Tuesday, January 5, 2016

2016 Changes & Ramblings

I go through seasonal changes in my pattern of activity.  Lately, I have been a homebody working on house projects.  Every New Year I change my room décor because I room with quite a handsome dog.  Sleeping with a dog means that at least once a year I must change all the bedsheets completely to keep good hygiene.  It’s quite a fun process peeling the layers of old and thinking of ways to update the place where I spend most of my time.  This year I wanted to bring nature inside, I will take you in a tour of our room later this week because I also like to do things on a budget.  This 2016 I want to incorporate other things that inspire me or at least entertain me- like crafting and thrifting- to this space.  I am thinking of a “Thrifty Thursday” regular post where I let loose my creativity in shopping, fashion, crafting- all things feminine.  Because being a Catholic woman means that I have other interests too just like everyone else. 
Making a Nature Frame: Frame $1 + Pinecones $1 = Total spent $2

When I attended my first retreat and I saw all the young people involved in running the event I seriously thought that their entire lives involved praying the rosary and going to church.  Yet, as I started forming friendships with many of them I realized that they were just ordinary people like me.  Though I try to live a good Catholic life, true to my faith I fall short all the time and am in constant need of God’s forgiveness.  Somedays I am really hard on myself and feel like a total failure in my walk with the Lord, but He picks me up again and again.  It’s important to me to live an authentic life- like Holden, from Catcher and the Rye, I hate hypocrites and I would hate to become one.  So sometimes I tend to be really hard on myself, but I find that God always finds me where I am at, accepts me and motivates to continue trying.  I am learning to be Catholic, to imitate Christ and to know God as He is and not how I want Him to be.  My conversion is ongoing and that will continue to be documented here.  But I am also a person who works full time, has family & social responsibilities, and enjoys certain hobbies- especially hanging out with one very spoiled pup.  I pray, attend mass weekly, and try to follow my Catholic faith, but I am just an ordinary girl.
My nephew drew this picture of me & Dollar a few years ago. Now it's art in my room.


When I began my conversion I hated finding out that saints were huge sinners, because I erroneously believed that saints were perfect people.  Now I love the fact that saints sinned and sometimes big time because it gives me hope when I fall; it is the sick who need a physician after all.  After reading some of the lives of the saints I realize that they loved God in ordinary ways and they also had certain strengths.  Saint John Bosco possessed a great sense of humor which he utilized to attract the youth to Christ.  He is often remembered for his joy.  I always picture him playing ball with children.  Saint Francis had a great love for nature, legend has it that he could speak to animals - he’s our very own Catholic Dr. Dolittle!  I think part of living authentically is finding those passions that God gave each of us and putting them to use, trivial as they might be.  Anyway- this post has been a bunch of mumbling probably because I slept little last night.  Every few months the Bipolarness makes it difficult to stop my thoughts long enough to sleep, but am learning to deal with it in a more positive manner.  To not let the dark thoughts dominate my spirit, but to trust in God and to get back up every time I fall just like Jesus rose three times on His way to Calvary.               

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