{"id":42575,"date":"2013-11-26T13:49:04","date_gmt":"2013-11-26T19:49:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=42575"},"modified":"2013-11-26T13:49:04","modified_gmt":"2013-11-26T19:49:04","slug":"kind-life-creating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/11\/kind-life-creating\/","title":{"rendered":"What Kind of Life Are You Creating?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"tgiving_craft\"<\/a>If people were to judge my life in random five-minute increments, I wonder what they would walk away thinking.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t kid yourself, we\u2019ve all done it.<\/p>\n

To the mom in the grocery with the screaming baby. Well, that\u2019s what happens when you bring a baby to the store during naptime.<\/i><\/p>\n

To the guy who honks his horn for you to press through the yellow light. Jerk.<\/i><\/p>\n

To the elderly couple walking too slow on the terminal walkway at the airport. Why can\u2019t they just stop holding hands and move aside? People have flights to catch!<\/i><\/p>\n

To the lady who insists that every child must wash his hands before playing with the toys. Overprotective, much?<\/i><\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve pondered this reality and my infallibility over the last several weeks, it\u2019s made me mindful of how I treat the people I love the most. We have a motto in our household: kindness, respect and gratitude. We say it to the kids often, usually when one whacks another with a school book or hip checks someone while walking by. But, how much am I really practicing it? How kind, respectful and grateful am I to the people I gave birth to and the man I pledged my love to 17 years ago?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a rhetorical question, in case you\u2019re wondering.<\/p>\n

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving. No surprise there. But, somehow this notion of \u201cgratitude\u201d has become lost in the holiday. Don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m guilty, too. While I was out running errands this morning, mentally checking off my to-do list, I ran into an old friend. We talk often via email, but I rarely get to see him. As he gave me a hug and loved on my youngest, he said this: \u201cMan, you sure do have a lot to be thankful for this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Man, don\u2019t we ALL?<\/p>\n

Our lives are filled with gifts\u2014the intangibles, not the fluff at the StuffMart. How are we nurturing those gifts? How are we creating moments that, when lumped together, create a beautiful life? As you cook that Thanksgiving meal this week, pray for the people eating it. As you embrace those you love, think about those who spend the holidays alone. As you begin making your Christmas lists and decking the halls, consider serving those who have nothing.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the greatest lesson I\u2019ve learned this Thanksgiving is to be content. To be at peace. And, to start cherishing my life in five-minute increments so that it reflects who God truly wants me to be.<\/p>\n

Happy Thanksgiving, y\u2019all!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If people were to judge my life in random five-minute increments, I wonder what they would walk away thinking. Don\u2019t kid yourself, we\u2019ve all done it. To the mom in the grocery with the screaming baby. Well, that\u2019s what happens when you bring a baby to the store during naptime. To the guy who honks… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[2087,397],"class_list":{"0":"post-42575","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"tag-gratitude","8":"tag-thanksgiving","9":"entry","10":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":140580,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/08\/why-kids-are-pro-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":42575,"position":0},"title":"Why Kids Are Pro-Life","author":"Britt Echtenkamp","date":"August 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday afternoon, while walking through HEB with my family, a hurried mom with her two little girls rushed by us in the coffee aisle. The mom didn't look at us or say anything as she moved past us, but one of her little girls (probably 4 or 5), stopped and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Boy in grass.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/1935908_10100122122716974_1428801_n1-143x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":127643,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/07\/mary-sister-of-the-carmelite-soul\/","url_meta":{"origin":42575,"position":1},"title":"Mary, Sister of the Carmelite Soul","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"July 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"We are holding hands as we walk together along a rocky path on a hot July evening. We are talking about this and that. She asks me questions, listens thoughtfully as I talk about my life. She has a lot going on too, these days, and she unburdens her heart\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"photo S.C.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/1919164_1306332622854_6920017_n-550x440.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/1919164_1306332622854_6920017_n-550x440.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/1919164_1306332622854_6920017_n-550x440.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38893,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/03\/the-promise\/","url_meta":{"origin":42575,"position":2},"title":"The Promise","author":"Julia Motekaitis","date":"March 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"photo credit: St. Thomas Aquinas parish, College Station, Tx I tuck my arm into my husband's as we kneel during the consecration at Mass. I watch the communion line through eyes blurred by tears and listen to his steady voice blending with the \u00a0rich harmonies of Ave Verum Corpus, while\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"HolyWeek","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/HolyWeek.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":555075,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/12\/juan-the-stranger\/","url_meta":{"origin":42575,"position":3},"title":"Juan the stranger","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"December 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"As my son-in-law swept up the toddler for her evening nap, I stepped silently out the front door for an evening walk, rosary in hand. It was dusk, and the sky was alight with rose colored clouds. Everything looked pink. As I walked, the beads slipping quietly between my fingers,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/images-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":101409,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/03\/finding-jesus-at-a-street-retreat\/","url_meta":{"origin":42575,"position":4},"title":"Finding Jesus at a Street Retreat","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"March 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"In early December, thirty men in the diaconal formation program from the Diocese of Austin went on a three day street retreat based on the scripture \u201cHe commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a staff only: no bread, no wallet, no money in their purse\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Social Justice"","block_context":{"text":"Social Justice","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/social-justice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/streetretreat.png?fit=817%2C417&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/streetretreat.png?fit=817%2C417&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/streetretreat.png?fit=817%2C417&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/streetretreat.png?fit=817%2C417&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":190019,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/01\/street-evangelization-in-austin\/","url_meta":{"origin":42575,"position":5},"title":"Street Evangelization in Austin","author":"Robert Lindberg","date":"January 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Recently, I attended training for street evangelization. At the end of the training class, we went out into downtown Austin to put this into practice. This experience reminds me of a middle school dance. It all started with spending the day learning to dance. We went through the mechanics and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Social Justice"","block_context":{"text":"Social Justice","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/social-justice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo by Larry D. Moore CC BY-SA 3.0.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Sixth_Street_Austin-550x413.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Sixth_Street_Austin-550x413.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Sixth_Street_Austin-550x413.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42575\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}