Celebrate Life

January Birthday Girls!

"Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward." – Psalm 127:3

You know what's great about January? It's the first month of the year! ...And a new year means new beginnings. It also happens to be my birthday month, which I share with a couple of other good friends. It's a wonderful time of year when my friends and I get to celebrate the gift of life together.

When you think about a person's birthday you think of the day they came into this world. It's only the very beginning of their existence. From that day forward they are given the gift to live each and everyday until God calls them home. Life is a beautiful thing, which is why we celebrate it every year on our own special day. Life is precious. Life is God's own creation. Life is the most valuable aspect of the entire universe, which is why it should always be respected and protected.

However, many people these days have forgotten the value of life. People ignore the fact that the gift of life is what has given them the opportunity to be here today. At one point, all of us were formed in our mother's womb as a tiny fetus. As the days grew into months so did we grow into beautiful babies. But if someone had objected to our life and decided to abort us we wouldn't be here. In fact, we wouldn't have had a birthday because we would have never been born. How sad!?

Not only would we have never existed...but none of our friends would have been given the chance to know us. None of our teachers would have had the opportunity to teach us. Nobody would've had the chance to invite us to special events, like parties, dances, or sports games. Nobody would've given us hugs or kisses. And nobody would have known our kindness or felt the love from our heart that we share with others in the most generous way.

Recently, this month, thousands of pro-life people gathered in Washington DC for the March for Life. It was so amazing to watch all of those people stand up for the those who cannot speak for themselves. Even though I could not attend the event I had the opportunity to watch it live on EWTN.

As of now, it's been 40 years since the Roe vs. Wade abortion law was put into effect. Can you imagine!? That means for the last 40 years hundreds of thousands of babies have been murdered legally! These murders take place every day. In fact, the total estimate of deaths by abortion in the United States since then has risen to the total of 55 million. Fifty-five million!!! Do you realize how much that is? That is almost the same number of people that live in either France or Italy. And to top if off, the current president has included abortion as a part of woman's health care according to his HHS mandate that will take effect in August. How sick!

Although we can't change the fact that our own country has destroyed the lives of so many innocent children, we can stick up for what we believe in and celebrate life itself. As those wonderful people participated in the March for Life, we too, can participate in expressing our concern for those who have yet to see the light of day. I hope and pray that more women will realize how inhuman and barbaric abortion really is. Not only does it hurt the child, but it also hurts the mother in unimaginable ways. This, my friends, is not health care. More and more woman come out of an abortion depressed, feeling terrible remorse, regret, and heartache after the realization sets in. The womb of a mother should be the safest place for her child to grow. Let's keep praying for those women who have already had an abortion and those who are pondering it at this time. May they realize how precious and beautiful life truly is!

I encourage you to celebrate life each and every day. Life is a gift! As you can see, we are so blessed to be living and breathing right now. Although some are not so lucky, we can be the voice for them in this war on life. God has a plan for each of us, so let's make the most of it. As for those who are pro-choice here is the choice I'm asking you to make: choose LIFE!

The following video shows groups of Catholics gathered at the March for Life 2013 in Washington DC. Check it out! :)

         

Here And Now

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:34

I've realized sometimes we think too much about the future and what it holds. It's good to plan ahead for certain things in the short term. But most of our long term situations are out of our control. God wants us to be present where we are at this time. By thinking so much about the future we miss out on today. Dwelling on thoughts that question where we are headed in life make us doubt the Lord and what He has to offer. 

God knows the desires of your heart. He truly wants to give you all that you desire and more! But in order for His plan to transpire we must trust and surrender to His Holy Will...even if we do not yet understand it. It can be extremely difficult to give all of your fears and worries to Him, but that is where faith comes in. Faith, in itself, is complete trust. Igniting our faith in the Lord with prayer and supplication helps us to release our fears and surrender to His Will.

Every once in a while I'll catch myself thinking about why God put me in Florida, where I am today. I never chose to be here, but here I am. Don't get me wrong... I'm ssoooo thankful to be here! I love living in the Sunshine State. I love my friends, family, church, school, Disney World, beaches, and everything else about Florida. But sometimes I wonder where my future husband is. It makes me sad to think maybe he's not living close to me...and then I think maybe I would be happier living there, wherever he is. However, now I see that it doesn't matter if he's living half way across the world... I know God will bring him to me at the right time, in the right place, at the right moment, and in the right way.

Right now, apparently, I'm not suppose to be with him. Right now I'm just suppose to be living my life as myself — a Catholic college student (in Florida) that loves God, family, friends, and being an artist. You are also meant to be where you are today. The school you go to, the place you work at, the friends you meet, and the city you live in is all part of God's plan for your life. It's so easy to get caught up in "what if" scenarios. But at the end of the day, all the possibilities don't matter. What matters is right now. Just by dwelling on the future doesn't help us get there. It's what we do now with the opportunities presented to us which will produce an outcome... hopefully in accordance with God's Will if we've surrendered to Him.

All of this reminds me that a few days ago on Twitter I saw @TheSingleWoman post, "You are where you are, at the time that you are, for a reason. Don't waste it by wishing to be somewhere else." That really hit home with me. As I approach graduation I still wonder where God wants me to go. But dwelling on where I should be or shouldn't be, as I said before, won't help me get there. Just by taking it one day at a time I'm sure that I'll find out where I am suppose to go and how I will get there. Trusting in the Lord takes patience! This is why I'm currently praying a 54-day Rosary Novena for my future husband and career path. In time, God will answer me. I just have to patiently wait for His answer while continuing to be the best person I can be, which is what He calls all of us to.

As for you young ladies seeking a future spouse, I found this blog post by The Catholic Young Woman called Right Now, which I encourage you to read. It's really good! The post is filled with lots of insight on why prayer is for now and being with your future beloved is for later. I would also recommend that you pray a 54-day Rosary Novena for your future spouse. A really funny Catholic lady, Jackie Francois, prayed this novena and miraculously received her answer! Right now she is 28-years old, and even though she would have liked to have met her beloved earlier in life, this was the right moment for her. I'm so happy for Jackie and Bobby! They are an adorable couple. If you'd like to check out their blog site go to this link: http://bobbyandjackie.com/. They have a great inspirational story that gives hope to us young woman who are seeking a holy, Catholic man of God.

I truly believe God has a very special purpose for your life. Don't lose hope if you feel that you're not sure where to go. Just put all your faith and trust Him even when it is tough. I guarantee that you'll be happier and more satisfied with yourself in the end if you do than if you don't.  ...Thanks for reading my blog post! Have a wonderful day and God bless. :)

SEEK And You Will Find

Over six thousand young people pack the main ballroom for the SEEK 2013 conference in Orlando. Credit: Jason Siegel Photography.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." - Matthew 7:7

Hello friends in Christ! I just wanted to let you all know that I got back from the SEEK 2013 conference, hosted by FOCUS, in Orlando, FL. This conference was amazing! I had such a good time with my friends. Like I said in my last post, I signed up for this event without knowing if any of my friends were going. But come to find out, some of my friends from the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida were planning to go too. It was great! I met them there and I was even able to room with my best friend Stephanie, who came to the conference with me.

On the first day we all heard the keynote speaker, Matthew Kelly, give his talk on "The Best Way To Live." He was so inspirational and motivational! I always love to hear him talk. Kelly says that we should strive to find our passion and purpose in life and to become the best version of ourselves. He also said, "We almost never see things the way they truly are." I find that statement very true and compelling. From certain situations in my life, I can see when I have become blinded to reality. It is only when we step back and take a look at the bigger picture do we realize what is really going on in our life. I know that my friends and family will tell me things that I don't like to hear sometimes—but that is because they care about me. Matthew Kelly said, "Words have value based on who speaks them." What I have taken away from this talk is to trust my friends and family more when they say something important, because they truly care about me and are more likely to see the bigger picture then myself.

The next day at the conference I heard a speaker session called "What Moves You As A WOMAN ...As You Were Made To Be" given by the lovely Lisa Cotter. She spoke beautifully about the role of a woman and the Biblical principals of womanhood and femininity in society. Dr. Edward Sri also gave a talk to the men about their mission in life and how to become a virtuous man. However, the conference was split by gender, so I only heard the woman's talk—but I'm sure Dr. Sri also gave a great one too!

Some of the smaller sessions I went to included a talk from the sweet and witty Amber Loosbrock. She is a graduate from the Benedictine College and she spoke about "Making Friends and Keeping Them." She had great insight on what friendship really is and who we should keep as friends in our life. What we need to have is virtuous friends...friends that will help bring us into the Sacraments of the church, pray with us, and help us to become a better person rooted in Jesus Christ. Amber said that virtuous friends are hard to find. This is true. However, by the grace of God, I believe I've found a bunch of virtuous girl friends who really care for me and strive to follow the church as best they can. They assist me in my faith journey, and I them.

On the third day I heard Matt Fradd talk at a smaller woman's session called "You Were Made For What You Desire." He gave great advise about relationships and not settling for less than what we deserve as holy and virtuous woman. Fradd said that our womanly desires are put in our hearts by God and that we should strive for those desires. I totally agree! He also mentioned Jason Evert's book How To Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul. I heard Jason speak the next day and he also had two wonderful talks! He talked the real meaning of love and about God's plan for you and your future spouse. He pointed out the do's and don'ts of dating in college and why it is necessary to be friends with someone first, before you become romantically connected to them. I think Jason has great advice to offer. So ladies, please get his book! You won't be disappointed.

After his talk everyone heard the keynote speaker that night, Leah Darrow. Leah gave her testimony on her conversion. Originally, she was raised in the Catholic faith as a child, but when she got to high school she drifted away from the church. She became involved in many sinful acts and continued to do so throughout college. Once she graduated from college, Leah entered into the reality TV show America's Next Top Model at age 23. She became so involved in materialistic things and what society deemed as beauty that she had forgotten what real beauty looked like. Eventually her sinful ways became too much for her to handle. Leah called her dad to come pick her up and take her home. The amazing thing was, was that her dad lived in a different state and drove several thousand miles to reach her. Once he did he said that he was going to take her to the church. Leah said that she wanted to go home. In response, he told her that he was bringing her home—to God's home.

From there she received the Sacrament of Reconciliation and had a change of heart. Leah quit modeling and now she is a beautiful Catholic woman that gives chastity talks to high school and college students. It is amazing what the Lord can do! And she spoke with confidence, conviction, clarity, and pure emotion when telling her conversion story. Leah is a great speaker and she really makes you see the emptiness of a life without God and the fulfillment that He can give you, that He wants to give you! That is why we must SEEK Him!

Like I said before, I had such a great experience. My friends were amazing, the talks were amazing, and Mass was amazing! It was just sssooooo amazing!!! However, I didn't mention any of the bad things that happened to me while I was there. I had a LOT of negative things try to crash and burn my experience. But I didn't let certain people or situations hold me down or ruin my time at the conference. Even though I could tell that the devil was doing everything he could to hurt me and distract me from the reason why I was there, I prayed about it and moved on.

I was there for Jesus. I was there to SEEK Him more clearly and love Him more dearly. And you know what...? I did. That's why I'm so happy I went. It was great to be there with all the people, but at the end of the day... it was best to be there with God.

Thanks for reading. Check out my SEEK 2013 videos below. Take care and God bless!