— 1 —   This Week’s Post:   Wisdom and Hope in a Secular World ~ A Guest post by Britt   This post has received lots of hits so far this week.  Great job, Britt!

— 2 —   Pray and Fast for Syria:  Let us storm heaven and beg for God’s mercy!

 — 3 — No Alone Series:  This week the girls talked about Peace.  I loved everything the girls wrote about so be sure to check them out.  A couple of posts jumped out at me.  Veronica from In The Palms of His Hands wrote something I can relate to:

“….When I’m really stressed, I clean.  It’s productive, takes my mind off my problem, and makes me feel like I’m in control of something. ..” 

Morgan from Follow and Believe wrote something along the same lines which definitely is true for me:

 “…I make an effort on a daily basis to shake off laziness in order to keep my peace. I always feel unsettled going to be at night when I know that I was just a slug of a person that day…”

— 4 — Spotlight On:  This week the spotlight is on Ruthie and Michael Dean.  On Wednesday, their book, Real Men Don’t Text, was released.  I started reading and I can’t wait to do my book review.  They have been putting snippets from the book on their website and so far I am in total agreement with their wisdom and advice.  I sent them an email asking them to do a guest post where they talk about the idea of the veil being true (or not) in their experience.  I didn’t hear back from them…but I am sure they are busy!  From what I can tell, it seems like she experienced rejection, rejection, rejection, rejection and then voila’!  Things with Michael were completely different.  So, I wonder what she would say about the veil theory??  If you would like to hear from Ruthie (and Michael!), head on over to their blog and give them some blog love in their comments section. Maybe let them know you would like to see a guest post from them!  Here and here are examples of snippets from their book!

— 5 —  Jen’s New 7QTs Took Kit:  So, Jen (from Jumping in Puddles) clued me in on Jen’s (from Conversion Diary) snazzy took kit for snazzy 7QTs formatting.  I guess I am not as snazzy or savvy as I thought. I tried to do this but failed.  Now you know that this blog is a complete miracle and that every post is a result of the mercy of God.

— 6 —   Book of Jeremiah:  Be not afraid, “I am with you”, says the Lord.

“….The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: “You, prepare yourself; stand up and tell them all that I command you. Do not be terrified on account of them, or I will terrify you before them; For I am the one who today makes you a fortified city, a pillar of iron, a wall of bronze, against the whole land: against Judah’s kings and princes, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you—oracle of the LORD….”  Jeremiah 1:17-19

 — 7 — Book of Sirach:  This truth about our Lord gives me Peace:

“…He plumbs the depths and penetrates the heart; their innermost being he understands. The Most High possesses all knowledge, and sees from of old the things that are to come: He makes known the past and the future, and reveals the deepest secrets. No understanding does he lack; no single thing escapes him….”    Sirach  42:15-25

God love and bless you!

If you have enjoyed my blog, please “like” my Facebook Page, The Veil and sign up to receive my blog posts automatically by clicking the rectangular “Follow“ button. Please check me out and follow me on Twitter too! Thank you!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

— 1 —   This Week’s Post: Dear Sweet Frustrated Friend ~ I responded to the Frustration post from last week.  I pray that my response brings peace and hope!

— 2 —   Britt’s Guest Post:  Britt from Proverbial Girlfriend will be providing a guest post next week. It’s a good one! Look for it on September 2nd!  Thank you, Britt!!

 — 3 — No Alone Series:  This week the girls shared some fun things about themselves.  I really enjoyed reading about each of the contributors and getting to know them better!  They shared stories about how their parents met and listed the qualities they are looking for in a husband.  To me, the most important qualities were captured by Danielle and Morgan.  Danielle said that she is looking for a humble husband.  Yes, yes, yes!  I could do a whole post on this but will just offer that marriage to Gregg is easy due to his humility.  Morgan said that she is looking for a ‘kind and affectionate’ husband.  Wise girl, she is.  I cannot imagine being in a marriage without affection.  I know there are marriages where the man is ‘not affectionate’ but that just would not work for me.  Anyway, great job to all the girls!

— 4 —  Our Family:  Our son, who is in 3rd grade, had to write about our family in his school journal.  This is what he wrote:

“…A little over-protective but they are very nice.  My Dad likes computers games and we both like football a lot!  Our favorite team is the Chiefs.  My Mom is very nice.  She is the best cook I know.  I love her very much.  So that is my family.  The end.”

Gregg and I had tears in our eyes we were laughing so hard.  Especially being a ‘little over-protective.”  Hey, it’s the love that makes us that way!  Our son was delighted at how much we loved it.  Oh, and my cooking is not that great but I am the best cook….that he knows.  Anyway, he also sketched us doing computer stuff and cooking. 🙂

— 5 —  St. Monica:  Feast Day August 27th.  I always tell young people that no one can break your heart like your child.  St. Monica, pray for us!

— 6 —   St. Augustine:  Feast Day August 28th.  Gregg and I went to Mass on Wednesday, the feast day of St. Augustine, to pray fo all the people who are suffering and in need of God’s mercy.  St. Augustine gives us all hope.  St. Augustine, pray for us!

 — 7 — St. John the Baptist:  Feast Day August 29th. This week was my favorite due to the feast days of all these great Saints.  Wow, when I see the head of St. John the Baptist on that platter!  I just shiver at the thought. 

Nothing New ~ Adultery.  People want what they want and they do not like others telling them that they must Repent.  Let us never forget this steadfast Saint.  St. John the Baptist, pray for us!

St. John The Baptist, pray for us!

God love and bless you!

If you have enjoyed my blog, please “like” my Facebook Page, The Veil and sign up to receive my blog posts automatically by clicking the rectangular “Follow“ button. Please check me out and follow me on Twitter too! Thank you!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

— 1 —   This Week’s Post:  Wow, thank you to everyone who commented and provided support in response to the Frustration post! You girls are amazing!  I plan to post my response to our Sweet Frustrated Friend next week.

— 2 —   Girl Friends:  It was wonderful to see you girls wrap your cyber arms around her and share your own feelings of frustration.  It seems that a support group might be forming where you girls can remain anonymous yet share your struggles in a closed, non-public forum.  I will be happy to pass on any information that comes my way.

 — 3 — Britt’s Guest Post:  Britt from Proverbial Girlfriend sent her guest post to me this week and I am so excited to share it with you.  As usual, Britt imparts wisdom and gives us some truths to chew on.  Look for it the week of September 3rd!  Thank you, Britt!!

— 4 — Spotlight On:  This week’s spotlight is on Laura from Catholic Cravings for her post called Me and Ununiformity with God’s Will. 

“My job isn’t to be successful. It isn’t to lead an impressive life of holiness. It certainly isn’t to wait until optimal conditions arrive, or even to try optimise those conditions.

No, my task is to do the most unglamorous thing imaginable: God’s will for me. Right here, right now, right away. Fortunately, it might be unglamorous but it is also the most glorious thing imaginable. Because there is no greater privilege than to say with Christ, His Mother, and all His angels and saints, “Lord, thy will be done.” 

— 5 —  Reblog Excitement:  It is an honor for me to share with you that the Living in Faith Together L.I.F.T blog reblogged Morgan’s guest post this week!  The funny part (to me and Gregg) is that L.I.F.T has reblogged Morgan’s post and this post.  Neither post was written by me…..both were guest posts.  So, praise God for guest posts!!

— 6 —  Audrey Assad:  She reminded us last night on Twitter to pray for Syria. Of course, the suffering of Egypt has been on our hearts too.  Lord have mercy. 

           We are loving her new album which she says is humbly offered as gifts to her fellow Catholics.  Indeed, she is a much-needed gift given to us at a critical time. 

 — 7 — More Reasons To Love Gregg:  He is always building and flying stuff.  He is good at and enjoys following instructions with the most minute details (this would drive me absolutely bananas). He can fix any computer.  He will make any party fun.  However, I was speechless when he and our son showed me his latest project: 

God love and bless you!

If you have enjoyed my blog, please “like” my Facebook Page, The Veil and sign up to receive my blog posts automatically by clicking the rectangular “Follow“ button. Please check me out and follow me on Twitter too! Thank you!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

— 1 —   This Week’s Post:  Envy and Singlehood ~  A Guest Post by Britt  Thank you, Britt!

— 2 —   Next Week’s Post:  I have been so spoiled by my wonderful Guest Bloggers!  Now it is time for me to pick up where I left off earlier this month.  We started this series with There Is No Formula, then Endless Circles and then Hope.  Next week’s post will be about Free Will!  If there is no formula, how do faith, hope and our free will work together? Look for the post on Tuesday, August 20th which marks the one year anniversary of The Veil of Chastity blog!  Appropriately started on the feast day of St. Bernard of Clairvaux!

 — 3 — Note Alone Series:  This week the girls accepted a variety of challenges!  Laura from Catholic Cravings wrote about fear and how it can result in us acting like we are not worthy of love.  Then, she goes on to challenge herself with some great “What if?” questions:

“Because of that fear, I act in a certain way.

But what if, just for a change, I started acting like it wasn’t true? What if, instead, my challenge was to live like some wonderful guy was about to ask me out? What if I was to act like, just for argument’s sake, that I was deserving of love and that God did not put a desire for marriage and family in my heart only to thwart it?”

— 4 — What If?:  When I read Laura’s post, it reminded me of my Emotional Chastity post where I asked “What if you visualize yourself with the virtues you desire?”

“….I am advocating that you create a vision of your best self.  Your most free self.  Your most trusting self.  Your most virtuous self.  Your most emotionally balanced self.  Then, once you see this vision, you can start praying for and modeling the required virtues, behaviors, attitudes, habits and disposition.  Your healthy emotions will naturally follow.

— 5 —  Update On My Challenge:  In the Emotional Chastity post I shared that the Lord had presented me with an ‘opportunity.’  If you recall, I was experiencing fear and concern because I was going to be stretched beyond my comfort zone.  But, I practiced the visualization technique and prayed for the virtues I would need to glorify the Lord through this challenge/opportunity.  I even predicted that I may be blessed by this opportunity. I am happy to report that I was extremely blessed!  For almost 3 months, Gregg and I looked at each other and said “Aren’t you glad we said ‘yes’ to God?”  Our simple ‘yes’ returned to us a hundred fold!

— 6 —  Yes:  Speaking of saying ‘yes’ to God, I have to share with you the meditation from The Word Among Us from yesterday’s Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

“…So rejoice today with the Virgin Mary! Your yeses may not change the course of human history (or maybe they will), but they all have a ripple effect on the world around you. Just as a mustard seed of faith can move mountains, even the smallest of yeses can change the way other people see God. Nothing is too small for Him to use. All God wants is our agreement. He can work with anything, even the most begrudging of yeses, and transform it into something beautiful, radiant, and life-giving. It may seem like a ripple to you, but when you give it to the Lord, he turns it into a mighty wave of grace!”

 — 7 — Presenting Herself Veiled:  I noticed a friend’s daughter at Mass last Friday was wearing a veil.  She is nine years old.  I was struck by the beauty and the innocence of her desire to veil.  Yes, this was her decision.  Her very own Fiat! She told her Mom (see the full story below in the comments section!!):

“The Lord asked me to wear a veil when I present myself in front of Him.”

Presenting Herself Veiled ~ Isn’t she beautiful!

 God love and bless you!

If you have enjoyed my blog, please “like” my Facebook Page, The Veil and sign up to receive my blog posts automatically by clicking the rectangular “Follow“ button. Please check me out and follow me on Twitter too! Thank you!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

— 1 —   This Week’s Post:  Hope  Even Mr. Darcy found it!  Virtue in women changes Men!

— 2 —   Awesome Guest Post:  Keep an eye out for a guest post on Monday, August 12th featuring Britt from Proverbial Girlfriend!

 — 3 —  Twitter:  It’s official.  I like Twitter more than Facebook.  Twitter has this matchmaking service where it sends you the Twitter accounts of those whom you might be interested in following.  It’s networking feature is supremely better than Facebook.  This week, Steven Ertelt began to follow little old me.  Who is Steven you ask?  He is the courageous founder of LifeNews.com!  He is big time and I am little itty bitty time.  Quite an honor!

— 4 — Artificial Means Makes It Shallow:  This explains a lot:

 “….We must recognize once again that those who cut themselves off absolutely from the natural results of conjugal intercourse ruin the spontaneity and depth of their experiences, especially if artificial means are used to this end….” 

Blessed Pope John Paul II (pg 69 in Love and Responsibility)

— 5 —  Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord:  I loved this reading from the Book of Daniel.  Daniel refers to God as the Ancient One.

 “As I watched : Thrones were set up and the Ancient One took his throne. His clothing was bright as snow, and the hair on his head as white as wool ; His throne was flames of fire, with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire flowed out from where he sat; Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads attended him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
 As the visions during the night continued, I saw One like a son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven; When he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him, He received dominion, glory, and kingship; nations and peoples of every language serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed.”

Book of Daniel 7:9-10.13-14

— 6 — Spotlight On: This week’s spotlight is on Laura from Life is Beautiful.  She just returned from Haiti and this post describes her experience and the impression the mission trip left upon her.

“And our nation. It’s full, so full. Of stuff. Too much stuff. We can’t see through it all.

The Haitians. Their stomachs are empty. Their homes are empty.

Their eyes are full. Sometimes of pain. Sometimes of joy.

Their churches are full.”

 — 7 — Healthy Conviction:  So…..after I read Laura’s post about her trip to Haiti I told Gregg that I think we should spend our family vacation next year on a mission trip.  He looked at me like I was crazy because I am the type that complains if I forget my straight iron. Or, if our house rises above 75 degrees.  You get the picture.  But, the part in her post about having too much stuff really convicted me.  Yet in a good way.  What would I be like after such an experience?  I can see my future detached and compassionate self and I want to be that girl.  I want my heart to break for what breaks His.

 God love and bless you!

If you have enjoyed my blog, please “like” my Facebook Page, The Veil and sign up to receive my blog posts automatically by clicking the rectangular “Follow“ button. Please check me out and follow me on Twitter too! Thank you!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

— 1 —   This Week’s Post:  The Wisdom of Chastity ~ A Guest Post by Morgan  Thank you, Morgan!  I have really enjoyed these guest posts and look forward to getting back into blogging.  Remember where we left off?  Yes, let’s pick things up there next week!

— 2 —  Cardinal Francis George: Oh my goodness, he is amazing!  Check out this article where he responds to criticism from “Catholic” politicians who don’t like the fact that he defunded a pro-gay marriage group.  The best line?

“Jesus is merciful, but he is not stupid”   Cardinal Francis George  

 — 3 —  Moses and The Veil:  The readings at Mass this week were interesting! Did you notice that Moses had a Veil??

“When he finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.
Whenever Moses entered the presence of the LORD to converse with him, he removed the veil until he came out again. On coming out, he would tell the Israelites all that had been commanded.
Then the Israelites would see that the skin of Moses’ face was radiant; so he would again put the veil over his face until he went in to converse with the LORD.” Book of Exodus 34:29-35

— 4 — How To Talk To Your Daughter About Her Body:  This was good. 

— 5 —  When He Breaks Up With You:  This advice from Maura at Made In His Image was spot on: 

1. Don’t text him. Let’s be real, we have all been there. It’s late at night, you’re feeling lonely or sad and you want to talk to him, so you text him. Don’t do it! Resist the urge and call one of your girlfriends instead. Clinging to false emotional attachment is not healthy. Sure, you miss him and that’s okay, but don’t text him, as it will only prolong the inevitable.

— 6 — Spotlight On: This week’s spotlight is on Raquel from Story of a Rose for her post in the Not Alone Series.  This week’s topic was Resources for Catholic Women.  Raquel pulled together a fantastic list of resources.  Great job, Raquel! Oh, and go check out her gorgeous baby girl!   

 — 7 — Connect the Dots: This article discusses the link between pornography and sex trafficking.  I would like to take it two steps further.  It all begins with contraception.

 Contraception -> Abortion -> Pornography ->  Sex Trafficking

 God love and bless you!

If you have enjoyed my blog, please “like” my Facebook Page, The Veil and sign up to receive my blog posts automatically by clicking the rectangular “Follow“ button. Please check me out and follow me on Twitter too! Thank you!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

— 1 —   This Week’s Post:  The World’s Way ~ A Guest Post    Wonderful insight!  Thank you so much to the author for sharing her heart and her wisdom!

— 2 —  Meg Hunter-Kilmer:  As promised, I am reporting back on Meg’s visit with us this week!  She had a great time at our Parish Summer Camp and of course she made tons of new friends.  She participated in our Jane Austen Movie night (see QT #3) and she gave several talks to the Camp Instructors during the daily “Theology Class.” (Yes, isn’t it amazing that they have a one-hour daily theology class?)  Anyway, one of Meg’s talks was on “Discernment” and I just loved what she said about it:

“Instead of seeking after your vocation, seek after God.”    Meg Hunter-Kilmer

 — 3 —  Jane Austen Movie Night:  Gregg and I hosted about 15 High School and College age girls for a Jane Austen movie night a couple of weeks ago.  Since Pride and Prejudice is over 5 hours long, the girls returned this week to finish up the movie.  At first, the girls did not like Mr. Darcy.  But, they all clapped and cheered at the end of the movie. One girl said that the movie proved to her that she should ‘raise her standards with guys”  Music to my ears!

— 4 — Woman In Love:  I gave each of the girls at the movie night a copy of Katie Hartfiel’s book, Woman In Love.  It was cute because I had already given one of the girls the book earlier this month for her birthday.  She was reading it at work (the Summer Camp) and one of the more popular college guys took a peek at the book and began to read it out loud.  He declared that he wanted a copy!  When the girls heard this story at movie night, they couldn’t wait to have their own book.  In fact, they started reading it out loud to each other right there on the spot! 🙂

— 5 —  Pray for A Teen Girl:  Before we started Pride and Prejudice this week, I passed around a notebook and told the girls that if they wanted to jot down their name, I would add them to my Divine Mercy Chaplet prayer list.  Their sweet young faces seemed to light up at the idea!  They all added their names and one girl even added her Mom’s name to the list.  What a joy I will have praying for them!

If you meet a High School or College-age girl, ask her if you can pray for her.  And then do it.  Even if you are only a couple of years older than she is, she will appreciate being singled out for prayer.

These girls are navigating some tough waters and they get a lot of lectures and (often necessary) correction.  Sometimes, however, they just need someone to encourage them and pray for them.  I feel so privileged to have these girls and all of you who visit this blog in my Motherly heart and on my Divine Mercy Chaplet prayer list.

— 6 — Spotlight On: This week’s spotlight is on Leticia Adams from The Ramblings of a Crazy Face blog.  She doesn’t post a lot but when she does it is always good.  This post really was especially good.  Here is the (ouch!!) quote that got me: 

 “You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image,” ………“when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.”

 — 7 — Guest Post:  I am so happy to announce that my bloggy friend, Morgan from Follow and Believe will be my guest poster this week!  Keep an eye out for her post this Monday, July 29th! 

God love and bless you!

If you have enjoyed my blog, please “like” my Facebook Page, The Veil and sign up to receive my blog posts automatically by clicking the rectangular “Follow“ button. Please check me out and follow me on Twitter too! Thank you!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

— 1 —   This Week’s Post:  Endless Circles   It seems that many of us struggle to understand what our role is versus what God’s role is when it comes to our vocation.  Is He intimately involved in every detail and does He lead us to our destiny…… or does He have more of a ’hands off’ approach?  Can we significantly alter our destination with our choices?

— 2 —  Meg Hunter-Kilmer:  Guess who is coming into town and staying with me next week?  Meg! Remember my 7QTs from back in January where I shared how great she is?  Well, this week she will be spending time at our Parish Summer Camp teaching the kids about Jesus and His Church!  I will report back with details next week!

— 3 — The Definition of Sexy:  I loved this post!  It is so true that a man is most attractive when he is giving of himself.    I will refrain from embarrassing Gregg with a story.  (wink)    p.s.  If you have a daughter, I think you will find a lot of wisdom throughout Haley’s blog.

— 4 —  Spotlight On: This week’s spotlight is on (I don’t know her name) from the Grace for the Road blog.  Her post, I Don’t Wait, was spot on.   She had 782 other bloggers “like” her post and 1,114 comments about the post.  It was that good.

— 5 —  Not Alone Series:  I am looking forward to next week’s post in this series!  They answer the question:  Is it possible to be “just friends” with a guy? Remember to check out what the girls have to say!

— 6 — Pray for Your Parish Priest:  I was recently convicted about how much our Parish priests need our prayers.  We are blessed with a wonderful Pastor and it is easy to take that for granted sometimes.  Thank you, Father Ray, especially for the Sacraments.  See you tomorrow for Confession. 🙂

— 7 —  Guest Posts:  I am so excited to announce that I have at least 3 guest posts coming up!!  You can expect the first one on Monday, July 22nd and the next one July 29th! In the first guest post, a single Mom (who is a firm believer in the concept of Superabundance) shares about the freedom she experienced once she committed to Chastity.  The second guest post is from fellow blogger, Morgan, who shares her wisdom on the virtue of Chastity.  And the third guest post…..well that may be from a guy!

God love and bless you!

If you have enjoyed my blog, please “like” my Facebook Page, The Veil and sign up to receive my blog posts automatically by clicking the rectangular “Follow” button. Please check me out and follow me on Twitter too! Thank you!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

— 1 —   This Week’s Post:  There Is No Formula!  Oh, how I wish there was a formula!  But there is isn’t. However, we are not left to our own devices.  Stay tuned for future posts where we explore the mystery of God.

— 2 —  Modesty Discovered:  <—  This guest post was reblogged by L.I.F.T this week!  L.I.F.T (Living In Faith Together) is a Young Adult Ministry in the Diocese of St. Augustine, FL serving those 18-39 in all stages of life; married or single, with or without children.  This ministry is based on the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church but all are welcomed to attend.  Their goal is to form a community among young adults through spiritual formation, service and social events.  Some activities include faith sharing, adoration, retreats, praise and worship, etc.

I have no idea how L.I.F.T found out about this guest post but Praise God that they did!

— 3 — Furlough:  Anyone out there aware of the government furlough?  Our furlough started this week and for the next 11 weeks Gregg and I will have 1 unpaid day per week.  It is a very clever and targeted income tax, wouldn’t you say?  Oh well, there are worse things that could happen to us!  And since we are furloughed every Friday, we are making the best of it including……Jane Austen movie night!

— 4 —  Jane Austen Movie Night:  Gregg and I hosted a ‘Girl’s Night” for 15 high school and college girls from our parish Summer Camp last night.  We watched Pride and Prejudice, ate pizza and cookies.  What a wonderful group of girls!  I would post a photo of these lovely girls but I forgot to obtain their permission.  They are coming back next week so hopefully I will remember to ask!

— 5 —  Spotlight On: Audrey Assad!  Have you downloaded her new free songs yet?  Check out this link for her song “Good To Me”  which I fell in love with right away:  http://noisetrade.com/audreyassad/good-to-me

— 6 — Not Alone Series: This week’s topic was Despair and Vocations.  Britt from Proverbial Girlfriend wrote something that I can easily relate to.  I felt the same despair over the thought of my vocation not including Motherhood.  This was definitely a painful thought for me as a single girl.  Here is what Britt wrote:

“I do despair. The issue that freaks me out the most—to the point where I really have to consciously control myself so I don’t blow up at friends or potential dates—is never becoming a mom. Motherhood is the vocation I despair never having. Marrying late is one thing—I know a handful of women who have and they are very happy—but only one managed to birth children. I fear that if I marry late, my mom won’t be around (or around, but not aware) by the time I might become a mom. ….I fear that I will have problems or miscarry. The fears are so deep, that I get anxious, and when I get anxious, I tend to do drastic things and want to inappropriately speed up the process or mentally give up entirely. Both of those feelings fluctuate from day to day.”

— 7  The Action Bible:  Our son loves this bible!  It is in comic book style writing but it still gets the stories across in a somewhat reverent way.  I mean, the bible is kind of…action-packed and even violent at times, right?  I highly recommend it.

God love and bless you!

If you have enjoyed my blog, please “like” my Facebook Page, The Veil and sign up to receive my blog posts automatically by clicking the rectangular “Follow” button. Please check me out and follow me on Twitter too! Thank you!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

— 1 —   This Week’s Guest Post:  Modesty Discovered  This post received a lot of traffic this week.  When I first read the testimony of her discovery about modesty, I was blown away by the wisdom it contained.  I can say for a fact that I would not have been open to receive this wisdom from the Lord when I was 18 years old.  The Lord can do amazing work with this level of openness in a young person. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord.  Yes, yes, yes!

— 2 —  Woman In Love:  Do you remember my book review of this fabulous book by Katie Hartfiel? I ordered a bunch of her books to give away to young women in my Church.  When the package arrived, it contained a hand-written card from Katie thanking me for my order.  She also thanked me for “my ministry to singles” and said, “The message of purity is so well-needed these days and I am so thankful for your witness.” 

I had no idea she even knew who I was! Oh, yes, her card is displayed for all to see!  Have you read her book?  Out of all the books written for single girls, her book is the best one yet.  I highly recommend it!

— 3 — When Your Mother Says She’s Fat:  Did you see this article?  I try my best to graciously let other Mom’s know how their own body image translates to their daughter’s psyche.  I think unless you have been in the presence of your own Mom saying these things, it is hard to understand the impact.  Either way, it is a great article.

** Note that I do not necessarily support everything else the author stands for.  I tried to figure out exactly what it was that she did stand for and it just seemed so foreign to me. So, I recommend just sticking to this article.

— 4 —  Pope  Francis’s Encyclical:  Pope Francis’ first encyclical, which he said is largely the work of our beloved Pope Benedict XVI, will be published today!  It is called “Lumen fidei” (The Light of Faith) and it completes Pope Benedict’s “trilogy” on the three “theological virtues.”  First, “Deus Caritas Est” (2005) on Charity, then, “Spe Salvi” (2007) on Hope and now an encyclical on Faith.  Here is what Pope Francis had to say:

“It’s an encyclical written with four hands, so to speak, because Pope Benedict began writing it and he gave it to me.  It’s a strong document. I will say that I received it and most of the work was done by him and I completed it.”

— 5 —  Spotlight On: This week’s spotlight is on Mary Beth Bonacci for her article about seeking an annulment before dating on Catholic Match.  Wise advice from her!

— 6 — Not Alone Series: More great insight from the girls participating in this Series!  The topic this week:  what you can do to prepare for marriage?  Jen from Jumping In Puddles discussed a topic that I wish I would have known about before I got married…..Charting!  Here is what she said:

“Charting– I have talked a bit about my NFP journey on here before.  But, I’ve been prettttty horrible at it lately.  I keep telling myself, “it’s ok. I don’t need to know this 100% yet… I’m not married. It’s not happening right now. It’s fine.”  But, you know what’s funny about God’s timing… things happen when you least expect it and maybe when you aren’t thinking about it.  So, if I keep doing what I am doing, I will be in panic mode before my wedding trying to make sure I really understand this NFP-ness.  It’s just silly.  This is the easiest and most practical thing I could be doing right now to prepare for my marriage.  If I’ve got it down, it will be easier to teach the hubs and be less of a stressor when we are first married.”

Nikki from A Catholic Heart for Home had the following wise advice:

“Don’t Date Jerks
If he spits, sniffs, scratches and swears, you know you could never marry him then do NOT date him. If you think you can change him, he is just misunderstood or no one understands him like you do… you probably can’t, he most likely isn’t and I’m pretty sure you don’t, time to move on.”

“Become The Person You Want To Marry
If you want to marry a devout, Catholic man, then become a devout, Catholic woman. While considering what you want your future husband to bring to the altar you need to ensure your basket is just as attractive.”

— 7 —  Independance Day:  In light of all the offenses against our religious liberties, yesterday felt different from all of the other 4th of July’s.  I am thankful for thoses who have made and are making our remaining freedoms possible.  May God be merciful on America and help us turn back toward Him.

So as to not end on a downer note, I provide you this recipe for gluten-free chocolate chip cocoa oatmeal cookies!  They were a big hit!

God love and bless you!

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