Category Archives: Faith

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: January 28, 2014

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY January 28, 2014

Outside my window… dark. Then again, it *is* 1 a.m. so this isn’t surprising. It was in the 60’s today. We are *hopefully* going to get rain on Thursday — something that we pretty desperately need here in California.

I am thinking… about tomorrow (today?) and what needs to get done.

I am thankful… that Daniel is finally asleep so that I can blog, do my examen, and go to sleep!

In the kitchen… dishes to be done. Yippee.

I am wearing… charcoal shirt and black yoga pants.

I am creating… this entry. 🙂

I am listening to… a Matt Maher playlist on Youtube.

I am wondering… if we’re ever going to catch up rain-wise this season.

I am reading… How The Light Gets In by Louise Penny. I finished My Life with the Saints by James Martin, S.J. on Sunday and devoured all of The Whole Enchilada by Diane Mott Davidson that day as well.

I am hoping… Daniel goes down at a reasonable hour tomorrow night (tonight?) so that I’m not up late trying to get quiet and private prayer time.

I am looking forward to… Wednesday morning when Daniel goes back to school and when my laptop should hopefully be arriving!

I am learning patience with the whole laptop sitch. Jon has the patience of a saint to be sharing with me.

Around the house… cats sleeping or walking across my keyboard being needy. (Ahem… EDDA!)

I am pondering… why Fed Ex had to ship my laptop from China to Alaska (that part makes sense) and then to MEMPHIS!!! Seriously, wouldn’t it be easier to ummm… ship it to California next????? (Actually, I should know why they did it as I’ve worked in shipping and logistics but it still makes no rational sense.)

A favorite quote for today… “God, grant me the serenity
to accept the people I cannot change,
which is pretty much everyone,
since I??m clearly not you, God.
At least not the last time I checked.

And while you??re at it, God,
please give me the courage
to change what I need to change about myself,
which is frankly a lot, since, once again,
I??m not you, which means I??m not perfect.
It??s better for me to focus on changing myself
than to worry about changing other people,
who, as you??ll no doubt remember me saying,
I can??t change anyway.

Finally, give me the wisdom to just shut up
whenever I think that I??m clearly smarter
than everyone else in the room,
that no one knows what they??re talking about except me,
or that I alone have all the answers.

Basically, God,
grant me the wisdom
to remember that I??m
not you.

Amen.”
–James Martin, S.J. (borrowed from The Jesuit Post)

One of my favorite things… orange cats with good motors.

A few plans for the rest of the week: ABA therapy for Daniel, the rest of the week, errands on Wednesday morning, massage on Friday, and Respite Night on Saturday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes: Update on the Laptop Situation, Daniel’s ER Trip, and Being Sheenazing

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Interesting… My friend Kristen posted a link to this article on Facebook. I don’t know if the presence of said missionaries is the exact reason why some countries did better than others in terms of development but it is an interesting theory.

— 2 —

Apparently, I’m “sheenazing”. I got nominated for a Sheenazing Award in the “Best Blog by a Non Papist” category. I’m up against Ann Voskamp and Ree Drummond so I’m not expecting to win, but hey… I’d love your vote anyway! To vote, click on the picture.

The 2014 Sheenazing Awards

— 3 —

Orphans. Do you see these darling children?

L-R: Brett and Iris
BrettIris

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and they have an appointment in her country next week.

— 4 —

Touched. I’m a James Martin, S.J. fangirl and after finishing The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, I wrote him a note telling him how much I appreciated his writing and his Christian witness. This week, I got a note back from him thanking me for the one I sent him. This is a guy who has many balls in the air that he’s juggling and I’m touched that he took the time to write me back.

It’s probably fitting that I got through 218 pages of My Life with the Saints (re-reading it) while I was sitting in the E.R. with the wee bairn on Monday.

— 5 —

Update on the Daniel bear. The bear child was completely wired on Sunday night (would not go to sleep until 1 a.m.) and woke up coughing on Monday. It was a school holiday so we lazed around the house all day in our jammies and I did a few breathing treatments on him. The problem: he started “belly breathing” (where you’re using your abdominal muscles to move air because you’re not getting good lung function) and the breathing treatments weren’t helping. I decided to take him to the ER at UCD Medical Center which was packed. Thankfully, there was a bed in the pediatric ER so we got in immediately after being triaged. Daniel was feeling so awful that he was content to curl up in my lap on the gurney. They did two breathing treatments and gave him some steroids which got him back to normal. We also broke in a new resident and a new ER attending physician which was lovely. (It’s funny in a twisted way that we know one of the ER physicians so well that she comments on how much Daniel has grown.) After 6 hours in the ER, we got home around 12:30 and Jon bathed Daniel while I ate something (my first solid food in 12 hours — wheeeeeeee!!!!) and put him to bed while I showered.

Little boy has been home the last few days and has done well thus far. We were doing breathing treatments every 4 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday and we’ve only had to do one of them today.

— 6 —

Source of the Stephen Colbert quote from last week. I found the video with the quote I referenced here on the Colbert Nation site. I’m having issues embedding it so you’re going to have to take my word on this one. The pertinent quote is at the end of the video.

— 7 —

Update on the laptop situation. The case manager from HP called me on Wednesday morning. My laptop is shipping as we speak and will be here on/before the 28th. Of course, I don’t have my tracking number memorized and I’m not checking Fed Ex eleventy-billion times to see if it has cleared customs in China yet. Noooooo…

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

Ways to Be Pro-Life

Posted on by

Today is the March for Life in Washington DC as well as smaller versions in cities all over the nation. Why today? It’s the anniversary of Roe v. Wade being decided.

If you’re reading this blog, you probably know that I’m pro-life. I do not, however, believe that the pro-choice side is completely evil and I have friends who have had abortions so I have no desire to rail against women who have them — for all I know, I could have easily had one in college if circumstances had been different. Instead of making my entry today all about abortion, I thought I’d list off ways that you can be pro-life… from conception to death.

[+] Donate to your local crisis pregnancy center. Seriously, many are woefully underfunded and can use all the help they can get.

[+] If you play an instrument, go give a concert at a retirement home. You will brighten their day.

[+] Work for comprehensive immigration reform so that people can immigrate legally and not be stuck in decades of waits and catch-22’s.

[+] Donate medical supplies to doctors who are going to perform medical missions abroad. If you’re a healthcare professional, consider taking part in one.

[+] Volunteer at your local soup kitchen or food bank.

[+] Advocate for orphans.

[+] Write an encouraging note to someone telling them how they impact your life positively.

[+] Tell a young mother how adorable her child is… even if you’re lying through your teeth. Believe me, WE NEED TO HEAR IT!!!

[+] Pray for someone who has wronged you.

This is not an exhaustive list by far but it’s a good start.

Some Food for Thought

Posted on by

I get pieces of C.S. Lewis’ writings by email every day and this is from last week. It’s pretty accurate as to the conversion experience.

You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him of whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. I did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms. The Prodigal Son at least walked home on his own feet. But who can duly adore that Love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance of escape? The words compelle intrare, compel them to come in, have been so abused by wicked men that we shudder at them; but, properly understood, they plumb the depth of the Divine mercy. The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation.
–C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: January 12, 2014

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY January 12, 2014

Outside my window… dark. It was fairly warm today.

I am thinking… about my nutritionist consult tomorrow that I’ll have to reschedule because Daniel has diarrhea.

I am thankful… for being able to get away for a little bit the last couple days.

In the kitchen… chicken hotdish that I made and portioned out to be frozen.

I am wearing… brown shirt with a ruched collar and black running shorts.

I am creating… this entry and a baby blanket.

I am going… out to replace my headphones when Jon gets home from his concert.

I am wondering… what injury Daniel is going to give me this week. He gave me a minor concussion last week and he almost hit me with my lapdesk a few minutes ago.

I am reading… The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything by James Martin, S.J. — I’m almost done with it.

I am hoping… my stomach calms down.

I am looking forward to… my massage this Friday. (It got rescheduled from last week because my massage therapist had the flu.)

I am learning how to remove gel nail polish.

Around the house… *puts fingers in ears* I can’t hear youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!

I am pondering… waaaaaaay too many things.

A favorite quote for today… After seeing Fr. Jim Martin, S.J. on the Colbert Report talking about income inequality, I though of the following:

??If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don’t want to do it.?? — Stephen Colbert

One of my favorite things… quiet so I can pray.

A few plans for the rest of the week: ABA therapy for Daniel Monday to Friday, possibly Morning Prayer on Tuesday, and my massage on Friday.

A peek into my day… I still don’t have my laptop (and thus can’t upload pics) so we’ll just go with a funny Youtube video.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes: Back In the Saddle… Sort Of

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Still no laptop. HP is still holding my laptop captive and I now have two case managers working on this because HP sent me through Canada at first. The second one couldn’t find me in the system so he took ownership… and the first one called me on Tuesday to say he was working on this. Yeah… this should be fun. Thankfully, Jon has given me his laptop to use when he’s not home and late at night when he’s asleep… and when I should also theoretically be sleeping. I’ve kinda sorta figured things out but I’m still looking forward to getting my laptop back.

**UPDATE** I talked to HP and because it probably won’t get fixed for another 3 weeks and it’s been 3 weeks since I mailed it in, they’re replacing it for free.

— 2 —

Post-concussion syndrome. Daniel was having a really hard day on Saturday and was melting down quite a bit. He was on my lap and I was trying to get him to calm down when he leaned forward and threw his head and self back into me, hitting me in the face. My glasses thankfully didn’t break (thank God for flexible frames!) but I ended up with what the nurse practitioner at the clinic thought was a mild concussion as I had a headache and nausea the next day. The head pain has gone away but the nausea has still remained. Sigh…

— 3 —

Possible food allergies. I had blood taken on Tuesday to test for celiac disease. It was billed as a food allergy panel so maybe we’ll find out if I’m allergic to anything else? I’m not wanting to give up any foods to which I’m not allergic, mostly because my diet is pretty limited by other things. I’m also dealing with an eating disorder of sorts because I have so many friends doing “real food”, a pale diet, etc. and I’m admittedly dealing with the fact that I’m afraid of eating. I finally asked for a nutrition consult which will be this coming Monday so that maybe we can figure out a diet for me.

— 4 —

Orphans. Do you see these precious children?

L-R: Brett and Iris
BrettIris

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and their dossier has been submitted to her country.

— 5 —

New Year’s resolution. Because I’m awesome this way, my BIG New Year’s resolution was to pray the Jesuit examen nightly. Yes, I’m a Lutheran and praying the examen. I find the Jesuits have a lot of habits that work well for me. It probably doesn’t hurt that the author of the book I’m reading on it is the official chaplain of the Colbert Report. 😉

Anyway, I’m finding the examen is freaking awesome. I wonder if the Jesuits take married Lutheran women…

— 6 —

OMG Big Bang Theory!!!!! Apparently, I missed an episode of The Big Bang Theory because I did not know that Penny had proposed to Leonard before I saw some previews for this episode yesterday. Oops! Thankfully, I was able to catch up before tonight’s episode.

— 7 —

For those who are frustrated with church things…

Fr. Jim Martin recorded this for frustrated Catholics but I think this applies across the board for Christendom. Seriously, it applies to every parish and denomination I’ve been part of in my almost 20 years as a Christian.

(And yes, I know I’m late to the party on this one.)

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

Link-Up: What to Read in 2014

Posted on by

I’m joining Liesl in talking about what to read this year.

–One–

Between Heaven and Mirth by James Martin, S.J. The guy is the official chaplain of Colbert Nation — I trust him with my spirituality. 😉 In all seriousness, he is incredibly entertaining as a speaker and he writes in a way that is accessible to everyone, not just Catholics or Jesuits. This particular book of his makes a compelling case for having a sense of humor about one’s faith and realizing that God is chill with us laughing at ourselves and things in our spirituality.

–Two–

What’s So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey. This is a book focused on what grace is, what grace looks like, and why grace is the thing that distinguishes Christianity from every other religion in the world. Every Christian needs to read it regardless if you’re Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox.

–Three–

A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans. Can I just say that I want to be Rachel Held Evans when I grow up… and I’m a year older than she is? I swear that she’s my long lost twin, at least in how she writes and how she speaks about things. She has my same snarky sense of humor and she isn’t afraid to ask questions as a way to shore up her faith. This book covers a year in her life where she explores aspects of “biblical womanhood” which is a nebulous phrase thrown around frequently in evangelical circles.

–Four–

The Bible. Most of my blog readers are Christian and I’m addressing this to them in addition to those who read this blog who aren’t. Read through the Gospels and learn about Jesus. Read the Psalms and see how the people of God pray and how we are called to pray in all circumstances. Read the Book of Acts and see how the faith spread through the Middle East, Greece, and Rome. Read the Book of Job and see how faith can endure through suffering and how God is present even in the midst of it.

–Five–

Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint by Nadia Bolz-Weber. I’m a conservative and confessional Lutheran who is part of a denomination that doesn’t ordain woman and yet I’m recommending this book. The reason: Nadia has an annoying habit of telling things as she sees them and I think we need to listen, regardless of whether or not we agree.

Now that you have your reading list, go show Liesl some love and thank her for hosting this link-up!