Tattoos, Motorcycles, Beer, Bourbon and Faith

Taken for Granted

Anyone who knows me well knows that a daily workout is a serious part of my life. In fact, my husband can tell the days that I do not workout. I am much grouchier on those days. This is true. I know that and I accept that and I try desperately to work out every day. It is just good for my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. And it is just good for the general well-being of others who have to deal with me.

Unfortunately, shoulder surgery has ground my exercise routine to a screeching halt. There is little I can do, other than walk. Depending on the speed and incline, that can even be a challenge. I have started PT, which is primarily assisted PT, but have been told it will be quite some time before I am cleared for other exercises (ie. weight training). Insert big sigh here.

I have lost quite a bit of muscle since surgery

And while my exercise has suffered these last few weeks, my prayer life has flourished. I have had ample time to talk with God, and on some occasions, I may have yelled at Him. My day starts with the Bible app, including the verse of the day and a guided prayer. It continues with reading portions of the bible then a devotional reading (I am currently doing a 21-day devotional on Psalm 91). At one point in my life, I did attend daily morning mass. My current job does not permit that, but does allow me to participate in morning prayer. However, as I am recovering, I am working remotely. I am not permitted to drive while arm is in the sling. Then throughout the day, it may include a rosary, the divine mercy chaplet, and other prayers. But those aren’t always part of my day.

I was reading a reflection that talks about how we take so much in our lives for granted, that we forget to thank God for the little things. Like the ability to work out, a run in the crisp air right before dawn, a walk through nature, watching the sunrise, spending time with our spouse, our families, our friends. But we also take our faith for granted. The things that we think will always be readily available to us.

Hiking/backpacking is one of my favorite activities

We need to thank God for those things because we may not always be able to work out, run or walk. Someday, we may lose our eyesight. Our spouse, our families, and our friends may not always be around. And our faith is just something that I think we tend to forget about or overlook. I often treat my faith as an afterthought. We fail to attend mass because we’re tired or don’t care for the priest, or don’t want to be bothered. Or maybe we don’t go because we are mad at the Catholic Church (this has happened a lot lately and this is when we need to pray the most). We don’t pray because we don’t have time or don’t think God really hears us. When we do this, when we make excuses; we take our faith for granted. We don’t feed it; we don’t give it an opportunity to grow. And that is really when we need prayer the most.

Looking forward to the backpacking adventures that await us in 2023

It spoke to me because I do take all of those things for granted. I expect to come home everyday and work out. I expect to be able to run on the treadmill whenever I feel so inspired, or take the dogs for walk at a whim. I expect to see the sunrise each morning. I expect that my husband will be there to go on adventures with me. I expect that my family will always be around and that my friends will be available when I most need them. And I expect God to be there always, even when I haven’t talked to him in a very long time. And even though I take my faith for granted, the really beautiful thing is that God will always be there. Especially when we think He isn’t.

So today take time to thank God, be grateful for everything in your life and don’t take anything for granted. And today, please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.

Disposable Society

I have been thinking a lot about marriage and abortion, particularly in relation to the Catholic Faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church devotes an entire section to Matrimony. It is detailed in Part 2 Chapter 3 Article 7 if you would like to read it.
The opening statement says “the matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.”

There are a lot of key points in that single statement – man and woman, partnership, whole life, and procreation. Unfortunately, many couples have not necessarily planned for a life-long commitment, but rather enter marriage with an attitude of if it works, it works. They lack fundamental communications skills (usually because of technology) and view much of their lives as “disposable”.

The same is true of pregnancy. Oftentimes, in today’s world, pregnancy is not viewed as a gift from God, but rather as something that needs to be dealt with because it is inconvenient. Unfortunately, we have normalized abortion in our country. And there are far too many “Catholics” who are pro-choice.

So let’s look at what the Catechism says about that; “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.”

Again, a lot of key points in that paragraph – but the first sentence really states it all. Ironic that so many people who “preach” about respect are the very same people who advocate murder and try to justify it by denying science. These people claim to want justice and equality all while perpetrating the moral evil of abortion on the most helpless and defenseless.

We live in a disposable society. If you don’t like something or if it offends you, simply get rid of it or force it to change (rather than change yourself). This is acceptable, in fact, it is encouraged. This is true for everything. Think about it, don’t like the way a school is run, force the school to change its policies (or remove its statues, cover up its murals, etc.). Aren’t satisfied with your job, simply leave with no notice and no other opportunities simply because you aren’t happy. Maybe even file a lawsuit because you have conceived some injustice from that employer, and it is their fault that you are now unemployed. It is true with everything. You get a puppy for your child for Christmas but find out it is far too much work. Take him to shelter and leave him.

Two of my four rescue dogs playing in the yard.

What about marriage? I am not saying people should never get divorced, there are definite reasons why a marriage should and does end. I am talking about when marriage is entered into so nonchalantly, when people view it as disposable, with an attitude that “if it doesn’t work out, we’ll just get a divorce.” That is not the intention of the sacrament. And what about pregnancy? You already know how I feel about this, but now it’s legal to terminate a “mistake” or an “accident” as long as it is done within the womb, in most cases. We have become so desensitized that in some cases, the child can be murdered after birth. And if the abortion is botched and the child is somehow born alive, some healthcare providers (and I use that term loosely) will refuse to provide medical attention to a suffering infant. This is the most helpless in our society, and rather than nurture and protect life, we kill it. Rather than see it as the gift that it is, we mutilate, torture, and destroy a child because it is inconvenient. And we justify it by saying it is not human. We deny science because the truth is inconvenient. Again, placing more value on feelings rather than facts. We live in a disposable society. You can get rid of anything.

But the biggest misconception within marriage is that God doesn’t need to be a part of the marriage. If I am being honest, when I was in my 20’s and going through the pre-cana classes, I thought the very same thing. “What does God have to do with my marriage”. What I actually thought was “What does God have to do with my life?” The answer is everything.

We have been married for almost 27 years

Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that until relatively recently. And we are now seeing the ramifications of God’s absence in our world. But He does need to be a part of our lives, in fact, He should be the center of it (I am still working on that part). We have removed God from almost every aspect of our lives in a country that was founded on Christian principles. Ironic, isn’t it? I truly believe that is the root cause of all that is wrong in the world. We have shut God out and we need to invite Him back in.

So today, make God part of your day even if it’s just a small part, and try to make Him a part of your day every day. Together we (you, me, and God) can begin to change our “disposable” world and shed a little bit of light in this dark place. And today, please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.

Beauty and Sadness

I really try not to be preachy or outwardly judgmental. Inwardly, I tend to make judgments to myself but I desperately try to refrain from doing even that. It just leads to bitterness and resentment. Unfortunately, I do it more often than I would care to admit. But I don’t preach (except maybe to my son). I tend to stay away from telling people what they should do, how they should behave, or how they should react. I may share my opinion, but I always close those conversations with something like, “you have to make the decision that is right for you.” People are free to make their own decisions, choices, and judgments. That is the beauty of free will.

However, this past week has been so incredibly and unbelievably sad. I am Catholic, and there is a magnificence and richness to the Catholic Faith. From the order of the mass, to chants and incents, to the praying of the rosary and Eucharistic adoration, there is an indescribable beauty of the faith that I cannot put into words.

By faith (not only by faith) I am Pro-life. The March for Life was recently held, and I am disappointed that it did not get greater press coverage. This is the first year where I really did not hear much about the march from any media outlets. The importance of this event is overlooked these days because it does not fit into the mainstream agenda and does not support the culture of death in which we live.

I am also quite disappointed in the leadership of the Catholic Church both locally and nationally. The Catholic Church has been under fire for quite some time and it is continuing its downward spiral because of its leadership, or lack thereof. From the defrocking of Fr. Frank Pavone to the acceptance of James Martin, whom I will never give the honor of the title of Father, as he clearly does not understand the catechesis of the Catholic Church. Our lack of strong orthodox Catholic leadership has made me so incredibly sad to live in a world that is so broken, so dark, so faithless, so lacking in love and compassion, so far from God. This is a world in which these leaders should be a beacon of light and hope, but some have become a source of darkness.

I expect more from the leaders of our Catholic Church, from the men and women who have made vows to commit their lives to the service of the body of Christ. Maybe I shouldn’t, but I do. While I realize these people are human; they are also men and women who have committed their lives to Christ, forsaking all others. Therefore, I believe (like many others) that they should be promoting and defending the faith, not promoting their own version of it and feeding propaganda. But the people who claim to represent the Catholic Church are not the Catholic Church. While we expect these individuals to uphold Catholic teaching, some of them are nothing more than false prophets and wolves in sheep’s clothing, leading the easily led farther away from Christ’s teaching, twisting the words of the bible to suit their agenda, and perverting its teachings.

Some of my closest friends are priests and religious sisters. Their faithfulness has deepened my relationship with God and strengthened my Catholic faith.

While the times may have changed, God has not. The Bible has not; Jesus’s teaching has not. Read John chapter 8. Jesus forgives the woman who commits adultery. But he doesn’t forgive her and tell her it’s okay to go and commit the same sin again. He tells her to “Go your way, and from now on do not sin again”. That teaching has not changed. The Catechism of the Catholic Church has not changed.

Catholicism is an all-or-nothing proposition. You don’t get to pick and choose what parts of it you want to believe and what teachings you will follow. If you’re Catholic, you need to be all in and align your life with the teachings of the Catholic Church – the church, not the people who claim to represent the Church. That is what I must constantly remind myself and others. It is not the Church that is the problem, it is those who claim to represent the Church. The Catechesis of the Catholic Church is pretty clear in detailing Catholic beliefs if you actually take time to read it.

This morning during my morning prayer, I read the passage “see that no one among you has a faithless heart.” – Hebrews 3:12. It really struck me because that line sums up exactly where we are in the Catholic Church, in America, in the world for that matter, right now. We (as a whole) are a faithless society. We have a faithless heart when we don’t treat each other with equality and justice. We have a faithless heart when we twist things to suit our own agenda. We have a faithless heart when we sign legalized murder into legislation. We have a faithless heart when fail to protect the innocent. We have a faithless heart when we cheer for and applaud a culture of death. We have a faithless heart when we interpret the gospel to suit our own needs.

Today I am sad, sad to the point that my heart hurts. Sad to the point that I am re-evaluating friendships because I can no longer deal with the negativity and hate that fills the hearts of so many people. Today I am sad because we have failed to protect the vulnerable, the defenseless, and the innocent; we have failed to protect life. We have failed as a society and as a human race. I am sad because we place more value on the agendas of the elite than on the dignity of the person, on feelings rather than facts. We accept lies and manipulation but won’t accept the Truth given to us by God.

Although I am sad, I am hopeful because God is in control (even when it seems like He might not be). And I will continue to pray and be faithful to God because God makes all things new. (Revelations 21:5). So today, hold on to hope and remember that God is in control, even when, or especially when, we really don’t see it. And today, please pray for me, and I will continue to pray for you.

Brave and Crazy

I have been reading the Gospel according to Mark this past week. If you read Mark with no background information about Jesus, or even if you do know that background, you might actually think that Jesus is out of his mind. I mean, let’s be honest, Jesus can come across as a little crazy, right? I am sure the people who witnessed the actions of Jesus and the events of the day might have thought that Jesus was crazy.

He is a man who is performing amazing miracles. He is healing the lame, he is driving out demons, he is challenging Pharisees, he is rebelling against the traditional view of the Sabbath, he is talking in parables, he is bringing the dead back to life, he is feeding the masses. And he is being challenged by others about all of these things, yet he never backs down. Jesus was faithful to God the Father in everything that he did. Everything. I imagine that he would appear to be crazy to the people of that day.

I know today, with everything that is going on in the world and even or maybe especially, within the Catholic Church, there are many people who think that devout Catholics are (brave and) crazy. For those of you who think that’s true, let me just tell you we’re not crazy. (Maybe we’re brave for standing up for our faith.) What we really are is faithful. There is a big difference.

You cannot judge the whole by the actions of a few. Although in today’s society, many people do just that. (And I am in no way condoning or justifying anything that has happened, been covered up, etc. by the Catholic Church, I am just as disgusted by it as anyone). But evil exists and it can take many forms. And while we, as Christians, don’t always understand why these things happen or where these things are going; we have faith and believe that God will bring something good out of everything, even when it looks like chaos. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”- Romans 2:28. Even when we don’t understand. But we remain faithful. We continue to pray. And we know that God has a greater plan and that God is in control.

Today say a prayer for one another and have faith, God will bring something amazing out of the chaos. And today, please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.

Judgment

I have been reading the gospel of Mark lately. Mark’s gospel begins with the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn’t begin with His genealogy and birth, like Matthew and Luke, but with His ministry. Much of the gospel of Mark talks about how Jesus was judged for his actions, for the people with whom is associated, or for not honoring the letter of the law.

Here is a man who is healing people. He starts with the man with the unclean spirit, then proceeds to heal Peter’s mother-in-law. So, what do they do, they bring other people to Jesus to be healed. What a sign of faith! And people began to seek out Jesus (that is something we should all be continuing to do today). “And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.” Mark 1:39.

Jesus then heals the leper and the paralytic. He continues to preach and teach. He is doing good work, and the judgment begins. How often do we judge people by their actions without knowing the entire story? How often do we judge people based on their circle of friends without even knowing anything about those individuals, only on what we’ve “heard” about them? How often do we adhere to the letter of law but fail to act in the spirit of the law? Everything is not always what it seems to be. Not everyone is who or what we have been told they are. Not everything is black and white, there are a million nuances of gray.

I am guilty of all of those things, and I am guilty of them daily. I am not proud of that statement, but it is entirely true. It is entirely too easy to make decisions about people, situations, or circumstances without having all the information. We see this in the news and on social media. Unfortunately, we are bombarded with lies, falsities, opinions, propaganda, etc. because of the availability of and access to technology. What we see and experience affects us, and we don’t always take time to find the facts before reacting. Of this, I am also guilty.

Maybe we need to step back and look at the bigger picture. Maybe we need to realize that there are other factors that are at play and that we don’t have the entire scenario or the complete story. Maybe we need to stop and think of ways that we can help rather than hinder and replace judgment with compassion.

Maybe today we can be just a little bit kinder, a little more empathetic, a little bit humbler, a little more respectful. Maybe today we can look for Jesus in one another, maybe we can be Jesus to one another, and maybe just be a little bit better than we were yesterday. And today, please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.

Humble, Grateful, Blessed

Exactly one week ago, I had shoulder surgery. In fact, it was scheduled at 10:40am, as I am typing this, it is 10:38am.

Surgery began 168 hours ago. In the past 168 hours, 2.5 of those hours were spent in surgery and recovery and another hour in travel back home. Once I arrived home from surgery, I spent the next 48 hours lying on the sofa in some serious pain. The first night, I got virtually no sleep, the pain was so excruciating. I nearly cried. Tuesday was filled with brief hours of waking, but mostly with dozing, napping, and just generally being useless.

I did finally rouse myself Wednesday morning to get on a conference call and answer some emails. To say it was difficult would be an understatement. I have limited use of my right arm, as I am in a perpetual sling. I happen to be right-handed. Trying to function with only my left hand has been met with minimal success. Wednesday was also the day that I was finally able to shower.

Jazz and Tux made sure I rested when I was left unattended

If you know me, you know I love cleanliness and thoroughly appreciate my daily shower (usually two). So not being able to shower for a couple of days was truly challenging. The bright side was, I felt so awful that I really didn’t want to shower. Honestly, I didn’t even want to move.

Once Wednesday arrived, I could not wait to jump in the shower. Here, in lies the problem. I cannot shower, I cannot get ready to shower, without some assistance. Actually, without a lot of assistance. The sling that I must wear, at all times, except for bathing and exercises, requires someone to help me put it on and take it off. And that is just the first challenge. Then there is the struggle of getting my shirt on and off. I have a very limited range of motion with my right arm. I feel truly helpless. I need someone to help dress and undress me. My husband, who has been my sole source of assistance, seems to like the latter task. I am truly grateful that he has been here to assist me as I recover from surgery.

My one adventure out of the house. I moved my sofa to my son’s sofa

This recovery is taking longer than I had hoped. I knew it was going to be painful. I knew the recovery was lengthy. I knew I would need help with a lot of different things. I completely underestimated that walking would cause pain in my shoulder and arm. I overlooked that sleeping well would be a challenge, particularly while wearing a cumbersome sling. I neglected to realize that eating would be more difficult, that making a cup of coffee would be a huge task and that wearing anything other than sweatpants would require an additional half an hour every time I ventured to the bathroom. I did not think about not being able to shave my legs. Brushing my teeth even takes more time. I failed to understand that I would not be able to carry much of anything and that typing would be a painful task. And I cannot drive. What I failed to really truly understand was that I would need help. Lots of it. I have never felt more useless in my life.

I’m not really good at asking for help. I am an independent and self-reliant woman. And now I am at the mercy of my family, dependent on my husband for just about everything. Yeah, it is difficult. Yeah, it is humbling. And yeah, God is using it to help me grow. To teach me trust. To make me rely more on others. To show me how to ask for help. But it is also growing my relationship with Him, teaching me to trust Him more and lean into Him when I need support and rest. It is also helping me recognize all of the gifts and blessings in my life and is reinforcing my sense of gratitude for all of those who have helped me during this recovery, particularly my husband.

We have been together for almost 30 years and have been married for nearly 27 of those years. When people are together that long, they tend to take each other for granted. But through this little setback, I am reminded of what a blessing he is to me (and so many others) and I am grateful for our marriage and partnership. He has done all of the heavy lifting and handled all of the responsibilities this past week. I am fortunate that he willingly takes such good care of me. From sleepless nights and complaints about pain and discomfort to helping me shower and dress, I am humbled and grateful that God has put him in my life and that together, we pursue a deeper relationship and a deeper reliance on God.

My husband and my dog…two of the three men in my life.

So today, be humble enough to ask for help when you need it and be grateful for the people that God has placed in your life and the blessings that He showers upon you. And today, please pray for me and I will pray for you.

Accosted by Grace

Today is January – Friday the 13th. I know there is a lot of superstition attached to any Friday the 13th. In fact, horror movies have been based around that date as an omen of bad luck. As a child, I was fascinated by superstition. I even tended to believe them and allow them to dictate my behavior. Not so as an adult. Superstitions are fun to joke about, but I don’t put any trust or belief in them.

My morning of January, Friday the 13th unfolded in a manner in which those who are superstitious would say was caused, in fact, by the date alone. You see this morning, on my drive to work. A deer stepped out on the highway in my lane of travel. Just a few days ago, I was commenting that in all of my years of driving, I have never struck a deer.

Today I was humbled. The deer stepped into my lane, and while I swerved to miss her, she still ran into the back-passenger side of my car. Perhaps it was my gloating that led to the end of my deer-free streak. Maybe it was simply the time of day and time of year. Oddly enough, I did leave 5 minutes earlier than I normally would for work. So, yes, timing makes a difference. Timing is everything. Had I left the house as I normally would at 6am rather than 5:55am, I would have likely never seen that deer.

In many cultures and religions, the deer symbolizes grace. I remember spending time with a friend, who happens to be a religious sister, who told me that the deer represents grace. That was a day when together we had seen three of them on a walk in the woods. A deer representing grace, three of them reminded me of the trinity; there was a great deal of symbolism in that moment. At that time in my life, I think God was trying to get my attention because I wasn’t grounded in my faith; I wasn’t pursuing a relationship with Him. And God reaches out to us in so many ways that we oftentimes miss His message.

Today’s experience with a deer was different. And I will admit, I hope she survived our collision and was not injured. In assessing the damage to my car, which was minimal – just a scratch – I would think that she is just fine, probably just as startled as I was and maybe a little banged up. But the near accident was most definitely filled with God’s grace. It could have been disastrous for both the deer and me.

Therefore, Friday the 13th is not a day of bad luck but rather a day of good luck. I could have been involved in a serious accident. I could have totaled my car, injured myself, and inadvertently killed one of God’s most beautiful and gentle creatures. But I didn’t. And I didn’t because of God’s grace.

Photo by Djalma Paiva Armelin on Pexels.com

This week has been extremely busy and extremely fruitful. I am trying to get things wrapped up both personally and professionally before I have shoulder surgery next week. I have been going at a breakneck pace, trying to get everything done. I think God was giving me a wake-up call and telling me to slow down. Everything will be accomplished…in His time.

So this morning, I slowed down. I said a prayer of Thanksgiving for all of the goodness in my life. It is evident everywhere. Through the people around me, the relationships that I have and the support that I am given, through the beauty of nature that I get to experience each day with beautiful sunrises, gentle rain showers, softly falling snow, and magnificent sunsets, through the gift of waking each day, breathing, and having the opportunity to do work that helps share God’s word and bring others to Christ; even through the near miss I had this morning. Maybe especially through the near miss. God’s grace is abundant.

So today, look for God’s grace in your life. How is He showing it to you? What is He asking of you? What gift is He trying to give you? And today, please pray for me, and I will continue to pray for you.

It’s the Journey, Not the Destination…Or Is It?

Have you ever heard the maxim, it’s not the destination, it’s the journey? Or as T.S. Eliot indicated “The journey, Not the destination matters…” Well, I am not sure that is entirely accurate.

Our entire life is a journey, every single day. Each day, each hour, each minute, and each breath of our entire lives is part of our journey. And every person’s path is as unique and original as each individual. Nobody will have the same exact trek as you. Nobody. Just like nobody will have the exact same experiences or relationships as you will have throughout your life.

The journey is inevitably filled with ups and downs, peaks and valleys, highs and lows. There are seasons of drought and seasons of growth. There are challenges and successes, births and deaths, gains and losses. Your journey will take you to some beautiful places, it will also take you to some places that you might not want to go. But throughout this wonderful expedition called life, you will meet some amazing people who support you on this excursion. They will help you through those rough patches and maybe even light the way for you when there is darkness. They are the blessings that I referred to in my last entry. And they will celebrate with you, help you find joy, and provide aid when you need help.

My best friend from high school and I had an epic adventure on the AT last year. She is one of the blessings in my life.

The journey is significant. It is important to appreciate each day that you are given, to see the value of every opportunity that comes to you, to live in each and every moment, to seize the day, and to not wish your life away. It is our individual journeys that form us. It is the culmination of those experiences that make us exactly who we are. It is the influence of those relationships that help build us or break us.

So yes, the journey is critical. It is most definitely a truly beautiful thing. However, as Christians, the destination is really what matters in the end. Where, exactly, are we going? Are we living a life and following a path that will get us to our intended destination?

You see, we should all be striving for heaven, to spend eternity with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. That should be our goal, our end destination. Our earthly journey is just how we get there. Are we living lives that glorify God? Are we being a light, a blessing, to others? Are we exemplifying the love of Christ? Paul says in Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

And if we take a look at Paul, he had quite an incredible journey, from a guy who persecuted Christians, to a man to preached the good news, shared the gospel, and died for Jesus Christ. If Paul can experience that kind of change, then there is definitely hope for me.

So today, enjoy the journey, with all of its beauty and pitfalls. And be a light and a blessing to those around you. But remember it is the final destination that really matters, so make sure you are on the right path. And today please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.

Be a Blessing

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” – Genesis 12:2

You are blessed, abundantly, but do you feel blessed? Do you accept the blessings that God wants to bestow on you? Do you let those blessings flow through you to others?

In reading this morning, I was reminded that I am not simply blessed by God to be blessed; I am blessed by God for the sake of others, so that through God’s blessings, I may bless others. What that basically means is to pay it forward.

God blesses us each and every day, in immeasurable and uncountable ways. However, we don’t always accept those blessings. Oftentimes this is because we don’t recognize ourselves as worthy of all the goodness that God wants to share with us. We feel like we don’t deserve it. We feel like we are not good enough for God’s unconditional love. But it doesn’t matter if we believe we deserve it or not, God’s love and generosity know no limits. He wants to pour out his love upon us and bless us abundantly. He is simply that generous, that loving, of a Father.

One of the many blessings of New Year’s Day was making cannoli with my son

I know I regularly feel like I don’t deserve God’s blessings. I’m a sinner – big time, and I struggle a lot. I am certainly not worthy of the goodness God has given me. But there are also times that I fail to recognize the blessings in my life because sometimes those blessings look a lot like challenges and trials.

Cuddling with my dogs (3 of the 4 pictured here) is a daily blessing for me.

There have been blessings in my life that I didn’t understand, that I didn’t recognize as blessings until well after the moment had passed. These were times of pain and struggle, times of uncertainty and fear, and times of anger and sadness. From dealing with the deaths of friends and loved ones to battling cancer to testing relationships, I have experienced a number of events in the past few years alone that have been difficult. But each of those moments was wrapped up in God’s grace that helped me get through those times and come out stronger. Each of those experiences, each of those blessings, helped me learn and grow, and hopefully taught me how and allowed me to bless others in some way.

God’s grace has turned our challenges into blessings and strengthened our marriage

So today, accept all the blessings that God wants to give you, share them, and be a blessing to someone else. God has so much in store for you if you would just be open to accepting what He wants to give you, whether or not you feel you are worthy or deserving of his love.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—” – Ephesians 2:8. This is the greatest blessing of all, eternal salvation, and God gives it freely to each of us through faith. And today, please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.

New – New Starts, New Beginnings, New Creations

It’s a new year, did you make any resolutions? Why is it that we tend to make new commitments, new promises, about what we are going to do, and who we are going to become at the beginning of the year? We give so much power and influence to the new year. Why do we do that? Does turning the calendar page on the new year really bring with it new opportunities or do we simply view the new year as a new start?

There is nothing magical about a new year. But we open ourselves up for change, for improvement, for betterment at the beginning of each new year. We make resolutions, we make promises. We will eat healthier, we will work out, we will drink less, we will spend more time with family, we will watch less television, we will spend less time on social media, and the list goes on. I, too, have made a mental list of things that I want to work on in the coming year, and things that I want to improve.

My son is starting the new year in a new home.

It is good to have something to strive towards, to work for; to have goals. Some of my goals include reading and writing more, using social media less, keeping a good work/life balance and establishing boundaries, eliminating and removing things that disturb my peace or steal my joy, being mindful of my personal health and wellness, and living an unhurried and fulfilling life. I am approaching 2023 as A Year of Slowing Down.

A Year of Slowing Down is a book by Alan Fadling that my husband and I have committed to reading together in this new year. Now we could have started this book at any time, but we chose to start on January 1. Beginning today (it is January 1 as I type this) was almost prophetic. The first reflection is “Rest is Holy” and today just happens to be Sunday – a day of rest.

I don’t know about you, but I find it difficult to rest, I mean really rest. I am typically distracted by the things I need to do, so I never really rest. Rest usually only comes after exhaustion sets in, when I simply cannot do anymore. But that is not truly rest. That’s more like recovery. Real rest requires us to slow down, to stop measuring our output, to center ourselves, and enjoy the goodness of God. Saint Augustine writes in his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” That’s real rest, but it requires a trusting relationship with Christ.

While there is nothing magical about the changing of the calendar, it does serve as a springboard for new beginnings. It is the springboard for me to learn to live in an unhurried manner and to learn to rest, truly rest. While there is no power in turning the page of a calendar, there is power in Jesus Christ. In 2 Corinthians it is stated; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” What a wonderful sentiment for beginning the new year.

Maybe you haven’t made any resolutions for 2023. If you didn’t, it really doesn’t matter. Every instance is an opportunity for a new beginning. We don’t have to wait until a new year, a new month, a new week, or even a new day. What is the next step God is calling you to take?

You can start right now and become a new creation. Yes, it takes work (bible study, prayer, and openness to God) and trust (surrender of your will to God), and even rest (which comes when you recognize how God is moving in your life and you allow yourself to enjoy God’s goodness). What is God calling you to in this new year? Maybe a deeper relationship with Him, maybe more trust, maybe more openness, maybe more rest and unhurried time with Him.

I hope that whatever God is calling you to, you are open to experiencing His abiding love and faithfulness and find rest in Him in 2023. Please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.