IN THIS SPACE
As an educator who deeply believes in the power of story, I blend narratives of my own experience with teaching points to share what has cultivated my on-going growth that I hope will support you in your own journey.
Drawn to Peace
From the moment I saw St. Francis de Sales’ famous quote on peace, I was drawn to it–“Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, not even if your whole world seems upset.”
I paired it with a photo and posted it on my bulletin board in my office. I longed for that type of peace.
…I also knew the reality–I was so far from living it out in my day to day.
As a wife, mom and teacher educator, I was constantly losing my inner peace.
How? was the question on my heart. How is that even possible?
I have received a lot of support to develop a greater sense of interior peace, including these three pieces of wisdom from spiritual fathers who have walked alongside me:
There will always be tensions. So much of my peace was grounded in circumstance and thinking that with proper planning and fine-tuning, I could smooth out all the tensions. When I was in the midst of a discernment process, my priest reminded me that regardless of which path I chose, there would be tensions. Little by little I have been learning about the proper foundation for my peace. (Hint: It’s not in crafting the perfect schedule and routines.)
You are only responsible for your boundaries. You can’t expect others to understand your boundaries. This guidance from my spiritual director helped alleviate stress that naturally comes from setting and maintaining boundaries that don’t always align with the choices that colleagues are making.
You can’t do it all, and you can’t feel guilty. As a mom, there’s so much I want to offer my girls. The gap between what I can envision conceptually–all that I would like to do and provide for them vs. my human limitations of time and energy can be so disheartening. Another spiritual director prompted me to revisit the expectations I had of myself.
Reflection Prompt:
Does any of this advice resonate with challenges that you experience when it comes to inner peace and navigating your roles within your family and career?
Within this blog and website, unless otherwise noted, all excerpts from Sacred Scripture and the Lectionary for the Mass are as follows:
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
