Day 2

How is it that we get away from prayer and alone time, meditation time, reflection time? Life wants to creep in and steal bits of our attention until we don't even realize that we have lost a very important part of what keeps us grounded, full of faith and trusting that God's got the 411 on all the moving parts.

I spend time alone, thinking, and reflecting often, but it's usually when I am doing something else, especially driving.

The rosary stops me from distraction. I am working toward full immersion of the meaning of every bead, walking with Jesus and his Mother through the mysteries of both of Their lives.

Day One, Again

I have returned.

I got to day 52 on the last novena and was traveling cross country to a new assignment for work when I got up one morning planning to say the rosary during sunrise. My brother, who was traveling with me, asked me to look up something on my laptop and before I know it, I had forgotten.

I was devastated the next day when I realized that I had forgotten to saw the rosary...

Today is a new day. A new opportunity to start over.

Day One.

Joyful Mysteries.

Day 45

It is day 45 of the novena.  I haven't written for a while, but I have been reciting, no scratch that, praying the rosary daily.  It has on some days been a challenge of concentration. On others, I have reached a deep place that is unable to be attained without letting go of everything around you.

On each of these days, I have been touched by the presence of Mother Mary. I have known her near and sending Divine support in my direction.

I have been blessed with so many gifts during this novena. I trust that She is working in tandem with her Son to gently push me in the direction of my highest potential.

Peace and blessings to each of you today!

Day 28: Thanksgiving

I have reached the halfway point in the 54 day novena. No longer will I pray the petition prayer; now, I turn toward Thanksgiving.


For anyone who may be saying this novena, below is a link to the novena and the Thanksgiving Prayer as well.

In Thanksgiving

Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary,

hail! At thy feet I gratefully kneel to offer thee a Crown of

Roses snow white buds to remind thee of thy joys each bud

recalling to thee a holy mystery; each ten bound together

with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen,

Dispenser of God's graces. and Mother of all who invoke

thee! thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its

binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my

thanksgiving; from thy bounty thou hast given me the favor

I so earnestly and trustingly sought. I despaired not of what

I asked of thee, and thou hast truly shown thyself my

Mother.

I felt slightly guilty about "loading up" on the petition; one of the petitions was answered about two weeks ago. In a wonderful way....

The honest and intellectual question I have is this: can I have enough trust to still be thankful even if all the petitions are not answered the way I hope they should be?

 I know in my heart that if they are not,

there is still a Divine Plan

to the whole answer.

Day 26: Quieting the Mind

The rosary/novena has become part of my morning ritual.

Prayer is like exercise, study or any other task which we decide is or is not important in our daily routine.

Amazing what happens when we make something a priority.

While I am in what I consider frequent dialogue with God throughout every day, in quiet moments at home or fleeting moments at work, I realize that the rosary is a different kind of prayer. It is a type of meditation in which I am able to quiet my mind.

When all the chatter dies down, it is simply me, Mary, and Jesus. The Mother and The Son. Moments of clarity arise. I am led to deeper understanding.

There is value in quieting the mind. As TERESA OF AVILA said in The Interior Castle:

When I think of myself

my mind cannot soar to higher things

but is like a bird with broken wings.

When we are freed from the limitations of ourselves, we can soar into Higher Realms.

Day 24: Calm Amidst Chaos

I am doing the rosary this morning just after having my computer almost crash, and when I went through the recovery process, I found that I lost most of my saved documents. My mind is swirling.

I am wondering if the tax guy can send through the secure server the 36 page tax document I downloaded just a few days ago....while the flash drive was plugged in, I had not saved the tax document onto it!

So....as I am trying to concentrate on the Glorious Mysteries, I am redirecting my mind every Hail Mary or so.

By the 4th decade, though, I settle into a rhythmn and realize something new. Mary and the apostles were surrounded by chaos as they saw the Savior tortured and put to death, as they realized that He, indeed, was resurrected... and then they answered His call to spread The Word in a hostile environment.

Wow. My chaos is nothing.

If they can move through that chaos, I can move through mine.

Hail, holy queen,

Mother of Mercy...

Day 18 - Plugging Along

Hi, there,
Just a note to say I'm still on the Novena. Went through a short trip and a bit of sickness, but during it all, Mother Mary's been with me. Day 18 and moving forward.

Peace and blessings to all of you today.
Tre