During many conversation I hear of sad hearts. People who are saddened by the state of our culture, our weather, our news media, and they often ask rhetorically, "What is going to happen to us?"
In the book of Saint John, chapter 14, verse 27 Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (NKJV)
This verse alone is comforting. I have repeated it over and over the past few days to myself. The 14th chapter of St. John is a conversation with Jesus and his disciples. Namely, Thomas, Judas (not Iscariot), and Philip are asking him questions. I love Thomas as he is often late or needing clarification. I identify, as I have often been the one who asks the question in a group that I hope others are thinking. He wants to be shown, he wants to see, feel, and touch.
This last week Mother Angelica's videos were suggested to me by YouTube. The YouTube algorithm knows me better than I know myself at times. Mother Angelica Live from July 1998 - Silence of Heart and Mind spoke a lot to me. Mother Angelica was born in 1923. She became a Franciscan Nun in 1944 and her order later became the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. She had a hard life filled with physical, metal, and spiritual pain. In 1981 she began EWTN and was teaching on a live call in television program. The video that YouTube suggested was one of these programs. 41 years ago, but it seemed what she said and the questions that were called in could be today.
25 Years Ago
25 years ago Princess Diana died after many years of public exposure. One story called her, "A shy kindergarten teacher." She was hounded by the media everywhere she went and every time she turned her head. She tried to escape them by going to Africa to do humanitarian work, but they followed. In one video I watched she holds a tennis racket to cover her face from the paparazzi at the same time bending to accept a flower bouquet from a little girl in an airport. She was the princess who showed all the little girls that you could dream to be special. She was only two years younger than me. As a young mother I also watched her life. I did not have time to think about how troubling it was for her.
Another death 25 years ago did not make much news this week. That was the death of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She died 25 years ago today at the age of 87. She was born in North Macedonia on August 26, 1910. At age 18 she joined the Sisters of Loreto, in Ireland. Not until September 1946 did she receive her "call within the call" to go to Calcutta. Then it was not until August of 1948 she had the approval to change her habit for the sari with the blue boarder that is iconic in our minds. December 1948 at the age of 38 was the first time she set out alone to begin her service to the people of Calcutta.
25 years ago I attended a church service where I felt my own "call within a call". Since childhood I had wanted to be a mother. I was baptized at the age of 6 and was involved in church ministry all of my growing up years. I did become a mother and felt a desire to help others to become Godly mothers. There were many times I slipped up (sinned against God and man), however, I feel that writing about my sins is not edifying to anyone. Read about St. Augustine if you want to see a great conversion story and by the way, a great story about a mother who prayed.
While I sat in that church listening to people who had gone to Calcutta and worked with Mother Teresa and was thinking about the humanitarian work of Princess Diana my heart burned. I did not know how, or when I would have opportunity to go anywhere, but I committed myself to the Lord that night. At the time my children were 2, 3, 5, and 7. I knew my primary job would be to serve God through bringing them up to be devoted to God and HIS work.
A Peaceful Heart
Many schools have started before Labor Day. However, my opinion is that school will still start the day after Labor Day and the rest was just practice. Tomorrow is the first day of my "latest and greatest" schedule as my supervising teacher has told me. I have been learning to service our students in reading, writing, and math while she is putting out fires all over our campus and now traveling to another campus part of the day. Yes, I need prayer for a peaceful heart.
All of my students have an individual education plan (IEP.) They come in groups of 3 to 5 and I help them in whatever way the plan suggests. 5 hours a day/ 5 days a week, except for the 20 minutes a day I help on the kindergarten playground. I love the work and the joy to see these little lives spark with new knowledge. As I write this there is a triangle that keeps popping up on the left hand, bottom corner of the screen. It is my weather app. The triangle pops each time we go another degree above 100, the triangle fades and is replaced by a sun covered in "SMOKE."đŸ˜“The forecast is around 114.
We had some changes in our family dynamics this past month and I chose to put my university classes on hold for a semester. I will be reviewing my course work to return in the Fall term. This is giving me more time to spend with family and the ability to take one of Bishop Ashman's World History classes. He is a retired history teacher and I love to take his courses.
To begin the practice for a peaceful heart I have washed the window of the slider that goes out to my second floor balcony. Molly touches it with her nose and leaves a lot of drips. It is going to be over 110 degrees most of the next week and I thought, if I wash the window it might rain. Ian is headed to fight a fire to the north west and I am sure they would love some rain; however, it is not in the forecast.
My oldest granddaughter called a short time ago asking for advice on her first needle point project. That fells my heart with peace and joy. I treated myself to a facial and massage today to prepare for the next week. This was a gift I gave myself after working so hard this summer. It would be so great to be able to relax the way Molly does up in her tree. With all my knots massaged out and having had a deep oil treatment ~ I am prepared for whatever the week may present to me. Peace of heart is a choice.
My One Word for this year is JOY. A decade ago I used Ann Voskamp's journal to count 3 gifts a day for 365 days. That practice began a change in my lift to look for small gifts of joy in the day. We encourage the staff and students to pick One Word each year using the kid version of Jon Gordon's book. Last year my word was Kindness and I made a vision board with my word. In the next week I will have my 3rd graders make a vision board with their One Word. The 3rd graders humbled me last year with their sincerity when choosing their one word. The passion in an 8 or 9 year old's eyes when they spoke about why they chose that word was inspiring. I took time during my winter break to read my first Donna Fletcher Crow book. I love church history and after rereading How the Irish Saved Civilization I visited a friend who introduced me to Ms. Crow. A Very Private Grave was a fast read for me as I traveled through Ireland and followed the roads that Cuthbert had walked. My frien
Rejoice in the Middle of Lent In 2022 I wrote a blog on Rose or Gaudete Sunday of Advent. Every Sunday we rejoice in the shared meal of the Eucharist. Today the Gospel Reading is the feeding of the multitude found in John chapter 6. Our Bishop today reminded us that we can rejoice as we are the "multitude" being feed. The Old Testament reading today, from Exodus 16, was the feeding of the Israelites with Manna . Manna was the miraculous food that God rained from Heaven causing the Israelites to say, "What is it?" in their Hebrew/Egyptian language. Language fascinates me and I am always looking for the origin of words. We know that when people groups mix they collect pieces of each others language. The people with Moses who stepped outside their tents and saw this new food source said, "What is it?" and the name stuck. Thousands of years later we still don't know what it was but it nourished the Children of God in the dessert. As we take the
I haven't written much in 2023. I read a lot, worked a lot and dealt with skin issues. It was a year of listening to my own voice. Molly and I took it slow and easy. December 2022 My St. Luke's family January 2023 February 2023 I got to baby sit this little guy some. February 24, 2023 Snow Day! March 2023 Celebrated, "Gotcha!" 3 Years April 2023 I met my Zoom sisters and got to spend time with my distant church family at Synod in Walnut Creek. May 2023 I discovered Bank Holidays in France are very different than USA. June 2023 Since I couldn't go to France I outfitted Pooh to go. July 2023 I shampooed a school of carpets. August 2023 Celebrated my birthday working with these guys. Then got treated to lunch mid-August for a job well done. September 2023 Rains began. October 2023 Walked almost 5 miles everyday. November 2023 I spent Thanksgiving at the Abbey New Clairvaux December 2023 I enjoyed a lot of special time at church. January 2024 I acquired a skin
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