I pray I can carry this simple, full, and holy Christmas with me throughout the season and beyond. I pray in thanksgiving for the grace to notice and appreciate all that transpired as the family was just a family being and doing what God created it to be and do!

What has God placed on your heart lately? Has He PREPARED something for you that you have noticed? Has He placed on your heart a word from a prayer?

I am not consistent. I am not all-loving; I am not all-knowing. I am not all-merciful; I am not God. My justice, will, and ways are not perfect. My timing is not perfect. I often react instead of responding to any discipline, much less His discipline.

It is a strange season for me right now. I am experiencing joy and suffering, doubt and faith, contentment and uneasiness – all at the same time. I am living the paradox of our faith, or maybe, it is just becoming real to me.

It seems that the seasons of our lives offer us many opportunities to grow in their unique way.

I can be such a slow learner! I have only recently had an “aha” moment that I find myself relying on fairly frequently as of late. It is as if I have known this for so long, but God is having me use it in a renewed way as I grow older. It is simple, not easy, and will benefit EVERYONE in life, no matter age or circumstance. STAY IN A STATE OF GRACE!

God had me notice the many magnolia buds on my trees, especially the one right outside my sunroom. It is often where I sit to pray and do the “work” of listening and being still.

This week, I was able to begin a mom’s night out with Adoration, thanks to a wonderful friend who plans these times for us to pray and fellowship. Adoration is special to me as it was a large part of my discernment to enter the Church, and it is something my now hubby and I did weekly together for several years during our dating and engagement.

This has been a Lent straight from Heaven – a very real time of uniting myself with Mary as she watched her Son suffering- beaten, mocked, spit at, crucified, and died. What swords pierced her heart! It amazes me that she STOOD at the foot of the cross and bore all that pain, when I could barely function and was brought to my knees in sorrowful prayer bearing my own crosses this Lent that cannot even compare to what she experienced!

This past week for my watch day, the day I set aside every week to pray and listen, I was able to spend some time in nature alone quietly observing and pondering lots of things. I mostly pondered how backward this world seems to me sometimes, especially how right seems wrong and wrong seems right. Then, God seemed to open my eyes to my surroundings.