Advent; Present and Alert

Today is Advent. The beginning of the Revised Translation of the Roman Missal. Since I worked this weekend, I went to Mass last night for the Sunday Vigil. As the lector took to the pulpit and for 20ish minutes read to us about the new translation, followed by father's explanation for another 10, I was thinking "Are you freaking kidding me? You waited until the day to do this? Where was the preparations beforehand? This should've been done in the months preceding, not tonight!" Father also announced that there would be no singing which was very ridiculous since we had been singing the new music for over a month. That was the only preparation we actually did (well except a poorly attended video explanation of it) and we couldn't even do that part?!?! I know I'm being very judgmental, however, I myself was prepared for this. I endured a 10+ hour lecture on this and I did my homework. I was SOOO excited for the change and then last night was just a crazy disappointment. I love my church. It's beyond gorgeous, but I was so disappointed at how it was played out. It was just chaotic. Not this beautiful thing. I'm hoping it gets better, because I LOVE this new translation. I really do. I was leery at first, but I made my peace with it. I did my homework and was prepared. I just wish I could say the rest of my parish was as well. After reading a reflection today it gave me a question to ponder/pray about. The reflection ended this way:

"We face four weeks of fairly relentless activity; point and shoot (the reflection was about a photographer). But the liturgy is calling us in another direction, toward mindfulness, toward vigil and alertness. Is there some wisdom in these readings that can help us negotiate this tension?"

What pops out to me in this is the word 'vigil'. As I worked this weekend I was able to keep a vigil with one of our residents as she was actively dying and entered into eternal life this earlier this afternoon. Life is such a gift and  to be there with a person in their last moments is something special and unique. Her death was so peaceful and she was surrounded by all of her family members. It was such a blessing, it was so humbling to be able to care for her these last few months. To see her from my day one to her last day. To be able to hold her hand and pray for her (not with, that's against policy, stupid is what I call it). The gospel says that we need to be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. Death can come on all too quickly. As in this case, just the other day she told me, "Well if it's cute, it's worth saying hi to." And today she is in a different place entirely. Not to be too morbid, but as I was able to wash her body and get it ready to be taken to the funeral home, I felt like I was doing a great service for her. To give her dignity in her last moments in the place she called home for the last few years. After you watch someone die, you change your whole outlook on life. It is such a gift. You treasure the moments you have with people. You do not know the time or the place when you will meet the God of the Universe face-to-face.

Eternal rest grant unto her O, Lord. And let the perpetual light shine upon her.  May she and all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

 (After I published this it cut off the end. So I made up a new one, but I don't think it's as good as the original. Oh technology, you suck!)

Pumpkin Mania!!!

Last year, my cousin Kassandra asked me if I wanted to carve pumpkins cuz she had a bunch that randomly grew in her garden. How did they grow randomly? Well the year before, after carving pumpkins she threw the guts in her garden and the next autumn, pumpkins galore! I wasn't that thrilled at carving pumpkins or was really all that good at it. But nonetheless, we carved pumpkins that night, until about 4 in the morning when we realized that we didn't have any candles to light them up with. So that resulted in an impromptu trip to WalMart, which is the best time of day to go into WalMart. Since it was Halloween Weekend, we decided to wear wigs. So I wore a mullet wig and she wore a long haired blue wig. The looks were priceless, not to mention the fact that we saw a creepy looking person who was dressed up for Halloween but the way they were made us know that this is what that person dressed up as every day. Oh the people of WalMart...
I thought my pumpkins turned out pretty awesome! I did a new technique of scraping off the top layer of the pumpkin and it's now my favorite thing to do when carving pumpkins!

Nilla Almond!

My first attempt was to carve my dog Nilla. She was a yellow lab. It's not perfect but it is pretty cool. I was proud of myself. I don't remember the rest of the order, but they were also pretty cool. Not perfect, cuz I'm not an artist by any means, but pretty good for an amateur.

From Left: Witch, Bat over the Moon, Nilla, RIP & another Bat

Close Up of the Headstone and a bat flying over the Full Moon. The Bat pumpkin is green so it looked really cool in the light. The moon is pale because it was scraped, not carved.

The scraping is really cool but kinda hard to capture on camera. It probably has to do with the fact that I'm not a very good photographer. This years pumpkins are still in the making, I have carved 5 so far. When I am finished with them all I will share my handiwork! It was fun to bring up some old memories!

I think blogger hates me!

So in the past year or so as I've been very slowly writing in my blog, I enjoy more than ever reading other people's blogs. Especially blog  posts about Catholicism. If you haven't been creeping on me, you probably don't know this. I am one of, well now 5 Catechists for the Theology of the Body program at my Parish (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel) and another parish my priest administrates, St. James. We follow the book "Theology of the Body for Teens." The book is great, don't get me wrong, but there is sooooo much more to bring in. As a single person, my only real responsibilities are to myself and my jobs. I have no one else to care for or anyone who solely relies on me, unlike the other 4 Catechists that I tag-team teach with. They are all married and have children ranging from college age to one in the womb. The others have very little free time in which to research and find extra material in which to present outside of the text.
Like I said at the beginning, I love to read others blogs. And a lot of times, if there is something so good, a point that I can't pass up, I use it in class. This goes for amazing articles that people post on facebook as well. My mom is the DRE of my parish and she has heard the different viewpoints of all of us catechists. She feels that the program should evolve. The videos, to be blunt, kinda, sorta, really suck. They become increasingly boring. Especially when you have to watch them week after week. Don't get me wrong, they are full of incredibly good information. But when you add  23 fifteen year-olds in a room together, in which 95% of them just came from some sort of sports practice after a full day of school and no dinner and pop in these videos, this all equals sleepy teenagers who want to nap or screw around.
Any good teacher (or in my case, catechist) comes into teaching with their ideas. Year one you go through the material. You most likely rate your lessons: That was perfect, that was alright, could be better, that didn't work so good, that bombed, I'll never do that again, etc. Year two comes around and you reuse what works, eliminate what did not, and tweak what needs to be tweaked. You do this year after year. I came into teaching TOB last year when it was in it's third year at our parish. Two of the catechists were there from the beginning and there was myself and another newbie. Well after a year, I had pretty much ranked what we did into some of the above categories. This year we met as teachers. Mind you, one came back who taught the first two years. This caused the other newbie from last year to feel unnecessary and she stopped showing up.  Well we agreed to take certain subjects and group them and kinda teach it in it's entirety, instead of bringing it up in small doses as the chapters seem to skip around sometimes and very much so keep repeating themselves. Some of the students felt that we just kept repeating ourselves week after week. Another thing was to eliminate the videos. Well if there is something good to use, then show that aspect, but they aren't needed for every class.
So after 3 classes it seemed as if that wasn't working and it's slowly started to go back to what it was before with a lot of tangents going on. Tangents are good, if they can be brought back into the subject at hand, but 80% of the time it's off subject for the rest of class and the purpose of the class was never fully finished and we just move on.
As the DRE, my mom wanted to put together another outline, which I helped her with, since I am one of the Catechists. She sent it out to the 4 others and basically I was completely attacked tonight by it. Yes you can say that a lot of it was my input, but halfway through this discussion I had to ask the question, "Do you not want me here? Is that what you are getting at?" I am one to know when I am not wanted and I will up and leave. Part of my growing holier is to cut out things that are not bringing me closer to God. If I am doing nothing but offending the other Catechists because I want to go with the flow of evolving the program and the others want to go back to the "let's watch the video and see where it goes" then mayhaps, I should let them. In a certain sense, that may be the easy route, just let the program be lukewarm, not let it grow and let it remain complacent.
Then I think of the kids, my students. I truly feel like I can connect with them. I'm closer in age to them and they can relate to me better than the others who have 20, 30+ years on them.  I can stand up for my faith and answer the hard questions the way the church does, no matter how hard they try to justify that the world view is right. I am able to take these amazing blog posts, current events articles, papal documents and bring them into the classroom. I have the time and I enjoy doing it! I guess what I need to do is humble myself further and maybe just shut my mouth, which has gotten me in trouble in the past. I hands down LOVE teaching this subject. It challenges me to want to know more about my faith. I want to be able to answer the hard questions and at this point in my life, I am able to put a ton of effort into this! Jesus, allow me to see the plan you have for me. Give me that profound humility that your mother has. Give me the courage to stand up for the truth and to better the program or if it be your will that I walk away and move onto the next part of my life that you have in store for me.
In the end I think we all want to know why blogger hates me. Well it's the fact that when I look at all these blogs they are so personalized, they are artsy, they are pretty, cute and I for the life of me can not figure out how to make mine look good enough to reflect me. Everything I want to change gives me no options to do so and I just can't seem to make a color scheme pop! Ugh...oh well, it'll have to be the weird looking boring thing it's always been. One day, mayhaps, I'll get it to feel like 'me'. For now, I'll just not look at it too much. I guess I'll stop ranting now, but I think the best part of blogging is just getting to spill your guts when you just can't seem to do it any other way.

I'm trying to be a Morning Person

I really don't know why I'm still up but I am. Why would you be surprised that I'm still up at 12:26am? Well I've been working a first shift job all week! That's right kids, I have a big kid job! It only took me 25 years to get one, haha.
Here's how it all went down:
I sing at church every once in a while with three other people. One of those people is Deb. While we were rehearsing one evening she talked about a co-workers daughter who has a CNA job at an Assisted Living. This girl was going back to college and there was a need to fill her position. I became curious and actually had an application from back in January when I picked up applications from a handful of Assisted Livings. So I filled it out. I turned it in the next day (This was a Wednesday) and the next day I was called for an interview which would take place the next Tuesday. I went to my interview and was basically told that if my background check and references all checked out I'd be put on the schedule. The next day (Wednesday) I received a call while at work and it was about a job offer!!! I was sooooooooo excited! I had a big kid job!!! I was going to be making more money than I ever have and be getting a significant amount of hours (About 56-58 every 2 weeks!) I was going to be actually using one of my degrees! Well, certificate. I however, did not want to make the $118 for my CNA exam a waste, I really wanted to use it seeing as I am starting Nursing School next year.
My next step was to put in my two weeks notice at the Country Store. When I did my aunt shit a brick, she also proceeded to bitch me out for 10 minutes. I was really happy no customers came in at that time. She did apologize 10 minutes later and things were just kinda weird for my last two weeks. Oh well. At first I wasn't going to be replaced and 2 days before I was finished a "Now Hiring" sign went in the window. I think they should hire a man, that place lacks testosterone!!!
Anyways, last week Tuesday I started my new job under the title of CNA! Today I pretty much worked on my own and did fairly well. Except I forgot to empty a couple garbage cans. I hope they don't hate me now, but I'm still getting the hang of everything. I was so nervous about learning names cuz I'm soooo bad at it! However, to my surprise, I am pretty sure that I can remember ALL 22 of the residents names! HUZZAH!!! The best part about landing this job: I GET TO WEAR SCRUBS AGAIN!!! I was able to pull them out of retirement. I was like "I remember you! And I remember you! I can't wait to wear you again!" Okay, it really didn't go like that, but I was ridiculously excited to wear them again! I even went to Fleet Farm on Friday and bought two new scrub pants. One is light blue, the other dark purple. I just love how comfortable they are! The best part, I don't have to wear out my good clothes anymore at work. WIN!
So back to the question at hand, why am I feeling guilty for being up? Cuz I've been working 1st shift. Yes, this perpetual night owl is waking up at 5:30am. Tomorrow I have First Aide Training so I get to go in for 9 so I get to 'sleep in'. Haha. I've actually only slept past 10:00 once in like the last 4 weeks. Crazy. I must be becoming an adult. Now that's a scary thought!

Sailboats & Other Fairly Stupid Tales of my Current Life

I haven't posted anything in a while, and I don't think that it's a bad thing. I know that my blog pretty much goes unread, so whether I post or not, I don't think it matters. Therefore, I leave you with a list of things that have been going on in my life lately for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

• No matter what, I think that as long as I shall live, I will freak out and hyperventilate when there is a tornado. As evidenced yesterday when one touched down very close to my house. Apparently the neighbors saw the funnel cloud/tornado out their window. I however, was huddled in the basement, bawling like a baby and praying a Divine Mercy Chaplet & Rosary. Needless to say, Our Lady & her Son won this battle cuz I'm still here as well as everything in my yard, untouched and unharmed. Afterwards I went to find a rainbow since it was still raining but the sun was shining, I didn't find a rainbow but got a few cool pictures of the post tornadic skies.

Standing in the field across the street from my house looking north

Then as I went down the road, I picked some Asparagus! 

• I LOVE Asparagus! I am very thankful that it grows wild on my road. This means that I get to pick it! It not only gives me a delicious meal, but I get some much needed exercise with my dog while I go to pick it. After reading Under the Tuscan Sun and being jealous that the author goes outside and harvests all this amazingly deliciously sounding food, I guess it's kind of the same thing. Starting with the Asparagus in the Spring, followed by onions, raspberries & peas then the countless other fruits and veggies (peppers, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, etc.) that I get to go outside and harvest whenever I become hungry.

Delicious Asparagus that I picked after the Storm! I know it's hard to see to the untrained eye, but there are Six 1-2' stalks!

       Which brings me to my next point:

• After reading Under the Tuscan Sun I became obsessed with herbs and have started growing basil and oregano. The worst part of this is that they are still baby plants and I can't harvest them yet! I am most looking forward to making fresh Pesto, which I fell in love with when I lived in Europe! The Country Store (or Nu U Foods, which is the Hell Hole I slave in) sells a Pesto, but it's a dried version that you add oil to and it's not the same.
• Point 4! My shitty job! Less than two weeks ago I checked my towns Hospital Job Site and they posted a CNA job. FINALLY! So I apply at like 2am Friday. Fast forward less than 12 hours and I get a phone call for a phone screening which I shall have Monday morning at 9am. It goes over very well because I'm asked to come in for a face-to-face interview on Wednesday at 8:30am. I do my best and am told I will hear by Friday or Monday (they really don't know, seeing as they have really nothing with them but blank pieces of paper to take notes.) Well it's Monday and I haven't been contacted yet. So I'm guessing that it's a no. I guess that means that my slave duties at the store (Whatever it's name is right now, I don't even know) still stand.
• So bring on the 5th point. I do the honest thing and I tell my Aunt that I have these interviews and by some miraculous chance, if I get the Full Time position, I will be quitting indefinitely. So what do they do? They hound me everyday since then as to if I got the job and went as far as getting a shit ton of applications (I kid you not, a stack of them!) and placing a "Now Accepting Applications" sign in the window. I even said, "Hey! I'm not dead yet! There are no guarantees I'll even get the Full Time, let alone the Part Time position I applied for!"
•  Oh yea, and I was told 2 weeks ago that they would be increasing my hours. At the time I was getting about 23 a week. The week after that I got 25, last week 28. This week 22.5! I don't know about you, but where I come from, that's a DECREASE!!! When I asked why it was like that because I was really confused, there was a "Well I don't know what it is that Jimmy wants you to do, but when I know I'll adjust the schedule..."(walk away). STORY OF MY FREAKING LIFE AT THIS SHITTY JOB!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH.
• Bring on the 7th point! There is an option for switching occupations. With out explaining, there is a company interested in hiring me. What I would do is go to homes of people who need assistance and help them get ready for bed. It's basically a health care job and it pays pretty well with the opportunity for working full time. So it could get me some experience so that if I would get another opportunity to interview with the hospital, I would at least have some experience to back up my resume.
• Now to bring me to my most exciting part of this week (NOT!) I have to serve on Jury Duty Wednesday starting at 8am. PUKE! Oh and they say to show up 15 minutes early! I think I'll be rolling out of bed at 7:15 and looking like crap, cuz frankly, I DO NOT want to do this. I will be the most awful juror they could pick. So I'm hoping to be eliminated. The only positive thing I get out of this is a paycheck. THANK GOD!
• In conclusion, I had been seeing the damn sail boat of good things in life, but lately, that ship has sailed and now I feel just like Wilhem in Mallrats. Which is one of my favorite movies. I know there's a lot of bad stuff in it and as a Catholic I shouldn't watch it, but it's SOOOOOOOO damn funny! It is by far one of my favorite movies and I love it! To leave you I post a compilation of Wihlem's scenes in the movie. I feel all his frustration and hatred toward that damn sailboat and wish it would come back. Well I guess sometimes you win the ticket and sometimes the boat goes on without you. Enjoy!

10 (Well now 12) Things I found out While on Vacation at Franciscan

So I just had the opportunity to vacation in the wonderful land of Steubenville. Well, I guess the town isn't wonderful, but the campus and people are awesome! It's great the things you find out or learn when you've been absent for a year from a certain place. Enjoy!

1. My household (Regina Angelorum) literally made me cry. I have never been so blessed in all my life to be a part of my household. The beauty is astounding and what a privilege it was to be able to join them for Lord's Day, Choir, Maggie & Amy's Coordinator Induction, Praise & Worship, Business Meeting (yes, even Business Meeting!), Morning Mass & Breakfast!
2. I'm glad that I got to live with Libby, Kelly, Mari & Emily. They are amazing hosts! I found out that Mari is one of the coolest sisters I have! She's an amazing drummer! Emily can prance like a Gazel (Don't know how to spell that). Libby is a great pianist and makes delicious pancakes! And that Kelly  has a conspiracy going to make everyone move to North Carolina. It is tempting, I'd love to live by the ocean for a while. I'm so glad I got to spend time with all of them!
3. People still talk about my Austria Mission Trip to Portugal. I heard from two people (one I went with, one who I didn't go with) that people still mention all the crazy shit we did. Portugal Mission, I'm so proud of us!
4. If you are staying at someones house and want to give them a hospitality gift (such as money like I did), leave it as you leave. Then when you get threatening texts from them such as "I'm going to kill you Sam Klish!" you will already safely be a few hundred miles away. 0 : )
5. Fr. Seraphim is back on Main Campus, and I found this out when I went to Mass. Let's just say I had some Austria flashbacks...Moving on!
6. I finally heard Nicole play her harp! She serenaded me and now my life is complete. I can die, haha!
7. I love that I can see friends I haven't seen in a year and hang out and talk to them like it's only been a few days! I love friendships like that!
8.  Eastern time does screw with you. I know it's only an hour but for whatever reason it confuses your internal clock! (I have a confession to make, I already knew this, it's not new.)
9. The Canticle Guitar Accompaniment is the best thing ever. It is like being a kid in the candy store!
10.  When talking to JT, he told me he thought I was from California. So I was mistaken as a Cali Girl. I wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing?
11. St. Pete's in Steubenville has the best priests for confession! I have and will definitely take advantage of that every time I go to Steubenville from here on out! What a blessing!
12.  My legacy is being followed in household. There are still some emo, fire-loving angels out there. I. Love. Them. Haha!!!

Well there you have it. Things I learned on vacation, for your viewing pleasure.

Graduation Breakfast

Earlier this week I was asked to speak at my Parish's Graduation Breakfast. We honor our graduating seniors now before life gets too hectic. I wasn't the first or the second person asked to speak, but the third. I hope that out of my ramblings, they got something out of it. So if you want to, you can read what I wrote. Enjoy!

Good Afternoon, Graduates, Family & Friends.
Please stand and join me in prayer:

Blessing of Graduates:

Before you were even formed, God knew you.
While in your Mother’s womb, God named you.
At your birth, God’s breath filled you with life.
Today, we celebrate what you have become at this moment in time. And so we pray:  God of our beginnings, we thank you for the gift of these graduates; their excitement, their awesome wonder & curiosity, their open speech & encouraging words. Their contributions have blessed & challenged us, & we have become a richer & more diverse community because of them.  (Pause)
God our Father, As they step forward into the world that awaits, comfort their fears with the full knowledge of your Divine presence.
Strengthen their resolve to walk in the footsteps of Jesus as modern-day disciples, in a world that needs their spirit.
Guide their feet as they move through life, protecting them from the pitfalls of darkness while they help to lead future generations into the warmth & promise of your light.
God our Father, we ask your blessings on them, today and everyday. Amen.
In the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Introduction:
Samantha Klish, Parishioner of St. Mary’s my whole life & a Catechist for the past 8 years.

Today I was asked to speak to you about what lies ahead as you go on and leave this chapter of your life behind.  In all honesty, I do not know what lies ahead. But what I do know, is that God has a plan for your life. As a graduate, a new adult in this scary, strange world, you will be faced with many decisions, challenges, rewards, pitfalls, failures & accomplishments.  There will be good times, bad times and all sorts of times in between. And I think that the unknowingness of the future is extremely exciting.

As I prepared for this speech, I reminisced about my life between my very own senior year of High School & now. What I found was this: it did not turn out the way I had planned!  When I look back on my plans as a graduating high school senior, I find that there was a very definitive thing missing in that plan. And that was God’s plan. I’m not here today to preach to you, I’m just here to tell you a little about my life in hopes of you looking into your own plans and finding the missing pieces, so that you may shape a past, which you can look back on, and be satisfied with it.  I’m not saying I regret my past, because I do not at all.

My plan as I began my senior year was pretty straight forward. I would graduate high school, live at home, attend Mid-State Technical College & graduate with a Nursing Degree in the Spring of 2006. At the end of my senior year, I was headed in a different direction. I can’t exactly pin point when my plan started to change, but it started with looking into the UW-Eau Claire Nursing Program at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield. I now had a new plan. I would apply to UWSP, then apply and get into the 4-year Nursing Program. After meeting with the admissions department, I was told that it was very competitive and if I didn’t maintain about a 3.8 gpa my first year of college, my chances of getting in was almost none.  I was up for the challenge, high school was easy. So I applied to UWSP and received my Acceptance letter 2 weeks later.

Fast forward a year and a half and I found myself with a terrible gpa. I was not getting into the 4-year Nursing Program and I had a chance the following year to improve my gpa. Year 2 goes by and I’m in the same boat. So I started looking into other Nursing Programs to transfer into. Year three and my grades were so horrible I was sure I was going to never make it.  As I look at what it was that made me not succeed was there was a lack in faith.  The campus was a place that lacked God. It made me angry, I didn’t want to be there, I made my after school job my first priority and I quickly found out that that was not the school for me.

Sometime during my third year of college I decided to take a shot in the dark and apply to the Franciscan University of Steubenville Nursing Program.  Believe you and me, this was not an easy feat. I was told that if I really wanted a shot at this program that I would have to start over from scratch. I would be there for 4 years. I immediately thought “That’s $80,000!” There’s no way I can afford something like that. But I still felt this pull toward Franciscan.  So I talked many times to my admissions counselor trying to figure out if there was any way to get into this school.  We figured out a way, my current credits would transfer and I would be a Theology Major! I would be there for 2 years and I could take classes towards a nursing degree!  Well after it was figured out, I received a letter in the mail. “Dear Ms. Klish. Thank you for applying. We see that you have selected on campus housing. Unfortunately we do not have room for you and you can either hold your application for the following semester or withdraw your application. Love, Franciscan.”  I was devastated. But there was still that pull toward that small town in Ohio. I called once again my counselor and asked if there was anyway that I could live off campus and attend the fall semester. Guess what? He said YES!!! A week later, a new letter, “Congratulations Ms. Klish! You are now a student at FUS!!!”

What was it that pulled me toward this University? It was God! I put my faith and trust in His plan, not my plan! I believe that any other school would have rejected me without a second look. But the love of the Father is so great, that he puts you exactly where you need to be, and for me it was Franciscan. 

I remember moving in to my new house in August and watching out my living room window as my family drove off.  I of course, panicked! I don’t live at home anymore! I won’t see my family for 4 months! I know NO ONE here! I’m all alone!!! The fears eventually went away. I met new people. I got a fresh start. Let me tell you, I FINALLY thrived at University! I found solace in the one who is always there for me. I attended daily Mass and allowed God to be first in my life! Eventually the grades started to ascend and I loved living 850 miles away from home! I got to do things I never imagined myself doing. Such as road tripping to Canada on a whim one night to watch the sun rise over Niagara Falls.  Going to New York City on Fall Break & Spending a week in Connecticut & Boston for Spring Break.  I let God provide, because I trusted Him. I knew that this is where He, not I wanted me to be.  There were never financial issues or loneliness, as He provided for all my needs. Not everything was bliss, there were roadblocks, but I was able to pull through.

As my second year got well under way, I had to decide what I was going to do the following Autumn as I was set to graduate in May.  I looked into three options: 1) Graduate and pursue an Accelerated Nursing Program in the fall. 2) Apply to be on NET Ministries or 3) Attend a Semester abroad at my schools Study Abroad Program in Gaming, Austria. Option 1 was out because of the financial obligations it required. I was just not feeling lead to NET so I tossed Option 2 to the side. So I guess Gaming it was!

In the fall semester of 2009, I boarded a plane with my friend Maggie and we headed to Ireland for a week before arriving in Austria. Can we say Culture Shock?!?!  What a horrible way to start a semester 4,000 miles away from home. Arriving in Ireland, I lost one of my suitcases, I turned my computer on in the airport to email home saying I arrived and my computer tells me that it does not want to work, at all! And we did a horrible job planning and we had no place to stay! Exhausted from being awake for about 27 hours we finally got everything straightened out. We found a Hostel, planned out the rest of the week, My computer finally turned on, my luggage was found and eventually arrived in Austria.

Franciscan owns it’s own campus in Gaming and it is a Restored 14th Century Carthusian Monastery. Those walls contained some of the holiest men who prayed about 15 hours a day! One of the coolest things about these particular Carthusian’s was that they prayed for all who would eventually live in the walls of the Kartause. Who knew that 600 or so years before I was born, I was being prayed for!

During my semester, I learned from wonderful professors from all over Europe. One from Lichtenstein, One from Italy & one from Austria. I was able to visit 18 countries in Europe, over 30 Major Cities, 3 Marian Apparition sites, including:  Knock, Ireland; Fatima, Portugal & Medugorje, Bosnia & Herzegovina, I saw Pope Benedict XVI, I got to pray in front of the tombs and sarcophagus’ of over 20 saints, including St. Peter, soon to be Blessed Pope John Paul II the Great, St. Francis, St. Clare St. Maximilian Kolbe, to pray in front of the Miraculously Incorrupt Bodies of Sts. Padre Pio & San Francesca del Roma. and walk in the same place as St. Michael the Arc Angel did in a cave in Mt. San Angelo, pray in front of the true cross of Christ, and Volunteer with Mother Teresa’s very own Missionaries of Charity.  From the day I decided to go to Gaming I was going to Greece for my 10-day break, but I followed God's plan and headed off to Portugal.

It was with the Missionaries in Lisboa, Portugal that I was reminded of something that I had not used to it’s fullest potential yet: Let God Provide!  This particular group of sisters ran a small Nursing Home for the Poorest of the Poor here in Lisboa.  After literally 5 minutes of assisting, I remembered why it was I wanted to be a Nurse! God reminded me of what my goal was, even though it took a lot longer than I thought!  The biggest lesson I learned however was when I was helping sister in the Kitchen prepare food and she asked me to help freeze some beans. There were I believe 3 black garbage bags full! I remember the look on sisters face: Pure joy! She told me, “Such beautiful food! We do not know where it came from! It was on our doorstep this morning! We work here on Divine Providence. We purchase very little. See how God provides for us!” 
When I returned home, in December I immediately pursued my dream of being a Nurse and just a few weeks ago, I received my Acceptance Letter! 7 ½ years after my own “plan”.  As I look back on it, there would have been so much I would’ve missed out on, if I would have taken my own path.  Even though there are parts I would have loved to cut out and not relive, there is much more I would not have traded for anything of this world.  Who knew I would have done so many wonderful & exciting things if I would have chosen my path.

What my message for you today is this: If you do not put God ahead in your life, I’m sorry, you are not living up to the potential He has set up for you! When you graduate and move away from this place, first and foremost, find yourself a Catholic Church and become a member! Many of you will attend a school that has a Newman Center. Join that! If you are remaining at home, remember, you are most welcome here. This is your home as much as all of ours.  Attend Mass on Sundays. Frequent Confession. Let God become a focal point in your life.  Does this mean that you have to go to College? Study Abroad? Go on a Mission Trip? Wait 8 years to finally reach your dream? NO! Not at all. God has a plan for each of you.  I will suggest you do these things, especially travel! I agree with St. Augustine when he said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” How ever I agree more with St. Catherine of Sienna who said, “When you are what you were meant to be, you will set the whole world ablaze!” That will only come with the loving hand of God’s guidance. In the trials of life, in all emotions and situations, I ask you, beg you, to join those with Christ. Go to a church, and sit in the silence that awaits in front of the tabernacle, be with Christ as He is always with you.

Let me end this afternoon, with this analogy:

I am giving to each of you right now a rose.  I want you to hold it and look at it right now. 
I’m going to read to you 2 Timothy 1:8b-10

Beloved:
Bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel.

I explained that the rose can show the path of our lives. It started out small and as it grew it grew thorns. That is like the parts of our lives that were challenging. Eventually we got through them and came to the leaves. These are our resting places. Our periods of joy. After many leaves and thorns we get to the bud. Sometimes we are like that bud. We are closed and not entirely at our fullest potential.  Eventually we open up and we are rewarded with the sweet smell of success, just like the sweet smell of the rose.  The rose was red, to remind us that we have succeed with the deep red blood that was shed by Christ on the Cross. 
I elaborated a little more but I didn't include it all here.

In conclusion I would like to read a few quotes to you:
“I command you: Be firm & Steadfast! Do not fear or be dismayed, for the LORD, your God, is with you wherever you go!” -Joshua 1:9
“What lies behind us & what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“High School is like toilet paper, you only miss it when it’s gone!” Unknown
“To those of you who received honors, awards, & distinctions, I say well done. And to the ‘C’ Students, I say you too may one day be president of the United States.” George W. Bush

I thank you for your time! Please stand once again for a final prayer.
“Heavenly Father….All Glory Be to the Father…”
In conclusion, I will end with a quote from G.K. Chesterton which was read at my own Commencement Exercises last Spring: “Let the speeches be short, and let the Graduates be on their way.” Thank you.

Tada! My ramblings!