Thankful.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to contribute to Radiant Magazine!

It is a publication with a beautiful mission and it is an honor to be involved with it.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to write for the glory of God-- this is one of my most precious dreams.

Thank you to Radiant Magazine, but most of all, Thank you, God! I can't wait to see what You have planned for me next!

Check out Radiant Magazine's Fall Issue!

tomorrow.

life is going to change tomorrow.
i feel like i should know what to expect, im moving to a familiar house,but yet the thought of moving there, of living there instead of visiting makes it unfamiliar.
i know i'll be seeing my family again soon, but knowing i will be living somewhere different makes the thought of saying goodbye so hard.

im usually not a fan of change. but i don't know how to feel about this one.
i'm thrilled to be starting the next step of my life, but terrified at the same time.

how strange.

mindfulness.

Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.
-Mother Teresa

Marriage Blog Post

I love this blog post about marriage! It makes me even more excited to get married!

You be You and I'll be me

Dear God,

I'm realizing that things are going to be radically different starting 7 days from now.

I'll be moving to a new state and starting a new job.

Shortly after that, I'll be marrying the love of my life, my best friend.

I'm super excited for all these changes, I know it's all part of the great adventure you have planned for my life, but that doesn't mean I'm not scared, terrified, even for it all to begin.

I just keep trying to remember that, no matter what, You're still You and I'm still me; that's never going to change. You will always be there for me, loving me into existence. And I just pray that I continue to grow into the person you've intended me to be.

Love,

me

What's a girl to do?

I want so badly to be like Mary.

She's beautiful. She's pure. She's the epitome of holiness.

She's everything I want to be.

There's just one problem, I don't know how to be like her (and trust me I've tried). I've prayed for the grace to emulate her. I've prayed that I grow in each of the ten Marian virtues. But no matter what, I don't feel like I'm getting closer. She still seems so far out of my league. 

The one aspect of Mary that particularly alludes me is her purity. How do I even begin to mirror her purity; she's called "Virgin Most Pure" for crying out loud! I, on the other hand, am so easily tempted. How do I love as she loves, purely, patiently, giving completely of herself?

I guess I have to remember first of all that Mary was human, just like I am. She was flesh and blood, not some angelic being. Therefore, it is safe to say that she was tempted, although she never gave into temptation and sinned. She is Queen of Virgins, not because she was never tempted, but because she overcame those temptations (by God's grace, of course) and remained pure. 

I can do the same. Yes, it will not be easy, but it is possibly. Mary ought to represent not an unattainable goal but the proof that victory is possible.

What I'm still wondering is: how does one practically live out a love like Mary's, especiallyin a romantic relationship?

Thoughts?

A Much Needed Reminder

Good Question.

"Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" Corrie Ten Boom

"Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life; rather look to them with full hope that as they arise, God, whose very own you are, will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand it, God will carry you in His arms. Do not fear what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today, will take care of you then and every day. He will either shield you from suffering, or will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings." -St. Francis de Sales

So needed in the face of a busy part-time job, preparing for my first full-time teaching job, and planning my wedding .

True Love Hurts

"It is not enough to say, 'I love you.' Not enough; do something. And that something should be something that hurts you. Because true love hurts. When you look at the Cross, you know how Jesus loved us. He died on the Cross because He loved you and He loved me. And he wants us to love like that."

Bl. Mother Teresa

Know.

"Only if there is love, if hearts are opened, can one person truly know the other."
  Pope Benedict XVI

Isn't it amazing?

"Think about it. The God who created the universe, who set the stars in their place, who is mightier than the fiercest storm on the greatest ocean, the God who rules the limitless cosmos - this God speaks to you. He is interested in you personally. He wants your life to work well. He has a plan for your life and he wants to tell you about it. Isn't that amazing?"

Fr. Michael Scanlan, T.O.R.

“how beautiful it is to let oneself be loved by God, because if you feel loved you can do anything..."

 -Enrico Petrillo, husband of Chiara Corbella, a woman who sacrificed her own life for the life of her unborn child

Empathy?

I think I have a problem.
I get WAY too attached to fictional characters.
Book characters, T.V. show characters, movie characters...it doesn't matter.

The T.V. characters really mess with me, I'll be watching episode after episode, thinking, "Ok, after this one, I'll stop and go to bed." But then, the drama builds, one relationship is about to bloom and another is about to fall apart...then it's over. I seriously can't stop and go to bed because it just makes me too darn sad. sigh.

 

Simply Faith.

I was helping my 6 year old sister with her religion homework today and was struck by the beautiful simplicity of our faith. Why do we always make things so complicated, especially our faith? Some of the most difficult questions I ask myself can be answered by simple statements of faith.
Why am I here? What is my purpose in life?  
God created me to know, love, and serve Him and to one day be happy with Him in Heaven.
Who am I?  
I am a beloved child of God, born into His family through Baptism.

 "And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'" Matthew 18:3

"The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others." - Vincent VanGogh

 

(some of) The women I admire most...

Flannery O'Connor 

Chiara Luce

St. Edith Stein

St. Catherine of Siena

Audrey Assad 

 Mama Mary
And many, many, more...too many to list here...to be continued

The dangers of anxiety for the life of the soul

‎"Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall the soul — except sin. . . . When our heart is troubled and disturbed within itself, it loses the strength necessary to maintain the virtues that it had acquired. At the same time, it loses the means to resist the temptations of the enemy, who then uses his utmost efforts to fish, as they say, in troubled waters.” - St. Francis de Sales

Happy Birthday G.K. Chesterton!

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” 

G.K. Chesterton