Happy Halloween!

The boys had a good time trick-or-treating tonight, although amazingly I think that they actually had more fun handing out candy once we got home. We live at the end of a dead-end street so we don't get lots of visitors but the ones that ventured here were greeted by two talkative little boys with fistfuls of candy!

"I want to be somebody else!"

"I want to be somebody else!" This is what my five year-old son told me as I put him in the car after school today. I kissed him, told him that I loved him, that he was "my David" and I was so glad of who he was.

Truth is, though, that at times, all of us wish we could be someone else. We look at other people and think that somehow they have it made. It is the old "grass is greener" syndrome. It can be tiring dealing with our own problems, insecurities, and flaws. But God is our caring parent in heaven who wraps love around us and tells us, "I love you just the way you are."

The Need for a Sabbath Rest

What did you do with your Sunday this week? Was there lawn work to do? Household Chores? Sporting events to attend? Shopping to get done? Maybe you had to finish up work from the office, or perhaps you physically had to be at work. We live in a 24/7 world. Sunday often feels like just another day, a mere continuation of the week in which we need to see how much we can fit into one day. We may even claim that we are relaxing, but we even tend to relax in fast-forward. There are so many places we need to be - sporting events for our children, parties to attend, people to see, and the list goes on. I'm tired just thinking about it. Sometimes I feel like I need a rest from the rest!

The Bible tells us that God created the world in six days and then took a break. "God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation." (Genesis 2:3) Yes, God took a rest, but we don't seem to feel we are entitled to the same. The little voice in our heads tells us there is something more to be done. Indeed, there usually is. The to-do list is not a figment of our imagination. The fact is, though, that while there are always things that could be done, they do not necessarily need to be done right now. The world will not come to a crashing halt if we step out for a little while. We need rest, true rest, to engage in recreation, a re-creation of our spirit. We need to quiet our souls, engage in prayer, and reconnect with nature even if it is just by sitting in our backyard or by staring out the window.

Most of us don't even know what it is to be still anymore. If we sit still for more than a minute, we feel unproductive. Yet, that very stillness serves a purpose greater than we realize. It gives us a chance to listen to our souls and the God that speaks to us there. It gives us the opportunity to pay attention to what is around us, to use our senses to take in this great big wonderful world that God has given us.

God was on to something when He took a rest. He gives us permission to do the same. In fact, God mandated it with the commandment to "Keep Holy the Sabbath." We have the go-ahead from the Almighty to take a break from the to-do list. The ultimate boss has told us to take the day off. Now we just need to obey.

Busy Couple of Days

The past couple of days have been very busy, but in a good way. Last night was my watercolor workshop. What a wonderful evening! I had a great group of people, many of whom had not picked up a paintbrush since they were children and all of whom went on to create amazing pieces. Each one of us has that creative spark within us and my experience with the workshop last night only reinforced that belief. They asked me to come back and do another one in the Spring. I'm already looking forward to it.


Today there was a Catholic School Teacher's conference, so David had the day off from school (oh, my, wasn't he happy about that!). I took the boys to my parents' house so that they could get to see David (something that they don't get to do as much now that he is in school) as well as so that they could watch them while I went to meet with my spiritual director. I had a good meeting with her. A lot is going on in my life right now and I always enjoy talking to her about it and working with her to find God in the chaos. After my meeting, I met my parents, the boys, my sister and her youngest son, at McDonald's for lunch. They just built one of the new upscale McDonald's near where my parents live and the kids have been looking forward to checking out the new play area.

Tonight was our parish Halloween party. The boys (also known as Oscar and Cookie Monster for the evening) had a good time, and even I enjoyed myself. There was a DJ and we were doing dances. It has been a mighty long time since I have done the "chicken dance" and the "hokey pokey" but it was fun! The boys didn't get to bed until 9 pm but once in a while, that is OK. So, it has been a good couple of days.

Thank you, God, for happy memories :)

A Moment of Beauty

I took this photo of the sunrise a few days ago. I thought it was a beautiful example of God's creativity and I wanted to share it with you.

Saintly Survival of the Teen Years

Here is a great article on Catholic Exchange on Saintly Survival of the Teen Years. My children aren't teenagers yet, but already I feel like I have some of these problems. What did Saints do with cranky, attitude-having children?

Enjoying the Beauty Around Us

I am giving a watercolor workshop at the Center for Spiritual Direction on Thursday. The workshop is designed to help people discover the creativity within them as well as to help them appreciate beauty that they may have missed in the world around them. In order to paint something, you really need to pay attention to it. In paying attention, you discover so many things that you may have previously just skipped over.

In preparation for this workshop, I spent some of today gathering up objects that I thought would be interesting to paint. I went out for a short walk this evening gathering some of the colored leaves that have fallen recently. Most of the time, I just pass by the piles of leaves without much of a second thought, other than "Ah, yes, it is raking time again," but today as I looked closely I could appreciate all the different variations in the leaves - their shapes and colors. They were really very beautiful. And so it is with so many things. There is just so much beauty around us if we take the time to stop and take notice.