The Rosary...a delight for all ages

Catholic mothers always hope and pray that their children grow up to love Jesus and his mother (because she will help them love Jesus more). So the other day when I caught Nathanael totally enamored with all the rosaries in our rosary basket, my heart beamed with joy and my feet ran for my camera. That sweet little boy played with those rosaries for over 30 minutes...pulling them out of the basket, putting them back in, wearing them, carrying them, simply delighted by them. It delighted me and reminded me why I love being a mother...why I love being Catholic.


"So many to choose...which one should I use?"


"I'll try this one...Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you..."


"Now you try it! If I can do it, you can do it!"


"Seriously, the rosary really comes in handy when you're in a pinch!"


"But don't be a closet Catholic...be proud of the rosary and pray it every day!"

Thankful Thursday: My Notebook Overflows

I found myself constantly reaching for my "thankful notebook" these past few weeks to keep track of my litany of thanks... Perhaps a habit of thankfulness is finally taking root in my soul!? I hope it is so.

• sun-glitter on mountain snow


• broken things getting fixed


• boys practicing piano, filling our home with Christmas music


• Wii family tournaments


• my boys choosing to love one another rather than self


• lost items found ("thank you St. Anthony!")


• Nathanael "dancing" (bobbing) to the hymns at church


• an 8 year old who still loves to snuggle and say "I love you"


• conquering my fear of the ski lift


• boys beating their pilot dad at dogfighting on the Wii


• the way Nathanael says "uh-oh" and "hello" and just loves to jabber


• homemade guacamole


• Wii dates with Paul once the boys are in bed


• Michael scribbling sins in his confession notebook nightly


• being asked to sponsor sweet Nadine for the sacrament of Confirmation


• watching Dominic's heart grow as he chooses to share


• ski boots that fit---ahhh, what a difference!


• Joseph being "cool" with his growing mop of hair


• Paul's salt and pepper hair---sexier than Richard Gear :)


• Dominic's 5-year-old fascination with the world, expressed in non-stop talking


• ski bum boys who could stay at the hill from morning til night


• cheesy fries and Pepsi at the ski hill


• Christmas lights wrapping our log bed with a warm glow


• getting my fingertips calloused to play praise and worship songs on the guitar with dear friends


• listening to Paul read the "Little House" series aloud to the boys before bed, all of them loving it


• a son learning the weight of a lie, the freedom of bringing it to light


• the gift of humiliation--the shortest road to humility
  
  

A friend shared this powerful quote with me from my new patron saint this year:

"Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him...He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life, He may shorten it; He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends, He may throw me to strangers, He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide the future from me; still He knows what He is about."
--St. John Neumann"

Saints and Themes of the New Year

Our family continued the tradition of each of us choosing a saint to learn more about and be our special intercessor for the New Year. Apparently, this is an ancient Church tradition that was especially popular in convents and monasteries throughout the ages. St. Faustina talks about this custom in her diary, insisting that God’s hand is at work in giving the saint you need to help you that particular year of your life. She believed, “It is the saint who chooses you, not you who choose your saint.” This year, these are the saints who chose each member of our family:

Paul: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Maria: St. John Neumann and Sts. Cosmos and Damien
Joseph: St. Isaac Jogues
Michael: Blessed Jordan
Dominic: St. Dominic
Nathanael: St. Michael

You may have noticed that I have three saints who chose me and this is why: First, I drew St. Neumann out of a hat when we chose names as a family. Then, I also asked my friend Jamie (a FOCUS missionary who first shared this neat tradition with me) to draw a saint for me as well (because she offers to do that for people every year), and she drew saints Cosmos and Damien (these two saints share the same feast day and martyrdom, so they are always named together). Hense...I have 3 saints this year... apparently the good Lord knew I needed all the spiritual assistance I could get! No kidding!

On a more serious note, I have to admit that this first week of the New Year has been very pensive for me. I have been feeling anxious and somewhat depressed as I look ahead to another year, worrying already about to-do lists that never get done, unknown variables beyond my control, and failure to fulfill my vocation as wife and mother perfectly---or even above average! My New Year's resolution was to recommit myself to praying in the mornings, which is helping to alleviate my fears as I strain to listen to God’s gentle voice over my noisy, anxious thoughts. And during those moments of quiet this week, the word “acceptance” kept floating to the surface of my soul. On Ann Voskamp's blog, she speaks of adopting a God-inspired theme or word to embrace every year, something God is calling her to strive for and to keep on the forefront of her mind and soul throughout the year. I feel as if God desires “acceptance” to be my theme, and I picture myself embracing it like Christ literally embraced his cross; he had to cling to it to keep his balance, sometimes falling under its weight but trusting that the labor would produce peace and a glorious crown in the end.

Here is what has been coming into my mind and heart as I’ve meditated on the word “ACCEPTANCE”:

Acceptance of this fairytale life I’ve been given, a fairytale I often try to rewrite, basically throwing the script back in the Author’s face.

Acceptance that my prince charming won’t always be charming.

Acceptance that our young little squires are still in training.

Acceptance that my castle need not always be clean, but hopefully warm and welcoming.

Acceptance that there will be dragons to slay, not just once, but over and over again, and sometimes I'll get charred.

Acceptance that I don’t deserve to be treated like a princess, I simply need to accept the love of the King which is more than enough.

Acceptance that happily ever after is not based on happy circumstances, but rather a choice to be thankful in every chapter of the story (even the ones that are too long, too sad, or contain too many typos).

Acceptance that I might not know what the next chapter will bring, but I can still rest in the Truth that this story will have a happy ending because I believe in the Author’s goodness and saving grace.
I pray that each of you may grow closer to Christ, the Author and Perfecter of our faith in the New Year, because that’s all that really matters. Perhaps this will be my last year of life on earth, perhaps yours? Some are even predicting that this year will be the end of the world due to the Mayan calendar ending. Although I believe the Mayan calander end-time theory is nonsense, it does remind me to check the status of my soul. Am I ready? I believe I am, but I must keep running the race, like St. Paul said, lest I become disqualified (1 Cor. 9:24-27). I am so thankful to those who are running this race with me, constantly giving me the encouragement I need to train my spirit and not lose hope. God bless each of you and have a happy, holy New Year!

Oh, and if any of you would like me to draw a saint for you, I’d be happy to do so…just post a comment or email me at: pmhurlbert@gmail.com.