That you are troubled by the fact that you bought a house in La Serna, acts as a demon, so that you do not thank God for the grace he has shown you by acquiring the property, for it was great. As soon as the holidays are over, make an effort to save some time and focus on your paperwork and bills and process them as they should be. And what you spend on La Serna is well spent, and when summer comes, you will still be happy to visit there one day. For even Jacob did not cease to be holy due to tending his flocks, nor did Abraham or Saint Joachim, but precisely when we want to escape from worries, everything exhausts us. We must serve God as He wants, and not as we wish.
(Teresa of Jesus, excerpt from a letter to her brother Don Lorenzo de Cepeda, January 2, 1577)
