grace in unexpected bargains

today was a great day.  and it's only 1:08 pm.  it started with teacher appreciation day at staples, followed by a yard sale around the corner from my house, and a trip to home depot to buy paint for the bathrooms at school.  i got some good deals at each place, but my true blessing of the day was in a set of five (count them- FIVE) of these chairs (normally priced at $87.36 each) for fifty bucks.  we have been re-vamping our office at school, and really need some tables and chairs to spruce things up and bring ourselves into this century. 

what we had before was functional, i'll say that, but i've realized how much i am really mentally affected by my surroundings, and aesthetics are important, i don't care what anyone says.  it makes a big difference to walk into a clutter-free, organized, reasonably updated office rather than the opposite.  we're not totally there yet, but we're on our way, and someone told me recently that direction is more important than speed, so i'm going with it.  i think there's a lot of wisdom in that little saying!  the chairs we had before looked more or less like this:


yeah...little bit of money spent = big mental health savings.  thank you, God, for good bargains and nice neighbors!

graceful productivity

i have to (sadly) admit that since i started my new job six weeks ago, every day has been relatively tough.  meaning, i come home exhausted and with a headache- everyday.  thanks be to God, i am thrilled to share that today was different.  of course, there was still the normal chaos and non-stop activity, but today also brought two wonderful meetings with teachers, and a quiet afternoon of solid work. 

today i accomplished all of the following:

• followed directions from the technology guy over the phone and fixed our internet when it was down (this was a source of great pride for me, i'm not gonna lie)
• registered a new student
• translated four posters and 14 bulletin announcements into Spanish
• created a master schedule for all special classes for the coming years
• set up meetings with the teachers i have not yet met with
• caught 6 mice in traps
• created a to-do list for the next two weeks before school starts
• hired a music teacher
• set up volunteers to help distribute textbooks and move things that need to be moved the rest of this week
• broke into a locked closet (couldn't find the key) and found a missing step stool for the nuns
• got an estimate on new flooring for the middle school hallway
• dealt with two not-so-happy parents over the phone and (i think) took care of things
• probably a lot of other things that i can't think of right now

the result:  i left school (albeit at 6:45 pm) tonight feeling accomplished, worthwhile, somewhat in control, and headache-free.  here's hoping for many more days like today!

eat. pray. love.

it's been a bestseller for years.  now it's a box office hit, thanks to julia roberts.  something inside me says it's much more than a book and a movie.  you may disagree with me completely- and you reserve the right to your own opinion- there is plenty of criticism out there for this book/movie/woman/story.  i guess i just feel like, at its heart, it's a story about the journey toward oneself, which is ultimately a journey we can all relate to.  no, we don't all experience the pain of divorce...but we all experience pain.  no, we don't all run to italy to stuff ourselves with pasta, but we all seek some type of pleasure to numb the pain.  no, we don't all buy into eastern religious practices at the drop of a hat, but we all seek God in our own ways.  finally, we don't all travel to bali to hang out with a toothless medicine man and end up finding love, but we often return to the place where we first recognized truth, and we often find love when we give up looking for it.  there is something very universal about this story.  her story is my story- and your story. 

it reminds me of another story i've been reading lately...the story of a franciscan priest who walked the camino.  was he running away after a bitter divorce?  no, he chose to walk the camino in thanksgiving for 10 years of being a priest and the many blessings in his life during that time.  completely different motivations- very similar journey.  the journey inward.  the journey to oneself.  the journey to God.  in "eat pray love", the main character is searching for God, and is struck when told, "God lives in you- as you."  it's the age-old story of searching the world to find what you had all along- what changes in the process is you.  you develop new eyes- a new heart- a new attitude- and suddenly you can see/feel/appreciate/love that which you have always had. 

i was thinking about this wisdom- eat. pray. love.  i think there is something to it.  and all i can think about is the prayer and love involved in eating, and the nourishment and love involved in prayer, and the hunger and prayer involved in loving.  they are all so inter-woven.  take the last supper, for example (let's be honest- if you're going to use a meal as an example, that's the one to use!).  yes, there was eating (at least, bread was broken, right?).  but there was so much love present at that table- among jesus and his friends.  and where two or more are gathered...clearly the whole meal was one big prayer, as jesus reminded/foretold his disciples the essence of what he really wanted them to remember...God was definitely present there.  and every time i go to mass and receive the eucharist, yes, i am eating bread (transformed into jesus' body), but i'm also praying, loving, and receiving divine love.  take it down a notch.  thanksgiving dinner with the family.  lots of eating.  prayers of gratitude, whether spoken or not.  and don't even try to tell me that you don't just overflow with love as you look around the table and realize what a great gift you have in those people around you.  in shared meals, we come hungry and broken.  we leave full and whole.  eat.  pray.  love.  maybe it really is that simple.

grace in days off

my mom and grandma have always lived by mother cabrini's quote, "we have all of eternity in which to rest; now let us work!"

don't get me wrong, i love to work hard- especially at work worth doing, which is how i think of the work expected of me everyday.  most of the time, i love what i do.

but it's summer, gosh darn it, and sometimes you just need a day off!

this week has been such a gift of grace to me.  they are doing the floors at school, an annual event that every teacher dreads (because it means getting everything off the floor and ready to be moved) and every administrator loves (because it means "working from home" or not working at all!).  my week has been a balance of the two.  i have been checking voicemail and email and responding as much as i can with the resources i have here at home, as well as doing some planning, ordering of school supplies, etc.  but i've also done a lot of sitting around in my pj's, going to the gym, hanging out with friends, running errands and just generally taking care of myself and doing the things i don't normally have/make time for.  not quite the adventures that ferris chose for his day off, but perfect for me.

it has been divine.

tomorrow, i'm going in to school to check on the progress  the floors and do some work at school that i can't do here at home.  even though i know it's going to be a long day, i'm actually excited to get in there and get busy.  that's the grace of a day off...mental rest, relaxation, and preparation for the next day on.