Tag Archives: peace

Keeping the Peace

Any semblance of peace that may blanket your home tonight will be shattered once dawn breaks on Easter Sunday. Kids will be running around like Energizer bunnies looking for sweet treats left behind by the holiday hare, and once they hit pay dirt, they’ll be even more amped thanks to the endless amount of sugar coursing through their little bodies. However, sugar highs only last so long.  So, how do you stay calm when your kids start to crash? Say “No” without saying “No”:  Your preschooler wants to polish off an entire family of Peeps before you leave the house … Continue reading →

Peaceful Family Life

Every so often I wonder at whether or not my home environment is everything I want it to be. Before I had children I really worked to have a peaceful home environment. I kept the house picked up, and managed to keep the noise level very low and peaceful. And I managed to do okay with one child, and it only got a little bit worse with two, but with three children, it is a struggle to create that environment in my home. And so I had to rethink what I meant by a peaceful home environment. Now I still … Continue reading →

How to Find the Secret of Contentment

Do you struggle to find contentment in your life? We’ve all heard about the age old line about the grass being greener elsewhere. But sadly people often find out after they’ve tried it, after they’ve broken up a marriage or moved house or changed job or whatever it might be that is causing their discontent, that this is not the case. A simpler solution rather than chasing new experiences is to learn to be content in the situation we are in, which often appears easier said than done. So how can you find contentment? Is it even possible? The apostle … Continue reading →

Scripture Study and My Day

Today has been one of those days where I rattle around, attempting to do a long list of tasks, and not getting anything done. As I sat down at my computer preparing to begin my writing for the day I asked myself what was wrong with me today. And it hit me that I hadn’t read my scriptures yet today. So I went and read them, and prayed, and I’ve felt so much more peaceful today. Daily scripture reading is a chance to focus and to be still. During the time that we read our scriptures each day it shows … Continue reading →

Being Effective and Happy

As I look back on my life, I find that there are times full of peace and happiness and times when life wasn’t happy or at all peaceful. These times do not necessarily coincide with being in the midst of a trial, because I’ve had trials I’ve ridden out with peace in my heart. What I’ve found the biggest difference is where my focus was, and how productive I was at the time. When my life was centered on the gospel and reaching out to help others, I found peace, even when going through my difficult times. I also found … Continue reading →

Get More Beauty in Your Life

Yesterday, I wrote about how I have learned that appreciation and thankfulness can be a fabulous anecdote for stress. As a single parent, it can be incredibly easy to let stress become a way of life and we can soon feel ourselves bogged down and sick from all the tension in our lives. Another anecdote to some of the realities and hardships of the single parent’s life is to find ways to get more beauty and pleasure into your life. I am not talking about spending a fortune on a spa vacation or a trip to France. While that might … Continue reading →

Dealing With Doubt

Have you ever wondered about Thomas? Wondered why Thomas wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus first appeared to them? Was his grief so deep that he couldn’t cope with being with the other disciples but needed to be alone to deal with it? That’s the way some people deal with grief. Then when they’ve worked through it, they can come back and relate to others again. Or was Thomas hiding for fear of the consequences for the disciples? After all, Jesus had been killed. Would the Pharisees and those who were against Jesus come after his disciples next? Maybe it … Continue reading →

Celebrate the Peaceful Times

I know that not every single parent experiences single parenthood in the same way that I do and that it also depends on where a person is on the adjustment scale. For those who are newly divorced, or just getting started with single parenthood it can seem scary, daunting, chaotic and overwhelming. Since I have been at this for several years, however, I have found that while there is still plenty of stress and chaos that comes along with single parenting and family life, there is also a certain amount of peace that comes with my life experience as a … Continue reading →

You Can Choose Peace

I know that it does not always seem like peacefulness and family life go hand-in-hand–especially for some single parent families. I also have learned, however, that we do have some choice in our environment and how we react. We can, as parents, choose peace over an argument or over having to be in charge or right and that peacefulness can have a positive, lasting influence on our families. The fact is, our children will NOT always choose peace first. They may want a fight or a power struggle or they may feel like having a bit of a fit is … Continue reading →

Quiet Destinations–Escaping the Holiday Chaos

Tomorrow is Black Friday. A time when shopping bags, elbows, expletives, and in some cases, even fists fly. If you are looking to escape from the midnight mall madness, the customer–driven craziness, and the all encompassing chaos that accompanies the official kick-off to the holiday shopping season then consider traveling to northwest Missouri. That’s where you’ll find Conception Abbey, one of several Roman Catholic Benedictine monasteries around the world that are open to groups and individuals looking for a safe haven to reflect, pray, meditate or simply escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life (especially during the Christmas … Continue reading →