“Amid the Messy”

Here for the messy situations in life! 🙋🏻‍♀️🙃

I shared the other day on IG that “liturgical living” at home has never been my strong suit even though we’re a homeschooling family. With 5 little ones born pretty close together and Church jobs (I’m a bilingual Music Director and my husband’s the Parish Secretary), we’ve spent many busy seasons working for the Church and getting home so exhausted there hasn’t been much left, other than survival.

Add the exhaustion we have all collectively borne these last 2 years, and honestly my current wins in life are: clean laundry (never folded🤣), washed dishes (even if they stay in the dish washer!), children who are clean and fed, and the fact that my 7 & 8 year olds are reading magnificently. Outside of that, sometimes we bake for a feast day, and sometimes we forget and don’t even celebrate traditions such as leaving out shoes for St. Nicholas.

I’ve learned that it’s okay to ease up though – that we aren’t meant to carry the burden of perfection. That it’s okay to feel messy. And when I still get disappointed in myself for what I feel is a low tolerance for chaos in spite of toddlers and small children all around me, I’m often surprised and reminded that we can still “bring forth good fruit.”

Last night was one such occasion – checked out and weary when our kids were still not in bed after 9 pm, my husband and I asked our oldest to lead night prayers. Alejo (my 8 yr old) began with “O Come O Come Emmanuel” and ended it with the prayer for the dead and the accompanying responses. My husband and I were honestly amazed! 😅 And it was a good reminder to us. A lived Faith, even though “messy,” is what we’re after. Not pushing ourselves toward unattainable goals. ❤️

If you are going thru a similar “survival mode” type of season, take comfort in these words by our Papa Francisco. Advent is about joyful hope and expectancy – and we can absolutely take part in that and allow God’s work to continue in us, even if we feel out of control and flailing at times. God is not outdone because of our humanity – He made us and loves us in all our “messy-ness.”💜

Love,

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{This post was shared first on the new IG page I started: www.instragram.com/catholicmomsofig}