Here you'll find current musings, as well as the archives from two blogs of yesteryear: YoungMarriedMom and What I Learned While Writing a Novel. Please comment and share. We love well when we are in conversation with one another.
New Year’s resolutions are notorious for not lasting longer than the month of January. That said, I have a couple of my own that I think are reasonable, among them, reading Anna Karenina and working through my yarn stash. Hmm, maybe “reasonable” isn’t the right word there.
In the meantime, though, remember that other big year that launched a few months back? The Catholic Church’s Year of Faith? I was somewhat surprised not to hear it mentioned in any homilies around New Year’s, but then I haven’t heard it mentioned in a church at all since October. There’s a big sign proclaiming it outside our church, but I suggest we make the conversation more active right here, right now.
This initiative, in my mind, is too important to let slip away like a resolution to eat healthier or lose weight (aside: who’s PUMPED about The Biggest Loser starting up again?). While the Year of Faith is aimed at Catholics, my hope is that anyone who’s aware of it takes a little extra time here and there to reflect about what faith means, no matter the denomination, if there’s one at work at all. There are too many reminders in the news that our society needs more charity, more grace, more courage, and more faith in each other and in ourselves. For me, that all brings me back to my Catholic faith—faith in God’s love and mercy.
This week a close friend began his studies at seminary. Though we don’t know yet whether his journey will indeed lead him to the priesthood, I am grateful for his example in taking a risk on what God’s asking of him. Embarking on this adventure during the Year of Faith, I think, gives it special meaning.
It gets me to thinking, am I really open to what God has in store for me? Last year, the answer was sometimes yes, sometimes no. Motherhood has shown me that there are minor and major ups and downs when I trust in God’s will for me.
Most of these last three weeks, I’ve been occupied with the here-and-now needs of a newborn, but when that subsides, will I be ready and willing to let God lead the way? What will impede me, and how will I break through it?
The beginning of 2013 is more than the turn of a calendar page for me. It’s a new start after a challenging year. Though it’s a new chapter, I’m still telling the same story—one that I hope is grounded in faith.