March Goals

March 5, 2014June 25, 2014 ~ Laura ~ 2 Comments

It’s that time of month again . . . time to be accountable. Here are my February goals and how I did:

1. Finish the blog everyday in February challenge.

DONE! It was a lot of fun, a little bit hard, and a good exercise.

2. Write at least 3 articles for Live Action.

What is my problem with this? I wrote one. As I was writing it, I kept asking myself why I don’t do it more. It’s partially because I’ve been trying really hard to not bash people over the web and be a more positive influence on people. A lot of headlines related to life issues are bad, so I choose not to write about many of them. Somehow I need to find a balance.

3. Name one baby each week through 50 Million Names and do a different gesture for each one.

I’ve named 3 total. This past weekend we had an event on campus where we got together people for a pro-life movie night and named babies beforehand. Then we wrote letters to each one telling them how loved they are and put them together in a binder which is now on display in our student union. It was so beautiful!

4. Keep up the exercise, 9-5 thing, and adoration (when it starts).

I’m not out of my room strictly 9-5 each day, but do go to the library to study during breaks instead of coming back to my room where homework comes to die. That’s been wonderful! Adoration is lovely. My Christian Moral Life professor described contemplation as “soaking in the Jesus tan”, and I absolutely love my time chillin’ with Jesus. Exercise is awesome because I don’t feel like a marshmallow! Whoohoo! Being able to do the whole ultimate boot camp workout feels like quite an accomplishment, AND I just got down in my pajamas and did 15 push ups. Boom.

5. Make an effort to do random acts of kindness at least once a week.

We made valentines for all of our dorm mates and I did other stuff too which felt so good! But I can’t tell you what exactly it was because that would defeat the purpose.

6. Finish the 4 books I’m in the middle of!

Fail. But I’m so close! Definitely will have these done soon.

7. Set aside an hour a week to get back to reaching out to people online about abortion.

Fail. Fail. Fail. How did I forget about this? BUT I’ve been going every Saturday to sidewalk counsel and you can find a beautiful recent experience with that here.

8. Share at least 1 inspirational quote or video on Facebook every week.

Hmm, didn’t tally this up, but I started an inspirational photo album on there. And I’ve made an effort to share good things too.

February was a good month, but it went really fast. March will probably too since I’ll be gone for 10 days on a mission trip! I’m leading a group of 7 ladies to work with the missionaries of charity in St. Louis, and can’t wait to get back to tell you about it. The ol’ blog here will be quiet while I’m away, but I’ll be back!

Here are my goals for March which include much of what I’m doing for Lent (but not all):

1. Start my day by reviewing Mother Teresa’s 7 Steps to a Holier Life and doing a morning offering.

2. Stations every Friday

3. Remember to write down more prayer intentions each day, and ask people if there’s anything specific I can pray for them about.

Hey! Do you have anything to add here? I’ll be praying for specific people each day (like usual) and would love to include your intentions.

4. 10 minutes of spiritual reading each day (for Lent)

My goal is to finish Lumen Fidei (over half way now), A People of Hope (so close!), Mere Christianity, A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, and the Book of Luke before Easter. 10 minutes is just a start (the bare minimum) and I hope to increase the amount of time.

5. Sort Facebook friends/pages into categories so I spend less time on there

Sorry people, but your hamburger and pets may not be applicable to my life. There’s just so much noise out there, and I’m going to work on cutting it down by doing this. That way I can choose who to look at updates from, and who to only check on occasionally.

6. Read articles intentionally

Enough with the Buzzfeed quizzes and tips for how to have PERFECT hair/nails/teeth/organization/whatever. Those do not contribute to my holiness or happiness so goodbye. Only read articles that have some value to them.

7. Write letters & send random texts

My youngest sister sends the cutest letters. She’s at that stage where she writes phonetically and it’s absolutely hilarious. How fun would it be to make people’s days with a little note?!?! People appreciate being cared about, so be the reason someone smiles!

8. Go to Mass twice a week (other than Sunday)

9. Sleep more

Do yourself and the world a favor by being coherent. Getting off the internet and tackling homework/things to do before 11pm would help with this.

Well, that’s it for now. I hope you’ve had time to sort out lenten goals and are able to take this time to become a better version of yourself! Here’s to a fruitful and transformative Lent.

Honored.

March 3, 2014June 25, 2014 ~ Laura ~ 6 Comments

Since beginning pro-life work, I have been amazed at the opportunities sent my way. Seriously. I have no way to describe the ways God has given me to exercise the gifts and talents he’s blessed me with.

After a sidewalk counseling training session at Benedictine College — After a sidewalk counseling training session at BC

If no one in my family supported my work, I’d still do it because I believe it’s right. If my friends teased me because of it (okay, sometimes they think it’s a little much 😉 ) I would still continue it because it’s right. If my college tried to silence my voice, I would still do pro-life work because it’s right. And I feel called to it. But the support I have has not threatened my work. It’s nearly blown my mind.

Sometimes I feel completely unworthy of the amazing people and opportunities I have been (and continue to be) given. Really, God? Who am I to be doing all this? I’m not anyone special. But then I remember that God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called. And I continue this work because I feel called to it. It’s what I’m good at and passionate about.

This summer I am honored to have the opportunity to partner with RealOptions in a pro-life internship where I will be working with church and community leaders to build partnerships and to create awareness for the services of RealOptions: professional medical services, practical support for women and men facing unplanned pregnancies, prevention education for students, and post-abortion services. They are a fabulous life-affirming alternative to abortion, and I’m excited to work with them.

A wonderful family friend offered to help me set up a fundraising campaign to make this unpaid internship possible and to replace lost income.

If you’re able, I would be honored to have you join my work through your support. And if you’re not able to contribute personally, it would mean a great deal to me if you could share this campaign. You can do so by sharing this post, or by going to the campaign link and sharing from there on all forms of social media. Here’s the promotional video I made:

In just the past couple hours of this campaign being “live”, the support has been incredible. It moves me to see so many people supportive of my work. I’m almost in tears at this point because I can hardly believe the response. I don’t even know what to say except “thank you”. It’s so encouraging to see so many people supporting work that can be so hard sometimes.

Though I have to say, there are at least 10 joyful moments for every difficult one in this movement.

Laura with Abby Johnson, a pro-life inspiration, at the March for Life 2014 — Meeting Abby Johnson at the March for Life 2014

Like early last Saturday when I had a beautiful conversation freezing outside an abortion clinic with a couple who was there for an abortion. They were hurting so much, and there were anti-abortion (not pro-life) people yelling at them. They told the boyfriend what a sinner he was and so on. The girlfriend came out crying and you could just see the pain. They were talking in the car for a while, and I smiled at them and waved.

They drove over and we talked right there in the driveway. They were so hurt by the people that were yelling, and I assured them that I believed in them and saw the greatness in them. They so appreciated that, and I gave them contact information for local free clinics to help them out. She told me was was 3 months along and I got excited and showed them the 12 week fetal model I carry in my pocket there. They were fascinated by it. No one ever told them about their baby. But I didn’t dwell on that. I listened to them express their concerns, and I did my best to let them know we cared about them. They ended up driving away without making a final decision, and I pray they know that people out there care.

That moment was so inspiring for me. Their eyes just said everything. They could see that we aren’t all haters out there to condemn. In what little time I had with them, I hope they know they are loved.

It’s when we take the time to love people that amazing things happen. I fail at it constantly, of course. We all do. But I cannot even put into words how incredible it is to be part of something so beautiful and human. That’s the heart of it, and the heart of all my pro-life work. It’s all about loving the person.

Your support means so much to me. Know that through it, you’re helping me to help make the world a better place. Stay tuned for updates on my work and how you can get involved!

Please visit this link to support my work and to share the campaign. Thank you!

Contact me or comment below with any questions.

Our Friends, The Saints

March 2, 2014June 25, 2014 ~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

Please welcome Sarah Therese, a lovely Catholic gal who is guest posting here today! She’s writing about the awesome network of friends we Catholics have with the saints. If you’re interested in guest posting here, just contact me and I’ll be glad to spread the word on your topic. Thank you again for the post, Sarah!

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I love role models.

No, I’m not talking about Hollywood teen idols, movie stars, or famous athletes. In fact, I’m talking about people who, for the vast majority, have never personally been on TV, never wrote a blog, never recorded a CD, never so much as had a personal photograph taken, and yet the Church Triumphant (those who are in heaven: Saints) are the “role models” of the Church Militant (those of us here on the earth). As a Catholic in the 21st century, I have access to the biggest, best, most powerful group of friends anyone ever had.

Best Friends

Though my siblings and I were all named after family members, our names happily match with saint names or, if we don’t have a particular relationship with our name’s saint, we have quite the collection of confirmation saints: Michael the Archangel, Our Lady (yes, she is a saint and, yes, one can choose her for their confirmation), Bernadette of Lourdes, Louis de Montfort, Francis of Assisi, Thérèse of Lisieux (no prizes as to whose that one is), Patrick, and Padre Pio. Each of my siblings and I (there are 6 of us; my parents’ confirmation saints are included in the collection above) were able to develop a relationship with our saint and choose him or her ourselves. Each person’s story is a little different and the beautiful thing is that we each have a best friend in heaven who is rooting for us and whom we can count on to help us out when the going gets tough.

Patron Saints

There is a saint for just about every cause you could concern yourself with. Need help with directions? Call on St. Christopher. Need help finding something? St. Anthony’s your man! Are you in an impossible situation and you just want out? St. Rita’s got your back. Is there someone in your life (family member, friend, classmate, or ???) who drives you crazy? St. Thérèse of Lisieux has a remarkable solution. Do you consider yourself a poor student and can’t wait for summer? St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Jean Vianney are great supporters for the cause. Are you the queen of getting all traffic lights red? Sometimes a quick call to St. Patrick will do the trick. In need of some humor in your relationship with God? Check out St. Teresa of Avila. Love the outdoors, can’t get enough of animals, or a convert to Christianity, but feeling very much alone? Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Kateri Tekakwitha just might be able to relate. The point is, the possibilities are endless and the answers are just a google search away (although, when I googled “patron saint of those who are directionally challenged” the other day, Christopher Columbus came up. El Oh El.)

A shoulder to cry on / a friend to dance, laugh, and scream with / someone there for all seasons

Yup – that’s what the saints are there for. Though they aren’t likely to physically walk beside you, spiritually and even emotionally, they are there for you and desperately want to pray for you. Have you ever asked your best friend to say a prayer for your exam the next day, for your impending labor and delivery, for safe travels, or for your grandparent’s chemotherapy? It’s the same scenario: our friends, the saints have already finished the race, kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7), and are now beholding the beatific vision in heaven, eager and willing to assist us and are ever so happy to pray for our intentions.

Befriend a saint, if you have not already done so, and you will be amazed by the nearness you feel with someone who walked the face of the earth 50, 100, even an entire millennia ago.

God bless you!

Sarah Thérèse is a city girl trying to live out her Catholic faith in everyday busy life and is eagerly anticipating her May 2014 graduation from college. She blogs about journeying toward a deeper relationship with Christ, and hosts an ongoing series about the Saints, at Footprints on My Heart.

February Challenge Day 28: One Word

February 28, 2014June 25, 2014 ~ Laura ~ 1 Comment

Thank you, Bailey Jean, for hosting this challenge! It’s been a great opportunity to write more and get to know some of the ladies who have participated. Today’s final post is about one little word.

At the beginning of the year I saw lots of people talk about their word or theme for the year. I thought it was kind of silly, because who in the world is going to remember it for a whole year…but I liked the focus. Then I started seeing my one little word pop up everywhere and so now it’s my go-to word of the year:

Right now it’s easy to get caught up in doing the countless things on my to-do list. There are classes to go to and events to plan and things to straighten and laundry to do and people to call and things to write and so on . . . but are all those things really important at the end of the day? Not so much. And they don’t always bring peace. I’m not talking about the hippie kind of peace though. I’m talking about contentment in participating in God’s will, doing the right things, and prioritizing what’s most important. For me it’s about getting rid of distractions and focusing on what really is important.

That’s why I’ve made an effort to pray more. I’ve gotten rid of a huge amount of clothing. My binders are organized most of the time. But most of all I need to work on my internet usage, which takes up too much of my time. Lent is an awesome time to work on that, and I’m looking forward to growing in the ability to prioritize and focus on becoming the best version of myself, the person I am meant to be, and ultimately the life that brings internal peace and peace to those I come in contact with.

Here are the topics I wrote about during this month long challenge! Click here to read the posts.

February Challenge Day 27: Blogs I Enjoy

February 27, 2014June 25, 2014 ~ Laura ~ 1 Comment

Second to last day of this challenge! Here’s a list of blogs I enjoy in no particular order:

Catholic Sistas

They write about all sorts of things, some of which are not applicable to my life, but others that I really enjoy. It ranges from Catholic living to Pinterest inspiration to all sorts of thought provoking thing too. It’s awesome to read about people living the authentic Catholic life.

The Matt Walsh Blog

He definitely gets rather snarky sometimes, but there’s a lot of truth to his posts. It’s heavy reading, but entertaining and written in a way where you can actually finish a post about a pressing current issue.

Verily

Verily rocks because they focus on real people and are short and to the point. Their Pinterest pictures are awesome too.

The Contemplations of a Daughter

I don’t know how Bek and I found each others blogs, but it’s been fun commenting back and forth. It’s so much fun to connect with people in similar times of our lives!

Jumping in Puddles

Jen is a nurse who has a super cute godbaby. ‘Nuf said. She also started the Not Alone Series with Morgan (whose blog I also love to read!).

There are many others I read, but these are the ones I’ll usually read soon after they post something. Go check them out and tell me what you think!