Thoughts for Thursday

What am I cooking? A roast chicken, rice and green beans.

What are my weekend plans? We are headed to NYC to visit dear friends from Princeton and dear friends of theirs, who have now become our friends.  Did you follow that?  The friends of friends, who are now our friends, blog here.  Melinda is gracious as can be, a gem in the hospitality department (she entertained our entire family at her beach house without ever having met us!!!), and one of the many great people who I have had the pleasure of getting to know through this blog.  Praise God for friendships, near or far, and for weekend plans.  Let’s hope our family of six can survive the stress of a weekend in NYC!

What are my prayer intentions for the day? For my extended family, particularly my sister and her family as they help my parents with their business.

What can my children do instead of watching TV? Well, right now my children are watching TV!  Sigh.  It’s been a rainy and cold week here, so I’m full of excuses, but I did see snow this morning, and that was all the justification I needed to turn on the TV this afternoon.  You can say it, I’m a slacker.

What have I done for my marriage this week? I remembered to purchase crackers for my husband at the store.  He likes the expensive Kashi crackers and it’s just really hard for me to remember to buy something somewhat frivolous and pricey for someone else.  I hate buying snacks, and Mr. Red loves to snack, so this is a constant conundrum.

What am I reading? This article on the conflict in Libya.  I’m really trying hard to understand why we are involved.  And to risk sounding like my daughter Gianna during a math lesson, “I just don’t get it.”  I’m also still working through The Hobbit.

What’s challenging me lately?
Claire.  Do you just see the attitude?  She’s very cute, very sassy, very loud, very disruptive and often quite hilarious.  I need to start giving this child time-outs, enforcing some rules, and bringing some order to her very wild ways.  I’m sure that will go over really well.

Something that made me think?

In starting to pray, alone, facing God, in our room, or in an oratory before the Blessed Sacrament, we must believe with our whole heart that God is present. Regardless of what we may or may not feel, the preparation we have or haven’t made, how good we are or aren’t at stringing beautiful words together–regardless of our whole inner state–God is there, with us, looking at us and loving us. He is not there because we deserve him or feel his presence, but because he gave his promise: “Go into your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is there in secret…” Jacques Philippe

I’ve been meditating on this thought all week. I am often controlled by my emotions and how strongly I “feel” God’s presence. Real Faith begins by simply believing God’s promise. He is there always.