Is it Chocolate or is it Poop?

When my children were little, I never thought questions like this wouldn’t be part of my daily life. Thinking back, Bill and I pondered Jacob’s ‘movements’ at the dinner table on a regular basis. And we were serious… every parent knows what I’m talking about here… The right poop was usually a good indicator as to how much sleep we were going to get. And for new parents, that’s as serious as it gets.

Then, with more children, naturally, there was more ‘doo’, causing the scope of pondering to widen. And with that much to keep track of, some was bound to get away from us, which just very simply leads us to the unfortunate Chocolate/Poop question.

But one would think that once the kids all reach a certain age, the conversations involving the natural functions of their bodies would begin to taper off. But, I don’t know about everybody else, in my case…. not so much. Actually, just the opposite.

Turns out, almost every conversation I have with my kids has something directly to do with their bodies and what they’re doing through them, with them, and in them. And most of these conversations have something to do with discerning that very question…is it chocolate or is it poop?....just in a different sense.

What am I saying here? In other words, I spend a lot of time now encouraging them to ask themselves, “Is what I’m doing through my body, with my body and in my body something good and sweet and desirable…an activity worth seeking again and again or………. is it a waste? Or worse….something dangerous to consume or seriously worth avoiding contact with?”

So in that sense, while parents of young children might be thinking how lame it is that they find themselves asking that question literally, “Is it Chocolate or is it Poop?, I’m proposing, that as a parent of three(almost four) teenagers, maybe it’s really just a fertile training ground for what lies ahead. The more discerning you do as a parent when you’re children are young (of course, not only about the difference between the looks of chocolate and poop smeared on a particular surface….or person… but of spiritual as well as non-spiritual movements in your life) the more equipped you will be to raise discerning children.

Just something to think about…

Concrete Sign- 1

The last day of retreat, I was very much aware of the stirring in my heart with regard to tilling my soil and planting. I couldn't wait to get home to begin dreaming in earnest. God was relentless as he inspired ideas as to location, resources etc...I could feel parts of myself resurrecting from the dead.

Then I got home.

Family life...laundry, bills, work, other details landed in front of me as soon as I walked in the door. I immediately felt the enthusiasm for gardening disappating....how could I possibly add one more thing to my list of responsibilites? Why would I want to till up a space in my yard on purpose and create that kind of mess. What if I didn't remain faithful to caring for it? What if I let the weeds come in and take over? What if it turned out to just be another burden among burdens? Oh....believe me, the desolation was thick and dark.

Thankfully, God loves me too much to leave me without help for long....St. Ignatius came to my aid. I knew enough to realize that I was being tempted to move from Consolation into Desolation. And what do we do when the bad spirit is trying to move us away from the Good Spirit? Yes...you know......RESIST!!!!!!!!!

At that point, I knew the dirt had to be tilled. I must garden. It was no longer a nice idea. It was (and still is) the difference between me being with God or.......not.

Sadly, my strength was waining. But in a beautiful turn of events, that very evening I encountered a professional Gardening Coach from Phoenix, AZ. http://thedesertgarden.com
In a personal, particular, and relational way, God seems to have arranged for me a friendly and keenly knowledgeable guide. Words can hardly express my gratitude.

Soil & Receptivity

On retreat a couple of weeks ago, I was having dinner with a group of women when a priest friend came to sit with us. Eventually the subject turned to gardening and all was going well until at one point in the conversation he looked at me and said that I have the most under-utilized piece of land he's ever seen and encouraged me to "plant something!"

My reaction to his innocent words surprised me in its intensity and because my reaction was so disproportionately strong, I've been relating what I've been finding in my heart with regard to 'tilling the soil' to Jesus since then. The grace that has come of this relating is what will now be my own "Chronicle of Gardenia". Thanks for coming along.

Jesus' Altar, Tabernacle and Monstrance

by Giuliana Spigone, A. O.
February 24, 2003

Jesus is always with us. He assured us, “[K]now that I am with you always, until the end of the world.”[1] Jesus remains always with us! Let us welcome Him; let us open wide the door of our heart to let Him in! Our heart has to be like an altar, a tabernacle, and a monstrance.

AN ALTAR
Let us make of our heart a table on which our offerings are placed; the same altar where every day Jesus offers Himself to the Father for us. We have to be an altar on which our poverty is offered. Let us place all we are and have on the altar of God; let us sacrifice ourselves, our selfishness, our pride, and all that belongs to us. The blessing of our heavenly Father will come upon our offerings and the Spirit will transform them into an oblation pleasing to God.

A TABERNACLE
Our heart must be like a tabernacle, a sacred place where the Lord lives, watches in silence, and murmurs words of goodness and love to the heart. “Taste and see how good the Lord is,” [2] the Psalmist sings. We have to experience the presence of the Lord within us and generously share it with others. Let us listen to what the Lord says to our heart about ourselves and about our brothers and sisters whom we are to love as He loves them.[3]

A MONSTRANCE
We want to make our heart like a monstrance, exposing Jesus to all we meet. Mary, the first monstrance, showed her Son to the Shepherds, the Magi, to all. Before Jesus was born, Mary brought Him to Elizabeth who rejoiced in Whom she saw. Elizabeth, in turn, became a monstrance herself and sang the first beatitude[4] and Mary responded with the Magnificat.[5] Together the two women - each bearing Jesus in her heart - sang a beautiful canticle of praise to the Lord.[6] May our own encounters with others reflect the mystery of the Visitation as we bring our Lord to a waiting world.

Therefore, let us say often:
Jesus, let my heart be
the altar where You sacrifice Yourself
the tabernacle where You watch over us
the monstrance where You manifest Yourself to the world. Amen.
[1] Mt 28:20
[2] Ps 34:9
[3] see Jn 15
[4] Lk 1:45
[5] Lk 1:46-55
[6] Lk 1:42-55