A Lesson from the Missionaries of Charity #BISsisterhood Link Up

Praying the rosary isn’t all that hard, but it isn’t all that easy if you are prone to distractions and kneeling on a wood floor.

When I was 15, a group of young girls from my church all loaded in a van with a chaperone and our parish priest and took a “nun run” to visit the Missionaries of Charity (MC) in our state. It was mid-July, a season when most air conditioners would be running full steam ahead.

As soon as we entered the house where the MC’s lived, we noticed the barren appearance and the heat. The MC’s make it a mission to live like the people they serve. I’m sure even the people they served in this area had A/C, but the MC’s did not. What they also lacked was furniture. So for 20 minutes we all kneeled (even the sisters, some of whom had to be at least 70 years old) on the hard, wood floor. Several of our group were wearing shorts and how misfortunate that day…When you’re praying for 20 minutes on the hard, wood floor with no A/C in the middle of July in the South your knees start to slide apart.

Once we were nearing the end of the rosary, we all felt relief that we could sit soon. You see, the MC’s had brought out folding chairs just for us. However, once we ended the rosary and all of us were about to take our seats the lead nun began saying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. By that point, one member of our group who had a broken tailbone took the opportunity to sit down. As we all looked at each other, we admitted defeat and sat as well.

We learned a lot that day. We learned that sometimes you just have to grin and bear it to grow in holiness. We also learned that sweaty knees and wood floors don’t mix. Most of all we witnessed the joy that comes from a life completely lived for Christ and that rejecting modern-day luxuries can lead to a more full and lasting peace than having A/C and a house full of furniture.

“People who love each other fully and truly are the happiest people in the world. They may have little, they may have nothing, but they are happy people. Everything depends on how we love one another.”   -Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Linking up for a post about the Communion of Saints with the #BISsisterhood.

Finding Joy (Anniversary Edition)

I recently found a website/blog that is helpful and spiritual and inspiring. And I want to be a part of it. Luckily, Blessed is She has a weekly link-up:

As a child of divorced parents I have seen the risk that comes with marriage. A lot of people who come from a divorced home are skittish when it comes to life-long commitment. My mom even worried if I was afraid to get married  because of divorce.

However, tomorrow marks two years of being married to the man who makes me smile every day, who hugs me just right, whose laughter is infectious, and whose faith has grown immensely. His generosity and caring spirit inspire me to be a better person.

I feel like in today’s culture marriage is taking a beating. But inside my home, between the laughter and the random slow-dancing and the burning cookies in the oven and the “home-cooked” meals from Trader Joe’s and the creamer with coffee we sip together each morning I find joy.

It’s in the small things. And the small things make up life, afterall.

Is it bad if I lick the toppings off of breadsticks? {A true poem}

Is it bad if I just wanna drink creamer + coffee all day in my pj’s on the couch and not go to work?

Is it bad if I wanna eat 2 Snicker’s Ice Cream bars at a time?

Is it bad if I wanna swim in a pool of noodles?

Is it bad if I sometimes give people gifts that I’d like cause I don’t know what they want?

Is it bad if I only wear my glasses when I feel like it?

Is it bad if I don’t use a level when I hang stuff on the wall?

Is it bad if I live my life according to my own values?

Is it bad if the only thing I’ve every really committed to is marriage?

Is it bad if I lick all the toppings off of breadsticks and don’t eat the rest?

Is it bad if I am my own person?

Is it bad if I live according to my faith as best I can, though imperfect?

Is it bad if I care too much and so sometimes I seem detached?

Is it bad if people judge me because they think I judge them because I embrace a different moral standard?

Is it bad if I use run-on sentences in my own blog?

Is it bad if I care what people think, but not that much?

Is it bad if this is the deepest thing I’ve written on this blog?

Is it?

Soul Refreshing Saturday {Vol. 1}

I don’t know about you, but Saturday mornings simply refresh my soul. I still wake up at 6:30am just like during the week, but this day is filled with endless opportunity. I could clean the apartment (not!), play tennis, paint, work out, fix dinner (!) or take a road trip. There’s something about waking up early on a Saturday morning and being able to take my time and do what I please that is something divine.

I have a Saturday morning ritual of sorts. I come out to the kitchen, start the coffee, open the blinds in the living room, turn on the laptop and read blogs. This is my relaxation and my space. Daniel (my other half) used to be a late sleeper and so Saturday morning was my space for quiet and peace.

These days he has his own Saturday morning ritual. He comes to the kitchen, usually about 30 minutes after I wake up, gets his coffee, turns on his Xbox and starts playing either some tank game or some other noisy, violent game that totally disrupts MY Saturday morning.  You see where I’m going here, right?

The plus side to this, especially during the winter, is that it’s freezing in the apartment and so when Daniel comes to the living room I share the blanket with him and he keeps me warm. Utility, people. There’s always a silver lining.

Speaking of Soul Refreshing Saturday, is my intention to post every Saturday morning some quote, inspirational message, activity, or anything really that refreshes my soul. I’d love it if you joined me. I have created a link up button below for other readers/bloggers to participate. Just post some quote, message, activity or anything that has refreshed/inspired your soul lately. If you’re a wordy person, you could say how/why that particular quote/message/activity refreshed your soul 🙂 P.S. These don’t have to be religious or spiritual. This could be as simple as going on a great hike, seeing a baby’s smile, or eating some delicious cheesecake.

I’ll go first.
“All that I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all that I have not seen.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Looking around at the beautiful fall leaves and the trees changing color–the vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows, some trees look like they’re on fire–this refreshes my soul. The smell of firewood on a crisp night–this refreshes my soul. The beauty of creation here below harkens my heart to something more, something beyond. This natural beauty is a reflection of the Creator Himself. But a reflection is never the same nor nearly as good as the actual thing itself.

[To add your post to the Soul Refreshing Saturday link up:
Click on the Link up button below (a new page will pop up)
Click “Add Your Link”
Follow the directions on the page
(And would you kindly post a link back to this blog page in your post?)
Finally, click “Submit Link”]

Procrastinating My Way through Grad School–Six blogs at a time

Maybe this is a little-know fact, but I love to read blogs way more than I love the write them. I started reading blogs about 2 years ago and during grad school it was a great way for me to procrastinate even longer. I found one blog that I liked and then started reading the blogs she was linked up with and it definitely snowballed/spiraled out of control from there. There are basically two categories of blogs that I like to follow: 1) musings from everyday life–especially from fellow married Catholic authors 2) musings about everyday life with a cultural spin

Blogs from Category 1/Catholic authors:
Grace at Camp Patton writes about her hilarious and stylish tots. I love her sense of humor and ability to look so so decent and stylish while raising 4 adorable children.
Stephanie over at Bluebird Songs writes about living out her Catholic faith all while moving *frequently* and raising the cutest Korean-Caucasian baby I ever did see.
Katie writes at The Rhodes Log which is one of my newest blog favorites. She and her husband keep bees which just speaks to their level of bravery and thrill for adventure.

Category 2/Cultural (Meaning Laotian-authored :)) Blogs:
Noony at From Laos with Love has become a fast friend through blogging. She is an excellent writer and writes about daily life as well as the history of Lao refugees. She, too, has an amazing sense of humor and bravery considering she is near spiders and snakes on a regular basis…on purpose.
Little Laos on the Prairie is a collection of authors who write about all things Lao. From highlighting the Lao Diaspora in Minnesota to 10 Things to Know for Lao New Year, this blog is Lao’trageously cool.
Theek from The Laotian Commotion writes frankly and hilariously about life with two toddlers. Her children are super-cute Caucasian-Lao entertainers (well, they keep me laughing anyway) and give me hope for my own half-Lao kids one day.

Check out these cool blogs that inspire me to write me and helped me procrastinate my way through grad school!