Everyday Blessings
by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle
Additional Catholic Mom
Columns
A
New Day
We wake up each morning to face a new day filled with
blessings and challenges. “How will we use this day?” we ask ourselves.
Our heads fill up all too quickly with all of the things we feel we need
to accomplish this day. So, before we forget, we begin our day with a
prayer thanking God for a new day, asking our Lord to use us as we serve
Him in others. We ask that we can do His will and spread His love. We ask
for grace and strength. In so doing, we are assured that our day has
started on the right foot.
As mothers, we know that the luxury of a set time and place for prayer
seems to be reserved for others. While we will always strive to find that
special time in which to communicate with our Lord, we know in our hearts
that our conversation with Him will continue throughout our loving acts of
service in our families. That is truly where we encounter God. Our Lord is
very pleased with all of our little acts of loving service to our
children. After all, He has put us right there in the midst of our
families in the hearts of our homes to raise our little ones in love.
We raise our hearts to our Lord as we are sometimes running through our
days trying to keep up with the unending chores and activities of our
vocation, all the while teaching our children to raise their hearts, as
well.
Recently when I was able to borrow some time to meet Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament by myself in a quiet Church, I heard what sounded like a mother
and small children come into the Church behind me. They must have seen
that someone was up front praying because I heard the, “Shhhhh’s” and the
“shush’s” from the Mom as they rushed towards the images of the Blessed
Mother and St. Joseph where they would light candles and kneel to pray.
They tried to be quiet so as not to disturb me, but I delighted in their
little sounds.
“Everyday blessings,” I thought. This Mom was teaching her children an
invaluable lesson in life, to turn to prayer for necessities and in
thanksgiving. They were soon on their way to continue with their day with
those prayers under their belt.
For about twenty years I have been admiring a very cute couple at Mass.
You can count on them sitting in their familiar places at Mass. Each week,
they sweetly and respectfully hold hands during Mass; it may be his hand
just resting on hers on the top of the pew in front of them or at other
times throughout the Mass. I wonder if they know what a beautiful sight
and example they are to others, a real testament of their love for one
another, a witness to their faithfulness in the Sacrament of their
marriage. Everyday blessings!
Blessings surround us. Finding them depends on our point of view.
© 2006
Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle
|
Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, mother of five, writes from Connecticut. She is the author of
the Best-selling book,
Catholic Prayer Book for Mothers , published by
Our Sunday Visitor. It was encouraged by Blessed Mother Teresa of
Calcutta and given a blessing by Pope John Paul II. It is available
through her website:
www.donnacooperoboyle.com. A portion of the proceeds is donated to the
Missionaries of Charity to help the poor. Her new book, “The Heart of
Motherhood, Finding Holiness in the Catholic Home” will be released in
September. Donna speaks on a number of topics and can be reached through
her website.
|
3/6/06
Additional Catholic Mom
Columns
|
Catholic Mom Recommends:
|
