Lent in the Year of Mercy with Friends

Lent has begun. I feel more prepared than I have ever felt before because of the community and friendships that I have found over the last few months.  Thank you technology.  It is because of YOU that I feel ready this Lent. I'm so inspired by other people and their ability to love and serve God in ways I never knew I could. I am ready to reform my relationship with our Creator. I'm ready to pour love into my family and friends. And I'm ready to embrace the gifts that I have been given to glorify God.

"We are responsible for on another's holiness.  We influence each other all the time, and we should grown in the awareness of this.  It simply cannot be denied that we are conditioned and affected by one another.  Human beings invariably are.  Every Christian has a vocation to holiness. Now as we enter into Lent, I hope we will all deeply conscious of our involvement in one another's holiness, of our sharing of penance and of sacrifice, and very especially of our responsibility for one another's growth in holiness this Lent."  A Time of Renewal: Daily Reflections for the Lenten Season

 I worked with Ashley to create "Lent in the Year of Mercy", a reflection journal to pair with the book A Time of Renewal: Daily Reflection for the Lenten Season by Mother Mary Francis.  And not to toot our own horn, journal is so awesome.  And it has already been really helpful.  It stands alone even if you aren't reading the book with us.  Please download a copy.



We will be on different platforms throughout Lent so be sure to follow us.  You can find Ashley on Periscope, Facebook, Instagram, and her blog Between the Linens.  And you can find me here, Periscope, Facebook, and Instagram.  AND we are chatting using the app Voxer, too.  Let us know so we can add you to the chat.  Even if you're not reading the book, you are more than welcome to listen and add to the conversation.

Instagram Prompts

We have some Instagram prompts using #lenting.  Please share and use the prompts, we would love to see how your journey is going, even if the picture doesn't quite match the prompt. :)

Happy Lenting!

Word of The Year: 2016

We are still feeling the renewal that the calendar provides each January, and I have chosen a new word for 2016.  In 2014, I choose a word of the year.  It has been the only time I have ever chosen a word, but in retrospect, I think 2014's word really needed to roll into 2015, so maybe that's why I was never struck with a word that year.

Facebook had a fun word generator floating around toward the end of December, and I could not resist the click.  It provided me with the word innovation.  There was a pause, but I didn't feel as if it was the word to guide me through the next year.  So, I Voxed Ashley to get her thoughts, and she recommended looking up synonyms and antonyms which was a lovely idea.

I read lots of words, and continued to Vox Ashley, using her as a sounding board, to determine my word for this year.  In the end I settled with:

I was not blown away with the word in the beginning.  When I hear reform I naturally think of political reforms, which is just makes me think of debates, and honestly leaves a gross taste in my mouth.  Once I got over that and really consider the word, I felt like it was kind of perfect.

Most everything that is going on in my life seems right, but the quality in which I'm doing things is lacking.  Praying, housekeeping, parenting, homeschooling, budgeting, community building, and personal development you name it, I'm not doing it well.  I feel like I'm planted where God wants me, but I'm not fulfilling these roles in the best way.

After going through Advent with St Benedict, I have a better understanding of my life, the mundane, being a pray that needs to be said everyday.  Meaning, my work is prayer.  Getting up and doing my job is a prayer that I need to be saying, or doing, everyday.  I know I haven't been.  Or at least my work has been poor and sloppy. 

By making paradigm shifts and using my strengths to foster my shortcomings will (hopefully) build my self confidence will slowly reform my daily life.  It's going to be a long year with lots of growing pains, God willing.