1. The End Of Our Third " New Normal" Abnormal School Week
All I can say is that I have survived....barely. Fun fact: I homeschooled for real for when my oldest three sons were younger. It was a good experience for the most part but I stopped after 2 years, with no future desires to start again. After the last three weeks I can honestly say I still have no future desires to home school and I can.not.wait until I don't have to try to wear the hats of mom and teacher! Some of my kids are more difficult than others...*cough, cough, Luke*..but trying to keep all the Zoom meetings and daily work tasks organized is starting to overwhelm me. I'm finding I'm ok through Wednesday, starting to falter on Thursday, and by Friday I'm facing major burnout. I'm trying to psych myself up to get through April...next week will be a shorter week with Good Friday, which I'm very grateful for! Then, we will have another "normal abnormal" week of school and then April vacation. I can't wait for the break!
2. #Please Send Sun
This has been such a tough week weather wise...lots of cold and rain. Today is gusty, rainy and raw and it's just so depressing. With all the other struggles of life right now, this is SO not helping. Thankfully Sunday and Monday look better, but then more dreary weather in the forecast. Please, Lord, just send the sun!
3. Jesus Sleeping in the Boat
Our pastor has been posting Mass each day on our Parish's website. Today he did a special Mass geared to the school kids, so they were asked to watch as part of their school day. Fr. Williams read the Gospel where Jesus calms the storm. (Mark 5:35-41)
"And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat,
so that the boat was already filling. but he was in the stern, asleep on a cushion;
and they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?
And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace!Be Still!"
And the wind ceased, and there was great calm.
He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?"Mark:37-40
St. Therese has a really good reflection on that Gospel in Story of A Soul. This is my own take of what she wrote and is something I think about pretty often. St. Therese, in a place of spiritual aridity, is talking about how Jesus is asleep in her "stormy boat". Just like in the Gospel story, Jesus has found rest in an unlikely place. But St. Therese has an amazing level of faith and desires to let Jesus rest, content that He is with her in the storm. She will just trust and wait for Him to awaken and calm the storm she is experiencing.
Sometimes, when I'm in the midst of my own personal storm, I can imagine Jesus sleeping in my "wind tossed" boat. I remember what St. Therese wrote and I have the patience and faith to just sit near Jesus and wait for Him to wake up.
Right now...three weeks into our Covid-19 shutdown with all the scary stories coming out of hospitals and no end in sight...I can only imagine myself jumping up and down in that boat yelling, "Please, wake up! I want the storm to end!"
Let's just say no one will be mistaking me for St. Therese!
Let's just say no one will be mistaking me for St. Therese!
4. Songs For the Journey
When I'm in a more stressed/melancholy mood, I often feel like certain songs can help me pray and express the distress in my heart more completely. I made a list of a few of my favorites:
Breathe by Jonny Diaz
Maybe It's Ok by We are Messengers
Just Be Held by Casting Crowns
I Know by Big Daddy Weave
5. St. Faustina
Yesterday afternoon, as I fell into the "faltering" part of our home schooling week, Sarah reminded me about a quote from St. Faustina:
When I see that the burden is beyond my strength, I do not consider or analyze it or probe into it, but I run like a child to the Heart of Jesus and say only one word to Him: “You can do all things.” And then I keep silent, because I know that Jesus Himself will intervene in the matter, and as for me, instead of tormenting myself, I use that time to love Him.” (No. 1033)
I
Can I just say that it's much easier to fall in to a pity party...
But, in all seriousness, I tried it. I did find that if I didn't just get trapped in my worries and fears and brought them to Jesus saying, as St. Faustina taught us, "You can do all things.", then I had much more peace!
Of course, I promptly forgot about this less than 24 hours later when I reached "burnout Friday"!
Good thing God gives us lots of opportunities to begin again throughout the day!
Good thing God gives us lots of opportunities to begin again throughout the day!
6. A Surprise Blessing
My parents have been wanting to enlarge their driveway for a while and hired someone at the beginning of the week that could start the next day. My parents surprised us with repaving and enlarging our driveway as well! We had added a large garage onto our house just before I gave birth to Kate...which was over 8 years ago!..but never had our driveway extended. There were always other projects that tapped our limited budget.
I always forget to take the before pictures!! But here are the after....
I always forget to take the before pictures!! But here are the after....
Our new driveway looks great and makes the front of the house look so much neater and put together! Every day when Jay comes home he says, "I can't believe we have a driveway!"
7. Have a Great Weekend
