{#write31days - day 1} the gift of the present moment

The fan is on and sharing its soft whirrrr sound, the afternoon light is coming in from the sliding door near me, and all that is quietly swaying still finds a way of encouraging a beautiful stillness in a room that is presently surrounded by the hustle and bustle of our little family life. Computer is open, my breathing is rhythmic, and the noise of my fingers tapping on my keyboard comes and goes with the flow, or lack there of, of the words my heart manages to string together. This is my present and this is where I am starting this little series of mine.

See, there's this October challenge that comes along every year that, for the last three years or so, I have watched pass me by. For some reason, this year I'm not letting it pass. I'm taking a huge jump into the puddle that was made for me - the puddle over yonder just begging for me to create the biggest splash I ever did see. This challenge was started by a home blogger named Myquillyn Smith from The Nester and now is hosted by Crystal Stine. The challenge is to pick one topic that you decide to hone in on for the span of the month of October.

The challenge is great and something I'm excited about because I have not been writing in this space of mine for quite some time. I've felt these little heart tugs to just come and sit and type, but have yet to find my writing pulse that lets it all flow. With this little project, and lots of prayer and grace, I'm hoping to maybe jumpstart that little part of me.

Maybe it'll work or maybe I'm just meant to try, either way, I'm here.

Often times, I'll share a quote. Often times, I'll share a photo. Often times, I'll share tidbits from my little life where I had the grace and gift to see His Face.

My quotes will come from the book, Self-Abandonment to Divine Providence by Fr. Jean Pierre de Caussade, S.J., and my photos and stories will come from my life because that is where my gifts lie.

My topic is the gift of the present moment. This goodness is something that has blessed me time and time again. It has blessed me in my suffering and it has blessed me in my joy. It has blessed me in my anxiety and it has blessed me in my peace. In all these areas and more, this gift has blessed me abundantly and I want to hone in on that more. I want to share the words that inspire me to be present and I want to share how He is always being made known where we are if we settle in just a little bit more with our eyes, heart, mind, and soul wide-open.

So here goes nothing!

"There is no moment at which God does not present himself under the guise of some suffering, some consolation or some duty...

Could we pierce the veil and were we vigilant and attentive, God would reveal himself continuously to us and we should rejoice in his action in everything that happens to us. At every occurrence we should say: Dominus est. It is the Lord; and in all circumstance we should find a gift from God."

-Fr. J.P. de Caussade, S.J., Self-Abandonment to Divine Providence

Thank you for any and all encouragement, prayers, kind words, and presence! I'll be sure to update this page with any and all new posts that I am able to get to so that everything can easily be found in one place. Other than that, please hop on over to the #write31days link-up to see what others are sharing too!