of this scandal, but his sermons tend to work at tearing apart the seams of our Church and are not focused on healing.  Today he once again digressed to the scandals...I sighed...then a lightbulb went off and I realized that I am called to pray for him, especially since he admitted that speaking of the scandals is in direct disobedience to the Bishops and Church.  He then went on to state that women should be ordained.  Wow!  I was blown away by his lack of knowledge of the Bible and Church teachings.  Disobedience...ordain women??!!  WHAT??!!

I began praying for him right then and there.  I'm sure there were others doing the same.  During the Consecration my prayer became more intense and as soon as I stated in my mind that Fr. N needs to stop preaching against Church teaching he faltered and for a minute he couldn't find his place in the book of Eucharistic prayer.  I would like to believe that the Holy Spirit spoke to him and said these same words.  I'm praying now that he listens to them and responds to the Grace pouring down.  I begged God to pierce his heart with knowledge of the truth.

In the meantime, please do not forget to pray for our priests and religious.  They need us very badly.

Forgive me Lord for forgetting your priests who are close to your heart.  Please give me the Grace to remember they need us and not to fail in the mission to pray for them.  Lord have Mercy on me, a sinner.

God Bless and thank you.

Fr. Corapi's Conversion Story - Condensed Version

If you have not heard Father Corapi's conversion story, please listen to this shortened version where he explains the beauty of our Lord's Mercy.

May our Lord fill you with Peace & Blessings today.  May you always feel his Mercy, which endures forever.

In the still of the early morning......

I love the early morning when it's quiet and the world is not yet awake.  The sky is just beginning to show signs of light--birds are chirping softly and crickets are singing.  I'm sitting in my kitchen, drinking coffee while contemplating my day, and wondering why God urged me to title this post "In the still of the morning."

My heart is heavy this morning, because I had to take an action at work that I find distasteful.  I'm far from "saint-like", but I do not take pleasure in "throwing another human being under the bus", which is something I felt I finally had to do after putting up with the negativity for 2 1/2 years.  My motivation was not vindictive, but to save this person from herself and to stop the constant criticizing and abusive behaviors she directs towards others, especially me.

Anyone stumbling on this post, even if a lot of time has passed, please say a prayer for "A", and ask our Lord to comfort her and infuse her with His Grace and love.

As the sun rises higher and higher, lighting up the northern hemisphere, I continue contemplating my day in the "stillness of the morning"... finally a light bulb illuminates my mind.  I think I have figured out what our Lord is asking of me. On this morning, and every morning, He is asking that I look for Him in the stillness of the morning..feel His peace and love...place all worries and fears into His loving hands, and listen to His voice as He whispers, "Trust me" to my soul.

Lord, on this day and every day I will work hard to place all my trust in You.  I realize that no matter what happens, You will never abandon your people

Jesus, I trust in you...  Mary, please pray for us...  St. Joseph, please watch over and guide us...  St. Anthony, please pray for us and help us find our faith, true contrition for our sins, and perfect charity for God and neighbor.