Tag Archives: home decor

Angelic Sweetness

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I have a spiritual accountability partner (henceforth referred to as SAP). Like many souls, my drive and motivation tend to fluctuate and I can’t tell you how this girl helps keep my heart above water. We check up on each other every few weeks and though our discussion frequently strays from the spiritual to the domestic, I’m always inspired at the close of our conversations. We haven’t been doing this for long, but it’s certain that God is working through her to move my soul. The other day we were talking about disciplining young toddlers and she mentioned maintaining “the angelic sweetness of Mary” toward both her little ones and husband. Since our conversation, this phrase has been playing non-stop like a song in my head. I’ve read that angelic sweetness stems from a prayer life that is constant – a life that is centered on God. What’s particularly wonderful to me personally is that my confessor recently advised me to always stay in touch with God; to bring Him everything – EVERYTHING. (Side note: How cool that my SAP and confessor mentioned the same ideas around the same time!) I want to bring God all matters great and simple because I know that without Him, I’m nothing but bad habits on two legs.

Ok – for example :) It’s rough getting out the door to scoot about town running errands with Liam and a [very large and active] in-utero baby boy – I need the diaper bag, keys, my wallet, the to-do list, Liam of course, energy, God’s grace, and a third arm. Hauling everything and everyone out to the car after first setting the house alarm and locking the door is a juggling act; and in this relentless heat of the South, it’s sticky and frustrating. This is the type of thing I want to remember to bring to Christ, asking Him to get the little men and me to the car, strapped in, and on the road. Will disaster strike somewhere between the front door and end of the driveway? Probably not, but knowing that Christ is present in my endeavors strengthens my will profoundly. In bringing Him everything that’s on my heart – each stress and joy – my soul will certainly obtain angelic sweetness. I have long had the desire to be sweet, but could never put my finger on how to go about it. Prayer should not be limited to a routine 15 minutes a day, 20 seconds before dinner, or 1 hour per week; rather, it should be breath, constantly flowing in and out of my soul, receiving the love of God and offering it back to Him. It goes without saying, however, that the virtue of constant prayer develops from these instances of habitual and ritual prayer.

The other part of the concept of “the angelic sweetness of Mary” is the Blessed Mother. Consider how sweet she is – the Queen of even God’s heart. I was thinking the other day about how earth-shattering it would be to have Christ physically present in your family at all times as she and St. Joseph did. The quality of marriage they had must have been HUGE! and that’s what I want. To a certain degree, I’m limited because I wasn’t born without sin like Mary; but if I allow God’s grace in my soul and breathe prayer in and out, I can bring so much more to the table than what I do now. With just one person moving toward a life of prayer and virtue, things change for every surrounding life. My husband is already a “man after God’s own heart” and inspires me because he actively pursues to be even more so; and Liam sets a great example because he hasn’t even sinned yet, so I have to catch up! The truth is that developing angelic sweetness is a feat in itself, but when I do remember to offer Christ the on-goings of my mind and heart, there is nothing more comforting or empowering than His presence in every nook and cranny of my life. With persistence and the grace of God, this extraordinary virtue can become ordinary for my soul.

Weekly Snapshot:

  • My mother-in-law and aunts-in-law threw Thomas a baby shower just this past Saturday. It was so exciting because receiving the new things on his behalf made his imminent arrival a little more real to me. I’m pregnant. WHAT??!! It was a wonderful blessing and everyone had a great time!
  • Liam is 17 mos. now and I am LOVING this early-toddler stage! He is so sweet (with a bit of a bite sometimes) and we have a great time. He turned on his radio the other day and “Livin’ On Love” by Alan Jackson came on – he got up from the floor so he could shake his arms and bounce up and down (read: dance), and I swept him up and we laughed and danced and tickled to the whole song. What a BLAST! He is so playful and darling that I know when this passes, I will forever miss it. But at the same time, I’m so eager for the increase in fun his increase in age will allow!

  • Of the 7 women I know who were expecting at the beginning of the summer, 2 of them have delivered and 1 is having her baby on Friday! The domino-effect is underway and it won’t be long before it’s my turn! 7 more weeks til Thomas Joseph Gabriel arrives! In the beginning of my pregnancy, I thought it was taking FOREVER but I can’t believe it’s almost over. As of right now, he is pretty active and playful, which I’m sure will grow with his size. My due date is October 15th, but I’m crossing my fingers for an early delivery. Maybe on the 10th – his great-grandma’s, uncle’s, AND grandma’s birthday??
  • A big occupant of my time lately has been NESTING. When we found out that Thomas was a boy, I sat down and made a GIANT To-Do list for the house; deadline October 1st (I’d like to have it all out of the way WELL before the littler man arrives). I’m so proud to say that thanks to the unwavering and sacrificial support of my husband, there remains but a small handful of items to check off! I’ll have to post pictures soon, but the boys’ room is painted, decorations hung, bathroom tub re-caulked, living room rearranged, corners de-cluttered and closets purged – among other things. The summer has been VERY productive and so much fun! I’m all about doing it on a dime, too.
  • BEST for Last: Andrew is my hero and favorite person. Have I mentioned that? Last week he came home with a dozen roses and just the other night surprised me with a dinner date at a restaurant neither of us had tried! We’ve been having a great time lately and life is happily moving right along. It’s a blessing and sweet comfort to know that (God willing) he will be by my side for the rest of my life.

I’m a Chicken

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Reading The Rule of St. Benedict and Mother Teresa’s Humility List has been a big wake-up call. Despite the fact that life has been movin’ right along, I have gotten myself into a bit of a rut of spiritual inaction; but, encountering the saints in this way has been manna for my hungry soul. The challenge in both St. Benedict’s and Mother Teresa’s guidance, however, has been the required further interpretation for married laity. While I’m glad to give it a shot, St. Francis de Sales’s Introduction to the Devout Life offers direct instruction for the lifestyle. 

Chapter 1 blew me away (can’t wait to read 2 & 3!). St. Francis discusses what true devotion is, and I have to confess that his clear definition was entirely fresh to me. I guess I previously thought devotion to be a step or two beyond feeling love for God or another person; much like being in love or knowing with unwavering certainty that you would die for the cause, so to speak. The definition as provided by St. Francis is remarkably simple, yet another challenge from the Church Triumphant:

But, in fact, all true and living devotion presupposes the love of God…for that Love one while shining on the soul we call grace, which makes us acceptable to His Divine Majesty;–when it strengthens us to do well, it is called Charity;–but when it attains its fullest perfection, in which it not only leads us to do well, but to act carefully, diligently, and promptly, then it is called Devotion.  - Part 1, Chapter 1

And there it is. To speak more plainly, true devotion is the love of God in virtuous, unhesitating action. It’s consistent, quick to move, doesn’t think twice, yet makes a considered decision. With only this knowledge I was forced to an examination of conscience. How often I’ve driven for long periods of time and thought to myself, I could say a rosary right now or pray a chaplet. On my way home: I could stop by the adoration chapel. When I start my day: I could read Scripture and journal. But something gets in the way - I get in the way. There’s always the radio, something not-really pressing calling me home faster, or the morning Facebook check. When I was working, I believed all the excuses I made about being too busy or needing to do something else instead of pray; but now that I’m home with a low-maintenance little one, I can’t buy those false justifications anymore. It’s time that I have, and true devotion I lack.

Now for the chicken part:
St. Francis has this great analogy addressing the different types of souls. He says that ostriches don’t fly, chickens fly briefly and rarely, but eagles and swallows soar almost constantly. And so it is with souls – some people never get off the ground because they never focus on God; “well-meaning people” as St. Francis puts it, who haven’t developed true devotion, attempt flight by good actions, but it’s inconsistent and infrequent; and those who are truly devout fly to God swiftly and frequently.

I know I’m a chicken and in retrospect, I think I have been for a good portion of my life. The thing about being an ostrich, chicken, or eagle is that it’s not limited to your spiritual life; the behavior spreads to other areas too. What’s been so freeing, though, is that in coming across St. Francis de Sales’s Introduction and more specifically his definition of devotion, I feel capable of achieving new heights. Now that I know what it is, I can practice it in my relationship with God as well as my marriage. Humility, obedience, and devotion all work together so well. To be a truly devout Catholic or devoted wife, I should strive serve God, serve quickly, and without tooting my own horn.

Weekly Snapshot:

  • Two weeks after my surgery and I’m finally getting back to posting. The procedure went well and I’m relieved that life is returning to normal. I couldn’t lift anything for a couple of weeks, including Liam, so for a few days he was in the care of various local extended family and then my Mom flew in from Omaha to provide an extra set of hands, too. God has been so good to us – I don’t know how we would have managed without so much help and prayers from everyone!
  • I’ve started Christmas shopping! I get such a thrill out of getting good deals and steals, especially on Black Friday. Though I don’t usually brave the die-hard, cut-throat crowds at the mall, I’ve vowed to my sister that I’ll go out with her at whatever early hour this year. I’ve celebrated Black Friday online in my pajamas at 10 a.m. but never 4. Life is about experiences! and I can’t wait!
  • We’re still transitioning from living in an apartment to living in a house – we have so much wall space! I’ve been printing pictures to frame and hanging shelves in any tiny span of free time I get. I have come to understand and believe in the power of 5 minutes.

When the Goin’ Gets Tough

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People are such babies when they’re sick. It drives me bananas. When a person cancels an event, calls into work, or lays around all day just because of a little sniffle, you bet I’m the first one to think (not say), “Toughen up! Grab a cough drop and get back to work!” 

What a hypocrite.

I haven’t been sick since around New Year’s. I had THE cold to blot out all colds with no ability to take medicine because I was pregnant with Liam. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t sleep, I had a bouncy child inside me, and I was miserable. That experience was a million times worse than the pesky congestion I have now, but I’m an even bigger whiner. I sleep as often as I can, I don’t do the dishes, and I cross my fingers that my compassionate husband will offer to make dinner. I’ve turned into the sick shut-in I secretly criticize from my ivory tower of health and find myself in quite the pickle of an inner conflict: is my behavior justified or should I just wipe my nose before putting it back to the grindstone? Honestly, I’m hyper-attentive to my sniffles because I want to ward off the threat of Liam being sick. It’s going to happen sometime, but I would like to delay it for as long as possible; so I’ve turned myself into a garbage disposal of vitamins, water, Zicam, and Alka Seltzer. And aside from this, I have reformed: sickness needs time and nurturing and this cold is just what I needed to knock me off my high horse.

And now for something completely different:

You can’t be too hasty. In anything, really, but especially in home improvements. Last week I burned some cash in an urgent effort toward home decorating before Erin arrived. Now, after she’s left Shreveport, I look at the items I purchased and I have decided to keep ONE of the bunch and take the rest back. I would like to mimic this wall from Pottery Barn, but just not now. I didn’t realize when I was rummaging through Hobby Lobby’s photo and wall frame sections that such a project is quite the undertaking, requiring patience and planning and, Lord help me, THOUGHT. I determinedly marched into the place, eager to get my frames, get pictures printed, and have the wall done at last; but I grew more insecure in my creativity and preparedness by the minute and wound up with a bunch of frames that, in hindsight, do not satisfy my ambitions. Time to take it slow. I’m sure the house will be decorated before I die.

Liam on a Jet Plane

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I’m back! Last week Liam and I flew to Omaha to visit my family and to enjoy a week of vacation in my hometown. Let me tell you, I didn’t even know I needed a vacation until I was gone. It was astonishing how relaxed I felt being away; though I’m not sure what it was that made me so tense here. Perhaps the calculated stresses of new baby, new “job,” and new house have finally gotten to me, but these were mere trifles once I had the cool Nebraska wind blowing on my face. I felt so exhilarated with the wide openness of the area, like I had been freed of something. The heat and humidity here in Louisiana have a way of confining a person to four walls and, though I relish in being in our new place, there’s something wonderful to be said about being outside. It’s just good for the soul! The temperatures were ideal – mid 70s all week with very little moisture. I’m so anxious for late September/October to get here when it will finally cool off.

If you’d like to know how traveling with my infant son went, I’ll tell you! Liam was simply angelic, a real champ. Right about the time we took off (going and coming), it was time for him to eat and the swallowing motion helped him with popping his ears. I confess that I’m not as die-hard a nursing mom as I suppose some others are: I considered nursing him on the plane before we left, but opted not because I had no certainty as to how successful I would or wouldn’t be. A little chicken, sure, and I have no problem admitting that. Maybe next time we’ll add another ball to the juggling act. Anyway, after he sucked down his bottle, he cooed and giggled at the man sitting next to me and then he was asleep for the duration of our second flight. After such an easy time, I was ready for our return flights, which were just as predictable.

And now, after a week’s absence, I’m preparing for the arrival of our second house guest! My best friend Erin, whom I met at Benedictine, is flying down from KC for Labor Day and I canNOT wait to see her. In anticipation of her arrival, I’ll be putting the guest room together, decorating a few bare walls (trying to cheaply mimic this wall from Pottery Barn), and going grocery shopping. [This weekend I went to Tuesday Morning and got a mirror for over our fireplace and a few other odds and ends. We'll be getting an area rug for our living room too. It thrills me to tend to our house so vigorously! and to see the marvelous change that's occurred. We moved into this house from an apartment, and our previous obstacle of too-much-stuff-not-enough-space has turned to the converse. I'll have to post pictures once the living room is almost finished.] Erin’s visit will help ameliorate my famishment for post-college social interaction. I had my friend Amy over to see our house just before I left for Omaha, and I also hung out with my sister and her friends last week. Both instances involved such QUALITY conversation and truly a wonderful time. You really have to chase down friends once you turn your tassel.