What I Wore Sunday & Inspiration from Blessed Mother Teresa

Our family loves to celebrate the calendar of saint's feast days throughout the year.  Last week, we spent a little time learning about Blessed Mother Teresa, her life and her ministry as founder of the Missionaries of Charity.

One cannot help but be drawn into the beautiful depths of Mother Teresa's heart.  She spoke with such simplicity on love, suffering, joy and generosity.  And yet, it is the very simplicity of her words that speaks to everyone around the world, resonating with the spirit and joy of the gospel truths. 

Honest words like, "Do small things with great love" have a way of sinking into your soul and bringing a fresh life to what seems to be the most mundane, the most ordinary tasks and moments throughout the day.  And, we can take to heart Mother's words, as she knew, like no one else, how to serve with humility, to serve selflessly, to serve with a most admirable, disinterested love.

Most poignant of all her teachings, however, is that of the beauty of seeing Christ in others. Today after Holy Mass, I was contemplating this very truth, that Christ is within all of us, and that perhaps if I kept that in mind throughout the day, my perspective on motherhood, on being a wife, a friend, even a stranger to others might change for the better.  Instead of seeing a day filled with demands, I see a day filled with opportunities to love.  Instead of just meeting needs I meet people and offer them my love by bending down to tie a shoe for the 100th time, opening a door for another, wiping up an accidental spill, reading the same book to an eager child over and over again.

With this fresh perspective on daily life, the focus is taken off of myself - all the things that I have to do.  Rather, the focus is completely placed upon others and the gift I've been given by God to love and serve those around me. A love and service where there is no need to measure or to count the cost, because, in the end, our Good and Gracious Father in Heaven knows and sees all that we have done.

I've decided to try to begin my day, every day of the week, with these quotes.  These little reminders, nourishing bits of encouragement to keep me on the pathway of love:

Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action.

Let us always meet each other with smile, 

for the smile is the beginning of love. 

Spread love wherever you go.  Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. 

Intense love does not measure, it just gives.

Love begins by taking care of the closest ones - 

the ones at home.

I suppose it may seem shallow or vain to be posting fashion pics after pondering the life of Mother Teresa.  But, we must be reminded, sometimes, as wives and mothers seeking holiness, that we have not answered the call to the vocation of sisterhood, we have answered the call to marriage.  Can we live simply? Of course. However, in living simply, let us not diminish the value of the gift of our feminine beauty for our husbands, who are first in the order of charity in our lives.  Allowing a little extra time and attention for our dress and grooming, when offered as a gift to our spouse, is a beautiful act of love.

 Steve bought this dress for me years ago after our son George was born.  We were taking a short cut through JCPenney's at a mall (probably to get to the food court!) when he spotted the dress.  He loved the color and asked if he could buy it for me. Ya'll, know I wasn't going to say no to the dress!

  

Dress: JCPenney

Shoes: DSW

Necklace: Bling

Bracelets: Cookie Lee

As always, thanks to the ladies at Fine Linen and Purple for hosting!

More lovelies right here!