Deo Gratias

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

Colleen, from her inspiring blog Thoughts on Grace, hosts this wonderful meme each Wednesday. She 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 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.

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1) Matt is taking the summer semester off & started a part-time job this week. Deo Gratias! 

2) We've been busy fixing misc. things around the house...painting, replacing a doorbell, having the carpets cleaned, etc. It's so nice to freshen things up a bit. Deo Gratias!

3) I mentioned replacing the doorbell...we now have one that actually dings & dongs, not just a faint ding that we can't always hear. It was so easy to replace, too. Deo Gratias! 

4) The Blessings had their final band concert for this homeschool year. I'm continually amazed at how well the bands have done w/ just one rehearsal per week. They have an incredible director w/ tons of energy! Deo Gratias!

5) The weather has been lovely lately. I've enjoyed sitting in my rocker on the porch, just relaxing or reading. Also, The Saint has spent a lot of time exploring nature...digging up worms, observing ants on the driveway, & more. Deo Gratias!

Light in the Darkness

"All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle." ~ St. Francis of Assisi

Let us be that single candle, spreading light into a dark world!

Welcome to my Light in the Darkness meme! (If you missed my post on the inspiration for this meme, you can read all about it HERE.)

This is the place to share good things that are happening in our world...whether it's a link to a news article/video, something from your personal experience...anything good that can bring light into darkness!

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94 Year Old Earns College Degree!

 

Deo Gratias

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

Colleen, from her inspiring blog Thoughts on Grace, hosts this wonderful meme each Wednesday. She 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 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.

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1) Last Tues. & Wed., Matt & I went to Amish country while my parents kept the Blessings for us. We had a wonderful, relaxing, but short time & can't wait to return soon! Deo Gratias! 

2) Mothers' Day was nice & relaxing this year! Matt made me breakfast in bed (having to get up earlier than normal to have it ready before Mass), grilled steaks for dinner, & we topped off the evening sitting on the porch. Deo Gratias!

3) We took the Blessings to the movies on Friday. Matt took the older two to see Avengers: Age of Ultron & I took the younger two to see Home. It's not often we get to all go to the movies, but we found a local theater w/ great early-bird prices. Deo Gratias!

4) One of my co-workers lent us the movie, God's Not Dead. We had a family movie night & watched it on Friday. What a great movie that truly inspired all of us! Deo Gratias! 

5) This is a long one, but very special: I was brought to tears at work on Sat., witnessing a tender moment between a dementia-ridden, unable to speak mother & her son. As they sat in the lobby, he lovingly spoke w/ her & rubbed her knees & back. I looked up at one point & saw that he had pulled her to her feet. They swayed back & forth to music only the two of them could hear. It was only a minute or two before he sat her back down, but he continued to dance w/ her in her chair. 

Afterwards, you could hear her making noises as if she really wanted to say something. He came & asked me for a piece of paper to see if she could write what she wanted to say. I told him that they were making me cry. He gave me a sad smile & said, "I miss her!" Made me cry all over again.

I couldn't wait to get home & share this w/ my family, esp. after watching "God's Not Dead" last night. For those of you who have seen it, remember the scene w/ Dean Cain & his mother who has advanced dementia? His character is not very nice. In sharing my experience w/ the family, I told them that I wanted them to see another side of that scenario. Deo Gratias!