Lent has truly been a hard journey for me this year. I never realized that being pregnant could put such a different spin on lent for me. Well, it did. It also got me to start thinking about lent and how we offer something up or we do something more in our day to day lives. I decided to offer something up during this lent, I thought that this was going to be the most beneficial for me. But boy way I wrong.
Over the past two weeks I have been realizing how the Lord wanted me to do something else for my commitment during lent. Speak up and do something more that may last longer than Lent, Stop putting on makeup, only looking in the mirror to ensure I look presentable for work. Because what I had picked was no longer challenging me, so the Lord challenged me to do more, to take up something that would challenge me. It's amazing how the Lord makes sure that we are in the right desert for ourselves. Its beautiful to see my journey and see how I got challenged more just at different times. Or how being pregnant you can't always do the norm, so you get challenged in many other ways.
Lent has been a journey, yes it is almost over, but I am going to make sure these last days truly count.
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Pregnant update.
29 weeks
Gained 22 pounds
I weigh more that I ever have.
No specific cravings.
It is truly amazing to go through lent, which is such a time of sadness and the time of the desert to feel such life moving inside of me. She is quite active and lets me know constantly that she is in there and loving it in there, growing more and more each day. It has been a beautiful way and journey to experience lent and I am grateful for the experience.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
time to be fed.
While at Franny, I joined this absolutely wonderful household (its a faith based group of the same gender that get together to pray and bond together), it was called Love of the Lamb. Its funny how you can be in a household for such a long period of time and still not quite understand everything.
This past week when teaching my students I realized that I still had so much to learn. We were talking about the Good Shepherd and how he feeds his sheep. Most of the students understood how Jesus feeds His sheep through the Eucharist, but it is so much more than that. Their pure amazement that Jesus feeds us through every sacrament, even made me think if I knew this information. Which I did, but a reminder can never ever hurt.
The Lord feeds us in so many ways, in Baptism we are given the grace to make us part of God's Family. Confession gives us grace to overcome our sins. Confirmations gives us the gifts of the Holy Spirit to live as Catholics. Holy Orders allows for priests to be able to feed our souls. Marriage gives us the grace to help one another be faithful to God and to get each other to heaven. Anointing of the sick gives us grace to unify ourselves with Christ. Isn't that beautiful? I never thought of the Lord feeding us through all the sacraments, yet its so beautiful.
When I was at Fran, I really individually focused on the Lamb and the suffering of the Lamb, the sacrificial part of the Lamb, rather than looking to the whole imagery and beauty of the Lamb and what all it means. I should have looked past this all and dove in more, seen what the Lord wanted from His sheep. To show me how he wanted to feed me, and how he still wants to feed me on a daily basis. It is now my turn to take the step and 'eat the food'--go to daily mass, confession as much as possible, truly live out the sacraments.
Its my turn to be fed.
The Good Shepherd feeds his sheep, are you willing to be fed through all the sacraments as well?
This past week when teaching my students I realized that I still had so much to learn. We were talking about the Good Shepherd and how he feeds his sheep. Most of the students understood how Jesus feeds His sheep through the Eucharist, but it is so much more than that. Their pure amazement that Jesus feeds us through every sacrament, even made me think if I knew this information. Which I did, but a reminder can never ever hurt.
The Lord feeds us in so many ways, in Baptism we are given the grace to make us part of God's Family. Confession gives us grace to overcome our sins. Confirmations gives us the gifts of the Holy Spirit to live as Catholics. Holy Orders allows for priests to be able to feed our souls. Marriage gives us the grace to help one another be faithful to God and to get each other to heaven. Anointing of the sick gives us grace to unify ourselves with Christ. Isn't that beautiful? I never thought of the Lord feeding us through all the sacraments, yet its so beautiful.
When I was at Fran, I really individually focused on the Lamb and the suffering of the Lamb, the sacrificial part of the Lamb, rather than looking to the whole imagery and beauty of the Lamb and what all it means. I should have looked past this all and dove in more, seen what the Lord wanted from His sheep. To show me how he wanted to feed me, and how he still wants to feed me on a daily basis. It is now my turn to take the step and 'eat the food'--go to daily mass, confession as much as possible, truly live out the sacraments.
Its my turn to be fed.
The Good Shepherd feeds his sheep, are you willing to be fed through all the sacraments as well?
Saturday, March 2, 2013
firsts
Life is full of firsts. I went on my first field trip this week as a teacher, I went to my first seminar for teaching, we had our first car trouble as a married couple, we are having our first child, we had our first shower a few weeks ago, we went to our first Russian Orthodox Baptism... Our lives have been full of firsts.
This past week C and I experienced our first trial...car trouble. I know car trouble doesn't seem like a trial, and it probably isn't but in the moment it was. Everyday after school I leave around 3:30pm. I want to miss traffic and get home to my loving husband. This specific day we had a faculty meeting and right as I am walking into the meeting I got a text message letting me know that C's car won't start and he's trying to figure it out. During this meeting I had no idea what my headmaster was saying because all I could think about was what could possibly lie ahead. The meeting ended and after about 30 minutes of waiting we figured that me driving to pick C up would be the best option. For all of you that have had car troubles you know that its something that you can't handle, its something that happens and you just have to deal with. I got to C and we had determined that his car had to go to the shop, it didn't start, wouldn't move, nothing. On our trip home I couldn't help but try and figure out what was going to happen next... but you can't in these situations, in these situations everything is out of your control. You just try to keep your sanity during that time. C looked over at me grabbed my hand and just held on...
Sometimes things are just out of our control. First experiences can be scary. Some first experiences can be so beautiful and enlightening. Some firsts mean showing us a new meaning into our spiritual life... and sometimes firsts just mean that we need to hold on.
During lent I find this so true. Lent isn't a first to us, but during every lent no matter how many times we have given up soda, candy texting or whatever... It is the first time we will experience that lent in this way. You obviously were chosen to give it up during that time for a reason. Who knows the reason but the first is there, it is all a first experience of how the Lord wants you to experience this Lent, this time in the desert.
__________________________________________________
Pregnancy:
+She's growing, kicking, moving and loving life. Well thats what we believe to be true.
+She is the size of a head of lettuce!
+Still trying to chose a name, but that has been put on hold for now. We will determine it when we meet her!
+Craving...sushi, and California foods that I obviously can't have because I live so far away.
+
This past week C and I experienced our first trial...car trouble. I know car trouble doesn't seem like a trial, and it probably isn't but in the moment it was. Everyday after school I leave around 3:30pm. I want to miss traffic and get home to my loving husband. This specific day we had a faculty meeting and right as I am walking into the meeting I got a text message letting me know that C's car won't start and he's trying to figure it out. During this meeting I had no idea what my headmaster was saying because all I could think about was what could possibly lie ahead. The meeting ended and after about 30 minutes of waiting we figured that me driving to pick C up would be the best option. For all of you that have had car troubles you know that its something that you can't handle, its something that happens and you just have to deal with. I got to C and we had determined that his car had to go to the shop, it didn't start, wouldn't move, nothing. On our trip home I couldn't help but try and figure out what was going to happen next... but you can't in these situations, in these situations everything is out of your control. You just try to keep your sanity during that time. C looked over at me grabbed my hand and just held on...
Sometimes things are just out of our control. First experiences can be scary. Some first experiences can be so beautiful and enlightening. Some firsts mean showing us a new meaning into our spiritual life... and sometimes firsts just mean that we need to hold on.
During lent I find this so true. Lent isn't a first to us, but during every lent no matter how many times we have given up soda, candy texting or whatever... It is the first time we will experience that lent in this way. You obviously were chosen to give it up during that time for a reason. Who knows the reason but the first is there, it is all a first experience of how the Lord wants you to experience this Lent, this time in the desert.
__________________________________________________
Pregnancy:
+She's growing, kicking, moving and loving life. Well thats what we believe to be true.
+She is the size of a head of lettuce!
+Still trying to chose a name, but that has been put on hold for now. We will determine it when we meet her!
+Craving...sushi, and California foods that I obviously can't have because I live so far away.
+
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