After a very snowy day and evening yesterday, I was so grateful to see the sun peaking through the spruce trees in my back yard.
That bit of cinderblock you see running through the snow is my retaining wall, which is about four feet high. Yes, I may have snow lingering till Memorial Day.
This image is of the nearly 500-year-old logo of the Society of Jesus, founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Over the last several weeks, I’ve been working on a logo for this blog, and Ignatius’ sunburst will be woven into mine. I can’t wait to share it with you 🙂
With plenty of ice and snow on the ground, the weather people are telling us to prepare for another round of winter weather. I wonder who the patron saint of spring might be. We need his/her help, and soon.
As I was walking around the nearly frozen pond at a retreat center a few weeks ago, I thought about how beautiful the grounds are there in spring. I got to thinking about the bulbs just below the solidly frozen topsoil, covered in snow.
When I was first diagnosed with Type II diabetes, I came to quickly understand the importance of daily exercise.
For me, my exercise of choice was and is walking. Not only is it cheap, but it also gets me outside when the weather is nice. Right now, its freezing outside, so a trip to the mall is how I get my daily walk in, making a big loop inside, where it’s nice and warm.
One of the presenters on my retreat this weekend mentioned this statue in her talk. It’s of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and it can be found in Guelph, Canada.
As I looked at the image, I couldn’t help but think of the words of St. Paul: “… forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Today, let’s not dwell on our past, but rather, with hopeful expectation, look forward to a brighter future. What’s holding you back?
Have a blessed Monday!
Wow, I’m just settling back at home from a wonderful time on retreat. It was a powerful weekend for everyone. Thanks to all who came, and don’t forget to email me so we can start the next part of our spiritual pilgrimage.
This was the sunrise that greeted me and my fellow retreatants this morning. What a spectacular way to start a day.
Throughout the generations, people have been able to get out of their normal surroundings in their quest for a deeper relationship with God.
The group that I’m with is no different, and so far, they have been soaking in the experience. What a joy to be with them.
There’s a boy in my class who has started using the phrase, “I’ve got this” for just about everything I ask my class to do.
Maybe it’s self motivation, or it just might be seventh grade bravado, but a few nights ago he raised his hand to read a wordy and difficult Scripture passage. He did great, and I could see he was happy with himself when he finished. He got it.
Over the past several days, I’ve been getting myself ready for my upcoming retreat. It’s all a bit overwhelming, with lots to do and lots to think about.
What are we going to do? What am I going to say?
A reoccurring challenge found in St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises kept coming up in my mind as I prepared my talks. I was thinking about what it might mean to those who will be listening to me, but I was also thinking about what it means to me. Since it keeps coming up in my head, I guess that means I needs I need to take a pause and pray about it.
St. Ignatius asks three simple questions:
What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What ought I do for Christ?
Something for us all to think about in the week ahead.
Funny how life is. This morning, I woke up from a dream, and the weather I was experiencing in that dream looked something like this picture.
In reality, however, the Polar Vortex had finally come to Maryland, and it was about 4 degrees outside, but with the windchill, it felt like -20. I wanted to go back to bed and try to rejoin that dream of mine, but it wasn’t meant to be. Oh well.