Send Love, Expect Nothing in Return

TRIPPING OVER THE SAINTS :: KATE ESCHBACH WITH GUEST BELINDA TERRO MOONEY – EPISODE 22

Join me as we celebrate a lovely book of poetry releasing today by Belinda!

It is a true joy to listen to her speak about her poetry. Her friendship with the Saints is woven into her life in the most beautiful way!

About Belinda:

I love to serve by writing, teaching, training, and speaking at conferences. I’ve had experience as an adjunct professor in human services or social work at three different colleges (Georgia State University, Oglethorpe, and Lone Star College Montgomery). I’ve helped develop an addictions course at Belmont Abbey College. I have been a licensed professional social worker and addictions counselor for over 15 years, having worked in educational, hospital, and clinical environments. My specialized clinical experience is in addictions, group therapy, and case management. I owned my own business training other professionals in addictions, self-care, and ethics and speaking at local, state, regional, and national conferences. I have been blessed to be able to home educate my seven children over the last 28 years and to write articles and speak at Home Education conferences. I have taught human services classes at Lone Star College Montgomery. My workbook to help plan self care and prevent burnout. My Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Workbook: Creating a Comprehensive Plan for a Calm, Ordered Life can be seen on my website: www.tlcwellnessinstitute.com
I am writing a Catholic edition of the workbook. Praying with the Saints on their Feast Days (tentative title) to be published by OSV. more books to be published soon. I love my faith and hope that all I have done will give glory to God.

Resources:

A Look at Life: A Book of Poetry by Belinda Terro Mooney | En Route Books and Media

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TRIPPING OVER THE SAINTS :: KATE ESCHBACH WITH GUEST MARY THISSEN – EPISODE 21

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It was an honor and a joy to speak with Mary on this episode. She shares a beautiful story about St. Therese of Lisieux and the sweet friendship they have. It is an honor to help people share the friendships they have with our friends in heaven!

As I was reviewing the recording, I wanted to share something with you about how my journey progressed in understanding Saints and the sweet gifts they give us.

I believe in the power of prayer.
Saints in heaven can intercede for us. (This took me a long time to study and unravel what I had been taught before becoming Catholic. I believe I am still learning every day!)
Some Saints also send gifts (or favors) to us! (This is a very new concept for me.) From Saint Therese: She explained: “After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth. I will raise up a mighty host of little saints. My mission is to make God loved…” A rose is like her signature on a letter to a friend.

So, when St. Therese has been praying for you, keep your eyes out – sometimes she likes to leave you roses!

Mary Thissen is a St. Louis native living in East Central Illinois with her husband and children. She is blessed with twin boys Earthside and four children now living in Heaven. When she is not working as a healthcare data analyst or caring for her boys, she enjoys studying and writing about the Catholic faith and ministering to women who are suffering through miscarriage or infertility. You can connect with Mary at marythissen.com on Instagram @waitingonmiracles.

Resources:

Connect with Mary on Instagram at @waitingonmiracles

Free Printable:

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Letting go

Have you ever let go of something, maybe a beautiful dream, because the Lord prompted you to?

Then, after you let go, you found reasons and ways that you could still do it with your own strength, so you snatched it back up and told yourself that the timing was right or that situations had changed or that you now had His permission to go forward, only to feel a nagging in your heart?

Anxiety replaced the peace you found in laying it down.

Striving replaced the rest you felt when let it go.

Convincing yourself that it was still a good idea was easy. After all, it was your idea to begin with. Right? Right.

Today I found myself two weeks into my own plans when a dear friend (thank you, Lauren) confided in me about anxiety. Her gentle voice was the glaring alarm my heart was looking for. She spoke truthfully, vulnerably, clearly. As soon as she said the words out-loud, I knew what I had done in my heart.

My open hands had reached out and grabbed the precious thing that the Lord had asked me to put down. Admitting it out-loud to her was the first step. I pulled over and we prayed together as I sat on the phone in the parking lot.

I pray you all have a friend like Lauren who reminds you that this world is His – and His plans for us are so much bigger than where we live or what shiny precious thing we are chasing.

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Just keep praying…

In my never ending love for garden analogies, I see the little tiny roots taking shape – finding water and hope in ways we don’t see.

Thursday was a good day. An unusually good day.

I think it was Katie McGrady who said earlier that her “Lent was very Lent-y” this year.

I nodded my head and wondered how I could share without complaining and bemoaning that life I’ve ended up in a valley the past few months.

My aunt passed away at Thanksgiving. I had seen her the day before. We had played “Go Fish” with my youngest children and she had made a huge, decadent table of desserts. It took our breath away. As we waited for her funeral, it felt like we were holding our breath until we could truly say goodbye.

This was followed by a dead battery in the church parking lot in the pouring rain on Christmas Eve, a blown transmission the week of Valentines Day, an epic trip-and-fall adventure by yours truly into the back of a closet, 2 weeks of the mysterious “you tested negative for everything” sickness, and finally (I hope!) a cracked tooth all the way to the root – cue incredible thankfulness for dental insurance.

I needed a good day. I did.

Thursday morning, Riley woke up cheerful and joyful and ready to tackle the day. We bounced back and forth from reviewing the butterfly method of dividing fractions to questions about his Gotcha Day. Many, many years ago, he asked us to stop celebrating his gotcha day.

I looked up the date to be sure I was telling correctly. We talked about who was there and what the day was like.

We spent the morning looking at pictures and talking about September 4th. It was so good just to hear his quiet thoughts and memories about the day.

(Pictures below from September 4th, 2014)

He wandered off to do his reading, and I opened facebook to thank people for praying and not to stop. It may take weeks, or months, or years, but your prayers make a difference. And right there – in my messages – was a message from a college friend that said “Good morning, Kate. Today is the day I’m praying for you and Riley.” I had forgotten that he had offered his 40 days in Lent to pray for someone each day. Weeks ago, I sent him Riley’s name.

He didn’t know that I needed a good day. He didn’t know that my Lent has been very Lent-y. He didn’t know that I plead with our Lord every day for a miracle to happen and for Riley to be healed and find peace.

But all of that didn’t matter. He promised to pray, and he did.

And it made all the difference in the world.

Word of the Year {2024}

Choosing my word of the year this year proved harder than in years past. Do your words come easily? Do you know before the calendar even turns to January? I don’t. I’m usually well into the first month before I truly have peace about letting Him choose my word of the year, instead of pretending that my word is where He and I should explore together.

I laugh and remind myself that I am an oldest. I am an older sister of a brother who was very accommodating of what games we should play, what songs we should sing, what TV show we should watch after school, and who sat shotgun first. This may have been great from my point of view (sorry, Johnny) but not the best recipe for getting to know someone and making room for where you need to grow.

I usually spend a few days in silence, wondering why He hasn’t shown me my word.

Then, slowly, a word begins to come up over and over – in scripture, in homilies, in podcasts, and in my husband’s words to me.

I’m not even kidding when I tell you that this is the song that just came on as I write this post:

You Hold it All
The Porter’s Gate: Contemporary

God, we bring you the work of our hands now
Lay it down, lay it at Your feet
What we’ve done, where we’ve been, what we’ve broken
Lay it down, lay it at Your feet

You hold it all
Jesus You hold it all

Worried hearts, wearied hands, weakened body
Lay them down, lay it at Your feet
What we used, what we lost, what we wasted
Lay it down, lay it at Your feet

You hold it all
Jesus, You hold it all
You hold it all
Jesus, You hold it all

All our plans, all our dreams, our ambition
Lay them down, lay them at Your feet
Even if nothing comes to fruition
Lay them down, lay it at Your feet
Lay it down, lay it at Your feet

Surrender.

Surrender is my word this year.

The rough draft of the book about Saint Dyphna is finished and I’ve sent it off to a dear friend to read. I immediately felt small and childish when I hit send and He sweetly reminded me to surrender.

If I am doing this for His glory – not mine,

If I am doing this according to His will – not mine,

If I am not seeking personal gain but to give Him glory, then it will be easy to surrender.

Lord, I surrender it all to you – today, tomorrow, and yesterday.

TRIPPING OVER THE SAINTS :: KATE ESCHBACH WITH GUEST BELINDA TERRO MOONEY – EPISODE 22

TRIPPING OVER THE SAINTS :: KATE ESCHBACH WITH GUEST MARY THISSEN – EPISODE 21

Letting go

Just keep praying…

Word of the Year {2024}

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