A Child's Repentance

I witnessed one of the most beautiful things today. I went to confession this afternoon to clean my soul and saw a mother with her two daughters doing the same (I saw her husband and son go to confession last week). I would estimate that the oldest daughter is in the 3rd grade and the younger daughter in the 1st grade (she didn't receive the Sacrament). The reason why this was so beautiful to me was because of the great witness of a truly Christian family. To pass on those kind of ideals, values, and morals, to pass on and educate to your children the importance of confessing your sins and the reality of the Lord's mercy is what is so beautiful and awe striking to me. This is not something you see everyday, but it was something that I saw today. This brings me hope and excitement. Hope for the fact that there are families out there raising their children in a truly Catholic and truthful way. Excitement for the fact that one day, God willing, I will have the opportunity to raise some kiddos of my own in the same manner as this family I am referencing. To see a family pass on the truth to little ones really gives one hope.

It may be so easy right now in our world to see only the negative. We see children not acting like innocent children and we see parents not acting like responsible parents. How crazy! My advice would be to look for the positive. It may take some searching but, I promise, those positive examples are out there... and they are more numerous than you think.

PeopleTowels

What a great Sunday morning I had! I first started the day right by going to Mass, and this got me in such a good mood. When I walked out of the front door to head to church, the earth smelled of a damp spring day, and it was so warm out! After Mass, I came home, read the bulletin (which I love to read every Sunday), poured a cup of coffee, and pulled out my IPad to do a little searching on the web. I eat Kashi cereal and other Kashi products (they are healthy, natural, and some products are organic) and if I recycle the boxes I am able to earn points (if submitted online) which add up to coupons. While drinking my coffee, I submitted the code on the box to earn my points for recycling the box. By doing this, I discovered a new product, called PeopleTowels, which promotes sustainability and reducing waste. Basically, the concept is to stop using all of the paper towels we waste and use these cotton hand towels, whether in the home, at the office, in your lunch box, or out-and-about. The towels are so cute with all their various designs. Plus,  by using these towels, you are helping to save the earth. Even if you aren't interested in purchasing, I suggest to check out the website: www.peopletowels.com. What a cool product and great idea!

More cool, unique, and interesting websites to come!

Say a Little Prayer for You

When I go running I have all the time in the world to think, reflect, and dream. Since the majority of my runs are about thirty minutes, I have quite a good chunk of time in the peace and quiet. On many of my runs I like to pray the rosary since I have the perfect amount of time (it takes me about 25 minutes to pray the rosary). I received a tiny one decade beaded rosary from one of my friends. She brought this gift back to me from Italy, where she studied for a semester. This little rosary is the perfect tool, or shall I say weapon, to use on my runs. Praying the rosary while I am running helps me endure any difficulties I may be having on the run.

I had an excellent run on Monday. I took my little rosary, made the sign of the cross, and thought about what or who that rosary should be prayed for. For whatever reason, and God only knows, one of my very best friends came to mind. I took that as a sign from God and prayed the rosary for her on that day. Maybe she needed those extra prayers. I don't take it as coincidence that she popped into my head. It was all the Lord's doing. One of the best things about it is that I prayed for her while on my run and she has not a clue! Sure, I could have told her, and I actually thought about doing so, but sometimes it is nice to pray for someone in secret and let the Holy Spirit do the work.

On my run today I grabbed my little rosary but, instead of praying the rosary, I prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. I went on a shorter run today so the chaplet was a perfect  fit for the day. I understand that sometimes  people do not have twenty-five minutes to pray the rosary, but the chaplet is a great way to pray but in less time. It really only takes five to seven minutes to pray the chaplet. This is quite an amazing prayer and I suggest that whoever reads this tries praying the chaplet at least once. If you need help in learning how to pray it I would sure be happy to help!

I want to make one last quick comment about a little God moment I experienced today. As I was driving to physical therapy this morning, I was listening to the Christian radio station (KLove 97.3) and was rocking out to some truly awesome and wholesome music. It truly is spectacular how you can encounter the Lord's presence in such small and simple ways. Today, I encountered Him through music. It's as simple as that.

Parroted: to repeat or imitate without thought or understanding (dictionary.com) - just like the bird!

A Runner's Heart

I couldn't help but notice all sorts of people running and walking outside today in this beautiful weather. I was glad for them that they had the opportunity to enjoy the warm, fresh air. It was nice to see so many people outside... something you don't normally see in the middle of January. Once I came home from work I headed to the outdoors and did a little running of my own. And let me tell you, it felt so good. I haven't ran that well in a long time.

I will be back at my college town the first weekend in February because I am house-sitting for the family that took me in for the semester. My friends will be very excited that I will be around for the entire weekend. It will be good to see my close friends and have some quality time and conversations with them. I am looking forward to this.

I just wanted to share a little bit tonight. I hope you all are enjoying it! Feel free to "follow" me and leave comments :)

I am a Scientist

It's not the snowfall that is making me excited tonight. I just checked my email and found out that my psychology study, which I had been working on all semester, was accepted to the APS (Association for Psychological Sciences) Convention May 24-27, 2012 in CHICAGO! My partner and I will present a poster of our study at the convention in Chicago. This is exciting news because this study is true science. The study elicited results which gives us further knowledge of the variables we studied. If you are curious about the study I would be more than happy to share what is was about and what we found. This is exciting stuff!

Everything else is going well in my life. I really enjoy my new job and I have made more friends from the young adult group I am involved in. Within this group I have joined a bible study which meets every Tuesday night. I was able to meet the ladies in this study this past Tuesday and I think it will be beneficial. I am excited that I am getting plugged into a community. There are tons of events and I am meeting more and more people.

However, I feel like I am slaking on the studying that I should be doing for the GRE. I don't have a deadline for when I will take the test so I can't get motivated. Plus, I am not exactly sure how I am going to study differently from the last time I took it. Any suggestions would be rather helpful! I am doing some extra reading, which is good, but that's not gonna cut it.

Unfortunately, I cannot find a good word for today. As you can see, I probably need to start studying.

The Next Phase

Today, I had the joy of catching up with three of my close friends from school. The big topic of each conversation was life: where am I now? For those three wonderful ladies, their lives consist of heading back to school and starting their last semester of college. For me, my life consists of getting a new job, creating a schedule for my life, and plugging into a young adult Catholic community here. The question they all asked was, "are you sad?"

I go on Facebook and I see that everyone is heading back to school. There's mention of their last semester, how they can't wait to be with their "family" back at school (that place really was a family), and how they are so excited to start the next semester. As for me, none of that is running across my Facebook status.

So, to answer the question, I am not sad. I am not sad that all my friends are going back to school without me. I am not sad that they get to be surrounded by so many wonderful people while I will not be around those same people. It doesn't phase me, none of it is phasing me, because I am beginning the next phase of my life here. I am starting a new job tomorrow (which I am so excited about) and I am meeting new friends through the Catholic community that I have joined. I don't feel left out of the BC bubble at all. I understand that I am where I am for a reason. I am so excited to see who the Lord brings into my life this round. Think of all the people He has brought into my life beginning four years ago. Why would I not be excited for the new people He allows to enter into my life?

Sure, I could wallow in sadness, feeling as if I am missing out, but I am not missing out on the life God has in store for me this next semester. He is going to do great things in my life these next few months, even though they are transition months. That's why I am not sad. I am not missing out because God has put me here for a reason, and I will live, discover, and grow with whatever He throws at me. This is what I look forward to.

I will surely miss my friends. I will miss the availability and the convenience that I had with them. However, I look forward to those days when I receive a phone call, when they come to visit, and when we set up coffee dates. I look forward to those moments and know that those moments count and will help us grow closer in friendship.

Sadness? No. Excitement? Yes!

Good Company

"No road is long with good company."
-Turkish Proverb

This was a quote starting a chapter in one of the books that I am currently reading. When I read it I immediately thought of the time my dear friend and I drove to Denver for spring break. An eight to nine hour drive gets pretty long, but we someone managed to chat almost the entire way. Let me tell you, as the driver, the road did not seem too long because of the good company that I had. Thank you dear friend!

That chapter was about how we are created for relationships. How true this is! I am discovering more and more how I have extrovert tendencies. I am noticing that I feed off of people. I need to have contact with people. For instance, I had two appointments today, and what blessings they were for me simply because I came in contact with multiple people. How necessary this is for my life! If you would have asked me a year ago if I am an extrovert or an introvert, I would have definitely said that I am an introvert. I am not an extreme extrovert. No way! I would say that I have qualities of both an extrovert and an introvert, probably right in the middle between the two. If you want to know more about what being an extrovert and an introvert is, I would sure be happy to share. I love this stuff!

Here's a vocab word for you: uncanny. This word means extraordinary. So, for instance, I have an uncanny ability to achieve my daily goals. Uncanny can also mean mysterious. That crazy lady has an uncanny look about her.

Well, that's all for tonight. However, I have this uncanny feeling that tomorrow is going to be a great day!

My Intellectual Side

I realize that only two blogs ago I said that I was back to blogging, and only wrote one blog after that, and both of those blogs were in the summer. I am not in to new year resolutions because a "new year resolution" connotates that the resolution will most likely end only after a month or so. I don't buy into new year resolutions. I am all about living a better life, whether it is a healthier, happier, more meaningful life, etc. Blogging isn't a new year resolution. It is a way to help me grow in faith, contemplation, and VOCABULARY!

Vocab? Really? I must be nuts! There is a reason to this madness. You see, I have to retake the GRE. After spending countless hours studying for the GRE that I took in the summer, I told myself that no matter what score I received I would not take it ever again. Studying was that bad! I scored very well on the math section but not so hot on the vocab section, and I spent WAY more time studying for vocab. However, I will be retaking the GRE sometime this semester to get that score up despite the fact that I refused to ever take it again. God, how sneaky He can be. Blogging is now a tool I am using to help me with my vocab. I figure that since I have the semester off from any intellectual activity, i.e. no school, I better do something to keep my mind fresh. Therefore, I plan on reading and blogging to keep new words flowing through my brain. Aren't you all so lucky to read the fruits of my study tool! Ha!

As I was "studying vocabulary" (reading a book) tonight, I came across a few words that I needed to look up. Here's one for you:

 AUDACITY - boldness or daring.

I believe that I have the audacity to retake the GRE, kick it in the face, and have the goal to receive a Ph.D. in counseling psychology. Audacity. Yeah, I like that word. And let me tell you, once this GRE is over, I will be in a state of euphoria... happiness. Yep, another vocab word.

Thanks for helping me become an intellectual!