Come to the Garden

Gardens are so wonderful. Flowers are one of my favorite things. One day I'm going to have a wonderful flower/herb garden all of my own. There is just something so special about them. They're like an outdoor shrine to the greatness of our Creator. Such exquisite beauty in each plant and each are so unique.



St. Therese of Lisieux based a bit of her theology off of the lessons to be learned from a garden. As a summary of her life says, "She loved flowers and saw herself as the "little flower of Jesus," who gave glory to God by just being her beautiful little self among all the other flowers in God's garden." We are all in God's garden and we are called live out our role as the specific "flower" we are.







This analogy is a great comfort to me when I am confronted with my own smallness and weakness. For my strengths are a gift from God and my weakness is irrelevant when I do my best to live for him. Indeed, I am reminded by St. Therese that God has a special place in his heart for His weak and fallen children. What a joy to be counted amongst those for whom there is great rejoicing in Heaven when they return to the fold! When I keep this in mind, there is no longer any fear that I will not be good, eloquent, holy, brave, smart, clever, or patient enough, because I know that God will make up for all that I lack.


These past few days have been ones of anxiety for me. I guess I just lost focus of Him. Life gets crazy very fast, sometimes. It's easy to get caught up in all of the small troubles and different obligations. This world is an ideal one to catch people up into its hustle and bustle, especially if one isn't guarded against it. I find that it is becoming increasingly important for me to find a quiet place to reflect, refocus, and recharge. This spiritual garden is, in my opinion, essential to most people, especially me. Quiet moments can truly be such a blessing.

Dance in the Rain

I love rainy days! They're so fun and make me feel like dancing all over the world. It's lucky for me, that we're supposed to get a lot of rain this week. Sometimes, my life is like a rainy day. I expect gloom, shadows, darkness, and overwhelming floods. In spite of the strong indications that things will get rough, God surprises me by creating a opportunity for joy and laughter.


How blessed I am! My life is definitely a work in progress, but throughout my life, whenever things seemed to be going wrong, God turns things around and transforms everything. He has blessed me in so many ways. I know that He is guiding and protecting me. Every longing of my heart has been answered in Him. I know that He is watching all of my loved ones too. He cares for them and has brought them into my life. Each friend and family member has been such a treasure. I have learned so much from them and I hope to continue learning from them.


Over the years I have slowly learned a bit more about humility, about self confidence, loving myself the way God made me, increasing my prayer life, taking people where they're at, enduring through harsh times, performing acts of mortification, and allowing myself to just enjoy life, while staying focused on Christ. Have I mastered these things? Not even close, but through the example of my family and friends I have an idea of where to start. It is such a gift to know so many wise and holy people in my life. Good people are certainly cause for joy and there are, without a doubt good people in this world. Praise God for the good people and allow them to lead you to Him. Good people are not put in your life by accident.



Life is beautiful and friends are the music to dance with when it rains. They lift me up to Christ and fill my life with joy. To any of my loved ones who read my blog, thanks for being such a gift. ^_^

Weep No More, Sad Fountains...

Some days are just overwhelming. Life seems to come at you from every angle, determined to break you down. Little troubles can sometimes chip away at your confidence like sand does to the great pyramids. How quickly little troubles can seem large, even without you being aware of it.

For me, today was such a day. All in all, not a bad day, but certainly a rough one. I had high points that were really lovely, but overall I was left with a feeling of weariness. How silly it is that I let such small things trouble my soul and yet I do. Still, I am hopeful.

Tomorrow is a new day and one full of promise. I will be able to receive Jesus in my soul through Holy Communion and with God's grace I will be able to face my little crosses with joy and humility. As always, I ask for prayers.

Whirlwind

Life can be so overwhelming sometimes. It literally seems to be tossing me back and forth between appointments. How quickly I become busy. Suddenly, I am too busy to schedule a phone call with a dear friend, who is heading off to college, I am too busy to go to sleep before midnight, too tired to wake up early or focus through the day, and so emotional that people begin to worry. What a mess!

It's times like these when I know that I need to slow down and refocus, but I'm not exactly sure how. When is the time that it is ok for me to say "no" to all of the wonderful and pressing engagements? I want to run to a safe place, a safe person, and hide from all of the chaos. I can't seem to balance everything. I'm juggling too many balls and I'm bound to drop them all soon. How many people feel brushed aside? I feel as if I let them all down. No matter what I do, I can't make them all happy. How do I chose? What would Christ do? How am I to know? I am not a wise person and sadly not a very good listener. Sometimes I am almost sure that Christ is plainly telling me the answer, but I am too out of focus to listen.

I need to slow down. I need to stop. I need to rest. I need to pray. I cannot survive in this whirlwind, it is too much for me to handle. Life is too beautiful, too precious to waste. One step at a time is all that I can do. One step at a time is enough.

Lift Your Eyes to Heaven

Morning glories are such lovely flowers. They rise eagerly in the early morning and open themselves to receive the light. This is my favorite flower. Morning glories seem to reflect how we ought to be as humans. They rest when they ought to rest, and they rise cheerfully in the early morning to greet the sun. I wish that my life might be like a morning glory, simple, beautiful, and all for God's glory. It is my hope that I might spend each day with my face joyfully turned toward the Son while I offer all of my being for His will. Then I will be all the more beautiful, but my beauty will not be my own, but merely a reflection of His light on my lowly face. By His grace I will succeed along with all of my brothers and sisters in Christ who also yearn to see His face.