The Liturgical Year is so rich and keeps us always looking forward. May was beautiful, and even though it is a favorite month of mine, June comes blessing us with the feasts of Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi, and the Sacred Heart. How can I forget how much God loves me, with so many reminders?
May’s highlights included: enjoying our little May shrine and crowning, reading most of the Trumpet of the Swan, participating in our chapel’s May Procession, starting The Little Oratory: A Beginner’s Guide to Praying in the Home
At the end of every month, I think to myself that there is NO way I can add anything more to what I am doing, but when I look at the mini-goals I pre-planned for the entire year, the dread turns into hope and excitement, because I really DO want to add the new goals to my daily routine.
Here is what I’m adding for June:
1) Say Yes: Turn your no’s into yes’s
What L.R. Knost is suggesting is that when something is a “no” at the moment, (like dessert before dinner) turn the “no” into a “yes” by telling the child, YES he CAN have dessert…after dinner. Of course, when I’ve tried this, the retort I get is, “But I want dessert NOW!” That’s when I try to be sympathetic and say something like, “I know it’s hard to wait; it’s hard for me to wait, too! What are you going to want for dessert, anyway?” But most days, I just repeat, “No, you can’t have dessert now, but you CAN have it after dinner.”
2) Decluttering a little every day
About two years ago, I printed out a 52-week decluttering plan and stuck it in my home journal. I did some of challenges, but that was two years ago! Guess I’ll take it out again, hang it on the fridge, and do 15 minutes of decluttering a day. Gotta get rid of all this extra junk around the house!!
3) Give each child an age-appropriate Bible and help them to make time each day to read a little bit (even if it’s mostly pictures) and pray.
I’m excited about this one because it fits perfectly with what I read in The Little Oratory. I have a basket in mind, and all I need to do is fill it with the children’s bibles that are on the shelves in their room. Easy! There’s a perfect spot for the basket right next to the prie dieu, and the boys have already started joining me whenever I pray, so it should be naturally appealing. (I admit, they’re only joining me so they get to blow out the candles, but at least they’re saying a few Hail Mary’s first!)
But the idea is to make the boys take time to read a little bit, look at holy pictures, and spend some quiet time thinking about God. Maybe I should initiate a quiet time, maybe in the afternoon, for devotional reading. (Seasoned mothers, any advice/ideas?)
I was inspired by this “peace retreat” post by Ann Voskamp a few years ago. Maybe it’s time to set something up like this!
Other Plans for June
I really want to visit the National Enthronement Center – it would make a nice field trip and I really want to get my hands on a kit so our family can have a formal Enthronement Ceremony.
I also want to revisit the website for Nightly Adoration in the Home. Now that our prayer corner is set up, it is much easier to be drawn to prayer. (Reality check – still in honeymoon phase – I’m sure I will soon be tempted to skip prayer…sigh.) But I DO want to use our prayer corner for an hour of Adoration in the home, so maybe I’ll pick a date and write it on the calendar!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
