Stations of the Cross, a Stone, & Church

 "Ignoring food when you have surplus and appetite, to deal in weightier matters of the soul, this is what it means to fast." -Oluseyi Akinbami, Nigerian Poet

Friday- I abstained from eating meat and have been reading things on "weightier" matters.  It has been a fine balance of not wasting food but not eating randomly or out of boredom.  I am so glad that the Father of Mercy and Grace gives to those who ask as I try to walk in way that is worthy and challenging to my life.  I listen to the "Stations of the Cross" on Youtube while cooking.  I have the Stations printed and ready to be hung up when I get the chance, but for now they are just sitting on my desk/table.  

"Choose every day to forgive yourself.  You are human, flawed, and most of all worthy of love." -Alison Malee, Poet and Artist

 

I don't think I agree with the sentiment of forgiving yourself, exactly, but letting God work in your life to forgive me- now that I can get on board with.  I spent Saturday in a bit of a strange funk.  I did a lot of cooking and binge watching, but not much prayer, reflection, or reading.  I confess a gloom of laziness and the fear of Daylight Savings time change came over me.  I drank way too much soda to counteract the feelings of exhaustion- so with caffeine and the power of God I was able to wake up at 5am to put a roast in the crock pot and bake a loaf of bread.  I confess discouragement over my children and their attitudes and the rice and beans project.  I knew it was going to be hard, but it is still discouraging when hearts aren't changed as quickly as one would like.  I have to remember that teaching them and seeing them grow is a marathon and not a sprint.  I pray that I may one day see the fruits of my labors.  

"Where there is plenty, charity is a duty, not a courtesy." -Owen Feltham, English Essayist

Today, Sunday, I am also challenging myself this week to pray the hours with Thomas Merton's book A Book of Hours.  The cycle of prayers is at Dawn, Day, Dusk, and Dark- I love alliterations!  I am planning on reading the selections at 6am, 9am, 7pm, & 10:00pm.  This will have to be a bit flexible as life is sure to interrupt.  In fact, this mornings 9am prayer got pushed to 1pm because of church.  But I am glad to be able to set aside the time and examine this life.  Merton is a bit of a mystic so sometimes some things don't make a whole lot of sense to me.  It deals with a lot of paradoxes, but I know God will lead me to understanding and even if this is not the kind of book or prayers for me the plain old ability to sit contemplatively four times a day for at least 15 min. is a miracle alone.