Tunnel Vision

Alright.....time to buckle down and get to this blog! My brain has been going all week and I wanted to share, but haven't even taken the time to breathe like I should, much less write. Whew! Okay. Hello :) I hope your life has been rockin' awesome! Bear with me for a moment while I reach a new level of nerdiness; I'm going to compare faith to marching band. Yes,that just happened. Call me a nerd, but you and I both know that nerds rule the world.

Whether you've ever been a member, stood along the street and watched, or just seen one on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, we all know what a marching band looks like. What most people don't realize is how hard it is to make that block of people look like something other than a blob, or sound better than an annoying preschooler with their recorder. Accomplishing this requires something that my band director has constantly pointed out over the past 7 years It requires tunnel vision. You must carry your instrument exactly the same way as your neighbor, playing exactly the same volume when your horn comes up. You must stand and mark time behind the fire truck (who is trying to crowd please and dodge small children at the same time), making sure that you are putting your heel down at exactly the same time as the other 75 people around you. You must do all of this while remaining perfectly in line both front-to-back and side-to-side. Finally, you need to ignore the grandma who runs in the middle of the band to kiss her grandson, and the cute little five year old running beside you-at least until the 3 mile parade route is over. You must be focused only on the task at hand, ignoring everything else in this world. Sounds kind of nuts, eh? Kind of like life tends to be.

Being a successful Christian requires the ultimate tunnel vision.

If we are going to live this life for something bigger than ourselves, and if we are going to get somewhere better than here, we have to focus. Christ is the light at the end of the tunnel, the only way we should ever be traveling. We are surrounded by great examples of faith in the saints and angels, who are willing to walk with us. The rest of the tunnel is obviously dark, so why on earth would we wander off on our own? Those distractions that pop up in every day life (you know, the ones that take our eyes off the prize), well, they aren't worth it. What we gain in running away from Love is emptiness. What we gain in running away from

light is darkness. It's not worth it. Zone out the thoughts that tell you that you aren't good enough. Don't listen to the people who bring you down. Don't over-complicate your tunnel (much easier said than done, I know). Christ loves you. If you love him, run to him.

May you blur out the edges of your tunnel, focusing only on Love in everything you do.

He Knows What You Need

I interrupt all banquet script editing, homework, and (or whatever you may be doing) for a very important message:

God knows what you need. So let him give it to you.

I desperately need a couple of days to bring me back to a more positive outlook. What did I get when I stopped trying to interrupt His plan?

• A morning of going to school at normal people time....so not until right before class started.


• An excuse to wear a skirt to school today-Yay Soroptomist luncheons! Even if you are slightly awkward....


• Time (that's right-time!) to spend with my little sister, including taking her to school and going on an ice cream date. I really, really, REALLY enjoy spending time with her beautiful soul. She's in public school this year, and she asks me to go to mass with her on the weekends; it makes me happy she has someone in our family to depend on faith-wise. Thank God for His work. She's also in 6th grade, which for those of you who don't know, is the perfect time to convince her that boys still do (and always will) have cooties ;)


• The chance to see some awesome faith in action from those around me.

So, I basically got a great two days! God's kind of funny, eh?

He knows what you need. Let him give it to you.

Palms or Nails?

Phew....what a week! I never slept past 4:30 a.m., and I most likely won't in the coming one, either. I've been trying to convince my parents that I can deal with my headaches, and the small inconvenience isn't keeping me from being a normal high schooler; I tried to convince them that I'm not crazy....but we all know that battle was lost a long time ago ;) I've gotten the chance to travel to a few FFA events around the state, spend time with some of my favorite people, and help some to step outside of their comfort zone. I've also spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to teach myself calculus and chemistry, as it seems I'm NEVER in school. It's been an insane, tiring, and absolutely blessed week.

I love Sundays for about a jillion different reasons, including that I usually have time to breathe, make some kind of music, and actually think. This morning was awesome- I just LOVE Palm Sunday mass! All week I've been working on living every moment with purpose. Since organized prayer and silence lasting more than a few moments simply hasn't been an option, I may as well focus on what I should be doing anyway. I've always been a major believer in the power of small, silent actions, and this week has only reinforced that.

Today at mass, the homily hit on the power of our sins-all of them. While Father was talking about how the daily choices we make can glorify Christ or turn us away from Him, something clicked in my brain (maybe the Holy Spirit clicks? Hmm...), and I thought of something:

The man who died for us is with us, every moment of every day.
Do you greet him with the palms that help pave his way, or the nails that crucify him?

Do you choose to pray while driving instead of listening to your radio for a few minutes? Palm. Do you honk and cuss at the driver in front of you for going the speed limit in a school zone? Nail. Do you offer kind words to that one person in your life who really drives you crazy? Palm. What about when you roll your eyes when they give you a dirty look for what you just said? Nail.

If you're like me, your day may end up like this: Palm. Nail. Nail. Nail. Palm. Nail. Palm. Nail. Palm......well, you get the picture. Don't get discouraged; we weren't made to be perfect. We were however, made to try.

Will you glorify Christ as king, or nail him to the cross once again? The choice is yours each moment.