I have been getting into reading lots of new blogs recently (over the last week) and I've found that it might help to get into this blog scene like I want to, if I organized my blog a little bit better.
My goal will be to post certain things on certain days of the week.
Sunday: Reflection
Monday: Work Week Related Post
Wednesday: School Update Post (will change after December of course!) :-)
Friday: 7 Quick Things (? Not sure...but it seems this is a blog trend that is fun!)
Work Week Post to follow!!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sunday Reflection
Today is my 26th Birthday. I woke up feeling sick but to a big smile and giggle from my almost 2 yr old nephew. Joy was definitely present because he having his morning milk and enjoying his morning shows, then started running around the family room showing off. I asked for a hug and he continued to run, but the 4 month old nephew opened his arms to me to make up for it.
I am torn about this birthday. I feel like it's the least exciting I've had. I guess that happens. I guess there are a lot of things that I am in waiting for that keep me from being completely excited. However...in reflecting, though this day may not be monumental...this year of my life has been the most amazing yet. I find myself saying that every year, but this year, once again tops it all. Here's a review, in case you missed anything:
- My sister gave birth to two beautiful, healthy, good size twins! My little M & M were born on 6/16, kicking up the summer with a bang!
- My oldest nephew learned my favorite new word (among tons of others of course), AUNTIE, and uses more and more frequently with every passing day.
- God Blessed me with a refund from school, which allowed me to go on my first (of hopefully many) trip to Haiti!
- The realization that this is my last full semester at school.
- I've learned to trust in ways more than I could ever have dreamed.
- I have moved to a quiet town, with nature surrounding me, and a great deal of simplicity.
- My grandfather had surgery and came out of it just fine.
I am sure there are more, but I'm now distracted by laughing babies. Thanks for sharing in my year of joy and goodness!
I am torn about this birthday. I feel like it's the least exciting I've had. I guess that happens. I guess there are a lot of things that I am in waiting for that keep me from being completely excited. However...in reflecting, though this day may not be monumental...this year of my life has been the most amazing yet. I find myself saying that every year, but this year, once again tops it all. Here's a review, in case you missed anything:
- My sister gave birth to two beautiful, healthy, good size twins! My little M & M were born on 6/16, kicking up the summer with a bang!
- My oldest nephew learned my favorite new word (among tons of others of course), AUNTIE, and uses more and more frequently with every passing day.
- God Blessed me with a refund from school, which allowed me to go on my first (of hopefully many) trip to Haiti!
- The realization that this is my last full semester at school.
- I've learned to trust in ways more than I could ever have dreamed.
- I have moved to a quiet town, with nature surrounding me, and a great deal of simplicity.
- My grandfather had surgery and came out of it just fine.
I am sure there are more, but I'm now distracted by laughing babies. Thanks for sharing in my year of joy and goodness!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Life Lessons, Teach Me Your Way oh Lord!
This week has been one of many lessons. Today being the greatest. As I continued to see posts in my news feed about the rising number of deaths in Haiti due to the outbreak of Cholera, I felt more and more like I was getting sick myself. Literally, last night I started to notice that my tonsils were a little swollen (they do this often). Then as today went on, I noticed a headache build...then the soreness in my face in my sinuses. All I could think of was, "I can't possibly cook, would love something softer to eat, I wish there was a Boston Market near my house". As I was thinking these things and I almost outwardly complained in the car about being starving and exhausted, God gently reminded me of my brothers and sisters in Haiti.
People, hundreds, are dying...from a sickness causing diahrea...and I don't feel like cooking because I have a little bit of sinus issues. I would like, not only just a drive through, but one of my favorite choices. People are dying. People living out of ridiculous tent housing 9 months after a terrible earthquake are dying from a sicknes that causes diahrea.
Hello Life Lesson of the Day. Lord, I offer you my life, my headache, my soreness, my everything. I offer it all to you for the people of Haiti suffering. Teach me your way, the way of sacrifice for love of others. Help me to die to myself and glorify you.
"That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease ...Lord, grant me the grace to desire it" -from the Litany of Humility
People, hundreds, are dying...from a sickness causing diahrea...and I don't feel like cooking because I have a little bit of sinus issues. I would like, not only just a drive through, but one of my favorite choices. People are dying. People living out of ridiculous tent housing 9 months after a terrible earthquake are dying from a sicknes that causes diahrea.
Hello Life Lesson of the Day. Lord, I offer you my life, my headache, my soreness, my everything. I offer it all to you for the people of Haiti suffering. Teach me your way, the way of sacrifice for love of others. Help me to die to myself and glorify you.
"That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease ...Lord, grant me the grace to desire it" -from the Litany of Humility
Monday, October 18, 2010
Haiti & My Heart
M' Sonje Ayiti ANPIL! (I miss Haiti a LOT).
This past weekend I drove to visit my sister/brother-in-law and the kids. On my way, I got stuck in random traffic and decided to throw on the Creole Lesson cd that Emily made for our group to practice with before our trip. I got to the song parts and realized just how much I really was learning. There are some words that I just can't say fully as fast as they are sung, so a few words while singing get mushed together, but I know what they are saying. I've also been digging into my Creole Made Easy book at home the past week.
I miss the kids a lot. I've seen tons of children in the past few weeks, but I long for the kids in Duverger. With all of my heart...I long to witness that trust, as I continually prove to myself how much of it I still have to learn.
I was singing and dancing like a fool in the car but it was so much fun. The joy of the Lord will be my strength!
This past weekend I drove to visit my sister/brother-in-law and the kids. On my way, I got stuck in random traffic and decided to throw on the Creole Lesson cd that Emily made for our group to practice with before our trip. I got to the song parts and realized just how much I really was learning. There are some words that I just can't say fully as fast as they are sung, so a few words while singing get mushed together, but I know what they are saying. I've also been digging into my Creole Made Easy book at home the past week.
I miss the kids a lot. I've seen tons of children in the past few weeks, but I long for the kids in Duverger. With all of my heart...I long to witness that trust, as I continually prove to myself how much of it I still have to learn.
I was singing and dancing like a fool in the car but it was so much fun. The joy of the Lord will be my strength!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Freedoms
In a note that Johnna wrote recently about Manno (a friend from Haiti) and his first ever trip to the US, his first time ever out of Haiti in his whole life, she mentioned the difference between Haiti and the US in a way I had never thought of before, which led me to think about freedom.
This part is what struck me very deeply: "Walking next to him I realized how big and out of place his movements were. In Haiti his size and voice and exaggerated, excited movements just seem to make sense. Maybe because Haiti doesn’t contain people at all, but rather just lets you spill out across the mountains. But in a crowd of excited Disney Tourists I thought maybe America was too small for him."
The part about Haiti doesn't contain people at all and America being too small...for someone from Haiti...The idea is actually ludicrous. America is, by land mass definitions, huge compared to the small half an island that is Haiti. But it is true, in America, we have to "fit in" where in Haiti, my short limited experience was to break out, and be all. Be all in a sense that I could be a holy, mature, woman of God, yet in the very next second, be a laughing, childlike person going around the dinner table shouting back and forth with kids "Ou Fou, Ou Fou" (You are a fool) and laughing till no end. I could be a clothing supplier in one moment, and a beach lover the next. I could be mother, friend, sister, helper and the helpee all at once. While here in my own country, I feel as though we are expected to just simply grow up and be a responsible member of society and "fit in". Fit into what I'm not exactly sure.
Fit in to the right clothes? Fit in to the right social group? Fit in to the right Church community even? It is funny how much of my Humanities Seminar is fitting to my life. We just read from a book written by a guy, Bellah, and he talks about the seperation of people from the First Language in America (the self, individualism) from the second language (Community) and how that could be detrimental to our society. I think in Haiti, the first language is Community and honestly, I would dare to say they don't even have any other language.
For the first time ever, when I was in Haiti, I was surrounded by people of a different race, yet no one cared, literally, we were all one bodu, believers in the dignity that we all share. I got off the truck to be embraced with love. I gave and received love instantly. There was no "let me get to know you first"...it just happened. There was no difference in our village between orphans and kids with parents, we all came together, we all laughed and loved.
Dear Jesus,
You are teaching me so much and I am so grateful. May I continue to learn life's lessons from meditating on this amazing trip. Draw me closer to you. Help me to lead others closer to You and the idea that you created each individual human being on this planet and each one deserves respect in their dignity as human persons, even if that comes with a cost. Amen!
This part is what struck me very deeply: "Walking next to him I realized how big and out of place his movements were. In Haiti his size and voice and exaggerated, excited movements just seem to make sense. Maybe because Haiti doesn’t contain people at all, but rather just lets you spill out across the mountains. But in a crowd of excited Disney Tourists I thought maybe America was too small for him."
The part about Haiti doesn't contain people at all and America being too small...for someone from Haiti...The idea is actually ludicrous. America is, by land mass definitions, huge compared to the small half an island that is Haiti. But it is true, in America, we have to "fit in" where in Haiti, my short limited experience was to break out, and be all. Be all in a sense that I could be a holy, mature, woman of God, yet in the very next second, be a laughing, childlike person going around the dinner table shouting back and forth with kids "Ou Fou, Ou Fou" (You are a fool) and laughing till no end. I could be a clothing supplier in one moment, and a beach lover the next. I could be mother, friend, sister, helper and the helpee all at once. While here in my own country, I feel as though we are expected to just simply grow up and be a responsible member of society and "fit in". Fit into what I'm not exactly sure.
Fit in to the right clothes? Fit in to the right social group? Fit in to the right Church community even? It is funny how much of my Humanities Seminar is fitting to my life. We just read from a book written by a guy, Bellah, and he talks about the seperation of people from the First Language in America (the self, individualism) from the second language (Community) and how that could be detrimental to our society. I think in Haiti, the first language is Community and honestly, I would dare to say they don't even have any other language.
For the first time ever, when I was in Haiti, I was surrounded by people of a different race, yet no one cared, literally, we were all one bodu, believers in the dignity that we all share. I got off the truck to be embraced with love. I gave and received love instantly. There was no "let me get to know you first"...it just happened. There was no difference in our village between orphans and kids with parents, we all came together, we all laughed and loved.
Dear Jesus,
You are teaching me so much and I am so grateful. May I continue to learn life's lessons from meditating on this amazing trip. Draw me closer to you. Help me to lead others closer to You and the idea that you created each individual human being on this planet and each one deserves respect in their dignity as human persons, even if that comes with a cost. Amen!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
A Funny Thing: Trust
A funny thing happened yesterday. A dear friend of mine asked me how Haiti was. I started to share and before I knew it I was sharing something I hadn't even realized until the words came out. And it all makes sense to how I've been living since I got back.
TRUST.
I was telling her that going to Haiti, and seeing the children, who immediately were joyful to have us there, have a confidence in you. They see missionaries, and they know, "Here are more people who will love me with their whole hearts, hold me, take care of me." They have learned with the groups coming/going, that when a group comes, it is full of people who will love them and play with them. They trust.
Then, if children trust in me with their whole hearts, then how much more should I trust the God who sent his Son to love and provide for me.
I trust that He loves me unconditionally. I trust that He has a plan, just for me. The unfolding of that plan intertwines with the plans of a lot of other children of God. The important thing I'm realizing is that not one person's plan can be carried out alone, it is all dependent and woven on another person's journey.
TRUST.
I was telling her that going to Haiti, and seeing the children, who immediately were joyful to have us there, have a confidence in you. They see missionaries, and they know, "Here are more people who will love me with their whole hearts, hold me, take care of me." They have learned with the groups coming/going, that when a group comes, it is full of people who will love them and play with them. They trust.
Then, if children trust in me with their whole hearts, then how much more should I trust the God who sent his Son to love and provide for me.
I trust that He loves me unconditionally. I trust that He has a plan, just for me. The unfolding of that plan intertwines with the plans of a lot of other children of God. The important thing I'm realizing is that not one person's plan can be carried out alone, it is all dependent and woven on another person's journey.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Changes
I haven't posted too much because school has begun. And while I'm only there one night a week, the work is hefty. I'm mostly busy doing graphic design stuff. That class is very interesting but definitely more of a challenge than I thought.
My favorite is my Humanities class. I didn't think that could ever be possible. Previously at Albertus, I've had the "I'm a liberal, you should abandon all previous opinions about life and history, and accept my views cause I'm smart and your a dumb student" type of professor. And now, I have a more philosophical, "let's learn from each other because we're all human beings seeking deeper knowledge"
What I've learned and thought about in the past two weeks through this class is amazing. Mostly, I've learned how to really get into a deep contemplative place in my mind, to contemplate deep matters of being, of life. It's like being in a different world.
It has led me to very deep thoughts as I lie in bed waiting to fall asleep, which sometimes only brings me to greater awareness and alertness, keeping me from sleep. I read the Apology and the Phaedo by Plato for the first time through this class...and I keep meditating still on the words of Socrates to one of his followers about death. How, as philosophers, they view the goal of life to think of things related to the soul, to find truth in what that is and such...and how that means for them that death (the separation of the body from the soul) is actually not a bad thing because then if they are only soul, they can be free from the distraction of the body (basic needs and distractiosn like food and surroundings)...it's a crazy idea...but we believe that as Catholics too. In a way. At death, my soul is what lives on, the only death is of the body. Then I can be free from worldy, bodily distractions (appearance, needs, etc) and focus soley (pun intended) on the matters of the soul!
If we meditate on this, we will not fear death, but accept it whenever it may come.
My favorite is my Humanities class. I didn't think that could ever be possible. Previously at Albertus, I've had the "I'm a liberal, you should abandon all previous opinions about life and history, and accept my views cause I'm smart and your a dumb student" type of professor. And now, I have a more philosophical, "let's learn from each other because we're all human beings seeking deeper knowledge"
What I've learned and thought about in the past two weeks through this class is amazing. Mostly, I've learned how to really get into a deep contemplative place in my mind, to contemplate deep matters of being, of life. It's like being in a different world.
It has led me to very deep thoughts as I lie in bed waiting to fall asleep, which sometimes only brings me to greater awareness and alertness, keeping me from sleep. I read the Apology and the Phaedo by Plato for the first time through this class...and I keep meditating still on the words of Socrates to one of his followers about death. How, as philosophers, they view the goal of life to think of things related to the soul, to find truth in what that is and such...and how that means for them that death (the separation of the body from the soul) is actually not a bad thing because then if they are only soul, they can be free from the distraction of the body (basic needs and distractiosn like food and surroundings)...it's a crazy idea...but we believe that as Catholics too. In a way. At death, my soul is what lives on, the only death is of the body. Then I can be free from worldy, bodily distractions (appearance, needs, etc) and focus soley (pun intended) on the matters of the soul!
If we meditate on this, we will not fear death, but accept it whenever it may come.
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