BLESSED AND HAPPY 2006 TO ALL!!! :)
Do you still make New Year resolutions? I do! But have learned a long time ago, HOW to make them so that they stick:) Come on in and share your way to "grow with God" every year! Also, I am always taking any of your questions or reflections about being a nun and how you may be discerning this awesome life choice yourself. I love to share this wonderful way of life with all:) With Love, Joy, Laughter and Prayer, your justbebecky
posted by Pia's Pals at 4:36 PM
14 Comments:
Thank you for your unique and unusual message.
Thank you zen wizard for your kind words! Feel free to come back and share your unique way of 'being' in the world:)
I just got back from Santa Fe and had an AWESOME time with my beautiful family, 31 gathered with great conversation and lots of live jammin' music (we are all musicians:) There are three boys and three girls in my family and with my parents, and nieces and nephews galore, we have quite a lively jam going on. I love music! I really do believe it is God's first language that can touch us all:)
HAPPY AND BLESSED 2006 TO ALL! I know it will be a blessed year...only because they all are:) More later! Anyone making resolutions out there, I will share mine, next time around:)
With Love, your justbebecky:)
Good day to all! I am sitting in front of a the fire, warm and toasty looking out at our green, fresh garden, wet and glistening with rain! Some mornings are just mystical and this is one of them:)
There is something about fresh starts, clean slates, new beginnings, new years that I have always liked! A time to throw off old fears, old doubts, the same ole' same ole', to leave room for something fresh and new.
Have you made resolutions about something you want to intentionally change in your life? It is funny how much we tend to resist change even when we know it’s better for us, yet it seems no matter how hard we try, we seem to fail.
This has all led me to look at resolutions a little bit differently. Over the years, I have let go of that kind of “self mastery” “self-control” “self-reliance” self-improval” “self-disciplined” self-possession” way that had always too much “self” in it anyway and so left me with short lived results.
I have learned to invite God more into my DESIRES! We have such a relational God who simply desires to be with us in our day to day life.
I see resolutions now as all those good things I really DESIRE and want to happen in my life...coming down to ONE desire...the “desire” to embrace God more closely in my life. After all, it was St. Catherine of Siena (a great Dominican laywoman) who said, “God does not seek perfect love, but perfect desire”. Isn’t that a great saying? I figure I won’t get the perfect love thing down, but I certainly can excel on the “perfect desire” end of things:)
So, now, I just look upon the New Year as an opportunity to brush up on my “desire” for God, and observe how my life grows into reflecting that desire. I tend to be a bit more “open ended” simply praying for the desire to let God be more a part of my live in all ways and that in all these ways, God will help me to grow into being the loving, peaceful person I am meant to be!
And it’s funny, after having this resolution over a number of years...all of the other “self desires” have found their way to come true, just not the way I thought it would happen and believe me with with a whole lot less struggle, only because my God and I were on a ride of perfect desire! :)
So, may your desire for God increase this year, day to day, in the wonderful life with which YOU bless our world! Looking forward to our new year of 2006 together, and may the 'warm fire' of the Spirt sizzle within you all year long:)
Always with love and increasing perfect desire,
your justbebecky :)
Welcome back, Jessica! Yes, we have had retreats, but mostly because of women's diverse schedule they just come and visit for a day of prayer whenever they can. :) You are always welcome!
Hi incandescence! Good question. First a laywoman is any woman who is not ordained...like all of us (for now anyway:)!
And a Dominican laywoman, in the religioius life circle, is one who lives the charism of St. Dominic Guzman (our founder) in her single or married life, but does not take the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
And now, I call out to all, to celebrate with me the first day of Ordinary Time! It will be the easiest celebration you’ll ever do...just take one of your ordinary tasks of your day and thank God for it! That’s it! :)
Mother Church welcomes us into 34 weeks of Ordinary Time, that is 34 weeks out of 52, a pretty looooong celebration, yet it must be pretty important if 34 weeks are given to it! Great wisdom of our church to allocate 34 weeks of ordinary sacredness with our God, considering most of our days and lives are pretty ordinary.
How wonderful to have 34 weeks of holy presence in ALL we do without doing anything special! To know that there is nothing or no where more sacred than where we are and what we are doing is a great thought and can prove to be a great life, as well! And to know that to God all spaces are sacred, yes, even the ordinary mess around me right now:)!
That is what we get to grow in together during this “green” season of life and hope:)
God's love, your justbebecky :)
Hi Jessica! Wow, the way the Lord works! I just went home from the office and there was a flyer for a retreat we are giving down there at Flintridge Sacred Heart located in LaCanada area.
It is "A Discernment Retreat in the Dominican Spirit" on February 24-26th. So if you are interested in attending just give me a call or email, Jess! God's peace on your faithful journey of faith with him:)
Great rainy day here! I love it cause, I wear my rain boots and look for puddles:) It is the little things that float my boat:)
Here is a link to a cool gratitude experiment someone is doing. It has been very inspiring to me so far and I wanted to share it with you... http://www.gogratitude.com/masterkey/
Tonight I am presenting an adult session in the parish with some of our great Mom's, "Finding God in our Ordinary Day". Where did you find God in your ordinary way today? I found her in a rain puddle:)
God's peace and love, your justbebecky
Nice, easy, day today, little cross stitching, lunch with a blessed friend, laundry, talk with my sis, just a nice and slow day of being.
It has been a full and beautiful week. I love what I do! I guess, too, have been thinking a lot about, just what do I do?!! And it came down to, I simply listen. Listen to the heart. Listen to the inner desire within others and simply speak what I hear. Yes, that's it. I listen. I listen to the heartbeat of God all around me. It is the heartbeat that sustains us all...and holds us all...as One. I listen for the oneness among us. Yes, I just listen, and that will be my life-long learning.
I co-presented a great teaching session on the "Power of Now" with a parish. It was great! Eckhart Tolle has wonderful tools of entering the present. He speaks of Jesus' invitation to go through the narrow gate, which is the present moment, which is the now where the kingdom of love is here and alive!
Well, I am off to the piano for a little composing. I belong to the Dominican Institute of Artists and they have invited me to write a simple song for our 10th anniversary. :) I am honored.
God's gentle peace be lightly upon you,
your justbebecky
Had a great day off and got to see my spiritual director!!! What a gift! I am composing again and loving it! I have discovered that song writing is not about creating but about receiving the music that is there:) Music certainly is the language of God!
Have a great weekend! Hope to be back again:)
May the music of peace and oneness be with you,
your justbebecky
Welcome back, Incandescence, always good to hear your thoughts...I have a feeling 'what you do' a lot of the day is what your blog name suggests...SHINE! :)
We are a society of 'doing' that is for sure!!! I guess a better question to ask each other is, "How you be today?" :)
All is well in this little corner of the Kingdom...just listening and praying with God's wonderful people; with bike rides, gardening, cooking, laughing with friends, Jazzercising, nature walking, air breathing, napping, cross stitching, gathering with my sisters, playing with the children, making music...inbetween:)
Have a wonderful moment, its the only one you've got! Peace, your justbebecky
Dear Zygote, glad you came on...bearing with the fluffy clouds, gentle rains, yada yada, and all:)
I first apologize to you, Zygote, in the name of the Catholic Church, for what happened to you and your fellow classmates. It was ABSOLUTELY wrong! And I apologize for the nuns who did not report what they knew. I am sorry and hold that with you now that I know. If there is any way I can be part of the healing for you, please let me know.
Even though that was the 50's, (in my case), or 60's or 70's (in yours), I will never say "the times where different then" because there is NO TIME that a child should be abused in any way by anyone. They (in this case the priests, gym coach AND nuns who knew) were WRONG, they were responsible, and they need to accept the consequences, then and now!
Today, I can, of course, only speak from my experience and in my journey of 28 years as a sister, I would have reported ANYTHING that I saw even "close" to abuse, to the proper authorities, which to me is the police. And, I feel my sister co-horts would report the same!
When I taught High School, I did have to call CPS once for a student who I thought was being abused at home and once in my Spiritual Direction practice, a directee who mentioned a niece being abused. Action was taken on both accounts.
And, I agree, about the moral responsibility for the one keeping silent. Sometimes the one being silent can hold more consciousness than the one doing the act, though both are to be held accountable!
Hopes this helps, Zygote!
Peace upon you, your justbebecky
Today, I had some powerful spiritual direction sessions, our awesome God is, indeed, alive and well in all! I feel so blessed and grateful to walk the faith journey with so many people finding themselves in spiritual despair and finding a way out.
I really do feel that no one can 'move on' unless someone cares about where you are "now". I know that is how I work inside.
It is a beautiful day out! I think Spring has come to California early. Looks like a great day for a walk, hope you can take in some nature, as well, it indeed does wonders for the soul!
Always Peace and Prayers, your justbebecky :)
Hi Jessica, good to hear from you! I guess what you are seeing is that "Personal Spiritual Formation is lifelong"! All builds upon all!
Glad you had a good week, Jess, with your Father of Love, I would venture to say he enjoyed it at much as you did:)
That is what I love about our relationship with God, is that God is always there in absolute love; our God is the one who always BEGINS the prayer and ours is just to RESPOND to that loving invitation. God has set it up quite simply that way.
Continue your journey of love, Jess, nothing is lost, all is good, all is love, all is held tenderly in God's heart with Joy!
Peaceful day to all, your justbebecky:)
9:00 AM
Had a great climb up Mission Peak! Beautiful day! Looks like spring is springing all over:) So how is everyone out there?
Love and Joy, your justbebecky :)
Hi Jess, yes, Lent is upon us! I, too, feel the season holds so many blessings. I am going to open a new post on it :) I do attend the Congress 'here and there' but I have been more 'here' of late:) Are you going this year?! Love, justbebecky
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