Not sweatin' it, but not neglectin' it either

You know the saying, that made someone a ton of money, by-the-way, "Don't sweat the small stuff"?

I would say, "Don't neglect the small stuff".

I believe that the first statement and the many books that followed its theme were driving home the importance of not getting worked-up about, stressed-out about, and overly-concerned about the little stuff that disrupts our neat and tidy lives. I get that. And I agree.

However, we can just as quickly neglect the small stuff in our life because we are waiting for the bigger things. In our attempt to keep our eye on the prize, so to speak, we can become blind to the good things surrounding us daily. The moments (and people) that will come and go in the blink of an eye, whether we choose to recognize them for their greatness or not.

Being faithful (and grateful) in the little stuff....that's what I am talking about.

That is what I am working on. Little by little every day. Big stuff can be good, but it's the littlest of things that bring the greatest joy.

Happy 40th Anniversary Mom & Dad

How frequently do I take for granted the example of love demonstrated by these two people? How quickly I assume that my perspective on love is a product of my own experience. How foolish of me.

My parents started out together as many do. Very young, very in love, and very naive. I guess not so different from my own beginnings in marriage. The road of their marriage has been marked by many joys and many trials. But the course has remained steady because of a love even greater than theirs. A love and commitment to the One who brought them together. And the trials never threatened to weaken their faith in one another or God, only serving to strengthen their resolve to love more deeply.

My parents are inspiring in their love and commitment to one another. Not only to me, but to the many lives they have touched throughout their 40 years of marriage. Whether it's my mom's seemingly unshakable joy or my dad's deep conviction of faith, something about their life speaks volumes to those around them.

I have been blessed. My siblings have been blessed. We have been taught, not only through word but by action, the true meaning of unconditional love. Some...nay many, are not as fortunate. For many the leap of faith required to enter into marriage is something they face with apprehension and fear, having seen first hand the devastating effects of divorce. I do not count myself as a lucky statistic. I consider myself blessed to have been a product of a love that refused to break. A daily decision making process on their part to stay the course. Choosing instead a love that would bend, mold, be re-shaped...but never be broken.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad. Thank you for your witness of love.

No Title, please

I have never felt really comfortable with titles. I guess more accurately I have felt like a title tends to be a bit too much to live up to. I have always been quick to dismiss terms that seem to imply a certain level of authority or knowledge, when applied to me. It is much safer to just be me. Simple. Unassuming. Unqualified. Me.

And while I fully believe that for me, it is necessary to be simple and unassuming, it is not necessarily in God's plan for me to remain unqualified...or even to label myself as such.

Motherhood, although not perfect, I possess the qualifications for: a big heart, a total lack of smell for all things stinky and enough soft body parts to make for good cuddling (and of course a mini-van).

However, I am realizing that just because I seem to have a quiver full of children, and often assume that to the world I look like and act like a mother, there are some who know me not for my children, but for myself. And for them my soft, cuddly spots are not such a priority.

I am trying to see myself as the 'whole package' that God created me to be. (please note that I am not calling myself the 'total package'.) Acknowledging that while not all components of my life need to be equal for me to feel complete, there are many sides to my one person hood. Many roles that I will need to fulfill and see my qualifications for in order to succeed.

I have a feeling that in motherhood I will always find myself most comfortable. Simply because it is where my heart forever will be. But in an attempt to honor the magnificence of my Creator, I am trying to accept the additional titles sometimes laid upon me in a way that would bring Him glory.

His surprising love

Sometimes, no-make that, most of the time, I am blown away by what God has planned for us. And by 'us', I mean me. Of course, feel free to shout "Amen" at any time.

I trust Him. I pray. I seek His direction in my life. I read His words. I worship Him at holy Mass. I think I know Him. Like, know Him in the way that we are riding the same mental wave length.

Silly me.

Time and time again He surprises me.

Have you ever heard it said that God knows what we want before we even speak it? Some would even say before we even think or imagine it. Well, I'm kind of a chatty gal, shocking, I know--but true. So I speak a lot and that includes my relationship with the big G-O-D. I do a lot of talking. Thanking Him, praising Him, and yes of course, asking Him stuff. The peace that I feel in my life has come to be the soft answer that I often get as affirmation to my many questions. Or in some cases, the lack thereof (peace, I mean) leading me to seek another way. I haven't always acknowledged this as His voice to me. But I am learning.

When I talk to God I often 'lay it all out on the table' so to speak. I figure, He already knows what I'm stressin' about, knows what I'm angry about, knows what I am longing for...so speaking it validates it for me. So you see, as I navigate down a wordy road of telling Him the things I am worried about, or wonder about concerning His plans for me, in my small human mind I even attempt to tell Him what I think would be the most 'perfect' plan for me...even if it is a remote possibility. All the while thinking that, "if only He can work THAT one out for me...."

And then He surprises me. He chuckles, in His fatherly fashion, at my innocence. My small frame of reference. And He places something better suited in my life. Something I could not have thunk up even if I tried.

He is good. Can I get an AMEN?

Family Picture Samplin'