1. Living out the holy tension between stillness and activity; prayer and work.<\/strong><\/h4>\nThis quote by St. Frances of Rome gives me a lot of hope:<\/p>\n
“A married woman must, when called upon, quit her devotions to God at the altar to find Him in her household affairs.” \/\/ St. Frances of Rome<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I desire more time in prayer, and I long for quiet at Mass. I feel the holy tension between stillness and activity; prayer and work … And I am reminded that the Lord understands. He delights in my desire to spend time with Him, and He also nudges me along when I need to tend to the people He has entrusted to my care.<\/p>\n
![\"Five](\"http:\/\/sarahdamm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/frances-of-rome-1024x1024.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n2. Accepting the unexpected leads to healing.<\/strong><\/h4>\n“And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” (Matthew 26:39)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nUntil recently<\/a>, it never occurred to me that when facing something like illness (or anything that isn’t expected or desired), we can experience grief. A type of mourning of what we thought life would be like. Grief is not fun, but I am realizing that if I don’t enter it, I only end up depressed, angry, and screaming, “This isn’t fair.”<\/p>\nI cannot step onto the path of healing when I haven’t mourned the loss of normalcy and accepted my reality. I cannot understand God’s purpose in all of this, until I have professed in faith, “not what I want but what You want.”<\/p>\n
Staying close to Jesus during a difficult time is so critical. Not only does He comfort me; He also shows me how to say yes to the cup I would rather escape, ignore, (or let pass from me).<\/p>\n
The fact is God cares about my Hashimoto’s, even if I don’t understand why He allows it. “He knows exactly what he gives and what He takes away and WHY. God is not haphazard in His workings, and [I am learning] to embrace this fact in total trust.” (Fr. John Burns \/\/ Lift Up Your Heart<\/a><\/em>)<\/p>\n3. Even in the midst of the desert, blossoms can bloom.<\/strong><\/h4>\nHow can God be doing a new thing and how can life be springing forth when I feel so dry and empty?<\/a><\/p>\nBecause \u201cGod is at work in our lives in countless ways we may never see.\u201d (Fr. John Burns \/\/ Lift Up Your Heart<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\nOften, when we walk through a desert, we experience dryness, emptiness, or hopelessness. But God promises that He is at work, doing something new.<\/p>\n
Do you not perceive it?<\/em> (Isaiah 43:19)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nEven when I don’t perceive it, I cling to His promise anyway, and I borrow hope from others who walk ahead of me.<\/p>\n
4. God gives hope in the form of a heart-shaped leaf.<\/strong><\/h4>\nOn a particular day in April, I picked up my kids from school. As I walked across the city street to the school, something caught my attention.<\/p>\n
A leaf. Shaped as a heart. Just waiting for me to notice.<\/p>\n
The leaf looked weathered and worn, barely surviving the harsh winter, but its heart shape gave a sense of strength and determination.<\/p>\n
It was as if God put this leaf on my path to remind me that He loves me. He knows this last season of my life has been harsh, like a cold, brutal winter. But as winter thawed into spring, God reminded me that He is at work underneath the snowy, silent, and barren landscape of my soul.<\/p>\n
And no matter how long the winters of our soul last, spring is sure to follow. Flowers will blossom once again. This is His promise of faithfulness.<\/p>\n
And He not only keeps His promises, He also sends us reminders. So, pay attention! Look up; look down! Keep your eyes open! Signs of His love are all around.<\/p>\n
![\"Five](\"http:\/\/sarahdamm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/heart-leaf-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n5. It just never gets old.<\/strong><\/h4>\nSpring was a season of baseball and basketball games. It was a season of musical performances and concerts. No matter how many events I attend for my children, I never get tired of watching them do what they love. It is one of my greatest joys as a mom.<\/p>\n
“A married woman must, when called upon, quit her devotions to God at the altar to find Him in her household affairs.” \/\/ St. Frances of Rome<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I desire more time in prayer, and I long for quiet at Mass. I feel the holy tension between stillness and activity; prayer and work … And I am reminded that the Lord understands. He delights in my desire to spend time with Him, and He also nudges me along when I need to tend to the people He has entrusted to my care.<\/p>\n
“And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” (Matthew 26:39)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Until recently<\/a>, it never occurred to me that when facing something like illness (or anything that isn’t expected or desired), we can experience grief. A type of mourning of what we thought life would be like. Grief is not fun, but I am realizing that if I don’t enter it, I only end up depressed, angry, and screaming, “This isn’t fair.”<\/p>\n I cannot step onto the path of healing when I haven’t mourned the loss of normalcy and accepted my reality. I cannot understand God’s purpose in all of this, until I have professed in faith, “not what I want but what You want.”<\/p>\n Staying close to Jesus during a difficult time is so critical. Not only does He comfort me; He also shows me how to say yes to the cup I would rather escape, ignore, (or let pass from me).<\/p>\n The fact is God cares about my Hashimoto’s, even if I don’t understand why He allows it. “He knows exactly what he gives and what He takes away and WHY. God is not haphazard in His workings, and [I am learning] to embrace this fact in total trust.” (Fr. John Burns \/\/ Lift Up Your Heart<\/a><\/em>)<\/p>\n How can God be doing a new thing and how can life be springing forth when I feel so dry and empty?<\/a><\/p>\n Because \u201cGod is at work in our lives in countless ways we may never see.\u201d (Fr. John Burns \/\/ Lift Up Your Heart<\/em><\/a>)<\/p>\n Often, when we walk through a desert, we experience dryness, emptiness, or hopelessness. But God promises that He is at work, doing something new.<\/p>\n Do you not perceive it?<\/em> (Isaiah 43:19)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Even when I don’t perceive it, I cling to His promise anyway, and I borrow hope from others who walk ahead of me.<\/p>\n On a particular day in April, I picked up my kids from school. As I walked across the city street to the school, something caught my attention.<\/p>\n A leaf. Shaped as a heart. Just waiting for me to notice.<\/p>\n The leaf looked weathered and worn, barely surviving the harsh winter, but its heart shape gave a sense of strength and determination.<\/p>\n It was as if God put this leaf on my path to remind me that He loves me. He knows this last season of my life has been harsh, like a cold, brutal winter. But as winter thawed into spring, God reminded me that He is at work underneath the snowy, silent, and barren landscape of my soul.<\/p>\n And no matter how long the winters of our soul last, spring is sure to follow. Flowers will blossom once again. This is His promise of faithfulness.<\/p>\n And He not only keeps His promises, He also sends us reminders. So, pay attention! Look up; look down! Keep your eyes open! Signs of His love are all around.<\/p>\n Spring was a season of baseball and basketball games. It was a season of musical performances and concerts. No matter how many events I attend for my children, I never get tired of watching them do what they love. It is one of my greatest joys as a mom.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n2. Accepting the unexpected leads to healing.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
3. Even in the midst of the desert, blossoms can bloom.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
4. God gives hope in the form of a heart-shaped leaf.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n5. It just never gets old.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"Five](\"http:\/\/sarahdamm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/newsies-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sarahdamm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/What-i-learned-this-spring_pin-683x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n