{Theme Thursday} Church Windows

Linking up with Cari for Theme Thursday this frigid Midwest afternoon!



I had my picture taken before 7am, but six hours later, I finally have a chance to sit down and put it all together....mostly because I was so exhausted after the gym this morning that I fell asleep watching the Little Mermaid with the girls.

Last night, I had the joy of joining some other women for a discussion on delighting in our children.  The group is meeting weekly to encourage and support each other.  Really, it's a time to gather and share, which should help us be mindful throughout the rest of the week.  The hope is that I can find ways to delight in my children as God delights in all of us; to speak to them and nurture them more like we ourselves are nurtured by God.

At the end of the evening, we all shared a characteristic of Mary that we wanted to really work to emulate more closely.  I felt a calling to really embrace Mary's ability to suffer graciously.  She isn't complaining about the loss of her son at the foot of the cross, there's no account of her locking Jesus up for a couple weeks after that whole temple incident; throughout the Gospels, where we see Mary, we see her accepting any suffering that may come from her motherhood with grace.

Even in the acceptance of her motherhood, Mary is gracious and accepting, though she must have realized her circumstances as a young mother without husband would not be easy (thank God for a faithful St. Joseph to support her!).

It's been about six weeks since Sweet Baby returned home.  With such a wound to carry on my heart, it's hard to think about living graciously.  It's hard to be considerate and compassionate.

This morning, on my way home from the gym, I stopped by our church's perpetual adoration chapel.  I snapped a quick shot on my phone and ducked in to say good morning to our Lord.

Here is the door that leads to Jesus:

In more way than one, she is the door.  Praying that I can be a better door for my own family.