Happy October!

It's a new month again.

These days I wonder how that happens so quickly. It seems like just a few days ago that my roommate and I booked our plane tickets for our October holiday, and then set aside the trip planning because we had over a month. Now we're frantically trying to nail down the details like car rentals, getting from place to place, and one night of accomodation that won't be with friends, because we leave in eight days!

I am however always glad for a new month.

Even on days like today when my body is protesting my very existence, I'm feeling very ill, and wondering why I'm sitting at a desk in my office instead of laying in bed asleep. (Especially since I was up most of the night again.)

I'm having one of those more challenging days. (I guess I've been having them all week, but today, with the illness on top, is definitely feeling like the hardest yet.) The sort where I don't want to pray. And I don't want to choose differently. And joy doesn't seem like the best option. Where I really want to feel sorry for myself.

Today's saint of the day is Saint Terese of Lisieux. "The Little Flower." When I got to work this morning, the quote on my calendar for the day was, of course, from Saint Terese. It reads, "When I am incapable of praying, I want to keep telling Jesus that I love him. It's not difficult, and it keeps the fire going."

A rather challenging thought this morning. But simple, too. Just keep telling Jesus I love him, even when I can't quite manage a prayer. It keeps the warmth in me alive. A needed reminder on a week when I've physically experienced cold in new ways.

And with that, I'm off to tackle the things that must be done this morning, so that if I don't start feeling better, I can head home a bit later, and go back to bed.