Since our conversation, I’ve been pondering what my “one word” would be.  There are so many good ones… “grace” (taken, LOL), “fortitude”, “thanksgiving”, “fat free” (tempting…LOL!).

I think I’ve decided on my word for 2010:  “Intentional”.

When I stop to anticipate all that will happen in my world this year — the launch of a book, Eric’s college selection and departure, Adam learning to drive, a high school graduation, tons of trips, and just life in general — it all starts to get a bit overwhelming.  I so often easily flit from item to item on my to do list, knocking off the top few quickly and leaving the tough stuff to be tackled at some later date.  The result is a sense of barely controlled chaos that often leaves me feeling like I haven’t given my best to any one thing.  The balls may all be being juggled up in the air, but the juggler is often worn out and ready to drop a few, if not all of them.

So this year, I’m going to work on being intentional.  In my prayer life, in the way I organize my time and my space, in my eating and exercise, and most importantly in my relationships.  Life’s twists and turns will still mean that plans may change and on the fly decisions will need to be made, but in general I’m going to try to slow down a bit and be more careful, prudent, thoughtful and intentional in my approach to things.

Two examples from the past two days of this philosophy being challenged:

1. Yesterday, I had a follow up appointment with my radiation oncologist.  All is well, but his regimen has me scheduled for a mammogram in three months and another follow up with him the week following the mammo.  The old Lisa would have put it on her “to do” list to call and make those appointments, procrastinating and seeing him a year from now.  The intentional Lisa scheduled the appointments before leaving his office.
2. Today, we were notified that our credit card has been compromised.  Blessedly, the activity was caught quickly and we will not be penalized or held financially responsible.  The old Lisa would have freaked out and felt angry.  The intentional Lisa counted our blessings, made a few phone calls, said a prayer for the thief and moved on.

These things are baby steps.  But the truth of the matter is that most days are made of those baby steps.  What we do along the way, the intent and purpose with which we live out each day, will define the changes we can make within ourselves and how we can serve the world around us.

I’m likely to fall off of my “one word” wagon numerous times this year.  But it feels good to have a watchword, a theme, for the progress I hope to make personally this year.

It feels…intentional.

I don’t blog because I think I have wisdom to share, or because I think readers particularly care what I have to say on a daily basis.  I blog to help record these little moments, to reflect on some of the things that happen in my family, or to ponder about what’s going on in the world around me.  My family teases me quite often about my terrible memory – ask me a date of someone’s birthday, where I went on my last vacation, or even what I had for dinner last night and I likely won’t remember.  Perhaps that’s because my mind is filled with so many ideas and words – I tend to live more and more in the moment with every passing year.  And since my moments are filled with so much joy on a regular basis, it’s a pretty spectacular existence.

Part of what has spurred this renewal of interest in personal blogging is my move into my new office this past weekend.  I should really call it a “half move”, since I have stuff stashed between three rooms at the moment.  I told myself I didn’t want to just dump everything into the new office, but rather take my time and use this as an opportunity to see how much “stuff” I really need in here.  My new office — Greg’s old one — has more natural light and a lovely window that looks out over our front yard.  I’m upstairs, where it’s warm and bright and I can see the UPS guy pulling up with deliveries.  I expect to like it in here – to be more organized and productive.

The photo above, taken with my iPhone, gives you a bit of an idea of the basic setup.  I’ll follow up with another as soon as I get some photos on the wall and it begins to look a bit more “lived in”.

So that’s the big news for today – boys back at school, house quiet (but still filled with Christmas cheer as I didn’t have the heart to take my tree down yet), and a new office to enjoy and to organize.  What’s happening in your life today?  What hopes do you have for this first week of the new year, and for the year that lies ahead of us?

Ever hear of SERRA International? Deacon Tom issues an invitation for activities you might consider during this Year of the Priest which is being celebrated by the worldwide Catholic Church.

Do you find yourself, at the end of this Month of the Rosary, feeling like you’ve failed?  Sarah Reinhard encourages all of us to keep trying in this week’s Mary Moment.

Sean McGaughey, host of the Catholic Roundup, gives us a great digest of news and activities in the Catholic New Media.

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with CatholicMatch.com as they begin sponsoring this podcast.  Please support CatholicMatch.com and be sure to enter our current CatholicMatch.com for your opportunity to win a three month membership to the Leading Catholic Singles Community.

This episode of Catholic Moments is sponsored by CatholicMatch.com, the Leading Catholic Singles Community.  Share your feedback at 206-339-9272, comment here on the blog or email lisa@catholicmom.com.

Links for this Episode:

• Mike St. Pierre – The Daily Saint, Morris Catholic High School
• Sarah Bauer – Livin’ for Jesus, Radiance
• On This Day Designs
• Current CatholicMom.com Contests – Rosary Workout Book Contest, CatholicMatch.com Membership Contest
• CatholicMom.com Book Club
• The Catholic Company
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Whether you want to do it or not, the time spent clearing the clutter from your house may be good for more than just extra closet space; it can also benefit your soul.

That’s the idea behind Project Nazareth, an apostolate formed to help families declutter their homes and simplify their lives to become closer to God.

According to Abby Sasscer, a parishioner of St. John Bosco in Woodstock and the founder of Project Nazareth, the act of living simply gives families an opportunity to love God and practice virtue in their everyday lives, or their “domestic church.”

“I try to teach the families that the goal is not to have a perfectly organized house. The goal is heaven,” Sasscer said. “We can grow in holiness everyday within our domestic Church by practicing the virtues exemplified by the Holy Family in Nazareth. Every time we declutter, we practice the virtues of simplicity and holy detachment. Every time we manage our time and treasure wisely, we practice the virtues of wise stewardship and trust in divine providence. Every time we plan our menu, we practice the virtue of faithfulness and prudence.”


For Sasscer, organization and simple living are second nature.

Growing up in the Philippines, she was exposed to poverty every day on her way to Catholic school. She was impressed with the way those families handled their lives with very few possessions.

“I noticed something beautiful, that the poor families tended to be happier, more content and more thankful for what they had,” Sasscer said. “The simpler they were, the happier they were.”

After coming to the United States as a teenager, Sasscer spent time visiting a few convents. Again, she was attracted to and impressed by the simple and orderly lives of the nuns.

After receiving her bachelor’s in business administration, she parlayed that love of simplicity and order into her career when she got a job systematizing small, and eventually home, offices.

After she left her job to home-school her three children, she couldn’t leave her organizational talents behind and kept working to systematize parts of her own house. Eventually, a close friend started asking for tips on how to organize her house as well.

Sasscer wrote a manual, which later grew into an e-book called Simplifying Your Domestic Church — A Spiritual Journal to Help Families Declutter, Organize and Systemize their Home.

The e-book was written originally for home-schooling families, but the information, with sections on organizing vital documents, decluttering, menu planning, time management, tithing and Christian budgeting, is helpful for all families.

Sasscer compiled advice from other mothers, motivational quotes from saints and the Scriptures, and workshops on topics like budgeting, scheduling and menu planning. The book is organized in easy-to-read sections, with bullet points instead of long paragraphs.

“Most of the books on decluttering and organizing are so cluttered and disorganized,” Sasscer said. “I’m not really out to have a best-selling book. I’m out to help people and I don’t think they need to spend all their time reading.”

After the e-book was published, Sasscer began getting invitations to speak at diocesan parishes and to visit people’s homes for private consultations, all of which led her to form Project Nazareth.

“It was almost like an accident, really. Chronologically, it wasn’t planned by me,” she said. “It was planned by the Guy upstairs.”

Today, Project Nazareth has three main parts — “Project Mary” speaking engagements, “Project Elizabeth” home visitations and “Project Martha” phone consultations.

During the “Project Mary” engagements, Sasscer speaks to mothers with young children, teaching them how to instill the values of simplicity at an early age.

For the “Project Elizabeth” home visitations, Sasscer visits families in and around Shenandoah County. Home visitations take a minimum of three hours during which Sasscer will either assess each room in the house and give suggestions, or she will help the family focus on totally decluttering and organizing one room.

“Most of my visits are with home-schooling families and we really work together to prepare their classrooms for the next year,” she said.

The last part of Project Nazareth is the “Project Martha” phone consultations, which use a 24/7 hotline families can call if they need guidance.

Because Project Nazareth is an apostolate, all services are provided free of charge, with Sasscer only accepting offerings to cover her own costs for gas, meals and supplies.

For families looking to simplify and organize their own homes, Sasscer said the most important thing is to get rid of as much clutter as possible.

“On a practical level, the less stuff you have, the less stuff you have to organize,” she said.

She encouraged families to declutter twice a year, ideally during Advent and Lent. She also discouraged families from keeping things for future use.

“By excessively storing things for future use, you’re possibly depriving other people from using them right now,” she said. “Keep the gifts coming.”

During home visits, Sasscer encourages families to fill at least one big black garbage bag with stuff to give away. She jokingly calls these “body bags.”

“Consider it a body bag, like you just went to war and that’s the collateral damage,” she said. “You don’t keep body bags in your home because they stink on the spiritual level. It’s not alive, but it sucks all this energy out of you.”

When families are having a hard time getting rid of things, Sasscer often challenges them to think ahead in their lives to what they will really need.

“I encourage the person to constantly fast forward to the last two hours of life and ask, ‘Do I need this 20-year-old fondue set to get to heaven?’”

By clearing the clutter, families can redirect more of their attention to God.

“Picture yourself walking into a church,” Sasscer said. “You don’t have a lot of crazy clutter. Everything is simple, Christ-centered, uncluttered and light. You can focus on God. Simplifying the domestic church is like creating that same atmosphere within your home, and not just treating it as a giant storage shed.”

Find out more:

For more information, visit projectnazareth.info.
24 hour voicemail service: 800/382-0859 ext. 6498.
Buy the e-book at chcweb.com.

I’m thrilled to help spread the word about this particular product, since it is so much more than simply a way to keep track of appointments.  First, a physical description of the calendar: it’s a heavy duty 12 x 12 calendar with lovely artwork from Murals by Jericho.  The photos that grace each month’s page are absolutely lovely images that will look great in any room.

More importantly though, the content of this calendar far exceeds any I’ve ever seen – you could almost call this calendar a reference book.  In fact, I know that the calendar will be hung very close to my desk, since I will be taking it down regularly to refer to the various features it offers.  These include:

Lists all the indulgenced works of the Church on a month-at-a-glance basis,
Highlights the twenty-two special days when a partial indulgence becomes plenary to honor a day,
Color-codes the indulgences for easy identification
Has scholarly notes on the history of indulgences,
Contains the conditions for earning both partial and plenary indulgences,
Gives the complete text of over a dozen different indulgenced prayers,
Carries weekly reminders for Friday fasts and Saturday confession
Provides the Scriptural supports for one dozen different apologetics topics:

o The Eucharist
o Marian dogma and doctrines
o Redemptive suffering
o The divinity of Christ
o Apostolic succession
o The problems with contraception
o Reconciliation
o Purgatory
o Indulgences
o Divinization
o Church authority
o Catholic baptismal teaching

I’ve learned so much from this calendar already on the topic of indulgences, and I’m certain that my spiritual life will be enhanced throughout all of 2009 through the regular performing of indulgences in my own life.

I’ll be looking for opportunities to share these with you throughout the year.  But if I were you, I’d head over to The Catholic Company today and purchase two – one for you and one as a gift for a special friend.  The Beauty of Grace Calendar of Indulgences is the type of gift that keeps on giving!

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Beauty of Grace Calendar of Indulgences 2009 Wall Calendar.