Sleeping with Bread: Monday, July 27th

Monday, July 27, 2009

Monday, July 27th

Hi everyone,

I got some bad news today so I am just going to get this post up. I'm actually on the road as I type this and so I don't think I have the info. w/me to set up Mr. Linky. We'll just leave comments with links to our SWB posts if that is okay with you.

My desolation today is that my mother died unexpectedly. It looks like she developed a blood clot in her leg that led to fatal complications. So we are on our way to be with family and to attend her funeral.

My consolation, though, is already making itself known through the prayers and good thoughts of my friends. It means a lot when someone says they are praying for me. I need those prayers very much.

Where I am going, the internet connection is sketchy so I am not sure about next week. I've invited someone else to help me out and if that works out, between the two of us, the host post will go up.

Under His mercy,

Mary-LUE

Don't forget, link up your post in the comment section this week.

5 comments:

Tara Lamont said...: Dear All,
I just have returned home from N.O. to find Mary's message. I will be posting later today for my Monday SWB and will be here for next week as well. Please keep Mary and her family in your thoughts and prayers. I know she appreciates and is feeling them.

Lamont; July 28, 2009 11:15 AM
ashley said...: Prayres rising like incense.; July 28, 2009 8:34 PM
Rose said...: I'm sorry about your loss Mary.

Rose

xo; July 30, 2009 9:45 AM
Anonymous said...: Dear Mary,

I have just discovered your page, in researching my sermon topic for today.

My prayers are certainly with you and your family; may you find many consolations in the midst of the desolation and loss of your mother.

Thank you for sharing your faith and inspiration with others.

Regards, LouiB; August 01, 2009 12:44 PM
Mel said...: Oh my gosh, Mary....I'm so sorry to hear about the loss you and your family are experiencing. It's a tough, hard, desolating thing--the loss of a parent.

*sending prayers and healing thoughts*; August 07, 2009 5:20 PM

Post a Comment

What is Sleeping with Bread?

During the bombing raids of WWII, thousands of children were orphaned and left to starve. The fortunate ones were rescued and placed in refugee camps where they received food and good care. But many of these children who had lost so much could not sleep at night. They feared waking up to find themselves once again homeless and without food. Nothing seemed to reassure them. Finally, someone hit upon the idea of giving each child a piece of bread to hold at bedtime. Holding their bread, these children could finally sleep in peace. All through the night the bread reminded them, "Today I ate and I will eat again tomorrow." (Linn, Dennis et al, Sleeping With Bread, p.l)

These are the beginning words of a book that introduced me to a practice called the examen. The orphans held on to what nourished them and were thus able to sleep peacefully at night. The examen, based on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius, helps a person hold onto what spiritually nourishes him by looking at what is giving him consolation in his life or causing him desolation. It allows someone to express his gratitude to God for the good stuff and turn to him for solace for the bad stuff. It is quite simple. You simply ask yourself, in the last day/week/month what gave me consolation and what caused me desolation.

How do you do it?

Sleeping with Bread is a Monday meme. You can participate in one of two ways: 1) Pick one of the above examen question sets and answer it in the comments section of my SWB post; or, 2) Create your own Sleeping with Bread post. You are welcome to right click on the Sleeping with Bread button and save it to your own computer before uploading into your post. Then, make sure you come back and put the link to your post in the automated Mr. Linky form at the end of the current SWB post. I hope you will join me and my fellow bakers as we Sleep with Bread on Mondays!