7 Quick Takes Friday

1. In just under a week, we’re taking a family vacation! Husband and I, along with his parents and sisters, are taking a five day trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks! YAY! 

I’m really excited to see this:

and this:

and hopefully these:

and of course: 

I will post REAL pictures from the trip once I return!

2. T-minus 5 days until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes out on video. I am about as excited as possible for this. 

3. Husband and I attended a group called Spirit and Truth — a weekly meeting which entails Adoration and community, usually with a talk on some sort of devotion. 

This week was about the devotion to the Sacred Heart. St. Margaret Mary saw a vision of Christ, in which he shared with her an image of his sacred heart, the one we are familiar with today. I’m sure many of you are well-aware of the powerful devotion. I wasn’t really though. 

Consecration to the Sacred Heart involves saying a daily prayer to the Sacred Heart (there are many!) and attending Mass on the first Friday of the month for nine months. This is a devotion that husband and I are going to take up together over the next nine months, praying for a safe conception and pregnancy soon, and also in reparation for sins against the Blessed Sacrament. 

Its quite apt that I’ve come across this devotion recently, since the last few weeks I’ve become very aware of my own sins against the Lord present in the Body and Blood. Jesus comes to be with us in the Eucharist, and while I say I’d never ignore Jesus when he’s right there, I know sometimes I do. This is especially true of the precious Blood. I receive communion kneeling and on the tongue, but so often, I’ll walk right past the chalice without so much as a nod in God’s direction! 

I pray that through this devotion I can make some small reparation for my own sins against the Eucharist, as well as those of the world. 

4.  Dorothy Day on sacrifice:

         “When I say mortification, I do not mean the sort of penance the saints undertake. I was not like those grand souls who practice all kinds of penance from childhood. My mortification consisted in checking my self-will, keeping back an impatient word, doing little things for those around me without their knowing it, and countless things like that.”

5.  I have recently found two new books which I am so excited about!

     – How to be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life by Melissa Hellstern

and, The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket

6. We have narrowed down two breeds for our dog search: Boston Terriers, and Greyhounds. I know, I know, about as different from each other as possible. Or, we might just go to the pound and pick the dog we fall in love with. 🙂

7. A reader survey: What is your favorite Catholic Novel? That is, a book written by a Catholic author, or which contains Catholic themes. 

I hope you all have a great weekend! Go ahead over to www.conversiondiary.com to thank Jen for being a wonderful hostess!