Today I am linked up over at CatholicMom.com’s Small Success Thursday. Think about a few of your small successes for this week and share them with us.
My first success, and it is a big one in my book, is that I got the upstairs closet somewhat cleaned and organized. You know that room or closet in your home that you chuck everything into and it looks like a bomb went off? Yeah, that was this closet. It had been a disaster since we moved in to our new house in May of this year. A couple of months ago we had a visiting priest come out and bless our house. He was from Nigeria and he did the most direct and most enthusiastic blessing I have ever seen. He called out any evil spirits or demons and asked Our Lord to come into our home. It was great! We followed him around the house praying the Our Father and Hail Mary. Then we went upstairs. I had forgotten about the closet. He opened it. He blessed it and moved on. I am sure he has seen worse, but I could not stop laughing from the embarrassment. Well, you can actually walk inside the closet now. Win!
Second, I made a commitment to myself to try to eat better and become more disciplined like I was when I was in the Navy. I decided to do Phase I of South Beach. Fad diets don’t really work long-term, but the nice thing about this diet is that it helps you to get rid of sugar and simple carbohydrate cravings. I kid you not. After a week of doing it, someone could eat chocolate cake in front of me and I did not want any. Not that I am going to give up chocolate cake or bread for the rest of my life. I just eat too much of it and want to focus on temperance. First, I cut the cravings and then I can focus on enjoying something occasionally. I did great yesterday, today not as well, but I am going to keep plugging away. I have not gone running since September, so I am going to work in exercise again too.
Third, I am getting into a better rhythm with my Dominican prayer responsibilities. I am finding Lauds and Vespers are much easier for me and a mid-day Rosary works well. I work study in through out the day as the moment presents itself. I am still a work in progress. I missed my Rosary yesterday. I am going to keep working on it with the intercession of Holy Father Dominic. I will be received into the lay postulancy next month. It is definitely a challenge with a toddler, but by Our Lord’s grace, I am making it work. Squee!
Advent blessings to you and yours.
Swimming the Depths 