30 Days of Thankful: Days 22-30

Day 22: (Surprisingly) for not having tutoring today so I could focus on getting school work done before everyone got down on Wednesday. I love E (the kid I tutor), but I really needed that time to do my own work. Also, for friends who will talk me through freak outs about school--also much needed.

Day 23: For seeing my family all together in one place for the first time since August. 3.5 months doesn't sound like a long time, but like I've said before, we're super close, so it seemed like an eternity. Also, for a washer and dryer at the beach house--yay for clean clothes!

Day 24: For all the blessings God has given me, most especially my family, faith, and friends. Also, for Grandma's stuffing. Boy howdy do I love her stuffing.

Day 25: For the absolute luxury of spending the afternoon reading a novel from cover to cover, then walking on the beach alone for an hour. Also, for being able to take my family to the Festival of Lights--Jack loved it and I loved experiencing it with him :)

Day 26: For mornings spent drinking coffee in our pajamas & talking and time spent shopping with Mom and Grandma (at the Walmart and the Dollar Tree--because we know where the quality bargains are ;)) Also, for taking the family to the Cathedral for vigil Mass, which everyone enjoyed. We filled up a whole pew and I was so happy to be in the church I love with the people I love. Also, for Jesus in the Eucharist.

Day 27: For another trip to the beach, catching up with Kate and watching While You Were Sleeping. Also, for ridiculous Youtube videos

Day 28: For a cancelled class, Thanksgiving leftovers and rain.

Day 29: For the ability to write, whether for school or for pleasure. Though I'm super focused for the next 10 days on school writing, after exams are over, I have some small (but fun!) writing projects in the works, which I'm excited about.

Day 30: For my health, for my warm apartment, and for the ability to confess and be in a state of grace.

I feel like I've successfully finished 30 Days of Thankful. Though I didn't post every day (next year's goal!), I did get a post in for every day of the month, so I think it counts. I'm planning to drop off the radar for the next week and a half (see Day 29), but after exams are over, I'll be back!

30 Days of Thankful: Day 21

Today I am thankful for friends with whom I can discuss my faith.

Last night after Mass, Christopher and I went to the beach down the road from the church, kind of on a whim (obviously, since we were both wearing dress clothes). Ours was the only car in the parking lot and the boardwalk was totally dark, which made me a little nervous, but since I wasn't alone, I kept going. Once we got on the beach, though, the darkness and the nerves didn't matter--it was so beautiful. The tide was really low, so the beach was huge and the only real lights we could see, other than the ships and the lighthouse behind us, were the stars.

Being that it is November, the water was a little cold, but we waded anyway and walked along the beach through the water. We talked about Latin Mass and Scripture and Mary, as well as discussing the depth of the tide pool we waded through and what the tiny glowing things in the water were.

At one point, while I was standing calf-deep in the ocean, looking out to the barely discernible horizon and not saying anything, an incredible sense of gratefulness settled in my soul, washing in gently like the waves I was standing in. I realized that ever since I graduated high school, I've been a rather intellectually lazy Catholic, which is shameful--I haven't really explored the beauties and mysteries of my Faith as an adult. But our young adult group, and specifically Christopher, who is studying to come into the Church at Easter, have pulled me out of that laziness because it has become the norm, once again, to discuss matters of faith, to read articles and books about things that pertain to Catholicism and share them with a larger audience. And I had forgotten how much I need my faith life to be intellectual.

So tonight I am thankful for that gift of intellectual, devout friends, for the reintroduction of study and inquiry into my faith as an adult, and for the awesome beauty of creation

30 Days of Thankful: Day 20

Today, I'm thankful for the men in my Young Adult Group (aka, YAG). They hosted a brunch this morning for all of the women, just as a way to say thank you to us for everything that we do for the group. They fed us a huge meal, complete with coffee and mimosas, gave us yellow roses, and told us that they, as a group, have been doing a Rosary novena for the last nine days, praying for each woman in the group (there's 50 of us!) by name. It was a wonderful morning, tinged with just a little sadness as we found out that one of the core men of the group is deploying this week, months before he was supposed to go. But we prayed for him and for his safe return and we'll keep things going until he gets back.

30 Days of Thankful: Day 19

Today I am thankful that I'm in grad school.

Yes, it's hard, especially at finals time, but I am so very blessed to be able to spend these two years (which are almost up!) studying what I love.

I'm thankful for a productive Saturday.

I'm thankful also that my family is coming down for Thanksgiving and will be here in 3 days and a wakeup

30 Days of Thankful: Day 18

Today I'm thankful that sweater weather is back.

I'm thankful for afternoons spent working with a huge fluffy dog sleeping at my feet and for falling asleep myself.

I'm thankful to be warm and cozy

Finally, I'm thankful for a weekend with few plans so that I can get lots of work done before the family gets here on Wednesday

30 Days of Thankful: Day 17

Today I am thankful for the gift of home. I had the luxury of spending all day at home until I leave in a few moments for my afternoon class. There have been a few things weighing on my mind lately (nothing earth-shattering, just preoccupations), so I set about righting them last night. First, I went to Confession so that I'd be in a state of grace again; listening as Fr. W talked to me after my confession was very helpful. Then, today, I took it easier than I have taken it recently. I forwent morning Mass because I was exhausted--I think that either the end of the semester is taking a bigger toll on me than I realized or my anemia is still not under control--even though I felt a bit guilty about skipping out. But I reasoned that 1) daily Mass isn't required and 2) I need to take care of myself, so I slept in, just a little. Then I got up and was really productive as far as my end of the semester papers go. As of 1:00, I've finished most of the research for two of my three final papers.

Now I'm sitting in my living room, windows open while the sun shines and the breeze blows, making the palm tree outside my apartment rustle. My house is cool and shady and I just took a loaf of bread out of the oven, so the house has a light yeasty smell. I slept for a while and I'm not rushing to finish preparing for class, so the calm that pervades my surroundings fills my soul too. I'm extraordinarily thankful for this very ordinary day, this time of oasis in the chaos I've been surrounding myself with.

30 Days of Thankful: Day 16

Tonight, as I'm incredibly tired, I'm thankful for the rain that's falling outside. I'm thankful for all the things (like growing crops) that rain makes possible and I'm thankful for the gentle noise of the rain washing down the gutters and hitting my windowpanes.

30 Days of Thankful: Day 15

Today, I'm thankful for days off, especially towards the end of the semester, because there's a lot of work to be done and I appreciate the extra time to do it.

I'm also thankful for the fun time I had with my friends at the Festival of Lights, even if I didn't get to ride the carousel (it was closed by the time we got there, but Chris wants to go back with his brother, so we're going to go again soon). The weather was super warm, so it was nice to walk around without freezing.

Finally, I'm thankful tonight in a special way for my Jack-Jack, who will be seven (7? Already?!?) exactly one month from today. He brings so much joy to my life and I can't wait to see him in a week for Thanksgiving

30 Days of Thankful: Day 14

For getting out of class early (half an hour!) tonight because the professor could see that we were all tired.

And now, to bed

30 Days of Thankful: Days 6-13

This week has been crazy and I realized today that I've been neglecting this poor little blog, so here (in brief) are 8 days worth of thankful.

Day 6: For warmth and sunshine while reading outside, even if I was doing homework.

Day 7: For a good job and a boss who is understanding. For learning while I TA. For free coffee from the Faculty House

Day 8: For going home for the first time in 7 weeks and just being there. For sitting at my grandparents' kitchen table and catching up with them. For snuggling with my Jack and having time with Mom.

Day 9: For my wonderful father, who went with me to traffic court so I wouldn't have to go alone. Also, for dismissed tickets :)

Day 10: For my YAG friends, who constantly challenge me to live my faith more and more by their examples.

Day 11: For everyone in the military, especially those that I know and love. They do a job every day that I couldn't do, but which keeps me safe and for that, I am profoundly grateful. I'm also grateful for those who have served this country and given their lives for it.

Day 12: For beach hopscotch, silliness with friends and late night theological debates

Day 13: For beautiful November days, sun on the river and Mass at the Cathedral

30 Days of Thankful: Days 4 & 5

Day 4:

On Friday, I was reminded how thankful I am for my 4 years in Wonderland. I had intended to go back for Corn this weekend, but I couldn't, so Friday was hard. I wanted to be there and see all of my friends, but since I wasn't there and couldn't see them, I focused instead on all the wonderful memories I have from being a student there.

Day 5:

I spent almost all of Saturday with a couple of friends, Katherine and Chris. We went to Mass and breakfast, then drove out to the Trappist monastery that's close to us and went exploring. We walked all over the grounds, visited the church and spent a good hour in the library (illicitly) before heading into town for a barbecue lunch. I came home and spent a few hours doing homework before we got back together to bake for our young adult group bake sale at church today. There was lots of laughter, good conversation, and a really fun storytelling board game called Dixit. It was pretty close to being a perfect day and I'm so thankful for that.

30 Days of Thankful: Day 3

If you know me, you know that my parents and I are incredibly close, which is a wonderful thing, except for when I go too long without seeing them. Then it hurts a lot and not just emotionally, but a real, physical ache in the general area of my chest cavity (heartache?). This weekend marks 7 weeks since I've been home, which is the longest stretch I've ever done, I think. I have so much respect for my friends who scattered all over the globe after graduation, particularly Sam and Hannah, because I couldn't do that. It's hard enough being 4 hours away and talking to my mom on the phone multiple times a day. The past few days have been really hard, probably because I don't get to go home tomorrow for Corn, which made me even sadder.

So today, I'm thankful for that pain. Thankful that I've been blessed with a family that I love so much I can't wait to go home and see them, hug my Jack-man, pet the stinky dog and just spend time being together.

I love you all and I'm so excited to see you on Tuesday!

30 Days of Thankful: Day 2

Today, I'm giving thanks for the traditions of the Catholic Church on feast days. Being Catholic, we celebrate everything, and the dead are no exception. Today, November 2nd, is the Feast of All Souls, where we pray for all the dead in Purgatory. In pre-Reformation Britain, this feast was celebrated by children going door to door begging for soul cakes; in return for the sweet, they promised to pray for the souls in Purgatory, hence the name.

I read the following recipe in one of the blogs I read and it looked pretty good, so I baked up a batch to take with me to Bible study tonight. I snuck a taste when one of them broke and it was indeed delicious. So tonight, we'll be remembering the holy souls in Purgatory as we eat them.

Soul Cakes

• 2 3/4 cup plain flour (sifted)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup butter (softened & diced)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 2 tsp of white vinegar

Preheat the oven to 400F and grease 2 flat baking trays

Thoroughly mix all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl – sifted flour, spices, and sugar. Rub in the diced butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add in the beaten egg and white vinegar and mix by hand until a firm dough is made. Then cover it and put it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Flour a working surface and roll out the dough to 7mm thick and using a small round pastry cutter cut into rounds; use a straight edge to press into, and then draw a cross shape, in the top of the dough. Place these rounds on the greased baking tray and bake in the oven for 8 1/2 minutes at 400F until slightly colored. Serve warm or cold. Makes about 5 dozen

Close up of my soul cakes. I don't know why my kitchen looks so dark

The whole lovely plate of soul cakes

Recipe adapted from here.

For more background on All Souls Day and soul cakes, visit this site or this one.

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace!

30 Days of Thankful: Day 1

[For the month of November, each day I plan to post something (however brief) that I'm thankful for]

On this first day of November, the feast of All Saints, I am thankful for the Communion of Saints and the rich traditions of the Catholic faith. No matter where I am in my spiritual life, I have an older brother or sister (or many) who have gone through the same thing and who will help me grow closer to God