A Prayer at Thanksgiving and Happy New Year

A Prayer for Plenty

O MOST merciful Father, who of thy gracious goodness hast heard the devout
prayers of thy Church, and turned our dearth and scarcity into plenty; We give
thee humble thanks for this thy special bounty; beseeching thee to continue
thy loving-kindness unto us, that our land may yield us her fruits of increase,
to thy glory and our comfort; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(1789- Book of Common Prayer)

    7 Years ago I took a personal retreat at The Abbey of Our Lady - New Clairvaux.  It was a time to reflex and enjoy the quiet of the monastic life. On Thanksgiving day the monks sent a lovely dinner to the guest house and ever day I could enjoy the smell of fresh baked bread. I was already gluten-free back then and enjoyed oatmeal each morning with fresh walnut from the path outside.
    7 Years and many grandchildren later... I had another personal retreat this year. There was no need to leave my apartment. After enjoying evening prayer online via Zoom with the folks in Southern California I went to mass at St. Luke's in Redding this morning. Since it would be just Molly and me cooking a few of my favorites was simple. A turkey drumstick purchased earlier in the week with Trader Joe's GF Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Frozen Green Beans, Mushroom Soup, and French Fried Onions for the crunch to top it all off.

This month I have been following Sister Faustina Maria Pia in  A 30-Day Personal Retreat with the Litany of Trust Jesus I Trust in You. Sister Faustina is a Sister of Life in New York City. I found her on YouTube as she was being interviewed about the book. Her values are very much the same as mine; although, working in a home for unwed mothers in New York City is a very different calling. The past 24 days of this personal retreat has helped me as I work out my own calling.

Since October 30th when I was Set Apart for my ministry I have spent many hours reading about other ministries, and praying about what my calling looks like. I know what I do: teach children, visit elderly women, sing, encourage people in their faith. However, I feel like I am blindfolded with a plater of food in front of me. I don't know what to try to eat next. Sometimes I feel that I am a pitcher of water and I am only splashing a littler hear and little there. In modern terms I need to have a "brand".
 I was speaking to one of my neighbors who saw me with my headcover leaving the apartments today. I realized that I am a Prototype. With that in mind I am trying to be the very best I can be. That is the pressure I have felt in recent months and why I needed to step back and give myself a break. This week was really nice as there was no school and no children to care for Monday to Friday. 
I had a personal to-do list for the week. Each day I ticked off the items on the list. Monday- NOTHING. Tuesday- paint the littlest restroom at church, grocery shop and order the flowers for Christmas for church. Wednesday- NOTHING. Thursday- Morning Mass and enjoy the quiet day with Molly. Tomorrow I will visit family and put the restroom back together. The nice thing about this kind of personal retreat is I control the time schedule and the quiet. 
One of the things I have learned this week is how much I love quiet. There is the street noise outside as I live in the city. Inside the apartment it is so quiet I can hear the keys on the computer tapping. Sometimes I can even hear Molly breathing in her sleep on my lap. This week I got some sewing  and a craft projects started. The weather has been lovely for walking along my little creek. 

Christmas 2021

In a month this will all be up again. I have the advent wreath ready to put out for the beginning of Advent on Sunday. Recently, I heard a Podcast from Lisa-Jo Baker and Christie Purifoy called Out of the Ordinary. Episode 204 mentioned making room for Jesus this Christmas. They spoke of embracing emptiness and making lists. My first step after hearing them was to donate 2 tall kitchen bags of clothes. It was okay to have empty hangers in my closet. This next month I plan to sort and embrace more emptiness in my home.
As I taste these things on my plate that I can not see I will make lists. I recently made a list of 20 steps for a job I was passing on to someone else. It felt so good to make a detailed list. So, an outline for what is a Deaconess in 2023 will begin this weekend. At the top of the list is to give grace and receive Grace. 
May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of GOD and the fellowship of the Holy Spirt be with us all.

💖Deaconess Deena