Little things.

You always hear that it’s the little things that count. The little acts of courage, patience, or love have more significance than we can see at the time. Life also seems a tad more manageable when we focus on getting the “little things” right rather than focusing on all of life’s big decisions or the broad goals we have for our lives. Take it from these beautiful women: 

These are the Little Sisters Disciples of the Lamb – a religious order of women with Down syndrome.  

“Guided by the wisdom of St Benedict, we teach our little disabled sisters the manual labour necessary for their development. We live poverty in putting ourselves at their disposal. With them, we share the work of everyday life.

The office, adoration and the praying of the rosary are adapted to their rhythm and their capacities. In a spirit of silence, our prayer feeds every day on the Eucharist and on the meditation of the Gospel.”

And it’s no surprise the sisters find inspiration in St. Therese of Lisieux’s “Little Way.”

“We follow every day the ‘little way’ taught by Saint Therese; knowing that ‘great actions are forbidden to us’, we learn from her to receive everything from God, to ‘love for the brothers who fight’, to ‘scatter flowers for Jesus’, and to pray for the intentions entrusted to us.”

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/danielle-bean/religious_order_for_women_with_down_syndrome#ixzz38hkk1g1X

So whenever you’re having a rough day when things seem to keep going wrong try to take a step back and just do one little thing at a time – and use these sisters and of course The Little Flower for some inspiration

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What Body Image?

Image by Martim Thomaz

Today I’m writing completely inspired by the post over on Verily Magazine today – Dress for Your Body: 3 Ways to Layer. It is such a delight when I see women who love who they are and are comfortable in their own skin. It can be quite a roller coaster for any woman throughout our lives as so many of us struggle with self-image and self-worth. In our society today it is so difficult to maintain a strong sense of these two things. The writing I’ve done before (for Verily Magazine here and here) and (Family Friendly Cincinnati here) lets my love for true personal style shine through. So many women talk about how much they love style and fashion – but how many of us let ourselves truly live it out by loving ourselves in return? Instead of focusing on that number on the scale or the (pre-determined) size charts in department stores, how about we try to find our happiness in how we’re living our lives. Unhappy with your weight? Why not try focusing on feeding your body healthy foods, practicing balanced exercise, and letting the feeling of a strong body feed your soul? Irritated that the newest trends coming out on the catwalks aren’t at all suited for your body type or taste? Modify them to fit for you…or completely ignore them. Not every trend is going to work (and some really shouldn’t: high-low skirt, crop tops). 

Of course our self worth goes beyond our bodies – our mind and soul are huge (and arguably more important) components of an integrated sense of self. We live in a screen saturated world. When was the last time you were without access to some kind of technology? I’m certainly guilty of this (being almost never without a phone or laptop nearby). There is a real danger of allowing these gadgets become more than they were meant to be. We all need an escape sometimes – especially after a long day at work…or at home. But I would challenge you to take real look into your daily lives and see where we can take out that unneeded screen time. Whether it’s a personal promise to ourselves or taking action, like deleting the Facebook and Netflix apps from our phones, lets get out from under the foot of our technological tools.

Do you feel like all you do is work, eat, sleep, and dream of simpler times? Don’t let yourself believe that’s all we’re meant for in the adult world. If this is how you’re feeling then I urge you to make yourself one promise this week, make sure to make it manageable, and follow through on it.

Some ideas:

• a morning hour,
• simple 5-10 min workout,
• write a letter and send it,
• drink a glass of water during 3 minutes of personal prayer/meditation in the morning,
• cook one new recipe and bring it to a friend.

After you’ve done this…keep doing it. If you don’t want to keep repeating the same promise, add or substitute a new one. Each week you’ll have something new and refreshing to look forward to. Remember the things you’re passionate about, remember the things that make you feel creative and energized (creative doesn’t just mean drawing and painting), and act on them. We only get one chance to live each day – make each one happy. 

Beginnings.

After graduating from college I had no idea what I wanted to do, as is the case for many 20-somethings with a college degree.  Here I am almost two years later with two internships under my belt, some amazing life experiences, and a little bit more of an idea…but not quite a decision. I’ve always enjoyed writing so I’ve decided to pursue it – and this blog is going to help me explore this choice. Thank you for joining me.