Online Daybook – January Days 2015: A Wedding, Awards & Thoughts about Paul Coakley

By bobbi
January 21, 2015
8 Comments

Moments of Gratitude…

Today I am especially thankful for

A last minute breakfast date this morning with Brian.
The beginning of longer days and warmer weather.
Family and friends, near and far.
My father-in-law for taking all four kids to his house for a couple hours on Friday. They love it and I enjoy the weekly down time.
A warm home, running water and food on the table.
Sweet hugs and precious kisses.

Beauty in the Ordinary…

I’ve been loving Blessed Is She’s photo challenge #projectblessed. Here is one of my favorite shots for the theme “morning glory.” This is what I saw that morning on my walk.

In the Kitchen…

It’s an off dinner week since Brian is working the late shift tonight and will miss dinner. On Thursday he is fasting for his medical tests and Friday he has to eat very light once his tests are over. So mostly clear broth for him and soup and sandwiches for us.

Praying…

For all those suffering from cancer and other illnesses.
For those who have lost loved ones, especially those that died suddenly.
For the depressed, lonely and mentally ill.
For all the pregnant mamas and those trying to get pregnant.
For all those who have asked for our prayers.
For the souls in purgatory.
For some special intentions.

On the homefront……

Jacob and Amanda

Life has slowed down just a tad now that the holidays are over. A couple weeks ago my younger brother Jacob was married to his sweet bride Amanda.

The wedding cake. Amanda used the wedding figures from her parents’ wedding. So sweet!

The trip to SoCal went surprisingly well and it was a JOY to be reunited with all my family members. I am the oldest of nine and we were all there. Even my sister in VA was able to fly in with her husband (and their youngest) to attend the wedding.

My beautiful sisters. It’s funny how Bridgett and Jacinta in the middle look alike while Elena and I on the ends look alike. 🙂

My handsome brothers.

Can you believe that I FORGOT my big camera?? Well, Matthew told me not to worry. He took shots with his Leapster camera. Aw, a boy after my own heart.

Luckily Amanda’s mom took this great shot of the boys at the wedding. (Thanks, Carol!)

Now that we are back home, it is back to school and I am busy with my room mom activities. (Wait, tell me again why I volunteered for this?) The rest is just life in general.

Brian Update…

Brian had to go into work later for an evening meeting so we decided to go out to breakfast.

I took extra time to get ready and look nice for Brian. Matthew saw me and explained, “Mama! You look so clean and shiny!” It was a nice compliment until I wondered, well, what the heck do I look like the other days?? 😉

Walking hand in hand downtown reminded me of our early years of marriage. I still sometime pinch myself to see if I am really dreaming. How did I deserve such a man.

Not the best picture because we both kept laughing that I was too short and had a hard time getting in the shot but I like it because it reminds me of how much fun we have together. 🙂

A couple of people have asked me how Brian is doing and if you don’t follow along on Facebook or Instagram, on Friday he goes for his big annual testing for cancer. (He also has bloodwork done quarterly.) In 2013 is when they first found the cancer. In 2014 is when the cancer came back. We are praying that in 2015 he is cancer free! We truly appreciate all your prayers and messages you leave us. Brian is amazed that so many people are asking and praying. I assure you he is on his knees every day praying for you too. (Me too! I just don’t stay on my knees as ling as I should!)

Pondering…

Praying for Brian and knowing that his test is coming up has me a little worried. Part of me is just leaving it all in the hands of God but the other part of me is still a little worried.

Photo Credit: Team Paul and Ann Coakley

It has especially been hard today (Tuesday, Jan 20) since Paul Coakley died this afternoon. If you don’t know him or haven’t been following along on Facebook, Paul was a young dad and Franciscan University alumni married to Ann. They have three young children and Ann is pregnant with their 4th. (They also have 4 babies in heaven.) It was just a month ago that they found out that Paul had cancer. It was already advanced and Paul fought valiantly but he was called home today.

Through it all Ann’s faith and trust in God has been amazing. In one of her posts she shared that at the end she told Paul, “If God was calling him home we both had to accept that. I would take care of our babies here and he could go play with our four angels in heaven.” That just breaks my heart. I pray I would never have to say that to Brian (or he to me) for many, many years to come. But if I did, then I pray that I can have the same grace of surrender. Please remember the Coakley family in your prayers. I can’t even imagine what they are going thought right now, especially Ann and the little ones wondering when their Daddy will come back home. (Now, excuse me while I go get a kleenex to wipe the makeup I just cried off.)

Okay, I’ve composed myself and am back at the keyboard. I struggle with situations like these. I can’t help but think, why bother praying for a person’s recovery if God is going to take them away anyway. What use is our prayers? Deep in my heart I know our prayers are valuable and that Paul and the family received much grace – grace of a peaceful death and strength to endure the cross they are bearing. I know that I cannot see all that God sees and the countless lives and souls that Paul’s death has touched. Even now, as I sit hear crying to God, God has taken this opportunity to draw me closer to Him. To remind me that this life is fragile and that we are not our own, but children of God. He knows the bigger picture and the blessings that this particular cross will bring.

Paul sparked that. A man I didn’t know existed a week ago and yet he has touched the lives of all of us in the family as we prayed for him. God knows exactly what miracles that will take place because of Paul’s life and fight at the end. So while, I still struggle with it, I do accept that our prayers are efficacious, but only God knows exactly how. I can only imagine how many more lives Paul will help now that he is united with God. (Okay, I need another kleenex. I should just keep a darn box on my desk.)

UPDATE: Just as I was about to publish this, I saw this beautiful post from Paul’s’ close friend Mary – Did God Answer Our Prayers…

Around the house…

Ugh, there are many problem areas! I just finished putting away the last of the Christmas decor last week. Now I have the spring cleaning bug. (In Cali spring arrives in January.) As I mentioned in my 2015 goal list, I signed up for A Bowl Full of Lemon’s Home Organization 101: 14 Week Challenge. This week I am working on the pantry. (I think my record so far has been finding a food item that expired 5 years ago.)

UPDATE: I’m actually switching my cleaning challenge. I’ll complete the more intense ABFOL challenge later in spring but for now I am doing the 31 Day to Clean: Having A Martha House the Mary Way hosted by Christian blogger and author Sarah Mae. God has been putting Mary and Martha into my life left and right! I’ve already started and I must say, it is just what I needed! I’ll blog more about it soon. 🙂

Reading…

I know I said that I wasn’t going to buy any more books until I finished the huge stack of books I started last year, but I had to get one more to help me with my Theme of 2015. I lot of people have said it was good but I just started. I’ll post about it as I go along.

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World: Finding Intimacy With God in the Busyness of Life

Listening to…

Silence. (This can’t be good. I better check on the kids.)

Watching…

Well, you already know I am watching Downton Abbey and commenting on the episodes here but Brian and I just started two new shows.

The first is Grantchester. We only say the first episode but Brian and I both liked it. We are big mystery fans and it reminded us of the Fr. Brown Mysteries only with a cuter clergyman. It stars James Norton (who was also on Death Comes to Pemberley) as Sydney Chambers, a young clergy man who doesn’t seem like your typical man of the cloth. He enjoys jazz music, drinking whiskey and spending time with a female best friend (whom he secretly loves but she doesn’t return the feelings.) Yet, he also seems introspective, spiritual, has a heart for helping people and is fighting some PTSD from the war. The first episode has the usual violence with a murder (nothing graphic) and a flashback of a couple having an affair but again, nothing too graphic as long as no kids are in the room. Anyway, if you already saw it, what did you think?

The other show we started watching was one of the Marvel “comic book shows” Agent Carter. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. I love the 40’s setting and the clothes and hairstyles and ruby red lips and the butt-kicking lady in a skirt and heels was a nice touch too. It was a fun diversion. 🙂

On the blog…

In the past two week I posted:

Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 34): Epiphany Party Add your post. It is open until the end of January!

TV Talk: Downton Abbey, Season 5, Episode 2 Recap

Theme of 2015: Be Still

Goals for 2015 & Mini-Goals for January & February

Downton Abbey, Season 5: Episode 3 Recap

In the blogosphere…

It’s that time of year again! Time for Bonnie’s 2015 Sheenazing Awards. Yours truly was nominated for “Best Under Appreciated Blog.” (I have mixed emotions about that title. 😉 )

If you want to make me feel like a school kid picked first on the soft ball team, go give me a vote! 😉 You can read the full post here or just go straight to the voting page here. (You can skip any categories you are unfamiliar with.)

I am privileged to be nominated. (Thank you, whoever you guys are!) I know I am just a small blog with a small audience of friends but it’s still nice knowing that others appreciate the work I put into the blog. Ultimately I do it for fun and to connect with other Catholic women and to share my love of Our Lord. There are so many other small bloggers who are touching lives but aren’t as well known. Erica over at Saint Affairs had a great idea to do a link-up cerebrating our favorite lesser-known blogs. She says:

But what about all of the amazing Catholic blogs that didn’t make it onto those lists? Surely you know a few because I know I do. I would love to support all of them, let them know that their words are being read, that they are making a positive difference in the blogosphere, so let’s do a link-up.

Let’s do this!

Blogs That You May Not Be Reading, But You Should Be link-up

Visit Erica’s post here for more details!

Pinned…

I’ve been wanting to organize my books so I can lend them out (after I finally finish reading them.) When I do, I am going to use these Free Printable Library Cards.

Photo credit: clemen tinecreative.co.za

My sister just posted this on Facebook this morning. It seems very appropriate considering the thoughts that have been going through my head lately.

Plans for the Week…

Brian’s test, paying, attending a friend’s’ baptism and party, doc, ortho and dentist appts, and numerous school activities, especial during Catholic Schools Week.

And looking ahead, I am making plans to attend the Catholic Women Blogging Network California Conference in April! I am so excited that there is something I can attend on the west coast since I couldn’t make it to Edel this year. Will you be joining me???

Captured…

The prompt for the #projectblessed photo challenge was Childhood. I love the signs of childhood around our house. (The toys and Legos on the floor I can do without, but this was cute.) In the scene Darth Vader and Kanan are battling it out for the last remnants of banana bread. 😉

Have a blessed week!! 🙂

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. 😉

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Theme of 2015: Be Still

By bobbi
January 15, 2015
7 Comments

I looked at the calendar this morning and I couldn’t believe that January was already half way over! It has been incredibly busy with the holidays and then traveling to my brother’s wedding. I barely started taking down all the Christmas decorations yesterday, which was sadly depressing. However, I feel like now I can finally start to focus on the new year.

As I have done for in 2013 and 2014, I have chosen a word/phrase to focus on for the year. Or, rather, I should say that God chose one for me. I had been praying about it and leaning towards a word that would motivate me to work on my house or keep walking to better my health or try something new.

Then at the end of December I received an email newsletter from Lara Casey (I’m using her power sheets) and she said:

I don’t fully know what my goals are for 2015 yet. While the rest of the world rushes to set goals by the stroke of midnight tonight, I offer you an alternative: be still. Let’s do this well, with intention.

The phrase “be still” hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew in my heart that was it. That is what God wanted me to do. Of course, I immediately thought of reasons why that could not be my word. I wanted something else. Anything else. The last thing I wanted to do was keep still.

However, in the course of a couple of days I was seeing the phrase pop up all over the place. For example, I was reading CajunTexasMom’s blog and in her 12 n 1014 post she said:

2014 was the year I decided not to make new year’s resolutions, and instead to select a word that I would focus on for the year. My word was “Quiet.” I resolved to make quiet time for myself, and to be more mindful of noise in general, both literally and figuratively.

That little voice in my heart said, “That’s what I want you to do. Be still.” I answered, “La, la, la. I can’t hear you.” (Oh, wait, maybe that’s the problem.) 😉

Later I was on my phone browsing Instagram. What did I see on there? A photo that said…

Seriously, Lord? You are relentless! Okay, my thick head has received the message. I will be still.

On Monday, I was driving us home from SoCal and I put on my earbuds and was listening to the podcast This Inspired Life. The podcast is new to me and I have been loving it. I was on Episode 12 with Sr. Faustina sharing her vocation story. I debated whether or not to listen to it since my life was far from the life of a nun but with 400 miles ahead of me, I knew I had nothing to lose.

I am so glad I listened to it because it landed out being like a mini-retreat for me. Sr. Faustina’s story was beautiful. (And she spoke not only about her vocation but touched on the vocation of motherhood in general and relating it to her twin sister, who is married with children.) However, when Sr. Faustina spoke of her vocation she explained that she heard the voice of Jesus in her heart saying, “I want you for myself.” Something happened in me and I heard Jesus say to my heart the same thing. I was so real I had to hold back the tears. As weak and selfish and bratty as I can be, Jesus wants me for himself. He wants me to be still so He can speak to my heart. It baffles me.

Being still or quieting myself to pray is not something that is easy for me. There is always noise around me and not just with the kids. Even when I am alone, I will have the TV on or the radio playing. I don’t like silence. God has slowly been pulling me out of that but now He wants me to step up my game. He is emphasizing my need to be still and quiet my heart.

I can’t help but think about Mary and Martha. I am definitely a Martha. Every time I read that Gospel story I have to fight the urge to get mad at Mary for being so lazy and get upset with Jesus for reprimanding Martha. Oh, sure. it sounds all good for Martha to sit around but eventually everyone will get hungry and wonder why there is nothing prepared to eat! 😉

Okay, okay. I actually do understand what Jesus means and what He is trying to teach Martha. But knowing it and actually living it out are two different things. That is why I have adopted St. Martha as my patron saint for 2015. Together we will learn the better portion. 🙂

How about you? Did you pick a word for the year or make a resolution? Share it with me. 🙂

Enter the RoL Advent Gift Package Giveaway!

By bobbi
November 19, 2014
21 Comments

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week and that Advent starts the Sunday following! My goal for the last few months has been to spend more quiet time in prayer with God. That is not always easy to do with a house full of rambunctious kids but with some effort, I am able to find pocket of quiet to turn my mind to God.

As I mentioned before, being a part of the Blessed Is She ministry has really helped with my desire to spend more time reading scripture and listening to God. Now that Advent is almost here, I have mixed feelings about my goal. On the one hand, it is even more vital that I prepare my heart for the coming of the Christ Child. On the other hand, I know how crazy the Christmas season can be and it take a concerted effort to not get sucked into the chaos.

That is why I am excited about the tools I will be using to help me make a truly holy Advent. What’s more, I want to share these items with a lucky reader who wins the RoL Advent Gift Package! Here is what you can win.

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Blessed Is She Advent Journal

The first item is my Blessed Is She Advent Journal. Anyone that knows me also knows that I am a sucker for all things paper, especially journals. There is just something both soothing yet invigorating about putting pen to paper.

I just received mine in the mail and I can’t wait to put it to use!

The BIS journal is perfect for daily prayer and scripture reading.

Included are reflections for all four weeks of Advent as well as guided reflection questions for every day of the Advent season.

You can order your own copy of the Blessed Is She Advent Journal here. (All proceeds will help fund the running of Blessed Is She, such as the email list and website hosting. All writers and editors are lovingly volunteering time, prayer and hours to the making of Blessed Is She.) 😉

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Icons & Candles

Anyone who knows me (and who has been to my house) also knows that Brian and I love icons! You’ll find them all over our house. I’ll admit that often when I pray in the morning it’ll be in front of the computer monitor, especially if I am reading my daily meditation online, but sometimes I need to just shut every thing else out and quiet myself without any distractions. So either early in the morning before the kids are up or late in the evening when they are in bed, I will take out an icon to put myself into a prayerful state of mind.

I love the icons from Not of This World Icons.com, especially this mini icon (sized 2 1/2 x 3) of the Kazan Mother of God. Add to that my lavender scented tea light candle from PartyLite and my spirit is already feeling calm.

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This Little Light Rosary

Next in my Advent arsenal is my rosary. I always find Advent a perfect time to reflect on Mary’s humility, docility and openness to saying “Yes” to God without complaint. (All the things I struggle with!)

Although I have a number of fancy and sentimental rosaries, the ones I like to keep in my pocket and stash in my purse are the knotted rosaries.

I especially like the ones made by Jenna at This Little Light Blog’s etsy shop. I first purchased a finger decade rosary from her and I love it. As you may recall from last Wednesday, when I was having a bad day, a decade of the rosary (or even just a Hail Mary) always helps me to calm down and regroup. Even when I can’t stop to pray sometimes just feeling it in my pocket is enough to get me to think before I explode at the boys’ antics.

I ordered this pretty blue one as my Advent rosary. I always try to support other Catholic moms who are running crafty businesses from their homes. Jenna is a sweetheart and I asked her a couple questions so you could get to know her better.

Tell us a bit about yourself. I’m 26 year old mom, wife, and school social worker living in Brandon, FL! I’m a cradle Catholic and an FSU alum, Go Noles! They have an awesome Catholic Student Union, that I was very involved in and met my husband through! I love chocolate and dancing around the bedroom with my 2 year old cutie of a son. My husband and I know more about Disney World than most people, fun facts and stuff, and can be seen there almost every other weekend! I like to have fun and meet new friends!

How did I get involved with rosary making? I learned to make them at summer camp when I was in middle school. I’ve always been crafty and it just came easy. In college, I worked for Catholic Prayer Cards (an online prayer card website) and made rosaries there too. Now that I’m a mom, I love making them to make a few extra bucks here and there.

What Is Your Favorite Advent Devotion? Not really sure what my favorite advent devotion is but I love journeying with Mary through pregnancy. I can’t imagine being 40 weeks pregnant riding so long on a donkey. And then to get to Bethlehem and no inns are available. I like to reflect on the journey that her and Joseph fought so hard to bring our perfect savior into this broken world.

Thanks, Jenna. 🙂 Visit her etsy shop at Etsy.com/shop/thislittlelightblog and check out the other rosaries she has available. (Like the basketball one for boys! I’m thinking it would make a nice St. Nick feast day gift.)

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There you have it! These four items – the Blessed Is She Advent Journal, the mini Mother of God icon, 4 lavender tea candles and a beautiful knotted rosary (that Jenna generously donated for the give away) can be yours! The contest will run until Tuesday, November 25th, midnight. I will announce the winner on Wednesday the 26th.

Note: If you want to be assured you get a BIS Advent Journal by Advent, order one today! If you do happen to win the contest, just keep the other items and share the journal with your sister, mom or friend!

So join the fun and good luck!!

To enter the contest, click here –> A Rafflecopter Giveaway

(If you don’t like using Rafflecopter then leave a comment with “add me to the contest” and I’ll add your name to Rafflecopter as a +2 entry for leaving a comment. 🙂 )

31 Days of Gratitude (Day 20 & 21): Blessed Is She

By bobbi
October 21, 2014
No Comments

The 31 Days of Writing Challenge continues. It’s Day 20 & 21 of my 31 Days of Gratitude.

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(I was supposed to post this last night but I literally passed out on the couch and never made it. I broke my 31 day streak but I think 3 weeks of non-stop posting is pretty darn great! So today you get two days as one. :-))

I spend the morning working on my November devotion for Blessed Is She. If you are unfamiliar with BIS, it was started by Jenna over at A Mama Collective as a ministry to encourage Catholic women to spend time with the Word of God each day. There is a team of ladies, married and single, and we take turns sharing our thoughts on that day’s Mass readings. There is a great collection of personalities and viewpoints as we all work together as women of God. I love the community and sisterhood we share. Plus, these women have challenged me to spend more time with God and to quiet myself down to listen to his Word. (No easy task, mind you!) So for the grace I’ve received through Blessed Is She, I am truly thankful!

Join Blessed is She on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. 🙂

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For more 31 Days of Gratitude, visit the home page here.

How I Improved My Night Prayers & Exam of Conscience

By bobbi
September 10, 2014
2 Comments

One of my goals in August was to improve my night prayers. I had gotten into the habit of saying my night prayers in bed before I feel asleep. However, 99% of the time I was snoring before I even got into it. Praying in the horizontal position was definitely not working for me. My goal was to say my prayers before I hit the pillow so I changed my routine. Now when the boys go to bed at 7:30-ish and the house becomes incredibly quiet, I grab my quiet-time-tote-bag (that holds my books, laptop, earphones, etc) and find a quiet spot where I can spend a little time with God.

First I say a prayer to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to enlighten my heart and my mind so I can review my day and learn from my mistakes and be grateful for my blessings. To help improve these nightly exams of the heart (and my monthly confessions) I picked up an old practice I used to do years ago. It was brought back to mind when I was discussing night prayer with someone on the Blessed Is She Facebook page. I recalled how much it helped me then and I knew God was nudging me to return to it. So I bought a cheap 50 cent composition book and I use it as my exam book. I write down the things I am sorry for that day. My impatience or losing my temper or taking Brian for granted or for being unkind to so and so. Whatever it is. On occasion, there is something I don’t want to put down on paper knowing that this book may be seen by other eyes so I literally write it in a code that I would know what it is but someone else wouldn’t. I also wrote on the first page, “This is for my eyes only. If I have died and you find this book, please throw it away for me.” LOL! No, but seriously. I did. 😉

Putting it down on paper may seem dumb but seriously after writing “for losing my patience” every stinkin day for weeks on end it really hits home that, girl, you gotta do something about this! And I do try and make a greater effort to control myself. It also helps when it is time for confession. I can thumb through the past month’s entries and see what things I need to bring to the foot of the cross.

When I examine my day, I don’t just look at the negative. I also look at the good things that have happened. So after I write down the things I am sorry for, I open up my gratitude journal and write down three to five things I am grateful for that day. It can be a blessing – like a date night with Brian or getting all the laundry done or a phone call from my mom or it can be the grace of not losing my temper when someone scribbled on the wall with permanent marker. That shows me not only God’s grace in action but that I am making baby steps towards improvement. Once my books are filled, I keep the gratitude journal and trash the other.

After my exam, I say an Evening Prayer. My favorite is found on the iMissal app on my iPhone. It reads:

O my God, at the end of this day I thank You most heartily for all the graces I have received from You. I am sorry that I have not made a better use of them. I am sorry for all the sins I have committed against You. Forgive me, O my God, and graciously protect me this night. Blessed Virgin Mary, my dear heavenly mother, take me under your protection. St. Joseph, my dear Guardian Angel, and all you saints of God, pray for me. Sweet Jesus, have pity on all poor sinners, and save them from hell. Have mercy on the suffering souls in purgatory…

(followed with Act of Contrition)

It may sound like a lot of work for our already busy lives, but seriously I can get the exam done in 10 minutes easy and from there I can spend more time in quiet prayer or say a rosary or read from a spiritual book for a longer block of prayer time. If I am on a tight schedule and have a lot of other obligations to finish before bed, then I keep it short. You can make it as short or as long as you want, depending on your situation. If you are single, you can fit it in after work or before a late night study session. If you are a busy mom with crying babies or tugging toddlers, five minutes may be your tops. For moms who nurse at night, your exam may be said at 2 AM. For moms with older kids, you may be saying yours on the couch as you wait for them to come home from their date. Do whatever works for you. The main thing is to reconnect and reconcile with God and to thank Him for all the blessings of the day, even when you have to work really hard at finding a blessing on a “bad” day.

I’ll admit there are times when I want to skip this prayer because I have so many other things that I need to do but the extra effort is worth the peace and grace I receive from ending my day with God. Plus the act of physically quieting myself reminds me that above all else, God must be at the center of my heart. Only then will everything else fall into place.

How do you say your night prayers? Do you have a tip to help with preparing for confession?

PPS – This post may contain affiliate links.

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

Tag Archives: prayer

Online Daybook – January Days 2015: A Wedding, Awards & Thoughts about Paul Coakley

Theme of 2015: Be Still

Enter the RoL Advent Gift Package Giveaway!

Blessed Is She Advent Journal

Icons & Candles

To enter the contest, click here –> A Rafflecopter Giveaway

31 Days of Gratitude (Day 20 & 21): Blessed Is She

How I Improved My Night Prayers & Exam of Conscience