On My Way!

Leaving for Philadelphia in the morning. This contract is going to work. Joey, the plumber came today and fixed the last few details.  Now! I am going to Philadelphia in the middle of winter and want to see if I should move there. Will it be a good thing for Rory, Brad, and Tricia and me?  I know Tricia does not want "the mother-in-law" too close. I am so hoping God will direct me and give me a sign - like perfect , or at least a really good apartment to move to.
I  left Philadelphia so many years ago wanting to never look back - and now I think I may appreciate the city life - the accents, the row homes, the congested active bustle.

Here is a quote from  Set Your Heart Free - my little book on daily meditations from the writings if St. Francis de Sales.

"Because anxiety is the enemy of peace,

it cannot come from God.

It is an enemy of the spirit.

Treat anxiety like the temptation it is.

Fight it.

Send it on its way.

Whatever you must do,

whether it is

defending yourself against temptation

or welcoming joy,

do it peacefully,

without anxiety.

You cannot keep your peace by losing it."

So, let me got to Philadelphia with patience and joy in my heart  - looking for the purpose God has set out for me.

This could be it!

After pestering God, St. Joseph,  Mary, and St. Raphael for months a contract has come in for my house. I accepted it and am waiting for the purchaser to sign off on the building inspection. This one looks good and hopefully I can dig up poor St. Joseph from the front yard. Also - I will give many prayers of thanks.

Now - what am I going to do? I am waiting for my purpose to be made clear to me.  Do I move closer to family in Philadelphia or stay here and rent an apartment. No more owning houses for me. I need to simplify, downsize and give thanks for all my blessings. I asked Sister Anna Marie to pray for me to find my purpose and she stopped right than and put her hands on my shoulders and prayed. I said - "Wow you prayed right away." and she said "Of Course!"

Confidence

GOOD ADVICE


St. Paul of the Cross advises us, "When you notice that your heart is moving away even the tiniest bit from that inner peace that comes from the living faith-experience of the divine presence in the soul, stop and examine what the cause of this anxiety might be. Maybe it is some worry concerning your house or children, or some situation you cannot change at present. Bury it in God's loving will."

Missing something

Time to get up and take some more photos. Everywhere I turned in Baja there was something bright, beautiful, different,  - things seem more January grey here. Perhaps my eyes need a wake up call or is it my heart.

Patience

 I keep coming back to the word Patience. In much of my reading it is the key to a happier and less stressful life - a life of "inward peace." So let me look at this day as an opportunity to be patient with everyone but especially with myself. I have no great plans, appointments or obligations today so let me enjoy being who I am and savor the small pleasures and blessings that are all around me.

Cissy took this photo of Our Lady of Guadalupe - she is pictured all over  Mexico -  I don't know where this was taken.

I could not resist this

Found this on another blog - The Ironic Catholic and she had a contest for a caption - here are the winners.


Pulleth my finger.

or

I think I'll take the stairs

Just the place to be!

 

January in Baja. This would be a great place to call home in the winter but there are fearful tales of the heat in the summer. 

Still Traveling -January Tuesday

How do writers stay at it - to write and then rewrite which John Irving said is part of writing. It all must have to do with patience. My posts here are so few and some are sooo mundane. I need to step up to another level. I looked at some other blogs that have a lot more going on. I looked at one called The Ironic Catholic - of course that writer lives in Minnesota and is posting clever photos and comments in January. I think she may be staying in more than I.

Tomorrow it is back to the Apple store for another class.  I think I shall work with photos and get a back up drive - of course I believe this Mac will never crash. It is such a good computer. I looked at a reader like Kindle at Barnes and Noble but I will wait till Apple brings out its tablet Jan 26th - I think it will have a lot more to offer - including color - but ohh ahh - how pricey will it be?

Another photo from Baja - so many vivid colors in a desert by the Sea of Cortez.

Peaceful searching!

"Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall the soul — sin only excepted. . . . When our heart is troubled and disturbed within itself, it loses the strength necessary to maintain the virtues that it had acquired. At the same time, it loses the means to resist the temptations of the enemy, who then uses his utmost efforts to fish, as they say, in troubled waters." — St. Francis de Sales

Searching in peaceful waters today. Calm acceptance and hopefully joy!

January No Snow!!!

My stay in Mexico must have relaxed me. I took the photo of the lovely orange flower. It was hanging over a wall a few doors down from the casita where I stayed. It is cold in Alabama and grey - missing the blue sky and vivid flowers in Baja.

I have contentedly stayed in all day. As usual the great weatherman prediction of snow here was a bust. In anticipation of an inch, schools were closed today. I saw a few flakes but nothing settled. It is my laugh for the day. Of course I am glad it was just those few flakes. How nice to be warm and snug at home. Throughout the midwest there are massive snowfalls, howling winds, white outs. Brrrr! At times like these I appreciate Alabama. Going to heat up my eggplant lasagna from Nabeel's for dinner and perhaps watch THE BIG GAME! Every household must be tuned in to the Alabama/Texas national championship.

A nice reading today from Set your Heart Free, Francis de Sales.

The way to honor God,

whose handiwork we are,

is to be who we are,

as perfectly as we can.

Today the perfect me stayed in bed, read, meditated, and did needlepoint.

Be who you are

Sometimes that is a quiet restful soul. Thank you God for this day!