Rituals to Help You Savor the Morning Hours - Even if You're Not a Morning Person

What I love most about the early morning hours are the stillness and possibility of a new day. The early morning hours are when I feel most at peace and rest in myself. This is when I pray, read, write in my journal, or just sit in the silence with my morning cup of coffee.

I know that's not how everyone feels, though. There are some people who are wired more as night owls and genuinely do their best work while burning the midnight oil. But there are distinct advantages to rising early: you have more time to soak in the sunshine (and all that vitamin D), for example. Rising early also creates a space before work begins, so that you don't feel like you're getting up for work; it's just one part of your day.
If that sounds appealing to you, here are some tricks and early morning hacks to help ease your body into that transition. Even if you currently cringe when your morning alarm goes off, it is possible for you to become a morning person - chirping birds not included!

Get natural light right away.
Create a ritual you look forward to.
Practice waking up the same time every day.
Do not check your phone or computer for 30 minutes after waking up.
Have a wind-down routine before going to bed at night.

Head over to Verily to read more about these ways to savor the early morning hours  . . .

The Struggles of Going Through a Divorce While Young

After my divorce in 2016, there was no shortage of trying days in the immediate aftermath.
One particular day jogs my memory. It was Good Friday of 2016. 
At the time I was still working in youth ministry. I was helping during the Triduum with various tasks associated with the different liturgies.
One of my favorite parishioners, a sweet older woman named Joan came up to me. She knew me from when I was an altar server at my home parish, where she used to attend. I always saw her as my "church grandma".
With kindness in her eyes, she asked me, "Patty, are you okay? Where is that handsome husband of yours? I see something in your eyes and I just wonder - are you okay?"
I had to take a deep breath to choke back the tears which started to bubble up in my throat.
I reached out to give her a hug and softly whispered in her ear, "Well Joan, I am not married anymore to him. We got a divorce and I am navigating life in a different way right now."
She gave me the biggest bear hug that felt so reassuring to me.

Going through a divorce at any age is hard and difficult. I do not think people who find themselves in this situation ever dream or imagine it could happen to them.
I got married at twenty-six and by the time I was thirty, I was divorced.

What are some of the frustrating struggles of going through a divorce at a younger age?

For me, there were a handful of things that were especially difficult about navigating divorce as a young Catholic.

• Wondering if the hopes and dreams for marriage and a family would still happen someday.
• Fear about doing life on my own for the first time in life.
• Worry over financially providing for myself.
• How would I navigate dating again after my annulment?
• Wondering how I would learn to trust myself and trust men.
• How would I get through the lonely days and nights?
• How would I navigate the big feelings and emotions that would come as the weeks passed?
• Would people in the Church criticize or judge me and the choice I made?
• How would I thrive and not just survive?

There are plenty more I could include. Perhaps you relate to some of these or if you know someone who would feel a similar way.

No matter the struggles you bump into as a young Catholic navigating a divorce, do this one thing  . . .

Surround yourself with people who carry hope for you.

Fill your life with people who will carry hope for you: about your future, the dreams you have for your life, etc. Ask family members to remind you of this promise on those messy, sad days that good things are coming. God has not - and will not - forgotten you.

Ask them to carry and hold on to hope for you when it feels impossible to believe or have hope yourself.

Yes there are struggles that will arise, but they do not have to wipe you out.

You can do this.

You are not the only person who is going through this situation.

You are not alone.

How to Kindly Turn Someone Down

(Today I am sharing a post I had published in the Fall. It is one of the best lessons I have learned when it comes to healthy dating and felt too good to not share with you.

I hope it encourages you if you're navigating online dating as a Catholic right now).

Newsflash.

No one likes feeling rejected. Being turned down for a date is not fun at all. It if often uncomfortable and messy for both men and women.

I have had a string of lots of first dates lately where I did not feel comfortable being open to second date (for a variety of reasons). Something that was in common with all those dates was how I kindly yet honestly let them know I was not interested in a future date.

May I be honest for a second?

I know none of us like doing this, but we have to be able to say "no thank you" with honesty and authenticity. Playing games, ghosting, being manipulative, or just avoiding doing the uncomfortable thing is not kind and to be frank, is just plain mean.

Regardless if you are not interested in getting to know someone further, there is a kind way to turn someone down for a date. What I am going to share with you is something I have started doing, and I find it to be helpful.

One of my close girlfriends is also in the same stage of life as myself, and together, we are navigating the waters of online dating as Catholics. She has done a lot of growth work with online dating coaches. In addition to what she is learning, she shares it with me. As I apply it to my dating journey, I find myself trusting myself more, noticing red flags quicker, and really learning how just being my authentic self will attract a good man into my life.

One of the best things I have learned from my friend is how to kindly turn down a man for a future date.

The secret formula?

Two compliments wrapped around a similar-type statement, "My intuition is telling me we are not the right romantic fit."

Read more about this handy sound bite over at Catholic Match  . . .

Power Up Your Morning Coffee with Superfoods!

My favorite time of the day is the early morning hours. It is full of such promise and opportunity for what the day will bring - especially making my morning coffee. I grind my favorite beans. I choose a pretty mug from meaningful places where I have traveled or had adventures in life.
My morning routing is more than just a cup of coffee, it is an experience.

If you're a lover of coffee like me, you might be looking for ways to enhance your coffee and add some variety to the everyday - maybe you could try mixing it up with various super foods. With a little boost, your morning cup could actually provide many health benefits.
Here are some of the boosts that I have been using in my coffee, to give you some inspiration for perking up your morning brew:

• Collagen 
• Coconut Oil
• Cinnamon
• Ghee Butter
• Maca Powder

Read more about the power behind these superfoods over at Verily  . . .