Goal Updates for April

For my body:

Walk at least 500 miles this year (187 and counting)

• I walked 49 miles in January.
• I walked 46 miles in February.
• I walked 55 miles in March.
• I walked 37 miles in April.

Do two strength workouts each week

• I did 10 strength workouts in January
• I did 6 strength workouts in February
• I did 5 strength workouts in March
• I did 5 strength workouts in April

For my spirit:

Pray my rosary more!

• I prayed 60 rosaries this month. My favorite time to pray my rosaries is when I am walking because my mind is calmer and more attentive at that time.

Attend at least 5 masses each week

• I made it to 23 masses this month.

Make a holy hour at least 5 times each week

• I made 16 holy hours this month.

For my mind:

Read 100 books this year

1. For the Love of Mary by Fr. Klimek
2. Joy to the World by Dr. Scott Hahn
3. Forget not Love (The Passion of Maximillian Kolbe) by Andre Frossard
4. Brother Andre by Jean Guy Dubuc
5. Know thyself by Fr. Bergamo
6. A Time to Die by Nicolas Diat (my favorite book of all time I do believe. I’ve read it 3 times)
7. Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Bonaventure
8. Cause of our Joy by Mother Mary Francis (This was sooo good. If you want to love Mary more, read this book)
9. Solitude and Silence by Thomas Kempes (A quick read. I need to learn to be more silent!! I love solitude but put me around people and I start yapping away)
10. A Time of Renewal by Mother Mary Francis (I think she is one of my new favorite authors. This Lenten reflection book was probably the best one I have ever read. She has a knack for unpacking scripture and tying it to your life)
11. Come Lord Jesus by Mother Mary Francis (Awesome!!!! It was an Advent reflection book, but I couldn’t wait since her Lenten one was sooooo good)
12. Practice the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence (He is my new spiritual hero. I say he is the male version of Therese of Lisieux. Basically, he says all we need to do to be saints and grow in holiness each day is to keep the Lord in our minds and hearts at all times by talking to God, thanking God, and petitioning God throughout our everyday lives (nonstop!) I kind of do this already and it does keep me close to our Lord. But I need to try to make it nonstop. When I talk to people I tend to get sidetracked…..)
13. But I Have Called You Friends by Mother Mary Francis (I love everything this woman writes!!! This book focuses on having a personal relationship with Jesus and it was lovely.)
14. My Beloved is Mine and I am His by Mother Mary Francis (This book focused on being a Bride of Christ. So it was mainly focusing on the consecrated life and the misconceptions people have about it, but you could apply many topics covered to your own life because we are all the brides of Christ!)
15. Reclaiming Quiet by Sarah Clarkson (I loved the way this woman writes. She is very lyrical and vulnerable. Sarah discussed her struggles finding peace and quiet in her everyday life and how she manages to incorporate little moments of quiet into her day. It reminded me of the teachings of many saints on how we are called to have a little quiet place inside of us that we can go to even in chaotic situations and remain close to our Lord. Scripture tell us we are temples of the Holy Spirit so it makes sense that we should visit Him and remain vigilant of Him always…even during our struggles and chaos of life.)
16. Desert Silence: Hidden Love and Poverty of God (This was a beautiful collection of poetry written about the life of St. Charles de Foucauld. He was a very humble priest missionary who lived among an African tribe. He was initially sad he did not make any converts but kept on showing the love of God to the people because that is what we are called to do. Foucauld was so beloved due to his kindness and the love he showed the people, that after he was martyred, huge numbers of people converted because they came to know Jesus through this man and his great love for others. His testimony shows us that by simply planting seeds and being the face of Christ to those who do not know Him, we can eventually bear great fruit for the Lord. St. Charles de Foucauld, pray for us!!)
17. A Right to be Merry by Mother Mary Francis (After I read this book, I realized that if I had to be any religious sister, I would probably choose to be a Poor Clare. I love their spirituality! In this book, Mother Mary Francis walks us through the life of the Poor Clares and shows all the joy that being a Bride of Christ can bring even amid embracing poverty, obedience, and chastity. It reminded me of several religious sisters that I know that who mysteriously continue to exude happiness and joy when based on the world’s standards they should be bitter and miserable. God simply brings us a joy we just cannot find in the world. It was a good lesson on trying to pull away from worldly things and cling to Him more. )
18. Strange Gods Before Me by Mother Mary Francis. This book was about how we let small things and habits interrupt our daily lives and vocations. They grow until they seem to be almost like mini gods that we worship before the Lord because they interfere so much with our callings.
19. The Afterlife by Dolindo Ruotolo. This book was all about the afterlife. I really enjoyed the insights that the author gave about purgatory especially because purgatory is one of the most misunderstood concepts in Catholicism.
20. Til We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. It was weird reading a fiction book!! I had read this before but wanted to read it again because I listened to a podcast on some religious elements it contained that I missed the first time I read it.
21. Remade for Happiness by Fulton Sheen. I have been reading a lot of Fulton Sheen this year! He is going to be beatified this fall, and I realized I did not really know him that well….which is very sad because he is American. And a modern American saint at that! Each book I’ve read of his has made me realized his brilliance and obvious sanctity. To me, I can usually tell someone is a saint (or one day will be) just by reading their journals or books. They have a way of revealing God to us that is just so beautiful it leaves you breathless often and you always come away with a deeper sense of peace than you had before.

Journal more

I’ve been trying to journal a few times a week during adoration and while listening to meaningful religious podcasts. Sometimes this looks like typing texts to myself when I forget to bring my notebook to adoration (!!!) and then jotting down the ideas later in my actual journal, but it still counts!

Work on more embroidery projects

I have three embroidery projects going on at the same time (don’t ask me why!!) so the progress is sloooow.