I am pleased to announce the official release of “Mater Dei,” a collection of beloved Marian hymns and original songs in honor of Our Lady.
Favorites include “Hail, Holy Queen,” “Immaculate Mary” and Shubert’s “Ave Maria.” pitched in a lower key so you can sing along. Continue reading “Announcing a new CD — Songs in honor of the Virgin Mary for the Marian month of October”
Morning prayer is a great way begin each day, pointing us towards God and entrusting him with our day. As busy women who are moms, working women and/or caretakers, it can seem impossible to carve out the time to pray. We’re thwarted before we even begin!
Here’s one way to start — 5 minutes a day with a simple daily devotional covering the many experiences of women today who are raising children, holding down jobs, or caring for aging parents, written by people who have been-there-done-that. If you are looking for a friendly and gentle tool that will inspire you cultivate a daily morning prayer habit, The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion is the book for you.
The work of over 80 contributors, The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion offers a 300-word meditation for each day of the year, begining with a quote and ending with a simple question to prayerfully ponder.
I am privileged to have contributed 4 such meditations and am humbled to be included with so many of today’s prominent Catholic spiritual writers.
Along with a copy of The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion, I will also give you free audio book copy of my spiritual memoir, River of Grace from audible.com! And, I will also give away a song from my upcoming Marian CD, Mater Dei.
Just leave a comment on this post — it doesn’t have to be long or elaborate. You can even just say, “I’d love to win this book!”
Next Monday I will randomly pick the winner from the comments I receive and email you that you have won. This gives you 4 days to enter.
Click to Tweet & Share: Book Giveaway — win a free copy of The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion along with a bonus! http://wp.me/p2D9hg-1Og
Many people find coloring to be a wonderful way to relax and experience harmony in their lives. Is that you? Join my Email List to subscribe to this blog and receive your free Harmony coloring book (and more).
River of Grace Audio book with soundtrack music available now on Bandcamp. Listen to the preface of the book, and all the songs.
Susan Bailey, Author, Speaker, Musician on Facebook and Twitter
Read my other blog, Louisa May Alcott is My Passion
In honor of the birthday of Mary, the Mother of God, here is my September column for The Catholic Free Press. I have an exciting announcement at the end of the post.
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Recently while driving to work I listened to a song about Our Lady of Gaudalupe, I felt a surge of emotion and recognized a feeling I had not experienced in a very long time – Mary’s special touch of peace. I felt elated quickly followed by regret that I had been so negligent in my devotion to our Blessed Mother. It’s so easy to rattle off a “Hail Mary” without a thought! Continue reading “Little things mean a lot to Mary — offering music for Our Lady”
I am a huge fan of HGTV. It is welcome, mindless entertainment. The shows’ hosts have become end-of-the-day companions as I wait for my husband to finish with his early evening entertainment of computer games.
I really enjoy “Flip or Flop” because the reno only takes thirty minutes. The hosts, Tarek and Christina, are very engaging. They are major risk-takers and it’s fun to see whether or not their gamble pays off.
I also love “House Hunters” and especially, “Tiny House Hunters.” I think tiny houses are cool. My sister’s summer cottage qualifies, square-footage-wise, as a tiny house and it seems huge in comparison to what I see on “Tiny House Hunters.”
Then there’s Drew and Jonathan (“The Property Brothers”), Chip and Joanna Gaines (“Fixer Upper” — Joanna Gaines is by far my favorite designer) and Hilary and David (“Love It or List It” — Hilary has an unfair advantage since it’s far easier to stay rather than to move).
On the weekends I enjoy “Beachfront Bargain Hunt” and “Lakefront Bargain Hunt.” It’s particularly fun when they visit familiar places (yesterday’s “Lakefront” covered Lake Winnipesaukee in NH where we have vacationed, and Lake Martin in Alabama where my sister and her husband live during the winter months).
I decided to do some “lakefront bargain hunting” yesterday while out in the kayak. Usually I take pictures of nature scenes but frankly, I enjoy looking at houses as much as I do beautiful scenery. I do work in real estate after all!🙂
As you will see, I have a wide variety of favorites …
So which house do you prefer? What would your dream home look like?
Can you guess my favorite?
A fun outing topped off by time spent in the new “spa” (aka, the kiddie pool :-))
Hope your summer has been just as nice.
Click to Tweet & Share: House hunting fun: “Lakefront Bargain Hunt” from a kayak http://wp.me/p2D9hg-1Ne
Many people find coloring to be a wonderful way to relax and experience harmony in their lives. Is that you? Join my Email List to subscribe to this blog and receive your free Harmony coloring book (and more).
River of Grace Audio book with soundtrack music available now on Bandcamp. Listen to the preface of the book, and all the songs.
Susan Bailey, Author, Speaker, Musician on Facebook and Twitter
Read my other blog, Louisa May Alcott is My Passion
I am excited about a new daily devotional coming out from Ave Maria Press called The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion A Book of Daily Reflections, edited by Lisa M. Hendey and Sarah A. Reinhard. I was asked to contribute 4 devotions to this wonderful book and am honored to be included in this distinguished group of over 80 leading Catholic authors.
I just got my advance copies and I can now share with you one of my reflections:
Continue reading “Introducing The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion A Book of Daily Reflections”
Recently I lost something I truly loved.
It was a minuscule loss when compared with the suffering of so many around me and across the world. Embarrassed at how much it upset me, I turned to God in prayer and asked for detachment. The prayer was swiftly answered in a way only God could imagine.
So what did I lose? Continue reading “A little grace from a BIG God”
I was privileged to have my River of Grace discussed on Allison Gingras’ radio program on Breadbox Media, “A Seeking Heart” for the last 3 episodes! She used the first two programs to talk about how River of Grace impacted her own life — it’s such a blessing to hear that my book has impacted someone in such practical and powerful ways. In the third episode she invited me on-air to talk about my experiences of grace that inspired River of Grace.
Sit back, relax and listen to how God surprises us with gifts of grace in even the smallest of ways!
p.s. I am offering a free giveaway on the program — if you purchase River of Grace after listening, email me your receipt to susanwbailey@gmail.com and I’ll send you a PDF book of all the Flow Lessons included in the book – they include color pictures and links not included in the book. It’s an easy way to pick out the Flow Lessons you want to try.
Click to Tweet & Share: Talking with Allison Gingras on Breadbox Media radio about “River of Grace” http://tinyurl.com/glvqve8
Many people find coloring to be a wonderful way to relax and experience harmony in their lives. Is that you? Join my Email List to subscribe to this blog and receive your free Harmony coloring book (and more).
River of Grace Audio book with soundtrack music available now on Bandcamp. Listen to the preface of the book, and all the songs.
Susan Bailey, Author, Speaker, Musician on Facebook and Twitter
Read my other blog, Louisa May Alcott is My Passion
Remember when I posted about discovering a little piece of heaven across the street from my house? After living there for twelve years?
Looks like I’ve found another treasure in my town. Continue reading “Another great discovery right under my nose!”
There is no doubt that we are in the midst of a violent storm, in the world around us, and in our own private spheres.
We wake up to another terrorist attack or senseless shooting. We face a crisis of trust in our leaders.
Our faith is under siege. Believers face ridicule and rejection, and for some, martyrdom.
Sickness and death surround us. We witness children in poverty dying of starvation around the world. We encounter suffering, death and grief among our own families and friends.
Materials needed: pen or pencil and paper, and your memories
Pick a quiet place in your home to do this exercise and make sure you can sit still comfortably for several minutes.
Take a moment to be still with God, taking several long and deep breaths and listening as you breathe. In and out, in and out. Be conscious of the rhythm of the breathing. As you breathe in, whisper the name of Jesus; as you breathe out whisper, “Be with me.” Do this for several moments until you feel quiet and still. Continue reading “What makes you think of spiritual things? Here’s an exercise to help you identify them.”
