"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." ~ Blessed Mother Teresa
This week flew by because I was away in Southern CA with extended family! We had awesome, huge, get-togethers (that’s what happens when your mom is one of 13 kids) and chilled at the beach. We had a silly photo shoot, roasted s’mores at a bonfire, got to visit with people we hadn’t seen for a while, ate delicious food, and just enjoyed life. The beaches down there are SO much better than here. It was nice to not have much to do, and to get through more of Rediscover Catholicism. I now have less than 100 pages left! Yay! I also got a terrible sunburn on the back of both legs because it didn’t occur to me that we’d be out for so long that I might get burnt. I never sunscreen my legs, so yeah. Ouch. Thank you Kansas for making me this pasty pale candidate for sunburns.
— 2 —
Contrary to what I wrote last week, I was not 100% off technology while away. There was so much down time I did log in a few times. It was nice be on less though. And I’m working on figuring out how to cut back more on computer time. Being without sure shows you how unnecessary most of it is!
— 3 —
In almost exactly 3 weeks, I will be heading back to school! There is quite a bit I need to accomplish before then, and the last slice of my summer will be jam-packed. I can’t wait to be back!
— 4 —
Speaking of school, I’m probably going to rent a couple books for the first time. They are just too darn expensive for me to justify buying them (since they’re not super interesting ones I’ll have to mark up – macroeconomics, anyone?). I love owning books, but I figure my library won’t hurt because of it.
— 5 —
I’m getting down to the wire here.….11:43 PST, and I need two more!!! I should have thought about this during the drive home.
— 6 —
Well, I did think about things I have to do! I have one of those hamster brains that works oh so well when I want to go to sleep. Last night there were so many things I need to do going through my brain, so I got out my phone and wrote myself a memo. Whew! I think I’d be far worse off if it weren’t for lists.
— 7 —
And now, it is getting closer to Saturday, and I didn’t think about this much, so just enjoy your weekend. The summer is flying away and soon enough we’re all going to want to wish back the lazy days and corn on the cob. So enjoy it while it lasts!
And if you have a chance, try out this cool water balloon slip ‘n slide 🙂
To finish off the blogging challenge, I’m sharing with you some inspirational/motivational photos to kick-start your week. Take the time to set your week off the a good start, and check off that to-do list. You know you can, and there’s only so much left of summer. See ya’ll later this week!
Work on becoming that person you know you can be. Sure, it takes effort. But won’t it be worth it?
“I know this now. Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, and so they give their lives to that little or nothing. One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it and then it’s gone. But to surrender who you are and to live without belief is more terrible than dying – even more terrible than dying young.”
~Â St. Joan of Arc (aka. a beast)
There’s a story about Abraham Lincoln where he called on an excellent soldier during the Civil War. He wanted the soldier to deliver a message to a different battalion, which was a very important mission. Lincoln wanted to attack using both battalions, and needed to communicate this quickly to the others. When he arrived, the soldier said “I am willing to die for our cause.” To which Lincoln replied “I have twenty-five thousand men who are willing to die for the cause. What I need is one who is willing to live for it.”
In this day and age it’s unlikely to be martyred for your faith or die in a battlefield (for those of us in the West at least), but I’ve been introduced to this concept: Instead, we are faced with the challenge to live our faith.
In Rediscovering Catholicism, Matthew Kelly wrote “[Y]ou and I, here in America, in Australia, and in the United Kingdom, are not called to die for our faith. We are called to live for it. The modern Church desperately needs men and women who are willing to live for the faith.”
Doesn’t that make so much sense?!?!?! You’ve probably heard that we’re supposed to live as the light and salt of the world. And it’s true. The authentic Catholic life is something special and beautiful and attractive simply because it is so different from our modern society. So take some time today to think about that.
Are you shining the light of the Catholic faith on the world?
Do you live your life in such a way that people witness the beauty of Catholicism through you?
This is our job. Let’s work together to live for and give our lives, while we still can, to something bigger than us.
The 7 posts in 7 days challenge has gone pretty well! I love sitting down to write about things I care about, and even wrote 4 of the posts in one day. I won’t have my computer for about a week (starting Saturday), so I’m going to schedule posts and hope that works for the last ones. I’ve never scheduled posts before, so we’ll see how that goes.
— 2 —
Like I said, I’ll be without my computer for about a week. I’m looking forward to being almost completely technology free (except for my cell phone)! Like I wrote recently, being without technology is SO freeing. Now I’ve got to finish a story on a priest who was power washed by a (“Catholic”) Planned Parenthood supporter before I power off!
I would LOVE to go to one sometime, though I would love for it to be a little closer. Did you see that picture going around of all the people going to confession there? How awesome is that?! Here’s a video showing just how big the area is, and Simcha wrote a great piece about it here.
— 5 —
Look at this!Â
Apparently this Eucharistic miracle happened just recently at the Maria (Mother of the Church) Church in Mexico on July 24th. The host was bleeding before a Eucharistic Congress. I remember there was some sort of conference or something at my church about Eucharistic miracles several years ago, and the stories were incredible. If you ever doubt that the Eucharist is the body of Christ, check out these miracles.
— 6 —
I’ve pretty much failed in the exercise department recently, and still have to finish day 23 of Jillian’s thing. Whoops. It’ll be easier when I have a more consistent schedule. But! I will for sure finish this challenge before the summer is out.
— 7 —
Less than a month till I go back to school! I’m excited to get back and get started on this year. My ticket is set to where I’ll be getting the car, and then I’ll driving out to KS. My books are (almost) all bought. My bill is paid. Time to enjoy the last bit of summer!
Recently, I’ve been thinking about how I spend my time. More specifically, how I spend my time on social media.
To start off, here’s a breakdown of what I might be checking on my computer on a daily basis:
One.more.email.to.check…
3 email accounts (and responding, usually quickly)
Facebook (sometimes chatting or sending messages, or just hanging around my newsfeed)
Twitter (not necessarily every day)
Pinterest (not everyday, but when I go on it’s usally for a while)
My Blog (writing, editing, checking stats)
and many other blogs I follow
After thinking about all these things that occupy my time, it hit me how much MORE I could be doing with my life instead of these things. Take this article as an example, which talks about the seriously awesome things we could be focusing on instead of Facebook.
Sure, I should check my emails. Much of my important communication happens through them. But I could check them twice a day instead of 10 times.
Facebook keeps me connected to people I don’t see everyday, so I’m not willing to chuck it out the window altogether. But what if I limited my time to actual interactions with people and reading personal updates instead of skipping around and stalking people? You know you do that too. What if we spent more time getting to know people in person? Or *GASP* writing old fashioned letters? Aren’t those the best?!?!?!
Twitter could easily be addicting, but I don’t like the format so much. I could easily get this one outta here.
Pinterest. Oh, Pinterest. This is the ultimate way to make you feel like there are a bajillion different recipes you need to make, exercises you need to try, places you need to go, crafts you need to do, cute things you have to remember, and DIY things you absolutely must try out. Guess what? You’re never going to remember it all, and it’s really just clogging up your brain and making you feel like a failure. Honestly, this is one place I have tons of fun finding new ideas on. It’s easy to spend time on. And I love finding inspiring quotes. But I think my time could be better spent learning from people I actually know, and books (which I love!). What ever happened to borrowing a cup of sugar instead of googling 10 alternatives or going to Pinterest for a solution?
My blog is different in that I can’t waste time reading stories here since I write them all. I can definitely focus my time more and brainstorm ahead of time to cut down on time. But this isn’t something I intent to stop.
Now here comes the biggie: other blogs. I have a very weird assortment of blogs that I follow. Some are much better than others. And some I just love following other people’s lives. It’s fascinating and fun, sort of like, huh, actually getting to know a person…except for the fact that it’s purely digital. I recently purged my list of blogs, and brought it down to around a whopping 30. And it’s so hard to get rid of more! Instead of reading so many, I’d like to cut the number down and consider why I follow them. If it’s for no other reason than entertainment, out the window it must go.
In this digital age, many people are suffering from the inability to connect with other people. I don’t consider myself to match that 100%, and really do try (sometimes) to limit my screen time, but I know I need to get better at how I spend my time on the computer. I need to hold myself to higher standards, and show the beauty of that to other people.
Why?
You might call modern technology freeing, but to me it’s enslaving.
“Oh, did I check that blog yet today?”
“What’s the latest on Pinterest?”
“Oh my gosh, did she say THAT on Facebook?”
Um, why do I need to care about those things? These things are not important. Changing your Facebook status will most likely not help you get to heaven, and for the most part, wasting time on the computer does not help you in becoming a better person. For many people, it actually changes you for the worse. I’m talking about wasting time, not work on the computer, or actual material out there that contributes to a better world.
When I’m technology free, I focus on things that matter more like my family, friends, and personal growth. Isn’t that a better way to live my life? Now that is a better version of freedom to me. We were made for so much more than social media updates. And really, we don’t need to know what’s going on in the lives of our seven hundred and thirty three Facebook friends, or how to make custom burlap flowers dyed with the berries from your back yard that you cut with rocks that you dug up yourself because Pinterest told you to.
That’s why I made it one of my goals to cut down on my computer time.
I’m throwing around the idea of concocting some sort of challenge for people out there who want to cut down on their computer time too. And I’m also going to give you an idea of how to do this, and more of the why. Check back soon!
A Drop in the Ocean 