Spiritual Lives Of Women

Welcome

October 29th, 2009

roundedgewilson

Patricia-Ann Constance-Wilson Perkowski:

As a mom, of four, a wife of twenty + years, a social worker, now a spiritual director; I understand how hectic life can feel. As a young a mom I was yearning for a mentor in my life, someone who could be there when I felt stuck, when mothering was overwhelming or burdensome, when I needed support and encouragement. Being a spiritual person I loved being with other moms who were seeking and felt mothering was more than raising children, that it was a calling.

This is why I created Spiritual Lives Of Women because…

Spiritual Direction an in-depth explanation

Being A Busy Mom Means Not Having Enough Time For A Shower, Let Alone Your Life. You Time Is Valuable. Spiritual Lives Of Women Provides Spiritual Direction On-line:

I know how valuable your time is, how difficult it is to get children into the car and out of the house; how isolating and challenging raising children can be. Through Spiritual Direction and the On-line services of Spiritual Lives Of Women I hope to help you to:

Celebrate, Explore, Re/Define Yourself, Your Calling, Your Motherhood

Motherhood has given us so much to celebrate, our children, our relationships, new ways of seeing life, new opportunities to grow as a woman, a parent, a child of God.

Join with me as we, explore, redefine and define our calling as mom, woman, all we do; using this Blog, the Newsletter, Informational Chats, Membership and Extensive On-line Services I hope to help you achieve all you are called to achieve.

Here is how Spiritual Direction can help us do all of that…..

WHAT SPIRITUAL DIRECTION IS:
A way to discover what God is saying through the events, situations and relationships of life.

WHAT SPIRITUAL DIRECTION IS NOT:
It is not psycho-therapy, counseling, or life coaching. It seeks to guide not cure, coerce or judge

WHY YOU WOULD WANT IT:
As a Mother you need support, encouragement and guidance. By discussing your spiritual-emotional concerns, wants
and needs with a Spiritual Director your life callings become clearer, your spirituality more defined, yourself more
authentic.

Home of Spiritual Lives Of Woman Ministry Page

Resources That Help You Achieve All You Are Called To Achieve

Begin with the Informational Yahoo! Chat every Wednesday from 10 AM to Noon, where you can chat with me, Patricia Perkowski, and learn more about how Spiritual Lives Of Women can help you.

Read the blog and get the Newsletter. Have a session or two of Spiritual Direction to help you resolve and understand any spiritual/emotional issues you might be having. You may also call me at 517-833-4815, this call is free in the USA.

Want and need more you can always receive sessions of Spiritual Direction through email, phone or chat. Still seeking to go deeper you and I can create a specialized program of Home-Retreats, Spiritual Exercises, Journal examination of both prayer and dream to help you see patterns of change and triumph.

As you explore the site, you will find ways to celebrate your mothering and yourself; that it explores motherhood as a weekly spiritual theme each to help you redefine and define a different aspect of mothering.

Be inspired by a woman just like you.
Give Yourself the Gift of Renewal Click Here to Learn More
Take a poll: the polls guide this site along.
Reach out with Living A Spiritual Motherhood: a daily, (or weekly act depending on where you are on the mothering spectrum), to help you live more positively, be a little more balanced.
Read the Ignatius Project: the virtual Spiritual Direction between Patricia-Ann Constance-Wilson Perkowski and Saint Ignatius, the Father of Spiritual direction

Spiritual Lives Of Women believes every mother is a working mom, no matter where she has her “office.”

Note: I am a Catholic Mom and Spiritual Director, my reflections are deeply rooted in Catholic traditions, thought and study, but I am hopeful you will see that the insights are universal.

Every Wednesday from 10 AM to Noon EST Informational Yahoo! Chat to Learn More About Spiritual Direction and the Services of Spiritual Lives Of Women

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Celebrate, Explore, Re/Define

October 9th, 2009

For You Mothering Is More than Raising Children

… For You Its A Calling©

We are mother and so much more!

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There are no post on Sundays: A Day Of Much Needed Rest

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Friday Sacred Stories, Sharing Wisdom Rihanna

November 7th, 2009

Sharing Sacred Stories, Sharing Wisdom is not always easy; situations of great difficulty often hold immense truth. I applaud Rihanna for sharing her story. Being in the public eye is never easy and having your life become public is not comfortable; being a role model means having to share your story, your wisdom with others. It is the same of all of us, because we are all role models to those around us, with us our lives are lived in only the glare of our immediate circle, not the whole world. Rihanna has experienced something that many women experience, an unfortunately large number of women: Abuse by a loved one. Her reaction and her story are viewed as a source of inspiration, as a call to action. That is a great deal for a young woman to shoulder.

Rihanna and her story has been dissected, and evaluated, discussions of what she should have done and must do now have been offered. All this is fine and dandy for us to speculate, but it is her truth that she must pray over and find the lessons that lay within, not an easy job. The article by Rhonda Kuykendall-Jabari asks some interesting and profound questions to consider. Ms. Kuykendal-Jabari makes a very interesting correlation between abuse and our relationship with God. She contends that….”By placing God on the outside, we leave ourselves open to self loathing and low self-esteem that may manifest as abuse of self and by others.” She also makes this very interesting point: “How did this behavior permeate our culture? American women are some of the most independent on the planet, yet we continue to confuse love with male dominance and debilitating control. Where does it come from? Some say it is rooted in religious and spiritual beliefs that women are somehow viewed differently and not as favorably in the eyes of God.”

How do you feel about that? Do you believe that we have put God on the outside? Do we believe that God views us differently? It would make a very interesting discussion.

Week’s Theme: Saints

What are your thoughts on this? If you feel so called I would love to know your thoughts…leave a comment, email me or twitter it. My email is spirituallivesofwomen@gmail.com

Tags: abuse and our relationship with God., God, Rihanna
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Wednesday Renew Yourself A God’s Valentine

November 4th, 2009

valeninepostcardnov42009

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Women We Admire Joan Ganz Cooney

November 4th, 2009

Joan Ganz Cooney is an television producer. She is one of the founders of the Children’s Television Workshop (now known as Sesame Workshop), and the organization famous for the creation of Sesame Street.

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Date To Remember Nov. 4 2009

November 3rd, 2009

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This Wednesday: November 4, 2009 Yahoo! Informational Chat from 10 AM – Noon EST

This is your opportunity to learn more about Spiritual Direction, Spiritual Lives Of Women, and me. Please come with any questions you might have, I hope to see you then!

Tags: Yahoo! Informational Chat from 10 AM – Noon EST
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Tuesday Love Yourself as Your Neighbor Nov 3 Percious

November 3rd, 2009

push There is a very powerful, moving and disturbing movie premiering: Precious, adapted from the novel “Push” by Sapphire. The book is not an easy read, written from the point of view of Precious, an illiterate young woman abused by her parents, pregnant with her second child fathered by her father, (both her children are conceived from being raped by her father). This young woman struggles to just get up in the morning and lives life in survival mode; she finds support and love in a teacher and social worker who try to help her gain self respect and self love.

All her life Precious has heard that she is no good, stupid, a waste of flesh. She is filled with rage and self loathing. She dreams of a life where she is in control and powerful. She dreams the dream of all young struggling people; make me a star with hundreds of adoring followers who will throw money at my feet. Life for Precious will never be easy, but her life is still “precious.” There are thousands of young women just like Precious, invisible to us who live lives she/they can only imagine and frankly is jealous of. These young women are caught in a circle of poverty, poor education, little resources and lacking any positive supportive circle. These young women have created a hard outer shell to protect themselves from life’s slings and arrows but that also means they have barracked themselves behind those same walls. There are those humble souls who will fight for the Precious’ of this world: like the social worker, maternity ward nurse, and teacher of the movie and book; all who try to guide Precious out of her fantasy life of Rap and RB stardom to something more realistic and satisfying. These, her saints, are humble because they know not to push any agenda on Precious but to guide her were she is right then, its a delicate balancing act of seeing where she could be going and trying to lead her to a better place; and a thankless job because they know she may not be lead onto a better path. Precious may not “hear” their words as they hope, but only as her life situation will interrupt them.

There is no warm fuzzy happy ending for Precious. We don’t see her going off into the sunset with the handsome light skinned young man with good hair who saves her and the Grammy under her arm; that is the stuff of Hollywood, real life always has other plans. The book is a very harsh and realistic view of life for those who are invisible to us, it is write with great compassion and respect for the characters that live with in; can we say the same? Hopefully the movie will be as honest.

The boys howl as Precious falls….

Week’s Theme: Saints

What are your thoughts on this? If you feel so called I would love to know your thoughts…leave a comment, email me or twitter it. My email is spirituallivesofwomen@gmail.com

Tags: moving and disturbing movie premiering: Precious, powerful
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This Week’s Theme: Saints Nov. 2 – 7

November 2nd, 2009

There are the saints with a Big S and the rest of us: Saints with a little s, those regular Joans and Janes that are trying our best to do our best; and often feeling like we are failing miserably.

We view saints as being so much better than ourselves, pie in the sky thinking. We see them as these humble docile, creatures, almost too docile. But saints were just people who saw a need in the world and strove to meet it. For them the Baptismal call to enter into the mission of Christ was all consuming, it was their calling, it may not be ours. They were called to fight against injustice, fought for the poor, fought for rights; they gave up much and got more in return. Mother Seton comes to mind.

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Halloween

October 31st, 2009

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Saturday Purpose: Profound Ponderings

October 31st, 2009

Helen Gonsalves of Catholicseeking had a very interesting thing to ponder about Jesus and his calling/mission: “He spent thirty of the thirty-three years (91% of His life) in common work and deep communion with His Father in prayer.”

Week’s Theme: Priest

What are your thoughts on this? If you feel so called I would love to know your thoughts…leave a comment, email me or twitter it. My email is spirituallivesofwomen@gmail.com

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Friday Sacred Stories: Asking, Seeking, Hoping

October 30th, 2009

The story of Bartimaeus really resonates with me. Consider all these themes: Blindness, being free to ask for our needs to be fulfilled, change mental, physical and emotional. Consider the story of your own motherhood, life in terms of the story of the blind man.

Here is Bartimaeus, a blind man, blind all his life, sitting by the side of the road asking strangers to give him small change, whatever they can. Now, I am sure not everyone gave to Bartimaeus, in fact I would guess many passed him by; but he kept asking.

Have we as mothers ever sat by the side of the road begging for spare change?

He is blind: Sightless; which “sense” is affect by your motherhood?

Bartimaeus sits by the side of the road and being invisible to everyone he hears a great deal, learns a great deal. He must have heard about and learned of this great prophet Jesus, this guy that does the miracles. I am sure he thought about that and wondered if this Jesus would cure him. Bartimaeus was a true nobody. He had no importance in the society of Jesus’ time.

Is motherhood valued?

Bartimaeus is not shrinking wallflower when he senses Jesus passing he cries out! Not only cries out but knows this man, this Jesus is something special!

Do we have the same fearlessness, to ask for what we want?

Jesus stops and gently helps this man, this man many were probably telling to be quiet and not bother the important Rabbi. Jesus thought Bartimaeus was important enough to heal. He tells Bartimaeus that his faith has healed him. Bartimaeus must have been overwhelmed at being able to see. How that change must have affected him!

What changes has motherhood done to us?

How has motherhood made us new, given us sight?

Week’s Theme: Priest

The story of Bartimaeus how does it reflect your own motherhood? If you feel so called I would love to know what you think…leave a comment, email me or twitter it. My email is spirituallivesofwomen@gmail.com

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Thursday Connect Six Word Faith Statement

October 29th, 2009

A six word faith statement of your priesthood to help you connect with your calling and yourself. Why six words! That’s impossible! It may seem impossible, but it will help you focus clearly on who you are and what you feel you are called to do.

Mine:

Mother, wife, helper of others, myself

Week’s Theme: Priest Six Words, Six Careful Words

Would you like to share your six word faith statement? If you feel so called I would love to know what you wrote…leave a comment, email me or twitter it. My email is spirituallivesofwomen@gmail.com

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