Category: Transitions

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Mothers and Daughters

Last week, my daughter Paola received her Certified Public Accountant distinction from CPA Australia. What a beautiful and proud moment for us all to witness her grow in to a beautiful, responsible and successful young woman. I reflect on the powerful role mothers have in the lives of their children and give thanks to the Lord for my own mother, and the countless others who sacrifice and encourage their children through their own journeys in life.

Happy Mothers day.

A Blessing for Mothers 

Julianne Stanz

Loving God, we give you thanks and praise for all mothers.

We pray for mothers with young children, who witness to life while wiping tears, tending temper tantrums, and kissing scrapes and bruises. May they be blessed with patience, tenderness, and blessed sleep to care for their families and themselves with joy and tenderness.

We pray for our own mothers, wise women who nurtured and cared for us as we grew up, gained in confidence, and found our place in the world. May they know how much they are loved and continue to guide us with strength and wisdom.

We remember mothers who are separated from their children. May they feel the loving embrace of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Mother, who wraps them in comfort and care.

We pray for all the women in our lives who love us, care for us, and shape our lives. They have given us treasures more precious than jewels.

We remember women who are no longer with us but who live forever in our hearts. May we always feel their presence in our lives.

We give thanks for all women and for all mothers, and we praise and ask your continued blessing and protection upon them. We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

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Transitions – changing Gods trials into triumphs

I’m on my 2nd week doing an online Ignatian retreat that has quieted, weaned and comforted my soul during this time of transition and reflection. I am trying to understand  on Gods purpose for my life, as I approach the next leg of this journey in faith. This excerpt from Margaret Silf has blessed me greatly…

The Challenges of Life

Taken from DOTMAGIS EDITOR

When we are in transition, depending on how serious the breakdown is, we may feel as though almost every aspect of life has been disrupted. The old certainties, the old habits and comfort zones, have been dive-bombed. The old home, the old job, the old “me,” may be almost gone. It may be the time to ask, “What is that essential core of who I am that remains through all this upheaval?” This is an important question, because it is this remnant that will be the starter for the new stage of our growth.

The thing about this remnant, this core of being, is that we often don’t discover it until the force of change has stripped away the outer layers of past certainties and securities. Just as the seeds of the eucalyptus trees in Australia can’t germinate until they are exposed to the intense heat of a forest fire, so, too, there may be deep parts of ourselves that are activated only when the shallower layers are stripped away.

And it isn’t just about survival; it is about growth and transformation. The new you that comes through the blast of change will not be just a shadow of your former self, but truly a new you, with deeper layers of your personal potential exposed and invited to grow and flourish. For example, through apparent disaster you may discover skills you never knew you had. You may discover qualities that had never previously been called upon, such as resilience, patience, ingenuity, empathy with others going through similar upheavals, and even a sense of humor to laugh through the tears and glimpse the rainbow through the rain.

—Excerpted from The Other Side of Chaos by Margaret Silf
Today in 31 Days with St. Ignatius, watch The Ignatian Way: Ignatian Spirituality Overview.

– See more at: http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/19469/the-challenges-of-life/#sthash.T28TyGK5.dpuf