Boo Hoo

With the recent changes to our routines around here what with Velcro Boy's speech therapy, I've had to look at the necessity of some of the things that I do.  This one just kept coming back to me.  You guessed it, I'm not going to be able to do the Monday night MOM's group :(  The time it would require, about 8-9 hours every other week, it exactly the time I'll be loosing from our routine. 

There will be other groups, and hopefully the Holy Spirit will see fit to lead me to one of them.  I feel bad backing out on them at the last minute, but I also feel so much less stressed about it.

Desert Cactus story

As I mentioned earlier, my plant is still alive!  And it bloomed!  Pictures as promised...

This is a desert cactus...

It's not all prickly like most cacti, it's actually quite nice.

When the buds start, they look like this...

Hard to see, but they're the two tiny pink dots at the end of the leaf.

Bud gets bigger...

and bigger...

and bigger still...

Then....

it turns into this...

Isn't it magnificent?!?

There are several more buds on the plant already.  I wonder how long the blooms will last...

Thanks so much Tina!

My own group

For the terminally insane!  Only kidding :)  Actually, I'm going to be one of  the facilitators for the next MOM's group!  This is something I've been praying about for a long time now.  Ever since I joined the MOM's group back in September.  This group got started about a year or so ago when someone brought the program to Holy Name.  3 people from that group were the facilitators for our group (MOM's 2).  A new group is forming and needs facilitators.  After praying about, and feeling called to do this, I'm going to be one of them.  Another woman from our group is also doing it with me, but we still need a third.

We'll be meeting about every other Monday evening from 7-9 from Feb 8th until May 24th.  We're currently recruiting people for the group.  We've placed ads in the bulletin and made announcements at a few of the Masses this weekend.  We'll do the same thing next weekend.

The study is really interesting.  It makes you dig deeper into yourself, make new friends, and really get more in touch with your spirituality.  I'm really excited about doing this, but I've been wondering lately what I have to give to this new group of women.  Then today's second reading about the gifts given by the Holy Spirit.  Each persons' gift is different, but still given by the same God.  Then the Gospel about doing whatever He tells you to do.

On top of that, yesterday I picked up a 2010 calendar on the "spur of the moment" (I've been missing having one near the desk).  Inside is the following saying:

Just Think
You're not here by chance,
    but by God's choosing.
His hand formed you
    and made you the person you are.
He compares you to no one else-
    you are one of a kind.
You lack nothing that
    His grace can't give you.
He has allowed you to be here
    at this time in history
to fulfill His special purpose
    for this generation.
-Roy Lessin

All this and an out-of-the-blue email from a list I unsubscribed from over a year ago has convinced me that I am supposed to be doing this group (and  a few other things).  I've also realized that while I'm getting better at reading His signs (I think), I still need to work on listening for His voice.