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Feb 6, 2021
Faith· Life· Resources· The Little Things

Marriage Trouble? Go To (Saint) Joseph

This post contains affiliate or associate links with several businesses (which means if you shop through the links, I earn a small commission). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My husband and I were in counseling our first year of marriage.

Don’t worry, our 15 year anniversary is less than 6 months away.

But for us, marriage hasn’t been easy.

That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been an incredible blessing. We just came to the Sacrament with a ton of baggage.

In fact, our wedding song was “God Blessed the Broken Road”.

But, why go to Saint Joseph for marriage help?

Saint Joseph is often known as “Saint Joseph the Worker”.

Men feel strongly about their role as a provider. Even men who’s wives work full-time and even men who’s wives make more money than they do. Work is something most men use to describe their identity.

Saint Joseph is the patron saint of workers.

When Matt and I were first married, Matt worked as a retail manager.  It was not what he went to school for; but he took the job because he wanted to be a good provider.  I could see how unhappy and stressful his job made him.  His job sent him into a depression, and his work was so stressful, he also went into the hospital.  He spent about a week in the ICU.  We had only been married about a year.  “In sickness . . .” came a lot quicker than I had ever imagined.  

During our counseling sessions, we spoke about a lot of things that we were struggling with and our counselor made some suggestions to help us work through them.

But he (our therapist was a man) must have started to see and hear a pattern. Matt’s job and work must have been coming up a lot. The therapist finally suggested that Matt look for a different job. It was clear that this was a huge stressor – both on Matt and on our marriage.

One thing I have learned in the past 15 years – through my own relationship and watching the marriages of friends – is the work and the job of a husband is so important and influential in his life.

If a husband is unhappy at his job or with his career, that will negatively impact his home life.

I’ve seen it. It can lead to marriages ending completely.

If you’re marriage is stressed, I suggest you and your spouse take a look at your husband’s professional life. My gut feeling and experience tells me, it’s more important for a man to be happy at his job than it is for a woman.

I don’t have any degrees that can back up that last statement. But sometimes, our gut can tell us something a lifelong education can not.

I didn’t realize it at first, but what led him to take the job was the desire to be a good provider for me and our future children. Once I realized how much he disliked his work and we both became aware that it was affecting his physical and mental health, I suggested a change.

Matt’s reaction was not uncommon or odd… he simply said, “we can’t afford it.”

But let me play the devil’s advocate here: is it worth losing your marriage or potential happiness in family life over a job?

Now our situation was unique in quite a few ways.

We didn’t have children and I did have a job

I wasn’t suggesting he quit his job without another one lined up. Matt felt that he could get another job, it would just pay significantly less than what he was making at the time.

But what I – actually what Matt and I both believe, is that what I did next was what saved him and us.

I prayed a novena to Saint Joseph.

Now why do I think this prayer actually helped us?

I’d love to share that story with you!

I prayed this novena prayer with this intention:

I asked Saint Joseph to pray with me for Matt… that he would have a job he enjoyed doing and felt that he made a difference doing it.


And then, all of a sudden . . .

the school I taught in needed an IT guy.


I gave Matt’s resume to the President of the School. The President looked at it and looked at me and said… he’s way over qualified.


I explained how my husband desired to work in this field… and he’s been out of it for years. This would help him get back into the tech world and not look or be behind.


But…Matt didn’t just have to impress the school President.

Whoever got the job was going to have to work with the nun who ran the computer lab.
She was an SSJ.
That is, a Sister of Saint Joseph.
And not everyone got along swimmingly with her.

This nun and I did get along well. But it’s funny, that wasn’t the case for many of the teachers in the school.

She was, how do I describe this . . .”old school”?

Rigid, didn’t have a bubbly personality and honestly, I don’t know.

What I did know was that I could sign up to bring my 5 classes of freshmen to her computer lab almost any time because other teachers were not flocking to go there.

I also knew that in the 4 years I worked at the school, there had been at least two IT/computer support people who had worked there and left the job, and for the year before Matt applied, we only had Sister as our tech “go-to” person.


So Matt has his interview where he talked to all the school President and the Tech Coordinator of the Office of Catholic Education – basically all the people in the school district that are in charge of hiring IT professionals.


And… he met Sister.
And Sister LOVED Matt.


She loved him the day she met him.
She loved him every day he worked with her.
And when he left for another job, well that really made her sad… because honestly, she loved him.

That job got Matt back in the industry and gave him the experience and confidence he needed to move on and up in the field.

 I am so grateful for Saint Joseph’s intercession.

 And as an added wink and a smile, Saint Joseph passed on to Matt his love of woodworking.  

Woodworking has become Matt’s favorite hobby!

My husband still works in the IT field. He is supporting our family with a job he loves. And our oldest son’s middle name is Joseph.
Saint Joseph, pray for us!

How can Saint Joseph help a marriage if the problem is not stemming from employment?

One of Saint Joseph’s titles is the Pillar of Family Life. He wants to pray for you, take him up on the offer.

So, even if you’re marriage is on the rocks because of situations that are not at all work related, I strongly suggest praying this novena!

One of Saint Joseph’s titles is the Pillar of Family Life. He wants to pray for you, take him up on the offer.

Saint Joseph’s titles include many that reflect how much he is a great intercessor for marriage.

Saint Joseph’s titles, in addition to “the Worker” and “Pillar of Families” also include:

Photo taken by Nadia Pittman
@nadiapittmanphoto on Instagram

Mirror of Patience

Glory of Home Life

and

Terror of Demons.

Marriage requires a ton of patience. The mood of our home life is a reflection of the state or our marriage.

And friends, we all have demons we are battling.

Why not call in for back up?

Go to Joseph. He will help.

Want to read more about Saints and Marriage? Check out Ten Years of Marriage and the Saints that Helped Us Get Here

Want to read more about Saint Joseph? Read 5 Ways Saint Joseph Can Help You Live a Better Life

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This type of advice can be really helpful for all of us… especially for a young girl navigating middle school or her early teens.

This advice would have helped me.
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Because it takes some pressure off the high expectations often felt by us as individuals.

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This page in the Be Yourself embraces scrapbooking fun- just like the back cover. Only this page encourages photographs. Yes, actual printed ones 🎞️📸

Take a deep breath.
Love the next person that comes near you.
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A prayer and the story behind the picture… Oh S A prayer and the story behind the picture…

Oh St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, 

I place in you all my interests and desires. Oh St. Joseph do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your divine son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, our Lord; 

so that having engaged here below your heavenly power I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers. 

Oh St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart. Press him in my name and kiss his fine head for me, and ask him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. 

St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for us.
Amen.

My children had off from school on Friday. I had committed to an hour of Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays from to 2 to 3 during Lent… so since they had off, they had to come with me.
It was stressful.
They CAN NOT sit still.
Once I got one to stop walking around or talking, another one started.
But in the middle of all this… I witnessed a sweet moment.
I hesitated to pull out my phone because I really try not to during Adoration.
But, the beauty of the moment struck me, and I had to capture it.
📸 
Motherhood is hard. Parenting is difficult.
But I’m often reminded it’s like farming… and I’m planting seeds.

I just hope and pray I’m planting more good seeds then bad ones.

Thank goodness we can pray and ask for prayers from others!

Saint Joseph, pray for us!
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THANK YOU! Thank you! Thank you! If you have left THANK YOU! Thank you!
Thank you!

If you have left a review on Amazon for either of the Be Yourself Journals… thank you from the bottom of my heart!

When you leave a review on Amazon it makes me SO HAPPY… plus it sends a signal to Amazon to show more people these books!
I’d love for more girls to get this book in their Easter Basket this year!

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Dr. John Spitzer shared parenting advice for moms and dads of tweens;

Jessica Castillo shared how our physical and spiritual health are connected;

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Tell me which topic interests you the most… maybe I’ll dedicate an Instagram post highlighting that content!

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I adore you Jesus, true God, and true man, pres I  adore you Jesus, 
true God, and true man, 
present in the Holy Eucharist, 
kneeling before you 
and united in spirit 
with all the faithful on earth 
and all the saints in heaven. 

In gratitude for so great a blessing, 
I love you with all my heart, 
for you are worthy of all praise 
and adoration. 

Lord Jesus Christ, may I never offend you with my lack of love. 

May your Eucharistic presence refresh me in body and soul. 

Mary, Mother of the Eucharistic Lord, pray for me 
and obtain for me a greater love for Jesus. Amen.

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Have you ever seen a statistic and thought… thes Have you ever seen a statistic and thought… these numbers are NOT in my favor?

Years ago, I was lonely, depressed and wondering if I would ever not be lonely and depressed.

I dreamed of falling in love and getting married.

But, I wanted to marry a faithful Catholic man… and I believe I saw that only 22% (?) of Americans were Catholic.

And then I thought…
Half of them aren’t men, a large percentage are not practicing and … also how many are BOOMERS?

Lucky for me, God math goes like this…
5 loaves 
2 fish
=
5,000 meals and leftovers 

This is my handsome husband and our awesome nephew with the Bishop that Confirmed him on Friday.
Matt was -and is- such a proud Sponsor and Uncle!
God bless Grayson Patrick FRANCIS!

Thank you God for all of your gifts!!!
“You pay God a compliment when you ask big things of Him.” ~ Saint Teresa of Avila

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Don’t you love when a plan comes together for a Don’t you love when a plan comes together for a retreat and you see joyful faces! 

Listen, this is the best retreat hack for Catholic girls!
****The Be Yourself Journal Scrapbooking activity.****

Give each girl a Be Yourself Journal.
Explain how, “We are all called to holiness but we take different paths.” ~ Saint Katharine Drexel.

Have each girl pick out a Holy card and two Catholic stickers.

Put scrapbooking paper and Catholic washi-tape (thank you @thestumpofjesse ) on the tables and get them started with decorating the back of their journals.

As they work add more stickers and quote cards to their table.

Point out that they were all given the same set of instructions… yet each cover design is unique.

The same is true for their calling!
God has a unique mission for each individual.

He calls us to follow the Commandments, embrace His Word and trust the teachings of the Church…
same set of basic instructions, different yet BEAUTIFUL results when followed!
“Be who God meant you to be and you’ll set the world on fire!” ~Saint Catherine of Siena
Huge thank you to the women who donated journals and holy cards!!!
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Not sure what to do with all those prayer cards? Not sure what to do with all those prayer cards? 

Holy cards can be a fantastic prayer journal prompt. 

Copy the prayer off the back and glue the card to the page ;next to, underneath or above where you wrote the prayer).

Follow me for more prayer journaling tips!
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Getting ready for a Confirmation Retreat this week Getting ready for a Confirmation Retreat this weekend!

So excited to help these young Catholics see that each is called to holiness… but each mission is unique and unrepeatable!

Huge thank you to the women who donated journals for the retreat (11 donated!!!) and the women from my Bible study group who donated Holy cards!

If you would like to donate a Journal for one of the girls attending the retreat this weekend… send me a private message and I’ll explain how!

Holy cards are GREAT prayer journal prompts!

Which Holy card would you put in your prayer journal?
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Keep at it!!! Don’t give up and Don’t give in! Keep at it!!! Don’t give up and Don’t give in!!! “The world offers you comfort… but you were not made for comfort, you were made for GREATNESS!”
Pope Benedict XVI
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New post up on the blog!! I found some awesome Hol New post up on the blog!!
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