Detachment (2020 Thanksgiving)

Friday introductions. I’m not shopping today. I didn’t get a family photo. My house is a mess. And everyone’s sleeping in until they can’t sleep anymore (apparently). Which is a great time to just say hello here!⁣
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This photo was taken in the midst of prep for my first ever Thanksgiving in my own home. I have a Pinterest board full of ideas for that anticipated event... but I didn’t know it would be this year. So...⁣
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There was no pretty decor. There was laundry on the sofa. We had no green beans (Midwest shocker), and I felt a little weepy over circumstances that blew up my Pinterest dream and separated us from family.⁣
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But I was surprised by how the sorrows illuminated the blessing, and moved by the goodness which God has provided...⁣
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How my husband has built a home of faith and stability and love... the presence of all my kids...⁣
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The almost painful clarity of the gift of 2020. It has thrown us all into the fire and I see in my own family a true purifying. An amplifying. A tempering.⁣
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Also in 2020, my faith (which has been tried and tested in the last 5 years) has been strengthened with a companion emotional consolation that I quite honestly never expected to experience again.⁣
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I was happier than I look in the photo. It accurately depicts my level of fatigue and also some sorrow. But yes, I was happy.⁣
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Whatever comes in the next year is in His hands. And I’m working ahead of time on detaching from expectations for Christmas.⁣
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Jesus comes. And maybe we will have to light our fire of praise in the woods like we did for Easter. I don’t know. Whatever He wills. I pray that I will meet it all with His unmerited grace. A priest I know recently said that our faith should not be just an introspective spiritual journey... but should manifest concretely in the world.⁣
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And the word that has grown louder for me this Thanksgiving is TESTIFY.⁣
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Not sure this has been a great introduction! But it’s like me, I guess... overly introspective and wandering!⁣
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Other than that I’m a mom with 9 kids (one loss) ages 4-23. Wife to a fire chief/theologian. Author (click here for my book!), natural health and medical freedom advocate. AMDG

"Lend me your heart"

Mother Teresa’s words rattle around in my head today as I bustle around preparing for our Thanksgiving feast...⁣
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“Lend me your heart.”⁣
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She spoke these intimate words to Mary. Having just renewed my Marian Consecration, I’m leaning into them.⁣
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Last Thanksgiving was the strangest one ever... until this year. A loved one was suffering in the hospital and we didn’t know if he would be coming home.⁣
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We were divided and a little unmoored and worried. But we rallied and made a meal and consoled each other with “Wait until next year... when we are all together again!”⁣
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So here I sit in grief and gratitude because nothing seems to be as it should be. Separated again. For different reasons. And the injustice threatens to unseat gratitude...⁣
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But doesn’t quite win.⁣
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Oh, beautiful Mother Mary... lend me your Immaculate Heart so that I may see with fullness of gratitude the promises of your Son. Oh, Sacred Heart of Jesus, transform my complaints into songs of praise! Eucharisteo!⁣
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Today is a national holiday but also a day of holiness... a day of beginning and of revelation...⁣
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The key ingredient to my physical healing is gratitude.⁣
The rope that pulls me out of doubt is gratitude.⁣
The glue of my marriage is gratitude.⁣
The secret to peaceful motherhood is gratitude.⁣
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Gratitude rooted in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ who takes away the sins of the world and gives us hope and joy beyond measure. So...⁣
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When I’m finished nursing my hurts, I’ll dry my eyes and step out into a day of goodness. And I’ll start the song of thanksgiving which is an anthem of revival. “Thank you, Jesus, for...”⁣
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I am a child again and the world is new. And I will give thanks today without ceasing even if it comes with tears.⁣
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This sweet Sacred Heart ring is from Jessica @telosart . A concrete and pretty reminder of everything good. If you’re shopping small, please visit her shop. She is not only talented but loves the Lord deeply.⁣
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Happy Thanksgiving ❤️ Deo Gratias! Mary, lend me your heart.

Stand in the Rain

I held this sign in 36 degree temps in the rain. I couldn’t hold both the umbrella and the sign and so I reconciled with the rain.⁣
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The sign eventually started to wilt so I stuck it to a pole and just stood, with nothing to hold, but committed to being present and counted.⁣
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I got kind of uncomfortable (shaking uncontrollably actually) and started to think of all of the people who are more uncomfortable than I. And their images kept me standing there.⁣
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I am privileged... able to go home to my warm house, put on dry clothes, and eat a good meal surrounded by my loved ones and many hugs and kisses.⁣
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I have people to console me when I’m down or sick. And I can move about freely to serve others.⁣
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I thought of Beth. A lot. And all who can’t leave their homes or their wheelchairs or beds at will.⁣
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When I accept minimal discomforts on behalf of those who are being oppressed, injured, and pushed into hardship and despair...⁣
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I feel much shame that I do not do more.⁣
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I have noticed images of the US Constitution going around online am shocked to see Catholics taking offense at the image. As if there is something inherently problematic with freedom.⁣
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There is... it’s called concupiscence. But God still permits it. He allows us to choose. And freedom used well is how our Lord uses us to serve. Our hands are bound when we are enslaved... in body, mind, and soul.⁣
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Our Constitution is great because it has the audacity to affirm the laws of God. And to guarantee freedom... but not freedom from risk.⁣
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Ven. Fulton Sheen said this of America:⁣

“We are destined under Providence to be the secondary cause for the restoration of the freedom and liberation of the peoples of the world. God is the primary cause...⁣
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America is a sanctuary for the oppressed. An arsenal for Democracy. The pantry for the world.”⁣
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He felt this deeply because his passion was the missions. He saw the poverty of mind and spirit caused by tyrants and socialist systems. And he saw the power of the free to relieve the suffering of the enslaved.⁣
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We are throwing it away in the hope of securing our temporal comfort. But that is a false hope...⁣
⁣Stand in the rain with me. Please. ☀️

Reclaiming our names. Leading armies.

One of my precious people turned 16 yesterday. She asked to make her own cake and it is beautiful.⁣⁣⁣
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I noticed that she didn’t write her name on the cake like I always try to do. Their names are so special to me and I missed it.⁣⁣⁣ Her name is long and difficult to write with icing. Perhaps it would not have fit very well with her pretty design. But I missed it.⁣⁣⁣
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My heart was heavy yesterday. My husband looked into my eyes and said “Are you feeling discouraged?” and I thought if we were somewhere private that I would have collapsed into his arms and wept.⁣⁣⁣
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We had both watched footage of violent activists assaulting peaceful people in DC. The elderly, the weak, with children around, with no compunction...⁣⁣⁣
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They have been overtaken by evil. They have lost the love they were born with. They erase our names. And their own. Empathy is dead.⁣⁣⁣
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My daughter’s cake is beautiful and so is her age. It just struck me on a heavy day that she has been born into a time calling for people to give their lives to defend the identity of other...⁣⁣⁣ and one of the signs of evil will always be the violence against the individual, the family, and God.⁣⁣⁣
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I can hear the complaints now... “why must everything be about politics?” It’s not about politics... but about the assault against Christ in us by those who have rejected Him.⁣⁣⁣
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My daughter is beautiful and bold. She is growing into a person I admire. She was made for these times.⁣⁣⁣
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St. Joan of Arc was 16 the first time she petitioned the garrison commander to take her to the royal court. She was 18 when she led her first army. My oldest two girls are 20 and 16.⁣⁣⁣
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If I make it into heaven, I will hug the girl named Joan. Thank her, love her, worship with her. And today I do some of those things, and also ask her to assist my daughters⁣⁣.⁣
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My girl’s name was not on the cake, but I keep placing it there in my mind. It is our role as mothers (of our own and of the world) to continually do so... and to place those names before the throne of God.⁣⁣⁣
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As the world abandons Christ, let us make Him known. And commit ourselves to defending the identity of every soul. 🔥

And she wore red and testified...

I have some new followers (hello!) and so I thought I would do a brief introduction and also take the opportunity to give you a discount code for pretty clothes...⁣
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I found my Christmas outfit. And even though my governor is working hard to snuff the life out of our celebrations, I will wear it. Even if I have to walk up and down the street singing Christmas Carols to the trees.⁣
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And perhaps that's a perfect introduction for me today...⁣
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The homeschooling mom of 8 who wrote a book on natural Catholic healing, uses the dishes as a gauge for my spiritual life, and made an agreement with social media to proclaim the name of Jesus and speak the Truth... or leave.⁣
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I'm an idea person with more schemes than time. But sometimes things stick...⁣
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My idea today is that I want to run for political office someday to help take back our country. But also that I won't ever wear a suit jacket at a press conference...⁣
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Maybe I'll wear a red circle skirt.⁣
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About that... my outfit is from @mariezeliebrand and I love it. But even before I received these lovely, high quality clothes to review, they had me at their tagline: A.M.D.G.⁣
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My skirt is the Vinca in red. It is a classic, cotton, high-waisted circle skirt featuring POCKETS. (Yes, ladies... pockets.)⁣
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My shirt is the Lovoa Blouse in black. I love the quality and generous weight of the fabric.⁣
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My style is eclectic. I wear what I like. And I often wear my mood. I never used to wear red because I didn't want to stand out. I still prefer a hidden life where no one notices or prods or screeches at me for not conforming...⁣
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But it's awfully hard to share the Gospel in silence. It's impossible to defend the vulnerable. And though tomorrow I will probably dream of garden-tending with a muddy apron, in an obscure, internet-less hamlet (with goats)... today? I feel like wearing red.

Cancelling vs. Boundary Setting

She left the church and sat on the steps, alone and in the dark. She tried to tell us... she was hungry and tired...⁣
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“I don’t want to be here anymore. Can’t you be done talking?”⁣
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But we weren’t done, and so she took herself just a few paces—and turned away.⁣ She knew if she stayed, she’d get disagreeable. She knew she’d feel unheard and angry...⁣
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And so she summoned some deep wisdom and stepped away.⁣
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Sometimes, what people call “cancel culture” is really just the establishment of healthy boundaries. So that love and relationship can survive.⁣
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Here is the difference:⁣
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Cancelling someone causes intentional harm. It is designed to delete their personhood. It lacks empathy and love. If it were a sound, it would shriek and cackle.⁣
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Boundary setting, on the other hand, seeks the greatest good for all. It recognizes that human weakness can only carry so much weight before it fails. Can only take so much trauma, stress, sorrow, or abuse. It steps away with the hope of reconciliation. If it had a sound, it might sound like prayers of trust mingled with tears.⁣
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Boundaries can appear to some like canceling... but they are ultimately oriented toward hope.⁣ My daughter is fiery. And yet even at the age of 7, she understands these things innately. If the soul could talk...⁣
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“I do not like what you are doing. It is hurting me. I am frustrated and don’t like you right now. And I need a moment.”⁣
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She wasn’t hardened to us... she was sensitive to us. And protective. Of herself. Of a beloved relationship.⁣
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I realize the comparison is imperfect and incomplete. But sometimes things are simpler than we make them.⁣ If you need space from certain people right now, it’s probably okay to take a moment away. Let your tears fall and your disappointment work itself out through prayer and busyness...⁣
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And maybe it won’t be long before you can loosen the boundaries a little. Maybe remove them entirely. Or...⁣
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Perhaps division is the only way to allow everyone to heal. It might be a humiliation to you. Misunderstood. But only you know what you can carry. All paths are hard. But not all lead to healing.⁣
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Come Holy Spirit. Bestow wisdom. Amen.

She crushes the serpent (and this scarf is beautiful)

As we wait and pray for our nation, we are also necessarily managing the practical details of life. Mary has been my lifeline... leading me to the peace of her Son, Jesus Christ.⁣
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And in the midst of this endless stretching of 2020, I admit... I’m Christmas shopping. So let’s merge the pragmatic and the needs of our soul a bit here, shall we? 😊⁣
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I’m collaborating with Outrageous Mom to give away one of these gorgeous Marian scarves...⁣ (GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED)
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They are absolutely beautiful with many more styles and colors on the website. And they outwardly (yet subtly) express what is going on in my soul.⁣
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❤️ Oh Mary, beautiful Spouse of the Holy Spirit, be with me now and at the hour of my death. Intercede for America and the world. Accompany my children. ❤️⁣
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I’m wearing the blue Miraculous Medal scarf. This is the style we are giving away! The scarves from left to right:⁣
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🌷Mary, the New Eve⁣
🌷Miraculous Medal in Blue⁣
🌷Miraculous Medal in Neutral⁣
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There is a tiny Miraculous Medal sewn onto the corner of each scarf.⁣
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I once met a man from Ireland who was wearing a Notre Dame hat while walking the campus. It only said “ND” but he said he could not wear it without being attacked in his home town. I didn’t understand...⁣
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He said: “You see, those who hate the Church know that Notre Dame means Our Lady. American college kids think they are just wearing the symbol of their school but they are really wearing her beautiful name. I wish they had half the passion of the enemy.”⁣
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If we had half the passion of the enemy, everything would change. In our homes, in our country. But either way, in the end, she crushes the head of the serpent. Deo Gratias!⁣

Mixing politics and faith...

My three young adults were scattered elsewhere but I managed to capture these five.⁣
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I love All Saints Day. And it struck me this year in a new way. At first, I felt annoyed that this holy triduum of feasts would be overshadowed by the election. Our minds are occupied with earthly things. We are stressed and worried.⁣
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But as I listened to the stories of each saint at our party, I noticed something...⁣
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“Politics” was present in almost every story. The rise and fall of kingdoms. Politically expedient marriages. War. Martyrdom. Injustice. Poverty. Persecution (by government and also Church leaders). Political prisoners. Speaking the Gospel to power. Freeing the enslaved.⁣
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The crucifixion itself was a political event. And we are playing our role in Salvation History... during which time our enmeshment with the political world is unavoidable.⁣
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St. Joan of Arc led an army to restore the proper leader to the throne of France. Men died under her leadership. And she was murdered by civil and Church authorities. And yet...⁣
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“I am not afraid. I was born to do this.”⁣
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We repeat her words in memes even as we say “let’s just keep politics out of our faith.” Not likely. It will find us eventually. And will it find us prepared?⁣
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All Saints’ Day is a powerful reminder of our obligation to bring the Gospel into every detail. All Souls’ Day reminds us of holy death. And that we are not alone.⁣
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We have our marching orders. It’s all wonderful. And terrifying. We pray. We weep. We bleed. We praise. We fight. We worship. We rescue. We lay it all down.⁣
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Onward. 🔥 ⁣
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St. Sebastian⁣
St. Brigid of Kildare⁣
St. Louis se Montfort⁣
St. Barbara⁣
St. Clare of Assisi...⁣
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Ora pro nobis.

I will not comply...

"The natural world belongs to God. He is Master of all creation, including all life and its activity. Non-believers may make use of a plant or move their bodies in a secular or profane way, but this does not make them master over those things.⁣
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Because it is the revealed truth of God, Catholicism recognizes the beautiful integration of mind, body, and soul in a way that surpasses all other belief systems. This recognition of the gifts inherent in the created world flows quite naturally from our relationship with our Father, the giver of all that is good.⁣
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My desire is to help restore and develop a culture of intuitive health care and healing, which flows from the Gospel and is guided by the principle of subsidiarity. This is not to disregard the role of reason in discerning and judging what is good and true--reason is essential. Rather, it recognizes, as St. Thomas points out, that "in God, there is sure judgment of truth... by simply intuition."⁣
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The enemies of God want us sick, depressed, anxious, drugged, confused, oppressed, and defeated. I will not comply. I reject those obstacles which dull the senses and make the body ill or more inclined to despair. I will fight for joy, strength, hope, and clarity--God created the body to serve Him. Serviam!"⁣
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~ Excerpted from the Introduction of my book, The Sunshine Principle: A Radically Simple Guide to Natural Catholic Healing⁣
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Perhaps you (or someone you love) is ready to gently consider a new season of life this Christmas. Not one that will fade away like a passing fad, but one that will root itself quietly into your soul and blossom...⁣
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At your pace... in spite of imperfections... united with the will of God... guided by our beautiful Blessed Mother.⁣
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The link to purchase the book is in my profile. Maybe now is the right time. I wrote it for you. And I pray for your complete healing in whatever area of your life it is needed. AMDG ☀️