And the Thunder Rolls...

Last night and this morning Las Vegas had thunderstorms rolling through. I was actually surprised that the thunder and lightening was still going on as morning approached. Usually it blows over long before morning. For most of the night my area didn't get any actual rain, but the light show was spectacular.

At about 6am, the rain started coming down hard. It was beautiful. I have always been a big fan of rain and thunderstorms. So I was too excited to go back to sleep. I just had to enjoy the weather as fully as I could because it doesn't come along very often.

I got up, wrapped myself up in a blanket, made myself a piping hot latte and sat down on the couch to pray my rosary while I watched the storm. This rosary is for the intention of... I prayed. Although the thunder was starting to rumble further and further in the distance, as soon as I finished my intention there was an enormous and deafening clap of thunder. Let me just say that I have had enough happen to me that I have stopped believing in coincidences.

As I sat there in the semi-dark, praying, I had one of those delicious moments when you can feel God's presence. I was filled with such an overwhelming love and joy. I thanked Him for the countless blessings in my life.

And I thanked him for the beautiful thunderstorm, which woke me up and brought me to that perfect moment of prayer and worship, to the ideal way to start my day.

Rewards for the Rosary

I have been struggling to get my Rosary said every day, and usually I either miss saying it or I say it late at night before bed (probably the worst time of the day to try and do it!) So this past week I decided to start saying it in the mornings after breakfast, and that way I would be alert and focused, and my daughters could sit with me and pray along as best as their young hearts can.

Well, a couple of mornings ago Ivy was too distracted to sit with me, she just wanted to play. I said my Rosary and moved on with the day. When she realized it was over, she asked if I would help her pray a Rosary using the cute child sized rosary beads she was given for her baptism. Of course, I was happy to oblige. She seemed antsy throughout, and I asked her if she wanted to stop. "No," she said. "I want to do all of it, the whole fing." She continued to fidget, so I stopped. "Are we done?" she asked. "No, but you aren't paying attention so I figured I should stop."

"No, no," she insisted. "I am paying attention and I want to do the whole fing." So on we prayed, and after we were done, she bounced up and said, "Can I have my princess vitamins now?"

I said of course, and went to go get them. "Ah, that's what I want!" she said happily.

"Did you pray the rosary just so you could get your vitamins??" I asked. And the cheerful reply was "Yeah!"

Since the other routine we changed this week was that I started giving her vitamins after the Rosary instead of after breakfast, she figured she would have to do a Rosary before getting her candy-like vitamins!!

Oh well... maybe somewhere along the way the habit will be instilled in her, even if her 3 year old brain does it for a specific and immediate physical reward for now.