After a week with no posts, I should probably write about something, huh?
This weekend was the first time since September that I've been really sick, aside from a few stuffy noses here and there. So bad that I never left my room or saw anyone for 2 days, except for a couple of desperate attempts for fresh air and different surroundings, which resulted in me collapsing back into bed as soon as I returned. After coughing up a lung for nearly four days, my body can definitely feel it. Sitting in bed watching the weather outside go from snow to rain to snow/rain and back again isn't exactly my idea of a good time. I'm going into work today, but I may regret it once I get back home...
In other news, a few birthdays were celebrated last week, one being mine and one Carrie's. It's kind of fun celebrating your birthday at the Mount, and also equally overwhelming having 60+ people sing to you during supper. All of my gifts were amazing, and I've had so much cake and other sweet things over the past week I think I'm set for a while, in addition to the 50 bag snack pack I received as a gift. And I promise I'll NEVER hide cake in my bedroom again...! (Now come on, you have to admit that was a good one)
Well, the weather is still going back and forth, not really settling on one thing for too long, which is probably why everyone is getting so sick. This is one weird Winter. And our fearless leader left us for warmer weather this week! Off to the land of sun and sand, while we're stuck here in a bipolar winter rain land :/
Monday, January 30, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Recognizing God's Love for All of Us
In light of some recent events that have occurred, and old scars that have resurfaced, my reflection day this week was spent pondering this very thing. It's something I think we've heard a lot through the years, especially if you regularly attend church or Bible study, or read scripture on a regular basis. Some may even throw it into a conversation if you're feeling down or bad about something. And if you live and work where I am this year, you are reminded of it every day. I guess the challenge is recognizing this ourselves, taking it to heart, realizing how it can work through you, and really believing you and all those around you are worth it.
Each day I walk into the daycare, I am confronted with the challenge of allowing God's love to work through me. Most days this is easy and it happens without much thought, but there are definitely times I have to stop and think about my reactions. They are obviously here for a reason, and no matter what the situation may be, they deserve my love and positive attention. Easier said than done, but I try to make a conscious effort.
One of the hardest things for me to remember sometimes is to save some of that love for myself. I can very easily give it all to one person, or pour it out onto all of my kids some days, or use it in many other ways. But many times I don't save enough of it for myself. It's a flaw I'm willing to admit I have, and it's definitely something I need to work on. Why is it so difficult for some of us to admit that we are worth so much more than we give ourselves credit for? Is it stubbornness? Blindness? Really, what is it? Will we ever understand? I, for one, don't have the answers for any of those questions. So, I guess if you ask me now, that's one of the most important things I need to work on for the next 7 months, and oh, for the rest of my life.
And since I've had this hymn stuck in my head for the past few days, I picked out my favorite verse. I think it goes well with what I'm talking about. I might change "son" to "daughter" but hey, let's not get technical here. It's from "Be Thou My Vision", one of my favorites.
Each day I walk into the daycare, I am confronted with the challenge of allowing God's love to work through me. Most days this is easy and it happens without much thought, but there are definitely times I have to stop and think about my reactions. They are obviously here for a reason, and no matter what the situation may be, they deserve my love and positive attention. Easier said than done, but I try to make a conscious effort.
One of the hardest things for me to remember sometimes is to save some of that love for myself. I can very easily give it all to one person, or pour it out onto all of my kids some days, or use it in many other ways. But many times I don't save enough of it for myself. It's a flaw I'm willing to admit I have, and it's definitely something I need to work on. Why is it so difficult for some of us to admit that we are worth so much more than we give ourselves credit for? Is it stubbornness? Blindness? Really, what is it? Will we ever understand? I, for one, don't have the answers for any of those questions. So, I guess if you ask me now, that's one of the most important things I need to work on for the next 7 months, and oh, for the rest of my life.
And since I've had this hymn stuck in my head for the past few days, I picked out my favorite verse. I think it goes well with what I'm talking about. I might change "son" to "daughter" but hey, let's not get technical here. It's from "Be Thou My Vision", one of my favorites.
- "Be thou my wisdom, thou my true word,
- I ever with thee and thou with me Lord;
- Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
- Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one."
Friday, January 13, 2012
Learning From Generation Y
This week we have been hosting a team of students from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. My alma mater. They are spending their last week of winter break with us volunteering in the ministries and at the Mount. They have been here since Sunday and leave tomorrow morning.
In addition to volunteering during the day, each night they have a team reflection where they discuss a different value or learn about the life of the Benedictines and then reflect on how that might apply to their experiences that day or throughout the week. I had the privilege to sit in on two of their sessions and it provided a lot of insight and reaffirmed my view of my generation.
If you haven't sat and talked with someone of my generation lately (I believe we are Generation Y), you might want to. We have a lot to offer, but we also really want to take everything in and learn as much as we can before we set out to make our mark on the world. Contrary to many reports you might read in the paper or see on T.V., we are not all self-absorbed and out of control. There are plenty of us out there that truly care about others, maybe even more than we care about ourselves. We volunteer our time, not just because it's mandatory for a class or because we have so many hours we need to complete before the semester is over, but because we really enjoy helping others. But that mandatory volunteer time may have been the spark that allowed some of us to realize the gifts we already had.
Hearing what the students had to say about their experiences this week makes me proud to be part of this generation, and happy to be a graduate of Canisius and an alum of their service trips. I have learned so much from them, and I hope they have learned a little from me as well.
So the next time you might have the chance to talk to a Generation Y-er, maybe you're sitting next to one on a plane or a bus, talk to us! You might be surprised at what you might learn, and we could still stand to learn from others, too.
In addition to volunteering during the day, each night they have a team reflection where they discuss a different value or learn about the life of the Benedictines and then reflect on how that might apply to their experiences that day or throughout the week. I had the privilege to sit in on two of their sessions and it provided a lot of insight and reaffirmed my view of my generation.
If you haven't sat and talked with someone of my generation lately (I believe we are Generation Y), you might want to. We have a lot to offer, but we also really want to take everything in and learn as much as we can before we set out to make our mark on the world. Contrary to many reports you might read in the paper or see on T.V., we are not all self-absorbed and out of control. There are plenty of us out there that truly care about others, maybe even more than we care about ourselves. We volunteer our time, not just because it's mandatory for a class or because we have so many hours we need to complete before the semester is over, but because we really enjoy helping others. But that mandatory volunteer time may have been the spark that allowed some of us to realize the gifts we already had.
Hearing what the students had to say about their experiences this week makes me proud to be part of this generation, and happy to be a graduate of Canisius and an alum of their service trips. I have learned so much from them, and I hope they have learned a little from me as well.
So the next time you might have the chance to talk to a Generation Y-er, maybe you're sitting next to one on a plane or a bus, talk to us! You might be surprised at what you might learn, and we could still stand to learn from others, too.
Monday, January 9, 2012
A Weekend Full of Events
Well, it's Monday again already. Where did the weekend go? I find myself asking that question often. This weekend was a busy one.
Saturday morning began like many others: prayer at 8:30am, followed by breakfast, giving a little lesson on the computer, starting our chores, an ER visit, homewo...wait. Yes, an ER visit. Not for me, thankfully, but for Carrie who cut her finger and needed a couple of stitches. It was a quick trip. We were in and out of there in less than two hours. But it was an adventure nonetheless. Add in me almost passing out as she was getting stitched up and we were quite the pair. But it makes for a good story.
Saturday was a little game night, which is pretty normal on the weekends. There's almost always a Sister or two ready to play and we had two new games to try out. However, during one of the games *someone* was pretty much sitting on my lap the entire time, which prevented me from being able to put cards down. Some may call that cheating, I'll give her some credit and say it was just the excitement of the game since I know what I'm getting myself into when I play with her. I'm not complaining, but a rematch might be in order :)
Sunday morning was the Feast of the Epiphany. We blessed the house during morning prayer and Canisius College students arrived just before Liturgy. It will be a great week with them here. I know a few from school, and the rest of the team seems wonderful. And last night we took down all of the Christmas decorations, so it's been a pretty full weekend and will be a full week as well.
In other news, it's the second week of January, and there's still no snow :(
Saturday morning began like many others: prayer at 8:30am, followed by breakfast, giving a little lesson on the computer, starting our chores, an ER visit, homewo...wait. Yes, an ER visit. Not for me, thankfully, but for Carrie who cut her finger and needed a couple of stitches. It was a quick trip. We were in and out of there in less than two hours. But it was an adventure nonetheless. Add in me almost passing out as she was getting stitched up and we were quite the pair. But it makes for a good story.
Saturday was a little game night, which is pretty normal on the weekends. There's almost always a Sister or two ready to play and we had two new games to try out. However, during one of the games *someone* was pretty much sitting on my lap the entire time, which prevented me from being able to put cards down. Some may call that cheating, I'll give her some credit and say it was just the excitement of the game since I know what I'm getting myself into when I play with her. I'm not complaining, but a rematch might be in order :)
Sunday morning was the Feast of the Epiphany. We blessed the house during morning prayer and Canisius College students arrived just before Liturgy. It will be a great week with them here. I know a few from school, and the rest of the team seems wonderful. And last night we took down all of the Christmas decorations, so it's been a pretty full weekend and will be a full week as well.
In other news, it's the second week of January, and there's still no snow :(
Friday, January 6, 2012
Reflection Exercises
As part of this experience, one day each week I have what is called a reflection day. For me it's Wednesday. I do not go to my ministry that day, but instead use the day to reflect, read scripture or poetry, or do something that is beneficial to me in some way. In that day I am supposed to feed my mind, body, and spirit.
I also meet with my mentor Wednesday mornings. During that meeting we talk about the past week, which usually involves a few stories about my kids, the positives for the week, any issues I may be having, and I usually have a short reading or assignment that we discuss.
This week my mentor asked me to take time every night to write down three things I am grateful for in that individual day. Sounds like a piece of cake, right? Well, three things might not seem difficult, but for me I have been able to think of two right away each night, but I really have to think about a third. It doesn't mean it's not there, it just means I have to really pay attention.
I love this reflection exercise. What I like about it is that it forces you to think positively. So many times we focus on the negative, what didn't happen, what went wrong, yadda, yadda. Instead, we should try to look at the blessing that might have come out of what "wasn't supposed to happen", because maybe that's just it, it wasn't supposed to happen. God had a different plan for you that day.
This is something I hope to stick with. For me it's been a calming way to settle my mind right before bed. I get under the covers, grab my journal and pen off the nightstand next to my bed, jot down my thoughts, put them back and turn out the light.
Sound good to you? Give it a try!
I also meet with my mentor Wednesday mornings. During that meeting we talk about the past week, which usually involves a few stories about my kids, the positives for the week, any issues I may be having, and I usually have a short reading or assignment that we discuss.
This week my mentor asked me to take time every night to write down three things I am grateful for in that individual day. Sounds like a piece of cake, right? Well, three things might not seem difficult, but for me I have been able to think of two right away each night, but I really have to think about a third. It doesn't mean it's not there, it just means I have to really pay attention.
I love this reflection exercise. What I like about it is that it forces you to think positively. So many times we focus on the negative, what didn't happen, what went wrong, yadda, yadda. Instead, we should try to look at the blessing that might have come out of what "wasn't supposed to happen", because maybe that's just it, it wasn't supposed to happen. God had a different plan for you that day.
This is something I hope to stick with. For me it's been a calming way to settle my mind right before bed. I get under the covers, grab my journal and pen off the nightstand next to my bed, jot down my thoughts, put them back and turn out the light.
Sound good to you? Give it a try!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Goals for the New Year
Happy New Year!! 2012 is here and I hardly know where 2011 went. I find myself doing what many people probably are at this time: making a New Year's resolution list, or a list of personal goals and changes they would like to see fulfilled this year, or at least worked on. Dare I try? I think this year is as good as any to make one, if not the most important time in my life. I could make the usual resolutions I think of; exercise more, eat healthier, stop procrastinating, blah, blah, blah. Those are all good ones, and I intend on working on each of them, but I think this year I will look a little deeper.
~ I really need to work on slowing down and enjoying the days and moments as they come. But way back in September I think I posted something about being a product of today's rush-around society. Like I said, it's already 2012 and we're heading into the 5th month of this program...! Present moment, beautiful moment. Present moment, beautiful moment (best mantra I've ever heard).
~ I'd really like a real reflection day back. No more spending hours on the phone with the banks about my student loans. Unfortunately this isn't something I can necessarily control. If it was, it all would have been settled months ago. But it's eating up some of my time on those days, and I can't always get my mind to settle down and clear completely. I try, I honestly do, and the days really are not a waste. They just aren't as focused as they could be. January's goal: get my last loan deferred *finally*.
~ Branch out. In everything.
~ Listen more than I speak.
~ Work on my self confidence.
~ Live beautifully, dream passionately, and above all, love completely.
~ I really need to work on slowing down and enjoying the days and moments as they come. But way back in September I think I posted something about being a product of today's rush-around society. Like I said, it's already 2012 and we're heading into the 5th month of this program...! Present moment, beautiful moment. Present moment, beautiful moment (best mantra I've ever heard).
~ I'd really like a real reflection day back. No more spending hours on the phone with the banks about my student loans. Unfortunately this isn't something I can necessarily control. If it was, it all would have been settled months ago. But it's eating up some of my time on those days, and I can't always get my mind to settle down and clear completely. I try, I honestly do, and the days really are not a waste. They just aren't as focused as they could be. January's goal: get my last loan deferred *finally*.
~ Branch out. In everything.
~ Listen more than I speak.
~ Work on my self confidence.
~ Live beautifully, dream passionately, and above all, love completely.
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