Revolution of Love

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

31 Days of Gratitude (Day 10): Great Are the Works of the Lord

The 31 Day of Writing Challenge continues. It’s Day 10 of my 31 Days of Gratitude.

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It’s another late night so I leave you with a verse from today’s readings.

“Great are the works of the Lord, exquisite in all their delights.”

Sometimes you have to work to see the hand of God and sometimes you see something so breathtaking you are left in awe at the power of God.

For this I am especially grateful.

Have a blessed night.

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd or Instagram.Β  πŸ˜‰

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31 Days of Gratitude (Day 3): My Soul, Be at Rest in God Alone

The 31 Day of Writing Challenge continues. It’s Day 3 of my 31 Days of Gratitude.

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Today has been “catch up on computer stuff” day – finish spread sheets, answer emails, respond to comments, work on school fundraisers, pay bills, browse Facebook when I should be washing the breakfast dishes, look up a recipe on Pinterest… and the list goes on. When it was time to take John-Paul to speech therapy, instead of sitting in the car for 1/2 an hour and playing on my iPhone, I grabbed my camera and strolled the therapist’s gardens. I caught this little guy in a flower.

I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to turn off the electronics, even for just a half hour, and take a moment to quiet my racing mind, feel the warmth of the sun (although it’s unusually blazing) and enjoy the handiwork of our Creator. πŸ™‚

What do you like to do to quiet your soul?

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd or Instagram. (It’s set to private but I’ll approve you.) πŸ˜‰


31 Days of Gratitude (Day 2): The Waves of God’s Love

The 31 Day of Writing Challenge continues. It’s Day 2 of my 31 Days of Gratitude.

It’s been a busy day and I haven’t been home so I am just now getting a chance to post. This morning we were getting our carpets cleaned so I had to stay out of the house for a few hours. I finished my errands and appointments early so after my walk, I grabbed my camera and took some photos of the ocean. In Monterey, our summers are filled with fog but October is our warm season – blue skies and near 90 degree heat! It’s rare I get such a clear shot without any clouds or fog.


I honestly never tire at marveling at the ocean and it’s power. It always reminds me of God’s love. Stretching out farther than the eye can see. As I was thinking about this, the song Relentless by Hillsong – Zion started playing over my headphones.

The lyrics read:

Salvation sounds a new beginning ~ As distant hearts begin believing ~ Redemption’s bid is unrelenting ~ Your love goes on ~ Your love goes on

CHORUS: You carry us ~ Carry us ~ When the world gives way ~ You cover us ~ Cover us ~ With Your endless grace ~ Your love is relentless ~ Your love is relentless ~ Your love is relentless ~ Your love is relentless

VERSE: The time is up for chasing shadows ~ You gave the world a light to follow ~ A hope that shines beyond tomorrow ~ Your love goes on ~ Your love goes on

BRIDGE: Tearing through the veil of darkness ~ Breaking every chain You set us free ~ Fighting for the furthest heart You gave ~ Your life for all to see.

It’s the chorus that gets me – Your love is relentless.

Seriously, God’s love is crazy when you think about it. No matter how many times I mess up, no matter how far I drift away, He is constantly beckoning me and seeking me out.

God’s love reminds me of a gentle waves that washes over my bare feet. It’s calm and soothing and restores my soul. It is a whisper to the heart.

But sometimes, well, sometimes God gives me some tough love. He pulls me out of my comfort zone or asks me to carry a cross that feels way too big. That’s when his love feels like a crashing wave that is overwhelming and I can barely stand upright. But just as the waves can erode solid rock, those waves of love chip away at my hardened heart and form something new within me. I just don’t realize it until after the storm has passed.

I’m grateful that God’s love is vast and relentless. It is reassuring to know that whether I am in the throes of crashing waves or enjoying the respite of a gentle wave along the sand, God will see me through.

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd or Instagram. (It’s set to private but I’ll approve you.) πŸ˜‰


31 Days of Gratitude (Day 1): Feast of St. Therese

 

It’s Day 1 in the 31 Day of Writing Challenge. St. Therese has been on my mind lately and since it is her feast day today, I thought this quote would be a good start to my 31 Days of Gratitude.

Growing up, many Catholics I knew had a great devotion to St. Therese. Me? Not so much. I had nothing against her, I just preferred the less popular saints who wouldn’t be so busy praying for everyone else. πŸ˜‰ However, in the last couple years, I have read more about St. Therese and her “little way” and have grown to love it and her.

When I redesigned the blog two years ago, her motto is what motivated me. I suppose for a mom busy in the trenches of raising kids and maintaining a home, it can be a little daunting with all the menial tasks that must be performed throughout the day… over and over again. Intellectually, I know it is important work, but psychologically, it can weigh on a mom’s hear when she is up to her neck in dishes, diapers, dirty laundry, spilled milk and toys all over the place. It’s hardly glamorous. Yet, God has a deep love for the humble… for those who follow the “little way.”

It’s easy to say, “Do the little things with great love,” but, at least for me, it is much harder to actually do. More often than not I’m uttering a groan and an “Oh, come on!” at a little cross than kissing it and saying, “For love of you, my Lord.” Thankfully, God is patient and merciful. He knows that I am trying to surrender to Him and trying to live in a spirit of gratitude.

Instead of complaining about all the dishes and laundry, I should be thankful that we have warm clothes to wear and plenty of food on the table. Not everyone is so blessed. I ask for the grace to keep turning my eyes to God throughout the day. To accept whatever cross I have at that moment in time – whether it is scrubbing a toilet or bathing a stinky munchkin or working on a school fundraiser – this is where God calls me. This is where God teaches me sanctity. This is my opportunity to be a witness of love to my little ones, to my husband, to my neighbor and to those in my community. This is my mission field. I am grateful for the grace to understand that. Now I pray for the grace to live it.

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd or Instagram. (It’s set to private but I’ll approve you.) πŸ˜‰


My September 2014 Goals

It is nearly mid-month so I guess I had better finally finish this post about my monthly goals. πŸ˜‰ It’s a little funny that my last few posts have all been about setting goals when two months ago my big daily goal was just getting through the day without losing my mind and maybe managing to wash and dry one load of laundry (and try not to forget to put the clothes in the dryer until they smell so bad I have to rewash them.)

Someone who just started reading my blog in the past week may think, wow, she has it so together with her planner and goal making. Well, girl, you have no idea how wrong that impression is! Seriously, this summer has just been super busy, super stressful and by the time August rolled around I felt I was going to explode. Everything was in chaos – the house, my spiritual life, my budget, my diet, everything! Top that off with a husband trying to get through the last difficult rounds of his chemo and, well, you get the idea.

My life was craving some order and direction. Thankfully, whenever I get like this God always sends just what I need to help me get back on track. As I mentioned in a previous post, I finished Lara Casey’s Powersheets and did all the prep work before choosing my five Main Goals I want to work on over the next six months.Β  My September goals are things that will help me eventually reach the Main Goals.

“Make known to me your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.” Psalms 25:4

Main Goal #1: To always have God at the center of my life and to deepen my love for Him. I want his will to be my will and motivation.

September Goals

  • I have done much better in improving my night prayer so this month I am focusing on bettering my morning prayer/devotion time. There is a small window of 20 minutes that I have between getting the older kids off to school and before getting Matthew ready for pre school when I can pray my morning devotion.
  • Monthly confession.

 

“With this ring, I thee wed…”

Main Goal #2 – To be a loving and holy wife to Brian and to work at keeping our marriage strong. I want to spend more time with him to strengthen not only our love but our friendship.

September Goals

  • Spend time each day to talk and touch base, preferably after the kids have gone to bed. Also, I’ll ask Brian questions and let him talk without monopolizing the conversation.
  • Plan weekly date nights. They can be at home dates but at least one date a month should be out of the house.
  • Find a second sitter since our normal sitter is so busy with college now.

 

My inspiration shot – This is what my kitchen could looks like when I clear off all the messy counters.

Main Goal #3 – To bring order into our home so I am not stressed out by the mess and chaos. When things are organized our family life runs smoother and there is more peace.

September Goals

  • Make a master list of all the areas in the house that need to be cleaned out or organized. Instead of getting overwhelmed by it all, I will tackle small bits on Fridays since that is the day I have a few hours at home without needing to be anywhere else.
  • Make a weekly cleaning schedule for maintenance. For example, the laundry gets insane if I don’t do at least one load every day or so. Wednesdays are the days I have an hour window at home so I can assign housework on those days.

One of the kids favorite outings is to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Main Goal #4 – To be a good mother that loves her kids and spends time with them and is not always “too busy.” I want to teach them about their faith and how to love and serve God in their young lives.

September Goals

  • Plan bi-weekly outings as a family. The off weeks can be spent playing with them in the backyard searching fossils or blowing bubbles or having a picnic on the deck.
  • Update the kids’ chore chart to give them more responsibility around the house. Go back to the sticker reward charts since they seem to work well.
  • Incorporate 1-2 church feast days into family life.

Along the Monterey Recreation Trail.

Main Goal #5 – To take care of myself physically, spiritually and mentally so I can be a happy and healthy wife, mother and friend. Taking care of myself mentally also means challenging myself to come out of my comfort zone and facing my fears.

September Goals

  • Daily hydrate, take vitamins and walk for 20-30 min. Use my Fitbit to keep track.
  • Now that I signed up as a room mom, use the opportunity to approach other moms and get to know them. There may be new friendships waiting to be made. πŸ™‚

It may seem a bit lofty but I have six months to make progress and at the end of each month I’ll evaluate what’s working and what needs to be tweaked. I have good days – like today – and bad days like yesterday when everything was going wrong and I was losing it big time. So goes life. Thanks to God’s grace and mercy, I have been able to pick myself up, dust myself off and keep going. I also scheduled confession for Saturday morning. The extra boost of grace is just what I need. πŸ˜‰

What are you going to work on this month?

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd or Instagram. (It’s set to private but I’ll approve you.) πŸ˜‰

PPS – This post may contain affiliate links.