Pithy quote from my commonplace book this week.  It makes a lot more sense to me at this point in life.  Change – in myself or others or my circumstances – has rarely come in the time or ways I've planned.  Like another pithy quote from my virtual fitness coach, the key is often not finding yet another method or "trick" but to just keep showing up.  So I keep hitting the healthy habits, even after I fall off track.  We keep gathering together for meals, for holidays, for family events even if we wandered far separately.  We keep showing up for prayer, even when we feel dry or discouraged.  We trust the process. 

While we move through this week of resolution making, I am mostly resolving to continue, patiently. 

"These are days when the great notes struck on the feast of
Christmas echo and re-echo in our ears until the Epiphany gathers
them into a great golden chord." 

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - ELSA CHANEY

Catholic Culture has some reading and activities for each of the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany here

God approaches gently, often secretly, always in love, never through violence and fear. He comes to us as He himself has told us, in those whom we know in our own lives.  Very often we do not recognize Him.  He comes in many people we do not like, in all who need what we can give, in all who have something to give us, and for our great Comfort. He comes in those we love, in our fathers and mothers, our  brothers and sisters, our friends and our children.  Because of this, we must not be content ever to love with only natural love. We must also love with a supernatural, sacramental love.  We must love them with Christ's love in us. 

 Wood of the Cradle, Wood of the Cross - Caryll Houselander

Taking some time to slowly unpack all that these lines contain, all the implications.  Where am I missing Him right now? In whose face? In what circumstance?

I came across this small prayer catching up on Katrina Kenison's blog which is always so encouraging and calming to me.   It seemed a good one:

"I humbly ask for the healing power of your grace to help me sit with uncertainty, rather than to try to force answers before their time. Please grant me the faith that all will made clear in due time and let me surrender all my concerns over to You until then. Please send your angels to help me calm my anxiety and trust that I will be guided so I can relax. I thank You in advance, with my whole heart and soul for answering my prayer as I surrender to You."    

Sonia Choquette

"This earthly life is a battle," said Ma. "If it isn't one thing to contend with, it's another. It always has been so, and it always will be. The sooner you make up your mind to that, the better off you are, and more thankful for your pleasures."

Some friends were sharing quotes that meant a great deal to them.  I keep revisiting this one.  I am so grateful to have grown up in an era where this sort of wisdom was still circulating.  It was never meant to imply that we should not approach problem solving vigorously, simply that, once solved, new challenges inevitably appear.  That doesn't indicate anything is uniquely amiss.  As Ma says, it always has been so.  Blessed Herman the Cripple called our earthly world a 'vale of tears.'  This has always been a tough place to live. It is also breathtakingly beautiful.  

Sharing this beautiful prayer from Divine Intimacy this morning: 

"Let us beg Him with all our hearts to realize in us His designs of love by drawing us away from the sluggish mediocrity of a spiritual life still entangled in the snares of egoism, and by giving us a strong, determined impetus towards sanctity."

Sluggish

Entangled

Mediocrity

Determined

Impetus

This one convicting sentence has occupied my thoughts all day.  Oh that that we would be impelled, carried along, whisked towards sanctity.