Comments on Conversion Diary: "Would you kids be quiet! I'm trying to seek God's...

I'm a new reader, and wow, this post just hit me h...

2009-02-12T22:07:00.000-06:00

I'm a new reader, and wow, this post just hit me hard. I'm in the middle of dealing with a fussy newborn and a sick two year-old and all the adjustments that come with figuring-out how to parent two kids and give them what they need when I'm only one person. I'm trying to love my new son in all of his screaming, non-sleeping neediness. And this is exactly what I needed to hear, instead of grumbling about how hard it is, to receive it as God's will for me in this moment and offer it as a service to Him. Thanks for writing this. Oh, and your post about your labor pain the other day also blew me away since that's something that I just went through a month ago. =)

I am so happy to have found your blog!You are obvi...

2007-11-01T00:40:00.000-05:00

I am so happy to have found your blog!

You are obviously a brilliant thinker and a passionate Catholic. As a mother of seven, I can so relate to this entry. It's really so simple, isn't it? Why is it so hard for us to remember what it really means to love God and do His will? Thanks for the reminder!

What a great post. This is something that I strug...

2007-06-02T00:38:34.380-05:00

What a great post. This is something that I struggle with too - I am definitely a more cerebral type person so it is easy to see the mudane as a distraction from what is "really important".

I was really taken with this - "Our whole purpose [in Russia] -- as indeed in our whole lives -- was to do the will of God. Not the will of God as we might wish it...or as we thought in our poor human wisdom it ought to be."

Thanks for the great review and post! I wasn't familiar with Fr. Ciszek or this book but now I'll have to add it to my wishlist.

Great post! I love this book, and it's on my list...

2007-06-01T20:18:01.460-05:00

Great post! I love this book, and it's on my list of books to re-read over and over again. The spiritual treasures are astounding, and his wisdom has gotten me through some very tough spots.

I've also been confronted with trying to do God's will, trying to pray, only to be interrupted, and I was annoyed, then annoyed at myself for being annoyed, and I didn't handle it well. I did try, but if it ever happens again, I will take the lesson with me. And guaranteed, it will happen again. I just pray for the opportunity so I can do it right next time. (I am actually referring to a very specific situation I don't want to go into detail about).

We must continue to pray for Father Ciszek's canonization.

So many wonderful new posts this week Jen! I look ...

2007-06-01T17:05:49.578-05:00

So many wonderful new posts this week Jen! I look forward to visiting your blog everyday. Thank you for this particular post, and thank you Jeron for that breathtaking quote by Merton. I think I'm going to add that to my sidebar! Just beautiful!

Outstanding post, Jen! Right along the lines of o...

2007-06-01T12:30:17.595-05:00

Outstanding post, Jen! Right along the lines of one of my favorite quotes by Thomas Merton: "What I do is live. How I pray is breathe."

A similar book that was life changing for me is ...

2007-06-01T08:48:42.869-05:00

A similar book that was life changing for *me* is "Holiness for Housewives and Other Working Women" by Dom Hubert VanZeller. I give it away at bridal showers! He makes this point, about women thinking, if only I could finish my novena, or go to Holy Hour and not be interrupted, I could be holy, I could do the will of God:
"Imagined sanctity is no sanctity...So, if God wills that you should be bowed over the sink instead of over the pew in your favorite church, then washing dishes, is for you, now, the most perfect thing you can possibly do."
and also:
"...The prayer takes the form...of meeting each break in the day as it comes along with: This is God's will. Lord, I unite my will to it".

BTW, I've found that swiping down the toilet everyday is much easier than waiting for it to get nasty (maybe because I have 3 boys, LOL!)
I just spritz it with Chlorox cleanup and wipe the tank, seat, and base with toilet paper, then flush it all away. Somehow spending 30 seconds every day doesn't affect my attitude the same way as spending 5 minutes once a week!

Mama Says

Wow, this post is great. I have struggled with the...

2007-06-01T08:38:54.070-05:00

Wow, this post is great. I have struggled with the same issues. I have a full-time job and a 3-year-old and it’s hard to find time for prayer and spiritual reading. I tend to live “in my head” and have a visceral hatred for all things mundane. :) It’s hard for me to accept that washing the dishes or potty training my daughter *is* God’s will for me. I’ve found that it helps to break down prayer time to manageable chunks during the day – saying a rosary during my commute, taking ten minutes during my lunch hour to talk to God, reading just a chapter of the Bible before bed, etc. I just started making an effort in this area and I think it helps me to be more mindful of God throughout the day and less irritable.

I love this post. When I commuted to the city by b...

2007-06-01T00:36:28.246-05:00

I love this post.

When I commuted to the city by bus I would pray my rosary. One day a woman wanted to chat & I was annoyed with her for interrupting my prayer time. All of a sudden I realized the irony. That woman could have been Jesus Christ Himself and I would not have realized it. I realized it WAS a prayer to speak to that woman, especially if it was difficult for me to do so.

If every morning you offer your day to God, and as...

2007-05-31T21:25:48.811-05:00

If every morning you offer your day to God, and ask Him to bless and guide your efforts, it is amazing how well things seem to go. Even if things aren't going the way you'd like them to, God gives you the ability to be okay with them.

When I was in elementary school, we learned that God made us to know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him in the next. Serving Him means dealing with whatever He places in front of me, whether that is cooking, cleaning, being interrupted for the umpteenth time, playing yet another exciting round of Candyland, and on and on. So if I ask Him to bless my efforts to serve Him, He always does.