My intention this morning was to sit down and let you know I was going to pause on a blog update for today. It’s been a busy, and at times trying, week. So, on this morning of rain and clouds, I reflected on taking the time to rest in the quiet of a Sunday morning. I don’t know about you, but slowing down often brings about a deeper listening to the stirrings within. Maybe all the other noise stops long enough to listen to the yearnings on a soul level.

As we begin a new month, and enter into the second half of this year, maybe it is a good time to pause and reflect on what is to come. For me, it will be the excitement of returning to Italy in October. In addition, my part-time work is at an exciting threshold space. Effective July 1, we boldly stepped into the world of non-profit ministry and are preparing for the official launch of the new website and offerings in August. All of our discernment and planning is about to bear fruit. As a result, I am finally beginning to feel settled into a balance of semi-retirement and doing work that is fulfilling on a vocational level. Yet, there are so many questions I still hold about my personal vocation and living out God’s call in my life.

This weekend Fr. Paul Carlson, our pastor at Holy Family Church, during his homily, asked us to consider the priority we give to God in our life and how that is reflected in our relationships, choices we make regarding how to spend our time and even decisions we make regarding how we spend our money (ugh, did I really need one more “special” cleaning cloth when I have at least 10!). He invited us to use this summer as a time to consider that relationship, to spend time in prayer with the desire to go deeper in our relationship with God.

As I caught up on some emails, I read Saturday’s Pause+Pray by Franciscan Media (you know by now it’s a favorite daily reflection page for me). In A Matter of Trust, some of these very questions to consider were raised regarding our level of trust and faith. “Am I willing to let go of…?” The more I trust and can respond “yes” to each question, the more deeply I enter into a trusting relationship with God. I begin to get a better understanding of the priority God has in each of those various aspects of my life.

I think they are great questions to ponder this month/this summer. I hope you find them helpful too.

Peace, Deena

Photo from my PicMonkey account/Shuttersplash