Listen: Wonderstruck

The next challenge was to go through your music collection, selecting a song meaningful to your spiritual journey. Listen to lyrics and tune with eyes closed and consider how this song reminds you of God's presence and faithfulness. Then spend time in thankfulness for His faithfulness.

My  collection of Christian music is fairly poor; and my daughter has swiped our CD player. Hello, YouTube! I chose Creed by Rich Mullins. It is the Apostles' Creed set to music. He plays a hammered dulcimer throughout. He also inserts a chorus:

And I believe what I believe.
It's what makes me who I am.
I did not make it, no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not
The invention of any man.

What I believe (and I do believe the Apostles' Creed) does form me, makes me who I am. And truth is Truth, no matter what I do. God gave this truth, He is faithful to form our minds and consciences with Truth if we just believe. I am grateful for this. Finding truth = the wonder of listening.

Gratitude: Wonderstruck

"Gratitude is the acknowledgment of God's wonder in our lives. It keeps us from walking past wonder unaware." This challenge was to set an alarm every three hours and write down three things for which you're grateful when the alarm sounds.

Some challenges have been more fun or easier than others. This was both. I managed to get fifteen hours of semi-wakefulness in. Not bad, given my health lately. So I began at 9:00 am, just after my devotions, in my morning routine. I wrote that I am grateful for; sunlight, medicine, Jesus.

I had my breakfast, checked email, read awhile. And fell asleep. But the children's dentist appointment...I sluggishly pulled myself out of bed. At 12:00 pm my list read; sleep, pajamas, hot water showers.

Awake. Three kids to dentist, errands run. Steak N Shake for lunch. My 3:00 pm list read that I am grateful for; my children, laughter, adequate money to occasionally eat out. But my energy was flagging; I nearly fell asleep driving as I neared home. Once I got there I slipped into my jammies and into my bed. My 6:00 pm list read; someone else as cook, my husband, music.

Then the migraine hit. My sweet husband crawled into bed with me and rubbed my head, which helps greatly. My grateful list at 9:00 pm reads; books, massage, sips of water in the darkness.

Gratitude. Thanksgiving. In Latin Eucharisteo. The Eucharist. That's the Real reason for and wonder of gratitude.

Sitting with God: Wonderstruck

This challenge was to take an opportunity to simply be with God. To go to a place where God is most real to you and take twenty minutes to sit with your Maker. Allow prayers, worship, thanksgiving to emanate from your soul, naturally, wonderfully.

I suppose there are many places I could have chosen; church, nature, surrounded by my family. God would have seemed real in any of those places. But I am Catholic, blessed enough to have a Eucharistic Adoration Chapel nearby. Where God is real and waiting for me.

O Sacrament most holy
O Sacrament divine
All praise and all thanksgiving
Be every moment Thine.

I prayed. I sang (in my head, for there were other adorers there). I sat and looked at my Lord and my God. He looked at me. Before I knew it, fifty minutes had passed. I left reluctantly. That's the wonder of sitting with God; you want to stay.

"Stay with me Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation because I do not merit it, but the gift of Your presence, oh yes, I ask this of you."  Padre Pio after communion prayer