Happy Our Lady of Guadalupe Day!

Mary the dawn, Christ the Perfect Day;
Mary the gate, Christ the Heavenly Way!
Mary the root, Christ the Mystic Vine;
Mary the grape, Christ the Sacred Wine!
Mary the wheat sheaf, Christ the living Bread;
Mary the rose tree, Christ the Rose blood-red!
Mary the font, Christ the Cleansing Flood’
Mary the chalice, Christ the Saving Blood!
Mary the temple, Christ the temple’s Lord;
Mary the shrine, Christ the God adored!
Mary the beacon, Christ the Haven’s Rest;
Mary the mirror, Christ the Vision Blest!
Mary the mother, Christ the mother’s Son.
Both ever blest while endless ages run.
Amen.

“Mary the Dawn” Words: anonymous poet; The poem now exists in its edited form by the Dominican Sisters of Summit (1972).Mary the Dawn by Kathleen Lundquiest is available from Amazon.com

This is a hymn from this morning's lauds, I heard at divineoffice.org. Isn't it pretty? I've been trying to be consistent about praying the morning prayer with this site while drinking tea ever since I read The Little Oratory (great btw!) and a wise priest suggested I try to pray first thing in the morning, even if Addie distracts me or stops me halfway.

I haven't abandoned this blog... I promise! I have trying to make a home, cook, take care of a small child, work outsider the home (!), organize a youth group and have a life generally speaking. It's been hard... the social aspect has been the first to suffer. But morning lauds is really organizing me and helping me have peace.

Here we are this morning with our lauds.

 

 

 

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Are humans responsible for everything they do?

Another one of my vídeos on the YouCat, this one about human responsibility...

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Article on Stay-At-Home-Moms

Stay-At-Home-Moms are Warriors          

     November 13, AD 2014 | Julie Machado

              I am ever more convinced of this: mothers who stay at home with children, especially when it comes to large families, are brave. They put all their chickens in one basket and hope to be good at one thing only: raising well-formed little people. Getting other people to turn out how we’d like them to be is an impossible task. Dedicating yourself entirely to a task of upbringing that, in the end, is totally out of our control, and not having another job to get a little self-worth from or at least have as a back-up plan is… crazy!




...Keep Reading at:
http://www.ignitumtoday.com/2014/11/13/stay-home-moms-warriors/

Strolling around

Guess what my baby was doing while I was working and her dad was studying?

You think it's funny???

That's right. Strolling around downtown Lisbon with a fabulous babysitter and friend (see previous post). And by fabulous I mean REALLY FABULOUS. As in sings at our wedding and baby's baptism out of the goodness of her heart and then takes my baby sightseeing out of the same goodness.

Beats being locked into one room all day in daycare... right baby?  Oh the life.

 

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Generosity and community

Is it a lion or a cheetah cub being observed in its natural habitat?

"I was just sitting here, playing with my elephant and eating some grass..."

Is this a National Geographic show about cute creatures in grassy areas?

"You again!"

No, it's Addie, the cutest baby that ever was, having fun with her godmother at the park.

 

Her godmother was one of seven people... SEVEN... that signed up on a Doodle I made to ask who could help us take care of her for a few hours in the afternoon while I teach an English class and my hubby is studying for a big fancy shnancy exam. I randomly sent the Doodle to our friends and SEVEN people overwhelmed me with their generosity and enthusiasm at wanting to help and also wanting to spend time with Addie. I really wasn't expecting people to be so nice. Just when you swear off humans and say no one is really there for you... someone does a random act of generosity. In this case seven people. And in a time of extreme stress with this fancy shnancy exam, my starting to work again (even if it is only one class) and Addie refusing to eat (she will only breastfeed...!)... it is comforting to feel so loved at the same time.

 

I have no way of repaying these people. I just pick her up and rush home because she's usually cranky and tired at that time. This is going to prove you can form community... even in a big city like Lisbon. And that people are generally good-hearted, sometimes you just need to ask for help. And God is good, and generally shows signs of it in tough times.

 

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