…but I’m hoping that a quart or two of coffee will help. We’ve got a lot of snorty, sniffly people in this house at present and I am no exception. I’m wondering: Just how long can a single, silly cold last? Is this some sort of divine justice thing?
We had a wonderful weekend despite the heaps of Kleenex. My daughter attended a 3-hour retreat for her first confession, which she will make on Wednesday evening. Until then, I will be totally resisting the urge to point out certain behaviors as being fodder for the confessional. (I’m not always successful, but at the very least I’m helpful.)
My heart swells to think of the priest hearing these little voices for the first time. How very sweet and how very beautiful it must be, especially compared to all the tiresome ugliness that he gets from us grownups. (Thank God for the grace of a good confession!)
Speaking of which, here is an interesting exchange that occurred between our beloved pastor & myself just yesterday. Having heard my mother’s litany of too much anger, impatience and anxiety, Father responded:
“How much of this do you think has to do with…”
And I thought, here we go. He’s going to tell me to stop homeschooling.
“…blogging?” he inquired.
Imagine my surprise. He is a wonderful confessor, this priest, and has a way of putting his finger on the problem with incredible exactitude.
Now, this is not to say that blogging is sinful. I do think that my time online must be balanced, however. (This is a huge revelation, I know.) I find that lately I’ve been getting far too caught up in certain goings-on around the blogosphere that do not concern me, (do I really have to know everything?) and my desire to post daily is always a temptation.
All that being said, I just want you to know that while I love to blog—and I mean really, really love to blog—I may not be posting as regularly as I used to.
And also that I’ll take a prayer or two.
Because it’s January….and it’s Monday.
Oh, and one last thing. Son Number Two has asked me to tell you that he did not smack his brother as my last post claimed. I was kidding when I said that, but as is often the case with my sense of humor, the joke was not apparent. My husband read my post and said incredulously, “He really hit him?” The answer was, “No, he didn’t. He probably feels like hitting me, though.”
Ad Jesum per Mariam,
*Updated at 4:00 p.m. to add: If you said a prayer for us today, I thank you. We had a great day, the kids & I, and I know now (not that I ever doubted…well, maybe I have) that all is grace.
I wish I had that intuitive of a priest! I have found that I don’t blog as much as I should, considering it is supposed to be a record of our learning, to be enjoyed by other family members. I created a schedule for myself (ala Dawn), and have set aside time each evening to post, and each morning to catch up with others — like YOU! I will miss reading your posts as often as I have been, but You are doing what is right for you and your family, and that is all that counts!
Praying for you and Cate this week, my friend!
Wow, that’s really interesting insight coming from your priest. I once had a priest tell me to stop reading so much on the internet about doom and gloom things. We are so blessed to have them!
We’re having a “Monday”, too. Cranky toddler on my lap who really should have stayed in bed, stuffed noses, dark as all get out, cold and rainy too.
I hope your day brightens!
I am just like you, Margaret. And I love the blogsphere because. A little too much. I’m trying to not post as much myself. What a great priest you’ve got there! I think that blogging can keep us distracted. I know it is for me. I’ll miss your daily posts (which is always a temptation for me as well…you are not alone), but you know you are always in my prayers!
Prayers out to you!
Sometimes it is something so simple. What is best for your family is what is best for everyone! Lent is coming pretty quick here…
I hear ya Margaret! After hearing my litany of Hitler-like behaviors toward my wee ones, Father’s response I(the same priest) was “Perhaps a daily act of kindness towards each child would be in order.”
And somehow, I hadn’t managed to figure that out for myself!
This makes me think of what Elizabeth Foss wrote about her “Serendipity” blog in a post “C is for Children”:
“It’s blogging from the overflow, the afterglow. It is a record of our learning but it is not nor will it ever be anything but the bubbling over of the good that exists in my real life with my real children. I won’t rob from them to blog for someone else. I will, however, gratefully share from abundance.”
http://ebeth.typepad.com/reallearning/2007/10/c-is-for-childr.html
You know, I don’t bring up blogging in confession. If I had an SD, I likely would because it’s PART of my spiritual life.
The one time I tried to bring up an incident that arose from blogging, the priest, from India, had NO IDEA what I was talking about, so even as I tried to explain it, he didn’t understand, and actually, told me I’d done nothing wrong.
The problem was, I HAD done something VERY wrong, I wrecked a friendship through my actions that were typed as opposed to spoken, and all he said was, “Maybe God doesn’t want you to be friends with that person.”
Maybe that’s true, but that doesn’t excuse my own bad behavior!
So, anyway, that cold stuff is going around. Yesterday morning I just felt “run down” and after Mass, went to the gym, just walked the treadmill for a quiet day. I came home, ate lunch, took a nap…and during that time the bug hit me really hard.
I had to work last night, was completely miserable, and feared a bad night. I quite literally prayed to be healed of this cold, something I’ve NEVER asked of God before.
And you know what? I slept better than expected last night, and actually have felt great all day. Yeah, the cold is still around, but I don’t have the misery and promised misery yesterday pointed to.
So…try praying for a cure. If it’s God’s will, you’ll all feel better!
If it’s not God’s will, just keep lots of cold meds and kleenex on hand….
…By the way, the address is fine to send to for a couple more weeks. I just sent you a card today with our new address on it!