NAS: How do you pray at home?

November 18, 2014 ~ Laura ~ 6 Comments

How do you pray at home? Do you have a special place in your house? How do you make that area special? Comfy chair? Prayer cards? What suggestions do you have to make a home altar? If you don’t do this, in what ways can you begin?

Does my bed count?

Okay, maybe that’s weird to post a picture of my bed. But isn’t it comfy looking?! The blanket is from my grandma. Moving on to the point:

Most days I say a rosary before bed. Or as I fall asleep. Hence, the picture. The things on the wall are prayers too. One of them is the Litany of Humility which I still haven’t said because it’s kind of terrifying on some level. And rather intense. So it’s staying put as a reminder to actually say it one day. I’d love to add a sort of examination of conscience to my wall for the end of each day!

When I wake up, I try to remember to say a morning offering. Then I go to workout (most of the time, but it’s getting harder with the cold) and try to remember to say the LIFE Runners creed before starting. When I get back, I try to remember to read the daily readings (usually from Blessed is She or Word Among Us).

Two days a week I have a half hour of adoration, but I’m usually there for about an hour each time because of how it fits into my schedule. Adoration isn’t something I remember doing before college, so it’s been nice the last couple years here! After learning more about prayer, I force myself to not bring a book to adoration and just be with Jesus. It’s pretty awesome. I also usually go to a holy hour on Saturdays. Sometimes I journal during part of that time. And sometimes I read the “I Thirst for You” meditation. But mostly I kneel or sit there and try to not think of my to-do list . . . . which can be hard. Seriously. Does anyone else have that problem? I don’t have a list to write things down, so I just focus on praying and then at the end I realize how easy it is to chill out and just be there when you try.

Other than that, I write down prayer intentions throughout the week and pray specifically for them. I started doing this last year, but this year I started asking for intentions on social media after reading the suggestion. It felt kind of weird at first, but I love it so much to be able to pray for people’s specific needs! Also included in my intentions are random requests and situations I see.

I try to offer up a lot of stuff for other people, and I have found that to be extremely powerful to me. Does it count as a type of prayer? I don’t know. But praying for the souls in purgatory or asking God to use something I’m going through to help someone else is something I love so much.

For almost 10 years, I’ve kept a journal off an on. In the beginning it was mostly the boring details of what happened everyday, but now it’s more prayers and thinking about stuff. Writing helps me figure things out, so that’s another way I pray. Sometimes from the beginning to the end of something, I can already see a situation more clearly. Yay!

In my dorm room I have this shelf:

I don’t kneel there to pray or anything (though I have heard about having altars in your home which sounds cool!). There’s more on the wall too. It’s just a nice reminder. We also did this to our wall (word of Our Lady of Guadalupe) which keeps a nice atmosphere as well:

Prayer is talking with God, and even though I don’t do a whole lot of organized prayer, it’s an important part of my everyday life. At the beginning of this school year we were challenged to give 30 minutes of undivided time to prayer each day, and I want to get better about that. It doesn’t sound that hard, but it has been! Like exercising which keeps our physical muscles in shape, prayer keeps our spiritual muscles in shape. And I need to start pumping more serious spiritual iron.

Do you have any suggestions for how to make those 30 minutes a habit? Do you pray at specific times of the day? How do you integrate prayer into your life?

To Life,

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NAS: Chivalry is not dead

September 8, 2014September 9, 2014 ~ Laura ~ 3 Comments

Chivalry should not become a lost art and we, as women, ought to step up to the plate a bit more and encourage men to treat us as women, thereby respecting them as men. Do you have tips, ideas, or stories to encourage men to be… men?! Open doors for us, initiate dates, honor us as women, etc? Let’s chat!

Whoever says that chivalry is a lost art is not at a good Catholic college.

When I got here, all of a sudden I felt like I didn’t have to open doors anymore. What is this madness?! Maybe chivalry wears off a bit in college (because it’s not quite the same now), but it still happens rather often. It’s interesting because I’ve noticed girls opening doors for each other as well.

I’ve heard girls here get offended at guys for doing this, and that makes me sad. I’m not a guy, so I can’t tell you exactly how that feels, but I feel like it’s an insult to his man card to shun him for doing something nice. I’m guessing that this attitude from women is a major reason why guys stop being chivalrous sometimes. We don’t know the exact reason why guys do chivalrous things, but I think it’s the least we could to do politely say “thank you” and recognize it. Unless he’s blatantly accusing you of being a weak woman, I’m fairly certain he was just trying to be nice.

Last week I was struggling to carry a heavy box of pudding across campus to our Ministry Fair. (If you were wondering, yes, 144 little pudding cups can be VERY heavy folks. And we were handing them out at the Ravens Respect Life booth with pro-life stickers on them.) A friend and I were riding the struggle bus lugging around said pudding when a guy across the parking lot offered to carry it for us. He did not question said pudding, or even ask how far he would need to go. Plus, he was carrying some raw chicken (Walmart run?) and a drink. So! We exchanged loot and he saved the day by carrying it across campus.

I think that was a rather chivalrous thing to do. We certainly could have managed (because we’re strong independent women, you know *HINT:sarcasm*), but it was a kind thing to offer. In this case, we probably did look crazy while breaking a sweat moving pudding. We kind of did need help. But even if we didn’t really need help, it is nice to have it. Even for something as simple as a door.

Moving off my soap box!

What can we do to encourage chivalry? Say thank you. We all appreciate being appreciated. And positive reinforcement encourages repetition of the good action.

And in the nicest way possible, expect this of the guys you hang out with. Guys, if you walk a step ahead to catch the door, that is awesome. If you pick something up that we drop (not dropping to get your attention, but legit dropping something), that’s nice too. And carrying things like above raw-chicken-man is rather appreciated as well.

We can’t go around with our noses in the air expecting every man to bow at our words and heed every request. Chivalry requires mutual respect. That’s why it’s important that:

1. Guy initiates chivalrous deed because he wants to be nice or legitimately help a damsel in pudding distress.

2. Girl recognizes said action and reinforces exemplary behavior.

3. Both above actions are taken so both guy and girl leave the situation feeling appreciated and respected.

To encourage men to act as chivalrous men, we have to act like respectful women. Better yet, just be a respectful person in general. When people go out of their way to be nice, say thank you. We as women have the power to raise standards or leave guys stranded wondering what the heck we expect of them. Expect chivalry by demonstrating the same amount of kindness, and people around you will notice.

Are you one of those people who gets mad when we talk about chivalry? Why or why not? Do you feel respected or belittled as a woman? If you’re a guy, what can women do to encourage you? Let the conversation being!

To Life,

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P.P.S. Thanks to Jen and Morgan for hosting this series!

NAS: We’re Baaack!

September 3, 2014September 3, 2014 ~ Laura ~ 2 Comments

We are back! As we get into the swing of things with NAS, what other ways can we be more involved at church or in our communities? Is there a parish ministry you have been wanting to help with or start up? What about that after school program for homeless kids? Has something been preventing you from getting involved? How do you think this will help you personally, spiritually and emotionally?

Helloooo everyone! I just love this group of women, and it’s so exciting to be back on a regular writing schedule 🙂

So much of the time, you wonder if you should do something. Or you really wish you could do something. You’ve been wanting to do it for a while.

“I should go to Mass during the week.”

“I should hang out with people more.”

“I should exercise more.”

“I should get involved with ________”

So why haven’t you? If you want a more vibrant community experience, make it happen! If you want to meet young people in your community, and you’re out of college, then talk with your priest to see what is already offered. If there’s not much happening, start it yourself. Maybe it’ll start small, but then people will invite friends and viola! Community.

Still being in college, it’s probably easier for me than for people out of college. I have friends who can meet up whenever we want . . . even for doughnuts at 2am. It’s so much fun, and one of my favorite things about this time in my life.

As young people who probably have time we can devote to things outside work, we have the power to give more of ourselves outside the home than people can at other points in their lives. It’s nice to be able to hang out with friends and have community that way, but I also really love being part of other things on campus.

I have served as president of Ravens Respect Life for the last year (and will through this school year). I also led a mission trip working with the Missionaries of Charity last spring which was incredible. Freshman year I volunteered with the Underground team (hosting Catholic events) and the team of girls who cleaned one of the chapels. Now RRL takes up a lot of my time (which I LOVE!), so that’s what I mainly devote my time to. It’s so much fun to grow with our team of officers, get to know them all, and challenge each other in our work.

I think it’s important to make those connections with people to grow personally, spiritually, and emotionally. Not all friendships last. Not every interaction is awesome. But being in a community with so many other people gives you an opportunity to form those connections. It forces you to grow, and to live for more than yourself.

When I get out of college, who knows where I will live or what it will look like . . . it would be a safe assumption that I’ll stay involved with pro-life things. But I also really love encouraging people to become the best version of themselves. So, we’ll see. Life is an adventure!

Thanks to Jen and Morgan for hosting 🙂

To Life,

P.S. Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin’ or by email!

Summer Reading List

July 15, 2014July 15, 2014 ~ Laura ~ 2 Comments

Hello again NAS ladies! It’s nice to be back with a quick summer post. We’re taking a break from this series for the most part over the summer, but here’s one for ya! Thanks Jen and Morgan for keeping the group alive and thriving.

Summer reading list: Do I have favorites and good recommendations? Oh. Yes. Did you ever do those summer reading things at the library where you got a free (usually lame) book if you read a certain number? I remember those! I also read 100 books just because I wanted to one summer – and I still have that list somewhere!

I love to read. I read mostly fiction when I was younger (Swiss Family Robinson was a favorite and so were those diary-type pioneer day books and the Borrowers). I would stay up into the wee hours of the morning just to finish one more page which turned into the entire book being read in one night.

I still love to read, but I now read a lot of non-fiction. I read a lot about my faith and this summer have been reading about leadership as well. Stories are still nice, but I’ve yet to find a fiction book I really like at this point in my life. Reading is how I learn a lot, so I tend to stick to books I can get something out of.

Without further ado, here are some books I’ve read or plan to read soon!

1. Something Other Than God: How I Passionately Sought Happiness and Accidentally Found It

This is the story of Jennifer Fulwiler’s atheism to Catholicism conversion. It’s not a standard “Ooooo, I finally found Jesus and now I’m sooo happy!” kind of gig. It took her a long time to come to terms with standard misconceptions, and it was absolutely awesome to see her life be transformed from a high-earning techie to a Catholic mom. I easily finished it in a couple days because I enjoyed it so much, but will probably go back and re-read it sometime.

2.How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age

Mwahahaha! Here I come world 😉 Just kidding. Though this books sounds somewhat manipulative, it is one of the best books on leadership I’ve read. Seriously. You should read it even if you’re not planning on being a big leader because it has some great points on how to be a good person and friend. It’s a completely secular book, but it brings in principles that I found easily compatible with my faith.

3. St. Peter’s Bones: How the Relics of the First Pope Were Lost and Found . . . and Then Lost and Found Again

This one I’m still in the middle of, but it’s a really interesting historical look at ancient Christianity. An interesting short read!

4. Surprised by Truth: 11 Converts Give the Biblical and Historical Reasons for Becoming Catholic

This book sounded neat online, but when it came, it looked like an old book that might have been written on a typewriter. So I was wary as I started it, but it is SO GOOD! It’s the stories of various people who converted to Catholicism, many of them being Protestant ministers of some type beforehand. It’s so, so cool to see what led to their conversions. This one I highly recommend!

5. Worthy: See Yourself as God Does

I debated getting this book for a while after finding Amanda’s blog, and I’m glad I finally got it! Sometimes I find her writing style to be a little challenging to read, but this book was a great reminder. It had some awesome nuggets to highlight and underline!

6. Viability

This book is required reading for the Wilberforce Leadership Fellowship I was accepted into, and we’ll be discussing it this coming weekend at the training summit. It’s inspiring and thought provoking and begs the question: How viable are we making the life movement? What if it is going to be around for another decade? Have we set it up for the long haul? It asks the tough questions and addresses so many issues I witnessed firsthand. I highly recommend this book and guess what? It’s available as a free PDF with that ink!

For more books I’m planning on reading, check out that picture above! Do you have suggestions?

To Life,

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P.P.S. Most BOOK LINKS ARE AFFILIATE LINKS WHICH MEANS IF YOU BUY STUFF FROM MY LINKS AMAZON WILL GIVE A SMALL PORTION TO ME. THANK YOU!

NAS: If you were called to the religious life . . .

May 13, 2014June 25, 2014 ~ Laura ~ 3 Comments

Linking up with Jen and Morgan 🙂

It’s lots of fun to write about common topics with lovely Catholic young ladies! This week’s topic is:

While most of us feel called to marriage, it is important to see the beauty in all vocations! If/when you were discerning religious life, which communities interest(ed) you? What do you see as the positives of that vocation?

A couple weeks ago we talked about the vocation of marriage, so I love that we treat vocations equally and talk about religious life as well.

Like I said in that post, I always assumed that I would grow up and get married. Obviously. Isn’t that what everyone does? I do have an Aunt who is a sister, though, so the idea was not completely foreign. It just wan’t something I sat down and prayed about and thought long and hard over.

Then I came to a small-ish Catholic college.

You see, a good majority of the people who drop out of school here go into the religious life. We just had a few girls who are entering soon crown Mary at our May Crowning ceremony. And at our spring talent show (sort of) event last year this happened.

Ha! I really love my college. BTW: those were the 4 guys entering the seminary after graduation.

It’s so beautiful to see young men and women on FAYAH for the faith and so joyful in their vocation around here. There are monks everywhere and sisters too. Then there are awesome and holy married couples.

And us Catholic girls are like:

Look at all the holiness!

And then we’re like:

Oh my gosh. What am I doing with my life?

Getting to witness all these awesome people can leave a person confused . . . but I still felt confident. Then I went on spring break with the Missionaries of Charity and I thought “This is so awesome! Look how hardcore the sisters are!” And I wondered. “God, are ya trying to tell me something? ‘Cause I’m gonna need to be hit upside the head if this is your plan!” It was weird. And kind of terrifying.

But then I prayed and got over it. Yup, still a vocation to marriage.

Now don’t think I’m treating this nonchalantly. Vocations are a big deal. Being here has made me realize that much more. But I cannot tell you how much beauty I see in families. It inspires me to see parents sacrificing for their kids and spouses. And don’t even get me started on kids. I love babies (just ask the ladies I live with), and someday hope to have my own. I certainly hope that desire does not come out of selfishness.

When I think about it, I can see the beauty in the religious life. And oh my. Have you seen picture of sisters WITH babies? Go google it. I’ll wait.

Moving on . . .

Seeing people give up everything to become a bride of Christ is inspiring. And it’s a powerful witness to the world of the joy an authentic Catholic life brings. If God were to slap me upside the head with a religious life vocation, I would most definitely look more into the Sisters of Life and the Missionaries of Charity. The MoC give up literally everything and run after God with reckless abandon (in a good way) and I just love the ministry of the Sisters of Life (need I say more?).

Religious life is a beautiful vocation (and I predict that I’ll know several sisters after graduation) but honestly that’s just not where my heart is. Discerning really forced me to look at the aspects of each vocation and then my talents/gifts and consider all things together. And all things considered, marriage is where I feel more drawn to and made for.

So at this point, I can’t wait to see classmates become sisters so they can be my babies godmothers! 😉