Let’s begin by taking a page from Small Steps for Catholic Moms:
Think:
“Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.”
– St. Padre Pio
Pray:
Sweet Jesus, help me to replace the fearful conversation I have inside my head with constant prayer. Whenever I fall into my old habit of worrying interiorly, nudge me. Remind me to put it all in your hands instead.
Act:
Copy the quote above and put it in an obvious place where it will remind you not to let worry run around inside your head. Pray! Pray! Pray instead!
This is an excerpt from April, which has a theme of “Courage.”
That’s a whole page–right there. It truly only takes a minute or two to read and pray–and then resolve to act. And that’s what I love about Small Steps. It’s written by moms for moms; the two moms who wrote this book know what it’s like to be so snowed under by the little things of daily life, so they’ve figured out a way to make a spiritual jump-start possible for every mom, every day.
I am privileged to participate in the Small Steps Blog Tour through CatholicMom.com. I was over the moon when I was “randomly” assigned this date–October 4, the feast of St. Francis. And Padre Pio was a Franciscan. How perfect is it that I get to celebrate this feast day by kicking off a giveaway? Details on how to enter are at the bottom of this post. (We’re almost there! I promise!)
But first, I’ve got to say that it very nearly killed me when I read the “randomly” assigned page that I was given to use. I think that out of this whole book–and I’ve read a good chunk of it already–this page is the one that speaks to me most right now. Shivers down the spine, friends! I am a pro at worrying and had never considered that worry is really based in fear. I could chew on this idea for much more than the single day that’s devoted to it…and I hope that by coming to terms with my tendency to worry, I can learn to put it aside and take my fears to prayer, laying them at the feet of the Lord instead of letting them weigh heavy on my soul and my family.
Check out all the other stops on the tour–we’ve all got giveaways of this excellent book of daily prayer prompts.
And don’t miss the Five Minutes Alone contest, hosted at CatholicMom.com! You could win signed copies of ALL SIX CatholicMom.com books:
- The Handbook for Catholic Moms by Lisa M. Hendey
- A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms by Lisa M. Hendey
- A Catholic Mother’s Companion to Pregnancy by Sarah Reinhard
- Imitating Mary: Ten Marian Virtues for the Modern Mom by Marge Fenelon
- The Catholic Baby Name Book by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
- Small Steps for Catholic Moms by Danielle Bean and Elizabeth Foss
And now…for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…(thanks for your patience, friends): it’s GIVEAWAY TIME! Here’s how to enter to win a copy of Small Steps for your very own, or to give away to a friend. My favorite part about this book is the quotes from many saints–from the well-known to the new-to-me. Leave a comment telling me which saint you hope to find among the pages of Small Steps!
This giveaway will run through Friday, October 11 at 11:59 PM EDT. A winner will be chosen at random from all entries received prior to that time. You may enter ONCE PER DAY through Friday. Winner will be notified Monday, October 14 via email and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen, so be sure the email address you use to leave a comment is one you’ll actually check!
Pax et bonum!
St. Rita
Well, as a Dominican mom, I’ll be on the look out for the angelic doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas, or St. Catherine of Siena. : )
St. gemma
[…] find today’s “small steps” over at Franciscan Mom. We invite you to join us throughout the day in offering a rosary reflecting on the Sorrowful […]
I hope to find a quote from St. Therese or perhaps St. Francis de Sales. 🙂
St. Monica
I would like to see St Vincent Palotti in the Small Steps book. 🙂
Thank you for the opportunity to enter! The worry/fear connection is new to me as well; although it makes perfect sense. Would love to find musings from the earliest Church fathers – Ignatius, Irenaeus and Polycarp =)
God Bless you. This book is amazing and just what I need. I think we all need this book
St Therese!
St. Francis for sure! We had a statue in our garden growing up and he remains near and dear to me.
I feel most drawn to St Michael and St Francis of Asissi right now
[…] if you haven’t already join us at Franciscan Mom for some Small Steps. And don’t forget to enter the “Five Minutes Alone” contest […]
One of my favorite saints is St. Josemaria.
St. Elizabeth Anne Seton… My patron saint 🙂
St Ignatius, early church fathers, St Theresa of Avila, St Theresa of the little flower, St Faustina
Adele, you are the winner of the book! I will contact you via email as well.
I hope to read about St. Monica in the book.
St. Therese
St. Bernard of Clairveaux – we read The Family that Overtook Christ last year in our book club and I was amazed!!
I wonder if St. Hildegard is in there?
I would love to see St. Teresa of Avila. What a woman of strength!
St. Gianna, wonderful model of motherhood and busy life 🙂
[…] to win a FREE book? Of course you do! You’ve got until tonight at midnight to put your name in the hat to win a copy of Small Steps for Catholic Moms by Danielle Bean and Elizabeth […]
[…] October 4 – Barb Szyszkiewicz at Franciscan Mom […]
[…] I’m breathing a lot easier as a result. But looking back on my tendency to worry, I found my Small Steps blog tour “randomly-assigned” reflection — on […]