I have a confession to make. I’m guilty.

I have not published Chapter 11 of my weekly web novel, How I Met Dr. Anthony Sparker last week.

I have not completed Week 9 of my Podrunner interval program for my DisneyPrincess Half-Marathon training.

I have not edited my manuscript in quite a while now.

But you know what I’m not guilty of?

Getting deep in my relationship with my family, and getting involved in the community.

And this is another confession I make.

For two years since we got here in Texas, I have hibernated in my little monastery.

​I kept out of other people’s affairs, school affairs, or home association affairs.

I minded my own business until God said, “Mind My business.”

“What is Your business, Lord?” I said.

“Build My Kingdom on earth so people will seamlessly transition from the mortal life to the immortal life. Be my undercover change agent. Plant the yeast in an unobtrusive manner. Season the lives around you with just the right amount of salt. Be my mouth, hands, and heart. Love one another as I love you.”

And a sword pierced my heart. Indeed I have loved God and tried to be faithful to my vows to Him. And I used this as an excuse not to be involved in the community, for fear that I would neglect my most important vows for things that I am not bound to in the eyes of God.

These vows include the vows my parents and godparents took on my behalf during my baptism and confirmation, which I have renewed with my conversion to the faith at age 21.

God first in everything.

The moment I wake up each day, I say “Good morning, Lord,” and pray. And the moment I close my eyes each day, I say, “Good night, Lord,” after I recap my day.

I try. And sometimes fail. My batting average is improving though.

And at 27, I took another vow. The vow of matrimony. I vowed to take care of my husband, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, until death unite us in love.

And at 28 and 33, I vowed to raise my children as good Catholic Christians through their baptisms.

And it has not been an easy task. And adding the writing ministry in this bowl of vows distracted me from my binding vows.

I fumble in my spiritual journey to be obedient to God’s perfect will. I often make mistakes in my discernment. And often find myself lacking in the grace to carry out His purpose. But God is faithful and pulls me back each time.

The journey to be of one mind and heart with my husband had been a tug of war and peace. He was Mr. Right. And I was Mrs. Always Right. But love has managed to pull us through. And the God of love makes the knot unbreakable.

The journey to provide light and flavor to my children’s lives was not a walk in the park either. Sometimes I beam the light straight to their eyes and I put too much salt for their taste.

Lately, the Lord has held my hand and led me to the Path of Serenity, in the hands of His mother who walked the earth in the most unobtrusive manner. She kept her lids lowered, humble and meek, and went about the business of her Son, even when it was not convenient, or clear, and even when it led her to the foot of the cross.

Prudence. Restraint. Pondering heart. These are the graces I sought for the Lady to teach me. These are the traits that helped her walk the Way of her Son, the Way of the Cross, and led her to His glory.

With these traits, I have come to accept the things that block me from writing my web novel, things that hinder me from editing my manuscript, and the things that delay me from completing the running program.

First things first.

God’s perfect timing is not mine to dictate. It is His.

My task, my daily bread, is to listen to His call in the Present Moment. Where does He call me to love?

Each yes brings me closer to my purpose, my call, my destiny, and God’s dream in me.

What about you? Share your thoughts at [email protected].

WHAT’S NEW?

I started a closed group in Facebook for those who want to get notification whenever I publish the Daily Devotionals. If you want to be part of that group, sign up here. I don’t want to spam people’s inboxes, so if you want to add your friend or family to the group, send them the link, and they need to take action to be included.

Please pray with me and for me, that I remain faithful to the Lord’s call in the present moment, as I pray for you and with you.

May you spend the rest of the day with the Lord whom You will encounter in your loved ones and people He will send your way today.

Our daily bread is to do the will of the Father today.

God bless you and your family’s Sunday!

So what’s new at InspiredCopywriting?

My Feature Story is out! Yay, and Kristin Lavitola will surely inspire you to follow your dream and take the plunge.

One Saturday morning, I chanced upon Kristin lounging in her booth at the Irving Farmer’s Market. Displayed on the tables were her ceramic artworks in different sizes and vivid colors.

Click on the Feature Story to read more about Kristin...

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#DisneyPrincess Half-Marathon is still in the far horizon but I’m getting nearer my goal of being a half-marathoner.

It’s Week 8 on my 10 Weeks to 10K Program. I missed quite a few running days due to vacation and the effect was significant. Catching up required more discipline than usual. And my daughter’s wisdom teeth (all 4) extraction gave me the wisdom on how to deal with missed runs.

See, she had to be on round-the-clock antibiotic and pain reliever and the first few days were the most challenging. Blame it on her erratic sleeping schedule. Blame it on the summer break. Blame it on the TV. Blame it on whatever, but she still had to make up for doses she missed taking on time. The sooner she remembered the better because it enabled us to adjust and keep doses back on track.

And that’s what I did where my half-marathon training is concerned—got caught up and back on track.

I’m now running 8K for 1 hour. Who would have thought, after a back injury in 2010, and now diagnosed with Sjogren syndrome, an autoimmune disease associated with early onset arthritis, I would be back on my feet: a half-marathoner wannabie?

​Thanks to www.djsteveboy.com. This was the program I used about 10 years ago that enabled me to run 10K and converted me from a hater of running to a lover. The memoir is in my book, Running the Millionaire Lane, available as an ebook at Amazon.com. Now, I’m training again and somehow running helps control my stiffness and myalgia. Follow my journey as a wannabie on my facebook page Running the Millionaire Lane.

As for my writing, I suffered the same setbacks. My daily devotionals are missing some dates. My web novel got caught in the web. I’m really in a panic mode not because I’ve been missing on stuff, but because the complacency is starting to get too comfortable.

Guess what?

My web novel, How I Met Dr. Anthony Sparker spoke to my heart.

Stop. Look. And Listen.

God is trying to tell you something. Decode the message.

Lost your path? Recalculate.

Yes, He’s definitely leading me to a different path and I must listen otherwise, I’ll only get more frustrated.

God is a God of peace. When restlessness and chaos ensue, I know I have gone out of my orbit.

Recalculating. It’s time to get back on track and listen to the voice within.

If ever there’s such a thing as an editor’s block, I’m definitely suffering from this chronic condition.

Then today, God told me a parable.

The Parable of the Faucet and the Shower Head

My kitchen faucet has been suffering low pressure, and when the plumber checked it, he recommended replacement of the entire faucet to bring back the pressure.

The shower head on the other hand could not be replaced because doing so might break the pipes. Our only reason is aesthetic, and not worth the hassle.

If it ain’t broken, don’t break it.

I realized it’s the same with my works in progress. If it didn’t need fixing, I should not worry too much about the form and aesthetic details. The water, i.e. the message of God will be transmitted as it is. No matter how ugly the conduit. But if there is something that needed to be replaced to make the water flow faster, i.e. make the sentences flow better so the message is understood, then that’s where I should focus my energy and not on something that already works in terms of readability and clarity.

So long story short, I got myself a fancy Delta faucet and the old shower stays.

I’ll do the same with my novels. Make the web novel fancy and fun and keep the manuscript simple.

​It’s gonna be tough, but I’ll do my best, and allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest.

That’s it for today!