Patience and Trust

So I'm super excited that we have finally decided where we will live when we move. For some reason I had a lot of anxiety about selling our current house unless I knew that there is a place waiting for our family to live in. I equate it to being a bird without a nest. (I have no idea how the settlers were able to set out not knowing where they were going to live) So we drove all over the KC metro area looking at homes and neighborhoods and we couldn't find anything that felt like home.

Finally we found Tonganoxie. We love the small town feel and it's close proximity to the metro area, we also found builder has been very helpful to us, customizing the plans and even cutting into the lot price so that we could increase the house size but not the home price.

The home in Tonganoxie

So now I feel like I'm in stage 4 of the moving and building process. Stage 1, was deciding to move. Stage 2, was looking for a home and getting our home on the market. Stage 3, was choosing a revising plans until we found one we liked. And now Stage 4 of the process is going to involve a lot of patience waiting while I wait for the home to be built and for our current home to sell. And patience is a virtue I struggle with.

In todays society of instant gratification, I sure I'm not the only one that struggles with handling patience. Just think about cell phones, internet, t.v. and instant credit. We rarely have to wait for anything. But, in this case I must wait and ask the Lord for patience. This point in the process is also when I must give up control and trust that our home will sell and that the builder will do a good job building our home.

So last night I laid awake for hours wondering if our home would sell, and wishing that I didn't have to wait to move into the new house and wondering if the builder was going to remember to put in the gas line to the stove area, and if I needed to go up to KC to make sure that they are using materials I like and not cutting corners. But, in the end I came to the point of this blog.

It is in God's hands and in God's time. I do not control the universe, he does. So I must trust and have patience with what God provides us and be accepting of his timing. I will be praying to Saint Monica to intercede on my behalf for the next few months, I hope she can help provide me with patience and trust through this stage.

Prayers to Saint Monica:
Daily Novena Prayer 

Dear Saint Monica, once the sorrowing mother of a wayward son, be pleased to present our petition to the Lord God of heaven and earth. (Pause to mention intentions in silence.) Look down upon our anxieties and needs, and intercede for us, as you did so fervently for Augustine, your firstborn.

We have full confidence, that your prayers will gain favorable hearing in heaven. Mother of a sinner-turned saint; obtain for us patience, perseverance, and total trust in God's perfect timing. In His appointed hour, in His merciful way, may He respond to your prayer and ours, which we offer through you. Amen.

Parents' Prayer to Saint Monica

Saint Monica, patron of Christian parents, we entrust to your protection, the children whose names you can read in our hearts. Pray for them, that they may be granted strength to combat weakness, victory over temptation, guidance to resolve their doubts, and success in all their undertakings.

May they enjoy good health of mind and body, see beauty and worth in all created things, and serve the Lord with firm faith, joyful hope and enduring love. Amen.

Prayer for Our Children

Dear Saint Monica, patroness of all parents, please take our children, especially those who have turned from the ways of Christ and His Church, under your protection. Let them always remain faithful to their Baptismal vows. Give them the strength to walk always in the ways of the Lord, despite the temptations and false values they find in the world today. Pray for them that they may share with you the joys of eternal life. Amen.

Prayer in Adversity

O Blessed Saint Monica, after a lifetime of tearful prayers, fasting and sacrifice, you were at last granted the happiness of witnessing the conversion to Christ Jesus and His Church of both your son and husband.

Intercede for us that we might experience the same peace, faith and acceptance of God's will so that we may live all our years in serenity and go joyfully to our heavenly home secure in the knowledge that our loved ones are on the way of Christ. Amen.

Prayer of Petition

Dear Saint Monica, once sorrowing mother of a wayward son, be pleased to present our petition to the Lord God of heaven and earth. (Pause to mention intentions in silence.) Look down upon our anxieties and needs, and intercede for us, as you did so fervently for Augustine, your firstborn.

We have full confidence that your prayers will gain a favorable hearing in heaven. Mother of a sinner-turned saint; obtain for us patience, perseverance, and total trust in God's perfect timing. In His appointed hour, in His merciful way, may He respond to your prayer and ours, which we offer through you. Amen.

Prayer of Thanksgiving 

We turn to you with grateful hearts, dear Monica, as we rejoice and render thanks for your powerful intercession. You 'have carried our pressing needs to God and have obtained for us the trust, perseverance and patience we desired.

Please continue to plead for us in all our needs, spiritual and temporal, and teach us to be truly thankful for all the blessing bestowed upon us. Amen.

Accepting My Limitations

The Most important priorities in my life are, and always will be God, my husband and my children. However, it seems at times that the world in which we live, pushes the notion that I should be all things to everyone.


It took me awhile to realize that it is impossible for me to be all things to everyone. Society, told me that I should have a successful career, be a great wife, a wonderful mother, active in my church, volunteer time in my community, be socially popular and fit into a size 7 pair of jeans.


Well, I only have 24 hours in a day and I require some sleep, so I just couldn't be everything to everyone. And I was stressing out trying to be all those things, and felt like a failure that I was only moderately successful (in my opinion) at juggling all those thing. I know some people might disagree and say that I was doing great, but I just wasn't happy getting pulled in so many directions. And being adequate at a lot of things isn't acceptable for my standards. I wanted to be great at the things most important to me, and it just wasn't happening.


So I prioritized my life and made some changes. Now that I have realized that in order for me to be happy and flourish I cannot be everything to everyone. I need to be true to my faith to God, the love for my husband and be the best mom I can be. For me to flourish I chose to change careers and become a stay at home mom. 


I love that I had the choice to be a stay at home mom. Just like I'm grateful that many of my friends have the choice to be working mothers. I wasn't happy as a working mom, but that  doesn't mean that other women aren't happy being working moms. But, I found that I wasn't happy in that role.


It took me awhile to accept that limitation for myself. But, I believe I have done this realizing what is important to me and trying to be the most wonderful wife and mother I can be, and in my case that was by choosing to be a stay at home mother.


I also don't worry about being the most popular mom,with an itinerary full of lunch and coffee dates. I love having friends, but I don't have the time to be a social butterfly. I'm happy with my small circle of great friends. 


The quest to be a size 7 is not my priority, although it is a long term goal. So I try to eat right and I make an effort to do 15 minutes of exercise a day, I'm working on it. 


I love volunteering, however it is time consuming and as a mommy of 2 small children I don't have a lot of time. So I still volunteer and help in the community when I can, but I have cut back on it and I've learned to say no. So now I do things like bringing food to a friend in need or volunteering at a local school.


Since accepting my limitations and prioritizing my life, I am much happier. And in return my family's faith has grown by leap and bounds, my husband is happier and so are my children.