I did say I would write about anything on this blog. 🙂
When I figure out a solution to a problem, I love to tell people about it. And this solution worked so well and is so easy to execute that I just had to share. And it regards–feet! Continue reading “Got cold feet? I have a cheap, easy and quick solution for you!”
Audio books make great traveling companions as does music. I am pleased to announce that River of Grace is now available as an audio book with the music included, all on a USB Flash drive with smart phone-ready files ready for you to load up.
Take this story of grace with you on your next long trip or listen to it during your morning commute. Continue reading “River of Grace Soundtrack Album and Audio Book now available for only $15 from Bandcamp”
I have an exciting announcement!
Last year I was asked by Ave Maria Press (the publisher of River of Grace) to be a contributor to a wonderful devotional project that will be part of the Catholicmom.com book series. I am privileged to be one of eighty distinguished writers for this work known as The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion: A Book of Daily Reflections. Continue reading “New book to announce! The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion: A Book of Daily Reflections”
I have a favorite saying:
“I’m slow but I get it eventually.”
But twelve years? Seriously? 🙂
That’s how long it took me to discover this little paradise just across the street and down the hill from my house (which is both on a busy street and near railroad tracks): Continue reading “Can’t see the forest for the trees–literally! What have we been missing?”
This is my column for this month’s Catholic Free Press. May the Holy Spirit give you strength and consolation as he fills you with God’s love and leads you to new life.
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Sometimes I think I should have been born a house cat. Indoor cats crave comfort and security above all else and this is my priority too. Have you ever noticed the lengths cats will go to find that perfect spot to sleep? It’s always on the softest pillow, the coziest quilt, the laundry basket full of clothes just drawn from a hot dryer.
That pursuit of comfort drives my actions. I will choose to look frumpy rather than wear clothes that bind me in any way. I opted out of going to a favorite spot to watch the spring bird migration because it was cold and rainy. Making comfort my top priority has turned me into a notorious homebody. I’ve become complacent and rigid.
This makes it all the more difficult for the Holy Spirit to affect change in me. How can I grow in sanctity if I am unwilling to give up comfort and security in favor of challenge and growth? Continue reading “Come Holy Spirit! In anticipation of Pentecost”
It’s easy to get one. Simply sign up for my email list and I’ll send you the link to download your free copy. There are other surprises too! You can sign up here. I send out only one email per week to let you know about new posts and other news.
I created the drawings from my photographs:
My friend Val send me these. She wrote to me, “I love the pages! Thank you again for offering this to us.”
I colored in the cover:
Take a photo with your phone and send it to me. I’d love to share.
Do you have friends that like to color? Share this post with them:
Click to Tweet & Share: Love nature and animals? Love to color? Come get your free copy of the Harmony Coloring Book! http://tinyurl.com/jnb3d9l
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).
Susan Bailey, Author, Speaker, Musician on Facebook and Twitter
Read my other blog, Louisa May Alcott is My Passion
MAY 1, 2016
I wanted to establish this quiet space to share things as they happen to me with the hope that you will see yourself here too. Free free to comment and I will answer. Let’s talk and share.
In this journal I will be sharing insights I learn from scripture, experiences of prayer, encounters with people and with the world … whatever I run into that leads me to God.
I am hoping that in my sharing you will find something that resonates with your spiritual life.
We are never alone. God is with us and not just in church. He in our hearts and souls. He is in each one of us. And he is in the world around us.
I look forward to walking together with you and our Lord.
Click to Tweet & Share: Is My Day Your Day? Let’s talk about our spiritual lives. http://wp.me/p6vomf-1HF
Join my Email List to subscribe to this blog andreceive your free coloring book (and more).
Susan Bailey, Author, Speaker, Musician on Facebook and Twitter
Read my other blog, Louisa May Alcott is My Passion
Email List link: http://eepurl.com/U-4YT
MARCH 31, 2016–Today’s meditation from The Word Among Us (based upon Luke 24:35-48) reflects upon the wounds Christ received at his death–wounds that remained on his glorified body after the resurrection:
“Jesus’ victory looked so different from what the disciples had expected. Instead of arriving with a king’s crown or a huge army, he returned bearing the wounds of a brutal death. Even though he is now risen in glory, his body remains marred. He isn’t just restored to his former state—he is transformed in a way that reflects the price he paid for our salvation. God didn’t just press a reset button. He took Jesus through death into a new and eternal life.
Jesus’ scars are the marks of his love for us—a love unto death. Every day, he invites us to gaze at these wounds and to see in them the proof of his victory. What’s more, he wants to convince us that he can turn our own wounds into marks of triumph. There is no situation too desperate for him to overcome.”
It may seem morbid to focus on such graphic wounds. But then I am reminded of the love behind those wounds, the love that gave Jesus the courage to follow through with his suffering so that we might know hope in this life and paradise beyond this life.
When I put together my sung rosary book (Mary, Queen of Peace Meditation Guide & Sung Rosary) I included a special meditation on those wounds, based upon a simple practice in Eastern Catholic prayer–that of repeating “Lord, have mercy!”
I invite you try this meditation and see where it leads. It’s led me to some pretty amazing spiritual places.
A prayer frequently chanted during the Divine Office in the Eastern Catholic Church is “Lord, have mercy.” Often this prayer is chanted 40 times in succession.
I formulated a method with this repetition that turned into a meaningful devotion focusing on the wounds of Christ:
These are just some of the places where this devotion can take you. May the Spirit of the Living Lord guide you as you gaze upon His wounds and contemplate His love.
MARCH 30, 2016–Today’s readings put forth a common theme–that we need each other. I loved the line from the meditation found at The Word Among Us website:
“There’s something about opening ourselves to other people that makes us more open to the Lord’s presence and his comfort.”
The meditation cites the examples of the two disciples walking to Emmaus, pouring themselves out to Jesus even though they did not recognize him. What they did recognize was his openness to their plight. He was willing to listen.
It also discusses the reading from Acts where Peter and John “give what they have” to the lame beggar–the healing power of Christ.
The meditation concludes with the idea that we most often find God in one another.
Such discovery requires trust. I have to go out on a limb based upon my initial feelings about someone, and trust that they want to hear what I have to say.
It makes me think about the vibe I give out–does my face convey openness, or am I annoyed that you are bothering me? Am I sitting still and being attentive or am I fidgeting? Is my mind focused on you or pushing in the future, waiting for you to leave?
It’s not easy to trust. It’s a lot easier on my part to think that my problem is so “special” that no one will understand it and so I keep it to myself. That’s a form of pride. There is no problem that is unique to one individual. At least one other person in the world has been through my problems. If I go out on a limb and confide in another, will I find God waiting there to listen?
MARCH 13, 2016–LEARNING ABOUT STILLNESS
My latest column for the Catholic Free Press (which I will post on Tuesday) is about what I have been learning during this Lent about silence and stillness. Did you know there is a physical component to stillness within? I didn’t but I am learning.
I find it very hard to remain still, not only with my mind racing, but my body fidgeting. Honestly, I can’t sit still. Either I’m squirming in my chair trying to get comfortable (I have a chronic achy back, not serious, more of a nuisance) or scratching my head or fiddling with my hair or going after my phone.
A couple of weeks ago at Mass God gave me a gift of grace where I was able to experience true stillness. Not only was my mind still, focused solely on the altar and the priest, but my body was actually still. No fidgeting. No fixing my hair. Just totally still.
Today at mass it went further. I found myself no longer conscious of my body; thus I felt no pain in my back.
As a choir member, I have to stand for long periods of time and that can be rather painful. Often I will sit whenever I can, even if everyone else is standing. Today I made a conscious decision to remain standing because I was experiencing a sense of stillness. It focused my attention on God and away from my body and thus, I was able to ignore any back pain.
It gave me just a tiny clue as to how people in chronic pain who have a deep faith are able to cope. They are never free from pain but somehow, directing the focus to God perhaps helps to decrease the pain, making it more manageable. I’ve seen it with my friend Jackie who is often in pain.
Now granted, it is a monumental effort at times to reach that stillness (I often cannot overcome emotional pain). But the point of the matter is that there is something to stillness of the spirit spreading to the body.
Perhaps this is what Jesus means when he says his yoke is easy and his burden light. Even in the most horrendous of situations.
Be as One 