Today is a beautiful day in New Orleans. I spent the morning at the eye doctor where I learned my astigmatism has slightly increased, but other than that all is well! I'm glad I made an early appointment because it was so nice driving through the city with the music up and windows down! I really enjoyed it. The area of Gentilly (the Dillard subdivision) where my doctor's office is is very nice. I'm not too familiar it, but it was very clean with lots of trees, wide streets, and it was quiet. My eye doctor is so friendly, and he was in no rush. He was on time to my appointment, and spent a whole 45 minutes with me! He evaluated my eyes to the sharpest vision possible then we chatted while he entered the data into their seemingly new computer system. It's probably why his appointments are so spread out... it took me 3 months to get!
I went to Adoration after, which is always nice. I really look forward to it each week, though when I first made the commitment, I was nervous about breaking away from my daily routine to go and sit still for an hour with Jesus. It's actually quite easy to do. I spend the first 10 minutes quietly praying, then I read the day's mass readings slowly, line by line. I got down in a little notebook any interesting thoughts. Then, I have a meditation that I read from my Laudate Android app. I read that slowly, then jot down any thoughts. I end by spending the last 10-15 minutes in quiet adoration prayer, also which I find on my Laudate app. The one hour really flies by! I really like my 11am-12pm time slot, because the church bells right right at 12, so it is an easy signal that it's time for me to leave without me having to glance at the clock. After doing this a few times now, I have built up quite a collection of notes, and I read through some of them today. I am noticing trends and common themes in the things I write about, and that gives me a boost knowing that I'm living my life according to the truth I find in Catholic teachings. The same truth appears in different ways each week, and I love that constancy. I always wonder if people think that I'm piddling around texting on my cell phone while I'm supposed to be adoring Jesus. But, I hope people realize that Bible, meditation, and prayer apps are easy ways of accessing spiritual texts that are excellent supplements during prayer time. Nobody's bothered me about it yet.
The rest of my afternoon has been devoted to career planning and school work. Besides a normal flow of reading, analyzing, and writing essays, I'm considering a certification in special education. I'm in the beginning phases of consideration, but am feeling a strong pull towards it. I'll write more about that later. We shall see what the next few days have in store for me!
Showing posts with label reflection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reflection. Show all posts
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Monday, November 28, 2011
Advent: Monday, First Week
November 28, 2011
Today's Advent act is as follows:
Once I'm at work, I suppose the gift I give is my contribution to my company. I try to be responsible, patience, and respectful, and I hope that I lead by example. Likewise, several people in my company inspire me daily with new ways of thinking and coach me with ways I can develop my skills and potential even more. It is a great gift to be part of such a team! After work, I headed to Dress Barn to get a dress for my brother's wedding this weekend. I ended up with four dresses (...and a coverup, some earrings, and a purse). I'm thankful for the wonderful lady named Maria who worked there. She was extremely accommodating and polite, and she called me by my name throughout my shopping experience there. That's something I could add to my list of gifts for others! I'm thankful as well for the relatively inexpensive yet quality selection at Dress Barn. :) I appreciate the people who made the fabric and dresses. So, I'll pray for those people today as well as Maria (and the other lady too, who rang me up and was not particularly as courteous...)
I made my way home for usual evening -- but Mondays at the Pitre household can only mean one thing: BILL NIGHT!! Oh yeah. So, I'm thankful for the people at HelloWallet.com who have created a fantastic cloud application for home finance management. I'm sad Quicken doesn't keep up with Macs, but maybe the change to HelloWallet is good for me. My gift to them, I suppose, is my support and my monthly subscription fee. This Monday night is special too because the Saints game is on in the background. Thank you Saints for playing an awesome game tonight! We are 10 minutes away from winning! Oh, and a lovely gift I received from my husband tonight as well was the dinner he made... or plated... for me. :) Granted, he took the leftovers from the container and warmed them up on a plate, but it was really sweet of him since that's normally my job. I was almost overly excited about it! It probably made my day. :)
Obviously, I'm avoiding any thought process about Christmas gifts because I'm starting to feel the shopping paralysis. I like the way this reflection forces me, though, to think about it. Why we give and receive gifts at Christmas. This year, I really want to put some good thought into my gifts so that people who are anticipating them are pleasantly surprised. I want to support civilly responsible individuals and organizations, and I want to be generous with my gifts to people who love, support, and serve me throughout the year. As I'm purchasing my gifts this year, I will try to remember and pray for those who created the gifts I will give to others and receive from others.
Recap: Think of gifts you will give and receive, and pray for the makers of those gifts.
1. Smile at people.
2. Try to remember people's names and call them by it.
3. Be generous with prayers and giving to those who love, support, serve, and give to you.
BONUS: Be even MORE generous to those who aren't so supportive.
Today's Advent act is as follows:
Today use the time going from one place to another to wander as Mary wandered. Think of gifts you will give and receive. Often each gift has parts and packaging. From beginning to end, from raw materials to assembly, think of the hands, from all the nations, that made your gifts. Pray for the makers of the gifts you intend to give and those you will receive.My path today was: home to work to Dress Barn to home. That's it. So, maybe I can ponder those trips from place to place. This morning, a gift I received from my husband is just having him in my life! :) He was here today when I woke up, so that is always a special blessing. Likewise, he receives the same from me. Heading to work, I listen to the Catholic channel. This is a great gift for me because it wakes my brain up with interesting perspectives and food for thought. I don't think I give any gifts on my way to work, but maybe I could try to at least smile at a fruit stand vendor once in a while.
Once I'm at work, I suppose the gift I give is my contribution to my company. I try to be responsible, patience, and respectful, and I hope that I lead by example. Likewise, several people in my company inspire me daily with new ways of thinking and coach me with ways I can develop my skills and potential even more. It is a great gift to be part of such a team! After work, I headed to Dress Barn to get a dress for my brother's wedding this weekend. I ended up with four dresses (...and a coverup, some earrings, and a purse). I'm thankful for the wonderful lady named Maria who worked there. She was extremely accommodating and polite, and she called me by my name throughout my shopping experience there. That's something I could add to my list of gifts for others! I'm thankful as well for the relatively inexpensive yet quality selection at Dress Barn. :) I appreciate the people who made the fabric and dresses. So, I'll pray for those people today as well as Maria (and the other lady too, who rang me up and was not particularly as courteous...)
I made my way home for usual evening -- but Mondays at the Pitre household can only mean one thing: BILL NIGHT!! Oh yeah. So, I'm thankful for the people at HelloWallet.com who have created a fantastic cloud application for home finance management. I'm sad Quicken doesn't keep up with Macs, but maybe the change to HelloWallet is good for me. My gift to them, I suppose, is my support and my monthly subscription fee. This Monday night is special too because the Saints game is on in the background. Thank you Saints for playing an awesome game tonight! We are 10 minutes away from winning! Oh, and a lovely gift I received from my husband tonight as well was the dinner he made... or plated... for me. :) Granted, he took the leftovers from the container and warmed them up on a plate, but it was really sweet of him since that's normally my job. I was almost overly excited about it! It probably made my day. :)
Obviously, I'm avoiding any thought process about Christmas gifts because I'm starting to feel the shopping paralysis. I like the way this reflection forces me, though, to think about it. Why we give and receive gifts at Christmas. This year, I really want to put some good thought into my gifts so that people who are anticipating them are pleasantly surprised. I want to support civilly responsible individuals and organizations, and I want to be generous with my gifts to people who love, support, and serve me throughout the year. As I'm purchasing my gifts this year, I will try to remember and pray for those who created the gifts I will give to others and receive from others.
Recap: Think of gifts you will give and receive, and pray for the makers of those gifts.
1. Smile at people.
2. Try to remember people's names and call them by it.
3. Be generous with prayers and giving to those who love, support, serve, and give to you.
BONUS: Be even MORE generous to those who aren't so supportive.
Advent: Sunday, First Week
November 27, 2011
Today's Advent act is to "foster the desire to seek and find Jesus." During Advent, we should be anticipating Jesus' arrival with a joyful, almost childlike, eagerness. Advent is one of my favorite seasons of the year, and I think it's because I enjoy that anticipation of Jesus' birthday. I look forward to the symbolic traditions of the season: special prayers and readings, the Advent wreath and candles that are lit one by one, even the change in the weather (though not TOO much change!)
What can I do to seek and find Jesus, especially during Advent? How do I make myself want to? I think that purposefully taking the time out of the day to read, reflect, pray, and even talk to someone about their reflections really helps to bring Jesus to the forefront of my life. However, it's easier said than done - and for me, living in Manhattan doesn't make it any easier. First, I have to make the time. Though, I find that once I do quiet myself and get into the zone, I'm really happy that I did. It ends up being a necessity of my day, not a luxurious self indulgence. For example, just sitting and writing this blog entry gets me thinking about how I need seek and find Jesus. So first, I've decided... I need to make the time. I need to allow myself some quiet moments in the day to reflect.
Next, I need to also remember that Jesus is not only found in the quiet moments of my day, but the noisy and busy ones as well. This is when it's the hardest for me to remember to keep him front of mind. So, what do I do when I'm stressed out walking down the sickeningly loud Manhattan streets, assisting one of my employees with a client issue, or rushing to JFK on Friday afternoon for a happy-go-lucky flight home to New Orleans? I think this is where my (well-developed) patience kicks in. This is where I try really hard not to turn around and grimace at a person who won't stay to the right on the sidewalk and runs me out the way. Or, at the office when I've got 10 things on my plate and once with emails rolling in, and I smile and breathe through it and give my employee the guidance she needs and deserves. Maybe that's something I've gotten down pat so far. Maybe I am seeking and finding Jesus in my difficult moments when my patience is tested. I have fostered this desire through much practice, I believe, and maybe I've realized that it actually works. So, I suppose I rely on Jesus a lot in my times of stress. Well, that solves that issues. Now, we're left with the fun times of my day!
When I make it to JFK and hit the bar, my mind is so far away from Jesus. Life is good! I'm not particularly sad or hurting or in need. This is where I need to exercise my desire to seek and find him in the joyful moments of my life. I need to remember that not only does he console the hurting, but he also enables us to share in joy, peace, and happiness! I think that next time I am feeling particularly happy, I'm going to make a specific point to remember Jesus and to find his blessing in those good moments. If I am healed in my quiet moments and in my bad moments, imagine the surplus of healing and happiness I would feel in my good moments! :)
Recap - Foster the desire to seek and find Jesus.
1. Make quiet time for reflection.
2. Embrace patience and ask Jesus for help in difficult moments.
3. Embrace joyfulness and thank Jesus for his blessings.
Today's Advent act is to "foster the desire to seek and find Jesus." During Advent, we should be anticipating Jesus' arrival with a joyful, almost childlike, eagerness. Advent is one of my favorite seasons of the year, and I think it's because I enjoy that anticipation of Jesus' birthday. I look forward to the symbolic traditions of the season: special prayers and readings, the Advent wreath and candles that are lit one by one, even the change in the weather (though not TOO much change!)
What can I do to seek and find Jesus, especially during Advent? How do I make myself want to? I think that purposefully taking the time out of the day to read, reflect, pray, and even talk to someone about their reflections really helps to bring Jesus to the forefront of my life. However, it's easier said than done - and for me, living in Manhattan doesn't make it any easier. First, I have to make the time. Though, I find that once I do quiet myself and get into the zone, I'm really happy that I did. It ends up being a necessity of my day, not a luxurious self indulgence. For example, just sitting and writing this blog entry gets me thinking about how I need seek and find Jesus. So first, I've decided... I need to make the time. I need to allow myself some quiet moments in the day to reflect.
Next, I need to also remember that Jesus is not only found in the quiet moments of my day, but the noisy and busy ones as well. This is when it's the hardest for me to remember to keep him front of mind. So, what do I do when I'm stressed out walking down the sickeningly loud Manhattan streets, assisting one of my employees with a client issue, or rushing to JFK on Friday afternoon for a happy-go-lucky flight home to New Orleans? I think this is where my (well-developed) patience kicks in. This is where I try really hard not to turn around and grimace at a person who won't stay to the right on the sidewalk and runs me out the way. Or, at the office when I've got 10 things on my plate and once with emails rolling in, and I smile and breathe through it and give my employee the guidance she needs and deserves. Maybe that's something I've gotten down pat so far. Maybe I am seeking and finding Jesus in my difficult moments when my patience is tested. I have fostered this desire through much practice, I believe, and maybe I've realized that it actually works. So, I suppose I rely on Jesus a lot in my times of stress. Well, that solves that issues. Now, we're left with the fun times of my day!
When I make it to JFK and hit the bar, my mind is so far away from Jesus. Life is good! I'm not particularly sad or hurting or in need. This is where I need to exercise my desire to seek and find him in the joyful moments of my life. I need to remember that not only does he console the hurting, but he also enables us to share in joy, peace, and happiness! I think that next time I am feeling particularly happy, I'm going to make a specific point to remember Jesus and to find his blessing in those good moments. If I am healed in my quiet moments and in my bad moments, imagine the surplus of healing and happiness I would feel in my good moments! :)
Recap - Foster the desire to seek and find Jesus.
1. Make quiet time for reflection.
2. Embrace patience and ask Jesus for help in difficult moments.
3. Embrace joyfulness and thank Jesus for his blessings.
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