Remember, O Thou Man - Lenten Reflections on Hope and the Four Last Things

Well, we are officially in the season of Lent, a time of penance; prayer, abstinence, fasting, and almsgiving.  Those things can sound sort of somber but believe it or not I'm usually very excited and happy when Lent kicks off!  Every year I forget how helpful Lent can be in my spiritual life until it comes around again.  This season really continues the work of Advent and Christmas in my soul bringing the cycle to completion at Easter.  So first off in this post, I'll explain the justification I found for my happiness and secondly, I want to talk about the hard-hitting stuff.  This is the stuff I'm actually excited for even though it sounds extremely hard.  I'm hoping to tie it in to The Grim Writer's Lenten blog link-up (otherwise known as The Penance Party 😉) finishing up with meditating on the Four Last Things.

I don't think my joyful peace is entirely unfounded.  So far this Lent, I've been very blessed to be able to go to Mass quite a few times just in the first week.  Starting with Shrove Tuesday and the Feast of the Holy Face, Ash Wednesday, First Friday, First Saturday, and then the First Sunday in Lent, I was able to read and meditate upon the Propers of each Mass.  And you know what?  They are actually quite comforting and even hopeful!  On the First Sunday of Lent, the Propers center around the beginning of Psalm 90.  If you aren't familiar with it just by that name, let me help you out.  (Traddy raised kids, you might want to cover your ears; I don't want to scar you.)  NO raised kids, do you remember the hymn "On Eagles Wings"?  Yeah, that one.  Well, that hymn was loosely based on this Psalm.  Now most people may just read through this Psalm in the Tract rather quickly thinking that they've heard it countless times and if they were raised in the NO like I was, it may bring back some less-than-savory memories.  But this Sunday, I decided to read it slowly and carefully as the schola chanted through it.  I was surprised to find it very comforting and encouraging and not just in a flowery way.  It is encouraging me to put my trust in God this Lent through my penances, fasts, and hardships.  When we rely on Him, then He will give us His grace, support us, and protect us.  God doesn't promise that he will raise us up on eagles' wings to avoid adversity or suffering.  (In fact, wings like eagles' aren't even mentioned in this Psalm.  Go figure.)  But God does promise,

"Because he hoped in me I will deliver him: I will protect him because he hath known my name.  He shall cry to me, and I will hear him: I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify him."

~Psalm 90:14-15

Doesn't sound very "Lent-y" does it?  But the Church is an emotionally balanced entity and assures us there is hope even amidst the greatest suffering. 

We must place our hope in God (this means not abandoning ourselves to the depths of despair, no matter how romantic that sounds), we must know His Name.  To me, that sounds like keeping His Holy Name foremost in our minds and making it the subject of all our lives.  We should make all we do pleasing to His Holy Name and make reparation whenever we hear or see it blasphemed.  

St. Paul tells us in the Epistles of these first days of Lent how we are to live this way.  In the Gospels, especially the first Sunday's, Our Lord shows us how to live this way.  Most notable of His actions are that He loved us 

"Usque ad mortem et mortem ad crucem." 

 ...Even to death and to death on the cross.  (Credit to our priest who said this quote in his homily on Sunday.  I'm hoping I remembered the Latin correctly.)  We are called to love just as Christ loved us but how can we love "ad mortem" (to death) if we do not even contemplate our own death?  Have we ever questioned ourselves, "Do I love this person enough that I would be willing to die for them?"  This is a question I may have asked myself while in a courtship but honestly, it's a very good question to ask ourselves during Lent.  Do we love Our Lord enough that we would honestly die for Him?  Do we have what it takes to be martyrs?  It probably won't come to that for most of us, but we should still be prepared regardless because, as Our Lord tells us,

"Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

~John 15:13

And what more worthy or better friend do we have than Jesus?  It's one thing to think about and a whole other thing to actually do it.  But as Christians, there are actually two kinds of martyrdoms, red martyrdom and white martyrdom.  White martyrdom is, in short, the complete dying to self in all things.  (It could be argued that all Christians are called to white martyrdom in accord with their state in life.)

"Let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of God... as dying, and behold we live..."

~ 2 Corinthians 6:4,9 

If we work on dying to ourselves and our passions every day, we can prepare ourselves for death.  If we live "as having nothing, and possessing all things," (2 Cor. 6:10) if we live with Heaven as our one and only goal, we will be unattached from the things of this world and better prepared for death.  Penance and mortification are the means by which we deny our passions, crucify 'self', and prepare for death.

St. Therese's "Little Way" is not only a good way to make ready to become the spouse of Jesus but also to prepare for death.

 But we can't just prepare to die and go straight to Heaven.  Most likely, we will die with at least temporal punishment still due for our sins, if not venial sins on our souls.  God forbid we die in the state of mortal sin.  So after death there is judgement, where we will stand before God and render an entire account of our lives.  We will be fully exposed and not one word of our life will be hidden from Divine Justice.  Meditating on your personal judgement seems even more fruitful in avoiding sin than meditation on death by itself.  The Church in Her goodness anticipates this and follows the theme of the four last things in the Propers of the Mass because Monday of the First Week in Lent uses Jesus' description of the last judgement for the Gospel reading.  Our Lord will say one of two things to us at that final judgement.  Either He will say,

"Amen I say to you: What you did for one of these, the least of My brethren, you did for Me: come, blessed of My Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Or He will say,

"As long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to Me.  Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels."

If we meditate on the words of Our Lord and make the everyday choices of our lives in light of what we would like Him to say to us, we can prepare ourselves for judgement.  Will we have a bouquet of charitable acts stored up to present to Our Lord at our judgement?  (We'll talk about this a little more later...)

Looking ahead in the missal, the Gospel selections also point our attention to Heaven and hell.  First, the veil between Heaven and Earth is pulled aside in the account of the Transfiguration.  Both God the Father and St. Peter show us what to do to prepare for the Beatific Vision.  First St. Peter, when confronted with the dazzling white vision of Our Lord transfigured concludes,

"It is good for us to be here: let us make here three tabernacles..."

Then God the Father broke in,

"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye Him."

These are two aspects of prayer which are highlighted here; adoration and listening to Our Lord in the silence of our hearts.  To best prepare for the Beatific Vision, we are called to prayer listening for the directions of the Lord.  The highest form of prayer is Heaven itself so what better way to prepare for eternity than attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass where Heaven and earth come together?

Then on Thursday of the Second week in Lent we hear the account of the rich man and Lazarus.  This parable reminds us of the reality of hell and serves as a warning.  Either we make ourselves comfortable, feast sumptuously on the goods of this life, and forfeit Heaven, or we join our sufferings in this life to those of Christ and become partakers in His eternal reward.  We can fast from the pleasures and fine things of life in order to unite ourselves to Our Lord's poor, storing up for ourselves treasures in Heaven.  Hell is very real and so is the torment.  Let us heed the call of Our Lord to pick up our crosses during this Lenten season that we may avoid the flames of hell. 

This account and that of the final judgement also stick out to me as calls to almsgiving, one of those four pillars of Lent.  Almsgiving is usually thought of as the act of donating money or goods to the poor but is also performing other acts of charity which are equally important.  Almsgiving begins with your family.

"If you want to change the world, go home and love your family." 

~St. Mother Teresa

I'm learning not to ignore the needs of my family or procrastinate when they ask me to do something because in serving and obeying them, I'm really serving and obeying Jesus.

"What you did for one of these, ... you did for Me..."

~Matthew 25:40

 I discovered that March 9th is the feast of St. Frances of Rome and she put this virtue into practice very well in her life. Fr. Alban Butler tells us*, "Whilst she was at her prayers or other exercises, if called away by her husband, or the meanest person of her family, she laid all aside to obey without delay, saying:

'A married woman must, when called upon, quit her devotions to God at the altar, to find Him in her household affairs.'”

"Be faithful to your family responsibilities; it's a holy thing to do and what Our Lord expects of us." 

~St. Frances of Rome

I know this post has been a bunch of rabbit hole tangents one on top of another but let's recap because I promise you it all comes together.  (At least it does in my head...)

There are four pillars of Lent: prayer, penance, fasting, and almsgiving.

There are also the Four Last Things: death, judgement, heaven, and hell.

The readings at the beginning of Lent have already shown us that the four last things should be in our direct focus and we can tangibly meditate on these four last things by practicing the four pillars of Lent.  If you miss the correlations I tried to mention so far, here are all four of them:

Death - Penance

Judgement - Alms

Heaven - Prayer

Hell - Fasting

Maybe others would come up with different correlations, but this is how I'm choosing to meditate on them this Lent.  So you see, my dear friends, the Church draws our attention to a very important part of our lives, the end of them here on earth.  She also gives us practical means to prepare for this end.  And all of this is displayed in the readings chosen for the holy season of Lent.  But we can't just attend Mass on Sundays and think we're set.  Every day of the Lenten season is filled with the exhortations of the Church Fathers and the example of Our Lord.  So even if you can't make it to Mass every day to hear these readings, maybe crack open your Bible or Missal at home once in a while during the week.  The Church's liturgy is filled with rich lessons if only we care to look.  I know there are so many ways to meditate on these four pillars and four ends but I hope you found something useful among my ramblings to help you grow closer in virtue to Our Lord.  I didn't even mention how all of this can help us walk with Our Lord to Calvary.  But alas, this blog post is far too rambling and long as it is.

So what have you learned or meditated upon this Lent?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

May God bless you and bring your Lenten practices to fruition.

Join the Lenten Blog Link-Up over at The Grim Writer's Blog!

*Quoted from the March 9th Daily Meditation in the March 2022 edition of Benedictus

Sunshine Blogger Award Vol. 5

Hello All!  Happy Monday!!  Samantha @ Bookshire tagged me for my most favorite tag on the internet! It's been sitting in my drafts for quite a bit and I thought it would be a good one to whip up quickly at the end of February.  Well, it was definitely NOT quick because I discovered something towards the end of her questions (you'll see down below) but it was so much fun, nevertheless.  Is this my favorite tag because I get to look up happy aesthetic pictures?  Maybeeee.... but really it's my favorite because of the fun and creative questions y'all ask!

Rules:
Thank the blogger who nominated you in the blog post and link back to their blog.
Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.  List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.


Let's get to it!!

Samantha's Questions

1. What is the movie that you've watched that gave you the most emotions? (You can interpret this either as number or intensity. ;))

Ooh... good question... You know...?  I can't rightly say.  I'm not an emotional movie watcher AT ALL.  There are a few Catholic movies that have moved me deeply.  I also cried when I was child after watching The First of May.  I haven't watched it since then, but it would be very interesting to revisit.  Have you seen it?

2. What was the first book that you fell intensely in love with?

I think it would be Anne of Green Gables.  I'm not really sure of this though either.  I wasn't an avid reader as a child, and I was never hopelessly attached to any one toy, movie, or book.

3. What is your least favorite question to be asked, and why?

I absolutely love when people ask me questions out of curiosity with an open mind and an eagerness to learn.  It doesn't matter how silly the question may seem, I'm more than happy to answer it.  But if you're asking a question in order to peeve me or just challenge me for the sake of challenging me, I will not appreciate it.

The specific question that I have a distaste for though, would be something like, "So, what are your plans?  What are you doing?  What's new in your life?"  Please don't get me wrong, I'm so grateful that people are interested in my life and they are so supportive!  But ever since my freshman or sophomore year of high school I've been asked these kinds of questions and I can honestly answer you every time, "I have absolutely no idea!"  The only reason I flinch a little at this question is that I'm sorry I don't really have a good answer for you.  I wish I could give you a firm, goal-oriented, successfully moving forward answer, but I can't even formulate that answer for myself.  But I don't think Our Lord wants me to know the answer to that question.  If He did, then He would be sure to have answered my ever-constant prayer of "Show me Your Will for my life."  But in His silence is His Will.  He desires that we wait on His every word, His every move.  He wants us to abandon our wills to Him completely and for a planner like me, that's gonna take a lot of uncertainty and instability to propel me into His providential arms.

But please don't feel bad if you've asked me these sorts of questions.  They often lead to helpful suggestions and more self-reflection on my part.  Sometimes a simple, "How have you been," is the best question and if I have any new and exciting developments, I'll be so happy and excited to share them with you!  Please do pray for me that I may be ever faithful to God's providence in my life.

Also, I just love Megan's answer to this question...

That didn't really feel all sunshiny, did it?  Ok, rant tangent over, sorry.  

4. What is your favorite smell? (or some of your favorites, if it's too hard to narrow it down to one)

The scents on the air around Index, Washington, hands down are my favorite. I gulped in that air so heavily all the while thinking this is exactly how the sweet waves at the end of the Narnian world taste. If you ever get the chance to road trip through Northern Washington in summer, drive through the wooded mountains and roll down the windows. The smell is oh so sweet.

Oh!!  Also, this candle smells just like my memories of Christmas.  From the B&BW website description:

Its name says it all. Fresh cut pine. Cinnamon sugar. Toasted marshmallow. It’s everything you love about Christmas in one, nostalgic fragrance. 

That's pretty accurate but the reason it reminds me of all my Christmas' is that it smells just like my grandma's Christmas ornament boxes stuffed with old worn-out tissue paper, decorating the tree, and sitting enjoying the soft glow of the colored tree lights in an otherwise dark living room.

(Note: I did not purchase this though because B&BW is a pro-abortion company that donates to Planned Parenthood.  Maybe in the future, we can explore some good alternatives on this blog!)

5. What's your favorite season?

I switch between Spring and Autumn every year. This year, I especially enjoyed Autumn. But who knows what spring will bring this year!

6. Is there a book that you recommend to absolutely everyone, and if so, what is it?

The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux is one I've read multiple times and that I highly recommend to anyone!!  (Pssst!  TAN Books has this title on sale for just $5 at the link above!🎉)

7. What is the craziest thing you've ever done?

Maybe repelling?  It was only down about 10 or 15ft but it was so much fun.  Learning just a little bit about the safety measures and putting your trust in them was quite something.  You know what made that experience crazier though?  The trek we made off the beaten path over boulders and through the thick, prickly brush to get to the "good" spot.

Also, kissing a dolphin when I was 3. 😂😍  It was just crazy wonderful.

Hello, 3 year old me! 😁

8. What's your favorite superhero movie, and why?

Thor: The Dark World.  I may not be able to fully explain why this is my favorite superhero movie ever.  First off, there's Thor.  He's just awesome.  I also love the character relationships and development.  Whether it's between Thor and Jane, Loki and Thor, the brothers and their parents, Heimdall and the gang, there are so many great scenes.  It's a decently good storyline (although others might disagree.)  But overall, I just wish I could be Jane.  She's smart, humble, and gets to go on an awesome adventure visiting realms she only studied in admiration as stars.  Did I mention the costumes?? 

9. Do you go to the library often, and if so, how do you tend to choose books when you browse?

Mmm... moderately often.   I used to tutor some little friends in Latin a couple times a week and we met for about three years at the library for our lessons.  Those were some of the best times of my life.  After our lessons were finished we would browse the movies and then the Young People's Library.  Usually I look for books, authors, or publishers I'm familiar with.  If I don't recognize these, I still may pick out the book (especially from the YPL) based on the content of the book.  I usually stick with historical fiction from this section.  Here are a few of my absolute favorite library discoveries!!  (Links go to my reviews on Goodreads.)

After the War - Carol Matas  War Horse - Michael Morpurgo

The Austen Escape - Katherine Reay Before Green Gables - Budge Wilson

10. What is your favorite position and place to read in (e.g. sitting in bed, lying on the couch, &c.)?

I like sitting or lying on the couch, sitting at the table with my lunch, or my most recent favorite... under the covers with a flashlight.  hehehe.  😊  It really just helps me calm down and fall asleep so easily.

11. If your house was burning down and you could save three of your books, which three would you save, and why? (excluding the Bible. We'll assume that one of your parents saved the Bibles.)

Wow.  Another really great question.  Well, certain books like my all-time favorite, The Story of a Soul, could be replaced because I haven't made any notes in it.  But there are a few that come to mind.  

1.  I would first rush to grab These Women Walked With God.  Not only would I grab it because it's a loaner from church but also because it is a rare find that is out of print and is one of the best books on religious life I've read.  It reads like a novel but is so incredibly inspiring because it is real life.  These faithful Cistercian contemplatives will take you by the hand and lead you gently but swiftly to the heart of Our Lord.  There is no way you can read this book without growing closer to God.  You may just want to dedicate your whole life to Him entirely in a very special way! 😉  (Once I finish the whole book, I'll be sure to give an in-depth review.)  This is also one I wish I had infinite copies of to give to every single person!

2.  After that, I'm less sure of what I'd rush to grab.  Maybe my copy of Manual for Total Consecration to Mary.  I've made some highlights in this one and just have too much attachment to my own copy of a consecration book like this.  (Similarly, my copy of Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father.) 

3.  Finally, maybe I would grab a small booklet called A Few Lines to Tell You: My Life in Carmel.  It was gifted to me by one of my dear friends whose sister was in Carmel at the time.  The book had belonged to this sister before she entered.  It is a beautiful portrayal of life in Carmel before Vatican II, filled with the simplicity, devotion, and even some funny mishaps of a new sister in formation.

What a fun tag, as always!!  Thank you again so much, Samantha!  

What's this??  Another tag?! 😱  I didn't realize The Maidens of Green Gables tagged me!  Thank you, ladies!  Sorry it's taken me so long to find this! (...Or re-find it if you did indeed tell me about it, which is more than likely...🙈)   But without further ado, on to round two!

Katherine & Grace's Questions

1) What's something that's made you laugh this past week?

Where did this week even go?!  I had some very good laughs with my best friend/honorary sister who's home from college this week.  We caught up on everything and a lot of nothing.  Ya know... girl talk. ;)

2) What is the last Bible verse you've memorized?

Oh, it's been so long since I've memorized a Bible verse.  I could probably do some this Lent!

3) What's something you've seen in a movie and want to try in real life?

Fall in love, get married, live happily ever after and have babies?  Does that count?  Maybe visiting a giant library, sailing on a boat across the ocean?  How about discovering that I'm a lost princess or stumbling upon a magical wardrobe?  

4) What is your greatest source of motivation?

Jesus.  He is the one who holds me accountable for my actions, the one who calls me to do the little things with great love, and the one who comforts me in my sorrows.  Even this morning, when I didn't want to get up early out of bed to go to Mass, He made me think of Him and then I couldn't say no to seeing Him!  Now that's what I call motivation!  His great example of complete and selfless love has become a huge motivation for me especially at the beginning of this Lent.

5) If you were to star in a pre-existing Hallmark movie, which movie would you choose and which character would you play?

Hahaha... love this question.  I haven't seen an overabundance, but out of the ones I've seen, let's go with One Royal Holiday.  I mean... what's better than living in your very own little Inn, helping out a family in need, meeting royalty, hosting a glorious Christmas ball, and falling in love.  Not to mention Aaron Tveit.

But this is one I would want to live in.  Laura Osnes is an absolutely phenomenal actress and I don't think I'd want to replace her in the movie.

If I were to replace the lead actress in a movie, it might be Erin Krakow in Finding Father Christmas.  She's a good actress and I really liked her as Elizabeth in When Calls the Heart (seasons 1-5) but this isn't her most stellar performance in my humble opinion and I would absolutely love to play this role.  I love theatre and A Christmas Carol so I think it would be perfect.  But you know what I'd really love to film?  The carriage ride... *le sigh*

6) What is something you recently learned how to do?

Recently, I re-taught myself how to knit.  I had learned the basic knit stitch a long time ago but I never finished a project and what I did attempt had so many mistakes.  I know I keep mentioning my knitting, but I promise I will do a whole post about it soon!!

7) What is the last book you read and would you recommend it?

The last book I completed was The Christmas Box and I guess I would say, sure, it's a good read.  It's a novella really, although I think it's based on real-life?  It's short and sweet with a touching lesson but maybe a little too sweet, like a grocery store cupcake frosting.  It's nice, but not very deep.  If you're super bored at Christmas and don't have any other Christmas novels to read, sure, you can sit with this quite nicely.  Does that suffice as a recommendation?  I liked it, honest, just wasn't my all-time favorite or anything.

8) Your dream "cheer you up" package has just arrived on your doorstep. What is inside?

Aaaah!  You girls ask such fun questions!!  No self-care/beauty stuff for me, thanks all the same.   Instead, anything shabby chic floral, a Chick-fil-A gift card, photos of my dear friends and fun memories, a dark chocolate orange, a jar or box of cozy tea, some sort of beautiful chunky yarn for me to knit up, maybe some stickers whether they be planner stickers or hydroflask stickers, it doesn't matter, the latest issue of the Magnolia Journal, and a really, really good book with your favorite quotes highlighted or underlined.

9) What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?

Oh no!!  Making me choose would be like asking me to choose a favorite child!  I just couldn't do that!  Though, some of my top favorites include the turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole with toasted marshmallows on top, my Granny's cream peas and carrots, also her ambrosia salad, my Aunt Jana's homemade rolls... am I forgetting anything?  Dessert!!  Can't forget that.  I would honestly just be happy with a huge piece of pumpkin pie with whipped cream.  *sigh*

10) What is something that is important to you that you want to pass on to your children?

My Catholic Faith is honestly the most important thing I would want to pass on to my children.  This faith teaches them the infinite love of God, our purpose in this life, what a great cloud of witnesses we have cheering us on from Heaven, what a mother we have in Our Lady, and their priceless worth as a human made in the image and likeness of God.  Most importantly, I would like to foster in their hearts an immense love for Jesus because He is the ultimate object of our love and affection.  We were created to love, to be loved, and for Love Himself.  So the most important thing I want to pass on to my children is the desire to attain Heaven where we will be in love with Love for all eternity.

11) What is your current favorite song?

Well, now that it is Lent and I have given up all music of a secular nature, I've only been listening to Gregorian Chant, hymns, and Contemporary Christian music.  But I have to say, my all-time favorite song right now, regardless of this fast, is Be Alright by Evan Craft, Danny Gokey, and Redimi2.  (I only know who Danny Gokey is. 😅)  It's a CC song that is currently on the Christian radio.  It doesn't have much substance to it, but I just really like it right now.  It's a reassuring message.

Wow!!  If you made it to this point, oh my goodness.  Thank you!!  And thank you to Grace and Katherine for those fun questions!!  Now, for the moment y'all may or may not have been waiting for... nominations!

• Miss K from Today with Miss K
• Stefanie from S. M. Lozinski
• Katherine and Grace from The Maidens of Green Gables  (Since you have a brand new beautiful home on the internet, I hope you won't mind doing this tag again so soon!  Or save it for a rainy day... that works too. 😊)
• Catherine from Femininity from Scratch
• Jacqulie from Simply Cinderella
• Miss Megan from Only Mildly Mad  (I know you had this one in the Fall, but they are in fact different questions and it has been 5 or so months.  You're welcome to take it or leave it. 😉
• Samantha dear of Bookshire, I don't want you to feel left out so if you so desire, you are more than welcome to answer these new questions! hehe
• And you, my dear reader!!  Answer some of these questions in the comments below or feel free to do the tag on your own sunshiny little corner of the internet!!

Finally, my questions:

1. What is your favorite time of the year?  Not necessarily a season (unless that truly is your favorite) but maybe a holiday, feast day, yearly event, or liturgical season.  What makes it your favorite?
2. If you could learn any musical instrument, which would you choose?
3. Describe your dream sitting room/living room.  (Pictures are a bonus!)
4. What do your daydreams usually consist of?
5. Where's your favorite spot in the world to pray and talk to God?
6. What's the most recent quote you wrote down somewhere or saved on Pinterest/Instagram?
7. Describe a delightfully ideal Saturday afternoon for you.
8. Out of horses, giraffes, dolphins, and elephants, which one would you choose for a pet and why?
9. What is your favorite medium of art whether you actually use it or just appreciate it? Acrylics, watercolor, pastels, charcoal, mosaics, etc...?
10. What is your favorite smell?
11. How do you come up with your blog post ideas?

Also, how do you ladies come up with such great questions?!  This was such a fun one to put together.  I hope you enjoyed reading it and I'm sorry it was so long.  Thank you so much if you actually made it to this point.  You honestly deserve a reward.  This is probably one of the longest posts on my blogs.  No kidding.  Sorry it's not a perfectly curated aesthetic, but I'm learning!  Thanks once again for reading!  I'd love to chat with you in the comments!!  May God bless you and keep you always!

In cordibus Jesu et Mariae,

Sarah