Association Of Catholic Bloggers

My earnest striving to be perfect, to pair all the socks, for example, was a weakness, not a virtue. My diligence was rooted in insecurity, unbelief but most of all in pride. Again and again, as I read spiritual material, God tried to teach me that true Christianity is not focused on personal perfection but founded on the power of the Cross and Resurrection to set us free. “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father’s love for us.”  -St. Pope John Paul II  “Don’t worry about being effective. Just concentrate on being faithful to the truth.”- Dorthy Day for a humourous look at letting go of control, continue

People’s mouths drop open and their eyebrows shoot up when they discover I raised nine kids because I am tiny and do not look like a worn out, frazzled wreck. God has blessed me with a gift of joy which defies my circumstances. Mothering came naturally to me; it was easy to look like a saint on the outside as I mothered nine little people.  The trouble was, although I looked like I lived a life of self-denial, losing myself to give life to others, I tended to over control. I depended on my strength to get through the overwhelming chores which were part of running a household of eleven.  In all honesty, though, the only chore which actually threatened to kill me as a mother of a large family was the laundry, specifically pairing all the socks. continue reading

As I mature in my walk with Christ, I have learned to not depend solely on my own logic but to take the time to listen to the Spirit. Divine inspiration always supplies new ideas and solutions, solutions I could never have come up with on my own.  Since we are all immersed in His Spirit, He is an integral part of every aspect of our lives. God is with me and cares about the tiniest details and problems I face. There are several ways of looking at a problematic situation. Early on in my mothering career, I learned that I had a choice. I could either catastrophize every dilemma or consider each crisis as an interesting challenge. With limited funds, surrounded by lots of little people on a hobby farm, I had to discover innovative ways of coping. When I relaxed, often an unusual, creative or even funny solution popped into my head. I just needed to keep everything in perspective and listen to my own inner voice as well as the whispers of the Spirit. continue reading