Monday memo: Love our Lady

Love our lady and she will help you conquer in your daily struggle. 

St. Josemaria e

Monday Memo: Divine Mercy Edition

O life so dull and monotonous, how man treasure you contain! I look at everything with the eyes of faith, no two hours are alike, and the dullness and monotony disappear. The grace which is given me in the hour will not be repeated in the next. It may be given me again, but it will not be the same grace. Time goes on never to return again. Whatever is enclosed in it will never change; it seals with a seal for eternity. Diary if st faustina 

The Art of Letting Go

Well, it has been some time since I've posted. Through the chaos of moving, new classes, and adjusting to all the new things that begin in the fall, I've been kept pretty busy. This semester I'm really working on easing my way back into school. For those who don't know, I took off spring semester due to chronic daily headaches, so I've been on quite the journey so far in my short 20 years of life, and can't wait to see what the rest holds. However, my point is I took spring semester off to get better, so I could actually do the work required of a nursing student. So where I was in my program left me kind of stuck taking electives this semester. I have nutrition (required for my program), Spanish, Hip Hop Aerobics, Pilates, and Holistic Nursing: Therapeutic Touch.

I've come to realize this semester is really giving me an opportunity to take care of myself. Specifically, through my therapeutic touch class. The overall theme of the class is we need to be able to take care of ourselves in order to help others to heal themselves in their illness. As a part of this class we had to complete a self assessment and choose a mindfulness practice to work on throughout the semester. I chose letting go. I've always held onto things. My past has formed who I am, and I hold my memories very dear to my heart. I often re-live moments of my life over and over and over - sometimes cherishing the good memories, sometimes relishing in the pain of the old ones. And sometimes I dwell in something I wish I could go back and change. This summer I had to tell once of my friends they needed to be gone from my life because they were causing me to emotionally be hurt repeatedly and I was allowing unnecessary distress in my life because of this relationship. Now, I keep wanting to go back to this, to not do it or to do it differently or to contact this person asking if we can be friends again, but really what I need to do is let it be. let it go. So I haven't learned much yet, other than this practice is a moment to moment practice. Often times I have to take it one moment at a time, take a deep breath, calm myself down, and remind myself that it was the right decision.

The art of letting go - that's exactly what it is - an art. It takes practice, each day, reminding yourself that it's okay - the past is the past, learn from it, but leave it in the past. As I continue on this journey of letting go, I will fill you in on what I learn, but for now this is all I've got.

Peace, love, and blessings of God to you!

So Just Let Go

Tonight I'm working a night shift at the hospital... So about 8 o'clock pm I went to the coffee shop and ordered a large latte for myself. On my slower days in life I often find myself wondering about a variety of things - and often times dwelling in the challenges of life. As I was driving home, I had the Christian radio station on and this line from a song stood out to me

so just let go 
'cause you're held in His arms. 

It comes from a song by Natalie Grant called Hurricane - check it out here.

I heard those words and a great weight was lifted from my chest.

There was a boy who hurt me, who wounded my heart -  and Jesus still has to heal it, and that's okay, I need to let go of that hurt - Jesus is gonna catch me.

Chronic daily headaches do exist, I do have them and live with them. I am going to have dizzy spells, and constantly be afraid that something is going to trigger them. I am excited and terrified to start school again in a few weeks because of it- but I can't let my fear hold me back - I need to let go and know Jesus is gonna catch me. Illness and suffering are a part of this life.

There are friendships that will be hard, and there are hard conversations we'll need to have with people in our lives. It's okay - let go of your own desires, your own expectations. Jesus is gonna catch you.

I fear for my mom, for her health. I want her to be there on my wedding day. I want my kids to remember her, and I want her to be there for me when I have my kids. But I fear she won't be here when that time comes. Just let go - I'm held in Jesus' arms.

Relationships are scary. And sometimes we are lonely, and we're afraid that no one is going to love us. And we feel like we're completely worthless, and completely alone. And it feels like we're not going to make it to tomorrow. Just let go - cause you're held in his arms.

I'm not saying this means we just need to sit and do nothing with our lives - but need to not hold onto past hurts, and to not allow fear to hold us back from doing something great, and to not let the risk keep us from total surrender to Christ - that's when we need to let go and remember he's holding us in his arms.

 I saw a thing on pinterest once that said something along the lines of "I have a 100% success rate of making it through bad days." This brought me a glimpse of encouragement - remembering this, and remembering we have a God who loves us unconditionally and we are safe in his arms - we can endure all things and all trials - we can be women, we can be for God - trusting that we are held safe in his arms.

So just let go 'cause you are safe in his arms.

Where I Saw Jesus

Each week I'm going to keep track of where I saw Jesus during my days and then share where he reveals himself to me because I know that my struggle lately has been to see God in the day to day mundane tasks of life. 

Monday: Jesus loved me through my patients. He told me I had beautiful hair and beautiful eyes. He used me to love a little child in need of a friendly face, and another he loved through me by her playing with my hair. 

Tuesday: Jesus let me see the brokenness of a man - and I was the first staff person to get him to talk since his accident - Jesus used me well.

Wednesday: Jesus loved my patients through me in the patience I used with them. This day I had elderly men in need of a little extra work. 

Thursday: Jesus gave me a day to rest and loved my sister through me and me through her. 

Friday: Jesus allowed me to see the pain of watching a loved one struggle. My patient was an old man and his wife was suffering so much by watching him suffer - he showed me a challenge of marriage, of love. He allowed me to be an instrument of his love in my calmness and attentiveness to my patient and his needs. 

Saturday - Jesus gave me some tiredness to offer up for my patient. 

He allowed me to see him love his daughter when the father of my patient came for a visit. He kissed her awake, stroked her hair, helped her walk, helped her change, and loved her unconditionally. I don't think I had ever seen Jesus so clearly before. 

My next patient was an elderly woman - Jesus gave me a kind smile and a friendly hand to help the woman out.

Last Jesus gave me an elder man and his wife. Before his wife left for the day I go to pray with them, and throughout my one I was able to be a listening ear a kind smile, a caring heart. My favorite part here was tucking my patient into bed and the smile he gave me - I knew I was being Jesus to him in that moment! 

Sunday - this day Jesus came to me in the Eucharist. He loved me so well, satisfied the hunger and thirst my heart had. He gave me an opportunity to be Jesus for my mom by giving her a break from the dogs and starting dinner for her. 

Each day he gives me an opportunity to pray for my patient and to love in a new way. Now - to see it daily 

For Love of the Poor

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. -Mother Teresa 


I spent last week in New York, chaperoning 15 high school students on a mission trip. It was an amazing trip that I know will continue to impact, and to transform my life, and the way I choose to live, to love, to serve, and to work. 

The past few days I have been asking myself - how did this trip impact my life? How and what do I want to change? Where did I experience God?

I can tell you that I experienced God all over the place the week I spent in New York - in the students, in the poor we were serving, in the brothers hosting us, and more. But I started to think more so - how was I struggling prior to the trip, and after some reflection I was struggling to see God in my day to day tasks - in my work, in my house and sisters, in my day to day norm I was failing to see God. 

While in New York, the last night a postulate at the friary, Augusto, shared a part of his testimony that struck me - and I later had a more in depth conversation with him about it as well - and this is where I encountered God, and where my faith needed renewed. 

In Augusto's testimony, he shared about how he used to work in construction, so it was really comfortable for him to go into people's houses and he was on a mission trip in Kentucky, and was struggling to see God on this trip. The man they were working with was named Jerry. Jerry was bed ridden, and not fully with it mentally - but he remembered this man's name. Later that night, during reflection - Jerry became Jesus. So what he did was while reflecting on the day Jerry's name was replaced with Jesus. Jesus called me by name. Jesus thanked me today. Jesus hugged me today. Jesus held my hand. And so it came to be that Jerry was Jesus on this trip - after he shared this part of his story I was greatly impacted - I am often impacted by other people's experiences. 

One of our projects on the trip was to help a lunch program they run. When Brother Michael introduced us to the program and explained it to us he told us they set it up restaurant style rather than buffet style because they want the people to feel like people - to show them their worth, their dignity. One day, one of the students was serving a table, as how it normally works, and as the people we were serving were leaving, one of the women at her table came up and thanked each of us, but she hugged the student who was at her table. This student shared how this encounter touched her heart - and in the moment I realized how Jesus' love was being exchanged in this relationship. The woman we were providing with food felt Christ's love through the student, in her service. But the student experienced Christ's love through the woman who hugged her. That woman was Christ hugging her.  

I started reflecting on these experiences and my own life - and thinking about where I was too comfortable. I came to the conclusion that I was too comfortable in my work - in serving people. At my job in the hospital I'm what you call a safety care associate, or a patient sitter. My job is to keep patient's calm, a lot of times I sit with fall risk patients, or suicide patients, and there are other patients as well. However, I sometimes do jobs outside of my requirements, like wiping them after going to the bathroom, or feeding someone lunch, or helping them take a shower, get dressed, get into bed, etc. I was getting too comfortable serving people. It was the norm for me to take care of people. And in the weeks leading up to the mission trip I found myself getting frustrated with patients at work when they were hard, or annoying for whatever reason - because they were hard, and asked more of me than I wished to do that day. 

Today I went back to work, and I looked for God in my day. One patient told me I had beautiful hair, and another told me I had beautiful eyes, and a third asked me if she could do my hair for me. And at the end of the day I realized that these patients were Jesus loving me, but I was also being Jesus to them by loving them and caring for them. It was actually an absolutely beautiful day and experience - so renewing and refreshing to see Christ in the day to day, mundane tasks of life. 

I chose the title for love of the poor - because I worked with the poor - but financial physical poverty isn't the only form of poverty - lack of love and patience and gentleness is a greater poverty, and my work is to care for patients - to care for people at their low. Praise the Lord for his goodness, for his call for us to love the poor! 

A Little Prayer Goes a Long Way

"A little prayer goes a long way" 


I'd say this is a phrase I've learned to ring true throughout my few years as a Christian, and Catholic. This July I'll be heading to NYC for a mission trip as an adult chaperon with around 15 youth. I am beyond excited for this experience. But the reason I post today is to share a prayer with you. While prepping for this mission trip we were concerned with not having enough students sign up, but with a little faith and a little prayer the Lord has provided abundantly. For the next 6 weeks, the adult team is going to pray the Novena to the Sacred Heart that I included below. We chose this prayer because Mother Teresa frequently used to pray this prayer - and she also worked with the poor and the ill. So following the model of this saintly woman we will be praying for our time of service with this prayer. And I simply wanted to encourage all to pray everyday, even just a little. It will go a long way if we just have a little faith. 


NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART

O Divine Jesus, who has said: Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you; behold us prostrate at Your feet. Animated with a lively faith and confidence in these promises, dictated by Your Sacred Heart and pronounced by Your adorable lips, we come to ask
(here mention the request.)

From whom shall we ask, O sweet Jesus, if not from You, whose Heart is an inexhaustible source of all graces and merits? Where shall we seek, if not in the Treasure which contains all the riches of your clemency and bounty? Where shall we knock, if it be not at the door of your Sacred Heart through which God Himself comes to us and through which we go to God? To You then, O Heart of Jesus, we have recourse.In You we find consolation when afflicted, protection when persecuted, strength when overwhelmed with trials, and light in doubt and darkness.

We firmly believe thatYou can bestow upon us the grace we implore, even though it should require a miracle. We confess we are most unworthy of Your favors, O Jesus, but this is not a reason for us to be discouraged. You are the God of Mercies and You will not refuse a contrite and humble heart.Cast upon us a look of pity, we beg of You and Your compassionate Heart will find in our miseries and weakness a
pressing motive for granting our petitions. But, O Sacred Heart, whatever may be Your decision with regard to our request, we will never cease to adore, love, praise, and serve You. Deign, Lord Jesus, to accept this, our act of perfect submission to the decrees of your adorable Heart, which we sincerely
desire may be fulfilled in and by us and all your creatures for ever and ever. Amen.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, Your Kingdom come!

(To be prayed every day of the novena)