Throughout the day and evening I’ve been thinking about my blog post. I’ve had several different focuses of thankfulness and I was struggling to figure out which to focus on. For one gratitude the timing wasn’t quite right. Another was very much appreciated but needed more time to stir in my mind as it is a very complex one. There were a couple of easy ones, but they felt too surface level for the day. A couple of times I kind of got a little frustrated; “Why can’t I figure out which thing of these many I am most thankful for?” As the thoughts crossed my mind I chuckled and took a moment to be grateful for so many blessings.
As I laid in bed staring up at the ceiling gathering my thoughts inspiration struck in the form of a text alert. Becky sent me a note “Father Mark has his narrated homilies online! Love you“. My heart filled up with joy and I hurriedly pulled up the website. In no time I was listening to one of his recent sermons.
There’s such power in hearing a voice. A portion of our spirit comes through loud and clear in our speech. Our energy, our passion, our attitude, our outlook, and our emotion reveal themselves in our speech in a way that appearance and written communication never could. Listening to a recording of my dad’s voice stops me in my tracks. I can feel my joy increase when I remember the voice of my Grandma Lamping. When Father Mark’s voice came through my phone my smile grew wide.
As luck would have it the sermon is about a topic that’s near and dear to my heart. Something I strive to improve on each and every single day. It’s something that hasn’t been a natural thing, rather something learned through so many lessons and daily repetition. The topic is one I will pursue until the end of my life and know that I’ll never reach perfection in. Regardless, I’m going to keep working towards that goal…
If you’d like to check it out you can hear it here: http://eastsideparishes.org/east/pastors-homily-october-13-2019/
For any of my friends and family reading this who may be squirming a bit as it’s a sermon or because it’s a Catholic sermon – trust me, it’s not overly “churchy.” Rather, it emphasizes why I love Father Mark’s sermons do much. They’re “how to” guides to being a better and more joyful person. It’s about the best 11 minutes you can spend before going to bed. Enjoy!
Thanks!!!
Thankful for Forty 