Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

“Today is a good day!” With these words I begin my day each morning. This affirmation awakens in me the awareness that when I choose to live in the present moment I find goodness even when there are difficult experiences and sadness. Along with this affirmation I also set an intention for the day. . . being mindful, kind, grateful, positive, understanding, etc. I come back to my intention throughout the day. I know that the present moment is the only moment we can access and I want to live it as best I can. This past year I moved to the Mound and I minister with our sisters in assisted living and at our villa. I believe the Spirit led me to begin what I call “Mindful Mondays.” Sisters are invited to gather for 15-20 minutes of mindfulness practice. We begin with relaxing and breathing exercises. Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabet-Zinn, youtube videos guide us with some simple ways to become more mindful. Poetry, song, and prayer are woven into our sessions. We encourage one another to l...

My birthday falls on June 14 th —the same day this blog falls due. Our lives are made of up a series of sometimes minor and sometimes significant dates.   Because we’re the conscientious sort, most of us try to attend to the first type of date and pay attention without giving too much significance to the latter.   I keep lists, for example, of things I should get to on any day—from sending an anniversary card to getting to an appointment.   I suppose I consider my birthday among the significant dates.    (I’ve forgotten the dates of my graduations; I’d forget most other dates if I didn’t have them written down.)   My folks always made a minor fuss about our birthdays:   Mom made a cake on that day. Since my birthday fell in June, we often went on a picnic.   I remember that the water was always a bit cold for swimming but I went in anyway. As adults, we may feel that we should put away childish things such as caring about our birthdays....