Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

About a year ago I shared a reflection about the practice of living mindfully. Here I am choosing to share more about how mindfulness has challenged me to live more compassionately. I look at life through the lens of compassion. What a difference this makes! The goal of mindfulness in its essence is to live compassionately. Each breath I take is an opportunity to consciously breathe in the love of our God, the Source of all life and love, and to intentionally receive that love and breathe out the gift of “loving-kindness” to self and others. My prayer intention for each day is that I may live compassionately. My awareness of being an instrument of compassion for our world has made a significant difference in my life.  At times I focus only on breathing in God’s love for me and sending that love out from me. Other times I breathe in God’s grace and send it to people I love, to those I may find difficult to love, and to places in our world in need of grace. On occasion whe...

“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...

Recently I led a retreat at Sinsinawa Mound Center entitled: Being Present to the Present: Living Mindfully with Gratitude. Whenever I prepare for a retreat I learn so much that enriches my life. The people who gathered were eager and attuned to the topic, making the retreat so spirit-filled. My title for the retreat was inspired by the anonymous saying:               Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery.               Today is gift, that's why we call it "the PRESENT." Often we are whizzing through our days, living somewhat mindlessly. We end up looking to the past or future. We miss being in the present moment. Living mindfully with gratitude is living life fully. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk, has brought mindfulness into the mainstream. However the concept is not new. This practice is an integral part of the Christian l...