7 Quick Takes - Videos, Lenten Quinoa, and Other Favorites

Once again, life has been happening and blogging hasn't. C'est la vie.  I haven't been too busy to blog or any such, just haven't been writing (here or elsewhere).  But spring is a new season, and why not use this as a time to start up again? 

 

 

(1) This video.

 

I love this video.  Seriously. I. LOVE. this video.  I don't even have any strong personal connection to anyoen with Downs Syndrome (besides kids i worked with at camp, or individuals i work with now in my part time job). But I still love this video.  Must be a prolife thing :)

 

 

 

(2) Also This Video

My boyfriends brother is competing on The Voice, and of course he would love more views for his blind audition!  Social media is HUGE on this show, and the bigger following he gets the better.  Please check out his video, and share it with other music fans.

 

(3) Me.

Yes, one of my links is a shameless cross-sell to my other blog.  Starting April 1st, please visit L.B. Writes every Tuesday for my "Ten For Tuesdays" series where I will be sharing social media and marketing tips.  Learn about my passion for using social media for social good.

 

(4) thredUP

Anyone who knows me knows that I like bargain hunting and love thrifting! (I mean c'mon I managed a thrift store for a year!) Recently I have also come to love thredUP!   I had heard about it all throughout the web, but when Caroline over at the Modest Mom Blog posted a $15 first time shoppers credit I knew it was finally time to buy something!  For just a few dollars of shipping and handling I got a scarf, an Old Navy t-shirt, and a pair of red pants that retailed for over $80! And everything but the scarf still had original tags!  Score!

 

If you haven't shopped on thredUP yet you are missing out! Head over to their site today for great deals on both kid and adult clothes, and a $10 shopping credit on me.

 

(5) Vegangela Quinoa

So my dad is changing up his diet, and after reading WheatBelly that means limiting the carbs and losing the wheat.  Which of course means, I'm looking for new recipes to cook!  My google browsing brought me to, Vegangela a (you guessed it) vegan website, where I found this delicious and incredibly easy quinoa recipe! I have made it twice and enjoyed it both times.  Since we're not vegan, I put a dollop of sour cream and some cheese on top of the servings making it extra delicious.  Also worth noting - if you're like me and have a limited spice cabinet (read: garlic, Adobo, and some Mrs. Dash) improvising won't hurt this recipe! In fact the second time I made it I just used southwest seasoned diced tomatoes, added garlic powder and called it even. Still delicious.

 

(6) The Full Time Girl

I discovered this blog within the last couple of months, and I just love it.  We do have some differences theologically, but this girl is full of faith and just packs so much Truth into her posts! 

 

So far I think this great post on modesty, "5 Things Modesty Never Taught Me" is my favorite.  Like I said - so.much.Truth.

 

(7) St. Patrick's Day

Yes, I know it was on Monday but I'm from Western MA. We are all about parade weekend here, and for us that means this weekend!  I'm not Irish.  I'm not a big drinker.  And yet I look forward to this every year.  7,000 runners.  500,000 parade spectators.  Bands. Colleen floats.  Shamrocks in the street.  I love it.



How To Journey, When the Path is Hard to Find

Haven't been here on the blog in a bit, and while I wish there was some great reason, like deciding to forgo blogging for Lent, it is a combination of being fairly busy, very stressed, and a little lazy.  My Lent did not go nearly as well as I had hoped.  My spirituality is important to me, and yet I am finding it harder and harder to make decision that support that value.  It's not about making bad decisions or doing the wrong thing, it's just about the fact that I haven't been making a conscious effort to improve my relationship with God.

 The description of a retreat I'm hoping to attend in a few weeks says it provides "tools for continuing [the] journey of faith." The tools are what I've been lacking lately! I feel like I've been approaching my spiritual journey with a compass and a book of matches, when what I really need is a GPS device and a flood light.  I'm trying to remember what I told retreatants on a START retreat once - that the path toward God is always in front of us, but sometimes it is more difficult to see. I remember telling people that sometimes the path was clear, and sometimes it was like stepping stones hidden beneath the water.  Lately, I feel like the path is a tightrope, that I must take every step carefully for fear of falling off entirely.  It is frustrating to feel forced into walking one step at a time, when all I want to do is run full speed ahead toward my Destination.

7 Quick Takes... Slighlty Lame Version

Alright folks, ya'll know the drill.  The 7 Quick Takes is hosted over at www.conversiondiary.com with Jennifer (who has returned to hosting after a few weeks of guest hosting by Haley at www.bettybeguiles.com). I have been missing for a few weeks, but  now I'm back and ready with some great QTs... This is definitely going to be a quick set of quick takes!

(1) Praying for my enemies

So for Lent this year I've decided to "pray for my enemies," or as one of my friends (who is also doing this) more accurately referred to it, we are "praying for a different person [we] kind of dislike everyday." I don't exactly have "enemies," but taking the time to pray for the people who annoy me whether it's an old friend who has recently ticked you off, or the "creepy looking obnoxious man in the last pew who says all of the Mass responses incredibly loudly as if trying to prove that he learned the new responses," (yes that is really who I prayed for on Ash Wednesday, and yes praying for him as the "creepy looking obnoxious man" instantly felt awkward and was changed in my prayer) has been a rewarding experience! I recommend. 

(2) Vegetarian Lent 

I've decided to go veggie for Lent.  Unfortunately this was challenged today when I attended a conference which only offered turkey and cheese sammies for lunch, so I did cheat a bit.  But ultimately this has also been rewarding.  I think my friends blog post about her Vegan Fridays during Lent, explains very well some of the reasons why I choose to limit my meat consumption.

(3) "Weird" Lenten Ideas

 Somehow in the world of various internet link-ups I came across this article from Lifeteen on "20 Weird Ideas" of what to give up for Lent.  Overall I thought the list made sense but there was one idea that REALLY bothered me.  The very first idea on the list "don't eat the last bite of your food." Now in theory this sounds like a miniature fast at the end of every meal, but then I thought about it little more.  Over the course of 40 days of Lent,  that is more than 100 bites of food, at an average of 3 meals a day that would be 120 bites of food. ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY BITES OF FOOD.  Wasteful much?  Imagine how many hungry people you could feed with 120 bites of food.

(4)  The Biggest Loser and Twitter
The Biggest Loser and Twitter are my new obsessions.  They might sound unrelated but in fact the obsessions fuel one another, primarily because I follow all of last season's contestants on Twitter and love to read their reactions to the show.  According to my twitter profile, my twitter dream is to have Bob Harper reply or retweet me, and I am only half kidding.

(5) Clients!
I am excited that work has finally been getting busy, and I am finally starting to serve lots of clients. It is a great feeling.  Starting a brand new non-profit venture is definitely a big undertaking, and starting to see things come together is quite rewarding.

(6) Diocesan Women's Conference
I have never attended the Diocesan Women's Conference (here in the diocese of Springfield, MA), I have also never heard Fr. James Martin, SJ speak.  But this year I'll check both of those off, because he is the keynote for this year's Catholic women's conference, and I am pretty stoked!  My incredibly limited Jesuit education during two semesters at Creighton and involvement in a Jesuit parish when I lived in SD, led me to an interest in Jesuit spirituality and introduced me to Fr. Martin. I am really excited to hear him, in large part because despite the fact that he is a nationally known and renowned writer he is a virtual unknown here in WMass, and in the conservative Springfield Diocese the Jesuits don't always get as much respect as they deserve (this partially traces back to the decision of Boston College to go against Cardinal O'Malley and allow pro-abortion politicians to receive communion on campus, and thus the negative press for the Jesuits here in New England). Before heading west my opinion of the Jesuits was definitely tainted, and I am excited for Fr. Martin to bring the beautiful Jesuit spirituality here to the Valley!

(7) PCWM
I've always considered myself an amateur (at best) use of social media, but as I continue using it more actively, and utilizing it for professional purposes as well as personal my desire to learn more keeps going.  Hence why I've spent the day at Pod Camp Western MA!  It has been an interesting experience, and I can't wait to go back and read through so many of the resources that were shared today.

Preparing for Lent

Still failing on all these Quick Takes, but someday I will manage to actually get on it! Hopefully I'll actually follow through this week, while Miss Hallie Lord/Betty Beguiles is still guest-hosting for Jen.  I'm loving this guest hosting as it gives me an excuse to make extra visits over to www.bettybeguiles.com!

Is anyone else finding it as hard to believe as I am that Lent starts NEXT WEEK! I mean, Christmas barely ended, I still have some Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joes in the cabinet.  Granted, this may be in small part due to the fact that I've been hoarding, but still, that's beside the point!  Well, believe it or not, Lent is walking up the front path, ready to be knocking at our doorstep soon enough.  I don't know about you, but I have a few things left to do before the start of Lent.  I'm sure I could come up with many, many things if I tried, but for now, here is a top ten list.

(1) Reexamine my goals 

Remember my "New Years" post back from the start of Advent?  The one where I laid out my spiritual goals for the new liturgical year? Well as practical as I tried to be, I'm not sure I succeeded in following these goals as much as I would like.  Have I made time for prayer? Yes. Well, sort of.  In other words, I haven't made as much time for prayer as I would like. Appreciating blessings is a fairly easy one, but unfortunately I can't say the same for my Bible reading. And that most important goal of all?  Making God the priority. Well, He is my priority.  No doubt on that one.  But have I been acting like it?  That's where things get questionable... 

(2) Get the sin out of my system 

No, this isn't my excuse to sin as much as possible in the next 7 days (though yes, I am human, and yes, I will undoubtedly sin).  I need to get the sin out of my system. Cast it out of my soul.  In other words, I'm a bit overdue for a trip to the Confessional.

(3) Girl Scout Cookies 

A former roommate once told me she thought Girl Scouts were evil.  She was being more than a little facetious, but she did not appreciate that the delicious Samoas, Tagalongs and Do-si-Dos always made their appearance during Lent.  Sometime in the next seven days I need to get my hands on two boxes of Thin Mints.  One is on the express train to my stomach, and the other is going to enjoy a forty day vacation in the freezer until I get home from Easter Vigil on April 7th.  

(4) Scheduling A Few Dates

If I want to start succeeding on these goals  it is time for me to accept that I'm a busy gal and it's going to take a bit of advanced planning.  For the past few years I've been taking a bit of an Ignatian approach to prayer - I've been trying to pray in my daily life, to achieve that goal of prayer at all times or contemplation in action.  Unfortunately, I took what St. Ignatius knew was a difficult task, and tried to water it into something easy.  Recently I heard the following quote, from the Catechism - "we cannot 'pray at all times' if we do not pray at specific times."  I was using the concept of prayer in action, not in order to pray at all times of my day, but as a reason not to pray at specific times of the day. I thought it was better to simply interweave my day with prayer, instead of separating a "Time" for God, I wanted Him to be part of every moment.  And this would have been great, had I been successful.  So now it is back to the drawing board, time to make "appointments with God," as one smart campus minister recommended a long time ago.  So, before Lent, I am creating a "prayer calendar" and scheduling a date with God for each of these 40 days.  

(5)  Finding A Few Buddies 

Throughout college, and during my time in the Midwest directly following college, I was blessed with a great faith community.  Initially, the loss of this was really difficult for me.  Without my faith community it was difficulty for me to sustain my faith.  Since then I realized that at times, I had come to appreciate the community more than the faith.  Instead of allowing the community to bolster my faith, I had allowed the faith to become a side note, while the community was what I really appreciated. Both were important, but I had allowed them to become so co-dependent that when one part (community) changed, I risked losing the other part (faith). Now I am starting to rebuild my faith and what it means to have a faith community.  I am looking for a few good friends to support the journey, to hold me accountable to all these dates I'm scheduling with God. Maybe we can even go on a double date together, I'm sure Jesus won't mind the extra company :)

Holy Saturday Lives - or Words from Someone Smarter Than Me

Part of "the journey," is finding people to learn from.  Here are some words from someone smarter than me.  They're a reflection on Holy Saturday, so you might think I'm a little late in posting, but really they're a post on our whole lives.  So I don't think I'm so late after all.

Holy Saturday: Our lives are mostly not Good Friday lives: ones of unbearable pain or unimaginable torture (though some people's lives are). Nor are they Easter Sunday lives: ones unbounded joy and endless delight (though some are). Our daily lives are mainly the experience of Holy Saturday: poised, like the disciples, between fear and hope; balanced between the "already" and the "not yet"; patiently trusting. But in our Holy Saturday lives we know something that the disciples didn't: that resurrections are often just around the corner. - Fr. James Martin, SJ

I think that Fr. Martin makes a great point here - for the most part our lives are caught in the between.  We get to experience both pain and delight, both joy and sorrow.  We live in a world marked by sin, but also marked by mercy and salvation.  We have a chance for Earth, and a chance for Heaven.  The best of both worlds if you will. 

What are your thoughts on Fr. Martin's words? In what ways are our lives balanced?  In what ways are they thrown completely off-kilter? Is your life defined by "patiently trusting," or are you like me, and trust is easier said than done? 

Lent: More Than A Game

      I will admit. I am ready for Lent.  Not ready in the prepared sense, ready in the desperately need Lent sense.  Ready in the, I need a reminder to "turn away from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel," sense.  And I suppose that requires another admittance, I have been far from exemplary in my faith practices.  I have been missing Mass, skipping prayers, and just generally not putting God first in my life.  Hopefully Lent will change that.

      For the last few years I have been very hesitant  to "give up," something for Lent.  The whole concept just seemed a bit cheesy to me.  First, there's the fact that the primary should be on regular sacrifice to God, and not on giving up some material thing like chocolate that I probably shouldn't have been eating in such quantities anyway.   Second, there's the fact that the whole "giving up" something thing was originally designed as a tangible way for young children to comprehend sacrifice.  Now I know there are times when a childlike faith is a good thing, but in this case it just seemed a bit watered down.  But then there was the real reason I didn't care for the whole giving-something-up deal: it became a game.  Instead of using the forty days for their intended purpose - growing closer to Christ, attempting to understand His sacrifice, and making a sacrifice of our own in solidarity with Him - the forty days became focused on the material item which had been given up.  People ask one another "what did you give up for Lent?" or brag about giving up something "really hard."  When we focus on the material aspect of giving up it seems that Lent loses its significance.  We become like the hypocrites in Matthew 6:5 instead of the humble sinner at the crucifixion asking Jesus to "remember me when you come into your kingdom."

         Now before you go off declaring me a heretic, or remind me to head to confession before receiving the Eucharist let me make the final admittance - I've had a bit of a change of heart.  A game is not a game without players.  And so Lent won't be a game unless we make it one.  So, I do intend to give up something for Lent.  I just don't plan to broadcast what it is to everyone I know.  Or to remind everyone I meet that I'm skipping meat on Friday or fasting on Ash Wednesday.  I'm trying to focus my Lent on the ultimate goal - that when we celebrate the Resurrection I will be remembered in His Kingdom, and that when I leave this life I will be welcomed to eternal celebration.