Hope:Wonder Struck

The challenge for today is to bring hope to the hopeless. Bring someone the wonder of restoration. I'm not sure I accomplished this challenge.

I gave myself a couple of days. Saturday I spent raking leaves with some of our Boy Scouts. I determined to remain upbeat and smiling. Boys talk about all sorts of things!

Sunday I had to go grocery shopping (we rarely hit the stores on Sunday: it is our Sabbath rest day). I kept my manners in the crowded stores, and my smile. Coming out of the last store, I realized I'd not only left the accessory on so the kids could listen to music, but also my lights. The battery was dead.

The hopeless I helped turned out to be my own 10 year old. This daughter took our enforced stay in a parking lot very hard. I spoke to her calmly, told her what was being done to get us out of there. Got all of us some food once the towing service had given us a jump. Later, during our family rosary, this same child crawled into my lap (big as she is) and fell asleep. So I cradled my youngest, babied my my baby, and delivered hope. Challenge met after all.

Beauty: Wonder Struck

Today's challenge from Margaret Feinberg's Wonder Struck ( and it is two words, not one as I have incorrectly been writing) is to use a camera to record the wonder of God's beauty, grace, love, joy, and peace around me. #livewonderstruck

These photos were all taken with my tablet and are attached. The first shows the wonder of rest and the grace of God in the blessing of my husband.

The second photo are three of my children being silly at the dentist's office. The wonder of joy and family.

Third photo: remaining children. Sisters; beauty and grace.

Fourth photo: the joy of new haircuts!

Fifth photo: the beauty of our Advent tree representative of peaceful, yet eager anticipation for His coming... And His coming again. That is how to live wonder struck!

Time: Wonderstruck

Today's challenge is to look over my calendar for the next two weeks and consider those activities which fill me with life versus those which just fill up my time. Those which fill with life will most likely awaken me to the wonder of God. I need also to be mindful of the rhythm of my days and the wonder of rest.

As I look through my calendar, I see that for the next two weeks I will be seeing a lot of Boy Scouts! I am an Assistant Leader of our local troop and I am heading up our December outing: Cabin camping at our local Scout camp. We are inviting the Webelos from our local Pack, so I will be telling them all about it tomorrow. Saturday, we'll be raking leaves at a historic site just down the road. Regular meeting on Monday where we will plan our menu for the outing. I have a Leader's meeting Tuesday. Friday through Sunday is the outing then another meeting the following Monday. I also have to buy supplies, load the trailer, and do a light load of paperwork. But the Wonder of God can often be seen in adolescent boys. These items on my calendar, though time consuming, ultimately bring life.

There are also appointments. Mainly with therapists. We believe in mental health and we have great insurance, so we take advantage of that. My husband, my daughters and I all have therapy appointments in the next two weeks. Life-bringing. My kids will all see the dentist and my braces wearing son will see the orthodontist. Necessary appointments that take time. My youngest has speech therapy; falls in the same category. My girls and I will be getting haircuts tomorrow - oh, joy!

And volunteer obligations that definitely open me to wonder... Bible study on Tuesdays. A Catholic understanding of Mary in the Bible. I'm learning so much! And Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Oh, Wonder of Wonders! That our Lord would so humbly disguise himself and feed us...it boggles the mind.

I am way overscheduled  at the moment. As soon as the December outing is over, things go back to normal for us. We're trying to have school through all this. Some days it just doesn't happen (Monday is a regular day off because I try to schedule all appointments that day). Bill goes into the office twice a week as well. Little rest for the weary the next two weeks, but plenty of opportunities to catch the wonder of God.

Reflection: Wonderstruck

I've just finished reading Wonderstruck  by Margaret Feinberg. An exciting book, it tells how to awaken and become aware of God in the everyday. At the end of the book she has a thirty day challenge for readers to become awed by the wonder of God.

The first day is a prayerful reflection of what keeps me from noticing God's wonders. I literally sleep through many days. My energy level is low and I require a nap to make it through the day. But rather than set an alarm for a quick power nap, I sleep as long as I can, waking groggy and overtired.  As I take the kids to various appointments and obligations, I'm often thinking of the next thing on my list or worrying about the bank account or health or ... and I miss the glory of God as He reveals Himself on our way.

He reveals Himself not just in creation. I miss Him, too, in the stories of others because I don't take the time to listen anymore. I have always been a good listener; truly interested in people. But lately I am insulated with my family and I assume I know their stories. When out and about I haven't asked people about themselves so I could learn the wonder of God in their lives. Perhaps this challenge will help me change that.

Where have you seen the wonder of God?

Stress

I am in my own bed now, but I just returned from an overnight stay at the hospital. My husband drove me there last night because I was having chest, back, and jaw pain. That earned a night for observation. There were just as many signs pointing away from my heart as were pointing to it; the doctor was being cautious. As we were driving back home this morning, discussing our children, my chest began hurting again. Stress. Anxiety. Our fourth child especially.

We are countercultural. Homeschool. No television. No magazines that emphasize worldly notions of beauty or fashion. We talk about health, not weight. But my eleven-year-old came to me in tears a month ago because she could not shake the thought that she would be obese. My most fit, active child with the fastest metabolism. Eleven. She dislikes the way puberty is changing her body. She skips meals. She exercises... a lot. Eleven!

So. We have found a therapist for her. Got a physical from her wonderful pediatrician to see where she is. We've set realistic goals with her to gain health (and a little weight).  And she came to me saying, "I'm starting to feel hungry again." I told her that was good; it meant her body was starting to work well again. "I hate it!" She broke down in tears. All I could do was hold her. There was nothing to say.

This has struck us broadside. Out of the blue. We were complacent and prideful, thinking our children may have difficulties but we had lessened the chance for certain types of troubles to touch them. But if my eleven-year-old can have a budding eating disorder.... We haven't sheltered them at all. Please God we have given them the tools to deal with difficulties. I don't think my heart could stand it if we haven't.

Please pray for us and for Monica. Thank you.

Tuscany Press Revisited

So it was exciting to see my words in someone else's social media! The 21 finalists were announced yesterday. Ultimately, ten will be chosen. " The Penance of Living " was not a finalist. However, I learned so much! And I'll try again next year. And there's still my book to work on. Purpose is good; exciting... and scary. Back to it.

Tuscany Press

Tuscany Press is a Catholic publishing company which hosts an annual contest for novels, young adult novels and short stories. Just before the June 30th deadline, I submitted a short story called "The Penance of Living".

This afternoon, during a two-day migraine, I decided to check the email piling up in my inbox. I found this:

I'm writing to let you know that an excerpt from your submission to the 2014 Tuscany Prize will post to the Tuscany Press Blog August 7:

http://www.tuscanypress.com/?p=2665

It will also be featured in a post on the Tuscany Press Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/TuscanyPress

And on Catholic Fiction's Facebook page on the same day:

https://www.facebook.com/CatholicFiction

"Like" the Facebook pages to keep up with all contest-related announcements and excerpts from other submissions. We also encourage you to share these links with your friends and followers.

Now, true, it's not announcing that I won any of the 5-place finishes or 5 honorable mentions. However, Tuscany Press gets thousands of short story submissions. Surely they don't excerpt all of them?  I am excited, in any case, and the news lessened the migraine pain a bit, so it's all good!

I've been feeling the call to write for quite some time. This short story is the first thing I put any significant amount of time into. A book is outlined and well begun. It is being put on hold for a stealth project - hubby and I would like to see my mother-in-love move in with us! Please pray for this endeavor.