Here’s me, doing my bit to participate weekly in Kelly’s Seven Quick Takes over at This Ain’t the Lyceum.

So here’s…

This Week’s Resources for Catholic Trauma Survivors

Takes. Best described as quick. Seven of them.

1. Happy Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of Mary. I found this moving Litany of All Saints for Abuse Survivors by Mary Pezzulo at Steel Magnificat. “Saint Joseph, protector of the Holy Family, pray for us.”
2. St. Joseph was a man of simple integrity. In his honor, here’s A Simple Way to Pray with Your Spouse by Deanna Bartalini over at Catholic Mom.
3. I love when friends send me articles that might be a good fit for my weekly takes. Barb, Franciscan Mom, sent me this one: Is stress contagious? Studies say yes.
4. Want to vaccinate yourself against contagious stress? You can! Nicholas T. Smith has a (warning: 5% sweary) article at The Mighty, “7 Steps to Help Untangle Yourself from Enmeshment.”
5. Carolyn Astfalk also sent me Our Therapeutic Culture Downplays the Evil Nature of Addiction. While dismissive in parts of certain aspects of 12 Step Recovery…
6. …Catholic In Recovery does a wholistic job of addressing both neurobiological and spiritual realities as, well, one in the same.
7. Ending this solemnity’s takes with Christina Mayeux over at Catholic Mom with “Go to Joseph, the Model for Husbands and Families.”

Before I sign off with this week’s recommended video, I am asking for your prayers. Those of you who know me personally or follow me on IG already know that I had a 5.5 hour surgery to remove endometriosis on January 19. Funny thing, endometriosis: while it was busy twisting my intestines into painful & threatening knots, apparently it also paid its rent by scar-gluing together not one but three abdominal hernias (two umbilical, one ventral–insert barfy face here ’cause I’m squeamish)–gluing them together just enough that I thought their mild symptoms (can’t stand for long periods of time, can’t do planks without my lower back popping out of place) were part of endo/growing old/growing old with endo/having been obese for 2 decades.

On Monday 22Mar2021, I’m scheduled for surgery to repair said hernias (herniae?) I’ve been told to plan to do nothing by lie in bed and maybe do some very light walking for five solid days. Please pray. Also, drop me links to pics of your favorite flowers in the comments. I’ll gather them around my virtual bedside and smile.

At last, here’s this week’s audiovisual: I LOVE Cinema Therapy. Here they are with Wonder Woman teaching us about… teachability!

Spoilers: in All Things New, my book due to drop this June, I share how the first beatitude is all about our ability to change our minds.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Lasso of Truth.

Eventually, an invisible jet.

And now go give Kelly and her 7QTs a look see!