Moving Blog Again… Sorry!

After playing around on my new blog, I’ve decided to switch back to blogger.  Sorry for anyone who had already saved the new address!!  I’m known for causing trouble!  LOL

You can find the new blog back at blogger at this address:

http://catholicsouthernbelle.blogspot.com/

Kristy

It’s Been a While!

Hey, everyone!  I’m so sorry it has been so long since I’ve written anything!  I’m sure some of you wondered if I was still around!  I am, but I’ve been quite busy!  School has started back and I’ve been going at it full speed!  I’ve got a great bunch of kids this year.  Also, I got a Yorkshire Terrier at the end of July.  Her name is Sophie Belle and she has her own blog, too!  You can find it here: Sophie Belle & Me.  I just love her!  I also entered her in the Jackson Sun’s pet contest that ends this weekend on the 24th!  She’s #158 I think, so go vote!

God has truly blessed me so far this year!  Great classes, great family, and great friends!  I hope to write more soon, but I probably need to go work on lesson plans!!

God Bless!

Kristy

I’m back!

Hi, everyone! Sorry it has been so long since I’ve posted anything. The last month of school was hectic and the beginning of summer was, too! I had color guard camp to do at the end of May and I’ve had a lot going on, but school is out and I’m ready to get back to blogging!

To answer a few questions asked in some comments, I stopped running for a while. I just didn’t make the time to, which I now think was a mistake, but I’m back at it now. I did find out that after stopping for a while, I couldn’t run like I was, but I’m working back up to it!

And in regards to not being able to attend Mass everyday, I’m still struggling with that. I hope to be able to attend some during the summer, however. I have had the time to read some books for spiritual reading and some for “fun” reading. One thing about me is that I LOVE to read and I’m glad I’ll have most of the summer to do that.

I also do plan to take a retreat sometime, but I’m not sure when I’ll be able to since I only have this month to do it since I have a couple of classes I’m taking in July. But I think I can at least get away on my own for at least a day!

Well, I hope to be writing more soon. I’m going to try to begin to manage my time better so that I can allow time for everything from prayer to exercise! Keep those prayers coming and I’ll send some out, too! God bless!

He is risen!!!

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I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Easter today!  I was blessed to be able to attend our parish’s Easter Triduum services–Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.  I must say that I was extremely moved by the procession to the tabernacle of repose and the stripping of the altar that was done following the Holy Thursday Mass.  I was brought to tears as I watched everything being removed from the altar.  I feel extremely blessed that God allowed me to feel such emotion that I have not felt before.  Also, our Easter Vigil Mass was beautiful!!  I love watching new Catholics come into the Church during baptism and confirmation, as I once stood in their place.  It is such a blessing to see!  I do feel that my “dark night” is somewhat over after attending the Triduum services.  I think maybe God was just testing me this Lent.  I certainly hope that I have “passed the test”.  

I’m still struggling with my job causing me not to be able to attend daily Mass and pray before the Blessed Sacrament as I used to be able to do so please keep me in your prayers as I try to figure out a way to become closer to the Lord.  

Have a blessed Easter week!

-Kristy

Getting a Little Better

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First, I want to thank Ellen and everyone else for your continued prayers and kind words through my “dark night” this Lent.  It is getting better little by little as we approach Easter.  I think God is just working on me, and I just need to learn to listen!  :)  It has been a rough week at work, and I’m questioning whether or not I should keep teaching, and that is a question that I think will plague me until I finally figure out that I need to let God do His work and everything will be ok!  So keep me in your prayers!

I’ve finally made myself make time for prayer today.  I feel so much better, too.  I even took a couple of pictures of my home prayer space to show you what helps me find peace and feel close to the Lord.  It is a truly Catholic prayer space, with my statues, holy cards, candles, and my 1962 Latin Missal with my rosary on it, but it is God’s space and my space for prayer.  So, here are the pictures, and I’ll sign off for today.  I just wanted to let everyone know that I really appreciate all the prayers and thoughts!  Talk to you later!

-Kristy

My Home Altar:

      

In the Desert

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J.M.J

If you are Catholic, you probably know what the phrase “We’re in the Desert” means. Lent is a reflection of the 40 days spent in the desert by the Isralites of the Old Testament. For me, this Lent has very much seemed like a journey into the desert. I’ve been really struggling with being able to know God is there this Lent. This is the first time I’ve had this feeling during Lent. I’ve been Catholic since April 7, 2007, and my 2007 Lent was great because I was anticipating the Easter Vigil. Lent 2008 was good, too, as my first Catholic Lent. But this year has been different. I am beginning to think that it is the Lord’s way of bringing me closer to him by giving me almost a “dark night of the soul” per se. But I’m persevering. So keep me in your prayers as my Lenten journey continues.

A comment on one of my other posts asked how reading Divine Intimacy every day was going. So far, so good. I’m really enjoying the meditations, plus I also read in my 1962 Latin Missal so I can have the readings to go along with the meditations. I’m still struggling with finishing The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the second time I’ve tried to finish this book during Lent, but I’m determined to succeed this time! My goal is to finish it by the end of the day on Good Friday so that I can start reading Divine Mercy in My Soul: The Diary of St. Faustina again. I read it last year and LOVED it, so I’m trying to make these two books a yearly ritual if you will.

I hope that you will continue to read my blog and pray for me, and I will, of course, continue to pray for you.

Divine Intimacy, How My Spring Break Went, and a Lenten Update

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Hey all! I’m so excited! I just received my brand new copy of Divine Intimacy today!  For those who don’t know what this book is, here is a good explanation from Baronius Press, which is the publisher of the edition I have:

This Book of Meditations is a classic and is seeped in Carmelite spirituality. For every day it offers two meditations, in liturgical arrangement, that enable the soul to enter the conscious presence of God and to reflect on the theme of the day. These are followed by a ‘Colloquy’ that helps the person at prayer to start a friendly conversation with God where acts of praise and love, petition and thanksgiving are made, together with good resolutions for the future. Here we are at the very heart of prayer, which is a heart-to-heart encounter in faith with the living God.

Divine Intimacy is the highest state attainable on earth. In this union of love, the soul produces acts of love which have an immense apostolic influence on a multitude of souls. This knowledge of the ways that lead to God, according to the teaching of the renowned Spanish mystics, is distilled into the pages of this book.

I haven’t read it yet, but I’m very excited to start reading it tomorrow.

Now, for how my Spring Break week went.

Well….it wasn’t quite the quiet, silent retreat I wanted, but it was a nice break.  I’m still doing pretty good on my Lenten fast.  But I’ve begun to struggle with time for prayer.  This has been plaguing me for weeks now.  It seems like I’m always finding something else to do other than spend time with the Lord.  I know that it is up to me to make time for Him, and I know I haven’t done a good job of it at all.  That is my goal for this week.  Even though I’ll be back at work Monday and back to my chaotic life, I think that may be the best time to make sure I find time for prayer and the Lord.

I’m going to try to start my week off right by getting to Mass early and go to confession.  It is required of all Catholics to go to confession at least once a year, usually during the Lenten season.  I usually try to go at least once a month simply because it’s my second favorite sacrament (#1 is obviously the Eucharist).  I am also going to try to get back in the habit of having at least an hour a day set aside for prayer, as well as trying to pray at least one rosary and Divine Mercy chaplet per day.  So please keep me in your prayers and I will keep you in mine!

-Kristy