25 Days and counting

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing."

It's funny - twenty five days sounds like such a long time and yet not a very long time at all. I guess it really depends on what exactly you have to do, or not do as the case may be, during that time. And, when that twenty five days encompass selling a car, vet visits to figure out how to fly with two cats, packing up an apartment, Mr. SL finishing a script, saying goodbye to so many people, going to an ordination, celebrating Fathers' Day, more packing up, changing insurance, applying for a car loan, all the change in address notifications that go with moving, more packing up, selling some furniture, and then finally, actually MOVING, twenty five days seems like barely a blink of the eye (can you tell I'm using this as a to-do list? :) ). And, I think the temptation in the midst of the insanity of such a momentous and busy life change is to be a little too Martha and not enough Mary.

Like so many mothers, the tendency to Martha-ize your life, especially with kids is very strong. Add that to an already Martha-tastic personality, and I've ended up with some very un-Marian moments. Honestly, is Martha really so bad? Doesn't it seem like she's always gotten such a bad rap in the whole Martha vs. Mary controversy? The woman was just trying to entertain and serve the Son of God in her very own home, not to mention what I'm sure amounted to an extensive entourage. That's a lot of pressure for the best of homemakers, and then when you account for an apparently slacker sister... well, I'm sure you can see who's side I've always been on!

The problem of course, wasn't her willingness to do all the work necessary to have such important houseguests, but her exclusion of all else from her "to-do" list. Sitting at the feet of Jesus sounds like something only a contemplative (like that pesky Mary) can do, or really, even has TIME to do. But, if we remember that to try to follow Him in all the little things we do everyday, to offer up each tiny thought and act, each box that's packed, each task crossed off the list, if we imitate St. Therese's Little Way, we're already tagging along at His heels. It's all about balance - work and prayer, like the Benedictans. We have to Marianize our inner Marthas. Well, at least I do, anyways :)

So that is my personal goal for the next twenty five days. I will say a prayer every morning for my day, I will find the time for the daily readings, and most importantly, I will take a deep breath before giving in to any feelings of Marthinian panic about all the things that must be done and say a prayer, offering it all to Him. After all, "Jesus, because He is Eternal, regards not the time but only the love." If I do it in love of Him, its already halfdone!