Beatus

May 12

Max got on the struggle bus in a big way today. I eventually gave up and just went home. Even when he’s difficult, even when he doesn’t sleep– he’s still a huge blessing in my life. Taking care of him is one of the most difficult and most rewarding experiences of my life thus far. And who could deny this cute face.

May 13

I prayed two days in a row! Blessing indeed!

May 14

Irissa came to visit us this week and it was wonderful! We chatted, ate delicious food (yeah for new grill and a new blender!), and played with Max. She is wonderful! Blessings to her as she gets ready for grad school in the Fall!

May 15

Kenz’s birthday. El Azteca. Great company. Good conversation. Birthday blessings. Sombreros.

May 16

Ben came to visit! I really like having Ben around. We eat lots of great food and play lots of fun board games. If only I can make him live nearer to Ames we could do this more often! Brother-in-law blessings!

May 17

So, I forgot to unlock the building for work today…Not good. But it did give my co-workers an opportunity to exercise mercy, which they did quite well.  Having co-workers that will be merciful and loving, even when it’s inconvenient, is a blessing.

Staff

May 18

Orientated summer peer ministers today. It’s going to be an awesome summer with these folks! Looking forward to all the gifts they have to offer STA throughout the summer. (picture to come later)

May 5

Today two great things happened. 1) Max slept in the morning before lunch and 2) I had time/remembered to pray! This doesn’t always happen. Max sometimes gets on the strug bus with sleeping in the morning, and I often opt to do a bunch of work that requires two hands instead of praying. What a blessing to have that time! Now, to make this a habit…

May 6

Pancake study break! I love how excited everyone was to enjoy delicious food and how needed it was for some to get motivated to study that night. The dedication some of these students have to their studies is inspiring to me.

May 7

Jonathon’s first Zombie Burger experience! It’s not that zombies or burgers really make me think of God (give me a minute and I could absolutely make a connection), but the people who came with us do. Heidi, the one who introduced me to ZB, and Jonathon who is a delightful (soon-to-be) seminarian. Sad I didn’t get a picture of this momentous event, but here is a picture of Max’s first ZB experience.

May 8

No TNL! I stayed home and it was wonderful. What a blessing to have time to spend with my boys.

May 9

Graduation party! Three beautiful ladies graduating and going on to change the world in big ways. What a blessing to have had them a part of the community.

May 10

My parents are wonderful people! They came this weekend to help us with our atrocious landscaping. I really didn’t like the rock that was there and had no way to get rid of it. I took a chance by contacting a person on craigslist who wanted  rock and it worked beautifully! We even gave her a bunch of hostas. I originally was going to ask for money for the rock, but she made multiple trips and she was on a tight budget. Being generous reminds me of the numerous occasions of generosity shown to me throughout my life. God places people in our lives and opportunities to do His will. This was just one of those situations.

May 11

My first Mother’s Day! It’s interesting that I spent the day cooking, but that is what I love to do and don’t get to do it enough! I made delicious pork ribs and homemade fries for lunch with my parents, and homemade bread sticks and pizza for supper with friends. We topped it off by playing Dix-it, a super fun new board game that is  kinda like Apples to Apples, but actually good.

Since this is the Month of Mary in the world of Catholics, I have decided to take this month to focus more on seeing the blessings in life (especially since this blog is named Beatus, or blessings…).

Mary is basically amazing. She bore a son whom she did not ask for, but said yes to. She loved that son to the bitter end of his days, and then some. Since having a son of my own, I understand just the tiniest bit what Mary might have been thinking in those first couple months of motherhood. Things like, “Holy crap! They let my leave the stable with this child! Now what do I do?!” and “Wow. I am so tiredzzzzzzz.” and mostly, “This tiny, beautiful human being is going to do some pretty amazing things in their life. I can’t wait to see.”

Mary could have easily focused on herself. After all she had to go through the shame of being an unwed mother, pregnancy, and child birth, She could have attributed Jesus’ holiness as a toddler to herself–but she didn’t. She always points us to Jesus. In many paintings of Jesus and Mary, Mary is literally pointing to Jesus. She is quite beautiful, so she often strikes you first, but then you see her say, with a single gesture, “No, look to Him.” This is what I seek to do this month. Capture those moments I am pointed toward God.

May 1

Ugh. Every year people leave, and every year they leave ME. That’s really what it’s about. It’s an affront to me! And I guess I’m just going to have to get over it. 🙂 This group of seniors are some of the first students I got to know well at STA. They are the first group of student leaders who I have had the privilege to see grow beyond imagining. They point me to God every. single. day. And I love them for it. This is from the last TNL. What a bittersweet night. Congrats graduates!

May 2

It’s a carnival! A lot of time and effort was put into this event and it was a success! Seeing a community come together and just enjoy each other and life is pure happiness.

May 3

This girl is the most talented, driven, and beautiful woman I know! She has worked so hard to get to this point in her life, and I was in awe during her senior recital.  I could feel the years of shrill notes, concerts, practice, and hours come to fruition as she gracefully played through runs. This women points me to God all the time. Especially when she takes care of (and puts to sleep faster than I ever can!) my son. What a beautiful image of love and care.

May 4

This is a picture of Eric and I in Italy shortly before we were engaged. Today’s blessing comes in the form of a reminder of how great it is to be married! I was reflecting with Eric on a long walk with our dog that even though it’s been nearly 4 years, almost every Sunday I am overjoyed that neither of us have to leave. Kids, do not enter into a long distance relationship lightly–it sucks. Hooray for marriage!