Happy August, Reader! 😊

I hope you are having a holy summer.

I know that might sound weird to say but all in all I am beginning to think that "happiness" isn't the point.

When we are striving for happiness we are basically forced to focus on how unhappy we are. I'm beginning to think that, instead, the most important thing we can do is pray for enough patience, perseverance, and trust to discover purpose and meaning in all the hard.

As if to emphasize this realization, I came across a scrap from a while ago in my notes on which I had scribbled, "When everything in you wants to quit, sometimes the very best form of surrender is to keep on keeping on."

Ann Voskamp says something very similar... "When you want to run away, lean in."

Sometimes it's downright depressing to listen to everyone making such an effort to describe how "happy" they are, or how happy they want to be, or thinking there is something wrong with their lives if they "aren't happy". This is why Instagram and the comparison game are so dangerous. We aren't meant to be happy here. This isn't heaven. If we were perfectly happy in this life we wouldn't have any desire for the next.

Jordan Peterson says that it's important to come to grips with the fact that there are certain things in this life that are "downright unbearable". In fact, it's only when we can be reasonable with our expectations and conform our life to this reality that we begin to break through to true maturity.

He is not a God of comfort and earthly joys. He is a God of suffering, and this world is not our home.

Am I saying that your life has to be miserable?

Absolutely not! That's the whole beauty of it!

We don't seek for happiness, happiness is a gift when we live with purpose. It is icing on cake, dessert after dinner. It is given and received not taken or demanded or created. Our reception of it should be characterized by surprise and gratitude rather than entitlement.

Also, paradoxically as it may seem, our surrender to pain increases our capacity for joy. The more we "suffer" the more we value the joyful moments in between, and the more we connect with God. His refining fire becomes tangible, palpable, transformative and we eventually begin to recognize pain as the gift itself.

And THAT, my friend, is the secret to our joy in this life. Finding closeness in the struggle, and love in the pain.

And that's all holiness is - closeness, hope, meaning, purpose, and peace. It's not a nebulous concept reserved for a select few. It's the secret to our joy right in the middle of the hard.

August gift

My gift to you this month is something you may already know. You probably even have strong feelings towards it one way or the other. But my gift is a new perspective and a new opportunity.

Did you know that the Rosary centers on the integral role of suffering in the Christian life?? You may have heard of it described as "an opportunity to meditate on key events in the life of Christ" but, the more I learn about the Rosary, the more I am inclined to say that this description shows a gross and even scandalous misinterpretation. You may think of the Rosary as "empty repetition" ("babbling like the pagans"), "unbiblical" or "idolatrous" (of Mary), or just another box to check in order to be "good enough", but you would be wrong. The Rosary isn't another burden. It is a tool, a weapon, a shield, a comfort, and a staff all at the same time. It has completely transformed the way I used to think about prayer, suffering, calling, and the role of Mary over the past year and I'm convinced that THIS, not antidepressants, yoga meditations, therapy, or "self-care", is the forgotten secret to our finding solace in this "valley of tears".

In case you are not Catholic, or just want to learn more basics, I've included some resources here specifically for you:

• ​The Beauty of "Borrowed Prayers" - Emily P. Freeman (A helpful look at why we should be open to prayer that we might have otherwise rejected due to denomination alone)
• ​How to Pray the Rosary -Taylor Marshall
• ​The Rosary for Protestants - GabiafterHours (Also a great resource for Catholics about the scriptural basis for the Rosary)

If you already pray the Rosary, I challenge you to consider praying all 15 original decades daily and/or pray them in Latin.

• ​Pray the Rosary in Latin - Taylor Marshall
• ​The Benefits of Praying the WHOLE Rosary - GabiafterHours (He does talk about praying all 20 decades, but I reccomend just the original 15. The "why" behind this will have to be a whole other post for another time)
• ​The Rosary in Latin - Joyful Mysteries​
• ​The Rosary in Latin - Sorrowful Mysteries​
• ​The Rosary in Latin - Glorious Mysteries​

Prayer is a little bit like homeopathic medicine. It changes us slowly, gradually, the effects of it compounding over time and with perseverance to create a change that was almost as imperceptible as it is dramatic.

If you don't have a serious, "life-proof" rosary, I highly recommend that you get one. Wear it on your wrist or carry it with you so you always have it when the opportunity presents itself. Hold it when you are hurting, grip it for dear life when anger or impatience threaten to overcome you. Sleep with it under your pillow or, better yet, in your hand.

Remember, its not an obligation, a drudgery, or another box to check. The Rosary is powerful... but we have to discover it and learn to use it. We have to spend time with it and give it space in our mind and in our hearts.

"Life-proof" rosaries:

• ​Rugged Rosaries (ETSY Shop)*
• ​Shells Rosary Ropes (ETSY Shop)*

*No affiliation, just have purchased and love their products.

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Also, incase you couldn't bring yourself to pull the trigger last month but you are ready now... the one day retreat on Love of the Cross is still available for sale.

And, no, you don't have to be a Catholic mom...

Get Instant E-Copy

I Prefer a Hard Copy

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I am brimming with more Rosary information and posts I want to write but I have learned over time that I am never capable of doing as much as I wish I could as quickly as I wish I could, and so to never make promises about the future. Therefore, I will just continue to do my best to get what content out that I can when I can and simply share it with you as I manage it. This month all I was able to work on was behind the scenes stuff, but I am still here and still offering all I do and all I am for you.

I will gladly accept prayers that my life will settle into somewhat of a routine soon so that I can get a little more of my quiet writing time back (after baby) for the sake of my sanity.

May God richly bless you and yours always!

Talk soon!

<3,