Personally, in busy seasons of life and work I go into overload and my brain simply shuts down. I don't clean my house at all, or return phone calls/text messages/emails/etc. properly, etc. It's really not the best way to live, but I truly am working on it. Oh, to live an integrated life...
Also, it probably doesn't help that my new coping mechanism has been to spend a lot of my free time on this:
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| Oops. |
But as I've caught up to the current season of Downton (by the way... I just watched episode 4 of season 3, and what the heck?!?!?!), and be it that the March for Life is now behind me (and everyone in one piece), I'm back! It's a "blogging was made for man, not man for blogging" kind of thing anyway, right?
I'm rather excited to start sharing some insights from Fr. Michael Gaitley's new book with you:
I picked it up the other day at the Basilica's bookstore in D.C., and oh my word! I'm only about 50 pages in, but I'm already blown away! Insights/awed reactions/fabulous quotes to come soon...
In other news, over the last few days I've been reflecting on all of the unconditional love that I have in my life. Bus trips, intense periods of ministry and sleep deprivation always have the potential to bring out the best and worst in people. Our strengths and weaknesses are brought to the forefront, like cream rises to the top on milk. I think this phenomenon always happens in friendships, but weekends like the March for Life or summer programs like Totus Tuus very much amplify it. It's like using the ginormous side of a hand-held mirror, instead of the ordinary-sized side. You see everything magnified times 10,000; it's human interaction on steriods, really. Often, these sorts of experiences reveal us to ourselves, as well. You see your strengths, your sinfulness, as well as the things about your that aren't sins - those little, annoying tendencies and habits we all possess.
"Cleanse me of my unknown faults." -Psalm 19:12
As life goes on, I've had the honor and privilege of collecting an amazing array of beautiful friends who have seen me at this close-up, zoomed-in level, and have stuck around for the ride. It's really quite an awe-inspiring, humbling thing!
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| Three such people! |
I've got people who love me despite my phlegmatic vices of procrastinating and being too relaxed about things; despite the fact that I'm rather likely to roll with things on the fly, without telling them about all the details. They stick around, despite my tendency to sleep through my alarm in the morning and/or snooze it to death. They love me despite the fact that I constantly twirl my hair, talk much too fast, sometimes (often) either make no sense, and the way that I'm apt to tell them the same story fifty times. They deal with the way I can fail to return their texts, phone calls, emails and letters, and they still try to contact me again anyway. These are the people who have seen me confused about life or with absolutely no idea of what to do next; they've seen me at the end of my rope, completely drained and with nothing left to give; they've seen me through both depressing failures and successes that I've only sought for my ego's sake, and they still love me.
At the risk of sounding overly sappy and sentimental, the only response I have is awe and gratitude. Thank you Jesus, and thank you, my friends! I'm so blessed.
It's good to be back... talk to you all later! I'm off to enjoy the rest of this day off (definitely needed it to recoup from the weekend!).
And one last thing: if you need a pep talk, here you go! (Thanks to yet another fabulous friend for sending this to me the other day. We could all use a little of this in our lives!)
Keep the faith!
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