John Henry Newman

We have grandma visiting and it is wonderful. Everyone should have the blessing of a grandmother in their life. And every mother should have their mother close to help with kids. Or at least visit every so often. It's oh so nice.

I feel like I've had an epiphany. Sometimes I fill up with pride (the bad kind) and I realize it's because I am comparing myself to others' misery and not to God. Saints that I've been reading recently (Saint Faustina, Padre Pio) are super aware of their sinfulness because they contemplate God directly. And they are a loooooooot less sinful than me, let's just leave it at that. I, on the other hand, am not as prayerful and so I think I am such hot stuff because I'm better than Joe over there who does this and that.

Related to this, an article Auntie Leila linked to really stuck with me. John Henry Newman's tips for sanctity are exactly what I've been trying to do and completely failing at for years now. So why do I love to point out other people's errors when I have so much to work on myself? I love how these tips are simple yet really, really hard. And how they are really practical and not abstract... like be really nice and smiley and do lots of volunteer work. And I love how they are totally incarnate and have to do with our bodies and daily life... not just nice thoughts.

Here they are and it comes from this article (toward the end):

"Do not lie in bed beyond the due time of rising;

give your first thoughts to God;

make a good visit to the Blessed Sacrament;

say the Angelus devoutly;

eat and drink to God’s glory;

say the Rosary well;

be recollected; keep out bad thoughts;

make your evening meditation well;

examine yourself daily;

go to bed in good time."