Association Of Catholic Bloggers

We’ve reached that point during the year where showing compassion seems to be on turbo-drive. For some reason, as we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas our hearts melt and compassion gushes forth from all of us. Maybe it’s because when we show compassion, we become more like Christ, and that’s a great feeling. Well, I’ve got a plan to make that feeling come alive 24/7/365. Show Compassion My wish is that the depth of compassion that we experience during this time of year could be spread over the entire year, 24/7/365. Yet, just like in the retail business, where stores enter the “black” on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), our souls enter the “white” of purity at this time of year when we open our hearts to others. Maybe we could “go white” year-round! We show our compassion when we: Read more...

A NEW BEGINNING! [with MATTERS TO NOURISH BY] Time, then, to look at what CHALLENGE #3 shall be:  It's actually you ! Can you believe it?  Chances are, at some point (especially early on), your own self will start to betray your desire for change, and will challenge your ability to continue on your New & Improved Way. This is because our mindset & emotions & thoughts can either work for us or against us. STRESS – BOREDOM – WEARINESS – LONELINESS – SADNESS – ANGER – WORRY – even HAPPINESS So it’s very important for us to recognize & address it… To take action; and talk back to the negative voice within that keeps saying things like: BUT IT DOES MATTER . New Season – New Year – New Day – New Way ! FOUR more TIPS for 2014 are... ► Click HERE to Read More on "The Way to Nourish for Life" including The Little Way.

Our CHALLENGE #2:  PEOPLE!  Yes, many different people :  F amily members, Friends, Co-workers, even Strangers this time of year... In many different ways , from subtle & sweet to downright aggressive & controlling ... [People-Pressure] From people who may wish to be supportive of our desire to do things differently [more healthfully], but don't really understand how to be of help; to others who may actually discourage or sabotage our efforts, preferring we didn't change our ways, even though such changes would be for our ultimate good. Yet, if we only had to meet this challenge just once in a rare while, such as on Christmas day, it really wouldn’t be a big issue at all.  But for many of us, however, it’s a challenge that we must often face, several times a week or even daily, especially during this season, from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, which is why Challenge #2 can be the problem  that's been taking “option C” out of t

Since it's too soon for the Twelve Days of Christmas, here are twelve tips for celebrating Advent instead. These tips include what you should do, what you shouldn't do, and what you can get away with (I'll promise never to tell). **What to Do this Advent** 1. Explore other cultural traditions:  Learn how the custom of Christmas stockings evolved from the German tradition of slipping treats into shoes or slippers that kids leave near the chimney in the days leading up to St. Nicholas' Day (December 6). Celebrate the Feast Day of the Patroness of the Americas, Our Lady of Guadalupe, on December 12 at the nearest parish with a large Hispanic community. On Christmas Eve, you can serve twelve fish dishes the way the Italians do. Experiment by adding shrimp cocktail or baked clams to the menu. Dilled salmon steaks garnished with lemon always taste great. Sushi platters or bouillabaisse combine many types of fish in one dish. See how many you can add to your Christmas E

Sorry to keep you waiting on pins & pine-needles for more Holiday-Time Tips!  After all, it won’t be too long before we find ourselves entering our Super Bowl season here instead... But, thankfully, it’s still only the first week of Advent: our Season of Hope & Preparation. How Wonderful! Yet it can also be a season of many challenges—to body, mind, & spirit... A time of year that's well known for setting us back (if not completely derailing us) on the way of wellness & weight management. So is it hopeless, then, to believe our year should be ending [and our liturgical year beginning] in a better, more healthful way??    Of course, it’s not hopeless!!  ...And hope (& triumph) can certainly be found through the very thing that the Season itself proclaims to us with joy … Be Prepared ! :)  It is in being prepared that we will best meet the extra challenges of this extra busy time of year! And in recalling the initial “Tis a New Season” post

Tis the Season to Eat, Drink, and… a. ) be unhealthy—and stressed? b. ) be bloated—and fatigued? c. ) be joyful—AND nourished! Hmmm. Yes, it’s that time of year again… “the most wonderful time of the year”, of course! But as we begin to unpack our Christmas decorations, do you feel as though it's time once again to leave all your wellness goals, and good intentions for health, back upon the shelf?   Have you been lead to believe that being joyful and well nourished, at the very same time, just isn’t an option during the holidays??  But it is!  It is!  It’s a very real option… a pro-active choice that we have---that can actually make us feel better when we awake on January 1st – in body, mind, & spirit .  Oh, what a great new start that could be!  OUR OPTION "C" !! But it’s really less about our actual Thanksgiving and Christmas-day meals; and rather more about our approach to the whole 35-day season [last year it was 41 days] that will reall