Prayer – Page 11 – Daily Graces

In case my post about cleaning the bathroom wasn’t clue enough (check it out here), timing is kind of import to me. This is actually something I’m just starting to realize, specifically since I’ve started writing this blog. Perhaps it is because I’m taking more time to reflect on my day, my comings and goings, interactions or lack there of, etc., and trying to see where and how God fits into it all. I think that it has been an excellent exercise.

I was recently making some sugar cookies from a recipe that a friend gave me. She made these amazing, and I truly do mean amazing, bunny rabbit sugar cookies for Easter. They were decorated and thick, just like you would buy in a specialty bakery. She even individually wrapped them. So cute, I wish I had a picture to show you.

Anyway, she graciously let me have her recipe as well as the icing recipe. She included some of her tips and tricks for making these cookies. One of them has completely revolutionized how I make sugar cookies.

I should preface this with some information about sugar cookies for those of you who don’t make them or haven’t made them before. They can be hugely labor intensive. After mixing the dough, you have to let it chill for at least an hour, usually more depending on how big a batch you’ve gotten yourself into. Most cookies you can mix, plop on a cookie sheet and a few minutes later be dunking some hot but deliciously gooey cookies into your cup of milk. Not sugar cookies. Once the dough has chilled, you have to roll it out in sections with lots of flour sprinkled everywhere to keep your rolling pin from sticking. Then you cut out your cookie shapes with your cookie cutter, ball up the left overs, and roll it out again. Repeat until all your dough is gone.

Now you can cook them. Unfortunately for me, when I say “cook” them I actually mean burn 80% of them. But, I think I’ve figured out the trick to my oven which I will explain in a minute.

Pre-rolled sugar cookie dough ready to be chilled

Ok, so that’s the sugar cookie tutorial. Now, how did my friend revolutionize my sugar cookie experience? It’s all about the timing. She suggests that instead of chilling the dough in a big ball, I should go immediately from mixing to rolling, but between two pieces of wax paper. No major flour mess that envelops the whole kitchen. Now, you can chill the dough pre-rolled out. Once it is chilled, pull it out one sheet at a time, cut and re-roll between the wax paper. Amazing!

Doesn’t sound super amazing to you? Sounds like all I did was change the timing of one step, not a huge deal. But it is, it so is, at least for me. Not having to roll out the dough after chilling has always felt like so much work and effort. I can pinpoint this step as the one that keeps me from making sugar cookies most of the time. However, rolling out the dough immediately after mixing is much less intimidating, and the following steps feel like I’m going downhill instead of up. It’s all about the timing.

I am starting to understand that the timing of when I accomplish things matters almost as much as how I accomplish them. I am more productive when it comes to housework in the morning than in the afternoon. I am also much more willing to run errands and be out and about in the morning. Ask me to go shopping with the kids after naps and you may as well be asking me to pick up after the dog. I’ll do it, because I know I have to, but I won’t be overly excited about it either. But, I am more creative in the afternoon and evening. As I write this post it’s 3pm in the afternoon and I’m 600 words in after only 20 minutes. I’ve been starting to pick up my guitar again and I’m finding that I enjoy playing it more in the afternoons and evenings.

Something I’ve noticed in my musings about timing and how I choose to spend my time is that I don’t have a steady time for God. I pray throughout the day, but I struggle with carving out a time for God. Our parish has started a prayer ministry and gives a group of us monthly prayers to pray for our parish. When I first started, I did such a good job, but after a few months I’ve fizzled out and I am struggling to get back into the habit.

In our homily at Mass today, our priest talked about how important it is to “waste time with God.” This phrase struck me. Wasting time, what do I waste time on? Who do I waste time with? Wasting time isn’t always a bad thing. When Ben and I were dating, we wasted so much time together while we got to know each other. We should have been studying for tests or doing homework (we met in college), but instead we were wasting time going for walks, eating ice cream, and growing in our relationship. We all know that there are lots of ways to waste time that are not as promising. Wasting time watching TV when there is work to be done, wasting time on our phone when we could be interacting with our children or other people, wasting time on side projects or hobbies while neglecting our responsibilities that should take priority.

When our priest talked about wasting time with God, he was talking about spending quality time with God, getting to know Him, allowing Him to help us get to know ourselves. Spending time in prayer, adoration, wonder, thanks, sorrow, despair, hope, anticipation, pick an emotion and spend time with it and God.

If timing is something that appears to be part of my subconscious make-up, I need to seriously consider how to better incorporate God into my timing routines.

John received a box of kinetic sand last year from his generous godfather who neglects to read the age-appropriate labels on toys (we love you godfather! we just wait to play with your presents) =) Anyway, we waited to bring out this exciting gift until recently. The kids can play with it in a fairly appropriate manner without sand getting all over my house. If you aren’t familiar with kinetic sand, it is actually a pretty cool toy. Basically, it is fancy sand that sticks to itself like wet sand without all the negative qualities of wet sand. It is not actually wet and it doesn’t stick to anything except itself. It is perfect for molding, sculpting and squeezing. Excellent for inquisitive hands and growing minds and apparently moms who need a minute…or 15.

It is also, surprisingly, an effective, addictive and unintentional meditative tool. The box of sand is currently sitting on my kitchen counter and nearly every time I walk past it, I can’t help but reach out and run my fingers through it. The sand is soft and squishy, light and airy. It initially feels like wet sand but then floats off my fingers like I would imagine a cloud would feel. This sand is irresistible, I can’t help myself.

The other day I was in the kitchen and was running my hands through the sand. My mind was wandering, thinking about how cool this toy was and how much potential it has for creativity and expression. It was a very zen-like experience.

I was holding Clare at the time and starting thinking about how shapeless she is right now, like the sand. She has the potential to become anyone and do anything. All of my kids really are still in this fairly shapeless, formless state. They don’t have life-determining habits and are slowly figuring out their personalities and character traits. They can mold themselves into any number of persons. Or, more along the path I was thinking about, they are able to allow themselves to be molded into the person God designed them to be.

Interpretation of the formless void We all start like this, clay in the hands of the potter, kinetic sand in the hands of the child. The world started like this – a formless void that was without order until God spoke. God’s creative word brought form to the formless and order to the chaos. He will do the same to the lives of my children if they let Him. It is my job as their parent to help them realize God’s presence in their lives and to recognize the gifts He has given them.

One of the most special things I get to do as a mother is pray for my children. Something that has hugely influenced my parental prayer is the example of my own parents and how they prayed for me. I always had a nurturing spirit and my mom had a feeling God’s will was for me to become a wife and mother. So she started praying for my future spouse. How incredible is that?!? She was praying for Ben before she knew him. She didn’t know where he lived, who he was, what kind of child he was or what kind of man he would become. She prayed for him for years – she has been praying for him longer than she has actually known him. I can’t think of a more precious gift to give one’s son or daughter-in-law.

I don’t know what God’s plans are for my children. Perhaps they will be called to marriage. Perhaps John will be called to be a priest or brother. Maybe Rosie or Clare will have a religious vocation or be called to live a single life. Whatever God’s call, I want to be able to give them the gift of my prayers to help support and sustain them in their vocation in life.

To summarize this little post – kinetic sand is awesome. If you feel like you can’t get yourself into a zone to do some serious thinking, you should probably get some. If you need to find a way to turn off your brain for a few minutes, you should probably get some. I’m not saying that kinetic sand is going to solve the world’s problems, but I’m definitely keeping it on the counter, just in case.