Hello

It's been a while. A long while. Lots has changed, life has changed, I have changed. But by change, I mean grown. I'm still the same, same past, same experiences, but I have a much fuller view on the world. There must be something about reflecting on the past and seeing how life has unfolded that gives me such a broader, more full view of the world. And that's just in two years. I can't even imagine what 60 more will do.

But even after two years, I'm still uncertain about where I am in life. I've accomplished a few more things, grown a little, but I'm still nowhere where I want to be. Now I have a masters, but am still figuring out the perfect career path for it. I have a comfortable place to live, but I definitely DON'T want to live here forever. All in God's timing. Life is full of patience. And I had better get used to being patient, because it will never ever not be needed. That's why it's a virtue. For sure. I must always remember everything is God's timing. Like Ecclesiates 3:11:

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time

The Good from the Pain

As I look back, pain was always a preparation for me. The Lord allowed pain before accomplishing anything He asked me to do. It made me more aware of my own weaknesses, my own faults, my own incompetence, my own lack of knowledge . . . it made me appreciate the fact that God must do everything. - Mother Angelica

Today is my one year anniversary of moving into my little apartment in San Dimas, California. It is unbelievable that I have lived in one spot for a year. I haven't done that since high school! And what a year it has been. It hasn't been easy. It's been extremely rewarding in the joy I experienced through my job, my friends, and my growth, but it's been as equally as trying.  Each trial I encountered brought pain and hurt, but also an immense amount of good, the good of discovering who I am and what I hold true. It's been a way of uncovering the depths of my soul and being sound as me. With each challenge, I can say I'm prepared for the next stage of life or the new challenges that await. As a good friend once told me and as Mother Teresa once said, “I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much.”

Gifts

I just had that most wonderful gift from God on Sunday. When I was little, I loved the song "The Lord of the Dance" which was played on very rare occasions, probably once a year, at mass. I loved it so much that my mom borrow the hymn book from church so we could copy the lyrics.

About a month ago, I thought about how amazing it would be if that song was played when I went home and secretly hoped it would. Like many things, I forgot that wish.

This past weekend when I was back in Michigan, we went to my childhood church for mass and that day it was the one time this year that the song was played. I was overjoyed, teary eyed and extremely thankful. I know that was a gift specifically for me. I wondered what I could do to pay God back for the gift he gave me, but realized that I didn't need to do anything, it was just sent to make me happy.

God sends us the greatest little gifts when we least expect them, just only to show His love for us!

It was also wonderful to see my family!

Book Blogging!

This is turning into a book blog! But I must again share a wonderful book that I just finished. Yet again, one that is filled with perseverance and faith, my favorite combination in literature.

Louis Zamperini was an olympic runner who was believed to have the ability to be the first to break the 4:00 mile barrier. He clocked his fastest time, 4:08, before he went to fight in WWII. In the war, he became a POW in Japan after being stranded in a raft at sea for 47 days. He endured over 2 years of torment in the internment camps. After the war, he lost himself in horrific memories from the camps, but was saved by faith.

It was a shocking, but absolutely beautiful story. I love survival stories and ones about faith. I highly recommend it!

See You in Heaven

Last spring, about two weeks after I started my job with Students for Life, I was fortunate to attend the March for Life. Unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy much of the march because I was technically working by handing out "Pro-Life Generation" SFLA signs, but I was still there absorbing the joyous atmosphere of people who valued life so highly at this event which goes uncovered by the media each year.

As I passed out signs, I handed one to a woman who I had definitely seen before. She recognized me too. It seemed as if at one point in our lives we had shared a conversation, a meaningful conversation. She said she knew me but couldn't remember how, I said the same. We stood there in wonder for a few moments but then gave up. She turned to continue on her march and told me "Well, I guess I'll see you in Heaven." I smiled. "I guess so."

This story usually passes through my mind when I reflect on each person I met at different stages of life, all across the country. Whenever I leave, I realize I will never spend as much time with that friend ever in my life again as I did at that time, but I'm comforted by the fact that I will see them in Heaven. They have each shared so much with me and have help me grow into the person I am. It only seems right to believe that I will see them again someday, maybe not in this life, but later on, in our final resting place. Knowing this helps me move on, continue to grow, and appreciate where I've been.

Thanks to all of those who have touched my life!

This is an awesome book about

Heaven that I highly recommend!

Olympic Athletes and Redemption

Bryan Clay is my new favorite athlete. He competed at APU and still trains at the track which is about ten minutes west of where I live.  A few weekends ago, I ran at APU for the Bryan Clay Invitational. As hoped, Bryan Clay was there for the first release of his biography, Redemption. Now, I am reading his book and he has quite an inspiring life filled with struggles, successes, and faith. He picks out the glimpses of God in his life, even when he dealt with a broken family and anger issues growing up. To him, everything life event, good or bad, has meaning and has made him into the person he is today. He has a beautiful outlook on life:

"Understanding commitment also helped me to understand what love really is. I had often said that I loved track. But now I wondered what that really meant [...] If love was a feeling, then nothing was stable. It could come and go like the wind. And if love was a feeling, then God's love toward us was based on convenience and whim too. I knew that wasn't true [...] I realized that love is actually commitment - a choice [...] To say I loved something or someone meant I would choose that thing or that person even when I didn't feel like it."

Now, check out this video. I can't wait for the Olympics!!!!!

Steeple!

Well, I raced again! Not only once, but three times on the track. I thought those days were over. Way back in December, I committed to training again. This past fall, I went through another stage of trying to find a balance between exercise and life. I believe that as humans, we need to exercise and be active rather than sit around. It’s another way of taking care of the bodies that have been given to us. But I was bored of running on my own and didn’t have any other motivation to exercise other than my health. So, in December, I resolved to commit to training again for an unknown event. All I knew is I wanted to compete in something so, my first step to competing was running everyday. Eventually, after struggling through the early stages of easy miles on my own, I gained an event, the steeplechase. It kind of turned into part of my coaching education because I should have experience in the steeplechase  to coach it. The past few months were filled with learning how to hurdle and jump the water barrier, while also adjusting to fast running again. It’s hard for me to believe that I once could run consistent 85’s for 12.5 laps to run under 18:00 in a 5k, when now I am challenged in running 85’s in repeats. But though I am slower now, I still have managed to race three steeples this season, finishing with a PR of 12:08 at the Brian Clay Invitational. Definitely an accomplishment. I came a long way since December for sure and in a month I’ll be tackling my first half-marathon. Who knows where racing will take me, but I will always be addicted to competing and racing is great way to fulfill that addiction for now!

My first water jump at the Ben Brown Invitational.

And here is a link to the video:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150729638304230