Twentieth Year - Month Three

What I have learned my twentieth year: Month Three

I thought it would be neat to share a handful of different things that I learn personally in my own life, as I move through my twentieth year. Your twentieth year is the start of a new chapter in life. You are no longer a teenager, and your adult life is beginning to take off. You cannot go back, you can only move forward. These lessons are lessons I will learn again and again throughout my life in different ways, but I have chosen to share them because they have been the most prevalent in my life recently. I hope my lessons learned are just as helpful, thought provoking, and inspiring for you as they are for me.

I have officially been twenty for three months... I can't believe how fast they flew by. So much has happened in my life since then. I have already grown quite a lot since June 19th, and I can hardly wait to see what continues to unfold before me as my adventure into adulthood proceeds.

1. I must let go of things out of my control in order to grow and move forward.
I have heard this advice growing up more times than I can count, but I have never really understood it. The first three months of my 20th year have been a time where I have had to put it into practice more than any other time in my life thus far. I finally understand it. It has never been harder for me either. Throughout the course of my life I am going to have to let go and say goodbye to people I love most. It will happen every now and then. It will always be extremely difficult, it will always be painful. But doing God's will sometimes means letting go of people we love, or plans we aspire to, or dreams and goals we think are in accord with His plan for us. Instead of trying to control these situations and hanging on to what cannot be, I need to give them up and trust. Hanging on to plans or people who cannot be in my life right now keeps my heart from growing and transforming into who God wishes me to become. Hanging onto the past prevents me from realizing the present, and the future God wishes for me to partake in.  

2. There is always a need to grow more in knowledge. 
I sometimes become so overwhelmed just thinking of all the different aspects of knowledge I wish to obtain. There is SO much to learn and so little time. *Problems of a multi-interest nerd* As I continue to grow as a person, and experience new things, I am more and more aware of just how much wisdom and knowledge is out there for me to gain. I want to learn as much as I can, and there will always be a need to grow more in my knowledge of different subjects. Each conversation I have with others, and multiple times throughout the day, I am reminded just how much I have left to learn. I don't know everything, and I never will, there will always be something for me to learn and grow from each day of my life.  

3. Time is a precious thing, and it will not wait for me.
I swear a minute ago it was 4pm and now it's already 6pm. It seems as though hours are minutes and minutes are seconds. I am in a whirlwind of ideas, projects, hobbies and interests, but time is not waiting for me. It is one thing to plan or daydream about ideas. It is another thing entirely to take action on these ideas and thoughts. Time won't wait for me and my ideas. If time will not wait for me, why am I waiting on myself and others? God wishes for us to discern, pray, and think about things, but when He calls us to action will we be ready to jump on board with zeal? How can we waste the precious time God has given us to complete what He asks of us? Time shouldn't be wasted, it should be used to persevere on our God given path, and complete our personal missions set before us. The past few months in particular, I have learned just how vital it is to not waste time. It is a lot easier said than done, but is something I will always strive to perfect myself on.

4. God and my relationship with Him are my top priority.
It is one thing to believe this, and it is another thing to live this belief out in my life. If God is truly the top priority in my life, why do I catch myself making decisions without praying and asking God about it first? If God is truly the top priority in my life, why do I try harder to make time to grow closer to my friends than I do trying to grow closer to God? Why do I forget so easily to spend time each day with Him? How can I go an entire day only talking to Him once, if even that? The past few months I have learned just how important my relationship with God is. During painful, difficult times, I realized how much I need Him, and how He is the only one who can truly bring me comfort. My relationship with God does not begin after death when I am face to face with Him - He won't recognize me as a friend. It begins now, and I must nurture it by His grace each day for the rest of my life. Again, much easier said than done. Like growing in any relationship, it will take work, effort, discipline, determination, and lots and lots of love.

5. It is vital for me to make time to grow closer to those in my family.
The people in my family are very special because God chose for these particular people to be connected to me in a way that no one else can. Recently I have learned in new ways just how important it is to love them with my whole heart, to learn from them, and to strengthen my relationships with them. I want to take advantage of every opportunity I have to grow closer to them and be there for them. Love begins in the home, if I do not love those in my family as I should, how can I truly love others as I should? 

Con amore in Cristo,

 Bluebird

Pass it on...

It was my last shift at work for the time being, and I had to cashier. I wasn't quite looking forward to it. Being one of the only cashiers, I was grateful time would fly by and that I would be free soon. It was just one of those days where different unpleasant things, and just life in general, was weighing me down. I would have prefered to just be far far away from everything. 

Toward the end of my shift, after hours of checking guests out, almost in a robotic state of mind, I was awoken by the sound of my name being addressed by the only genuinely kind face I had encountered that night. 

Before I could even utter the usual, "Hello, how are you tonight?" she had already called me by name asking how I was.

"Hello Emily, how are you?" 

Taken by surprise that she actually read and addressed me by the my name on my name tag, I looked at her sweet face, beaming back, and answered,

"Hi, I'm doing pretty well!..This is actually my last shift before school."

"Really?? Well, I am honored to meet you!"
"Haha! It's great to meet you too."
"Where are you going to school?"
"I commute to Madonna."
"Oh how wonderful! What are you studying?"
"Communications."
"Really? Wow, what do you want to do with that?"
"There is a lot I would like to do with it. I love everything about it. I would like to do anything with writing, publishing, speaking, filming, everything!"
"Oh my goodness, that is so amazing!" 
"Awe, thank you. I am really excited!"
As our conversation progressed, she continued to pour out love in each word she spoke to me. Tenderly giving encouragement, praise, and making me feel valued. 
Her joy, love, and kindness toward me, for just 5 minutes gave me something I didn't realize I needed so badly at the time. Her words and conduct toward me, gave my heart a breath of fresh air. Her kindness gave life.
As she was leaving, she wished me all the best and lovingly expressed how proud she was of me for everything I was doing and pursuing. 
I'm pretty sure the smile she got out of me never left my face the rest of the night. 
The kindness and love she radiated out onto me, made it almost impossible for my heart not to cast out the same kindness toward others in return. The woman reminded me of one of my favorite quotes and life motto, 

“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”

 -Mother Teresa

Through my special interaction with this woman, I witnessed a powerful example of what expressing God's kindness in one's face, eyes, smile, and most of all, words, looks like. I was reminded just how important it is to live this way. Love breathes life into the soul, and being kind to others does just that.  That's just what she did for me. She left leaving me better and happier. She was a stranger whom I will most likely never meet again, however her joyful spirit and kindness toward me caught me. She caught my soul and inspired me to try harder to be kind to others in my actions and words in everything I do. Whether it is with my own family or strangers who cross my path during everyday life. 

"Joy is a net of love by which we catch souls." 

- Mother Teresa

The next night, after a fun swing dancing event, my brother and I drove over with some friends to a cute little donut shop that had 90 cent deep-fried deliciousness. We walked in at midnight, trying to decide on what donuts to devour. I went last and asked the young man for 1 glazed donut, he casually grabbed 2 glazed donuts and put them in my bag. 

Worried that I would be charged more than I was willing to pay, I said, 

"Ummm.. That's two..." 

He looked right at me and simply stated, "I know." and handed them to me. 

Surprised, I thanked him and left with a huge smile. 
That was the first time anyone had ever given me more than I payed for. 
Again, even though it was a simple and small act, I was touched by another stranger's kindness.
Sitting at the table with our donuts I told these stories to my friend, who was just as inspired as I. As my friend got up to go buy another donut for her father, I was looking at my bag that held the extra donut, and realized I should pass on the random act of kindness. I stopped her, gave her the donut and told her to pass it on as well. 

"No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to another. Good example is followed. A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves." 

- Amelia Earhart

St. John of the Cross said, "At the end of our life, we shall all be judged by charity." It couldn't be more true. We are all called to love others, no matter who they are, in everything we do. It is so easy to forget, to be weak, to be selfish, to be caught up in ourselves, to be cold and not kind... Yet, if we do anything without love, it is worthless. 

Pass on the kindness...

Con amore in Cristo,

 Bluebird

To Be Happy...

St. Josemaria Escriva is Boss. 

God's Beauty Photography Video

"My profession is to always find God in nature. " 

- Henry David Thoreau

I'm training for a marathon!

I have extremely exciting news! I have decided to run a marathon... and training begins today. 
I have very little experience with running, let alone running something like a marathon. 
Nevertheless, it is one of my newest, and very important goals. I know it will be one of the most difficult things I've ever tried to accomplish, but it will be one of the best things for me... Training for a marathon begins months, sometimes even years beforehand. It takes perseverance, discipline, focus, dedication, and courage. I am ready for the challenge.

I am always inspired by those I know who have ran marathons. Some of my role models I look up to the most have ran marathons. 
Such as, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Apostles, Mother Teresa, St. Josemaria Escriva, St. Francis de Sales, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Teresa of Avila, and all the saints. Even Christ Himself.

We are all called to run our own unique marathons set before us by God. 
Our marathon is not only the life God has given us to live according to His Holy Will, but also our chosen vocation. 

Whether our vocation in life is marriage, religious or consecrated life, our training for our "marathon" begins today. 
Training for our marathon doesn't begin the day the race starts. It starts now. 
St. Josemaria explains this in his writings in "The Way". 
"You tell me: when the chance comes to do something big, then!... Then? Are you seriously trying to convince me — and to convince yourself — that you will be able to win in the supernatural Olympics without daily preparation, without training?"

Every day, we should ask ourselves how our supernatural training for our big race is progressing. To think we can finish our race and keep the faith without daily training is simply foolish. 

Our marathon of life is one that takes continuous training and perseverance in everything God puts before us during our journey. 
"And let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." - Hebrews 12:1
Sometimes the mere thought of this can be overwhelming, and we can easily become discouraged. However, by feeling that way we forget that finishing our race successfully doesn't rely on our own strength, but the power and grace of God. We are weak and fall countless times while training and running our race.  Too easily do we forget our strength and progress comes from God alone and that cooperating with His grace is vital. We can only finish our race with the reward of eternal life if we give ourselves completely to God, believe in Him more than ourselves, and trust in Him rather than relying on our own weakness. 

“Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness.” 
-Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

There will be times when we are running our race and our faith and endurance will be put to the test. Temptations will challenge us throughout each day we run our marathon. Yet Our Lord, Blessed Mother, our guardian angel, and the saints are all by our side, ready to help us train and continue forward. 
Who could ask for a greater support system while running one's race? 

"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor..." 

A smooth sea never made a saint either.

"To begin is for everyone, to persevere is for saints..." 

- St. Josemaria Escriva

A sailor lacks experience and the necessary skills essential to becoming a master of the sea if he never has his limits tested, never struggles or faces challenges amidst the dangers of the sea. Only through the lessons learned through rough and difficult times at sea does a sailor become well skilled. He does not obtain expert skills of the sea by only training on land, or having experienced only calm seas. 

The same is true for ourselves. Our marathon will be full of challenges and "rough seas". There will be days where it is difficult to stay afloat. It is important to remember that the difficult times God allows us to experience are to help us grow closer to Himself, sanctify us, and to grow in the "skills" needed to reach sainthood and heaven. 
After we choose to begin our marathon training and run our race, we have another choice to make, a choice that must be made every day. 

Will we choose to persevere on our path toward sainthood and Our Lord? Or will we choose to give in to sin and our own weakness? 

As I continue training and running my marathon, I hope you will begin yours, and not only begin, but persevere in God's grace. 

Con amore in Cristo,

 Bluebird

(Photo by Chloe Marie Photography)

“Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.” - Albert Einstein

“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” 

- Vincent van Gogh

“I cannot rest, I must draw, however poor the result, and when I have a bad time come over me it is a stronger desire than ever.” 
- Beatrix Potter

Lately I have been trying to draw more. It's so wonderful getting my hands messy creating something! Go grab some paper, a pencil, and some tea and join me!:)

Con amore in Cristo,

 Bluebird

This amazing woman...

This amazing woman...

Is the selfless mother of eight children...

Seven boys and one girl...

Day in and day out...

She gives of herself for our greater good...

Deserved not is her endless care...

And endless are her inspiring actions...

Strong is her faith in God...

Gently and quietly leading us all to Him...

Silently going about her day...

In pure expression of virtue...

The most beautiful woman I know...

A smile and soul so radiant...

And the patience of a saint...

She teaches me all there is to know...

Of what it means to be a woman of God...

What it truly means to be a mother...

And what life is all about...

Putting the Lord and others before yourself...

Happy Birthday Mother!

I can never thank you enough for everything you have done, 

and everything you do,

 for everyone and I each and every day. 

Your life is a blessing to countless people. 

Even though we don't always understand each other, 

no one will understand me quite like you.

I am so happy and thankful to God,

that He gave me you!

Love,

Your little Bluebird