Happy Birthday to Johnny Appleseed

From Grraphics by R.Ritchie

Today, so far as I know, is the birthday of Johnny Chapman, who is better known as Johnny Appleseed.  I can't vouch for the authenticity of the above quote, but I thought it appropriate to the American folklore surrounding Chapman and fitting for the spirit of the day that I would like my kids to remember.  Increasingly, I am asking God to help me see His great things in the small, whether in small acts of faithfulness, within little people, or within the seemingly small details of everyday life.

G-Bear was making applesauce in school today in honor of Johnny Appleseed's birthday.  So, the boys and I had a special apple lunch and then made Johnny Appleseed hats.

Johnny Appleseed was known for wearing a pot on his head, so we combined that theme with the above quote in the making of our headwear.

We could have easily substituted the "Appleseed Prayer" on our hats, or simply written "Oh, the Lord is good to me," or something of the like.

Our Johnny Appleseed hat

I can remember my dad singing the Appleseed Prayer to me as a child.  My kids already associate the prayer with Papa, so it has special sentimental value in my heart.  This was our prayer at lunch and dinner today:

"Oh, the Lord is good to me,

And so I thank the Lord

for giving me the things I need:

the sun and the rain and the apple seed.

The Lord is good to me.

Amen."

 This was such a beautiful way to spend an autumn day!  

Happily Ever,

Queen B

Make Way for the Spirit

This week is the final week of the Easter season.  This is the week between the celebration of Jesus' Ascension into Heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.   In the early church, these days were precious days of prayer, remembering the first disciples days of prayer and anticipation of Jesus' promised Advocate.  The first disciples prayed through their uncertainty, and they received the third person of the Trinity.   This week, I am praying the beautiful Novena to the Holy Spirit for a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the Fruits of the Spirit in my life and in the world.  The Gifts of the Spirit (Isaiah 11:2-3) and the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) are needed everywhere in the world today.  With the Spirit of God in our hearts, we can bring these blessings to the whole world.

Lord, send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.

Filling Up Again

"When we spend time with God, we bring something with us for others, and that is supposed to decrease, to be lessened while it enriches others.  No water boy should complain that the bottles get empty when he goes down to the field. His job is to go back and fill them up again."  ~Dr. Edward Mulholland, Benedictine College

This Lenten season, I have tried to spend more time with God in prayer.  I have been encouraged by the excellent book, Time for God by Father Jacques Philippe.  This extra prayer time, when I have made time for it, has been a blessing!  Father Philippe makes the simple point that no matter what our daily schedule holds, we MUST prioritize quiet time with God in prayer.   Returning to the loving, peaceful presence of God is infinitely valuable and healing for our souls.

When my prayer time is over and I return to the fray of family life, though, it is not long before I feel as though my spiritual and emotional stores are draining again.  "What happened, Lord?" I wonder.  I feel as though my children, neighbors, and responsibilities,  important as they are, are like little vacuums sucking up the peacefulness, patience and loving presence that I experienced during my prayers.

The quote above, part of a larger Lenten article by Dr. Mulholland, helped me to put these feelings in perspective, as did our Holy Father's Lenten message.  "He became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich," we are encouraged by 2 Corinthians 8:9, the focal scripture passage for Pope Francis' message.

Rising up from prayer, I can emulate our Lord by offering the riches of my prayer time to my children, my husband, my neighbor.  Yes, as I delve back into the business and messiness of the world, I may feel a drain of my peace and patience and loving kindness as I interact with others.  By God's grace, others may be enriched by the Living Water I have to offer from my time with Him.  If I feel "poured out" from sharing these spiritual blessings with others, I am learning that this is something to celebrate, not resent!  And, when I feel my tank is empty, may take the time to return to the Lord, that He might fill me up again.   Even Jesus retreated often to be alone with the Father in quiet prayer, and so must I.

Signs of Hope

Papa's geranium bloom

Sometimes the littlest signs of the future are the most powerful reminders of what lies ahead.

Last Sunday when we visited my parents for dinner, we were greeted by a gorgeous geranium bloom from Papa's bedroom geranium plant.  Each of the leaves was the size of my hand, the bloom was the size of a grapefruit.  Such a lovely reminder that spring is near!  

Also on Sunday, Papa continued his tradition of giving the Bears a Valentine's gift of a blooming bulb garden.  The bulb flowers are little green stubs each February when we receive the potted garden.  By the time they fully bloomed and wilting several weeks later, the March sun is melting our snow in preparation for spring.  The garden gift always helps us through the doldrums of March and Lent.  Today we celebrated the emergence of our first bloom:  a lovely purple reticulated iris.  What a lovely reminder that the preparation of Lent bring forth beautiful blossoms.

As we enter this second weekend of Lent, it's time to dig our roots a little deeper amidst the snow and cold.  Deep down, away from the distractions and enticements of the world, may we meet the warmth of the Father's constant, sufficient provision.  In a few weeks, after this time of preparation, we'll feel the warmth of the Risen Son on our backs.  Then, we'll know it's time to rise with Him and bloom again.

Gracious and holy Father, please give to us:

intellect to understand You;

reason to discern You;

diligence to seek You;

wisdom to find You;

a spirit to know You;

a heart to meditate upon You;

ears to hear You;

eyes to see You;

a tongue to proclaim You;

a way of life pleasing to You;

patience to wait for You;

and perseverance to look for You.

Grant us a perfect end, Your holy presence,

a blessed resurrection, and life everlasting.

~St. Benedict

(This prayer, a lovely focus for the season, is also a part of an ongoing Novena prayed for Pope Benedict in the closing days of his pontificate.  You can follow the Novena prayers and sign up to receive novena emails at PrayMoreNovenas.com.)

Election Prayer

At long last, tomorrow is election day.  Go vote!
I'll likely be at the polling station with three kids in tow, but it will be worth it.
On the eve of the election, here is the prayer I have prayed in preparation to vote.
May our country be blessed with good, worthy leaders through the votes of its citizens!

Election Prayer

(Adapted from the Election Novena at Pray More Novenas)

O God,

I ask for the eyes to see others as your sons and daughters. I ask for help in forming my conscience according to your Gospel so that I may both vote and act for the common good.

Give me the courage to stand up for the weakest members of society. The poor, the weak, the unborn. Give me the courage to re-examine my political loyalties and to be first a faithful follower of Jesus before I follow others.

Remind me that my only true hope is in Jesus and that political power can never replace the will of God and the mission of the Church.

For my own vote, help me to cast it in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. Help me to do it reverently and with a well-formed conscience.

For these elections, Oh God, please bless us with the best leaders possible at all levels of government.

Amen.

Nine Days of Christmas Prayers

Advent is slipping away.  Christmas is almost here.  This season reminds us that we have a Hope.  We will find Him lying in a manger, poor, cold and helpless.  In His precious face, we behold the face of our all-loving God.  

Amidst the sorrows of life, may this season bring joy and hope.   As Christmas approaches, I am praying this especially for several friends and for my family as well.  This Christmas Novena is a wonderful nine day prayer for this week before Christmas.  

My Prayer for Today

Dear Lord,
As a new day begins and yesterday ends,
renew me.

Perfect that which is lacking,

soften that which is sharp,
for You have entrusted so much to my care.


Amen.

Doubly Blessed

If you happen to join us for dinner sometime soon, you won't have to worry about praying over your food at meal time.  My kids will be happy to do it for you......twice.  But, they will be happy to have you join in with them.

T likes to joke that our family is making up for all the times we have forgotten to bless our food before we eat it.  G-Bear and E-Bear currently have two favorite mealtime prayers, and they insist on saying both of them together as a family before we eat every meal.  Hopefully it isn't a reflection on my cooking ;)

Here are our kid's current favorites.  Hope we get to eat with you sometime soon and learn your favorite meal blessings!

The "New Prayer" 

(most recent addition, thanks to G-Bear's Sunday School)

Editor's note: many of you will find our family's title for this prayer amusing, because this prayer is certainly not new, nor is it in anyway original to our family.  But, it wasn't the prayer we started out with as a family, and we are enjoying it's "newness" in our lives these days.  It is super-cute to hear E-Bear and G-Bear's toddler voice version of it, especially when it comes to words like "bounty" and "receive":)

Bless us, oh Lord,

and these Thy gifts,

which we are about to receive,

from Thy bounty through Christ our Lord,

Amen.

The "Singing Prayer"

(thanks to our cousins, who taught us this prayer when G-Bear and E-Bear were wee bears)

(to the tune of "Are you sleeping" without the repeats!)

God our Father, we thank you

for our many blessings,

Ah-men, Ah-men!

Like I said, doubly blessed!

Praying for Daddy

With G-Bear tonight in her bed she prayed...

"...and please let all the people not get hurt....so Daddy won't have to go to work anymore."

That's my sweetheart.  She's looking out for her daddy.

Favorite Prayers

How sweet of Patty to include me in a recent post on her Favorite Catholic Prayers.  These were the rules.  What a great opportunity to think about my favorites prayers.

As I think about the role prayer has played in my life over the last few years, I am reminded of a conversation I heard between an aspiring medical student and a woman physician Christian she admired.

The student asked,

"where is the best place for a Christian woman to be in medical school?" 

(meaning to ask what schools would be best suited for her). 

The experienced Christian physician understood the question, but replied wisely,

"In prayer. On her knees."

This has certainly been true for me about medical school.  I guess you could make the same statement about motherhood.  So you can imagine how valuable the time in prayer is for me everyday.  Here are a few of my favorites: 

Prayer One:

~Saint Francis of Assisi:

Lord,
Make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon,
where there is doubt, faith,
where there is despair, hope,
where there is darkness, light
and where there is sadness, joy.


O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

This prayer has always been precious to be because of the way it helps me stop focusing on myself and instead focus on the needs and struggles of others.  I need these reminders daily, because in trying to love my neighbor as I should, I am struggling against a lot of personal selfishness.  

~~~~~~~

Prayer Two:

Somedays, this feels like our life.

"Let Nothing Disturb You"
~Saint Theresa of Avila
Let nothing disturb you.  Let nothing frighten you.
All things pass.  
God does not change.
Patience achieves everything.  Whoever has God lacks nothing.
God alone suffices.
God has no body now on earth but yours;
no hands but yours; no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world.
Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.
Amen.

There have been many days in my life when waves of uncertainty and trial seemed too overwhelming to endure.  Saint Theresa's prayer (herself a woman who endured great uncertainty and trials) is powerful because it reminds me that the trials of this world are nothing compared to the greatness of God.  When I remember that I lack nothing in God, I am able to live a life of hope rather than a life of fear and despair. There is so much good work to be done in the world for Jesus, if we only life in hope rather than in despair.

~~~~~~

Prayer Three:

The view of the hill from our honeymoon hotel room.  Not all crosses look so beautiful.

"Your Cross"

~Saint John of the Cross

The everlasting God has in his wisdom foreseen from eternity 

the cross that He now presents to you as a gift from His inmost Heart.  

This cross He now sends you He has considered with His all-knowing eyes,

 understood with His Divine mind, tested with His wise justice,

 warmed with loving arms, and weighed with His own hands 

to see that it be not one inch too large and not one ounce too heavy for you.

  He has blessed it with His holy Name, anointed it with His grace,

 perfumed it with His consolation, taken one last glance at you and your courage,

 and then sent it to you from heaven, a special greeting from God to you,

 a gift of the all-merciful love of God.  

Amen

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I have days when this prayer almost makes me laugh.  What?!  This IMPOSSIBLE frustration, this AGONIZING situation, this PERTURBING thing --- this is a GIFT?!  A special GREETING from heaven?!  Seriously?!  I find, though, that the truth of the prayer wins out in my heart after a few moments.  The reminder that God will not give me more than I can handle, will give me enough grace for every moment if I look to Him, is just what I need to hear some days.  So next time you feel overwhelmed with a cross to carry in your day (if you are like me, that will surely happen sometime within the next 2 minutes), think of God sending it Fed Ex, special delivery. 

~~~~~

Alright, now to finish off the rules of the meme, here are a few bloggers who you might enjoy hearing from as well....

Building Cathedrals: my seven Princeton girlfriends writing on life and motherhood.

Just Me at Peace Out Blogger.  I always love her comments.

Happy Sunday!

A little bit, everyday

T and I survived our weekend of call. Boy, are we ready for an early bedtime.  I have never been great at staying up most of the night.  Post-call days are good reminders that our bodies are programmed to have 8-10 hours of sleep everyday.  You can't store it up ahead of time.  You can't save it from your last weekend off.  We need regular sleep everyday to function properly.

I was reminded today that my relationship with God is the same way. His gift of Peace is a continual gift, but it is not something that I can store up. Missionary Sarah Young has put it this way, reflecting on Exodus 16:14-20: 

 Just as the Israelites could not store up manna for the future but had to gather it daily, so it is with God's Peace.  The day-to-day collecting of manna kept God's people aware of their dependence on Him.  Similarly, God gives us sufficient Peace for the present, when we go to Him in prayer and petition.  If He gave us permanent Peace, independent of His presence, we might fall into the trap of self-sufficiency.

Peace missing in my life today?  Maybe I have been trying to run on peace "stored up" from several days ago.  Today is a new day, full of its own struggles, circumstances, pitfalls, temptations--which is why, like the Israelites, when I look to yesterday's manna for sustenance I may find only maggots.  I need to approach the Throne of Grace anew, today, bringing today's petitions and concerns, laying them at the Lord's feet and trusting Him with a thankful heart.

Happily Ever,
Queen B

On the eve of my first night of call for pediatrics, I am praying for my patients, both the ones I know of now and those who I will likely meet tomorrow. Here is a Prayer for the Sick from Saint Augustine. Please offer it up with me, either for someone you know who is sick, or for the children I will be seeing tomorrow.

Prayer for the Sick
"Tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ.
Rest your weary ones.
Bless your dying ones.
Soothe your suffering ones.
Pity your afflicted ones.
Shield your joyous ones.
And for all your love's sake.

Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight, and give your angels charge over those who sleep.

Amen. "

~Saint Augustine

Happily Ever,

Queen B