Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Modesty in Words


Usually when one hears talk about modesty one thinks about what we wear. Of course, it is very important as Christians that we dress modestly. The culture we live in today certainly does not promote modesty in clothing, women and men alike. What is really sad is the message poor young girls are getting today.  I feel it is very important that we begin to give the message to the younger generation to care about how they look and dress and that they are worth something. They are so valuable that Jesus came to earth to show His love for them by dying on the cross. I miss a time I don't know, that my grandparents lived in, that wasn't perfect, but the clothing was different. It was of a more modest fashions. Yes, there have always been times when women would dress immodest but now it seems to be the rule and not the exception.
I believe that is very  important but what I want to focus on here is another type of modesty. A modesty of words.  I have worked in a small nursing home for quite a few years and have heard foul language used. It would bother me but it wasn't too horrible.  Well, recently I took a fill-in job at a large hospital. All I have to say is,
"wow." What talk that comes out of some of the lips of these women.  Professional women. At first it seemed to be just one person but little by little I began to hear things coming out of the mouths of other professional women that would make a sailor blush. Mind you this is not around patients. It is just casual conversation between  the women working together and if a man is in the room it is either the same or worse.
First of all these are women. Now there used to be a time when men would refrain from certain talk around a "lady", but apparently that time is gone. Not only do men not refrain themselves in the words they use anymore but women just join right in and talk and speak like they are just one of the guys. Just because I am a nurse and am speaking about what I hear on my occassional days of work doesn't mean it doesn't go on other places. This is a growing problem among women. Women have forgotten what is is to be lady like.

Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." Col. 4:6

I know there are times I am guilting of speech without grace. My voice has gotten loud and the words I have said are not kind. I would like to hope that on my journey to become more like our Lord I will work on the way I speak. I hope to pass on to others coming behind me the importance of gracefilled speech. As we imitate our Lady may young girls and women of all ages learn how to speak modestly. Mary is the best example we have of being ladylike. True happiness is found in being the feminine, lady like person God created us to be. To be a true woman.

These are just a couple of things I thought of that might help just from what I have heard lately.

1. Women do not need to announce when they are going to the restroom in the presence of mixed company.
Just kindly excuse yourself.

2. A woman does not need to talk about her intimate affairs to those at work, even in a joking way. This is private between you and your husband and how would you like it if your husband was telling your private issues.

3. Speak softly. This one is hard for me, at times I get a little too loud. I hope to work on this one.
I remember an older woman told me that a long time ago when my son was little. She said if you speak soft people will listen closer.

4. Try to come up with other words than foul, curse words when angry. Before speaking count to ten, say a prayer or walk away.

5. Most importantly our Lord's name and anger and foul language do not go together and sound very horrible and are very offensive to the people around you.
"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain." Exodus 20:7

It's time to take back the glory of our feminity, to be more ladylike.  True womanhood doesn't have to mean a woman can't speak out or doesn't have anything to say, or let the men do all the talking but true womanhood is speaking what I call modest speaking.  Speaking with charm.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

School or homeschool or both

We homeschooled our son for all of gradeschool. This is his first year  in high school. He is attending a Catholic school so needless to say it is costing. I have picked up extra hours at work to pay for the school. I don't mind, though, because I want him to have a very good education. It is a very good school. I would have to say it is harder for me because I am not there every moment to oversee what he is being taught. I can't hear what the teachers and other children are saying. I believe the Lord has led us here and he will always be with us. I am very grateful that I have a son who will sit and talk and tell us about his day. I am also grateful I have a husband who partners with me in sending our son to a Catholic school. I feel if he is to attend school, looking around it is the best place for him to be outside of homeschooling.
With homeschooling in mind, I realize, also that once a homeschool mom, always a homeschool mom. When our son comes home with homework, we want to see it. We want to be sure he is doing the work correctly. We want to make sure he understands the teacher. We question him. We hold him accountable to listen to the teachers, to be sure he knows what is going on. It has been a challenge for him, his first year in a school setting but it is good. It is a learning process for all of us as we have transitioned to a school setting instead of homeschooling.
There are so many ways to continue to be involved in your children's education even though you are not homeschooling. As it says below, we parents are the first and foremost educators of our children. Teachers are just hired out by us. The kitchen table and the couch are still are school friend in the evenings when homework or studying abounds.
One thing is for sure, in order to succeed we need prayer in our lives.
I found a few prayers regarding education I thought I would share.
They will also be posted under prayers. In these prayers we will ask Our Lord to help us, lead us and guide us in educating our children and we will ask his mother, who is our mother, along with our friends the saints to pray for us so we can raise our little ones for His glory.


St. Thomas, patron saint of students:

A Student's Prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas
Creator of all things,

true source of light and wisdom,
origin of all being,graciously let a ray of your light penetrate
the darkness of my understanding.
Take from me the double darkness
in which I have been born,
an obscurity of sin and ignorance.
Give me a keen understanding,
a retentive memory, and
the ability to grasp things
correctly and fundamentally.
Grant me the talent
of being exact in my explanations
and the ability to express myself
with thoroughness and charm.
Point out the beginning,
direct the progress,
and help in the completion.
I ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.


A Prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas
Virgin full of goodness, Mother of mercy, I entrust to you my body and my

soul, my thoughts and my actions, my life and my death. O my Queen, come to
my aid and deliver me from the snares of the devil. Obtain for me the grace
of loving my Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, with a true and perfect love, and
after Him, O Mary, of loving you with all my heart and above all things.
Amen.

A Prayer to St. Thomas Aquinas
Wonderful Theologian and Doctor of the Church, you learned more from the Crucifix than from books. Combining both sources, you left us the marvelous Summa of theology, broadcasting most glorious enlightenment to all.You always sought for true light and studied for God's honor and glory.
Help us all to study our religion as well as all other subjects needed for life,
without ambition and pride in imitation of you. Amen.





Prayer to St. Joseph of Cupertino for Students

O humble St. Joseph of Cupertino, singularly favored by God in the difficulties of study and the worries of examinations, implore the Holy Spirit to enlighten my mind and aid my memory in the search of His truth and wisdom. Help me especially in the decisive moments of examination, protecting me from that forgetfulness and disturbing anxiety which often accompany them, so that I may grow in knowledge, love, and service of God from Whom flows that wisdom which leads to eternal life. Amen.






In this Prayer for Students, we ask Saint Catherine of Alexandria to intercede for us so that we always pursue our studies with eternal life in mind. Saint Catherine, is a  patron saint of  students and teachers.


A Prayer for Students to St. Catherine of Alexandria:
O glorious Saint Catherine, wise and prudent virgin, thou who didst set the knowledge of Jesus Christ above all other knowledge, obtain for us the grace to remain inviolably attached to the Catholic faith, and to seek in our studies and in our teaching only the extension of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ our Lord and of His Holy Church both in ourselves and in the souls of others. Amen.














Google pictures

Friday, January 14, 2011

Simple Woman's Day Book Planner

 Holidays are over. Decorations are down. Time to think about other things.

Just for today:

Outside my window it is cold and snowy and gray.

Today I am thinking about several things. First let me say, I work part time, usually, but last week I filled in for someone for a week. It has been the first time I worked that many days in a row outside the home in many, many years. So, what I am thinking about is how grateful to the Lord for the blessings he has given me that allows me to stay home and care for my family and home. I have met many unhappy women who long to be home and can't.

I am very thankful for the wonderful gift of a home and a fine husband and son to care for. I am also grateful for my own wonderful parents.

I am wearing a blue jean skirt and a flowered shirt.

I am remembering all I need to do around the house.

Tonight I will be visiting a nursing home.

A good book I am reading is actually well, several: Secrets of Mary by Janice T. Connell and Confessions of an Organized Homemaker by Deneice Schofield. Trying to get things organized around the home a little more. Sometimes it's good to try new organization tips.
I am hoping for no snow tonight.

I am hearing the theme song to the Dick Van @#!*% show because I just finished watching it. It is one of my favorite shows.

On my mind is many things.

I am noticing a gray cat lying by my feet.

One of my favorite things is a clean house and a day that ends well. Also,  sharing faith with my son on the way to taking him to school is one of my favorite things.

From the kitchen is not going to be today but I am hoping to do bread baking next week. Can't wait. I love to bake bread and haven't been able to get to that lately.

On my mind is how much better I can organize my home. I, also, love vintage kitchen items so I am thinking of next week when I have a chance to go to a new antique store we have in town.


Enjoy 100's of other Daybooks at

Peggy's Simple Woman's Daybook! http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/



Sunday, January 2, 2011

Epiphany Celebrates the Light

 It is traditionally celebrated the 12th day after Christmas, January 6th. In the dioceses of the United States this feast has been moved to the Sunday between January 2 and January 8.
That would be today. Happy feast of the Epiphany. I love this day. Mass is beautiful. The carols are still being sung and even though are not exactly Biblically correct tell the story of  the magi following the light. The light is, the omnipotent God, the king, the ruler of the universe.
This feast began in the third century in the East, later moved to the West. During Advent, we wait in darkness in the spirit of the Jewish nation, who waited for thousands of years for their messiah.  On the beautiful day of Christmas the Light comes to Earth, but only a few are aware. Those aware are Mary, Josheph and the shepherds but Epiphany is the day when the light is burst forth for all the world to see.
Today's reading  from the Old Testament states:
Is 60:1-6
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
How awesome. Today we can celebrate a wonderful prophecy being fullfilled. White is the liturgical color for today, again representing light.


Happy feast of the Epiphany.




Saturday, January 1, 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Dear Lord help us to educate our family for your glory.

"Since parents have conferred life on their children, they have a most solemn obligation to educate their offspring. Hence, parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children. Their role as educators is so decisive that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it. For it devolves on parents to create a family atmosphere so animated with love and reverence for God and others that a well-rounded personal and social development will be fostered among children. Hence, the family is the first school of those social virtues which every society needs."--Gravissimum Educationis (one of the documents of the Second Vatican Council)

Helping and Loving Our Neighbor

Corporal works of Mercy
Feed the hungry

Give drink to the thirsty

Clothe the naked

Shelter the homeless

Visit the sick

Visit the imprisoned

Bury the dead



The Spiritual Works of Mercy
Admonish the sinner

Instruct the ignorant

Counsel the doubtful

Comfort the sorrowful
Bear wrongs patiently

Forgive all injuries

Pray for the living and the dead


Good Samaritain