Living Lives of Loveliness in 2008,
This looks like a great deal of fun so I am posting a friendly little reminder to myself to check it out.
Author: darcee
Just one more Catholic wife and mother on the internet, blogging about homeschooling, living the faith and all that sort of thing.
My planner
I love my planner for this year.
I use the pre-printed dayrunner calendar pages and then add my todo lists and other plans.
Here it is before:
And After:
Back to Work
The kids have started their lessons again today. It has been probably the least productive homeschool day we have had in months. Going back to studies after the Christmas break is always a challenge, but when the sun is peeking through the clouds and we get a late start (thanks to having a phone conference this morning) it is all too easy to say… “Oh well” and put off any serious buckling down until tomorrow.
Only for Today
Back in November I posted this. It has become a bit of a reference point for me, something to look at when I find myself in need of a bit of encouragement. I really and only need to be focused on today. Plan for tomorrow and review what happened yesterday, but life is live in now; today is what we have to work with.
1) Only for today, I will seek to live the livelong day positively without wishing to solve the problems of my life all at once.
2) Only for today, I will take the greatest care of my appearance: I will dress modestly; I will not raise my voice; I will be courteous in my behavior; I will not criticize anyone except myself.
3) Only for today, I will be happy in the certainty that I was created to be happy, not only in the other world but also in this one.
4) Only for today, I will adapt to circumstances, without requiring all circumstances to be adapted to my own wishes.
5) Only for today, I will devote ten minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul.
6) Only for today, I will do one good deed and not tell anyone about it.
7) Only for today, I will do at least one thing I do not like doing; and if my feelings are hurt, I will make sure that no one notices.
8 ) Only for today, I will make a plan for myself: I may not follow it to the letter, but I will make it. And I will be on guard against two evils: hastiness and indecision.
9) Only for today, I will firmly believe, despite appearances, that the good Providence of God cares for me as no one else who exists in this world.
10) Only for today, I will have no fears. In particular, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness. Indeed, for twelve hours I can certainly do what might cause me consternation were I to believe I had to do it all my life.
~Blessed John XXIII
I have become convinced that year long resolutions do nothing good for me. They are overwhelming. My one year long resolution this year has to do with one simple thing, I resolve to re-resolve daily for at least 300 days this year. With knocking out time for holidays, vacations and sick-days I think 300 is reasonable. I want the above to be my guide. So that is my one resolution.
The other different thing I am doing is themes for each month. This month’s theme is “Taking Stock” I really need to assess where I am in several areas. I don’t want to jump in and start making changes in my life without thinking about what is working and what is not. I want to make intelligent changes to my routines that will result in greater happiness, peace and productivity for myself and my household.
2008 almost here
I have been reading the past few days about other peoples’ goals for the new year. Resolutions tickle and haunt me. Knowing that I am called to be the better me and the constant and constantly failing attempt to be that person is the thread that runs through the tapestry of my life.
Most of the past six weeks, with the noteable exception of Christmas, have found me stressed, overwhelmed, over worked, lacking in passion and pleasure and mostly just drained. Time is wasted and wanted and left crumpled in a pile of must dos and must be done all pressing in upon me until I am crushed. Stress just plain stress has condensed me to a point where I spend all my time doing nothing but worrying about all the nothing that isn’t being done.
A new start is most needed right now. So I look forward to the chance to step into a new year. I have two rather large projects and two small ones with my work competing for time right now. We are taking next week off from homeschooling and I will have a little time to revise some of what we are doing. There are two new approaches that I want to try.
I wish I could just burn it all and start new right now. But I can’t I need to work with where I am and go forward tweaking, dumping, and reworking what isn’t working to make life work better. I have slowly been making these changes a little at a time. Anyhow. This post is more a brain dump than anything. A place to begin thinking about making some lasting changes in the new year.
A sad day in a joyful season
So young, so small that they had barely begun to know that they were when they died in place of Christ. They died to save the one who would die to save them. The first martyrs, the Holy Innocents, who we remember this day.
There is almost nothing that I enjoy more than being surprised by a thought. And Fulton Sheen can do that on a regular basis it seems. Today was one of those times were I read something and just sat back and said, “Wow.”
Happy Catholic (yes, one of my daily readings) had this quote:
There is anguish for us, twenty centuries later, in thinking of the slain babies and their parents. for the babies the agony was soon over; in the next world they would come to know whom they had died to save and for all eternity would have that glory. For the parents, the pain would have lasted longer; but at death they too must have found that there was a special sense in which God was in their debt, as he had never been indebted to any. They and their children were the only ones who ever agonized in order to save God’s life …(F. J. Sheed, To Know Christ Jesus)
I have often wondered how Mary and Joesph felt as they fled ahead of the slaughter. What did they think? Did they know what was about to happen? These would have been their neighbors, the little babies they had seen growing up, the toddlers their own son had played with. No wonder the “Flight to Egypt” is one of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Even though they escaped the anger and rage of Herod there were those who died in Jesus place. The sorrow when they learned of the massacre must have been horrible.
Snowflakes
I looked out the window this morning and it looks like the houses on the hillside above us are snow covered. Funny how just a few meters means the difference between rain and snow.
Happy Catholic shared something yesterday that started me thinking about the things we do and the things we say and the differences we make in the lives of others. The things we do and the things we fail to do can draw others closer to faith and to God or they can turn them away. They don’t have to be big things there just have to be enough of them.
Merry Christmas
It is finally here. We have had a wonderful Christmas so far. Christmas eve was our typical crab and fondue feast. Christmas morning we opened the gifts, last night we had dinner with my parents. I hope everyone is enjoying this blessed season.
God gets their souls, science gets their brains
On CNN there is a nice article about the “Nun Study”. I heard about this story and the very interesting results it has shown about seven years ago, it is really cool to hear that it is still going on.
The School Sisters of Notre Dame have assisted Dr. David Snowdon for about 20 years in his research into Alzheimer’s and dementia. You can learn more about the “Nun Study” Here.
Oh, this is fun!
The Anchoress had this lovely find and I just had to put it here to:
Simply Catholic 