Today was one of those mornings ... that you just c.a.n.n.o.t. get out of bed. I haven't been sleeping well lately, and last night when my son woke me up at 3 a.m., I just knew that it was going to be a long night, and a doozy of a morning. After I settled him back into bed I was wide awake, so I decide to read one of my many religious books that I've been neglecting (instead opting to peruse Facebook on my phone at night when I can't sleep - ugh.). As I finally trotted back off to bed I remembered that I had planned on getting up for morning Mass - double ugh. I thought to myself, "God will understand. This mama needs sleep in order to be decent human being tomorrow."
I hadn't remembered that I had set my alarm, so when my alarm jolted me awake a mere two hours later I was completely confused and delirious (and resolute in my stance on sleeping.) I turned it off and rolled over to snuggling-in for a major sleep-in. I hadn't quite fallen back to sleep again when I heard a faint scratching at the door. Immediately realizing that it was my sweet, albeit persistent, dog, Guthrie, I stood firm on my stance of not getting out of bed. No one was getting this girl out of bed!
No sooner had I closed my eyes, then I heard the door open, and then felt a thump and four paws land next to me on my warm, cozy bed. I opened my eyes to see my 14 year old, amazing fur-ball of love staring at me. At that exact moment I remembered that the night before I had prayed to my guardian angel and asked him to make sure that I made it to Mass the next morning. I literally told him to throw me out of bed if necessary because I had decided to start going to Mass on Tuesday mornings specifically, so that I could pray the Sorrowful Mother Devotion afterwards with a group. Realizing this amazing gift for what it was, and marveling at how ingenious my guardian angel is, I jumped out of bed just in time to make Mass.
During Mass I reflected on how awesome God is, and how He is always extending His merciful and loving hand to try and help us. It dawned on me that there are so many times every day that God is throwing me a life-preserver and providing resources to help me navigate my life, but they go unnoticed (or unused!) I so often forget about the "heavenly helpers" He has generously offered to me in the saints and especially, my guardian angel.
I've been struggling lately with discipline and I've been praying ardently to the Holy Spirit to help me be more disciplined in not only my spiritual life, but my physical one as well. Today, I realized that God has provided me with the perfect solution - my guardian angel. I've decided today to really make the effort to get to know him and ask him to help me. I feel so much more confident knowing that I have my own personal "boot camp drill sergeant" to help keep me in-line and on-track, along with his trusty side-kick, Guthrie.
