​..he gave them to his disciples to set before the people.  Mark 6: 41
 
I was flipping through the Gospels the other day and I landed on the story of the loaves and fishes.  I’ve heard the story dozens of times so I asked God to give me a new perspective on an old story. He didn’t disappoint me…as always!  As I sat and pondered the words I began to think about how much I enjoy baking bread.  It makes me feel so productive and it brings a wonderful smell to the kitchen and great smiles to the faces of my family. Then I remembered a story.  I went through a spell where my bread looked beautiful until about 5 minutes into the baking and then the tops would go flat.  The taste was still great but the loaves looks so goofy it frustrated me.  Then one day, for no reason I can understand, I pulled out three of the most beautifully shaped loaves that had come from my oven in a long time.  Moments later Jason walked in and began to slice himself a piece of warm bread, the problem was, the bread was still too hot to slice and he flattened and mangled the loaf trying to cut a piece.  My shoulders sunk when I saw it…all my beautiful hard work…mashed into a mess.  It was my job to slice and deliver at the right time. Then I realized how happy he was to be enjoying one of his favorite things, hot homemade bread and melted butter.  My thoughts changed and the messy loaf of bread didn’t matter anymore because I realized I had missed the point!
 
After Jesus had taken, blessed and broken the bread something curious happened.  He wasn’t the one who gave to the people gathered there that day.  He gave the bread to his apostles to share with the people. Jesus had performed an amazing miracle but when it was time to take credit for the task, he stepped aside and allowed someone else to distribute the blessing.  Nobody in the crowd missed out on the eating, but I’m sure many didn’t truly understand the amazing mystery of the multiplication. The greatest part of the story is the love and compassion Jesus felt for the crowd. It was that very love that motivated this great act but he didn’t need to be recognized, the loving was enough.
 
I lost sight of the point of this Gospel the day Jason mushed my bread.  I was more concerned with having my perfect bread noticed than allowing my efforts to demonstrate my love for my family. I forgot it was about the love and not the credit.
 
A Seed To Plant: In your prayer this week ask God to remind you that he can work miracles in your life simply because he loves you.  Ask him to take all your fears, concerns and trials and love you through them.  Ask him to remind you that no task is too big for the One who fed 5,000 with only five loaves and 2 fish.
 
Blessings on your day!

…make straight the way of the Lord…John 1:23

I remember a stage in my early teenage years when my bedroom frequently looked as if there had been an explosion of some sort and it drove my mom nuts!  One Saturday morning I “cleaned” my room and she made it crystal clear that it did not meet her standards.  I had cleared a straight path from my bed to the door and quoted a version of these very words from Johns Gospel and showed her how I had clearly made “a straight  way for the Lord”.  She assured me he was going to need a much wider path.

My moms assurance is true today!  I realize I don’t always make the path to my heart straight or wide.  I need to give God room to come into my heart and do his mighty works of mercy.  I have all kinds of things in the way that make His way tricky to maneuver. I make Him wind his way around jealousy and pride and selfishness.  The path hooks to the left when I toss in impatience and judgmental thinking.  The way really goes sideways when control, bitterness and gossip get tossed into the mix.

Lent begins two weeks from today so it’s time to start thinking, praying and planning our Lenten path.  You might be tempted to start with making a list of all the things you’re gonna “give up” and that would be great; sacrifice is a discipline we all need to work on for sure but I have a thought.  If we look at our list of “give ups” are they going to help us grow in holiness or are we going to pick them right back up  after Easter?  What about giving up things that really change our path?  The virtue of the week in our classroom is HONESTY so the question was; how hard would it be to give up lying, fibbing or embellishing for Lent; and could that change us?  It was a resounding “YES, but that would be harder than giving up candy!”

Making straight the way of the Lord means keeping my eyes on Him.  When my eyes are on Him and I’m preparing for Him to work in my life I discover I’m moving in a straight and forward  direction.  He is the constant, the guide that straightens my way every time I re-adjust my focus on His way and not my own.  Perhaps as we prepare for Lent these next two weeks we pray for the Holy Spirit to help us identify the road blocks and detours that are in our path and we let that become our focus this Lent.

A Seed To Plant:  What clogs or kinks the path between Jesus and your heart?  Spend some time in prayer asking the Lord to straighten and widen the way to His love and mercy.  Loving Father, help me prepare a path to my heart that leads me straight to you.

​Blessings on your day!

There is a time for every season…Ecclesiastes 3:1

Three recent snow days created a little flash back to days gone by.  As I watched the snow pile up I thought our yard would have been the world’s greatest place to play but as I walked from window to window all I saw was deep, fresh, unmarked snow.  No sled marks, no snowmobile tracks no snow angels or tunnels, forts or snowmen.  As I stood there getting way too sentimental I remembered the wishes I’d made when my kids were in their snow stomping days.

I remember all too well how long it took to bundle them all up, find 6 gloves and 3 hats and 6 boots that all fit and matched (ok…so they didn’t always match).  By the time they all got zipped and buttoned and tied up I was sweaty and frustrated and relieved that they were out the door!  I would wish they would stay out and play for hours so I could have some peace and quiet. I remember all the energy it took to get them out there and it never failed, 5 minutes later someone was yelling from the doorway, “Mom, I have to go to the bathroom!” or “Mom, so and so put snow down my back, I need a towel!” or my very favorite, “Mom, I lost my boot in the snow hill!”  For the amount of work it would take to get them out there to track up the snow, it never seemed to last long enough. I wished for them to be independent and creative out there in the snow without my help but before I knew it they would be in and the back room would be a mess of wet, cold puddles and drippy snow pants and boots. It would take twenty minutes to get everything hung and mopped   up and then we’d do it all over again.  Flashing back to that part of winter made that sparkly uninterrupted snow seem less sentimental.

I wondered as I stood there staring at the snow how many things I had wished away in my life.  It seems like we’re often wishing for the day when we won’t be so busy or when things won’t be so hectic or when the kids get more independent and don’t need us so much.  But, are we really satisfied when that day arrives?  That snow storm made me realize I should do a better job of recognizing the hand of God in every circumstance and stage of life.  Life comes in seasons. It won’t always be the same, which is to say if things are hard it doesn’t mean it will always be hard and if something is simple and lovely that won’t always last either.  God works through all circumstances and with each season of life there is growth and challenge and joy if we stop and look for it.  There is blessing and benefit in every stage and season of life.  Each one has a purpose and God has perfectly designed and arranged it to define and mature a certain part of our holiness.  Little kids mean puddles in the entryway, big kids mean uninterrupted snow…each is full of blessing and beauty; I have to ask God to help me find that beauty in every season of my life. God help me find you in the NOW of my days and help me stop looking so hard for you in the “then’s” and the “when’s”!

A Seed To Plant:  Say a prayer for your “present”.  Ask God to help you recognize His work THIS day without comparing it to yesterday or tomorrow.​

Blessings on your day!

But let your “Yes” mean “Yes” and your “No” mean “No”…James 5:12

Wow did this one smack be upside the head!  I think I would be shamefully astounded if I counted the times I approached things looking for the “easier” way to do them.   More than a few times I’ve re-routed plans and projects searching for increased benefit and decreased personal discomfort!  The biggest problem with that is what I usually get in return is minimal satisfaction!  I also shudder when I think of the things in my life that lack true commitment and consistent effort.​

I remember when Jason was an infant.  He loved sleeping if it was light outside but not so much during the middle of the night.  Kevin was 18 months old and I remember some of those days and nights felt so long.  In my exasperation and exhaustion one day I was pouring out my heart and frustration to a wise friend and she said, “You’re looking at this all wrong; your goal is to get him to sleep so you can sleep too but your mission should be to relax, rock, pray and enjoy your precious son.”  I thought she was nuts at first but I was desperate enough to try it her way and she was right.  It was hard to remember that I had said “Yes” to motherhood and all that came with it.  I was feeling deprived and uncomfortable…it was all about what I was missing and giving up and not what I had been given.  The next many nights were different.  I rocked and held him with a peace I hadn’t had before and said “Yes” to all the parts of motherhood and believed with all my heart that God would give me the strength and patience to chase my 18 month old the next day even if I didn’t get much sleep. That’s exactly what He did!  It didn’t take long before Jason got his sleeping straightened out and I never admitted it out loud but I kind of missed that quiet time in the middle of the night with a new baby.

God calls us so many times a day and He leads us so tenderly but so much of it we miss.  I’m so busy trying to make things easy on myself I often lack the consistency to follow through on the things I say “Yes” to in my faith life.  I am also painfully aware of the times I vow to say “No” to screen time or procrastination only to let it dribble into my hours leaving little or no time for reading, prayer or study.  I think St. James was speaking directly to me.  I suppose if I spent more time honoring my yes’s and my no’s instead of trying to negotiate an easier path God would have some abundant blessings for me and I would be filled with great satisfaction.  I can be a stubborn woman though! 

When I finally stopped fussing about my fussing baby and just enjoyed being in the moment God honored my “yes”.  He gave me joy, peace and energy because I was more concerned with the minutes I gained with my baby and less worried about the minutes of sleep I lost. In my prayer time, I plan to make a list of “Yes” and “No” and I will pray for the strength to honor both!

A Seed To Plant:  Make a list of “Yes” and “No” things that you can offer God the Father.  Ask Him to show you where you need to say yes and where He’d like you to say no.

Blessings on your day!

That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love.  Ephesians 3:17

I heard a phrase several weeks ago and it has stuck like glue.  I’ve been taking my time trying to figure out what I was supposed to do with it and today it all came together.  The phrase is, go forth and gossip the Gospel!  Given the fact that gossip has a typically negative meaning and is often something Christians try to avoid it needed some thought.

As is very often the case, the middle lovelies help me see things with a fresh, innocent perspective.  As each class comes into my room, we always begin by praying our Psalm and prayer of the month and then each student offers prayer petitions or intentions.  I’m often touched at the things on their heart that they ask others to pray for.  People often send us prayer requests and I share those with the kids and then we put the request into the class prayer jar and without fail, every single day someone says “and for all the needs in our prayer jar”…they are truly powerful praying kids.  Recently among other requests we’ve been praying for two little babies named Ellis and Rosie. Today one of the kids prayed that “God would heal them enough today to make their parents feel hopeful.” and another one prayed “God please just let them know you are hearing us and you love them.”  As I sat down to type and peeled through my newsfeed quickly I saw wonderful posts from both babies parents about good days and strong babies and I realized what gossip the Gospel meant.

We are all so faithful in confidently offering our petitions to the Father but I don’t think my “ask Him’s” come even close to matching my “thank you for thats”.  We are so quick to ask for prayers or share our concerns and situations but if you’re like me I completely miss the mark in taking the opportunity to gossip the Gospel when a prayer is answered.  The Gospel is the road map for all the work, expectations and examples Jesus left for us.  The Gospel teaches us about Jesus and his miracles and healing and we should share those when they happen.  Tomorrow I need to begin class by saying, “Wait till you hear what God did.  Here’s how he heard our prayers and answered back.”  

The gossip is the scoop everybody wants to get in on.  What if the biggest thing we wanted others to get in on were the amazing ways Jesus is working in our lives every day.  What if we faced frustration and disappointment and stress with a little Gospel gossip like “ya know what, God parted the Red Sea, I’m pretty sure we can trust him to help with this, let’s take a minute and ask him for help.”  Step two would be to get back together with that same person later and shared how he responded.  We were made to love and be loved so when I saw a frazzled, tired friend trying to muster up the joy and energy to tackle the day, we stopped and prayed for God’s peace and joy and went on with our day.  A few minutes later that same friend told me about the totally out of the blue and unexpected hug she got from a student that just touched her heart.  I realized that when she found me to share, that she in fact was gossiping the Gospel and it was so cool.

The more we ask, the more we should thank and then we should share.  The more we share, the more aware we become of the countless ways the Father is working in our days and that my friends, gives us plenty of Gospel to gossip about.  Instead of asking how about the weather or what’s on the schedule for the weekend, what if we asked, “What has Jesus been doing in your life?”  They may need to give it some thought but it won’t be long before we discover we have a lot of Gospel gossiping to do.

A Seed To Plant:  Every day for the next week, write down something God had done in your life then share a couple of them with someone…go ahead…Gossip that Gospel!​

Blessings on your day!

Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.  Luke 1:45

I used to love watching shows about pioneers.  I thought the whole covered wagon, cornbread baking, sod busting thing was great.  I sometimes daydreamed about being a pioneer woman and thought about the excitement of such a new adventure.  I also thought the long skirts would be a great idea to cover up my pudgy legs.  Then I became a wife and mother and realized how hard things can be even in this modern world with machines and apps for everything so I figured the whole pioneer woman gig was out of the question.  Or was it?

Now, one thing is for sure, I will never travel the frontier in a covered wagon nor will I likely ever bust sod and use it for a roof but the whole new adventure thing might not be such a bad idea. I got to thinking one day that maybe being a pioneer could mean something different than the prairie.  Fr. Pierre de Chardin once wrote, “We are called to be pioneers; pioneers who stand on the edge of great beginnings, of unseen futures.  Pioneers filled with unwarranted confidence that visions give.”  Maybe I could be that kind of pioneer; I don’t think it comes with a long skirt and wide brimmed hat, but the new adventure part is the same.

I think the key word in Fr. Pierre’s quote was vision.  I can set goals or make resolutions; I can even pick a word for the year but to have a vision is something big.  I think our desire to be logical and systematic makes it difficult to be a pioneer.  When you really think about it, pioneers set off on adventures that didn’t seem safe, logical or systematic at all.  They really had to trust.  Some of the best things in life happen with that kind of start.  Look at Mary and Elizabeth…neither of them was the common candidate for motherhood.  Elizabeth was too old and Mary was too young and not even married yet but they trusted, followed and radically changed the world. If we wait until everything is in order to make a new beginning, we’ll likely never get started on the journey.

What is your vision?  What do you see within yourself that could use a new beginning?  Be a pioneer and set out to find that new place or thing.  Be a pioneer for peace, patience, mercy or trust.  Blaze a trail so bold others can’t help but follow!  Can you make a plan to bring the hopeful newness of life to your heart, your home, workplace or community?  Great things have to start somewhere…go ahead…YOU be the pioneer!  What new beginning are you going to pioneer?  Think big…think mighty…think Godly but mostly think about the needs of others and the mercy of God.  If you need someone to join your wagon train just let me know!

A Seed To Plant:  Dear Lord, give me the strength to bust out of my comfortable-ness and be a pioneer of something really important to you.​

Blessings on your day!

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. Philippians 4:4

This verse is one of those “feel good” verses I like to spit out when I’m happy and things are going well.  I’m getting better and better at calling out in thanks for every good thing.  It’s been a consciences effort over the past many months to really remind myself to thank him and recognize the million moments when he’s working powerfully in my life.  Lately though I’ve been asked to look at this verse through a different lens.

The truth about this verse is that it was written by St. Paul.  The hit me over the head truth of this verse is that it was written while he was in prison awaiting his martyrdom.  From the darkness, the squalor, the stench, the most unfortunate, uncomfortable and undeserved location, he cried out for us to rejoice as he was at that very moment.  He didn’t say it once, but twice; rejoice!  Now, I’ve been in some pretty dark, complicated, painful spots but I’ve got nothin to compare to this…not even close.  Praying with this verse has brought to mind some things I need to remember about rejoicing, especially when it’s the last thing on my mind.

Being a disciple means saying YES to God.  When we say yes, it’s usually because we want to grow closer to him and experience his powerful grace.  We sign up for the good stuff!  How conveniently and quickly we forget about the hard or bad that comes with the good.  God shows us how this works in his creation again and again.  He put thorns with roses and cobs with sweet corn and mosquitos with summer.  We’ve lived it and seen it dozens of times but we are always shocked when the suffering and hardship come.  The Apostles said yes to Jesus and talk about a roller-coaster ride that yes was.  Every one of them endured trial, hardship, persecution and all but one faced martyrdom.  Amazingly, they all listed to Paul and did it all while rejoicing, and for what?  For eternal peace, freedom and absolute perfection.

These thoughts served as a sort of “buck up butter-cup” kind of experience in Adoration a couple of weeks ago.  I was lamenting about people who were sick and troubles and woes we are facing as a community, a church and as a nation.  Wouldn’t you know it, this was exactly the verse he led me to.  When I look at all the stuff I was made heavy-hearted by, I realized I have absolutely no control over any of it and the only thing I could do was lift it up to him and rejoice!  Rejoice not that these things were happening, but rejoice because I trust he’s working in all of it.

Embracing hardship cheerfully isn’t something we generally put on our daily to-do list but I suppose it really should be.  Following St. Paul’s advice in his letter to the Philippians I decided to give it a try.  I have a really bum knee and long walks through the airport and standing to deliver an all day training is pretty awful.  Last week when I went to Texas, I parked my car at at the airport and said, “Lord, I thank you for this lousy hurting knee.  I will praise you and rejoice in the pain and I offer this suffering to you.  I rejoice in the pain in the hopes that you will bless someone in great need with the  pain I offer you.”  And of course because I can be sassy, I added, “And Lord, If I’m gonna stand and do one evening and two full days of training, I need you to take some of the pain away during those hours.  If you could part the Red Sea, I know you can manage the pain for a couple days.”  It was sort of an experiment but he was so faithful and mighty and lovingly answered my prayer.  Through the prompting of the Holy Spirit I rejoiced when it didn’t hurt so much and then again when I got home and it did. His power is overwhelming!  Give it a try, rejoice in the middle of something awful or painful that’s going on in your life.  He will be waiting to meet you in the middle of it.​

A Seed To Plant:  Make a list of all the things going on in your life that are hard to rejoice in. Write or say the words; Lord, help me rejoice in_____.


Blessings on your day!

Be still and know that I am God…Psalm 46:11

We’ve entered those last weeks of the year that are so full of faith, family, fun, stress, activity and we may feel the need to buckle up and hang on.  But maybe the Lord is asking us to look at things a little differently. 

What if we all decided to take a big deep breath and remind ourselves that the next couple of weeks will be filled with things we love and things we don’t.  What if we decided to invite God into all of it very intentionally.  Being surrounded by family is a beautiful thing but getting the house set and ready for their arrival isn’t so beautiful so why not offer the getting ready prayerfully asking for His blessing on the conversation, laughter and memories that will take place.  What if we remembered that nothing bad lasts forever and the same can be said for the good stuff.  Life is a series of yeahs and yucks and God is found in both so lets not be in such a hurry to get through life.

As we make our way through the next crazy days, lets consider  one simple suggestion…Be Where Your Feet Are!  Life blazes by so meet God in the moments…he’s there in all of them.  If we’re not where our feet are, we’re dwelling int he past or zipping off into the future missing what God is doing right here and right now.  We won’t always be comfortable, things aren’t always the way we plan…that’s ok because pain and frustration are places God does so much teaching, forming and leading. 
A Seed to Plant:  Every time your tempted to “wish away” a day waiting for one that’s better, ask the Father to help you be where your feet are and feel him working,​

Blessings on your day!

For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father… Matthew 16:27

Happy Advent!  Advent is my favorite…it is so filled with joy and hope and anticipation.  I love it because it means the teachers at school meet each morning for prayer.  I love praying with my work sisters and taking 15 minutes a day to soak up some peace and have conversation focused on something great makes my heart happy.  Last  year we couldn’t meet in the little chapel at school like we had in past years so when we returned to the practice this week it brought joy!!

On the first Monday of Advent  I showed a Fr. Mike Schmitz video about Advent and it kind of blew me away.  He’s amazing but this particular video knocked it completely out of the park.  We talk in class about how Advent is a time to prepare for the coming of Christ and think about his second coming.  I  never really gave the second coming much though to be honest but because of  Fr. Mike and a couple of other great Advent videos… I’m thinking now!  I’m going to combine the best parts of all I’ve learned into one post that might help your Advent as much as it has mine.

*We prepare to celebrate the coming of Christ on Christmas…we prepare to celebrate Christ the Baby.  I can honestly say I didn’t really get too far from this spot.

*We prepare for the second coming of Christ…either He will come to us at the end of time or we will go to Him.  Either way we’re preparing to meet him at the time of our judgement.

*Advent it about preparing for the coming of Jesus as the baby and Jesus the Judge…something to ponder.

*Fr. Mike challenged us to think about what Advent would look like if we knew we would meet Jesus on December 25th.  What if that was our last day…how would Advent be different?  What would we be truly be preparing for?  What would change?

*After some thought and prayer my idea of Advent preparation took a gigantic turn.  All of the sudden the shopping, decorating and Christmas prep didn’t seem as important.  It gave me great cause to really think about what I was actually preparing for.

*I asked the middle lovelies to think about it too and when I asked them what they thought would change; my favorite answer was…”I would focus on the things that matter.”  When I asked them what mattered to them they said, “That’s  pretty simple, loving God and loving others is what matters most.”  I suppose if we subscribe to that  powerful notion it about covers it all.

The coolest thing about it all is that thinking about Jesus the baby and Jesus the judge slams on the brakes and just brings peace.  It’s one of those stop everything and think kind of statements.  I put the link to the video below so if your Advent needs a direction and a jump start give it a watch.

A Seed To Plant:  If the purpose of Advent was prepping for heaven, what should your four candle wait include?

Blessings on your day!​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD357YYDk1A&t=45s

The peace of God will guard your minds and hearts. Philippians 4:7

Have you ever had one of those crazy moments when you nearly did something completely ridiculous and then stopped and said, “WHOA, I better step back and take a breath, I’m loosen it”?  I had that moment last week.  It’s been a little hectic lately but God is good and I was clippin along with everything he was asking me to do and then came the God thump.  It came when I was in my kitchen which is the place that centers me in the chaos. In my kitchen, I am happy because I love feeding people; it’s good for my soul!  It brings me joy when people enjoy what I serve them and it always gives me a time to pray for my family and those who will eat what I’m whippin up in my kitchen. I love the feeling of serving that bubbles in my heart when I’m busy in the kitchen. When the God thump came, I was making a batch of cinnamon rolls for somebody who needed a little lovin and a little lift.  Like usual, it was late and I was trying to cram one more thing into the day. I had the dough all  rolled out and it was smeared with warm butter and sprinkled generously with brown sugar and in a quick twist to the cupboard I grabbed and was about to sprinkle a big ole dose of cinnamon on top of the sugar.  Thank goodness the thump came and I paused a nano-second to realize that I was about to plaster the buttery, sugary dough with CHILI POWDER instead of cinnamon.  After finishing up with the appropriate spice, and putting the rolls in the pan, I decided to close the kitchen and just be still.

As the rolls raised and baked, I had a chance to sit still and I asked God for a dose of peace as thick as the brown sugar I’d just piled on those rolls.  He obliged, and I sat there and soaked up the gift of his peace.  It gave me a chance to think about how nutty the pace of life can get.  It gave me a chance to think and pray about how we use our time.  I’m very grateful that I don’t get rattled easily but I began to do some thinking about how we handle stress.  Just for fun, I googled stress and one of the first thing I found was a list of the top 100 books on stress.  Top 100; I was floored…if there were 100 on top, how many more were under that 100? Next, I found 33 Scripture verses about peace.  There was the answer!  We were ingenuously created with an amazing immune system.  That system works round the clock fighting off germs, and other microscopic stuff to keep us in balance.  We have a stress relief system like that too.  That system goes into action when we tap into God’s peace.  In John’s gospel Jesus tells us his peace surpasses the worlds peace.  It is greater, deeper, more conquering than anything we can get from a book.  It comes with free, instant delivery; it always fits perfectly and it is precisely customized to fit all your worries, fears and anxieties.

There is a prescription for strengthening your peace system.  It’s a three step process; take a dose of scripture reading, follow it with some quiet stillness soaking up the wisdom of those words and repeat!  Nowhere in scripture does it tell us to go forth and be crazy.  The book of Genesis doesn’t say that on the eighth day  God created stress and worry.  Those things are not of God and anything that is not from him is something we can ask him to help us avoid and remove.  I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get all tangled up in it and forget to remind myself that it’s not his, but he will sure take it away if I ask him.  It will require sitting still and applying the three steps, but for me, it’s a much better thing to do than making cinnamon rolls with chili powder.

A Seed To Plant:  Write yourself a note right this minute scheduling the time today you will strengthen your peace system and do those simple three steps.  It will be the most important thing you do today!​

Blessings on  your day!

…“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:15

I got a video today of my grandson walking behind a push toy.  He’s not even 9 months old yet and I watched and listened to his little footsteps plodding behind that toy cow. As I laughed proudly at his accomplishment, my mind went racing back in time. I’m getting old and my brain can’t always remember the three things I needed to run into the store and grab, but as a mom, there are some events that happened years and years ago that I remember like it was yesterday. One of those events happened on a snowy January afternoon LOTS of years ago.  I had successfully gotten all three little Wohlfert’s down for a nap and I plunked into the chair with a cup of coffee to just enjoy a few minutes of peace and quiet before I started to tackle the kitchen, which looked somewhat like the aftermath of a tornado.  About 15 minutes and one cup of coffee later, I began to feel guilty for just sitting around and I was mustering up the gumption to get to the kitchen when a loud, slow, steady sound began approaching.  I remembered being startled and frozen with fear because I could not identify the sound.  I kicked off the blanket, sat down my coffee cup and carefully walked toward the sound.  As I peered around the corner I realized the noise was being made by my two year old son Jason.  There he stood in the middle of the kitchen floor, wearing nothing but a diaper and his daddy’s new cowboy boots.  The sound was him trying to walk in those boots which went nearly as high as his diaper. I’m still not sure how he even hiked his pudgy little legs into those boots and managed to walk at all.   I also wondered where his clothes were and how he’d managed to get out of bed and sneak downstairs all the way into our bedroom closet and find the boots.  

I’ve listened for the sound of my children’s footsteps for nearly twenty five years. I listened for footsteps to come into my room in the middle of the night to complain of a sick tummy or sore throat. I’ve listened for the sound of footsteps on Christmas and Easter morning creeping toward the living room to see what goodies might await them.  I’ve listened for the sound of footsteps into the kitchen to ask for food or into the office to ask for help with homework.  Probably the most prayerful waiting came at the stage of life when I waited for the sound of footsteps that carried teenagers safely into the house at curfew time. With each sound of footsteps there is emotion. Sometimes it’s excitement or anticipation, sometimes it’s joy and sometimes it’s flat-out sheer relief!

I read this verse in one of my morning prayer books last week and I’ve been pre-occupied with the sound of footsteps since then.  I remember my mother-in-law (who is the mother of 10) talking about the distinct way each of her kids entered the house late at night. She could identify each of them without even being able to see who had just come home.  I think our footsteps say a lot about us.  Do we have an angry stomp or a lazy shuffle or are we so frazzled and rushed we nearly run everywhere we go?  Sometimes we can even tell by the footsteps what a conversation is going to be like as a person approaches us.​

I wonder what my footsteps sound like.  I wonder what people expected to hear when they noticed my footsteps approaching.  Do they expect good news or whining?  Do they expect to be lifted up with something positive or drug down with something negative? I realize it’s a pretty silly little prayer but I found myself asking God to help me make sure my feet were the feet that brought good news!  It’s been my challenge this week to make sure that if someone heard me coming they could expect to hear good news; God’s good news of love and compassion and truth. 
A seed to plant:  Listen to your footsteps.  Make it your personal challenge to bring the Good News to three people in the next 24 hours.   Ask God to put beauty in your footsteps each morning before your feet even hit the floor. 


Blessings on your day!

In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

Have you ever had one of those days when you just felt like you wanted to throw yourself a big ‘ole pity party? You know the days…something goes wrong with the car, the kids, the job AND someone gets glowing credit for something you did!  Those kinds of days happen to us all and they go down with a big sting! We usually crawl in bed on those nights feeling unappreciated, overworked and guilty for feeling so sorry for ourselves.  I call it getting in touch with your inner toddler!   The bad part of this deal is when you let it drag you down and cloud the way you think and act for days. Today I have just the story that will be the party pooper at your pity party!

There is a woman very dear to me who is one of the most beautiful examples of courage, trust, faith and strength I know!  She is in a battle against the monster we know as cancer.  She has been fighting for a couple of years and the reports from her army of doctors have been like a roller coaster.  She has been through treatment after treatment, gone into remission with a hope filled heart only to have another diagnosis proclaiming the opposite news.  She has lost and re-grown hair, she has gone from joy to grief to anxiety to hope again and again.  Her diagnosis and treatment have changed like a chameleon but one thing has not changed…HER SPIRIT! Sure she has her bad days and her scared days and her worried days, but you would never really know it because she inspires everyone she knows with her faith, attitude and trust in the Lord.  She is larger than life and everyone whose life she touches is richer because of her. 

A visit with her is a mix of laughter, hugs, optimism and faith. She has a spark that makes you feel alive, and every time someone walks away from a conversation with her they say the same exact thing, “She is AMAZING!”  During our conversation she mentioned that she was always working on trusting the will of God more.  I wanted to say, “Hey sister…you trust Him anymore and He’s gonna put you in charge!”  Part of what makes her so amazing is that she is so humble that she doesn’t even realize how powerful and inspiring her courage and her strength and her faith are.  She’s teaching all of us who know her and my, what a wonderful, beautiful teacher she is!!

Some folks say there are no real miracles anymore.  I disagree completely!  They are right in front of our eyes if we just look a little.  If we can stop living in our “me centered” world long enough to see the discomfort, strife, pain and struggles of another, our hearts and our perspectives will be changed.  People like my friend are the antidote to those folks who wake up with a hang-nail and think the world is ending.  She’s the antidote to all those who think money and pensions and stuff matter! She is one of the many miracles right before our very eyes that show us exactly what matters…love, faith, trust and life!  So before you send out the invitations to your pity party, let me introduce you to my friend!  Or better yet, I’ll bet you know someone like her too.  Take some time to let them teach you something!

A  seed to plant:  Make a list of all the things you have to complain about, then reach out to someone who is sick,  lonely or suffering and see how much your list matters.​

Blessings on your day!

And my God will meet all your needs…  Philippians 4:19

We’re about 9 weeks into a new school year and it’s still that “getting to know about you stage”.  As a teacher, you come to know their faces and expressions and sounds. You try to  figure out how they will deal with disappointment, correction and success.  Throughout the course of a day I get to teach nearly 80 students and they each come individually wrapped and packaged; all with their own little secret ingredient!  It’s fascinating and frustrating and delightful all at the same time.  I often shake my head and marvel at how very different each and every one of my middle lovelies is. I marvel at God’s creativity as it walks, skips, slinks or thunders through my door.  

It doesn’t take long to realize some need more time, more patience, more firmness or more love than others.  Finding the right equation takes prayer and observation and lots of listening.  I will be the very first person to admit I often get it wrong; I often mis-judge a students needs or intent.  God has shown me after 100 years of teaching that the words “I was wrong, please forgive me” are powerful to a child…or a grown up…or an elderly person!  As I think about my middle lovelies and many of the other lovelies in the building I can’t help but notice they create such a beautiful collection of God’s best work and each one of them is a treasure in his eyes.  It’s my eyes that sometimes need an adjustment. 

I realize one of our great calls as disciples is to see with his eyes and love with his heart.  When we do that we simply can’t fail at human relations!  I was searching for some activities to help me do just that and I came across a quote from a woman I met last spring who has spent her entire life blind, mostly paralyzed and suffering from a host of other ailments.  She was speaking about God’s enormous love and genius plan for us.  She left us with a quote that came to my heart at the perfect moment.  She said this, “I believe there is no such thing as a special needs person.  We all have needs; human needs and some of us just need some accommodations in order to have our human needs met.”

I read it a few times until I found my peace.  It made me think of things with a different perspective!  It also made me realize how true it is for each of us. It is about those most basic needs; to feel loved, to feel accepted, to feel needed, to feel safe.  Those are things I can give easily but I wonder how often I don’t recognize someone else's need for them or I’m too busy to offer to meet them.  Each of those needs were perfectly designed by God and he’s waiting and willing to provide for them as only he can.  When I really think about it, I often need some accommodations in order for  him to meet my needs.  I need  him to be patient with me when I try to do it all myself.  I need him to be understanding when I forget to show gratitude.  I need him to make accommodations for my narrow thinking and impatient attitude.  I suppose we would all do well to focus more  on the accommodations than the expectations; putting things in that order might make a big difference.  I realize after reading that sweet woman's words, I’m certainly glad the Father looks at me with accommodation and not expectation cause he’d sure be disappointed a lot!  Father, thank you for all your accommodations, please help me offer them to others.

A Seed To Plant:  Lord, please help me see those who need accommodations today and allow me to see their human needs and their great value as your child. ​

Blessings on your day!

​He must increase, I must decrease. John 3:30
 
One of the many things I miss now that the Wohlfert house is so quiet is practice.  For more than a decade and a half there was always some kind of practice going on.  It didn’t matter if it was reading, math facts, band, sports or even target practice for hunting season, it seemed like somebody was always practicing something.  There is nothing more humbling than a good hard practice at whatever it is you are trying to get better at.  The problem was nobody really enjoyed practice except me.  I loved seeing my kids work hard, sweat, be frustrated and eventually trade in frustration for sheer determination.  Practice is good for you no matter what it’s for but human nature leads us to desire perfection or success without the work. 
 
Stop for a minute and think of something you need to practice.  A little tricky wasn’t it!  If you had a hard time coming up with something to practice I’ve got just the thing.  I was reading in a prayer book the other day and came across a fabulous one liner that was too good to keep to myself.  This simple thought is so power packed it’s going to make for a very short post today.  Before you read it though, I want you to think for another minute about three things you’ve been frustrated about recently.  If my guess is correct at least two of the things that frustrated you involved another person.  So much of our negative energy stems from a reaction or comment or behavior from another person that doesn’t line up with our personal expectations or desires.  In the spirit of being frustrated with others and tugging along the negative energy that goes with it; here is that great thought I promised.  We all need to practice the art of self-forgetfulness! Pope John Paul II.
 
Holy cow…how’s that for a show stopper!  I think maybe we spend so much time worrying and fussing about how other people see, value, appreciate and honor us that we lose track of the only desire we should be motivated by; pleasing God.  If I were to forget my own desires and comforts more often I think I would certainly have more time for faithfulness.  If I stopped worrying about who saw me do what or who noticed this or that I wouldn’t have anything to be disappointed about when others didn’t register the “wonder and awe” I thought I deserved.  I don’t’ know about you, but I think I just found my new thing to practice… thinking about the Father more and myself less  The art of self-forgetfulness isn’t something our culture promotes but since when does our culture promote things that will get us to heaven?  I think I’m gonna go with JPII on this one and get my “self-forgetfulness” in motion, how about you…are you up for some tough practice?
 
 
A Seed To Plant:  This week when you feel frustrated, stop and ask yourself if you are practicing the art of self-forgetfulness.  Get ready for some good hard practice!

Blessings on your day!

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.  Blessed Mother Teresa

There are three important questions we should ask ourselves each day according to Fr. John Riccardo. #1 Why am I here? #2 Where am I going? #3 How am I going to get there?  I’ve been pondering those questions for a couple of weeks and they have changed my heart.  I was really thinking about #3 and considered those who showed me how to work my way to heaven.  Five years after a truly amazing woman, my Godmother died, I was reminded of a post I wrote about her.  I’m sharing it today because it has some great answers to question #3.

This is a post that took a while to put in print.  My mind wanted to write it but it took a while for my heart to cooperate.   It’s a story of strength, faith and radical kindness. It’s the story of a great blessing…no, not a great blessing…a phenomenal and life changing blessing. It’s a story that might be passed over as common but make no mistake the simplicity of the story is what makes it so profound!  I’m writing this story because there are just some stories in life that deserve…no, not deserve… NEED to be told because they really matter and because they have the potential to make us better people just because we heard the story and make an attempt each day to live a little piece of it.  It’s my Aunt Mary’s story.  I

When Aunt Mary first got sick, she asked me to come home and help her plan her funeral.  She didn’t want to burden her family with those decisions.  She, Shannon and I spent two amazing days together planning.  She had Shannon and I sing dozens of songs for her so she could pick exactly the ones she wanted.  We read from Scripture for hours one afternoon until she found the perfect readings.  I was feeling very peaceful about it all until she asked me to give her eulogy.  We had traded turns crying and being strong several times in those two days but that was my moment to lose it a little.  When I told her I’d be honored she threw her arms around me and I was lost like a little girl in one of her world famous loving hugs.  When we got it all back together, she told me she wanted to see a rough draft before I returned to Michigan.  I laughed out loud and asked why she didn’t trust me.  She said she just wanted to make sure I didn’t stand up there talking about her!  Above all, she was humble beyond imagination and she didn’t want that to change.  She wanted me to use that time to teach the important lessons everybody needed to know in order to live a good life, a life pleasing to God, and so I did.  I reminded everyone about the great lessons she had shown us all.

She showed us how to love...everyone!  She never knew a stranger and she never missed a chance to smile and say hello.  She knew peoples favorite colors and flowers and desserts.  She always remembered something about you and when you spoke, she listened.  Her spare minutes were spent doing or making something for someone else. Always giving, always paying attention to the tiny details so she could remember you with a surprise “perfect something”.  She didn’t think anything about it; “Anyone can do something nice for someone!” she would say.  But she did it better than anyone I know.  Her signature expression of love was handwritten letters and notes.  It was a simple thing but the impact of that simple act is huge.  Many nights through her illness I would find Shannon asleep wrapped in a blanket Aunt Mary made her surrounded by a stack of cards and letters from her she had read over and over and over.

She showed us how to serve.  That really is our mission as Christians; to serve and not be served.  She was a master!  It was second nature for her to put other people first because she knew people had a story she didn’t know and everybody deserved to feel like they were important and treated with kindness.  Her service was extra special because she did it with such tenderness and sincerity no matter who you were, where you lived or what your past involved.

She showed us kindness…to a degree I’ve never seen from anyone else on earth.  I think if I could gather all the sugar on the planet I still couldn’t make a heart as sweet as hers!  She cried easily and laughed even easier.  She loved hard and forgave easy.  The last lesson she wanted me to teach for her was the importance of forgiveness. She made me promise I’d say, “Life is too short to carry the heavy burden of an unforgiving heart.”   “Make peace and move on to better things”, was another line I promised to share for her.  She wanted me to remind everyone that judging and doubting God and selfishness were a waste of time and energy.  She suggested more prayer, more faith, more generosity and lots and lots more kindness instead.  

She battled cancer like a warrior, she prayed like a saint and she loved with the compassion of Christ himself but I wasn’t allowed to say those things at her funeral so I wanted to make sure I said them now…because they matter! She was one of those people who made your life better just because you knew her.  Her generosity and her faith and her courage were legendary and the best way I know to keep her legacy alive is to try every day to live like she did.  It’s a tall order but I’m up for the challenge so why don’t you join me and just maybe we can make this world better!

A Seed To Plant:  Pick one of Aunt Mary’s lessons and live it this week!​

Blessings on your day!

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6:5

We fight so hard!  We fight for time, resources, attention and the right things. We fight against stupidity, against evil and against anyone who tries to do harm to those we love.  It can feel like every time we turn the corner we’re fighting and it’s no wonder we’re exhausted and frustrated because the stuff just keeps comin.  Hopefully our biggest fight is the one we wage on worldly attachments as we are trying getting to heaven.

What if I suggested that fighting is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing?  My friends, Eternal Life isn’t about fighting at all, actually it’s about quite the opposite.  Eternal Life is about surrender!  It’s about giving up the fight and letting God do that part.  We shouldn’t feel like we’re laying a big job on his shoulders because the fight is already finished…every war that could prevent us from heaven has already been waged and conquered through the Cross.  So today is a great day to take a breath and surrender…be still…be quiet…be peaceful knowing God’s done the heavy lifting and we are simply called to make him our everything. The weight of the world was never intended for your shoulders.  But how do we begin to give him all? Here are a few things you can do to surrender your life to Christ.

First; Surrender your day, your work, your thoughts, your family and all your worries.  Lay them at his feet and say “Lord I give it all to you, now lead me through this day the way you want it to be.”  Guess what, you have to do that EVERY single day; sometimes more than once.  I heard a priest asked the question, “How long have you been a priest?”  He smiled and said, “Since this morning, every day I have to surrender my life to him in prayer so my vocation is new every morning.”

Second;  Pray…every morning and throughout the day.  Again and again remind yourself that he’s in charge and tell him thank you for his love.  Ask often for him to show you clearly how much he loves you.  The prayer is the communication between the one in charge (Him) and the one following the plan. (Us) Nothing runs smoothly without that kind of communication; not a company, a school or a family and certainly not a soul seeking God’s presence.

Third;  Choose your noise wisely.  Pay attention to the sounds that fill your head.  It all matters so ask yourself what noise are the people, music and personalities you surround yourself with making.  Is it noise that lifts and supports or sound that brings anger, frustration and discontentment.  Pick the noise (or even absence of it) carefully.  People who doubt, whine, complain and criticize aren’t helping you focus on putting God first. 

Fourth; Circle back.  Start again with the first thing and go through the list determined to hold on to the world with a lighter grip than before.  

Fr. John Riccardo said, “If you really want to measure your surrender you can look two places; your checkbook and your calendar.  Those are the indicator of where we’re focusing our two biggest worldly attachments; money and time.”  What are yours telling you?  Is there enough room for God in your world?  I’m working these four steps very intentionally these days and I can promise I’m not there yet but the peace I feel by making even the smallest progress is an amazing grace filled gift!  We have NOTHING to loose but my friends we have EVERYTHING to gain.  (Cue to the Disney song “Let It Go!”)

A Seed To Plant:  Start with the first step every day this week and see how he blesses you.
Blessings on your day!​

If you love me you will keep my commandments.  John:14:15

I think something we all wrestle with in our Christian walk is sin and God’s laws.  It’s easy to get discouraged and a little frustrated about God’s laws and how our human nature can make it so darn hard to live within them.  We can sometimes look at his laws as restricting and stiff.  People have turned away from church thinking that if God really loved us he wouldn’t give us so many rules and regulations.  To some, living his laws is like an intrusion on freedoms and pleasures.  I was recently reminded of an explanation so crystal clear and beautifully simple it brought me some peace so I thought I’d share!   

The speaker who offered this illustration showed a slide of his rescue dog Sophie.  He told us shortly after he got her, she ran away and he looked and looked but couldn’t find her anywhere.  He didn’t know where she was and he couldn’t protect her. Sometime later he got a call from the Sheriff’s department telling him they had his Sophie.  Unfortunately in her little get away, she had been hit by a car. He nursed her back to health although some of her injuries never healed.  He used this story to illustrate the love and freedom of God’s laws.  If Sophie had stayed inside the fence where she was safe, protected and cared for by her master, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt.  For Sophie, that fence seemed like a barrier and a hindrance and she felt trapped.  In an attempt to escape her restriction she ventured outside the protection and safety of the fence and the result was a disaster.  

Our free will is what makes us want to jump the fence.  We don’t always realize that if we live within Gods laws, we will be safe and protected by our Heavenly Master.  If we’re inside the fence and we are living within the boundaries he has set for us we will remain close to him and he will meet all our needs.  If we jump the fence and go outside his laws and his ways we are purposely separating ourselves from him and that is a recipe for disaster.  We have a choice to sin or go beyond the boundaries of his loving protection and he will always open the gate and welcome us back after we’ve jumped the fence but the further we stray from the loving protection of his boundaries the more danger we encounter.  Jumping the fence or sinning brings great consequences that can take a long time to heal and rob us of our peace.  Living inside that fence we will find contentment and true freedom; the freedom that comes from no guilt, no worry, no consequences and complete understanding that you are being lovingly protected and cared for.  Inside the fence is the best place to be!

A Seed To Plant:  Sit for a few quiet minutes and imagine yourself living contently inside a lush beautiful yard surrounded by a fence.  Sit with the knowledge that you have everything you need and there is no danger or stress.  Soak up the peacefulness and safety of that surrounding.  Now think about the things that tempt you to jump that fence and separate yourself from that place.  Ask your loving Master to help you overcome that temptation to step outside the protection of his laws.​

Blessings on your day!

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

My dad always taught us that if we borrowed something, no matter what it was, we should return it in better condition than it was when we borrowed it. I’m pretty sure that applies to our children too.  Before our first baby was born, my Grandma told me that the children I would bear weren’t mine, rather, they were a precious gifts on loan from the Father and it was our primary responsibility as parents, to help them get to heaven.  Grandmas thinking may seem a bit countercultural today.  The word might have us think our primary task is to get our kids on the most prestigious teams, the most elite dane troops or into the most impressive schools. While we’re aiming for first string, first chair and top score, Jesus is begging us to show our children that nothing is more important than giving him first place in our lives. 

Holiness, simply put, is oneness with God so here are a few things we can do as parents to make good on our responsibility to help our kids grow in holiness and give the Lord first place.

*Pray with and for your kids every day. It’s hard for kids to understand the importance of Jesus and His Church if we rarely talk about it.

*Do as I do!  Our kids imitate what we model.  They need to see us pray, read scripture and trust in the Lord. We are teaching lessons when we’re cut off in traffic,  talking about the frustrating co-worker at dinner or putting an envelope in the Sunday collection.  

*As you travel to games, concerts, recitals and events, make sure to include some trips to the really important places like Sunday Mass, Eucharistic Adoration or even a quick stop to rest from the noise and chaos in a quiet, peaceful church.  As Catholic Christians, we know Jesus is with us always but a special stop to sit in his Eucharistic Presence is good for the soul.  It also shows our children that Jesus is important enough to stop for.

*Say NO to the things that don’t point your kids to heaven. That could be screen activity, movies, music or friendships.  Their holiness is more important than your popularity.

*Point them to the Holy Ones.  The world sets before our children people who don’t always use their gifts and talents to glorify God.  Since moving into a cave to shelter our kids from all of that isn’t  very practical, we can shower them with stories of the holy men and women of our faith.  Many of the saints lived crazy, amazing, adventurous lives and their stories are interesting and inspiring.  Put them before your kids to serve as heroes and role models.

“Holy enough” is not a thing…holiness is a continuous journey toward the Father so as we help our children grow in holiness, we will find ourselves growing too and that is a very good thing!

A Seed To Plant:  Pick something from the list and make a  plan to put it into action this week.​

Blessings on your day!