Summer Reading

Our parish is run by the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest (ICRSS). They highly recommend writings by one of their spiritual fathers, St. Francis de Sales, especially Introduction to the Devout Life . When I made the purchase this last Sunday (for my husband and I are both interested in St. Francis de Sales' charisma), I also ran across one of those pocket-sized books of two minute chapters by the same saint titled Golden Counsels.

Golden Counsels has short little words of wisdom and advice regarding things such as Hope, Patience, Everyday Life, and Death. Death is interestingly the last chapter of this book whereas other saints hit that subject first, mostly with fire and brimstone. That might be the path for some, but for me, that fear becomes paralyzing. I like how uplifting GC is; yet still unlike the short pithy sayings one often finds in country-themed stores.

Here's a refreshing quote from the chapter I read last night, titled "Everyday Life":

     "Accept peacefully whatever you have to do and try to get things done in order, one after the other. If you attempt to do everything all at once or without order, your mind will be frustrated and grow weary and you are likely to be overwhelmed by the pressure and accomplish nothing."

This is just what I needed, because I was recently becoming overwhelmed trying to catch the kids up on schooling they missed while we were in Ireland, clean up an always messy house, prepare for the birth of number 5, and still make sure everyone gets dressed, fed and maintains some semblance of hygiene.

So, I gave myself permission (linked to today's post on my homeschooling blog), and I'm getting "things done in order, one after the other." First was my spiritual life. Now that I have two books that I can read bit-by-bit each day, I'm on the right track. Next is creating a routine for myself that I can live with and keep every day. I'm on day two of having six daily goals for myself (also listed in the above blog link). I hope to keep those six things for a week, then look into adding more, or the next step. The six things will help me gain control of myself, and the house at the same time, piece by piece. It also involves spending time with the children, so they will benefit too (unless they despise spending time with me!).

Here's to doing things in order, one at a time!