Listen to God's voice at the foot of the crucifix." ~St. Gaspar del Bufaro~

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

I Am Nobody

I'm nobody!  Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us--don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.

How dreary, to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
~Emily Dickinson~

The older I get, the more this rings true.  I am nobody in this world, striving for perfection in the next.  I am only making progress when I see the way, the truth, and the life in front of me...He has a plan and I need only to follow and trust.  On a good day with attempt to surrender, I am free and the path is clear.   The more I can huddle near to the shepherd and follow His lead, the closer I am to the ultimate goal.  However, as Father T. said at Mass the other day, too often we try to be the back seat driver!  I think this is one of my greatest faults.  When I try to fight with the driver, my path is muddled and I struggle to stay the course.   Why is it so hard to relax and trust our professional chauffeur? 

Over the the last 7 years that we have been homeschooling, it has been a constant struggle to get to daily Mass.  We have been sporadic with our attendance, due to the single option of 7 AM!  It has often been difficult to get there with young babies and toddlers to get dressed, out of the house, loaded up in the car, all in the wee hours of the morning.  There were times when I took little ones to Mass in their PJ's, determined to start our day with Him.  Worn out and exhausted, I have stopped and started many times.  I have often gone alone when I had older children to watch the little ones.  Countless prayers have been said and the battle continued.  

Recently, we have a new priest who celebrates daily Mass in our parish.  He has asked my older children to be daily altar servers. Our parish hasn't had altar servers for daily Mass as long as I can remember!  This is mostly due to the fact that most children are on their way to school at that hour.  Being that we homeschool, there are no excuses, other than the usual hardships. {wink} Our children agreed and have taken on the responsibility with a vengeance.  Serving daily Mass is a new passion!  The children are eager to get to Mass and excited to serve the Lord...This has happened, literally, over night.  Their excitement is contagious, spilling over to the younger children.  Miraculously, the children in our house are driving the motivation (and me) to Mass in the morning...No credit to myself, I am nobody.  They are living proof of God's plan.  Undoubtedly, when God decides that we should be somewhere, He sees fit that we arrive where we ought to be.  He is the ultimate chauffeur!  This time, I am enjoying the ride.  I am nobody, how about you?
 
"The parents exist to teach the child, but they must also learn what the child has to teach them; and the child has a very great deal to teach them."~Arnold Bennett~

8 comments:

  1. Tiffany, I can't tell you how meaningful this is! My friend Fr. Don, read this exact poem to me several months ago and I have been pondering it ever since. What a tremendous blessing that you are your family are able to attend daily Mass, that your children are willing altar servers and that you recognize it's not through your efforts, but through God that all of these wonderful works are accomplished! Thank you for this post-you inspire me so much!

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  2. this post is wonderful, Tiffany. It is truly our calling to be a nobody. Like the Little Flower, St. Therese, our saintly example, who wanted NOT to know the world and the people in it, who wanted only to serve Jesus in her isolation. I so need to remind myself daily of my desire to have no will but that of Our Lord's. Today, talking with my husband about a troubling situation I've encountered out in the world, he counseled me with only this, "the path of the righteous is narrow."Exactly what I needed to hear. All those sheep in the world and only a few follow the Shepherd in all He guides us. God bless us for keeping (trying to keep) our eye on the prize, the Christ. God bless you for this post. I LOVE coming here to visit you. :)

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  3. oh, and I wanted to tell you how wonderful that is that "your children" are taking you to daily Mass!!! :) God does indeed bring us to where He wants us to be.

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  4. Oh this is great! 7am is early to get everyone up and out the door - you will be blessed!!

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  5. How wonderful! I have been reading a good deal about homeschooling lately... hoping to "find myself" again in this sometimes stressful planning. What am I doing? Why am I doing it? I can't remember which book or blog or whatever it was, but I was reminded about the power of just getting to Mass everyday. And I thought: "Boy, if it's the only thing we do... how can we go wrong?" I know it wouldn't be the only things we'd do anyway. But I am afraid of that commitment. I decided that I don't care if we're tired for the rest of the day or if I can't fit everything in. We only live once and I want to live for Him. Your post was perfectly timely. :) My own children have begged me to take them to Mass and I have said NO many times because I have been afraid of fatigue, of time, of the future that I imagine getting away from me before I'm even in it!
    Please Jesus, turn me (a topsy turvy mama) around so that I can see things from the proper perspective.

    I want to be a nobody!!!

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  6. This was a wonderful post! And, Melody, I love this prayer, "Please Jesus, turn me (a topsy turvy mama) around so that I can see things from the proper perspective." I will need to memorize that!

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  7. I love going to "daily" (as in during the week) mass and am abundantly blessed by options for time where I live. I have at least 3 Catholic churches within 10 minutes of my house. We can also attend noon mass if we are willing to drive a bit. I confess that I have never attempted to go *every* day on a regular basis. You have inspired me to give it some serious thought.

    I love this- "I am nobody in this world, striving for perfection in the next". Something else to ponder.

    Do you have the booklet "Wonders of the Holy Mass" by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan? I purchased a bulk order a while back to share with others and have some left. If you would like a copy, let me know and I will drop it in the mail. I think you would like it.

    mom7_06 at yahoo dot com

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