A Song for the Sea

Hello! It has been way too long since I have posted anything on my blog. The things I want to post are beginning to pile up again though, so that's a good sign!

I hope you enjoy this short story that spilled out of me one day at my desk in my classroom while I was supposed to be cleaning up at the end of the school year. 

My first year of teaching taught me many things. One of those things is that the first year teaching is real tough, though it was still pretty amazing. Luckily, I don't have to be a first time teacher ever again. Another thing I learned is that even though your students will inspire you with their own creativity, you will never have the motivation or time to do any creative things yourself unless they are within the specific parameters of a class lesson plan.

So my writing went on a little vacation, but it came back to spend some time with me again in June, and I think it's here to stay again, at least for a little while.

This story is called the Song of the Sea, and it was written Wednesday, June 17, 2015.

A Song for the Sea

You know you love someone when you cannot think about anything else but them.

For little Angela, it was James Harding. For Louisa, it was Henry. For me, not a who, a what: the sea.

Four Important Things Matt Walsh Said in his radical and borderline-offensive article on depression, and Two Important Things he Forgot

In light of a beloved actor's recent tragic death, there has been a lot of talk about depression. The last thing I want to do with this blog post is cause any offense to loved ones in my life who do suffer from depression, but I think that Matt Walsh had some good points and I would like to reiterate them without having to share the article itself alone. Matt Walsh is a man who writes really radical articles that are always blunt, direct, and terrifying to share, and yet I always find myself agreeing with him.

The title of Matt Walsh's article was, in itself, an attack already. "Robin Williams didn't die from a disease, he died from his choice." But what Matt Walsh was trying to say is true. And important.

Growing Up

Growing Up (a poem)

Today, I'm turning twenty-three;
Adulthood has crept up on me.
It's like when you wake up and - whoa -
The world's beneath a foot of snow!
It sits there, heavy, quiet, new,
And you're like, "now what do I do?"
It came from nowhere, so it seems.

Then more flakes fall, like little dreams
That form the white expanse of snow,
A fresh new look of where you'll go,
And deep within, the kid you still are
Looks past the buried, snowed-in car
And hollers:
"Do you wanna
build a
SNOWMAN?!"

Morning Glory

Today I will finish reading a book that has been one of the best reads ever: 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael E. Gaitley. In 33 short daily readings I have learned so much and am ready today for an amazing thing called Marian consecration, in which I entrust myself to Jesus through Mary.

On the Cross at Calvary, Jesus said to his beloved disciple John, "behold your Mother," and to Mary He said, "behold your son," and from that day forward John took Mary into his home (John 19:27). What I never really knew or thought of before was how Jesus wasn't talking to just John, but using John to represent every single one of us in all of humanity. Behold, she is our mother, and we too should take her into our homes (/hearts) from this day forward. By consecrating myself to Jesus through Mary, I am allowing Mary, Jesus' mother, whom He has given to all of us as our mother as well, to bring me closer to her Son. It's a very special bond between me and my heavenly mama.

Fr. Gaitley's book takes the reader through the Marian teachings of four great saints: St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Blessed Mother Teresa, and Blessed Pope John Paul II. Whether or not you expect yourself to be ready to make a consecration at the end of the book, I would highly recommend reading this simple and engaging book about the Blessed Mother's relationship to us, her children on earth. She loves us deeply and wants to be closer to us, like a real mom, and ultimately wants us to be intimate with her Son Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

Forever alone?

I know, I know. Another "faith" blog post, on a blog that is also supposed to be a place to share my creative writing! But I have been meaning for a long time to post an update on my blog about my commitment to being single. I blogged about it last March because I believed that my reasons for committing to being single could be helpful to other young women. Once again, I would like to share about this more personal thing with my readers, because I think that sharing the things we learn can benefit others too. 

My six months ended on August 31, but by then I had already decided I was going to extend it until Christmas, and maybe even for the full year (until March.) I extended it because I saw how good it was to be focused on loving God alone and not looking to change anything, and I thought that there was a lot more good that "focusing on being single" could still do for me if I continued it further. To be honest, I was not living up to my idea of "single-heartedness" half the time and I wanted to keep working on it.

But then I read an article that made me rethink a couple of things. 

In this world you will have troubles

Every time I get upset or overwhelmed at the problems in the world around me, God says the same thing to me - and, every time, I have forgotten it again. Sometimes it's easy to look at the world's problems and get discouraged at the fact that the world is so big, and I am so small. And only after an hour of ranting does the Holy Spirit swoop in with the same words of comfort that I hear every time.

Last night, one such hour of ranting happened, where one complaint leads to another and another and before I know it, I'm feeling helpless in a world that's heading in the wrong direction. It is the specific intention of the devil to discourage me from feeling like I can do anything to help anything - but it is the specific intention of the Lord to encourage me with the fact that, indeed, I cannot do anything on my own, but with Him, I can do anything.

Happy Monday and a little more of Espanola

Happy Monday! And isn't it a beautiful one!

This is a must-see skit that the Revive Espanola team and youth retreat volunteers put on during their awesome youth retreat. If you've seen the original skit on Youtube you'll see that their version is just as good - if not better! Good job Revive!!

And for your enjoyment I will share with you a short story I was requested to write of a funny incident that happened while I was in Espanola. You can read it on the Revive Espanola blog here. :)

Have a great week!!