The Holy Pause

I am feeling a little under the weather today. Achy, sore throat, sleeeeepy. I took a bath, about 5 naps, and helped the little two with their school work from my bed. I roused myself to make dinner, saying a silent prayer that I would find something easy and acceptable in the freezer. Eureka! Two boxes of potato pirogi, a box of fish fillets, and lots of fresh oranges in the fridge.

However, due to my inertia throughout the day, the kitchen was a nightmare. Lots of hand wash left from last nights dinner, various incarnations of breakfast, lunch, snack and grazing. Dishes from dinner tonight. The older kids and my husband had to leave for choir practice, so that left me a few choices. Leave it until tomorrow, and go to bed. Go to bed and leave a note for the older kids to do it when they get home, keeping them up way past their bedtime. Do it now, and then go to bed.

As wimpy of a lent as I have done (basically fell off most of the disciplines I set up except the alcohol one and still doing pretty well on the fast) one thing I have received is the "holy pause" for lack of a better phrase. When the discouragement, disappointment, sadness, frustration, etc., etc., pop up, The Holy Pause is time to think about what is the best, right thing to do. Then ask for help from the Almighty to do it. Then ask for perseverance to carry it through. Please understand I don't always heed this, don't always even recognize its existence much of the time. But tonight I got it.

So, I cleaned the kitchen while sipping orange tea, and listened to a spiritual direction show on the radio about the Eucharist. The little kids actually entertained themselves very nicely (RARE) and let me be. That was God's mercy, I am telling you. So it's done, I can now go to bed without the horrible specter of a trashed kitchen to greet me in the morning, and I thank God for the assistance.

The Holy Pause. Thank you, Jesus, for giving it to me when I needed it tonight.