AM to PM

Two things I wouldn't trade for anything lately: 

My morning oatmeal (breakfast takes 30 minutes, but there's nothing like leaving with something hot in your stomach) and my nightly journaling/prayer. 

We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success; nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone.- St. Frances Cabrini

Lack of prayer is the cause of lack of time. - Peter Kreeft

Why the small things?

This blog is dedicated to the small moments: the cups of tea from my weekend at home (see below), sweet hallmark cards sent to me from across the Atlantic, running barefoot on the beach, accepting failure, the importance of friendship, etc. 

Why?

Because...

• ..."the home, in all its aspects, is the most crucial element in influencing happiness" (http://happiness-project.com/books/happier-at-home/about-the-book/). 
• ...the extraordinary is in the ordinary. 
• ...strength is in the small things: “Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” ― Mother Teresa
• ...love is not in the big projects, our career path, or our reputation. It's in our daily prayer life, our cultivating of virtue, our relationships. It's in the present moment, in "the cup washed with extra care before it's returned to the cupboard" (from conversiondiary.com's Rock the Present Moment). 
• "I know she's not perfect, but she tries so hard for me. And I thank God that she isn't 'cause how boring would that be. It's the little imperfections, it's the sudden change in plans. When she misreads the directions and we're lost but holdin' hands. Yeah I live for little moments like that." from "Little Moments" by Brad Paisley
• "And it's the way that she looks with her eyes and her hair. Eatin' burnt suppers the whole first year and askin' for seconds to keep her from tearin' up. Yeah man that's the good stuff." from "Good Stuff" by Kenny Chesney

My Hat Hangs There

Frida's My Dress Hangs There...


My cowboy hat hangs there...

Even though I rarely wear my cowboy hat (it's kind of tight) and summer has faded away, I still like to leave it hanging on my coat rack. It makes me feel like a cowgirl, who just came in from a hard day of ploughing the fields or something. I also love to see it with the contrast of my Portuguese tiles and arch entrance. It's a cultural oddball, like Frida Kahlo's painting, My Dress Hangs There. 

Support a Catholic Speaker Month: Crystalina Evert

On the last day of September (barely made it!), I'd like to talk a little bit about Crystalina Evert for Support a Catholic Speaker Month. 

To see Crystalina and her husband Jason Evert speak, is to see the Gospel come alive. They radiate charisma, beauty, a real talent for speaking and especially their love for one another. Every coordinated move shows that they work as a team. Their union as a couple and family is what really shines through in their evangelization and speaking. "This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (Jn 13:35)

Crystalina and her husband have been giving talks on chastity and love ever since they met, at a conference in the Bahamas. They are full-time Catholic speakers for Catholic Answers, as well as authors of several books and DVDs. Starting from when they were engaged, they've toured high schools, speaking openly and honestly to teens about chastity. You can watch them on their DVD called Romance Without Regret. They also teamed up with Brian Butler to put together a wonderful, high-quality DVD series called Theology of the Body for Teens. 

In that DVD series, Crystalina talks about how she went on a mission trip with a friend. When they came back, they each pursued their own vocation. Crystalina got married and her friend became a nun. Crystalina then says that even though their vocations are different, they are still fulfilling God's commandment of feeding, clothing and caring for Him (Mt 25:35). While her friend does it towards others that God puts in her path (on the street, in schools, etc.), Crystalina does it as a mother. 

This statement has really stayed with me and I think it reflects Crystalina's humility and depth. She embraces being a woman, wife and mother with simplicity and therein lies her strength. Not everyone can share their sexual past with millions of teenagers in talks and online, but Crystalina does it with honesty and simplicity. She is the perfect example of boasting gladly in her weakness, for when she is weak, she is strong (2 Cor 12:9-10).

Crystalina has recently launched a new website, Women Made New, and it is full of testimonies and resources that reflect Crystalina's mission. 

In one of the videos on the site, "Emotional Virtue", it says that a group of guys voted holiness and confidence as the most attractive qualities in a woman. These are definitely qualities that Crystalina exudes. One thing is for sure, there is a strong prayer life behind both Crystalina and Jason as a couple. In an interview in 2003 she says, "Well, every day Jason and I do an hour of adoration, the rosary, mass, confession every two weeks and honestly just trying to always maintain and keep Christ at the center of my life... the center of everything I do." 

(images source)

Thinking about those special people...

There are those people in life whose hearts you are sure are made of gold. Who when you talk to them on the phone your face beams and your heart feels homey. Those people who love you unconditionally, even if you live a million miles away and are terrible at keeping in touch long-distance. Who still remember the special moments you spent together and talk about them with love and nostalgia, as if they were yesterday.Who make you think, everyone in the world could let you down but you trust goodness still exists because of them. 

I'm so lucky and so undeserving to have such people as my second family in the US: the Harrisons. If I had to choose three words to describe them, I'd maybe choose genuine, true and good-hearted. I think the wonderful moments I spent with them and our friendship really helped form who I am. Here's to a hug across the Atlantic!

My best friend and her mom (with two family members missing)...