The Gift of a Penny

Because I'm a Catholic nerd and my housemate is a Catholic nerd, one of the items on our summer bucket list is to visit every parish within a twenty mile radius of our house. (At this point, we've been to Mass at six of them.)

This past Sunday, we went to Mass at Blessed Sacrament parish. Bry was driving, so I didn't bother to bring anything along with me and blissfully walked out of the house - purse, key, and cell phone free. When we reached the stop sign at the end of the block, I realized that because I hadn't brought my purse, I didn't have my wallet. Which meant that I couldn't tithe. I had no money.

I was disappointed in myself. Earlier in the week I was thinking about the fact that I want to get back into the habit of tithing (the Biblical concept of giving ten percent of your income to the Lord) now that I get a regular paycheck. But I forgot.

When we arrived at the church and knelt down in the pew, I noticed something shiny on the floor, so I bent to pick it up. It was a brand new penny. God provided me with one little penny to put in the offering basket. I placed the penny on the bench beside me to wait until the offertory. As I placed the nearly worthless coin into the basket, I felt like the widow in the Gospel who put all that she had into the Temple offering. It was a humbling experience.

This penny was a sign to me that my Father was pleased with the desire of my heart to give Him a gift. And when I had nothing to give Him, He provided me with the gift. Truly, He will not be outdone in generosity!

"His blessing covers the dry land like a river, and drenches it like a flood."

-Sirach 39:22

Adventures - Part One

Spending your summer in the same city as your university, a city that pretends to be a college town but really isn’t and that is known only by one of two things—your university or the rape case that made national news—doesn’t sound very promising. But really, it’s not that bad. There are adventures to be had here…

At the beginning, the small adventures of starting utilities, paying rent, and figuring out how much food to buy at the grocery store were enough to keep me occupied and overwhelmed for a week or two. Now that these grown-up adventures are a regular part of the schedule of work, eat, and sleep, I’ve had some time to realize that the best adventures so far have come not from being an adult, but simply from being young, wild, and free with plenty of time and very little money on my hands.

A local hiking trail in a West Virginia state park has become one of my favorite refuges, and although I’ve only ever walked to the mile and a half point—a swimming hole in the next-door creek—I fully intend to walk further down the trail before the end of the summer.

Or sometimes when Bry, my housemate, and I get restless and neither of us feels like driving the seven minutes to the trail, we will drive three minutes to one of the nearby cemeteries and go walking or jogging there. “It’s so weird to me that cemeteries are something beautiful to walk through around here,” she says. Apparently Southern Californian cemeteries lack the beauty of small town Ohio cemeteries.

I laugh at Bry’s comment and soak up the beauty of the peach-colored sunset between three sentinel oak trees that are probably older than the town itself. The cemetery is enchanting in the dim dusk-light and I can almost imagine little fairies dancing in the woods over there or hear goblin men’s footsteps as they come to hawk their fruits.

But the “scope for imagination” isn’t why I like coming here. No. It’s a fondness for thinking about the people who are buried here and whispering a small and childish prayer that they are sleeping peacefully. I read their names, turning them over like a hard strawberry candy in my mouth, and the joyful hope rises in my chest that one day I will meet them all, that I will see their beautiful and ugly faces, and that I will hear their stories of life and the road to heaven. When I’m here they seem very near to me. It’s like visiting long-lost friends.

Of A Lack of TP and Other Nonsense

Yesterday I discovered the one thing that has the ability to make me grumpy first thing in the morning: a complete toilet paper deficiency in my house. It wasn't just a toilet paper shortage. No. There was not one sheet of TP in the entire house. I can live without coffee or in grave circumstances, even breakfast. But yesterday morning I would not endure living without toilet paper, so I promptly took myself across town to the local Wal-Mart.

Now we have toilet paper again and I have enough dryer sheets to last me for a year. They're hypoallergenic. Yeah yeah…big deal.

In other news, I'm beginning to think that I may never need to water my plants this summer. It rains here, on average, every twenty-four hours. Three of my six tomato plants started to blossom this week, and the pepper plants are getting nice and tall. Hooray! Fresh vegetables will soon be appearing in my own backyard.

Since I don't have to take time out of my day (or evening) to worry about watering the plants, I can spend more time perfecting my Dutch Blitz skillz. I think Dutch Blitz is the most addictive card game ever, but maybe that's just because I can never beat my housemate when I play against her…

When Dutch Blitz stresses me out too much (or when there's nobody to play it with), I usually pick up a book and start reading. As a kid I devoured books, probably finishing two or three every week. I remember always going to the library during the summertime and checking out a nice healthy stack of books (approximately 5-8). My efficacy as an avid summertime book reader has greatly diminished. I have only finished one book so far this summer, even though I've started at least five. (Well, I guess I've finished two books if you count the one I had to read for work.) But the loss of my book-ravaging has come with a gain - the desire to spend more time with what I'm reading and to really understand it.

Christ: In the Flesh

I am blessed to have an awesome internship in the same city as my college, which means that I get to stay here over the summer and continue with it. Hurray! One cool aspect of the job is that I frequently get to read the writings of the Popes, particularly of Pope Francis.

As I was skimming through Pope Francis’ most recent encyclical, Evangelii Gaudium, in hopes of finding a quote to use with one of the magazine articles I was copyediting, I stumbled across this gem: “God’s word teaches that our brothers and sisters are the prolongation of the incarnation for each of us: ‘As you did it to one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it to me’ (Mt 25:40).”

This is a profound idea—that each person I meet is Christ. Because that’s what Pope Francis means when he says that each one is “the prolongation of the incarnation.” The Pope really isn’t saying anything new, because the Church has always taught that each person is made in the image and likeness of God, but the way that he says this made me stop and think about the idea more fully.

When I desire to experience Christ physically present, my first instinct is to go to the Eucharist, since God has truly shown me that He is present within that tiny host. But if each person that I meet is “the prolongation of the incarnation,” then Christ is also physically present in each human being. Each person shows me Christ in the flesh, in his or her own flesh. That’s what incarnation means.

Like I said before, the teaching that God lives in each person is not a new idea for me or for the Church, but it is one that I am only now beginning to let impact my life. It means that if I want to love Christ, I must love the person right in front of me. I must be convicted that each person is Christ. And I have to act appropriately towards them—with an abundance of love and respect. No person is too small, too poor, too beautiful, too sick, too smart, too talkative, or too anything else for me to love them, since they are Christ.

But I fail at this all the time. So Pope Francis’ words are a challenge for me, a challenge to live out a deeper and more radical love of Christ by loving each person I meet. They are a challenge to seek the face of Christ in every single human being. It’s like a giant “Where’s Waldo?” game. Only with God.

Blessings from 2013

Yesterday it occurred to me that I didn't take any time to reflect on 2013 as it came to a close and the new year began. So I took some time then and there to make a list of the big blessings of the past year and the things that it taught me. Here's what I came up with:

1) Studying abroad - Being able to live in a foreign country for three and a half months and to travel all across Europe pushed me outside of my comfort zone many times. I learned more deeply of my own independence and uniqueness. I learned to trust that the Lord would provide for my needs and I learned to be more vulnerable with other people. Wonder became a constant attitude towards life. Friends were easy to make. Gelato and pizza were the staples in my diet for fourteen days.

2) A summer of service - I spent the summer of 2013 serving families at a Catholic camp. During this time I learned my own leadership abilities. Apparently I am great at directing people and delegating tasks; it became second nature to me by the end of the summer. Stillness possessed my soul during the first weeks of the summer and I came to understand what it is like to be detached from the craziness around me. When my physical, emotional, and spiritual strength shriveled up, I would beg the Holy Spirit to fill me with His strength and He always would. I experienced in a fresh way the weight of intercessory prayer: that God uses our words to heal and listens to our pleading on behalf of others. When I was together with the rest of the staff, I came to understand the power that each person's presence is. If someone was missing, the group dynamics shifted. I learned to maturely confront problems that I had with other people. Finally, I began to learn what it means to reach outside of myself to love others.

3) Household - This past semester was my first full semester in household. Growing in Christian friendship with my sisters taught me to be vulnerable with them. We cannot love and support each other if we do not share ourselves. Communication is key. I learned to share my faith with those around me, by speaking of what the Lord is doing in my heart. Several times over the course of the semester I found myself offering my bed to a household sister who really needed to take a nap and couldn't go back to her room at that particular time for whatever reason, and I learned again to sacrifice myself. Through conversations with my little and personal prayer, the Lord continued to deepen my identity as His Beloved.

4) Christmas with my family - It has been superb to be back with my family over Christmas break. My love for soup, baking, and reading resurged. I developed a love for playing guitar and watching high school basketball. Every single day I get to hug my family and tell them I love them. Even driving places with them is entertaining; our van seems like a clown car because we are all so tall!

5) Friendship - Probably the biggest blessings that came to me during 2013 were friendships with some pretty incredible people. Some were new friendships and some were older ones that have endured. These friendships have taught me that all relationship ought to be rooted in Christ and in Christian charity in order to be truly fruitful. They have challenged me to love other people selflessly, to see people as precious children of God who have the potential to be saints. Thanks be to God for my Alumni Corps Staff, all of my beautiful household sisters, Elyse, Allison, Grace, Yaya, Rachel, Dani, Becca P., Becca C. and Bry. I love you all. 

Are You Happy?

This past week, a friend of mine told me a story of an interesting conversation that he had recently.  He was standing in line at the credit union when the old man in front of him turned around and asked, “Are you happy?”  My friend replied that yes, he was happy.  The man said, “Well good, because the way I see it, everybody’s gotta be happy.”

My friend told me this story sometime around 12:30am as we were standing in the kitchen eating a late night snack.  And then he asked me, “Are you happy?”  The question required me to look deep into my heart.  Was the physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging day really worth it?  Was I truly happy after all the stress and craziness of overseeing a Mass for 600 people and making sure that the pool opened up in time for the families to go swimming? 

My answer was (and is) “Yes.”

Our joy comes from the Lord, because when we give all we have to Him, He gives so many blessings back to us.  He makes all the sacrifices worth it.  And so I can say that yes, I am truly happy. 

“The joy of the Lord is our strength…”

Ridin' the Roller Coaster

"Life is like a roller coaster - it has its ups and downs - but it is your choice to scream or enjoy the ride." 

- Unknown 

The month of June has definitely held its share of ups and downs for me.  Or rather, God is taking me on one heck of a roller coaster ride.  Sometimes it is difficult, but I know that His promise is true: "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."  (Jeremiah 29:11).  Here is a little glimpse at what has gone on in my life in the past few weeks.

On June 16, the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, my dear Aunt (who was also my Godmother) died after suffering for a long time with cancer.  Her children and husband were all able to be there around her as she died.  Praised be God for her life, her prayers, and her suffering, which I know were often offered for our whole family and for the work of the Apostolate for Family Consecration!  I will miss her often, especially since I was just beginning to appreciate her and all that she did.  But I know she will do much more for us in heaven!  :)  "But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him."  (Romans 6:8)

YAY!  I'm on crutches!  I know this little icon guy doesn't look too much like me, but he was the best I could do on short notice.  Maybe one of these days I will get around to taking a picture of myself on crutches for the blog.  ;)  

Anyways, by now you are probably wondering why I am on crutches.  Well, the truth is, I didn't see this hill coming  (in reference to the roller coaster).  On Friday night we had a really bad storm and I was running out of the rain into our garage, slipped on the concrete, and cut the top of my foot on the bottom of the grill.  Don't ask me how I managed that one...it just happened.  Anyways, several of my tendons were sliced (ouch), so I will be going in for surgery on Thursday and hobbling around on crutches for who knows how long.  *sigh* It's hard not to be active when it is suddenly taken away from you!  Please keep me in your prayers, as I am a little nervous about the surgery...it's the first (and I hope last) time I'll have had surgery.

And, to end this thing on a hopeful note, I have a funny story and a funny video to post very soon!  Also, being laid up gives me an excuse to blog more often.....just saying'...

The Incredible Versatility of a Croquet Mallet

Summer is a time when my family loves to play games together outdoors.  Friday evening, after a lazy dinner (Chipotle) on the patio, we decided to play a calm game of croquet.  Now, anyone who has ever played croquet, knows that there can sometimes be a bit of waiting involved.  My siblings and I, while waiting our turns, began to discover other uses for our mallets.  Some of them involve a little imagination, but try your best to see what we were getting at....

1)  A guitar (or banjo) - this is (by far) the most obvious and popular thing to do with anything that has a handle (broom, shovel, croquet mallet, etc.)

2) A jackhammer - I was really impressed when my sister came up with this use.  I never would have thought of that.

3) An umbrella - "The weather is looking pretty bad today, isn't it?"  *said with a British accent*

4) The pendulum on a grandfather clock - tick tock tick tock

5) A crutch (or a cane)

6) A grappling hook - I didn't even know what a grappling hook was...my family had to explain it to me.  Basically, it is a 4 pronged hook attached to a rope.  You throw it and it hooks onto things like walls and mountains.  Then you can climb up them.

7)  An anchor

8)  An oar - or as my brother G said, "It's a row!"  Hehe

9)  A hammer - not a very creative use of a mallet

10) A hitching post - picture the mallet with the handle side stuck into the ground and a horse and buggy tied up to the mallet part

11) A machine gun - well duh.  Boys always turn things into guns.  It's no different with my three brothers.

12) An axe - "TIMBER!"

13) A wagon handle

14) A bicycle handlebar

15) A pump trolley - one of those railroad cars that has two pump handles that propel it down the track

16) A jet ski - specifically the handle bars.  This is similar to the bicycle concept

17) A car shift, a train lever, or an airplane throttle

I think we had more fun imagining what our croquet mallets could be than we did actually playing the game!  Go figure!

My brother and I playing our croquet mallet instruments.  

Photo by my sister.

Worth It

One of my summer jobs is to get one of my uncle's buildings ready for new renters.  Now, this place used to be a greasy pizza joint, and hasn't been cleaned in.....a really long time.  Needless to say, this job has been an experience (for lack of a better word).  The past eight business days have held tasks such as: power washing the floors, scrubbing the walls and ceiling (in preparation to paint) and scraping wall paper.  I will spare you, gentle reader, the gory details.  :)

You may be wondering: do I like this job?  The answer is no, not especially.  But it is worth it.  Why?  Because I want to study abroad next year and this job is helping me make that dream a reality.  The tediousness and grossness of this job are going to pay off.  All of that will be forgotten when I am able to visit the heart of Christendom in the Vatican, the early martyrs in the catacombs, the places Our Lady appeared at Fatima and Lourdes, the shrine of St. Philomena, the green shores of Ireland, and so many other places that I have dreamed of seeing.  Yes, it will be worth it.

Summertime

The past few days have been full of cleaning and organizing.  I think I finally have all my college paraphernalia in storage.  However, it was a bit of a depressing thought to think that I will have to undo everything I just spent the past three days putting away come fall.  Still, it is a good feeling to be home for the summer with one year of college under my belt.

I always make big plans for the summer...and end up doing very little of my list.  Here are some of the things I have on my list for this summer:

1. Earn $$$$  - I am hoping to study abroad next spring, so I need to earn money for that trip.
2. Learn one new piano piece a week - It has been a while since I have seriously practiced piano and my skills are beginning to atrophy.
3. Try not to forget Latin - This semester of Latin was challenging and I know I will forget vocabulary and grammar if I don't practice.  When I will practice is a good question....
4. Teacher Education Application - In order to take upper level classes in the Education program at my university, I need to complete and submit this application when I return in the fall.
5. Read lots of books - My list grows everyday.
6. Sew - One of my favorite hobbies is sewing.  I am blessed to have a campus job where I can use my sewing skills, but I need to make sure I keep getting better!
7. Bake bread - Doesn't fresh bread sound really good right now?
8. Relax - end of story.

AND.... blog!  :)

In case you don't know me very well, or you haven't figured it out by the end of this post, I like to make lists.  I make lists all the time.  It is an obsession or a compulsion, whichever way you would prefer to see it.  :)

To end this post, I thought I would remind you (as my mom has been reminding us all week long):

 SUNDAY IS MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!

Don't forget to do something special for your mom!

Ciao for now!