Thursday, June 9, 2011

before i go...

Well, tomorrow I officially leave for my European adventure. I thought I would do one last post before I go, so here it is. In the past few days, I've realized a lot about myself and my relationships with others. I've started to realize how much of life is giving and how much of life is receiving. The two go hand in hand with each other. Most of the time when I give someone something or give someone myself, I don't ask for or expect anything in return. Which I think is the way everyone should do things, never expecting anything in return. Yet, it must go both ways. Others should respect you enough to give back to you what you have given them or anything in return for that matter.
   Another thing I've been thinking about a lot lately is this thing called unconditional love. I've heard it over and over again in Religion class and various other places, but never sat down and thought about it. How important this kind of love is in any relationship whether it be with your parents, your friends, a boyfriend or girlfriend, or with God. This must be the only type of love in which you give to others. If you care enough for someone to tell them you love them and really mean it, you must love them under any conditions. I've noticed lately how that doesn't always happen, as much as we would like to think it does. These past few days, weeks and months to come I am going to be searching for and learning a lot of new things about myself that I never knew existed. You are the only one who can love yourself unconditionally at every moment of every day.
     So if anyone is reading this, thank you for that. Keep us all in your prayers as we travel throughout Europe and keep me in your prayers as I go on a journey of self-discovery.



Eat a crepe, draw a picture, and always

stay.beautiful

Saturday, June 4, 2011

a few random thoughts

The last few months for me have been filled with this search to find who I really am, and who I want to become the next few years in college. I've been trying to figure out what really makes me happy in life and I've been trying to so just that, be happy. Don't stop reading! I promise this isn't another one of those "I'm searching for happiness" cliche stories( Or at least I hope it isn't.) But I've realized that I have been looking outside of myself to try and find it. I'm currently reading the book Eat, Pray, Love which is fitting because I leave for Europe on Friday. In reading it, I have come to see that the path to happiness doesn't lie with other people. Happiness may come from being around other people but it must ultimately stem from you. After a long few months of sadness and a feeling of being lost, I know I'm going to be more than okay. Whatever is supposed to happen will happen in Gods time. As Father said in the homily last Sunday, " There can be no Resurrection without the suffering of the cross."


Random thought: This past week I have been to two funerals. One was for an older man who served in Vietnam and lived a long, good life. He was married for 63 years. I bet you're thinking " Holy crap, 63 years?! " because I thought the same thing. The second funeral I went to this week was for a friend of ours who was diagnosed with lung cancer in November. He was only 51 years old and accepted his death with such holiness and grace.
When I was younger I would always tell myself I wanted to make a difference in the world. I wanted to impact someone in a way that they would never forget me. I think everyone thinks this in their lives. Mr. Grosserode in your last few weeks here on Earth with us, you taught many people how to accept God's will for them. Help me to remember that it is not mine, but His will to be done. And help me to accept whatever comes my way with the humility and grace in which you did. RIP.

Be happy, say a prayer, and always

stay.beautiful