Catholic Mom – Page 3

CatholicMom.com August: Making the Most

Published on August 22, 2018 by KateLeave a comment

A few months ago I started doing something new. Well, it’s really something routine done in a new way. I’ve changed how I fold towels. I know, it doesn’t sound all that astronomical, and perhaps in the grand, grand scheme it isn’t. But it has affected positive change worth reflecting on.

It occurred to me, on a rather frustrating day, “Why am I folding towels and putting them away, only to re-fold them so that they fit on the towel racks?” You see, for space saving purposes, I had been folding towels hamburger style: twice, and then in thirds. It was so satisfying to see the stacks looking neat and tidy on the shelf. But, in order for them to hang on our towel racks, they had to be completely unfolded and then re-folded in half, hot-dog style. On this day, I was trying to juggle the dirty towels in one arm while re-folding the clean towels in the other and attempting not to trip over children. It was a mess!

Finally, the thought came to me that I had a choice in this matter.

Continue reading at Catholicmom.com

CatholicMom.com – Detaching from Urgency

Published on July 29, 2018July 26, 2018 by KateLeave a comment

I was sitting at Vacation Bible School, helping out in the nursery. One of the other mothers had just taken her daughter out to change her diaper. She left her phone on the table. It began to ring, and one of the other helpers immediately picked it up and ran to take it to her. At the surface, there may not seem to be anything wrong with this scene. I admit, I’ve done the same thing as that helper. When someone else’s phone rings and they are not nearby, I feel this urgency to get their phone to them. Do you ever feel this? It’s a rather silly thought; I mean, even before cell phones, we had answering machines for goodness’ sake!

Continue reading at Catholicmom.com

Catholicmom.com – Self-Denial versus Self-Emptying

Published on June 27, 2018 by KateLeave a comment

I have a hard time saying “no.” And I know, “no” is not a four-letter word, or eight-letter, or however many letters it takes to make it sound complicated. “No” should be a clean-cut breakaway from whatever we were holding onto or whatever was holding onto us.

As a mom with four young kids, I say “No” or “No thank you” quite often. “No, you can’t climb/jump/twirl on the table.” “No, the books should be put away instead of strewn across the floor.” “No, you can’t eat rocks/boogers/legos.” No, no, no.

I also have to say “no” to myself. Some days it feels like motherhood is one gigantic exercise in self-denial. “No, you can’t read right now, the dinner needs to be prepared.” “No, there isn’t time for you to sign up for that exercise class, the kids have art camp/husband has to work/the baby needs to nap.” “No, you shouldn’t get 18 lbs. of fresh apricots to make jam, even though it’s delicious, the work involved is too much for this weekend (true story, folks).” No, no, no.

I was really getting frustrated, especially about that apricot one. I love to create, be it a sewing project, a blog post, or yes, close to 10 pints of jam. A lot of these projects are for someone else or in service for my family, but they fill me with joy as well. Here was a good project, that would bring me some fulfillment and something tasty to the table. I felt like I was drowning in self-denial, completely trapped by the constraints of family responsibilities.

Thank goodness I have been working on a project that involves some deep reflection and reading on St. Paul’s Christ Hymn found in Philippians 2:5-11.

Continue reading at Catholicmom.com