Slowing down

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe! If we weren't going to a party tonight, I'd make enchiladas. Before we moved, we gathered with friends who every year on the Sunday closest to this feast day organized a prayer group in front of the nearby Planned Parenthood and then had a fiesta at their house afterwards.  The party was a good carrot for the kids (and for myself) who found it uncomfortable to stand outside and pray for 15 minutes. 

This feast day comes at a good time. I need a reminder to celebrate. I've been in a foul weather mood the last couple of days because I earned myself a speeding ticket one morning while taking the kids to school. The irony is that I wasn't running late. And I didn't even realize I was speeding because I was, I'm ashamed to admit, talking on the phone.

For a long time I resisted  getting a cell phone because 1. I was home most of the time, and 2. I have enough distractions in the car with six kids that I felt I might be a liability on the road if I were trying to carrying on a conversation with someone else. Plus I figured that were I to be in an accident, somebody on the road would have a cell phone and call 911 for us. But when we were getting ready to move here, and we were going to have to drive in separate cars, we bought a phone for me. And since I now spend a good portion of the day in the car, I use it a lot more than I intended.

My fear came true: I was driving distracted.  I wouldn't be surprised if the officer gave me a ticket instead of a warning because I was on the phone. And I don't really blame him.

Add to the frustration that I had just said to my husband when we bought new shocks for the car (after buying a new windshield and 8 new tires, sigh) that at least we got some value for the money, unlike when you get a speeding ticket. My kind husband has not rubbed this in to me.

When I was complaining to my mom, she used it as a chance to teach a spiritual lesson: "Think of this as a message from God telling you to slow down."  So I'm working on that.  I repent of speeding, one of those venial sins that I've committed so often it has escaped my conscience.  I'm sorry that I was irritable to everyone.  And I'm trying to think of all the good that the City will get from my fine . . .