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Church of the Immaculate Conception, Oughterard Church of Our Lady of the Valley, Glann Church of the Immaculate Conception, Collinamuck

Some thoughts…

Though many people are certainly finding our current pandemic situation a hard trial, it is not wrong to see it as an opportunity to wind down, relax more and reconnect with life at a deeper level. Of course, we are keeping others on the front line, and the sick, in our prayers. This is an exemplary time to allow your children see life’s challenges responded to in a strong yet confident manner. Children can easily become anxious by matters they do not understand. There is a moral obligation on all people to work for the common good in defeating the pandemic spread. We are all mortal, we will not live for ever. May this time remind us that we are not on our own in this vast universe. We have a loving God, who even now is protecting us from far worse sufferings.

Working from Home:

Boundaries are harder to set and keep with young children. There is not hard and fast rule. Still try the following if you need to… Routine: set getting up,breakfast, dressing, work, exercise and meal times. Physical boundaries: cordon off a space that has its own rules. No way in at fixed times. Learn when to stop: Leave phone and laptop in make-shift office at quitting time. Children’s work goals: what can they tackle with minimum supervision while you are working? Know when you have to give in, and not get frustrated. Most of our work has a very short half-life; our love lasts much longer, and has more impact too. Can I do those odd jobs/projects/ideas I never had time to do? Nobody is “firing on all cylinders” at the moment, so why not profit from this time of social distancing by “taking on”, or “diving in” or saying “what the heck, nothing ventured nothing gained” How to enter into meditation and prayer when you are not used to it. We may not think we are “prayer material”, maybe we feel awkward or self-conscience in our attempts at quiet and reflection, even more when we turn to a God we may struggle with. This is common human experience.  Often times religious art like the picture of the Holy Family across makes holiness seem unreal. To live a whole life in all of its dimensions, mental, physical, spiritual, is a “holy life” according to the “olde english” word it comes from. In its most basic understanding, to be holy is to be set apart. By being set apart we are stripped of many of our supports and comforts. This allows us to see ourselves as we really are, and this is who God loves (our real selves). This journey takes courage and perseverance, it is the ultimate journey of self discovery, undertaken not alone but in community. Our community for this courageous journey is the catholic church, seen in our parish, but not limited by our parish.

Set up a sacred space  

    

A particular part of your home could be set aside to house some religious images and objects. We need tangible objects to elevate our minds to more spiritual matters. Click HERE for the page on personal prayer Finally remember, we are on a journey nobody wanted nor planned for. All we need do is our best. Go easy on ourselves. Go extra easy on others. Forgive (not always easy). Forget (try to put aside at least) Enjoy the good moments… fr Michael Connolly pp.

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A gift from

amazon.co.uk

 - free audio books

Please click on the specified links to avail of free audio books I have selected for varying age groups. A note on technology during lockdown… It IS CERTAINLY possible to have too much screen time. These audio books allow our imaginations to be engaged in a way that video media does not allow. It is I believe a healthier media experience for children and teens, in my opinion anyway… Use of old mobile phones. Because laptops and mobile phones with sim cards are heavily used for work-at-home parents, other tech lying around the house needs to be utilised. Old mobile phones (with quite recent ios or android operating systems) without sim cards can be connected to a mobile phone wifi hotspot. Search the web on how to do it for your device. Basically, you can set up your mobile phone with sim card as a wifi router that other phones without sim cards can access the internet with. Beware of download limits and heavy charges thereof. For children… primarily to help First Holy Communion children, these links will be good for all children up to 5th class at least. Jesus-Storybook-Bible-Every-Whispers Bible-Storybook-Kids Story-Children-Storybook-Bible Night-Bible-Stories-30-Bedtime Gods-Messages-Little-Ones-Devotions Big-Bible-Storybook-Stories-Together Moses-His-Sister-First-Stories Sweet-Dreams-Princess-Bedtime-Devotions Ladybird-Classics-Complete-Audio-Collection For pre-teens & early teens primarily to help Confirmation children, these links will be good for all children from 5th class to at least 2nd year secondary school. Thoughts-Make-Your-Heart-Sing Hurlbuts-Story-of-the-Bible The-Childs-Story-Bible Action-Bible-New-Testament-Redemptive Jewels-Bible-Stories-Through-Generations Read-Me-Bible-NIrV-Children Story-Bible-Old-Testament Poem-Every-Day-Year Lies-Girls-Believe-Truth-that-ebook For teens some thoughts and reflections for the foundational years of teenage Do-Hard-Things-Rebellion-Expectations Start-Here-Doing-Things-Right Chicken-Soup-Soul-Christian-Inspiration Illuminators-Gift-Voyages-Legend-Book Secrets-Vine-Teens The-Day-the-Angels-Fell 21-Prayers-Teen-Girls-Beauty Chivalry-Quest-Personal-Honor-Unjust 21-Teen-Devotionals-For-Girls For adults-parenting primarily as an aid for thought and reflection on parenting in a very busy and noisy world. More material for the adults themselves can be found on the personal prayer page of this website. Organised-Mum-Method-Transform-Minutes Growing-Parents-Helping-Teenagers-Adults Mother-Son-Respect-Effect Boundaries-Kids-Healthy-Choices-Children Why-Didnt-Rebel-Twenty-Two-Year-Old-Explains Choose-Greatness-Decisions-Brave-Young Alongside-Loving-Teenagers-Gospel Iliad-Homer-ebook fiction comments welcome to oughterpriest@gmail.com

Please forgive me if I repeat what you

have already heard a million times…

good to do • Be  mindful of our minds having a lot of time to think, engage and communicate a lot to get balance right. • Have a solid but relaxed routine , stick to it Monday- Friday. Leave plenty of time for rest and fun. • Get regular exercise, everyday. • Make a simple to-do list for each day and plan its completion, not for achievement but well being. • Try new things; music, reading, languages, crafts… • Set aside dedicated times each day to reconnect with God and his presence in your life, prayer and meditation good to avoid • excessive screen time (set limit 2-3 hours/day) • alcohol • websites that demean and entice you • negative thinking, worry, anxiety (by doing the above)