A Simple Woman's Daybook for October First

Joining up with The Simple Woman's Daybook.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...I see the gentle breeze blowing the palm fronds on our palapa roof.

I am hearing...my husband working in his wood shop (really a palm roof without walls). He is making a gate for the newest section of fence we just had installed to keep our dogs from digging in good dirt so I can plant flowers.

I am thinking...about how happy I am that I retired sooner than I had been planning to. I LOVE having no claims on my time except those that I impose on myself.

I am thankful...that God brought us to Mexico; for the Catholic Church; for being embraced as part of the family in this small community.

In the kitchen...(my outdoor kitchen) I will be making another one of my famous one-pot meals, this time with bulk sausage, rice, onions, and corn, topped with guacamole. We'll be eating early (about 4pm) since our parish has a special assembly scheduled for 6pm to go over the latest encyclical, Lumen Fidei.

I am wearing...a bright green t-shirt and tan capri's

I am creating...notebooks in Evernote, which I learned about from Jen at Conversion Diary. I spent a whole day getting all my favorite recipes in there; now I have to learn what else it can do for me!

I am going...to be very busy for the next week or so, since our parish's patron saint's day is on October 12th and we have 2 weeks of activities planned to celebrate Nuestra Senora del Pilar!

I am wondering...if I'll be able to finish my current knitting project before Thanksgiving and start on a baby blanket for a friend of mine whose baby was born in August.

I am reading..."Knitting Through It, Inspiring Stories for Times of Trouble" by Lela Nargi. Since I am currently unable to knit due to a rotator cuff injury, it is comforting to read how others have found knitting to be so helpful in difficult times.

I am hoping...that I can contact everyone who has volunteered for 24-hour adoration at the church on Thursday and Friday to confirm the times they have volunteered for.

I am looking forward to...the hours that I will be able to be at adoration.

I am learning... how deeply nourishing it is to the spirit to read encyclicals. Our whole church will be going through Lumen Fidei over the next 3 days, so we read the official summary of it this morning to make sure we don't miss the point when we're hearing about it in spanish.

Around the house...is a blanket of peace.

I am pondering...how the physical, visible reality that we live in and the invisible (to us), spiritual reality that surrounds us and upholds us are woven together into one fabric through Jesus' incarnation and through our actions as members of His body as we continue to make known His presence here.

A favorite quote for today..."It is impossible to believe on our own. Faith is not simply an individual decision which takes place in the depths of the believer’s heart, nor a completely private relationship between the "I" of the believer and the divine "Thou", between an autonomous subject and God. By its very nature, faith is open to the "We" of the Church; it always takes place within her communion." - Lumen Fidei

One of my favorite things...is silence. I love music - both listening to it and singing it, but silence embraces a deep peace that I treasure even more.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Besides the teaching on Lumen Fidei and the 24-hour adoration, there will be a Mass for the anointing of the sick on Saturday and the first of 4 peregrinaciones ("pilgrimages" from the main parish church to each of the neighborhood chapels), and, if nothing gets in the way, Padre and our new seminarian helper, Martin, will come for dinner on Sunday.

A peek into my day...I spent the morning doing my monthly financial updating and bill paying. I had an important phone conversation with a spiritual directee. The Pirate brought home a big bag of hand-made fries from our neighborhood cafe, which just re-opened after the normal closure during September (when there aren't enough gringos around to justify staying open). Soon I will start dinner and then we're off to the teaching on Lumen Fidei and mass afterward.