![Dad's 60th Birthday Present]()
by Catherine | Jul 10, 2012 | Family
Dad turned 60 on the Fourth of July. My five siblings, our spouses, and I wanted to do something really special for him. After reading this blog post, I decided we could adapt that blogger’s idea. The blogger mailed all of her dad’s friends and family members a letter asking them to contribute a nostalgic memory about her dad. She compiled the letters and stuck them into separate envelopes for her dad to open and read.
While very cute, I thought this idea would be more tedious than necessary. The Type-A personality in me instantly thought, “Well, what do you do with all of those letters when they’re opened? Don’t you want to contain them? And, is Dad actually going to open every single envelope and read them at the party?” Instead, we decided we would collect letters into a scrapbook for Dad to flip through at the party and read through later on his own.
Here’s the text of the letter we sent out. I’ve omitted certain information for privacy’s sake:
Greetings!
If you’re receiving this letter, you probably already know that our Dad, __________, is turning 60 this Fourth of July. To commemorate this milestone birthday, we would like to put together a surprise to let him know that all of his friends and family are thinking of him. We are going to create a “Sixty Years of Memories” book full of your memories, well wishes, and photographs.
This is where you come in!
If you have a spare moment in the next few days, we would be so grateful if you could please write about a memory you have of our dad. Please don’t labor over this! Feel free to mention anything you like — although the more nostalgic the better! If you struggle to come up with a memory, a simple happy birthday wish would be very much appreciated.
Please keep 3 things in mind:
1. Please keep your note on one side of the enclosed paper.
2. Don’t forget to sign your full name!
3. Please submit your letter by June 30th if you would like your note to be included in the book.
All of the notes will be compiled and placed into a scrapbook. By following the above instructions, Dad will know who wrote the note and be able to read it without pulling the note out to see the other side. Feel free to include any photos or mementos to go into the book with your written message. Younger family members and friends can contribute drawings of Dad if they’d like. Please ask the young artists to sign their masterpieces, too!
Please use the stationery (or your own paper, no larger than 8.5” x 11”) and the enclosed envelope to send your written memories, photos, and mementos to:
(My mailing address)
or e-mail them to:
(My e-mail address)
If you know of anyone who would like to participate, please pass along this information to them, and ask them to also send their letters to Catherine.
Thank you so much for participating. We know you’re all very busy, and we appreciate your taking the time to help make Dad’s birthday special. Shhhhhhhhh!!! It’s a surprise!
With love and gratitude,
_______’s Children
Before sending out the letters, we had to compile our list of mailing addresses. Without having access to Dad’s electronic address book, some addresses took some serious detective work! With the help of WhitePages.com and several phone calls, we were able to track down everyone. I didn’t get a single “Return to Sender” letter back!
Some of you are probably thinking, “That’s crazy! Why don’t you just e-mail all of these people and ask them for a response?” Well, sure, that would have been easy, but there are a few reasons we didn’t. We liked the idea of handwritten notes to add to the nostalgia and character of the book. We also knew we’d struggle to get e-mail addresses of a lot of these people–many of whom don’t e-mail. Also, experience told us that a group e-mail wouldn’t receive as many or responses of high quality. The added bonus of sending an actual letter was that people would respond with tangible photos and mementos.
After finding the addresses, we stuffed the envelopes with:
- The letter explaining our “60 Years of Memories” book
- Stationery for the person to write their note on
- Another envelope with my address and the postage paid to increase the likelihood of a response
Here are all of the envelopes before we took them to the post office.
The fun began a few days later when I started receiving responses. For a few weeks, I was receiving as many as six letters a day! As I received the letters, I spent the kids’ naptime mounting the letters, photographs, and other mementos into the scrapbook.
Unfortunately, I’m a dingaling, and I forgot to get a picture of the finished book before I wrapped it. Maybe I’ll take a few pictures of the book next time I’m at Mom and Dad’s house.
Here’s the sequence of Dad opening the book and taking it all in at our family party for him.
 |
| Opening the present. |
 |
| The book is about 3 inches thick. I had to put 5 refill packs of pages in there! I inserted the letter we sent out on the front page so that Dad could see it, and I explained what the book was. |
 |
| Still absorbing that he was holding a book full of notes from so many people for him. |
 |
| We made the man cry! Success! |
 |
| Overwhelmed looking at all of the kind notes from his friends and family. |
 |
| The colorful drawings are from the grandbabies. The oldest grandchild drew a picture of Dad on the sideline of his soccer game, cheering him on. |
 |
| Look at that smile! |
 |
| I sat next to him so that I could point out a few things in the book. His godmother sent a newspaper clipping of him from the ’50s! |
 |
| A letter from Dad’s best friend and pictures from his wedding (when Dad was his best man) |
 |
| Telling all of us that he “can’t believe it” as he got to the last page. |
It was so much fun receiving the letters everyday and seeing my Dad through the lenses of his friends and our family. The contributors to the book identified different memories and things that they loved about Dad. The letters ranged from sentimental to downright hysterical. I especially loved reading my mom’s 2-page bullet-point list of favorite memories. Some, she told us, will “remain in code because we’re allowed to have some inside jokes.”
To all of the contributors–childhood neighbors, classmates, fraternity brothers, coworkers, hunting buddies, lifelong buddies, and family–a VERY big thank you to each and every one of you for taking the time to make Dad’s 60th birthday one that he’ll never forget!
![Dad’s 60th Birthday Present]()
by Catherine | Jul 10, 2012 | Family
Dad turned 60 on the Fourth of July. My five siblings, our spouses, and I wanted to do something really special for him. After reading this blog post, I decided we could adapt that blogger’s idea. The blogger mailed all of her dad’s friends and family members a letter asking them to contribute a nostalgic memory about her dad. She compiled the letters and stuck them into separate envelopes for her dad to open and read.
While very cute, I thought this idea would be more tedious than necessary. The Type-A personality in me instantly thought, “Well, what do you do with all of those letters when they’re opened? Don’t you want to contain them? And, is Dad actually going to open every single envelope and read them at the party?” Instead, we decided we would collect letters into a scrapbook for Dad to flip through at the party and read through later on his own.
Here’s the text of the letter we sent out. I’ve omitted certain information for privacy’s sake:
Greetings!
If you’re receiving this letter, you probably already know that our Dad, __________, is turning 60 this Fourth of July. To commemorate this milestone birthday, we would like to put together a surprise to let him know that all of his friends and family are thinking of him. We are going to create a “Sixty Years of Memories” book full of your memories, well wishes, and photographs.
This is where you come in!
If you have a spare moment in the next few days, we would be so grateful if you could please write about a memory you have of our dad. Please don’t labor over this! Feel free to mention anything you like — although the more nostalgic the better! If you struggle to come up with a memory, a simple happy birthday wish would be very much appreciated.
Please keep 3 things in mind:
1. Please keep your note on one side of the enclosed paper.
2. Don’t forget to sign your full name!
3. Please submit your letter by June 30th if you would like your note to be included in the book.
All of the notes will be compiled and placed into a scrapbook. By following the above instructions, Dad will know who wrote the note and be able to read it without pulling the note out to see the other side. Feel free to include any photos or mementos to go into the book with your written message. Younger family members and friends can contribute drawings of Dad if they’d like. Please ask the young artists to sign their masterpieces, too!
Please use the stationery (or your own paper, no larger than 8.5” x 11”) and the enclosed envelope to send your written memories, photos, and mementos to:
(My mailing address)
or e-mail them to:
(My e-mail address)
If you know of anyone who would like to participate, please pass along this information to them, and ask them to also send their letters to Catherine.
Thank you so much for participating. We know you’re all very busy, and we appreciate your taking the time to help make Dad’s birthday special. Shhhhhhhhh!!! It’s a surprise!
With love and gratitude,
_______’s Children
Before sending out the letters, we had to compile our list of mailing addresses. Without having access to Dad’s electronic address book, some addresses took some serious detective work! With the help of WhitePages.com and several phone calls, we were able to track down everyone. I didn’t get a single “Return to Sender” letter back!
Some of you are probably thinking, “That’s crazy! Why don’t you just e-mail all of these people and ask them for a response?” Well, sure, that would have been easy, but there are a few reasons we didn’t. We liked the idea of handwritten notes to add to the nostalgia and character of the book. We also knew we’d struggle to get e-mail addresses of a lot of these people–many of whom don’t e-mail. Also, experience told us that a group e-mail wouldn’t receive as many or responses of high quality. The added bonus of sending an actual letter was that people would respond with tangible photos and mementos.
After finding the addresses, we stuffed the envelopes with:
- The letter explaining our “60 Years of Memories” book
- Stationery for the person to write their note on
- Another envelope with my address and the postage paid to increase the likelihood of a response
Here are all of the envelopes before we took them to the post office.
The fun began a few days later when I started receiving responses. For a few weeks, I was receiving as many as six letters a day! As I received the letters, I spent the kids’ naptime mounting the letters, photographs, and other mementos into the scrapbook.
Unfortunately, I’m a dingaling, and I forgot to get a picture of the finished book before I wrapped it. Maybe I’ll take a few pictures of the book next time I’m at Mom and Dad’s house.
Here’s the sequence of Dad opening the book and taking it all in at our family party for him.
|
| Opening the present. |
|
| The book is about 3 inches thick. I had to put 5 refill packs of pages in there! I inserted the letter we sent out on the front page so that Dad could see it, and I explained what the book was. |
|
| Still absorbing that he was holding a book full of notes from so many people for him. |
|
| We made the man cry! Success! |
|
| Overwhelmed looking at all of the kind notes from his friends and family. |
|
| The colorful drawings are from the grandbabies. The oldest grandchild drew a picture of Dad on the sideline of his soccer game, cheering him on. |
|
| Look at that smile! |
|
| I sat next to him so that I could point out a few things in the book. His godmother sent a newspaper clipping of him from the ’50s! |
|
| A letter from Dad’s best friend and pictures from his wedding (when Dad was his best man) |
|
| Telling all of us that he “can’t believe it” as he got to the last page. |
It was so much fun receiving the letters everyday and seeing my Dad through the lenses of his friends and our family. The contributors to the book identified different memories and things that they loved about Dad. The letters ranged from sentimental to downright hysterical. I especially loved reading my mom’s 2-page bullet-point list of favorite memories. Some, she told us, will “remain in code because we’re allowed to have some inside jokes.”
To all of the contributors–childhood neighbors, classmates, fraternity brothers, coworkers, hunting buddies, lifelong buddies, and family–a VERY big thank you to each and every one of you for taking the time to make Dad’s 60th birthday one that he’ll never forget!
![The Photographer's Observations]()
by Catherine | Jul 2, 2012 | Family, Marriage
When I was younger, I didn’t really understand what was so stressful about a family photo shoot for my parents. What’s the big deal? We just showed up, smiled, and the photographer got the pictures back to us, right?
Oh, how naive I was! There’s a lot behind a successful family photo shoot–especially when little ones are involved. First, there are the individual family members’ outfits to consider. Then, there is the question of scheduling. Absolutely no scheduling a photo shoot too close to a meal or nap. Scheduling newborn photo shoots was the most stressful because of my struggles with nursing and having perpetually hungry babies. Hungry babies are not happy babies at a photo shoot! Then, you have to make sure that everyone has had a recent haircut so that they’re not looking too shaggy. In the bag, you have to include waters for the little guys, snacks for the little ones that won’t stain or leave crumbs all over the place, a brush, a lint roller, and emergency toys that will bring a smile to the little guys’ faces.
Despite all of the planning, something is bound to go wrong. If a baby hasn’t spit up or had a diaper blow out on their outfit, a toddler might refuse to smile, a button on your husband’s oxford might be unbuttoned, or your hair might be doing something crazy. The time and money invested into your one-hour photo shoot puts the pressure on all of you to get that perfect family photo of everyone. There’s something about the pressure cooker environment of a family photo shoot that makes the best of us lose our minds.
When we scheduled our last family photo shoot a few months ago, we went into it wiser having already survived a few shoots together. To prepare for this shoot, Philip and I promised each other we would do two things:
- Do anything and everything we could to plan ahead and avoid stressful day-of problems
- This included things like making a list of what we need to bring, double checking the bag’s contents before we left, and doing a quick head to toe check for each family member.
- Talk about how we are going to handle those inevitable problems ahead of time together
- Clearly and politely give suggestions if you see a problem.
- Don’t be afraid to communicate problems in front of the photographer.
- No blaming. Only problem-solving and helping.
- Divide and conquer. With 2 kiddos, it was easy playing man-to-man defense in taking care of the kids.
- Switch jobs and ask for help if you need to switch. Throughout the shoot, we said we would switch roles of helping to position kids, getting them to smile, fetching toys/snacks/brushes, etc.
- Take a break if a kid (or adult!) needs it.
- Remember that:
- We’re on the same team
- The goal is to capture our family at this moment in time
- “At this moment in time” we have a 2 and a 1-year-old
- Therefore, tears and meltdowns are likely, and we’ll be ready for them
So, the day for our shoot rolled around. We arrived on time, we didn’t forget anything at home, and the kids were in good moods. Hooray!
Ten minutes into the shoot, as we were switching the backdrop, the photographer made a few observations that stuck with me. She thanked me and Philip for “being so nice to each other.” She said that it can be really awkward as a photographer when the shoots get stressful and the family members lose their cool. We had been to this photographer a few times, so her next remark was a big compliment. “You’ve always been so sweet to each other. I remember that. It’s refreshing, so thanks.”
For a woman who has only been around our family three times for a few hours during stressful family photo shoots to remember how we talk to each other and to feel the need to thank us for it meant a lot to us. It was a good reminder that how we talk to one another, especially in stressful situations, affects our children and speaks volumes about our marriage to those around us. If we treat each other well, even in the stressful times, it will encourage others to do the same.
I recently told a friend that one of the many blessings of having children is that they force your communication skills with your spouse to be fine-tuned. “There’s no time to hold grudges! You work through your problems faster than ever because you have to, and because your one-on-one time becomes so limited, you work more than you ever have on your communication skills.”
I suppose our photographer’s assumption was that if we are patient, forgiving, encouraging, gentle, and helpful with one another in a stressful photo shoot, then we must treat each other equally well during the non-stressful times. I wish I could say that that’s always the case, but Philip and I still have our moments like any couple. Throw in Philip’s work schedule as a resident, my hormones, two children ages 2 and 1, and you have the potential for disaster. The good news is that we’re able to work through any problems faster than ever because our limited time together has forced us to really work on our communication skills.
When we got into the minivan after our photoshoot, we thanked the kids for being so good, and Philip gave me a big high five. “Good job, team!” Sure, Walt had a big meltdown toward the end and Janie forgot how to smile for most of the pictures, but Philip and I never lost our cool with each other, and we were actually laughing throughout most of the shoot. It was a far cry from our first family photo shoot with two-week-old Janie and me breaking down in tears once we reached the car. We talked about our photographer’s kind words and what they meant to us. We made a promise to one another as we pulled away to always do our best to treat one another in a way that makes others want to do the same for their spouses.
After all, it’s not just about us. Our marriage is to set an example, especially for our children, on how to love one another. It’s not always easy to be gentle, loving, and forgiving. That’s where sacramental grace comes in! Love is our “duty,” as Blessed Pope John Paul II says, and we pray for the sacramental grace to be loving–especially when we don’t feel like it. When you know that your spouse genuinely wants what is best for you and your family, it’s much easier to give the benefit of the doubt, forgive them for the things that upset you, ask for forgiveness when you’ve wronged them, and work through your problems together.
“Love then is not a utopia: it is given to mankind as a task to be carried ou
t with the help of divine grace. It is entrusted to man and woman, in the Sacrament of Matrimony, as the basic principle of their ‘duty,’ and it becomes the foundation of their mutual responsibility: first as spouses, then as father and mother. In the celebration of the Sacrament, the spouses give and receive each other, declaring their willingness to welcome children and to educate them. On this hinges human civilization, which cannot be defined as anything other than a ‘civilization of love.'” – Blessed Pope John Paul II, Letter to Families, no. 15.
Here are some of the shots from our successful shoot.
![The Photographer’s Observations]()
by Catherine | Jul 2, 2012 | Family, Marriage
When I was younger, I didn’t really understand what was so stressful about a family photo shoot for my parents. What’s the big deal? We just showed up, smiled, and the photographer got the pictures back to us, right?
Oh, how naive I was! There’s a lot behind a successful family photo shoot–especially when little ones are involved. First, there are the individual family members’ outfits to consider. Then, there is the question of scheduling. Absolutely no scheduling a photo shoot too close to a meal or nap. Scheduling newborn photo shoots was the most stressful because of my struggles with nursing and having perpetually hungry babies. Hungry babies are not happy babies at a photo shoot! Then, you have to make sure that everyone has had a recent haircut so that they’re not looking too shaggy. In the bag, you have to include waters for the little guys, snacks for the little ones that won’t stain or leave crumbs all over the place, a brush, a lint roller, and emergency toys that will bring a smile to the little guys’ faces.
Despite all of the planning, something is bound to go wrong. If a baby hasn’t spit up or had a diaper blow out on their outfit, a toddler might refuse to smile, a button on your husband’s oxford might be unbuttoned, or your hair might be doing something crazy. The time and money invested into your one-hour photo shoot puts the pressure on all of you to get that perfect family photo of everyone. There’s something about the pressure cooker environment of a family photo shoot that makes the best of us lose our minds.
When we scheduled our last family photo shoot a few months ago, we went into it wiser having already survived a few shoots together. To prepare for this shoot, Philip and I promised each other we would do two things:
- Do anything and everything we could to plan ahead and avoid stressful day-of problems
- This included things like making a list of what we need to bring, double checking the bag’s contents before we left, and doing a quick head to toe check for each family member.
- Talk about how we are going to handle those inevitable problems ahead of time together
- Clearly and politely give suggestions if you see a problem.
- Don’t be afraid to communicate problems in front of the photographer.
- No blaming. Only problem-solving and helping.
- Divide and conquer. With 2 kiddos, it was easy playing man-to-man defense in taking care of the kids.
- Switch jobs and ask for help if you need to switch. Throughout the shoot, we said we would switch roles of helping to position kids, getting them to smile, fetching toys/snacks/brushes, etc.
- Take a break if a kid (or adult!) needs it.
- Remember that:
- We’re on the same team
- The goal is to capture our family at this moment in time
- “At this moment in time” we have a 2 and a 1-year-old
- Therefore, tears and meltdowns are likely, and we’ll be ready for them
So, the day for our shoot rolled around. We arrived on time, we didn’t forget anything at home, and the kids were in good moods. Hooray!
Ten minutes into the shoot, as we were switching the backdrop, the photographer made a few observations that stuck with me. She thanked me and Philip for “being so nice to each other.” She said that it can be really awkward as a photographer when the shoots get stressful and the family members lose their cool. We had been to this photographer a few times, so her next remark was a big compliment. “You’ve always been so sweet to each other. I remember that. It’s refreshing, so thanks.”
For a woman who has only been around our family three times for a few hours during stressful family photo shoots to remember how we talk to each other and to feel the need to thank us for it meant a lot to us. It was a good reminder that how we talk to one another, especially in stressful situations, affects our children and speaks volumes about our marriage to those around us. If we treat each other well, even in the stressful times, it will encourage others to do the same.
I recently told a friend that one of the many blessings of having children is that they force your communication skills with your spouse to be fine-tuned. “There’s no time to hold grudges! You work through your problems faster than ever because you have to, and because your one-on-one time becomes so limited, you work more than you ever have on your communication skills.”
I suppose our photographer’s assumption was that if we are patient, forgiving, encouraging, gentle, and helpful with one another in a stressful photo shoot, then we must treat each other equally well during the non-stressful times. I wish I could say that that’s always the case, but Philip and I still have our moments like any couple. Throw in Philip’s work schedule as a resident, my hormones, two children ages 2 and 1, and you have the potential for disaster. The good news is that we’re able to work through any problems faster than ever because our limited time together has forced us to really work on our communication skills.
When we got into the minivan after our photoshoot, we thanked the kids for being so good, and Philip gave me a big high five. “Good job, team!” Sure, Walt had a big meltdown toward the end and Janie forgot how to smile for most of the pictures, but Philip and I never lost our cool with each other, and we were actually laughing throughout most of the shoot. It was a far cry from our first family photo shoot with two-week-old Janie and me breaking down in tears once we reached the car. We talked about our photographer’s kind words and what they meant to us. We made a promise to one another as we pulled away to always do our best to treat one another in a way that makes others want to do the same for their spouses.
After all, it’s not just about us. Our marriage is to set an example, especially for our children, on how to love one another. It’s not always easy to be gentle, loving, and forgiving. That’s where sacramental grace comes in! Love is our “duty,” as Blessed Pope John Paul II says, and we pray for the sacramental grace to be loving–especially when we don’t feel like it. When you know that your spouse genuinely wants what is best for you and your family, it’s much easier to give the benefit of the doubt, forgive them for the things that upset you, ask for forgiveness when you’ve wronged them, and work through your problems together.
“Love then is not a utopia: it is given to mankind as a task to be carried out with the help of divine grace. It is entrusted to man and woman, in the Sacrament of Matrimony, as the basic principle of their ‘duty,’ and it becomes the foundation of their mutual responsibility: first as spouses, then as father and mother. In the celebration of the Sacrament, the spouses give and receive each other, declaring their willingness to welcome children and to educate them. On this hinges human civilization, which cannot be defined as anything other than a ‘civilization of love.'” – Blessed Pope John Paul II, Letter to Families, no. 15.
Here are some of the shots from our successful shoot.
![Suit Up!]()
by Catherine | Jun 29, 2012 | Faith
God has this way of not-so-subtly beating me over the head with answers by bringing a person, Bible verse, or event into my life to teach me something. I don’t know about you, but after I heard that the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare, I was needing a little encouragement. As I was wrapping up my prayer time, my current study (Woman of Grace by Michaelann Martin) took me to Ephesians 6:10-20, “The Whole Armor of God.” Yeah, reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally subtle, God.
Paul, likely writing under house arrest in Rome, wrote these words of encouragement to his followers, urging them to be bold in their evangelization. If I had the time, I’d create a video to post on YouTube with a James Earl Jones-like voice reading these words and the Chariots of Fire theme song playing in the background. I don’t, so just imagine inspiring music and James Earl Jones telling you to suit up:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having fastened the belt of truth around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the Evil One. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
It’s time to suit up. Put on the armor of God:
- truth
- the breastplate of righteousness
- the shoes of the gospel of peace
- the shield of faith
- the helmet of salvation
- the sword of the Spirit
- constant prayer
Got your armor? Ok, good! Join in the Fortnight for Freedom.
The fourteen days from June 21—the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More—to July 4, Independence Day, are dedicated to this “fortnight for freedom”—a great hymn of prayer for our country. Our liturgical calendar celebrates a series of great martyrs who remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power—St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, St. John the Baptist, SS. Peter and Paul, and the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome. Culminating on Independence Day, this special period of prayer, study, catechesis, and public action will emphasize both our Christian and American heritage of liberty. Dioceses and parishes around the country have scheduled special events that support a great national campaign of teaching and witness for religious liberty.
If you’re looking for a practical way to be a prayer warrior, start your day with a Morning Offering.
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of your sacred heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all the apostles of prayer, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.
The Holy Father’s general intention for July 2012 is “Work Security. That everyone may have work in safe and secure conditions.” (Isn’t it ironic that the Holy Father’s intention that we all be able to work in “safe and secure conditions” comes at a time that Catholic institutions in this country might be forcibly closed for not complying with the HHS mandate?)
After you’ve started your day with the Morning Offering, continue to offer your actions, thoughts, and words to God in prayer throughout the day, whether it be in a moment of sorrow, joy, work, or rest. Continue in this “little way” like St. Thérèse of Lisieux, prayer warrior of her day. The Armor of God was enough for her, for St. Thomas More, and all of the other martyrs of the Church. Trust that the Armor of God will be sufficient for you as well.
