So looking back at this month, using St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Examen as a guide, I ask myself and ask you to ask yourself:
For what am I/are you least grateful this past month?
For what am I/are you most grateful this past month?
Least grateful
Body: Earlier this month, a button on my shirt popped off and then later this month, only this past week, in fact, I noticed a hole in a pair of shorts in, as my wife calls it, “the crotchal region.” I’m thinking it’s time to lay off the roast beef sandwiches, ice cream and root beer at the local eating establishment, plus The Soda. Like The Boob Tube, it will kill you. 
Oh, it might be time to exercise again and actually walk to work instead of driving. With my wife currently unemployed, it’s been easy for me to drive our car places instead of walking. Time for that to change.
Mind: While I’ve read quite a number of books this month, I’ve also spent too much time not reading when I could have, playing games on Facebook (with which there is nothing wrong intrinsically, but with which I feel I need to curb to be more productive than I have been: not only with reading, but also with writing).
Soul: As I approach my first year as an oblate of Mt. Savior Monastery, I realize I haven’t been that faithful in what is supposed to be my daily readings of the Liturgy of the Hours. This past month, in particular, I have been extremely lax and quick to find an excuse not to “do” the Liturgy.
Most grateful
Body: On the positive side, I didn’t gain 100 pounds. I might have gained 20 additional pounds, but not 100. Woo hoo!
Mind: This month as mentioned earlier has been a productive month in terms of reading, I’ve read 11 (technically 12 with one of those books being a combination of two books) books so far this month. The lists can be found either on my listography list of 2010 books read, No. 28 through No. 38 or my Goodreads 2010 read list. By tonight, I should have finished Don’t Ask, another Dortmunder novel, by Donald E. Westlake and most likely will finish at least one more novel before the month is complete, as I picked up a few more books at the library today (more on that in another post, probably on Sunday, as I look ahead to the new month of reading in August). I also plan on taking back a few in my pile, to which I most likely won’t get (shock of shocks, they’re nonfiction).
Soul: Not to pat my own back or anything (okay, maybe just a little) but while I might not have kept up with daily reading of the Liturgy of the Hours, I have kept up with corporal works of mercy. I volunteer at a senior center in our town and I continue to do that, and in my paid work at the library, I try to show compassion and bring good cheer to patrons. I won’t say that I’m perfect in acting merciful all the time, as I have lost my patience a couple of times with people at the library and get frustrated sometimes with other volunteers at the senior center, but I do my best to show mercy and compassion to those at both places. Now if only I can show the same mercy and compassion to my wife at home in the next month, I’ll be doing well.
So for what are you least/most grateful this past month?
Oh, two other things for which I’m grateful this past month: these two movies, which were awesome:
