Hindsight is 20/20
Sometimes we can only recognize where God was leading us when we look back. This is he story of an unexpected opportunity=and how God used it to prepare my heart for Choose Joy Always.
View of the Rocky Mountains through the library windows at the Jesuit high school where I worked for twelve years.
A Thought to Begin
“Above all, trust in the slow work of God.”
—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ, “Patient Trust”
Scripture
“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
Reflection
I am sure you have heard the saying that hindsight is 20/20.
There have been many times in my life when I could not understand what God was doing or where He was leading me. It was only later—after spending time reflecting, discerning, and praying—that I began to recognize His hand at work in my life.
One of those times was when I went back to work as my children were reaching high school age.
I saw that the Jesuit high school where my twins had just started was looking for a library assistant. Even though I had no experience in library science, I went ahead and applied. To my surprise, I got an interview.
I felt it was a good sign when I walked into the school and heard my name being shouted from across the hall.
“Mrs. Whitley, what are you doing here?”
It was one of the girls from my parish. She ran over and welcomed me with a big hug.
That same welcoming love continued to embrace me throughout the next twelve years as I worked at the Jesuit high school.
It was there that I learned the true meaning of cura personalis, the Ignatian term for care of the whole person. I experienced that care firsthand. Through the love and care of those around me, God gave me countless opportunities to experience His love—and to share that same love with others.
It was also there that my own faith life continued to grow. I was given the opportunity to attend Mass regularly. As a school community, we stopped four times each day to pray, including an afternoon Examen. I came to know and understand Ignatian spirituality more deeply, especially the practice of finding God in all people and in all things.
The opportunities I received to grow in so many areas of my life were incredible.
Even then, I knew how fortunate I was to be surrounded by such wonderful coworkers, students, and families who were filled with faith.
What I could not have known was where those twelve years would eventually lead me.
Looking back now, I can see that through every prayer, every relationship, and every opportunity to grow, God was quietly preparing my heart for Choose Joy Always.
Something to Think About…
What do you think God is preparing your heart for?
Can you even imagine?
The Journey: Where God Found Me
Come… let me tell you where God found me, because I think you may discover He has been walking beside you the whole time.
A peaceful tree-lined path beneath a canopy of green leaves in Lion’s Park, Cheyenne, Wyoming
A Thought to Begin
“You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
—Saint Augustine, Confessions, Book I, Chapter 1
Scripture
“Jesus himself drew near and walked with them.”
—Luke 24:15 (NABRE)
Reflection
Come… let me tell you where God found me, because I think you may discover He has been walking beside you the whole time.
The Journey is where I share the stories that have shaped my faith.
Over the years, I have spent a great deal of time looking back, praying, reflecting, and discerning where God has been present in my life. These are the moments that have helped form me into the woman of faith I am today. They are my stories, but I have a feeling they may sound very familiar to you.
Because, in truth, they really aren’t just my stories.
They are the story of a loving God patiently drawing one of His daughters closer to Him.
As I look back over the joys and sorrows, the questions and the answers, the detours and the celebrations, I can now see something I often couldn’t recognize in the moment—God was always there. Sometimes I knew it immediately. Other times, I didn’t recognize His gentle hand until years later.
The names, places, and circumstances may be different, but the feelings are the same. We’ve all experienced uncertainty, doubt, loneliness, hope, joy, love, and the quiet confidence that grows as we learn to trust Him more deeply.
There is something beautiful that happens when we hear another person’s story. It often helps us recognize God’s fingerprints in our own lives. We begin to remember the moments He carried us, guided us, comforted us, or quietly waited for us to notice He had never left.
The Journey is one of the Stepping Stones along the Path of Joy. Through the stories we share, we will continue taking faithful steps toward a closer relationship with Jesus—the One who walks beside us and leads us to a life of true joy in Him.
My prayer is that as I share where God found me, you will begin to see where He has been finding you all along.
Together, we’ll continue this journey, one faithful step, one grateful heart, and one joyful yes at a time.
Something to Think About…
Let’s stop for a moment and think about the disciples on the road to Emmaus. They had walked with Jesus without recognizing Him. Only when they paused at the table and He broke the bread were their eyes opened. Today, take a moment to pause and ask Jesus to help you recognize how He has been walking beside you, too. If possible, go to Mass and receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
Joy in Prayer: Are You There, God?
Fresh cut lilacs in a mason jar, filling the room with the aroma of memories.
A Thought to Begin
“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Scripture
“When you call me, and come and pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart.”
—Jeremiah 29:12–13 (NABRE)
Reflection
Have you ever been sitting in a Bible study and heard someone say, “God told me…”?
I know I have.
I’d sit there wondering, Why doesn’t God talk to me?
I honestly thought everyone else had a direct line to God while mine must have been disconnected.
The problem wasn’t God. It was me.
I didn’t realize that God speaks in many different ways, and I didn’t understand that I needed to spend time quietly listening. I thought prayer was all about reciting the prayers I had memorized as a child and giving God my laundry list of the changes I wanted Him to make in my life.
What I eventually discovered changed not only the way I looked at prayer, but the way I experienced my relationship with God.
I discovered that prayer is so much more than the beautiful prayers I memorized as a child, though they are still an important part of my prayer life. Prayer is how I spend time with the One who loves me most.
I don’t remember one single moment when everything changed. It happened little by little. I had been participating in Bible study for a while and was intentionally looking for ways to grow in my faith. Then one day I realized I had been carrying on an ongoing conversation with God throughout my day. I found myself talking with Him when I felt anxious, when things were going well, when I had questions, and even when I simply wanted to thank Him for something beautiful.
Prayer is no longer just something I do.
It is how I share my life with the One who loves me most.
As my friendship with God continues to grow, I continue to discover the beautiful ways the Catholic Church invites us to pray. Every form of prayer, every devotion, every saint, every spirituality, and every season of the Church has something to teach us about drawing closer to God.
In Joy in Prayer, we’ll explore these treasures together. We’ll discover different ways of praying, learn from the saints, experience the richness of the Church’s spiritual traditions, and find prayers and devotions that meet us exactly where we are on our journey.
Whether you’ve been praying for years or you’re just beginning to wonder how to have a deeper conversation with God, you are welcome here. We are simply fellow travelers, learning to recognize His voice, trust His love, and draw closer to Him one prayer at a time.
Something to Think About…
I challenge you to take a few minutes today to sit quietly with God. Be still. Quiet your words, set down what is in your hands, and gently bring your attention back to God whenever your mind wanders. Simply remain with Him, keeping your heart open to His voice.
My prayer is that in the stillness, you will recognize the invitation God is extending to each of us—the invitation to share our lives with Him.
Love in Action: In Deed
Students in respect and friendship shirts stand together with their arms around one another showing love and acceptance for all at a high-school inclusion event.
A Thought to Begin
“Love ought to show itself in deeds more than in words.”
— St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises
“It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do.”
— St. Teresa of Calcutta
Scripture
“Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.”
— 1 John 3:18, NABRE
Reflection
At the end of Mass, I often hear these words:
“Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”
I cannot honestly say there have been many times that I stayed and reflected on those words or considered how God was inviting me to live them.
But I do think about the spirit of those words often.
I don’t believe they simply mean volunteering at the soup kitchen once a month and calling it good. I believe they are an invitation to a way of life.
As I have come to understand God’s love in my own life, I have also come to realize that His desire is for each of us to share that love with others—not only with our family and friends, but with every person He places in our path.
Over the years, two saints have especially shaped the way I try to live out that calling: St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Teresa of Calcutta.
St. Ignatius reminds me that love is shown more in deeds than in words.
Mother Teresa reminds me that it is not how much I do, but how much love I put into what I do.
Together, they remind me that every act of love matters. God isn’t asking me to do everything. He is simply asking me to love the people He places in my path, using the unique gifts He has given me.
That became a life-changing realization.
I began to notice the opportunities God places before me every single day.
When someone unexpectedly comes back into my life, I often find myself asking:
“Lord, why have You placed this person back in my path? How are You inviting me to love them? What do You want me to learn?”
Have you ever wondered why God places certain people in your path, no matter how small a role they seem to play?
Maybe it is the cashier at the grocery store.
Maybe it is the elderly neighbor.
Maybe it is the coworker who needs an encouraging word.
Maybe it is the young mother struggling with her little ones at Mass.
I have come to believe that no one enters our lives by accident. Every person God places in our path is an opportunity to share His love.
Will we notice?
Will we take the opportunity to reach out?
Will we choose to become the hands and feet of Christ?
After all, that is what life is really all about—sharing God’s love.
Our family has a simple motto:
“The heart is happiest when it beats for others.”
I have found those words to be beautifully simple…and profoundly true.
Something to Think About…
Who has God placed in my path today, and how might He be inviting me to love them?
My prayer is that together we will begin to recognize the people God places in our path and discover that when we share God’s love with others, our own hearts become happiest.
Because love is never wasted.
Every act of kindness, every encouraging word, every quiet sacrifice, and every moment of compassion becomes another way Christ loves the world through us.
Grateful Living: Noticing God in the Ordinary
Two mule deer stand beneath golden autumn trees in Wyoming.
A Thought to Begin
“Let the gratefulness overflow into blessing all around you. Then it will really be a good day.”
— Brother David Steindl-Rast
Scripture
“How can we possibly give thanks to God for all the joy we feel…?”
— 1 Thessalonians 3:9, NCB
Reflection
When was the last time you were astonished?
Maybe it was the beauty of the sunrise this morning, your children laughing as they played in the afternoon sun, an unexpected kindness you never saw coming, or something so ordinary you almost missed it.
These astonishments—and so many other signs of God’s love—surround us every day.
My dad always used to say to me, “Everybody has a story.”
He was right.
Our stories are made up of all our experiences—our joys and sadness, our excitement and challenges, and the many amazing ordinary moments that fill our days. When we learn to look closely at our stories, we begin to notice God in the small details.
A dear friend of mine, Deb, taught me the beauty of ordinary moments.
She did not need something dramatic to be filled with wonder. She was fully present to whoever was in front of her. She became excited about what was happening in their life, noticed the smallest details, and found joy in things most of us might have passed by.
Being with Deb made you feel seen.
Her delight was contagious. She had a way of saying, “Look!” without always using the word. She helped the people around her recognize that even the smallest moments could be filled with beauty, meaning, and joy.
It was Deb who first introduced me to Mary Oliver’s words and to Louie Schwartzberg’s TEDxSF talk, Nature. Beauty. Gratitude.
Looking back, that feels fitting. Deb did not simply tell me to notice the wonder around me.
She showed me how.
Unfortunately, our lives can become so filled with distractions that our view of these astonishments becomes blocked. We move quickly from one task to the next, thinking about what has already happened or worrying about what still needs to be done.
Meanwhile, God continues to surround us with signs of His love, patiently waiting for us to notice.
I have found that when I am filled with worry and stress and become closed off by my own thoughts, I stop noticing the things that once astonished me.
I hate to sound corny, but I stop seeing the beauty in the world. Life begins to feel plain, dull, worrisome, and just plain blah.
It can be difficult to break out of that cycle. I become so focused on my own stress and worry that I lose awareness of everything around me.
I become simply unaware.
The opposite of grateful living is not ingratitude.
It is unawareness.
That is when I need to pause and look again.
I need to notice what is in my life, who is in my life, and where God may be showing me His love.
As I begin to pay attention, wonder returns. The ordinary begins to feel extraordinary, and I recognize that God has been present all along.
Grateful living is more than simply seeing the good. It is the art of slowing down, paying attention to the little things, allowing ourselves to be filled with wonder and love, and then sharing that astonishment with others.
It is when we ask ourselves:
“God, was that You I just saw?”
God is always surrounding us. Grateful living opens our eyes, allowing us to see His presence in our ordinary, everyday lives.
This is the kind of life I want to live.
A life that notices God.
A life that receives His love with wonder.
A life that allows gratefulness to overflow into the blessings all around us.
Perhaps that is the invitation of grateful living: to slow down, open our eyes, and allow the wonder of God’s presence to change the way we move through the world.
When we begin to notice the blessings all around us, gratefulness does not remain quietly within us.
It becomes joy, kindness, generosity, and love.
It overflows.
Something to Think About…
Take a few minutes today to watch Louie Schwartzberg’s TEDxSF talk, Nature. Beauty. Gratitude.
As you watch, ask yourself: What ordinary blessing might God be inviting me to notice today, and how can I allow my gratefulness to overflow into someone else’s life?