Tag: work

Duty of the Moment

At every moment you must be just as I would have you be; at every moment you must do just what I would have you do.

Blue Book #1

I like to use Lectio Divina when doing spiritual reading of any kind. It helps me to pick out what is for me at this moment, and with the Holy Spirit’s guidance through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I’m enlightened and guided gently and step by step. The message then is not a general message to the world out there, but becomes a very intimate request for me specifically at this moment. Then together with other readings, encounters with others, random life occurrences, and prayer… it all starts to come together.

I’m currently doing the Catechism in a year with Fr. Mike, and encountered the word pedagogy… perhaps not for the first time… but it made enough of an impact now for me to get inquisitive. It means a teaching plan. God has a divine pedagogy in guiding us, and materials such as the Blue Book can be part of it.

Another book that has come to my attention as I was preparing to restart this journey was Catherine Doherty’s ‘Grace in Every Season’. The spirit of the Madonna House, seems very much in line with the messages of the Blue Book. She emphasizes the ‘duty of the moment’ … which is something very near and dear to my heart, so I’m going to be reading it also. It’s set up in daily bits, and perfect for this type of study and reflection.

The kitchen routine of preparing food in its ordinariness is feeding the hungry in the reality of everyday life.
I hope and pray that you, now and in the coming tomorrows, will remember the holiness of little things done well over and over again for the love of God. Every task, routine or not, is of redeeming, supernatural value because we are united with Christ. We must be recollected and stay aware of this truth.

Grace in Every Season

So what does Our Blessed Mother ask of us… well, first and foremost she tells us to do whatever Jesus tells us… and in the kernel of that command is our obligation to the duty of the moment.

In todays Second Reading we hear “He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

I too seek to “go about” my own life doing good… because God is with me, and I have a lot of heavenly helps at my disposal.

Excellence

2427 Human work proceeds directly from persons created in the image of God and called to prolong the work of creation by subduing the earth, both with and for one another.209 Hence work is a duty: “If any one will not work, let him not eat.”210 Work honors the Creator’s gifts and the talents received from him.

It can also be redemptive. By enduring the hardship of work211 in union with Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth and the one crucified on Calvary, man collaborates in a certain fashion with the Son of God in his redemptive work. He shows himself to be a disciple of Christ by carrying the cross, daily, in the work he is called to accomplish.212 Work can be a means of sanctification and a way of animating earthly realities with the Spirit of Christ.
—Catechism of the Catholic Church



◄ Colossians 3:23 ►
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

It does not matter what our particular duty of the moment is, we should always approach it with the same zeal and apply the same excellence. Our “Boss” is always the same, whether we are caring for our own family, or running a Fortune 500 company. Wherever He puts us, we need to give of ourselves completely and thereby we will sanctify our workplace…as we bring Him into it.

Taking Ownership of Your Life

www.essydphoto.com
www.essydphoto.com
They say that when you are ready, the teachers will come. I’ve recently discovered the powerful speaker Brendan Burchard’s videos. I don’t know very much about him at all, so if there is anything negative out there…just keep it to yourself for the moment. I need to live in my bubble for a little while. lol.

In the video that I have linked to at the bottom of this page, he talks about Personal Responsibility. I’m telling you…this is EXACTLY what I needed right now. In fact, what he’s talking about here is what this entire blog is about.

I’ve mentioned my struggle with anxiety and depression HERE , and I really believe that bad habits developed throughout my life have contributed to it. As controlling and obnoxious as I can be, I’m also very needy. In other words…I’m a big baby…or I WAS. This blog is all about documenting the process of me changing into who I’m supposed to be, who the Lord created me to be.

So I’ve acknowledged my issues, I see clearly what was holding me back…so what now? I take personal responsibility for where I’m going, that’s what. 😀 Lacking that, I’ve been lacking self esteem and confidence. That leads me to feel FROZEN, unable to live up to my responsibilities in life. I feel like a victim a lot, filled with frustration and oh so lost. And yes…DEPRESSED! Sounds familiar doesn’t it? I really think this is big in our society right now.

So Brendan in this video lays out FIVE areas that we need to take responsibility for.

1)Our Aim: We need to plan out our life. Find out what we want, what we really really want. 😀 What makes you happy? What makes you energized? What gives you life? No clue? Do you have a Pinterest account? If so, go take a peek. lol. Start being proactive on what you’d like to see happen in your life. Here’s my list .

2)Our Attention:This is a big one for me. I’m all over the place. I’m always saying that I have ADD, but truth is we all do. It’s just the nature of the beast…no…really. I believe that Satan throws every kind of distraction our way to keep us from fulfilling God’s plan for our lives. And the ‘distractions’ can be pretty much anything, if it’s taking our mind out of what we should be doing, then it’s a distraction. If it’s not adding to our aim in some way, then it’s a distraction. Our focus needs to be laser sharp.

3)Attitude: We can actually choose the attitude that we are going to be having through out our day, instead of letting others dictate it to us. Oh and being constantly grumpy is NOT cool. Where did we get that idea from anyway? lol. We don’t have to be wishy washy, and always allowing everyone to always walk over us. But we CAN choose our battles. We don’t have to go through life straightening everyone else out. Just let it be. Let it go, let it go…lol.

4)Our Affections: Love, connect deeply, enter into relationships. Don’t be afraid. I’m reading this book that is pretty awesome “Hiding from Love” and it goes deeper into why we ‘hide’ in the first place. I get it, we are all terrified of getting hurt. But really…what is the alternative? Shallow encounters like what this generation is embracing with ‘hook ups’ and the like, literally kills your soul. Everyone is scared silly of each other, yet it is exactly what we need for wholeness. Remember the story of Lazarus in the Bible? When Jesus calls him out of the tomb. He then asks those around him to unbind him. We too need to be ‘unbound’, and it’s only in community that this can happen. We need each other, it’s as simple as that. So…in the words of my beloved St. John Paul II, BE NOT AFRAID!

5)Our Actions:We need to be disciplined and start walking the talk. Maybe baby steps at first and then as we gain confidence we will do better. It’s not about walking in perfectly measured strides, but just moving forward.

Watch Brenden’s Video Here

Six Steps to Wholeness

www.essydphoto.com
www.essydphoto.com

I’ve determined that I need to make some changes in my life in order to feel ‘nourished’ in mind, body and soul. In a previous post, I listed the areas that are important to me. I’ve decided to start working on it, one area at a time…just baby steps…and hopefully I can connect with someone else out there that may be reading this and we can inspire each other.

So from that list I’ve come up with these six target areas that I need to address, so that what I believe is more in line with what I do. I will be following up on each one in greater detail as I go along. For now I’m just setting up a ‘wish list’ if you will.

1)First target area is that entire realm of health, with diet and exercise being the most predominant factors. I’m what some would consider ‘crunchy’. I believe in the power of wholesome foods and herbs for keeping us strong and healthy. I believe in embracing a fairly clean diet and exercise program as a way of life, one that provides energy and does not make me or my family ill. I believe that pharmaceuticals have a purpose, but should be kept to a minimum. 

As an Autism mom, the book that has made the most sense to me in explaining the why as well as offering a solution is The GAPS diet. So this is what I aim for in my family…or at least The Paleo diet which is very similar and more people are familiar with it. 

The Paleo Cure

2)Intimacy with my Creator. For me as a Catholic, at the top of that list is frequent Reception of the Sacraments in a place that feels authentic. I’ve found that as a ‘sensitive soul’ a more traditional setting serves me best. I like all the bells and whistles in my Liturgy.

3)Intimacy with others. To be in relationships where I can lay it all out and feel accepted for who I am but yet challenged to be better. To be surrounded and reaffirmed by people who are similarly called. Where I can both feed and be fed and nurtured and can have a safe exchange of ideas.

4)To guide and nurture my children in the most authentic way possible. Being attentive to their special needs and distinct calling. For me, this involves choosing a homeschooling curriculum that fits our needs. And developing a method of discipline that reaches their heart.

5)To live in an organized and fairly clean setting. Surrounded by nature and beauty. Beautiful music, art and good books surround me.It means de cluttering my living spaces and putting together a cleaning schedule that works for us. A la Flylady.

6)To express my creativity and make a living at it.
Productivity is of huge importance to me, as is providing financially for my family and for the things that The Lord puts in my heart of course. Right now, my photography is my passion. I believe that this is my current calling, and the tool that I’m to use to connect to others.

What my soul needs

Www.essydphoto.com
Www.essydphoto.com

I’m trying to live proactively, and not just accept life as it happens. So I sat down and jotted some things down. What do I like? What gives me true pleasure and peace of mind? This might seem a bit too self focused, but at the point where I am in my journey it’s what needs to be done. I need to remember myself…who I was created to be.

Life and other people…often well intentioned…seem to band together to push you down…to keep you ‘in your place’. You need to put up a struggle…the world needs you!

My Soul enrichers

* Frequent reception of the Sacraments in a place that feels authentic.

* A good diet and exercise program that will provide energy and not hurt me (paleo at the moment)

* Intimacy…relationships where I can lay it all out and feel accepted for who I am but yet am challenged to be better…be surrounded by people who are similarly called, where I can both feed and be fed and nurtured…and exchange ideas safely. A setting where I give and receive plenty of words of affirmation and appropriate physical touch.

* To express my creativity…(my photography at the moment.)

* To feel productive and useful.

* To live a simple life in an organized and fairly clean setting.

* Be surrounded by nature and beauty

* Beautiful music and art

* Good books

I’m going to tackle each of these areas individually in future posts, so stay tuned. 😉

Hiding from Love


(Click on picture to take you to Amazon)

I’m in the middle of reading this book and it is amazing! It really gets down to the root of most of our problems today.

“God had a “plan A” for us: a life of unbroken connectedness with Him and each other. Not only was there to be unbroken attachment, but we were also to experience a deep, satisfying sense of purpose and accomplishment in performing the task that He gave us.”

So we were meant to live our lives feeling deeply loved and appreciated, in relationship with Him and our brothers, with a sense of purpose and productivity. WOW! No wonder so many of us ‘sensitive souls’ just feel so darn restless all the time. Our main connections are either totally gone, or so distorted that it’s difficult to draw an ounce of pure love from them. Like trying to breathe in a polluted environment.

Also the productivity thing…yea…umm…take a look around. It’s not that we aren’t ‘busy’ enough…I mean, no one has time for anything as it is, right? But how ‘productive’ are we really? What are we putting out? Do we have pride of accomplishment in our work? It doesn’t matter what it is…a farmer, a writer, an artist, a home maker, a contemplative nun…all productive members of society. It’s in our mind set and how we go about our lives.

And I also venture to say that the two are connected. As in…by being ‘productive’ we serve our brothers and sisters and thereby enter into relationship…and as we enter into relationship and feel loved, we want to be more productive. The ultimate example of this of course being marriage. Where are called to be fruitful and multiply…in other words, be productive!”

Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
(Genesis 1:28)