Social Media – Daily Graces

As is typical for this time of year, it’s good to share about what some of my plans are for Lent. Not only will this help keep me accountable to them, but I have found a good many ideas for how to observe the season by hearing how others plan to pray, fast, and give alms.

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I’m on the fence about this first one, which probably means it would be a good idea to give it a shot. In a Focolare women’s group meeting last month, we were talking about communication and especially social media use. A few ideas were shared about how to make our phones less attractive and it was a really interesting conversation. Our phones are brightly colored and everything about them is designed to make them appealing. The apps we engage with utilize all kinds of methods that foster addictive behaviors, consistently and constantly drawing us back to their content. While I know giving up social media or a specific app is a popular Lenten observance, there were a few other ideas shared that I’m considering.

Turn your phone to black and white mode. Our brains are wired to be attracted to bright colors. I know for me, I don’t even read the names under the app icons, I’m looking for the picture or color associated with the app. So, if we turn off the colors, we will have to be more intentional in order to even find what we are looking for. Then, once we are in the app, it’s actually rather dull. The same exact content we looked at the day before is less catchy, less interesting, less “scroll worthy.”
Turn off all (or nearly all) notifications. Do I really need to know when someone posts on Instagram? What about the little red numbers that show something is waiting for me on Facebook?
Removing the social media apps. This doesn’t mean necessarily taking a break from them, just making it harder to get to because of the extra steps required to get there. So, I would only access them through a web browser. Or, even further, I only access them on my computer, not on my phone.

Hallow

I am very excited for this one. I am going to be participating in the Pray40 challenge for adults on the Hallow app. I have not been disappointed by this program yet so I am confident this year will be another good one. In the past, I have tried to listen in the mornings when I’m getting ready for the day. The challenge this year will be timing, because I am already listening (also on Hallow) to a daily Gospel reflection that is usually about 10 minutes. Perfect for my typical morning routine. In past years, I’ve replaced this Gospel reflection time with the Pray40 content. However, I would very much like to continue with the Gospel reflections in addition to the Pray40 experience. So, it’s going to take some trial and error to see when will be the best time to listen consistently.

In addition to the Pray40 challenge, Hallow is going to be offering a kids’ Lenten content journey. They are calling it “The Little Way” and I’m very excited about it. Hallow actually reached out to me and asked if I would offer a review of the content which got me even more excited for it.

This series is going to be more than a series of prayers. The kids will be journeying along with Paul and Mia Buckley, two kids who are on a trip through France. We are going to get to experience their story while also meeting some pretty fabulous saints, hearing vocation stories, Sunday homilies, even a few family games. Of course, there are also going to be opportunities for prayer and reflection throughout the 40 days of Lent.

The Saints Alive podcast, the creators of The Little Way, provide truly immersive and thoughtful podcast episodes exploring the lives of the saints. Complete with a multitude of voices, sound effects, surprises, and applications for little lives, our family enjoys these episodes so much. I was very excited to hear that they were behind this new initiative of Hallow’s.

Disclaimer: It is important to remember that this experience, as well as Hallow’s Pray40 Lenten reflections for adults, are part of their premium content and are not available on the free version of the app.

The Plan

I know, you’re probably wondering where on earth we are going to find time to add this to our schedule. However, I have a plan. I recently saw on Corda Candle’s website a package of Lent-focused candles which I was delighted to find (Corda did not request this review or mention, I just love their candles and these are going to fit so well with my Lenten plans). I don’t know about your kids, but mine find candles fascinating. It draws everyone in, even for a few minutes, and can really help focus a few minutes of quiet. As an added bonus, these candles are beautifully scented. We had one that we used for our prayer time over the Christmas season and not a day went by that we forgot because everyone loved the smell and looked forward to lighting it. I am hoping for a repeat experience.

My plan is to light one of the candles in the middle of the table, and then we will listen to our episode during lunchtime. My kids usually read during lunch because they can’t seem to survive without a book in front of them. With this plan, we are going to offer the sacrifice of a few minutes of free reading time to listen together.

Fasting

The past few years now I’ve chosen to do a full fast on all of the Fridays during Lent, not only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. I’m thinking I’ll do this again, though I’m praying about my motivation for doing it. It isn’t easy to be sure, but it is familiar. Am I choosing this fast because of its familiarity, like someone who habitually gives up chocolate because it’s just what they do without much thought put into why, or because I’m avoiding considering alternatives God could be calling me to? I have some time yet to discover the answer.

These are some of my ideas for Lent this year. What will you be doing? I hope that you discover the practices God is calling you to work with this Lent that will draw you closer to His merciful love.

Happy Mother’s Day! To all the moms out there, especially my own and my mother-in-law, thank you for your daily love, dedication and sacrifice to your children and families. For all the women who are hoping to be moms or struggling to be moms, find a friend, companion and dear mother in our Blessed Mother. With her, find the courage to say “Thy will be done.”

For those of you who follow me on Facebook you may have noticed a few new Instagram photos popping up. Yes, I have indeed decided to try out the pictorial world of Instagram.

I’ve been blogging for about a year now and am starting to feel that this is more than just a whim or fancy for me. I’m feeling called, challenged even, to write more and more often. Some of my writing projects are here, on the blog. Others are at CatholicMom.com. Still others are tucked away in my “Other Ideas” folder on my laptop that is increasingly filling up to the point where I should probably start using subfolders.

My greatest desire in all of these endeavors – blog, Facebook, Twitter, and now Instagram, is to allow God’s grace to shine through the words and pictures. I’m simply sharing where I find God and how I live my faith. Perhaps it will resonate with someone, perhaps it won’t, but that’s not really the point.

What is the point, you might ask? Great question! The answer I alluded to already. On the days that I’m on, I’m firing on all cylinders, I’ve got the right attitude and perspective, the point is – to give honor and glory to God who has inspired me and enabled me to share these simple thoughts and ideas. This is the goal I strive for, the heights I hope to attain.

On other days, days when I’m not feeling great, judgmental, gossipy, tired, whiny and worried, the goal is muddled. It’s easy to get lost in a desire to be noticed, to be seen, to “be somebody.” I get caught up in “wow, wouldn’t it be so great to write a book for my own fame and ego building” and “hey, hey, I have so many more followers on Twitter than a few months ago!”

But that shouldn’t be the reason why I am doing what I’m doing. It’s not the point of this blog and frankly, it shouldn’t be the point of my life. Though it’s another form of social media, I’m actually really enjoying using Instagram. It’s really helped me keep things in the proper perspective.

Before, when I was using just Facebook and Twitter, I was starting to get caught up in word counts and how to phrase things to sound like I knew something about what I was talking about without carrying on and on. Sometimes it’s hard to express a feeling or emotion fully in just a few sentences without setting the stage, explaining the backstory or why this moment was so significant. Enter Instagram where truly, a picture speaks 1,000 words. I’ve been able to capture little moments of grace that are truly everyday ordinary things. Like cooking with my son, or putting together frozen breakfast sandwiches with my daughter for a family expecting a baby soon. They are moments of closeness with my husband or joy in accomplishing household chores.

I’ve got a song stuck in my head right now that I love, called “God is on the Move” by Seventh Time Down (which is a fantastic change to “Woody’s Roundup” from Toy Story 2 – yikes, I was desperate enough to get that out of my head I started singing other annoying children’s songs…completely ineffective.). In this song – God is on the Move – the band is singing about how every time someone chooses the good, chooses the light, chooses to share God’s Word, it’s another moment where God is on the move, He’s still on the move, and will always be on the “move in many mighty ways.”

Now this song speaks of some big moments, like when someone fully submits themselves to God’s will or takes a stand against injustice, which are incredible acts of faith. I would like to add a few that help me remember that God is on the move. They are smaller, more simple and more ordinary.

God is on the move when:

My son throws his arms around me for no reason and says “I love you Mommy”
My “baby” now 19 months gives kisses to all her baby dolls and pretends to be their mommy
My daughter dances with reckless abandon
I see new blossoms on our lemon tree
I wake up a few minutes before the kids and have time to appreciate the stillness of the morning
My husband gets home from a trip and cooks us his famous pancakes
The dishes are done!
So many more times and thanks to Instagram, I’ve found a new way to capture them.

I would love to see the moments when you know God is moving in your life. I’m using #DailyGraces on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and hope you will too. Together, we can see how God is working in all of our lives and give one another ideas for even more places we can recognize His presence.