Daybook on January 22

FOR TODAY


OUTSIDE MY WINDOW

It is a biting 15 degrees. The sky is white; everything is draped in varying shades of wintry grays and browns.

I AM WEARING

Black yoga pants, a gray sweatshirt and tan moccasin slippers. I resemble the world outside, yet my heart beats warm.

ON PANDORA

Piano Radio

AROUND THE HOUSE

In the bedrooms upstairs, bodies begin to stir, some remain tucked beneath cozy quilts too drowsy to rise or perhaps too shy. Belmont Abbey College girls here for the weekend; here to commemorate the anniversary of Roe v Wade; here to March in protest on Monday and in Hope.

FROM THE KITCHEN

The smell of morning coffee fills the house. Comforting. Welcoming.

I AM HEARING

Occasional footsteps. Water rushing down pipes and doors opening and closing. Soon their voices will rise and fall and the girl giggles will expose anticipation of a weekend jam-packed with activities.

I AM READING

Essays by G.K.Chesterton 

And I am still happily, dwelling on the words and in the heart of 

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

I AM HOPING AND PRAYING

With every inch of my being for my son who is traveling along a precarious path. Perhaps, I hope, it is simply a detour. Perhaps he will (re)discover and follow the one and only true sign directing him home.

I AM THANKFUL

That Megan and her friends made it home after a long drive involving bad directions and missed turns.

That Katie is doing so well, is back in her own home and loving every moment of caring for her Sam and dear, little Isaac. 

That Kevin is still here and talks to me.

For Erin and her practicality and her humor.

For my husband who helped ready the bedrooms for our young guests. And for his presence in my life. For hugging and kissing me and telling me the pot roast I made on Monday was the best I've ever made. And for loving me despite my moods and tendency to brood too long.

For Jesus in His real, true Eucharistic Presence.

Thank you, Jesus!

I AM PONDERING

Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son, whom he loved with all his heart. The other day, I stumbled upon this excerpt, from When I lay My Isaac Down, by Carol Kent: 

"Our 'Isaacs' are the heart sacrifices we make when we choose to relinquish control and honor God with our choices when all seems lost. We have to decide if we will let go of our control over a person, situation, or event, or if we will hang on for dear life and refuse to relinquish something we cherish."

A FEW PLANS FOR THE WEEKEND

Hospitality. Hanging out with Katie and Isaac later today. Celebrating the joy of Baptism on Sunday with dear friends. Ready to welcome a precious little soul - another dear child of God - into the arms of our dear Mother Church. This blessed event reminds, too, on this weekend - this day - of the senseless and countless loss of life through abortion. We remember that all life is sacred and we - all of us - are really and truly, first and foremost His children. We belong to Him.

A child is a gift of God. If you do not want him, give him to me.

Mother Teresa

A PICTURE THOUGHT