Welcome to the very first weekly newsletter from Mustard Seeds and Wildflowers!
I’m so thrilled to start this section of the newsletter, it will be a light, and quick read to start our week and will evolve as I get a feel for this weekly writing business. There will still be the longer form newsletter that comes out on the 1st Sunday of the month. You can expect the rest of these shorter posts to arrive on the following Mondays.
As always, this is a reader supported publication and the best way to show appreciation is to share this work with a friend! I truly appreciate your support!
Friends,
I’m writing this first weekly post with the windows open and the morning sun speckling my not quite so clean desk. Clean laundry is in a basket, unfolded, nearby and my beagle is snoring rather loudly as I click-clack the keys to my laptop.
This is the usual scene when I attempt to craft words. Rarely is it ever idyllic but often I find that it’s not so much the surroundings but the interior of the heart that sets the mood for my writing and indeed for most moments in life.
This is something my oldest son, Jacob, has taught me and a lesson I carry with me always.
It is something he will undoubtedly teach me again in a few months. As some of you may be aware we are approaching a huge life-changing surgery for Jacob, which I mentioned here. It is a series of surgeries on his legs to correct the long bones that have twisted. We finally have a date, August 6th, the Transfiguration of The Lord. I may have been in tears when the scheduling clerk mentioned the day. What a day for such a surgery as this! We have never been that family where big things happen on big days, but God is surely keeping us close. I will keep you up to date once we being the process of preparing, and then when our son is in recovery.
And so with summer nearly in full swing, big and little plans set, we are attempting to live up that Summer Life. Nestled in the garden, relaxing by the inflatable pool, plus an incredible week long family camp in the mountains. All so we can relax and rest together before things get challenging for a while.
3 Quick Takes
Caregiver PTSD is a real thing. Now I wouldn’t have placed myself in this category by any stretch, and I’m still weary to do so but a conversation with a friend last week led me down this thought path. I shared my experience that while on the phone with Jacob’s surgical team, I was having a visceral, unwanted response, my gut was twisting and my heart pounding. “That’s a PTSD response” she said. I was shocked, but she was right. All because of words over a phone discussing care, pre-op prep, post-op, etc. So, if you know of a caregiver in your life, even if they seem to have it all together. Bring them a coffee, shoot them a text of encouragement, let them know you’re thinking of them. They need it, more than you might expect.
“I Used to Be Cool” bumper stickers on vans are poor taste. Maybe it’s tongue in cheek. I can respect that, but given society’s disdain for the family unit of late I find mostly I really dislike this bumper sticker, and I’ve seen a few in this area. It shows a lack of joy in the family, a wish to be single once more, and a desire to shirk responsibilities. A much better bumper stick would be “Look How Cool I am Now” with members of the family, children included, standing around the words. Someone should make that.
Gardening is for everyone. Now before you tell me you have a black thumb or have never tried it, hear me out. I started my gardening journey 15 years ago with a pot, soil and a tomato plant. It died. I don’t think I even managed 1 tomato from that plant. I managed to kill several plants after that too. Then 2 (3?) years in, something happened. I grew a tomato. It was delicious and transported me back to the years when I would visit my grandparents garden in the mountains. Beyond the feel goods, there is actual scientific evidence to back up my claim. From the sunlight that lowers blood pressure, to the low-grade, heart-amazing exercise you get from weeding, lifting and moving, to the delicious produce, it is just such a life-long positive experience. Plus gardening has been shown to improve mental health too. If you’ve been toying with the idea of gardening, there is no time like the present!
Devotional Corner
How Living in Ordinary Time is anything but Ordinary
It happens to us all, entering Ordinary time after Easter and suddenly that’s it, there is nothing big on the horizon liturgically speaking. There is no mystery of the Triduum of Death (All Hallows Eve, All Saints day, and All Souls Day), or the warmth and anticipation of Advent, nor the ecstatic celebration of Christmas, feasting for days and days on end. Alleluia!
It’s all just ordinary.
I used to find myself going through the motions at this time, not really soaking in what this time means and how it can serve my soul, my family and the Church. In a sense I was putting things on hold until the next big and exciting event in the Church was upon us once again.
Yet the Church in her wisdom knows our humanity, and how we need a time of rest, a time to be still, a time to sit in the quietness of ordinary life and allow our Creator to meet us - there in the ordinary. It is in these Ordinary days, when we wake up, make our coffee, get the kids to school, summer camp, or the grandparents, and we find ourselves living the very ordinary life that God has called us to. It is in these days that God meets us head on, wooing us with His extraordinary Love in these small moments. If we slow down enough to let Him.
It’s easy to live for God in the exciting, festive, and fun moments. But what about the everyday? What about the unseen moments of ordinary life? How are we doing that?
That is what Ordinary Time is all about. It is about slowing down. It is about focusing our heart and soul on the reason for our Hope in the everyday grind that is life and allowing God to work in us and through us in the smallest moments. That is when we grow most friends, when we see God moving profoundly, and truly deepen our relationship with Him.
Discussion Questions:
This section is a starting off point to help you go deeper with topics discussed above.
How do you live for God in your ordinary, everyday life? If you struggle with this, have you considered actively surrendering your life to Him in prayer? A simple “Lord, I surrender (my work, my spouse, my children, my….) to you. I invite you into my life and ask that you work in me and through me. Show me how to love you and those around me more deeply, while you take care of all my worries, stress, and frustrations. Amen.”
Maybe living for God in the mundane moments of life isn’t a struggle for you but a Joy. How do you share this Joy with those around you so that they may come to see God more clearly in their lives, and seek after Him as you do?
Think of one way this week that you can offer your everyday life to the Lord. Ask Him to bless it, and move in your days. Make a note of what He does, even the smallest thing and re-visit it next week.
Quote of the Week
“We may compare a soul rising from sin to holiness to the dawn which, as it rises, does not at once dispel the darkness, but advances gradually. It is an old saying, that a slow cure is a certain cure.” - St. Francis de Sales
Which is your favorite spot to be for the Summer?
I’m taking a page from one of my favorite writers in this space -
who always has a poll in her weekly posts. I love how it allows everyone a glimpse into that community, our commonalities, and it’s just plain fun! So here we are…Find this week’s poll here.
These past 5 months of my life have been so simple without major events happening like before. It's just been home, church, home again, work etc
I always thought that was ordinary and without much meaning until I read about this.
Thanks for this encouraging share