Breathe

Happy Feast of the Archangels! Oh boy, what a great day :)

God loves us. Sometimes, we just have to shut our brains off and stop trying to understand that. I do realize how hard that is, because my brain usually runs 100000 mph-but still.We are loved. There's proof everywhere: beautiful weather, gorgeous flowers, amazing people, bear hugs, wonderful music, and sooooo many others, each created to woo our hearts in a different way. Think about that for a second. Ahh....:) Whether it be in the form of good conversations with old men at the gas station (about simplifying life), or the random desire to play some old piano music, reminders of love are everywhere.

So sit still, breathe, and let your heart be reminded of Love's infinite shower of blessings. Peace!

We Are NOT Okay

I just got back from some wonderful adoration time, for the third day in a row. AWESOME. I don't get the opportunity very often, and even when it's presented, I usually don't take advantage of this beautiful sacrament like I should. But this weekend was a rough one for me. Sunday was a day full of internal battles from the get-go; and as much as I tried to just keep going through the motions, that wasn't going to work this time. Once again, my soul got exactly what it needed. It's like He knows me or something.....

I love adoration. I also love saying that, because it's a new thing for me. In fact, I'll say it again: I LOVE adoration. Like, seriously....we are so blessed. Every minute of every day, Christ is being adored by our brothers and sisters all over the world. We are united in one body, each of us with a different purpose. AWESOME.

This weekend, when I began to see how not okay I really was, I just really really wanted to go to adoration. I thank God for giving me the grace to see I needed Him; because a few months ago, I probably just would have exploded on someone or shut down on God completely for a while.But something about being close to his wonderful sacrifice and letting Him hold me for a while just sounds more appealing these days. It's a pretty effective method of healing hearts, as well ;)

We are NOT okay.Yet, for some reason, we try ridiculously hard to convince ourselves otherwise. Some of us may be struggling more than others, but none of us are really all that hunky-dory. This being human thing really does stink sometimes. But the sooner we see that we aren't alright, the sooner we can start accepting God's healing. Our hearts may be scarred deeply from the past, or just a little sore from the name we got called early today. It doesn't matter how serious the wound is-He cares about them all. We are beautifully broken.

May you find peace in the open arms of Christ, and seek refuge in Him always. Peace.

What a Day!

After today, I have come to the conclusion that we are infinitely, crazily, wonderfully, awesomely, beautifully blessed.

If you're wondering how I came about this conclusion, it's been a crazy day. Let me sum it up for you:

• Mass with my mom and little sister-great homily, visiting priest...fun stuff!
• Random phone call from a couple of beautiful sisters in Christ where I rambled about said mass and about the other excitement(but not really that exciting at all) going on in my life
• District officer workday planning for the conference we're putting on tommorrow-lots of laughs, hugs, and tons of productivity in the form of cheesy flip charts and rhyming skits-WOOHOO!!
• Meeting up again and going out to dinner with the two state FFA officers and the national officer from South Carolina. Yay traveling and new people!
• While at this dinner, I got to chat with Jordan (one of the state officers who I've been blessed to know pretty well), and actually had an interesting, worthwhile conversation. Sometimes, I need reminders that the world isn't totally crazy ;)
• Standing outside in the parking lot of the restaraunt for a good hour laughing, trying South Carolina candy, and telling embarassing stories and moments from school trips
• Bringing the two girls on my district officer team to my house to stay for the night, talking to each other about non-school related topics, and getting to know each other better

So,I pretty much had a day full of great people, great laughs, and good, honest fun. And tommorrow, I get to do it all again! The conference we've been setting up is finally happening-that's right...my high school is about to be invaded by over 400 freshmen FFA members. RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME. In the words of Dr. Suess: "Today was good, today was fun, tomorrow is another one!"

Now, I have a point to my random rambling, I promise. Sort of. I get distracted too easily when I've had such a wonderful day! I'm also feeling the lists tonight. Apparently my brain is stuck in that mode. Anywho:

• Every day is a new chance to let Him take control.
• Every day brings new life, and new opportunity.
• Every day is a day where we could be making a difference in the lives of someone around us, and sharing His Love.
• Every single day; No matter what happened yesterday, or how scary it is to look towards tomorrow.

Let Him lead you by the hand day by day, hour by hour, and moment by moment. His plan makes the present a gift, and the future a mystery. No matter how frustrating that may be to us sometimes, it's true. Allow Him to use you from the moment the sun rises. When it comes time for the sun to set, you won't be disappointed.

Little Flowers of Life!

"If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?" ~Matt 6:30~

Hello friend. God is awesome. He will take care of you.

Sometimes, I feel like we all need that reminder. He WILL take care of us: whether that's in a beautiful sunrise, a good conversation with a friend, an easy quiz in that hard class, or the smile on the face of someone who hasn't smiled in a while. God provides.....always.

God provides for us even when it doesn't feel like it. When things are dark and scary, He is there holding us close, carrying us to beauty. When we really don't care anymore, or stubbornly try to provide all we have for ourselves-God provides. We are irreplaceable in the eyes of our Creator, and have been made with purpose; a purpose that (you guessed it!) God provides. He sent His only Son down to this earth to endure suffering and death in order to provide forgiveness for our sins.

Today in my floral design class we made floral "cupcakes," which consisted of a cute little homemade foam flower pot and some fresh flowers on top as the "icing." I decided to give mine to a friend who's been having some trouble. I was looking for a relevent verse to put with the flowers when I gave them to her, and this is what I found (thank you, google search box). Which encouraged me to open my bible, which brought about some good thoughts......that book really does have all the answers ;)

But really, think about it: He provides the grass and fields of the earth with the fresh, beautiful, breathtaking flowers of all shapes and sizes. He provides them with water, sunlight, and the proper nutrients to grow. He allows their beauty to shower upon the dull grass and the brown dust. Imagine what He provides for us. Just like the flower needs things that can't be seen, so do we. God provides. He nurtures our hearts and our minds with daily battles and victories. He nurtures our body with food grown by our brothers and sisters. He nurtures our soul with His own flesh and blood, given freely for us. What more could we ask for? We see reminders of His love everywhere, if we only keep our eyes open. We were created in His image, and He would provide us with nothing less than His marvelous plan. We don't deserve to be provided for, nor will we ever. Yet He provides anyway.....always.

God is awesome. He will take care of you.

Peace!

Good Reminders from Mass

Oh, I do love beautiful little reminders of Love! Tonight at mass, between what Father was saying and what the Holy Spirit was pouring into my brain, I was reminded of some pretty wonderful things:

• The root of the word forgiveness comes from the Latin word perdonare. It means "to give completely without reservation".........AWESOME.
• God forgives our sins completely-enough to die for them. When sacrificing Himself on the cross, He held nothing back. Our every sin was forgiven. Every last drop of sweat and blood was given for us.
• Living for Christ means we don't just acknowledge what's been done for us, but we try to duplicate that perfect Love in the way we treat others.
• Not only did our God sacrifice by coming down to this Earth and crucifying our sins on Calvary; He gives to us regularly in the blessed sacraments. He gives Himself willingly, totally, and unceasingly. He gives us Love with NO RESERVATIONS.

Ah.....God is so unbelievably good to us. May you always seek to forgive as we have been forgiven, and to hold nothing back.

Bearing our Crosses

I have had a crazy amount of time to do nothing this weekend. By that, I mean I've finally decided to be a semi-normal student by putting off all my homework until Monday of this three-day weekend. And to be honest with you, it feels kind of good :) I'm just not used to having free time...at all...ever. So this week has been quite a nice little break. I've been going to school and doing all the homework,etc-but most of our activities haven't gotten into full swing yet, and I've pretty much been picking up my little sister and doing whatever random little things my family needs me to after school. Yay for having time to think! Even so, I am beyond ready for all the craziness of life during the school year to start up again. This summer was EXACTLY what I needed, and I feel like I learned more about my faith and myself than I ever thought possible in that short time frame....Blessed be God :) In saying this, here is what I've come up with:

I am ready to be tested.

That's right.....that just happened. I-Ellen Walker, the biggest weenie on this planet-am ready to be tested. It's ok-I almost had a heart attack myself when the Holy Spirit placed this thought in my head ;) Who knew? (Well, God...as usual.) There are a TON of great scripture verses to go with being tested that I would love to share with you, but I can't get to my bible right now without disturbing lots of sleeping people. So I'll let you look those up, and this can be somewhat interactive ;) Anywho, point:

You never truly find out what you're made of until you're tested. Think about it: You can practice and practice defending your siblings on the basketball court in your driveway; but you never really know how you'll hold up in a game until you're put on your home court standing between your opponent and the state-qualifying shot. You can practice that speech a million times in front of the bathroom mirror, but presenting for the judges is a totally different story. It's easy to live our lives for Christ when everything seems to be going smoothly. But what happens when we're tested? Do we stay open to His light, even when everything around us seems to be enveloped in darkness?

We all have crosses to bear. They come at all different times, in all sorts of shapes and sizes. It's easy to carry the weight of the cross when we have lots of help, great conditions, and plenty of strength. Anyone can do that. What makes us who we are is what we do when the cross gets heavy, when we ache from loneliness, and when we have what feels like no strength left to fight the darkness. It truly is the tests that strengthen us beyond what we could ever imagine. It is in carrying these crosses that we share in the sufferings of Christ. We lose ourselves in the pain, and allow Him to guide us when we can go no further. Our lives, as well as the lives of those around us are forever changed because we allow ourselves to be a living sacrifice. Only in sharing in His suffering can we be led to the glory of new life. We must cling to the cross. It's our salvation.

May you cling to the cross with everything you are. Peace.

Oh Boy....Joy!

Oh, how I've missed being joyful! Right now, I feel like jumping,or running,or singing a joyful song while cruising with my windows down! Ok, so I actually did do that last one ;) This last week hasn't been a tough one by any means-it just kind of happened. I was just existing. Then came today....spiritual warfare much? Not really sure what happened or how it got started, but this human thing is rough sometimes.

We forget that there is something more than what we're dealing with here and now. We forget that there is a WONDERFUL God who loves us, and is constantly fighting for us. We forget that we have reason to be joyful in our hearts-even when it seems so dark around us. We forget to open the eyes to the light of our faith surrounding us.

May you never forget to look for the shower of blessings raining down. Peace!

Oh, English....

I had a conversation this morning with a club sponsor of mine about how random my brain is, and how I can relate just about any random thing to the topic on my mind. It made me laugh, but it's totally true! So today as I went through my schedule, I noticed how much I actually do that-how much I have good conversations with myself (and more enjoyably, with God) about the little events of everyday life. Makes things more interesting ;)

Today, I had English class. Mind-blowing, I know.....not like it happens for 90 minutes every other weekday or anything, right? Anyways-I have a point, I promise: We're beginning to read Beowulf. Now, my particular English class consists of about 2 people who at least attempt to stay awake and attentive; the other 25 or so, not so much. So...we read together. Since we're supposed to be taking notes as we discuss, our teacher is the one actually reading and/or explaining the passages. One of the passages was talking about the monster who was angry because the people in the room next to him were praising God. Basically, they were telling the story of Creation. In one of the lines, the book says "...the Eternal Lord..." but on accident, my teacher recited "...the Eternal Love..." instead. The rest of the class probably didn't even catch it, as she quickly corrected herself. But my spastic brain went haywire, and my heart (as well as my face) smiled, so I thought I'd share:

THE ETERNAL LOVE.

As in....

Always has been, always is, and always will be.

Never gives up on us.

Never has a fear or doubt.

Never allows us to journey alone.

Never stops pouring forth Love.

Yes.....He is that awesome.

He isn't through with you yet, nor will He ever be. So walk with your Father, dance with the Love of your life, and let the Spirit guide you always. Peace!

Invitiation to the Banquet

You, dear friends, are being invited to a banquet.
Beautiful decorations, beautiful people, and the best food anyone can imagine.
You see, Love Himself is throwing this marvelous banquet.
You are free to come on one condition: you forget the party you already have planned.
Will you still come?