Time: What a Gift!

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/red-2-bell-alarm-clock-on-grass-field-36351/

I recently went through the Called and Gifted Discernment Process (St. Catherine of Siena Institute). This made me aware of the gifts He has given to me that I bring to Him at every Mass I participate in. That just seemed like "old news" to me. I feel that He wants something more, but what? 

As if right on cue, Dynamic Catholic's Daily Reflection for January 7, 2025, corresponded with the meditation in Fr. Mark Toup's book:

As Fr. Mark says: "We need time for Sabbath. We need time for rest. We need time for silence, reflection, and prayer." He goes on to refer to Pope Benedict XVI: Making time for God is a "fundamental element for spiritual growth....he will enable us to understand more deeply what he expects of me." 

I hate to sound like a broken record, but in thinking back over the past few years, God was gracious and merciful enough to gift Robert & me with time. Now it is my time to give Him the gift of my time. And as Matthew Kelly put it in his reflection, it seems like a simple thing but it won't be easy. Sometimes, when I come home after Daily Mass, an appointment, or an outing, I just want to stay home for the rest of the day. Especially in the winter when it's cold and the wind is blowing, I just want to stay home. I like being in my little prayer corner, but there are so many distractions. Sitting in front of the Tabernacle, whether the Blessed Sacrament is exposed or not, gives me clarity and helps me focus on HIM. 

I'm finding that Anna the prophetess is currently a kindred spirit. While I'm not going to live in the church, I have set myself up to spend a lot of time there through Adoration. Could it really be that simple? That He only wants my time? I'm at a point in my life when I am able to give Him the time He is asking for. I've said many times that if people only knew the graces received by spending an hour with Jesus in Adoration, the chapels would be overflowing. There were times in my life when I felt stretched to give Him that much, and I'm sure He understood. But now is the time. Now is the time to spend time with Him, to get to know Him, and to understand His plan for me. 

Hope Never Disappoints

Over the past 3 years, I've had so much hope. I hoped for a miracle, that my husband's cancer would be erased by the chemo. I hoped for more time. I hoped that he would return to the Sacraments. Lastly, I hoped for a happy death.

The Miracle

I just knew if I prayed enough, God would hear me and answer me just as I wanted. I've never experienced such devastation in my life; how could He not take care of me with this request? I continued to hope for a miracle for 2 years. It wasn't until after then that my hope began to shift. 

More Time

Looking back over our life since his diagnosis, I realized we did get a miracle: God gave us the miracle of time. Over and over, he allowed us to have more time. We talked a lot and had some very difficult discussions. I'm not saying we didn't argue, because we did have more time for that as well! Just before my husband's passing, he had a hospital stay following an emergency colostomy. During that stay, he spent 5 days in ICU and another 5 in a regular room. Even his doctors were surprised that he improved enough to go home. During this time, he was able to tie up some loose financial ends. We also had more time for discussions and he had more time to spend individually with each of our sons.

Return to the Sacraments

After hoping and praying for years that he would return to the Sacraments, a week before his passing my husband told me he wanted to speak with a priest and go to confession. This was without my prompting or asking him. I ran into our parish priest the following morning and he came by that evening. My husband and I shared his Viaticum. I wasn't going to receive the Eucharist since I attended Mass that morning, but he asked me to share it with him. It was an absolutely beautiful gift that he gave to me, more precious than anything else he could have given.

A Happy Death

I spent the day of his passing saying a Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet. At that point, he was on comfort medications and was not able to speak or indicate that he understood what was being said to him. I asked the priest to come back by the night before and he administered the Last Rites as well as an apostolic pardon. My husband was surrounded by the boys and myself, as well as one of the girlfriends. At the moment of his passing, the boys and I were around him, with football on the TV (the sound was off) and the dogs in the room as well. He simply stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating.  Each of us gave him permission to leave this world and greet his aunt, grandparents, my parents, and the Holy Family. He passed away at home in his recliner, which is exactly how he wanted it.

A Shift In Hope

Now that he is gone, my hope is shifting. Maybe a little selfishly, my hope now is that God will show me His plan for the rest of my life and that I will be wise enough to follow it. I hope that the boys will find their way back to the Church, or at least back to God. Ultimately, I hope that I will have a happy death when the time comes, with my husband, parents, and the Holy Family waiting to welcome me home. 

My Prayer

Lord, may I never give up hoping to do Your will. May I keep hope in my heart as I look forward to the life to come. Thank you for my parents who taught me how to hope through Your love. Thank You for my husband: I saw first-hand what hope is for and what having hope does. Thank You for Your love; without it there would be no hope.

This picture was taken at Arches National Park during our last trip together in July, 2023

Getting Back on Track With My Prayer Routine

Ah, summer. I always do so well with being on a schedule...until we go on vacation. Then it goes by the wayside. I always have good intentions of sticking to my routine but then...vacation. And I get lazy. Getting back on track with my prayer routine is a struggle. Anyone else?

Getting Off-Track

My pre-vacation morning routine looked like this: Wake up at 5:30, out the door with the dogs by 5:45 (before the squirrels are awake!), come home, eat breakfast, feed the dogs, take a shower, pray and reflect, daily mass. All of that before 9:00 a.m.! Surprisingly, I haven't been crashing in the afternoon. Well, most afternoons anyway.
Then we went on vacation. The next week I attended a conference. I did pretty well with my prayer routine on vacation...I at least prayed The Divine Office and my daily prayers. The Daily Mass Readings and journaling went by the wayside, but at least I had my talk with God. The next week at the conference, I prayed The Divine Office in the mornings while my roommate was in the shower. So that's something, right?

Except that I feel a distance to God that wasn't there 2 weeks ago. To keep a good relationship with anyone you have to communicate. It would only make sense that to regain a relationship the communication has to be there. I don't doubt that God was certainly trying to communicate with me while I was gone. It takes 2 to communicate and I'll be the first to admit that I didn't give it my best shot. I may have panicked just a bit when I returned home from the conference, realizing that I have 1 full week of summer left before I go back to work. (I know, I know! That's early for teachers to go back! Our students start July 31st!) Y'all, I really need  God to be on my side when I start the new school year!

3 Answers

The answers are quite simple:
1)Discipline yourself to start over. You had discipline in the first place, right? You know you can do it, so just do it!
2) Forgive yourself. It is what it is and there's no sense in beating yourself up about it. Our God is a merciful (and forgiving) God. If He forgives you, why not forgive yourself?
3) Slide back into it if you need to. I was so tired when I first returned home from my conference that I needed to slide back into my routine. It took me a few days but I did it.

Personally, I'm the kind of person who thrives on routine and schedules. Even so, it is kind of nice to get away from that every now and then. Getting totally out of the routine can make the return a little more difficult, but who said life is easy? So it seems that I'm getting back on track with my prayer routine just in time to have to tweak it a bit for the school year. 

In this post, I discussed why I need a daily routine and what happens when I get off track. There's even a quote included from a book that I read from every now and then that really drives things home.

Need more inspiration?

• Take a peek into Brandon Vogt's prayer life in this post.
• This article tells you why Daily Prayer is important and explains the how.
• What, how, why, and where is discussed in this post.

Pray for Ireland

Sculpture by Timothy P. Schmalz

Disclaimer: The following views are my own and are my opinions.

Today I  pray for Ireland. This country I've only seen once but that has a piece of my heart. This country that has gone through famine and so many wars now faces destruction through the passing to repeal Amendment 8. My heart aches for Ireland. They have no idea what they have done.

A Visibly Catholic Country

When I visited Ireland last October I loved how "Catholic" it was. I loved seeing the statues of Jesus and Mary all over the country. Just when you least expected it, there they were. There were more Catholic churches than I had ever seen in my life. I felt so much at home there. I don't have an Irish bone in my body, but I fell in love with Ireland.

Statue of the Crucifixion, Dingle Peninsula

The Wrong Idea 

I know better than to read comments on Facebook, but I read some very hurtful words. Comments such as "Now we can let go of the Catholic guilt" and "women now have a choice". The UN categorizes abortion as "human rights", but for whom? Certainly not for those babies who are killed. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar is quoted by The Washington Post as saying "...no more stigma as the veil of secrecy is lifted and no more isolation as the burden of shame is gone." Really, Prime Minister??? Even though abortion was legalized in the USA in 1973 people don't speak openly about it. It's still very hush-hush and I would say that those women who abort their babies aren't shouting it from the rooftops. They need counseling and I dare to say most never get over killing their babies. I think he's living in a dream world if he thinks that's going to change.

Destruction of the Family

Norma McCorvey (a.k.a. "Jane Roe" in Roe v Wade) eventually became an advocate for Pro-Life. Dr. Kermit Gosnell gave up his right to appeal when on trial: He chose life when there was a chance he could get the death penalty for murdering babies. What irony! Just this year the pro-life organization in my state had a huge victory: legislation was passed to ensure millions of tax dollars is now redirected from a major "national chain" of abortion clinics and will be funneled instead to state-run health departments to be appropriated for family planning programs.
You may be thinking that Ireland is just catching up with the rest of the world. The USA legalized abortion in 1973, and look at us now. We're becoming a nation that doesn't know God, where "Catholic" children don't even know how to make the sign of the cross.  American family structure is in ruins. I can count on 1 hand the number of my students who live with their moms and dads.

So today I pray for Ireland. I pray that whatever happens next is peaceful; Lord knows that country has seen their share of bloodshed. Today the devil is dancing in hell; he won this battle, but with our prayers, he won't win the war.

Learning the Ins & Outs of Prayer Journaling

I recently read the book Praying with a Pen by Mary Beth Weisenburger (Dynamic Catholic) to learn the ins & outs of prayer journaling. (Pssst! It's free...just pay S&H!!!) I have friends who are into Bible Journaling using artwork but I'm no artist.  What I do love to do is write. I sat down with the book and a highlighter, ready to learn what I could about how to journal. I ended up only highlighting one thing from the book, and that was a statistic. It's not that there isn't great information in the book, but the big idea that Mary Beth wants to get across is that it's yours. You have to find what works for you and make it yours. Not hers, and not mine, but yours.

My Evolution

The Blessed is She journals for Advent & Lent were my introduction to prayer journaling. After my first one for Lent, I decided to branch out on my own. I went through the Mass Readings on USCCB for the liturgical season and printed out the Daily Readings as well as lines to write on.

Daily Readings with space for reflection

I also had a monthly calendar in the front where I would write a word or short phrase as a "word of the day". I wrote names of people around the calendar who were in need of prayers.

Calendar for daily words as well as intentions

I'm not gonna lie: that took a lot of time and paper & ink so I knew there had to be a better way. I decided to buy an inexpensive paper notebook, read the Readings in Magnificat and journal that way. 

My journaling evolving

I used my Blessed is She Planner and continued to write down a word of the day. 

Today, I'm using the Magnificat for the Daily Readings. I purchased the Bible Study Evangelista's Love the Word. While it's not perfect, it's pretty close. There are tutorials available but they don't tell you exactly how to use it, so I'm making it my own.  

This journal is beautiful!

 The only downfall is that some days the space for writing your thoughts isn't enough!

The inside (click on picture for a larger view)

I still have my inexpensive notebook to write down thoughts and conversations. One of the most difficult things for me is to be able to actually talk to our Lord and to be silent. The being silent thing is the most difficult...the talking isn't quite so difficult! I take it into Adoration with me. Some nights there are pages, some nights I may not even get a fully formed paragraph. But it doesn't matter because it's mine. 

The Where, When, and a Routine

Mary Beth stressed the importance of having a designated prayer space...a space that's yours. It needs to be a quiet place, a place away from everyone else. You need to protect that space from little ones who may be curious or older ones who are looking for a pen. My boys are grown and 2 are no longer at home so this was fairly easy for me. During the school year (I'm a Speech/Language Pathologist for a school system) I sit in my chair at my desk in a spare bedroom. The downside to that is that my laptop is on my desktop and very often I get distracted by thinking about that email I need to send or about other things I need to do on the computer. Now that school is out, my favorite place is on the back porch. 

My Summer morning quiet place

I'm getting into a routine of walking the dogs (out of the house around 5:45 so we have the park to ourselves!) and coming back for "God time" on the porch. It's my happy place: the birds are busy chirping and singing and gathering food and the rest of the world is going about their day. In my little corner of the world, it's peaceful and quiet, except when one of our dogs can't decide if she wants inside or outside. 

I pray the Liturgy of the Hours (which I am just learning...it's a bit confusing!) then my morning prayers as well as personal intentions. I made a notebook using the "disc system" (you may own or have seen planners using the discs):

In the zipper pouch, I have prayer cards and a pen.

I have a page for intentions.

I put tabs on the bottom for favorite sayings/scripture. 

I'm big on quotes to give me a pick-me-up when I need it!

One of my Lenten "sacrifices" a few years ago was to wake up 30 minutes early to pray and read the Daily Readings, which started my whole journal journey. In the book, Mary Beth talks about how important it is to find your time. Since I'm an empty-nester, that was a  no-brainer for me. I don't have anyone to get ready for school except myself, and most days my husband is still in bed when I leave for work so it really wasn't a big deal for me to get up earlier. In fact, I liked it so much that I continued to get up 30 minutes early for my God time. When I went through a period following that Lent when I didn't get up early I could tell something was amiss throughout my days. I just force myself to go to bed a little earlier to make up for that extra 30 minutes. Since I started praying the Liturgy of the Hours I thought I would have to wake up even earlier but choosing to pray instead of checking my emails and Facebook takes care of that wasted time. 

So there you have it. That's how my prayer journaling has evolved and is still evolving. It works for me, but it may not work for you. There is no right or wrong way to talk to God. I've always thought that one's faith is a very personal thing and it's not going to look the same for everyone.
Do you pray by using prayer journaling? What works for you?

{SQT} Stressors All Around

I'm trying to get back in the swing of Seven Quick Tips on Friday, hosted by Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum.

--- 1 ---

I've discovered that I'll never be a "big time" blogger...I don't have the issues that most of them seem to have. Has anyone else noticed that? I lived a very normal life in a small town in the South. Hmmm...maybe that's a good thing?

--- 2 ---

The solar eclipse is supposed to be at 100% in my county. All of the schools are going to be closed so we can all experience this once in a lifetime phenomenon. I was a little concerned about how scared the little ones are going to be, so I'm glad they'll be at home. The concern now is that some of them will look toward it without eye protection.

--- 3 ---

Daily prayer. I'm finding it really hard to get back in the routine since school has started. We have my son's dog staying with us until June (when he graduates); she's not quite house-trained, but she's almost there. How this ties in: it takes her a while to potty when I take her out. I'm not sure why; you'd think she'd be just about to bust when I take her out in the morning. That eats up time. I suppose I could pray while we're out, but I spend that time repeating over and over, "Come on, girl. Make your tee-tee" or "Make your poops". Makes it a little hard to concentrate on prayer. Did I mention that we don't have a fence, so she has to be on a leash, which means I have to actually walk around the yard with her? And, we live on a busy road...and she's a terrier and bolter?

--- 4 ---

Between the dog and the hellacious kitchen remodel, I was super-stressed this summer. It's been going on for 2 months and counting. Anything that could have gone wrong, has. I've felt like a prisoner in my own house, or rather, living room. With 3 dogs. There is an end in sight. Hopefully, anyway.

--- 5 ---

People in my house that don't belong here: That's a huge stressor for me. The beginning of the school year is another one. Oh, and the dog that didn't belong here, too.

--- 6 ---

Grown Boys. I have 3 grown boys: 1 lives in Washington, 1 in Louisiana, and 1 in the basement. The one in the basement is the least stressor of the three.  I'm still trying to let go and let God take care of them. Easier said than done.

--- 7 ---

Here's the thing: I don't deal well with stress. Stress makes me want to curl up in my bed and stay there until it passes. But...that's not real life. I feel like I've actually done a fairly good job dealing with the stress of the kitchen remodel...most of the time. Yes, I've shed tears in Home Depot. Yes, I've had to get a little nasty with the contractor. Yes, I will have a beautiful kitchen when it's all said and done. But, boy, if I had it to do over....

{SQT} 7 Materials to Help You Reflect

With the internet, there are so many options to use for reflecting on Daily & Sunday Readings. These are what I have found helpful. Some can be delivered right into your inbox.

--- 1 ---

Catholicmom.com isn't only for moms. There's something for everyone on this site whether you're single or a dad. Their Daily Reflections are short and to the point. 

--- 2 ---

Blessed is She is another reflection that can be delivered daily to your inbox. While some of them are geared more toward the younger crowd, they are usually well-written and connect the readings to every day life.

--- 3 ---

ePriest's reflections begin with a prayer, petition, then 3 main points for the Gospel, followed by another prayer and ending with a resolution.

--- 4 ---

The Catholic Company doesn't have reflections, but they do have morning offerings, daily meditations, links to Mass Readings (from USCCB) and Homilies, as well as the daily saint, devotions, and links to daily prayers. Just be aware that if you sign up, you'll also receive offers from them.

--- 5 ---

The Word Among Us can't be sent to your inbox, so I sometimes forget about going to this site. (If you subscribe, you may be able to have the daily meditation sent; I don't subscribe, so I'm not sure.) It's actually very good; another short reflection that connects the readings to every day life.

--- 6 ---

Catholic Study Bible. This is the one I have, but really, any of them would do. Read the readings, and read the footnotes. Read what comes before and after the Gospel for that day/week.

--- 7 ---

A friend of mine just made a Mass Notes Journal (pdf format). Someone else made the comment that it will be great to take to Adoration. This can be used throughout the week. Included are Homily Notes, Scripture References and questions, goals, moments of grace, a place for art, a thankful page, help me page, prayer requests, and faith in action. It's a great way to reflect on the whole week using the weekly Readings.
If you have a Spiritual Director, this would be fantastic to take with you when you receive direction.

She has made it available to everyone, for free. There is a choice of 5 different covers. I put mine in a notebook, but you could bind yours. She thought of everything: She has 2 versions: Sermon Notes Journal and Mass Notes Journal.
If you would like to download it, click HERE. 

What do you have delivered to your inbox for reflections?

I'm linking up with Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum for Seven Quick Takes.

I Will Try Again

When I walked into the Adoration Chapel the Thursday following Easter Sunday, I was struck by how differently things looked after being covered up with purple cloth. The white on the Virgin Mother statue seemed whiter, with the blue rosary draped around her seeming to be bluer. Jesus on the cross appeared to be more life-like. This is the same crucifix that I looked at in my parish while growing up, so it's very familiar. Even so, his face looked as if he could come to life at any minute. The harder I stared, the more life-like it became. I thought of the disciples locked away, scared of what was going to happen to them. I can imagine his head straightening and I have to admit that I am just a tad bit frightened until I hear the words "Do not be afraid. I am with you." It is then that I can actually feel his presence.

The blood on his knees and feet seem more pronounced. I can almost see the blood dripping from his feet. In fact, I would swear that I see it dripping.

And then I get sidetracked. I make the mistake of looking at my phone for the time and see a message. That leads to another thing, and I've lost this state of mind I was in.

I didn't take any reading materials with me this time. My plan was to just sit, be still, and listen. I failed miserably, but it's okay. I had a few minutes of that deep state of mind with Jesus. It's a start. Next week I'll try again. I'll turn my phone off (or leave it in the car) and not worry about the time. I'll gaze at Jesus' precious wounds and imagine what it must have been like to be with him on his journey to the cross. I'll know that he forgives me for my short attention span. I know that he will still be here, waiting for me.

{SQT} Make This Advent Your Best Yet

I'm linking up with Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum for Seven Quick Takes.

It's Advent. Just look around and you'll know that it's not Ordinary Time any more! Need some ideas on how to make this Advent the best yet?

Journals. I got one from Blessed is She, but I've also seen one from Heart of Mary Women Fellowship. Heck, you can even make your own. 

I printed off the Daily Readings for Advent, and added a few lines to each day. I take a few minutes at the beginning of the day, read, and reflect. I also get a few reflections in my email to get me going. I'll make notes, highlight, and/or circle. 

Advent Photo Challenge. Catholic Sistas is challenging us to post a picture/day.

Check your bulletin. My Parish is doing some cool things this Advent. Check and see what yours is doing; take the time to go.

Spend an hour a week in Eucharistic Adoration. Try it; you'll like it.

Attend or participate in a Taizé Prayer Service. I had the opportunity to participate with the choir last Monday. It was beautiful, even with the wind howling, causing some very strange sounds in the church. Jesus even swung on the crucifix a little bit. 

It's a prayer service with songs that are short & repetitive. It began with a sung prayer followed by a Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Reading, and another sung prayer. Then, we had 10 minutes of silent prayer followed by Intercessions, the Our Father, another prayer, and 2 more sung prayers. It was just so peaceful; I left the church with such peace, even though the wind was so nasty.

Take time to learn about your church. I'm talking about the building. Check and see if there's some literature about the building of the church; talk to someone who knows the history. 

Subscribe to special Advent programs that will be delivered to your email. Dynamic Catholic delivers short videos to your email every morning during Advent through The Best Advent Ever program. You'll get a very short video (around 2-3 minutes) that will give you something to think about during the day. Bishop Robert Barron has free daily Advent Reflections.

"He who sings prays twice". (St. Augustine) The Vigil Project has a 7-part video series going on right now. You can sign up for reminders of new videos to be delivered to your inbox.

{SQT} The Trinity & Aging Parents

Things have been pretty busy around here for the past couple of weeks. I don't like the feeling of being pulled in about 20 different ways! Luckily, things should start slowing down...in a month!

What a difference a week makes! Last week I went to Adoration full of resentment and anger. This week I was totally at peace. Last Sunday's Mass Reading was just what I needed to hear: 

In every place the men should pray;

lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.

                  1 Timothy 2:8

It came at a time when I needed the Lord to speak to me...and speak to me, He did!

Sister asked me to be on the RCIA Team this year, so I accepted. This week, our topic was The Trinity. During the presentation, the presenter spoke about who she prays to more: Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. Sister said that, while on a retreat, she had to write an autobiography using the Trinity. She reflected on her life and saw each part of the Trinity being stronger in different parts of her life. 

Yesterday, as I went through my day saying little prayers, I paid attention to which part of the Trinity I was naturally praying. Try it; it not only gets you to pay attention to which part  you're praying, but it will also help focus you on your prayer.

During the RCIA session on the Trinity, I mentioned that the Holy Spirit is so hard for me to grasp. The Father and the Son are personified, so they're a lot easier; but the Holy Spirit??? Definitely tougher.

As I drove home Wednesday night, I had on Busted Halo from the Catholic Channel, and Father Dave talked about the Holy Spirit. Then, when I opened my emails Thursday morning, there was a message from Heart of Mary Women Fellowship with the subject Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Counsel.

Last Thursday, I hand-wrote a whole blog post about seeing your parent(s) age and having to depend on their children. I never got around to posting it, which is probably a good thing seeing how I was full of anger and resentment. I have 9 siblings; 3 of whom don't live in the immediate area. For the past couple of weeks, my 91 year old dad has needed help, and during the week, for various reasons, it's been down to just 3 of us helping out. That dwindled down to 2 when 1 of my siblings had to go out of town (couldn't be helped), and then down to just myself a couple of days due to some dental procedures. 

I lived away from my hometown for 20 years, then decided it was time to come home. One of the reasons I wanted to move back was because my parents were aging, and I wanted to be close so I could help out when/if needed. I had to remind myself of that over the past couple of weeks when I felt I was being pulled between daddy, my husband, and work.

I just mentioned that I moved home after 20 years of living in 2 different states. We ended up buying a house that is just up the street from my childhood home, the home where my father still lives. Yes, I knew what I was doing! I wanted to be there for my parents should they need me. For the most part, they haven't needed anything. My mom (rest her soul) would call every now and then and need help with trying to figure out why the volume on her cell phone ringer was down (it was always because she had accidentally turned it down/off while holding it!), but for the most part, they didn't need me. I think it gives daddy some comfort knowing that I'm just up the street and can be there in 2 minutes or less if he needs me.

So, yeah. Seeing your parents age is very difficult. My big, strong daddy is now having to ask for some help until he recovers from what was going on with him. He's getting there; it's not as fast as he would like for it to be, but he's getting there. And I'm glad I can be there for him.

I'm linking up with Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum for Seven Quick Takes.

{SQT} Adoration

Adoration. It's just an hour out of your life each week; an hour to really unwind and just be.

My old parish in SC started Perpetual Adoration just after we moved there. The idea is that you sign up for 1 hour/week, and (hopefully) there will be someone spending an hour with Jesus 24/7 until the 2nd coming. There were times when there would be 5 or more people in the chapel with me, and other times when I would be completely alone. If someone can't make it for their hour, there was an extensive sub list. Adoration was taken very seriously...they were all in. Jesus couldn't be left alone, so you stayed until the next person showed up. Before we moved away from SC, they made the concession to drape a cloth (I have no idea what it's called) over the tabernacle if you had to leave and the next person didn't show up. 

My current parish has Perpetual Adoration, but they don't seem to be "all in", which is really very sad. As disappointing as it is to walk into the chapel and see the doors of the tabernacle closed, it's very disheartening to have to close the doors because the person behind you doesn't show up and didn't get a sub. 

In SC, my Adoration time was right after work. There was one cold, damp day I went in, knelt down, and immediately could feel a sensation like a warm blanket being put over my shoulders. It was incredible.

Then there was the time when I went in and fell asleep. Okay, that happened more than once! The first time it happened I felt soooo bad. I mentioned it to my mom and told her I just kept thinking "Can you not even watch 1 hour with me", and she said that God knew I needed that time to rest, so not to feel bad. (My 3 boys were very young at that point and I worked full time, which means that, yes, I was very tired!) Another time when I feel asleep, I had my head on the back of my hand and ended up with a big red spot on my forehead. I can't imagine what the man who came in after me thought when he saw it!

There have been times when I could feel angels kneeling with me in prayer. Seriously. If you've ever had that feeling, you know what I'm talking about. What a comfort!

There's a book on Adoration (I wish I could remember the name of it because it is an amazing book!); it mentions that there have been no recorded instances of anything bad happening to anyone on the way to or from Adoration. That, to me, is just incredible. Out of all the people who take part in Adoration, there hasn't been 1 wreck, 1 mugging, NOTHING BAD has happened.

I was in Adoration last night, and, big surprise, I started to nod off. I swear someone nudged me to keep me awake. It felt like someone nudged my elbow and moved my hand so I wouldn't fall asleep. I have no doubt it was my Guardian Angel. 

Does your Parish have Adoration? If so, do you participate? If not, what's keeping you from committing?