The Surprising Secret to Lasting Peace of Mind, Heart and Soul!

It was a warm and beautiful spring day when my children asked if we could do a Chaplet walk around our neighborhood. So we grabbed our rosaries and started walking towards our village cul-de-sac.

The children were excited to finally bask in the warm spring weather, hear the babbling brook in our backyard and see all the flowers blooming all around them.

But I wasn’t noticing any of it.

In my mind, I was going through a list of things I still needed to do—lesson planning, loads of laundry, ministry work, scheduling doctors’ appointments, cooking dinner, and finding the time to run errands with my parents.

“Mama, you missed the daffodils dancing in the wind!” said one of the children.

I snapped out of my stupor and realized that our Chaplet walk was over and we were already in our front porch. I had missed my prayers.

I had missed the heartwarming conversations with my little ones. I had missed the beauty of creation and the blooming daffodils all around me. I had missed the joy and beauty of the present moment.

A Muddled Mind

Father M. D’Avila once wrote, “Among the hindrances which prevent us from performing our actions well, the foremost is that while we are doing one thing, we are thinking of another which we have to do or which we have done….”

Aside from the present demands of my vocation, there are other thoughts and emotions that seem to be flying around my head and my heart as of late.

Thoughts from the past and worries about the future keep my heart heavy, my mind muddled and my soul searching for peace and solace.

I feel that my life is passing me by and I am missing the many heartfelt moments my Sweet Lord is constantly sending my way.

Discovering A Sacred Space

I have begged our Lord over and over again to teach me how to live in the present moment. During prayer time, my Lord has shown me many things in my life I needed to change. But He also knows I need all the grace, energy, and strength to do so.

In His great love and mercy, He has quietly led me to a very sacred space deep within my soul. And in this very sacred space, I have encountered His all-encompassing love in a very profound way.

In this sacred space, I am loved unconditionally.

In this sacred space, I am cherished unreservedly.

In this sacred space, everything is as clear as day.

In this sacred space, I don’t need to struggle.

In this sacred space, life is simple.

In this sacred space, I realize that I was put on this earth simply to love and be loved.

My Sacred Space, My Sacred Place

Since I discovered this sacred space, I have come to guard and cherish it as my most sacred place.

Saint Francis De Sales wrote, “If the heart wanders or is distracted, bring it back to the point quite gently and replace it tenderly in its Master’s presence.”

When disappointments, weakness, failure, or any shadows from the past begin to creep into my sacred space, I simply pause, pray and quietly lead these thoughts out the door.

When fears, doubts, imaginations, and anxieties about the future seem to want to take away the joy of the present moment, I pause, pray and gently lead these thoughts out the door.

When I allow other people’s opinions of me define my worth, I pause, pray and quietly lead these thoughts out the door.

When I let my own unfounded opinions define the worth of others, I pause, pray and gently lead these thoughts out the door.

I cannot allow these thoughts to ever be part of my sacred space.

This space is simply too sacred.

Living in the Sacred Now

Once these thoughts have been led out the door, I simply return to my present task with deeper love and devotion.

When there is a clear and distinct delineation between the past, present and future, I can finally live in the joy of the present moment. Living in the “sacred now” is a great source of solace, grace and comfort for my weary soul.

And what was once a small space of grace has eventually transformed into a vast ocean of mercy.

I no longer feel my life is passing me by, and I can now revel in the peace, joy and beauty of Chaplet walks, heartwarming conversations with my little ones… and lovely daffodils dancing in the wind.