When I look back on October 12, 2013, the day the love of my life and I became one, I chuckle to myself… we had NO clue what we were saying yes to that day! And I thank God for that, because had we known, we honestly might have been too afraid or selfish to say yes. But we did say yes, albeit a bit blindly. What a glorious day our wedding was! Surrounded by such support, love and prayers from the people we hold most dear. Everything was incredible and perfect and lived up to my expectations. “Yep, marriage is going to be a piece of cake,” I thought to myself as my hubby whisked me away to our idyllic honeymoon. Upon returning home, I had big expectations for my marriage and my husband. Oh man, did I have expectations. The funny thing is, I didn’t see these expectations as being unrealistic....until they weren’t being met. I would complain to myself, “Matt has to work late…again?” “He didn’t think to plan a date night every Friday and Saturday night?” “He didn’t think to bring me home flowers just because?” And then, naturally, I would act cold and harsh towards him because he wasn’t performing the way I thought husbands should perform. God bless him and his patient heart. Unrealistic expectations (whether we acknowledge them or not) will suffocate a marriage to death. They are a real temptation that the sneaky Devil places in our minds and hearts. He makes us feel absolutely justified for having them. Unrealistic expectations put spouses at odds against each other. They turn a spouse inward to distract from serving the other, and instead they serve the self. Both men and women are guilty of this, but I can only give you my perspective as a wife. Then, God gave us our sweet baby girl, Gianna Grace, just one week before we were to celebrate our first anniversary. We were elated and overwhelmed, excited and terrified. My husband had just begun his Masters program, we moved into a new house in a small town with NO family or friends, and he had an hour commute to and from work. We decided that the best thing for our family was for me to stay home with our girl. It’s a gift that I am forever grateful for, but oh man, no one ever warned me about the HARD work that motherhood entails. The sleepless nights, being on constant demand, no breaks, and don’t get me started on the pile of dishes and never ending laundry. In addition to what felt like an endless list of tasks as a new mother, I was starting to feel alone. Matt would leave in the mornings around 6am and not get home until 10pm. When he was home, he had to work on school work until 1am, crash for a couple of hours, and get up the next morning to do it all over again. Instead of seeing his hard work and long hours as his part in providing for our family and allowing me the gift of staying home with our daughter, I only saw the ways he was not assisting my needs and expectations. I started asking myself questions like, “Do I really have to do all the night feedings?” “Does he need me to make dinner every night?” and “When do I get to take a shower?” Right on cue, the resentment started to build. FAST. Until one night we found ourselves arguing over whose responsibility it was to replace the empty toilet paper roll! We had hit an all-time low. He looked at me with his exhausted eyes and said, “Honey, I can’t do this. I can’t be the husband and father that you have created in your mind. I am trying my hardest and I need your support. It won’t always be like this, but I need you to please see the bigger picture.” SILENCE. Lump in throat. Head down. Oh Lord, who have I become? How did I get here? So I got to praying and God got to mending my heart and filling my soul. He quickly helped me see that I had very unrealistic expectations for my husband, our marriage and our role as parents. And they had to be readjusted quickly! God had revealed that my thinking came from my naïve, immature ideals. I begged Him to give me a servant’s heart for my husband. I wanted to see past my own needs, and instead look for ways to take care of my husband’s. Rather than expecting my husband to fulfill all of my heart’s longing and desires, I begged God to fill them. Because really, He is the only one who ever could. With this new realization, I felt empowered and reenergized. One night I received a text from Matt. He would be getting home late because of work. I did something I had never done before. My usual response would have been to make him feel guilty for staying late. However this time, I put his needs before mine and I thought to myself, “Poor guy doesn’t want to be at work until 9pm with an hour long commute, only to then come home and do school work!” I replied, “I’m so sorry honey. I love you and can’t wait to see you when you get home. I’ll have dinner ready for you.” When he got home, I greeted him with a big kiss, a warm smile and a hot meal. You should have seen the look on his face. It makes my eyes swell with tears even thinking about. He was so grateful. And he held onto me, and we embraced for a long time. Slowly, and I mean sloooowly, I am learning that marriage is NOT about my husband meeting my ideals and expectations. I mean, I always knew that. But knowing something and living it out are very different things. Rather, I have a new understanding that we are to serve one another as Christ serves His church. Our marriage, our home and our family are as holy and Christ-like as we allow. Each time I refuse to give in to a selfish expectation, it strengthens our foundation and shows my husband that I am in this journey with him and that we’re a team. Admittedly, some days are better than others, and God knows I stumble and fall, but with His grace, the good days are starting to outweigh the bad ones. My husband is doing his part, which requires hard work, long hours, and late nights. And I am doing my part, which requires taking care of our daughter and our little home. Letting go of my unrealistic expectations has freed me to love and serve my husband in a new way. It’s this real love--love without expectations or demands--which makes our marriage come alive. [bctt tweet="Our marriage and our family are as holy and Christ-like as we allow."] photo by Corynne Olivia Brooke Garibaldi is a Catholic wife and mama loving the small town life in gorgeous wine country, discovering His blessings in every day life!

Well, hello there. My name is Siobhan, and I am a lifestyle and wedding photographer who has a heart for people and their stories. These days, in the midst of so much communication, I feel like many of us can feel oh-so-isolated. This is why the Blessed is She community is so amazing–it’s a place where strong Catholic women can come together and share each other’s prayers, successes, sufferings, and joys. We can build each other up and continually remember that we are not doing this alone. That is why I decided to make it my mission to share the stories of YOU–the women who make up the kingdom of God. I am going to be sharing little peeks into the lives of Catholic women, who just like you, are trying to do their best. [bctt tweet="This is the Sisterhood Campaign. This is a reminder to you that we can do it together."] Becky Callaway // College Student // New Orleans, LA Could you describe your faith? I have always been Catholic, but I really started developing my faith after going to college. I think something I learned is that faith is hard, and it takes effort. You have to find where you can worship God in your daily life. I had to start learning how to see Him and the beauty of His creation in everything. How would you define beauty? I think that beauty itself is something that is felt more than seen. I think it is when you can look at something and feel God’s presence. Really anything that brings you closer to Him. It is when you feel joy or happiness in anything. One thing I love is being able to look for it every single day. I love sunrises and stars because there are similarities in the beauty God creates, but it is also so very different. I can look at a perfect sunrise and see God’s glory, but every one is completely unique. Just like people. Three reasons why you think you’re beautiful: 1. I'm a joyful person. I am very optimistic and try to find happiness in everything. 2. I’ve become a more caring and loving person. I've learned a lot about being compassionate. 3. I’ve been teaching and coaching about music. Being able to teach your gifts makes you beautiful. Can you speak a little bit about your faith in college? I run track, and being an athlete in college can sometimes make it difficult to pursue my faith. It is hard to be in an environment of the world where everything is considered acceptable and there is no moral grounding. It can be easy for you to stand up for your faith at the beginning, but when you do not have a community that supports you in your beliefs, it is really easy to fall away. It was hard for me to find people that understood and supported me in my decisions so living out my faith to the fullest was less of a priority for me at times. What about your biggest struggle? I think for me it was not going out of my way to find a sisterhood in Christ. I thought that I could do it all on my own, and I learned quickly that I could not. I became so weak in my faith because my heart was not in it, and it was so important for me to find other people, especially women, that I could talk about it with. I think that not keeping everything bottled up inside, talking about issues, and then making corrections based on good conversations has really helped me become stronger in my faith. I think that the concept that “I am not as bad as they are” can really hurt people of faith. I know that I struggled with that at times and I needed to really dig deep to find the humility to ask for help. How do you combat those struggles or continue to try to pursue your faith? Well, because I am a distance runner, I have a lot of time in my head while training long miles. Track is definitely a mental sport, and so when I am in those times of intense training, I pray rosaries or talk to God as I run. It’s a great way to work on physical perseverance as well as mental and spiritual training. Being able to connect my faith to my physical sport has allowed me to try to train my heart as a I do my body. What do you admire most in a friendship? People that keep you honest. It is so hard to try and be a faithful person on your own without community. You need people who are able to encourage you positively without tearing you down. What do you think it means to be in a sisterhood and why is it important? I preferred to hang out with guys over girls because I didn’t pursue Catholic women friendships. But now I think that being able to find women who are helping you grow in your femininity is so important. Realizing that you can still be strong in the gentle beauty. Having other women who are there to help you support that. Having women who are gentle, kind, loving and not judgmental. What advice do you think other women need to hear today? There is strength in femininity. We can change the world through other women and men. We must embrace those unique features God gave us, because we make the world a more beautiful place. What do 20somethings need to hear? A lot of girls in their 20’s are longing for a relationship. As women and people in general, we need to start to grow more as God made us. God’s going to point us in that direction when we start to focus on just Him. Focus your whole life on Christ, and your goals as an individual will fall into place. 5 random facts: 1. I'm a dog person over a cat person. 2. I love sunsets and sunrises and start SKY. 3. I’ve always wanted to be a scientist on Shark Week. 4. Playing music has always been a pastime. 5. I love going for long drives. Your turn. What do you think it means to be in a sisterhood and why is it important? photos and brilliant idea courtesy of Siobhan Lorraine Photography

  This weekly wallpaper is from Erica of Be a Heart. It comes from today's gospel reading, Mark 8. He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. The design mimics a paper cut out. Download this wallpaper for your phone or desktop for free below. You can also support the Blessed Is She community by purchasing it in a printable format in our shop. Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Today we are talking about DAILY. Sometimes the way we go through our days just seem so .... daily. But are there hidden blessings and lessons to be learned in that monotony that makes up our quotidian lives? You can find all the themes here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

So many stories feature heroes who were born for their adventure. And as a Catholic, I encounter so many saints that seem to have innately known exactly what they were called to do and who they were called to be with stunning confidence. But then I ask that nagging question: What about me? Day in, day out, the patterns of my life can feel rote and aimless. The morning hustle to get myself on the train to work with everything I need for the day in hand. The struggle to fit it all in and still get the dishes done. So ordinary, so mundane. Are these the moments I was born to live? Is this the whole purpose for my life? Should I be doing something else? Something more? Quietly, so quietly, God is putting me at ease, settling me even without the answers to my questions. A meeting with my spiritual director: be aware. Keeping my eyes open to wonder in even the most frustrating day is a prayer, a connection to God. A simple homily: keeping Christ in my plans. When looking ahead on my schedule, instead of doing a quick mental rundown, I can let Jesus know what I’m up to on both my simplest and most complicated days. And noticing litanies everywhere - from a favorite song (“I Shall Not Want”) to a recommendation for the Litany of Humility. What if I could take these repetitive days and turn them toward God - a litany of actions and awareness in this busy and cyclical time of my life? God knows where I am, where these days are leading me. “Do not worry about tomorrow,” Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew; “tomorrow will take care of itself.” I can only give God today - every day, over and over again in a litany of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication. Even those holy role models haven’t been born with a roadmap to heaven stamped on the inside of their eyelids. A prayer of Thomas Merton opens: “My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end.” What lies ahead? God only knows. And I don’t mean that idiomatically - truly, only God knows for what I have been created. And for that I am thankful. I don’t have to figure it out on my own. This road has a destination. I don’t know what it will look like, but I know that God is readying me to arrive, shaping me to his mysterious plans. [bctt tweet="Are these the moments I was born to live?"] Brigid Hogan is a 20-something Midwesterner living in downtown Washington, DC, with a growing collection of houseplants. She enjoys reading, podcasts, and making friends with dogs.

Today we are talking about LABOR. We labor at the tasks placed before us. We labor at the striving toward sanctity. We labor daily. We labor at home, at work, at school, in many areas of our life. But is our labor one of joy? You can find all the themes here. We're happy to announce the themes for the month of October! October 1: WHOLENESS October 8: LIVING FAITH October 15: GOD'S TIMING October 22: THE WAY October 29: COMMUNION OF SAINTS Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

It’s amazing how things come full circle. As a kid I used to dread Sunday Mass. I had no idea what was going on, it was long, and it was boring. I was only in it for the donuts at the end (no surprise there if you know me). As I grew in age and in faith, that all changed. Around my 8th grade year, I just fell in love with the Mass. It happened sweetly, simply, and quickly. Suddenly, I couldn’t get enough. This love for the Mass only grew through the years. Up until a couple of years ago, Sunday Mass was such an amazing experience--a chance for me to recharge and draw close to the Lord. But now...oh, now, how I dread it. Sunday Mass with three kids under three is a BATTLE and so incredibly frustrating. I can’t remember what the readings were, I barely catch the homily, and I just can’t focus. I no longer walk away feeling recharged, but empty and broken instead. Last Sunday, my husband and I were knee deep in toddler meltdowns and diaper explosions. It was all I could do to keep from just bursting into tears. Then I found myself talking to God in my heart saying “Why?! Why are you doing this to me? I am a good Catholic and I have loved you so much throughout my whole life. I have done everything correctly. I have done everything you asked. Why are you putting me through this? Why do I feel like you are pushing me away? We say the rosary almost every day and do night prayers with the boys. So why do I feel punished instead of rewarded?! WHY?!” The words in my heart shocked me. There have only been a few times that I have ever angrily talked with God. But I didn’t follow up with a “Forgive me Lord!” Nope. I just left it there, floating between my heart and the Sacred Heart. I hadn’t even realized that these feelings were within me. It was all true though. I couldn’t understand why Sunday Mass had become such a painful time. It wasn’t supposed to be that way; I’m doing all the right things! After a few days to think about what happened, I realized it needed to be put on paper. I journaled it all and thought about the implications of this realization. I came to the conclusions that even when you’re doing “all the right things” and even when you’re a “textbook Catholic,” there will still be struggles. I know that I already knew this in my heart, but this is the first time I was actually experiencing it. I also realized that this isn’t a “motherhood issue.” It’s a human issue. There are many times in life when we think that we are doing everything as we should and then God puts a roadblock in our way and we simply can’t understand: Why? Why are we punished even though we’ve followed the instructions to a T? I can’t pretend to have the answer. I do know that I’m not supposed to stop the family rosary or night prayers just because I can’t get my kids to behave in Mass. We aren’t supposed to stop living for the Lord just because things aren’t going our way. At that point, it’s time to analyze why we are living the life we are. Are we truly living for God or are we just living to reap the “benefits” that we think come with living that life? That’s some tough inner reflection. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t scare me to look that deeply. I know that we are called to keep going, to push through the pain. We have to trust that the suffering we are going through is only making us stronger. Easier said then done. Believe me, I know. Telling you that the suffering is worth it in the end isn’t going to make anything any easier. If anything, I just hope that this can be a note of encouragement. As an English Lit. major I liken life to an epic poem and epics always come full circle. There will be a time when I walk out of Mass and not feel like I’ve just run a marathon. It will come back around. It will. In the meantime, I have to just keep the faith and remember that I’m living for God out of love, not for the reward of well-behaved children or a put-together life. [bctt tweet="We have to trust that the suffering we are going through is only making us stronger."] Susana Starbuck is a wife, mother, coffee drinker and Instagram lover. She blogs over at Barista Mommy and runs her dream business Little Flowers Studios.

Today we are talking about DISCERNMENT. Discernment is not merely discovering your vocation. Discernment is ongoing process. It takes place daily, in the every day moments and the life-altering ones. You can find all the themes here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

“What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” –Mary Oliver My husband is out of town traveling this week and as luck would have it, the stomach flu has struck both my infant and my toddler in the middle of the night. Tomorrow is one of the two days I work this week and as I sit in the dark rocking my sick baby, a range of thoughts, emotions, and questions run through my head: I have no choice but to stay home tomorrow. Why does this have to happen on one of the days I work? How will my boss and coworkers react? Why am I feeling so guilty about staying home? Why do I even work? I don’t work because my family needs the money or because I don’t have a desire to stay at home with the kids. I work because I feel that God has called me to my professional vocation as an occupational therapist. In college I spent a lot of time in prayer, discerning the career path that would use my talents to serve God. As an occupational therapist, I work with children with disabilities to help them learn valuable skills and participate in meaningful life activities as independently as possible. I love my job and I consider it to be a good fit between my God-given talents and the needs of God’s world. However, at the time I was discerning my vocation in college, I had no idea how motherhood would affect me years later. I’ve only been a mom for a couple of years, but when my daughter was born, motherhood instantly became my most important vocation. Mothering my children has affected me in a way that I never could have imagined and has reignited my commitment to God as I desire to share the Catholic faith with my children. In times when my professional vocation threatens to interfere with motherhood, I often find myself worried that I misunderstood God’s call. I doubt my belief that God called me to this career. Juggling work and motherhood is so stressful at times that I don’t feel that I do either of my vocations justice and I wonder how this could be part of God’s plan. I know I sometimes make the mistake of thinking that the process of vocational discernment is a test, with a “good” answer and a “bad” answer, as if God has a plan for us and it is up to us to correctly identify this plan, or else risk making a big mistake. Someone once gave me the excellent advice that sometimes when discerning God’s call we may be choosing between “good” and “good.” Religious life and motherhood, for example, are both good choices. How could either be wrong? Stay at home mothering and mothering while also working full or part time can all be good choices. Discernment isn’t always black and white, and in my case, I’m living in a world of gray. I often tell my husband that I wish I could live two lives, one in which I achieve all of my professional goals and another in which I am a full-time stay at home super mom. However, God has given me only one “wild and precious life” to live and I will spend it trying to give my whole heart all that he calls me to pursue. When I catch myself thinking that all mothers are meant to be at home with their children full time, I think of the wonderful working women who have shown me God’s love while they left their children in the care of another: the nurses who cared for me so well in the hospital after I gave birth to my children; the teachers who inspired me to value learning; the receptionist at the pediatrician’s office who always squeezes us in when we need a sick visit. I think about what would happen to the families I serve as an occupational therapist if I no longer worked. Would they be able to find another occupational therapist? Would their child be as independent and happy if I had never worked with them? Today, motherhood will take priority over work. I will spend the day in sweatpants snuggling my sick children on the couch. I know that is the right decision, no matter how stressed I am over missing an important meeting or disappointing the families I was scheduled to see. There will be another day when work is given priority, and my children will spend time making memories with Daddy, Grammy, or the babysitter that they adore. This road that I am on is not easy, but this is the plan that works for now. If God has truly called me to each of these vocations, I pray that He will provide me with the support I need to live them both well. Theresa is a part-time working, Cradle Catholic mom of two littles living in Chicagoland. You can follow her on Twitter: @searchofsimpler and Instagram: @Tessie845.

Molly said it so well in today's devotion, so it's hard to reiterate any more than what she said, other than to be able to share with you some of the testimonies that have come from women who have incredibly beautiful things to say about this ministry, this community, and their relationship with God. Take it away, sisters. I LOVE being a part of Blessed is She. The readings and life-piercing reflections fill me up on the daily! -- Hannah --- I stumbled upon Blessed is She several months ago on a friend's Facebook page and was intrigued by the daily devotion pictures. Eventually, after browsing your website rather frequently, I signed up for the daily devotion email, and I can say with my entire being that I am exponentially thankful for the way our Lord is working through you ladies. It seems as if every single day the devotion is written specifically for me, straight from the Father to my heart... I pray that you will continue to share the beauty of the Gospel and the perfect love our Father has for us, His daughters. -- Ashley --- I just wanted to say thank you for starting this community! It is such a unique setup and I love the idea of it! I really really love the daily readings and reflections that are sent out, as it is hard to set aside time to reflect and think and having them sent to email is wonderful. Thank you!! Know of my prayers for you and the whole community. -- Michaela --- Attending the Blessed Brunch was a true joy. It was a morning filled with engaging conversations, infectious laughter, delicious food, and of course, wonderful, faith-filled women. Some of us came from near, others from far, but we all shared a common Catholic identity, which created an immediate sense of connection and community among us. I am so grateful to have met these other Blessed Is She sisters in person, and I would encourage everyone who is able to attend a Blessed Brunch near them. -- Ashley --- We had a very special day celebrating the baptism of my children! BIS has helped me grow in faith and I can honestly say this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't in my life the past few months. Very thankful. -- Anne Now we want to hear what you have to say. Write up your own post, Instagram picture, Facebook post, tweet, whatever is your favorite method of social communication, about this community, what it is to you, and your thoughts on it, and link it up by clicking "Add your link" below. Let's share our hearts with each other about Blessed is She. An InLinkz Link-up --- And now for something SUPER FUN. We have insanely talented writers and women in this community. They've come together to offer you the most beautiful and incredible prize package to one kind reader. Let me tell you all that you'll receive when YOU win: Beautiful embroidery hoop jewelry from Call Her Happy // writer Jenna Hines Gratitude Notepad from Be a Heart // creative manager Erica Tighe Blessed is She Print from With Joy Calligraphy // writer Elise Howe Woven Wall Hanging from Kent Heartstrings // writer Cassie Kent A $50 Credit to Whole Parenting Goods // Chief Content Editor + writer Nell O'Leary Two Blessed is She I Found Him Journals Enter to win below. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today we are talking about GOODBYE. As summer comes to a close, there may be the occasion for goodbyes in our lives. (At the very least, a goodbye to the season.) How do you deal with the goodbyes in your life? You can find all the themes here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

Goodbyes are hard. Tonight, I had to say goodbye to a priest who has become a father to me. This is the fourth time that I’ve had to say goodbye to him in the last year, but instead of getting easier, I find that each goodbye does more damage to my heart than the last. This goodbye is made especially hard by the fact that this time, there is no time frame for when I will see him again in this life. I don’t know when I will see him again, and so this goodbye has a finality to it that the others have not. In two months, I have to say goodbye to another man who has become a friend, confidant, and brother to me. Like his brother priest, this man has been reassigned. As I sat on a set of steps outdoors and wept after my goodbye tonight (realizing that another would be coming much sooner than I’d like), crying out in anguish to the Father in Heaven who sees each tear and feels my heartbreak, something occurred to me. Goodbyes are hard for a reason, sisters. Goodbyes remind us that we were not made for this world. [bctt tweet="Goodbyes remind us that we were not made for this world."] So often I forget how temporary this world is. I allow myself to become satisfied with the material, with the perishable, rather than holding out for the eternal. And that, sisters, is when goodbyes become difficult. In this world, all things must pass, including our relationships. Whether it’s the move of a best friend, the death of a spouse, the growing up of a child, the ending of a friendship, or the reassignment of a priest or religious we have grown close to, goodbyes will come, and they will hurt. So let them, sisters. Let them hurt. Let them reawaken the ache in your souls for the eternal. For when we come to heaven’s shore, we will be reunited with all those that we loved and lost, and we will never, ever have to say goodbye again. So I’m going to lean into this pain, sisters. I’m going to embrace these goodbyes, as hard as they are. I’m going to rejoice in the tears. I’m going to turn to our loving Father with an ache in my soul that only He can fill. I pray that the next time you have a tough goodbye, you do the same. Catie Destatte is a 21 year old daughter of Christ and lover of life. She is a student at Franciscan University of Steubenville studying Theology and Catechetics. She loves Mary, tea, and white wine.

Today we are talking about TRANSFIGURATION. Today we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. His glory is revealed! Are there places in your life where you have felt His glory revealed? You can find all the themes here. We're happy to announce the themes for September! September 3: LABOR September 10: DAILY September 17: EXPECTATIONS September 24: CHANGED Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day. An InLinkz Link-up

It was a Thursday evening when I pulled up to the Grand Canyon for the first time, the sun just setting over the rim. As I walked down onto an overlook and soaked in the awe-inspiring beauty of this rocky landscape, I felt overwhelmed with a sense of my own littleness in the midst of something much greater; I breathed in the presence of God in the still desert air. Inspired, I pulled off my Rosary bracelet and began running the beads through my hand. Thursday means Luminous Mysteries: the Baptism of the Lord. Reflecting on that moment long ago in the Jordan River, I looked down at what the mighty little Colorado River had wrought. Throughout the world, the power of water washes over the earth and wears down its edges; it guts out a gaping hole in the landscape, rips the rocks and mountains right out of their places and carries them away, dissolves them into a memory. Christ who was more powerful even than the water submitted Himself to its power, not for His sake but for our own. For when He lowered Himself into the Jordan River and allowed the powerful streams to wash over Him, He broke the mold. His act imbued the water with a much greater power, a much greater role in the world. For millennia, water had been shaping the earth and fostering life, gently sculpting dramatic landscapes through the slow passage of time and quenching the thirst of generations upon generations. It came from God and was an integral part of creation. And now that God Himself—who was stronger than the water He created—submitted Himself to it by His own choice through His Baptism in the Jordan, the water, when it is invoked in His name, has the power to shape men’s hearts and nourish new life within us, to quench the deep thirst within our souls and wash away the dust inside. It molds us in a long, slow, painful process, in which our sin and pride are gradually and lovingly stripped away like layers of rock to reveal breathtaking canyons underneath. It seems incredible that such large masses of hardened rock could be softened and overtaken by the little river at its core, but love is always more powerful than sin. And what is left behind when our sin is stripped away? We are left open, vulnerable, with wide, open spaces taking the place of the solid ground we once clung to, laying aside our own selfish plans and wants in exchange for the wide unknowns, for adventure, for the risk of following God’s will without seeing the entirety of the path ahead. And in this broken, raw, carved-out state, we become bathed in His mesmerizing beauty; we are far more beautiful than we ever could have been without His flowing grace. Our emptiness is more beautiful than our strength. [bctt tweet="Our emptiness is more beautiful than our strength."] We each carry canyons within us; they point to a gaping need that can only be filled by God’s love. That day at the Grand Canyon, I was at the beginning of a long journey: a cross-country move from California to New York. I was taking a leap of faith in pursuing something new, and while I hoped that I would land on steady ground, I was very much still up in the air. That in-between place required me to be patient and trust in God even when I couldn’t see or understand how things would work out. I was giving up a sense of security for something greater: to follow the path He was laying out for me. He was carving it out as I went, so that there were only a few steps ahead within my view, and He was carving me out, too, sculpting me more and more into who He created me to be. It was far from an easy process, this emptying of self, but it was leading me towards where I needed to be. He meets us right in the middle of that ache, that wide-open longing for fulfillment, and while we are there, He brings out new shades of beauty within us. His light shines upon the ridges and rocks that we bear to create sunsets more stunning than we could have imagined. Erin Cain is a twenty-something living in New York City, working in publishing, drinking lots of Earl Grey tea, and attempting to grow in virtue and love. photo by Corynne Olivia

I, Erica, have to apologize because in my hectic week, I looked at the wrong readings and created the weekly wallpaper based on a verse from July 5th. We'll just go with it. It's quite ironic the verse that I picked. It comes from 2 Corinthians 12:10 - For when I am weak, then I am strong. We can be so hard on ourselves when we feel weak--when we're tired from a long week of work, when I can't seem to battle that constant temptation, when it all seems too much. But then we're reminded that it is precisely in that weakness that we are made strong. In him, through him. Let's remember this week to turn to the one who makes us strong in those moments of weakness. Grab the free wallpaper below for your computer and desktop! And please excuse my weakness!! Phone wallpaper Desktop wallpaper

Today we are talking about FORGIVENESS. “The joy of God is the joy of forgiveness. It is the joy of the shepherd who finds his lost sheep; the joy of the woman who finds her lost coin; the joy of the father who welcomes home his lost son.” // Pope Francis You can find all the themes here. Welcome to the #BISsisterhood link-up. Every Thursday, we get together as one community to share our hearts. Here's how you can participate: Link-up a post that goes with the weekly theme. Share your thoughts of the theme on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using #BISsisterhood so we can see each other's posts. Comment below with your thoughts on the prompt. Basically, let's talk to each other. Remember to use #BISsisterhood so we can all communicate well with each other out in the social media world. photo by Corynne Olivia [bctt tweet="The #BISsisterhood link-up is where it's at. I just added my post here:"] Here is the button to our link-up that you are more than welcome to place on your blog, share on your social media, and/or save for a rainy day.   An InLinkz Link-up

I was happily married at age 24 to my college sweetheart, Nathan Trapuzzano, on May 11, 2013. We met through FOCUS at Ball State University and our faith was always a stronghold in our relationship. Three months after our wedding, we found we were expecting our first child--a daughter--who was due May 7, 2014. On the morning of April 1st, 2014, I found myself suddenly widowed when my husband went out for his daily morning walk and never came home. He had been shot and killed just blocks from our home. I buried him on April 5th and, then, three weeks later gave birth to our daughter, Cecilia Marie Trapuzzano, on April 25th. The loss of my husband at the hands of another man has caused emotional devastation, yet God has been my anchor. Through my faith and the support of many family, friends, and even strangers, I have found the courage and strength to find joy in my daughter and help my heart heal and find forgiveness. The following is my Victim Impact Statement given at Nathan's murderer's trial: Your Honor, I am Jennifer Ann Trapuzzano, the widow of Nathan Benjamin Trapuzzano, and mother to his only child, Cecilia Marie Trapuzzano. I stand before you today representing the multitude of lives that have been effected due to the events of April 1st, 2014. On that day, we lost a wonderful man who was a husband, brother, son, grandson, uncle, nephew, friend, and soon to be daddy. Although I cannot address every person’s life who was affected due to the poor choices made that morning, I want to express the effects that I have personally witnessed and felt in my own life. There is no way that one can ever prepare themselves for this. Most believe that it will never happen to them. I was one of those people until Simeon Adams murdered my husband. Nathan was the greatest person. He was not a perfect person and never claimed to be, but you always knew where he stood, what was right, and what he believed. I never went a day doubting his love. He would always tell me he loved me every night before bed, every morning, and every time we went separate ways. He believed in helping others and often would get up early on Saturday, his only day to sleep in, to pray outside the abortion clinic. He was the greatest of persons. And there will always be a Nathan-sized hole in my heart and life. I stand before you today, a broken person, who has lost every sense of normality— A person who grieves the loss of Nathan, not only for myself, but for our daughter Cecilia, our unborn children, and for the world that has no idea what a wonderful person they are missing. Simeon stole not only the life of Nathan, but the normalcy, peace, stability, sanity, and ability to sleep, of an entire family and community. I expected to live my entire life with Nathan, we loved each other so, and we were truly soul mates. Now every day and every night I cannot escape the reality and accompanying grief that my happy, caring, and loving husband, the father of our daughter, is gone. The impact of his death on our family is profound. He was the family caretaker and leader, and I have felt less than adequate in trying somehow to fill his role. Just prior to his murder there was great excitement in our family. We were preparing for the birth of our daughter, Cecilia Marie, due May 7, 2014, just over a month away. We were also to celebrate our first wedding anniversary on May 11, 2014. I had just celebrated my 25th birthday on March 17th and still remember blowing out the candles, wishing this would be the best year, yet all the while knowing I didn’t even have to wish it because I knew it was going to be great. Only two short weeks later, Nathan’s death devastated our family. The fact that he never lived to enjoy and feel the excitement of becoming a father has added to our emotional stress and devastation. I cannot find the words (if there are any) to explain the devastation and mixture of feelings that I felt when I knew he hadn’t come home from his morning walk. I recall running outside, desperately calling his name, and walking the same route he always took. The memories still rush at me— the disbelief— and then the sudden reality of pain that shook me to my core and crushed my heart. It constantly haunts me that at the time of Nathan’s death, I was not there to comfort him or share last goodbyes— to at least be sure he did not feel alone. The horrific drive to the hospital was filled with feelings of disbelief mixed with pleading to God to save my loving spouse. My worst fears were realized when they told me they were bringing in the coroner and needed someone to identify the body. I was incapable of doing so, and had my father and friend act in my place. My worst fear was confirmed by my crying father. My mind did not want to believe this; I was confused and numb. My life was shattered. My thoughts immediately went to our unborn child. I needed to do everything in my power to keep our Cecilia safe and healthy. She instantly became my lifeline, my reason for surviving. But I now had to face the world without the love and care of my devoted husband and Cecilia without her father’s care, guidance, protection and love, a love that can never be replaced – a totally unconditional love which is so precious today. I will never forget that first night. There was not much sleep that night and for a number of nights thereafter. I continue to have sleeping problems and lie awake many nights. I continually wake hoping that this tragedy has been a very bad dream, not wanting to accept the reality that we have lost him forever. The days following his death feel like a blur. His mother organized the funeral and service and helped me in the decisions that had to be made. I was not capable of organizing everything myself as I was still in a state of shock, numbness and confusion. Following the funeral, as the visits of family and friends became fewer, I had more time to think about the specific circumstances and consider how best to come to terms with this enormous tragedy. I realized that my life, had changed forever. I now had to face the world without the love and care of my devoted husband, and Cecilia had to face it without her father’s care, guidance, protection and love, a love that can never be replaced – a totally unconditional love which is so precious today. Three short weeks later I would deliver our baby girl into this world, this same world that took her father away from us. I cannot express how bitter I feel that what was supposed to be the most joyful day of my life was tainted with such pain and grief because he was not there to share it with me. I found myself as the sole parent which was not something I had ever prepared myself for. He and I had made these plans together. We had chosen her name, decorated her nursery, and prepared ourselves to become parents – together. Since his death, I find myself so often feeling incredibly lost and unable to readjust to a new plan, a plan that he cannot be a part of any longer. I no longer can enjoy our long and meaningful talks that we both enjoyed immensely, and enjoy together the plans we had made for the future. The impact is only deepened as I realize so many other aspects of life Cecilia and I will miss sharing with Nathan and things she will not have the joy of experiencing with her beloved father such as her baptism, her first words, her first steps, her first day of school, her first school dances, her first dates, sporting events, and his walking her down the aisle on her wedding day. I still recall him telling her in the womb every night “I love you baby girl”— words she will never hear again. She will never know his voice, or see his face in a crowd watching over her. She will only know him through stories and photographs. This is often the most devastating thing of all, that my darling daughter lost her father before she ever got the chance to know him. She calls out “dada” when she sees his picture and she kisses his face in a frame; this is the only version of him she will ever know. He will never get to teach her the worth of a true Godly man. He told me over and over again how important fathers are in the family unit. What a cruel twist of fate that his own child should have to grow up without hers. I have realized that we are all privileged to have had Nathan for the short time we had him. I tell my Cecilia every day that her father loves her. I know even when we miss Nathan that we are lucky – lucky that he was such a wonderful and a God-filled example to us. We are lucky that we are able to miss him so much because we knew his love and loved him in return. But this also highlights the impact of our loss. My life stopped on April 1st, 2014. I have been shocked to the core of my being. I feel battered and bruised, never whole again without him. I can no longer live an ordinary life and my heart suffers from the deepest wound— a wound from which, it will never recover. I was his wife for just over 10 months and then he was taken so suddenly from my life. The impact of Nate’s murder has been catastrophic. The loneliness and sadness I feel is enormous. Nathan embodied everything I could ever ask for in a spouse. He had an unshakeable sense of faith and family and unquenchable love for life. Now, as I go through the worst time in my life, the person whose passion, intelligence and strength got me through all my trials before is no longer there to help me with this struggle. What was stolen from me on April 1st 2014 was love, my best friend and my entire word. What was stolen from us was our future, our unborn children, and our lives together. The emotional impact is huge. I suffer from insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, and I now look at the world differently. I have nightmares of his terror that morning and all that he would have gone through. I wake up petrified and uncertain if my loved ones are still breathing. I hesitate to leave my home because home is where I feel safe, the rest of the world has become a foreign battleground, with evil around every corner, waiting to take its next victim. I have had to move from the home we shared, given its proximity to where his death occurred and the sudden nature of finding myself a single parent. The pain of not being able to tell Nathan that I loved him in his final moments, the knowledge that those last moments were terrifying and painful, and the knowledge that with his final walk he had crossed paths with evil haunts me every day. Most of all, I miss Nathan. I miss waking to him making me breakfast in bed. I miss lazy afternoons in the sunshine, making plans, laughing with him, and sharing my life with him. I miss his insight, fun and wit, his huge smile and warm embrace. I think of him every second of every day and I think of the pain of never being able to laugh with him again. I think of the waste of a brilliant mind and a beautiful soul at the hands of another human being. I think of how in love we were and of how much I’ve lost and how much of my life and dreams were built around him. I am half a person because of this crime. I can never forget what was done to him. I come across ordinary young couples or young families and they are so happy and normal. It’s what we should have had. Seeing them is like so many stab wounds as they remind me of the life we would have shared together, but which, has been so cruelly taken away. I now have to try and rebuild a new life and even the thought of that just makes me so sad. I have been given a life sentence. Simeon Adams has been sentenced to 55 years. 55 years will never give Nathan back to us. It will never mend my broken heart. It will never give Cecilia the chance to know her father. However, I come here today not to plead for more time, but to speak of forgiveness. These next few words were spoken by Father Roberts at Nathan’s funeral. But they are words that I full-heartedly stand by and mean when I say: I forgive, because Nathan Trapuzzano was a man who knew from his head to his toes that he was a sinner who was loved and forgiven by God. He wanted everyone he met to know the same love and forgiveness. I believe that he still does. Nathan would have wanted everyone here to know something in our bones. Each one of us here is loved with an infinite, personal and unconditional love by a merciful God. There is nothing that we can do that God will not forgive. We can refuse to accept that mercy, but God will never stop extending it. God loves each one of us more than we can ever know. He wants nothing more than for us to return to Him and let Him fix His merciful eyes on us and say, “You are my beloved son, you are my beloved daughter, in whom I am well-pleased.” He wants to run out to meet us just as we decide to come back to Him, to embrace us and to shower us with kisses. This is true no matter how grievous our sins are. We cannot be certain exactly what was going through Nathan’s mind in the last moments of his life. But as his wife, his soul mate, his beloved, I believe that he would have desired to do God’s will with all his heart, just as he sought to do throughout the entire time that I knew him. For myself, I have little doubt that as his soul drew near to his particular judgment on Tuesday morning, perhaps even after he had passed out of consciousness, Nathan forgave his murderer. That was the kind of man that I knew him to be. And while 55 years will never give us back Nathan, forgiveness is what I offer Simeon today. - Jennifer Trapuzzano With special thanks to Father Roberts for delivering such an open and beautiful message on forgiveness that I hope to embody and we all can learn from. Jennifer Trapuzzano is a 26-year old widow and mother to 15-month old Cecilia. She is working hard to complete her Masters as a Physician Assistant. She has found healing after the murder of her husband in her Catholic faith and through writing at her blog, A Love So Strong.