Hmm....it's 2012. I've never really been one of those people who makes a big deal out of New Years Eve. I mean, don't get me wrong-I do enjoy certain parts of the holiday. I love that everyone seems to be so positive about life, and so excited about self-improvement. I guess what I've never really understood is why people think things like this only need to come around once a year. Our clocks strike midnight every 24 hours; it's not like we repeat the same day 365 times each year. Each day is a chance to start over, to make a difference, and to better ourselves. Each day brings with it the opportunity to live out our faith even more than the one before. So why wait for a whole new year?
It's 1:45 a.m on January 1st. What have I done with the night, you might ask? I spent it with my little sister. The new Just Dance game for the Wii, popcorn, and the must-have for all New Years Eve get-togethers...sparkling grape juice! I showed her up with my amazing (or not so amazing...) dance skills, listened to her crack jokes about everything that came on TV, and ate our favorite meal of popcorn and juice. It was an unusually quiet, simple, uneventful evening. But you know what? There's no place on this planet I would have rather been.
If I had to pick one word to describe everything I've learned this past year, or what I hope to do in the future, it would be:
Simplify
Such a small word that can be applied to just about everything in our lives. Simplify our budgets, so we don't worry so much about payments. Simplify our eating habits or our workouts, in order to stay healthier and feel better. Simplify our spiritual lives, so that our prayers become an ongoing conversation. Sometimes, less really is more. Tonight, I was reminded that I don't need crowds of people or fancy resolutions to be happy. I need to take life as it comes, strive to live out my faith more each day, and let the One who loves me most hold me always in His arms. Thank you Lord, for your daily reminders of Love.
May you have a peaceful, simple beginning to the year, taking life one day at a time. Grace to you, and peace!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Yay Treasure Boxes!
The past 24 hours, I had the chance to go to a Totus Tuus camp reunion lock-in in Wichita. Before we got started with the shenanigans, we kicked off the night with mass, evening prayer, and a penance service. Grace, grace, grace....AWESOME. So, this penance service:
We had the option of going face-to-face or behind the screen. Me being, well, me, I automatically decide I'm going behind the screen. But as I sat in adoration examining my conscience and reflecting on how strong I felt after my last confession, something told me to go face-to-face. So I went through all the usual "this is what I can remember" thing. Then I actually started talking to the man sitting in front of me-about my life, about my struggles, about why I'd been having trouble. Basically, I said something like my life is easy compared to what those around me are going through. I'm praying for them, but sometimes it's hard for me to just let God take control of the uncontrollable, and trust that He'll take care of them. We talked about Mary for a bit, and then came His response to my "boohoo my life is so easy" rambling:
Store these things away in the treasure box of your soul. There will be a time when you have nothing to rely on but faith alone. Cherish the details, and keep these good times for when you need them most.
We've all been through times where literally the only thing carrying us through was our blind faith. Our faiths are built up by those moments of assurance. Faith is built in those moments of Love, when we see clearly His call and are surrounded by brothers and sisters willing to help us follow it. So what happens when the going gets tough? Dig deep into that treasure box of your soul. Remember why you even care about faith in the first place. Remember that there are people out there supporting you in prayer and sacrifice, and a God that will NEVER leave your side.
May our treasure boxes be full, and remind us that what we need is the treasure Himself.
We had the option of going face-to-face or behind the screen. Me being, well, me, I automatically decide I'm going behind the screen. But as I sat in adoration examining my conscience and reflecting on how strong I felt after my last confession, something told me to go face-to-face. So I went through all the usual "this is what I can remember" thing. Then I actually started talking to the man sitting in front of me-about my life, about my struggles, about why I'd been having trouble. Basically, I said something like my life is easy compared to what those around me are going through. I'm praying for them, but sometimes it's hard for me to just let God take control of the uncontrollable, and trust that He'll take care of them. We talked about Mary for a bit, and then came His response to my "boohoo my life is so easy" rambling:
Store these things away in the treasure box of your soul. There will be a time when you have nothing to rely on but faith alone. Cherish the details, and keep these good times for when you need them most.
We've all been through times where literally the only thing carrying us through was our blind faith. Our faiths are built up by those moments of assurance. Faith is built in those moments of Love, when we see clearly His call and are surrounded by brothers and sisters willing to help us follow it. So what happens when the going gets tough? Dig deep into that treasure box of your soul. Remember why you even care about faith in the first place. Remember that there are people out there supporting you in prayer and sacrifice, and a God that will NEVER leave your side.
May our treasure boxes be full, and remind us that what we need is the treasure Himself.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Confession is the World's Best Windex!
The Christmas season seems to have snuck up on me more than ever this year. It was just September, and then...WHAM! It's Advent. What happened?! This year, I've actually been preparing spiritually for Christmas, instead of preparing materially (I've actually been horrible about buying family gifts on time!) And......it's wonderful :) I've been fairly busy lately with the random activities of life, as well as school up to 3:15 yesterday. Now, here in Ark City, America, we like to do things as far from normal as possible (and now you know why this is where I'm from...). This includes ending our semester in Mid-January. So....school up to the 20th of December without any finals or anything of the sort to give us closure on the semester. Instead, we just make sure there isn't a single ounce of sanity left in the building by the time that final bell rings! Oh man! I promise I don't mean to ramble, it's just been a really good day, and a long time since I've shared my thoughts on how wonderful life is ;)
I don't really understand our society's crazy obsession with things. I mean, I do have those few things that I really enjoy getting and/or use a lot of. But for the most part, it doesn't make sense to me. My mom is sooooo annoyed with the fact that I have no ideas of what I want for her to share with my extended family. I keep telling her all I can think of is Tangled, and a stocking full of fuzzy socks, lint rollers, and gum. She laughs every time, but I'm serious! I seem to have found a lot of comfort in having little lately. In a way, it means we have more to give.
Even on a non-spiritual level, Christmas still means more than presents. It means cooking and eating lots of homemade food, spending time with some friends and family we may not get to see very often, and sitting back and enjoying all we have. I was reminded of this last one a few days ago, when I helped out with an adopt-a-family project for our region CYM board. We spent the day shopping, getting to know each other better, driving/getting lost in Wichita looking for Sister, and just enjoying each others company. That evening we were able to go to the family's house, deliver the presents, and sing a few songs for them. It definitely was a "Woah, I'm so blessed!" moment. This Christmas, enjoy what you have, and take nothing for granted.
Deep breath and.....my brain may or may not stop spazzing soon. You should get a gold star if you make it to the end of this thing!
Last weekend, I went to mass on Saturday. I deliberately made up an excuse to be out of my house early and meet my family there, so I could go to confession beforehand. I hadn't gone in a long time, and I had not really been myself in a while, either. Normally I wouldn't think of going to confession as a way to feel more like myself, but that's really all I wanted to do this time, so I went. And along with the giddy joyfulness and peace that comes with a clean soul, I experienced something else. I felt whole again. More whole than I had felt in a really, really, really, really, really long time. It was beautiful :) We are here on Earth as mirrors of His Love, but sometimes we let that mirror get way too dirty. We stop reflecting His light, and show instead only darkness. With His forgiveness, we are made clean. Spotless. Shiny. A brilliant reflection of Love. Confession is the world's best windex! I recommend you participate in this wonderful sacrament the next time the chance is presented. Even if you're convinced you aren't broken, your heart may tell you otherwise once it's complete.
May you find the missing pieces of your heart lying in a manger this Christmas season. Grace to you, and peace!
I don't really understand our society's crazy obsession with things. I mean, I do have those few things that I really enjoy getting and/or use a lot of. But for the most part, it doesn't make sense to me. My mom is sooooo annoyed with the fact that I have no ideas of what I want for her to share with my extended family. I keep telling her all I can think of is Tangled, and a stocking full of fuzzy socks, lint rollers, and gum. She laughs every time, but I'm serious! I seem to have found a lot of comfort in having little lately. In a way, it means we have more to give.
Even on a non-spiritual level, Christmas still means more than presents. It means cooking and eating lots of homemade food, spending time with some friends and family we may not get to see very often, and sitting back and enjoying all we have. I was reminded of this last one a few days ago, when I helped out with an adopt-a-family project for our region CYM board. We spent the day shopping, getting to know each other better, driving/getting lost in Wichita looking for Sister, and just enjoying each others company. That evening we were able to go to the family's house, deliver the presents, and sing a few songs for them. It definitely was a "Woah, I'm so blessed!" moment. This Christmas, enjoy what you have, and take nothing for granted.
Deep breath and.....my brain may or may not stop spazzing soon. You should get a gold star if you make it to the end of this thing!
Last weekend, I went to mass on Saturday. I deliberately made up an excuse to be out of my house early and meet my family there, so I could go to confession beforehand. I hadn't gone in a long time, and I had not really been myself in a while, either. Normally I wouldn't think of going to confession as a way to feel more like myself, but that's really all I wanted to do this time, so I went. And along with the giddy joyfulness and peace that comes with a clean soul, I experienced something else. I felt whole again. More whole than I had felt in a really, really, really, really, really long time. It was beautiful :) We are here on Earth as mirrors of His Love, but sometimes we let that mirror get way too dirty. We stop reflecting His light, and show instead only darkness. With His forgiveness, we are made clean. Spotless. Shiny. A brilliant reflection of Love. Confession is the world's best windex! I recommend you participate in this wonderful sacrament the next time the chance is presented. Even if you're convinced you aren't broken, your heart may tell you otherwise once it's complete.
May you find the missing pieces of your heart lying in a manger this Christmas season. Grace to you, and peace!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Weekend Plans
Love is wonderful. Oh, how I missed feeling so content! Funny how much of God you see everywhere when you let Him in ;) Today was AWESOME. This weekend? Planned to be even better!
Let me run down today for you real fast: My day started off playing an hour's worth of amazing jazz music for some amazing middle school students/faculty with some of the most amazing people and musicians I know. Not to mention amazing donuts. My first class of the day was....amazing! We also experimented with some new equipment-arranging techniques in our cars. Let's just say I felt like I could conquer the world. My granny car ("The Woman") was fully loaded down-a trunk packed with random sound equipment and a backseat double-stacked with bari's (humongous saxaphones). It was epic! Then came the rest of school, including a lab in my favorite class (Chem II-yes, I'm that nerdy) that left random parts of my hand stained yellow with iodine. This resulted in some hilarious reactions from some of my non-chem classmates. Best part of today? Having a mini spaz attack at 5:45 this morning when realizing I have nothing I absolutely have to go to this weekend. Oh, I have plenty to do, and I'll be busy-but not stressfully so. God takes pretty good care of me :)
I haven't felt like myself in a looooong time. Battles of self-worth, fear, doubt, and hopelessness seem to have taken up a lot of my past few weeks. I'm beginning to feel more like me. I'm beginning to see again the gifts that He constantly showers me with, and the beauty of His creation-including me. So what in the world happened between the two? Yesterday happened, which included breaking down, crying out for help, and surrendering to His Love. Funny how that works ;) Imagine what would happen if we did that every day! The One who created the stars, the sunrise, the earth, and everyone on it might actually know what He's doing. What???!!!! Yeah....I'd heard that before today, too. Just thought I'd remind you.
I am so excited for this weekend! Tonight, I'm going to watch my sister sing at her chior concert with my grandma. Then I'm throwing myself a Tangled movie night! After multiple attempts at Redbox (which is the only video anything we have in town anymore), I finally found a machine that had this movie in stock. Worthy of a smile and a jump for joy? I think so! Tommorrow shall consist of a park clean-up with a friend as her project for her leadership class, and a birthday bonfire tommorrow evening. In between? Scholarships, scholarships, and maybe a scholarship application or two. Sunday? Mass.....WOOHOO! I haven't been excited about mass in a while-it feels good :) And after some quality time with Jesus, the homework shall begin. Calculus, chemistry, english, and random FFA articles/thank you's I need to write. I'm sure there will be a nap or two involved as well, and a walk, of course ;) In short....a blessed, blessed weekend I feel coming on. Thank you, Lord, for taking care of me always.
May you feel His loving arms around you, and know that you are loved. Peace!
Let me run down today for you real fast: My day started off playing an hour's worth of amazing jazz music for some amazing middle school students/faculty with some of the most amazing people and musicians I know. Not to mention amazing donuts. My first class of the day was....amazing! We also experimented with some new equipment-arranging techniques in our cars. Let's just say I felt like I could conquer the world. My granny car ("The Woman") was fully loaded down-a trunk packed with random sound equipment and a backseat double-stacked with bari's (humongous saxaphones). It was epic! Then came the rest of school, including a lab in my favorite class (Chem II-yes, I'm that nerdy) that left random parts of my hand stained yellow with iodine. This resulted in some hilarious reactions from some of my non-chem classmates. Best part of today? Having a mini spaz attack at 5:45 this morning when realizing I have nothing I absolutely have to go to this weekend. Oh, I have plenty to do, and I'll be busy-but not stressfully so. God takes pretty good care of me :)
I haven't felt like myself in a looooong time. Battles of self-worth, fear, doubt, and hopelessness seem to have taken up a lot of my past few weeks. I'm beginning to feel more like me. I'm beginning to see again the gifts that He constantly showers me with, and the beauty of His creation-including me. So what in the world happened between the two? Yesterday happened, which included breaking down, crying out for help, and surrendering to His Love. Funny how that works ;) Imagine what would happen if we did that every day! The One who created the stars, the sunrise, the earth, and everyone on it might actually know what He's doing. What???!!!! Yeah....I'd heard that before today, too. Just thought I'd remind you.
I am so excited for this weekend! Tonight, I'm going to watch my sister sing at her chior concert with my grandma. Then I'm throwing myself a Tangled movie night! After multiple attempts at Redbox (which is the only video anything we have in town anymore), I finally found a machine that had this movie in stock. Worthy of a smile and a jump for joy? I think so! Tommorrow shall consist of a park clean-up with a friend as her project for her leadership class, and a birthday bonfire tommorrow evening. In between? Scholarships, scholarships, and maybe a scholarship application or two. Sunday? Mass.....WOOHOO! I haven't been excited about mass in a while-it feels good :) And after some quality time with Jesus, the homework shall begin. Calculus, chemistry, english, and random FFA articles/thank you's I need to write. I'm sure there will be a nap or two involved as well, and a walk, of course ;) In short....a blessed, blessed weekend I feel coming on. Thank you, Lord, for taking care of me always.
May you feel His loving arms around you, and know that you are loved. Peace!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
"Lord, Guard My Heart"
The last couple of weeks I've been realizing the importance of the simple prayer:
"Lord, guard my heart."
For the month or so before this, I felt like I was constantly losing it over the smallest, everyday things. If someone looked at me wrong, if my list wasn't quite accomplished at the end of the day,or if I fell short of perfect in any way, shape, or form, I was done. I usually consider myself a pretty rational person, but I was falling apart at everything. If this had gone on for one more day, I probably would have had a complete meltdown. But-as always-He took care of me in just the knick of time. I'm not really sure when the Spirit planted this handy dandy little prayer into my mind, but it sure is useful beyond words :) It seems like I was being especially sensitive to what people say around me, and to the obvious hurting of others. But I was being completely and totally oblivious to the voice of Christ calling out all around me. People needed me, and I was so worried about the insignificant little things in my own life that I was ignoring that need.
The voices we hear surrounding us aren't what they sound like. They sound like complaints, they sound like disrespect, and they sound like all-around hopelessness. But what they really are is a cry for help. Our neighbors are calling out for an open ear, honest advice, or someone to be there as a true friend. They need someone to show them the beauty of faith, the never-ending hope, and the unfailing love of Christ. That someone is YOU.
We must guard our hearts against the things of this world.Instead of getting discouraged by the dirty jokes, gossip, and technology that's always bombarding us, we need to pray for purity of mind, understanding, and peace for our neighbors. We've got to stop simply hearing others, and start listening. What those around us are saying is nothing compared to what Christ is saying through them. It's a call to love beyond anything we can imagine,
May you continue to guard your hearts this Advent season, in preparation for something better.
"I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world." ~John 16:33
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