Wisdom for Wednesdays

"Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer."

 

-Romans 12:12

Vote for Me?

So I got a fun little email from Bonnie at A Knotted Life. It turns out one of you kind readers nominated my blog for one of her Sheenazing Blogger Awards! How fun is that? Thank you! It totally brightened my day!

And now I'm supposed to invite you to vote for me by going to her site between Tuesday, the 29th, and Thursday, the 31st. (But it feels really weird, to ask for votes like that.)

I would make a bad politician.

But if you're into that kind of thing, here's the link. And if that one doesn't work, you can go to the original post.

Life is Beautiful is nominated under the category "Best Underappreciated Blog--best kept secret of the internet." That's really sweet, you guys. Thank you. And if you do decide to vote, thank you for that, too.

Have a happy Tuesday!

Wisdom for Wednesdays

I know Who goes before me
I know Who stands behind
The God of angel armies
Is always [by] my side.

-Chris Tomlin, lyrics to "Whom Shall I Fear"

Measuring Life [and the Roe v. Wade Anniversary]

Today is the 40th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision, which legalized abortion in America. Forty years. Fifty million babies aborted during them.

Tragic doesn't even begin to describe it.

It's estimated that 1 in 3 women will have an abortion in her lifetime. That means no one is unaffected by abortion. Look around you at college, at the grocery, even at Mass. Who is carrying the wounds, the heavy baggage, caused by abortion?

Less than a month ago, it happened in my own family. A relative and his wife were convinced by their doctor to choose abortion, to choose to end the life of their precious child.

Read the rest of this article at The Catholic Young Woman

7 Quick Takes [vol. 6]

I just wrote over at the Catholic Young Woman about choices and New Year's goals and such. And on that note, I'm thinking I have three options right now. One, clean up after the tornado that swept through my house this week (where else could all of this messiness have come from??). Two, close the laptop and go crawl under my covers and sleep the long, beautiful sleep of a Friday-night-with-nowhere-to-be-the-next-morning. Three, bravely continue on with this post despite the nagging voice that says I should clean and the drowsy voice that says I should snooze. Any votes here?

I'm going to go with option three. Here we go!

 

--1--

 

I love writing. I love blogging. And I can't express enough how much I love meeting all of you through emails and comments and such. BUT, it's really hard getting back into blogging for some reason! I have things I want to write, thoughts I want to share...but with this crazy new schedule, my mind is fried and my free time is waning. (I know. I simply need to prioritize. It's just so much easier to pop in an NCIS or browse Pinterest when I'm ready to kick back.)

 

 

--2--

 





My Christmas tree is still in my living room. The lights and ornaments are off, I just need to muster some super-human strength and carry the 7-foot monster into the garage. I love Christmas...but it's time. Even with the Church's longer-than-the-secular-world season of Christmas...it's over. I want to hang on to the beauty of the season, but after a certain point, the decor just becomes tacky, you know?

 

 

--3--

 



The crisis pregnancy center training is going well. It's overwhelming. And challenging. But I expected both of those things, so they don't bother me too much. The time crunch is probably what's taking the most time to get used to. I'm learning to be Miss Efficient with meal planning as well as switching gears between two jobs, but sometimes I'm just ready to get off the merry-go-round. But I'm thankful. And in the midst of the craziness, I try to offer it to God, trusting that He'll use whatever I give Him...even if it's a frazzled young woman hoping her library books aren't overdue, that she remembered to fill up the car with gas, and that the dog didn't eat her table centerpiece--again.

 

 

--4--

 



Speaking of craziness, I made Crazy Crust Pizza last weekend. Have you heard of the whole crazy crust idea with recipes? Pretty nifty stuff. No kneading or rising required. It took less than an hour, start to finish, for some tasty pizza on a Sunday night. Look for the recipe on here soon. I'll be sharing. :)

 

 



--5--

 

I went to a scrapbooking getaway with my friend K. Last year I went with her and we even stayed in the hotel for a true getaway. This year, for time and money reasons, I only went one day but we still had a great time making greeting cards!

a roomful of women and creativity!

 



Gotta have some cozy slippers when you're crafting...

 

--6--

 



I'm going on the March for Life next weekend in Washington D.C. I've been on local marches but not the Big One. I'm excited to be in D.C. again as well as joining the thousands supporting life in all its stages and the true rights and dignity of women. I wish the media would cover this incredible event...(and not just so I'd have a chance of being on TV! ;) )

 

 

--7--

 

Please keep a friend in prayer who had surgery today for a brain tumor. He is a solid young man of God who bravely took up this cross with faith and determination. My heart both hurts for him and admires him. I'd really appreciate if you'd say a prayer for his strength mentally, physically, and emotionally as he begins the process of recovery and rehab, that the Lord will be tangibly near him and grant him a full healing.

 

 



And on that note, I think it's time for me to have some prayer time myself, before these sleepy eyes can't focus. (The dishes may just have to wait until tomorrow.) Peace and grace, friends. May He bless your weekend.



Wisdom for Wednesdays

"Let yourselves be charmed by Christ the Infinite, who appeared among you in visible and imitable form. Let yourselves be attracted by his example, which has changed the history of the world and directed it toward an exhilarating goal. Let yourselves be loved by the love of the Holy Spirit, who wishes to turn you away from worldly things to begin in you the life of the new self, created in God's way in righteousness and true holiness. (cf. Ephesians 4:24) Fall in love with Jesus Christ, to live his very life, so that our world may have life in the light of the gospel."

-Pope John Paul II

(Ah! Dear friends! I miss you and the bloggie world! I intended to take only a week or two off around the holidays, and now it's been almost a month. I've been working and training and praying and healing and keeping up with this new schedule...now I just need to set aside some writing time. Thank you for your thoughts and emails and such. I pray for you...the Body of Christ keeps connected even without the internet. ;) Peace, friends, and see you soon! -Laura)