Deo Gratias

 "If the only prayer you ever say in your life is thank you, it will be enough." - Meister Eckhart

Colleen says, "Deo Gratias is Latin for Thanks be to God. Remembering to give thanks for all of our blessings, big & small, helps us to find God in our everyday moments and gives us an attitude of gratitude!"

Each week, I will join Colleen in remembering & sharing the many blessings in my life. This is such a great exercise for me, helping me to focus on the good that truly is happening in my life, no matter how many trials & stresses I may have.

1) Monday evening, Matt came home w/ flowers for The Princess & me for our birthdays. (Hers is Thursday & mine was Tuesday.) The look on her face was priceless! Deo Gratias!

2) For my birthday dinner Tuesday, I ordered meatball subs & salad from Donatos. As I set out the food on the table, our blessings came downstairs dressed up in their church clothes to celebrate by day! Deo Gratias!

3) Helpful Grammy makes a cake of our choice for my sister & me on our birthdays. This year I chose a Texas sheet cake & she brought it over yesterday...YUMMY! Deo Gratias!

4) During my Communion prayer at Mass on Sunday, I was inspired to start a new meme here on my blog. You can read all about the idea & inspiration HERE. Deo Gratias!

5) My dear friend & I got together for our "Mom Therapy" time last Friday while our kids played together. It's always a great time for us to share our joys & sorrows, stresses & successes...and much cheaper than a certified doctor! Deo Gratias!

The Catholic Company Book Revies - Catholic Update Guide to Vatican II

I am a product of the post-Vatican II world, born in the early 70s. For most of my life, my understanding on the Second Vatican Council consisted of knowing Mass was in English instead of Latin, the priest now faced the congregation, & fasting from meat was only on Lenten Fridays instead of every Friday year round. 

There were 16 documents consisting of 103,014 Latin words that came out of Vatican II...all completed between Oct. 11, 1962 & December 8, 1965. As a  busy, SAH-homeschooling mom, I know that I'll probably never be able to read AND comprehend all of those documents. 

Enter the Catholic Update Guide to Vatican II. This small book (54 pages, including five chapters, an introduction, & a conclusion) explains, in simple to understand terms, what the Second Vatican Council was, who was involved, & what it means for us today. Each chapter ends with a set of questions for further reflection, making this a great little book for personal or small group use. 

Do I consider myself an expert on Vatican II now that I've read this book? No, nor do I believe that was the intent of the editor. Whether you're a lifelong Catholic, brand new to the Faith, or somewhere in between, you will gain much knowledge from this guide to Vatican II. And by gaining a basic understanding of these documents, may learn to recognize the fruits produced during this momentous council in our Church's history & what is to come for us.

"It has been said that a Church council's vision is not realized until the third generation--two generations after those who held the Council. Our Church today includes adults of this third generation." (pg. 51)

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This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Catholic Update - guide to Vatican 11. The Catholic Company is the best resource for gifts for every Sacrament celebration, such as First Communion gifts and Baptism gifts, as well as a great selection of limited-time Year of Faith gifts and resources.

Finding Light in Times of Darkness - A New Meme

This past Sunday, I had another wonderful Holy Spirit moment. Our Communion song was Christ Be Our Light by Bernadette Farrell. It has been one of my favorite songs since my Contemporary Christian Ensemble days in high school. When our group first introduced it to the congregation, I soloed the verses, w/ the rest of the group joining the refrain. It's such a powerful song & has always held a special place in my heart.

(This video has some incredible photographs & pictures!)

Back to this past Sunday...

I had just returned to our pew to kneel & pray after receiving Christ in the Eucharist. I don't normally sing, preferring to spend that time reflecting on the wonderful gift of Christ I just received. Some days, I will listen to the words of the Communion song & if fitting, incorporate them into my prayers. This was one of those days, especially when verse two came...

Longing for peace, our world is troubled.

Longing for hope, many despair.

Your word alone has pow'r to save us.

Make us your living voice.

Yes, our world is deeply troubled. Many are in such depths of despair that they see no light, only darkness. It doesn't help that we are constantly bombarded by all the bad stuff happening in the world, no matter which media outlet you choose (TV news, magazines, newspapers, or the internet). If something good has happened, it's not newsworthy in an editor's or station manager's eyes. The general public seems to thrive on the bad...the more awful & gory, the better!

During my Communion prayer time, I thank God for the gift of His Son & ask for the strength to carry Him to those I meet through the week. This week, in addition to that prayer, I asked for a way to illuminate His light to the world.

I got a response! YES...a prayer answered almost immediately!

I felt called to start a new weekly meme here on my blog. There is a lot of good stuff happening in this world, despite what we hear & read. This meme is to help us find & celebrate that good. It may not be an easy task, but I feel it is worth it, especially if I can touch just one troubled person in despair.

The guidelines are simple...share a recent story each week of something good. It can be a link or clip from the news (you may have to do a bit of digging, but I KNOW the stories are there!). Or, if you've encountered something in your own personal experiences, you can share those stories, too. Anything that will help bring hope back into troubled times. Post it on your blog & link it up here on my blog. If you don't have a blog, feel free to share your story in the comment section below. 

I will start this next Monday, March 4, & will call this meme Light in the Darkness.

It's said that we humans tend to share negative experiences & stories with more people than we share the good ones. Well, I believe that needs to change. Will you help me?

Small Successes

Recognizing the small things we accomplish each week helps us realize that even when it doesn't seem like it, we are getting things done! To link up your Small Successes each Thursday, go to CatholicMom.com. Here's the link.

1) I used our exercise glider two days in a row...not for very long, but I used it none-the-less!

2) I did not get as upset as I thought I would when I found out that nothing could be saved from our old hard drive.

3) I narrowed our curriculum choices for next school year within $2 of our budget.

Deo Gratias

 "If the only prayer you ever say in your life is thank you, it will be enough." - Meister Eckhart

Colleen says, "Deo Gratias is Latin for Thanks be to God. Remembering to give thanks for all of our blessings, big & small, helps us to find God in our everyday moments and gives us an attitude of gratitude!"

Each week, I will join Colleen in remembering & sharing the many blessings in my life. This is such a great exercise for me, helping me to focus on the good that truly is happening in my life, no matter how many trials & stresses I may have.

1)  I am thankful to have our computer back after having the hard drive replaced. It crashed last week & unfortunately we lost everything. Surprisingly though, I'm not as upset as I thought I'd be. I will miss all my photos, but thankfully I had some backed up & a bunch on Facebook, too.

2) I am thankful for our income tax refund. We are using it this year to try to pay off some bills. It is so freeing to write those final checks on some things!

3) I'm thankful for books. It's always a wonderful feeling to get lost in a great book. 

4) I'm thankful for great conversations about God w/ The Saint. It's amazing how much faith & trust can come from the mouth of a 4 year old!

5) I'm thankful for thrift stores. You never know what great treasures you'll find. Last week, I found the perfect blouse for a skirt I had. I also found George Weigel's biography of Pope John Paul II...for only $1.91.

Deo Gratias

 "If the only prayer you ever say in your life is thank you, it will be enough." - Meister Eckhart

Colleen says, "Deo Gratias is Latin for Thanks be to God. Remembering to give thanks for all of our blessings, big & small, helps us to find God in our everyday moments and gives us an attitude of gratitude!"

Each week, I will join Colleen in remembering & sharing the many blessings in my life. This is such a great exercise for me, helping me to focus on the good that truly is happening in my life, no matter how many trials & stresses I may have.

1)  I am thankful for The Saint's PSR teachers & the joy he shows every Sunday when he goes. Last week, when he returned to our pew after Communion, he handed me his craft & papers & said, "I made the guy who gave us Valentine's Day!" (They had made St. Valentine puppets.)

2) I am thankful for a fun night last Saturday. After work, I headed to a gathering of my high school youth group friends for a reunion & trip down memory lane. We share many fun memories & made new ones in the process.

3) I'm thankful for the Holy Spirit's guidance last night. The Archangel had a bit of an emotional meltdown right before bed. He was very negative & down about himself. While he still didn't feel 100% better, I think the words I spoke helped somewhat. (Please say a few prayers for him...we've had some emotionally rocky times lately w/ him. The highs & lows can come on so quickly.)

4) I'm thankful for our family rosary & prayer time in the evenings. Each day, we pray a decade for one of us. (We each have a different day of the week & Sundays are for our family as a whole.) We also dedicate it to an end to abortion, a greater respect for life at all stages, & most recently our Catholic Church as Pope Benedict XVI steps down & we prepare for a new pope takes his place. We follow the rosary w/ the St. Michael prayer, a prayer for an end to abortion, & an intentions we each have.

5) I'm thankful for the beautiful weather we've had lately. Our Blessings have been able to spend a lot of time outdoors, thus making bedtime much easier & quicker!

Small Successes

Recognizing the small things we accomplish each week helps us realize that even when it doesn't seem like it, we are getting things done! To link up your Small Successes each Thursday, go to CatholicMom.com. Here's the link.

This week it's survival of the sickies!
1) Today is the first day since Sunday that I've felt like myself. The Princess & I got a virus that really hit us hard. The older boys had it a couple weeks ago, but it only lasted two days for them.

2) I trusted Matt to do our grocery shopping Tuesday evening since I wasn't feeling well & we really needed food.

3) I've still managed to keep our downstairs fairly straightened up even though we've been sick around here.

Wordless Wednesday - Who Needs a Microphone When You Have a Christmas Tree Top?

Deo Gratias

 "If the only prayer you ever say in your life is thank you, it will be enough." - Meister Eckhart

Colleen says, "Deo Gratias is Latin for Thanks be to God. Remembering to give thanks for all of our blessings, big & small, helps us to find God in our everyday moments and gives us an attitude of gratitude!"

Each week, I will join Colleen in remembering & sharing the many blessings in my life. This is such a great exercise for me, helping me to focus on the good that truly is happening in my life, no matter how many trials & stresses I may have.

1)  I am thankful The Princess & I are starting to feel better from this virus going around our house. The older two boys had it a week apart & it only lasted two days for each of them. The Princess & I have had it since Sunday!

2) I am thankful that The Prophet's first band concert on Sunday afternoon went so well. We were so pleased & impressed by the talent in these homeschoolers, most of whom were first year band students. I'm also thankful The Princess & I didn't get sick until after the concert. 

3) I am thankful that Matt was willing & able to go grocery shopping for us last night. I just didn't feel up to it, but we REALLY needed some food in our house.

4) I am thankful my nephew got to Utah safely for his mission training. He'll be there for six weeks, then head to Milan, Italy until Feb. 2015.

5) I am so thankful the little boy in Alabama was rescued from the man holding him hostage for almost a week. What a terrifying experience for him!

You are more than welcome to join also...just list five or more blessings from God on your blog (or in the comments here or on Colleen's blog) & link back to your blog post on her blog.