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What I Want You to Know (@ Melody's Harmonies)

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There are days that go by when I forget that we’re trying and failing at growing our family and then there are days when I can barely keep my head above water. Unfortunately the latter makes up the bulk of our days.   There are so many things I want you to know about this experience that I don’t even know where to start. I want you to know how stupid I feel for daring to make any plans for our life when we were first married. I want you to know how I wish we’d never tried to avoid a pregnancy in the beginning, and how looking back, I’d give anything for a mistake that would have resulted in an unplanned pregnancy. I want you to know it breaks my heart when I hear of unwanted, abandoned or aborted children. I want you to know that I would take each and every one of those children because I want them. I want you to know hard it is to plan anything or make any decision about our future when we wish so much that our present was different.    Read the rest here .

A Fast from "Too" (@ Melody's Harmonies)

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The internet and the catholic blogosphere is exploding with posts on Lent so I hesitated to say much. I also hesitated because up until this point I was really not sure what I was going to “give up”.  I really struggled because I don’t want this act of sacrifice to just be something I do out of obligation.  When I looked at my list of potentials, one thing was pretty clear to me: there was  just too much . Too many things that I do too much of. And very few of them good for my physical, emotional and spiritual health!  I don’t want my Lenten sacrifice to be just be an action, I want it to be something spiritual, something reflective  and nourishing for the soul that encompasses all of me from the physical to the emotional. Read the rest here .

#whatareyougivingupforlent?

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Ash Wednesday. Forty days.  Lent begins. And with it comes the ubiquitous, all too familiar question: "What are you giving up for Lent?" One of the most common things for people to give up during Lent is chocolate.  After that,  it seems like soda tops the list.  Having drastically changed my eating habits this fall, those items are no longer a part of my daily diet, so giving them up is not an option. Several weeks ago, I decided my answer was going to be dairy--more specifically, milk and cheese. It sounded like a good plan, to me, until I mentioned it to my daughter, who reminded me that I don't really eat that much cheese, and for the amount that I do eat, it is not something that has a hold on me.  Basically, I can take it or leave it. I started to think a little more deeply about what I was going to give up, and why. How do I want to be different on Easter Sunday morning then I am today? Read more:   http://www.restfulwaters.net/whatareyougivingupfor

Loving Lent

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  Thoughts to Ponder I choose to surrender the clutter in my life, heart, spirit So Jesus will set me free from stuff, Then fill me with His Loving Presence. May the things of this world fall away  so I may fall in love with God. God can only fill the empty places. Grace does what I cannot do. Jesus will have to do everything. This is true humility Pride  entices me to work harder,  pray more,  fast religiously,  perform heroic acts of virtue.  Humility  accepts that only God can save me  and other people. It is my job simply to surrender in prayer  and give Him permission to flow through me. continue

Detecting Grace in Life's Messes

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I can relate to the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day because I just had an entire week of bad days! My phone was cancelled by mistake, and it took six days and talks with seven agents before it was restored. I lost the PBS station on TV (jeopardizing my viewing of Downton Abbey ). A new talk I spent days preparing turned out to be cancelled, but no one thought to tell me. Instead of sprinkling a dash of cinnamon in my coffee, I grabbed the wrong bottle and tossed in half of my Vitamin D pills. Then when I stood up, I walked into an open cabinet door. On my way to be a substitute reader at Sunday Mass, I stopped to do an act of charity and got stuck in an icy snowdrift on the side of the driveway; AAA said they’d be there within an hour and half. The reading for that Mass happened to be from the Book of Job. I thought, Just call me Sister Jobette. Click to continue

50 Things to Give up or Do for Lent

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“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”  Mother Theresa 1) Write a letter a day to a different person, everyday during Lent and mail them.  The letter can be a letter of thanks, a letter of love, a letter of sympathy, a letter of forgiveness.  Write that letter with the intent of making the reader a happier person. 2) Work on forgiveness.  Get God involved in helping you to forgive.  Ask for the graces.  You will receive 3) Perform one good deed per day. 4) Find 5 things to thank God for each day. 5) Read Sacred Scripture daily aka the Bible. 6) Leave food on your plate each meal.  Don't eat it all.  Don't throw it away.  Save for another time. Read More at:: His Unending Love

Don't STOP for LENT

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DON'T STOP DOING IT FOR LENT !!! This is the time when people try to give up something for Lent - which is good. But let's remember first of all that there is nothing we can do which would repay the great sacrifice Christ made for us on the Cross. Not a million prayers, a million candles, or a million flowers ... God does not need any of these "gifts" or sacrifices as repayment for His love for us. He is in no way diminished, lacking in any way, if we stop doing these things. But we do them all the same. We do them as a sign of reverence, love, and respect. And I repeat - this is good. Here's a short list of things we could do during Lent. 1 Give up something (chocolates) and give the proceeds to charity. 2 Do someone a good turn or a kindness. 3 Pray for someone without them knowing it. Just anyone, not only your  loved ones. If you see an old person struggling as they shuffle along in the street, or you hear of someone with a problem or difficulty;

A Heavenbound Letter to my Mom

Today would have been my mother's 63rd birthday.  We miss her so much, but she is at the great Heavenly banquet--what a way to spend a birthday! Dear Mommy, Today is your first Heaven birthday. I wish that you were here. I wish you'd bake your own cake and cook a low fat meal. I wish that you could grow old and then"remember when." I wish you could see my kids sprout up and start to spread their wings. I wish we could go shopping, then stop for a treat and sip and chat about the deals we got, the lovelies we couldn't buy, and all the gifts we still need but don't remember why... Read more on Veils and Vocations .

Hairshirts and Flagellation

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Hairshirts Flagellation Pain and Sacrifice Essentials tickets to enter Heaven? CLICK HERE

How to Be Successful At Lent

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If I had to list my most "successful" Lents I would probably say the following ranked as the top three: The year I gave up shopping and did really well except for the pair of shoes that I bought and hid in my desk at work until Easter so my husband wouldn't notice them.  I sure did save a lot of money that year!   The year that I gave up coffee and no one at work wanted to speak to me before Noon.  Boy did that one require perseverance-especially on the part of  my co-workers. I did kick that nasty caffeine habit, though! Finally, there was the year I gave up grated parmesan cheese - what a major sacrifice for this Italian girl.  I practically top brownies with that stuff.  Talk about HOLY!!!  Plus, I lost a few pounds that year as well!   Epic successes, all of them. Well done, Debbie.  The problem is, Lent isn't about being successful.   Read more here...  

The Perfect Sandwich for Lent

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Getty Images I'll keep this short! I know everyone has a lot of blog reading to do today before the Lenten hush sets in over the Internet. Here's a quick and delicious recipe for Lent, the perfect sandwich you can enjoy  every single day  in the season of purple:  The PRAYER sandwich. Check out the "recipe" at Praying with Grace !

Bread That Does Not Satisfy

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This Wednesday, February 18th, is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. I happen to love Lent! Lent is a time when we can take stock and reflect on the things in our life that we may be turning to and trying to find satisfaction and fulfillment in other than God. It is a time to do penance and fast from these things. Continue Reading @ beautifulthorns >

The third mansions and preparing for Lent

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Don't go away sad like the rich young ruler! Are you ready to begin the season of Lent? What does Lent have to do with St. Teresa of Avila’s teaching about the third mansions in the interior castle? Teresa offers us many images to aid our understanding of the interior life. First, she asks us to imagine the soul as a castle, with God the Divine King dwelling in the central room. Then she speaks of the first mansions as filled with reptiles. The second mansions are a battlefield. What of the third? The person in the third mansions, she says, is like the rich young man of the Gospel. He has great desires. He wants to inherit eternal life. He even goes so far as to keep the commandments. But, as we know, that wasn’t the end of the story. Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possess

Blood Cries Out by ooberfuse (HD) (in memory of Shahbaz Bhatti)

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"Their Blood Cries Out To The Lord," Says Pope Francis of Beheaded Copts

A Catholic Self-Publishing Video

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Well, I have taken the plunge, and officially started to compile my stories into sections for a book. It might take forever to rewrite and edit because my method of writing is pretty basic; I simply  spill out artless slice-of-life stories with little or no revision. I am surprised how many I have actually written. If I include spiritual reflections on family life, I have the book  more than half done with 46,700 words without calling on my adult kids to help trigger my memory. I also entered a first chapter contest.  After finishing two more teaching modules, I will be officially finished the first chapter which is about 9,500 words. To win, I need  people to click on the  cheer me   on  button. Winning simply means promotion on the editor’s website. Perhaps the first stage will be to self-publish a short excerpt with the helping of Connie who is staging a forum to help newbies. If you are interested drop in to register for the 30 minute, free forum tonight and as many times

Dung Coloured Glasses

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I discovered a secret after years of mothering my tiny children. They taught me to take my eyes off my exhaustion and to take delight in the plethora of tiny details all around me. Little kids are born with a sense of wonder and the ability to enjoy little things. My daughter’s retain an appreciation for detail; they all remember the little things. A friend of mine once asked Rachel, when she was about six, what she liked most about Christmas. She replied immediately, “The pineapple.” My daughter’s answer astounded Martha. Similarly, one evening before dinner Emily, now a young adult, said, “I always remember the fresh smell of clean sheets every week.” Such a small thing, yet a child, with a heart full of gratitude, takes great pleasure from it. Psalms 33:8  ”  let all the inhabitants of the World  stand in awe of Him.”   continue  reading

Our Walls Are...

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The will of God is prime spiritual real estate.  It is the safest, most secure “place” in which a person can dwell. In order to live within this refuge, however, we must embrace its walls.  The primary perimeters of God's will are not at all hard to find. They are revealed in Scripture and outlined clearly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.   Because God loves us, He has set these boundaries in place for our security, and He has generously revealed them to us.... (continue)

Skydiving and Lent

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I'll be giving up skydiving for Lent again this year: also mountain climbing, another activity I am profoundly unqualified for and uninterested in. ( February 13, 2013 ) So, what am I doing for Lent? Some folks in my circles are going offline for Lent — refraining from socializing online. That's a good idea: but I won't be changing my online habits. Not much, anyway.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Preparing for Lent: Giving it up to the LORD

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I can't believe how long it has taken me to write this post, nor how soon it is until Ash Wednesday. We all know that it is customary to give something up for Lent, but before we choose what that is this year, I wanted to share some different perspectives on "giving up" that will bring us closer to the LORD. Here they are in seven quick takes. Source 1 Look beyond chocolate and soda. Give up those bad habits. We all have them. Lent is the perfect time to refocus our lives off of our selves and onto God. Nail biting and chewing on pen caps aren't sins, but they are bad habits that are controlling you instead of the other way around.  Practicing self denial not only reigns in your impulses and ground you in more conscious behavior. While it may seem woeful to live without ice cream for forty days, finally kicking that habit will be harder but more fulfilling. Being conscious of your every behavior affords the ability to put God first in all things because you

DNA, Babies, Life, and Death

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DNA evidence in a court case isn't new: but deer DNA in a poaching trial is. Less than two decades after a cloned sheep 's birth, British Members of Parliament okayed human cloning: using DNA from three people. Scientists who think this is a good idea may be right: at least for some versions of the new tech. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

50 things to know about Fifty Shades of Grey

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The video and Sr. Helen Burns' perspective is worth seeing and reading. You can view the video and get the link to Sister's review at Being Catholic ... Really .

I'm Taking the Veil...

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Of course,  that veil has to be pink! I've decided that during the season of Lent, I will use a chapel veil in Church. Believe me, this takes me back to pre-Vatican 2 years. It was during this time that all women wore head coverings when at church. A woman could wear a hat, a veil, or a small chapel veil. It seems that the older I get, the more I long for the older ways.   Read More at:: His Unending Love

All This for Even ONE Vocation

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The Social Media Coordinator of Ascension Press wondered if I would share a video entitled "I Will Follow" to get young men excited about the priesthood. It is part of their larger Mass education program called "Altaration" which they have designed specifically for teens. Ascension has already attracted over 100k views on Facebook for their videos. I loved it. + When I agreed to post it, I was delighted with their Social Media Coordinator's response.I will end this short post with his words ringing in your mind, heart and prayers. Awesome! If we get even one vocation from this project we will consider it a success. Watch  their short film calling young men to consider the priesthood. See why it has already received over 95k views. Learn more about the project at  WillYouFollow.com.    

I auditioned for Listen to Your Mother

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About a month ago I wrote an essay and submitted it.  Last weekend, I auditioned for  Listen to Your Mother. You can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

'If you choose, you can make me clean.' Sunday Reflections, 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

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Christ as Saviour , El Greco,  National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh  Web Gallery  Gospel   Mark 1:40-45  ( New RSV, Catholic Ed. , Can.)   A leper   came to Jesus begging him, and kneeling   he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.”   Moved with pity,   Jesus   stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!”   Immediately the leprosy   left him, and he was made clean.    After sternly warning him he sent him away at once,   saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”   But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus   could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter . Dr Carlo Urbani with his wife Giuliana Chiorrini and their children Towards the end of February 2003 Dr Carlo Urbani, an

Evangelize!

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Share God!

Soulful Cooperation

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'There is no greater joy on earth than to be chosen by our Lord to co-operate with Him in the sanctification of souls.' Dom Marmion (from The Breadbox Letters)

Dung Coloured Glasses

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The fleeting dream that eludes many of us is happiness. We are running around, miserable in our insular little worlds, only catching glimpses of the world around us through dung coloured glasses. The solution to our dilemma is easy. . Stop. Take off our dung coloured lenses. Look. Appreciate. I discovered a secret after years of mothering my tiny children. They taught me to take my eyes off my exhaustion and to take delight in the plethora of tiny details all around me. Little kids are born with a sense of wonder and the ability to enjoy little things. My daughter’s retain an appreciation for detail; they all remember the little things. continue

Grace in the Daily Grind

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Most of our lives are spent carrying out necessary routines: eating, doing dishes, washing, cleaning, driving, and (hopefully) exercising. If we work, our job might be quite ordinary, menial, or boring. Day follows day, and we don’t expect to ever appear on the evening news for an act of heroism. Neither do we expect to be canonized. Take heart! While researching the lives of saints, I found that several of them bear witness to and teach that holiness can come from simply living a normal life faithfully. click to continue

My fear of flying

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At the end of this month, I will be going to New York with my daughter for nine days!  My daughter is friends with a family that she used to babysit for here in Chicago.  When they moved to New York last summer, they invited her to come stay with them.  It was a "working vacation."  She helped with the kids, but during her time off she became a tourist.  It was amazing to get her texts and pics as she navigated that humongous city all by herself! You can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

Dear Friend, Alone and Miserable

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Getty Images Dear friend, Your heart is broken. You feel abandoned and weak, a shadow of your former lively self. I have been praying for you. At church this weekend, we prayed Psalm 147, and these verses leaped out at me, sounding so applicable to you, my friend: The Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He tells the number of the stars; he calls each by name. I guess I've never thought about every star having a name, but there we have it: "He tells the number of the stars; he calls each by name." So the stars have names. What's more, God  calls  them by their names, implying that the stars respond. The stars are in relationship with God. Not just cold, mechanical constellations that guide navigation, stars have a sort of life and dignity, simply because God makes them and calls to them. Please join me at Praying with Grace for more. As I repeated the Psalm response after the cantor, I wondered how calling stars by nam

Much Ado About Mary

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WHY BOTHER WITH MARY? CLICK HERE

Five Words That Will Change Your Life

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Have you ever really paid attention to your vocabulary? Does it match your faith life? Or is your faith life a bit stalled and you wonder how to jumpstart it? Your vocabulary is the key to it all and understanding these five simple words can drastically change your life. Word One:  Disordered Our world gets a bit crazier every day. More things take up our time and energy and consequently leave us less time for God. Our dreams, desires and longings get caught up in the ways that we experience the world. So, instead of dreaming God’s dreams for our lives, we live with and pursue disordered dreams and desires. We keep ourselves on Satan’s treadmill where our disordered existence exhausts us and steals our joy. “Lord, remove the disordered desires from my mind and heart so that I may experience your peace and dream your dreams for my life. Do not allow the illusions of the evil one to infiltrate my heart or mind where I unwittingly allow them to undermine or repl

7 Thoughts of Thanksgiving

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1) "Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,      they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary,      they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40: 31 Friday is a good day.  It's the end of the work week for many people.  The weekend becomes a time of renewal.  God is our strength and He renews us.  For this I am thankful. 2) " He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." Ecclesiastes 3: 11 Read More at:  His Unending Love

At the Center of Month... and LIFE

Beginning with a riddle... " What Am I? I’ve been considered the center, while holding many seats. In need of silence to hear. I reveal your emotions & intellect, both the physical & the spiritual.   You might swear with me… Some will cross me.  I could melt… or become hardened. Sometimes real… or not. Restless when wrong. Cured when open.     Could sing for you. Yet best at keeping beat. Heavy or broken at times. Despised, pierced, forgotten…  Though without me, there is no life! Still humble, I am. What Am I… to you? " Do you know? …Do you know? Hope you'll c ome see... a paint-by-numbers picture (in need of change), key factors (both physical & spiritual)...  along with LOTS of saintly quotes on….. you know what. ;)   A Matter of Life! >> Click Here to Read More at: The Way to Nourish for Life >>

More Mystics please!

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A most unusual idea inspired by the actor, Alec McGowan, hit the London stage in the 1970s, when, in a personal tour de force, he rendered the whole of St Mark’s Gospel. Against all predictions he performed to a full house night after night. When the same thing happened in New York, where it was performed at the Marymount Manhattan and Playhouse theatres, a Catholic impresario had an idea. He approached Kieron Moore, who had made a name for himself playing Count Vronsky in the film version of Anna Karenina, opposite Vivien Leigh. He asked Moore, who was a devout Catholic, if he would ‘star’ in a similar stage production, but this time in a rendering of St John's final discourse of Jesus at the Last Supper. “It cannot be done,” said Moore, “And it most certainly will not be attempted by me. Only one person could utter such deep and profound mystical truths, and that is Jesus himself, and when they are read they can only be read and understood by those who are inspired by the same

IS WHAT IS ORDINARY FOR GOD, ORDINARY FOR ME?

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The Dolors of Mary give me such food for pondering. She, like the most significant visionaries of our time, St Bernadette, St Jacinta, St Lucia, St Francisco, St Imelda , ( ok, she’s not so well known but ought to be….) were little kids, LITTLE!!! St Bernadette was the oldest at 14! St Jacinta the youngest at 6.  They too, bore unimaginable weight of heinous attacks,  pressure that I don’t know I would have stood up to. Then again, God did not use me between 6 and 14 to communicate to the world messages either. But think of it…… 29% of the highlights of painful events that Mary suffered, that we know of, she suffered when she was not yet 15. Those decisions shaped the salvation plan of God. That’s impressive. 50% of Her decisions dealt with parenting, decisions that were to lay the tracks for humanity to ride the train to heaven, (should they choose to). continue reading https://theoutlawedgod.wordpress.com/

We've Got the Man in Your Life Covered...for $2.99!

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Some of our most popular books for the man in your life are now just $2.99 on Kindle! For the young man (10-15),  All Things Guy: A Guide to Becoming a Man that Matters , a non-fiction book that covers such topics as: Dignity; Virtues; Media; Vocations; Family and Friends; Body; Know Your History; Boys in the Kitchen; Strong Catholic Men Today; Basic Combat Training (prayer). read more here

Our Monastery is...

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The Monastery of a cloistered heart is the person's own life.   A monastery is a place consecrated to God, a place of prayer, a place where God is loved and served.   Our lives can be all of these things.... (continue)   Painting: Fritz von Wille, in US public domain due to age