How do I juggle? Coffee grounds and rosary beads

    So there I am, as always, pushing a full grocery cart of both food, diapers and my four children (complete with pregnant belly carrying bambino No. 5) when, yet another stranger comments, “Wow! You sure have do  your hands full. How in  the world do you do it?”
    To which I simply reply, “Coffee grounds and rosary beads.”
    Without my a.m. cup of coffee (or a few more) and some shouts up to the big guy upstairs, I cannot do anything. In fact, I’m terrible.
    On my own, I’m not a hopeless romantic, but a hopeless wonder woman/dangerously independent soul (with a strong emphasis on the hope-LESS). I can’t seem to shake my desire to want to do it all on my own. Like many, I dream big and am sure that I’ve “got this.” Usually, whenever I confidently refuse the help of a friend, family member or God for that matter, I fall quickly and painfully on my face.
    I don’t think God makes any effort to use a spiritual flick of the finger to knock me down; it’s just the formula to human existence without him. Like the laws of matter: “What goes up, must come down.”
    For me it should be written, “What she tries without God, will flop right back down to her own humiliation and realization that she’s done it again.” I’m sure I’m not alone on this one; at least, I pray I’m not. How embarrassing.
    What is it that makes us think we can do this alone? It has been said, “It takes a village.” Shouldn’t we say, “It takes a village and a whole lot of grace?”
    Grace comes from God and God alone. The buck doesn’t stop here with us, thank God! If, in fact, he is the one who created us and gave us a call to fulfill that can get both ourselves and those around us to heaven, wouldn’t we like to have his input and assistance a bit?
    How many times do we jokingly say, “Kids aren’t born with how-to manuals?” Well, the truth is, it’s not just about the kids. Adults certainly have an owner’s manual set in place. We weren’t put here without instructions. Trust me, I’m the first one to open a product I just purchased and never read a manual or page of directions. I play most board games incorrectly, just guessing how it works.
    But in life, I not only have directions but also direct access to the creator/writer of the directions for my family and my vocation. Yet, I catch myself ignoring his calls and not picking up my “prayer line” to God. I just wing it.
    So what’s his number? When it’s been awhile since we’ve chatted, how do I start that conversation up again? Simple. Like with anyone, I start with, “Hello, sorry it’s been awhile…”
    When it comes to our relationship with God, he doesn’t require complexity. Whether  we talk to him throughout the day and offer up our daily actions, say a simple Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be or spend some time before him in adoration or receive the Eucharist at Mass, keeping that spiritual communication is key to our every, single, daily grind. It’s never too late or too hard to start.
    Whether you’re as crazy as I am with my four (soon to be five) children maneuvering the big carts in Target, working impossible hours to support your family or are single and still figuring out your vocation, keep your “how-to list” simple. Coffee grounds and rosary beads. Without him, we are nothing and can do nothing. With him (and a little caffeine kick-start if you look anything like me in the morning) we can do all things.
    Elise Angelette is assistant director of the Faith and Marriage Ministry for the Willwoods Community.