No.413: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Life // COVID-19 Lockdown Week 12
No.412: A Rosary Walk
I started the routine of a daily Rosary Walk a few months ago. I was in the middle of the 54-Day Novena and when the long days of lockdown were overwhelming my introverted senses, I would escape outside to walk “the loop” around our property. It was a game changer!
I struggle with keeping focus in prayer. The tabs in my head keep pinging and I’m constantly struggling to remember what I saying (“Sorry, where was I?”) or even what part of a prayer I am on. (“Did I already say an Our Father? I better say it again just in case.”) It often feels frustrating and defeating.
Praying outside is a completely different experience for me. It almost seems counter intuitive, but when I’m physically walking and my senses are overloaded with sights and smells and noises….I’m able to pray in a much deeper way. My head somehow clears itself of all the things and I’m left with only the task at hand. This new routine has become so important to me that I go out in almost any weather now, from sunny days to afternoons of pouring rain.
When I’m overwhelmed, I walk.
When I need to sob away from my kids, I walk.
When I’m so angry, I could burst, I walk.
When I’m frustrated and feeling helpless, I walk.
When I need to sob away from my kids, I walk.
When I’m so angry, I could burst, I walk.
When I’m frustrated and feeling helpless, I walk.
Without fail, I come away from those 15-20 minutes more at peace and interiorly calm. I rarely come home with some deeper insight and I still don’t have many of the answers I wish I knew. I can only describe it as a deep feeling of knowing that God is faithful, He hears my prayers, and He works all things for good.
Today, I thought I’d take you with me on a recent walk and show you some of the beautiful things I saw:
No.411: 2020 Gratitude // 23
A new series for 2020: if I record 20 things every week, I’ll have over 1,000 items by December 31.
That’s a lot to be grateful for.
wildflowers everywhere
the birth of a new baby cousin!
the birth of a new baby cousin!
that my plants are growing like crazy
eating the very first blueberry from the bush
silly home movies made by siblings
a summer screen policy that has reignited imagination and creativity
an avocado seed thiiiis close to growing a new root system
another book that exposes me to a world outside my own
ice cream cones on a hot day
a time to listen and learn
quiet inspirations from the Holy Spirit
advice from a priest to reflect on James 1:19 – “…everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak…”
a time to listen and learn
quiet inspirations from the Holy Spirit
advice from a priest to reflect on James 1:19 – “…everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak…”
morning sunshine
watching TJ confidently ride on a bicycle (with training wheels)
extra-curricular activities that are starting to resume
a dog who never leaves my side
watching the kids learn to blow a bubble with bubblegum
a school table covered in markers and artwork
a school table covered in markers and artwork
when everyone is doing their own thing and the house is quiet for a little bit
iced coffee in the afternoon
iced coffee in the afternoon
No.410: Five Years // Looking Back, Looking Forward
A few months ago, my friend Tabitha wrote a post called “The Five Year Plan Revisited” and this is my version.
Around this time, five years ago in 2015:
I had five children, ages 8 to 8 months.
I was homeschooling the oldest two and had discovered that my second son most likely had dyslexia.
We lived in a house that wasn’t our forever home and were on the lookout for a property with land.
Mark was unhappy with his job, but was having trouble finding something new.
Life was sometimes overwhelming, but we felt so hopeful for the future and it was simple and good.
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| Mother’s Day 2015, my oldest was still in the restaurant paying the bill with Mark when the nicest lady offered to take our picture |
If I could talk to 2015 me, I’d tell her that in the next five years:
- She would have a surprise sixth pregnancy, one that initially made her cry, but would turn out to be one of the biggest blessings of her life.
- Her oldest three boys would try public school, have a less than positive experience, and would be back to homeschooling the following year. She would have much more confidence in her abilities as a teacher.
- She would find and move to the house of her dreams on five acres.
- She would close the Big White Farmhouse Shop and have complete peace about it.
- She would lose both of her grandmothers in the same year.
- In order to fix lingering hormonal issues, she would have to give up running and stick to walking instead.
- Mark would eventually find a job he loves.
- Having six kids is just as fun and crazy as five kids, just a lot louder.
- They would buy a puppy and she would love that thing silly, even with the shedding and the poop and the naughty antics.
- Her life would be messy and full as she juggled everyone’s emotions and schedules from preschoolers to teens. She still wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Oh and in 2020, there would be a global pandemic that shook everybody and everything.
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| Mother’s Day 2020, quarantine edition |
I know 2025 me will look back on these times with nostalgia, just like I do about our life back in 2015. The me of the future will be navigating the feelings of having a graduating 18-year-old son and what that means as he leaves our home and goes out into the world. Our youngest will be in the second grade and receiving his First Communion. We’ll be in the thick of school and extracurricular activities, learning to drive and weekend jobs. Mark and I will start to see the future of our babies leaving the nest and it will fill us with excitement (for them) and sadness (for us). The me of 2025 will be turning 41 and hopefully still in good health. I hope she’ll embrace her gray hairs, soft belly and wrinkles around her eyes. She’ll probably be saving her pennies for the library of her dreams (floor-to-ceiling bookshelves!) and chipping away at the mortgage so they can truly call themselves debt free. She will be obsessed with her garden, her husband’s laughter and creating beauty from the mundane. I imagine there will be a lot of flowers planted and home projects happening.
I can’t wait to meet the me of 2025, but until then, I hope these days go slowly. I have cheeks I need to kiss, hands I need to hold and a whole lot of laughing and listening to do in the meantime.